Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Chapter 605: Asking Ouyang Lun for his opinion, Zhu Yuanzhang was slapped in the face (Please subscribe!!)

However, just as Lan Yu finished speaking.

Another scout came running to report.

"Report! General, a group of Northern Yuan cavalry was spotted on the left side of our army!"

"Oh!"

Lan Yu's eyes lit up, "Damn it, it seems like they are really trying to stop me from drinking and eating meat!"

"Children, go!"

"Follow your father and deal with this group of Northern Yuan cavalrymen first, and then come back to hold the banquet!"

"Yes, foster father!"

Lan Yu and his adopted sons mounted their horses and led their elite cavalrymen to the place where the Northern Yuan cavalry appeared.
News from the grassland battlefield was also transmitted back to the capital at the fastest speed.

Inside Taile Palace.

Due to the frequent wars recently, Zhu Biao had to report many things to Zhu Di, so he simply moved the place for discussing matters from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Taile Palace.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Biao were discussing state affairs with a group of ministers.

At this moment, Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang suddenly walked in quickly.

"What's the matter, Ji Gang?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat displeased. Under normal circumstances, Ji Gang would not walk in when he was discussing with ministers. However, Zhu Yuanzhang guessed that something important was going on, so he asked directly.

"Your Majesty, there's a fight going on in the northern border!"

Hey!
Upon hearing the news, the Taile Palace, which had been buzzing with discussion, suddenly quieted down.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Jinyiwei commander Ji Gang, waiting expectantly for Ji Gang to say the next word.

"Keep talking, Ji Gang!"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a deep voice.

There was also a hint of nervousness in his tone.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor, according to the information we have received so far, the Northern Yuan Dynasty has dispatched two armies. One is attacking Louzi Pass on the border of Yan State, and the other cavalry has a brief battle with the army led by General Lan Yu!"

"I believe there will be military reports coming soon!"

"Ok!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

The ministers were discussing the news brought back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Li Shanchang was among them. After all, judging from the current situation, Zhu Di had fought against the Northern Yuan army before Lan Yu. If the military report came back later and Zhu Di was the first to achieve success, it would not be a good thing for their Huaixi Party!

Zhu Yuanzhang was also quite nervous at this moment. The current situation of the Northern Yuan army was rather vague. Based on his experience, no matter what Zhu Di encountered or what Lan Yu encountered, it was very likely that they were not the main force of the Northern Yuan army!
This was most likely a smokescreen created by the Northern Yuan army, with the aim of disrupting the Ming Dynasty's deployment and rhythm.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also worried that something unexpected might happen during the expedition to the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If an accident really happened, it would be truly embarrassing.

It is not only a matter of face, it will be a heavy blow to all aspects of the Ming Dynasty and will make it impossible to completely solve the grassland problem.

Soon military reports from the border arrived.

After everyone read it, their faces became much heavier.

Now, on the two battlefields, outside the Yanfan border gate Louzi Pass, Zhu Di has already fought with the Northern Yuan army once, and 3,000 cavalry broke through the Northern Yuan army's camp. Currently, they are in a state of confrontation. The number of Northern Yuan troops under Louzi Pass is not yet clear, but it is reported that there are no less than 10,000 people! And there are more Northern Yuan troops gathering here.

On another battlefield, one hundred miles deep into the grassland, Lan Yu's army was harassed by multiple groups of Northern Yuan cavalry. The number of Northern Yuan cavalry did not seem to be large, but there were many batches and the frequency of harassment was very high, which directly led to the marching speed of Commander Lan Yu's army becoming extremely slow!

"What is Lan Yu doing!"

"We have been harassed by the Northern Yuan cavalry so many times, but we have not found a solution yet. Instead, our marching speed has been slowed down! At their current speed, when will they be able to reach the Northern Yuan Royal Court?!"

"And it's been so long, and we still haven't found where the main force of the Northern Yuan army is!?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

It is no wonder that Zhu Yuanzhang is anxious. This battle is related to the future development of the Ming Dynasty and it is a battle that cannot be lost. From the current point of view, Zhu Yuanzhang is not satisfied with Lan Yu's performance.

Li Shanchang naturally knew the importance of this battle to the Ming Dynasty. It was precisely because of this that he did not immediately stand up to speak well of Lan Yu. Because speaking well of Lan Yu at this time was no less than openly singing against Zhu Yuanzhang. More importantly, he would become Zhu Yuanzhang's punching bag!
In addition, Li Shanchang also had selfish motives. After all, Lan Yu had gone to Ouyang Lun to ask for military funds without consulting him, and later accepted supplies from Ouyang Lun without consulting him. So Li Shanchang was quite dissatisfied with Lan Yu in his heart.

This incident just happened to let Lan Yu and the Huaixi generals know that without Li Shanchang's mediation, protection and planning in the court, the entire Huaixi Party and these Huaixi generals would have a harder and harder time!

It won’t be too late to speak up when General Wu of Huaixi comes to ask him for help.

Since Li Shanchang and Ouyang Lun didn't speak either, the ministers began to express their own opinions. There were all kinds of views, and no one could convince anyone else.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not say anything, and even closed his eyes, as if he was resting or thinking about something.

Zhu Biao first looked at Zhu Yuanzhang who had closed his eyes, and then looked at the ministers who were discussing the issue below. If it were in the past, Zhu Biao would have spoken up to stop the argument among the ministers, but now Zhu Biao was accustomed to such scenes!
Zhu Biao did not do nothing, but began to carefully observe the reactions of the ministers.

Some ministers advocated an all-out attack, that is, the border kings would lead their respective armies directly into the grassland, and then surround and annihilate the Northern Yuan army!
Some ministers suggested that Lan Yu should withdraw his army first, and then go out again after re-preparation!
Some ministers looked worried, as if the sky was about to fall.

However, Zhu Biao was not too concerned about the battle. After all, it was Zhu Yuanzhang who almost single-handedly instigated the attack on the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and now Zhu Yuanzhang was personally responsible for the battle against the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Even if Zhu Biao wanted to do something, he could not participate.

Because of this, Zhu Biao was too lazy to intervene and just listened quietly.

Of course, Emperor Zhu Biao still had important things to do. He and Ouyang Lun had been discussing how to lay off redundant officials within the court. This expedition to the Northern Yuan Dynasty was a very suitable opportunity!
Observe carefully the reactions and opinions of these ministers to see who is just filling in the gaps and doing nothing!
There was a constant stream of discussion in the Taiyue Hall.

Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again, and the target of his inquiry was naturally Ouyang Lun, who had been silent.

"Ouyang Lun, what do you think?" "Huh!?" Ouyang Lun was startled, then asked back: "How should I think? What should I look at?!"

Forehead.
Hearing Ouyang Lun's words, Zhu Yuanzhang almost burst into a curse, but in this situation, Ouyang Lun was probably the only one who could come up with some useful ideas, so Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and did not blame him. Instead, he spoke again: "I want to ask you, what do you think of the current situation of the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty?"

Sure enough, he came to find me again.

Ouyang Lun rolled his eyes in his heart. He naturally knew what Zhu Yuanzhang had just asked him. The reason he asked it again was to deliberately anger Zhu Yuanzhang. What if Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he didn't want to talk to him?

Wouldn't that mean I could escape this disaster?
But unfortunately, he still underestimated Zhu Yuanzhang's patience.

Strangely, Zhu Yuanzhang's patience is getting better and better now! It seems that he needs to use more force next time, otherwise there will be countless things waiting for him.

"Brother-in-law Ouyang, please tell us your thoughts. I want to know too!"

Zhu Biao also followed suit.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the Supreme Emperor!" Both the Emperor and the Supreme Emperor had spoken, and in front of so many ministers, it was not easy for Ouyang Lun to refuse directly.

"As for the grassland war, my opinion is: Don't worry!"

Hearing Ouyang Lun's words, all the ministers in Taile Palace were slightly startled. Everyone knew that Ouyang Lun had an old grudge with the Huaixi Party. This time, Lan Yu of the Huaixi Party, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, led the army to conquer the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Now the situation is not so clear. Ouyang Lun can take the opportunity to say bad things about Lan Yu. Even if he doesn't say bad things about Lan Yu, he will also discredit this battle to wipe out the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

Because this seems to be the most beneficial to Ouyang Lun and the Prince Consort's party. After all, if the emperor and the emperor no longer trust Lan Yu, they will most likely kick Lan Yu out of the position of general and replace him with someone from the Prince Consort's party!

But no one expected that Ouyang Lun would express his trust in this battle as soon as he opened his mouth!

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Ouyang Lun's judgment, his brows immediately frowned and he was extremely confused.

Just rest assured?

Ouyang Lun, are you kidding?
Now even the main force of the Northern Yuan army has not been found, while the Northern Yuan side is constantly harassing the Ming army. If their main force suddenly appears, either Louziguan City will be broken, or Lan Yu’s army will be annihilated by the Northern Yuan army on the grassland, adding fertilizer to the grass on the grassland!

No matter how good Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude was, he couldn't help but worry.

"Don't worry? Ouyang Lun, what do you mean by that? Explain it to us clearly!"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the reason why I judged this is that the Northern Yuan army sent two armies to harass our Ming army is mainly because they are unsure of themselves, so they use small armies to harass our Ming army!"

"Normally, by now, the Northern Yuan army has figured out our garrison situation and our strengths and weaknesses, and would have sent out its main force to attack our Ming Dynasty. However, judging from the scene, it is clear that the Northern Yuan army has not yet met their expectations, so they are not completely confident."

"That is to say, if we think in reverse, we can also get some useful information, that is, the strength of the Northern Yuan army is not as strong as ours!"

"Plus, the Ming Dynasty has already carried out military reforms, and its combat power is no longer comparable to what it was before. Even if the Northern Yuan army wants to do something, it will be useless!"

"They can't break in, and they can't eat us, so they can only harass us. But so what? As long as Commander Lan Yu's army finds the Beiyuan Royal Court, they can destroy it in one fell swoop! The whole process is just a matter of time."

Ouyang Lun's analysis was not very responsible, and everyone present understood it as soon as they heard it.

Yup!

No matter what strategies the Northern Yuan used, the Ming Dynasty had already left the Northern Yuan behind in terms of hard power. Now, in terms of defense, it has several princes who have developed well in recent years, and the Great Wall as a barrier. If the Northern Yuan army wants to break through, it is not only harder than climbing to the sky, but also of hell-level difficulty.

As long as there is no problem with defense, everyone can feel relieved. The rest depends on the performance of Commander Lan Yu's army.

With an army of 500,000 entering the grassland, as long as they advance steadily, it is only a matter of time before they conquer the Northern Yuan Dynasty. The grassland is an endless place with no strategic location to defend.

"Ouyang Lun, hearing what you said, it does make some sense."

"Zhu Di, Zhu Quan, those brats, have been expanding their armaments in recent years. Once they find the Northern Yuan army, they will pounce on it like a pack of wolves and tear the Northern Yuan apart together with Lan Yu!"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke excitedly.

Ouyang Lun's words woke him up from his confusion. Once the thoughts in his mind became clear, the previous tension disappeared without a trace.

However, as soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, Ouyang Lun directly refuted him.

"Your Majesty, I think that regardless of whether the main force of the Northern Yuan army has been discovered or not, Zhu Di and other princes will not leave the Great Wall to attack the Northern Yuan army!"

Ouyang Lun said slowly.

"Ouyang Lun, what do you mean? Do you think that the princes have ulterior motives?!" Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I didn't say that. What I meant was that the princes valued defending their territory more. It would be fine if they destroyed the Northern Yuan Dynasty. But if they were ambushed by the Northern Yuan army and suffered heavy casualties, or even caused the Great Wall to be lost, they would not be able to bear the responsibility."

"Besides, with Lan Yu's 500,000 troops here, they only need to wait for Lan Yu to finish off the main force of the Northern Yuan army, and then go up to take over the territory. Isn't this a better choice?"

Ouyang Lun said lightly.

Forehead.
Ouyang Lun's words left Zhu Yuanzhang unable to find any reason to refute.

Because Ouyang Lun was absolutely right, he thought too simply of Zhu Di and Zhu Quan's sons. Now they are not only his, Zhu Yuanzhang's sons, but also vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty. Under the previous royal family reforms, the vassal kings had considerable management authority over their fiefdoms, and the income from the fiefdoms was also closely related to the vassal kings. It can be said that the better the fiefdoms developed, the greater the benefits the vassal kings would gain!

In this case, the princes would naturally seek the best way to develop their own fiefdoms.

Annexing grassland territory and population is the fastest way to achieve development. As for sending troops to risk their lives, this is a complete loss-making business.

If Zhu Yuanzhang was one of the vassal kings, he would certainly do as Ouyang Lun said, not being the first to stand out, but waiting for Lan Yu's army to take down the Northern Yuan Dynasty!
Will Lan Yu have any objections?
Ha ha!

How could Lan Yu have any objection? No one was competing with him for the credit; this was exactly what he expected!

In this way, everyone got what they wanted, except Zhu Yuanzhang's idea.

You should know that he originally wanted to let a group of border princes compete with Lan Yu.

(End of this chapter)