Zhu Yunwen had no desire to interfere with how Wang Shen selected and assessed talent at the Imperial College, nor was it his place to do so.
Since establishing the Grand Secretariat, Zhu Yunwen had finally freed himself from the endless mountain of memorials. Occasionally discussing matters with the grand secretaries and the Six Ministries made his days seem rather relaxed.
But the more Zhu Yunwen learned about the Ming Empire, the more uneasy he became.
The seemingly ever more prosperous Great Ming was, in truth, an active volcano. At the root of its problems lay landholding and taxation.
Zhu Yuanzhang had treated officials with brutal cruelty, but he had been exceptionally generous to his own family and relatives.
Zhu Yuanzhang had once decreed that all his descendants were to be supported by the court. In other words, the princes and their descendants did not need to work. They could simply stay home and eat at the imperial expense.
Zhu Yuanzhang had meant well, and his intentions had been good, but this decree of his had been downright witless. Whatever else might be said, one thing was certain: Zhu Yuanzhang would have failed mathematics and arithmetic.
Anyone who had ever encountered exponential growth would never have issued such an order.
How many people were there in your day, Zhu Yuanzhang? How many mouths to feed? Did you ever consider that, two hundred years later, your Zhu family would have two hundred thousand descendants? Supporting those people alone would cost the court 8.6 million taels of silver a year. Did you even look at how much money the National Treasury had?
He had also decreed that his descendants need not pay taxes. Fine, they could be exempt, but they could at least refrain from grabbing land! Every prince seized land like a madman, and none of its produce was taxed. What was the state supposed to live on?
Zhu Yunwen remembered some statistics from later generations: during the Ming Dynasty, the imperial princes' estates in Henan had occupied a full third of all the province's cultivated land.
Wonderful. Of all the land beneath heaven, apparently a third didn't belong to the emperor.
In Zhu Yunwen's view, the downfall of the Great Ming Dynasty had been closely tied to these seeds of disaster planted by Zhu Yuanzhang.
All of this had to change!
Only by changing it during his own reign could he face somewhat less resistance.
But would it really be less?
Zhu Yunwen could imagine his uncles attacking him for "defying ancestral institutions." To protect their own interests, those princes would inevitably strike back. They were not yet fat pig princes. They were wolves with powerful armies in their grasp.
Without the Abolition of the Fiefdoms, without reclaiming military authority, he couldn't touch them even if he wanted to!
Zhu Yunwen sighed.
Even an emperor could not settle every matter under heaven with a single word.
Zhu Yunwen set down his memorial and told Shuangxi, "Summon Xie Jin."
Before long, Xie Jin entered the Hall of Martial Valor.
Zhu Yunwen picked up a memorial and handed it over with a cold laugh. "Take a look. My fourth uncle certainly has plenty of tricks."
Xie Jin took the memorial and read it. Submitted by Ge Cheng, chief administrator of the Prince of Yan's Palace, it described in detail the grand spectacle when Zhu Di departed Beiping Prefecture to make his imminent journey to the Capital.
"The common people lined the streets and wailed; the soldiers' mournful cries would not cease. The hearts of the people turn toward him. Fearsome, truly fearsome."
Ge Cheng's words sent a jolt through Xie Jin's heart.
"The Prince of Yan has caused quite a stir with this journey to the Capital."
Zhu Yunwen spoke with a cold laugh.
Xie Jin bowed and returned the memorial, then hurriedly said, "The Prince of Yan probably did this out of concern..."
Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin, who had fallen silent. "Concern about what? That I might detain him in the Capital? Hah, never mind. Whatever else may be said, the Prince of Yan is better than I am at commanding people's hearts."
Cold sweat poured from Xie Jin as fear stirred within him for Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.
The emperor's tone was icy.
It seemed he had begun to contemplate killing.
"Your Majesty is sovereign of the realm, while the Prince of Yan is merely a vassal prince. Though he has built his power in Beiping for nearly twenty years, Your Majesty need only give the order and mobilize the army, and he could be taken down in an instant."
Xie Jin spoke plainly.
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and drew a deep breath. "I have my own way of dealing with the chronic affliction of the vassal princes. I summoned you today because of one man."
"Who?"
"Tie Xuan, the Directorate Case Judge."
"Tie Xuan?"
"Yes. What is your assessment of him?"
Zhu Yunwen watched Xie Jin with an enigmatic smile at the corner of his mouth.
Anyone with some knowledge of the Jingnan Campaign would surely know Tie Xuan's name. In later generations, particularly across Shandong, there were many shrines to "Lord Tie." The man they honored was Tie Xuan of the Ming Dynasty.
He was a hero who had caused Zhu Di tremendous trouble and saved the Jianwen court from peril.
At the Battle of Jinan, he had held Zhu Di off for three whole months with the remnants of a defeated army. Afterward, Tie Xuan had joined forces with the great general Sheng Yong and pursued their advantage.
As a grand secretary, Xie Jin naturally knew something of the court's officials. At Zhu Yunwen's question, he replied, "Does Your Majesty mean Ding Shi?"
Tie Xuan's courtesy name was Ding Shi, and those two characters had been bestowed upon him by Zhu Yuanzhang himself.
Seeing Zhu Yunwen nod, Xie Jin spoke unhurriedly. "Tie Xuan is resolute in temperament, clever, and quick-witted. During Taizu's reign, he was appointed a supervising secretary in the Rites Ministry and worked diligently. He was later transferred to serve as Directorate Case Judge, where he delivered judgments smoothly and cleared unresolved cases. Tie Xuan is highly capable, a man fit to be a pillar of the state."
Zhu Yunwen looked at Xie Jin. It seemed his eye for talent was not bad; he had not looked down on Tie Xuan because of his current low rank.
"A man of such talent can shoulder great responsibilities. Transfer Tie Xuan to the Ministry of War as Left Vice Minister."
Zhu Yunwen gave the order.
Xie Jin promptly assented.
Zhu Yunwen walked over to a map and gazed toward Beiping. "We cannot keep our eyes fixed only on the vassal princes. The Ming Empire must become the jewel of the entire world. Xie Jin, follow me. I will show you all just how vast this world truly is!"
A fire blazed in Xie Jin's heart, and he looked at Zhu Yunwen with fervent eyes.
Zhu Yunwen laughed, then suddenly said, "Have the Ministry of Works gather craftsmen from Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, Fujian, Southern Zhili, and other places at Longjiang Shipyard. I want a fleet of seagoing ships capable of long voyages."
"Seagoing ships?"
Xie Jin looked at Zhu Yunwen in bewilderment.
Zhu Yunwen offered no explanation. He simply said, "Go and make the arrangements."
Not daring to ask further, Xie Jin left with his doubts.
Zhu Yunwen knew how vast the world was, and he also knew that Columbus had not yet been born.
Didn't the West love colonization?
Then let the Ming Empire contend with you, and we'll see who is stronger-you or Great Ming.
Most importantly, Zhu Yunwen wanted to send men to South America not to colonize or conquer, but for potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, corn, tomatoes, chili peppers...
And rubber trees.
Poor early Ming Dynasty: none of these ingredients and products, so commonplace in later generations, were available.
Even having stir-fried tomatoes and eggs was impossible.
Smoking?
That was even further out of the question.
As for the communism of potatoes and beef, that was probably only a dream.
For the sake of food-no, for the sake of enriching their produce and reducing famine, for the sake of the Great Ming Dynasty-a fleet had to be built.
Zhu Yunwen sat at his desk drawing plans with a writing brush. It always felt awkward, but there was nothing for it; pencils did not yet exist in this era. Chalk, however, did.
"That's right-a blackboard!"
Zhu Yunwen hurriedly called Shuangxi over and instructed him, "Go to the Directorate of Imperial Manufactories and find me some thin, lightweight wooden boards, about a zhang long and three or four chi wide. Bring some black lacquer as well."
After committing the instructions to memory, Shuangxi hurried off to make the arrangements.
Before long, Shuangxi returned with the materials. Zhu Yunwen had him and the other eunuchs coat the boards with several layers of black lacquer outside, then leave them there to dry. He also sent Shuangxi to find some chalk. This chalk was not yet made from gypsum, but from natural chalk.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei has arrived."
Shuangxi reported to the busy Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen acknowledged him. After Xu Huizu paid his respects, Zhu Yunwen asked, "How is the reduction of troops progressing?"
Xu Huizu looked miserable and sighed. "Your Majesty, we have discharged five thousand soldiers so far..."
"Five thousand? I remember telling you one hundred thousand."
Zhu Yunwen sounded dissatisfied.
Xu Huizu hurriedly rose and pleaded for forgiveness. "Your Majesty, reducing the troops is fraught with difficulties. Your servant dared not act on his own authority..."
"You dared not act on your own authority, or someone pressured you and forbade you from reducing the troops?"
Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Huizu, who hurriedly dropped to his knees.
"I heard that the Duke of Cao visited the Capital Garrison and stirred up a group of men to resist the reductions. Is that true?"
Zhu Yunwen asked softly.
Xu Huizu glanced at Zhu Yunwen, unable to gauge his attitude, and replied cautiously, "The Duke of Cao did visit the Capital Garrison, but whether it had anything to do with resistance to the reductions, your servant does not know."
"You don't know, or you don't dare say?" Zhu Yunwen watched Xu Huizu clench his teeth in silence, then raised a hand. "Rise. You command the Central Army Commandery. If you cannot handle even this, you will leave me bitterly disappointed."
Xu Huizu trembled all over and hastily cried, "Your servant will spare no effort and will not betray Your Majesty's trust!"
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said solemnly, "You may tell the Duke of Cao, and all the nobles as well, that reducing the army by one hundred thousand men is my decree. Whoever is dissatisfied may come and tell me. Proceed without restraint. I still have faith in the Duke of Wei's loyalty!"
Xu Huizu looked at Zhu Yunwen, his emotions surging.
After returning to the Central Army Commandery, Xu Huizu finally set his mind at ease. Compared with offending his noble colleagues, offending the boss was a losing proposition.
Colleagues could be replaced; replacing the boss was not so easy.
Xu Huizu understood at least that much. Thus, the sweeping plan to slash the army finally began. Whether connected to the Duke of Cao, other marquises, imperial princes, or imperial relatives, anyone drawing pay for nonexistent soldiers or planting slaves and servants in the camps was kicked out without exception.
At the Prince of Qiyang's Residence, Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, was watching fighting birds when a voice came from afar. "Elder brother, Xu Huizu is determined to oppose us!"
"What is it? Speak properly!"
Li Jinglong frowned at his younger brother, Li Zengzhi, and barked at him.
Li Zengzhi approached and stamped his foot angrily. "I just received word that Xu Huizu has explicitly ordered troop reductions. All the positions connected to us have been cut, and some officers with old ties to our Li family have been driven out of the camps as well."
Li Jinglong looked at Li Zengzhi, his expression growing grave. "Xu Huizu has really made his move?"
Li Zengzhi nodded repeatedly and said through gritted teeth, "Elder brother, if we do nothing, who will listen to us anymore?"
"Insolence!"
Li Jinglong shouted sharply. Looking at the stunned Li Zengzhi, he said sternly, "The Capital Garrison is not ours. It belongs to His Majesty! If His Majesty wishes to reduce it, then let him."
"But..."
Li Zengzhi grew anxious.
Li Jinglong fell silent for a while, then said slowly, "Is the Prince of Yan about to arrive in the Capital?"
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