The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 160: Training Nephews

Ma Xun came to the outside of the city and to the military camp in a happy mood.

Li Wenzhong, Mu Ying and Zhu Chong came over immediately and said, "Hello, uncle."

"You don't have to do that in the army. Military duties should come first." Ma Xun said with a smile, "In fact, we should still follow the orders of the second brother. He is a prince."

Zhu Chong immediately said in a flattering manner, "Uncle, although the army talks about titles and status, the will of the emperor father is the most important."

What Ma Xun said makes sense, because we still have to pay attention to official positions and titles in private.

But what Zhu Chong said was also very reasonable. In the army, not everyone with the highest title is necessarily the commander-in-chief. In the future, it might happen that a marquis will command a duke.

Looking around, Ma Xun asked, "How are the troops prepared?"

Li Wenzhong smiled and replied, "Let's have Feixiong Guard and Yulin Zuowei escort along the way, plus some auxiliary soldiers."

The regular soldiers were the 5,600 men in the garrison. In addition to these regular soldiers, there were also some auxiliary soldiers who helped with logistics and other matters.

Ma Xun looked at Zhu Chong and asked, "You have also been back to your hometown. You know how many post stations there are along the way and how long it is in total, right?"

Zhu Chong immediately nodded and said, "Although I don't remember everything, I have a rough idea. Besides, if I were leading the army, I would definitely send more people to explore the way."

"Well, you lead the troops back this time." Ma Xun said directly, "The army will march, and you will be in charge of the arrangements along the way. I won't say anything."

Zhu Chong was stunned for a moment, and panicked for a moment, "Uncle, are you serious?"

"It's only a few hundred miles, and there are only two guards, and this is from the capital to the imperial city." Ma Xun said angrily, "If you can't arrange so many things, how can you share the worries of your father and brother in the future?"

Li Wenzhong and Mu Ying were also stunned. They did not expect that Ma Xun would directly hand over the matter of the march to Zhu Chong.

Pointing at Zhu Chong, Ma Xun said, "You have been in the army since you were young, and you are sixteen now. Your second and third brothers are fighting outside at this age. What's wrong with letting you arrange the march?"

Zhu Chong quickly explained, "Uncle, please understand. I am not afraid. I am just nervous and happy to be entrusted with such an important task by you all of a sudden."

Ma Xun made another arrangement, "The army will set out in five days. Hasn't the fourth brother always boasted that he is unrivaled in cavalry and archery? He will be the vanguard cavalry, and he will be responsible for exploring the way. If anything goes wrong, I will punish him."

Looking at Zhu Chong and Li Wenzhong, Ma Xun said, "Let the third brother go directly to lead the army. The fourth brother is young and unsteady, so the third brother will be responsible for the logistics and supplies."

At this point, Zhu Chong felt a sudden increase in pressure, so he asked his third and fourth brothers to help. Those two boys were only fourteen and twelve years old.

Now, as the commander-in-chief, Zhu Chong was under pressure immediately. He really had to start commanding the entire army and arranging his subordinates.

The most important thing is that once something goes wrong, the 'military supervisor' will immediately scold him or even beat him. It is possible that he will be demoted from a 'general' to a small soldier.

Seeing the worried Zhu Chong busy preparing for military affairs, Ma Xun asked with a smile, "Isn't it a bit too harsh to treat the second brother like this?"

"It's still my uncle who cares about the King of Qin." Li Wenzhong said with a smile, "It should be fine for His Royal Highness the King of Qin to lead the army back to the imperial city. They already know about the military affairs. It's just that they haven't led the army alone before."

Mu Ying also said, "My uncle's arrangements are very thoughtful. This is the Shangzhi Guard Station. Not only are the soldiers there elite, but there are also no bandit problems along the way. It is the most suitable place for His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin to train his troops."

Ma Xun smiled and said, "I think so too. It's useless to say more. We still have to practice."

Then Ma Xun said to Li Wenzhong, "Remember to issue the military order at the Grand Commandery as soon as possible. Wenying should go to the Ministry of War, and these matters must be taken care of."

Li Wenzhong and Mu Ying had even less objection. The Grand Marshal's Office was powerful, but in theory it also checked and balanced the Ministry of War.

The most important thing is that although many things have been arranged before, even if it is the king's uncle or the prince, there must be a sense of propriety. Mobilizing the troops of the two guards requires the clear order of the court.

Li Wenzhong was in a good mood and said to Ma Xun, "Uncle, many people in our army are practicing heavy bows. It just needs a little modification. I am looking forward to fighting the Tartars in the future."

Mu Ying also said quickly, "Uncle, my second brother's army has always been rigorous. With heavy bows and crossbows, the Tartar cavalry and infantry can't get close to them at all."

Although Mu Ying had some abilities and could be considered a relatively outstanding young general, he also admired Li Wenzhong very much.

This is easy to understand. Li Wenzhong’s military achievements are there. Who wouldn’t admire him after seeing them?
"Duke Wei and Duke Zheng are training their troops now, so you should hurry up too." Ma Xun whispered, "I've thought about it and decided that we need three armies when we go to attack Helin."

Li Wenzhong said solemnly, "Uncle, that's what I thought. It's likely that Duke Wei will lead the central army, and Duke Zheng and I will lead the left and right armies respectively."

Although they were called three major armies, they were nominally led by General Xu Da, and everyone had no objection to this.

However, the deputy general Chang Yuchun and the left general Li Wenzhong had absolute autonomy, almost like the Northern Expedition, with each of the three armies having their own missions. Mu Ying flattered, "Uncle, if you really want to fight against Helin, can you take your nephew with you? Whether you follow your second brother or your uncle, it will be my blessing."

"Why can't my uncle lead me to the war?" Li Wenzhong pretended to be unhappy and said, "Wenying, stop yelling at the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Zheng all day long. They have been yelling for two years and they all think that my uncle will definitely follow them to the war!"

Mu Ying was also stunned for a moment. It was no secret that Xu Da and Chang Yuchun wanted to take Ma Xun with them to the expedition. Most people also subconsciously believed that once Ma Xun joined the army, he would definitely follow one of these two generals.

Li Wenzhong then looked at Ma Xun and said, "Uncle, you should go with me. We can discuss the battlefield affairs together."

"Bao'er, even if I don't know much about military affairs, I'm not that easy to deceive." Ma Xun laughed, "When the time comes to go to war, you will be the commander. I won't follow you. I will be embarrassed if you scold me."

Mu Ying next to him was also laughing. Don't be fooled by what his second brother said. When he really got to the army, his orders were strict and no one could disobey them.

Moreover, Mu Ying knew clearly that his second brother did not need to worry about being too successful and endangering the emperor. If his uncle really went to war, he would definitely not follow his second brother.

"Uncle!" Zhu Di came happily, "Uncle, are you really going to let me be the vanguard?"

Seeing the boy's excitement, Ma Xun said, "Hurry back and ask your father and mother for some armor and lacquer bows. After all, you are a vanguard general, so you must have enough equipment. It will be impressive if the Yan Wang flag is raised."

Zhu Di was even more excited, his face flushed, "Then I will go back to the palace, uncle. Just give me fifty cavalry, there is no need for too many cavalry, I will definitely be able to explore the military situation along the way!"

"Go and discuss with your second brother. I won't ask whether he will give you fifty or a hundred cavalrymen." Ma Xun said with a smile, "Just remember this. If you miss the military intelligence, your second brother won't punish you, but I will!"

Zhu Di clasped his fists and said excitedly, "I accept your orders and am willing to issue a military order!"

Ma Xun and others could understand Zhu Di's excitement. After all, it was the first time that he truly "led the army alone."

Such an opportunity is really rare, so it is understandable that one might be a little excited.

Everyone has gone through this stage, so Zhu Di’s behavior is not too exaggerated.

Some people even exaggerated, such as Zhu Gang, "Uncle, how about letting me be the vanguard? It's fine if you don't let me lead the army, but what's the point of asking me to arrange the baggage?"

"Don't you understand that the army should move its food before it moves?" Ma Xun scolded with a stern face, "Remember the consumption of military food and the loss of war horses along the way. If it exceeds the reasonable number, it means you are incompetent!"

Zhu Gang became even more depressed. There would definitely be consumption of military rations and war horses during the march, but all of these had to be within the specified numbers.

He is now responsible for escorting baggage and distributing supplies to the army, which is a job that requires carefulness to do well.

The second brother is the chief general, no problem, he can lead two guards. The fourth brother is lucky, he can lead the cavalry first.

Unfortunately, I, the third child, am unlucky and cannot do anything that stands out. I can only arrange the baggage. It is hard and tiring but I don’t get to show off my military achievements. Even now, if I complain a little, I will be scolded.

Seeing Zhu Gang's depressed look, Ma Xun obviously didn't take it too seriously.

These arrangements would not be easily changed unless Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Biao issued an order, otherwise Zhu Chong and others would have to act according to these arrangements.

Ma Xun was only responsible for holding the fort and taking his nephews back to Fengyang. He planned to be a hands-off boss and only needed to record his nephews' performance along the way.

If they performed well, they would be encouraged and affirmed; if they performed poorly, they would be noted down and criticized, and most importantly, reported to Zhu Yuanzhang and his family of three.

After arranging these things, Ma Xun set off without stopping, as he had other things to do.

"Check them all carefully!" Chang Mao stood at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall with high spirits. "If anyone slacks off, I will not spare you with the whip in my hand!"

The arrogant Chang Mao suddenly heard a familiar call. Seeing Wangcai stretching his neck and calling, the domineering expression on his face instantly turned into flattering.

"Be careful. It's true that you are the son of a noble family, but you don't have to do it deliberately." Ma Xun couldn't help but lecture him, "The so-called dignity is not just about speaking harshly. If you have good character, others will respect you."

Chang Mao immediately flattered, "My uncle is teaching me, and I just want to learn from him. But I don't have any moral integrity, so I can only be a little domineering to make people respect me."

Ma Xun didn't say much. Although Chang Mao was a little domineering, it was nothing.

Seeing that this kid is now doing his job diligently and responsibly, this is worthy of recognition. After all, a noble son like Chang Mao could have just been eating, drinking and having fun.

But now, everyone is doing their errands.

These are jobs that are not officially recognized by the court. These guys "working illegally" are as excited as if they were injected with chicken blood and do their job conscientiously. Ma Xun is the happiest one.

(End of this chapter)