The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 180 Zhu Yuanzhang: The future of the Ming Dynasty depends on my eldest son and my holy grandson!

Inside the camp.

Seeing his nephew looking over, Chang Mao felt a little uneasy and asked, puzzled, "Good nephew, is there some errand I need you to run?"

Zhu Xiong Ying pointed to the table beside her, picked up the teapot, and as she poured tea, said, "Uncle, don't be in a hurry. Sit down and rest for a bit, have some tea!"

"The past few months have been quite busy with military affairs, and I haven't had a chance to talk to you much!"

Chang Mao blinked, feeling both naive and arrogant, and coughed lightly, saying, "My good nephew is busy with both military and civilian duties, which I understand!"

"If there's anything you need today, just say it! Whatever my nephew orders, we'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Zhu Xiong Ying returned to her seat, turned to her eldest uncle, and said solemnly, "There is indeed something we need to discuss with you, Uncle!"

"Just now, my grandfather sent a letter saying that my maternal uncle will be stationed in Tongzhou to assist Uncle Li in handling military affairs—"

"We were thinking of having you, Uncle, go with your great-uncle to the Tongzhou military camp for training—"

But his uncle was truly sincere towards his nephew.

After that conversation that day, in which he explained the profound principles, his uncle stayed by his side without leaving for a moment.

However, the desire to achieve great things was something he couldn't hide!

Meanwhile: He had already given this matter considerable thought: He sent his eldest uncle to train under his maternal uncle's command.

After all, the relationship was there; with his maternal uncle Lan Yu protecting him, his eldest uncle Chang Mao dared not act recklessly!

In addition, my uncle, by nature, only respects his own people!

Looking at the other generals, whether it was his uncle Li Wenzhong or Fu Youde, they were still somewhat distant in terms of kinship.

Upon hearing that he was a good nephew, he wanted to send him to his uncle Lan Yu's tent.

Chang Mao's square face immediately scrunched up, looking somewhat unwilling.

With such an elder present, there will inevitably be more constraints.

But then he thought again, and subconsciously stood up, took two steps forward, and asked, "Good nephew, if we can join your army, does that mean we can go on the Northern Expedition next year and fight on the battlefield?"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and said, "Uncle is exceptionally brave. As we discussed in private the other day, he should be on the battlefield, killing enemies and making meritorious contributions!"

"But then again, our decision to have my uncle stay with my great-uncle is far from simple!"

"Most importantly, your great-uncle is a brilliant strategist, especially skilled in raiding! By following him, you can learn his true abilities in troop deployment and commanding troops!"

"And these past six months have been a crucial period for accumulation!"

"As for my nephew, with Uncle Xu and Cousin Li by his side, there's no need for so many people!"

"Uncle, now that you're under your uncle's command, you don't need to worry about so much. Remember what your nephew just said—"

The eldest grandson of the emperor indeed kept his word!

Upon hearing this, Chang Mao immediately became enthusiastic.

He nodded repeatedly, saying, "We understand what my dear nephew means!"

"Following Uncle Lan, we will definitely obey military orders and perform our duties diligently! We will never disgrace our nephew!"

Zhu Xiong Ying pressed on while the iron was hot, explaining some more details.

He even picked up a few military books he often read, stuffed them into his uncle's arms, and repeatedly urged him to read them aloud.

Chang Mao had no choice but to accept it, then lowered his voice and explained a question that had been bothering him.

"By the way, nephew, there's something I'd like to ask you! Why did the Emperor's decree today order my father-in-law to remain in Liaodong to handle military affairs, instead of returning to Beiping to oversee the overall situation?"

"From now on, I'll still be under the control of that cousin from the Li family. Have I done something wrong?"

When he talked about this, Chang Mao raised his eyebrows, and deep down he felt a bit smug.

Who could blame him but his father-in-law, Feng Sheng, who, whether in the military or the government, often exerted pressure as an elder?

This time, they've dug their own grave; don't they deserve it?

Aside from a few close relatives who could convince him, including the emperor, empress, and crown prince, Chang Mao rebelled against all the advice and resentment he received from others.

I glanced at my uncle's expression; he was clearly taking advantage of my misfortune and couldn't keep anything to himself.

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed inwardly.

With my uncle's personality, whether now or in the future, it's fortunate that he has his nephew to protect him; otherwise, he would easily suffer a great loss.

He composed himself and said, "Uncle, please remember, do not speak ill of others, and be careful with your words and actions!"

"Grandpa Feng is the Duke of Song of our Great Ming Dynasty, and also your elder, Uncle! As for the rights and wrongs involved, they are all decided by the Emperor, and we must not make any rash comments—"

Seeing his nephew's solemn demeanor.

Chang Mao's heart skipped a beat, and he muttered in a low voice, "Good nephew, we'll remember that!"

"As for what I said earlier, I was just asking casually!"

Zhu Xiong Ying naturally wouldn't hold her uncle's words and actions against her.

A smile returned to his face, and he nodded, saying, "We trust our uncle!"

"If there's any more matter regarding accompanying the army, we'll discuss it with my great-uncle personally!"

"And in the next two days, please take good care of yourself and tidy up—"

Chang Mao readily agreed.

Two incense sticks later, my uncle's figure disappeared.

Zhu Xiong Ying remembered the secret letter, took it out immediately, and then picked up a knife to pry open the envelope.

Upon opening it, one is immediately greeted by Old Zhu's familiar, vigorous, and domineering handwriting.

"My dear grandson, it's like seeing you in person when I read this letter! Since May, I've been frequently reading the reports of victory sent from Beiping. I'm truly delighted that the threat to the Northeast has been eliminated!"

"And our eldest grandson, at such a young age, is already in charge of Beiping, and everything he does is more than ten times better than your father and uncles were at your age."

"And speaking of your Grandpa Feng, we know perfectly well what he did!"

"Even if our eldest grandson hadn't sent a letter to remind him before he apologized, and hadn't actually offered advice, given his temperament, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to..."

Admit your mistake?

"But just as your great-grandmother said, he fought alongside us his whole life and suffered countless injuries! Therefore, this time we only penalized him by deducting his salary and reward, without dismissing him from his post. Besides severely punishing him, we also want to prevent your Grandpa Feng from tarnishing his reputation in his later years."

"But we can't avoid giving him a warning. Letting Bao'er temporarily lead the army is a reminder to your Grandpa Feng, letting him know that if he doesn't restrain himself and stop this behavior, we won't be so lenient next time!"

Old Zhu guessed the truth, but Zhu Xiong Ying remained calm.

He had no intention of hiding the fact that he wrote the letter to Feng Sheng.

With his grandfather's intelligence, all he needed to do was think for a moment and the truth would be revealed!

Moreover, he was always accompanied by the Imperial Guards!

In the secret letter, it can be seen that Lao Zhu talked about the Mobei war he mentioned last time and the strategy to defeat the enemy.

It has also been said that since the middle of the year, a large number of new hand cannons and artillery pieces manufactured under the supervision of the Ordnance Bureau will be further allocated and given priority to the border troops.

In the latter part of the letter, Old Zhu talked about Empress Ma.

"Your imperial grandmother talks about you every day in Kunning Palace, worried that you're not eating or sleeping well, and even more concerned that our grandson is overworking!"

"This time, Mao Xiang brought over a few newly sewn autumn clothes, as well as your favorite Jiangnan pastries—after the battle in the northern desert, she hopes that our eldest grandson can return to the capital as soon as possible so that the family can be reunited."

"Furthermore, let me add one more thing: as we get older, we have to accept that our eyesight is getting worse!"

"And the future of this Ming Dynasty, one day, we will ultimately hand it over to your father and you!"