Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 196 What? The fourth brother rebelled?!

When his sister asked him this question, Zhu Yuanzhang's feelings were somewhat complicated and hard to describe.

"The fourth son did a very good job. He was obedient and hardworking when he was in the capital."

After the marriage, we were sent to Fengyang to train and gain experience, and nothing went wrong there.

He was in charge of the army and was excellent in all aspects.

After being enfeoffed, he went to Beiping to become a prince, and he did not cause any trouble.

Unlike the second son, that beast, who did so many inhuman things.

“I learned a lot of skills from Tiande while I was in Beiping.”

When the topic of learning Tiande's skills came up, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but smile.

Tiande, that old brother, is really skilled; he's a real fighter.

In modern times, when many people mention their generals from the Hongwu era, they only know Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Lan Yu.

The remaining people were himself, the emperor who killed without hesitation; his sister, the empress; the fourth prince who had rebelled; Liu Bowen; and the monk Daoyan.

According to many people's modern impressions, Lao Chang and Tian De can be considered the two pillars of the Ming Dynasty.

He agrees with this point.

Lao Chang and Tian De are really good fighters.

Tiande, in particular, excelled in every aspect.

Whether it was commanding troops, managing troops, or leading troops into battle, there was nothing to criticize.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the fourth brother learning skills from his father-in-law, Tiande.

If he hadn't learned so many skills from Tiande, how could he have won the Jingnan Campaign?

How could one become the Great General of the Northern Expedition of the Ming Dynasty and lead five expeditions to the Gobi Desert?
Thinking about this, I suddenly remembered some scandalous things about Lao Chang from later generations, saying that Lao Chang, also known as Chang Shiwan, was good in every way, except for having some peculiar hobbies.

For example, there were strong women accompanying soldiers. Before each battle, soldiers would ask these women to do something to ease their mind.

If there are no strong women, a mare will do.

It was precisely because of these peculiar hobbies that were beyond the reach of ordinary people that Lao Chang was able to fight so bravely and invincibly, earning him the name "Chang the Ten Thousand"...

In modern times, I saw a very serious record.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned by what he saw.

Then anger rose in my heart.

I couldn't help but shout and curse, I just wanted to skin the person who fabricated these smears alive! Chop them up and feed them to the dogs!

That's incredibly disrespectful.

Those people with ulterior motives are truly utterly incompetent!

It's one thing to criticize oneself, the emperor, but to even criticize Lao Chang, who made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty and died long ago, is another.

And the black color is so outrageous!
Is this the kind of scandalous information a human could come up with?

"

After Tiande's death, the fourth prince successfully took his place and became a bulwark for the northern part of our Great Ming Dynasty.

He led his many soldiers to continue guarding the north.

He would occasionally lead troops beyond the Great Wall to fight, and he did quite well in those battles.

After Tiande passed away, nothing went wrong in the north…

Zhu Yuanzhang was genuinely satisfied with his fourth son's performance.

Putting aside everything else, just looking at their military achievements and abilities, the second, third, and fourth sons, who were later known as the three great border kings, were remarkable in their foreign wars and in commanding troops.

As expected of his carefully nurtured son, he inherited his father's talent in warfare.

"Tiande has passed away?"

When did Tiande pass away?

What caused his death?!

When Empress Ma heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said, her thoughts immediately shifted from the fourth prince to Xu Da.

They were shocked by the news of Xu Da's death and asked a series of questions.

Empress Ma was undoubtedly good to Xu Da and some of the generals who followed Zhu Yuanzhang in the early days.

She's like an older sister-in-law.

Of all the old brothers who fought alongside Chongba to establish the dynasty, the one who was most valued and most trusted was Tiande.

Suddenly, from Chongba, they learned that Tiande had actually passed away.

How could Empress Ma not care? How could she remain calm?

Seeing his sister's reaction, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He was equally heartbroken by Tiande's passing.

When he learned of this news in his previous life, he was unable to recover for many days. He suspended court for Tiande and even personally went to Tiande's home to attend Tiande's funeral.

An imperial edict was issued posthumously conferring upon him the title of Prince of Zhongshan, with the posthumous name "Wuning," and he was granted burial on the south side of Zhongshan Mountain.

He even personally wrote the epitaph for Xu Da.

In modern times, it was known as the "Imperial Stele of the Spirit Path of Xu Wuning, Prince of Zhongshan," and later Xu Da was granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"Tian De contracted a carbuncle on his back in the seventeenth year of Hongwu's reign. It was very serious and could not be cured in Beiping."

I had someone bring him back from Beiping and have him recuperate in Yingtian. I invited many famous doctors to treat Tiande.

However, Tiande's condition did not improve.

Later, it got worse and worse.

On February 27th of the following year, the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign, he finally succumbed to the overwhelming burden and could not survive…

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice turned low and somber. Even though this had happened in his previous life, he still felt distressed when he thought about it now.

Tian De was such a capable general, it's a shame he passed away so young.

If Tiande had lived a few more years, he would definitely have been the one to lead the troops to destroy the Northern Plains Royal Court.

This way, Tiande can also fulfill his wish.

Take a deep breath and calm yourself down.

Fortunately, I can start over now, and many things need to be changed.

Tiande's regret must be made up for!

I will not let the carbuncle take Tiande's life again.

This time, Tiande will definitely lead the troops to destroy the Northern Yuan royal court!
Let Tiande personally end the battle between his Great Ming and the Northern Yuan Royal Court!

Zhu Yuanzhang also believed that this matter would be resolved soon, within a year or two at most.

The Ming Dynasty has achieved remarkable success in opening up border trade on the grasslands, not only earning a great deal of wealth, but also winning the favor of many grassland tribes.

They bribed a large number of people.

The hearts of many tribes on the grasslands began to waver.

Moreover, this move severely undermined the fragile economy that the Northern Yuan royal court was struggling to maintain on the grasslands.

And this is just the beginning.

This is like a snowball rolling downhill; the further it goes, the bigger the impact will be!
The grassland will collapse more rapidly, and when that time comes, it will be time for me to harvest the grassland!
A carbuncle on the back?! It's actually a carbuncle on the back?!
Empress Ma was taken aback upon hearing this.

Carbuncles on the back can be a troublesome condition, but mild cases can be cured.

However, those severe back abscesses are extremely difficult to cure!
Out of ten, I don't know if even one will survive.

The main problem is that the back abscess is very painful.

Some people have carbuncles on their backs for a long time, and the carbuncles can even develop into large, festering sores.

"Chongba, we must find a way to prevent Tiande from getting a carbuncle on his back again!"

Empress Ma looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a solemn expression and spoke, her brows furrowed with anxiety and worry.

Tiande died in the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign. According to this calculation, Tiande was only fifty-three years old when he died!
Fifty-three years old!
For a general, that was the prime of his fighting career.

Even if we don't talk about personally fighting the enemy, once you reach the level of Tian De, your most important ability is not to personally fight the enemy.

Instead, he led the army to kill the enemy.

Tiande is like a stabilizing force, the Great Wall to the north.

Just by sitting there, he doesn't need to say much to greatly boost the morale of the troops.

This is something that ordinary people cannot compare to!

Whether for the sake of the Ming Dynasty's national affairs or for her personal feelings for Tiande over the years, Empress Ma was unwilling to see Tiande follow the path he had taken in his life!

"Don't worry, girl. Now that we know all this, we will definitely not let Tiande go down the same old path again!"

Now, in the ninth year of the Hongwu reign, at most two years, our Great Ming Dynasty can launch a large-scale campaign against the Northern Yuan Dynasty, penetrate deep into the grasslands, and destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty!

This battle between the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan will end within three years.

When that time comes, let Tiande rest more and come back to recuperate.

No need to work so hard anymore.

We must not let him develop back boils again.

Besides these, just in case, we also need to vigorously develop medicine here. This is to ensure that even if Tiande is truly unfortunate enough to contract carbuncles again.

That way, it can be cured, and the carbuncle on his back won't take his life!

Zhu Yuanzhang's words carried particular weight.

These words were spoken not only to Empress Ma, but also to himself.

It was more like an unspoken promise made to Xu Da, who was leading troops to guard Beiping.

Empress Ma let out a long breath and nodded vigorously, indicating that Chongba was absolutely right.

Tiande really can't go down the same old path again!
After shifting his focus away from Xu Da's affairs, he turned his attention back to his fourth son.

Empress Ma felt a surge of confusion and doubt.

Empress Ma, who had already mentally prepared herself, was waiting to hear from Chongba about the outrageous things her fourth son had done.

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he was taken aback.

This is not what I expected!

The fourth son managed to escape punishment. Based on Chongba's past experience in beating his children, if the child was not present when he was beaten, Chongba rarely sought revenge later or took him out for another beating.

But the fourth brother broke this precedent by having Chongfa do it.

I missed the first day of the Lunar New Year, but when I met Lao Si later, I made up for it with a really good smoke.

Judging from this situation, what the fourth brother did must be quite serious.

They were even more outrageous than the second son!

But now, we've received this news from Chongba.

How could Empress Ma not be surprised?

"Since the fourth brother did such a good job, why did you still beat him up, and why did you hit him so hard?"

Empress Ma looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked the question that had been bothering her...

"Stop!"

"Stop everyone!"

"Don't try to escape again!"

"Did you hear me?! No more running away! Anyone who runs will die!!"

On the wrecked warship, Chen Zhili roared, his voice cracking.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, a defeated army collapses like a mountain. Normally, his word as the head of the family carries weight, and many people listen to him.

But now that we've reached this point, people are filled with anxiety, and many have lost their courage.

Where would they still obey his orders?
These people now have only one thought in their minds: to escape.

Escape as fast as you can, get as far away from these Ming soldiers as possible!
The Ming army was truly terrifying; they were simply invincible!
Their cannons don't seem like something a human could make.

This is a divine artifact from the heavens!
At that moment, they only regretted that their parents hadn't given them two more legs, and that the boat wasn't moving fast enough.

They also resented that their boats were too tall, making it impossible for them to paddle with their hands.

If the boat was small, they would even use their knives or other tools as oars to paddle and help the boat go faster, so as to shake off the Ming warships that were like leeches clinging to their bones!

At this time, the Ming army's warships looked far smaller than theirs.

However, the cannons on those warships looked like ferocious beasts to them.

No! It's even more terrifying than a primordial beast! This is the Black and White Impermanence, the soul-reaping demons!

They are the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guardians from the Yama's Palace!
If they had known that the Ming navy was so formidable and had such cannons, they would never have dared to provoke them.

If we manage to escape this time, we must get far away from the Ming Dynasty's waters and live in a more distant place.

"Fuck your mother! You bunch of bastards!"
A bunch of cowards! They're nothing!

"Where's your previous ruthlessness? Show it all!"
You've only just encountered a few difficulties, and you're already failing one by one?
What kind of ball is this, all limp and lifeless?!

Chen Zhili shouted angrily, holding a knife in his hand, and slashed at the necks of those who disobeyed orders and fled.

With a "plop," blood spurted out.

The man clutched his neck and collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing.

Chen Zhili killed five or six people in a row, but still couldn't stop the crowd from fleeing.

At this point, the pirates were no longer afraid of being killed by Chen Zhili.

Even if Chen Zhili's knife cuts them, don't expect him to stop fighting the Ming army to the death!
"We can't run! Running means death! Our ships are already damaged, and the Ming ships are still chasing us."

Their cannons haven't even exploded yet; they won't get very far before the enemy bombards and sinks them!

We're sitting ducks! Don't run, you can't escape!

He roared, but it was no use.

In the past, if he were to carry a knife and chop people, he could stop even the biggest disturbances.

But now, his tried-and-true method has stopped working.

Moreover, those who normally respected or feared him did not yield to his act of violence; on the contrary, some of them were aroused by his ferocity.

He looked ready to fight Chen Zhili to the death.

Seeing this, Chen Zhili couldn't bring himself to strike with his knife.

"We can't escape, escaping means death!"

He shouted, reiterating.

"Why don't we come with me and burn their warships!"
Even if I die, I'll die a manly death!
Turning around and fighting desperately might offer a glimmer of hope!

But it still didn't work.

"Fine! Fine! You murderers, you cowards! Just wait to be fed to the fish!"

If you don't want to be slaughtered like pigs or dogs, and you still have your balls, come with me!
Launch the small boat down and fight alongside me!
I don't want the big ship anymore; I don't care whether you fight or flee.

Give me only the small boat!

His response was still silence.

Even his closest confidants were no longer willing to follow in his footsteps.

"How dare you! I, the Sea Mud Loach, will follow the General!"

Just then, someone spoke up in agreement.

This was an ordinary pirate, not one of Chen Zhili's confidants.

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhili laughed heartily.

"Alright! Alright! Let's fight the enemy together! I knew there couldn't be a bunch of spineless cowards among us!"

Then they quickly had some kindling prepared, placed it on a small boat, and poured oil on it.

Chen Zhili and the man jumped onto the small boat below.

In this sea stained with blood, they charged in the opposite direction, heading towards the Ming Dynasty's warships.

Of course, before doing all this, Chen Zhili set fire to the two-thousand-ton warship he had just been on.

He wanted to burn this 2,000-ton ship; even if it was burned, it couldn't fall into the hands of the Ming people.

Of course, it is also hoped that this method will have some impact on the ships on the Ming side.

Ideally, the ship should be able to get stuck on the Ming Dynasty ship before it can turn around, and burn to ashes!
Since these people are all incapacitated and would rather be bombed to death by the Ming army than fight them to the death, let him do this job!
As the general, I'll see them off!
He ignored the panicked shouts, curses, and catapult attacks coming from the ship behind him.

Chen Zhili, gripping his knife in one hand and steering the boat with the other, laughed loudly with the sea eel that had accompanied him, and charged straight at the Ming warships.
At this time, they were being pursued by two 1,000-ton ships and several 500-ton ships.

Compared to the two-thousand-ton ship he had just been on, these Ming ships were very small.

But at this moment, he switched to a small boat, which made the ships of the Ming Dynasty navy seem too big!
Facing the other party is like a mouse facing an elephant.

At this moment, Chen Zhili completely disregarded all of this.

He burst into wild laughter, his eyes turning bloodshot, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.

They were heading straight for the nearest 1,000-ton seagoing vessel!

Even if he, Chen Zhili, dies, he will die a glorious death!

Even if it means death, we must fight with all our might to inflict some damage on them!

He and Zhu Yuanzhang were irreconcilable enemies!
Upon approaching, Chen Zhili personally set fire to the flammable materials on board the ship.

Oil has already been poured on it; if you light it, it will burst into flames in an instant!
The heat wave hit him in the face, and the blazing fire made his hair curl up.

But at this moment, he disregarded everything and gritted his teeth as he headed towards the Ming army.

We must make a final charge!

From this perspective, it's not unreasonable that Chen Zhili, dressed like a scholar, was able to firmly hold the position of leader of the Chen pirates, leading his powerful Chen pirates to contend with the Fang pirates...

……

Inside the Kunning Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath as he listened to his sister's question and met her gaze.

Looking at Empress Ma, he said, "Sister, the reason why the fourth brother was beaten is a bit too shocking and too complicated. You should be prepared."

Empress Ma nodded vigorously, indicating that she was ready and told Zhu Yuanzhang to speak freely.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed, "My fourth son has rebelled..."

(End of this chapter)