Such a War God

Zhu Wanning took Ying Shiman and Li Lizhi out of the palace, heading to the night market of Yingtian Prefecture for some fun.

As for Qin Ning, he was left idle at Zhu Yuanzhang’s place.

Zhu Yuanzhang had someone bring over tables and chairs, set out melon seeds and peanuts, and fetched a few bottles of cold beer from Empress Ma’s refrigerator in Kunming Palace, joining Qin Ning for a drink.

Watching a group of ministers not far away—each having received a bicycle and now practicing riding on the open space in front of Fengtian Hall—Qin Ning couldn’t help but say, “Old Zhu, the electricity in Yingtian City should be stable and sufficient by now. You could actually give them all electric bikes. Why stick to these pedal bicycles?”

“I’m just thinking of letting them get some exercise,” Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled.

Electric bikes would indeed save a lot of effort, but Zhu Yuanzhang simply couldn’t stand seeing these officials too comfortable.

The roads of Yingtian Prefecture weren’t as smooth as one might imagine. Riding a pedal bicycle was actually quite strenuous, so he treated it as a way to keep the ministers fit.

Just then, Empress Ma walked over carrying a plate of sliced fruit and sat down nearby.

“Master, could you tell us about the history of the Ming Dynasty from now on?”

Empress Ma spoke, “If you hadn’t appeared, what would have happened in Ming’s normal history? What events came afterward?”

“If you’re interested, I don’t mind telling you,” Qin Ning nodded with a smile, then took a sip of cold beer before continuing. “Where did we leave off last time?”

“We got to the part where that brat Zhu Yunwen stripped the princes of their power, forced Old Fourth to launch the Jingnan Campaign, and ultimately succeeded in seizing the throne,” Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Whenever he spoke of Zhu Yunwen, he still felt a bit unsettled.

He simply couldn’t figure out how blind he must have been in his later years to pass the throne to such a person.

But Zhu Yuanzhang had already asked Qin Ning to look into it before. Many later generations speculated that Lady Lü had profited from it all, that she was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

However, that wasn’t the case—unofficial histories were just that.

Lady Lü had no malicious intent; if the Jinyiwei couldn’t uncover it, so be it. But if Qin Ning had calculated it, there could be no mistake.

That’s why Zhu Yuanzhang hadn’t taken action against Zhu Yunwen and Lady Lü.

Qin Ning said, “I’ve already told you about Zhu Di’s achievements—five campaigns into the northern deserts, reaching Wolf Mountain in a triumphant hunt, compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia, and the seven voyages to the Western Seas. So today, let’s talk about the next emperor of Ming after Zhu Di: Ming Renzong, Zhu Gaochi.”

Empress Ma remarked, “Oh? So it’s that child Gaochi?”

Succession followed the principle of eldest son by the principal wife.

Zhu Gaochi was Zhu Di’s eldest legitimate son and the Heir of the Prince of Yan.

If nothing unexpected happened, he indeed should have inherited the throne. This didn’t surprise Zhu Yuanzhang or Empress Ma at all.

“Renzong... it seems Gaochi will be a good emperor,” Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Throughout history, only a handful of emperors had earned the title “Renzong” (Benevolent Sovereign).

“Yes, he was indeed a good emperor, but unfortunately, he died too young,” Qin Ning said.

“Died too young?”

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma both frowned. “Master, do you mean Gaochi only reigned for ten years?”

“Ten years?” Qin Ning let out a faint laugh and shook his head. “Ten months.”

“Ten... months?”

“Master, are you saying Gaochi... only ruled for ten months? How is that possible?”

Zhu Yuanzhang felt utterly awful.

How could it be that his Zhu family finally produced a Renzong, yet he was so short-lived?

A mere ten months on the throne.

It was hard for Zhu Yuanzhang to accept.

“In the second year of Yongle, Zhu Gaochi was appointed Crown Prince. From then until the twenty-second year of Yongle, he served as Crown Prince for twenty years. During that time, he acted as regent six times. Though his younger brother Zhu Gaoxu repeatedly challenged him, his benevolence and steadiness solidified his position.”

“Actually, Zhu Gaochi was a bit like Zhu Biao—both were exhausted to death. But the difference is that, aside from exhaustion, Zhu Gaochi also suffered from severe obesity.”

“What? Gaochi was also exhausted to death?” Zhu Yuanzhang grew angry.

“What the hell was Old Fourth thinking? Didn’t he know how his own elder brother died? With such a clear lesson in front of him, how could he be so foolish?”

“Zhu Chongba, how dare you say such a thing?” Empress Ma scolded, shooting a glare at Zhu Yuanzhang, instantly making him docile.

Qin Ning continued, “Actually, you have to blame it all on Old Zhu.”

“What? How is it my fault?” Zhu Yuanzhang protested.

“As the saying goes, during the Hongwu reign, even a dog wouldn’t want to be an official. The blame falls on you for killing too harshly. Especially to pave the way for Jianwen’s ascension, you slaughtered countless meritorious officials, which indirectly left both the Jianwen and Yongle reigns without capable men.”

“Why did Zhu Di personally lead five campaigns into the north? Wasn’t it because by then, all the capable Ming generals had been killed by you? So he had no choice but to lead the army himself.”

“And when the emperor leads the army himself, naturally the Crown Prince has to act as regent in the rear. Think about it—Zhu Gaochi was obese and already in poor health. With all those affairs to handle, how could he not be exhausted to the point of collapse?” Qin Ning explained.

“That’s not right, Master. How could Ming have no one available?”

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, “I remember you mentioned before that Jiujiang was our Ming Dynasty’s war god and the top contributor in the Jingnan Campaign. Why didn’t Old Fourth put him in command?”

“Ah, well...”

Qin Ning laughed. “You’ve misunderstood. The term ‘Ming war god’ is actually sarcastic.”

“During the Jingnan Campaign, Emperor Jianwen sent Li Jinglong north multiple times to attack Zhu Di, but he failed every time. He even boasted a glorious record of leading 500,000 troops against Zhu Di’s 50,000 and suffering a crushing defeat.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded.

Qin Ning continued, “But Emperor Jianwen still trusted him unconditionally. Li Jinglong lost battle after battle, yet kept fighting. Eventually, when Zhu Di reached the gates of Yingtian, Li Jinglong teamed up with the Prince of Gu, Zhu Hui, and opened the city gates to welcome Zhu Di’s army inside.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nearly spat blood.

So that was his “Ming war god.”

No wonder he was called the top contributor in the Jingnan Campaign.

When it came to rewarding merit, if Li Jinglong came second, who would dare claim first?

Empress Ma, however, had her own thoughts. “From what you say, Master, I don’t think Jiujiang was incompetent. It seems more like he was deliberately letting Old Fourth win?”

Qin Ning nodded, “Many later generations do think so, including Zhu Di himself. Because Li Jinglong voluntarily opened the gates to let the Yan army into Nanjing, Zhu Di honored him as the ‘first merit of Jingnan,’ appointing him as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and Left Pillar of the State, placing him at the head of all officials.”

“But in the court—and you understand this better than I—Li Jinglong was forever stained with the mark of betraying Jianwen. Later, officials impeached him, and Zhu Di had no choice but to strip him of his title and confine him, denying him any real power.”

“Thus, every time the northern campaign came, Zhu Di had to ride into battle himself, leaving the Crown Prince to handle the regency.”