Chapter 32: Leaving Words Half-Said

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu hint at him repeatedly, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned somewhat dark.

He was the Emperor now, the supreme ruler; everything was something he gave to others, and no one ever demanded anything from him.

But he had also roughly grasped the personality of this little monkey by now, and the key was that he still needed something from him.

With no other choice, Zhu Yuanzhang simply acted as if he hadn't heard and smilingly moved on to the next topic.

"The situation in the North is unstable right now, and those remnants of the Northern Yuan are always thinking of counterattacking the Central Plains; tell Us if you have any ideas."

Zhu Biao had just been about to speak after hearing this when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang glaring at him; clearly, the previous question hadn't been directed at him.

Zhu Biao did not know that that morning, Zhu Gaoxu had solved the northern disaster problem that had plagued the entire civil and military court of Great Ming in just a few words.

He felt a bit suspicious about whether his father was valuing this nephew of his a bit too much.

He knew that this nephew of his had some substance; after Zhu Gaoxu angrily rebuked Hu Weiyong, he had also learned the entire process.

Afterwards, even he could not deny that among his peers, Zhu Gaoxu was indeed talented; at the very least, those children in his own household could not have said those things.

But don't forget, this nephew of his was only four years old; that he could provide suggestions for such matters was something he absolutely did not believe.

Just as Zhu Biao was feeling suspicious, Zhu Gaoxu spoke subconsciously.

"What's difficult about this? It's nothing more than..."

Just then, Zhu Gaoxu thought of something and suddenly stopped speaking.

He suddenly realized that Lao Zhu was trying to fish for information from him.

The events of the morning were still fresh in his mind.

The promised general title hadn't been given yet, and now that there was a problem, he was being sought out again; did they really take him for a total pushover?

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu simply shut his mouth, sat to one side with his eyes slightly closed, and assumed an air of indifference.

Now it was Zhu Yuanzhang's turn to feel uncomfortable.

Why did he stop talking when the words were right on the tip of his tongue?

It made people feel strangely itchy.

Watching Zhu Gaoxu below with that "I'll die before I open my mouth" look, even though Zhu Yuanzhang was itching with curiosity, he felt too embarrassed to ask.

After all, he was the Emperor of Great Ming and had to save face; it was certainly inappropriate to be eager to ask a four-year-old child about national affairs, even if there were only the three of them, grandfather and grandsons, present.

Just then, Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Biao at the side looking completely puzzled, and he immediately gave his eldest son a wink.

Zhu Biao was keeping a constant eye on his old man.

Seeing his father wink at him, he understood his father's meaning immediately thanks to their many years of tacit understanding.

Although he didn't know what great ability this nephew of his actually had, he still decided to cooperate with his father.

"Ahem, nephew, you left your words half-said, which makes one feel quite uncomfortable; I'm also curious and want to know what good methods you have."

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu half-opened his eyes, swept a glance at Zhu Biao, and then closed them again.

He had already made up his mind: he wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit; he wouldn't say a word until the general title arrived.

Seeing that his words had no reaction, Zhu Biao felt a bit awkward and then looked helplessly at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was sitting above.

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally saw this scene as well, and looking at Zhu Gaoxu's appearance of closing his eyes to rest, he felt both annoyed and amused.

Damn it, I am the dignified ruler of a nation, my word is my bond; since I promised you, could I really go back on it?

Thinking this, Zhu Yuanzhang simply said directly: "I have actually already decided on that general title for you; come to court with Me tomorrow morning, and I will confer it upon you in front of all the civil and military officials."

Zhu Biao was shocked in his heart upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

He had just been conferred the title of Prince two days ago, and now he was to be made a general tomorrow?

He immediately understood that something must have happened that he didn't know about, and he thought to himself that he would find someone to ask for the truth after returning, but on the surface, he did not speak.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu revealed a happy smile, opened his closed eyes, and without wasting words, said directly: "Actually, let alone stabilizing the North, stabilizing the entire Great Ming is nothing more than soldiers and grain."

"The decisive factor in warfare right now is nothing more than the number of soldiers, but I think what determines combat power is not quantity but quality; change the method of training troops and increase the combat capability of individual soldiers."

"The second is nothing more than food; strengthen water conservancy construction and further develop agricultural levels. I happen to have an agricultural tool here called a Windmill, which can basically save half the manpower and resources. After the morning court session tomorrow, I will hand the blueprints to the Ministry of Works and let them try to build it."

"It's a pity that I have no soldiers and no fields right now; I'll tell you in detail when I find an opportunity."

Zhu Gaoxu had made up his mind today not to release the hawk until he saw the rabbit.

Want it?

Fine, as long as the general title is in place, everything is negotiable.

Who were Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao? They naturally saw through Zhu Gaoxu's little scheme.

But Lao Zhu was not reconciled.

He could be considered someone who had fought wars and farmed land.

That training method that could improve individual combat capability, and the Windmill that could save half the manpower and resources, truly made his mouth water.

Those could be called divine weapons!

He immediately gave Zhu Biao a wink, wanting to use the same trick again.

But this time, there was no need for Zhu Biao to speak; Zhu Gaoxu had already thought of his excuse.

"Don't be anxious; those remnants of the Yuan Dynasty have their own backyards on fire right now, so they won't be able to attack for a while. Even if they do come, they won't be able to form a large scale, so there won't be any problems given the strength of our Great Ming."

"As for farming, it's not like it can't wait a day or two, right?"