Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 228 Asking Xia Yuanji for People
Just a few days after Yang Shiqi left Dali.

On this day, Zhu Zhanhe was in Chengyun Hall with his father-in-law Xia Yuanji, listening to his third brother Zhu Zhanyi report on the progress of the campaign against the disobedient general Hu Tian sent from the front lines.

"Brother, Lord Xia, we just received a military report from General Hu. Our three battalions have reached the border of Limasi and are only a hundred or so miles away from Limasi County."

General Hu said that the people in Lima City are now in a state of extreme panic, and many have even fled.

Following his elder brother's instructions, General Hu has temporarily sent the fleeing civilians to Lijiang Prefecture next door.

"Currently, the resistance in Limas is not strong. It is expected that General Hu will be able to take Limas County within three days." Zhu Zhanji reported earnestly, holding a military report.

"Send a message to General Hu: only punish the ringleaders, and do not pursue the other innocent people."

If their commander remains obstinate and resists stubbornly, we will attack the city directly! However, after the city falls, the three armies are strictly ordered not to disturb the people.” After listening to his brother’s report, Zhu Zhanhe calmly looked at the map and casually made military deployments.

"Yes!" After a period of training, Zhu Zhanyi has matured a lot, and his interpersonal skills and speech have greatly improved.

"Does Father-in-law have anything to add?" After making the arrangements, Zhu Zhanhe looked up from the map and then turned to his father-in-law, Xia Yuanji. After all, his father-in-law was a seasoned veteran; he would definitely be able to spot any oversights in his military deployment.

"No worries, Your Highness's arrangements are very appropriate, showing the demeanor of a scholar-general." In fact, Xia Yuanji was quite satisfied with his son-in-law's composure.

Of course, Xia Yuanji's satisfaction wasn't solely due to his son-in-law's good fortune. It was also because of his son-in-law's ability to recognize and utilize talent, and his unwavering trust in those he employed. Most importantly, his son-in-law possessed a strong sense of self-awareness, meaning he lacked the stubbornness and arrogance often associated with young people.

For example, in Xia Yuanji's view, the campaign against several stubborn forces in Yunnan was unnecessary. After all, his son-in-law had more than 100,000 troops under his command, and those disobedient forces were probably terrified by now!
What's more, the Crown Prince of Han has now dispatched over 100,000 troops to attack them, and those people are probably kicking themselves now.

However, since his son-in-law was willing to fight, Xia Yuanji did not object. After all, it was understandable for young people to be hot-blooded. Besides, their side had such an obvious advantage that they could not see any reason to lose. This was why Xia Yuanji was willing to let his son-in-law be willful.

But the key point is that the son-in-law was able to restrain his greed and treat the people well even in a situation where victory was assured, which made Xia Yuanji very satisfied.

What pleased Xia Yuanji even more was his son-in-law's deference to the army. An ordinary person, with a large army and the emperor's blessing, would likely have already become arrogant and personally led the campaign against the rebellious. However, his son-in-law suppressed his own desires and instead sent several newly promoted generals to lead the expedition. This demonstrated his magnanimity as a ruler, his trust in his subjects, and his self-control—the most crucial factor.

These are the things Xia Yuanji most wanted to see! As for some minor flaws in the military deployment, in Xia Yuanji's view, those are all acceptable, after all, these are things that can be learned.

The qualities of a ruler are the most important!
What Yang Shiqi didn't know was that Zhu Zhanhe didn't personally intervene because he felt those few small towns weren't worth his time. After all, they were just a few small counties, a good opportunity for the soldiers to practice and coordinate. If he really intervened, where would the soldiers get the chance to train? By simply releasing the alligator dragon, he could declare the battle over.

"Your Highness, Duke Mu has dispatched his eldest son, Mu Bin, and second son, Mu Lin, to accompany General Hu's army on the expedition." The father-in-law still cared deeply for his son-in-law, and Xia Yuanji directly reminded Zhu Zhanhe that the Mu family of Yunnan had begun to side with the Prince of Han's mansion.

"Father-in-law is absolutely right. The Mu family is quite sensible." Zhu Zhanhe was very pleased with his father-in-law's words, after all, the Mu family was a powerful force in Yunnan. With the Mu family's involvement, the Han Prince's Mansion's strength would be greatly enhanced.

"Father-in-law, we have received a message from the imperial court that our ocean-going fleet will be arriving soon."

"I plan to send my fleet across Hainan Island, through Annam, straight into Yunnan. I ask my father-in-law to be prepared." Zhu Zhanhe made no attempt to conceal his ambition; he intended to begin his expansion from Yunnan, first and foremost by annexing all the neighboring regions!
"Does Your Highness intend for the soldiers to board the ships directly after the fleet arrives?" Xia Yuanji wondered if his son-in-law would launch a two-front war after the arrival of the ocean-going fleet, dealing with the rebellious Yunnan forces on one side while sending the navy out to conquer on the other.

"Father-in-law, you flatter me. I plan to select a group of naval soldiers after Yunnan is pacified. At that time, we will launch a two-pronged attack and seize the coastal areas surrounding Yunnan in one fell swoop." Seeing the unusual glint in his father-in-law Xia Yuanji's eyes, Zhu Zhanhe told him without hesitation, "I will not wage war on two fronts. I prefer to fight with superior forces. I will concentrate my superior forces and sweep everything away with overwhelming force! I will annex everything!"
Next, Zhu Zhanhe went to the Qiankun Fengyu Map hanging in the main hall and used his large hand to draw a large circle with Yunnan as the center, pointing towards the sea, to show his ideal territory.

Xia Yuanji secretly breathed a sigh of relief; his son-in-law had once again passed his private test. Meanwhile, Zhu Zhanyi, watching his elder brother confidently gesturing at the map, couldn't help but gleam with admiration.

"Regarding the navy." Zhu Zhanhe originally wanted to take this opportunity to discuss with his father-in-law matters such as the personnel configuration and military pay of the navy, but unexpectedly, someone suddenly barged into Chengyun Hall.

"Your Highness, urgent message from Beijing!"
"The Emperor has passed away!" Suddenly, Chief Steward Hu rushed over, completely devoid of his usual respectful demeanor. Upon entering, Chief Steward Hu knelt down and shouted loudly to Zhu Zhanhe, panting heavily.

"What? My uncle has passed away?"

"The Emperor has passed away?"

"Uncle has passed away?" The three people in the room were all startled by the sudden news from Steward Hu, and for a moment, the Chengyun Hall was silent.

"Chief Steward Hu." Zhu Zhanhe was the first to react. He immediately called out to Chief Steward Hu and prepared to start assigning tasks.

"Your servant is here," Steward Hu replied loudly, kneeling on the ground.

"Immediately announce to the entire Yunnan province that the emperor has passed away, and immediately arrange for the mourning period within the Prince's residence."

"I'm afraid no one would want us to go to Beijing to offer condolences." Zhu Zhanhe was also saddened by the sudden passing of his uncle, Emperor Hongxi. After all, no matter what, his uncle had been very good to him and to the Prince of Han's residence; Emperor Hongxi had done everything a brother and elder should do.

"This servant will take care of it immediately." After hearing Zhu Zhanhe's instructions, Steward Hu did not hesitate at all and immediately turned around and hurriedly walked out of the house.

"Hehe. It seems that I won't be able to fight this battle in Yunnan." Looking at his father-in-law's solemn expression, Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but chuckle a few times, indicating that the battle to quell the rebellion in Yunnan should be postponed. After all, the death of the emperor is a national mourning period, and it would be somewhat inappropriate to fight a war during the national mourning period.

"Third brother, send a message to General Hu Tian that because the emperor has passed away, all battles are suspended, and the army should change its strategy from fighting to demanding the emperor's return. Ask those traitors to come to Dali City to keep vigil for the emperor." Zhu Zhanhe did not hesitate and immediately changed the military order.

"Yes, sir!" The third brother, Zhu Zhanyi, readily agreed after hearing his eldest brother's words.

Of course, refraining from fighting didn't mean Zhu Zhanhe would let those who had been disloyal go unpunished. The saying goes, "Once a disloyal person, always a friend." Adopting a "better to have none than a bad one" mentality, Zhu Zhanhe decided to relocate those disloyal individuals to a different workplace.

"Does Your Highness intend to invite them to Dali?" Xia Yuanji wanted to know how his son-in-law planned to deal with those incompetent local officials after bringing them to Dali.

"I was just about to discuss this with my father-in-law."

An ocean-going fleet is about to arrive, and I plan to appoint Xiao Xizi, a palace attendant, as the fleet's general manager to lead the expedition.

However, this ocean-going fleet is still short of a reliable lieutenant. I wonder if my father-in-law has any recommendations? Zhu Zhanhe smiled and began to ask his father-in-law, Xia Yuanji, for a man.

(End of this chapter)