The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 163: Filial Son and Great Grandson
Zhu Chong was extremely busy, but fortunately he managed to cross the river smoothly.

But after crossing the river, Zhu Chong found Ma Xun with a sad face, "Uncle, I'm late, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to the lodging."

Ma Xun smiled and asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"Of course we are setting up camp." Zhu Chong answered directly, "According to the previous plan, we should have entered the post station today."

Ma Xun asked back, "Since you already know what to do, why are you asking me?"

Zhu Chong had nothing to say, so he quickly gave the order to set up camp.

Ma Xun was only responsible for feeding the donkey, or lazily basking in the sun. It was a pity that the wind was a bit strong by the river, otherwise it would have been more comfortable to bask in the sun.

Since he said he would not care, Ma Xunzhen did almost nothing about it and let Zhu Chong and others arrange the setting up of camp.

"Go and keep an eye on them." Ma Xun was still a little worried, and said to He Da, "They are young, so you are not allowed to make any comments after you watch them. You can only come back and report to me."

He Da and others immediately started to take action. They were the "invigilators" who watched how Zhu Chong and others arranged the camping.

Combining theory with practice, some of the basic military training provided by Zhu Chong and others is good, but when it comes to putting it into practice, we cannot simply read from the script.

Fortunately, due to their special status, the soldiers under their command dare not disobey their orders even if they have some complaints.

After the sun went down, Ma Xun called the three princes to the tent, "Second brother, tell me what you gained and lost today?"

Zhu Chong directly concluded, "The soldiers under his command are slow in doing their work."

Ma Xun immediately scolded him with a stern face, "Soldiers are dragging their feet? Who taught you to think of shirking responsibility when something goes wrong? The crossing of the river is slow, and the soldiers are at a loss. Isn't it because you, the commander, didn't make arrangements in advance?"

Zhu Chong's face was not good either. He was the King of Qin after all, the head of the royal family. Moreover, he was almost an adult, but he was scolded like this.

However, although he was unhappy, Zhu Chong quickly said, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have changed my orders every day, which caused confusion among the soldiers."

Ma Xun nodded in satisfaction. "Since the military order has been issued, it should be carried out. You should have considered these things in advance. It's nothing more than that you thought things were simple in advance, so that something went wrong and it became a mess all of a sudden."

Zhu Chong thought about it carefully and found that it was indeed true. In fact, he had already made arrangements in advance and he thought it was very reasonable and there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

Unfortunately, when one of the links did not go as he expected, he panicked and many of the subsequent arrangements got out of control.

Ma Xun continued, "Plans are plans, but sometimes you can't just follow the plan. If you miss the camping point, you miss it. The safety of the army is the most important."

Zhu Chong nodded repeatedly, "My uncle taught me that I oversimplified things."

Ma Xun looked at Zhu Gang with a stern face, "Old Third, what about you?"

Zhu Gang immediately admitted his mistake and said, "My uncle, I was not prepared in advance and failed to share my second brother's worries when he was arranging the fleet. The rear army was too anxious and suddenly lost its formation."

Ma Xun nodded with satisfaction and said, "Generals leading troops should also understand that fighting is not a one-man show, and they should also know how to communicate and cooperate with each other. It is true that you are the commander of the rear army, but you should also obey the orders of the general."

Zhu Chong glared at Zhu Gang unhappily. If the troops led by the third brother had not gone there, the fleet would not have been so chaotic when crossing the river.

Zhu Gang also felt wronged, he went there according to the time set by his second brother, but he didn't know that something went wrong on his second brother's side, causing the team to be in chaos.

Ma Xun then said to Zhu Di, "Fourth Brother, you are not much better! You were the first to board the ship, and then you just stood there and watched? Did you do what you were supposed to do? If you have the energy to spare, can't you think about helping your second and third brothers?"

Zhu Di, who was originally very satisfied with his performance, suddenly looked sad. It turns out that my performance cannot satisfy my uncle?
Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang immediately looked at Zhu Di. The fourth brother was indeed the worst. It would have been fine if he didn't share our worries, but did he want to laugh at us?

Timely summarization is very necessary to let Zhu Chong and others know their shortcomings and facilitate continuous improvement.

They are now in a stage of rapid growth and are still in the process of continuous learning, so it is even more necessary to help them grow.

It is obvious that this is just the beginning. On the way to Fengyang, Ma Xun will continue to ask Zhu Chong and others this.

If you want to make progress, you have to study hard, and there is no room for negotiation on this point.

Zhu Chong and others were both happy and sad. Although they were criticized a lot by Ma Xun along the way, and although they basically just marched along the way, the three princes were gradually getting better.

Especially commanding a team of more than 10,000 people on a continuous march, even if they are at the feet of the emperor and in the core area of the Ming Dynasty, it can satisfy their vanity.

This is an experience I have never had before. At first glance, I feel like I am a general, and I also feel that there is room for application of what I have learned.

It is also a challenge for Ma Xun. He is only half-baked and has to guide his nephews, which is a bit difficult.

Fortunately, he had experience in leading troops to fight thousands of miles away, and with the help of some generals and officers, he was able to stabilize Zhu Chong and others for the time being.

So this is a process of progress, and everyone is improving and growing.

"Look at these villages." During the march, Ma Xun took Zhu Chong and others to inspect people's livelihood, "Look carefully and see how the people of our Ming Dynasty live!"

Looking at the thatched houses and mud houses not far away, Zhu Chong and others were also a little surprised. This can be regarded as being at the feet of the emperor, but it seems that the people's lives are not very good. The living conditions are far worse than those of some civilians in Yingtian Prefecture.

Ma Xun continued to teach, "Look carefully, these places are still good. There are even more remote places where people have no roof over their heads or food to eat."

Zhu Di suddenly asked, "Uncle, were you like that back then?"

"Me?" Ma Xun said with a smile, "I am not as good as these people. At least they have houses and fields and can survive. In times of war, life is uncertain and even farming is difficult to make a living."

Ma Xun stared at Zhu Chong and the others and said seriously, "Only when the world is at peace can the people live and work in peace and contentment. But this is not enough. If there is no war, the people will not be able to survive if the government disturbs them."

Zhu Chong and others seemed to understand but they still nodded obediently at this time, otherwise they would be scolded again.

In fact, Ma Xun did not expect Zhu Chong and others to empathize with ordinary people. This was unrealistic.

These nobles were born into a life of luxury. They have never had to worry about food and clothing and have been high and mighty all their lives. Some of the things that ordinary people experience will never happen to them.

It is like this now and it will be like this in the future. There will always be some children from wealthy families who find it difficult to understand the lives of poor people.

However, as long as Zhu Chong and others committed fewer atrocities and could understand the difficulties of life for the common people, Ma Xun would think it was worth it.

It’s not that Ma Xun has low requirements, but that’s the reality.

It is difficult for the second generation of officials and the second generation of rich people to empathize with the working people at the bottom of society, let alone feel the same pain.

It's a good thing that those people don't make things difficult for or bully the lower-level workers.

"Uncle, what are those people doing?" Zhu Chong pointed ahead and asked, "I don't think there's anything on the land right now. Can we find food?"

Ma Xun explained, "This is what spring famine is like. There is no surplus food at home, so we have to find some wild vegetables to fill our stomachs."

Then Ma Xun complained, "If anyone dares to say that he wants to go to the river to catch fish or go to the mountain to hunt wild animals, I will let you go to catch fish and hunt wild animals. Do you really think that fish without oil and salt can be eaten, and wild animals are easy to hunt?"

Some people always think that today's "ecology is good" and that in ancient times the rivers were full of fish and shrimps and the mountains were full of wild animals.

Anyone with a little bit of common sense can understand that if that were really the case, there would be no such things as cannibalism and starvation.

When people are extremely hungry, they will even eat human flesh. How can they think of not fishing in the river or hunting in the mountains?

Zhu Di was even more puzzled. "We don't see any wild vegetables now. What can they find?"

"Grass roots." Ma Xun suddenly got an idea and said, "I will let you remember the bitter past and think of the sweet present. You have never tasted bitterness, but your father has. Let you taste grass roots, bread mixed with bran, mulberry leaves, tree bark, and Guanyin soil."

When Zhu Chong and others heard what Ma Xun said, their faces changed.

Others might be joking or trying to scare them, but they can also guarantee that their uncle is capable of doing such things.

Some things just sound scary and don’t arouse any curiosity.

But given the current situation, this is something that cannot be refused at all.

There is nothing much to say. I can only blame myself for having an uncle who has suffered a lot.

What’s even more terrible is that this uncle has not forgotten his roots even after becoming rich, and is always thinking about educating his nephews well.

Ma Xun said earnestly, "You only eat it once or twice for the sake of novelty and fun, but ordinary people eat like this all year round."

Zhu Chong whispered, "We don't want something new."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di also nodded. They began to envy Zhu Su, Zhu Zhen and others. After all, it was because the fifth brother and others were young that they did not go back to their hometown with them this time.

Ma Xun then looked at Zhu Shouqian and said, "Tiezhu, why are you so quiet?"

"Uncle, I'm listening." Zhu Shouqian said quickly, "I'm listening and remembering everything."

Appearance reflects the heart. Although Zhu Shouqian was only eleven years old, he looked a little gloomy.

This child also needs a warning. Although he was arranged in the palace by Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying, his mother is a resentful woman who is full of complaints and has instilled all kinds of nonsense into the child.

Good children are being corrupted, becoming two-faced, gloomy and mean. This is not acceptable.

Seriously speaking, this is the eldest grandson of the Zhu family, and he cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes.

Not only should we not repeat the mistakes of Zhu Wenzhen, but we should also not repeat the series of mistakes made by Zhu Shouqian, the King of Jingjiang in history.

(End of this chapter)