Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

"Your Highness."

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't hear you clearly, please say it again."

Xu Da looked at Zhu Di with piercing eyes and asked in surprise.

"I say that Wang Baobao has surrendered."

"The battle in the central route is over; you can go home now."

Facing everyone's gaze, Zhu Di's voice resounded throughout the central military tent.

"Whoa!!!"

Immediately, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

Not only did Prince Yan Zhu Di lead 800 cavalry on a nearly 2,000-mile raid to capture Karakorum and take the Northern Yuan emperor and empress prisoner, but he has now also persuaded Wang Baobao, the Northern Yuan's top general, to surrender. Such achievements are truly unprecedented.

"This humble general offers his congratulations to the Great Ming Dynasty and to the Prince of Yan!"

Mu Ying was the first to stand up and shout loudly.

"Congratulations to the Great Ming Dynasty! Congratulations to the Prince of Yan!"

"Congratulations to the Great Ming Dynasty! Congratulations to the Prince of Yan!"

The generals inside the tent quickly realized what was happening and unanimously praised Zhu Di.

In any case, Zhu Di's great achievement was beneficial to the Ming Dynasty and to them.

Wang Baobao has already surrendered, and there is no longer any threat from the north. The Ming Dynasty's borders may be peaceful for the next few decades.

"The Eastern Route Army and the Western Route Army are still engaged in battle."

"Is it inappropriate for our central army to withdraw at this moment?"

Just as everyone was celebrating, Marquis Geng Bingwen of Changxing spoke up with a serious expression and questioned them.

"brush!"

The others immediately looked at Zhu Di.

Yes, the battle isn't even over yet, and the central army is already marching back to the capital alone. What kind of situation is this!

"The central army suffered heavy losses after this battle, and it was difficult to maintain its food, medicine, and armor."

"If we continue to the northern desert, I'm afraid the remaining soldiers will be wiped out by the desert and Gobi before we even encounter the enemy."

"Wang Baobao has already surrendered to me. I will make arrangements for what happens next."

"Marquis Changxing, are you going to disobey my orders?"

Zhu Di looked down at Geng Bingwen and spoke, word by word.

"This humble general dares not."

Geng Bingwen had no choice but to lower his head.

At this moment, the generals finally realized how terrifying the aura of a ruler emanating from Prince Yan, Zhu Di, who held the power of life and death, truly was.

"My father has granted me the power to control the northern deserts and has allowed me to establish the Three Guards of the Prince of Yan."

"Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu, listen to my command."

"Your subordinate is here!"

Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu immediately responded and came out.

"I hereby order you to immediately select 4400 elite and courageous men from the central army and fill the five military camps."

Zhu Di gave the order directly.

"Yes."

Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu turned around and went down to select soldiers.

The other generals present quickly looked at Xu Da, but seeing that he didn't speak, they could only keep their mouths shut and pretend they hadn't seen anything.

"Tang He, Mu Ying."

"Your subordinate is here."

Tang He and Mu Ying moved at the sound.

"Tang He was the commander-in-chief, and Mu Ying was the deputy commander, leading 5,000 troops to escort supplies such as grain and medicine to Karakorum."

Zhu Di then issued an order.

"Yes."

Without a word, Tang He and Mu Ying accepted the order and left.

They were originally ordered by Zhu Yuanzhang to come to Zhu Di's aid. Zhu Di's people are right here, so why go to the trouble of seeking help from afar?

"If you have nothing else to do, you may go and make preparations."

Zhu Di waved his hand, issuing an order to dismiss the guests.

"Yes."

Geng Bingwen and the others realized that Zhu Di wanted to have a private conversation with Xu Da, and one by one they left the central command tent.

After everyone had left, Xu Da finally spoke up: "So, what are you up to now?"

"Uncle Xu, you've misunderstood. Do I look like that kind of person?"

Zhu Di said with a smile.

"You really don't look like it, you are."

Xu Da looked at Zhu Di with suspicion: "You little bastard, you led your troops to the northern desert without permission, and almost made me take the blame for you."

"This time you took the initiative to let me return to the capital, but you yourself took nearly ten thousand elite troops with you."

"My dear brother, and the Empress Dowager are longing for your return every day."

"Haven't you accomplished enough? What are you doing staying in the northern desert?"

It's fortunate it wasn't his son, otherwise Xu Da would have ordered Zhu Di to be beaten with a hundred strokes of the military rod right now, which would have been too much of a headache.

"hey-hey!"

Zhu Di scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and replied, "Uncle Xu."

"Since we've already started this battle, we certainly can't let it be for nothing."

"The northern deserts, the Hehuang region, and even the northern court should all be taken back."

"You're right, aren't you?"

"hiss!"

Xu Da gasped.

He guessed that Zhu Di was not honest, but he did not expect Zhu Di's ambition to be so great.

The northern deserts, the Hehuang region, and the Beiting region together constitute the area of ​​territory currently controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

"You want Wang Baobao to handle this?"

"Have you thought about this, kid? That's the King of Northern Qi, not some nobody."

Xu Da immediately realized the key: Zhu Di must have needed Wang Baobao's help to achieve this goal.

Wang Baobao was no ordinary person; Zhu Di's actions were likely akin to seeking a tiger's skin.

"There's something I'd like to ask Uncle Xu for a favor."

"What is it?"

Xu Da's gaze kept shifting between Zhu Di and Xu Da, wondering what kind of trouble this guy was going to cause this time.

"The eldest daughter of the King of Qi, Boyalun Haibie."

"I would like to ask Uncle Xu to adopt me as his goddaughter and bring me back to the Duke of Wei's mansion."

Zhu Di spoke slowly.

"Wang Baobao's daughter?"

"You little rascal, you still want to flirt even while fighting a war."

Xu Da slammed his hand on the table, his entire being glaring at Zhu Di like an enraged lion.

Zhu Di chuckled awkwardly and quickly explained, "Uncle Xu, you've misunderstood. It's Wang Baobao who wants to marry his daughter to me as a concubine."

"Otherwise, how could I have gained Wang Baobao's support?"

"you...."

Xu Da stared wide-eyed at Zhu Di, but remained silent for a long time.

Although he knew that his daughter would inevitably come into contact with these matters after marrying into the royal family, he did not expect that it would happen so quickly. The marriage had only been concluded for a short time, and Zhu Di had already found another father-in-law and asked him to cover it up.

"Uncle Xu".

"The Emperor has already issued an edict appointing a number of officials to the Prince of Yan's residence."

"If I were to return to the capital like this, I fear I would be devoured whole, skin and bones alike."

"I risked my life in front of him, and he tripped me up from behind. Just because he's my father, am I supposed to accept it gladly?"

"There's no such logic in the world!"

Zhu Di said stubbornly, "He wants to enfeoff princes, he wants to remove the thorns from my elder brother's path, that's fine."

"Why? Why sacrifice me?"

"The matter of Zhu Liangzu and Lan Yu has made the Huaixi Xun Gui hate me to the core."

"My palace is filled with officials from the literati families of eastern Zhejiang. Do you think officials like Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong, who come from western Huai, would let me off the hook?"

"Do I still have anyone I can use or trust in the imperial court?"

"The only way to survive is in the northern desert. I must gain enough leverage for myself before returning to Beijing."

"I beg my father-in-law to lend me a hand for Miaoyun's sake."

"well!!!"

Xu Da sighed and said helplessly, "For Miaoyun's sake, I'll do this for you."

"You should think about how to explain this to Miaoyun when you return to the capital."

"this...."

Zhu Di's face stiffened. He thought of Xu Miaoyun's nickname, "Female Scholar," and realized that she was just as intolerant of any imperfections.

Having an extra "good sister" out of nowhere is something most people would find unacceptable, let alone Xu Miaoyun.