The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 190 Interlocking
It was less than two hundred kilometers from Fengyang to Yingtian Prefecture, and Ma Xun was galloping at full speed with dozens of cavalrymen.

It was just to get back to the capital as soon as possible, for fear of some unexpected events.

Ma Xun still liked these nephews very much. He did prefer Zhu Biao, in addition to his character, a big part of the reason was his status.

Zhu Chong was actually a very sensible child. As the head of the royal family, everyone could see that the King of Qin had no interest in the position of crown prince.

This is indeed the result of Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying's long-term education, and it is also because Zhu Chong knows the times and has no ambition.

Not only did he himself have no ambition, he also suppressed his other younger brothers, making them dare not have the slightest ambition.

So sometimes, the honest and obedient children are easily neglected; sometimes, the eldest son is valued and the youngest son is loved, and the second son in the middle is easily neglected.

Ma Xun returned to Yingtian Prefecture exhausted, but unfortunately he was late for the court session.

When Xu E saw Ma Xun, he immediately asked, "Master, have you heard about what happened in the court?"

Ma Xun nodded with a straight face and asked, "How much do you know about the matter?"

Xu E hurriedly explained, "I only heard a few words about these things. His Royal Highness sent someone to tell the lady."

Ma Xun should go directly to Liu Shuning and get some things clear so that he can deal with it better next time.

Liu Shuning must be happy to see Ma Xun, she has found her backbone, "I am glad that my husband is back."

Ma Xun smiled and comforted the pregnant woman, "You don't have to worry too much about these things. It's not something we should be involved in."

Liu Shuning smiled and nodded, but she obviously didn't think so in her heart. Because if Ma Xunzhen didn't care, he wouldn't have rushed back day and night.

However, she also understands that there are some things she can't do anything about, so she won't worry too much about it.

The most important thing for her is to have a peaceful and carefree pregnancy.

Ma Xun looked around and asked, "Where is my father-in-law?"

"Dad went back to his hometown a few days ago." Liu Shuning said with some regret, "He said that the capital is not peaceful, and he would feel at ease if he returned to his hometown to write books."

Ma Xun had no way to complain, but his father-in-law was indeed a man who knew how to retreat while the going was good, and he guessed the emperor's thoughts quite thoroughly.

Since the emperor doesn't like him and has many opinions about the civil officials in eastern Zhejiang, and since the country is now stable, he can retire after achieving his goal.

The emperor can still tolerate him now, but if he continues to annoy the emperor, it will be hard to say what will happen in the future.

Clinging to power is not a good thing, not to mention that one is not optimistic about the prospects of the struggle between the civil officials in eastern Zhejiang and the nobles in Huaixi.

Ma Xun said nonchalantly, "When the child is born and grows up, we can take him there. My father-in-law still has to come to Beijing occasionally, so it doesn't matter much."

Although he had retired and returned to his hometown, Liu Bowen did have to go to Beijing occasionally, not just to visit his daughter, but to meet the emperor regularly.

Liu Shuning smiled and said, "Now that I'm married, how can I always think about my parents' home?"

There is nothing wrong with saying this. It’s okay to take care of your parents’ family, but now all the focus is on your husband’s family.

Nowadays, it is common for many women to not return to their parents' home for a long time after getting married.

While the couple was talking, Xu E came over and said, "The Crown Princess is here."

Chang Wan hurriedly walked and said as soon as she saw Ma Xun, "Uncle, please make the decision for the second son."

Ma Xun said, "I came back just for this matter. What's going on now?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that His Majesty intends to recruit Wang Baobao to surrender, and the court is willing to show mercy." Chang Wan said worriedly, "His Majesty is somewhat moved, saying that if Wang Baobao can be recruited to surrender, the soldiers will have to fight less hard."

Needless to say, Wang Baobao's status and weight are the biggest trump card of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. If he surrenders to the Ming Dynasty, the Northern Yuan Dynasty will really fall.

Chang Wan continued, “Wang Baobao’s grandfather, Aluwen, just passed away, and the court is willing to grant him a favor.”

This Aluwen was the Prince of Liang in the Yuan Dynasty, and his son was Chagan Temur, who was also the Prince of Ruyang while being named the Prince of Yingchuan. The father and son were the victims of the Red Turban Army in the north, and they beat Liu Futong and others badly.

Most of Wang Baobao's current troops come from his adoptive father Chagan Temur.

However, in the first year of Hongwu, Aluwen was unable to resist the two great generals Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. His 50,000-strong army was defeated by Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, and Aluwen had no choice but to surrender.

Ma Xun nodded and said, "What those people in the court mean is that Wang Baobao still needs to care about his family, his grandfather, and his brothers and sisters?"

Wang Baobao, who was like Bodhidharma crossing the river on a reed, lost many relatives over the years. His grandfather surrendered, his brothers and sisters were captured, and he was able to take his wife and children with him several times.

Chang Wan said, "Uncle, the imperial army was defeated in Sichuan."

Ma Xun's eyes widened instantly, feeling unbelievable, "What?" Chang Wan could understand Ma Xun's surprise very well.

Ming Xia was not even comparable to Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng. Moreover, there was a power struggle within Ming Xia, and the young emperor Mingsheng was unable to stabilize the overall situation. This was an easy battle, and everyone felt it was not difficult.

Chang Wan replied, "I heard that it was the Ming Dynasty Prime Minister Dai Shou who led a large army to defend Kuizhou, a key point into Sichuan, relying on the natural barrier of Qutang River. They built an iron chain bridge across the river, placed wood and stone weapons, fire guns, and deployed cannons on both sides of the river. The navy was defeated and retreated to Kuizhou."

The court's two armies, the main force led by Tang He, wanted to enter Sichuan from Kuizhou.

The troops led by Fu Youde will set out from Shaanxi in the north, and Mingxia has also gathered heavy troops in Jinniu.

Ma Xun took a deep breath and said, "Brother Tang is an expert in military affairs, and we are just testing him now."

The defeat in the first battle was not a good sign. The main reason was that Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Tang He was incapable, so he equipped himself with elite soldiers and generals, and was ready to force Tang He to take the credit for destroying Ming Xia.

But now, Tang He was really about to spit out the food that was fed into his mouth, and he spit it on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

Ma Xun said with lingering fear, "Fortunately I am not the one leading the troops, otherwise there would be losses. I am not as good as Brother Tang."

Chang Wan and Liu Shuning were speechless for a moment. Even though people outside were saying that Ma Xun had fought for thousands of miles, captured cities and killed Zhang Liangchen and his son, their own family members knew what was going on.

Ma Xun and Tang He can be described as the Dragon and the Phoenix. They really had all the credit fed to them, but they might not even be able to eat it when they opened their mouths.

Ma Xun was obedient and did what Zhu Yuanzhang ordered. With Xu Da bringing him the ready-made resources, Ma Xun easily gained military merit for free.

Tang He was not treated so well. Although the food was ready, he still had to go and get it himself. As a result, it almost went wrong.

Fortunately, this is only temporary. It was just a defeat in the first battle and the casualties were not great. Now we can retreat and wait for another opportunity.

It has to be said that Ma Xun, the Right General of the Grand Marshal's Office, was just a figurehead, and he actually didn't know a lot of military intelligence.

And Chang Wan knew all this naturally because Zhu Biao told him.

Ma Xun immediately reacted, "Aluwen is dead, the imperial army was defeated for a while, and those civil officials began to think about appeasement."

Chang Wan nodded slightly. The timing chosen by those civil servants was really good. There were so many coincidences that it made people wonder if it was an accident.

Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor and naturally had the courage to persuade some people to surrender. What he cared about was getting the greatest results at the lowest cost.

Liu Shuning was also worried. No wonder His Majesty was interested. Some things really seemed to have great rewards.

Not to mention the army, even in the court there are some Mongols who surrendered in the early years. If the court enthrone Wang Baobao's sister as the princess, it will naturally win the hearts of the people. This is also for those Mongolian dignitaries who are sitting on the fence to see.

The Ming Dynasty had strong military forces and was willing to give the Mongols some status and power, so there was no need to resist. Surrendering to the Ming Dynasty would still allow them to enjoy wealth and glory.

Having more bargaining chips now will allow us to have more bargaining chips in negotiations with Wang Baobao when the army sets out for Helin.

Politics has always been the art of compromise, and military affairs are often an extension of politics.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not think that Zhu Chong had been wronged. His son was the Qin King of the Ming Dynasty. He could not only think about pleasure and love affairs, but also consider the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, this was marrying a Mongolian woman, not marrying Zhu's daughter to a Mongolian as a marriage, so Zhu Yuanzhang could be said to have no psychological barriers.

Zhu Yuanzhang himself took some concubines from foreign races, and he didn't think it was a big deal.

Zhu Yuanzhang actually likes things that are beneficial but cost little, especially now that the world seems to be peaceful, but there are still many things to do.

The Yuan Emperor and Wang Baobao who occupied Khorin, Nahachu of Liaodong, and King Liang of Guizhou. The Mongolian Wuliangha people in the Duoyan Mountain area in the upper reaches of the Guiliu River. The Mongolian Ongniud tribe in the Taoer River basin, and the Mongolian Uqiyet people in the Nenjiang and Wuyur River basins.

These are also things that Zhu Yuanzhang needs to consider, and these people are also hidden dangers.

Thinking about these things, Ma Xun couldn't help but have a headache. He could only say that those civil servants were really good at seizing opportunities, and would act decisively once they saw an opportunity.

"Wan'er, don't worry about these things." Ma Xun warned Chang Wan, "Although you and Biao'er have been engaged, you haven't married yet."

Chang Wan said worriedly, "I watched the second child grow up, and I know his temper, how can I just ignore him?"

Ma Xun glared and said, "Your uncle and I are still alive, why do we need Biao'er and you to step forward? You are pretending not to know about this matter. It's such a big deal, why do you need to intervene!"

After saying this, Ma Xun said to Liu Shuning, "When you go to the palace later, you should carry a bulging belly."

Liu Shuning looked at her flat belly and said, "Husband, you are not pregnant yet."

"I'm pregnant even though I'm not showing it." Ma Xun started to act like a rogue. "Let's walk for a while. It's been a while since we've taken a walk together. When we get tired, we can ride on the donkey. It's time to get out of court. I have to stop those civil servants!"

(End of this chapter)