The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 172 Zhu Yuanzhang: Guosheng, that old rascal, is restless!

Beside the campfire.

Upon seeing Lan Yu approach, some of the surrendered generals were filled with fear, while others glared angrily.

Nahachu remained calm, gestured to the stool beside him, and said, "General Lan, please have a seat!"

After Lan Yu sat down, he first put down the sealed wine jar, then took the wine bowls from his personal guards and filled them one by one.

Then, he raised his cup, squinted, and said, "Marquis Haixi was able to recognize the times and follow the will of Heaven, saving hundreds of thousands of lives from the calamity of war. That's a great thing. Let me toast you!"

Naha did not refuse; he readily picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp.

In an instant, I felt as if my lungs and viscera were on fire.

Time flew by, and I felt a little dizzy.

The potency of this liquor is unprecedented in his life!

"Is this wine from the Central Plains? It's very strong; truly a fine wine!"

Lan Yu had a good tolerance for alcohol; he drank a bowl as well and remained seated as if nothing had happened.

He pointed to the wine jar and laughed loudly, "Our Great Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, what kind of wine don't we have? It's perfectly normal that Marquis Haixi hasn't tasted any!"

Tang Ding and the other young generals, standing to the side, showed unusual expressions upon hearing this.

During this time, he followed the Marquis of Yongchang, who was known for his love of wine.

They were well aware that the wine here was made by mixing high-proof liquor brewed by the eldest grandson of the emperor.

Speaking of this strong liquor, it was originally used to treat injuries.

Based on what was seen at the front lines and what the military doctors said, it played a huge role in this Northern Expedition and saved many lives!

As for what the Marquis of Yongchang did, it was indeed a waste of resources!

But he was the maternal uncle of the eldest grandson of the emperor and the maternal uncle of the crown prince. Because of what he did, no one in the army dared to say anything!

After drinking, Naha became more talkative.

When they met face to face and discussed the battle, he exclaimed with admiration, "That day, when Qingzhou was attacked, General Lan used a surprise attack, which I truly did not expect—"

"Now, seeing the strength of the Ming army, our defeat was not unjust!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Yu, unusually, did not show any arrogance. He stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Marquis Haixi was wrong about what he said earlier!"

"Whether it was the attack on Qingzhou or the battle of Jinshan, I was merely a contributor; the true strategist and the one who made the greatest contribution was someone else!"

Naha narrowed his small eyes and subconsciously said, "Could it be that General Feng is behind this?"

"Given the abundance of talent in the Ming Dynasty, General Feng, following in the footsteps of General Xu, is truly a man of great military talent!"

Feng Sheng?

Upon hearing this, Lan Yu subconsciously pursed her lips.

Even now, leading the army into battle, he was ranked below Feng Sheng and Fu Youde, which had already made him somewhat dissatisfied!

Furthermore, he found Feng Sheng's unauthorized actions utterly despicable!

Therefore, nowadays, I hear Naha Chu mention this name.

Lan Yu sneered, "Marquis Haixi, you are mistaken!"

"Therefore, the one who has such profound foresight is someone else, far beyond General Feng's ability—"

While Naha was still marveling at the discovery, Lan Yu added, "This is none other than His Highness the eldest grandson of our Great Ming Emperor!"

The eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty?

The eldest son of Zhu Biao, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty?

He had heard reports from scouts several months earlier, when the Ming army had just begun its advance.

The eldest grandson of the emperor has taken on the responsibility of pacifying the army and has already arrived in Beiping!

Moreover, he was usually stationed in the rear and did not personally go to the front lines!

But judging from his age, he seems to be still a teenager!

How did he come to be so exceptionally talented?

Could this be the so-called divine mandate passed down in the Central Plains?

Naha was deeply surprised and his mind was filled with mixed emotions.

Lan Yu added with considerable pride, "The Marquis of Haixi is unaware!"

"The Duke of Cao bypassed the northern route, reaching directly to your rear, and finally captured the Jurchen Kutun, cutting off your retreat—"

"Everything here was orchestrated by the eldest grandson of the emperor!"

"Besides, the eldest grandson of the emperor is truly a kind and benevolent person, possessing the demeanor of His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Furthermore, we and General Feng have long instructed that we should not mistreat the surrendered troops, and that all those who surrender should be treated well—otherwise, how could you all be so compliant?"

Lan Yu had always held the Yuan invaders in contempt.

If it weren't for the grandson's prior instructions before leaving Beiping to prioritize the overall situation and handle the matter prudently—

When Nahachu and others surrendered, given his temperament, he would surely humiliate them to establish his authority!

Nahachu was unaware of the deeper meaning behind this, and upon hearing it, he became even more curious about this eldest grandson of the emperor!

They inquired about the details further.

Now that the great battle was over, Lan Yu did not hide anything that was not confidential, and his words were mostly praise for his good nephew-grandson!

Xu Yungong and the others stood to the side, occasionally chiming in with their own words.

Once the campfire had died down a bit, Lan Yu and the others returned to their tents.

Nahachu sat alone for a while, his gaze deep and complex.

Since the reign of the wise emperor, the successors of the Ming Dynasty have all possessed his great spirit!

The people of the grasslands, whether they are from the Khanate of the Northern Desert or other large tribes, will all face troubles in the future!

After arriving in Beiping, he met the eldest grandson of the emperor in person, and then went to the capital to pay homage to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang!

As for the future, he had no idea what would happen to him.

The next morning, the group continued their journey, heading straight for Beiping City.

Upon receiving the news, Zhu Xiong Ying, following the decree issued by his grandfather a few days prior, immediately prepared, together with his fourth uncle Zhu Di, to welcome this remnant Yuan dynasty minister.

Yingtian Prefecture.

Within the imperial city.

However, the secret letter written by Feng Sheng that day, along with the military report, was sent by express courier, traveling day and night, and finally arrived in the capital.

After reading it, Zhu Yuanzhang was fully aware of what this old meritorious official had done.

That night, they returned to Kunning Palace.

Even after changing into his everyday clothes and having dinner, Old Zhu's brows were still furrowed, indicating that he was in a bad mood.

Empress Ma sat to one side, took a sip of tea, and seeing her husband's expression, looked up and asked, "Chongba, what's wrong? Ever since you returned from the Hall of Literary Glory, you've had a sullen face! Who in the court or outside has angered you this time?"

Having his thoughts exposed by his wife, Old Zhu stopped pretending and came clean.

He stopped stroking his beard, narrowed his eyes, and said in an unfriendly tone, "Who else could it be? It's Guosheng!"

"Last month, my sister and I praised him!"

"Who would have thought that old bastard Guosheng would be so utterly useless!"

Speaking in his Fengyang dialect, after cursing a few times, Old Zhu met his wife's gaze and explained again.

It turns out that Feng Sheng came to report today that when he was taking stock of the captured supplies, due to an oversight in the military documents, some gold, silver and jewels, as well as top-quality warhorses, were not registered in time. They have now all been added to the accounts and handed over to the court.

I humbly request to be punished for this matter!

Empress Ma listened without showing any emotion, glanced at her husband, and pondered, "Chongba, isn't this a good thing?"

"It's better for Guosheng to take the initiative to admit his mistakes and hand over the property than to hide it; this shows his loyalty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed, "A good thing? My dear sister, you should know better than me how many years Guosheng has been with us. Don't we know what kind of person he is?"

"That old bastard is greedy as a bat. Once gold and silver are in his pocket, it's safer than if they went into our national treasury!"

"So-called omissions aren't exactly pocketed, are they? But for someone to voluntarily spit them out is like the sun rising in the west!"

Empress Ma knew perfectly well that what her husband said was true.

From the very beginning of his rebellion, Feng Sheng never changed his greedy nature.

When they captured Pingjiang, they secretly hoarded a lot of Zhang Shicheng's valuables.

The husband, mindful of her hard work and great contributions, turned a blind eye and let it pass!

Now he's fallen into his old habits again, which is really worrying!