Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Xu Zengshou arrived. As the third son of Xu Da, although Xu Zengshou grew up in a family of nobles, the house he lived in was filled with books. In his spare time at home, he would invite wise men to his home to discuss the classic stories of success and failure from ancient times to the present, tirelessly.

On the surface, he is a figure like Li Jinglong. He is quite famous among the nobles and can be considered a young talent.

A few years earlier, he was the Left Commander of the Right Military Commandery, a first-rank official position. He was originally a member of the Honor Guard, and his first official appointment was the first-rank deputy commander, a position that countless military commanders could hardly reach in their entire lives.

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but laugh at the young and handsome Xu Zengshou. Of course, Xu Zengshou was not particularly young, he was nearly thirty years old.

However, in history, Xu Zengshou was very active in serving his brother-in-law after Zhu Di launched his rebellion. He often secretly reported news and informed Zhu Di of the deployment in the capital.

The final result was that he was discovered by Zhu Yunwen. After the Yan army crossed the Yangtze River, when questioned face to face, Xu Zengshou was unable to answer, so he was killed by Zhu Yunwen himself.

However, Xu Zengshou was posthumously named Duke of Dingguo, and his descendants inherited the title. So much so that starting from Zhu Di, the importance of the title of Duke of Dingguo began to overshadow the formal title of Duke of Wei.

Xu Zengshou naturally didn't have much hope for Zhu Di now, although he might have a good relationship with Zhu Di. But Zhu Di didn't have any chance now, and the most important thing was that Zhu Wenyao also had to call Xu Zengshou uncle.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "You did quite well in Taicang this time. Although others made mistakes, fortunately you did not disappoint them or embarrass the Queen."

Xu Zengshou quickly apologized and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I failed to detect it in time, which led to a disaster."

"That's not your fault. Just be diligent. Other people's business is theirs." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Duke Wei told you, right? This time when the emperor returns home, you have to follow him."

Xu Zengshou said quickly, "Your Majesty, I will do my best to show your trust."

It is true that he escorted Zhu, but for Xu Zengshou, the most important task was to protect Zhu Wenyao. This is the difference between him and Li Jinglong. Of course, the main thing is still Li Jinglong.

Zhu Yunxun continued to ask with a smile, "Speaking of which, who do you think is the most suitable commander for your visit to Taicang Port this time?"

Xu Zengshou did not avoid suspicion and said directly, "Your Majesty, I think the Marquis of Jiangyin is the most suitable."

The first Marquis of Jiangyin was Wu Liang, who cared nothing for fame, women, money, or power. He guarded Jiangyin for ten years, often sleeping on the city wall, with his swords and spears as his pillow, and training his troops in a wartime state.

His son Wu Gao was also very capable. He went out to train troops many times. Among the second generation of nobles, he was no less capable than Xu Huizu.

Wu Gao was also very outstanding in history. Even Zhu Di thought that Wu Gao was cautious and meticulous, which was a serious threat. It was only after Zhu Yunwen used the strategy of alienation to get Wu Gao dismissed that the base camp in Beiping was safe.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan nod, Xu Zengshou continued, "The deputy governor Wu Zhong knows about water warfare and can be of great use."

Wu Zhong is Wu Gao's cousin. Wu Zhong's father is Wu Zhen, Marquis of Jinghai, one of the generals most familiar with naval warfare in the Ming Dynasty. Wu Liang and Wu Zhen are also brothers, but Wu Zhen's title was abolished in the 23rd year of Hongwu, on the charge of joining the treason Hu Weiyong.

The title may be abolished, but the families of some meritorious officials will not be exterminated.

"That's true. We are short of people for the naval battle." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "Besides these two brothers, are there any others?"

Xu Zengshou answered without hesitation, "Marquis Yuexi worked diligently and fought bravely after landing. Whenever the imperial navy went out to sea, it was Marquis Yuexi who led the army to land and fight."

Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi, was also a man of character, not as good as his father Yu Tingyu and his two elder brothers Yu Tonghai and Yu Tongyuan, but fortunately he did not bring disgrace to his family. Although he was not good at naval battles, he was a brave general in land battles.

Xu Zengshou continued, "The deputy commander of the Right Army, Ping An, is brave and good at fighting. He can lead the infantry ashore."

Zhu Yunhuan suddenly became happy. This was the victim of Zhu Di in history. Wu Gao attacked Beiping several times, which made Zhu Di restless.

Ping An and Yu Tongyuan defeated the Yan army repeatedly and almost killed Zhu Di. However, the two men did not end well. Ping An, Zhu Yuanzhang's adopted son, was forced to commit suicide by Zhu Di. Yu Tongyuan died in the Baigou River.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, "We have the navy commander, but we still have to rely on the infantry to go ashore and fight. Now we have the infantry commander, so I can rest assured with this arrangement."

It is unrealistic to rely solely on the navy to defeat all enemies now. Even if the Ming fleet is very powerful, it still needs infantry to go ashore in the end.

"We may encounter pirates this time." Xu Zengshou said, "I have talked with the soldiers who went to sea for the first time before, and I know that it is not only Japanese pirates roaming the sea."

The Japanese pirates have always been a major concern. These people are extremely disgusting sometimes. They come ashore to harass and rob, and then run away after fighting. It is difficult to completely wipe them out.

What made Zhu Yunhuan even more unhappy was that some of the Japanese pirates were actually "fake Japanese". They were some merchants and gentry who shaved their heads and pretended to be Japanese pirates, or they were real Japanese who were directly recruited to harass the Ming Dynasty.

Although the problem of Japanese pirates will have to be solved sooner or later, the most important thing at the moment is obviously to go out to sea.

Fortunately, although there were some twists and turns, the situation was generally controllable and it was not a problem for the fleet to go out to sea on schedule.

The morale of the soldiers was high, and they had no objection to going to sea. After all, there were fewer and fewer wars on land, and going to sea could still help them achieve success, and they might even be promoted.

As for ordinary soldiers, they really don't have much choice, they must go to war with the army. However, if they go to sea, they can make a little money if they defeat the foreign countries, not to mention the military pay.

Benevolence, righteousness, and so on might exist, but Zhu Yunhuan obviously would not have more requirements. Sometimes the army's combat effectiveness must be continuously guaranteed and morale must be high. That's it.

With Xu Zengshou's detailed report of the situation, Zhu Yunhuan felt reassured. It seemed that the maritime trade he led could be carried out normally.

It's interesting just to think about it. The biggest spy in history who betrayed Zhu Biao's faction is now doing his best to give advice. This is quite interesting.

Fortunately, Zhu Yunhuan was used to this. After all, he would not have too many filters for some characters, nor would he have too much disgust. He just looked at what these people had done.

For example, Zhu Di never worried about Zhu Yunwen's rebellion, and he would not be dissatisfied with Zhu Yunwen's sightseeing in Hangzhou, so it is natural that he would not be intolerant of people like Xu Zengshou. As long as he works hard for the Ming Dynasty now, that is enough.

After Xu Zengshou left, Lan Yu came cautiously in response to the imperial edict. This gesture was not because Lan Yu had made a mistake, but because he was pleading for his nephew Chang Sen.

"Xu Zengshou just arrived, and we are planning to have him accompany you back to Fengyang." Zhu Yunhuan also said directly, "It is just in time for him to go back to Fengyang to worship his ancestors, so I will just go back to Dingyuan in the future."

Lan Yu asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, is this a little heavy?"

Letting Chang Sen return to Dingyuan basically means the end of his official career. He can only return to Dingyuan to be an idle rich man, which means guarding the Chang family's ancestral tomb.

Zhu Yunhuan glared at Lan Yu and said, "Why? Are you going to give him a promotion? If he wasn't my uncle, how could this be possible?"

Lan Yu didn't dare to say anything, mainly because Chang Sen didn't seem to have made a big mistake, but that was just a direct big mistake. He didn't take bribes or anything like that, but it was too easy to convict him of dereliction of duty, etc.

Zhu Yunhuan said angrily, "Otherwise, because of my grandmother's matter, I would like to send him back right now. My eldest uncle is away, my second uncle is mediocre, and my third uncle is causing trouble for me now!"

Lan Yu was even more insecure now. Chang Mao had committed a crime and was placed outside and died of illness. Although Chang Sheng was helping to manage the Beijing Guards now, everyone knew that he was mediocre and could not help, so the only thing he could do was not to cause trouble.

But now, after Zhu Yunhuan ascended the throne, Chang Sen was the first to neglect his duties, at the height of the rectification of official administration, and specifically in the matter of maritime trade, which Zhu Yunhuan attached the most importance to.

Isn't this a complete disaster? Even his uncle is making things worse. It is obvious how upset Zhu Yunhuan is.

On the other hand, it is naturally about how to deal with Chang Sen. It is obviously inappropriate to ignore everything, otherwise it would be difficult to convince the people. After all, the court is now rectifying the administration of officials.

Lan Yu could only bow his head and say, "I understand. He was indeed very disappointing. He couldn't even do such a small thing well. It's a good thing for him to go back to his hometown to look after his ancestral property. He doesn't have much ability anyway."

Sometimes Lan Yu felt depressed. His brother-in-law was such a powerful man, so why did he give birth to three sons who were not smart at all?
Now that I think about it, it is indeed a good thing for Chang Sen to go back. Given his lack of ability and too high an official position, it would be a bad thing for him to stay in Yingtian Prefecture now, because you never know when he might make a mistake again, and it would be even more difficult to deal with it then.

Going back to be a rich man would mean a comfortable life. Besides, it is difficult to have children, so having more children to expand the family would be a good thing.

Even if Chang Sen himself had no future, it didn't matter. He also had nothing to worry about the status of his descendants. After all, he still had Chang Sheng, the founding duke, who could take care of him.

If there was any one of Chang Sen's descendants who had some potential, Zhu Yunhuan could promote him.

After all, even if Chang Sen was left idle and returned home, his descendants would have a lot of resources. Even if they did not have titles, etc., their descendants would have a very high starting point when entering officialdom in the future.

A person with a noble family background can at least hold an official post of the third or fourth rank when he is sent out to other places. If he has outstanding abilities, he can even hold the first or second rank. This is not a difficult thing at all.

Zhu Yunxun then asked with concern, "Grandma, don't you think too much about my uncle's return?"

Lan Yu quickly replied, "We are hiding it from her now. She thinks that it is because of her poor health that Chang Sen has been delayed."

It is pitiful to see the love of parents in the world. Perhaps in Chang Lan's eyes, she was sick at the wrong time, because Chang Sen is still of great use now and is doing important things.

But now I can only come back to serve, and maybe even have to observe mourning. This child has no title, so isn't this just delaying his future?
"Then we must keep it a secret from her. My grandmother is worried about me and my uncles." Zhu Yunxun said sternly, "Everyone in the mansion should keep their mouths shut. And tell everyone who comes to visit."

Lan Yu nodded repeatedly. In fact, Zhu Yunhuan didn't need to worry about this matter at all, because everyone in the Duke of Founding did the same thing. How could he let Chang Lan get angry at this time?

If something bad really happens to her, no one can take the responsibility.

So we have to keep it secret when we should. This is the most helpless thing to do, but it seems to be the most appropriate way now.

Zhu Yunxun then asked, "Duke Cao mentioned earlier about the improvement of firearms. Did you go and see it?"

Lan Yu immediately replied, "I went to see it, it was just a fire crow, it flew a little far away and made a loud noise."

The so-called fire crow is a kind of firearm that looks like a bird. It is filled with gunpowder and can explode when it flies above the enemy, killing and burning the enemy's troops. It is a powerful weapon for breaking through formations and attacking cities.

Hearing Lan Yu say this, Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood that this made the Duke of Liang somewhat dissatisfied. Because Lan Yu's favorite was still cavalry, and he only liked firearms.

But think about it, Ming Dynasty now also has rockets, which is not bad. Although the range and lethality of this fire crow are limited, it is still there.

The most important thing is that if this weapon is in the hands of a suitable general, it may bring about a big surprise. This weapon is not completely useless.

As long as there is some progress, Zhu Yunhuan will be satisfied. He naturally hopes to have a big breakthrough, but he also understands that many technologies need to be accumulated continuously, which is not something that can be rushed.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally attached great importance to the development and transformation of new firearms, and there was indeed room for further improvement. In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the Ming army, Zhu Yunhuan racked his brains.

In his opinion, there will be no wars just in the past few years. After these years, when finances are more abundant, the wars that need to be fought will definitely have to be fought.

This naturally means that the Ming army needs to continue to maintain its combat effectiveness and must not become lazy at this time. The entire military should understand this.

Fortunately, there seems to be no mood to slack off in the war, and the Ming army is still very combat-ready.

Keep going and go further when necessary. This is the situation Zhu Yunhuan most wants to see.

As for other troubles, they are nothing. Just deal with them as they occur. There is no need to waste time on things that have already happened. That is not the way to solve problems. (End of this chapter)