jdhmnovel Chapter 486 Serving the Surname Wholeheartedly
Chapter 486 Serving the Surname Wholeheartedly
Throughout history, there have been many capable armies.
Wei Wuzu, Trapped Camp, Northern Army, White-Robed Army, Black-Armored Army, Yue Family Army.
Emperor Zhu could easily come up with several exceptionally capable armies with just a little thought.
Even when facing heavy casualties, these armies were able to fight to the death and not retreat.
However, as that scoundrel said, "We would rather starve to death than steal the people's food, freeze to death than demolish the people's houses, and our army is so strong that it cannot be dragged down or scattered. Even if more than half of our soldiers are killed or wounded, or even if we fight to the last man, we will still fight to the death and never retreat." Among these armies, only Yue Fei's army can barely be considered to meet the standard.
but.
This army is called Yue Family Army.
Once an army is named after its commander, no matter how brave and skilled it is, it will not be considered a good army by the emperor.
Or to put it more bluntly: strict military discipline and sufficient provisions—if these two requirements are met, it's not difficult to build an army like Yue Fei's.
In particular, the Trapped Camp was even stronger than Yue Fei's army in terms of charging into battle and fighting to the death.
What's truly rare is being able to meet all the standards that bastard mentioned.
What Emperor Zhu dared not even dream of was having all his troops reach this standard.
This is something that can't be achieved simply by maintaining strict military discipline and having sufficient food supplies.
However, after glancing at Emperor Zhu discreetly, Yang Shaofeng cupped his hands and said, "If Father-in-law desires a strong army, although I am not talented, I am capable of training one."
Although I don't seek a deep understanding when I read books, and I only skim through books like "Militia Training Manual," I still retain some impressions no matter how superficially I skim through them.
Based on his three military training experiences during junior high, high school, and university, plus the content from TV dramas and short videos in later generations, Yang Shaofeng was confident that he could train a strong army.
However, after glancing at Yang Shaofeng, Emperor Zhu said, "What we want is the kind of iron army you just mentioned, the kind that would rather starve than steal food from the people, rather freeze to death than demolish their houses, an iron army that cannot be worn down or scattered, and that would fight to the death even if only one person remained."
Yang Shaofeng immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Not easy.
I started preparing this trap the day I was conscripted in the first year of the Hongwu reign, and now this old ant has finally taken the bait!
However, once you, Old Deng, take the bait, the rest will be much easier.
Yang Shaofeng bowed to Emperor Zhu again and said, "I have one last question."
Emperor Zhu hummed in agreement and said, "Go ahead and ask."
Yang Shaofeng said, "May I ask, Father-in-law, if the Ming army were truly to be able to starve to death rather than rob the people of their food, freeze to death rather than demolish their houses, be able to withstand both the delay and the defeat, and fight to the death even if only one person remains, to whom would you hope this army would serve?"
Emperor Zhu was slightly taken aback. He looked Yang Shaofeng up and down, frowned, and said, "Whom should he be loyal to? Shouldn't he be loyal to me, the emperor, and to the Ming Dynasty?"
Yang Shaofeng smiled and said, "Father-in-law, you are wise and powerful, and you love the people. I am completely convinced."
"Your Highness was taught by your father-in-law from a young age, and can be described as wise, brave, and benevolent towards the people."
"But how can my father-in-law guarantee that future generations of his descendants will all be wise, powerful, and benevolent emperors?"
Emperor Zhu was slightly angered, but Yang Shaofeng added, "Or rather, how can Father-in-law guarantee that future generations will firmly grasp military power?"
Emperor Zhu was stunned once again.
Can you guarantee that?
No.
The phrase "Long live the emperor!" is a lie.
It's a lie to say that an emperor never makes a mistake in his entire life.
Some descendants will be successful, while others will inevitably be unsuccessful.
There have been many emperors in history who were more powerful than Zhu Chongba, but none of them had descendants who were wise and benevolent towards the people.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhu's anger dissipated, and he reached out and patted Yang Shaofeng on the shoulder.
"You bastard, stop saying those things in the future."
“Tell us, we can listen.”
“You can talk to Biao’er, and Biao’er will understand.”
"But we really can't guarantee that our descendants will listen to these words."
"Especially in the imperial court, your words have offended more than just one or two people."
"It could easily lead to your death."
After giving Yang Shaofeng a few words of advice, Emperor Zhu stared intently at Yang Shaofeng and asked, "Tell us everything clearly, whether it's pleasant or unpleasant, we'll listen."
Yang Shaofeng gritted his teeth and said, "What if this army were not loyal to the emperor, but to the Ming Dynasty and its people? What would Your Majesty think?"
Upon hearing Yang Shaofeng address His Majesty as "Your Majesty," Emperor Zhu first frowned slightly, then fell into deep thought.
Addressing the emperor as "Your Majesty" instead of "Father-in-law" signifies temporarily setting aside the roles of father-in-law and son-in-law, thus making it a proper audience.
After careful consideration, Emperor Zhu said in a deep voice, "We are one with the Ming Dynasty. The people of the Ming Dynasty are our subjects, and we are the sovereign and father of the people of the Ming Dynasty. Since the army you mentioned is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and its people, it is naturally also loyal to us."
“If future generations are not virtuous and wise, and lose their power, or if powerful ministers are in court, then the army you mentioned will be the last line of defense to protect the country and the people. When there is no other way, it may not be impossible to remove the corrupt ministers from the court.”
After a long silence, Emperor Zhu finally let out a long sigh and said, "If we really reach the end of our rope..."
Emperor Zhu closed his eyes, his hands clenched so tightly that the backs of his fingers and knuckles turned white.
"When that time comes, future generations will surely lose the hearts of the people, the world will be in turmoil, and the people will suffer."
Emperor Zhu opened his eyes and suddenly said resolutely, "If the army you speak of can protect the people of this world, my Zhu family will die a good death. If we cannot die a good death, we should shed our last drop of blood for the people of this world to atone for our sins, and also... also to repay the people's kindness in supporting us."
Yang Shaofeng stared intently at Emperor Zhu for a long while before bowing deeply to him with his hands clasped in front of him.
"I am not very capable and dare not mention your name, Master, nor do I have the face to call myself your disciple. However, you once said: 'From the people, to the people, serve the people wholeheartedly.'"
"These words are indeed true."
"Even the strongest Wei infantry, the Trapped Camp, the Black Armor Army, and the Yue Family Army cannot defeat the soldiers of the common people."
Emperor Zhu looked at Yang Shaofeng quietly for a while before reaching out to help him up.
"Serving the people wholeheartedly."
"Emperors throughout history may not have been unaware of the relationship between the emperor and the people; the sayings of fish and water, or water and boat, all illustrate this."
"Yet no one has ever said they serve the people."
"That's well said, very well said."
"With just this one sentence, the teacher you mentioned is worthy of being a role model for all ages."
At this point, Emperor Zhu sighed softly again: "It is because I am unfortunate and have little fate that I cannot meet the teacher you mentioned."
"However, we've taken note of what you said."