Chapter 122 What is the intention
"Chen Ning, please tell me, what did Zhu Chong do to bring disaster to the Ming Dynasty?"
Old Zhu's words made Zhu Chong's heart move, and he finally knew who the guy in front of him was who was looking at him coldly.
Imperial Censor Chen Ning, a close friend of Prime Minister Hu Weiyong, clearly wouldn't target him for no reason. However, Zhu Chong didn't think he had offended Hu Weiyong in any way. Besides, even if he had, what was the big deal? So he decided to patiently listen.
"Your Majesty, what Zhu Tiju said is completely confusing. In fact, he has ulterior motives and wants to make the Ming Dynasty repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty." Chen Ning shouted loudly.
"Your Majesty, as you are well-versed in history, you will undoubtedly know that before Qin conquered Han during the Warring States Period, it was Qin that sent spies to successfully deceive the king of Han, promising that building a straight road within the country would allow for faster transportation of troops, food, and fodder, thus saving costs."
"As a result, when the Han Dynasty completed the straight road and reached the border, the Qin army launched a large-scale attack on the Han Dynasty and easily destroyed it."
When Chen Ning said this, he turned around and pointed at Zhu Chong, looking righteous and awe-inspiring, and shouted harshly.
"Zhu Tiju, isn't it straight? The Mongol cavalry are known for their ability to move like the wind. If they were allowed to gallop on the cement road, wouldn't they be even more powerful? Yet you are deceiving His Majesty and causing His Majesty to waste his time and money building a straight road!"
"Isn't this an act that shakes the Ming Dynasty's destiny and destroys its foundation? Zhu Tiju, what excuse can you offer for this?"
I'm fucking stupid! Zhu Chong was stunned. What kind of bandit logic was this? But he noticed that Old Zhu seemed to be really moved by Chen Ning's words. Zhu Chong couldn't help but roll his eyes and sneered contemptuously, "Master Chen, is this a rubbish from a thousand years ago worth talking about?"
"What did you say?" Chen Ning was furious. Although he was instructed by Hu Weiyong, he thought his words were flawless and no matter how eloquent Zhu Chong was, he could not defend himself. However, he did not expect that Zhu Chong would speak so wildly to him.
"It's already this late, and you're still clinging to the old ways of thinking. Sir Chen, you're really not doing a very good job as an official."
Zhu Chong had no interest in Chen Ning at all. There was no need to show any mercy to this idiot who would soon be in trouble along with Hu Weiyong, especially since this guy had specifically called him Zhu Tiju several times. Zhu Chong knew what bad things this guy was up to.
Although Chen Ning was Hu Weiyong's lackey, he also displayed a unique and strange trait of Ming Dynasty officials during this period.
Officials, especially civil servants, always liked to write to the emperor for no reason, either impeaching their colleagues or criticizing the government, or even worse, directly attacking the emperor. Obviously, Chen Ning was a representative figure among them.
In Zhu Chong's opinion, these guys are just trying to gain fame and popularity, but they are all in high positions. Since they are looking for death, there is no need to indulge them.
To use the words of a famous person in later generations to describe it, "If no one offends me, I will not offend anyone. If someone offends me, I will never let you go!"
Besides, I have provoked you. I am fighting for the welfare of the craftsmen. What is your business? Why do you want to meddle in other people's business?
How dare you impeach me for no reason? Do you really think that I've restrained myself recently and am no longer the Qin Wang Zhu Chong I used to be? Well, if that's the case, I'll let you see how powerful I am!
So Zhu Chong turned around, bowed to Old Zhu, and bowed slightly, trying to hide the murderous look on his face that he could no longer suppress.
"Your Majesty, you have fought against the Mongol cavalry before. I'm afraid that everyone here can only defeat them one tenth as well as you can. However, please forgive me for showing off my skills in front of you on some minor details."
Zhu Chong first flattered Lao Zhu to pave the way. After all, Lao Zhu had to be appeased. Even if it meant taking advantage of his father, he had to let the other party know first that he had no ulterior motives and no intention of shaking the country's destiny. He had to let Lao Zhu know that he was doing this for his own good!
Old Zhu had been frowning, but after hearing what Zhu Chong said, he didn't say anything, but just waved his hand, signaling Zhu Chong to continue.
Zhu Chong then bowed to Old Zhu again, then stood proudly with his hands behind his back facing Chen Ning, and asked with a sneer on his face, "Your Excellency the Censor should know that all cavalrymen in the world now have horseshoes on their hooves."
"The function of horseshoes is to prevent damage to the horse's hooves and to protect the horse's hooves when galloping on complex terrain."
When they heard Zhu Chong mention horseshoes instead of anything else, everyone, including Zhu Yuanzhang, pricked up their ears.
"The Mongolian cavalry can come and go so quickly, besides their so-called wolf pack tactics, the other reason is the horseshoe. But horseshoes also have advantages and disadvantages." Zhu Chong picked up the hammer on the ground and hit it on the concrete pier.
"I've just told Your Majesty and the other gentlemen about this cement road. Once it's built, it'll be as solid as a rock, providing a smooth path at all times. But if cavalry try to gallop on this kind of road, they'll be courting death!"
"Because of the horseshoes, it's impossible for cavalry to gallop smoothly on cement roads. Horseshoes can't grip the cement roads like they do on grasslands, and they can even easily slip."
"Just imagine, thousands of horses are galloping on a concrete surface, and suddenly one of them slips and falls. That scene..."
When he said this, Zhu Chong deliberately dragged the hammer on the concrete pier back and forth, making a harsh friction sound.
Everyone couldn't help but look over and found that the hammer weighing dozens of kilograms was dragging across the concrete pier very smoothly, seemingly effortlessly. Everyone suddenly understood the meaning of Zhu Chong's words.
Old Zhu's eyes suddenly lit up, but he still subconsciously looked at Xu Da beside him. Xu Da noticed Old Zhu's gaze, knew what he was thinking, and nodded slightly at him.
Apart from Old Zhu, the only person present was naturally Old Xu, the number one person in the Ming army, who had the most say in terms of understanding of cavalry.
When Zhu Yuanzhang sent troops to the north, Xu Da participated in all of them. Especially the failure of the second northern expedition dealt a great blow to Xu Da, and it also gave him a higher level of understanding of the importance of cavalry.
Therefore, he fully agreed with Zhu Chong's words. Taking the most intuitive example, in Yingtian Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty, no one had ever been heard of anyone daring to gallop on horseback on the streets of the capital.
Because the roads in Yingtian Prefecture are basically paved with bluestone slabs, anyone who dares to gallop on horseback will be expected to fall, and the reason is just as Zhu Chong said.
Even if the horseshoes don't slip, if the horse stumbles or steps on something slippery, the result will be that the horse and the rider will fall, and someone may even die.
Therefore, scenes like those in TV shows and movies where people are often seen riding horses in the city are absolutely not seen in Yingtian Prefecture at that time, unless that person is desperate.
"So, what you said, Imperial Censor, about building a cement road that would affect the Ming Dynasty's prosperity and cause it to repeat the fate of Han, which was destroyed by the Qin State, is simply groundless."
Zhu Chong finished his speech by giving his opponent a lesson: "The Imperial Censor must have read so much that he has become stupid. The destruction of Han by Qin was not just a matter of straight talk."
"But I'm curious. The Imperial Censor described our dynasty as the Kingdom of Korea. Does that mean he thinks the small Northern Yuan dynasty is the former Qin? So, I have to ask, what exactly is the Imperial Censor's motive?"
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