As for setbacks, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't need to worry that his grandson would be discouraged. He believed that his grandson would become stronger with each setback, learn from his failures, and continue to work hard to govern the Ming Dynasty.
"Grandfather, I have thought about some things, but I am still a little unsure." Zhu Yunying looked at his father and said seriously, "Whether we are developing Jingxiang, or if we want to expand Liaodong, manage the Western Regions, or the South Seas in the future, we will need manpower."
Old Zhu nodded and said to Zhu Yunying, "We know that, and that's what we're afraid of. Our Ming Dynasty has seen a significant increase in household registrations in recent years, but it's still not enough."
“It’s not just a matter of insufficient resources; the main problem is that some places are indeed extremely undesirable,” Zhu Yunying said to Old Zhu. “If we forcibly relocate people to some places, there will likely be some resentment among the people.”
Old Zhu immediately fell silent. He knew that there was nothing wrong with what Zhu Yunying said, and he also knew that some of the things Zhu Yunying said were the reality.
In this day and age, many people find it hard to leave their homeland. Furthermore, many people are unwilling to go to remote and desolate places, as surviving in such places would be quite difficult.
Forcibly relocating people wasn't a major problem, mainly because the Ming Dynasty currently appeared powerful enough. However, this would indeed generate considerable public resentment. If some people really caused trouble, they might portray Zhu Yunying as akin to Emperor Yang of Sui.
Yang Guang's construction of the Grand Canal was a monumental achievement. However, for the Sui Dynasty at the time, it was an absolute drain on resources and manpower, leading to widespread public resentment.
Old Zhu also fell silent, then said, "Why don't you tone it down a bit? If you cause too much trouble all at once, the people below might not be able to handle it."
“But if my grandson doesn’t do these things, we don’t know if Yin’er will have the courage to continue after he succeeds to the throne.” Zhu Yunying spoke frankly, expressing his concerns. “Some things, only Grandfather and Father can do well under pressure.”
Hearing what Xiao Zhu said, Lao Zhu nodded. It was quite possible, even common, for emperors to be unable to withstand the pressure and change their orders frequently.
Zhu Yunying continued, "We are now doing something under pressure to make those desolate places look presentable, so that our future generations will know that we cannot abandon those places."
At this point, Old Zhu naturally became even more serious. He knew it was normal for Xiao Zhu to say such things, and it was also common for Xiao Zhu to be worried like this.
The empire that our ancestors painstakingly built might not seem so appealing to future generations, who might easily abandon it. And if they were to encounter an unworthy descendant, they might even feel that the dynasty shouldn't have bothered with certain regions, thus voluntarily giving up those areas.
For example, historically, the Ming Dynasty abandoned the Kaiping Three Guards, a defensive system built by Zhu Di to defend against the southward advance of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. This was a crucial link in the Ming Dynasty's control over the nine border regions. However, after Zhu Di usurped the throne, he reorganized the northern guard posts, including relocating the Kaiping Guards inland, and no longer stationed troops in Kaiping City for extended periods.
After Zhu Di's descendants vied for the throne, the trend of the various guards moving inland shifted. Zhu Zhanji, the grandson of Zhu Di, further moved the capital inland, and from then on, the old cities of Kaiping and Xinghe became completely abandoned and used as grazing grounds for the Mongol tribes of the Northern Yuan. This also made Xuanfu, historically, the most direct barrier outside of Beiping, and it began to rely on the Great Wall.
Aside from the three garrisons of Kaiping, which were almost voluntarily abandoned, the Ming Dynasty also maintained considerable control over Annam and other areas. However, these too were cleanly and decisively abandoned.
The reason was that they felt it was not worthwhile. They felt that investing funds and manpower in those places would be a burden on the Ming Dynasty, and there was no need to do more in these matters.
This is interesting. Our ancestors worked hard to build this empire, hoping to leave a large enough legacy for future generations. But what happened? Those spendthrift sons didn't care at all, thinking that governing those places was too much trouble.
There's simply no way to reason with this! These unfilial descendants have squandered all the hard work of their ancestors!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
