The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 136 Xu Da: What a wonderful grandson of the Emperor!

The same night, the Duke's Mansion of Wei State.

Inside the study, Xu Da, dressed in a dark blue straight-cut robe, sat in the head chair at the head of the room.

Below, several sons stood.

After a short while, Xu Da picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked up to ask, "Yun Gong, did your mission to deliver Si Ben outside the city go smoothly today?"

As winter approached, Xu Da caught a cold.

I have been resting at home these days.

However, they were fully aware of what was happening both inside and outside the palace!

As for bidding farewell to Li Wenzhong today, the eldest son also went with the Crown Prince.

Xu Yungong quickly bowed and said, "Father, everything is in order!"

Those who accompanied him included His Highness the Crown Prince, the eldest grandson of the Emperor, and civil and military officials in the capital.

He heard Aiko describe the entire scene.

Xu Da's eyes showed reminiscence, a smile playing on his lips as he sighed, "That boy, Si Ben! His abilities are undeniable!"

"In his early years, he learned warfare from Bo Ren! I remember one year, Bo Ren led him to attack Chizhou. Si Ben led eighteen cavalrymen and charged into Chen Youliang's camp, causing chaos among tens of thousands of enemy soldiers. Keep in mind, he was not even twenty years old at that time! Much younger than you, Yun Gong, but about the same age as Zeng Shou!"

"When attacking Zhang Shicheng, he shone even brighter! Later, during the Northern Expedition, after Yu Boren's death, he took command of his troops and repeatedly achieved great merit. He was truly a scholar-general with exceptional talent!"

"And after all these years of experience, Si Ben's ability to raid and infiltrate enemy lines on the battlefield is, in our opinion, unmatched by anyone else in the entire Ming Dynasty!"

"Even we are not as good as them!"

In Xu Da's eyes, Li Wenzhong was an all-around commander!

Before the start of this Northern Expedition, he was hastily appointed to lead the expedition without being given the authority to command the troops.

Xu Da understood the general idea.

The emperor has his own considerations!

Firstly, they harbored the idea of ​​training young and strong generals like Lan Yu.

However, if things go wrong in the war, Si Ben, as a backup, can quickly take over and replace Feng Sheng and others to command the three armies.

Secondly, it serves as a final trump card, to be used at crucial moments to reverse the tide and strike at the very foundation of the remaining forces!

Just a month ago, during a military council meeting in the palace, the Emperor said that the court had temporarily mobilized 20,000 elite troops from Henan and Shaanxi, which were to be commanded by Si Ben as a surprise force for other important purposes!

Of course, considering the other message from the palace, there is actually a third point—

And when talking about his old comrade-in-arms Chang Yuchun.

A hint of reminiscence appeared in Xu Da's eyes as he unconsciously looked out the dark window.

"If Bo Ren were alive, how happy he would be to see Si Ben's current achievements?"

Xu Yungong nodded and said, "Father is right. Uncle Chang is a war god of his generation, who made the remnant Yuan dynasty tremble with fear!"

"Brother Li's military strategies and tactics largely follow those of Uncle Chang; he has always been a master strategist!"

"However, it seems His Majesty has no intention of allowing him to lead a large army this time he leaves the capital—"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zengshou and the others looked at their father with puzzled expressions.

Xu Da did not give a direct answer, but stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty knows Si Ben's abilities better than anyone else!"

"There's a reason behind this, you don't need to worry about it."

After the father finished speaking.

Xu Zengshou raised his head, pondered for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Father, is the news that came out of the palace yesterday true?"

"Your Majesty actually allowed the eldest grandson of the Emperor to go on the expedition with the army? The battlefield is so chaotic, what if—"

In his numerous interactions with the grandson of the emperor.

Xu's third son could clearly sense the talent and courage within.

How could these people not know the status and position of the imperial grandson?

Therefore, everyone was surprised when they first heard the news!

Xu Da narrowed his eyes, glanced at the three sons, and coldly interrupted, "Since His Majesty has made this decision, he must have arranged everything in advance, so there is no room for any unforeseen circumstances!"

"As for this Northern Expedition, you should know that the ones officially leading the troops are Guosheng, Lanyu, and Youde!"

"Their generals are renowned for their military exploits, but many have flaws in their personalities! For example, Guosheng is addicted to alcohol and greedy for money, Lanyu is arrogant, and Youde seems honest but is actually very protective of his own!"

"If we were still in Beiping, everything would be much easier; we could help manage things!"

"But His Majesty and we are both thousands of miles away in Yingtian Prefecture, and we can't always oversee things! What if they rush in recklessly in their pursuit of credit and make other mistakes? Are we just going to throw away this army of 200,000?"

Xu Yingxu pondered for a moment and said, "Father, do you mean that His Majesty sent the eldest grandson of the emperor to accompany the army in order to oversee the central command and keep these veteran generals in check?"

Xu Zengshou glanced furtively at the person at the head of the table, then added in a low voice, somewhat indignant, "It's not just the eldest grandson of the emperor! I think sending Brother Li ahead of time is to ensure everything goes smoothly!"

"After all, just as Father said, Brother Li is a true commander who has never lost a battle. Who would have thought that all these years—"

Xu Laosan's words hit the nail on the head.

In terms of seniority, Feng Sheng is more senior than Li Wenzhong!

In terms of capability, they are far inferior.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang did not allow his nephew to directly lead troops and serve as commander-in-chief was...

Besides what Xu Da had just considered, there were also some personal feelings involved.

He still vividly remembered his nephew's words of advice from previous years, which deeply hurt him!

Although Empress Ma pleaded for his life, Old Zhu, being so petty, never forgot!

If it weren't for his eldest grandson constantly nagging him for the past two years, would he have been sent to the front lines this time?

The study was brightly lit by candlelight.

It shone on the faces of the father and his sons.

Xu Da glared at the three men, stroked his beard, and said, "Yingxu is right!"

"You should know that the Emperor's eldest grandson is not only the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty, but also your Uncle Chang's maternal grandson!"

"Which of these old comrades from Huaixi wouldn't give Bo Ren some face?"

"No matter how arrogant Guosheng and Lanyu are, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly! Therefore, as long as the eldest grandson of the emperor is in the army, no one will dare to cause trouble!"

"This demonstrates Your Majesty's wisdom!"

At this point, Xu Da sighed again and said solemnly, "Although the eldest grandson of the emperor is young, he should not be underestimated!"

"Last year, a smallpox vaccine was developed to prevent smallpox! Now, countless people in both the south and the north have been vaccinated against smallpox!"

"Just the other day, Yun Gong was saying that in the past six months, there had been no reports of smallpox outbreaks in Yingtian Prefecture—therefore, he considered what he had done to be a truly meritorious and virtuous deed!"

"And then there's Zhongshan Academy. When we first heard about it, we weren't too impressed!"

"But before winter, when we entered the palace, we saw the new hand-held weapons and improved crossbows that His Majesty brought out. Their range and power were truly astonishing!"

"Just a month ago, His Majesty mentioned that the Ordnance Bureau had begun mass production, and by next year, a portion of it should be able to equip the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

After praising him, Xu Da paused, looked at his sons, and said in a deep voice, "In addition, you should have heard about the Yong'an Ash that the eldest grandson of the emperor had made!"

"Having this thing would be of great benefit to the country and its people!"

"Judging from these aspects alone, 'young and promising' is not enough to describe the eldest grandson of the emperor!"

"You all should learn from him, so we can have less to worry about!"