When Zhu Yuanzhang came to Beijing, he was in a bad mood and his face was gloomy.
When he was squatting (crossed out) at the city gate (crossed out) and saw the people voluntarily offering food, a smile appeared on his face and the gloom in his heart dissipated.
So are the important officials behind him.
There were too many quarrels in the court. The conflicts of interest and the hypocritical colleagues often made them doubt the correctness of establishing a new dynasty.
Is the Ming Dynasty really better than the Yuan Dynasty?
It looks equally bad anyway.
The entire Ming Dynasty court was like a quagmire. They tried desperately to climb out, but countless people were pulling their legs and dragging them into the quagmire.
The quagmire was so vast that their best efforts seemed to be in vain.
The Ming emperor and his ministers who came to Beijing now all had the idea of giving up.
Zhu Yuanzhang's giving up meant giving up thinking and cutting the Gordian knot; the ministers Zhu Yuanzhang trusted gave up by giving up action, becoming muddle-headed officials who made no mistakes, or simply retiring and living in seclusion.
They are not saints, and it is normal for them to have the thought of giving up for a moment when they are frustrated.
Perhaps, even saints are not always firm in mind and have no thoughts of giving up.
But a saint will become more resolute after being shaken. Zhu Yuanzhang and others dare not say that they are more resolute, but at least after reflecting on themselves and taking a breath, they will continue to struggle out of the quagmire.
If they really can't hold on any longer, they will just flip through the book of heaven and enjoy a bright future.
Then they took another look at the sign.
The heavenly book is their wish and their set goal; the flag is the banner that guides the direction of their team and is a signpost.
Whenever they saw Biaoer, even if Biaoer was jumping up and down and shouting that there were too many troubles, their hearts would calm down.
Because Biaoer's governance is so effective, the guidance of the Heavenly Book is not just empty talk.
Of course, they also knew that the current governance of Biaoer was so effective because the territories of Beijing and Northern Zhili were still too small.
When Biaoer became the crown prince and emperor of the Ming Dynasty and was about to rule the entire ancient yet young Ming Empire, Biaoer certainly could not make every place in the Ming Empire like the current northern Zhili.
But at least in their eyes, Beijing and Northern Zhili, which are obviously important border towns, have become the ideal place of their dreams.
If Biaoer knew what they were thinking, he would be surprised, "Really? Is that so? The people's lives are just precariously maintained on the borderline of not starving to death!"
Thinking of Biao'er's possible reaction, they couldn't help but smile, and their mood became even better.
This time, Zhu Yuanzhang and his confidants rushed to Beijing immediately after learning that Zhu Biao had returned. The reason was not only to "recover" but also to tell Zhu Biao a good news.
After seeing that the warehouses in northern Zhili were gradually filling up, Zhu Yuanzhang temporarily decided to pursue the victory and ordered Zhu Wenzhen and Li Wenzhong to march to the northeast to solve the problem of the Ming Dynasty's border in one fell swoop and basically control the "core territory" of the Yuan Dynasty, including Lingbei and the northeast.
With victory in this battle, the Ming Dynasty could usher in at least ten years of peaceful development without all-out war, and could finally devote all its energy to recuperation and the overseas trade that Zhu Biao hoped for.
But Zhu Yuanzhang did not fail to consider that Northern Zhili might suffer from food shortages in the following year.
If the decision was made after the court meeting, the expedition would be delayed for two or three months, missing the opportunity to fight. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately ordered Zhu Wenzheng and Li Wenzhong to go to the battle.
The food needed by Northern Zhili in the second year would not be delayed for two or three months of court meetings, preparation and allocation.
Northern Zhili had just finished its harvest. People's activities were almost stagnant during the winter, and so was nature itself. Any food shortage, no matter what, would come after the spring plowing.
Chen Ying's reclamation efforts in Yunnan were remarkably effective and efficient. Guizhou and other areas, once considered to be autonomous regions, also demonstrated remarkable potential for grain production after the reform. Following this autumn's bumper harvest, Yunnan and Guizhou produced enough grain to sustain their own operations and provide surplus for other regions.
The court had already decided to use half of the grain shipped from Yunnan and Guizhou to replenish the empty warehouses in Northern Zhili. This grain had already been on the road for several months and would reach Northern Zhili once the northern canal thawed.
After everything was settled, Zhu Yuanzhang came to tell his son Biao the good news.
Biao'er, don't worry, Dad will replenish your food soon!
As for why Zhu Yuanzhang did not say it in advance, Zhu Yuanzhang said that everything is subject to change, and he was afraid that problems would arise in other places in the end, forcing him to use this batch of grain, leaving Biaoer happy for nothing.
Both father and son knew that while the empty granaries in Northern Zhili looked terrifying, the people of Northern Zhili were actually among the best off in the entire Ming Dynasty. So, compared to the civilians who might starve to death and the soldiers who lacked food and fodder elsewhere, Northern Zhili simply lacked the ability to withstand disasters, and replenishing its grain supply was a low priority.
Zhu Biao was of course very happy to receive this good news.
After he was happy, he only asked for half of the grain provided by the court, and asked the court to transport the remaining half to Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places.
These areas, considered northwest of the Central Plains, were once the most severely affected by Yuan Dynasty rule and war. Furthermore, as the first areas of civilization to be cultivated, the fertility of the land is already in jeopardy, and there is severe soil erosion, making self-sufficiency very difficult in the short term.
After Northern Zhili accepted the grain from the imperial court and reached a tacit understanding with the court that "if you use the grain, you have to find a way to replenish it", since it had the ability to raise grain on its own, it should have taken on more responsibility.
Although Zhu Biao felt distressed when "approving the budget", he was very decisive in deciding how to use each "budget".
Although I still feel sad.
Zhu Biao closed the account book and breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, this batch of Korean grain will make up for it once it arrives. As for the rest... Dad, is there still no progress in Nanyang? Nanyang has much more grain than Korea."
Zhu Yuanzhang half-reclining on a chair, holding a book in one hand and a stove in the other, said like a real wealthy businessman: "They are too greedy. Not only are they unwilling to do business with us, they also frequently harass us on the Yunnan border."
Zhu Biao frowned. "It seems that after the north is stabilized, it is necessary to provide support to the south. Dad, is the court's investigation into the empty seal going smoothly?"
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "It went smoothly, but it also didn't go smoothly. The investigation went smoothly, but what to do after the investigation was not smooth."
Zhu Biao hesitated for a moment and said, "Dad, do you need me to go back to Nanjing to attend court or something?"
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "No need. You just stay in Beijing, guard the northern gateway, and develop the business on the northern sea. Your father and your uncles will take care of the rest. If we let you do everything, we will be high officials for nothing."
Zhu Biao said, "Well... Dad, if there's anything you need my help with, just tell me, even if it's just writing a memorial."
Zhu Yuanzhang sat up straight. "Speaking of writing memorials, I do have something to ask you... It's not me who wants to ask you, it's that old fellow Liu Bowen who wanted to ask you, but I stopped him."
Zhu Biao asked, "What's going on? Do you need to stop it?"
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Liu Bowen wants to learn from you how to curse the dead again."
Zhu Biao: "..." I really don't know! I still don't think I can curse someone to death!
Zhu Biao was helpless: "I really...Alas, who is Mr. Bowen going to scold?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "One of the people we arrested this time... Oh, he's the younger brother of the provincial governor. He spoke up for his brother, saying that the arrested people were innocent. First, transporting grain over long distances inevitably results in significant losses, so it's inevitable that the seals will be empty. Second, this is an unspoken rule of the Yuan Dynasty. Everyone does it, so those who are unaware are innocent..."
Before Zhu Yuanzhang could finish his words, Zhu Biao rolled his eyes. "Father, this is sophistry. The person who said this is not here to reason with the court. Mr. Bowen has always wondered if his words were not lethal enough, simply because he is a reasonable man, not a unreasonable person. Reasoning with unreasonable people will not hurt them at all, because they know their own character."
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while and said, "It's like talking about morality to an immoral person."
Zhu Biao nodded. "That's right. When facing sophistry, don't look at what the other party says, but where they feel pain. They are firstly concerned with the interests of the family, and secondly, their reputation. Just grasp their pain, find two random mistakes in their words, and then ignore their other seemingly correct arguments and just output them. Dad, a white horse is not a horse, you know?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly. "A white horse is not a horse, so that's how it is. This must be difficult for Bowen."
Zhu Biao said, "It is indeed difficult for Mr. Bowen to handle this matter. To break the deadlock, I have a recommendation. Let Uncle Chang go."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened. "Chang Yuchun? Can he even debate with civil officials?"
Zhu Biao laughed and said, "Yes, of course. Isn't Uncle Chang a civil official?"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "...his civil official, do you want him to fight with other civil officials in the court?"
Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, then almost collapsed with laughter: "Dad, you have a really rich imagination, hahahaha, although I'm looking forward to this scene. No, Uncle Chang has a natural advantage in talking about this matter. Because he is the Marshal of the Military Farm."
Zhu Biao explained to Zhu Yuanzhang the loopholes in these people's words one by one.
First, feudal dynasties were not an era of rule of law, but rather a system of rule of law combined with rule of man. For example, if there's no law that allows spitting at someone else's ancestral hall, does that mean you can spit there? The law is the bottom line. We are Confucians, not Legalists. You keep saying that anything outside the law is permissible. Are you trying to turn the Ming Dynasty into the tyrannical Qin Dynasty ruled by Legalists?
Second, the term "unspoken rules" refers to things that are not allowed to be made public, especially the unspoken rules of the Yuan Dynasty. You use the unspoken rules of the Yuan Dynasty to evaluate the Ming Dynasty officialdom, and then ask why the Ming emperor did not abide by them. Are you an official of the Yuan Dynasty or of the Ming Dynasty? Is the emperor on the dragon throne the emperor of the Ming Dynasty or the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty? Are you nostalgic for the Yuan Dynasty and disloyal to the Ming Dynasty and the emperor?
Third, the real point is, why is the loss of grain transportation so great?
After the An Lushan Rebellion, grain was transported in sacks. Grain doesn't dissolve in water and won't evaporate. The grain consumed by the transport teams and the grain surrendered were also calculated separately. There was no such thing as logistics troops transporting grain for the army and also counting the grain consumed during transportation. Where did the nearly 50% discrepancy come from?
It is true that the bagged food and fodder will rot if exposed to rain, but that will only be discovered after the food arrives and is counted. How could half of it be missing when it was delivered?
Even if they had a thousand or ten thousand excuses, saying that the carriage fell into the mountain, the boat fell into the river, or they were robbed by bandits on the road, why didn't Marshal Chang Yuchun encounter so many things?
Please ask the court to conduct a thorough investigation!
Zhu Biao took a sip of hot water and said, "I'm just throwing out some ideas. If you want to find faults in this passage and label them as treacherous, corrupt, or even disloyal, you can find plenty. Dad, you've surely read about the factional struggles of the Song Dynasty. It's so easy for scholars to find faults and omissions and label them. The key is which side the emperor stands on and whose views he adopts. As long as there's a wise emperor, all this will stay under control."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became sharper. "If the emperor is not wise enough and is led by the court by the nose, will it be the beginning of chaos in the court?"
Zhu Biao sighed: "Yes. But this is inevitable."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the charcoal basin in front of him, his eyes flickering with the light of fire: "Yes."
Both father and son were silent for a long time. Zhu Yuanzhang put away the sharpness in his eyes and continued to slump in his chair. He said, "The court has been investigating for such a long time, and a new court meeting on the empty seal case is about to begin. Your father can't avoid it. I will submit a memorial to the emperor and ask him to find Chang Yuchun to argue with him in court."
Zhu Yuanzhang already understood why Chang Yuchun had to be the one to do this. Chang Yuchun also transported grain, but he didn't need to use empty seals to increase efficiency, nor would he lose half of the grain on the way.
This does not necessarily mean that someone else was really corrupt, because Chang Yuchun used the army to transport grain, and the people along the way volunteered to clear the way for Chang Yuchun.
But what does that matter?
Chang Yuchun was an official of the Ming Dynasty, and he could question the unspoken rules of the Yuan Dynasty officialdom;
Chang Yuchun was a military governor who loved his people like his own children. He could denounce the harm caused to the people by the "inconsistency in grain numbers";
Chang Yuchun was able to avoid wasting too much food without wasting any seals. He was able to stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at those who could not do so.
Is there a reason why Chang Yuchun can "do it" and it's not replicable? That's just the right time to be unreasonable and make others angry.
After making his decision, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Actually, this whole talk was just sophistry from the beginning. Empty seals are an unspoken rule in official circles, but it's not just for grain transportation. From Nanjing to the local areas, countless officials, big and small, are accustomed to stamping their official seals first, then taking them home and slowly writing official documents. This has nothing to do with grain transportation."
Zhu Biao said, "This is sophistry. It's like saying people shouldn't eat each other, but the other party will use the extreme example of 'during a famine, is it a sin for people to eat their own children?' to defend it. In fact, this is completely different. But debate is just an argument, not a reasoning exercise. And Dad, you haven't grasped the biggest loophole yet."
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows: "Don't say anything yet, let me think about it first."
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a long time. When Zhu Biao finished a cup of hot water and was considering whether to go to the toilet, he relaxed his brow and said, "The biggest loophole is the person who wrote the letter himself."
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Yes!"
How could a provincial governor's brother, not even an official within the Ming dynasty system, know so much about the "unwritten rules of the bureaucracy"? How could he know that grain shipments from various regions were being discounted by more than half? And how could he let the emperor see this memorial?
Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the brazier for a while, then let out a long sigh.
Why hadn't he thought of such an obvious loophole before Biaoer said it?
Because there are often petitions from "clean voices among the people" piled up in front of his desk, has he become accustomed to it?
Is this also an unspoken rule?
It is really difficult to distinguish the true public opinion from the false public opinion just by sitting in the palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang left before the river thawed, and only spent New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year with Zhu Biao.
Ma Xiuying did not come this time. Zhu Yuanzhang said that the people in Nanjing were in a state of panic and he could not take all the family members away.
Zhu Biao said he believed it.
After he saw Zhu Yuanzhang off, he returned to his study and read for a while, but he couldn't concentrate.
Time has flown by so fast this year.
Not long after the spring plowing started in the fourth year of Hongwu, Zhu Wenzhen, together with Zhu Biao and Li Wenzhong, went to Buierhai to fish.
Zhu Biao first cleaned up the mess for Zhu Wenzheng, then went on a diplomatic mission to Goryeo, stationed troops on Jeonra Island, and sent envoys to Wa Island. When he returned, the autumn harvest had already begun, and he continued to clean up the mess...
In the blink of an eye, the fourth year of Hongwu passed.
It is now the fifth year of Hongwu (1371), the fifth year of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.
A new dynasty had just entered the final stage of its first "Five-Year Plan", and the officialdom had already shown signs of corruption.
Many officials at court no longer cared about the people, instead focusing on the interests of themselves, their families, and their hometowns. The heroic and enlightened emperor and his wise confidants, mired in the quagmire of officialdom, began to question whether their own set of rules was truly unsuitable for the dynasty.
This is only the fifth year of Hongwu.
Zhu Biao closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a long time.
A time traveler's greatest asset is a commanding perspective. Zhu Biao knew that the war-torn period of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties presented an opportunity for change in China. Once Ming rule was consolidated, China would once again fall into the cycle of feudal dynasties.
Because China's feudal system is already too perfect, it can even be said to be advanced - it has a relatively complete renewal mechanism, which firmly controls the threshold of the people to the critical point of further reform.
This perfect mechanism is "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born of different races?", which means that when the people are living in poverty, it is natural for them to rise up and establish a new emperor and a new dynasty.
It's like a house. If it can still be lived in after some repairs, it would be difficult for the owner to make up his mind to demolish the old house and build a new one.
Because the owner of this house in Hua Xia only has this one house, the house will be exposed to the sun and rain during the demolition process, and no one can guarantee that the cost is worth it.
Only when the house itself is crumbling, when feudal rule and feudal ideology are at their weakest, does the giant China have the opportunity to take a step forward.
However, Zhu Biao did not expect that the feudal rule would be consolidated so quickly - this stability was not because the people lived better, but because the officials had completed their own distribution of interests and twisted them into an unshakable rope.
"I...it would be great if it really was Prince Zhu." Zhu Biao suddenly said to himself.
Then, he laughed at himself and said, "It doesn't matter whether I am the Prince Zhu or not. What matters most is whether my father is Zhu Yuanzhang. I have to make up my mind."
It’s time to make up your mind: should you close your eyes and continue to be a good feudal official, or open your eyes and become an arrogant time traveler who might be killed by a meteorite?
But it’s really hard to make this decision.
Sometimes, taking responsibility is harder than dying.
Zhu Biao was not afraid of being criticized, he was only afraid that the future of this country would be worse than before.
Because the era he came from, although it had experienced inhumane suffering, had been reborn from the ashes. He could not guarantee that he could do better.
Just when Zhu Biao was hesitating, Zhu Wenzhen and Li Wenzhong returned with another great victory - in fact, they had won a great victory a long time ago, but were blocked on the road by snow and could not return.
When Zhu Biao told his two brothers that their father had laughed at them when he came to Beijing for the New Year and said he didn't know whether they were frozen to death, Zhu Wenzhen and Li Wenzhong's faces were very interesting.
The two generals who won two significant victories and completely wiped out the remaining Yuan forces never expected that the emperor they were loyal to not only did not appreciate and care about them, but also mocked them and cursed them to freeze to death.
They understood that this emperor was not just their adoptive father, but their biological father.
He’s not your biological father, so he’s not that mean!
Although Zhu Wenzhen returned victorious and there was no food crisis in Northern Zhili, Zhu Biao still beat Zhu Wenzhen with a stick and asked Liu Lian, who was increasingly fond of publishing articles in newspapers, to draw this scene and print it in the newspaper for the people to see.
When Zhu Wen was shopping, people would occasionally look at him and cover their mouths with their hands while laughing.
A brave old man relied on his age to ask Zhu Wenzhen if he was really beaten.
Zhu Wenzheng was very proud: "With Biao'er's small arms and legs, he can't beat me."
elder:"……"
He decided to write a joint letter with several elderly people over 80 years old, asking the emperor to come and beat the Prince of Yan personally.
This kid deserves a beating!
"Brother Zheng, Dad said you shaved your head bald, how come it grew back so quickly?" Zhu Biao stood behind Zhu Wen Zheng, who was sitting on a chair and eating fruit, and pulled Zhu Wen Zheng's hair hard.
Zhu Wenzheng said incoherently: "It's not growing well yet, you let my hair down."
Zhu Biao untied the bun on Zhu Wenzhen's head and laughed so hard that he almost spit saliva on Zhu Wenzhen's head.
Zhu Wenzhen's hair did grow out, but it was still very short.
Zhu Wenzhen combed up the hair around the bun and the short hair in the middle together, so it was not noticeable that the hair in the middle was shorter, it was just that the amount of hair in the bun was a little less.
But once it lets down, Zhu Wenzhen's hairstyle becomes particularly funny.
Li Wenzhong also laughed non-stop: "He actually shaved his head. The death of the new Yuan emperor was well deserved."
Who could have guessed that the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty would actually shave his head like a Mongolian? Did the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty even care about his dignity?
Yes, Zhu Wenzhen never cares about shame, which is a troublesome thing.
"I heard the court is arguing again?" Zhu Wenzheng was shameless , so he didn't care even when Zhu Biao and Li Wenzhong laughed at his dog-chewed hairstyle. "What a nuisance! Why not chop it off altogether?"
Zhu Biao said, "If all the people are killed, who will do the work?"
Zhu Wenzheng frowned. "What's going on? The Ming Dynasty has only been established for a few years, and everyone in the court has become a treacherous and corrupt official? What's the point of establishing the Ming Dynasty?"
Li Wenzhong quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense. How is that possible? There are still many good officials. For example, our family's Biao'er."
Zhu Wenzheng swallowed the fruit pulp and glared at Li Wenzhong: "Shut up, Li Baoer. You're comparing our Biao'er with those ministers in the court. You're really insulting Biao'er. You're not a good brother."
Li Wenzhong: "..." Oh no, he couldn't refute it and even wanted to apologize to Biaoer.
Zhu Biao smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Alright, what does the court have to do with the people of our border town? Now that you're back, Brother Zheng, we should..."
Zhu Wenzheng's eyes lit up: "Should I go and get Liao Yongzhong back?"
Zhu Biao: “…”
Zhu Biao took a deep breath and said, "Brother Zheng, is fighting really that fun?"
Zhu Wenzheng said seriously, "Of course it's more fun than staying in Beijing with nothing to do."
Zhu Biao was extremely helpless.
With Zheng Ge's personality, it's true...
Zhu Biao thought for a moment and said, "Brother Zheng, you are not good at naval warfare. How about...how about you ask the emperor to go to Yunnan to find Brother Ying? I'm afraid Brother Ying will soon start a war with Dai Viet."
Zhu Wenzheng immediately said, "Okay! I'll write it right away... Biao'er, you write with me."
Zhu Biao said, "What am I writing about? I'm a civil servant, a civil servant who 'monitors' you, a vassal king. It's enough that I've given you bad advice. Writing a letter about the vassal king's transfer, do you think you're not going to live long enough?"
Zhu Wenzheng said: "Then you should at least write a letter to your fourth uncle. Ask him to help me."
Zhu Biao shook his head: "No. My father can't get involved in the transfer of princes."
Zhu Wenzhen: “…” If you don’t write a letter, my adoptive father won’t let me leave Beijing!
He racked his brains and said, "You, you should talk to Fourth Uncle first. The Prince of Yan wants to leave Yan, which is a big deal. Although the Emperor won't be suspicious of me, it's inevitable that some people in the court will criticize me. Fourth Uncle, please speak for me. Even if the Emperor won't let me go, at least don't punish me."
Zhu Biao sighed inwardly when he saw his brother Zheng's mind working. In order to go to the war, Zheng had really worked hard.
He asked Li Wenzhong, "Brother Zhong, what do you think?"
Li Wenzhong said, "Tell your uncle a word. There must be someone in the court who can speak up for him."
Li Wenzhong also felt that there would be no war to fight in the north in the short term. Instead of letting Zhu Wenzhen cause trouble here, it would be better to send Zhu Wenzhen to the south to fight.
As long as Zhu Wenzhen still has wars to fight, he will not bother his own people.
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Since Brother Zhong has said so, okay, I'll tell Dad."
Zhu Wenzheng's face immediately lit up with smiles. "I haven't seen Ah Ying in a long time. I wonder how tanned she is. I heard the sun in Yunnan is quite strong. Also, Yunnan has a lot of miasma. I wonder if Ah Ying was poisoned to death. If I go, it would be a good opportunity to see her off."
Zhu Wenzhen's words became more and more outrageous, so Zhu Biao had to pull Zhu Wenzhen's hair hard to make him shut up.
How could there be such a person as you? Cursing your good brother to be poisoned to death?
Li Wenzhong rolled his eyes.
Guys like Zhu Wenzhen, the closer you get to him, the more rude he becomes.
Zhu Wenzhen happily returned to the barracks and told his soldiers not to worry about being bored now, because they would soon go to Yunnan to continue fighting and making achievements.
The soldiers led by Zhu Wenzhen have the same temperament as him. They can't sit still and are very happy.
Even Zhang Yu was a little infected and was eager to go to the south to take a look.
At night, Zhu Biao lay in bed with a slightly gloomy expression.
He kept scolding himself. How come he had never noticed that the people around him had "concealed" so many mistakes and omissions?
Were you blind before?
On the second day, when Zhu Biao was hesitating about his next move, Chang Wei wrote a letter to Zhu Biao to say goodbye.
Zhu Biao was stunned for a long time.
Before returning, he had planned to hold a parent-teacher meeting, and Chang Wei was among the parents invited.
But after he came back, he was so busy that he had no time to spare, not to mention the court, so he put the matter off for the time being.
I think the parents of the students in the court are probably not in the mood to attend any parent-teacher meeting until the empty seal case is concluded.
Zhu Biao didn't expect that before he had time to find Chang Wei's parents, Chang Wei came to say goodbye on his own.
Chang Wei's letter contained something she had been thinking about for a long time. She said that she might not be suitable for the frontier battlefield and wanted to follow Chang Yuchun to cultivate the land.
Chang Wei said that she was soft-hearted. Although she could kill the enemy, she could not bear to sacrifice civilians or other comrades in order to kill the enemy.
At the same time, she had a poor sense of direction and could only do the work of cleaning up the surrounding area. Most of these jobs involved dealing with ordinary people - even if she was guarding against spies, when she was carrying out orders, the people she faced were initially ordinary people.
Chang Wei initially decided to join the military camp simply because she didn't want to go hungry again, without giving it much thought.
She was less than ten years old at that time, what could she think about?
Chang Yuchun told her that if she became a female general, she would not have to worry about going hungry in the future, so she gritted her teeth and came.
At that time, Chang Wei thought that nothing was more terrible than being hungry.
Now that she has grown up and accepted Chen Biao's teachings, she has finally begun to think about her future.
Then she discovered that the most terrifying thing was being hungry.
Chang Wei actually envied the women her age who always avoided her. She also wanted to stay at home, have no worries about food and clothing, even sleep until she woke up naturally, then spend her days tending to plants and pets, or doing a few arithmetic problems.
If you can stay comfortably at home, who would want to stay in the barracks, a place that is not comfortable at all?
What's more, in the barracks, many people looked at her as if she were a freak.
Even though she knew her thinking was wrong, every time she encountered setbacks, she would think that in peacetime, perhaps a female general was not needed, at least not a female general like her. Because she was not outstanding enough to attract people's attention, there was no position among the generals that must be occupied by her.
As Chang Wei pondered this, her two masters told her that she could actually turn back and become a spoiled young lady, without having to endure the hardships. With Marshal Chang's current status, even if Chang Wei didn't marry, she could still live well at home.
But after careful consideration, Chang Wei still did not want to leave the barracks.
This reason wasn't great at all; she didn't want to rely on others to ensure she wasn't hungry, because her initial hunger was caused by her parents' orders.
If something unexpected happens next, will she still have to go hungry?
Chang Wei knew she should trust her parents, but the incident had left a strong psychological shadow in her heart, so she didn't dare to believe it.
"I have been thinking about whether I have any advantages that are beyond the ordinary and my peers, so that I can stay in the military camp with peace of mind.
I thought about it for a long time, and finally, when I was helping to farm, I found advantages that I had that my peers did not have.
The advantage is that I have been hungry and know how desperate people on the verge of starvation are.
When I was farming, a bandit came to steal food and burn the fields. I was so angry that I didn't think about morality or mercy at all. I killed everyone in the bandit camp. I also set fire to the mountain stronghold to burn it completely to prevent anyone from hiding.
At that time, I didn’t think about whether there were some innocent people in the bandit camp.
When I returned to the looted villages, I saw the people crying and saying, "Thanks to me, they've saved most of their land and won't starve during the winter." For the first time, I felt that my role as a general was worthwhile.
That was the first time I felt that being a general was actually a good thing, and I was willing to be this general.
I have been hungry and know how uncomfortable it is. It is so uncomfortable that I am willing to become a freak in the eyes of others, willing to live in an uncomfortable military camp, willing to do things I don’t want to do, and kill people I don’t want to kill.
Sometimes I even feel that I was despicable in the past, but because I just don’t want to starve, I would rather be despicable.
I know that hunger can make people become so terrible, so I will do a good job in farming and protect the fields and the people's food.
This is an advantage that no one else has, and it is an advantage that only I have.
After I told this to my father and my masters, they all agreed.
They said they had all experienced hunger and nearly died of starvation, so they understood the importance of farming and the pity of the people who might starve to death. But today's young people, although they know from books that it is difficult for people to starve, have never experienced it themselves, so there is always a layer of distance.
Only those who have experienced the pain that the people have experienced can better empathize with the people's suffering.
I believe that this unique advantage will enable me to be a good female general.
A good general who is unique regardless of gender."
Zhu Biao read it several times, then raised his head and let out a long sigh.
He thought Chang Wei's confusion needed to be clarified by him, but Chang Wei figured it out on her own.
He still overestimated himself and underestimated the people of this era.
He hadn't even thought of the "only advantage" that Chang Wei wrote about now.
Because you have been hungry yourself, can you empathize with the hungry people, do a good job in farming, and protect the fields of the people and the army?
That's really good.
Compared to living in the frontier, farming and suppressing bandits are indeed more suitable for Chang Wei.
Zhu Biao thought for a long time. He had a lot to tell Chang Wei.
But in the end, he only wrote one sentence.
"You've graduated. Take care."
On the day Chang Wei left, she received a reply letter from her most respected teacher and the person she secretly admired.
As a person of the opposite sex, it is impossible right?
But she only dared to keep this admiration in her heart.
She didn't think she was worthy, at least not now... and probably never would be.
Chang Wei encouraged himself for a long time before opening Zhu Biao's letter.
When she saw the words in Zhu Biao's letter, her nose suddenly felt sore and she couldn't help rubbing her eyes.
She always knew that Zhu Biao was not very satisfied with her.
Even though she was considered outstanding among Zhu Biao's students, Zhu Biao obviously had higher expectations of her.
Zhu Biao once told her that she was an important female general in peacetime. Without a female general in peacetime, many women working in the fields might have been sent home.
The more Zhu Biao valued her, the more she felt that she was not suitable to be a general, or to be that significant "female general in peacetime."
Now Zhu Biao told her that she had become a master.
The teacher was finally satisfied with her.
"Okay." Chang Wei rubbed his eyes vigorously and smiled freely for the first time since he was a child.
She raised her whip high, faced the rising sun, and shouted to herself and the people behind her: "Go!"