Educating the people is no easy task, especially in this day and age, when many are illiterate and many have never even set foot in a county town. The saying "imperial power doesn't reach the countryside" is not a joke; it's a fact.
Zhu Xiong Ying knew that there was no need to rush these things; many things should be left to their own devices, and forcing growth would definitely not work.
Li Shanchang felt relatively secure. Although he was a criminal, no one in Fulong Palace dared to treat him as such. Moreover, the Crown Prince's attitude made Li Shanchang feel somewhat at ease.
As a smart person, it's normal to have too many thoughts and ideas.
Perhaps this is the Emperor giving him a warning, or perhaps the Emperor is taking his anger out on him because of Li Cunyi's affair. The reason he was stripped of his title is very likely just to make an example of him and scare those corrupt nobles from Huaixi.
Li Shanchang was quite confident in his achievements, and he wasn't surprised that his title had been stripped this time. After all, there had been instances of founding heroes being stripped of their titles or executed over the years, making the emperor's intention to reclaim titles quite obvious.
Sipping his tribute tea leisurely in the sun, Li Shanchang felt more at ease. After all, although he had been stripped of his title, his family was still safe, which gave him more confidence.
He was waiting for the Crown Prince to come seeking his advice and guidance. Li Shanchang felt that as the first Duke of the founding dynasty and a former tutor to the Crown Prince, he should now become the tutor to the Crown Prince.
This time, Li Shanchang felt that his only purpose in being exiled to Beiping was to assist the Crown Prince, whose position was extremely secure.
Zhu Xiong Ying could not possibly ignore Li Shan Chang completely, but at this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying did not intend to say much. He still needed to wait and see, as Li Shan Chang was far too arrogant.
That's true. Even after achieving great success, Li Shanchang was still disrespectful to Zhu Yuanzhang. Now, facing Zhu Xiong Ying, the imperial grandson, Li Shanchang naturally has even more confidence. He is still the indispensable "Xiao He," and his position remains secure.
Let's just wait it out. Zhu Xiong Ying doesn't have much time to deal with Li Shan Chang right now. He has other things to do, some truly important matters.
Zhu Xiong Ying, dressed in military uniform, sat in the main seat. Under his command, a large group of elite soldiers and generals had arrived, forming a military elite group that could be considered part of the Crown Prince's faction.
Xu Yungong, Chang Mao, Li Jinglong, and Fu Youde, the four Dukes, naturally held titles second only to Zhu Xiong Ying. There were also marquises such as Zhao Yong, Geng Bingwen, Guo Ying, Wang Bi, and Cha Han; the main hall was now filled with high-ranking officials and nobles of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Xiong Ying, with a serious expression, said to Cha Han, "Marquis Shenyang, your mission this time is to be stationed in Liaodong. If Goryeo or Tatars make any rash moves, you must restrain them."
Chaghan immediately accepted the order, "Your subject obeys!"
Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Guo Ying and Geng Bing Wen, "Ding Ying Hou, Chang Xing Hou, you and Ding Yuan Hou will be stationed at the Three Guards to prevent the Tatars from making any rash moves. You should also make a feigned attack to contain the Tatar forces."
As Guo Ying and his men received their orders, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "Duke Cao, you will lead a detachment from Xuanfu Town as cover. Your unit's duty is to harass. Do not stray too far from the main force and be prepared to retreat back to the Great Wall at any time!"
Although Li Jinglong was unwilling, he could only obediently accept the order at this time. Everyone was covering for Xu Yungong during this expedition to the northern desert, so that Xu Yungong could accumulate some merits and train his troops.
The veteran generals didn't say anything when Zhu Xiong Ying ordered Xu Yun Gong to send troops from Datong Prefecture. Mainly, everyone knew that Xu Yun Gong's attack on the northern desert was just a "small skirmish," and as long as Xu Yun Gong's army wasn't completely wiped out, it would be considered a minor success.
Moreover, the troops Xu Yungong led this time were elite soldiers. Furthermore, since they were only harassing some small tribes, Xu Yungong's group had a lot of initiative and confidence.
This was simply to allow Xu Yungong to rise to prominence as soon as possible. Compared to those true veterans, Xu Yungong's attack was just a minor skirmish and didn't amount to much. As long as Xu Yungong didn't act recklessly, and as long as Zhu Xiong Ying's initial strategy didn't have fatal flaws, it would be fine.
It's not just because many people clearly understand the strategic intent behind this move. It's also because the Tatars, the remnants of the Yuan dynasty, are currently very weak and need time to recover.
Seeing the imperial edict that Zhu Xiong Ying casually took out, everyone felt no surprise.
Normally, under the Ming Dynasty's military system, the five Grand Military Commissions still commanded all levels of military institutions. However, in reality, the five Grand Military Commissions only had the power to command troops, while the power to deploy troops belonged to the Ministry of War.
Some vassal kings, wanting to mobilize troops, needed to obtain an imperial edict. The generals in charge of the troops, in turn, needed both the imperial edict and the king's decree before they were permitted to send troops.
In fact, a few years ago, some people said that the current Ming Dynasty had two suns.
This naturally means that not only does the Crown Prince Zhu rule as regent, but he also handles many matters before submitting them to the Emperor. Currently, the Crown Prince Zhu is in charge of many affairs in the Ming Dynasty.
Now, looking at it again, it's not just a matter of two suns in the sky anymore. The power wielded by Zhu Xiong Ying, the imperial grandson, is astonishing. Previously, it was only known that the imperial grandson controlled nearly half of the Ming Dynasty's navy. Now, it seems that Zhu Xiong Ying's influence extends beyond the navy; he also oversees the border troops.
There were some things that Zhu Xiong Ying didn't need to explain at all; many things had actually been said before.
For Zhu Xiong Ying, what he needed to do now was to consolidate the border defenses. Using war to sustain war was one aspect of this strategy, as the nomadic tribes of the north were known for their plundering, raiding the Central Plains dynasties during the autumn and winter.
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