Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

“Does a country’s spiritual characteristics determine the formation of a future nation-state?”

Li Jinglong smacked this sentence carefully, but still couldn't understand it.

Jiang Xinghuo: "What word don't you understand?"

"Both the nation and the country understand it, but the nation-state does not," Li Jinglong said frankly.

"It doesn't seem right." Zhu Gaoxu looked at Li Jinglong, "Why do I feel that the important thing is not the nation, but the spiritual characteristics."

Li Jinglong nodded: "What you said makes sense. What's the reason?"

"Think about it, if a person loses his energy and energy, wouldn't he be like a walking zombie? What's the difference between you and me?" Zhu Gaoxu used the simplest words to reveal the most straightforward truth. truth.

"."

Li Jinglong said: "Then it's okay. What did Jiang Lang say?"

"Indeed, I originally wanted to talk about the nation-state first." Jiang Xinghuo looked at the blue sky, "But the spiritual characteristics of the country are indeed a prerequisite."

"But didn't Mr. Jiang just talk about the spiritual characteristics of China due to the geographical environment?" Zhu Gaoxu was a little confused.

"It is true that it is determined by geographical conditions, but that is only part of it." Jiang Xinghuo said seriously, "The most important thing is the Chinese spiritual characteristics shaped by countless people living in historical time and space."

"Still don't understand, is this important?"

Li Jinglong himself is a person with little faith. In his eyes, nothing is important except himself and his glory and wealth. Therefore, anything that is spiritless is a lie.

"Very important."

Jiang Xinghuo solemnly said: "If a person lives in a corner of history, he may never know why his ancestors were born, why they established this civilization, why they were able to create such a great culture, and why they Frustrated by disasters one after another. They don’t know, or even know, who they are and where they come from. However, if the spirit can continue in this generation, they will gradually discover the meaning of their and their ancestors’ existence, and become more and more aware of the past. It’s getting stronger.”

"Isn't that just worshiping the ancestors?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

"no the same."

Jiang Xinghuo said: "That is the traditional patriarchal system. It can indeed allow future generations to remember and recall their ancestors, and it can influence people's actions and inspire them."

"But what I'm talking about is the ethos of the nation-state."

"Oh! I understand, I understand." Zhu Gaoxu suddenly realized, "I think this is like treating all the surnames and clans in the world as one, this general spiritual trait."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded slightly and continued.

“Everyone’s thinking is guided by the spiritual characteristics of the nation-state, and the spiritual characteristics of the nation-state are our spiritual source; but as the times go by, people are exposed to more new things and new ideas, and they have no understanding of the past. The interest and pursuit of certain ideas will disappear, and spiritual traits will be forgotten or even slowly change."

“When the spiritual characteristics of a nation-state become insignificant or even unworthy in the minds of future generations, then what our ancestors left to us will completely dissipate, our spiritual world will fall into chaos, and the entire spiritual world will collapse, and eventually Die."

"Is this really the case?" Li Jinglong questioned habitually.

"Of course I will." Zhu Gaoxu said.

Seeing that the two of them were arguing, Jiang Xinghuo continued talking to himself.

"Hundreds of years ago, the Jurchens established the Jin Kingdom in the north and destroyed the Liao Kingdom that oppressed them. Later, the Jin Kingdom, which was essentially a war against oppression and grew stronger, began to grow in ambition and looked towards the Central Plains in the south. launched a war of aggression.”

"Taiyuan was besieged and became an isolated city. The 200,000 Western troops sent to rescue by the Northern Song Dynasty were destroyed. The Jin army went south twice, and the Jingkang Disgrace occurred. The emperor, concubines, and maids of the Northern Song Dynasty were all kidnapped to the north and subjected to humiliation."

"At this time when his family and country were in crisis, Yue Fei rose up in the army and took charge of Jingxiang. He went on several northern expeditions. The last time he defeated the main force of the Eastern Route Army of the Jin Kingdom led by Jin Wushu, and was about to regain the old capital. , to fulfill Zongze’s last wish to cross the river three times.”

"But due to the obstruction of Wan Yangou and Qin Hui, the twelve gold medals were awarded to more than ten commanders of the Yue family army. Yue Fei was forced to withdraw his troops, and then died unjustly in Feng Boting, which became an eternal regret."

Jiang Xinghuo only asked one question at the end.

"Do you think Yue Fei is a national hero now?"

It is not difficult for the two of them to understand the concept of nation. The Han people who founded the Ming Dynasty are one nation, and the Mongols who founded the Yuan Dynasty are another nation.

Just like what Han Zhouzhou said in the inspiring mission statement written by the famous scholar Li Bi at the beginning of the Northern Expedition - God's way is good, and China must do it; if people follow suit, every man will take revenge.

These things are engraved in their hearts as a matter of course.

And since they are all Han people and have all realized how the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty harmed the Han people, especially the Han people in the south, how could they not be angry about it?

This kind of anger made them hate and hate the Mongols who were the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts.

Of course, just as there is no absolute distinction between good and bad people, the Mongols are not all bad. In Zhu Gaoxu's perception, at least the Chinese Mongolian Tartar officials who fought alongside him were loyal to the Ming Dynasty, from life to language. In other aspects, they are almost the same as the Han people, which is good.

This only represents Zhu Gaoxu's personal thoughts as a military commander.

Returning to Jiang Xinghuo’s question.

Li Jinglong pondered for a moment and said: "My hero is his enemy."

"From the perspective of us Han people, Yue Fei is certainly a well-deserved national hero. Emperor Taizu Gao of the Ming Dynasty has already posthumously consecrated Yue Fei as the Martial Saint. But if the Jurchens who return to Liaodong Xingdu Sina from now on, from their perspective Come and see.”

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly answered: "He is also an unparalleled hero."

Li Jinglong was a little shocked.

"Don't you know?" Zhu Gaoxu looked at Li Jinglong strangely.

"what do you know?"

Zhu Gaoxu has been to Liaodong and said with certainty: "The Jurchens in Liaodong all build temples to worship Prince Yue."

"Why?" Li Jinglong really didn't understand now.

Zhu Gaoxu simply said three words.

"I'm convinced."

Hearing this, Li Jinglong was silent for a long time.

The secret room next door.

Zhu Di frowned and asked, "What do you mean by Mr. Jiang's words? What do you mean by 'feeling it now'? Does it mean that you won't feel it in the future?"

Probably because they knew that Jiang Xinghuo had some ability to see into the future, except for Gu Cheng, the others were not too surprised.

Zhu Gaochi explained to Gu Cheng, but Gu Cheng frowned deeply.

Gu Cheng stood up, saluted Zhu Di, and then said.

"Your Majesty, you said before that Jiang Xinghuo is suspected of being an immortal. I dare not make any assumptions about this. However, the various policies and theories he proposed cannot be false. He is indeed a great talent in the world, so I have no doubts."

"Including the 'World Island War' discussed today, it is also a theory that military strategists have never had before. It is indeed very novel."

"Although I don't seem to be doing anything on the outside, I am really deeply shaken in my heart."

"But." Gu Cheng's eyebrows were serious, "The so-called insight into the future is like seeking immortality. It is just something mysterious and mysterious, and does not really exist."

After a pause, Gu Cheng continued: "Just like those 'strange people' at the turn of the two Song Dynasties where Yue Fei lived, it was just that they were said to have the magic to reach the sky. Therefore, even the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty believed it and asked Taoist priests to defend the city. In the end, It led to the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, but in fact, these have been wrong from ancient times to the present, and it can even be said that they have never been fulfilled."

There is an allusion here.

When the Jin people besieged the city, Sun Fu, who was in charge of Kaifeng's defense, found the strange man Guo Jing based on "Poems of Feelings" and asked Guo Jing if he had any magic to defeat the enemy.

According to the "Three Dynasties Bei League Huibian", Guo Jing said: You can throw beans into soldiers and become invisible. Now with 7,777 Liujia soldiers, you can defeat the enemy. When facing the enemy, the main soldiers will not move, but the divine soldiers will be used to move forward in any direction.

Song Qinzong immediately appointed Guo Jing as military officer and governor of Guangzhou, and gave him tens of thousands of gold and silk, allowing him to recruit troops on his own. Guo Jing did not ask whether his military skills were good or not, but only chose those who were close to Liujia in age. As a result, all they got were market scoundrels. A military general wanted to serve as Guo Jing's deputy, but he refused, saying: "Although you are brave, you will die in the first month of next year. I'm afraid it will be too hard for me."

Then under the pressure of the emperor, Guo Jing led the Liujia soldiers to fight against the Jin army. After the defeat, the city gate opened and the Jin soldiers took advantage of the opportunity. Kaifeng fell and the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed.

What Gu Cheng said was the opinion of an old minister who wanted to pursue the country.

——Don’t believe what these weird people say.

"Therefore, I believe that even if His Majesty really has the so-called insight into the future, it may only be regarded as good luck, and the country must not be governed based on this."

Yu Qian's stubborn little face flashed across Zhu Di's mind.

Really, just a coincidence?

Zhu Di frowned and was silent for a moment, then looked up at Gu Cheng and asked.

"Then if there are indeed gold and silver mountains in Japan, and they are indeed located at the location Mr. Jiang drew, and I can be sure that Mr. Jiang has been staying in the countryside at the foot of Jingting Mountain for the past twenty years and has never been there. Japan, can you prove it?”

Before Gu Cheng could answer, Li Jinglong, who was across the wall, came to his senses and asked the same question.

"Will Yue Fei no longer be a national hero in the future?"

An idea suddenly flashed into Li Jinglong's mind.

When this idea overlapped with the scene on his painting boat on the Qinhuai River.

It was as if something had opened his Heavenly Spirit Cap, making him shiver from the cold.

Li Jinglong looked at Jiang Xinghuo in disbelief.

He didn't know Yu Qian's follow-up, but he seemed to realize something was wrong at this time.

"Jiang Lang, you don't mean that in the future, the people who will rule China will not be Han people, right?"

Jiang Xinghuo nodded.

"Jurchens."

"Impossible!" Li Jinglong and Zhu Gaoxu were both stunned.

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the room was stunned.

"How is that possible?" Gu Cheng's eyes widened.

"How is it impossible?" Dao Yan, who had been silent for a long time, said, "If you were a Han in Hebei during the Zhenzong period of the Song Dynasty, would you believe that a small tribe in the northeast named Jurchen would perish in the Song Dynasty a hundred years later?"

“If you were a Han Chinese in Hebei during the ‘Dading Reign’ of Jin Shizong, would you believe that in a few decades, the Mongols on the grasslands would sweep across the world?”

Dao Yan's two questions stunned several people.

Zhu Di was also a little uncertain: "I can't believe that this kind of thing will really happen, but the facts are right in front of me. Every sentence Mr. Jiang said about the future has been fulfilled now. It has come true. If Japan’s gold and silver mountains have also come true, does that mean that today Mr. Jiang said that the Jurchens will rule China again, and that this is what will happen in the future?”

"...This, this is simply unbelievable!" Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but sigh.

"Whether it is true or not, if Japan's gold and silver mines are verified, then treat this matter as true."

"General Gu."

"I'm here." Gu Cheng stood up and saluted.

Zhu Di also stood up, put his hands behind his back and said proudly: "If Cao Guogong's envoy comes back from Japan in a month or two and brings back precise news about the gold and silver mountains, then the plan to annihilate the Jurchens in Liaodong's capital must be put forward. Set the schedule and carry it out vigorously and resolutely!”

"How far does Your Majesty mean to achieve it?" Gu Cheng habitually confirmed the plan.

Zhu Di's words were resounding.

“Plow its garden!”

"Sweep his hole!"

"Destroy its species!"

Gu Cheng took a breath of cold air, this meant completely wiping out all the Jurchens.

It is indeed in line with Zhu Di's character. Either don't do it or do it absolutely.

Zhu Di said enthusiastically.

"The late Emperor raised troops to fight against the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty. Until he drove the Mongols out of the Central Plains, tens of thousands of generals and soldiers were killed and wounded, and nearly eight million civilians suffered military disasters. However, these were all for the long-term peace and stability of the Ming Dynasty and for the sake of the Central Plains. The Han people have a place to stand! Now that the Jurchens may rise again and harm the Han people, why should I ignore it? If the Jurchens are really allowed to continue hiding in the mountains, the shame of Jingkang will really happen again. The common people in the Central Plains will lose their peace forever! Even if I go underground, I will never forgive myself!"

"Therefore, I do not want to see any people displaced or their families separated from their families, and I will not allow any city to be destroyed."

"Jurchens can only be crushed into powder!"

This is really a big fight, or in other words, this is the first large-scale battle after the Battle of Jingnan.

But it's no wonder that the emperor takes this matter so seriously. After all, any emperor of the Han family will let it go if he hears that the world he rules will be ruled by a foreign race in the future. However, this foreign race is still very weak at the moment.

After all, in this kind of thing, you can only kill the wrong person and not let him go.

What's more, an emperor like Zhu Di, and the Ming Dynasty, a dynasty that expelled the Tartars?

It is simply impossible for Zhu Di to allow foreigners to rule China again!

After all, wasn't it because Zhu Di planned to conquer Mobei because he was afraid of raising tigers? After the Mongols recuperated and became bigger again, he had the ambition to invade the Central Plains?

Moreover, don't really think that Zhu Di is worrying unfoundedly.

You must know that since the Mongols conquered most of the known world, several Mongol khanates have spread out everywhere. It has been hundreds of years now.

In fact, except for the Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang, it overthrew the rule of the Mongols.

At the current point of time, in other parts of the world, such as in Central Asia, there is still the Timurid Khanate with extremely terrifying military power established by the Turkic Mongols; and this year the Northern Yuan Dynasty has just formally perished, and the splintered Oara, To the west of the Tatars and other tribes was another large country thousands of miles away, the Kipchak (Golden Horde) Khanate.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty is still very serious in facing the threat of alien races and cannot be optimistic.

And now Jiang Xinghuo told him that the next alien race to rule China was not the Mongols, but the Jurchens.

Zhu Di breathed a sigh of relief instead.

After all, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to theoretically eliminate the Mongols, it would have to first wipe out the Oara and Tatars, then go west to destroy the Timur Khanate, and then continue to the west to destroy the Golden Horde.

The theoretical difficulty of this theory can be said to be infinite. After all, the Ming army has to rely on logistics.

But if it were just the descendants of the Jurchens from the Jin Kingdom who now huddle in the mountains and make a living by fishing and hunting, then things would be much easier to handle.

If you think about it carefully, this matter is quite simple. After all, how can it be more difficult to deal with the Jurchens with elites from hundreds of battles?

And if done well, it can be called nip in the bud.

But Gu Cheng felt that such a decision was too hasty, but he had nothing to say - although he did not think Jiang Xinghuo had the ability to predict the future, he also felt that it would not be difficult to crush the Jurchens into powder. It is possible to protect the safety of the Han family with such a low-cost thing, so it is worth a try.

There are three dates but no dates.

Gu Cheng just suggested from the perspective of a chief of staff: "It's already September now, and when Cao Guogong comes back from Japan, it will be November. At that time, the weather in Liaodong is bitterly cold and heavy snow has closed the mountains. It's not that our soldiers can't stand the cold, but The mountainous terrain is slippery. Once a large army is dispatched, it will be difficult for the civilian auxiliary soldiers who are transporting food and supplies to keep up, and the loss rate will be extremely high. It is better to wait until the snow melts in spring before sending out troops."

"It makes sense." Zhu Di pondered for a moment and suddenly said: "Old General Gu, we can postpone the dispatch of troops until spring next year. In any case, it is unnecessary to brave the snow into the mountains, and the Jurchens are not I know that I intend to completely obliterate them, but I have to take action now. Most of the generals who can fight are now in Nanjing. I have to work hard to return to Peiping after General Gu has reported his duties and personally mobilize troops and horses to take command to carry out this matter."

Gu Cheng nodded and said: "Your Majesty, it is winter now. Most of the Jurchens are still hiding from the wind and snow, and it is not easy to find them in the mountains. If we attack rashly at this time, it is easy for fish to slip through the net. And when spring comes next year, the flowers will bloom. The Jurchens will naturally come out of the mountain, and it will be safe to attack again at that time."

As for taking command to exterminate the Jurchens, in fact, this was the first time he truly set foot on the battlefield since Zhending was captured by Zhu Di.

The task he performed was to deal with barbarian tribes that he was familiar with.

During the Hongwu era, as General Zhennan, he guarded Guizhou for twenty years, killing the chieftains who did not know how to rise up and attack. This kind of military experience in mountain warfare can be said to be extremely rich.

When he returned to Nanjing this time, Gu Cheng's original intention was to apply to return to Guizhou to guard again.

But now that he has a similar mission, the old general doesn't mind going there himself.

"In addition, after wiping out the Jurchens, General Gu can take the opportunity to send troops to North Korea to intimidate them. I will also send envoys to Li's North Korea to retrieve Jeju Island, so that they will not have any wrong ideas during the Ming Dynasty's conquest of Japan, and at the same time bear their responsibilities. After all, the Ming Dynasty has no experience in transporting supplies across the sea from Dengzhou or Ningbo, and Jeju Island is very close to North Korea. Now it is time for North Korea to make some contributions to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di's military plan has been completely formed.