Just thinking about it, Zhu Yunying also felt a bit helpless; it seems he was forced into this situation.

There is no doubt that the military elite group of the Ming Dynasty was quite powerful. Even though it had undergone a series of weakening measures by Emperor Zhu, the military elite group still maintained sufficient strength. The previous weakening measures were not considered to have caused any serious damage.

In addition, Zhu Yunying's cultivation over the years has enabled the military to maintain an even stronger position. This includes veteran generals among the founding heroes who are still going strong, as well as family succession among military officers, and even some other generals and officers who have emerged from obscurity.

All of these factors give the military merit group sufficient vitality. They are also very enthusiastic and persistent about war, which is the foundation for their achievements and the best opportunity for them to be ennobled and promoted.

So once the war is over, these people start to get anxious. They may not care about domestic affairs, but they know that if the army stops, their military achievements will be affected, and their military exploits will be lost.

This could be considered 'militarism', as these military elites are now pushing Zhu Yunying to launch new wars.

Even if there is no war now, these people should be given some expectations, let them "see the enemy", and then they can be excited to prepare for war at any time.

With the war machine churning like this, Zhu Yunying was helpless. It seemed that once the war machine was started, it might not be able to stop anytime soon. The Ming Dynasty had gained so much from war over the years that many people were simply unable to stop.

That's how the military clique sees it; they were born for war, and that's their destiny.

They couldn't empathize with the emperor's good intentions; they only cared about the interests of the military elite group!