Chapter 123 Moved

Chen Ning's eyes widened when he heard Zhu Chong's question. He hadn't expected Zhu Chong to turn the tables like this. He was a little flustered and quickly knelt down before Zhu Chong. "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no such intention. I am simply concerned about state affairs. Please understand!"

Chen Ning was willing to be Hu Weiyong's pawn, but that didn't mean he was as stupid as a pig. On the contrary, he still understood some things.

For example, he knew that the emperor in front of him was extremely suspicious. Often, just because of a word, he would doubt whether the other party was really doing something. Just like the confrontation between him and Zhu Chong in front of him, they were actually taking advantage of Zhu's suspicion.

Old Zhu's face looked very ugly at this time, but he still did not express any opinions. He treated Chen Ning the same way as he had just treated Zhu Chong, waving his hand to indicate that he did not take it to heart.

But Zhu Chong was very dissatisfied with Lao Zhu's indifference. He had no intention of letting Chen Ning go so easily.

"I have another question, Your Excellency, since you believe that Han's construction of the Straight Road was a self-destruction of the Great Wall, I'm curious why, knowing this, Qin also built its own Straight Road after unifying the country."

"Could it be that the Imperial Censor's vision is even more far-sighted than that of the Emperor of Qin? Then I would like to ask for your advice."

"You..." Chen Ning was speechless and a little angry. He pointed at Zhu Chong with a dark face, regardless of the fact that Old Zhu was in front of him.

"Hmm?" Zhu Chong dragged out his tone, staring at Chen Ning. "What do you want to do, Imperial Censor? Do you know what you are doing? Are you acting as a minister, as a minister should? Or are you deliberately being so bold and reckless?"

"You, Your Majesty!" Chen Ning kowtowed heavily to Old Zhu and shouted, "I absolutely did not do what he said. Zhu Tiju is fabricating rumors and slandering me. I am innocent..."

"Unfair?" Zhu Chong sneered. "Respecting the imperial power is the duty of a subject. You are an official of the Ming Dynasty, and I have never seen you show any reverence for His Majesty or the Ming Dynasty royal family."

"I, I didn't do that. You, you are slandering me, Your Majesty..." Chen Ning became even more anxious. In panic, he pointed at Zhu Chong and shouted angrily.

"No?" Zhu Chong sneered, "You just kept talking about Qin and Han. Aren't you just showing off, thinking you're more capable and ambitious than Qin Shi Huang? You look down on him. What else is that if not contempt for the imperial power?"

"Regarding your current actions, it's true that I am the Director of the Imperial Treasures Administration, but I am also His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin of the Ming Dynasty. You pointed your finger at me, and I, a magnanimous person, would have let it go once or twice, but you've done it again and again. What are your intentions?"

"I..." Chen Ning's face turned pale in an instant, and Lao Zhu's face also became extremely gloomy.

He could see that Zhu Chong was suspected of taking things out of context again, but Chen Ning had indeed just shown a lack of respect for the imperial power, and had done so again and again, which was truly intolerable.

But in this situation, Old Zhu was not very willing to offend a censor for such a small matter, especially since punishing Chen Ning would destroy a larger plan deep in his heart. But what should he do now? Old Zhu was immediately entangled.

Zhu Chong knew when to stop. After all, it was Zhu's job to deal with Chen Ning. He was happy and got the result he wanted. So he changed the subject and talked about the cement issue again.

"Your Majesty, once the cement road is successfully built, it will become a sharp blade that penetrates the grasslands. The reason why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was able to successfully defeat the Xiongnu in the north was due to the Qinzhi Road."

"But the straight road has its limitations after all. In case of bad weather, it will not be able to play its role. But if cement is laid on the straight road and the cement solidifies, it will be the time when the small Northern Yuan Dynasty will be destroyed!"

"As for what the Imperial Censor just said, it's nothing more than alarmist talk. Looking back at history, any dynasty that prioritized the straight path, or directly employed it, was generally able to suppress the northern barbarians, such as the Han and Tang dynasties."

"A court that doesn't value integrity will inevitably experience national destruction and extinction, like the Northern Song and Southern Song dynasties. Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and you will surely be able to clearly see the pros and cons!"

Zhu Chong spoke eloquently. Everyone present, including Old Zhu, was well-read in history books. With a little thought, they could understand that every word Zhu Chong said was true.

As he said, all the previous dynasties that were able to take the initiative to attack the northern barbarians basically relied on the direct route to launch the attack, and the dynasties that abandoned the direct route, without exception, ended up being destroyed by the northern barbarians.

The Jingkang Shame and the incident of Lu Xiufu carrying the young emperor and jumping into the sea seemed to be vivid in his mind. Zhu Yuanzhang figured out the key to it and couldn't help but be slightly moved.

At this time, Xu Da also stood up and bowed to Zhu Chong, "Your Majesty, what His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin said is very reasonable!"

"Between the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty, we are strong and the enemy is weak. However, the Northern Yuan Dynasty has always been more offensive than defensive against the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, it is urgent to strengthen the border walls and build a straight road."

"Once we have a straight road with cement pavement, the Ming Dynasty will be able to mobilize a large number of troops and supplies in a short period of time, regardless of any adverse weather conditions. At that time, whether attacking or defending the Northern Yuan Dynasty, we will be able to respond calmly."

Old Zhu listened carefully to Xu Da's words and nodded slowly, "What Duke Wei said is very much to my liking, then..."

"Your Majesty!" Hu Weiyong interrupted, dropping to his knees. "Your Majesty, building the Straight Road is a serious matter. The national treasury is currently empty. If the construction of the Straight Road is restarted, it will be another heavy burden on our Ming Dynasty."

"What do you want to say, Lord Prime Minister?" Xu Da said, his voice becoming incredibly hard. "My Great Ming is now being slaughtered and plundered by the Northern Yuan people every year. We've lost so much money. Can't the Lord Prime Minister see this?"

Hu Weiyong was very anxious. In fact, the main purpose of his words was to speak for Chen Ning and divert Zhu's attention. If he continued to dwell on the matter of Zhidao, Zhu might come to settle the score with Chen Ning later. However, he did not expect that his words would anger Xu Da.

"Your Majesty!" Xu Da bowed before Zhu Yuanzhang. "I am already old, but I wish to completely destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty within my lifetime, leaving a stable and peaceful world for future generations, so that all people can truly have the opportunity and time to recuperate."

"A short pain is worse than a long one. I will build a straight road and plunge my sword into the grasslands. I will make the people on the grasslands constantly worry about being attacked by my Great Ming Master. I will make them still submit to my dynasty a hundred years from now. This is my long-cherished wish."

"I do not wish that, a hundred years from now, the borders of the Ming Dynasty will still be living in constant fear, constantly worrying about the invasion of the northern barbarians. I also do not wish for Your Majesty and my descendants to have to ride into battle, or even die on the battlefield!"