My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 54 This kid doesn't look like a good person

Zhu Yuanzhang had just arrived in Yuan Dadu and before he had time to do anything, Tang He gave him a big gift.

The Yuan capital was captured and the Ming army attacked Shanxi from several directions.

Wang Baobao felt something was wrong, so he sent his subordinate Han Zhaer to counterattack Zezhou (Jincheng, Shanxi).

Why attack Zezhou? Because Tang He is here.

Of course, you have to pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. Who is the softest among the commanders of the Ming army?

That is naturally General Tang.

Then Tang He was defeated as expected.

To be honest, the outcome of this battle has little impact on the overall situation.

Wang Baobao was just making a last-ditch effort.

But the problem is that this is the first time in two years that the Ming army has suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Yuan army.

When Zhu Yuanzhang received the military report, his first feeling was not anger, but helplessness.

I sent you here to gain military merit.

Look at your teammates: Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Feng Sheng, and Fu Youde.

Your mission is not to attack the enemy, but to follow everyone and gain military merit. As long as you can defend the city, it will be a great achievement.

In the future, when we reward you for your merits, we will be able to make you a duke in broad daylight.

And you gave us this?

Xu Da also didn't know what to say. He could only sigh that his abilities were limited and he really couldn't lead the team.

Then come immediately and ask what to do.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You are the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition Army. You can make your own decisions on military matters without asking me."

Only then did Xu Da order Feng Sheng to return to attack Han Zhaer.

In fact, he didn't even need to give the order. Feng Sheng was speechless when he heard that Zezhou was lost.

He immediately turned his horse around and defeated Han Zhaer again a few days later, taking back Zezhou.

My childhood friend’s failure is really speechless, but fortunately, there is good news for all other parties.

So Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood overall.

First, he ordered the name of Dadu to be changed to Beiping, and then he met with the former officials of the Yuan Dynasty and appeased them.

He also stated publicly that no matter whether they were Mongolians or Semites, as long as they had talent, they could serve in the Ming Dynasty.

He then issued an order to appease the people and exempted Peking from taxes for two years.

In this way, the people's hearts are at peace.

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered that all the books sealed by Xu Da be sent back to Yingtian Prefecture and that the Hanlin Academy be organized and copied.

For the captured Yuan Dynasty royal family, concubines, palace maids, etc.

Some were released, and some were rewarded to meritorious soldiers.

Xu Da was very capable. He had selected a group of beautiful women in advance and stuffed them into his harem.

Zhu Yuanzhang accepted it with pleasure.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang did not forget another purpose of this trip.

Chang Yuchun was specially recalled from the front line, and the key points of prevention and treatment of dermatophyte were told to him one by one, and he was reminded to take good care of his health.

Chang Yuchun already knew what was going on and said very unhappily:

"Master, I think that guy is not a worry-free person, don't let him fool you."

"And that big cauldron, it's clearly..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression suddenly changed, and he interrupted him, "You haven't told anyone about the big tripod, have you?"

Chang Yuchun quickly said, "I'm not stupid, how could I possibly tell anyone?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression calmed down a bit, but he still said seriously:

"Don't talk about this again, not even with me in private."

Chang Yuchun also knew the seriousness of the matter and quickly promised never to mention it again.

But then he still persuaded Zhu Yuanzhang not to be fooled by Ma Yu, because that guy didn't look like a good person.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not say anything bad about Ma Yu, but instead advised:
"Don't worry, I and the Queen are both good at judging people. Don't you believe me?"

"It's you who shouldn't look at him like that."

"He truly regarded Chang Sheng as a brother and taught him everything he knew."

Chang Yuchun scratched his head and said hesitantly, "Could it be that I, Old Chang, really thought too badly of him?"

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. I'll go meet him in person when I get back to Yingtian."

"If he has been wronged, I, Lao Chang, will personally serve him tea and offer him apology."

Zhu Yuanzhang knew his temper and didn't say anything else.

Then he took out Huiyang Pills and a lot of honey and gave them to his personal guard captain, Lan Yu.

"Keep an eye on your brother-in-law and don't let him pour cold water on you."

"His water bag could only hold water with honey and salt."

Having said that, he gave another reminder:
"And you too, take care of your brother-in-law and yourself."

"If anything goes wrong, you're the only one we'll be held responsible for."

Lan Yu was still a young general at that time, so he naturally did not dare to disobey Zhu Yuanzhang's wishes and quickly took the things.

Chang Yuchun said gloomily, "This has honey and salt added to it, it's so unpalatable."

Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, "You have to drink it even if it tastes bad. If we find out you don't want to drink it, I'll send you back to guard the stable."

This was his usual method of punishing Chang Yuchun.

Of course, the core of the punishment is not guarding the stable, but not being able to go to the battlefield and having to watch others fight.

He even specially asked someone to read military newspapers to him.

For Chang Yuchun, this was more painful than any punishment.

So when he heard that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted him to guard the stable, he couldn't help but shudder and quickly promised to obey the order.

After another round of instructions, Zhu Yuanzhang allowed Chang Yuchun to return to the front line.

On the way back, Chang Yuchun felt thirsty and asked Lan Yu:

"Where's the water? Give me a few sips."

Lan Yu immediately handed over the water bag.

Chang Yuchun took the drink and drank it in big gulps. But after just two sips, he realized something was wrong:

"Pah, pah, pah... This water is neither sweet nor salty. What a weird taste."

Lan Yu replied, "This is made with honey and salt."

Chang Yuchun said angrily, "Why add honey and salt? Is this something for men to drink? Give me some clean water quickly."

Unexpectedly, Lan Yu, who was always afraid of her brother-in-law, insisted this time:

"No, I dare not disobey the orders of my superiors. Besides, you don't want to guard the stables, do you?"

Hearing this, Chang Yuchun looked him up and down and said in surprise:

"You are really good, you are so brave."

Lan Yu shuddered and quickly apologized with a smile, "It was mainly because the eldest girl wrote to me, asking me to keep an eye on you."

"He also said that if he couldn't take good care of you, he would stop calling me uncle. How could I not listen?"

Chang Yuchun suddenly stopped talking and could only raise the water bag and drink it dejectedly.

When returning the water bag to Lan Yu, he did not forget to mutter:

"We two grown men were manipulated by a little girl. Who can we turn to for justice?"

Chang Yuchun, feeling unhappy, immediately sent troops to Baoding after arriving and captured Zhending in one breath.

However, after taking Zhending, his old problem recurred.

He took off his armor and asked his guards to pour cold water on him.

Lan Yu himself was also washed clean. With the help of his personal guards, he was taking off his armor and pouring cold water on himself. Naturally, he had no time to care about Chang Yuchun.

In fact, he also felt that it was a bit of an exaggeration.

I've been doing this for so many years, and I haven't heard of anyone getting the "unarmored" style. My superior and my niece are just making a fuss out of nothing.

But there was one thing he insisted on, which was drinking water with honey and salt.

It's not that he believes this thing is useful, but:

"You can't ask me to lie to the eldest girl, so just bear with it and drink it. This way I won't be lying to her."

Chang Yuchun had no choice but to accept the reality of drinking honey and salt water.
-
Zhu Yuanzhang stayed in Peking for a few days and indulged in his desire to be a conqueror.

Seeing that the weather was getting colder, we finally set out to return to Yingtian Prefecture.

As soon as he left, Xu Da personally led a large army to besiege Wang Baobao who was entrenched in Shanxi.

It took only more than a month to drive Wang Baobao out of Shanxi.

It is said that when Zhu Yuanzhang was passing through Shandong by boat, the Kong family in Qufu sent someone to deliver a congratulatory message.

He was very happy, and then, in accordance with the custom of past dynasties, he conferred the title of Yansheng Duke on the Kong family and ordered a member of the Kong family to serve as the magistrate of Qufu County.

When the news came out, scholars all over the world celebrated.

When Ma Yu in Yingtian heard the news, he just snorted coldly and didn't say anything.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has just been established and has not yet unified the country, it is time to win over the hearts of the people.

Zhu Yuanzhang also had to make certain compromises.

At this moment, even if he said everything, he would not take action against the Kong family.

So, let the Kong family be proud for a few days. Sooner or later, there will be a day when they will be settled.

And he already had a plan in mind.

Originally in history, it wouldn't take long for Zhu Yuanzhang to come into conflict with the Kong family.

Moreover, this kind of conflict cannot be blown away by the wings of a butterfly.

As long as Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to centralize power and as long as the Kong family still enjoyed a transcendent status, the two would inevitably conflict.

Then I will go with the flow when the time comes.

Even if we can't kill the Kong family all at once, we must at least make them unable to take care of themselves.

Then he really entered a dormant period.

In addition to reading books to increase knowledge according to the plan every day, I also write teaching materials for Zhu Chong and Chang Sheng to use.

Whenever you have time, go to the snack shop and take a look at what everyone is doing.

During this time, several more people came into his sight.

Among them were Gao Shanming, the son of senior general Gao Xian, and Wang Yun, the grandson of mid-level general Wang Jian.

There were also several other children from the families of middle and low-ranking military officers.

It’s not that they have done anything outstanding, but that they are responsible and do things in an orderly manner.

Two of them, seeing that the business was gradually improving and Wu Gao couldn't handle it alone, offered to help.

And it was done very well, without any mistakes.

Although the others did not help as much as they did, they also showed excellent qualities.

For example, some people attach great importance to promises. Once they have promised something to others, they will fulfill it even if others have forgotten it.

For example, some people are very organized. When they go out to do good deeds, they will plan in advance where to go and when to return.

If a team fails to return on time, they will bring people to pick them up.

Ma Yu continued to just watch silently, writing down the names and characteristics of these people, but still did not take any action.

Not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Yingtian.

As soon as he came back this time, he made a series of big moves, formally establishing the three provinces and six ministries, and appointing officials at all levels of the central government.

Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, Liu Bowen resigned from his post.

The key point is that Zhu Yuanzhang actually approved it.

What’s even more amazing is that two months later Liu Bowen was reinstated.

Everyone was not stupid and immediately understood what the two were thinking.

When the imperial court appointed officials in large numbers, party struggles were also the most intense.

Liu Bowen resigned because he didn't want to get involved.

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to his dismissal with the same intention.

The Zhejiang East faction had two leaders, Song Lian and Liu Bowen.

Song Lian was a pious gentleman and would not participate in party struggles.

The only one who could lead the Zhejiang East faction to charge was Liu Bowen. If he resigned, the Zhejiang East faction would be leaderless and unable to cause trouble.

They could only watch as the emperor filled various positions according to his own wishes.

Ma Yu hid in the corner, watching all this silently.

Combined with historical records of previous lives, speculate on the movements and choices of each person and faction.

Of course, Zhu Chong also had to analyze the deeper meaning of it for him.

Although Zhu Chong was young, he was well aware of all the intrigues under the guidance of Zhu Yuanzhang.

He is countless levels stronger than the time traveler Ma Yu.

However, Ma Yu is also growing rapidly, and feels much stronger than he was yesterday every day.

During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang did not ask Ma Yu to give lectures again, nor did he mention issues related to population and land systems.

However, he would assign tasks to his ministers from time to time, asking them to analyze the gains and losses of the relevant systems of the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties.

Obviously, he is frantically collecting relevant information.

Ma Yu was not in a hurry at all. He studied step by step every day and went to the palace to pay his respects to Queen Ma after a few days.

During this period, a family tree was sent from Queen Ma's hometown, and Ma Yu officially became the heir of Ma Taigong.

For this, Empress Ma rewarded her with a lot of money and property.

When the ministers heard the news, no matter what they thought, they all presented gifts again.

This time, Ma Yu's response was very relaxed, natural and appropriate. He neither offended anyone nor acted disrespectfully.

Time passed unknowingly and it was the second year of Hongwu. Zhu Yuanzhang made a series of big moves at the beginning of the year.

First, the official Ming Dynasty Code was promulgated. Compared with the original version, this version deleted many harsh laws and punishments.

But overall, it is still quite harsh.

After all, it was Li Shanchang who led the formulation of this law.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang still trusted him, and the two had similar ideas on many things.

Then, a few days later, he promulgated the system of rituals and laws, and ordered Song Lian to compile the history of Yuan Dynasty.

Another incident occurred during this period, that is, Japanese pirates invaded the coastal areas of Shandong.

Zhu Yuanzhang only ordered the coastal officials to fortify the city and clear the fields, and at the same time sent a detachment to support various places at any time to drive the Japanese pirates who landed into the sea.

For the current Ming Dynasty, nothing is more important than unifying the world, and it is not worth slowing down for the sake of Japanese pirates.

Upon hearing the news, Ma Yu was filled with hatred and secretly swore in his heart that he must destroy the Japanese in this life.

Otherwise, I'll find a chamber pot and jump into it and drown.

But at this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly ordered Chang Yuchun, who was far away in Shanxi, to return to Peking as soon as possible.

He also transferred Li Wenzhong from Fujian to Peking as deputy general.

It turned out that when the Northern Yuan Dynasty saw the main force of the Ming army entering Shanxi, Yesu, who was entrenched in Daning, and Nahachu, who was entrenched in Liaodong, were ready to make a move and wait for an opportunity to retake their old capital.

If their plan succeeds, I am afraid that the cause of unification will be disrupted again.

No wonder Zhu Yuanzhang was so anxious.

Ma Yu had also been following the news about the Northern Expedition Army, and he couldn't help but get excited when he learned about this development.

Even the anger towards the Japanese pirates was temporarily put aside.

If the historical trend has not changed.

Then the next battle that will make the Han people's blood boil, and also Chang Yuchun's most glorious moment, is about to begin.

Go out of the border.

(End of this chapter)