Chapter 41: A Brilliant Stratagem! Li Shanchang's Praise!

Palace of Heavenly Purity.

The aging Zhu Yuanzhang sat upon the dragon chair that symbolized supreme power. His complexion was as unpredictable as a midsummer sky, shifting between storm and shine. His brows furrowed tightly at times, only to smooth out slightly at others, fully revealing his inner conflict and struggle through these subtle micro-expressions.

A moment later, a figure walked in slowly with a halting gait. The man’s frame was slightly stooped, his face etched with the marks of time, yet his eyes gleamed with shrewdness and sharpness. It was none other than the Grand Preceptor of the current dynasty, Li Shanchang!

Starting from the fourth year of the Hongwu era, Li Shanchang had gradually stepped back from the forefront of the imperial court. Back then, the court appeared peaceful on the surface, but undercurrents were quietly surging.

Though Li Shanchang seemed to have relinquished supreme power and retired to a life of leisure, he was actually like a ferocious beast lurking in the shadows, remaining behind the scenes to continue manipulating the threads of state affairs. Take Hu Weiyong, for instance; he was personally recommended and promoted by Li Shanchang. Initially, when Li Shanchang looked upon Hu Weiyong, his eyes were full of expectations, believing him to be a talent capable of great responsibility who could carry on his own influence within the court. Unfortunately, Hu Weiyong later abused his power, grew obsessively ambitious, and ultimately met a tragic end with no burial site.

Because of the Hu Weiyong case, the faction of meritorious officials from Huaiwei suffered a devastating blow and their vitality was severely drained. Li Shanchang had also gone into dormancy as a result, replacing his former audacity and swagger with extreme caution, no longer daring to act with his past unbridled recklessness.

Today, upon receiving a summons from the Emperor, though his heart was filled with doubt and unease, he hurried over immediately. Throughout the journey, sitting inside his carriage with knitted brows, he constantly guessed the Emperor's intentions behind the summons, his hands involuntarily clenching and relaxing as his inner anxiety rolled like the tides.

When Li Shanchang arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity and prepared to pay his respects, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, a hint of urgency on his face, and said, "There is no need for such empty formalities. Sit down quickly; I have an important matter to discuss with you!"

Hearing this, Li Shanchang felt somewhat settled, letting out a soft sigh of relief. His previously tense shoulders relaxed slightly as well. Before entering the palace, he had been quite worried about the purpose of the Emperor's summons, but now he understood it was for discussing state affairs.

"May I ask Your Majesty, what is the matter?" Li Shanchang leaned forward slightly and asked respectfully.

Without beating around the chest, Zhu Yuanzhang reached out directly to take a strategy document from the desk, handed it over, and said, "Shanchang, take a look at this strategy for governing Yunnan. Is it feasible?"

Li Shanchang received the proposal with both hands, his expression turning intensely focused as he read through it word by word, very earnestly. As his reading deepened, his eyes grew wider and wider, the look of astonishment on his face becoming increasingly pronounced. From time to time, he nodded slightly, letting out soft sounds of surprise.

Zhu Yuanzhang kept his gaze fixed on him, thoughts swirling within his deep, unfathomable eyes.

The three-step strategy proposed by Zhu Gaozhi was, in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, a grand, century-spanning plan for pacifying the southwest. Therefore, he had to take it seriously and urgently wanted to discuss it with someone.

Yet, after much deliberation, Zhu Yuanzhang could not find a single suitable candidate among the civil and military officials of the entire court at that moment, leaving only Li Shanchang.

Li Shanchang's personal capabilities were known to the world, comparable even to the famed chancellor Xiao He, and he was particularly adept at administrative governance. Thus, Zhu Yuanzhang had summoned him immediately.

After a brief silence, Li Shanchang let out an exclamation of wonder: "Your Majesty, this strategy is nothing short of ingenious! It is enough to completely resolve the hidden dangers of instability in the southwest! Starting from the initial Grace-Extension Policy, progressing to using native chieftains to control other chieftains, and culminating in the replacement of native chieftains with appointed officials, step by step it weakens the influence of local chieftains until the imperial court brings them completely under its control. It perfectly solves the thorny problems of chieftain independence and unruly vassal states!"

Hearing this, a smile naturally broke out on Zhu Yuanzhang's face, spreading slowly from the corners of his mouth across his entire visage, brimming with pride and self-satisfaction.

There was simply no help for it—the person who had devised such a brilliant stratagem was none other than Zhu Yuanzhang's own flesh and blood, a mere child of five or six years old. How could anyone not feel proud?

What a magnificent unicorn of the Zhu family!

After offering his praises, Li Shanchang could not help feeling a trace of curiosity, and instinctively pressed on: "May I ask Your Majesty, who on earth is the great talent that came up with this strategy?"

Even while residing outside the court, Li Shanchang maintained a thorough grasp of major court affairs, yet he had never heard of the emergence of such a world-shaking prodigy!

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head, a flash of caution crossing his eyes. Driven by the impulse to protect Zhu Gaozhi, he chose not to answer Li Shanchang's question, instead turning the tables with a counter-question: "In other words, this three-step strategy is indeed feasible?"

Li Shanchang nodded, his expression turning solemn as he replied, " entirely feasible, and truly ingenious. In the past, successive dynasties treated the southwestern barbarians with mere appeasement and loose rein, but history has proven that the effect was far from ideal, and even counterproductive, emboldening the arrogant momentum of these barbarians."

"Yet this three-step strategy does the exact opposite. It begins with the Grace-Extension Policy to sow internal discord among the chieftains, so they are no longer a monolith, providing the court with an opening; next, it uses barbarians to control barbarians, coordinating with the grace-extension decree to split, disperse, and relocate powerful chieftains to other regions, further eroding their power and influence; finally, replacing native chieftains with appointed officials delivers the definitive blow—even if the chieftains wish to resist, they no longer possess the strength to do so! Especially this principle of 'divide and rule,' which hits the nail right on the head. Towards these native chieftains and officials, the court should adopt an attitude of resolute suppression, while towards the indigenous commoners, benevolence and education should be promoted. Naturally, the chieftain problem will be solved effortlessly!"

With these words finished, Li Shanchang could not stop marveling. A faint answer took shape in his mind: the brilliant genius behind this strategy must be a seasoned veteran minister, someone with at least years of local governance experience; otherwise, it would have been utterly impossible to understand the situation in the southwest so thoroughly.

Ordinary civil officials and Confucian scholars were capable only of empty talk; how could they possibly perceive the crucial keys to this matter?

"Your Majesty, this person has rendered meritorious service by offering this strategy, and the court should naturally bestow rewards. This old minister believes the court must make even greater use of such a prodigy..."

Hearing Li Shanchang praise Zhu Gaozhi, the smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face widened further, his mouth nearly stretching from ear to ear as his eyes crinkled into slits. "Is this strategy really that good?"

Li Shanchang assumed a serious expression and said earnestly, "This strategy is sufficient to secure the southwest. Once the southern-征南 expeditionary army sweeps away the remnant Yuan forces within Yunnan, the court will be able to implement it immediately! It is no idle boast from this old minister: this strategy is enough to guarantee that the southwest will see no unrest for a century. It is truly a foundational plan for generations!"

The smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face grew even more radiant, and he felt immensely gratified to the core.

Well, well, as expected of my seed, simply brilliant!

However, Li Shanchang immediately raised another issue.

"However, good though this strategy is, hidden dangers still exist."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's brows instantly furrowed.

"Oh? What hidden dangers remain?"

With a knitted brow, Li Shanchang explained: "The lands and soils of Yunnan and Guizhou are barren, the mountain forests precipitous, and transportation is inconvenient. If the court wishes to exercise absolute control over the local populace, it must chisel through mountains to forge roads and build courier stations, thereby facilitating the integration of the local people into the Great Ming. Otherwise, even with this three-step strategy, it will be impossible to thoroughly control these regions within a short time."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he suddenly recalled Zhu Gaozhi's words:

"Where mountains and rivers are precipitous, we shall build roads; where barbarians are numerous, we shall extend grace!"

In other words, if the Great Ming wanted to completely control the lands of Yunnan and Guizhou, it had no choice but to build roads!

Yet this matter of road building would inevitably consume countless amounts of manpower, material wealth, and financial resources at every turn!

Li Shanchang naturally understood this point as well, and sighed, "Your Majesty, given the current national conditions of the Great Ming, it is not suited for large-scale road building. I beg Your Majesty to think twice!"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's complexion darkened immediately.

Could such a generational grand plan simply be abandoned and left unused?

Recalling the tone of voice Zhu Gaozhi had used when uttering those words, a strange thought bubbled up in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

Could that little rascal actually have a way?!

Even though he himself felt this was highly unlikely, he still desperately wanted to give it a try.

Immediately exchanging a few polite parting words with Li Shanchang, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered people to escort him back to his estate, while he himself strode directly toward the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.