The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

Just as Li Er and Liu Che were exchanging pleasantries and being modest with each other, the words and images on the sky quietly changed.

During his decades-long reign, Zhu Yuanzhang launched five campaigns against the Northern Yuan, completely incorporating Liaodong into the territory of the Ming Dynasty!

However, his journey did not stop there.

Just as Liu Ji had told him, he would personally take back Jiaozhi, Hexi, and other places that should belong to the Central Plains!

Apart from the Northern Expedition, Zhu Yuanzhang spent more than twenty years establishing his rule over the entire Hexi Corridor.

The Hexi Corridor, lost for over six hundred years, has now been reintegrated into the Central Plains!

"Well done!"

Although Ying Zheng did not know exactly where the Hexi Corridor was, he could understand the words on the sky.

Lost for over 600 years!

This means that not only the Song Dynasty, but also the areas that were probably lost during the Tang Dynasty were recovered by Zhu Yuanzhang!

"That was indeed a brilliant achievement. While conquering the remnants of the Yuan dynasty in the north, the Hexi Corridor was not neglected. In this respect, Zhu Yuanzhang's accomplishments go far beyond simply driving out the Tartars!"

"However, I am a little curious. The Ming Dynasty has just been established. How can it withstand the wear and tear of fighting on two fronts by Emperor Zhu?"

Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat puzzled.

We were all founding emperors.

He had to work hard to save money to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and he really wanted to split every penny in half to spend it!

Even so, without the immortal's reward, he estimated that he would have to save money for at least ten years to prepare enough military supplies and provisions.

But what Lao Zhu showed was pure wealth and arrogance!

Not only did it immediately send troops north after driving the Mongol Yuan dynasty out of the Central Plains, but it also included the Hexi Corridor in the territory it sought to recover.

Where did he get so much money?

"Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king."

Li Er, however, understood somewhat.

With these nine words, Zhu Yuanzhang managed to preserve his strength to the greatest extent possible, even amidst frequent infighting among various rebel armies and widespread suppression by the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Because he reduced a lot of consumption, after he proclaimed himself emperor, established the Ming Dynasty, and drove the Mongol Yuan Dynasty out of the Great Wall, he still had enough food and troops to do whatever he wanted.

"The most crucial part is actually the last sentence, 'Delay the proclamation of kingship.'"

"Build high walls and store up plenty of grain"—everyone knows these two sayings, and everyone does them.

On the contrary, the last sentence, "Delay declaring yourself king," is the most crucial and also the most difficult.

Once they have enough power, few can suppress their ambition.

Old Zhu did just that, and it wasn't until after he defeated Chen Youliang's army at the Battle of Poyang Lake that he was elected King of Wu by his officials.

The reason he chose to declare himself king at this time was because the greatest danger had been eliminated and no one could threaten him anymore!

"Indeed, Old Zhu is no ordinary person to have been able to endure until this point."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, he thought of something unpleasant.

Back when the Chenqiao Mutiny occurred and he donned the yellow robe, there were still numerous rebellions within the Song Dynasty that had not been quelled.

If you were to replace the character in Lao Zhu's review with Chen Youliang, he would be exactly like someone who couldn't wait to declare himself emperor!

No, no, no, there are definitely differences between me and Chen Youliang!

Just as Zhao Kuangyin was experiencing complex emotions, the writing on the sky changed again.

In military affairs, Zhu Yuanzhang's achievements were second to none.

Whether it was driving out the Tartars and restoring the Central Plains, or bringing Liaodong and the Hexi Corridor under his control, it was enough to make him stand out from the crowd.

Compared to his achievements in martial arts, there has been much controversy regarding his civil administration.

Politically, he abolished the Secretariat and eliminated the position of Chancellor.

At the local level, he abolished the provincial system and established the Provincial Administration Commission and the Provincial Surveillance Commission.

Hu Weiyong: "..."

Li Shanchang: "..."

I don't know why, but after seeing this line of text from the immortals, I always feel a chill down my neck.

To date, only these two individuals have served as prime ministers in the Ming Dynasty.

"Lord of Korea, what do you think of the immortal's assessment?"

Ignoring the gazes of the surrounding officials, Hu Weiyong lowered his head and asked softly.

He was now eager to know whether the meaning behind the immortal's words was as he had guessed.

"What do I think? How can I possibly think?"

"If you're lucky, you'll be exiled; if you're unlucky, your entire family will be executed; if you're even unlucky, your entire clan will be wiped out. Which would you prefer?"

Li Shanchang gave a bitter smile.

He knew Old Zhu quite well.

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, only he and Hu Weiyong had ever served as prime ministers. Since Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to abolish the position of prime minister, he must have found a reason that could silence everyone.

If nothing unexpected happens, it will be a plot to rebel, a rebellion, or a deception of the emperor and a threat to imperial power.

These reasons, which could silence the ministers, could also easily silence him and his entire clan.

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong trembled.

He wasn't stupid; after seeing Zhu Yuanzhang abolish the position of prime minister, he had a bad feeling.

The reason I asked Li Shanchang that question was simply because I held onto a sliver of hope and didn't want to believe it.

"Does the Duke of Han think that if I resign from my position as Prime Minister now, I will have a way out?"

"Do you think I'll survive if you're in trouble?"

Li Shanchang countered with a question.

In the distance, Zhu Biao noticed the two whispering to each other and glanced at them casually.

As the crown prince, he was naturally aware of Zhu Yuanzhang's plans.

Zhu Yuanzhang had mentioned abolishing the position of prime minister and placing the powers of the Secretariat under the emperor's control more than once.

Zhu Biao also felt that there was nothing wrong with doing this, and it could effectively reduce the possibility of someone deceiving their superiors and concealing the truth.

However, neither Lao Zhu nor Zhu Biao has yet figured out how to deal with these two people.

After all, both of them were founding heroes, and Zhu De was unwilling to disappoint his old comrades, which is why he kept delaying the matter.

Zhu Biao could roughly guess the complexity of the two people's feelings at this moment, but the immortal's inventory was still ongoing, so he quickly turned his attention back to the sky.

Regarding the law, he advocated the principle of using severe punishments to govern chaotic times.

Zhu Yuanzhang always believed that the Mongol Yuan dynasty lost its rule because it was too lenient with corrupt officials, so that even when their exploitation of the people was discovered, they would not be severely punished.

Therefore, under his rule, whenever a corrupt official violated the law, the punishment was compounded!

At the same time, in order to ensure that there was no corruption among officials at all levels of the court, Zhu Yuanzhang also changed the palace guards into the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He also granted the Embroidered Uniform Guard the power to investigate, arrest, and even punish.

Directly controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang, it was used to monitor all civil and military officials!

"Holy crap, is Old Zhu really that crazy?"

"Not only will those who violate the law be severely punished, but a special agency will also be set up to supervise all civil and military officials."

"Being an official under him is a damn dangerous job!"