The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 103 Zhu Xiong Ying: Uncle, you must live up to my expectations!

The eighth day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of the Hongwu reign.

Outside the Meridian Gate.

Both sides of the road were lined with civil and military officials, all dressed in plain clothes and with solemn expressions.

Today is no ordinary day; it is the day that the Emperor's eldest grandson is ordered to return to Haozhou to pay homage to his ancestors!

According to the established etiquette, all the officials and their subordinates came to see him off!

The time has come, and the imperial grandson's entourage is the first thing to come into view!

In a short while, the carriage carrying the eldest grandson of the emperor arrived before them.

Jin Shijiang, the commander of the Imperial Guard accompanying the group, hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and lifted the curtain.

Then, Zhu Xiong Ying slowly walked down.

But looking at him today, he was dressed in a dark blue casual robe, covered with a gold-embroidered armor, with a jade belt around his waist, a jade pendant hanging on his left, and a peace purse embroidered by Empress Ma herself on his right.

It was May, and even though it was morning, the capital city was still incredibly hot and humid!

However, due to the constraints of etiquette and law, they were dressed in such thick clothing.

Upon closer inspection, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on Zhu Xiong Ying's forehead.

He stood tall and proud, striding confidently before the court officials.

As you can see, Duke Xu Da of Wei and the others bowed in unison, saying, "Your subjects pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince! May His Highness live a thousand years!"

Zhu Xiong Ying's gaze lingered briefly on the group of familiar faces in front of him.

He stood on tiptoe, looked back, and said with a gesture of support, "Please rise, everyone!"

After the officials rose, Li Yuanming, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward, took the farewell wine from a servant, bowed again, and said solemnly, "Your Highness is going to perform the imperial sacrifice on behalf of His Majesty. We respectfully see you off and wish you a safe journey. We offer you this toast!"

Li was originally from An County, Sichuan Province. He served as an imperial censor for many years and was promoted to the position of principal official of the Ministry of Rites last December.

Following procedure, he carefully delivered his farewell remarks in Sichuan dialect before returning to his original position.

Zhu Xiong Ying took the gift, pretended to sip it, and handed it to San Bao, saying to those around him, "Thank you all for your kindness, Xiong Ying appreciates it!"

He said a few words.

Seeing that the auspicious time had arrived, they simply boarded the carriage again and headed out of the city.

Duke Chang Mao of Zheng, who was waiting there, led a group of noble relatives and their sons, along with guards from the Eastern Palace, and immediately gathered together, surrounding the surrounding area in a grand procession, traveling together all the way.

On this day, the large group of people arrived at Longjiang Pass. Under Zhu Xiong Ying's orders, most of them did not rush to cross the river.

Instead, Sun Zhen, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, and Jiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, led their troops ahead to investigate the situation at the Pukou post station and strictly ordered local officials not to provide extravagant hospitality or to send additional clerks and soldiers to assist them!

Cheng had originally planned to carry out Zhu's instructions to the end during this trip back to his hometown, and also to take the opportunity to inspect the local conditions and see what the actual situation was like in the Ming Dynasty.

By noon, Chiang Kai-shek sent someone back to report that everything was ready.

Under the protection of his maternal uncle Chang Mao's men, Zhu Xiong Ying then transferred to a large ship and led everyone aboard to continue their journey.

The wind whistled.

Looking out over the continuous riverbank, one can't help but think of how Zhu Yuanzhang crossed this river, captured Jiqing, and laid the foundation for the Ming Dynasty!

Thinking of this, Zhu Xiong Ying turned around, glanced at his uncle, and asked, "Uncle, was the decisive Battle of Caishiji, where Grandfather followed the Emperor to capture Jiqing Road, fought on this very river?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Maohu blinked, unsure how to answer his nephew's question.

After all, when his father followed the emperor and conquered Jiqing, he was still in his mother's womb.

Even after I grew up and heard about the war, I never experienced it firsthand.

On the contrary, Tang Ding couldn't keep quiet. He raised his head and exclaimed, "Your Highness! Speaking of the Battle of Caishiji, who in the world doesn't know that the Prince of Kaiping was deified? My father often said that when it comes to defeating the enemy in battle, no general in our dynasty can surpass the Prince of Kaiping!"

Need I say more?

His maternal grandfather, Chang Yuchun, was a war god of the Ming Dynasty!

If he doesn't die, he'll kill gods and Buddhas alike. What chance does Remnant Yuan have?

I caught a glimpse of Uncle Tang, who had a very unruly demeanor.

Zhu Xiong Ying silently shook his head.

Xu Zengshou, who had remained silent the whole way, noticed that Tang Ding's answer was completely irrelevant.

This was clearly not the answer the eldest grandson of the emperor wanted.

He coughed lightly, pointed to the distant river, and said, "To be honest, Your Highness, my father pointed out the site of the battle when I left the city with him—"

"Your Highness, please look. If we head northwest from here, it will take half a day by water to reach Caishiji."

"My father once said that the Yuan army deployed a large force here, with arrow towers and stone fortifications along the riverbank, and warships densely packed together. It was only thanks to the Prince of Kaiping personally leading the vanguard, braving the rain of arrows, wielding long spears, and landing by boat, that the Yuan army's formation was disrupted, allowing the main force to successfully land—"

When talking about Chang Yuchun, the "King of Kaiping" who was said to be "the enemy of ten thousand men".

Even Li Jinglong, the second daughter whose skin had become tanned over the past year, had a gleam in his eyes.

After all, that was a myth to the Ming Dynasty!

After everyone had finished discussing it...

Zhu Xiong Ying straightened up and said seriously, "Speaking of which, whether it was my maternal grandfather, or Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Tang, Uncle Li, or Uncle Mu—back then, they fought alongside my imperial grandfather to conquer the country, wasn't it precisely because of this that we, their descendants, and all the common people under heaven, could live a peaceful life?"

"We must not let everything our ancestors gained with their lives be destroyed in our hands!"

"And each generation has its own responsibilities and obligations—what do you say, Uncle and all my other uncles?"

After listening to his nephew's words, Chang Mao realized he wasn't a blockhead.

He quickly straightened his posture and echoed, "Your Highness is right!"

Tang Ding, Xu Zengshou, Li Jinglong, and others all nodded in agreement.

Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes lit up, and he added, "Furthermore, my grandfather often told us that he was able to conquer the Ming Dynasty not because of natural defenses or strategies, but because of the brothers around him, and the countless soldiers who were of one mind and one heart!"

"Now we should be like our elders, united in heart and mind—"

After drinking several bowls of chicken soup and making a lot of empty promises,

Zhu Xiong Ying got a little tired of standing, so she went to rest in the shade for a while.

During this time, he called his uncle to his side and gave him words of encouragement.

Inside and out, it all conveyed only one meaning.

Uncle, Biao'er's father and I both have high hopes for you. You have to make us proud!

In the afternoon, the entire fleet arrived at Pukou Wharf.

Despite the verbal warning given, the magistrate of Jiangpu County still led a group of his subordinates to pay their respects in a flustered manner.

You can't hit someone who's smiling.

Zhu Xiong Ying verbally reprimanded him a few times, and then spent the night at the Pukou Post Station.

As for dinner.

He politely declined the dishes offered by the county government, opting instead for a simple meal of four dishes and a soup.

After eating and drinking his fill, he felt no sleepiness, so he asked Sanbao to bring him a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Taking advantage of the situation, he decided to take some time to write a letter to his second uncle Zhu, fourth uncle Zhu Di, and others, to express his grievances.

"Your nephew Xiong Ying bows respectfully before Your Highness, Second Uncle, Prince Qin: I am here today by imperial decree of my grandfather to travel to Zhongdu Fengyang to pay homage at our ancestral tomb and fulfill my filial duty—"