In May of the first year of Yongle, the Son of Heaven left Beijing.

On that day, the prince Zhu Gaochi personally led hundreds of officials out of Xuanwumen to send them off.

Since the queen's Qianqiu Festival palace banquet, the prince has mostly lived in the Wenhua Palace on the grounds of studying, and he cannot be summoned by the Son of Heaven. Since fainting a few days ago, the imperial doctor said that the prince was depressed in his heart, his body was weak, and he needed to recuperate. The Son of Heaven specially ordered the son of the world not to enter the Fengtian Temple to hear the testimony, and to recuperate. This order shocked Xie Jin and others who supported Zhu Gaochi's ascension to the crown prince.

If you don't crown the crown prince, you won't even be allowed to listen to the government. Where is this concern for the son, it is clearly to exclude the son from the court.

In contrast, the king of Gaoyang County led the troops outside, but his favor was rising.

The Son of Heaven often issued edicts, either talking about military affairs, or describing the relationship between father and son. The king of Gaoyang County is even more on the table on the tenth day, not mentioning political affairs, only caring about the tiredness of the Son of Heaven and the queen's phoenix body. When the wind came out, the arrogant and domineering name of the king of Gaoyang County suddenly decreased, and the name of benevolence and filial piety flourished, and there was a hidden tendency to overshadow the eldest brother.

Xie Jin, Huang Huai and others were anxious, could it be that the Son of Heaven really wanted to abolish the elder and the young?

"In the national community, it is not a blessing to abolish the eldest son and set up a second son!"

Some people are even more worried about whether the changes in Xuanwumen, such as the Tang Dynasty, will be repeated in this dynasty.

"The Son of Heaven has already seized the throne by force, and he likes the king of Gaoyang County ......"

"Be careful!"

The words were stopped, and everyone was still shocked into a cold sweat.

How Zhu Di ascended to the throne, everyone in the world knows.

Be clear, and speaking out loud can cost lives.

The speaker also realized that he had said the wrong thing, wiped the corners of his forehead, and closed his mouth.

There was a false alarm, and everyone was beating drums in their hearts, how could they still have the heart to discuss how to help Zhu Gaochi get out of the predicament, so they could only respond a few words and leave separately under the pretext of official business.

In the west wing of Wenyuan Pavilion, Yang Rong stood in front of the window, looked at Huang Huai and the others with heavy faces, and shook his head.

It's too urgent.

The book business is too angry to succeed, and all kinds of things in the Jianwen Dynasty are in front of them, why don't they understand? Today, in the prime of life, the foundation of the prince is not stable, but the second prince and the third prince are brilliant, so urgent, not only can not send the son to the throne, but will let His Majesty and the son of the world be separated.

"Brother Shiqi, what is the current situation?"

"It's hard to solve, but it's not unsolvable."

Since entering the Wenyuan Pavilion and becoming one of the seven members of the cabinet, Yang Shiqi has become more and more cautious in his words and deeds. The courtiers discussed the appointment of the crown prince and never participated. Xie Jin and others are invited, and if they can push, they will push. Yang Rong is the same.

In Zhu Di's eyes, it is these two people who know how to advance and retreat, and their ability to assist him in handling government affairs is first-class, and they are expected to become ministers of the DPRK and China.

Although Xie Jin was still praised by the Son of Heaven for three days and two times, and was almost praised as a flower, in the Wenyuan Pavilion, Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi were more reused, faintly overpowering Xie Jin Huanghuai.

The seven people of Wenyuan Pavilion were also divided into two factions.

One faction was headed by Xie Jin and Huang Huai, and the other faction was led by Er Yang.

Knowing the intentions of the Son of Heaven, everyone must also follow the direction set by Zhu Di, and no one dares to object.

"Brother Yishiqi, does the Son of Heaven really have the heart to abolish the Wenhua Palace?"

Yang Shiqi shook his head, "Even if the Son of Heaven doesn't like the Son of the World, he may not like the Wenhua Palace." ”

"Oh?"

Yang Rong walked to the table, Yang Shiqi took the pen and put it on the paper, and after Yang Rong read it, he moved to the candle and lit it.

The orange-red flame gradually swallowed up the ink on the paper.

The rice paper turned to ashes, but the word "Holy Sun" was deeply imprinted in Yang Rong's mind.

"Do you want to remind the attendant?"

"Not necessarily." Yang Shiqi shook his head again, "Xie Shiyu has already understood, you and I just need to wait and see, be loyal to Your Majesty, and do our duty." ”

The semantics have been exhausted, Yang Shiqi no longer said,

In May, Ding Chou, the Son of Heaven drove to Shandong, and when he saw that there were many barren fields and the people were hungry, he specially summoned the political envoy of Shandong to come and interrogate.

Zhu Di was very puzzled, the imperial court exempted Shandong summer grain for two consecutive years, and allocated grain money for relief, why did the people still have a situation of poor livelihood?

In the past, Jinan, Texas, was a prosperous place, and now look at it again, where is there still a prosperous appearance?

Shandong's political envoy still wanted to conceal it, but in the face of Zhu Di, he was weak after all. After a few plays, due to nervousness, the preface did not match the afterword, Zhu Di had even more doubts in his heart, and summoned Yang Duo, who was not in front of me to tell the truth, so he put the Jinyi guard on the stand.

"Are you telling me the truth, or are I trying to tell you the truth?"

Zhu Di was full of momentum, and Yang Duo stared coldly at the side, as if he was planning where to take the knife.

Under such pressure, no matter how hard the man is, he can't hold on. If there was still a little bit of luck before, it was sprayed by Emperor Yongle's anger, and it suddenly disappeared. All the beans that should be said and not said are poured into the bamboo tube, and they are all clean.

At the end, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, crying: Your Majesty, he said everything, and he didn't hide it at all. The taxation of wasteland was ordered by the Ministry of Households, and it was by no means his wanton behavior. He knew that what he did was wrong, but for the sake of confession and leniency, could he be a tainted witness and strive for leniency?

Emperor Yongle didn't speak, grabbed one of the things in the big tent and threw it over.

The political envoy of Shandong did not dare to hide, and was smashed on the shoulder.

With a crisp bone cracking sound, the stone inkstone rolled to the ground, a large ball of ink stained the crimson official uniform, and the brocade chicken on the official patch instantly lost its brilliance.

Enduring the severe pain on his shoulder, the political envoy of Shandong kept asking for guilt, "Your Majesty is angry!" Guilty of sin! ”

Being able to be the political envoy of Shandong and take charge of the government of a province after the Jingjing disaster is that the Son of Heaven is optimistic about his ability and trusts him.

The result?

Zhu Di stared viciously at the political envoy of Shandong who was kneeling in front of him, and he hated to slash him with a knife. That's how he repaid his trust and reuse of him?!

"The order of the household department is more important than my will?"

Zhu Di asked this sentence personally, which was already heartbroken.

The political envoy of Shandong did not dare to answer, and kowtowed again and again, he knew that he would not survive eight to nine times out of ten, and it was the grace of the Son of Heaven to fill the army and garrison the border. It doesn't matter if he dies, I just hope that he won't sin his family and let his family live.

"You have family, why don't the people? You beg me to have mercy on your family, why can't you have mercy on the people under your rule?! Zhu Di grabbed the collar of the Shandong political envoy, dragged him out of the tent like a sack, and slammed him to the ground. Turning around, he pulled out Jin Wuwei's waist knife, the blade of which was facing the throat of the envoy.

"What is the official of a province? Inherit the decree, control the wealth, and be merciful to the people! I am the Son of Heaven, and the people of the Son of Heaven are like my own sons! You say, you tell me, how can I let you go? Spare your family?! ”

There was silence in the camp, only Zhu Di's roar-tearing-tearing sky, which spread outside the camp, smashing the numbness on the faces of the people.

"Tai-Emperor Zugao was there, and he loved the people like a son! Since I ascended the throne, I have respected the teachings of the Tai-Zu, worked diligently, and did not dare to take a wrong step! ”

"I ordered the soldiers to be exempted from the grain tax, but instead of obeying the order, they increased the heavy taxes and filled their own pockets, so that the people were ruined, the fields were barren, and the people were not able to make a living!"

"The matter has come to this, instead of reflecting on my own mistakes, I only ask for the lives of my relatives, how can I not kill you?!"

Angry to the extreme, he swung the knife suddenly, blood spurted out of his chest, and the black veil rolled down with the human head.

Zhu Di held the knife in one hand, and a wisp of blood slid across the blade, condensed into beads of blood, and dripped along the tip of the knife.

The household officials who witnessed everything were shocked, their hands trembled, and they could hardly stand.

Zhu Di handed over the knife to Jin Wuwei, and asked the body of the Shandong political envoy to be dragged down, his home was raided, all the men over fifteen were beheaded, and the female dependents were appointed as the secretary of the sect.

"Long live my emperor!"

The old man who was brought by Yang Duo for questioning was already in tears, knelt on the ground, and shouted long live.

Zhu Di walked over, personally helped the old man, and said: "It was my fault that I neglected to overlook, and I used non-human beings, causing the people to suffer so far!" ”

After that, with the respect of the Son of Heaven, bow to the elderly.

The battalion Chinese and martial arts bowed down at the same time, Wen Chen made a bow, and the military attache held his fist.

The old man choked up and couldn't speak, his hands trembled, and he shouted long live for a long time.

The Son of Heaven was stationed in Jinan for three days, and the political envoys of Shandong Province went up and down, from the left and right political envoys to the left and right to participate in politics, experience, all affairs, and Zhaomo were taken away by Jinyiwei one by one to question, and the guilty were asked. The prefect of Jinan also did not escape a knife and was beheaded to show the public.

disposed of the Shandong officials, and the accompanying household officials did not get better, and the two were taken off the black yarn on the spot, and their hair was stuffed with the army. The rest of the household officials will be left to deal with after returning to Beijing. Anyone involved in this matter will not be spared.

did not obey the decree of the Son of Heaven, regarded the Tai-Zu law as nothing, and explicitly ordered that the barren land should not be taxed, but it was still levied, and even increased the land tax, and all the money and grain were privately divided. didn't even let go of the military rations sent to the guard, how could such an official not be killed!

"The imperial court has set up officials to govern the people, and the way to govern the people is to care for peace. You don't love the people, you follow the rules, and regard the Tai-Zu Cheng Law as a false text, your heart can be punished, and your crime should be killed! ”

Zhu Di said that he wanted to kill people, but he was by no means just talking.

Emperor Gao almost killed six of them, and the court was still running. He killed all the households, what is it!

The Son of Heaven opened a killing ring in Jinan, and the whole territory of Shandong was shaken.

Various prefectures and counties have posted notices announcing that the imperial court will be exempted from summer grain for two years, that the barren land will be exempted from taxation, and that all the excess taxes collected that year will be refunded. Where there are officials who are corrupt and pervert the law, the military and the people can be corrected in accordance with the "Imperial Decree" and the "Tai-Zu Chengxian".

Those who dare to obstruct the prosecution of the people are guilty of the same crime as the accused.

However, it is strictly forbidden to make false accusations, and those who falsely accuse less than four people shall be punished with one hundred rods and three years' imprisonment. For those who have four or six people, the rod is a hundred, and it flows for thousands of miles. Those who falsely accused more than 10 people were executed in Ling Chi, and their families were moved to the border.

After the edict was issued, Emperor Yongle appointed Cao Yu, the former political envoy of Beiping, as the political envoy of Shandong, in charge of Shandong's government affairs. After that, we drove and continued our northern tour.

In just a few days, Shandong has been very different.

Abandoned wasteland has been reclaimed, and tax evaders have returned to their hometowns.

Seeing the chariot of the Son of Heaven from afar, they all bowed down on the side of the road.

Zhu Di sat in the middle of the chariot, put down the letter sent by the king of Gaoyang County from Kaipingwei, and finally had a smile on his face.

"Zheng He."

"The slave is here."

"You personally go to Kaipingwei and pass on my message, so that the king of Gaoyang County will go to Beiping to see you."

"The slave obeys."

"Go to Daning again and call Xingningbo too." Zhu Di flipped through the notes sent by Meng, "The matter of Duoyan Sanwei, Xingningbo has made great contributions, and I want to reward him again in person." ”

"Yes." Zheng He promised, and then said, "Your Majesty summoned Xing Ningbo to Beiping, but you won't go to Daning?" ”

"Go, why not?" Zhu Di looked at Song Shu and didn't raise his head, "I have my own plans, you just go and pass the word." ”

"Yes."

Zheng He bowed down, not daring to ask again.

If you ask one more question before, you are already suspected of trespassing, and if you ask again, you don't know how to advance or retreat.

In May Gengchen, the Son of Heaven arrived in Beiping.

Beiping guarded, and Shen Xuan, the governor of the army, went to the city to greet him with the officials of the three divisions.

Looking at the familiar city gate and the city wall that still seemed to have traces of gunsmoke, Zhu Di was very emotional.

Look up at the city, and then look up at the blue sky.

An eagle flew by, spreading its wings.

This is Beiping, where he lived for twenty years.

From here, he led his army north out of Saiwai to resist the Meng Yuan. Raise the banner of Jingnan and win the world.

Beneath his feet was the land that belonged to him, and his eyes looked farther away, into the depths of the desert, at the end of the grassland.

He took a deep breath to calm the excitement in his heart.

At this moment, Zhu Di strengthened his determination to move the capital.

The eagle should soar in the blue sky, and the horse should gallop across the grassland.

The water town in the south of the Yangtze River, the land of gold dust, is not suitable for him, nor for his children and grandchildren.

The king of a country should be the king of the world and the gate of the country!

Zhu Di believes in force, takes a step back and opens up the sky, and never exists in his dictionary.

From guarding Beiping to Jingnan to raise troops, if he retreats, even if it is only half a step, he will die without a place to be buried.

"Xuan'er, get up."

Looking at Shen Xuan in a red unicorn suit, Zhu Di's love was beyond words. Shen Xuan and Zhu Gaoxu often remind Zhu Di of himself twenty years ago.

Spirited and wantonly flying.

Since then, he has vowed to step on the grasslands. Now that he is rich in the world, the day when he will fulfill his vow is not far away.

"Your Majesty, can you go back to the palace to stay?"

"I'm not tired." Zhu Di did not go up again, but took a war horse instead, "In the south, if I want to get sick, it's better to be in the north." ”

When the words fell, he waved his horsewhip vigorously, "Xuan'er, run with me!" ”

"Obey!"

Shen Xuan took the reins of the horse handed by the guard, turned over on the horse, and followed the Son of Heaven.

Zhu Di, who was dressed in a bright yellow robe, was in front, and Shen Xuan, who was in a scarlet unicorn suit, was behind, just like a golden dragon taking off, and the unicorn was on the side.

Zhang Fu and others who were driving with them rode their horses and whips to chase after them, but they were always faster than Shen Xuan's personal guards.

Looking at the border army guarding Zhu Di's side in the shape of a swallow, Zhang Fu and the others couldn't help but feel hot.

Fierce generals on the battlefield, when encountering such a brave border army, they are always happy to hunt.

Zhang Fu is better, he knows how to be restrained, Zhu Neng can't care so much, looking at the cavalry with a waist-shoulder-long knife and a bow and crossbow, his eyes are shining, it really looks like he has seen a hungry wolf with fat meat.

The sound of horses' hooves was far away, and the accompanying officials who were left behind were stunned.

Before he entered the city, the Son of Heaven ran away?

Chengguo Gong, Dingyuan Hou and Xin Anbo all followed, Wuyang Hou was gone, Jin Wuwei Yu Lin Wei and Jinyi Wei were stuffed with the acceleration of the class, and even the flag bearer guard was unwilling to be left behind, leaving the civil officials and palace servants in the back with big eyes and small eyes, what happened?

Chamberlains are not counted either.

All the regimental collar shirts have sunflower patterns and the inner squire riding skills are not weak. Athletic and athletic, such as Hou Xian and Bai Yanhui, they have all fought on the battlefield, and their force value is no less than that of thousands of households in the army.

In comparison, the officials of the six ministries who accompanied him, as well as the officials from Beiping who went out with Shen Xuan, inevitably looked embarrassed.

The Son of Heaven ran away like a gust of wind, and they couldn't catch up if they wanted to, so they could only stay where they were and blow the wind, which was really uncomfortable.

They clenched each other's fists and laughed awkwardly, but no one spoke first.

The Son of Heaven is gone, and the guards are gone, is this "royal driver" entering the city or waiting outside the city?

Pulling into town with an empty bridle?

There's no such rule.

Regardless of how the officials outside Beiping City complained about the Son of Heaven's divine act, Zhu Di and his entourage, who were galloping on the grassland, encountered the border army sentry.

More than 100 cavalrymen were armed with firearms, long knives at their waists, and bows and crossbows were still on their horses.

A fiery red jacket appeared on the horizon, like a red light diffused on the grassland, which was scorching.

There were two sentry cavalry, and the two hundred households led by Zhu Di saw the Ming-Huang-banner behind Zhu Di, pulled the reins violently, raised their right arm, and signaled the cavalry to stop.

The horses neighed and strode with hot air coming out of their mouths and noses.

After recognizing Shen Xuan and the others who were following Zhu Di, the sentinels dismounted one after another, "Meet Your Majesty!" ”

Zhu Tip stepped forward immediately, looked at the border troops who were acting in unison, and asked, "Xuan'er, are they under your command?" ”

"Returning to Your Majesty, if you are not under the command of your minister, it should be the department of the king of Gaoyang County."

"Really?"

You Sentinel Baihu replied: "Back to Your Majesty, Beixia is indeed the headquarters of the county king, and he was ordered to station the Xinghe Institute and Kaiping Qiantun guards, patrol the border fortress, and prevent the Tartars from committing crimes. ”

After Zhu Di heard this, his face became more interested, "This place is still far away from Xinghe Kaiping, why are you here?" ”

"Returning to His Majesty, because there are grassland rangers bypassing the border guards today, and their traces have been found in Huai'an, Wanquan, Xuanhua and other places, the king of the county specially ordered the border guards to patrol day and night, or kill or drive, so as not to disturb the people, and even more frightened to the holy car, and it is difficult to escape the blame for the death of the inferior."

The response made Zhu Dilong's heart happy.

The son has the ability, and the son is very filial.

Goodness, great goodness!

After laughing, Zhu Di's keen military instincts made him interested in the crossbow and quiver hanging on the back of the sentry horse. Even the firecrackers on their backs seem to be different from the system of the imperial court.

When You Sentry took out a fist-sized "fire thunder", Zhu Di's eyes lit up.

In the Battle of Jingyan, the Yan army suffered a lot under the firearms used by the southern army, first Guo Ying and Wu Jie buried "mines", and then there were fire guns and crossbow teams organized by Sheng Yong.

Although the Yan army also has killer weapons such as tiger squat artillery and rockets, it is still inferior to the southern army.

After sitting on the throne, Zhu Di specially sent people to check the records of the War Bureau and the Ordnance Bureau, summoned the ambassadors of the two bureaus, and became more attentive to the manufacture and use of firearms.

The firearms used by these two sentry posts are not at all above the records of the War Bureau and the Ordnance Bureau, but they are not violated, but the appearance has been changed, and how they are used depends on it.

Zhu Di wanted to make You Whistle demonstrate on the spot, but Zhu Neng and others desperately stopped him.

Just kidding, the instability of firearms is famous, what if you blow up the chamber and hurt the body of the Son of Heaven?

Shen Xuan also said that this kind of firearm came from Kaipingwei, and if he waited for the king of Gaoyang County to make a demonstration after he arrived, the advantages and disadvantages would be known.

"Your Majesty is tired from the journey, and it has sunset, so it is advisable to go back to the city early to rest. It's a long time coming. ”

Everyone persuaded each other, but Zhu Di couldn't continue to insist, nodded, and ordered You Sentry to return to the city with him. Shen Xuan immediately ordered his soldiers to go to Xinghe to report the news. The emperor took the sentinel away, and he had to let him know. If you see that the sentinel is delayed and does not return, and you think that you have encountered a Tartar or slipped away halfway, it will be a big trouble.

The military exploits are still continuous, and they are not discounted at all in the army.

After returning to the city, Zhu Di's exhaustion disappeared and he was refreshed.

When the Xinghe Institute and the commander of Kaiping's former guard heard the news, they were happy that their subordinates could be appreciated by the Son of Heaven, but they were worried about whether the Son of Heaven would investigate Kaiping's defense for the crime of privately building weapons.

Although they are all modified from the original weapons, and the number of fire and thunder is also strictly limited, I still can't help but feel apprehensive.

The king of Gaoyang County really heard the news on the way to Beiping, and said that it was fake that he was not worried, but he was more excited. He knows his father, if he wants to be held accountable, it is not Zheng He who comes to announce it, but Jinyiwei. Similarly, he was carrying the song of transforming the weapon, and the reason why he didn't send it out in advance was just because he was impatient to entangle with the group of people in the court. Since his father is going to tour the north, he will definitely summon him, and if he plays it right in person, the effect will definitely be better.

Of course, he will not forget the credit of Xingningbo. In the final analysis, the cavalry under his command can exchange shotguns for cannons, and Xingningbo should be the first to take the lead. If the father nods and agrees to promote the transformed fire thunder and fire gun among the border guards, the credit will be even greater.

Meng, who also set off on the road, comforted himself, although he came up with the idea and encouraged the craftsmen to start, and the innovation was also caused by him, and he pursued it seriously, and he was very suspicious of stepping on the line. However, it is also an indisputable fact that the Daning and Kaiping Miscellaneous Bureaus have the functions of the Ordnance Bureau.

He knew there that Zhu Gaosui would tell Zhu Gaoxu about the affairs of Daning City, and Zhu Gaochu was so practical that he really made people create "Fire Thunder".

To put it bluntly, Fire Thunder is the original version of the grenade. There was a prototype in the Song Dynasty, and the Nanjing Weapons Bureau also had a trial production, but the effect was not as good as that made by Kaipingwei.

The weapons bureau made it, basically one explosion and two petals, and there are also those that only listen to the sound and do not bloom.

Daning and Kaipingwei can at least explode several pieces, and their lethality has increased by at least two grades.

Meng was thinking all the way about whether the king of Gaoyang County would confess himself. Also, he is about to see Shen Xuan, and he also mentioned in his letter to Shen Xuan about the transformation of firearms, and according to Shen Xuan's reply, he should not be considered...... Right?

Zhu Gaoxu and Meng had different thoughts, but they were running together on the way to Beiping.

Duoyan Sanwei, who learned that Zhu Di had arrived in Beiping, was very excited, and the big and small leaders got together and began to discuss what position they could get when the emperor ordered an attack on the desert.

Striker or mainstay? In short, you won't be assigned to escort grain and grass, right? If he was really sent to carry grain, he would not be able to agree to it.

Compared with the excited Uliangha, the Tatar Khan Ghost Lichi and the left and right prime ministers were full of sadness.

The Great Tomorrow has arrived in Beiping, and the detained Ming Dynasty envoys have to be released.

Originally, Ghost Lichi discussed with the prime ministers on the left and right, detained the envoys, looked at Zhu Di's attitude, and then decided whether to be tough or soft. Originally, it was not himself who robbed Uliangha, and it was impossible to ask for compensation from himself.

I didn't want Zhu Di to come directly to the north, and if he came, he didn't count, and he took a large team of people to wander around the grassland.

Is this a demonstration-a demonstration-demonstration?

Thinking about the Northern Yuan court that fell under the iron hooves of the Ming army, and thinking about the ferocity of Zhu Di when he marched north into the desert, the ghost power was even more worried.

What he worries about is not whether his side can win if he really fights, but where to run after losing the battle and whether he can not fight this battle.

There are many people who are more worried than the ghost power.

When Timur Timur and others led his troops to rob Uliangha, by the way, robbed and picked up cheap savage Jurchens were also a one-brained bag.

Zhu Di also gave the ghost power red hair seal book, but the ghost power red is a Tatar Khan, and he can reach the level.

The savage Jurchen was not looked at by Zhu Di at all, that is, a group of people who turned into outsiders and sent envoys over? Sensei said Zhu Di, the people who were sent were disgusted with the price.

Zhu Di didn't see it, but Liu Zhen, who was guarding Liaodong, couldn't, so he had to send someone to the savage Jurchen to convey the meaning of the imperial court.

The Son of Heaven is coming, prostrate and ask for sin, sooner rather than later. It's too late, and if you are wiped out, you can only go to the Hades Palace to cry.

Is this to convey the will of the imperial court?

It's clearly a threat!

Liu Zhen pouted and threatened, what's the matter?

What else can happen to the threatened tribal leaders?

Pinch your nose and bear it.