The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 109 Zhu Biao: My son has lost weight!

The inner quarters of the Prince of Yan's residence.

After reading his nephew's letter, Zhu Di was filled with emotion.

When he picked up the letter from his eldest son, Zhu Gaochi, he read it carefully, his thoughts filled with longing for his son.

The letter began with expressions of concern for his and his wife's well-being, followed by a description of their daily life in the capital.

When talking about his nephew Zhu Xiong Ying, the son's words revealed his respect and love!

A moment later, he handed the letter to his wife.

After reading it carefully, Madam Xu's eyes softened, and she praised, "Your Highness! As the eldest grandson of the Emperor, you have taken such meticulous and thoughtful care of your cousin, Chi'er! Even though we are thousands of miles away, we can rest assured!"

Zhu Di picked up his teacup, took a sip, gazed at the flickering candlelight, his eyes filled with reminiscence, and muttered to himself, "Isn't that exactly right!"

"Just like we said last time, my nephew has been bright and intelligent since he was a child. He has both the gentle and modest qualities of our elder brother and the heroic and responsible spirit of our father!"

"And in terms of age, he's only a teenager. An ordinary son of a noble family would only know how to fight cocks and ride horses. But look at all the big and small things my nephew has done for the court in the past year—we at his age are far inferior to him!"

Speaking of this, recalling his earlier thoughts, Zhu Di stroked his beard, his gaze deep, and added, "Speaking of which, we are far away in Beiping and cannot help the court. The only thing we can do is to guard the northern gate for our father, elder brother, and nephew!"

"To subdue and terrify those remaining Northern Yuan rebels, and to protect the peace of the northern frontier—"

"As long as we're here, those bastards from beyond the Great Wall won't be allowed to set foot on it!"

The following sentence exudes domineering power!

This is a declaration from Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan!

Looking at her husband's weathered yet heroic appearance, Madam Xu felt a pang of heartache and asked, "Your Highness has been busy with border affairs these past few months. Is the court about to send troops to fight beyond the Great Wall?"

"You guessed right!"

Zhu Di reached out and pulled his wife into his arms, his smile fading and his tone becoming more serious.

"In my opinion! After years of preparation, judging from Father's temperament, we will launch a campaign against Nahachu at the earliest next year, and at the latest the year after—"

"If we don't completely annihilate them in this next battle, Beiping will never have peace, and the entire northern frontier will be in turmoil!"

Nahachu was an important minister of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and he once served as Grand Commandant, Chancellor, and Governor of Liaodong.

At present, the entrenched northeastern region has always been a major concern for the Ming Dynasty!

Over the past decade, Zhu Yuanzhang had tried to win him over several times, but he refused to surrender.

Starting last year, the imperial court transported large quantities of grain and fodder to Liaodong by sea, and ordered Feng Sheng and others to train troops in various northern regions.

In addition, the twelve garrisons established in recent years, garrisoning nearly 80,000 border troops—

Therefore, the Ming army has made full preparations!

When discussing the Yuan invaders, Zhu Di was filled with fighting spirit, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

Thinking of his wife's hard work, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said, "Since the beginning of the year, I've been constantly on the move, leading the men of the Beiping Military Command to conduct a thorough inventory of all the soldiers in the surrounding garrisons, replenishing those who needed replenishment and training those who needed training!"

"Furthermore, fortresses like Juyongguan and Gubeikou have all been renovated and reinforced, but at home, you've been the one suffering the most."

After listening quietly, Madam Xu sighed softly, "Your Highness, what are you saying? This is all I should do! It's a pity that my father is currently recuperating in the capital and cannot accompany the army on the expedition! If he were here, he could also share your burdens!"

Mentioning his father-in-law, Xu Da.

Zhu Di sat up straight, full of respect, and said in a deep voice, "Father-in-law has fought for the Ming Dynasty all his life. Now that he is unwell, he should rest well! In the capital, there are imperial physicians looking after him, and my nephew is also taking care of him, so we can rest assured!"

"Besides, even though my father-in-law isn't in Beiping, he often writes to us, offering guidance on border defense. His advice is more valuable than anything else!"

At this point, Zhu Di's tone shifted, and he said confidently, "However, even if my father-in-law isn't present, just as I told my father before, our Great Ming is absolutely confident in this battle!"

"Take Nahachu, for example. He may seem powerful, but he's all bark and no bite! Over the years, he's become increasingly alienated from the Yuan dynasty, and his men are no longer united and are disgusted with war!"

"At that time, as long as our main Ming army cuts off their retreat, then surrounds them without attacking, while simultaneously pacifying them and launching occasional attacks, we can defeat the enemy in less than half a year."

Zhu Di was in his prime and possessed a wealth of insightful knowledge in military strategy!

That concludes my remarks.

Seeing that it was getting late, they chatted about family matters for a while.

The couple then went back to their dormitory to rest!

Three days later, in Yingtian Prefecture.

Longjiangguan Wharf.

-

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, dressed in casual clothes with a jade belt around his waist, was in the shade of the stone pavilion.

He was talking to the officials, his eyes occasionally glancing at the river.

The entourage included many relatives of the emperor in the capital, high-ranking officials including the Minister of Rites, as well as the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture and local officials from Shangyuan and Jiangning!

After all, the fact that the people of Haozhou are accompanying the eldest grandson of the emperor to the capital this time is of great importance!

Zhu Yuanzhang's order for his crown prince, Zhu Biao, to welcome his fellow villagers and old friends on his behalf also represented a certain attitude.

Ugh!

Accompanied by three long blasts of a horn, more than ten large ships came sailing in a grand procession.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Chun, the eleventh prince and Prince of Shu, who had come to greet them, quickly stepped closer and reminded them, "Brother, the fleet has arrived!"

"Um!"

Zhu Biao responded and led his men forward in large strides.

Once the lead ship docked and stopped, it dropped anchor and set up gangplank.

In the blink of an eye.

Zhu Xiong Ying, dressed in a light blue round-necked casual suit, stood tall and straight like a pine tree and was the first to step down.

The first thing he saw was Biao'er's father, as well as his eleventh uncle Zhu Chun and others who were with him today!

Further away lies the familiar city of Yingtianfu!

It took more than a month of back and forth.

He missed his father, Empress Ma, his younger brothers Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yun, and his chubby son Zhu Gaochi.

There are universities abroad, but I don't know how their teaching and research are progressing.

Upon landing, Zhu Xiong Ying hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply, saying, "Son greets Father! Greetings, Eleventh Uncle—"

"Having been ordered by my Imperial Grandfather to conduct ancestral worship ceremonies in Fengyang, I am now returning to the capital to report back!"

Zhu Biao looked around.

Seeing that the eldest son's skin was tanned quite dark, and his originally round face had become much thinner.

Only his large eyes remained bright and expressive.

As a father, it's natural to feel tenderness and love for him.

He cupped his arms with both hands and smiled, saying, "No need for formalities, you've had a long journey!"

"You've only been gone a month, how come Ying'er has lost so much weight? Did she not eat well during that long journey, enduring wind and rain?"

Upon hearing this, I noticed that my cheap old man had gained a few more strands of white hair.

Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Your son is unfilial, causing you worry, Father!"

"We didn't go hungry on the way, but the sun was strong and we got a bit tanned! Look at our son, he's actually stronger than before!"

"Besides the ancestral worship, I also diligently carried out the task my grandfather entrusted to me: inviting my neighbors and relatives to the capital!"

Just then, several other large ships arrived at the shore.

Zhu Xiong Ying turned to the side, pointed to the men and women disembarking, and introduced them: "Father, these are our fellow villagers from Haozhou!"