Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 203 The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind!

Just as Zhu Neng led his troops to attack the Northern Yuan Dynasty from Zhangjiakou Fort, the 3,000 new troops led by Zhang Fu also arrived in Taiyuan.

Speaking of which, the distance from Jinling to Beijing is about the same as the distance from Jinling to Taiyuan.

But in fact, since the road from Jinling to Beiping is all plains, the construction of the cement highway was much faster and had been completed by 70% to 80%. However, towards Taiyuan, there are many mountainous areas with complex road traffic conditions, and the progress of laying the cement highway was much slower. Therefore, the time when Zhang Fu led his army to Taiyuan was much later than the time when Zhu Neng arrived in Beiping.

"I've heard for a long time that the new army's combat power is unparalleled in the world and its reputation is well-known. Today, after seeing it, I can see that the army is indeed well-disciplined and extraordinary." King Jin Zhu Gang led a group of civil and military officials from Shanxi to come and greet them.

Also coming with him was Ying Guogong Fu Youde.

"I pay my respects to the King of Jin. Your Majesty, I am ashamed to receive your praise. I and the soldiers of the new army are unworthy of it. We are on an expedition to the Northern Yuan Dynasty under the order of the court. I hope that the prince and the other officials will give their full support."

Zhang Fu stepped forward and saluted, while also saying some polite words.

Compared with Zhu Neng's bravery, Zhang Fu has always been more steady in his actions.

It was precisely because of this that Zhu Yunhuan arranged for him to leave the country through Taiyuan.

This is different from Peking, where Lan Yu is in charge and can be used as a backup.

Although Jin Wang Zhu Gang is in Taiyuan, he may not support the new army.

Maybe they will even trip you up secretly and deliberately hold you back.

Zhu Yunhuan specifically instructed Zhang Fu about this.

Zhang Fu also knew what was going on.

"Well-deserved, well-deserved." Zhu Gang laughed. "Your Highness the Crown Prince led the new army to the expedition to Japan. This not only made His Highness the Crown Prince famous as the "God of War of the Ming Dynasty", but also made the reputation of the Ming Dynasty's new army known far and wide."

"Now the Ming Daily is boasting all day about how brave the new army soldiers are, how powerful their equipment is, and how strong their combat power is, unparalleled in the world."

"Now is the time to march to the Northern Yuan Dynasty and put down the unrest in the grasslands in one fell swoop. Why should we not be worthy of it?"

He was generous in his flattery and later held a grand banquet to welcome Zhang Fu and the new army soldiers.

Zhang Fu ordered the soldiers to set up camp and rest in the carriages, and no one was allowed to leave the camp without permission.

After resting for a few days in Taiyuan, he led his troops and continued northward towards the entrance of the Great Wall.

Zhu Gang was very concerned about this and brought his troops to escort the new army soldiers to the Great Wall.

"Unfortunately, it will be the autumn harvest season soon. I cannot mobilize the army and go with you at this time."

"We can only hope that General Zhang will return victoriously soon."

"Although the new army is brave and invincible, there are only 3,000 of them after all. It is better to move in and out quickly and not to engage in a tangled fight with the enemy."

"If you are defeated, you can retreat to the south of the Great Wall. Don't be greedy and advance rashly to prevent unexpected events."

"After the war against Japan, the new army has become the benchmark for all armies of the Ming Dynasty, and a symbol of invincibility in the hearts of the people of the Ming Dynasty."

"If we lose the battle, it will inevitably cause the soldiers' faith to collapse, and the consequences will be extremely serious. General Zhang must keep this in mind."

Zhu Gang's earnest instructions and concern were evident in his words.

For a moment, Zhang Fu was deeply moved.

He previously served under Prince of Yan, Zhu Di. Prince of Yan and Prince of Jin had always been at odds with each other, and there had been many frictions and conflicts between the army under Prince of Yan and the army under Prince of Jin.

Each time ended with Prince of Yan Zhu Di giving in.

Therefore, in the eyes of generals such as Zhang Fu, Zhu Gang was a very powerful and extremely difficult to get along with prince.

The overwhelming momentum,

Before setting off, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince specifically instructed him to be careful and beware of Prince of Jin Zhu Gang.

But when they actually arrived in Taiyuan, they found that King Jin Zhu Gang was very concerned about the new army that was going to the expedition.

As long as Zhang Fu proposed anything regarding the supply of food and fodder, and the preparation of materials, King Jin Zhu Gang would carry it out seriously.

He was especially caring towards the soldiers of the new army.

He brought wine and meat to the new army's camp several times to comfort the soldiers.

If he had not remembered the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and if Zhang Fu had not believed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would never wrongly accuse Prince Jin, he would probably have been moved by Prince Jin Zhu Gang's "sincerity" at this moment.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness Prince Jin, I know what's going on."

After saying this, Zhang Fu turned around and mounted his horse.

Zhu Gang shouted from behind: "I am here, waiting for General Zhang to lead the new army soldiers to return in triumph."

After he finished speaking, he ordered people to beat the war drums and blow the horns.

With flags flying, the new army soldiers set out on an expedition in the sunshine.

Zhu Gang stood on a high place and watched the new army gradually go away.

His expression also began to change.

"Father-in-law, what do you think of the new army?" Zhu Gang asked suddenly.

He tried every means to get close to Zhang Fu and entered the New Army camp many times, just to get closer and observe the world-famous New Army.

"Morale is high, military discipline is strict, and the officers and soldiers are united. There is no better force in the world than this." Fu Youde did not hesitate to praise: "This is the strong army that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spent a lot of money to build. It is also the capital for him to stabilize the world. The strength of the army is so strong that it cannot be compared with ordinary armies."

"The most important thing is the firearms used by the new army." Zhu Gang said in a deep voice: "I have tried the flintlock rifles they use, and they are really powerful."

"Unfortunately, it looks like it's very complicated to make. Even if I can get a few, I can't make them in large quantities, so they won't be very useful."

He immediately changed his tone and said, "However, gunpowder is afraid of moisture. Once the weather is bad, problems will arise."

"The new army relies entirely on firearms and is not even equipped with bows and arrows. This is too radical."

"Once we encounter rainy weather, we will be in big trouble."

Fu Youde smiled and said, "Not only that, although the new army that went out on this expedition had a lot of guns and cannons, they also used a lot of horse-drawn carriages just to carry these guns and cannons and ammunition."

"While horse-drawn carriages can carry cannons, gunpowder, and logistical baggage, they are not very fast." "In a battle on the grassland, horse-drawn carriages cannot catch up with the Northern Yuan cavalry and can easily be surrounded by them."

"As long as the Northern Yuan Dynasty uses its cavalry advantage and continues to harass, it will annoy the new army and make it difficult to cope with it."

"In my opinion, the new soldiers will definitely be defeated in this expedition."

After a pause, Fu Youde said, "Strange. Logically speaking, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be someone who knows military affairs. How could he make such an obvious mistake?"

Zhu Gang laughed loudly and said, "Although my nephew has some talent, he is still too young and lacks experience. How can he compare to a veteran who has been tested on the battlefield for a long time?"

"I have repeatedly simulated the wars of suppressing the Japanese pirates, taking Taiwan, and expedition to Japan. Ultimately, they still rely on the powerful ships and cannons of the Ming Dynasty."

"Without this point, all his strategies will not be able to unfold."

"It looks like a divine army descended from the sky, invincible, but in fact it is nothing more than relying on the advantages of armored ships."

"I have seen that all the soldiers in the new army have great respect for him and will obey his orders."

"But you don't know that the Mobei grassland is not comparable to the sea. There are no strong ships and powerful guns to rely on. You can only fight with real swords and real guns."

"The biggest problem with my nephew is his arrogance. He always thinks he is the best in the world and doesn't take anyone else in the world seriously."

"When he stood up to fight for the position of crown prince, it was precisely because of this confidence that he had the courage to look down on the world."

"No ordinary person could do what he did."

"However, he is indeed talented and gifted. But as the saying goes, talented people in ancient and modern times have been defeated by the word 'arrogance'."

"Right now, he wants to reform the military system of the world and lay off millions of troops."

"He also asked my father to reform the royal family system and ordered the tax bureau to levy heavy commercial taxes, which caused countless conflicts."

"All of these are due to self-righteousness, over-hastyness and lack of prudence."

"In my opinion, the new army's campaign against the Northern Yuan will teach him a severe lesson."

Zhu Gang made some comments and said, "You must gather your troops immediately and follow me out of the pass."

Fu Youde was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "It's not far from the autumn harvest now. If we lead the army to the battle now, it will inevitably delay the autumn harvest."

"Besides, the imperial court has repeatedly ordered that the princes and border army commanders are not allowed to attack the Northern Yuan Dynasty without authorization. If Your Highness leads the troops to attack at this time, wouldn't it give people an excuse to punish Your Highness?"

Zhu Gang didn't care at all and said with a smile: "I know these things."

"Although the army's march will have some impact on the autumn harvest, it is different from the spring ploughing, so the impact of this matter is limited."

"Even if the able-bodied laborers in the military households have gone to war and have not returned, the women, the elderly, and the children who have stayed behind will work together to complete the autumn harvest and will never let the crops rot in the fields."

"It's nothing more than them having to suffer a little more. Why should we worry too much about it?"

"As for the court's punishment."

Zhu Gang sneered and said, "If I lose the battle, my nephew will definitely take the opportunity to severely punish me."

"But if the king returns victorious, what reason would he have to punish me?"

"We have launched our troops against the Northern Yuan many times before, but they always avoided fighting."

"Because without the full support of the court, it is not easy for our army to advance alone."

"Now is the opportunity."

He looked at the new army in the distance and said, "To be honest, I have already informed Bei Yuan of the news of the new army's expedition and its route through the secret agents lurking in Bei Yuan."

Fu Youde was shocked: "Your Majesty, this matter..."

Zhu Gang waved his hand and interrupted him, saying, "I am a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, the son of the current emperor, so it is impossible for me to betray the Ming Dynasty."

"This king just wants to use the new army as bait to lure the Northern Yuan army to besiege the new army."

"I will lead another troop of soldiers and horses to follow the new army."

"When the Northern Yuan army destroys the new army led by Zhang Fu, it will also be exhausted and suffer heavy losses."

"My army will take this opportunity to launch an attack."

"The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind."

"On the one hand, we can take advantage of the Northern Yuan to destroy the new army and let my nephew have a taste of defeat. In this way, the reform and disarmament of the Ming army will have to be stopped."

"Secondly, this is a good opportunity to destroy the main force of the Northern Yuan army, so that I can build meritorious careers and expand my territory."

"The whole army of the new army must die in battle to accomplish my mission."

"Didn't my nephew say that he would have to make great contributions in the future in order to inherit the title?"

"I will make him hold his nose and make me the first hereditary prince of Ming Dynasty, and prepare for the future."

He did not explain what the future would be.

As a founding father of the country, Fu Youde was such a smart man.

Some words need no further explanation.

In fact, there is one more point that Zhu Gang did not say.

That is, he was involved in the murder of Zhu Yunhuan.

I'm afraid Zhu Yunhuan also already knows it.

Once my father passes away, I am afraid that the other party will not tolerate me.

"Your Majesty is very far-sighted. I admire you very much." Fu Youde bowed and said, "I will go to recruit soldiers and lead the army out of the pass."

……

(End of this chapter)