Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 166 Killing three birds with one stone! Old Zhu's scolding and love! Expedition!
When the news spread that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had decided to personally lead the fleet, set sail to the sea, and vowed to wipe out the threat of Japanese pirates, the whole city of Jinling was in an uproar.

During this period, Zhu Yunhuan often went to the Ming Military Academy to give lectures.

Even experienced generals such as Lan Yu and Wang Bi admired his military insights and strategic thinking.

They know a lot of things in their hearts, but due to their limited knowledge and cultural level, they are unable to explain them accurately and vividly if they were asked to do so.

There are also some things they have never thought of before.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can tell them all, which shows how talented he is.

However, talking about military strategy on paper is different from actually leading troops in battle.

The battlefield is changing rapidly.

Most of the time, making decisions on the battlefield requires extraordinary courage, fearless bravery, and superhuman sharp intuition, rather than various preconceived strategies.

Someone who is good at making plans and strategies in the rear may not be suitable for leading thousands of troops to fight in the front.

On the surface, both appear to be commanding troops to fight, but in fact they are two completely different fields.

After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never been to the battlefield.

Can he do it?

Lan Yu found Zhu Yunhuan first.

"Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to lead the army in person, I, Lan Yu, am willing to be the vanguard!"

Zhu Yunhuan shook his head: "No need."

"Fighting at sea is different from fighting on land. My uncle has never been to sea and is not used to naval warfare, so why should we go with him?"

The navy is a highly professional branch of the military.

Although Lan Yu was a famous general on land, he was a completely different story when he was at sea.

What's more, the reason why he personally led the troops into battle this time was to establish his prestige in the army.

If there is a famous general like Lan Yu in charge, it is easy for people to mistakenly believe that all the credit is Lan Yu's, and he is just taking advantage of it to earn fame.

This was not conducive to Zhu Yunhuan's plan.

Because the Ming Dynasty was just founded, the founding generals were still there, and there were too many military leaders of all kinds.

He also didn't want to re-employ these people in the new army.

Blue jade can be used, but it also needs to be suppressed.

Ultimately, military power must be controlled in one's own hands, rather than delegated to others.

"But His Royal Highness has never been out to sea!"

Lan Yu was obviously not easily persuaded by just one sentence and continued to insist.

"I founded the Ming Navy, and I know how to command them to fight." Zhu Yunxun was full of confidence, and then continued: "Uncle, I have a mission for you."

"After I lead the navy out to sea, you will go to the north, to Peking, to guard against the invasion of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

Lan Yu frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "There is no reason for the Northern Yuan Dynasty to invade at this time."

The Northern Yuan invasions usually occurred in winter, not in spring or summer.

Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile: "I'm afraid it won't be possible to return in a short time after leading the army to the sea this time."

"Normally, the Northern Yuan would not move south at this time."

"But what if the princes deliberately provoke the Northern Yuan and induce it to move south?"

A sharp light suddenly flashed in the blue jade eyes.

According to the news that has been coming back during this period, the armies under the command of the princes have been actively fighting against the Northern Yuan Dynasty throughout the past winter.

They did so under the guise of maintaining peace on the northern border and eliminating the threat posed by the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

In fact, with Lan Yu's keen eyesight, he could naturally see that they wanted to use this to provoke revenge from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, thereby prompting the Northern Yuan army to march south.

After all, Zhu Yunhuan had not yet been prepared for the Northern Yuan army to march south.

On the contrary, because of the opening of the Ming Military Academy, a number of meritorious generals, including Zhu Di and other princes, were retained in Jinling City.

If the Northern Yuan army really marched south in large numbers, it would be a slap in the face for Zhu Yunhuan and make him lose face.

Unfortunately, the grasslands and deserts are deserted for thousands of miles in winter.

The nomadic tribes all took refuge in a few settlements.

They are hard to find, and even harder to anger.

In the end, the Northern Yuan army did not move south.

But in spring and summer, when the grass grows, the situation is different.

The nomadic tribes had used up all the food and fodder they had prepared for the winter and needed to go out to graze.

If you send troops to attack and harass at this time, the enemy will have to come out to fight back.

If you provoke them too much or get angry, they will naturally fight back fiercely.

And this is exactly what the princes want to see.

Rumors that the imperial court was about to reduce the power of the feudal lords had gradually spread.

The princes need to prove that they have value in existence and cannot be weakened.

Zhu Di was still in Nanjing City, and Peking lacked a leading general.

If the Northern Yuan Dynasty launched a massive counterattack, it would most likely target Peking.

"Okay! Then I'll go to Beiping City. Take care, Your Highness!"

Lan Yu was finally convinced by him.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled slightly.

This move kills three birds with one stone.

First, with Lan Yu in charge of Peking, Peking can be kept safe.

Second, the troops stationed in the Peking area had been under Zhu Di's control for many years, and sending Lan Yu there would make it easier to sabotage the situation.

In the Jingnan Rebellion in history, Zhu Di started with only 800 soldiers from the palace, but soon many troops responded, thanks to his prestige in the army.

This is not a good thing for Zhu Yunhuan.

Although Zhu Di was now "one of his own", he would not allow the military power in Peking to be controlled by Zhu Di.

The court's army should obey the court's orders unconditionally.

It is not that a general can just raise his arm and the soldiers will obey him.

It was for this reason that Zhu Yunhuan kept Zhu Di in Jinling City, keeping him away from his fiefdom in Beiping and away from the army.

If Lan Yu goes there again, he will be able to basically control the situation.

This is equivalent to completely returning the military power of Peking and its vicinity to the imperial court.

Third, it also distanced Lan Yu from his old subordinates.

Not only can Lan Yu be used to suppress the army and generals in Peking, but also Lan Yu's influence in the army can be weakened.

And Lan Yu was very happy about this.

After all, he had always suspected that Prince Yan had ulterior motives.

Going to Peking, calming down Prince Yan's old subordinates, and weakening Prince Yan's influence in the army was exactly what he wanted.

As soon as Lan Yu was sent away, Zhu Di came.

"You are the clan leader. You must take good care of the royal family members. You have an important responsibility and you must not leave Jinling."

Zhu Yunhuan refused before he could even speak.

Zhu Di was stunned and asked, "There are so many veterans in the military academy, you won't bring any of them with you?"

"Marching troops and fighting is no small matter. After all, you have never led troops and have no experience in fighting on the battlefield."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "I do plan to bring two of them, Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu, who once served under you."

Zhu Yunhuan had already made plans for the generals under Zhu Di.

Although Zhang Yu and Qiu Fu are both capable, they are too old.

If the sea gets rough, I'm afraid neither of them can handle it.

In comparison, Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng are much younger and more worthy of training and transformation.

Furthermore, although both of them had been under Zhu Di's command before, their positions were not high and they had not received much favor from Zhu Di, so it was easy for them to be won over and used by him.

Especially Zhang Fu.

Zhu Yunhuan had looked through the information of the generals. His father, Zhang Yu, was a general under Lan Yu and had participated in the Battle of Buyuerhai. He was transferred to the Yanshan Left Guard a year ago and was under the jurisdiction of Zhu Di.

Although Zhu Yunhuan was very confident in himself, the army that went on this expedition was also the Ming Dynasty Navy that he had built.

He compiled all the tactics and strategies, which were completely different from the traditional Ming army.

But it was Zhu Yunhuan's first time to lead troops, so he was still somewhat worried.

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu were both young generals and had little fame in the Ming army.

Even though the two of them performed brilliantly in the war and came to prominence.

That also shows that Zhu Yunhuan has the ability to judge people.

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu would be grateful for his recognition, and the soldiers in the army would admire his ability to judge people.

This is completely different from using veteran players.

The new army is equipped with a large number of firearms, and its combat mode will undergo earth-shaking changes.

But the courage, bravery, intuition and other abilities required on the battlefield are the same.

As famous generals in history, Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu could play some role to some extent.

Maybe not fighting at sea.

But the expeditionary force still has to land.

Although neither of them became famous, they had both been on the battlefield a long time ago.

What’s more important is that even if they are not familiar with the new army’s tactics and strategies now, as long as they are given time, they will have great potential for future growth.

For this reason alone, you should keep it with you early on and make it your confidant.

Hearing the names Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu, Zhu Di could not help but frown. Zhu Neng was a young general whose father was the deputy commander of the Yanshan Central Guard.

This man once followed Zhu Di in the Northern Expedition and was quite courageous and brave.

He didn't know who Zhang Fu was.

Could it be Zhang Yu’s son?

But Zhang Yu himself was just a deputy commander.

Unless one signs up for the new army and passes the assessment, a small deputy commander would not even be qualified to study at the Ming Military Academy.

How could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pay attention to the son of such a person?
Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a puzzled look on his face.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "There are Bole in the world, but there are also thousand-mile horses."

"Although Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu have served under you before, they are both generals of the imperial court and must obey the imperial court's orders."

"Someone recommended them to me, saying that they are both talented generals."

"I looked at their past performances and felt that they were indeed talented people, so I transferred them over to use them."

That's the benefit of being in power.

You can use whoever you like.

Resources and personnel can be deployed at will.

Compared to when he was the King of Wu, it was much easier to recruit people now.

The order to transfer Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu had already been issued.

It was just because both of them were far away in Peking, and it took time for them to arrive in Nanjing from the time the order was issued.

It has just arrived.

Zhu Di looked at him deeply again.

This has always been Zhu Yunhuan's style of employing people.

He hires whoever he likes, very capricious.

For example, Yang Shiqi was just a scholar who failed to pass the imperial examination, and he did not come from a prominent family.

But Zhu Yunhuan took a liking to him "for some unknown reason".

Yang Shiqi's subsequent performance was also outstanding.

Recently, another person named Xia Yuanji was hired, but he was just a student of the Imperial College.

But at the same time, after Xia Yuanji was promoted, he also demonstrated abilities that amazed many officials.

Even the old monk Yao Guangxiao, whom he trusted in the past, was not famous, but Zhu Yunhuan seemed to have predicted it and knew his abilities, so he poached him away.

As such.

Thinking about it carefully, Zhu Di found it unbelievable.

Now, they suddenly called in Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu. Could it be that they really have some great abilities?

Who recommended it to Zhu Yunhuan?

Zhu Di suddenly thought of Chang Sheng.

Although that guy is uneducated and spends his days in debauchery, he has a very wide social circle.

There was no son of noble family that he was not familiar with.

Perhaps Chang Sheng heard about Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu from other nobles and recommended them to Zhu Yunhuan.

After all, Chang Sheng was his uncle and had a special relationship with Zhu Yunhuan.

Wasn’t it him who also found Yang Shiqi before?

It seems that I have to pay closer attention to this dude in the future.

Zhu Di smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince said before that only by letting the royal family members make achievements can the title be preserved."

"Now you are leading the army to fight, and you don't give me and other royal relatives a chance."

"How can we achieve success?"

Ever since Zhu Di learned that the clan system was going to be reformed, he became concerned about it.

Although I can't become the emperor, I have to keep my title of prince at all costs, right?

Are we really going to let our descendants be demoted and eventually become commoners?
Zhu Di felt unwilling when he thought about it.

Zhu Yunhuan laughed and said, "After all, the royal family members are different from outsiders."

"Reform the clan system and confer titles based on merit, but it doesn't necessarily have to be military merit."

"Governing the world is also a great achievement."

"As long as one has made contributions to the court, the country, and is a member of the royal family, one can be granted a title."

"After I lead the troops to the battle, the princes and royal relatives from all over the country will surely be eager to take action."

"Uncle, it's a great achievement for me to keep an eye on them."

Zhu Di cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. As the head of the clan, I will definitely take good care of the princes and royal relatives."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you, Uncle!"

Zhu Yunhuan encouraged him again, and only packed his bags after Zhu Di left.

Although the servants had already packed up, he still wanted to check it again personally before he could feel at ease.

After finishing all this, Zhu Yunhuan summoned Yao Guangxiao, Yang Shiqi, Xia Yuanji and others to explain to them all the matters that would take place after his departure.

As long as Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive, there is no need to worry about anyone seizing power, but there are many construction projects that cannot be stopped.

Then, he rushed to the Ming Manufacturing Bureau to give instructions to Zhu Gaochi and Zhao Rui.

……

Three days later.

The Yangtze River estuary next to Jinling City.

A red sun, like a torch, burst out from the east, casting thousands of golden rays of light onto the vast river.

The warships were lined up like towering mountains, with flags on the decks fluttering in the wind.

The soldiers of the new army were dressed in brand new naval uniforms, holding new-style rifles, with sharp eyes, standing on the deck like a Great Wall of Steel, majestic and invincible.

The beating of war drums and the blast of horns echoed on the river, adding a sense of solemnity and heroism.

On the river bank, there were huge crowds of people. People came from all directions, wanting to catch a glimpse of the new army of the Ming Dynasty.

The crowd was so dense that there was no end in sight.

Zhu Yunhuan said goodbye to all the officials and was about to board the warship to set off on an expedition when he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Grandpa Emperor!" Zhu Yunhuan blurted out.

"Little bastard, do you still remember me, your grandfather?" Old Zhu glared at him angrily. "You know that the sea is unpredictable and war is dangerous. As the crown prince, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. How dare you go to the battle so rashly? Do you want to piss off your grandfather to death?"

"Grandpa Emperor, I am only leading the troops to the battle, not charging into battle myself. How can it be so dangerous?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled, took Old Zhu's hand, and pointed at the warship next to him: "With the superiority of our Ming army and the strength of our warships, the Japanese pirates are nothing but chickens and dogs, and cannot withstand a single blow."

"I am going on this expedition just to gain some military merit for myself."

"Only then can you intimidate the arrogant and powerful generals in the court and take charge of the Ming Dynasty."

"If you stay in Jinling City all the time and don't go out to see the world, and don't understand military matters, you will inevitably be deceived by the generals on the front line in the future, and it will be difficult to control them."

"Grandpa Emperor, I have made up my mind this time, please don't stop me."

Old Zhu glared at him again.

In fact, the news that Zhu Yunhuan was going to lead his army to war had already been published in the "Da Ming Daily".

Of course, it’s impossible that Lao Zhu didn’t know about this.

If they really wanted to stop him, they would not have waited until now to stop him. They would have stopped him in the East Palace.

The reason I came here at this time was just to see my grandson off in person.

Although he was reluctant, Zhu Yuanzhang knew very well that he still needed experience to be a good emperor.

He actually went on board the ship in advance to take a look and was deeply shocked by the artillery equipment inside the battleship.

If there had been such warships when we fought against Chen Youliang, the battle would not have been so difficult.

Instead, he was able to defeat Chen Youliang's army without any effort.

With such strong ships and powerful guns, there shouldn't be any problem dealing with the small Japanese pirates.

"After you leave, remember to send someone to deliver a message every day." Old Zhu said with a stern face: "Also, you are only allowed to lead the army to wipe out the Japanese pirates along the coast of Daming, and you are not allowed to go to Japan to attack it."

"If we want to invade Japan, we must send another general."

Zhu Yunxun immediately agreed: "Grandson, I accept your order!"

Anyway, once you go out, you will be away from the court and will not be able to obey the orders of the king.

At that time, whether he personally led his army to Japan was not something Zhu Yuanzhang could control.

Old Zhu showed a kind smile on his face. He reached out to hug Zhu Yunhuan and touched his head, his dragon eyes full of reluctance.

"Go!"

After a while, Lao Zhu finally spoke.

Zhu Yunhuan left his arms, bowed deeply to Old Zhu, then turned around and strode towards the warship.

"set off!"

He waved to Lao Zhu on the shore and gave orders.

The flag officer waved the flag quickly.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Several salutes were fired.

The warships drew anchor, sails were fully unfurled, and one ship after another sailed towards the distance like a long dragon!

……

(End of this chapter)