Even firearms replaced by the imperial court could not be sent elsewhere. Although the Mongols were fragmented, Zhu Yuanzhang understood that those remaining groups were still a potential threat.

Zhu Yunying continued, "Ironware, these are no ordinary things. The cannons used to defend the city weigh several hundred pounds each, and eleven of them have been lost in one go. If you ask me, the garrison, the local prefect, and the former officials of the Ministry of War are probably all dead!"

Old Zhu, his face grim, naturally understood that having the ability to remove a dozen or so firearms was no easy feat for an ordinary official. After all, according to the imperial court's regulations, these replaced iron weapons required at least three parties to supervise their destruction.

This is bound to be a case of collusion, and Old Zhu has no reason to doubt it; it's inevitable.

Zhu Yunying sighed and said, "We understand. No matter where he comes from, we still have to take care of him. This time, we're not just going to kill people, we're going to kill a lot of people to teach those bastards a lesson!"

Hearing Zhu Yunying's murderous words, Old Zhu naturally couldn't agree more. If he were to handle this matter, he would certainly kill off a large number of people as well. This was the only way to handle such a situation!

Old Zhu sighed and said helplessly, "In the early years, we punished many of our old brothers who fought alongside us to establish the country. There was nothing we could do about it. If we could tolerate it, the laws of the court would become a joke! We are too embarrassed to say anything about the outrageous things those people did because of their merits. We can only harden our hearts and bear it."

Zhu Yunying understood the old Zhu's helplessness. This was not just about executing Ma Su with tears in his eyes; it also concerned the laws of the court. It could not be taken lightly or treated as if nothing had happened. Otherwise, the laws of the court would become a joke, and some people would become even more emboldened.

Seeing Zhu Yunying nod in agreement, Old Zhu asked, "You know these principles, so why do you expect our people to do the work?"

Zhu Yunying said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is just to prevent problems before they arise, to arrange for some people to do some dirty work in advance."

Old Zhu wasn't too happy about it and said, "You have plenty of people doing the dirty work under you, are you really going to use people from here? Besides, we've already said that when it comes to smuggling firearms, we absolutely cannot let it go lightly!"

Zhu Yunying understood what his father meant and explained, "Grandfather, if it weren't for the intention to protect someone, we would definitely punish them severely if it involved smuggling firearms. It wouldn't be enough to just give them a few lashes or cut off a few heads."

This was also Zhu Yunying's true feeling. This matter would not be easily dismissed, nor would it be left to be dealt with quietly, otherwise it would lose its effect of deterring other military and civil officials.

Zhu Yunying wasn't embarrassed and said, "This time, we estimate we'll definitely have to kill quite a few people, and maybe even reclaim a few titles. This is no small matter, and we can't tolerate it. We're thinking that some people definitely need to be killed, but before we kill them, we need to make their deaths more meaningful!"

Old Zhu didn't know what to say. Knowing Zhu Yunying as he did, he was sure his grandson was thinking about something again.

This is not surprising at all. This is just how the Zhu family is. They use officials to the death. In many cases, even if an official dies, he still has to make a contribution to the Ming Dynasty!

This shouldn't be surprising, as Joo Yoon-young is quite adept at these kinds of things.

Zhu Yunying looked at Old Zhu and continued, "We'll have to fight the Oirat sooner or later, so we need to give them more charges. Firearms or not, those are minor issues. But if we can find a way that's legally more secure, that's what matters."

Old Zhu didn't want to say much more. His grandson wanted both substance and face, and he couldn't afford to be at a disadvantage on matters of principle. He couldn't care less what others thought, but within the Ming Dynasty, certain things had to be done!

This is essentially due to the strength of the Ming Dynasty, but it is also important to uphold righteousness, which is not a bad thing.

Zhu Yunying continued, "And those corrupt officials, we can't let them die easily either. Since they've lost all sense of decency and greed, let's do more for them. We doubt they'll be remembered for their infamy, but in my opinion, these people should serve us well!"

Old Zhu instantly understood that those corrupt officials deserved to die, and since they all deserved to die, it wouldn't hurt to add more charges, and there must be some particularly noteworthy ones among them.

When the time comes, whether Emperor Yingshi implements new policies or uses them to make things difficult for the court officials, it will not be surprising; it will be a matter of course.

Zhu Yunying's actions didn't surprise Zhu Yunying at all; he knew it was a characteristic of Zhu Yunying. This wasn't a bad thing. As an emperor, many things didn't need to be black and white, or absolutely fair and just. Often, the emperor's starting point was the well-being of the Ming Dynasty!

It now appears that Joo Yoon-young intends to do just that.

Zhu Yunying chuckled and said to his father, "Grandfather, perhaps when they receive our imperial edict, those people will be moved to tears, thanking us for our great favor, and thanking us for beheading them and skinning them alive!"

Old Zhu chuckled and said, "There might be a few who are afraid of implicating the entire clan, so they can only express their gratitude."

Thunder and rain are both acts of imperial grace; this is no joke. Even if the emperor's decree is for execution, one should still express gratitude. Even if one doesn't consider oneself, one should consider one's family. Even if one's family is implicated and executed, one should still consider one's clan.

Old Zhu clearly knew some of Zhu Yunying's thoughts, and he also knew that Zhu Yunying planned to severely punish some military officers. Old Zhu naturally supported these things, as they were definitely a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

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