The people in the collapsing iron gave the immortal ship a small shock from the Holy Lord.

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"You don't think you're wrong, you just think you're going to die. We won't kill our own grandson, but taking your position as crown prince would be the worst thing we can do."

“You are too foolish. I originally thought you could be educated and become a decent vassal king, but now it seems that what the immortal said about the future is indeed true. Your words and actions have completely exposed that you are a monarch who cannot lead the Ming Dynasty to a bright future.”

Chapter 594: The Torture of Old Zhu Begins

"Grandpa, I can change all of these things. Please trust me, please trust me!"

Zhu Yunwen kept repeating this sentence as if he were going crazy.

Old Zhu lowered his head, looked at his grandson whose eyes were red, sighed, and became even more determined to abolish the other's status as crown prince.

All they can do is throw tantrums and act recklessly, but they can't produce any achievements to prove they are indispensable.

I guess I was too biased towards my family before.

“My mind is made up about this matter, Yunwen. I believe you can also become a wealthy man.”

Zhu Yunwen is now slumped on the ground, his eyes vacant.

He never expected that in such a short time, his entire identity would undergo a complete transformation.

He went from being a high-ranking crown prince to a commoner.

This immense shock left him speechless.

Old Zhu sighed and looked at Bai Zhi, "Immortal, now that Yunwen has been deposed, we must consider a new crown prince. You told me that in the future, the fourth prince will lead the campaign to quell the rebellion, enter the capital, and become the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di broke out in a cold sweat. He now understood why his father had made him kneel.

In the future, he actually usurped the throne.

"Father...I..."

Zhu Di hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but was immediately interrupted by his father.

"As the immortal said, you had no choice back then, which we can understand."

Although he was very dissatisfied with Zhu Di's usurpation of the throne, Zhu Di could still understand his actions; it was just that his unlucky grandson was too inhuman.

Otherwise, out of respect for their deceased ancestors, the vassal kings would never have retaliated in this way, but would have followed his plan to defend the border.

"Thank you dad."

Zhu Di breathed a sigh of relief; he was genuinely afraid that his father would get angry and whip him.

"Do you know that before you came here, I asked the Immortal a question: if Yunwen is deposed, who is more suitable to be the Crown Prince?"

"Whoever it is, as long as it is Father's choice, I will obey."

Zhu Di spoke cautiously, not daring to recommend himself for fear of angering his father.

Moreover, he was actually more interested in being a general than an emperor.

If one day he could achieve the same feat as Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion, sealing the wolf's lair and residing in the Xu, he would feel that his life would be fulfilled.

"Heh, you're so modest now. Why didn't you think this way when you ascended the throne?"

Zhu Di lowered his head, not daring to speak; he had no way to respond.

"The immortal said you are the first emperor to achieve the Fenglangjuxu feat. Fourth brother, you are quite capable."

"Really?"

Zhu Di immediately perked up.

He never imagined that he could achieve such success after usurping the throne; it's truly inspiring.

"However, the immortal only told us this one thing; he has not yet explained the others."

"Since you've asked, I'll tell you. Besides moving the capital, we also militarily occupied Annam, actively managed the frontier, established many provincial administration offices, severely damaged the strength of the Tatars and Oirats, reduced their raids on the Ming Dynasty, and brought temporary stability to the lives of the people of the northern ethnic groups."

"Annam? That place must be quite costly to control, right?"

Old Zhu frowned. That place had a natural barrier from the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and it could easily split apart. Controlling it would probably cost a lot of resources, and he didn't know if it was worth it.

"Indeed, the cost of controlling it was very high, so much so that later emperors lost this land, which was a great pity for people in later generations."

"What you're saying, Immortal... could it be that there's something worth noting in that barren land?"

He could understand the reasons for conquering Annam, as it was a frontier region. Bringing it into the territory would resolve the instability it brought. However, he did not think it would bring much economic benefit. On the contrary, he believed that ruling it would require a lot of money and resources.

This may be why later emperors gave up on it.

But why do later generations feel regret about this?

"Because it is a natural harbor with access to the sea, it is very convenient for both fishing and trade."

"Oh, here's something I should mention: in the future, maritime trade will be a symbol of a nation's strength. Through the ocean, a country can exchange its resources for gold, silver, or other things it desperately needs in other countries."

"One thing I particularly admire about Zhu Di is that he initiated the voyages to the Western Ocean. The only pity is that the main purpose was to demonstrate the national strength and cultural exchange of the Ming Dynasty. In fact, focusing on maritime trade and exploring trade routes would have been a better choice."

"Thank you for your praise, Immortal!!"

Zhu Di responded with great excitement.

To be praised so highly by an immortal made him feel incredibly happy.

"You little rascal, hehe."

Old Zhu smiled too. He felt proud to be a father when his son received such recognition.

"But are those overseas countries really that important?"

Old Zhu seemed somewhat skeptical, mainly because many countries had come to pay tribute, and they seemed to be no match for the Ming Dynasty.

They all looked quite poor.

Many princes from other countries, after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, were unwilling to return to their own countries.

Can a country like this make money through maritime trade?

"Of course, although the Ming Dynasty was very strong, its internal digestion capacity was limited. Civilization should not be complacent and should go out. Moreover, in the later period of the Ming Dynasty, countless merchants made a fortune through maritime trade, while the imperial court was poor to the bone."

Bai Zhi patiently explained that Lao Zhu's reaction was normal; people cannot be aware of things beyond their understanding, nor can they earn money beyond their understanding.

"When your Great Ming Dynasty fell, the emperor was so poor that he had to patch up his dragon. Meanwhile, the officials below him were tortured by peasant rebels to extract 70 million taels of silver. Much of this was contributed by merchants engaged in maritime trade and other industries."

"hiss!!"

Old Zhu gasped in shock. Seventy million taels of silver—that was equivalent to many years of his tax revenue!

"Wait, when the Ming Dynasty fell??"

Old Zhu was first shocked by the wealth of merchants in later generations, and then he discovered a blind spot in Bai Zhi's words.

"What, do you still think your Ming Dynasty can last for a thousand generations? There are no immortal dynasties in the world. Your Ming Dynasty only lasted for less than 300 years and had 16 emperors."

"It all started with a bowl, which built this vast empire, but ended with Zhu Youjian hanging himself from a tree with a rope."

"Only 16 emperors??"

"How could my Great Ming Dynasty have only had 16 emperors and been destroyed in less than 300 years? I clearly established so many perfect systems, and raising a million soldiers didn't cost the people a single grain of rice. With so many soldiers, how could it possibly be destroyed..."

Chapter 595 Who is Emperor Chengzu of Ming?

Zhu Yuanzhang certainly didn't think the Ming Dynasty could last for a thousand generations, but in his estimation, the Ming Dynasty would last at least a thousand years.

But now, Bai Zhi tells him that the dynasty he created only lasted for less than 300 years.

Keep in mind that the Song Dynasty, whose territory was not even as large as the Ming Dynasty, lasted for 319 years in total.

Doesn't this imply that the empire he founded was inferior to even the Song Dynasty?

"Your so-called military settlement system sounds pretty good. A million soldiers don't cost the court a single grain of rice. It sounds pretty good, but you probably haven't thought about how the military households stationed there generation after generation are any different from ordinary farmers."

"Oh, no, maybe they're not even as good as ordinary farmers."

Bai Zhi thought for a moment and said with a smile.

It's absurd to not pay people wages, make them farm to support themselves, and then require them to serve in the military.

"But...we allocated land to military households, shouldn't they fight to protect their land?"

Old Zhu was full of doubts. He had given the military households a lot of land, far more than ordinary farmers. Moreover, in the border areas, military households usually only engaged in agricultural production with two-thirds of their land and military defense with the remaining one-third.

This ensures both the smooth operation of military production and the security of the guarded area.

The status of these military households was hereditary, which enabled them to serve the country well and stabilize the quantity and quality of the army.

Land was the natural property of military households, and they would fight to the death to protect their property.

Doesn't this system sound like a sure way for the Ming Dynasty to win? How could it be worthless?

Bai Zhi sighed, "Let me put it this way. For example, your Zhu family's ancestor was a military household who was allocated 50 mu of land. That sounds like a lot, so you could be considered a small landlord, right?"

Old Zhu nodded. He was quite generous to the troops below him, generally all of them had at least 50 mu of land. There might be less good land, but it was still enough to be considered a small landowner's land.

Moreover, it seems that the military households in various places are quite capable in combat, and the imperial court doesn't even need to spend any money on them. He's making a killing.

"So your ancestor had four children. Besides the eldest son who inherited the title, the other children also needed to eat, right?"

Old Zhu frowned, as if he realized something was wrong.

"So, let's say the eldest son gets 35 mu (about 2 hectares), which is most of the land, and the other three get the remaining small portion. Is that alright?"

Old Zhu nodded somewhat reluctantly. There was nothing wrong with what he said. Although the eldest son usually takes the majority of the property, the other children should still receive some financial support.

After all, in those days, it was very difficult to survive without land.

Parents cannot watch their children starve to death.

"So here's the problem: if so much arable land is lost in one generation, what happens after several more generations? Unless that military household only has one child per generation, the land he owns will only decrease."

"In your time, Zhu Yuanzhang, military households owned quite a lot of land and were quite disciplined, but after a few generations, well..."

Old Zhu fell silent for a moment; it was a simple math problem.

Moreover, although strictly speaking, military households' land could not be privately divided, Old Zhu was not stupid. He knew that although these lands could not be truly divided, it did not prohibit them from being cultivated together with their families. In effect, the land was divided away, and it was basically wishful thinking for the descendants of the eldest son to try to take it back.

"After many generations, the land in the hands of the military households became pitifully small. Coupled with internal annexation and the fact that the imperial court didn't pay them wages, how could you expect them to risk their lives for your Zhu family?"

"When the enemy comes, if they shout a few words for the Ming Dynasty, that will be enough to repay you."

Seeing his father's silent expression, Zhu Di was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe.

Only Bai Zhi Shangxian would dare to so casually poke at her own father's heart.

"We were wrong...sigh."

Old Zhu said with some pain that he was originally very proud of this, thinking he was a genius for getting so many soldiers for free.

But now, after Bai Zhi explained it to him, he understood the fatal problem: this thing was a time bomb, and the longer it went on, the greater the explosive force would be.

"Besides this, there's also the issue of your enfeoffment. Have you considered how much food the vassal kings and their relatives can eat?"

"Relatives...Immortal, how many of them are there? How could my great Ming Dynasty possibly be unable to support them?"

Old Zhu instinctively began to refute. He was a person who valued family extremely highly. His children and relatives had to be well-fed and clothed, which was his Achilles' heel.

Bai Zhiwei shook her head slightly, "Old Zhu, do you know that in the past, with the endless population growth, we also experienced famine?"

"How is this possible? This is the Immortal Realm! Famine and all that..."

Old Zhu looked incredulous. Couldn't the immortal just wave his hand and fill the granaries with grain and turn stones into gold?

It's just a little grain, what's the big deal?

"What if the population is in the hundreds of billions?"

Bai Zhi said softly.

"A hundred billion people?!"

Old Zhu was dumbfounded, shocked by the number. After the Tang Dynasty, "yi" was used to mean ten thousand, so Old Zhu knew very well how enormous this number was.

With such a huge population, how much food must they eat?

It's likely that even one person urinating could flood his palace.

"Old Zhu, immortals also fall in love, get married and have children. Not all of these offspring are as powerful as me. At most, they can live for nearly a thousand years and do not age."

"Although you can live without food, I'm sure you've experienced what it's like to be hungry."

Bai Zhi thought for a moment, took out her phone, and found some compulsory education materials for Xianzhou. These were all publicly available within Xianzhou and could be found at will.