Chapter 134: Since I’m Here Anyway, I Might as Well Do It!

"Huh?" Liu Hu was bewildered, feeling quite embarrassed by the praise. He tore off the broken ropes that had been binding him and scratched his head, grinning foolishly. "Your Majesty, actually, I... I was captured by the Jurchens..."

"Eh, that's not important." Zhu Youjian patted him on the shoulder, cutting him off.

Soon, the figures of Zhu Yuanzhang and the others appeared in the room. Old Zhu paused, looking astonished. "Have we arrived at the Jurchen stockade?"

Zhu Youjian smiled and remarked, "Our Great Ming soldiers are truly brave."

Liu Hu scratched his head sheepishly, his face flushing red.

"That is all thanks to the far-reaching influence of the martial arts schools you founded, Father," Old Zhu Di said with a faint smile, offering a compliment.

Far-reaching influence? Zhu Youjian gave a bitter smile. The original intention of the founding emperor in establishing the Capital Guard Martial Arts Schools was to govern the state with civil administration and quell chaos with military might—balancing both. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty's martial arts system included regional and metropolitan examinations, with ranks like "Martial Scholar" and "Martial Presented Scholar."

However, the reality of the Ming Dynasty was that whenever imperial power declined, the Cabinet would immediately suspend these martial arts schools, suppressing military officers both overtly and covertly. One need not even mention Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Di; while they were alive, the civil officials dared not even utter a sound, let alone suggest abolishing the martial arts schools. To even hint at it would be to invite execution.

As for the other emperors—Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Jianshen, Zhu Houzhao, the Jiajing Emperor, the Wanli Emperor, and even Zhu Youjian (Chongzhen) himself—they all reopened the martial arts schools during their reigns. Yet, what they shared was a reputation in history books as either incompetent or bizarre, a situation entirely orchestrated by the civil officials of the Cabinet. This was because military lords and nobles posed far too great a check on the scholar-official class of the Song and Ming dynasties.

Take Zhu Yuanzhang, for example; he would annihilate the capital groups of Jiangnan at the slightest provocation, which they could not tolerate. To ensure their safety, the capitalists had to prevent the emperor from controlling the military. The consequence of the Song and Ming policy of "governing the military with civil officials" was that, unlike the late Han or Tang dynasties which suffered from warlord fragmentation, the Song and Ming dynasties fell directly or indirectly to foreign powers. This happened precisely because the military held no power, while the Confucian scholar-officials, who actually wielded the power, collectively surrendered.

Zhu Yuanzhang tilted his head slightly, chuckling as he said, "You’re a good lad."

"I am ashamed, Your Majesty!" Liu Hu quickly saluted.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and walked ahead with his hands behind his back. The other emperors followed him out of the house.

The Jurchen chieftains were standing outside, and upon seeing a group of figures in dragon robes emerge, they were taken aback, their greasy faces turning pale. They scrambled to grab their iron spears, intending to subdue the group.

Boom!

With a thought from Zhu Yuanzhang, the Jurchen chieftains were instantly paralyzed and struck half-dead.

Old Zhu said indifferently, "Grandson."

"Yes!"

Zhu Youjian nodded. Thousands of elite troops from the Chenghua era suddenly appeared within the stockade. Ten thousand fierce soldiers swarmed in, instantly filling the compound.

"Kill them all, leave none alive!" Zhu Yuanzhang commanded.

"By your order!"

"Follow me and charge!"

"Hey, don't hog all the kills!"

The soldiers were exceptionally excited, their morale soaring. The Jurchen right guard was instantly reduced to a terrifying meat grinder.

Half a day later, the sun was setting. Fires burned throughout the Jurchen stockade, and collapsed houses were everywhere; it had become a total ruin. The Ming soldiers' blades were swift, and the Jianzhou Jurchens departed peacefully, without much suffering.

Zhao Fu, clad in armor, approached the emperors. He lowered his head and reported, "Your Majesties, the count is complete. We have taken seven thousand three hundred heads."

This number echoed in the ears of the fourth Zhu, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch uncontrollably. That was another three hundred thousand taels of silver in rewards!

"Good, good, good. Judging by your accent, you are from Fengyang, are you?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a smile, gesturing for him to rise.

Zhao Fu was a bit more reserved, responding respectfully, "Replying to the Founding Emperor, my great-uncle was Zhao Desheng."

Zhao Desheng? An old general from Fengyang who had died in battle in the twenty-third year of Zhizheng, before the founding of the Ming. Old Zhu looked wistful and nodded with a smile. "Ah, the grand-nephew of 'Black Zhao.' Stay by my side for these next few days."

"Thank you for the Founding Emperor's great kindness!" Zhao Fu, filled with joy, quickly agreed. He then glanced cautiously at the fourth Zhu, saying nothing.

"You'll get what's coming to you!" the fourth Zhu said with a huff.

"This subordinate takes his leave!" Zhao Fu bowed and retreated, satisfied.

Zhu Youjian waited for a long time, but there was no notification of an increase in the national fortune of the Chenghua era. He turned and whispered a few words to the Founding Emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and turned to look at the Chenghua Emperor behind him, smiling. "Jianshen, lad, since we are already here, I might as well help you pacify the gentry of Jiangnan, so they don't cause any more trouble later. You have no objections, do you?"

Objections? Even if he did, he would have to keep them to himself. Zhu Jianshen blinked, weighed his words, and said, "Great-Grandfather, I certainly have no objections. But since you've asked, might I inquire if the funds confiscated from their homes could be deposited into the Chenghua Imperial Treasury?"

"Look at you, as if I would steal your bit of silver. Keep whatever is confiscated; none of your ancestors will take a single cent." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, half-amused and half-annoyed, scolding him lightly.

Old Zhu's words caused the fourth Zhu, who was about to speak, to shut his mouth completely. Never mind, he would just have to bear the cost of the silver he had promised himself; he could ask the Crown Prince for reimbursement later.

The "Fatty" Hongxi Emperor suddenly felt a palpitation of the heart. Feeling uneasy for a moment, he took a pill to calm his nerves before he felt better. He gasped, patting his chest in anxiety, unable to fathom why he felt this way: "What is going on today?"

The Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen, thought for a moment and asked, "Great-Grandfather, do you intend to send troops to Jiangnan directly, or summon the various gentry to the capital?"

"Neither. I heard that there has been a bandit problem in Jiangnan recently," Zhu Yuanzhang said, shaking his head with a meaningful look.

The Ming Dynasty followed the rule of law, and the ones who understood the law best were the Jiangnan gentry group, who made huge fortunes by exploiting legal loopholes. How could they possibly leave any evidence behind? To wipe them out legitimately was impossible, as the commoners would be incited to cause even greater chaos. There was only one way to deal with these gentry who danced on the edge of the law: that was to disregard the law entirely.

Wasn't there a bandit problem? They were bandits raised by the Jiangnan gentry themselves; if they robbed themselves of a shipment of goods, they wouldn't have to pay taxes on them.

"Great-Grandfather is brilliant and wise!" the Chenghua Emperor complimented. He naturally understood what the Founding Emperor meant. He could only sigh in admiration and obediently stood behind his uncle. The money obtained would go to replenish his private treasury—it was his own pocket money, after all; who would say no to silver? He would just have to let the gentry suffer a little, and the bandits would take the blame.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a chuckle, "Grandson, is your 'Assault Force' ready?"

"Three thousand men, ready at any time," Zhu Youjian replied, grinning from ear to ear.

This was the firearm unit reorganized from the original Divine Engine Battalion of the Chongzhen era. Each man carried two rifled muskets and two hundred rounds of ammunition, wearing specially made camouflage uniforms. A semi-modern assault force—let alone dealing with a few gentry, they could walk sideways across the entire world!