For many people, maritime trade is something that deserves great attention. It is indeed related to the interests of many people and is of course worthy of attention.

On the surface, although the Crown Prince was determined not to bring the Maritime Customs Office under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, this meant that it would be difficult for the civil service system to completely control this source of revenue, which made many civil servants feel dissatisfied.

But they have no better solution. Fortunately, maritime trade can serve the country and the people.

Most of the financial resources still have to go to the Ministry of Households, which is a good thing. As for the royal family, clan members and the Five Military Commands, they all have to take a share, which is naturally something that can only be accepted.

Making the pie bigger is one thing, but on the other hand, we naturally have to consider bringing more interest groups into this matter. This is not only for checks and balances, but also to make everyone work harder.

It was rare for the veteran general Fu Youde to be summoned. Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Duke Ying, how are you these days?"

Fu Youde replied respectfully, "Your Highness, please understand. Although I am old, I am still in good health and have no illness."

He is still unwilling to accept his old age. This veteran has always been like this. Even though the emperor and the crown prince have successively indicated that the Duke of Ying can be retired with honors, Fu Youde still looks unwilling.

But there is no need to worry. Although Fu Youde is unwilling to accept his old age and always wants to lead the army again if he has the chance, he will not cling to power. He is fundamentally different from Li Shanchang.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's great. There aren't many veteran generals in the court right now, and we need veterans like the Duke of Ying to hold the court together."

These are all true. In the final analysis, although there are still Lan Yu, Xu Huizu and others, it seems that there is no shortage of generals. In addition, there are Wang Bi, Guo Ying, Geng Bingwen and others, and the court does not seem to lack veteran generals.

However, a general like Fu Youde who can command tens of thousands of troops is extremely rare after all. The imperial court will not destroy itself, and he can still bring considerable help to the court.

Zhu Yunhuan spoke up and said, "You know that the court is planning to set up guard posts in Daning, Kaiping and other places. This is no small matter."

Fu Youde also knew this and said quickly, "Your Highness is wise. Kaiping and Pingding are indeed dangerous. The imperial court's stationing of troops will surely prevent the Tartars from going south."

Zhu Yunhuan also thought so, but to be honest, "It is not easy to station a large army in the south of the desert. The King of Zhongshan said that the way to defend the border is to show power and strength, and to guard it with importance. If they come, we should resist them, and if they leave, we should not chase them. This is the best strategy, and I think it makes sense."

Fu Youde said with great approval, "Your Highness, I think the former King of Zhongshan had extraordinary foresight. I think that the court had previously transported grain and salaries to Shangdu and Kouwen and collected them in various warehouses, and there was no major hidden danger."

The imperial court still had many arrangements for the areas south of the desert. In addition to the establishment of some garrisons, 73 passes were set up in Shanxi at Yanmen Pass, Taiheling, Bingwu, and the valleys between the mountains and valleys of Shuo, all of which were garrisoned.

In addition, the complete isolation of civilian exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongolian tribes caused great difficulties in the lives of the Mongolian tribes.

The situation in Mongolia is rather special. The most special thing about them is that they have ruled the Central Plains for nearly a hundred years. But who would have thought that after they retreated to the grassland, they would quickly return to the nomadic lifestyle.

Fu Youde continued, "Your Highness, I think those who have committed capital crimes and those who have deserted military orders can be replaced by these guilty persons."

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense. "It is indeed so. It is bitterly cold over there, but a lot of troops are needed. The court is also kind, so they will definitely leave some people behind."

People are always the most important resource. Some sinners are extremely evil, so naturally there will be no forgiveness. And some people seem to have committed serious crimes, but they may not be unforgivable.

As for things like exile and military service, Zhu Yunhuan thought it was a very normal thing. Such things had been done many times in all dynasties, and everyone was naturally aware of it.

"This matter also needs to be handled by the Ministry of War, and the Five Military Commandery should not interfere." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "But the establishment of garrisons in Daning and other places still requires the help of Duke Ying."

Fu Youde would not think that this was the Crown Prince's act of ungratefulness. It was true that the Five Military Commanderies were very powerful, but that did not mean that all matters were under their control.

The Ministry of War is not just a decoration. It is actually responsible for the management of some military households and so on. They still have certain restrictions on the Five Military Commissions and naturally have to play the role they should play.

Fu Youde was also unambiguous and said directly, "This is my duty, and I will do my best."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "How about this, if the Duke of Ying is in good health, he can discuss with the generals of the Five Military Command Office this year and go to Mo Nan to personally deploy defenses in the spring of next year."

These arrangements seemed like exile, and might be unacceptable to others, but this was obviously not the case for Fu Youde.

Fu Youde knelt down excitedly and said quickly, "I obey your order!"

Even though Fu Youde is currently in Wuyuan and is teaching senior generals, he can leave some connections for the Yingguo Mansion. In this respect, he is not completely idle.

But for someone like Fu Youde who has fought in wars for most of his life, not being able to lead the troops himself is the most painful and uncomfortable thing.

Going to Mo Nan was not an exile for him. He had been to places with even worse environments. Even though he was not young anymore, it was a good thing to have the opportunity to lead troops.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to smile, "Originally, this matter should be done by the Duke of Liang, but it is not easy to let him leave the capital easily now."

Fu Youde said quickly, "It is safest for the Duke of Kaiguo and the Duke of Liang to guard the capital. It is better for me to go to Monan."

In the past, Fu Youde was a little envious of Feng Sheng. After all, Feng Sheng was guarding Liaodong. Even if he had not been able to return to Beijing in the past few years, he was far away from the center.

But even if there were no large-scale battles, he could occasionally lead troops to wipe out some Mongolian tribes, or some Jurchen savages, or even Koreans who wanted to invade the border.

This was the happiest thing for Fu Youde. This was the fate of a military commander. He had fought for most of his life and could still fight now. This was something he had always dreamed of.

"Your Highness, please stay in the capital. When you go to Mo Nan, if you don't have enough troops, you can discuss it with the King of Qin and the King of Jin." Zhu Yunhuan said, "I will let the King of Qin and the King of Jin patrol the border."

Now that we have already taken steps to remove the three guards of the King of Yan, the King of Zhou, and the King of Qi, then the military power of the two major vassal kings, the King of Qin and the King of Jin, also needs to be removed.

Zhu Yunhuan could still treat everyone equally. Since they were royal princes of the Ming Dynasty, he should treat them equally and none of them should have any military power. This is what a good prince does.

Fu Youde had no objection to this. It was obvious to all that the court wanted to take back the military power from the princes, and many people did not think there was anything wrong with this. However, Fu Youde still spoke cautiously, "Your Highness, if this is the case, I'd better avoid suspicion."

The reason for saying this is naturally because Fu Youde's daughter is the Crown Princess of Jin Prince Zhu Jihui, and good news had come before that the Crown Princess was pregnant.

"You just like to overthink!" Zhu Yunxun said somewhat dissatisfiedly, "Uncle Jin is respectful and modest, and Jihui is my brother, so there is no need to avoid suspicion!"

It would be fine to just listen to this, but if the Crown Prince really didn't care at all, he would not have taken action to take away the military power from the King of Qin, the King of Jin and others. This is the best proof.

But since the Crown Prince insisted on saying so, there was naturally no reason for others to reveal this superficial disguise. If the words were not spoken thoroughly, then it would be good for everyone.

Although it's just some superficial work, it still needs to be done. We all want to save face, so there is no harm in doing so.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and said, "Remember to go to the Five Military Commandery more often these days and report any discussions in a timely manner."

Fu Youde naturally knew Daoyan, knew that he was the Crown Prince's confidant, and knew that this strange monk was very capable.

But that was all. Even if Daoyan was the crown prince's confidant, he was only a fourth-rank official. Not to mention a fourth-rank official, even if he was a second-rank minister, he was not worthy of Fu Youde's bow.

The senior generals of the Five Military Commanderies already had high ranks, not to mention the superior dukes and marquises like Fu Youde. It was common for them to look down on these civil servants.

Daoyan naturally did not dare to disobey Zhu Yunhuan's order, and immediately agreed, "I will follow your orders, and I will go to the Five Military Commandery as soon as possible."

This is the best thing to do. Zhu Yunhuan knows that he is not particularly talented in military affairs, but he also knows that some professional matters should be left to professionals.

Therefore, whether it is the transfer of garrisons in various places, or the deployment of defense lines in important border areas, he will be very concerned, but he cares more about the opinions of professionals.

After Fu Youde left, Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Master, why do you think the Duke of Ying is so reluctant to give up his military power?"

Daoyan quickly replied, "Your Highness, I think the Duke of Ying has always been upright. Although the Duke does not want to leave the army, he has never dared to disobey Your Highness's order, so he should have no other thoughts."

Zhu Yunhuan just smiled and said, "That's not bad. This Duke of Ying doesn't form a clique or fight for power. He just wants to fight. He's an interesting guy."

Daoyan and others could only listen to Zhu Yunhuan's comments. Whether it was the Crown Prince or the Duke, they were both important figures that Daoyan and Xia Yuanji could not afford to offend, so they were not qualified to say anything more.

But one thing is certain, that is, Fu Youde is really no threat to the imperial power. Apart from being single-minded in fighting, Fu Youde has no other bad deeds.

Compared with Chang Sheng, Lan Yu and others, this Duke of Ying is really much less troublesome. This is probably the reason why this Duke of Ying was kept when some nobles were cleared out or allowed to retire.

He is capable and poses no threat. Such a person will definitely be liked by the Crown Prince.

There are really very few nobles who can do all this.

Zhu Yunhuan restrained the smile on his face and said, "The Jinyiwei and the Northern Pacification Office have been busy these days and can't see everything they do. I'll give you the list later and you can go meet the people."

Daoyan's heart was beating fast, but he still said, "I will obey your orders, Your Highness. However, I am stupid and don't know what to do."

"Whether it's Jiang Li or Zhu Zhong, they have been diligent in their work over the years." Zhu Yunhuan said bluntly, "Especially Jiang Li, who has been the commander of the Jinyiwei for too long and is loyal and useful."

Daoyan naturally understood now that Jiang Li, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was a high-ranking official and had indeed done a lot for the emperor and the crown prince.

But after all, such lackeys of the emperor have special positions and special nature of work, so it is actually not easy for them to stay in certain special positions all the time.

Everyone in the world knows that Jiang Lin is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Even if the civil and military officials may despise him in their hearts, they will still maintain a certain respect for him on the surface, and even show some goodwill to him in private.

Mao Xiang, the first Jinyiwei commander, was quite capable and handled many major cases, but his ending was not good, which was caused by his status as a Jinyiwei.

As Mao Xiang's successor, Jiang Li has been the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for more than ten years. It is naturally not a good idea to let him stay in this position forever.

A more explicit statement is that a new emperor appoints new ministers, and the emperor is about to be replaced. Even though Jiang Lin seems to be under Zhu Yunhuan's command in recent years, it is not good to always use old people.

After all, the Jinyiwei has a special positioning, so it is only natural to make some adjustments at this time.

Zhang Fusheng hurriedly reported, "Your Highness, King Wulin will be able to arrive in the capital in about three days. The princess and the prince have already set off together."

Zhu Yunwen was going back to Beijing, and it was obviously not a bad thing to bring his family back with him. It was not that Zhu Yunwen wanted to see his second brother kowtow to him, but there were some things that needed to be done by the royal family.

As for the King of Wulin, the elder brother of the Crown Prince, his reputation as a wise king has been spreading over the past few years. He is talented in writing, a great scholar, and has a noble character. He is simply a model for the royal family.

King Wulin, who is devoted to serving his country, has returned to the capital and must have some important things to report. These are all big things.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Then send people to meet and escort them along the way. Everything else is easy to handle, but my nephew must not get tired. Tell them not to rush and just come back slowly."

Zhu Yunwen, the King of Wulin, is quite special. He is the elder brother of Zhu Yunhuan, so naturally he needs to behave like a brother and respectfully to his younger brother. This is the role model for the world.

As an uncle, Zhu Yunhuan was more concerned about and cared for Zhu Wengui. Being nice to nephew should be the tradition of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan would never cheat his second brother, let alone his nephew! (End of this chapter)