The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 178 Feng Sheng: Thank you, Imperial Grandson, for saving my life!

Li Wenzhong arrived on horseback, and upon seeing the eldest grandson of the emperor, he immediately dismounted, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets the eldest grandson of the emperor! Greetings to His Highness the Prince of Yan!"

"Having led my troops on this expedition and wiped out the remaining enemy forces, I am hereby ordered to return to Beiping!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying quickly reached out to help him up, saying, "Uncle, you've worked hard!"

"Without your decisive victory at Jinshan, how could things have gone so smoothly?"

Zhu Di looked at his eldest cousin and noticed that his skin had become a bit tanned, but he was still full of energy.

He agreed with his nephew, saying, "My nephew is right!"

"When my elder brother arrived, the remaining Yuan forces were shaken and surrendered without a fight. His merit is immeasurable!"

He looked at his nephew and cousin with intense respect in his eyes.

Li Wenzhong remained neither humble nor arrogant, bowing as he said, "The pacification of Liaodong was largely due to the strategic planning of the eldest grandson of the emperor and the overall command of logistics by the Prince of Yan. We dare not take credit for it."

Then, Lan Yu approached with a loud laugh and showered him with praise.

For a moment, the atmosphere was lively and joyful.

A moment later, Zhu Xiong Ying glanced behind him.

Seeing the burly Mongol man clad in armor, his sharp eyes fixed on them—

He instantly guessed his identity and said, "This must be General Guan?"

"My uncle had previously mentioned in his letter that he observed the general's understanding of righteousness, courage, and wisdom—and meeting him today confirms his exceptional character!"

Zhu Xiong Ying's words and actions showed that Guan Tong was treated with great courtesy.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di, Lan Yu, Chang Mao, and the others were all surprised and came to investigate.

After taking a closer look, Zhu Di's eyes lit up. It turned out that this person was the young boy who had been observing the temple!

He had known for a long time that this person was highly respected among the people of the Northern Yuan!

What I see now is a man of great strength and power!

My nephew has been praising me a lot lately; his judgment is truly remarkable.

Lan Yu had also heard about it, but due to his pride, he did not take it as seriously as Zhu Di did!

Chang Mao's eyes darted around as he silently pondered whether he should challenge this man to a drinking contest at the banquet tonight.

Upon seeing this, Guan Tong was startled and bowed down, saying, "This humble general, Guan Tong, greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"

"This humble general is utterly unworthy of Your Highness's praise!"

This old man will be the guide for pacifying the northern deserts in the future!

He was also a key figure in pacifying the Yuan invaders from within!

In the long run, it will have a huge impact!

It's no wonder that in history, his fourth uncle, Zhu Di, treated him very well.

Zhu Xiong Ying grabbed his arm and said earnestly, "General Guan, what are you saying?"

"General, you have made great contributions in Liaodong this time. My uncle has already informed you of this, and we have also informed the Emperor. You should be richly rewarded!"

'

Hearing what the eldest grandson of the emperor said, Guan Tong was deeply moved.

This is truly the grandson of a wise and sagacious ruler.

Having witnessed the deceit and ruthlessness of the Northern Yuan court, he was accustomed to the intrigue and treachery of all sides.

But he had never met anyone like the eldest grandson of the emperor who treated him with such genuine respect and courtesy.

How can I ever repay such a great kindness?

Guan Tong's eyes reddened, and his voice hoarse as he said, "This humble general merely did his duty, nothing to boast about! How dare I accept such kindness from Your Highness? Even if I were to be shattered to pieces, I could not repay even a fraction of your kindness!"

Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head and said, "General Guan, you flatter me!"

"Since the general has sincerely submitted to the Ming Dynasty, he is a loyal subject of the Ming. Merits are merits, and faults are faults. Why should he be treated favorably?"

"And under heaven, all is Ming territory; the Great Ming is vast enough!"

"In the future, we hope to see the general achieve even greater feats and enjoy riches and honors."

Guan Tong, moved to tears, said, "I would do as Your Highness the Crown Prince says!"

Afterwards, Zhu Di and others also had much to say.

Seeing his uncle Li Wenzhong inside, he looked exhausted from running around.

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced at the sun, then turned to his fourth uncle Zhu Di, his maternal uncle Lan Yu, and the others, saying, "The soldiers have had a long journey; let them return to camp to rest!"

"And tonight, let us slaughter chickens and sheep to celebrate together!"

"yes!"

Just as Li Wenzhong received the imperial order to return to Beiping to assist in military affairs,

Far away in Liaodong, in the land of gold.

Feng Sheng has been busy all this time, either directing troops, dividing up garrisons, settling surrendered people, repairing city defenses, and improving people's livelihoods. In short, he has not had a moment to spare.

Fortunately, he had Fu Youde, a great general, by his side to help share the burden.

But no matter how busy or tired he was, the thought of sending a petition to the capital to plead guilty, which had been in the works for a month, still had not brought any response.

He felt extremely uneasy, as if a sword was hanging over his head.

His greatest fear was that his greedy behavior would be completely exposed, incurring the emperor's decree to strip him of his title, send him back to the capital, confiscate his property, and execute him.

Just today, after finishing the paperwork, I chatted with General Fu Youde and other generals about border defense matters.

Everyone had just gone downstairs.

Suddenly, the voice of a personal guard reached his ears.

"General, an imperial edict has arrived from the capital!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Sheng's heart tightened, and his hand holding the brush trembled violently.

But has the palace issued a ruling?

Feng Sheng hurriedly got up, straightened his clothes, and went to greet him.

Upon going outside to take another look, they found that the person who had come to deliver the imperial decree was none other than Commander Li Long, who had announced the rewards the previous time.

The two sides exchanged greetings and pleasantries for a few moments.

Li Long, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, immediately became solemn. He took out the imperial edict that had been delivered urgently and, facing Feng Sheng who was paying homage, loudly proclaimed: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Duke Feng Sheng of Song shall lead a large army to the north to conquer Liaodong and achieve victory."

"Afterwards, he won without a fight and pacified the entire Liaodong region, which was an indispensable achievement. However, when he was taking stock of the spoils, he was not in strict control, which led to omissions in the documents and incomplete registrations—more than ten mistakes in this regard should have been severely punished."

"Considering their hard work and significant contributions, and their willingness to confess their crimes, we hereby grant them leniency!"

"It is hereby decided that, for this offense, the merits and demerits cancel each other out; all rewards are revoked, and a three-year salary deduction is imposed as a warning to others!"

"Furthermore, Duke Feng Sheng of Song is hereby ordered to remain in Liaodong to oversee the construction of garrisons and the resettlement of military colonists, to make amends for his past mistakes, and must not make any errors."

After the decree was read, Feng Sheng stood frozen in place, not reacting for a long time.

Deep down, he felt a mixture of joy and sorrow.

To his delight, the emperor only punished him by reducing his salary and canceling his rewards; he was not in danger of being beheaded.

His worry was that this Liaodong campaign had been a wasted effort; not only had he achieved nothing, but it was also uncertain whether he would be able to participate in next year's war.

"General Feng!"

After more than ten breaths, Li Long gave a low reminder.

Feng Sheng snapped out of his daze and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Seeing that the general was uneasy, Li Long sighed softly, said no more, and then took his leave.

When only one person remained, Feng Sheng paced back and forth, lost in thought.

In conclusion, considering the Emperor's intentions in the capital this time, the outcome can be considered good news!

After all, he retained his title and was not dismissed or had his property confiscated!

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that if it weren't for the letter from the eldest grandson of the emperor reminding him and providing a plan for preservation, it would have been impossible to know for sure.

The Emperor will not let go of what he has done so easily!

Thinking of this, Feng Sheng straightened his back a little.

Even in the future, he should do his job well, be more careful and cautious, and never fail to live up to the great kindness of the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the eldest grandson of the Emperor!

Most importantly, this incident forced me to acknowledge a profound truth.

The eldest grandson of the emperor was stationed in the army.

These military generals from Huaixi felt more confident and had more hope!