At the mention of the imperial nephew, the expressions of all the princes changed slightly.
Zhu Ying adopted such a humble attitude, of course, also taking into account the possible psychological conflicts at the moment.
If we act in a high-handed manner as soon as we show up, it will make these princes feel very uncomfortable.
People are like this sometimes. If they are a little more polite, many things can be avoided perfectly.
"Nephew, please come in."
Prince of Qin Zhu Chong hurriedly said with a smile, and the many princes behind him also felt relieved when they saw Zhu Ying's smiling face.
Perhaps, his goal is not military power.
Zhu Ying was not polite and followed several princes into the room, saying, "This is probably the first time that my nephew is with all the uncles. We are busy with work and all the uncles are far away from each other, so it is difficult for us to get together. Today is a good day."
"To be honest, the dinner I prepared at my uncle's place today was all because of my grandfather's suggestion yesterday. That's why today's dinner was held. Uncles, please don't blame me, don't blame me."
Who could not understand these words which concealed a dagger behind a smile?
Zhu Ying knew very well in his mind that if he wanted to truly suppress these uncles, he could only rely on the old man's name.
Obviously, everyone understood what was said, and their hearts suddenly skipped a beat.
Doesn't this mean that the emperor has agreed to take away our military power?
Two of them were indifferent.
Zhu Su didn't have any idea at all. He had never cared about the military power anyway. How could it be more fun than studying plants?
To be honest, if it weren't for Zhu Ying, he wouldn't even want to come. The research is at a critical moment now, and it's hard to say when the results will come out.
Since Zhu Su arrived at the academy, he never attended the morning court again.
"Your Highness, did your father say anything else?"
Before they even reached the lobby, Prince of Xiang Zhu Bo couldn't help but ask.
Anything that has anything to do with his father is his greatest interest.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying turned around and looked at Zhu Bai.
Prince of Hunan, Zhu Bo, is very elegant. Unlike the other princes, he does not look as majestic as others. Instead, he gives people a feeling of being bathed in a cool breeze. If you look closely, you can see that he has a kind of immortal air.
Zhu Ying naturally already knew about the situation of Prince of Xiang Zhu Bo, and the old man also said that he was the most obedient son of the emperor.
"Uncle Twelve, Grandpa has been talking to me these past few days. Now, when he occasionally writes poems, no one writes for him."
"My nephew's calligraphy is particularly unrefined, and it cannot fill the void in Grandpa's heart."
"I still remember two months ago, when my nephew was reviewing memorials, the old man saw the handwriting on the memorials and sighed, saying that if Uncle Twelve were here, my nephew's handwriting would definitely not be so bad."
Zhu Ying said with a smile.
Prince Zhu Bo of Xiang reacted strongly and asked immediately: "Are you serious?"
Zhu Ying frowned and said, "Could it be that Uncle Twelve still thinks that your nephew is fooling you?"
Seeing that Zhu Ying was somewhat unhappy, Xiang Wang Zhu Bo quickly explained: "No, I didn't mean that. I just didn't expect that my father would always miss me. I... am unfilial."
"I have been in the capital for so many days, and I have not yet paid my respects to my father. This is truly a sin."
Zhu Bo's words were spoken in a heavy tone, without any falsehood, and came from the bottom of his heart.
However, this made the surrounding princes feel a little ashamed.
What's the matter? You are the only filial son to our father, and we are not?
It was said so sincerely and heartfeltly. In comparison, doesn't it make us seem unfilial?
However, the princes did not look down on this, but rather showed some admiration for it.
Whether it was Zhu Chong, Zhu Di, Zhu Gang, etc., they all admired and worshiped their father from the bottom of their hearts.
As Zhu Ying listened, he couldn't help but look at Zhu Bai a few more times. What a kind person he was.
So he smiled and said, "It's not too late now. Grandpa will definitely be able to feel Uncle Twelve's kindness."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Bo's eyes lit up and he nodded heavily.
After this little episode, it was obvious that Zhu Ying's relationship with many vassal kings began to become closer, including Zhu Zhen, King of Chu, Zhu Gui, King of Qi, and Zhu Chun, King of Shu, whom he had rarely met before.
The look he gave Zhu Ying was also very friendly.
When Zhu Ying came over, the dinner had naturally been prepared long ago.
Looking at the rich dishes and the fine wines prepared, Zhu Ying said, "This time, my nephew is here to dine with the uncles, so I won't prepare much."
"I'm sure all of your uncles have heard about my nephew's factory. Although the winery hasn't been officially established yet, there are already new wines on the market."
"This time, my nephew also brought a few jars here for all the uncles to taste."
After saying this, Zhu Ying clapped his hands gently, and four eunuchs followed him in, each holding a jar of wine in their hands.
Zhu Ying took the lead and opened the sealed jar.
Suddenly, a strong aroma of wine wafted into my nose.
Except for Zhu Su, who among those present didn't like this wine? They were all elites among wine lovers and could feel its flavor just by smelling the aroma.
Prince Zhu Yu of Qi was particularly fond of wine and had a rather unrestrained personality. When he saw that there were only four jars of wine, he was immediately unhappy and said, "My nephew, this is not very nice of you. There are eight of us here, plus you, my nephew, which makes nine people. There are only four jars of wine. How can it be enough for us to drink?"
Zhu Bai frowned slightly, he felt that what Seventh Brother said was a bit presumptuous.
Although the eldest nephew calls himself nephew, it is just a courtesy to everyone.
Being able to lower his posture and talk to people like us is already very good. It shows that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince respects his elders and really treats him with the etiquette of a monarch and his subjects.
No one can say anything.
But this is not an excuse to press further.
Not only Zhu Bo, Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang and others were also slightly dissatisfied.
The meaning of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's visit this time is still unclear. If I offend him before it even starts, and I and others are implicated later, I will be innocent.
Just when Zhu Chong was about to scold his reckless seventh brother, Zhu Ying spoke up.
"It seems that Uncle Seventh pays little attention to his nephew. My nephew is not stingy. The key is this wine. He is unusual."
"Even these four jars of wine, I think I brought too much. We won't be able to finish them this time."
These four jars are not small jars that hold one or two kilograms, but large jars that hold ten kilograms.
In other words, these four jars of wine weigh a genuine 40 kilograms.
Divided equally among eight people, each person got a full five kilograms.
For this kind of high-concentration liquor, a normal person can only drink half a pound to a pound at most. Drinking two or three pounds would be a disaster.
Although the distillation technology of the early Ming Dynasty has been demonstrated, the highest alcohol content is no more than 30 degrees, and not many people know about it, and the majority of people still drink alcohol with an alcohol content of more than 10 degrees.
People who have never drunk high-concentration liquor can rarely resist drinking it for the first time.
Zhu Ying did not pay much attention to the straightforward words of Prince of Qi Zhu Gui.
In fact, I met too many people with personalities like King Zhu Gui of Qi when I was in the Western Regions. They were straightforward and not too cunning. That was just the way they were.
Obviously, although King Qi Zhu Gui read a lot of books, he returned all the knowledge to his teachers after leaving school.
Seeing that Zhu Ying did not show any emotion, many princes finally felt relieved.
"Okay, I won't be polite then. Let me try it first."
King Zhu Yu of Qi naturally didn't want to beat around the bush, nor did he understand the changes in other people's eyes and expressions. He just picked up the jar of wine and poured a glass into the cup.
Then swallow it in one gulp.
"Ahem..."
The next moment, a violent cough was heard, and Prince Zhu Yu of Qi's face suddenly turned red and his neck became thick.
A strong stimulation broke out in the throat. After coughing, I felt the burning impact and was completely surrounded by alcohol.
"Haha, good wine! Good wine! So cool! So cool!"
King Zhu Gui of Qi laughed loudly, then exclaimed loudly, and subconsciously licked his lips to feel the surging spiciness just now.
What does it feel like for a big, strong man to lick his lips.
Zhu Ying's mouth corners were twitching.
This is really unscrupulous!
However, following the actions of King Zhu Gui of Qi, everyone began to become interested in the wine in the jar.
Zhu Ying smiled and said, "This wine is quite strong, perhaps the strongest wine available at the moment. You can't drink too much in one gulp, you have to taste it slowly, and don't drink too much. If you drink a weaker wine, you might get drunk after a few glasses."
After hearing Zhu Ying's explanation, the princes also started drinking as the eunuchs poured wine for them.
At this time, Prince Zhu Gui of Qi had already drunk two cups of wine, and his face became very rosy.
Zhu Ying was obviously still very good at controlling the atmosphere. After three rounds of drinks, everyone's relationship became warmer. Even Zhu Di, who had always wanted to be an invisible person, seemed to relax a little.
Afterwards, Zhu Ying picked up the wine glass and said to Zhu Di from a distance: "I have to toast to my fourth uncle with this glass of wine. Without my fourth uncle, I would not be where I am today. Uncles, you may not know that when I was in Peking, my fourth uncle strongly invited me to come to the capital."
"In the beginning, I was a little reluctant to come, but it was because Fourth Uncle was too enthusiastic that I came to the capital."
"When I arrived in the capital, my fourth uncle arranged a shop for me. My second and third uncles knew this. Ping An Tea House has always been my fourth uncle's business."
"What's more, I haven't paid any rent for my teahouse to Fourth Uncle until now. That's my fault. Fourth Uncle, I'll toast to you alone to thank you for your care for me."
Seeing Zhu Ying holding up the wine glass, Zhu Di dared not to be negligent and quickly picked up the wine glass as well.
Seeing that Zhu Ying was about to swallow it, he could only swallow it as well, and said, "My nephew is too polite. I believe that everyone present here, no matter who sees it, will definitely think that it is closely related to my eldest brother."
"I was suspicious at the time, so I thought of a way to invite the nephew to the capital. To be honest with you, I thought he was my eldest brother's illegitimate child, but I didn't expect that he was my own nephew whom I had held since he was a child."
"Speaking of which, if it weren't for my father personally verifying it and even excavating the Xiaoling Mausoleum, I really wouldn't have believed it."
Zhu Di, who had drunk several glasses of white wine, was obviously a little drunk. His face was flushed, and when he spoke, he was no longer as cautious as before, but seemed a little sighing.
Putting aside the issue of the throne, these words can be regarded as Zhu Di’s true inner feelings at the moment. All that can be said is that things in this world are unpredictable.
Seeing that he was almost ready, Zhu Ying smiled and asked Zhu Gang, "Uncle San, are you used to fighting the Japanese pirates along the coast?"
Zhu Gang smiled and said, "No, my fourth brother. The Japanese along the Zhejiang coast are a minority, while the majority are along the Shandong coast. I heard that my fourth brother has defeated quite a few Japanese pirates, probably tens of thousands."
At this point, Zhu Gang's tone became a little sarcastic, and he said, "There are really a lot of Japanese pirates, and they all ran to Shandong. I have been in the coastal area of Zhejiang, and the number of Japanese pirates I have captured and killed is less than a thousand, but there are dozens of times more in Shandong."
"I also captured a group of Japanese pirates and interrogated them before, and learned about the situation in Japan in detail."
"But those Japanese pirates are really very cunning. They dared to deceive me and lied to me that the total number of Japanese pirates who came to my Ming Dynasty was only more than 10,000."
"That's nonsense. Fourth Brother Guan has already executed 20,000 to 30,000 people. I heard that a large number of Japanese pirates went to Tsushima Island in Goryeo to provide support. There must be at least 30,000 to 40,000 people."
"These Japanese pirates are so despicable. They even colluded with each other to give their confessions. I have interrogated hundreds of them, and they all gave the same story. It's so fake!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many princes looked at Zhu Di strangely. In fact, most of the princes knew this matter well.
Especially King Zhu Yu of Qi, he didn't care too much about it.
Although they are all vassal kings, the people under their rule are all Ming Dynasty citizens. Don't expect them to love the people much.
Killing innocent people to claim credit has become a common practice in the military, and it has been almost always like this from ancient times to the present.
Otherwise, how can military merit be gained? Even if the leading general does not want to do so, his subordinates will generally do the same.
For many soldiers stationed in farmlands, going to the battlefield was not for the sake of patriotism or protecting their homes and country. How could some farmers who worked hard in the fields and could barely read and write have such a high level of awareness?
Firstly, the orders of the imperial court cannot be disobeyed. If one escapes from military service, he will be beheaded.
Secondly, if you go to the battlefield and gain something, you can get a reward. Sometimes, if you win a battle, you can even get some money secretly.
Even if he fought for two or three years and brought home dozens of miles of silver, he could still live a comfortable life happily in the future, and at least his family could have enough food to eat.
This is the soldier now.
That is the case. Secretly killing innocent people to claim credit is not something that anyone can stop. Once the superiors forcefully stop it, if sufficient military pay is not provided to quell the situation, then expect morale to drop and the country to be defeated in every battle.
This is the reality, and it cannot be changed by just a few generals.
Zhu Gang's words were just a mockery of Zhu Di. He was not accusing Zhu Di of killing innocent people to take credit for his achievements. Rather, he said that what he did was greater than his own merits, and that in fact he had taken a crooked approach.
In fact, Zhu Gang also wanted to do this, but was stopped by the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.
Zhu Ying has already explained this.
To a large extent, Zhu Gang did not want to have any disagreement with Zhu Ying.
Furthermore, during the time he was in Zhejiang, the Qunying Chamber of Commerce also gave Zhu Gang a lot of money as a profit. Apart from his military merits, he got much more than what he got from killing innocent people.
Things like killing innocent people and claiming credit for it are ultimately not acceptable.
"Why, Third Brother, you mean to suspect that I am slaughtering the people. If that is the case, why don't you send someone to investigate, report to Father, and let the Royal Guards investigate."
How could Zhu Di be willing to lose to Zhu Gang, so he directly retorted.
"Oh, don't I know Fourth Brother's methods? Besides, what I said just now was not directed at Fourth Brother. I was just a little confused, right? Why did Fourth Brother admit it himself? Is this the legendary confession without being asked?"
Zhu Gang was not to be outdone and replied with a sneer.
Zhu Di was furious and said, "You are allowed to be sarcastic, but I am not allowed to clarify the facts. How much do you know about the Japanese pirates?"
"I will be frank here today. Nine out of ten people I killed were correct. Even the half of them were definitely indirectly related to the Japanese pirates."
"What is the situation of the Japanese pirates? When they invaded the coast of Ming Dynasty, they were captured alive. Every time they were interrogated, we could get a general idea."
"Have you read the files about the Japanese pirates, Third Brother?"
"You didn't see it, but I have checked it out clearly. In the 16th year of Hongwu, the Japanese army only sent more than 7,000 people. As a result, many cities were looted. According to statistics, there were 40,000 soldiers."
"How do you think these extra 30,000 people came from?"
"This time, I conducted a thorough investigation along the Shandong coast, and eliminated all those fake Japanese pirates one by one, which resulted in such a harvest. If you think I killed innocent people and took credit for it, I have already said before that you can ask the Jinyiwei to conduct a thorough investigation, and then you will know the truth."
Zhu Di spoke righteously, without any worries or concerns.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gang just snorted coldly and did not dwell on the matter any further.
According to the information we got from the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, when Zhu Di was killing people, he slaughtered village after village and there were no survivors.
There were indeed many people in the coastal areas of Shandong who were in contact with the Japanese, and it is impossible to track them down.
Many princes watched the argument between the two, drinking and eating, just for fun.
Everyone has already seen clearly what happened between Zhu Gang and Zhu Di.
Zhu Ying said, "The situation of collusion with the Japanese is indeed more serious in coastal areas, but it is a bit too strict to exterminate an entire village because of one person colluding with the Japanese."
"After all, it's all because of the Japanese pirates. Grandpa and I have discussed before that you will go to Japan to attack next year. I'm sure all of you uncles know about this."
Several princes nodded but said nothing.
Obviously, now that things have come to this, the next thing to come is obviously the purpose of this gathering.
Zhu Ying took in everyone's expressions and continued, "Waguo is not a small place, nor is it a big place, but there is one place in it that is quite important."
Having said that, Zhu Ying actually took out a simple map of Japan from his arms.
Many princes suddenly became angry and surrounded him.
Zhu Ying continued to introduce: "The people of Japan have been communicating since the time of Emperor Qin Shihuang and when Xu Fu sailed east. The most communication was during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Even the current Japanese writing system is very similar to that of our Central Plains dynasty."
"Uncles, please look, this is a map of Japan. Of course, it is not very complete. It was drawn by overseas merchants when they traveled to Japan."
“This is the key.”
This map is just a rough shape, and on it, there is a place specially marked: Iwami.
Zhu Ying's finger was pointing here.
Then he explained: "Iwami Silver Mine has a reserve of tens of millions of taels of silver. This information is very accurate. It is the result of a special exploration by overseas workers who are good at exploration."
"Based on this, my nephew also sent people to explore the Iwami Silver Mine. The results were exactly the same as before, and it can even be said that the amount of silver stored there is even greater."
After hearing this news, everyone finally understood why the old man agreed to attack Japan.
Originally, this matter had come to an end with Liu Bowen, but now it has been brought up again because of this huge mountain of silver.
Upon hearing this news, the other princes suddenly began to envy Zhu Gang and Zhu Di.
Next year's expedition to Japan will obviously be led by two of them, and they will definitely bring back a lot of silver. Such huge profits, all of which are money.
When Zhu Di heard the news, his eyes lit up.
He has always been struggling with what his future path will be.
Now that I hear this news, I feel so relieved.
"God is really helping me. If I lead the army to occupy the Iwami Silver Mine, I will have the final say on how much silver to pay."
"Japan and the Ming Dynasty are so far apart that even the Imperial Guards can't do anything about it."
Zhu Di felt secretly delighted. As of now, the candidate for next year has already been decided. If nothing unexpected happens, it will definitely be resolved.
Zhu Gang's idea was obviously similar.
Zhu Ying had been observing Zhu Di's expression, and seeing the joy that Zhu Di could not hide, he knew that there was probably no problem.
After a short pause, he said, "There are still quite a few people in Japan. Among them, their emperor has great authority and is highly respected in Japan."
"According to my and my grandfather's estimates, it is easy to penetrate Japan, but it is a very long process to educate them. It is not something that can be completed in just a few years or more than ten years. It may even take decades."
"In this regard, my nephew's intention is to ask all uncles, if you are interested in Japan, my nephew can specifically ask grandfather to seal the overseas country."
This is what is meant by the truth being revealed.
As soon as the words about overseas vassal states came out, the looks of almost all the vassal kings began to become somewhat strange.
Of course, Zhu Su and Zhu Bo are also included among them.
One is not interested, and the other just wants to be closer to his father.
"Your Highness, are you serious?"
The most warlike King of Qi, Zhu Yu, asked first.
Zhu Ying affirmed: "During this period of overseas closure, can my nephew still argue with my uncles?"
"Let me put it this way. If any uncle can confirm this, and if there is no problem with grandpa, I can grant you the right to form an inner court. From now on, you can prepare for the overseas closure."
"Not only that, if the war goes smoothly, we can also call on the people of our Ming Dynasty to immigrate there. To a certain extent, the Qunying Chamber of Commerce can also lend a certain amount of treasure notes without interest to be used in the initial stage of building the country."
Establish overseas states, establish an inner court, immigrate to the Ming Dynasty, and borrow money without interest.
Once these four plans were put forward, all the princes were shocked.
This is something that has never happened in history, from ancient times to the present. This is a direct granting of royal power. Which emperor in ancient times would dare to do this? Wouldn't he be afraid that the vassal states would rise and threaten the Ming Dynasty?
"Is this also what Father meant?"
Zhu Chong asked.
After all, he was a man who had experienced many ups and downs. He was not directly attracted by the big pie that Zhu Ying painted, but asked seriously.
Zhu Ying nodded and said, "Of course, I have discussed this important matter with Grandpa, who is very supportive of this matter."
Zhu Chong asked again: "I wonder what the emperor's nephew thinks about this."
Zhu Ying looked at Zhu Chong deeply, and then replied, "Since Second Uncle has asked this question, there is no need for my nephew to hide anything."
"As everyone knows, the issue of the vassal king is something that grandpa, I, or my uncles often consider."
"Let me be frank. I have discussed this matter with Grandpa many times."
"There are some historical examples that we cannot ignore. Maybe it's okay now, but who can tell what will happen in the next few generations?"
"But grandpa told me that all the uncles are his own flesh and blood. What grandpa is most worried about in our big Zhu family is that the family will kill each other."
"Because of this, Grandpa often tossed and turned and couldn't sleep all night, until some news came out about the situation in Japan."
"The Iwami Silver Mine in Japan is enough to show that Japan as a whole has great potential and is no longer the barren and cold place it once was."
"Just because the Yuan Dynasty failed to conquer the Ming Dynasty doesn't mean that the Ming Dynasty can't conquer the Yuan Dynasty. At this moment, my nephew has heard news from foreign merchants that the Japanese Kingdom has just experienced a war and has been severely damaged. Most of the Japanese who are now invading the Ming Dynasty are the losers of this war."
"At the same time, the national teacher of Goryeo led an army of more than 200,000 and has already captured Tsushima Island. With the two forces attacking from both sides, I think it shouldn't be difficult to completely destroy Japan, but at least take down half of it."
"After conquering Japan, the problem is governance. It is in this regard that my nephew proposed the idea of closing the country overseas."
"Of course, overall, the area of Japan is not too small, so it's no problem to have a few more uncles go over there, so that we can have someone to look after us and not be lonely."
After listening to Zhu Ying's words.
Everyone immediately understood the meaning of this overseas closure of the country.
No one knows how big Japan is, but after it was established as an overseas country, when we got there, we were called vassal kings, so what was the difference between them and the emperor?
Thinking of this, Zhu Chong couldn't help but ask, "My nephew, how many people can go to Japan this time?"
Zhu Ying calculated in his mind, and then said: "According to the current plan, three people are probably enough. If there are more, I'm afraid we won't be able to manage them."
The so-called three-legged tripod, Zhu Ying feels that it is relatively easier to balance the three of them.
Hearing this, Zhu Di and Zhu Gang were slightly dissatisfied.
After all, in their opinion, two people were already a bit crowded, and now three people appeared, which would make it even more uncomfortable.
However, Zhu Ying had already planned to divide Japan into three parts.
At this moment, many princes were eager to try, and after all, the two places of Zhu Di and Zhu Gang had definitely been occupied.
There is only one spot left, so we have to grab it.
Seeing that the princes were ready to fight for it, Zhu Ying said quickly: "Don't worry, uncles. In fact, there are many rich places outside of Ming Dynasty, not just Japan."
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