Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 1192 The Ming Dynasty Needs a Bloody Victory

After strolling back to the palace, Emperor Zhu shamelessly followed Empress Ma to Kunning Palace.

"We're tired, we're not going anywhere today. Sister, could you have someone make us a pot of tea?"

Empress Ma rolled her eyes at Emperor Zhu, who chuckled dryly and said shamelessly, "The tea brewed in the Qianqing Palace just doesn't taste the same."

"They're using the same tea leaves and the same water."

"The tea you brewed tastes better, girl."

"Just like those flatbreads and noodles, nowhere else can taste as good as yours, girl."

Empress Ma glanced at Emperor Zhu again, and snorted, "Tell me, what wicked idea have you come up with this time?"

Emperor Zhu chuckled twice and said, "It's true that nothing can be hidden from a girl."

"Actually, I just thought of a sentence."

"It is the sentence in the Analects of Confucius, Yao said: 'If I am guilty, it is not for the sake of the people; if the people are guilty, the guilt lies with me.'"

Empress Ma brought over a basket, sat down next to Emperor Zhu, picked up a small garment and continued sewing, saying without looking up, "What's wrong? Do you think you should be more careful in governing in the future?"

Emperor Zhu smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, I've thought of another way to interpret this sentence."

Empress Ma nodded, and Emperor Zhu continued, "Today, we heard from that scoundrel Wang Laoshi and the others that from Ningyang to the capital, many people have portraits of me in their homes, especially in Ningyang County, where the portraits of the Heavenly God they invite during the New Year are all painted in my likeness."

"It suddenly occurred to me that we've only been to Ningyang County a few times?"

"Even though we abolished the poll tax and land tax, and also abolished corvée labor, these were all just decided this year."

“When we went to Ningyang County before and told them that Biao’er needed guards for the Eastern Palace, they were really willing to give us their nephews and nieces.”

"In other words, even before that time, the people of Ningyang County have been remembering our kindness."

Empress Ma nodded again, and Emperor Zhu continued, "Just like that scoundrel said, the common people are the easiest to fool, but also the hardest to fool."

“Since the first year of Hongwu, he has been building a good reputation for us in Ningyang County, so the people of Ningyang County also remember our good deeds.”

"Then let's think about it from another angle. A good official can make the people feel that we are a good emperor. But if some scoundrels harm the people and levy exorbitant taxes, wouldn't that turn us into a complete tyrant?"

"The common people won't just curse those corrupt officials; they'll think in their hearts that our emperor is bad at judging people and making poor choices in personnel."

"So, I thought of the saying, 'If I am guilty, it is not for the sake of the people; if the people are guilty, the guilt lies with me.'"

“If we bear the infamy, it won’t affect the millions of officials, but if the officials commit crimes, the blame will fall entirely on us, the emperor.”

Empress Ma unconsciously stopped her needlework.

Is this how the sentence is interpreted?

But according to Chongba's explanation, it doesn't seem to make any mistakes.

Emperor Zhu let out a long sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up: "Fortunately, we have a good eldest son and a good son-in-law."

“Build schools in communities so that all people in the country can read and write, and so that officials and local gentry can no longer fool the people as they used to.”

"The Ming Dynasty newspaper has given us a voice, allowing people all over the world to know what we are thinking."

"The reform of the Censorate is like hanging a knife over the heads of those officials and local gentry."

"In this respect, our emperor is truly the most relaxed one in the five thousand years of Chinese history."

Empress Ma hummed in agreement, continuing her needlework as she asked, "And then? What are your plans?"

Emperor Zhu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a forced smile, "The next step is what that bastard said: 'I'll take 95 out of 100.' You know my methods."

“We need a lot of money and supplies right now. We not only need to pour money and manpower into Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu and Sichuan, but there are also many other places where we need money.”

“We plan to let him take charge of the Tax Administration for a while, and then let him go back to Dengzhou once he has sorted things out.”

"Next, we need to move the capital from Nanjing to Beiping to further cut off any possibility of those people wanting to control the court."

"Then it's time to fight."

At this point, Emperor Zhu's gaze suddenly turned fierce: "The Ming Dynasty must fight several tough battles."

"It's not just targeting the Hu Yuan, but also the areas surrounding the Ming Dynasty, whether they are local chieftains, vassal states, or even Europe, which is thousands of miles away."

"That bastard is right. The Ming Dynasty is not something that the barbarians like, but something that they fear and dread."

"Without a few bloody victories, there would be no tough nut to crack, no one Han could stand against five barbarians."

"This is exactly what our Great Ming Dynasty needs right now."

Empress Ma stopped her needlework and asked, "Even annihilating the Hu Yuan dynasty isn't enough?"

Emperor Zhu grunted and said, "Not enough."

"Destroying the Hu Yuan dynasty only allowed the Ming dynasty to stand up."

"But the surrounding vassal states, and Europe in the far west, do not feel fear from the bottom of their hearts."

"The reason they are obedient now is largely due to the control of the border market."

"Only a bloody war of annihilation can instill fear in them from the bottom of their hearts."

Empress Ma hummed in agreement again, then continued her needlework, saying, "Then you can handle it yourselves. Anyway, I'm just a woman, I don't understand these important military and national affairs."

……

While Emperor Zhu was scheming and calculating but still couldn't quite figure things out, Yang Shaofeng was slumped in a recliner in the Prince Consort's mansion, deep in thought.

Because Yang Baobei is too young, it is not suitable for her to return to Ningyang and Dengzhou at this time.

Because Ms. Chang is pregnant, Heizhi Tangyuan is now effectively confined to her home and can no longer run away as easily as before.

The year-end heavyweight finals of the Imperial Court Unrestricted Fighting Tournament have also come to an end as the various provincial governors have returned to their respective provinces. Currently, there are only the novice qualifying rounds and some lightweight matches that are not very interesting, which Yang Shaofeng is too lazy to even watch.

After putting Yang Baobei to sleep and handing her over to the wet nurse, Jin'er brewed a pot of Xiaolongtuan (a type of rice dumpling) for Yang Shaofeng and asked, "What's troubling you, husband?"

Yang Shaofeng sighed and said, "It's too boring in the capital. Every day I either bury myself in documents or wander around the mountains and rivers. I want to go back to Ningyang and Dengzhou but I can't. It's too much trouble and I'll just get myself into trouble."

At this point, Yang Shaofeng sighed again and said, "They've all become smarter."

Jin'er smiled and said, "My husband, you're just too close to the situation to see things clearly!"