The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 184 Good intentions
Ma Xun was not worried at all about Zhu Biao's love of literature and art. Like Zhu Yuanzhang, this child did not like fancy articles.

It can even be said that the three members of that family were all the same. They got angry when they saw the flowery articles. They liked the ministers' memorials that were meaningful and concise.

Letting Ma Xun write poetry now is just to make the Ming Dynasty's literary style look better.

Especially now that the chaotic times have just ended and the country is unified, we must consider issues of civil governance.

It cannot be said that some poems handed down from generation to generation are all manifestations of literary governance, but they can add some chips to the picture to a certain extent.

However, this time Zhu Yuanzhang and his family of three were somewhat disappointed. Ma Xun was watching Chang Mao and other sons of noble families perform martial arts in a very serious manner, and was also commenting on the articles written by scholars.

But he did not write any poetry.

This is not his fault. The person primarily responsible for this matter is Zhu Biao.

I racked my brains and could still think of two or three good poems, and I still remembered the representative works of Nalan Xingde and Gong Zizhen, but they did not fit the topic given by Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao was not disappointed. Overall, this outing was quite good. It was just a routine outing and a display of the emperor's grace.

After the outing, Ma Xun had to consider returning to Fengyang, but he was still a little worried.

"Bao'er, you also know what I said last time." Ma Xun called Li Wenzhong home and said, "Pay attention to what happens in the court. If they make trouble, stop them first."

Li Wenzhong naturally knew that he was referring to Zhu Chong's marriage. "Uncle, don't worry too much. Your Majesty doesn't have that in mind either."

"Of course I know he wants to help everyone, but he is the emperor and he can only give in on some things." Ma Xun said, "How can the emperor have everything he wants?"

This time Li Wenzhong had no way of refutation, he also knew that what Ma Xun said was the truth.

It is true that Zhu Yuanzhang was a strong emperor, but as an emperor, he sometimes needed to compromise and consider many things.

So some people say that "politics is the art of compromise", which makes sense.

Li Wenzhong said after a moment, "Uncle, don't worry. Although I have always been cautious, I will definitely do my best to protect His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin and will not let the Duke of Wei suffer injustice."

"Some things are difficult for you to handle. You are His Majesty's nephew." Ma Xun said with a smile, "Your father is here, and I am here. It is more appropriate for the two of us to handle these matters."

For a moment, Li Wenzhong could only remain silent. He was in his early thirties and indeed had made outstanding military achievements. In military matters, ten Ma Xuns were not as effective as half of Li Wenzhong.

But in some matters, as long as Ma Xun shows up, it will be more effective than Li Wenzhong saying ten thousand words.

These things were not only known to Li Wenzhong, but others also understood this reality to some extent.

Ma Xun continued to smile and said, "Don't let your father rush to show up. I will charge ahead. I will let your father show up only when things are almost settled."

Li Wenzhong complained, "Uncle, how can you do this!"

At first glance, what Ma Xun said makes sense, but if you think about it carefully, and then think about Ma Xun's usual style.

This is not about letting Li Zhen be responsible for the final decision. This is about Ma Xun protecting his "brother-in-law" and not wanting the old man to suffer or worry.

"Listen to me on this matter." Ma Xun said with a smile, "If there is a quarrel in the court, I will intervene to achieve the best effect. If it doesn't work, I will just make a fuss and get scolded by His Majesty."

Li Wenzhong was speechless for a moment. If Ma Xunzhen continued to make trouble, there would be nothing the others could do. Many things would have to be put on hold, and the most he would get was a scolding from the emperor.

There will be no substantial punishment, and there is no need to worry about the emperor and empress developing resentment because of this.

At most, Ma Xun's reputation among the civil servants and the literati would be affected a little, but for him, these were not things worth caring about at all.

After discussing and finishing some things with Li Wenzhong, Ma Xun called Liu Shuning and Xu E, "Ezi, you should pay attention to the things in the palace. When the time comes, take the wife to the palace and let my sister calm His Majesty."

Xu E said worriedly, "Master, isn't this inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?" Ma Xun said directly, "This is not a matter for you to discuss. You have to do what you should do."

Xu E could only nod without saying anything. Although he was working in Prince Xu's mansion now and usually didn't care who someone belonged to, Xu E was essentially Ma Xiuying's man.

Loyalty to the Queen, the Crown Prince, and then to the Emperor and the King's brother-in-law; these were Xu E's positions, and everyone knew it.

Ma Xun looked at Liu Shuning and said, "Brother-in-law is the emperor now, and sometimes he can only think about the country. He is willing to put the second brother in a difficult position for the sake of the country."

Liu Shuning and Xu E also understood Ma Xun's intention. In the final analysis, he was worried that the emperor would be persuaded by some people. Once he used the country and the general situation as reasons, if he could find an impeccable reason, Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely be willing to let Zhu Chong down.

Because this is the Zhu family's kingdom, the descendants of the Zhu family should also make some contributions to the Ming Dynasty. This is beyond doubt.

Even the emperor couldn't do whatever he wanted, let alone the princes.

Ma Xun arranged some things and was about to set off back to Fengyang. He felt a little helpless.

He has been attending court these past few days and paying attention to the movements of Tao Kai and others, but these people are very patient, probably because they want to be absolutely sure before taking action.

Or maybe it was because Ma Xun had given them a severe reprimand that they stopped and completely gave up the idea. This was also possible.

However, Ma Xun is a cautious person and sometimes he tends to think negatively about things, so it is better to pay more attention to it.

It's better to be careful. This is Ma Xun's character. He should be cautious about some things.

Wangcai was still very happy. He ran to the deck and looked at the river to vent his emotions. The unpleasant and shrill donkey's bray also broke the tranquility of the river.

"Uncle of the Emperor." He Da brought a cloak to Ma Xun, "It's windy on the river, don't get cold."

Although he was a rough and tough soldier, He Da also had a careful side, otherwise he would not have been Zhu Yuanzhang's personal guard.

Ma Xun looked at He Da and asked, "I have to farm this time. If I don't do well, you have to help me."

He Da said confidently, "Don't worry, uncle. Although I haven't farmed for many years, I still know how to farm. Even if you want to farm, it's hard to have the chance. The purpose of taking the throne is to train soldiers."

"Liushou Division?" Ma Xun asked, "So, the Liushou Division is now under my control, and I want the princes to command the troops?"

He Da smiled and said, "How would we know about these things? Anyway, the meaning of the throne is that the king's uncle should go to the army often, and the princes should also go often."

Zhu Yuanzhang had extremely high expectations for his sons, and these princes had all received sufficient military training.

Now Zhu Chong and others stay in Fengyang, not only to give them the opportunity to train, but also because the children have grown up and it is not easy for them to stay in the capital for a long time.

Since he couldn't become a fiefdom now, he could only live in his hometown, train troops and receive education, and in a few years he would have to start preparing for becoming a fiefdom.

Zhu Chong, the Prince of Qin, and Zhu Gang, the Prince of Jin, were to guard the Guanzhong area, while Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, was to be in charge of some military missions in the north. Although Zhu Su, the Prince of Wu, was still young, Zhu Yuanzhang had higher expectations for him and was closer to him.

The King of Wu would not go to Hangzhou, but to Kaifeng. At that time, Zhu Su would guard the Central Plains and also take on the task of protecting the capital.

The tasks of these legitimate sons are extremely arduous, so they must also learn about military affairs in the future, and then be assisted by generals, so that they can better shoulder responsibilities in the core areas under the Meiji era.

Ma Xun was under a lot of pressure. He asked in a low voice, "Did His Majesty assign me a task?"

He Da immediately laughed and said, "The superiors told you to walk more in the army, so you must find a type of soldier you can lead. If you really can't do that, then practice infantry formation."

The Ming Dynasty had many types of troops, including navy, firearms, and cavalry. Even the infantry was divided into many types, including those who were good at bows and crossbows, swordsmen, gunners, and so on.

Xu Da is a versatile man who can mobilize all kinds of troops. Chang Yuchun is not bad, but he is better at cavalry. Deng Yu is good at firearms, and Yu Tongyuan and Liao Yongzhong are better at navy.

Ma Xunze is not good at anything, and now everyone is trying hard to find his shining points. Since he is determined to make achievements on the battlefield, he can't just be a mascot with a big flag and wearing dazzling armor.

What's more, he also has to consider Zhu Biao. Ma Xun needs to know something about military affairs. After all, Zhu Biao's talent in military affairs is very average.

It seems that in Fengyang, not only the princes will be training their troops, but the king's uncle will also have to do so.

After leaving the capital, the soldiers and horses of the garrison were already elite, and to avoid the confusion of too many people, these few half-informed "royal generals" had to start training.

Training is training, Ma Xun also hopes that he can do something within his ability. He also wants to follow to fight Wang Baobao, and also wants to pursue the enemy in the north, seal the Wolf's Lair, and engrave the stone in Yanran.

If I missed the chance to go on the expedition with Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others, it would probably be difficult to get such an opportunity again in the future.

Even though he was usually very cautious and really wanted to save his life and stay alive, he was still somewhat passionate and impulsive in his heart, and still had a bit of blood in him.

When it comes to military training, it's not just my nephews who have to train hard. I, Duke Xu of the Ming Dynasty, must also work harder and become a reliable general, rather than just someone who can only pacify the people!
Ma Xun's fighting spirit was ignited. Although there might still be some wars around, there were not many opportunities to fight against foreign enemies.

Ma Xun didn't want to miss such an opportunity, and he didn't want to just go through the motions and pick up credit when he went on the second expedition.

(End of this chapter)