Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 191 Zhu Di learns that Zhu Biao has adopted Zhu Xi as his god-grandson!
Xinducheng, this land that was once the capital of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, is now firmly under the control of the Ming Dynasty army.

Look around!

Flags fluttered on the city wall; they were the military flags of the Ming Dynasty, rustling in the wind.

The city gate.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty stood guard in various places, their eyes watching all directions with vigilance.

Inside the city.

There were also quite a few Ming Dynasty soldiers on patrol.

Although the people in the city were still somewhat fearful, they gradually regained some vitality under the orderly governance of the Ming army.

Ming soldiers patrolled the streets, their footsteps rhythmic and powerful.

Some of the shops along the street have reopened, and the former Yuan people are cautiously greeting customers, but their eyes cannot hide their anxiety about the future.

after all.

Their world has changed now.

More than a month ago.

As the imperial decree to continue the northern expedition was issued, more than 90% of the Ming army resolutely continued to march north, determined to completely wipe out the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan.

Only 10% of the troops were stationed in the captured cities and territories of the Northern Yuan.

Of these occupied territories, the new capital was undoubtedly of paramount importance.

Guo Ying, the general of the Northern Expedition, and Zhu Di and Zhu Quan, who held the title of prince, were also in this new capital city at this moment.

While the army continued its northern expedition.

Guo Ying would naturally not allow Princes Zhu Di and Zhu Di to take such a dangerous risk.

Former Prime Minister's Residence of the Northern Yuan Dynasty!

It has now become Zhu Di's temporary residence. Although this mansion has been ravaged by war, its former majesty can still be faintly discerned.

"Your Majesty."

Zhu Neng's voice broke the silence in the hall. He respectfully walked up to Zhu Di, bowed slightly, and presented a secret letter with both hands: "This is the message from Yingtian."

Zhu Di's previously calm face now showed a hint of curiosity. He raised an eyebrow, reached out and took the letter, slowly unfolding it.

His gaze swept quickly across the letter, and his previously indifferent expression gradually changed, his hand holding the letter unconsciously tightening slightly.

"The Crown Prince adopted Zhu Xi, the son of the Marquis of Champion, as his adopted grandson and bestowed upon him the generational name 'Wen', allowing all descendants and legitimate sons of the Marquis of Champion to inherit this generational name."

"This matter has now caused a sensation in Yingtian."

"Everyone says that the Crown Prince's favor has never reached such a level."

"By adopting the son of a subject as his adopted grandson, the future Marquis of Champion will surely wield immense power in the Ming Dynasty court."

Zhu Neng continued, his tone filled with amazement.

Zhu Di sat upright in the main seat, seemingly calm on the surface, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

"This matter."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Di slowly spoke, his voice low yet carrying an unfathomable meaning: "I understand. You may leave."

With that, Zhu Di calmly waved his hand.

"Yes."

Zhu Neng bowed deeply, then quickly turned around and left the main hall.

As he left, he carefully closed the palace door behind him.

After Zhu Neng left, Zhu Di's previously feigned composure immediately crumbled, his brows furrowed tightly, and his eyes were filled with worry.

"Do you think it's possible that my elder brother has discovered that Zhu Ying is actually Zhu Xiong Ying?"

Zhu Di said in a deep voice, his tone filled with intense worry, which weighed heavily on his heart.

“Impossible.” Yao Guangxiao’s voice came from the inner hall.

He was dressed in a black monk's robe and walked out of the inner hall with steady steps, his eyes revealing wisdom and confidence.

"His Highness discovered it based on that jade pendant. If His Highness hadn't bathed with it, he would never have discovered its existence."

As Yao Guangxiao spoke, he walked to Zhu Di's side, clasped his hands together, and bowed his head slightly, seemingly pondering how to phrase his words.

"The Crown Prince's adoption of Zhu Ying's son as his adopted grandson is likely also an attempt to win him over."

"After all, such a young general already has a wife who is married, and the Crown Prince cannot win him over through marriage. The Crown Prince's daughter cannot be a concubine, so taking Zhu Ying's son as his adopted grandson is naturally the fundamental way to win him over."

"There is no other possibility."

Yao Guangxiao added, his tone very confident, as if he had no doubt about his deduction.

He was skilled in political maneuvering, and his speculations about the events here were also based on political maneuvering. In his view, it was all just a power struggle in the imperial court.

"If Zhu Ying returns from the northern frontier, he will surely go to Yingtian to meet the Emperor. Given Father Emperor and my elder brother's memories of Zhu Xiong Ying, it's hard to guarantee they won't have their own thoughts."

"If he really takes me back, what can we do?"

Zhu Di stood up, his face filled with worry, revealing his inner unease.

Ever since he learned from the jade pendant that Zhu Ying was Zhu Xiong Ying, Zhu Di was trapped in a nightmare, unable to sleep and filled with unease.

This had a huge impact on him.

"Your Majesty."

Seeing Zhu Di's anxious expression, Yao Guangxiao gently comforted him, "I still maintain that the world is vast and full of wonders."

"The world is vast, and the population is countless."

"Not to mention those who look alike, there are even people who look exactly alike."

"Perhaps somewhere in the world there is someone who looks just like the prince."

"So Your Highness's worries are completely unfounded."

Yao Guangxiao spoke calmly, trying to soothe Zhu Di's uneasy heart.

"Again."

Yao Guangxiao paused slightly, gazing into the distance as if he could see the situation in the northern frontier through the wall: "Let's see if Zhu Ying can return from the northern frontier."

"Go deep into the northern frontier, deep into the heart of the northern Yuan Dynasty."

"Even though he has 50,000 cavalry, it is just a drop in the ocean in the northern frontier."

"It won't cause any trouble."

"Moreover, the Northern Yuan also learned the detailed troop strength and mobilization situation of this invasion of the Northern Frontier."

"Although the Northern Yuan was driven back to the grasslands by the Northern Expeditionary Army, we should not underestimate their fighting spirit or their hatred for the Ming army."

Yao Guangxiao sneered, his smile filled with unwavering certainty, as if he was convinced that Zhu Ying would not be coming back.

To this!

Zhu Di did not speak again.

He stood quietly in place, staring blankly northward, seemingly unwilling to respond to the question.

For him, things had perhaps reached a point where they were beyond repair.

……

Northern Xinjiang!

The vast grasslands and deserts intertwine, with howling winds sweeping across the land and yellow sand flying everywhere.

Zhu Ying's army is steadily advancing towards Langjuxu Mountain.

at this time!

We were not far from Langjuxu Mountain, and the Northern Yuan royal court seemed to be within reach.

"General."

"This journey has been too strange."

"Our army has not encountered any major forces of the Northern Yuan along the way. Is the Northern Yuan so spineless that they have even abandoned their own tribes?"

"Are they just going to stand by and watch our army destroy their entire tribe?"

When they were only ten miles away from the Northern Yuan royal court, Zhu Ying's troops temporarily halted their northward march and rested on the spot.

All the generals surrounded Zhu Ying, talking amongst themselves, each with a look of confusion and bewilderment on their faces.

Before marching into the northern frontier, many generals had anticipated numerous bloody battles with the Northern Yuan. They had even mentally simulated the battle scenarios countless times. However, they had now been in the heart of the Northern Yuan for over a month, and their army had already slaughtered many Northern Yuan tribes, beheading countless young and strong men. This was undoubtedly a huge loss for the Northern Yuan.

Even so, neither the Northern Yuan court nor the tribes under its control organized a real war against the Ming cavalry.

It seems they have completely abandoned their people, allowing the Ming army to slaughter them at will.

This seemed extremely strange to Zhu Ying's generals, completely defying common sense.

"This matter."

Zhu Ying listened to the generals' words, frowned slightly, and nodded thoughtfully: "It does indeed seem a bit strange."

"General."

Zhang Wu's expression was serious, and his eyes revealed vigilance: "Could there be a trap here?"

"A scam?"

Zhu Ying remained deep in thought upon hearing this.

but.

At this moment, Zhu Ying thought of another aspect.

"You guys say it."

Zhu Ying snapped out of his daze and looked at his generals with piercing eyes: "If the Northern Yuan knew that our army's goal was their royal court and their emperor, what would they do?"

"Naturally, it's about waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump."

Chen Heng answered without hesitation, and his voice rang in everyone's ears.

"exactly."

Zhu Ying nodded slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Our army's northward march this time has a clear purpose: to capture and kill the Northern Yuan emperor and completely end the Northern Yuan dynasty."

"The reason why the Northern Yuan disregarded the lives of the people of its tribes was that they clearly knew the purpose of our army."

"but……"

Zhu Ying frowned again, his expression thoughtful and cautious: "Even if they are just waiting for us to run into a trap, they need to have the strength to deal with us and know how many troops we have and what our combat strength is. Otherwise, the so-called waiting for us to run into a trap will become a joke."

When saying this.

Zhu Ying's tone was somewhat cautious.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wu couldn't help but wonder, "General, the Northern Yuan wouldn't know our troop strength, would they?"

"impossible."

Chen Heng immediately said, shaking his head as he spoke, "This time, our army mobilized 100,000 cavalry for the northward march, which was deliberately shown to the Northern Yuan."

"One hundred thousand iron cavalry in this northern desert are an invincible fighting force."

"Their cavalry has been defeated by the general, and they have no chance against my 100,000 cavalry."

"But if you put it that way, then if the Northern Yuan is really lying in wait at their royal court, they must know the strength of our army. Otherwise, how would they deploy to fight?"

"The Northern Yuan wouldn't dare to charge with 100,000 iron cavalry. Unless they know that our cavalry force numbers only 50,000."

Zhang Wu said in a deep voice, his expression serious and his eyes filled with deep worry.

These words were spoken!

Chen Heng's expression also changed slightly. A look of panic flashed in his eyes, as if Zhang Wu's words had struck a nerve.

After thinking it over, Chen Heng still said, "It shouldn't be, right? The exact number of troops is a top secret in the military; how could it possibly be leaked?"

"How could the Northern Yuan possibly know about this?"

"This makes no sense! Could there be a traitor within the military's upper echelons?"

Clearly, Chen Heng was also completely baffled by the reason, which is why he made this unfounded guess.

While listening to the generals' discussion, Zhu Ying remained deep in thought.

In Zhu Ying's heart, however, there was already some speculation: "In just over a month, they have penetrated more than a thousand miles into the northern frontier and slaughtered more than a dozen Northern Yuan tribes!"

"Even when Huo Qubing, the former champion, invaded the grasslands, he still faced a full-scale counterattack from the various Xiongnu tribes."

"But now that I have led my troops in, I have not encountered any counterattack from the main force of the Northern Yuan."

"Based on this inference, the Northern Yuan was simply waiting for a rabbit to run into their trap."

Zhu Ying pondered, his mind clear as a mirror, his analysis of the situation clear and thorough.

"But news is scarce in the grasslands and deserts, so it's impossible to fully grasp the situation of our army. When we first sent troops, we told the Northern Yuan that the entire army was going to march, with hundreds of thousands of troops."

"But the fact that they dared to wait for our army to fall into their trap means they knew exactly how many troops we had. That's why they kept avoiding battle and waiting for our army to fall into their trap at the royal court."

"Only Guo Ying and the commanders of the two armies know the specific troop deployment for this campaign."

"Could it be..."

Zhu Ying pondered this in his heart, and at this moment, he also keenly deduced a key point.

"Zhu Di?"

Zhu Di's image quietly surfaced in Zhu Ying's heart.

My first thought was Zhu Di.

A complex emotion flashed in Zhu Ying's eyes, a mixture of surprise at the guess and contemplation of its possibility.

"No, probably not."

After a moment's thought, Zhu Ying shook his head slightly, trying to deny the idea.

"Although Zhu Di often showed his intention to win me over, he shouldn't have leaked information, right?"

"There is no life-or-death feud between him and me."

"As for whether he has rebellious intentions, that's a matter for the future, and who can say for sure what the future holds?"

"It shouldn't be him."

As Zhu Ying pondered, he weighed the various possibilities in his mind, trying to find a reasonable explanation.

Even after thinking about Zhu Di, Zhu Ying still couldn't quite understand.

After all, Zhu Di had no reason to leak information. Firstly, Zhu Di was an ambitious prince who dreamed of going north to expand his territory and prove himself in front of Zhu Di. Secondly, Zhu Ying had no grudge against Zhu Di, so he probably had no reason to betray him.
Zhu Ying felt a sense of confusion.

After much deliberation, Zhu Ying still couldn't figure it out.

However, Zhu Ying didn't care too much. With the official seal under his command, his soldiers had double the fighting strength and morale. With this boost, the 50,000 troops were no less powerful than an army of 100,000.

This is also a unique advantage of Zhu Ying, and it is the source of his confidence on the battlefield.

As for the Northern Yuan's plan to ambush and kill them at their royal court?

With the golden eagle overlooking from high above, no matter how they lay in ambush, they could not escape Zhu Ying's notice.

The golden eagle was like his eyes, able to see through all the enemies hidden in the shadows.

Coming to his senses, and seeing the generals around him still discussing, Zhu Ying immediately said, "That's enough."

"No need to overthink it."

"This place is not far from the Northern Yuan royal court."

"If the Northern Yuan wants to wait for us to come to us, then let them wait."

"Gentlemen, are you afraid?"

Zhu Ying glanced at the assembled generals, his eyes filled with domineering confidence.

"Follow the general to the death."

Sensing Zhu Ying's fighting spirit and domineering aura, the generals also came to their senses and bowed to Zhu Ying with clasped hands.

Their eyes were filled with determination and loyalty, as if they would rush towards the enemy without hesitation at Zhu Ying's command, even if it meant going through fire and water.

This demonstrates their absolute trust in Zhu Ying.

"Let the brothers get a good night's rest."

Zhu Ying looked at his generals with concern in his eyes: "Tomorrow will be the day our army massacres the Northern Yuan royal court."

"If the Northern Yuan army has indeed laid an ambush, with me here, who can stop our army's charge?"

Zhu Ying smiled confidently, a smile that exuded an air of self-assurance.

The power of cavalry was unstoppable in this vast desert.

They really aren't afraid of any ambush.

Then there is the golden eagle, and Zhu Ying's fierce and valiant nature.

They are fearless.

"Yes."

All the generals echoed.

Zhu Ying's confidence naturally inspired the generals as well.

After all, in the hearts of every soldier, Zhu Ying was the embodiment of the God of War, the embodiment of invincibility. As long as they followed their general, they would be an invincible army.

They believed that, under Zhu Ying's leadership, they would surely be able to crush the Northern Yuan royal court.

"The Northern Yuan royal court is located at Langjuxu Mountain."

Zhu Ying gazed into the distance, seemingly already able to see the Wolf Dwelling Mountain, his eyes filled with longing: "Brothers."

"The sealing of the wolf's lair is just around the corner."

"My name will be remembered in history, and that's just around the corner."

now.

Zhu Ying's voice was passionate and inspiring.

Hear the sound!

Chen Heng, Zhang Wu, Wei Quan, and all the generals' eyes lit up with fervor: "To seal the wolf's lair and dwell in the Xu."

These four words, like a bolt of lightning, struck everyone's hearts, making their blood boil.

These four words are enough to move any general of the Han Chinese people.

No Chinese man could refuse those four words.

This is the supreme glory belonging to the warriors and men of China.

"Bros."

Chen Heng shouted excitedly, "Tomorrow, when we follow the general to slaughter this Northern Yuan royal court, our Great Ning Border Army will be remembered in history."

"The history of the Great Ning Border Army will surely be written in a grand style."

“That’s right.” Zhang Wu also shouted, “Fenglangjuxu! The Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing created a reputation that lasted for thousands of years. Now our Marquis of Champion of the Ming Dynasty is going to lead us to create such a result.”

"Tomorrow will be the day when our Great Ning Border Army seals the Wolf Mountain and dwells in the sky."

"As long as we succeed, even if we die here, we will have no regrets."

"Brothers!" another general shouted, "Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, tomorrow we'll follow the general in a bloody battle against the Northern Yuan court, and display the might of our great Ming Dynasty!"

His voice echoed in the air, stirring up boundless pride in the hearts of the soldiers.

……

Many generals were excited and shouted to the soldiers resting around them.

How could anyone not be excited by the phrase "sealing the wolf and residing in the Xu"?

The soldiers rose to their feet, gripped their weapons tightly, and their eyes were filled with fighting spirit.

Their shouts merged together, echoing like rolling thunder across the vast desert.

"Follow the general to the death."

"Sealing the wolf and residing in the Xu."

"I never thought I'd have such a day."

"We swear to pursue the general to the death..."

The surrounding soldiers shouted excitedly, filled with their fervor for sealing the wolf's lair and their absolute trust in their general.

See this scene.

"Hopefully, we'll have a fight tomorrow."

"Let's hope fewer brothers die."

Zhu Ying looked around, thinking to himself.

tomorrow.

It is foreseeable that this will be a bloody battle.

An inevitable bloody battle.

Zhu Ying was not a god, nor did he possess the power to turn the tide of battle and annihilate the enemy army.

All he could do was try his best to lead his soldiers back in triumph.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate!

And this moment.

under night.

The Northern Yuan royal court.

After several days of migration.

The people of this royal court have already migrated with Emperor Yuan towards Buyur Lake.

Within the royal court's territory, they were already lying in wait, preparing to confront Zhu Ying's Yuan army.

The Yuan army, led by Ma'erke'er.

"General Qi."

"A large army has been deployed to the north at Langjuxu Mountain."

"General Qi."

"The armies on the west and east sides have also been deployed."

"Our 30,000 cavalry have also been ambushed on the eastern flank."

"With three armies surrounding the Ming army from three sides, we can completely encircle them and annihilate this Ming army force once they are trapped."

"That Ming general Zhu Ying is doomed!"

Many generals came before Ma'erke'er and respectfully reported their arrival.

He listened to the reports from his subordinates.

A sense of confidence, as if she were in complete control, also appeared on Ma'er Ke'er's face.

……

(End of this chapter)