Zhu Yuanzhang asked the master how to unify the whole country. The master said: "Building a wall is high, accumulating grain is wide, and being king is slow." This sentence later became a famous saying of the Ming Dynasty. The master's name was Zhu Sheng, and he was also an important counselor of Zhu Yuanzhang. What he meant by this sentence was that Zhu Yuanzhang should always be prepared, accumulate food and grass, recruit more soldiers and constantly expand his strength, but don't expose his intention to be king too early, and learn to hide it first.

One day, the famous Deng Yu recommended a hermit to Zhu Yuanzhang. There is a hermit named Zhu Sheng near Wuyuan, whose knowledge and influence are no less than Zhuge Liang's. Zhu Yuanzhang was very curious after listening to Deng Yu's words, so he put on casual clothes and went to the local area to find a hermit himself. At this time, Zhu Sheng was over 60 years old and was a teacher in a private school. Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's visit, he naturally dared not neglect and met Zhu Yuanzhang in the hut. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Sheng seriously: "Now my neighbors are around me, and the Yuan Dynasty is in the north. How do you think we can unify the world? " Seeing Zhu Sheng touching his gray beard and looking into the eyes of young Zhu Yuanzhang, he knew that Zhu Yuanzhang had gone through many difficult roads since he started his business. What he lacks now is a strategic vision of the overall situation, but these experiences can guide him.

Zhu Sheng answered nine words slowly: "Build a high wall, accumulate wide grain, and slowly become king." This means that Zhu Sheng is suggesting that Zhu Yuanzhang should not be impatient. He will gradually strengthen his own strength with Nanjing as the center, manage the people under his rule well, implement the policy of increasing taxes on people's livelihood, and accumulate people's strength. In addition, don't expose your ambition to be king, especially when Jiangnan has not subsided. If you become a king, you may be noticed by others, which is equivalent to adding an enemy to yourself.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that what he said was very reasonable, and Zhu Yuanzhang also carried out what he said. In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang won the world, and these nine words can be said to be indispensable.