Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

"Zhu Gang? This king?" Chen Tianping was stunned and confused when he heard Zhu Gang's words. After arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he spent most of his time in the Huitong Hall and was not well-informed about the news from the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, he didn't recognize Zhu Gang, but he knew what the first two characters, "本王" (Ben Wang), meant.

However, he was very puzzled as to why a prince of the Ming Dynasty would take the initiative to seek him out. This left him with a great deal of doubt.

Looking at Chen Tianping's expression, Pei Boqi was also puzzled as to why Zhu Gang would take the initiative to come to him. However, he knew that he couldn't just stand there dumbfounded.

After calming himself down, he reached out and tugged at Chen Tianping's shoulder, saying, "Your Majesty, Zhu Gang is the third uncle of the Ming Emperor. He had some conflicts with the Ming Emperor before, but their relationship is not bad at present."

He was very active in Yingtian Prefecture and gathered a lot of information. He naturally knew about the Jingnan Campaign that had broken out in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, the common people would not dare to tell the truth, so what Pei Boqi found out was the censored version.

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty's third uncle!" Chen Tianping, having ascertained Zhu Gang's identity, smiled and said, "This humble prince greets Your Highness. May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?"

Although he had figured out Zhu Gang's identity, he was still very puzzled. Why would the emperor of the mighty Ming Dynasty come to him?

"I heard that His Majesty has come to our Great Ming to seek assistance, and I am willing to lend His Majesty a helping hand in this matter," Zhu Gang said with a smile.

He saw Chen Tianping as one of the helpers to Zhu Yunwen. Although he knew that Chen Tianping could not play any role in front of Zhu Yunwen, that did not matter. What he wanted was for Chen Tianping to cooperate with him well after he took over the mission in Annam.

"Huh?" Chen Tianping was stunned when he heard Zhu Gang's words. His face was full of disbelief, and he wondered if he was hallucinating.

He had come to the Ming Dynasty and was so busy asking for help that someone had actually come to him. Moreover, the person was a prince of the Ming Dynasty. This made him feel very unreal, as if he were dreaming. It was too surreal.

Zhu Gang looked at Chen Tianping, who remained silent, with a somewhat surprised expression, and said, "What? Is this matter causing His Majesty great difficulty? If there is anything troubling you, please tell us."

The situation before him was somewhat unexpected. He hadn't anticipated that Chen Tianping would refuse. In his view, given his status, having taken the initiative to approach Chen Tianping and offer to help him, Chen Tianping should have readily agreed. Instead, Chen Tianping was now completely stunned.

"No, no, no, Your Highness misunderstands. This matter is not difficult at all. I am just too happy. Your Highness, I really don't know what to say about your kindness." Chen Tianping came back to his senses and said with a face full of gratitude.

At this moment, his expression was not entirely an act. As the first person in the Ming Dynasty to step forward and help him, his gratitude towards Zhu Gang was truly indescribable.

Zhu Gang looked at Chen Tianping, who was desperately explaining, and breathed a sigh of relief. His expression calmed down: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be so agitated. I also cannot stand the powerful minister's usurpation and chaos, so it is only right that I help."

He put on a righteous and awe-inspiring look, describing Hu Jili as a traitor. Perhaps his words were a bit exaggerated, but Chen Tianping was completely taken in by them at that moment, and frankly, he resonated with them.

"Your Highness, thank you!" Chen Tianping said earnestly.

"His Majesty has arrived!" At this moment, Ma Sanbao's voice rang out from the side.

The next second, Zhu Yunwen led Xia Yuanji over and entered the banquet hall.

"Hmm? Why is Xia Yuanji with His Majesty?"

"In the afternoon, someone saw Xia Yuanji leave the meeting hall and go directly to the palace. He hasn't come out since. No one expected that Xia Yuanji would appear with His Majesty. Doesn't that mean that Xia Yuanji spent the entire afternoon by His Majesty's side?"

"What a Xia Yuanji! He's obsessed with becoming the Grand Secretary, almost to the point of madness. But what exactly happened that made His Majesty keep him in the palace for an entire afternoon?"

"Oh no, His Majesty has appeared with Xia Yuanji. This isn't a good sign. Could it be that Xia Yuanji has really accomplished something great?"

"."

When Xia Yuanji appeared, the first people to notice him were not the court officials and generals present, but Xie Jin, Hu Ying, Yang Shiqi, Fang Xiaoru, Yao Guangxiao and others, all of whom had direct conflicts of interest with Xia Yuanji.

As the saying goes, there is no first place in literature. All six members of the cabinet have the opportunity to become the Grand Secretary. And the current situation is that this is a celebration banquet for the great victory of the Northern Expedition. Under such circumstances, Zhu Yunwen bringing Xia Yuanji here is not without reason.

None of the meritorious officials from the Northern Expedition were brought by Zhu Yunwen. Instead, Xia Yuanji, who was left to guard Yingtian Prefecture, was brought by Zhu Yunwen. For some reason, Xie Jin, Hu Ying, Yang Shiqi, Fang Xiaoru, Yao Guangxiao and others felt a sense of unease.

They clearly understood that nothing happens without a reason, especially since Xia Yuanji had spent an entire afternoon in the palace, and they had no idea why.

To be able to keep it so secret, it can't possibly be a trivial matter.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Everyone bowed in greeting, and the once noisy hall instantly fell silent.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand, his face full of smiles: "Tonight is a victory celebration banquet, everyone please don't be too reserved. I only have one requirement, and that is that everyone must eat and drink well!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the crowd responded, and the tense atmosphere relaxed once again, with people chatting in small groups.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin and the King of Annam had a very pleasant conversation," Jiang Huan said as he approached Zhu Yunwen.

"Huh?" Zhu Yunwen was taken aback, looking puzzled. "Third Uncle and Chen Tianping seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation?"

Is there any connection between them?

Jiang Huan shook his head and said, "The King of Annam has been in Yingtian Prefecture for so long, and Prince Jin has never had any contact with him. By the way, it was Prince Jin who took the initiative to go up and talk to the King of Annam just now."

He was also very puzzled by this, unable to understand what Zhu Gang was up to.

"Did Third Uncle take the initiative to talk to him? What's going on?" Zhu Yunwen was even more puzzled. He thought about it for a while, but in the end, he still couldn't figure out what Zhu Gang was planning.

at the same time!

Upon seeing Zhu Yunwen appear, Zhu Gang parted ways with Chen Tianping and stepped forward to greet Zhu Yunwen: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "Third Uncle, what's going on with you? Why are you chatting with Chen Tianping? Could it be that you've set your sights on Annam and want to take advantage of this turmoil to take control of Annam?" After thinking it over, this was the only reason he could come up with that was barely plausible.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, Zhu Gang was taken aback and then shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty has misunderstood!"

He was both amused and exasperated. He clearly wanted to help Zhu Yunwen, but Zhu Yunwen misunderstood that he wanted to obtain Annam. This misunderstanding was quite serious!

"I've misunderstood? In that case, Third Uncle, why don't you tell me the reason for your contact with Chen Tianping?" Zhu Yunwen asked with curiosity.

Zhu Gang said, "Actually, it's nothing. I know Your Majesty wants to acquire Annam, so I want to lend Your Majesty a hand and help you take Annam."

"What the hell?" Zhu Yunwen was even more confused after hearing Zhu Gang's words. There was something strange about Zhu Gang in front of him.

Calming himself down, he looked at Zhu Gang and said, "Third Uncle, stop hiding it. Just tell me what you want to do. If it's feasible, I'll agree."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gang's lips twitched, and he said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, I really just wanted to help you!"

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's suspicious gaze, he hesitated for a moment before saying again, "Your Majesty, I am willing to share the burden with you, just like the Prince of Yan."

"The same as Fourth Uncle?" Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhu Gang in front of him. Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, his eyes gradually became strange. He took a deep breath and said, "Third Uncle, do you know about Fourth Uncle's situation?"

To be fair, although Zhu Di achieved more in history, Zhu Gang's abilities were not much weaker than Zhu Di's. This is not nonsense, but has some basis!

Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang's enfeoffment of princes was not a whim or a random act; every step he took was carefully considered. For example, his enfeoffment of Zhu Gang was a deliberate act to keep Zhu Di in check. In other words, Zhu Gang was tasked with suppressing Zhu Di.

Zhu Yuanzhang may have had various shortcomings, but he was undoubtedly very clear about the abilities of his sons, especially in his arrangements for his sons Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Quan.

To give a simple example, despite Zhu Shuang's poor reputation in history, he was a force to be reckoned with in battles, especially against the steppes.

Zhu Yunwen was very surprised by Zhu Gang's idea. Although Zhu Gang had previously shown him goodwill, he had never thought that Zhu Gang would eventually want to join his ranks.

Zhu Di's previous surrender had puzzled him greatly, but if he had to find a reason, he could find a little bit of one. For example, Zhu Di's uprising was different from that of other princes. Zhu Di really intended to sit on the throne and rule the country. Although the other princes were arrogant, they did not have such ambition.

This situation would frighten Zhu Di, since he had indeed considered the throne. Who could guarantee that Zhu Yunwen wouldn't settle scores with him later? Therefore, if he joined Zhu Yunwen's forces and worked diligently, coupled with his relationship with Zhu Gaoxu, he might be able to escape this calamity.

Zhu Di could offer a rough explanation, but Zhu Gang was a bit harder to explain. After all, Zhu Yunwen had previously said that the princes could go out and make their own way in the world. In Zhu Yunwen's view, someone like Zhu Gang would most likely end up going out to carve out a territory for himself.

Zhu Yunwen never underestimated his uncles, especially Zhu Gang, who held a relatively high position among the princes. Zhu Gang was an extremely proud and arrogant man, and also truly capable.

As a result, Zhu Gang now says he wants to join his ranks and help him with his work.

Zhu Yunwen felt something was off about this situation.

Zhu Gang said, "Your Majesty, I have thought this matter through very carefully. I am well aware of what I am doing right now. Please give me a chance."

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhu Gang in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Zhu Gang was filled with anxiety, waiting for Zhu Yunwen to make a judgment. In the current situation, even if Zhu Yunwen did not accept it, there was nothing he could do.

But no matter what, he had done what he was supposed to do. Even if he didn't get Zhu Yunwen's approval in the end, he had no regrets. Perhaps that was his fate.

Zhu Yunwen looked up at Zhu Gang and said, "Third Uncle, if you have really thought it through, then I would be more than happy to do so. How about this, you can go to Annam when the time comes. Just give me a number and a list of who needs to accompany you and how many troops."

Although he couldn't figure out what Zhu Gang was thinking, he had a system and had accumulated countless trump cards through daily check-ins. Under these circumstances, he wasn't worried at all about what Zhu Gang was thinking.

"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Zhu Gang breathed a sigh of relief, his mind completely at ease. With Zhu Yunwen's promise, if he could establish further merits in Annam, his position would be completely secure.

"Get up quickly!" Zhu Yunwen stepped forward and helped Zhu Gang up, saying, "Third Uncle, now that you have taken over the affairs of Annam, I need to tell you about some of my arrangements for Annam."

Zhu Gang said, "Your Majesty, please speak!"

He was very curious. Zhu Yunwen's expression was very serious at this moment. He wanted to know what Zhu Yunwen's plan was for Annam.

“First of all, your purpose in going to Annam this time is not to occupy Annam, but to suppress the rebellion in Annam,” Zhu Yunwen said.

This remark left Zhu Gang completely stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

Instead of occupying Annam, they only suppressed the rebellion in Annam. No, are they serious about that?

"Your Majesty, why is this?" Zhu Gang couldn't help but ask, his heart filled with deep doubt.

According to his understanding, Zhu Yunwen was not a saint either!
Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "Third Uncle, don't be in such a hurry, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"This time I've decided to get involved in Annam's affairs. It's not about occupying Annam; my goal is to station troops in Annam."

Zhu Gang looked puzzled: "Stationing troops in Annam?"

In his view, the Ming Dynasty clearly had the capability and opportunity to directly occupy Annam, but the result was simply to station troops in Annam, a move he couldn't understand.

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said with a smile, "Third Uncle, we can discuss the reasons in detail after the banquet." (End of Chapter)