Old Zhu smiled and nodded, reminding him, "He's somewhat like Chang Shiwan and Fu Youde, but he's only learned the basics. You can certainly use him in tough battles, but you can't count on him for commanding more than 50,000 troops, or in wars that threaten to destroy a country."

[A book-reading app recommended to me by a friend I've known for ten years, Yeguo Reading! It's damn good! I use it to read aloud and listen to books while driving or before bed to pass the time. You can download it here: yeguoyuedu]

I understand. He's a talented general, but definitely not a reliable leader. We should certainly give him a significant role, but we need to be careful how we use him. We shouldn't underestimate his abilities, but we also shouldn't place too high expectations on him.

Old Zhu continued, "Zhang Yu should be quite good. His son is currently serving the Crown Prince and is quite capable. His family background is also quite strong. If the father and son train well, they can not only help you but also the Crown Prince. We can't count on the Chang family members, and we feel it's a bit of a pity about Lan Yu."

The Chang family line is indeed hopeless. Although they had an outstanding general like Chang Yuchun, his three sons were all incompetent and ineffective. Furthermore, due to Zhu Yunying's influence, the Chang family is unlikely to be able to command troops for at least two or three generations.

The pity about Lan Yu is that he can only carry the banner of the Chang lineage now, and there is no successor. Although he brought back a grandson, he certainly cannot go to the battlefield; he can only inherit wealth and prosperity.

Old Zhu continued, "We've only seen that little brat from the Xu family. Xu Da's descendants are no good either, each one more useless than the last. Xu Huizu at least learned about 60-70% of his father's skills. If that little brat from the Xu family can learn even 30%, we'll be thanking our lucky stars. I reckon he'll end up like you, his uncle."

This naturally refers to Xu Da's grandson, Xu Qin. Although the Xu family had strict family rules, Xu Qin's character was not a major issue. The main problem was his abilities; not only did Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) look down on him, but even Zhu Yunying (the Hongwu Emperor) had some reservations about him.

And don't say things like the child is still young or that he'll mature when he grows up. There are indeed many examples of late bloomers, but sometimes you can tell a lot about a person's future from the age of three. Can we tell whether a boy is smart or talented now?

Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "That's a good thing too. The Prince of Zhongshan helped my grandfather conquer the country, and he is the first meritorious official in the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty. Xu Huizu was also highly valued by us, and his family also produced an empress. It's enough that two generations helped the court command troops. We can't expect their third generation to be successful as well."

Old Zhu actually thought so too. Who said that the little brat from the Xu family was somewhat useless? It was indeed a pity for Xu Da. But from the emperor's perspective, this was a good thing. The Xu family was already prominent enough; there was no need to continue to fuel their prosperity. That wouldn't be a good thing, would it?

Looking at Zhu Yunying, Zhu Yunying said, "To be honest, our court never sends any generals. We still have a few capable people here now, and we can probably train one or two more in the next few years, which should be about right."

Although the Ming Dynasty court may not have the many powerful generals it had at the beginning of the dynasty, Zhu Yunying really didn't need to worry about a lack of generals in the court.

Fu Youde, Lan Yu, or Xu Huizu—the Ming Dynasty truly has no shortage of commanders. Although figures like Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying are old, they can still occasionally contribute and retain some ability. Of course, the presence of fresh blood also adds to the overall picture, so there's little to worry about.

Looking at his grandson, Old Zhu asked, "Are you really willing to deal with some of the military merits now?"

Understanding what Zhu Yunying meant, Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, not the emperor of the Huaixi people, much less the emperor of the Chang family!"

Old Zhu was naturally very satisfied with this answer, as he had felt the same way back then. He certainly had some connection with his old comrades who had come from their hometown with him, but now that he was on the throne, he couldn't just think about those people from his hometown of Fengyang; he had to think about the fate of the nation.

The emperor naturally represents the interests of a certain class or group. As the most powerful person in the ruling class, the emperor should enjoy the country and its people, and should not just blindly favor certain classes.

Old Zhu asked again, "These are your old ministers who have followed you for so long, are you really willing to kill them all?"

Zhu Yunying smiled calmly and said, "We just won't dig up Zhang He's tombstone or desecrate his grave. As for his unfilial descendants, they have only themselves to blame. Naturally, if they are thinking about wealth and glory, they shouldn't say they've been wronged."

Zhu Yunying was generally unwilling to do things like punishing relatives, but if he really had to, he wouldn't be soft-hearted. Punishing nine generations of a family might be somewhat unjust, but while a few members of an entire family or clan might be wronged, the majority would certainly not be innocent.

Since you enjoy the convenience that your status brings, you should also be prepared for the consequences that may arise from it.

Old Zhu asked again, "Xu Huizu is back now, and it won't be long before Fu Youde returns as well. Think about it, what do you plan to do with him?"

Zhu Yunying said matter-of-factly, "We only need the Xu family and the Chang family at our gate. Fu Youde has made many contributions over the years and is not young anymore. He can retire in peace."

That's certainly true. Although Fu Youde wasn't particularly prominent among the Ming dynasty's nobles in his early years, he was a late bloomer. His contributions in pacifying the southwest, leading the northern expedition, and the recently concluded war against Goryeo were immense.

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