For the Ming Dynasty, it is far from a time of peace and prosperity where weapons are sheathed and horses are grazing freely, nor is it a time of widespread revelry and decadence.

Besides the border troops, the garrisons in the surrounding areas also had various tasks. For example, they were responsible for suppressing bandits or dispatching troops to quell barbarian rebellions.

But everyone can understand, especially some military officers, that the strength and stability of the Ming Dynasty has indeed made many people forget some things from the past.

For example, Zhang Wen, the Marquis of Huining, who was punished earlier, was not the first nobleman to embezzle and break the law. Not to mention the early days of the dynasty, even before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, some people became arrogant and corrupt because they held some power.

After the founding of the country, a number of people became arrogant, believing they had made contributions or that the country was stable enough to start enjoying their newfound wealth. There were quite a few such people.

Many founding nobles, such as military officers, began to degenerate, and this group was actually quite large. Furthermore, some undesirable phenomena had already emerged in the various local military garrisons.

Many people say that the decline of the garrison system began in the mid-Ming Dynasty, and by the late Ming Dynasty, it had become virtually defunct. Indeed, the garrison system at that time was unreliable, and the system that Zhu Yuanzhang was so proud of had truly been hollowed out.

Zhu Yuanzhang was once very proud because "I can support a million soldiers without costing the people a single grain of rice." The garrison system of the Ming Dynasty was actually based on the experience of military farming in Chinese history. It was a military system that combined military service with agriculture and defense.

However, nowadays, in some relatively stable garrison areas in the interior, some military households that have settled down to farm are already showing signs of becoming tenant farmers for those officers.

The encroachment of military farmland by garrison officials and the private employment of soldiers for cultivation was not a situation that only emerged in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. It simply reflects the fact that anyone in power would seek to profit from it. At most, such incidents were rare and not the norm.

The phenomenon of people running away from their registered residence has always existed. Not everyone wants to become a military household member, and many people feel that the life of a military household member is too miserable, so running away from their registered residence is a frequent occurrence.

Zhu Yunying was naturally aware of these matters, so he could now pay some attention to them and make necessary oversight and changes. Even if the garrison system wasn't perfect, it was certainly the most suitable for the Ming Dynasty at that time.

Therefore, Zhu Yunying at present has no intention of abolishing the garrison system. What he needs to do is to improve the garrison system and plug the loopholes as much as possible.

The reason Zhu Yunying sent Fu Zhong to replace Xu Yingxu was naturally because he felt that Xu Yingxu's identity was more suitable for inspecting the garrisons.

On the one hand, it was out of trust in Xu Yingxu's abilities, and on the other hand, it was also because of Xu Yingxu's status. In fact, it cannot be ruled out that Zhu Yunying did indeed recognize Xu Yingxu's abilities.

Xu Yingxu was Xu Da's son and Zhu Yuanzhang's maternal uncle, so there was naturally no problem with his military achievements. As Zhu Yuanzhang's maternal uncle, he naturally needed to serve the court diligently and become one of the Crown Prince's forces in the outer court.

Moreover, Xu Yingxu has experience in leading troops and has earned military merits. Facing some arrogant and fierce generals, Xu Yingxu would be more confident and wouldn't need to worry about them being just showy but incompetent like some second-generation meritorious officials.

Fu Zhong's qualifications are definitely slightly inferior to Xu Yingxu's. It would be better to let Fu Zhong follow Old Zhu and Little Zhu to gain some experience.

Having settled these matters, Zhu Yunying naturally had nothing to worry about, and this family banquet can be considered quite successful.

However, many people are well aware that this family banquet is merely an appetizer. The imperial army seems to be making good progress in Goryeo, but this is only the beginning. Conquering a kingdom is difficult, but governing it is even more challenging.

Goryeo was clearly on Zhu Yunying's radar. His dispatch of a large imperial army there wasn't just for the sake of 'promoting national prestige.' He wasn't willing to do anything thankless; he wanted tangible benefits, not just empty fame.

Zhu Yunying was completely indifferent to even his reputation. As long as the Ming Dynasty could gain enough benefits, he could discard his reputation at any time. That was Zhu Yunying's nature.

Zhu Ruyi ran over happily and said, "Dad, today my great-aunt praised us, saying that our handwriting is the best, even better than my great-grandfather's and my imperial grandfather's handwriting, and even my imperial brother's handwriting is not as good as ours!"

Looking at his proud daughter, Zhu Yunying praised her, "That makes sense. In our family, Ruyi'er's handwriting is the best right now. But even though Ruyi'er's handwriting is good, she can't help your brother with his studies. We can't let him be lazy."

Lian Qiongqiong lowered her head, unsure of what to say. She had no idea that her daughter had done something so significant.

As for Xu Miaoqing, who was six months pregnant, she was both amused and exasperated. She thought she knew her precious son well enough, but who would have thought that she had underestimated the mischievous little Zhu? That kid's ability to coax and fool people was truly first-rate.

Isn't this obvious? Upon closer investigation, it turns out that a lot of Xiao Zhu's homework was actually done by Zhu Ruyi. She was completely fooled by Xiao Zhu and willingly helped him with his homework.

Zhu Ruyi seemed a little embarrassed, and also seemed to know fear. "Father, if we don't help our elder brother with his studies, he won't play with us. He brings us a lot of good things. Whenever he leaves the palace, he brings us good things."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!