Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 195: The Troublemaker Zhu Zhanji, the Fortress Master Zhu Qizhen [Please Subscribe]

Zhu Di was speechless.

He came here today to ask Zhu Yuanzhang for permission to go south to train the navy and participate in the preparations for the development of Southeast Asia.

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not say whether he agreed or not, but called Liu Kuan over and wanted to tell him about the deeds of "Bao Zong". Wasn't this intended to embarrass him?
I don’t know what it means.

As a son and a subject, he had no way of objecting, so he said sullenly, "He is also my father's great-great-grandson."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at Zhu Di and said, "You haven't been beaten in a few years, you're itching for trouble again, right?"

When Liu Kuan heard this, he knew that Zhu Di had been beaten a lot when he was a child, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Zhu Biao advised, "Father, fourth brother, it's getting late. Let's listen to what your brother-in-law has to say about the Fort Sect first."

Zhu Yuanzhang withdrew his gaze and said to Liu Kuan, "Go ahead and talk. There's no need to be shy about anything."

"Yes," Liu Kuan replied, and then he began to speak, "The great-grandson of His Royal Highness Prince of Yan was named Zhu Qizhen. His official temple name in later history was actually Emperor Yingzong."

"Bao Zong is a nickname given to him by later generations. As for why this is so, Your Majesty will understand after I finish telling you his story."

"Because Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji died at the age of 36, Zhu Qizhen, who was only seven or eight years old at the age of nine, ascended the throne at a young age."

"Although a young ruler ascended the throne, the Ming Dynasty had been governed by Emperor Xuanzong for ten years, and the internal situation was stable, with the people living and working in peace and contentment."

"If we ignore the large territorial losses in the north and south during Emperor Xuanzong's reign, it is reasonable for later historical books to describe the Renzong and Xuanzong dynasties as the prosperous era of 'Renzong and Xuanzong's rule.'"

"After all, ever since Emperor Wu of Han promoted Confucianism as the sole official doctrine and Confucianism became the predominant school of thought in governing the country, its goal has always been to assist the monarch in ensuring peace and stability in the country and a happy life for the people."

"As for expanding territory, Confucianism doesn't oppose it, but it's not its primary pursuit. Furthermore, when expansion conflicts with internal stability, Confucianism will inevitably choose internal stability—if we ignore the dramatic changes in the world, this pursuit isn't necessarily wrong."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao both nodded slightly.

Zhu Di seemed to be thinking about something.

It was the first time for him to hear Liu Kuan talk about Confucianism from the perspective of later generations. He found it very fresh. After just a few words, he had a sense of enlightenment about some of the principles that he had been ignorant of in the past. He wanted to ask Liu Kuan to explain it in detail on the spot.

However, Liu Kuan did not discuss the topic of Confucianism in depth.

"Since the reigns of Renzong and Xuanzong were known as periods of good governance, Zhu Zhanji naturally left many capable ministers for Zhu Qizhen, chief among whom were the three cabinet ministers who assisted him in the administration. Because all three had the surname Yang, they were later called the 'Three Yangs' by historians."

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted and asked, "Are these three Yangs from the same clan?"

Liu Kuan was stunned for a moment, then said uncertainly: "It shouldn't be."

He really didn't know the family background of the three Yangs.

"Then do you remember the names of the Three Yangs?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked again.

"The most famous one is Yang Shiqi, and the other two should be Yang Pu and Yang Rong."

Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Biao, "Those who were retained by Zhu Zhanji as regents should not be incompetent and should not be young. Please write this down and see if you can find these three people later."

Zhu Biao nodded, "Yes."

Zhu Di sighed inwardly: The Three Yangs, those should be the ministers of my lineage, and they are gone again.

Liu Kuan continued, "Because Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne at a young age, and Zhu Zhanji's mother, Empress Dowager Zhang, was still alive, he left a will, allowing Empress Dowager Zhang and Empress Sun to govern the country, with the Three Yangs assisting."

Hearing this, Old Zhu couldn't help but interrupt, "This Zhu Zhanji, the eunuchs' meddling in politics, the cabinet's power, the harem's meddling in politics, all stem from him. He's such a disaster!"

Zhu Di's eyes twitched slightly when he heard this.

Yesterday he was still thinking about focusing on training his eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji, but he didn't expect that Zhu Zhanji would become the troublemaker in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

It made him feel so uncomfortable.

Liu Kuan was also speechless and thought to himself: Old Zhu, could you please stop interrupting me?

He didn't dare say this out loud and could only continue what he was saying after getting a signal from Lao Zhu.

"Zhu Qizhen's first reign was called Zhengtong. From the first to the sixth year of Zhengtong, it was actually Empress Dowager Zhang who was in charge of state affairs with the cooperation of the Three Yangs."

"Among the consorts who have handled state affairs for various reasons throughout history, Zhang is considered to be a virtuous woman. Furthermore, the Three Yangs are also capable, so the Ming Dynasty has maintained the stability of the Renzong and Xuanzong reigns for the past six years."

"However, the chief eunuch Wang Zhen also took advantage of the opportunity to accompany Zhu Qizhen's growth to gain his trust and gain control of some of the power within the palace."

"Wang Zhen was originally a scholar who failed to pass the imperial examination. Later, he found a way to become a teacher for young eunuchs in the inner school. Later, for unknown reasons, he castrated himself and entered the palace, becoming a eunuch."

"This man is very scheming. Before Zhu Qizhen took power, he used his position to try to interfere in the court and suppress the power of the civil officials."

"After Zhu Qizhen took power in the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign, first the Empress Dowager Zhang passed away. Then, in the seventh year of the Zhengtong reign, Yang Rong died of illness, Yang Pu retired to his hometown, and Yang Shiqi was dismissed from office due to his son's murder. With no one to control the inner and outer court, Wang Zhen took advantage of the opportunity to seize control of the government as a favored eunuch and internal minister."

"He continued to form cliques and seize power, engaged in rampant corruption and crackdowns on dissidents, and at the same time, he satisfied the young Zhu Qizhen's various needs and consolidated the emperor's favor."

"By the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, six or seven years had passed. Not only had the Ming court been thrown into chaos by Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen, but even the army had been affected, and its combat effectiveness had declined significantly."

"That same year, the Oirat Grand Tutor Yesen led his troops to invade the border. At Wang Zhen's instigation, Zhu Qizhen led an army of 600,000 and personally took charge of the government, bringing with him most of the civil and military officials of the imperial court..."

"Wait!" Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but interrupt Liu Kuan and asked, "Didn't we destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty? Later, the fourth brother made five expeditions to the grassland. How come the Oirat appeared again, and forced the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to lead an army of 600,000 to fight in person just because of a border violation?" Zhu Yuanzhang felt that this was too unreasonable, and even suspected that what Liu Kuan had said before about the history of the Ming Dynasty was wrong.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Di also looked puzzled.

Liu Kuan said, "This is a long story. How about I finish telling you about the Battle of Tumu Fort before I answer your Majesty's questions?"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a breath and said, "Well, go on."

"In the eyes of later historians and military scientists, Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen treated the Battle of Tumubao as a joke."

"Thus, most of the civil and military officials in the imperial court, as well as 600,000 Ming troops, were almost completely wiped out in the Battle of Tumu Fort. Even Zhu Qizhen himself was captured by the Oirat..."

"Stop! Stop!" Zhu Yuanzhang glared and shouted, "Liu Kuan, what did you just say? Six hundred thousand soldiers and half of the imperial court's civil and military officials, all destroyed in one battle?!"

"Even that bastard Zhu Qizhen was captured by the Oirat Mongols? How is that possible? Are you talking about some unofficial history fabricated by later generations?"

Zhu Biao and Zhu Di were also shocked and couldn't believe it.

Zhu Di came to his senses first and couldn't help asking, "Liu Kuan, the Ming Dynasty should have moved its capital to Beiping by then, right?"

"If it's true, as you say, that 600,000 troops were annihilated in a single battle at the northern border, including most of the civil and military officials of the imperial court, and the emperor was captured, then the Oirat army would undoubtedly march south to attack Peking, riding on the momentum of their victory."

"How can we defend Beiping in this situation? Even if the country doesn't perish, I'm afraid we'll suffer another Jingkang humiliation and end up like the Southern Song Dynasty."

After Zhu Biao came to his senses, he reminded him: "Brother-in-law, don't take unofficial history seriously when it comes to such a big matter."

Liu Kuan looked at the father and his two sons and was speechless.

He sighed and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Prince of Yan, what I am speaking of is official history, not unofficial history."

"The record of this incident in the Ming History may differ from the truth in some minor details, but the main events cannot be fabricated."

"As for why this great defeat occurred, there are many reasons. And after this great defeat, how did the Ming Dynasty defend Beijing? Let me tell you how."

Zhu Yuanzhang had seen many great battles, and what Liu Kuan was talking about was something from the future. He took a deep breath, quickly calmed himself, and said, "Okay, tell me slowly—we want to hear where all these unreasonable things come from."

Liu Kuan said, "Let's start with the defeat at Tumu Fort. Actually, since the Yongle era, with the passing of the first and second generations of military heroes and veterans who founded the country with Your Majesty, coupled with a number of other factors, the Ming Dynasty's military strength has been declining year by year."

"If not for this, Zhu Zhanji would not have easily given up the vast tracts of land in the north and south during his reign, and would have implemented a national policy of strategic contraction and defense on the border."

"After Zhu Qizhen's decade-plus of chaos, the Ming Dynasty's military strength naturally weakened. It was during this period that the Oirat Mongols rose to prominence and continued to expand their territory eastward and southward."

"Also, before the Ming army's defeat at Tumu Fort, the Ming army in Datong and Xuanfu had already suffered several consecutive defeats while defending the Oirat, allowing the Oirat to capture several cities and many northern border passes."

"Although Zhu Qizhen was persuaded by Wang Zhen to lead the army in person, it was mainly due to personal reasons, but the situation at the time was indeed not good for the Ming Dynasty."

"Plus, Yongle... uh, Prince of Yan, and Zhu Zhanji all led their own troops to the north before him. Zhu Qizhen naturally wanted to follow suit and personally lead his troops to defeat the northern barbarians."

"Unfortunately, he is neither the Prince of Yan nor Zhu Zhanji. Not only does he know nothing about military affairs and has no experience at all, but he also favors Wang Zhen and allows him to control the government."

"Under such circumstances, a major defeat like the Battle of Tumu Fortress was inevitable."

"I can't remember the details of the defeat at Tumu Fort, but I do remember two things."

"First, because Zhu Qizhen took power on a whim, the army was hastily assembled and marched. Food and supplies were not fully prepared, and many soldiers marched on empty stomachs."

"Unfortunately, it rained, and some soldiers died of hunger and disease halfway through the journey. Even before we reached our destination, complaints arose within the army, and morale plummeted."

"Additionally, the enemy's situation was unclear, and several ministers asked Zhu Qizhen to temporarily halt his march or simply withdraw, but Wang Zhen dissuaded them and even scolded them."

"Your Majesty should be able to imagine how low the Ming army's combat effectiveness would be under such circumstances."

Zhu Yuanzhang was already gritting his teeth at this point. He couldn't help but slam the imperial desk and said, "Is this a matter of low combat effectiveness? The soldiers didn't suddenly rise up and attack, pulling that bastard off the throne and chopping him off. This is beyond our expectations!"

Zhu Di also looked stunned.

He calculated that Zhu Gaochi died less than a year after he ascended the throne, and his good grandson Zhu Zhanji was only emperor for ten years. If you count the fourteen years that Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, it was less than thirty years before his death.

As a result, not only did the Wala invaders break through the border, but they also launched a large-scale march with no preparation from intelligence to logistics.

Is this a joke?

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang so furious, Liu Kuan was a little worried, so he said, "Your Majesty, compared to what happened later, what I just said is nothing."

"Besides, there's something even more irritating coming up next—if Your Majesty becomes too angry, it could lead to cardiovascular disease. Why don't you drink some calming tea first, and I'll continue?"

"How could I let an unfilial great-grandson make me sick?" Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to wait any longer. "Go on, I want to hear what other idiots that bastard can do!"

Liu Kuan had no choice but to signal Zhu Biao and Zhu Di, asking them to persuade him.

　Second update.

　　I was supposed to finish this chapter by 9:00 AM, but I was halfway through when the power went out. I checked and saw it was a blown circuit breaker. My dad hadn't tightened a screw properly when he was fixing it last year. Luckily, I have a relative in the neighborhood who's an electrician, and he came over to fix it overnight (it took over half an hour), otherwise this chapter would be lost today.

　　I feel that men really need to know something about plumbing and electricity, otherwise they will have to call someone if there is any problem with the water or electricity at home.

　　Good night~
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)