Desperate Counterattack

The era of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty.

The oppressive atmosphere that had been building up inside the Fengtian Hall for so long was finally broken by a roar.

"good!"

"here you go!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the imperial desk, causing the vermilion pen on it to roll to the ground.

He stared intently at his great-grandson on the sky, who had finally straightened his back.

Although Zhu Youcheng's weakness in the early stages caused his blood pressure to spike, he wished he could personally travel through time and space to kill this good-for-nothing.

But now, seeing Zhu Youcheng decisively seize power after that despicable Zhou Shi died, he is impressed.

The anger in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes subsided considerably, replaced by a hint of appreciation.

"Zhu Youcheng, at least you didn't back down!"

"Our Zhu family emperors are not the spineless cowards of the Song dynasty who could be easily manipulated!"

"Whether you succeed or fail, as long as you dare to draw your sword, you are our good descendant!"

Yongle Time and Space.

Zhu Di tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of strong liquor, letting the liquid flow down his beard.

He slammed the wine cup heavily onto the ground.

"This is my child!"

"If a civil official dares to commit arson, you dare to kill!"

"Only when we put a knife to their throats will they know what the Ming Dynasty really means!"

The universe follows the natural order.

Zhu Qizhen, the Great War God of the Ming Dynasty, looked at the screen and, unusually, did not have a seizure.

He nodded vigorously.

He understood all too well the frustration of being relentlessly suppressed by the civil service.

He did all those absurd things back then in order to regain power.

Seeing his grandchildren finally dare to confront the civil officials head-on, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

However, in the Zhengde and Jiajing eras.

The atmosphere, however, was completely different.

Zhengde Time and Space

Zhu Houzhao sat on the steps of the Leopard House, holding a drawn embroidered spring knife in his hand.

He looked at his father, who was full of vigor and spirit, on the sky, and his eyes reddened.

He let out a long sigh.

"Father..."

"You resisted, but you still lost."

The Jiajing Era.

Zhu Houcong sat on the futon, the whisk in his hand deformed from his grip.

He closed his eyes, concealing the sorrow within them.

"Uncle, you underestimate those hypocrites."

"That familiar poison has truly killed many emperors of my Great Ming Dynasty."

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun's voice rang out again, carrying the sharpness of the calm before a storm.

"Family members, Zhu Youcheng's counterattack is not limited to the Northwest."

"He knew very well that the root of the Northwest's rot lay in the capital and in the local areas."

"Therefore, while pacifying the Northwest, he unleashed the Ming Emperor's ultimate weapon!"

On the screen, dozens of fast horses galloped out of the capital and headed towards the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

"Zhu Youcheng dispatched a large number of imperial inspectors and censors."

"These people are not high-ranking officials, most of them are only seventh grade."

"But they hold the emperor's sword, granting them the privilege of speaking out based on hearsay!"

"What does this equate to?"

Zhu Dijun tapped the screen heavily with his finger.

"This is equivalent to today's central inspection teams!"

"They bypassed the cabinet and the Six Ministries, reporting directly to the emperor!"

"When they went down to the local areas, they specifically investigated corruption, land annexations, and the messy accounts of those civil servant families!"

In the scene, local government offices across the Ming Dynasty were instantly thrown into chaos.

Those prefects and provincial governors who were usually high and mighty were so frightened by these seventh-rank officials in blue robes that their legs went weak.

Because all the accounts uncovered by these imperial inspectors were capital offenses punishable by death!

Zhu Dijun sneered repeatedly.

"As soon as these inspection teams were dispatched, the cabinet in Beijing was in an uproar."

"The three beasts of the Hongzhi era—Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian—are in complete panic."

"They discovered that Zhu Youcheng was no longer going to reason with them; he had directly overturned their core support!"

"So, these three old foxes led their beasts in playing their best trick."

On the screen, three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet knelt in unison outside the Qianqing Palace.

They removed their official hats and wept bitterly.

"They submitted a memorial requesting to resign!"

"They said the emperor didn't trust them, that the court was in chaos, and that they were too ashamed to continue serving, so they requested to retire and return to their hometowns!"

Zhu Dijun's voice was full of sarcasm.

"Family members, does this scene look familiar?"

"Isn't this similar to the tactics employed by the civil service group when Zhu Jianshen investigated local areas and appointed Wang Zhi?"

"A strategic retreat, using resignation to force the emperor to compromise!"

Inside the [Modern Live Stream Room], the screen was instantly flooded with comments.

The viewers laughed at the same time, but also felt deeply worried.

"Hahaha, these civil officials really know how to get by on their single trick!"

"They quit their jobs at the drop of a hat, do they really think the world will stop turning without them?"

"Zhu Youcheng, don't back down! Approve their resignations and get them fired!"

"Wait a minute, why do I have this ominous feeling? Back when the Chenghua Emperor was inspecting the provinces, he was almost poisoned to death!"

"Damn, the guy in front was right! These civil officials are desperate, what wouldn't they do?"

On the screen above, Zhu Dijun looked at the comments and nodded slightly.

"The viewers are very perceptive."

"Zhu Youcheng did indeed learn from the lessons of his father, Zhu Jianshen."

"Before he consolidated his power over the cabinet, he did something extremely crucial—he seized control of the military and the palace!"

The scene switches to the Forbidden City and the three major military camps of the capital.

"Zhu Youcheng directly issued an imperial edict, placing his absolute confidant, Chen Xiong, the Earl of Pingjiang, in command of all the palace guards!"

"He eliminated all the spies that Empress Zhang's two brothers-in-law had planted in the palace!"

"At the same time, he ensured that Zhu Hui, the Duke of Baoguo, firmly controlled the most elite troops in the capital!"

"That's not all."

"Zhu Youcheng once again bestowed titles upon military generals."

"A large number of newly promoted military officers, represented by Li Xi, were assigned to various key military positions."

Zhu Dijun drew a solid iron triangle on the screen.

"Palace security secured, all set!"

"The capital's defenses are complete!"

"Local inspection, done!"

"It can be said that Zhu Youcheng's combo was executed extremely well."

"Take steady and cautious steps, proceeding step by step."

"As long as this pace continues, it's only a matter of time before the civil service is completely purged."

Zhu Dijun suddenly paused.

The background music in the entire live stream room instantly became extremely eerie, exuding a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

"but."

"Unfortunately, the Zhu family emperors have fallen back into their old habits."

"This old habit is called—going with the flow!"

Zhu Dijun stared directly at the camera, his eyes filled with regret.

"Zhu Youcheng thought that since he controlled the army and the area surrounding the palace, he could rest easy."

He thought the civil servants would only threaten him with resignation.

"He's gotten arrogant."

"And that one drift cost him his life!"