Lan Yu hesitated.
He didn't know what was happening in the capital.
Those adopted sons of his were arrested. Was it really targeting him?
Although they have basically cut off contact now and Lan Yu does not allow them to do things in his name, some things cannot be divided just like that, at least in the eyes of others, it is not that simple.
Assuming that Lan Yu raised his arms and shouted, I think at least 80% of his adopted sons, if not all of them, would be willing to follow Lan Yu again.
"Duke Liang, why don't we go back? It's better to be safe than sorry."
Cao Zhen said worriedly.
At this point, loyalty has little to do with it. What they want more is to save their own lives.
The Crown Prince is not a soft-hearted person, and your Majesty is even less so.
It is apparently a very common thing in the history of various dynasties to eliminate some hidden dangers in advance when the throne is inherited.
Lan Yu did not answer, but turned his gaze to the Ming fleet docked near the port.
And the increasingly prosperous port of Siam.
After a long while, Lan Yu said slowly:
"You know, Cao Zhen, I actually had the idea of quitting a long time ago."
"Because the Crown Prince once showed me a list. On that list, your name, mine, and many more were all on it."
"I have fought in battles all my life. No matter how difficult the city was, or how hard it was to defend it, I have never been afraid. But that time, I was really scared."
"If it weren't for the grandson, I wouldn't have come back this time. But after hearing this news, I will go back too."
"But Taisun is different."
"Look at how much the Ming Dynasty has changed in the past ten years. Do you remember what the Ming Dynasty's army was like ten years ago? And what it is like now?"
"Perhaps, the imperial court in the capital has already made preparations, and will just wait for us to arrive and then give up the military power. But so what? What's wrong with being a rich man? Maybe we should take a break."
When Cao Zhen heard these words, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe that these words would come out of Lan Yu's mouth.
He really didn't believe that the man who dared to break through the city gate, who was so arrogant and domineering, and who was not even afraid of His Majesty, would say such words.
"But, brother, what should we do with our brothers?" Cao Zhen asked after hesitating for a while.
Lan Yu smiled bitterly and said, "What else can I do? I'll do whatever the Crown Prince arranges."
"Look at the Ming Dynasty now. It has conquered all over the world and has made great achievements. When Your Majesty was here, the Crown Prince was quite restrained. When the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne, Your Majesty... do you think the Crown Prince will stop by then?"
"Those soldiers who graduated from the military academy are now constantly recruiting. Even veterans have to go through new training again."
"Didn't you realize when we were fighting India that the soldiers under our command are so easy to use that we don't have to worry about discipline at all. Even the soldiers led by my brother-in-law or Uncle Xu are not as good as them."
"The Crown Prince will not treat us unfairly. As long as we are obedient and honest and do as arranged, that will be all."
Lan Yu was not afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang. If there was someone he was afraid of, it was once his brother-in-law Chang Yuchun, and now it was the crown prince Zhu Ying.
She respected and feared her brother-in-law Chang Yuchun. After all, if they did something wrong, he would be beaten and her sister couldn't stop them.
As for Zhu Ying, his nephew, Lan Yu was very wary of him.
Although Zhu Ying often had a smile on her face and seemed to be very close to him, Lan Yu always felt uneasy about Zhu Ying. This was because Zhu Ying had not done anything murderous after entering the palace, and even arranged a good place for Zhu Yunwen, the former crown prince.
But the more this happens, the more fearful and frightening people become.
Because everyone knows that Zhu Ying used to be a frontier smuggler, and could even be said to be a vicious criminal. However, after entering the palace, he acted like a good man, not caring about this or that.
It's like... wearing a mask.
If you get to know the guards of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, including the Mongols, the Semu people, and even the people from the Western Regions, the Han people, the Jurchens, etc., you will know how ruthless Zhu Ying was to be able to intimidate these lawless guys.
"I'll listen to my eldest brother. Since he said we should go, then let's go."
Cao Zhen hummed, there were some things he couldn't figure out, but if he didn't understand, he didn't understand. Anyway, he would just follow his eldest brother, even if he was wrong, it didn't matter.
Lan Yu nodded, patted Cao Zhen on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we have come this far over the years, and this too will pass."
"If the Crown Prince really wants to deal with us, he won't use these little tricks. The news passed on this time may be that someone wants to use us to break the situation, although I don't know what the situation is."
Lan Yu was very clear that it sounded like he was in control of an army of nearly one million in Tianzhu, which seemed very threatening.
But in fact, the Ming army only had 300,000 soldiers, and most of the middle-level officers in these troops came from military academies. Their loyalty to the Ming and the crown prince was far greater than his own.
The other soldiers were recruited from Siam, Cambodia, and even the weak India, so there was no question of their effectiveness.
The only place where the Ming Dynasty could have its own army was India, because it was far away from the Ming Dynasty and therefore beyond its jurisdiction.
If we really go against the Ming Dynasty, our chances of winning are less than 50%.
…
While Zhu Ying was preparing to ascend the throne.
The Middle East has now become a mess. The forces that were once dependent on Timur have begun to become independent, and his sons and grandsons have also begun to compete for the position of Sultan.
And at this critical moment, another big event happened.
Historically, Sultan Mahram died early, so Timur designated Pir Mahram as the heir to the Timurid Empire.
However, in this era, because of the development of traditional Chinese medicine in the Ming Dynasty and its outward radiation, Sultan Mahema did not die early. Even though his physical condition was not very good, he still survived.
Traditional Chinese medicine is sometimes like this. Although it cannot cure Mahema Sultan's illness, it has kept him living in confusion.
But in the first month after Timur's death, perhaps because of the death of his grandfather, Sultan Mahmud's illness broke out and he suddenly died.
This made the already bad situation even worse.
Before, there was a legitimate heir, so everyone was cautious. Now that the heir is gone, they have become even more unscrupulous.
According to the rule of law of the Timurid Empire, the heir apparent should be Sultan Pirmahemah, but now, of course, many people are dissatisfied.
In particular, Khalil, the son of Miran Shah, directly captured Samarkand and proclaimed himself Khan.
Because Timur had asked Khalil to raise troops as the second batch of reinforcements for the attack on India before, so now Khalil has a large army under his command, and it is obvious that Pirmahema is no match for him.
Because now Pierma Heima has less than 100,000 troops under his command, and only 20,000 cavalry.
"Vitas, tell me what I should do now."
"Khalil, this guy, seized Samarkand, which should have belonged to my brother. According to the laws of the empire, I am the first in line to the throne."
"But he openly violated the law and took the opportunity to establish himself as Khan. This is simply a betrayal of the empire."
"But, you know, he has a lot of troops now. Grandpa originally asked him to raise troops to attack India, which made him arrogant."
In a city near Delhi Sultan, Pirmahemah said worriedly.
Vitas was the Mongolian minister who had followed him to the Ming Dynasty. After leaving the Ming Dynasty, Pirmahema felt that he was very useful, so he recruited him to his side.
Because of their experiences together in the Ming Dynasty, and because of Vitas's broad knowledge and wisdom, he gradually became Pirmahemah's confidant.
"Your Highness, perhaps we cannot attack Samarkand directly now."
"As you said, Khalil now has an army of hundreds of thousands. The only one who can deal with him is Prince Shah Rukh."
"Prince Shaharu has recruited a million Indian soldiers in India. The army he leads is also the elite of our empire."
"Therefore, as long as Prince Shahru takes action, Khalil will definitely lose."
Vitas said immediately.
Shah Rukh is now the commander with the largest army, and this is also because Timur asked him to attack India.
Moreover, with the vast Indian region as logistics support, Shahru did not have to worry about the army's rations.
"But, Vitas, it has been a month. Uncle Shaharu has not marched into the river. He has just been watching."
"Maybe I should write him a letter and ask him to attack Khalil, what do you think?"
Pierma Heima asked with a frown.
When Timur just died, Shah Rukh was indeed very anxious, but now, he just kept his troops there.
If Shah Rukh had not killed the messenger sent by Khalil, Pirmahamad even doubted whether he would surrender.
In fact, Pirmahema had a very good relationship with Shah Rukh. When he was in the Ming Dynasty, he lost his money, so he sent people to ask Shah Rukh for it.
But now, under the throne of the Sultan, no one can tell what the situation will be.
"Your Highness, perhaps we can seek help from the Ming Dynasty."
Vitas hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Pierma Heima was stunned.
"Is this possible? My grandfather has already attacked Ming Dynasty. As for Tianzhu, will Ming Dynasty choose to help me?"
In Piermahemah's mind, he never considered that the Ming Dynasty would come to help him.
Vitas explained: "Your Highness, have you forgotten that when you were in the Ming Dynasty, you had a good memory with the current Ming Wu Wang Zhu Yunwen."
"For the Ming Dynasty, our situation in the Middle East will also have a great impact on them. If I were the Ming Dynasty, choosing a Middle Eastern heir would undoubtedly be in their best interest, Your Highness."
"Your Highness Shah Rukh, he may have more ideas, such as greed for the Khanate. Even if he himself does not want it, don't his generals want to gain the credit of following the dragon?"
"Right now, Shahru is the strongest, followed by Khalil, and Your Highness has the fewest soldiers. However, Your Highness is the most legitimate heir."
"So, if we can get the help of the Ming Dynasty, Your Highness will have a chance to ascend the throne."
Although Pirmahamad felt that he had a good relationship with Shah Rukh, who could resist the temptation when it came to the position of Sultan?
What's more, Shahru now has the strongest army of his grandfather.
He may not even be able to beat Khalil now, let alone Shahru.
After finalizing the plan, Pirmahema immediately sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help.
…
The capital of Ming Dynasty.
Lan Yu finally arrived.
This was beyond many people's expectations, even Zhu Ying, who received the news, was a little surprised.
Zhu Ying already knew that someone had sent a message to Lan Yu regarding the capture of Lan Yu's adopted son, so he felt that given Lan Yu's personality, there was a high possibility that he would turn back.
Even in the cabinet, there were people who suggested sending troops immediately to capture Lan Yu.
Unexpectedly, Lan Yu came by himself.
"I beg Your Highness to immediately take back the Duke of Liang's military power and imprison him in the capital to prevent any disturbance."
During the cabinet meeting, the Minister of Personnel, Zhan Hui, immediately stood up and spoke.
Zhu Ying was reforming the imperial court.
Strictly speaking, a cabinet system was established to handle state affairs.
Of course, the military power is directly under the emperor's jurisdiction, and the military does not participate in the cabinet.
At present, Zhu Ying has not yet fully promulgated the institutional regulations regarding the cabinet, and plans to implement them only after he ascends the throne.
It is basically a constitutional monarchy, but the cabinet has no power to interfere in the military.
Zhu Ying would restructure the Five Military Commanderies and make it a separate department that was not under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet and was only responsible to the emperor.
However, Zhu Ying will retain the veto power and the right to wage war.
In other words, the political affairs of the Ming Dynasty would basically have little to do with the emperor in the future. If the tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty's treasury declined, or if local disasters were not handled in a timely manner, resulting in the death of civilians, it would be entirely the responsibility of the cabinet.
Political achievements and people's livelihood are the criteria for measurement. The capable will be promoted and the weak will be demoted. The term of office is five years and then a new election will be held.
When it comes to declaring war on foreign countries, the emperor cannot start a war alone. It requires the cabinet to propose it, the military to report to it, and then the emperor to make the decision. This is also the basic right to war.
As for the veto power, this is more powerful.
Whenever it comes to the emperor's rights and interests, or a cabinet proposal, the emperor can veto it with one vote.
In this way, Zhu Ying would not have to worry too much about his descendants doing things that would harm the Ming Dynasty, or being sidelined, because the emperor's power over government affairs was gone. What was left?
There are also powers such as the power to lead the army in person, which has been completely abolished by Zhu Ying, and even the emperor's power to participate in the war has been abolished.
This is also why Zhu Ying was afraid that another Ming Dynasty war god would emerge in the future.
Of course, no matter how many restrictions Zhu Ying imposed on the emperor himself, it actually had little to do with him.
Because the current Ming Dynasty belongs to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying.
Even if a cabinet is established today and abolished tomorrow, others can only watch helplessly.