Chapter 27: The Jurchen Are the Greatest Threat

By the time they arrived, Zhu Yuanzhang was already seated firmly upon the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, please forgive this old minister for being late!" Li Shanchang bowed, offering his apologies.

"Enough! Rise!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was the one who had sent for him, so how could he possibly blame him? He waved his hand, signaling him to return to his place.

Zhu Xiongying scanned the room, but there was truly no place for him. Sitting on the dragon throne itself just didn't seem right. He ran over to the steps leading up to the throne and plopped himself down, resting his chin on his hands, waiting for the system to issue his reward.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and beckoned, "Grandson, come here to me!"

The little one didn't even think about it before refusing, "No thanks! I'd rather wait until you and Father have passed on before I sit there. By then, it will be rightfully mine, and no one will dare say a word!"

The faces of Zhu Yuanzhang and his son darkened. In this boy's words, they seemed to die a little every single day! Fortunately, they were getting used to it by now.

Li Shanchang, upon hearing this, wished he could bury his head in his chest. The Grand Heir’s words were clearly pointed—he was obviously talking about him!

"Haha! My good grandson, come on over. It's perfectly proper for you to sit there now! This throne will be yours sooner or later anyway."

"Not going! I'd rather just be a little background character today!"

The truth was, sitting on the steps allowed him to sneak a nap. If he sat on the dragon throne, the officials would be watching his every move. If he fell asleep and started snoring, those ministers would surely start chirping and complaining again! It was too annoying.

"Well... fine then!" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't sway him, so he let it be. "If any of you ministers have matters to report, speak now. Otherwise, the court is dismissed!"

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Reward: Gunpowder Manufacturing Method!]

Following that perennial opening line, the system reward for Zhu Xiongying arrived. He closed his eyes slightly and began to contemplate the proportions for gunpowder. It was as if a movie were playing in his mind; the characteristics of various raw materials and their geographical locations all appeared. Following that, the manufacturing requirements and detailed ratios were all laid out, ending with various application scenarios and safety precautions. It seemed simple, but the actual content was quite substantial—he would have to study it carefully later.

By the time he came to his senses, a general from the Ministry of War was reporting, "Your Majesty, I believe that with the planting of high-yield crops, our Great Ming should prepare for a campaign against the Tatars in the north!"

Another military commander stepped forward, "I second that! The flooding in Henan Prefecture this year did not cause much impact. Once the weather is favorable next year, we should indeed deal with those fellows in the north to prevent them from remaining stubborn and constantly coveting our Central Plains land!"

"Hmm." Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and nodded.

War between nations was not like a street fight where you just call a few people and start brawling. They had to prepare grain, horses, weapons, equipment, and train the troops. Only after everything was ready could they send out the army; otherwise, it would just be throwing lives away. Therefore, the preparations alone took a long time.

"I agree! Those Tatars are always lurking around; we should annihilate them completely!"

"Exactly! Once our Ming granaries are full, it's time to show them who we are!"

"Right...!" Many officials stepped forward to support the proposal.

"Oh, give it a rest!"

Just as the excitement was peaking and everyone was itching to charge off to battle the Tatars, a clear, ethereal voice echoed through the great hall. This time, no one felt suspicious; instead, they all turned their eyes in unison toward the little boy sitting on the steps.

"Why is everyone looking at me?"

Zhu Xiongying hadn't wanted to get involved in court affairs to avoid being dragged to morning court by Old Zhu every day, but he couldn't help himself. Now, he had attracted all this attention.

"May I ask, Your Highness, what is your profound insight regarding the war against the Tatars next year?" the first general to propose the northern campaign asked, his tone clearly showing a hint of displeasure.

"I... don't have any profound insights!" Zhu Xiongying replied evasively, not wanting to say more. That previous comment had been a slip of the tongue.

"Grandson! Tell us, is there something wrong with attacking the Tatars at this time?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked nervously.

"The attack itself isn't wrong; it's just the wrong direction!"

"Wrong direction...?" Zhu Yuanzhang was bewildered. "What do you mean?"

Since it had come to this, he had to explain. The little one stood up, bowed to Old Zhu on the throne, and continued, "The Tatars live on the grasslands and are already at odds with the Oirat. Plus, there are so many factions on the steppe, none of whom submit to the others. They cannot form a single force and will never become a major threat."

Old Zhu thought about it and realized that was indeed the case. "Then, where does my grandson think the Ming should focus its target?"

"The Jurchens in the Northeast!"

Before the little one had even finished speaking, the officials in the court began to murmur.

"The Jurchens? How much land do the Jurchens even have?"

"That's right! With their meager military strength, they won't amount to anything!"

"Indeed! We should deal with the Tatars and the Oirat first! That would also act as a deterrent to the Jurchen tribes!"

"Exactly...!"

Even though Zhu Xiongying had identified the target, the ministers didn't take it seriously. He understood why. The Jurchens didn't have much territory now, nor had they shown any ambition. But two hundred years later, things would be entirely different.

"Grandfather, although the Mongols are currently divided into tribes, the Jurchens will continue to grow over the next two hundred years. By using methods of coercion and alliance, they will eventually unify the Oirat, the Tatars, and other tribes to invade the Central Plains!"

The little one spoke with a solemn face, briefly outlining what would happen in the future. However, he did not reveal the fact that the Ming Dynasty only had two hundred years of vitality left. If he said that, many ministers might start to waver, thinking that since the Ming wouldn't last long anyway, they might as well scrape together what they could for their own families and prepare for the dynasty's collapse. Once hearts were divided, no one could keep the throne secure. Besides, with his arrival, history was bound to change. The Ming Dynasty would certainly last much longer than two hundred years!

"What? That puny little Jurchen tribe can actually unify the Oirat, the Tatars, and all the Mongol tribes?"

"Hiss... two hundred years is a long time, but I suppose it's not impossible!"

"If they are truly unified, wouldn't invading our Central Plains be just a matter of time?"

"The cavalry of the Mongols and Jurchens are famous. Once unified, their power will increase significantly, and our Central Plains soldiers would find it very hard to resist!"

"Indeed! Once unified, they would form an encirclement around our Central Plains, which is extremely disadvantageous...!"

The officials felt a chill run down their spines as they listened.

"My good grandson! Did the old immortal tell you all of this?" Zhu Yuanzhang's hands were slightly clenched, his face already showing a warlike spirit. As long as Zhu Xiongying nodded, the target of the campaign would definitely shift from the Tatars to the Jurchens!

"That's right! Otherwise, how would I know all this?" The little one nodded firmly.

"Good! The next place our Ming will attack is the land of the Jurchens!"

As expected, Zhu Yuanzhang made the decision on the spot. The next order of business was to prepare grain and train the troops. Like the Oirat, the Jurchens were sturdy in build and skilled in mounted archery. To ensure victory, the soldiers had to be trained well.