Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

In May of the fifth year of the Hongwu reign (1372), outside Yanmen Pass.

"Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up!"

Dozens of elite Ming cavalrymen, dressed in mandarin duck battle jackets and covered with metal lamellar armor, galloped on their horses.

"Whoa!"

Upon reaching a hill, Zhu Di immediately noticed the horse manure scattered on the grass and tightened the reins.

"Zhu Silang".

"What's wrong?"

Commander Zhu Neng spurred his horse forward and inquired.

"Left by Yuan dynasty scouts."

Zhu Di pointed to the horse manure and gestured.

He has merged with an isomorph of a hunter, and has a unique understanding of how to track prey.

What?

Zhu Neng's expression changed abruptly. He suddenly dismounted, stepped forward, picked up a lump of horse manure, sniffed it, and then carefully examined it.

"General Flag".

The other flag bearers dismounted and crowded forward.

"Horse manure contains undigested soybeans, and ordinary grassland herders would never feed their horses soybeans."

"Only Yuan scouts would be willing to give it up. Judging from the situation, they arrived here a day ago."

"We must hurry back to the main camp and report to the General."

Zhu Neng said with a solemn expression.

"Yes."

Several flag bearers remounted their horses, and the Ming cavalry quickly turned their horses around and returned to Yanmen Pass.

Zhu Di's goodwill towards Zhu Neng increased even more. This person should be the Zhu Neng in his memory, the meritorious official who followed the Prince of Yan in raising an army to fight the Jingnan Rebellion, and was later enfeoffed as the Duke of Cheng, ranking alongside Zhang Yu.

..................

Yanmen Pass, the central command tent.

"I understand."

"Zhu Silang, stay."

After listening to Zhu Neng's report, Xu Da gave a greeting.

"Yes."

Zhu Neng glanced at Zhu Di out of the corner of his eye, then bowed and withdrew from the military tent.

When the Duke of Wei's personal guards brought Zhu Silang to his tent, he guessed that Zhu Silang had a powerful background. However, he never expected that Zhu Silang would be related to the Duke of Wei, Xu Da, which was truly unbelievable to him!

"Uncle Xu".

"But is there any news about Lan Yu?"

Zhu Di looked up and asked.

The Ming Dynasty's second northern expedition used the central army as the main force, while the eastern and western armies were the unorthodox forces, employing both the orthodox and unorthodox methods to launch a three-pronged attack.

As early as late January, Xu Da, with Lan Yu, the Vice Commander-in-Chief, as his vanguard, led 5,000 men to Shanxi and marched out of Yanmen Pass.

Lan Yu, as expected of Chang Yuchun's brother-in-law, was incredibly brave and fierce. He first defeated Kökö Temür's cavalry at Yemachuan, and on March 20th, he defeated another of Kökö Temür's troops at the Tula River. Kökö Temür fled north and joined forces with the Yuan general He Zongzhe in the northern desert to contain the Ming army.

Unexpectedly, Lan Yu was wounded in the Battle of Tula River and fell into a coma. Deputy General Geng Bingwen had no choice but to arrange for the vanguard Ming army to garrison the banks of the Tula River and wait for reinforcements.

"Come and see."

Xu Da led the way, bringing Zhu Di to the marching map and explaining, "Geng Bingwen has already led his troops to break through the encirclement and is marching along the water source."

"We've reached Bayanbolege now, which is 130 li away from us."

"Uncle Xu wants me to go and meet Geng Bingwen?"

Zhu Di immediately saw through Xu Da's intentions.

"Do you dare?"

Xu Da deliberately provoked Zhu Di.

"There's nothing I'm afraid of."

Zhu Di said calmly, "Wang Baobao has 30,000 cavalrymen under his command. After repeated battles, how many of Lan Yu's 5,000 vanguard troops are left?"

"Geng Bingwen was skilled at defense; how did he break through the encirclement?"

"If I'm not mistaken, there's more to Lan Yu's injury than meets the eye."

"Um."

Xu Da nodded and solemnly instructed, "This time you're going with the army, you must find out the cause and effect of the Battle of Tula River."

"How could Wang Baobao be defeated by Lan Yu so easily twice?"

"If that were all he was capable of, how could he possibly have become a major threat to our Ming Dynasty?"

"I see."

Zhu Di's eyes sharpened, and he took these words to heart.

On that day, five thousand Ming cavalrymen marched out of Yanmen Pass and sped northward.

...............

Far away in Yingtian Prefecture, in the Imperial Palace, in the Huagai Hall.

"Tap tap..."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao, holding a commemorative document in his hand, quickly entered the palace.

The surrounding eunuchs all bowed and paid their respects, but none of them uttered a sound, because Zhu Yuanzhang had fallen asleep in his armchair.

"Boss."

Zhu Biao was about to leave when Zhu Yuanzhang stopped him.

"call!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched and looked at him: "There's a military report."

"You all go down first."

Zhu Biao looked around and gave an order.

"Yes."

The serving eunuchs tactfully withdrew from the Huagai Hall.

"My son had someone go to the Grand General's Mansion to copy the military officer files of the Imperial Guards from the past two years."

As Zhu Biao handed the folded document to Zhu Yuanzhang, he explained, "Forty-three new military officers of the rank of centurion or above have been transferred in."

"Among them, 35 are from Huaixi."

"My cousin has been leading troops in the field for the past few years, and the affairs of the Grand General's Office have been managed by the Duke of Song."

"His brother, Feng Guoyong, was the commander-in-chief of my personal guard back then, so he probably hasn't forgotten that."

After examining it carefully, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "It's hard on him. He's in charge of the Grand General's Office, and he still has to worry about my palace."

"Cough cough."

Zhu Biao couldn't help but cough a few times.

On the surface, Zhu Yuanzhang praised Song Guogong Feng Sheng, but in reality, he was questioning whether Feng Sheng was overstepping his bounds and forming cliques for personal gain.

"Neither Yun Gong nor Zeng Shou?"

Zhu Yuanzhang closed the folding book and said calmly.

"My son already asked."

Zhu Biao replied, "When the Duke of Song was selecting people, Yun Gong was ranked first, but Uncle Xu rejected him."

"This Xu Tiande, he still tries to outsmart me."

"Fine, even if his son doesn't become my bodyguard, his daughter will still marry into our family."

Zhu Yuanzhang, remembering that Xu Miaoyun had entered the palace that day, couldn't help but ask, "Where is Xu's eldest daughter?"

"They're already at Kunning Palace."

Zhu Biao answered with a smile.

"Boss."

"Your father-in-law, Lü Ben, is still in the Ministry of Justice. Wasn't he originally in the Secretariat?"

Zhu Yuanzhang then changed the subject, mentioning the father of the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Lü.

"It was the idea of ​​the Korean prince."

He said that his father-in-law was well-versed in the laws and regulations of the previous dynasty, which was a good way to make the best use of his talents.

"snort!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "What I fear is that he will regard the Secretariat as his own territory."

"Since Mr. Li has said so, then I will make the decision on my own."

"A decree was issued to the Secretariat, appointing Lü Ben, the Minister of Personnel, as Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"Yes."

Zhu Biao's eyes flickered, and he agreed.

At this moment, in Kunning Palace, Xu Miaoyun sat upright, looking just like a lady who had stepped out of a painting, gentle and quiet, beautiful and elegant.

"Girl, come closer."

Empress Ma looked at her future daughter-in-law with a kind expression.

"Your Majesty."

Xu Miaoyun stepped forward a few paces.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"I'm not wronged."

Xu Miaoyun replied happily.

"Oh?"

Empress Ma was somewhat surprised.

"A wife is one who is harmonious and balanced!"

"The principle of treating people equally, from the emperor down to the common people, is the same."

"His Highness Prince Yan and my daughter have already agreed to the marriage according to the wishes of their parents and the words of the matchmaker."

"From this day forward, we are husband and wife as one; Your Highness's faults are my faults."

"Your subject only dares to reflect on her own actions and offer suggestions for improvement; she dares not harbor any resentment."

Xu Miaoyun showed no sign of grievance in her every smile and frown.

"It's the fourth brother's good fortune to marry you."

Empress Ma was very satisfied with Xu Miaoyun and could not find any reason to criticize her.