The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 37 Three Shocks in One Day

Ma Xun set out on his journey again in a daze and headed for the battlefield again.

It's just that his way of going to the battlefield was a little strange. He walked from Yingtianfu to Xuanhua, and was about to reach Kaiping, but he turned around and headed for Qingyang, Gansu.

I've reached the border of Inner Mongolia, turning west!

Basically, he was only responsible for marching and was always on the road to the battlefield.

Ping An led a guard to garrison in Kaiping, while Ma Xun continued to lead the Yulin Guard, Feixiong Guard, and Chang Yuchun's 30,000 troops, a total of 40,000 people, to Qingyang.

Li Wenzhong took 20,000 people with him to rush to Datong and attack the Yuan army head-on.

Chang Yuchun will stay in Xuanhua to recuperate for the time being. If his physical condition improves, he may catch up with the army. He may also return to the capital to recuperate after receiving the emperor's order.

Lan Yu said while riding his horse, "Uncle, you have never been to Guanzhong, have you?"

"My uncle walked all the way from Fujian to Suzhou, and he brought Wangcai with him!" Mu Ying reminded him, "General Lan, how many people in the army have walked farther than my uncle?"

Lan Yu said quickly, "Of course it's the uncle who's great. If I hadn't followed my sister when I was a child, I wouldn't have survived. How could I be like the uncle who wandered around alone at the age of ten!"

Ma Xun suddenly felt that it would be better if Lan Yu didn't speak. To put it nicely, he was honest and simple-minded, but to put it bluntly, he had no emotional intelligence.

But don't expect a brave general who dares to attack his own city after being drunk, or a brave general who dares to drive away and beat the Censor to understand these things.

Fortunately, the current Lan Yu is not the arrogant and domineering person in history. Although he has military merits now, he is not outstanding in the Ming army.

Ma Xun continued to lead his troops to Qingyang with peace of mind, as he had nothing to worry about.

Even though there were a flag with the words "General Guarding the Country" and "Ma" flying, Ma Xun just sat there with his hands up and did nothing.

Mu Ying and Lan Yu were very busy and terrified because they had never led so many troops. Fortunately, Guanzhong had been conquered and they only needed to march, and there were many brave generals in the army.

When Ma Xun and others were on their way, a horse galloped into Yingtian Prefecture, and the people along the way avoided it.

Zhu Yuanzhang in the Wuying Hall continued to review memorials. He had endless things to deal with every day.

"Your Majesty, six hundred miles quick!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was immediately frightened. The use of such an express delivery method of 600 miles must be a huge event.

The knight was supported by the guards into the Wuying Palace, holding the secret letter and reporting, "General Chang fell off his horse!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was horrified and rushed over to grab the secret letter. He opened it without even checking the sealing wax.

On July 7, the deputy general who was in charge of conquering the enemy led his troops back south from Kaiping. When he reached Liuhechuan, he suddenly fell off his horse. Although the emperor's uncle tried to rescue him, the deputy general did not regain consciousness.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had experienced too many storms, was also panicked for a moment. It's not like he had never experienced the pain of losing a beloved general before, but all this happened too suddenly.

Boren, you are going to lead the army to Qingyang!
"Immediately order Bao'er to take charge of the army!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted immediately after a brief moment of distraction, "Pass the order, order Bao'er to take charge of the army and lead the army to Qingyang to join forces with Xu Da!"

Zhu Yuanzhang continued to give orders, "Call the imperial physician immediately, quickly!"

The guards and eunuchs were trembling with fear, but they only delivered the orders when they were supposed to, and only served carefully when they were supposed to.

Zhu Yuanzhang paced back and forth in the Wuying Hall in a panic, thinking about how to arrange the next things. The battle in Qingyang was too critical.

If they won, Wang Baobao would not be able to stay in Gansu and Ningxia and would definitely be driven away. If they lost, the Yuan court could use this as a springboard to threaten Guanzhong.

We can't afford to lose. The Ming Dynasty can't afford to lose now! If we lose, some of the achievements of the Northern Expedition will be gone. If we really lose, the hidden dangers in the north of the Ming Dynasty are huge, and there is no way to live with the people.

The atmosphere in Wuying Palace was extremely stressful, and the maids and eunuchs were even more trembling with fear, because the emperor would often severely punish those around him for trivial matters.

Ma Xiuying came with her maid, but she was keenly aware that something was wrong, "Zhongba, what happened?"

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately handed the secret letter to Ma Xiuying, "Boren fell off his horse, I'm afraid he is in great danger."

Ma Xiuying was also shocked. She knew too well the importance of Chang Yuchun, who was one of the mainstays of the war in the north.

After reading the letter, Ma Xiuying said, "Let Baoer lead the army to Qingyang. No, let me go." Zhu Yuanzhang said quickly, "Sister, you can't let me go. Letting me go is risking my life, and he doesn't even have a bloodline."

"If I really don't have good fortune, I can't blame anyone." Ma Xiuying said expressionlessly, "My brother is the uncle of the Ming Dynasty, so he has to take on responsibilities. Without the north, the Ming Dynasty will not be stable. Besides, he is only going to Qingyang, not to fight in the war."

Zhu Yuanzhang continued to persuade, "Sister, just let Baoer go."

Ma Xiuying asked directly, "If Bao'er goes to Qingyang, will Datong and Taiyuan be conquered by the Yuan Tartars? Guanzhong has been secured, what will happen if I lead the army there? Now that Boren has fallen off his horse, my position is suitable for supervising the army."

Just when the couple was still arguing about whether to let Ma Xun go to Qingyang, another knight was helped into the Wuying Palace.

"Your Majesty, the king's uncle has urgent news!"

Ma Xiuying snatched the letter and opened it.

"General Chang should be fine, he just needs to rest."

"Your Majesty, please send a royal physician to treat the disease, and then send a general to take charge of the army."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief. The so-called falling off a horse was the most obscure term. If a general fell off a horse, it was basically the same as being dead.

The intelligence sent previously also described the situation as extremely dangerous, and judging by common sense, the people were basically dead.

Now that Chang Yuchun is fine, that is naturally the best. It will not affect Zhu Yuanzhang's arrangements and deployments for the Ming military.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Fortunately, I sent my younger brother. Only he can save Boren."

Ma Xiuying was very proud and said, "How could my brother be incompetent?"

After being proud, Ma Xiuying hurriedly said, "Don't tell Wan'er about this for now, so as not to worry her. Let the second and third sons go to propose to their uncle in a few days, and get married when they come back."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded quickly, thinking that his younger brother was most likely fine, because he was only asked to send the troops to Qingyang.

But if something really happened, Liu Bowen's daughter would also have to stay with Ma Xun!

Zhu Yuanzhang felt much better, and suddenly said, "Sister, how can my handwriting be so ugly? Is this the virtue of passing down poetry and books in the family?"

Ma Xiuying was very angry and said, "He has never been able to go to school since he was young, it's good enough that he can learn to read."

But I also feel that when my younger brother comes back, I should let him practice his calligraphy. His handwriting is not just ugly, it is unbearable to look at.

These thirty or so characters took up two sheets of paper. Not to mention the ones with missing strokes, there were more than a dozen wrong characters that were crossed out.

If Ma Xun knew this, he would definitely just sigh helplessly. Traditional Chinese characters are easy to recognize but difficult to write, and calligraphy is even harder to master.

After expressing their disdain for Ma Xun's calligraphy, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying continued to discuss some matters in the north.

Li Wenzhong and Ma Xun were asked to lead troops separately. Li Wenzhong led the troops to fight against the various reinforcements of the Yuan court and create the basic conditions for Xu Da to fight the Battle of Qingyang.

Ma Xun was appointed as the military supervisor, and with the assistance of Mu Ying and a group of generals, the army was sent to Qingyang.

He also had to give Xu Da an order that the army would continue to besiege Qingyang after it arrived. Ma Xun, the emperor's uncle, had to stay with Xu Da and not be allowed to go into battle.

The imperial physician was sent to Xuanhua to bring Chang Yuchun back to the capital for recuperation.

Giving orders to Mu Ying and other generals who are going on the expedition is also something that must be done.

Ma Xiuying spoke again, "You will call the ministers to discuss these matters later. The battle of Qingyang is really important. Although Biao'er is young, he is the crown prince, so he must be allowed to sit in."

Zhu Yuanzhang said without thinking, "You don't need to say anything about this. Biaoer has to know about such a big thing. Sister, you just listen here and don't say anything."

Ma Xiuying said jokingly, "Why, with me as the queen here, aren't you afraid of the harem interfering in government affairs?"

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored this. Saying more would be disadvantageous to him. "I am looking forward to receiving another letter. I am still uneasy."

Ma Xiuying nodded silently. She was also hoping that more letters would arrive so that she could know what was happening next.

(End of this chapter)