Chapter 1504: Family and Clan

"You make a fair point. In fact, someone already gave me that advice, and I agreed," Father nodded. "This Tokugawa Tadanaga can indeed be used; we can't let his brother kill him off so easily. It's just... today I suddenly found myself sighing with emotion. One family, blood brothers, and yet one forces his own younger brother to die..."

As if stirred by some deep feeling, the Emperor suddenly let out a long sigh. "One family, blood brothers, reduced to this—no wonder outsiders covet what they have!"

Now that his Imperial Father had spoken so plainly, the Crown Prince knew he could no longer play dumb. "Imperial Father, Japan is a petty barbarian country that knows nothing of propriety, righteousness, honor, or shame. That is why brothers fight within the walls and kin turn weapons on each other. Our family is simple and sincere; such wickedness could never happen here! And your son will certainly look after his younger brothers well, never allowing them to suffer any grievance that outsiders might exploit."

"Where is your mind wandering? Don't be so flustered! I'm not trying to frighten you." The Crown Prince's tense reaction made Father laugh in spite of himself. "You are right—Japan is a petty barbarian country, crude and narrow. But where they do well, we can adopt and learn; where they do poorly, we can take as a warning. I simply feel that the Tokugawa clan's situation serves as exactly such a warning for us. The fraternal strife in the Tokugawa house cannot be blamed entirely on Tokugawa Iemitsu's vicious cruelty. In truth, the previous generation's shogun also bears responsibility. He delayed his decision on the succession and openly favored the younger son, stirring the younger son's heart to bully his elder brother. That is what bred discord and deep suspicion between the Tokugawa brothers. If Iemitsu struck down his younger brother after Hidetada's death, then Tokugawa Hidetada himself shares the blame... So, I forbid you to bully your younger brothers, but I will also not let them make trouble for you, lest it ruin them and ruin you as well."

"Imperial Father, your words are too weighty..." The Crown Prince secretly breathed a sigh of relief, understanding that his father held no grievance against him and was merely using the occasion to offer some guidance.

"If they weren't weighty, how could they move you?" The Emperor still wore a faint smile. "Dare you say that just now, when Little Tiger said he didn't want to study but wanted to join the army, to lead troops and become a great general, your heart didn't hesitate even a little? Don't deny it to me—I could see it clearly."

The Crown Prince had not expected that his momentary flicker of hesitation would be caught by his father.

It was true—when his own younger brother Zhao Hu declared he wanted to pursue military studies so that when he grew up he could lead troops into battle and command armies, the Crown Prince had indeed hesitated inwardly, and had secretly hoped his Imperial Father would reject the proposal.

He feared his younger brother becoming a threat to him.

The lessons of the former Ming dynasty were simply too great, and precisely because it was the immediately preceding dynasty, vast quantities of secret palace archives had fallen into the new dynasty's hands. Thus, the history of the former Ming became the central focus when the Crown Prince's tutors lectured on national history. All manner of policy failures and hidden secrets were laid bare before him, so that despite his youth, the Crown Prince already possessed a deep understanding of former Ming affairs.

Even the naturally kind-hearted Crown Prince could not help but think, in that fleeting moment, of the story of the former Ming's Chengzu, Zhu Di, who commanded armies on the frontier and then used the Jingnan Campaign to seize the throne from his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor.

When he heard his Imperial Father grant Prince Qi Zhao Hu's request, the Crown Prince's heart could not help but clench tight.

The princely rebellions of the former Ming were not limited to the Prince of Yan's Jingnan Campaign alone. The Prince of Han, the Prince of Ning, the Prince of Anhua, and others had all raised troops and plunged the realm into chaos. Even after the former Ming's Chengzu imposed such strict constraints on the feudal princes, princely rebellions still occurred frequently. How could allowing a prince to command troops not become a source of calamity? He truly could not understand why his father would do such a thing.

Yet, though worry filled his heart, the Crown Prince did not wish to doubt his brothers, and even less did he wish to speak ill of his younger brothers before his father. Besides, his brothers were still young now—it was far too early to speak of such matters. So he simply buried his doubts and unease deep in his heart, with no intention of revealing them to his father.

How could he have known that his Imperial Father, observing coolly from the side, had long since detected the unease he strove so hard to conceal—and had now directly spoken it aloud.

The Crown Prince wanted to deny it, but his Imperial Father had already seen through him and had told him not to deny it. So he dared not deny it; he opened his mouth, but in the end, no words came out.

"I understand your thoughts, and I will not blame you. You are the Crown Prince—it is entirely natural for you to think this way." The Emperor patted his shoulder, signaling him not to be nervous. "But our dynasty rose from the ranks of the army. Prince Qi wishes to emulate me, his father, and serve the nation through military service—is that a bad aspiration? If we don't let them serve the nation, is keeping them raised in the capital any better? Wouldn't that just be raising useless wastes like the former Ming did? Rather than letting them become wastes, I would much rather let them use their talents to the fullest. If someone wants to go to war, let them go to war. The nation lacks talent; if the imperial clan can produce talent, that is a good thing. What is there to fear? Spending all one's energy guarding what one has, clinging to the throne, fearing this and fearing that, silencing the whole world until no one dares speak—what meaning is there in that!"

"Your son... your son has no such intention..." The Crown Prince hurriedly defended himself. "Little Tiger wants to enter the military academy—your son still supports that."

"I know your nature. You would never harbor any thought of harming your younger brothers. I am only speaking openly; don't take it to heart." The Emperor sighed softly. "If any of your younger brothers wish to go to war and serve the nation, I will not stop them. However, I will certainly not make things difficult for you by allowing them to command armies independently and become garrison generals. On this point, rest assured. The former Ming's system of enfeoffment will absolutely not be replicated in this dynasty! It shall be so in my generation, and it must be so in your generation as well. Do you understand?"

The Crown Prince finally understood. His Imperial Father's meaning was to draw a clear line on both sides. Allow the imperial clan—including princes of the blood—to join the army and fight, satisfying their desire to serve the nation; on the other hand, forbid them from becoming supreme commanders or carving out territories as military governors, lest they grow arrogant and overbearing and secretly plot rebellion against the court.

Without great merit, hereditary princely titles would not be permitted to pass down unchanged through generations. Yet princes would be allowed to earn merit for the nation through military service. If they established meritorious deeds, then hereditary succession would be granted. This method, though not perfect, could at least stimulate the imperial clan's drive to strive upward, preventing them from knowing only how to enjoy wealth and ease.

"Our dynasty is different from the former Ming, and even different from the former Han. Our dynasty must expand ceaselessly—as far as we can expand, as much territory as we can conquer. That naturally requires everyone, high and low, to strive with united purpose. What use do we have for those who only want to enjoy comfort and wealth? If anyone only wants to be a waste, then even if they are of the imperial house, they shall taste the whip!" The Emperor spoke with some emotion, then turned to ask the Crown Prince again, "Son, do you know what our family relied upon to seize the realm?"

"Naturally, it relied upon Imperial Father's fortitude, simplicity, brilliance, and martial valor," the Crown Prince blurted out. "Without Imperial Father's heaven-sent brilliance, how could our family have risen from humble origins and seized the realm?"

"There is some truth in what you say... you're getting better and better with words, boy!" Father let out another great laugh and patted the Crown Prince on the head. "But while fortitude and simplicity are fine qualities, there are countless families under heaven that are resolute and simple. Could seizing the realm rely on fortitude and simplicity alone?"

"That..." The Crown Prince hesitated slightly. "Naturally, it is because Imperial Father possesses great fortune and destiny, which others cannot possibly replicate."

"What fortune and destiny—nonsense! When our ancestors were scraping by in Xuzhou, who could see any sign of fortune and destiny? Only after your Imperial Father seized the realm did everyone start saying Xuzhou had dragon qi. Isn't that laughable?" Father dismissed this notion entirely. "Fortune and destiny—such things are nothing but lies told to deceive others! These deceitful things—telling them to outsiders is one thing, but speaking of them within the family, what meaning is there? Are we deceiving ourselves?"

The Crown Prince was somewhat perplexed. In his lessons, his tutors had always said that all Sons of Heaven possessed dragon qi and that their fortune and destiny differed from ordinary people. He did not understand why his Imperial Father held such scorn for the theory of fortune and destiny, though he also knew that such theories were indeed largely empty and illusory.

"... Our Xuzhou troops are strong and our cannons sharp; none under heaven can match us." After hesitating a moment, he finally answered with blunt honesty.

"Correct! Strong troops and sharp cannons—that is the very foundation upon which our family seized the realm!" The Emperor at last broke into a smile, thoroughly satisfied with his son's answer. "The troops are strong because I am willing to invest in training them, willing to pay their salaries, and willing to let them live lives of dignity. That is why they are willing to serve me. Training troops relies on organization—rewarding soldiers with generous pay, instilling discipline to command the ranks, and, more importantly, excelling at cultivating capable officers and trusting them to fight. And the former Ming? They could accomplish none of these things, so they could only watch helplessly as the realm fell into ruin! As for the Manchus and the like, though their military discipline is strict and they advance and retreat as one, they too fall short in one area—their weapons are inferior to ours. Our muskets and cannons are better than theirs; we can shatter their formations and rout their forces. So no matter how brave and fierce they are, they can only become ghosts beneath the blades of Xuzhou soldiers... Therefore, so long as our troops are stronger than other nations' and our cannons sharper than other nations', the Great Han shall be invincible and sweep across the realm."

After a pause, he continued instructing the Crown Prince. "To have strong troops requires strict laws and regulations, as well as clear rewards and punishments. To have sharp cannons is even more difficult—it requires mathematics, machinery, and strategic planning. None of these can be separated from practical talent. Since our dynasty rose to power relying on these two treasures, if we wish to remain invincible in the future, we must continue to rely on these two treasures and not abandon them for a single moment. The imperial clan, in particular, must set an example, making all under heaven understand that the new dynasty has no use for rotten Confucian scholars—what it needs is practical talent! That is why I am so supportive of Little Tiger and Little Rui. The paths they love to walk are ones that truly contribute strength to our family's realm."

The Crown Prince understood the Emperor's meaning. He wanted the imperial clan, in the future, to either lead troops into battle and fight on the front lines, or study the sciences and mathematics diligently in the study. Relying on these two paths, the Zhao imperial house could continue to grasp the very foundations upon which it rose, and avoid becoming useless wastes who understood nothing.