My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 109 Descendants of the Veterans of Yai Mountain
Ma Yu decided to restore the true status of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

"Sun Tzu's Art of War is a military strategy, but it is more than just a military strategy; it is a discipline, a philosophy."

"To become a commander, you don't necessarily have to learn it. But if you can master it, you can definitely become a commander."

Chang Yuchun frowned and questioned, "If you want to talk about other subjects, I promise I won't argue."

"But if you're talking about military strategy, I have to say a few words."

"Since Sun Tzu's Art of War is so powerful, why doesn't anyone pay attention to it?"

Ma Yu explained, "It's not that people don't value it, but rather that people nowadays don't value it."

"To be precise, Sun Tzu's Art of War was a must-read book for military strategists during the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties."

Emperor Taizong of Tang praised it, saying: "Sun Tzu's Thirteen Chapters are considered the holy classic of military strategy, and no one in the world can surpass them."

“It was only from the Song Dynasty onwards that it was no longer valued and was even criticized.”

"From then on, Sun Tzu's Art of War became a second- or third-rate military treatise."

Chang Yuchun was astonished: "Such a thing exists? Why did people in the Song Dynasty criticize it?"

Ma Yu said, "This is related to the content of Sun Tzu's Art of War, which only talks about principles and not techniques."

Seeing Chang Yuchun's puzzled expression, he explained further:
"It only talks about macro-level, strategic principles, but not about the specifics of how to fight a war."

"For example, it tells you that the best strategy is to outwit the enemy. But it doesn't tell you how to use that strategy."

"For example, it can intercept someone else's supply lines, but it doesn't tell you how to do it."

Chang Yuchun frowned even more deeply: "Then what's the use of this book?"

Ma Yu paused for a moment, then changed his perspective and said:
"It can tell you what kind of battles you can fight and what kind of battles you can't fight."

"How can we use external factors to disrupt the battlefield and increase our chances of winning?"

"It can also tell you how a commander-in-chief can consider the overall situation and decide on the country's military strategy."

Chang Yuchun exclaimed in astonishment, "There are such extraordinary books in the world? I must read them!"

Then he asked in bewilderment, "Now I understand even less why the people of the Song Dynasty criticized such a remarkable book?"

Ma Yu said somewhat helplessly, "For three reasons, firstly, the content in the book was not very useful to people in the Song Dynasty."

"The Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties were proactive in their military strategies, as they had to consider the overall situation of the world."

"Their military strategy must be constantly changed according to the actual situation."

"The strategic content of Sun Tzu's Art of War can effectively help them make accurate judgments."

"But the Song Dynasty adopted a defensive strategy and never thought about how to eliminate the enemy."

"Their only thought from beginning to end was to protect their own little plot of land."

"Therefore, their military strategy remains unchanged: defense, without any adjustments required."

"The strategic ideas of Sun Tzu's Art of War are not very useful to them."

"On the contrary, the Military Classics can mass-produce qualified generals, which is more practical for them."

To put it bluntly, the Song Dynasty did not need generals to formulate military strategic plans; they only needed to lead their troops to counterattack the enemy in front of them.

Sun Tzu's Art of War is indeed not very useful.

Chang Yuchun countered, "It is true that its effect was not as great as it was during the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, but it cannot be said that it was useless, can it?"

"Therefore, it's a bit unreasonable to ignore or criticize it."

Ma Yu said, "So there are a second and a third reason."

"Let's start with the second reason. The Song Dynasty valued civil officials and suppressed military officials. They did not allow the emergence of generals with exceptional military capabilities."

"Even scholars who are particularly skilled in military affairs will be feared and even suppressed."

Chang Yuchun cursed, "Short-sighted! No wonder they can't beat anyone."

Ma Yu did not agree with him, and continued, "The third reason is the rise of Neo-Confucianism."

“The Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism highly denigrates Sun Tzu’s Art of War, denouncing it as an inhumane art.”

Cheng Hao said, "The wisdom of Sun Quan and Wu Qi is cunning and cruel, something even a true king would be ashamed to speak of. Even when encountering deceit, there is still a difference between skill and clumsiness; but when one uses benevolence to punish tyranny, what need is there for scheming?"

Zhu Xi's criticism was the most vehement: Sun Tzu's military campaigns were all about killing and plundering. For example, the order to "burn the boats and break the cauldrons" was nothing more than driving innocent people to their deaths.

"You know the status of Neo-Confucianism. If they lead the criticism, who would dare to say that Sun Tzu's Art of War is good?"

Chang Yuchun was furious: "You pedantic scholars, why don't you talk about benevolence and righteousness with the enemy?"

"If it weren't for the soldiers' bloody battles, how could these Confucian scholars have such good days?"

"They enjoyed the peace brought by their soldiers while barking wildly."

"What kind of saints are they? They're just a bunch of animals who curse the cook after they've eaten their fill, and then curse their mothers after they've put down their bowls."

Ma Yu could completely understand his feelings. Let alone as a general, even an ordinary person like him would have his blood pressure rise when he saw those inhuman comments.

But compared to Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, he believed that the Song Dynasty imperial family was the one who deserved the most criticism.

Scholars naturally have their own stance.

Without a stance, there is no doctrine.

But which school of thought to use to govern the country, and how to choose between them, is the responsibility of the ruler.

The Song Dynasty imperial family clearly did a very poor job.

However, it's not just the Song Dynasty that deserves criticism on this point.

The Ming imperial family was also corrupt, even more so than the Song dynasty.

The Song dynasty only criticized Sun Tzu's Art of War; it did not prohibit people from studying it.

During the Ming Dynasty, possessing Sun Tzu's Art of War was a capital offense.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was a monk at Huangjue Temple, he studied Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Later, it was even required that his descendants must study this book.

However, precisely because he understood the power of this book so well, he was even more wary of others learning it as well.

First, he ordered Liu Bowen to compile "One Hundred Strategies for War," which involved deleting parts of Sun Tzu's Art of War that involved strategy and tactics.

In the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign, the government went even further, prohibiting the private possession of "Sun Tzu's Art of War."

By the time most of the founding heroes had been purged, even military generals rarely read this book anymore.

In the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, apart from a few exceptionally talented military generals, there were hardly any famous commanders, which may be related to this.

However, under the Ming Dynasty's crackdown, Sun Tzu's Art of War almost disappeared from the public consciousness.

Don't ask Ma Yu how she knows all this.

As a Ming Dynasty critic, isn't it only natural for me to know about Zhu Yuanzhang's dark history?

When the Manchu Qing dynasty was established, they were naturally even less willing for Sun Tzu's Art of War to be passed down to the world, and adopted even stricter control measures.

It wasn't until the late Qing Dynasty, when the imperial court lost control over local areas, that Sun Tzu's Art of War began to circulate among the people again.

With the arrival of chaotic times, it quickly regained its rightful place in history.

In the 20th century, people applied its ideas to fields such as business, where they shone even brighter.

This is the original historical account of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Whenever Ma Yu thinks about this, he can't help but sigh.

It is important to know that Sun Tzu's Art of War is the only advanced military textbook in human history.

What does that mean.

Other military books can only teach you how to be a general.

To become a commander, one basically has to rely on talent and then accumulate experience through actual combat to advance in rank.

But Sun Tzu's Art of War teaches generals how to become commanders.

As long as you're not too stupid, you can learn a little bit from it.

The key point is that Sun Tzu's Art of War can teach you how to consider military strategy from a national macro perspective.

Instead of being confined to a single city or territory.

This isn't just empty boasting.

In the past, as Sun Tzu's Art of War spread throughout the world, many foreign military academies included it as a compulsory subject.

For example, West Point Military Academy in the United States.

Its value is only truly demonstrated when even the enemies acknowledge it.

Yet this very military classic was criticized and even banned within the ruler's own civilization because of the ruler's selfish desires.

The rapid decline of Chinese civilization over those few centuries was not due to one or two events, but rather the result of the ruling class collectively emasculating themselves.

but……

Now that I'm here in this life, I absolutely will not allow such a thing to happen again.

After more than a year of lecturing, Zhu Yuanzhang's understanding of the world had changed considerably, and he would probably no longer prohibit the spread of Sun Tzu's Art of War as he had in his previous life.

However, we still need to find an opportunity to sound him out.

If he is still the same as in his previous life, try to persuade him.

If you can't persuade him... then wait until he dies and let Brother Biao correct him.

Anyway, I'm younger than you, I'll wear you down.

Chang Yuchun didn't know what Ma Yu was thinking, but after this explanation, his curiosity about Sun Tzu's Art of War was piqued.

"The palace must have this book. I'll go ask the higher-ups for it tomorrow and study it carefully."

"Since you know so much about this, why don't you explain it to me later?"

Ma Yu quickly replied, "Then forget it. I only know some historical events, and I know nothing about the contents of military books."

"However, His Majesty must be familiar with Sun Tzu's Art of War; you can seek his advice."

He said this with a purpose: to use Chang Yuchun's words to probe Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts at this moment.

Moreover, given Chang Yuchun's special status, Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't stoop to killing him over such a trivial matter. It was a relatively safe test.

Chang Yuchun didn't think much of it and simply said, "I will definitely seek advice from my superiors."

"But don't you dare slack off, kid. I don't believe you don't understand anything. Don't try to hide anything from me."

Ma Yu laughed and said, "Alright, alright, if you're not afraid of being led astray, why should I be afraid?"
-
The next day, Chang Yuchun went to the palace to find Zhu Yuanzhang and explained his purpose on the spot.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very surprised when he heard that he wanted books, and laughed:

"Didn't you hate reading the most? What's gotten into you?"

Chang Yuchun did not hide anything and simply relayed what Ma Yu had said the day before.

After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and asked, "Does Ma Yu really praise Sun Tzu's Art of War so highly?"

Chang Yuchun said, "Would I lie to you? Ma Yu said that Sun Tzu's Art of War is a textbook for generals to become commanders."

"You know me, I've been making a mess of things my whole life."

"I don't aspire to be a commander like Tiande, but at least I need to know whether we should fight and how to fight."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "You're just being modest. You're only one step away from being a great commander: recklessness."

Chang Yuchun followed his words and said, "I just went with my gut feeling; if I felt I could fight, I went to fight."

"But you guys thought we couldn't fight, and then I became reckless."

"If I could analyze the situation without relying on my feelings, wouldn't I be less reckless?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly: "Haha... You've even learned to refute us indirectly now, you've really impressed me."

"It seems that this stroke wasn't all bad for you."

Chang Yuchun laughed and said, "Whenever I have free time, I go to listen to Ma Yu's lectures to Chang Sheng and the others, especially the history class. It is really very beneficial."

"If I had had this foresight back then, I wouldn't have suffered so many losses."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "It's not too late to realize this now."

“Ma Yu is a tight-lipped guy, but he occasionally reveals a little of his inner thoughts.”

"Based on the bits and pieces of his plan that he has revealed, he wants the Ming Dynasty to achieve a feat that surpasses even that of the Han and Tang dynasties."

"If we follow his plan, we can still fight this battle. The more capable you are, the more at ease we will be."

Chang Yuchun's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Sir, what is Ma Yu's plan? Can you tell me, Old Chang?"

Zhu Yuanzhang revealed these things because he was well-prepared.

There are some things he really finds difficult to decide, and it's very necessary to consult with his old brothers.

“Let’s talk about the sea. He wants us to follow the example of the Song Dynasty and open up the sea for trade.”

"But there are many barbarians at sea. There are more than a dozen countries and powers in Southeast Asia alone, not to mention countless small tribes."

“Barbarians don’t know manners and will definitely covet the wealth of the maritime merchants and plunder it.”

"They might even cut off sea routes to hinder our foreign trade."

"This situation was already very serious in the mid-to-late Southern Song Dynasty, so the Zhao Song court heavily relied on the non-Han Chinese Pu Shougeng to maintain the smooth flow of sea routes."

"This led to the rise of the Pu family, and a non-Han person became a pillar of the southeast."

Zhu Yuanzhang had unknowingly strayed from the topic.

"At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Pu family surrendered to the Mongols and killed more than 3,000 members of the Zhao clan, and countless other Song people were also implicated and killed."

"Later, Pu led his navy and defeated the last bit of Song Dynasty power at Yai Shan."

As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually became agitated.

“Pu was just a lowly barbarian who gained his later wealth and honor only because of the trust of the Song Dynasty court.”

"Not only did he not repay kindness, but he also repaid kindness with enmity by slaughtering members of the Song Dynasty's royal family and the people of the Song Dynasty. He is truly hateful."

“We must find out all the members of the Pu clan, reduce them all to slavery, and never let them rise again.”

After he finished speaking, he became breathless, and several blood vessels appeared in the whites of his eyes.

Anyone else would be wondering why Zhu Yuanzhang hated Pu Shougeng so much.
He harmed the Song Dynasty, what does that have to do with the Ming Emperor?

But Chang Yuchun knew why.

As a trusted confidant, he knew everything about Zhu Yuanzhang's family situation.

For example, Zhu Yuanzhang's maternal grandfather, Chen Gong, was a remnant soldier from Yai Shan.

The Battle of Yamen led to the fall of the Song Dynasty. Chen Gong narrowly escaped with his life but refused to surrender to the Yuan Dynasty.

He returned to his hometown, married, and had children.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was a child, he often listened to Chen Gong recount the events of that year.

As a participant in the Battle of Yamen, it is easy to imagine the deep hatred that Chen Gong harbored for the Pu family.

This hatred was passed on to Zhu Yuanzhang.

This explains why he hated Pu so much.

In fact, not long after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty in his previous life, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to demote all descendants of the Pu family to commoners.

They were unable to recover during the entire Ming Dynasty.

Knowing this, Chang Yuchun also shared the same indignation and said:

“The Pu family are all criminals, and their lineage should be cut off.”

Zhu Yuanzhang said bitterly, "Killing them all is too lenient. They should suffer for all eternity."

Thinking of this, a thought struck him, and he said:
"I've got it! Let's demote them to the lowest class and send them all to mine. We'll make their families bleed to death in torture."

Chang Yuchun nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's a good idea. Mining is tiring, hard, and dangerous."

"In a few years, their entire family will be wiped out."

The two discussed how to kill Pu Shi before bringing the topic back.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "To achieve what we just discussed, we need to invest a lot of manpower and resources."

"Do you think it's necessary?"

Chang Yuchun said, “I don’t understand so many grand principles, but I know that if Pu Shougeng, a barbarian, can do it, there’s no reason why the Ming Dynasty can’t do it.”

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, "But Pu Shougeng betrayed us in the end."

Chang Yuchun immediately understood what he was worried about, and his expression also became serious.

This is a really difficult question to answer.

In fact, he didn't want to answer such a question, but the atmosphere had already been set up, so he had no choice but to answer.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke: "Ma Yu once spoke of the An Lushan Rebellion."

Many people believe that An Lushan was a non-Han Chinese, which is why he rebelled.

“But Ma Yu believed that An Lushan’s rebellion had nothing to do with who he was.”

"He controls half of the nation's elite forces. Even if a Han Chinese were in his position, he would still rebel."

"The story of Pu Shougeng is actually quite similar."

"The Southern Song Dynasty entrusted the defense of the southeast coast to one person, but lacked the means to restrain him."

“Pu’s betrayal was almost inevitable.”

"The Ming Dynasty only needs to avoid this situation."

"The navy was divided into several branches, each independent of the others, and the families of the commanding officers were all held hostage in the capital."

"With all these measures in place, the navy's loyalty can be guaranteed."

After listening to his analysis, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Your analysis is so thorough, and you even quoted classical texts. We really have to look at Bo Ren with new respect."

In fact, how could he not know this principle?

In addition to actively communicating with the outside world, it also needs to build and dispatch a large navy to maintain maritime security.

It contradicts his understanding of things, so he needs the affirmation of others.

Chang Yuchun's words had an even greater impact than those of Xu Da, Li Shanchang, and others.

As for why...

If even a fierce general like Chang Yuchun knew this, it's highly likely to be the correct answer.

Therefore, forming a navy and proactively engaging in outward operations was the right choice.

If a navy has been established, then the strategy for the Western Regions is even more obvious.

For no other reason than to contain the grasslands, the Ming Dynasty would make it its primary strategy.

Since the Ming Dynasty is now actively expanding outwards, there is no point in strictly controlling Sun Tzu's Art of War.

No, doing so would actually disrupt the Ming Dynasty's strategic plans.

You can't expect a group of people who lack a sense of the big picture to carry out these tasks.

and so……

Let go.

After that, he sent someone to the Great Benevolence Hall to retrieve the three books: the Military Classics, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and Sun Tzu's Art of War.

In particular, he solemnly handed over Sun Tzu's Art of War to Chang Yuchun:
"This is something I copied by hand, along with my thoughts and insights. You should study it carefully."

Chang Yuchun carefully accepted it: "Don't worry, I, Old Chang, will never let you down."

Ma Yu also learned about this immediately.

When he learned of Zhu Yuanzhang's decision, he finally felt relieved.

All those years of classes were worthwhile.

Moreover, he also learned about Pu's affairs from Chang Yuchun.

An idea suddenly came to my mind.

(End of this chapter)