Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 186: Rippling the Waters (Part 1)
After listening to Wei Zhongxian's report, Zhu Youdong was very angry for a while. He even thought of flipping the table: At this moment, the most capable troops of the Ming Dynasty were all in his hands, with complete weapons and equipment, and the entire army was fully in combat mode. If he angered him, couldn't he just go south to quell the rebellion?
But this thought only lasted a short time in his mind. After he calmed down and got angry, he never thought about it again.
Isn't the biggest advantage of a time traveler in this era a long-term vision? If a time traveler can't see the long term, then he must be a fake time traveler.
In China, or in East Asia, it is not acceptable to ignore public opinion and act recklessly. Not to mention East Asia, which is deeply influenced by Confucian culture, even the barbarians in Europe and America in later generations also claimed that their so-called big stick policy was: hold a big stick, but speak gently, right?
If Zhu Youdong overreacted and led his army directly to Beijing to quell the rebellion or purge the emperor, he might not succeed, not to mention that the emperor was still alive. Even if he succeeded and ascended the throne, it would bring him great hidden dangers.
First of all, the good image he had painstakingly created for himself over the past decade was completely destroyed. From now on, the entire Ming Dynasty, from ordinary people to the royal family, will only have negative emotions such as fear and contempt for him, and no longer have feelings such as gratitude, respect, and love.
Don't underestimate these positive emotions. A person who is resentful and works just to make a living will have a very different work effect from a person who loves the job from the bottom of his heart. The different feelings of the subjects towards the monarch will have a great impact . If the subjects are just unwilling to obey because of fear, how can he climb the technology tree? How can he fully mobilize all the power of the entire Ming Dynasty to compete with other time travelers?
More importantly, in this game of gods, the criterion for victory is that only one of the seven people is left, rather than requiring a time traveler to rule the world.
On the future world stage, Zhu Youdong could not guarantee that he would continue to win, but with the foundation of the Chinese Empire and the tenacity of the people, even if he failed once or twice, as long as the people, the army, and the bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty continued to support him, there was nothing to be afraid of in the temporary failure.
But if he raised an army to quell the rebellion this time, then in the competition with other time travelers, when the Ming Dynasty was unfortunately defeated or even fell into a very difficult situation, the other party proposed: As long as the Ming Dynasty handed over your emperor's head, we will be good friends. Then the side effects of the quelling of the rebellion would quickly erupt!
Therefore, after calming down a little, Zhu Youdong thought clearly: This matter cannot be resolved by overturning the table, but a way to resolve it within the scope of literary struggle must be found.
"Zhongxian."
"I'm here." Seeing Zhu Youdong stand up and smash the teacup after listening to his report, but returning to normal not long after, Wei Zhongxian became more determined: People like me are the ones who can truly do great things and are worth following!
"You mean, Lord Li and Mr. Wen are planning to contact the Queen Mother and Concubine Zheng?"
"yes."
"Well... these two paths are correct, but they are still too tortuous. Well, let's not talk about him for now. If they want to do this, it's up to them. But they still want to mobilize Jinling Daily?"
"yes."
"This is not the right move. Everyone knows that Jinling Daily is my mouthpiece. No matter what it says, everyone in Ming Dynasty thinks it is my opinion. Big friend."
Cao Huachun was also very anxious when he heard Wei Zhongxian's words just now, but after Zhu Youdong showed his calmness, he returned to his normal state: "I am here."
"Two things. First, send someone to invite Mr. Yuan and Mr. Xiong over. Second, go to the port immediately and send a fast ship to Nanjing by sea to tell Mr. Zhang that the Jinling Daily can only report this matter in a factual manner, but cannot make any subjective comments, and is not allowed to boast about my achievements in the newspaper!"
"Yes, I will obey your command."
After Cao Huachun left, Zhu Youdong sat down again. Old Wei naturally started to pick up the teacup that Zhu Youdong threw on the ground very quickly.
"Zhongxian, what is the relationship between Wang An and Li En like?"
"Young Master, Wang An was promoted by Chen Ju. Li En and Chen Ju had never gotten along. Since Chen Ju passed away and Li En took over the Silijian, Wang An has never been to the Silijian once."
"Well...how much money have we invested in Li En?"
"I have been keeping track of the accounts. As of today, the total amount I have spent on him is thirty-two thousand seven hundred taels. The amount spent on his relatives who took advantage of our Red River Industry is another matter."
"Haha, Old Wei, you are still a bit stingy. It's been almost five years, and you only invested this little for a eunuch who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department."
"Young Master, I know that it is not easy for you to make money, and I heard from Manager Cao that you will use this money to do big things in the future. So..."
"I don't mean to blame you. So, when you go back later, contact Li En first. Ask him how to deal with the crime of the eunuch alienating the relationship between the father and son of the royal family. If Li En cooperates with us in this matter, we will prepare 10,000 taels of silver for him every year in the future."
"Yes, I understand."
Not long after the master and servant talked, Yuan Keli and Xiong Tingbi arrived quickly.
"... Gentlemen, this is roughly the situation in the capital. To put it simply, the Donglin Party wants to take advantage of my victory to alienate the relationship between grandfather and grandson, father and son, and then take this opportunity to take all my property!"
"Your Highness is wise! He saw the essence of the matter at a glance!"
"Yes, Your Highness, we have worked hard in Nanjing for four or five years and finally built up some business. The Donglin Party cannot compete head-on, so they want to open a gap with the royal family and shake your throne. Hehe, they really want to do it too well."
"To tell you the truth, I was really angry when I heard the news at first. The words 'Jingnan' floated through my mind. But now, I just asked Otomo to send someone to notify Nanjing..."
"Your Highness was able to calm down quickly after facing such a serious situation. I admire you."
"Well, what should I do next? Please teach me, gentlemen."
"Your Highness." After a long thought, Yuan Keli said, "The key to this matter still lies with the Emperor. So, I think it would be better for Your Highness to write a letter directly to the Emperor. There is no need to say much in the letter, just express Your Highness's opinion."
"Your Highness, I deeply agree with what Brother Li Qing said."
"Okay, I think so too. I have already thought about the content of the letter. I will write it later."
"Next." Xiong Tingbi said, "There are only two possibilities for the development of the matter. First, the emperor has no intention of suppressing the grandson, or he has, but he has not made up his mind. If this situation occurs, it is of course the best. Second, the emperor does want to suppress the grandson, but I think this possibility is not high. This matter is just the dream of the Donglin Party. The emperor may have some thoughts about suppressing the grandson, but he has no actual plan to put it into practice."
Xiong Tingbi's words made sense: if it was a minister from another family, he would not have been able to grow to this level and would have been dealt with by the royal family long ago. Zhu Youdong was different. He was originally the crown prince, and the crown prince was already a waste and irredeemable in the eyes of the emperor. To put it bluntly, the crown prince was the hope and future of the country.
Now the crown prince is too popular, and the emperor must feel a little uncomfortable. But if an emperor destroys the country's hope just because of a little discomfort in his heart, Chongzhen in the historical dimension may do such a thing, but Wanli basically would not.
Therefore, Yuan Keli and Xiong Tingbi both believed that this matter was largely wishful thinking on the part of the Donglin Party.
So, at this time , what Zhu Youdong needs to do is to wait and see.
"Your Highness, here are our thoughts on this matter. First, Your Highness should write a letter directly to the Emperor to make his position clear. Second, the entire army can no longer be concentrated in Shanhaiguan. Your Highness should show your attitude to the Emperor at this time, indicating that no matter how the Emperor handles this matter, you will not rely on your own troops. Therefore, except for the Beijing Camp, other troops should be allowed to return to their bases immediately. Third, the Donglin Party members are trying to alienate the royal family, and they will not be forgiven for this. Fourth, if the Emperor wants you to rest for a while, then rest well. We will let the Donglin Party members know that our property is not so easy to take. In short, the more it is at this time, the more Your Highness should restrain himself. Of course, we will also prepare for a rainy day. If something unbearable really happens, we must also retain countermeasures."
"I basically agree with both gentlemen's opinions. It's just that the second one needs to be slightly modified."
"Your Highness, I cannot gather the strongest armies of the Ming Dynasty around you at this moment."
"Well, the main forces of each army must return to their respective bases, but let each unit leave 300 to 500 people behind as representatives. No matter what the final outcome of this matter is, I promise to hold a grand victory ceremony for each army. That must be done. These warriors who protect the country must have such an honor!"
