The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 103 Nephews are going to train
The nephews are going to train troops, which is definitely a big deal, and Ma Xun will also take these matters seriously.

It is groundless to worry about these princes raising their own troops and establishing their own territories. There is nothing to worry about at all.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang would give these princes the military power of the three garrisons in the future, the logistics and supplies would be provided by the court, and the officers in the army would also be under the dispatch of the court.

The so-called three guards of the vassal kings are the troops of the imperial court, not the troops of the vassal kings.

These princes in the early Ming Dynasty still had important tasks when they arrived at the local areas. Whether it was military or civil governance, these princes had a lot of things to do well.

It is impossible to raise pigs. There was no such soil and no such political demand in the early Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were happy only when the princes were capable.

Ma Xun looked at He Da and said, "Go next door and ask Brother Chang to come over if he's here."

Zhu Chong and others were all smiling happily. Although they were all princes and had been trained in the army since childhood, their opportunities to come into contact with generals were limited.

Ma Xun looked at his nephews and asked, "Speaking of training troops, what does His Majesty say?"

"Let us know how to use soldiers and we don't need to be fancy. We need to be able to win battles." Zhu Chong said quickly, "Uncle, we will kill the enemy and control the generals in the future."

Ma Xun nodded, and then asked, "Although the Yuan Lord has now rushed into the northern desert, even if we destroy him, there are still many Mongolian remnants or the rebellion of the indigenous peoples in the country. What do you think?"

Zhu Chong said without thinking, "Uncle, I think we should use our troops vigorously. The court is full of brave generals and strong soldiers and horses. We should just lead the army to attack and destroy them."

Zhu Gang expressed a different opinion, "Uncle, I think what my second brother said is wrong. In my opinion, we should advance step by step. If I continue to add fortresses and sentry posts and push them to their doorstep, let's see how he responds!"

"That would be too time-consuming and laborious. I think it would be best to gather superior forces and force them into a decisive battle." Zhu Di gave his own opinion and said, "Field battles are the best way to kill the enemy. A large battle can destroy the enemy's strength to fight again."

Zhu Su also said, "That still requires food and supplies, and logistical support. I will escort the food and treat the wounded. Anyway, I can't fight."

Zhu Chong and others were born after Zhu Yuanzhang took over Yingtian Prefecture. They experienced the period when Zhu Yuanzhang was appointed as the associate minister of the Privy Council, the minister of the Executive Secretariat of Jiangnan, and the Duke of Wu by Han Lin'er.

Perhaps they were too young at that time, but they all knew the process of their father proclaiming himself King of Wu and destroying Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and others.

Therefore, these people have been serving in the military since childhood and have a good foundation in military education.

Ma Xun suddenly asked, "If a large army is fighting, what do you think should be given priority?"

Zhu Chong immediately replied, "It must be that the three armies obeyed orders and rewards and punishments were clear."

"I think it is most important to control the generals. We must have a strategy from the beginning." Zhu Gang said unwillingly, "Uncle, there are many brave generals in the army who do not obey military orders. This matter must be taken seriously."

Zhu Di also said, "Uncle, I think that when a large army is fighting, military discipline must be strict and orders must be obeyed."

Zhu Su just grinned foolishly. Since he was young, there wouldn't be too many demands on him for the time being.

"What you said makes sense, but when the war really comes, military discipline must be strict, and military discipline should also be taken seriously at ordinary times." Ma Xun said immediately, "When your father captured Hezhou and released married women in the army, the people praised him widely."

Ma Xun continued, "When the army captured Taiping, they strictly prohibited looting and won the support of the people. After taking Yingtian Prefecture, they also first posted a notice to reassure the people, strictly prohibiting looting, and soldiers who violated the ban would be executed. Only in this way can we win the hearts of the people and have prestige."

Zhu Chong and others just listened, but they didn't necessarily take it to heart, because in the army, many soldiers forget themselves after winning a battle.

Chang Yuchun came over with his head held high. "Little brother, what can I do for you?"

"The princes are training their troops. I don't know much about this, so I came to ask Brother Chang to supervise them." Ma Xun said quickly, "I am not very capable myself, how can I teach them?"

Chang Yuchun was in a dilemma when he heard this and said, "Little brother, you can do this, but I can't do it!"

Although Chang Yuchun looks like a big and strong warrior, he is also a delicate person.

Zhu Di hurriedly said, "General Chang, please don't! Father ordered us to come to my uncle, so he naturally knew his ability. With my uncle checking and General Chang giving us advice, isn't this safe?"

Zhu Chong and others also nodded repeatedly. They all knew their uncle's ability too well. When they first met him last year, his uncle looked very shabby.

Even though my uncle has been to the battlefield and now holds the title of Right Commander-in-Chief, everyone understands that this does not mean he is truly capable.

What's more, who wouldn't be happy to have great generals of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun coming to teach military affairs?
Playing chess with a bad chess player will only affect your own level. You should play chess with masters. Even if you are badly beaten, you can still learn some tricks and skills.

Chang Yuchun still refused, saying, "The emperor's uncle has no say in this matter, and yours has even less say. I have to go to the palace first, unless there is a will from the emperor or the crown prince."

Chang Yuchun ran away after saying that. It was not that he didn't give face to Ma Xun or Zhu Chong, but he was in a high position and had to be cautious about some things. Seeing the disappointed look of his nephews, Ma Xun comforted them and said, "Since your father asked you to come, he must want me to help arrange things. It's inconvenient for him and the prince to arrange some things, so I have to come forward."

Zhu Chong complained, "Uncle, it's ok that General Chang is afraid of our father, but why is he afraid of our brother?"

Zhu Gang corrected him and said, "I am not afraid of my brother, I respect him."

"Sister Chang will become the emperor's sister-in-law next year. I wonder if you are afraid!" Zhu Su said with some anticipation, "When my sister-in-law enters the palace, she will be able to protect me, and no one will blame me if I skip school!"

Zhu Chong said jokingly, "You will move out next year, and then you will each have a palace like the rest of us."

I thought this would be a blow to Zhu Su, but he was overjoyed. He had always envied Zhu Chong and his friends for being able to "live alone", after all, he was the youngest son and was still being raised by Ma Xiuying for the time being.

Ma Xun looked at his nephew and said, "It just so happens that you guys are out of the palace more often. Since you don't want to fight, just follow me. I'll teach you numerology, and then you can learn how to arrange the baggage and logistics."

Zhu Chong immediately jumped up and down, "Uncle, it's fine that you favor the emperor brother, but why do you favor the fifth brother?"

Zhu Gang said with some sympathy, "That's right, Tai Chi is only taught to the Queen Mother and the Emperor's brother, and now numerology is only taught to the fifth brother!"

"That's right!" Zhu Di also said indignantly, "Uncle treats other people's illnesses, but he doesn't treat us properly!"

Ma Xun suddenly felt a headache. "The fifth child is the youngest. What's wrong with being a little more lenient with him? Besides, I've said it many times, the second and fourth children don't have respiratory problems, and the third child is fine too!"

Zhu Su was very proud. His mother liked his elder brother the most, but she doted on him the most. As for his uncle, it seemed that he was also the one she liked the most.

Seeing Zhu Su's proud look, Zhu Chong immediately said, "Your uncle is not teaching you medical skills, so what are you proud of? You haven't learned enough numerology in the main hall, and you want to learn how to keep chickens and rabbits in the same cage. I wonder what you are proud of?"

Zhu Su's face instantly fell. If my uncle doesn't teach me medical skills or numerology, then why should I learn them?

Seeing Zhu Su’s depressed look, his brothers looked very happy. They were the most unscrupulous brothers.

Ma Xun got angry, "Second brother, you just mess with your brothers whenever you have nothing to do. Third brother, you're not much better. Fourth brother doesn't dare to mess with your elder brother, so you mess with fifth brother, right?"

Although Ma Xun was speechless, he continued, "You guys go back first, I'll arrange the training first."

"Uncle, you can't choose the imperial guards." Zhu Chong reminded, "We can't touch the soldiers in the hands of our father and brother."

Although Zhu Chong and others seemed to act recklessly at times, they were very sensible about many things. They could be free to do some things because of the love of their father and brother, but they were more sensitive than anyone else about some things.

Ma Xun also understood this truth, "You don't need to say more. Even if you want to touch Feixiong Guard and Yulin Guard, I will definitely not agree."

"Uncle, find more cavalry." Zhu Gang said, "A good man should lead cavalry across the desert and grassland. This is really fun."

Zhu Di said quickly, "We can't just look for cavalry, we have to look for more than one type of soldiers. Uncle, go find General Deng, he is the general who is best at firearms in the army."

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, "General Deng is very proficient in firearms?"

"General Deng is probably the best at using firearms in the army." Zhu Chong said first, "When Hongdu was besieged a few years ago, General Deng assisted my cousin in defending the city. Father also said that my cousin and General Deng were the best at using firearms in the army."

The Battle of Hongdu was a miracle, and Zhu Wenzhen became famous for his victory in the Battle of Hongdu. At that time, the generals under Zhu Wenzhen were Deng Yu and Zhao Desheng, but it was a pity that Zhao Desheng died in the battle against Chen Youliang.

Ma Xun could only nod. It was obvious that his nephews were quite knowledgeable about military affairs, and each of them had a different style of leading troops.

When these guys ran away, Chang Yuchun suddenly appeared and said, "How dare you push this task onto you?"

Ma Xun said helplessly, "Brother Chang, you ran away earlier, isn't that bad?"

"Don't you see the intention of taking the throne?" Chang Yuchun said in a low voice, "I'm asking you to discipline these princes so that you can help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the future. You don't know anything about military affairs, so you can only ask me for help. You can't go to Old Xu's place!"

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment, then complained, "There are too many twists and turns here. I will go to the palace later. I won't know what to do unless I explain it clearly."

Chang Yuchun laughed. Ma Xun's next task was indeed not an easy one.

After all, these are princes, and they are princes that Your Majesty values very much. They cannot be beaten or scolded, and they must be taught real skills.

After thinking about it, it was only the uncles of the princes who had nothing to do with it. Even people like Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were not allowed to intervene, let alone scold them.

(End of this chapter)