Chapter 166

Never in a million years did I expect this.

My third brother actually made such a huge move in the unseen realm.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood beneath the palace wall.

His expression had already become obviously panicked.

"Our family is ruined... Eldest, did you see? Your death has ruined our family into this state!"

Su Qiao looked at the panicked Zhu Yuanzhang and coldly reminded him.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid you are still wrong."

"Passing the throne to the Prince of Yan will destroy not only the imperial family! But the entire world!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and stared tightly at Su Qiao before him.

"What?"

Su Qiao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked in a low voice.

"Has Your Majesty forgotten why the princes were enfeoffed beyond the frontier?"

Su Qiao had studied the Ming history thoroughly.

He naturally knew one thing.

That is, the ancients were never fools.

Especially Zhu Yuanzhang, who started from nothing and finally seized the world.

People of later generations all know that enfeoffing princes is a path to chaos.

How could Zhu Yuanzhang not know this?

But Old Zhu still enfeoffed them.

Why did Old Zhu enfeoff the princes?

The reason is very simple.

It was to nibble away the grasslands of the steppe and turn the ten thousand li of grassland into Han ancestral lands!

So Old Zhu chose the thirteen most warlike sons from his more than twenty sons.

And enfeoffed them along the Great Wall!

In the thirtieth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a specialist to draw the "Map of the Shanhe Terrain of the Three Northern Regions".

He clearly told the princes that from the Great Wall line northward, regardless of how many thousands of li, except for the military colonies already established in each commandery, the barren, idle, flat, and mountainous lands of the grasslands were left for the princes, Imperial Sons-in-Law, and border people inside the interior to gather firewood and graze.

The princes were not to enclose land without authorization; let them come and go, regardless of time or month.

The meaning is: south of the Great Wall, except for the military colonies already determined on the map, all lands belong to the people of the world, and no one may obstruct them.

If the common people want to gather firewood or graze for how long, let them do so for that long; if the common people want to run north as far as they wish, let them run that far; this is what is meant by 'regardless of how many thousands of li, regardless of time or month'!

Su Qiao knew this deeply.

If this strategy is relied upon as state policy, within three generations, the path of Western invasion from the east will be completely cut off, while our door to westward expansion will open.

Perhaps it is not beneficial to Great Ming, but it will surely be greatly beneficial to the Han people of the world!

The day the Mayflower raises anchor and sets sail must be around the time the Heavenly Army arrives at the Laiyinhe!

Hearing Su Qiao's words.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized.

He stared fixedly at Su Qiao and asked.

"Are you saying that after my fourth son usurps the throne, he will also reduce the fiefs?!"

Su Qiao snorted coldly.

"Does Your Majesty think he will not?"

Zhu Di, kneeling behind Zhu Yuanzhang, cried out with a deathly pale face.

"Father, I have said this so many times; I will not usurp the throne!"

"Shut up!"

Su Qiao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and smiled helplessly.

"Therefore, I can assert that if the Prince of Yan succeeds in usurping the throne in the future, throughout his life, he will lie on ice and taste snow, launch northern expeditions against the grasslands, and strive to Complete the merit in one stroke!"

"Because the court situation at that time will force the Prince of Yan to abolish the magnificent Heshan laid out by Your Majesty!"

"The Prince of Yan is not only proving himself to Your Majesty, but also compensating Your Majesty, telling Your Majesty that there is a better way!"

"But does Your Majesty think the Prince of Yan will succeed?"

Hearing Su Qiao's question.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression inevitably found it somewhat laughable.

Succeed?

If Old Four could truly succeed, would he still have to run to decades later to fish out that unlucky child?!

Looking at history as a whole.

Zhu Di launched five expeditions to the great desert, and even died on the road returning from the grasslands; this point is extremely bizarre.

Zhu Di obviously did not just want to frolic and jump around a couple of times, or merely to secure decades of peace for Great Ming.

A more direct reason is that Zhu Di personally destroyed a plan that at least Zhu Di believed would forever solve the border troubles for Great Ming in the future.

So Zhu Di was eager to present another plan to replace the previous plan that he himself had personally destroyed!

As for why Zhu Di did not continue to follow Old Zhu.

The reason is very simple.

Zhu Di is not Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang had more than twenty sons.

Zhu Di had only three brothers.

Such a major matter—as Emperor—Zhu Di could not possibly entrust it to his subordinates.

And another, more important reason was that when Zhu Di stabilized his position and turned his gaze once more northward.

The various tribes of the steppe were no longer the same as during the Hongwu era.

Zhu Di, kneeling behind Zhu Yuanzhang, listened to Su Qiao's words.

He had already cursed Su Qiao ten thousand times in his heart.

If I'd known you were this reckless.

Even if the Heavenly King himself had come last night, I wouldn't have let you leave!

You can't just blurt out everything!

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and glared fiercely at Zhu Di.

"Fine, Fourth Son, you've done a splendid job indeed…"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di was thrown into utter disarray.

What does this have to do with that?!

Father, I haven't even rebelled yet!

Besides, isn't this just this brat talking nonsense with his mouth?!

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Su Qiao was momentarily stunned.

"Your Majesty, you truly didn't foresee this?"

"Then how did you project that two hundred years from now, the Great Ming would have hundreds of thousands of imperial clansmen?"

The moment he finished speaking.

The place where the palace wall had collapsed fell instantly into dead silence.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang was momentarily stunned.

So this is why the Zhu family would produce hundreds of thousands of imperial clansmen two hundred years from now?! Three.

115, Su Qiao: Wait, who's responsible for the executions?

Upon hearing this.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly snapped back to his senses.

He looked at Su Qiao with disbelief and asked,

"You mean to say, the Great Ming will have hundreds of thousands of imperial clansmen two hundred years from now—all because of my Fourth Son?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's heart was flooded with a thousand galloping horses.