It should be said that Du Ning was able to reach this point not only because he had a good teacher, but also because of his personal ability.
If anyone else heard this, they would think it was a slanderous and rotten argument.
However, if you can only see this layer, you will obviously underestimate Mr. Du.
From these words alone, Zhu Qiyu had actually roughly guessed what Du Ning would do after arriving in Shaanxi.
He would definitely first choose the vassal king with the worst temper and the least offending character among the four princes, and then visit him with the most respectful and complete etiquette.
The bigger the battle, the better. After arriving at the palace, he will act like a pure rotten scholar just like now.
He used his great principles to try to persuade these stubborn feudal kings.
As a result, it will naturally fail!
Except for a few of these clans in the Ming Dynasty, most people hardly looked down on the civil servants.
Especially the old royal palaces such as Prince Qin's Palace and Prince Jin's Palace have come from the Hongwu era. Even if the current vassal king has never seen the scene at that time, he will more or less acquire some of these habits from his elders.
Du Ning used this kind of empty talk to persuade them.
In the end, you will only be regarded as a clown!
If it was more polite, he would send it out politely, and then turn around and do what he was supposed to do. If Du Ning played some tricks, such as losing his composure and saying something offensive, then I'm afraid it would be like this
The feudal king will drive him out on the spot.
But the more so, the more in line with Du Ning's wishes.
The so-called "be courteous before using troops" means that even if you know you are going to use troops, you should still treat them with courtesy first. The purpose is to find a convincing excuse for using troops.
In this battle, the bigger the fight, the better.
It would be best if everyone knew about it and heard about it in the streets, from the nobles to the common people. It would be best if everyone knew that Governor Du was ridiculed and driven away.
In fact, maybe even the specific details of Governor Du's conversation in the palace can be spread...
Only in this way can Duning's goal be achieved!
but……
Zhu Qiyu calmed down his expression and spoke.
"Let the people, officers and soldiers understand the imperial court's intentions. What happens next?"
For some reason, although the emperor's expression was calm, Du Ning intuitively felt a sense of danger.
At this moment, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
Suddenly, he remembered the scene when Gao Gu was sent out of Beijing.
With extreme caution in mind, Du Ning forced himself to remain calm and said.
"Your Majesty has clearly learned that people's hearts can be used and cannot be bullied. Although there are domineering kings, they have been in the place for a long time and are deeply rooted. Moreover, like King Jin and King Shen, they both have virtuous names and rarely bully the people."
"When I first arrived in Shaanxi, in order to prevent young people from deceiving the kings and inciting public opinion, I should take the lead in declaring the court's intention to prevent anyone from coercing the people's hearts and going to the government to resist the officials."
After finishing these words, Duning stopped.
However, only he himself knew how nervous he felt at this moment.
It was a short moment, but Du Ning felt it was extremely long. Finally, a sigh sounded in his ears, and then, the pressure on his body suddenly lightened up.
"A good saying is that people's hearts can only be used and cannot be deceived!"
Du Ning raised his head slightly, and saw the emperor looking at him with a sigh of relief.
"As the saying goes, the people are the water, and the king is the boat. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it. Du Qing, you have the emperor's command, and when you leave the town, you will protect the common people on my behalf."
"In this case, we should put the people first in everything we do, and we should not put the people on weights to measure gains and losses. Anyone who ignores the lives of the people because of the interests of the country is a treacherous person!"
This should be considered the first time that Zhu Qiyu spoke so seriously to Du Ning in a warning tone after entering the palace.
Moreover, if Du Ning remembers correctly, the emperor rarely made such a firm conclusion.
This shows how serious the emperor's attitude is at this moment.
Not only that, after finishing speaking, the emperor seemed to feel that the explanation was not clear enough, so he continued.
"In the past, Prince Jingyuan, Prince Ji, was a man of both civil and military skills. He could fight on horseback and govern on horseback. He was the first person to be awarded a title as a civil servant since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. He can be called a hero of the country!"
"But where are you now?"
"I know that there are quite a few ministers in the court who feel that I do not miss the old friendship and dismissed a country official from Qiancheng and exiled him just because of the Pingyue incident. It is both unkind and disrespectful of the court situation."
Ah this...
The sweat on Du Ning's forehead almost dropped, and he quickly spoke.
"Your Majesty, Wang Ji is afraid and avoids fighting, and it is his own fault. Your Majesty is just dealing with it in accordance with the law. How can the ministers dare to criticize him?"
Regarding this kind of rhetoric, Zhu Qiyu just smiled and said.
"There is no need to comfort me like this. At the beginning, there was always a dispute between the DPRK and China over whether to rescue Pingyue. Even Yu Qian once felt that the general should have the power to make arbitrary decisions when the situation arises."
"Even after the Pingyue incident, some ministers still felt that Wang Ji was sizing up the situation and waiting for an opportunity to avoid the loss of officers and soldiers, so he did not rescue Pingyue."
"But, I don't think so!"
In this last sentence, Du Ning inexplicably heard a sense of firmness in it.
Raising his head slightly, Du Ning happened to meet the emperor's eyes. Du Ning only saw the emperor's eyes across from him, which were blazing, angry and calm at the same time.
Two completely different emotions appeared in the emperor's body at the same time, but there was no sense of dissonance at all.
Immediately afterwards, the emperor's voice sounded.
"The current territory of the Ming Dynasty belongs to Taizu. Taizong conquered it inch by inch. The territory of our ancestors must be defended to the death and cannot be shared with others."
"However, this territory should not be just an empty city and wasteland!"
"The territory is lost, but it can be regained. The whole court will unite sincerely and work hard, and eventually it will be regained. But once the hearts and minds of the people collapse, it will be difficult to recover."
"Pingyue is only a small city. However, when Wang Ji planned to give up Pingyue for the sake of the so-called war situation and to reduce sacrifices, he regarded the soldiers and civilians of this city as measurable bargaining chips."
"The reason why soldiers fight to the death outside is to protect the people. If we can just watch the people exchange their children for food and die without saving them, then the coming of this territory will be nothing more than a mirror."
Looking at Du Ning who was sweating coldly, Zhu Qiyu also realized that his tone was a bit harsh.
After taking a long breath, his expression became gentle again and he said.
"Actually, even if Wang Ji loses the battle, I won't necessarily blame him. Victory or defeat is a normal matter for military strategists. However, he put the lives of the people to death. How can I dare to use such a ruthless person?"
"It is true that a general is an iron-blooded general who fights on the battlefield, but if he does not have the heart to love the people, even if he has great talent, it will be a great disaster for the country!"
"Du Qing, maybe you understand the reason behind this?"
As the emperor's voice finally fell, Du Ning could feel that the emperor's eyes were always on him.
Of course he could understand what the emperor meant.
It was Wang Ji who said this, but it was not just Wang Ji, or even just him, but it was said to all the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty.
At the same time, a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
He could vaguely understand why people like Wang Wen, Yu Qian, even Chen Yi, Yu Shiyue, and his teacher Chen Xun were so in awe of the emperor.
Your Majesty is truly a benevolent and righteous man!
I remember that after the emperor ascended the throne, he worked hard for the government. Although he could not be called a night of food and clothing, he always put the people and the country first and made various concessions.
For the first time, Du Ning felt from the bottom of his heart that the so-called Eternal Saint King must be like this.
After a moment of silence, Du Ning knelt down respectfully, paid homage, and then spoke.
"Your Majesty's holy teachings, I must keep them in mind."
"I believe that not only Wang Ji, but also the civil and military officials at the top and bottom of the court should put the people first and the country as the most important thing. The generals leading the troops outside are to ensure the stability of a place and protect the tranquility of the country. Civil servants govern the place for the sake of the court.
Herdsmen.”
"If a general retreats before the battle, the lives of the people in a city will be at risk. If the civil servants have no integrity, they will also plunge the people into dire straits."
"Ministers of civil and military affairs, since you have inherited His Majesty's holy grace and shouldered the great responsibility of the country, you should put the people first in everything you do. If it harms the people, you should not use all the good things. If it benefits the people, you should do it even if it is difficult and difficult!"
Du Ning would usually say these words.
However, it always has a bit of scholarly atmosphere.
But for some reason, when he said it again today, he felt an inexplicable power that penetrated his whole body and made all the tension that Duning felt just now dissipate.
At this moment, Du Ning only felt extremely calm in his heart, without having too many thoughts.
However, it was not until many years later that he recalled this duel again that he suddenly realized the importance of this conversation at this moment in his life.
Zhu Qiyu could naturally hear Du Ning's sincerity at this moment.
However, he has seen this kind of sincerity many times. The sincerity at this moment may be true, but it is really rare to be able to do it consistently.
Therefore, his reaction was relatively dull, he waved his hand and said.
"Du Qing doesn't need to do this great ceremony, just get back on your feet!"
As he spoke, Zhu Qiyu smiled and said half-jokingly.
"No matter how many reasons you talk about, problems still have to be solved. So, besides what you just said, does Du Qing have any other ideas?"
Du Ning stood up respectfully, slowly recovered from his previous emotions, straightened his thoughts, and continued.
"Your Majesty clearly understands that showing affection to the kings is the first step. What I just said is not only to allow the kings to reflect on themselves, but also to let the soldiers and civilians know the intentions of the imperial court to prevent villains from causing trouble."
"However, this alone is definitely not enough, so the next step is to understand it with reason."
Zhu Qiyu frowned but said nothing.
Du Ning obviously noticed the emperor's change, so he continued to explain.
"Your Majesty has learned clearly that everyone pursues profit. The reason why the kings are unwilling to cooperate with the imperial government is simply because they feel that dedicating acres of land to the imperial court will harm their interests."
"However, even if we don't talk about the interests of the country and the country, from the perspective of the kings themselves, it is actually in their best interest to donate the land account books now."
This is somewhat interesting.
Zhu Qiyu leaned forward and asked.
"How to say?"
Du Ning said: "Your Majesty's mental strength is well known to everyone in the imperial court regarding the rectification of the military camp. If you don't do your best, this matter will definitely not end."
"Your Majesty is merciful, and in order to protect the stability of the place and does not want to start a war, you are now ordering the Ministry of Household Affairs to redeem the fields reported by each government."
"If you report it truthfully now, you may lose your land, but you will gain the Sacred Heart, and you will also receive a large amount of compensation, enough for all the kings to squander."
"However, if the kings insist on refusing and instead fight against the court, then King Yi and King Xiang will learn from the past!"
Nowadays, these two vassal kings can be regarded as close brothers.
They were all banned in the Ten Princes' Mansion, and they didn't know the time limit.
"In addition, when I heard that Yu Shaobao had arrived in Henan Mansion, the first thing I did was to go to Prince Yi's Mansion to arrest the criminals who had openly attacked the imperial officials before, and then personally presided over the purification of all those who had not been registered with the government after checking.
All property shall be confiscated."
"Those who were originally tenant farmers registered with the government, continued to farm, and paid the official land tax. In just a few days, thousands of hectares of hidden land were discovered."
"The means are thunderous and decisive. I believe this will only be the beginning, not the end."
"If the kings insist on not listening to the dissuasion, I should follow Shaobao's example and go to the fields in person and reclaim the land one by one."
Du Ning's words were categorical, and he was obviously planning to offend others.
However, facing Du Ning's statement, Zhu Qiyu shook his head and smiled.
"It seems that Du Qing intends to serve as a strong point."
"However, I have to say, Du Qing, you guessed wrong. Based on my understanding of Qian, he is so decisive in Henan Province, but he may not be so tough in other places."
Ah this...
Du Ning blinked, his mind a little confused.
But at this time, Zhu Qiyu obviously had no intention of playing riddles with him. He sighed and spoke.
"The reason why Yu Qian acted so decisively in Henan Mansion was indeed to frighten the kings. This is true. However, as the saying goes, hardness cannot last long and softness cannot be defended. If he is blindly tough, it will only cause the kings to backlash."
"So, this method can never be used on all vassal kings. The reason why it is used in Henan Mansion is because King Yi is not in Henan Mansion now. Therefore, no matter how drastic Yu Qian is, it can be implemented.
Go down."
"But it doesn't work in other places!"
"Let me ask you, if the kings did not confront the government head-on, and when you entered the field to clear the land, he would let you clear it, and when you moved to another place, he would send people to take the land back again, what would you do?"
As soon as these words came out, Du Ning was stunned and couldn't help but become a little speechless.
yes!
The kings are not fools. Although they are usually very arrogant, not all of them are as domineering and arrogant as King Yi, who is bold enough to confront the government head-on.
If these people don't conflict with him head-on, but slowly fight with him, then can he stay in the fields every day?
Even if he can endure this hardship, how many acres of land can one Du Ning hold?
After he leaves, who can guarantee that the kings will not take the fields back?
If this is the case, he has been busy for most of the day, but it is all in vain, and he has offended people in vain...