Daming: After self-explosive time travel, Lao Zhu's mentality collapsed

After the rocket bombing, Zhou Xuan's army suffered heavy losses and was completely defeated.

Zhou Xuan herself also fled in the chaos, looking very embarrassed.

"Chu Ze, remember this! I will get back at you sooner or later!" he cursed angrily before escaping.

Chu Ze stood still, staring coldly at his back as he fled in panic.

"Zhou Xuan, you are so ignorant of your own limitations and attempted to rebel. Today's defeat is entirely your own fault."

"Come here, pass the order, the whole army will chase him relentlessly, and make sure to capture him and bring him to justice!"

At the command, the morale of the Ming army was boosted and they pursued the fleeing rebels without stopping.

The news soon spread to the capital.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased and praised Chu Ze for his ability to anticipate the enemy and win the battle.

"Lord Chu has made an invaluable contribution to the suppression of the rebellion. If it weren't for his planning, I'm afraid this war would have lasted a long time."

"I am stupid and dull, but I was able to achieve this military achievement only because of your majesty's cultivation and trust." Chu Ze answered modestly.

"Haha, my dear minister, you are so humble. But I can't accept this credit for nothing." Zhu Yuanzhang said meaningfully.

"Your Majesty, I am extremely grateful for your grace." Chu Ze quickly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Stand up. I intend to confer upon you the title of 'King of Pingxi', and put you in charge of the military affairs in the southwest. What do you think?" Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Chu Ze was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately thanked the emperor for his grace.

"Your Majesty is wise! I will do my best to fulfill my mission!"

In this way, Chu Ze gained another prestigious title.

His power grew day by day and he had become a popular figure in the court.

However, the arrival of an unexpected guest broke this peaceful appearance.

That day, Chu Ze was reviewing the new muskets when a scout suddenly reported:
"Your Majesty, the barbarians from the southwest have invaded our borders, and our army has suffered heavy losses!"

Chu Ze heard this and his face darkened: "Barbarians? Could it be another trick by the Jiaozhi people?"

"Your Highness, they are from Yongchang. They seem to be well prepared and their firearms are very advanced." The scout answered tremblingly.

"Yongchang? When did they have advanced firearms?" Chu Ze muttered to himself.

He quickly searched his mind for memories about Yongchang.

This is a small country located on the border, bordering the Ming Dynasty, and has always been unstable.

In the past, due to the backward military equipment, the court did not take it seriously.

But now, if they also have advanced firearms, the situation will be serious.

"It seems that the barbarians are also quietly making progress. If they are not pacified soon, I am afraid there will be endless troubles on the border."

Thinking of this, Chu Ze raised his head and gave a clear order: "Pass the order down, our army will set out immediately, day and night, and go straight to Yongchang!"

"Your Highness is wise!" All the generals responded in unison.

For a moment, the military camp was bustling with activity, and the soldiers were ready to go.

Chu Ze also changed into a military uniform, looking very heroic.

He jumped on his horse, looked around, and shouted with great enthusiasm:

"Soldiers! The barbarians are rampant and have wantonly invaded our borders. Now is the time for the Ming Dynasty to avenge its humiliation!"

"Everyone, you must gather your strength and sweep away those arrogant enemies with the force of thunder!"

"We will follow the prince till death! And wipe out all the barbarians!" The soldiers were all full of fighting spirit.

Just like that, a bloody war began with the sound of trumpets.

Wherever the army passed, dust flew and the sound of horses' hooves thundered.

Within half a month, Chu Ze led his army to the border of Yongchang.

From afar, the Yongchang military camp was filled with battle flags and soldiers lined up in neat rows.

Looking at the scene, they are indeed well-equipped and have extraordinary momentum.

"Just in time!" The commander of Yongchang was a burly man. When he saw the Ming army, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I, Yongchang, have long wanted to meet the Iron Cavalry of your Ming Dynasty, and today I finally got my wish!"

"It's a pity that you came at the wrong time. My Yongchang is no longer what it used to be. How can you easily provoke me?" Chu Ze snorted coldly, rode forward and said loudly:

"How can we allow you to covet our country? Today, the Ming cavalry has come in person to enforce justice and kill all of you barbarians!"

"Haha, you are so arrogant." The Yongchang coach smiled and said, "Then let's see whether your Ming Dynasty is stronger or my Yongchang is better!"

After saying that, he suddenly raised the long knife in his hand and shouted: "Kill!"

Suddenly, the Yongchang Army surged in like a tide, and amid earth-shaking roars, they engaged in a desperate battle with the Ming Army.

The two sides fought back and forth, and the fight was extremely brutal.

The Yongchang Army was indeed well-equipped, and the power of the muskets and pear blossom spears should not be underestimated.

Although the Ming army had the advantage in numbers, they were unable to gain the upper hand for the time being.

The war became tense.

At this moment, Chu Ze had an idea.

"Pass my order, artillery battalion, form up! Destroy all the enemy's firearms!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was a loud "boom" and accompanied by billowing smoke, more than a dozen huge cannons began firing at the same time.

In an instant, the Yongchang Army's musket positions were completely destroyed, with wailing everywhere.

"What?" Commander Yongchang was shocked. "These Ming troops actually have such powerful artillery fire?"

Chu Ze saw that the time was right and immediately gave the order: "All troops, attack! Destroy the enemy in one fell swoop!"

"Kill!" The morale of the Ming army was greatly boosted, like a tiger descending from the mountain, with momentum like a rainbow.

The Yongchang Army was defeated at every turn and was in disarray.

Chu Ze took the lead, with his weapons and spears, and was invincible.

He led the charge, killing many enemies and soon rushed into the enemy's central tent.

The Yongchang coach panicked and fled in a hurry.

"I used modern artillery to bombard the Yongchang Army quickly and destroyed its manpower."

"Their outdated weapons are nothing but child's play in the face of new artillery fire."

Chu Ze summarized to his subordinates afterwards.

"Our Ming soldiers are full of vigor and vitality, and with sophisticated firearms, we are invincible in every battle!"

The soldiers cheered and were full of admiration for this commander who was good at strategy and capable of fighting.

Soon, the main force of the Yongchang Army was completely wiped out, and Chu Ze returned to the court and made another outstanding achievement.

Zhu Yuanzhang rewarded him again and gave him the title of "King of Dingnan".

From then on, there was no more danger of thugs in the southwestern border, and this troubled area finally became peaceful.

However, Chu Ze did not stop there.

He knew very well that the fundamental reason why the Ming Dynasty was often controlled by barbarians was that the people were unenlightened and the production methods were backward.

If we don't change all this fundamentally, no matter how powerful the military is, it will only be a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

So, while pacifying the border, he began to plan a more far-reaching reform.

One day, he called his staff together and said excitedly:

"Everyone, this time we are relying on advanced firearms to suppress the rebellion. But who can guarantee that the barbarians won't catch up with us soon?"

"In my opinion, to fundamentally defeat the enemy, we need to start with culture and technology."

"I wonder what you guys think?"

Zhao Si and others' eyes lit up when they heard this.

Although they were military generals, they were also deeply influenced by Chu Ze's "Western learning" ideas.

"Your Highness is right. Although we are good at fighting, we are not good at governing. If we want to enrich our country and strengthen our army, we need to grasp both civil governance and military power."

"That's right. Why don't we take this opportunity to set up a number of new-style schools in Yongchang, recruit students, and spread new ideas and new knowledge."

Li Changji also offered advice: "We should also introduce Western mechanical manufacturing technology to develop local industry and commerce. This will surely change the backward appearance of the border areas."

Chu Ze listened to everyone's suggestions one by one and nodded frequently. (End of this chapter)