Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 235: Has Your Majesty been deceived by a traitor? !
Noon, Wuying Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang set out some wine and food here.

It’s not any big fish or meat, just some home-cooked dishes.

Among them, sesame cakes are indispensable.

now.

The soup hasn't arrived yet.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat alone, reading the memorials as usual. He was not impatient, but his eyes kept looking at the food on the table, appearing a little absent-minded. But he forced himself not to show it.

Soon.

Tang He strode in.

As soon as he saw Tang He, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately put down the memorial in his hand and said with a smile: "Tang He, you are finally here. If you don't come, the food we sent people to prepare will be cold. Come on, let's have a good drink today."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Tang He with a smile on his face.

Zhu Yuanzhang has always been close to this old brother.

Tang He was not pretentious. He sat down carelessly and sniffed it with great enjoyment. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty really understands me. He knows that I just like these few bites from my hometown. The more I smell it, the more fragrant it is."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed.

He stood up and walked over, opened a jar of wine, poured a full bowl for Tang He, and then filled his own bowl.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I knew you would like this, so I sent someone to make it for you."

"eat."

"Let's eat to our heart's content today, brothers."

Tang He responded with a smile and didn't show any awkwardness.

It was as if he really only regarded Zhu Yuanzhang as his brother.

The two of them enjoyed the rare silence.

After eating and drinking, Zhu Yuanzhang put down the wine bowl in his hand and suddenly said, "Tang He, I called you here today just to ask you something. I want to march north. Do you think my idea is right or wrong?"

"I'm a little undecided for the moment, can you tell me about it?"

Tang He frowned.

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang suspiciously, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

When the palace sent a message asking him to come over, he already knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was looking for him to get his advice, although his advice was nothing to Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Yuanzhang was not really asking for his advice.

But until now, he had always thought that it was about today's court meeting. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang did not ask about the salt administration, but asked about the Northern Expedition.

Tang He's expression was slightly stiff.

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang closely for a few times, thought quickly in his mind, and tentatively replied: "Northern Expedition?"

"How could there be anything wrong with the Northern Expedition?"

"As the saying goes, how can I allow others to snore beside my bed?"

"Now that the old Yuan Dynasty has been destroyed, only the fleeing Northern Yuan Dynasty remains, still lingering on. As the orthodox rule of the world, Your Majesty should be responsible for destroying the rebels."

"What's more, after nearly twenty years of your majesty's governance, the world has become peaceful."

"But the Northern Yuan is still around, and it has always been eyeing our Ming Dynasty covetously. Many people in the Northern Yuan are still ambitious and trying to regain control of the Central Plains. The northern border has also been harassed by these Northern Yuan tribes. The various provincial governors in the north have not been tired of it. Over the years, they have submitted petitions to the court, asking the court to send troops to destroy the Northern Yuan."

"Now that the imperial court has a strong army and abundant food and fodder, it is indeed time to put the destruction of the Northern Yuan Dynasty on the agenda."

"I think so."

Tang He nodded seriously.

He understood Zhu Yuanzhang and knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was wary of and disgusted with the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Moreover, the Northern Expedition had always been the goal of the generals in the army. Since the end of the last Northern Expedition, whether they were veteran generals, young and middle-aged generals, or vassal kings stationed in the north, they were all eager to fight and had frequently asked the court for orders.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

He reached out and grabbed the wine pot, filled a cup for himself, and poured another cup for Tang He, saying: "The Northern Yuan Dynasty is indeed a big worry for us. We dream of destroying the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but since Xu Da passed away, we have to think carefully about leading the army."

"Tang He, you know a lot about the generals in the army. Tell us about them."

"Who will lead the Northern Expedition?!"

One word fell.

Wuying Hall suddenly became quiet.

Tang He's pupils shrank slightly, but soon returned to normal. He smiled and said, "In terms of understanding the generals in the army, who in the world can compare to your majesty? Me? Before, I was just a housekeeper for your majesty, and I didn't do a very good job."

"Moreover."

"Your Majesty, asking me about military matters, isn't that putting me on the spot? If I were to tell you about my two tricks, I'd probably be laughed at. Didn't Your Majesty always consult with Xu Da before? Then Chang Yuchun led the troops in the vanguard, and I just helped out from behind."

Tang Hesi recalled the past and smiled with nostalgia.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, rolled his eyes at Tang He, and said unhappily, "Do you think we want to discuss this with you? We just can't find anyone, right?"

"We brothers have crawled through the dead all the way, we know everything, we feel at ease talking to you, we dare to believe it, you ask us to talk to Li Shanchang, Zhou Dexing, Fu Youde and others, we can't piss in the same pot with them."

"There are fewer and fewer people around us who can talk to us."

"You have to help us more."

"Ugh."

"After Xu Da's death, I don't like any of our generals. Although they are all capable, none of them are as worry-free as Xu Da. The same is true for Xu Da. We are not dead yet, so why did he leave first? If there is no other choice, help me deal with the Northern Yuan Dynasty first before leaving."

"Xu Da was so righteous in the past, why is he so disrespectful today?" Zhu Yuanzhang scolded him.

He just looked a little sad.

There are fewer and fewer brothers who have followed me all the way.

There are fewer and fewer people he can trust.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a depressed mood: "Let's go."

"They all left one by one."

"They've all gone ahead of us."

"Chang Yuchun is gone, my eldest grandson is gone, my sister is gone, Bao'er is gone, and that bastard Xu Da is gone before me. They have left this mess to me alone. Sometimes I think I might as well just leave."

"But we brothers have worked so hard to build this kingdom. If we all leave like this, wouldn't it be all in vain?"

"Tang He."

"You have to live longer for us."

"We won't let you die."

"I am the Son of Heaven. As long as I don't let you die, you are not allowed to die."

"Did you hear me!"

Tang He smiled and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty has given an order, how dare I not obey it? I will try my best to live longer, but I have been feeling weaker and weaker over the years. I am afraid that it will not be long before I have to ask Your Majesty for permission to retire and return to my hometown to recuperate."

"Your Majesty must agree to it then."

Looking at Tang He's smiling face, Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment.

He raised his head and looked at Tang He. The high-spirited Tang He in his memory now had wrinkles on his face, showing a sense of old age. Moreover, when he talked about retiring and returning home, he looked relaxed and relieved.

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment.

He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.

The wine burned his throat a little, but Zhu Yuanzhang seemed not to notice and poured himself another glass.

Seeing this, Tang He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, why are you doing this? I am not young anymore, and my grandson is already several years old. Sooner or later, I will have to retire. But Your Majesty should hurry up and clear up this mustard disease in the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"Otherwise, the northern border will remain unstable, which is ultimately a significant hidden danger."

"At present, our Ming Dynasty has a strong army and the princes stationed in the northern border are also outstanding and heroic. In my opinion, they are no worse than you, Your Majesty, were before. The veterans in the army now include Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, Wang Bi, Zhao Yong, Hu Hai, and Lan Yu, Guo Ying and other generals."

"Let me tell you."

"Your Majesty actually overestimates Bei Yuan."

"The imperial court has already launched five northern expeditions and wiped out the elite troops of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"The Northern Yuan Dynasty is now struggling to survive."

"Let alone sending people like Fu Youde and Feng Sheng, even if we send Lan Yu and Guo Ying, or directly let the King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Yan lead the troops, we can easily wipe out the Northern Yuan Dynasty and wipe it out completely."

"I am no longer the same as I was before."

"The Northern Yuan Dynasty has long been no match for the Ming Dynasty."

Tang He boasted with a smug look on his face.

It seemed as if he really didn't take the Northern Yuan Dynasty seriously.

Zhu Yuanzhang withdrew his thoughts and shook his head, saying: "It is indeed not difficult to defeat the Northern Yuan Dynasty now, but the difficult part is to eliminate the troubles in the future."

"The Northern Yuan Dynasty is now dominating the north and is always a threat to our Ming Dynasty."

"We don't want to defeat the Yuan Dynasty and then the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and then something else. We are now thinking about whether we can completely pacify the north and make sure that the north will no longer suffer from foreign invasions. We want to completely solve the problems in the north for our descendants while we are still alive."

Tang He smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, how can such a good thing happen in the world?"

"From ancient times to the present, the north has always been occupied by nomads. Before, it seemed that there were the Xiongnu, Rouran, Xianbei, and then the Turks, and some other minor tribes. Some of these minority tribes were destroyed, dispersed, or even fled in all directions, but the north is still the same north, just with a different group of people."

"It would be great to be able to secure decades of peace for future generations."

Tang He looks very realistic.

It is simply impossible to completely resolve the issue in the North.

No one has ever done it.

Throughout the dynasties, countless famous ministers and generals have come one after another, but what is the result? It is just that you finish singing and I take the stage, you advance and I retreat, you retreat and I advance, and this repeated entanglement and tug-of-war has a history of at least thousands of years in this area of ​​the north.

The Ming Dynasty was indeed powerful, but its power was actually limited.

It is impossible to subdue those with evil ambitions.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "I thought the same thing before, but I have loosened my mind recently because I can vaguely see the future and a way to completely solve the problem in the north."

Tang He was stunned.

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang suspiciously and asked, "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"

"Why don't I understand?"

"Your Majesty, have you been deceived by a traitor? There is no way in this world to completely resolve the border crisis once and for all."

"Your Majesty, please do not easily believe in slander."

Tang He reminded with a serious face.

(End of this chapter)