Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

Inside the military tent, the physician was cleaning Lan Yu's wounds and reapplying medicine.

"General."

Upon seeing Zhu Di and his entourage, the physician immediately bowed in greeting.

"These are wounds caused by musket fire."

Zhu Di glanced at the festering wound on Lan Yu's abdomen and immediately recognized its origin.

"Yes, General."

"Has the bullet been removed?"

"It's all been removed. I've been applying wound medicine these past few days, and the wound hasn't worsened."

The physician answered methodically.

"Keep looking, make sure it's clean."

"Good heavens, if it went any lower, his manhood would be gone."

Zhu Di smiled and teased.

"Ahem!"

Huo Li Huo Zhen and the others who came with him couldn't help but laugh.

"How did this happen?"

"I inform the Prince of Yan that someone attempted to assassinate the General."

Geng Bingwen stepped forward and offered an explanation.

"assassinate?"

"Let's go outside and talk."

Zhu Di turned and left, completely ignoring Lan Yu on his sickbed.

Huo Li Huo gave Geng Bingwen a deep look, and Geng Bingwen felt a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

"Marquis of Changxing".

"On my way here, I captured a Mongolian woman."

She claimed to be Princess Fuli, daughter of the King of Northern Qi.

As they walked to the grassy area by the spring, Zhu Di's seemingly casual remark caused Geng Bingwen's expression to change drastically.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan."

Geng Bingwen said solemnly, "That woman was the assassin who tried to kill General Lan Yu."

"assassin?"

Zhu Di frowned.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan."

"At that time, the woman claimed to be the daughter of Kökö Tölö. General Lan Yu treated her with courtesy, but unexpectedly the Yuan people were so treacherous that they plotted against General Lan Yu."

"Geng Bingwen, are you taking advantage of my youth and ignorance?"

Zhu Di narrowed his eyes, and an invisible killing intent spread out.

"This humble general dares not."

Geng Bingwen stood aside with his head down.

"Lan Yu's wound was caused by a short musket, which wasn't very powerful, so it didn't endanger his life."

"Even our Great Ming Dynasty cannot equip its soldiers with such short muskets on a large scale."

"Because it is made entirely of brass and requires the meticulous carving of skilled craftsmen, it is a waste of manpower and resources."

"If they weren't high-ranking officials or nobles of the Northern Yuan, how could they possibly possess such a short musket?"

"Are you telling me now that a teenage Mongolian girl would have such audacity to assassinate Lan Yu?"

"Lan Yu is arrogant and has always looked down on the Yuan people. Would he treat them with courtesy?"

"Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, do you even believe what you're saying?"

Zhu Di sneered and cursed, "I think you, Marquis of Changxing, are senile. How dare you hide such a thing?"

"Your Highness, Prince Yan."

Geng Bingwen felt deeply ashamed.

"Confess now!"

Zhu Di shouted loudly, his face stern.

"Yes."

Geng Bingwen felt the pressure of facing the Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang from the young man in front of him, and had no choice but to tell the truth in detail.

After hearing this, Zhu Di angrily cursed, "You're really senile! How dare you hide something like this?"

"That bastard Lan Yu bullied the Princess Consort of Bei Yuan Qi."

"Does he know that Kuokuo's younger sister is my second brother's principal wife? He's not bullying anyone else, but my second sister-in-law's own sister-in-law."

"Our Zhu family and Wang Baobao are relatives. We can accept that swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield."

"It is forbidden to bully or mistreat women, children, and the elderly once captured; this is something His Majesty has repeatedly emphasized."

"Once this gets to Yingtian Prefecture, not only will Lan Yu be in trouble, but even my elder brother, the Crown Prince, will likely suffer the consequences."

"This humble servant!"

Geng Bingwen was trembling all over and dared not think any further.

"So, your two victories at Yemachuan and Tulahe only resulted in the annihilation of some Yuan scouts."

"No wonder Wang Baobao's 30,000 cavalrymen were all unharmed."

Zhu Di, through Geng Bingwen's description and his memories of the Ming Dynasty's second northern expedition, sketched out the whole picture.

It was obvious that Wang Baobao deliberately suffered two consecutive defeats to make the Ming army complacent after their victory, thus luring the enemy deeper into his territory.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan."

"Should we immediately return and report to the General?"

Huo Li Huo Zhen asked.

"Geng Bingwen, do you have a Yuan dynasty person in your possession?"

Zhu Di did not give an immediate answer, but instead looked at Geng Bingwen who was standing to the side.

"Is His Highness the Prince of Yan referring to Sheng Yong, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council of the Northern Yuan?"

Geng Bingwen looked at Zhu Di with some doubt.

"Um."

"Call him here."

Zhu Di nodded slightly and gave the order.

"Yes."

Without saying a word, Geng Bingwen turned around and went down to make the arrangements.

A moment later, a silent young man from the Yuan dynasty appeared before Zhu Di.

"Sheng Yong".

"I know you are of Han Chinese noble birth."

"Unwilling to serve the Northern Yuan, he wanted to defect to the Ming Dynasty and seek an official position."

"Qi King's eldest daughter, Boyalun Haibie, was your first pledge of allegiance, but unfortunately, Wang Baobao didn't fall for it."

"I'm giving you a chance now. If you do well, I'll personally recommend you to see my elder brother."

"Please give your orders, Your Highness!"

Sheng Yong was filled with excitement. Zhu Di's elder brother was the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. If he could catch the Crown Prince's eye, he would have hope for the rest of his life.

How many people live in Karakorum?

Zhu Di asked with a burning gaze.

Karakorum, located on the banks of the Orkhon River, was the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire. It served as the capital for four Great Khans: Genghis Khan, Ögedei Khan, Güyük Khan, and Möngke Khan, until Kublai Khan moved the capital to the Central Plains.

After losing Dadu, Shangdu, and Yingchang in succession, the Northern Yuan returned to Karakorum, which was the seat of the Lingbei Province during the Yuan Dynasty.

"Hara and Karakorum?"

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Sheng Yong's eyes as he answered earnestly, "Khara-Korrin has a small population, only tens of thousands."

"The princes and nobles of the Northern Yuan gathered here, numbering in the thousands, while the rest were their servants and attendants."

"Three thousand Kheshig soldiers are responsible for guarding Karakorum."

"The Kheshig army."

Zhu Di stroked his chin, saying with a playful tone, "How much of the splendor they had during Genghis Khan's time remains?"

The Kheshig was an old-established imperial guard established during the reign of Genghis Khan. It was composed of the sons of Mongol nobles and meritorious officials and served as hereditary guards.

After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Kheshig army lived a life of luxury and ease, which led to a decline in their combat effectiveness.

Kublai Khan established the Imperial Guard as the central imperial army, directly subordinate to the Privy Council, and commanded by the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, totaling 50,000 men. In addition, there were 21 Imperial Guards composed of able-bodied men from various ethnic groups stationed in the inland areas near the capital.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan."

Geng Bingwen and Huolihuozhen sensed something amiss in his words and their expressions suddenly became tense.

"Fiery and genuine."

"You personally lead the men to escort Lan Yu and Princess Fuli to Yanmen Pass."

"Hand the person over to the general safely."

Staring intently at Huoli Huozhen, Zhu Di solemnly instructed him.

"Yes."

Huo Li Huo immediately obeyed the order.

Geng Bingwen, standing to the side, looked rather grim. He knew that Zhu Di didn't trust him and would rather hand him over to Huolihuozhen, a surrendered Mongol general, than give him the man.