The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 25: The National Guardian General

Ma Xun was not really worried about the upcoming "battle".

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong and Feng Sheng led the main force in the Northern Expedition, Deng Yu led a small force to support, and five of the "Six Dukes" who founded the Ming Dynasty were leading this war.

Generals such as Fu Youde, Tang Shengzong, Tang He, and Guo Xing were also in the army. This was the period when the Ming Dynasty's military power was the strongest.

Even if Ma Xun went to the north, he basically played a supporting role and was only there to reward the army.

After changing into armor, Ma Xun stood in front of the bronze mirror and looked at himself. "I think he looks like a general, strong and powerful!"

Xu E smiled and said, "It would be better if the master was a little stronger. Fortunately, the master has broad shoulders and can support the armor."

He Da said, "This armor used to belong to your Majesty. I remember that your Majesty wore this armor when he fought against Chen Youliang that year."

Ma Xun was also used to Zhu Yuanzhang giving away his unused clothes to relatives, so he and Li Zhen were responsible for wearing some of the clothes that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want.

But Ma Xun lowered his head and took a closer look, then heaved a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, I didn't overstep my bounds."

He Da immediately explained with a smile, "Your Majesty hadn't even claimed the title of king at that time, so how could you be considered usurping the throne?"

That’s right, build high walls, store up food, and slowly become king.

Zhu Yuanzhang was the least anxious to become king during the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Some rebel leaders declared themselves kings after occupying a county town, but Zhu Yuanzhang did so only after defeating Chen Youliang.

Xu E patiently advised, "Master, don't complain about the heat. You must wear silk clothes inside. Although you are wearing tight armor, if you are shot through by an arrow, you may have to rely on silk to block it."

"It's easy to pull out the arrow, but if there was no silk to block it, it would really go into the flesh." He Da also said, "The prince is a noble, don't be stingy with clothes."

Ma Xun readily agreed, but he was also curious, "Ezi, it seems you have fought in wars, too?"

He Da helped explain, "I said before that she was with the Queen in He County. After we crossed the river, the Yuan Tartars attacked He County, and it was Her Majesty the Queen who led the people to defend the city, and they all climbed the city wall."

Xu E continued, "That year, Chen Youliang almost broke through the capital, and I followed His Highness on his tour, but unfortunately I was unable to kill many of the enemies."

Looking at the amiable Xu E, Ma Xun immediately felt that she was indeed a heroine. His elder sister was a heroine in troubled times, so how could her confidant be a simple person?

Ma Xun suddenly felt a little discouraged, "So, I am the only one in our mansion who has never fought a war?"

"Master, you are joking. Apart from these guards, only Min'er and I have worn armor." Xu E smiled and helped Ma Xun button up his cloak, saying, "She is timid and only dares to help people pull out arrows while crying."

"Min'er, the fat cook in the kitchen?" Ma Xun suddenly felt stressed. "So, what am I?"

He Da and the others all laughed. They were very comfortable in the Prince's Mansion. Although the Prince was a noble, he never got angry over trivial matters and liked to joke with everyone.

As expected of Her Majesty the Queen's brother, he is kind and benevolent, and also very good to his subordinates.

Less than a month after the Duke left the palace and set up his own mansion, all the maids in the mansion were married off, and the wives, daughters, and children and grandchildren of people like He Da were also arranged to live in the farm of the Duke's uncle.

The emperor not only gave the uncle of the king a mansion, but also rewarded him with an area of farmland.

The so-called "one district" is a region, and Ma Xun's farmland is in Lingbi, Suzhou. However, this is "remote territory", outside Yingtian Prefecture, and Ma Xun has 50 hectares of farmland.

Ma Xun, who had put on his armor, was about to leave the house when Wangcai approached him with footsteps, and Ma Xun was stunned for a moment.

I am the great general guarding the country and the future Duke of Xu. Do I have to ride a donkey into the battlefield?

“Go away!” Ma Xun pushed Wangcai’s head away. “The style doesn’t match. The aura is gone once you come over!”

Wangcai immediately started shouting at the top of his lungs. The people in the Prince's Mansion had long been accustomed to Wangcai's howling for no reason.

It’s also because the king’s uncle dotes on it and can’t bear to beat or scold it.

"Lead it, and you lead it and follow." Ma Xun said to He Da, "When I go to war, I ride a horse, and a donkey follows behind me."

If I really lose, I will put wheels on Wangcai, and then he can compete with the God of Carts of Gaoliang River. We are both driving donkey carts, but my Wangcai is so smart, he can definitely run farther!
As soon as Ma Xun left the house, the three Chang brothers ran over and said, "Uncle, take us to fight?" "Get lost!" Ma Xun was arrogant and sat on his horse with high spirits, "After I finish the war, you will be just a few pawns in my camp at most!"

Chang Sheng shouted unconvincedly, "My father is a great general, and my uncle is also very powerful! I don't want to be a soldier under my uncle's command, I want to be a vanguard general!"

Ma Xun's heart skipped a beat. Chang Yuchun, Chang Yuchun was still alive. He killed Emperor Shun of Yuan and made him flee in embarrassment.

We have to find a way to rescue Chang Yuchun. Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, and Feng Sheng are not at an advantage against Wang Baobao, so what about Chang Yuchun who has never been defeated?

Thinking about these things, Ma Xun drove his horse towards the palace. He was going to formally receive the order and prepare to lead his army north.

As soon as he entered the palace, Ma Xun was taken to the east side of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where the Xu Wang Temple was enshrined. Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying built a tomb and temple for Ma Taigong in Suzhou, and also built a temple in the palace for worship.

Seeing Ma Xun's majestic appearance, Ma Xiuying felt proud and distressed, "You should have been allowed to enjoy life in Beijing, but now that you have returned from wandering for so long, I am asking you to go north again."

Ma Xun smiled and said, "Sister, I'm used to wandering around. Besides, I'm only twenty, how can I enjoy myself now? If the old man sees me so majestic, I don't know how happy he will be."

Ma Xiuying thought for a moment before asking, "Do you want to go look for your mother's remains?"

"I do want to, but I only know it's in Zhejiang, and the old man didn't tell me in detail." Ma Xun sighed, "I'll look for it when the world is at peace. Now I can only pay my respects."

Ma Xiuying took good care of Ma Xun. She allowed the spirit tablet of Ma Xun's mother to be enshrined in the ancestral hall, and also arranged the family tree and tomb in his hometown of Suzhou.

This means that Ma Xun is the son of Ma Taigong's second wife, not the son of a concubine.

After the sacrifice, Ma Xiuying held Ma Xun's hand and carefully told him some things, not only the key points of this business trip, but also which officers could be trusted.

While Ma Xiuying was seriously instructing on some things, Zhu Yuanzhang was not idle either.

Zhu Yuanzhang directly ordered General Ma Xun to lead the Yulin Left Guard and Feixiong Guard to the north.

The Ming Dynasty's guard system was basically formed. When Zhu Yuanzhang was named King of Wu, he abolished the marshals of the various wings and set up the Command of the Seventeen Guards. The Yulin Guard and Feixiong Guard were representatives of them.

These are the 'Twelve Guards of the Emperor's Imperial Guards'. What's more special is that the guards in the Ming Dynasty were extremely large and complex, divided into the Beijing Guards, the emperor's personal guards directly under the emperor, and the guards under the jurisdiction of the Grand Marshal's Office.

The guards led by Ma Xun were independent of the Grand Marshal's Office and were the most loyal and powerful guards under Zhu Yuanzhang.

Liu Bowen in the court hesitated to speak, as he was worried about his future son-in-law going to war. Although he had little contact with Ma Xun, he knew that Ma Xun knew almost nothing about military affairs.

However, Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong and others felt that they needed to win over Ma Xun, as the Emperor and Empress loved the uncle of the emperor to no end.

Emperor Yuan looked south, still trying to move south.

Although Wang Baobao still had more than 100,000 troops in Gansu and Lanzhou, the war was temporarily stopped at this moment and Emperor Yuan had already fled from Kaiping.

Now let this Uncle Ma go over and say that he is rewarding the army is all fake.

It was nothing more than that at the end of the year, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others would lead their troops back in triumph, and this uncle of the emperor would also be in the army at that time, so he could gain legitimate military merit.

The two most powerful guards were assigned to Ma Xun, and Mu Ying and Guo De became commanders.

Mu Ying was the adopted son of the Emperor and Empress, and Guo Decheng was the younger brother of Concubine Guo Ning, Guo Xing, and Guo Ying. Not only were they the Emperor's confidants, but they also had outstanding military achievements.

Although they are not as good as some great generals, these two battle-hardened generals are now under the command of Ma Xun. Where can they go to seek justice?
What made Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong and others even more depressed was that they were the ones who collected food and supplies, but it was this uncle Ma who transported them to the north.

As for the credit, naturally, the main credit goes to this uncle of the king!

In order to support this uncle, the emperor and empress had no face left! It was obvious that they were trying to crack down on Li Shanchang and others, and they were undisguisedly allowing another force to exist outside the Huaixi Group.

I used to think there was only Li Wenzhong, but now there is another Ma Xun. The Ming Dynasty’s foreign relatives group may have to fight against the Huaixi people and the Zhejiang people.

With the emperor and empress's favoritism, the foreign relatives group is likely to rise rapidly. Even if they can't suppress the Huaixi people, they can still make them feel uncomfortable.

As for the civil servants and people from eastern Zhejiang, just be good and behave yourself!
(End of this chapter)