Ming Dynasty: I, Zhu Yunwen, started by resurrecting my grandmother.

The capital city.

early morning.

The eunuch Wang Yue shouted loudly, "If you have something to say, speak now; otherwise, roll up the curtain and leave the court."

At this moment, Qi Tai stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Zhu Yunwen has been very worried lately. Since the death of his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, and his succession to the throne, there have been too many things to handle.

He looked down at Qi Tai and asked, "My dear minister, what do you wish to report?"

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, Prince Yan, Zhu Di, has been resentful. He once led 100,000 troops to come and mourn against the imperial edict."

Your Majesty should have seized the opportunity and eliminated Zhu Di in one fell swoop.

However, His Majesty is merciful and, out of consideration for familial ties, cannot bring himself to harm him.

However, instead of serving the court, Zhu Di harbored ulterior motives.

On the advice of his generals Zhang Yu and strategist Yao Guangxiao, he raised an army and rebelled.

Their previous promise to lead troops to support our fight against the pirates was purely an excuse.

Their true intention was to attack the capital, but fortunately His Majesty was wise and saw through their trick.

They used a feint attack, with one army seemingly marching south from the Yanjin ferry crossing on the Yellow River, while in reality, their main force was concentrated in the Jinan area.

Fortunately, Tie Xuan and the veteran general Sheng Yonglian joined forces and repelled the Yan King's army.

Zhu Di has already rebelled, so Your Majesty cannot be too lenient and should send troops to suppress him.

The longer the delay, the worse it will be for us.

If the imperial court cannot eliminate Zhu Di, other vassal kings will surely be eager to follow suit.

At that point, we will be in an even more passive position.

After listening to Qi Tai's analysis, the ministers discussed it animatedly.

Some say Zhu Di truly rebelled, while others think it's unlikely.

Anyway, there are all sorts of opinions.

Zhu Yunwen was in a state of utter confusion.

He thought to himself that he was really unlucky. Since becoming emperor, he had encountered so many problems. It was so annoying.

At this moment, he turned his gaze to the veteran general Geng Bingwen and asked, "Old general, your campaign this time has been a resounding success; your skills are still sharp."

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen mention his name, Geng Bingwen quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this humble general has no merit whatsoever. It was Your Majesty's boundless blessings and the valiant efforts of all the generals and soldiers that led to our lucky victory."

Furthermore, Zhu Yunwen was a great help to us. If he hadn't crossed the Yellow River beforehand and kept Zhu Gaosui and Zhang Yu calm, we wouldn't have been able to succeed in our surprise attack.

It should be said that Geng Bingwen's remarks were relatively objective.

Guo Ying, who was listening nearby, was not happy. She thought to herself, "We have made such a great contribution, and you have ruined it with just one sentence."

All our hard work and effort has been for nothing.

Zhu Yunwen nodded: "As Minister Qi of the Ministry of War just said, it seems that Zhu Di has truly rebelled."

Do you have any good strategies to repel the enemy?

Geng Bingwen reported, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we can adopt a scorched-earth policy and rely on the fortified city of Zhen Ding to wear down the Yan army. If we do not engage them in battle, they will eventually run out of supplies and retreat on their own. At that time, we can take advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack and achieve a complete victory."

Geng Bingwen proposed a scorched-earth policy, which sparked much discussion in the imperial court.

Some people are in favor, while others are opposed.

For a long time, Geng Bingwen was regarded by civil and military officials as a general who was good at defense, meaning that he only knew how to defend and not how to attack. Some even thought he was too timid, which is why he proposed such a strategy.

Li Jinglong replied, "Your Majesty, I believe this is unacceptable."

"Oh, Minister Li, what are your thoughts?"

"In my opinion, Zhu Di has just started his rebellion and it is still in its infancy. We still have a million troops. We can lead our troops across the Yellow River and head straight for Beiping. We can take Beiping in less than a month. Why should we delay?"

To say they were short of supplies is almost impossible in my opinion. Zhu Di had Beiping as his base of operations, which allowed him to continuously transport supplies to the front lines.

Perhaps they have more food than we do.

When will that be?

Furthermore, if we fail to eliminate Zhu Di in the long run, the other vassal kings will perceive our court as weak and easily bullied.

If they were to unite with Zhu Di, they would form an even more powerful force.

By then, it will be even more difficult for us to eliminate Zhu Di.

Therefore, I oppose the scorched-earth policy and the insistence on maintaining a firm stance.

Zhu Yunwen felt that there was some truth to what Li Jinglong said.

Yes, Zhu Di did have a stronghold, and over the years, Beiping had been transformed by his own efforts and was no longer what it used to be.

Zhu Yunwen, leaning on the dragon throne, looked at Xu Huizu and asked, "Minister Xu, what are your thoughts on this?"

Xu Huizu remained silent throughout.

He knew he had a special relationship with Zhu Di, as his sister Xu Miaoyun had married Zhu Di and was the Princess of Yan.

Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui were his nephews.

Although Xu Huizu was wholeheartedly devoted to the imperial court, there were always people who sowed discord between him and Zhu Yunwen.

They believed Xu Huizu couldn't possibly be that considerate; for example, during the last military expedition...

Originally, Zhu Yunwen strongly suggested that Zhu Yunwen appoint Xu Huizu as a general.

However, on Qi Tai's advice, Zhu Yunwen changed his strategy and appointed Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying as generals instead.

Xu Huizu understood this, so he didn't speak easily under normal circumstances.

At this point, seeing that Zhu Yunwen had asked, he could no longer avoid it even if he wanted to.

He stood in the center of the hall and bowed: "Your Majesty, I believe that General Geng's policy is more prudent."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen frowned: "Oh, then tell me, what makes him right?"

"I haven't read many military books, but one of them is that a general must first make himself invincible, and then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable."

After years of development and accumulation, Zhu Di now had a strong and well-equipped army.

Moreover, he had fought against the Northern Yuan for many years and was rich in combat experience. He had generals under his command such as Zhu Gaoxu, Zhang Yu, and Zhu Neng, none of whom were easy to deal with.

If we send troops to attack Zhu Di, we might defeat him, or we might be defeated.

If we win, that's fine, but if we lose, then it'll be troublesome.

Other feudal lords, Northern Yuan, and pirates will rise up in droves. At that time, Your Majesty will be in dire straits, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

If we adopt General Geng's strategy and garrison the fortified city of Zhen Ding,

Zhu Di's attempt to cross the Yellow River was an impossible task.

In any case, we are the regular army of the imperial court, and it is perfectly legitimate for us to suppress the rebels.

Zhu Di was rebelling, and the people's hearts would not be with them.

Over time, they lost the support of the people and their cohesion, and the army naturally withdrew.

We can mobilize a large force and launch a surprise attack; this is the best course of action.

Zhu Yunwen blinked after listening to Xu Huizu's analysis.

He pondered to himself, and realized that Xu Huizu's words made sense.

Yes, if we were to cross the Yellow River and fight against Zhu Di,

If we win, that's fine, but if we lose, we won't be able to cover it up.

Moreover, looking at all the generals in the court, very few were truly capable of fighting.

Geng Bingwen was a skilled general adept at defense, and Mu Shi was already of advanced age. Furthermore, Guo Ying's health was poor, and he was frequently ill.

Li Jinglong is all show and no substance and not up to any real use. Xu Huizu is not bad, but his relationship with Zhu Di is too close, so we dare not give him a big role. What if something changes?

Tie Xuan is alright, but Jinan is also extremely important, and we can't spare anyone else.

After thinking it over, Zhu Yunwen felt that Xu Huizu's words made sense.

He then asked Qi Tai, "Minister Qi, you are the Minister of War, what do you think should be done about this?"

Qi Tai heard that Zhu Di's slogan was "Purge the court of corrupt officials and eliminate the villains!" and that he was about to launch the Jingnan Campaign.

That means we need to get rid of him and Huang Zicheng.

Oh dear, if the Yan army attacks, it will be very bad for me.

He also felt that Geng Bingwen's strategy was relatively more prudent.

As long as the Yan army is kept north of Zhen Ding City, there shouldn't be any major setbacks.

Qi Tai cleared his throat and said to Zhu Yunwen, "Your Majesty, I am more inclined to follow Geng Bingwen's policies."

General Geng was extremely cautious in his military strategy throughout his life; he never failed in defending a city.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen said, "Alright, then appoint Geng Bingwen as the commander-in-chief and Guo Ying as the deputy commander, leading 100,000 troops to garrison Zhen Ding City."

"You must keep the Yan army north of Zhengding. If you two lose Zhengding, you'll have to answer to me with your heads!"

Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying quickly knelt on the ground to receive the imperial decree.

Qi Tai added, "We must send someone to inform Song Zhong, Xu Kai, and Geng Huan to be on high alert, closely monitor Zhu Di's movements, prevent them from falling into their trap, and seize the opportunity to send troops to strike Zhu Di."

Zhu Yunwen agreed and immediately issued an imperial decree to the three of them.

Suzhou military camp.

Zhao Ling'er ordered a tent to be set up outside the camp, and a sign was erected next to the tent with the two big characters "Recruiting Soldiers" written on it.

Zhao Ling'er's task is to recruit soldiers; she now wields considerable power.

Everyone who came to join the army had to go through her; if she said yes, then yes; if she said no, then no.

One morning, a person came.

He approached Zhao Ling'er with a cheerful smile and said, "Ling'er, you've been promoted now, you have a lot of power, can you take me in too?"

Zhao Ling'er looked up and saw that the person who came was tall, handsome, and imposing.

Zhao Ling'er quickly stood up: "Second Uncle, what brings you here?"

The person who came was none other than Chang Sheng, Zhu Yunwen's second maternal uncle.

Zhao Ling'er was overjoyed to run into her relatives here.

"I'd like to join the army as a common soldier. I wonder if that's feasible?" Chang Sheng joked.

"Second Uncle, you must be joking."

You are now a founding duke and the crown prince's tutor, such a high-ranking official, how could you possibly be a common soldier?

Where did you come from?

"I resigned from my post out of spite because I couldn't get along with Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng."

"What does it matter to me whether I'm a duke or not? Can you accept me as your wife?"

Zhao Ling'er laughed and said, "Second Uncle, you have the talent of a great general. If you insist on enlisting in the army, you'd be more than capable of becoming a general."

Just then, Zhu Yunwen emerged from the camp.

He was also very surprised when he met Chang Sheng.

He quickly knelt down on the ground: "Second Uncle, Yunhu greets you."

Chang Sheng quickly helped him up: "No need for formalities. I heard you led troops to attack Chen Zuyi."

You fought against Chen Zuyi's tens of thousands of pirates with a small force, yet you routed them. You're amazing!

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand: "Second Uncle, you flatter me."

The reason we were able to hold off the pirates for so long was because of the help of my maternal grandfather and Tie Xuan, among others.

If we rely solely on our own strength, how can we possibly be a match for others?

"Even that's quite an achievement," Chang Sheng nodded and asked, "Where's my father?"

He just went out on patrol; he'll be back in a bit.

Chang Yuchun originally had three sons and one daughter: his eldest son Chang Mao, his second son Chang Sheng, his third son Chang Sen, and his daughter Chang Shi.

Lady Chang married Zhu Biao, who was Zhu Yunwen's mother.

At first, Chang Mao was unruly and at odds with his father-in-law, Feng Sheng, with each of them reporting on and exposing each other.

Old Zhu sent Chang Mao to the dragon boat.

Chang Mao was restless after arriving at the dragon boat.

Zhao Tiejian's wife thought Chang Mao was a remarkable general, so she gave her daughter to Chang Mao as a concubine.

Later, Zhao Tiejian died. Since he had no sons, according to the court's system, his nephew Zhao Zongshou should have succeeded him.

However, Zhao Tiejian's wife disagreed; she wanted Chang Mao to take over Zhao Tiejian's position.

The two families have started arguing again.

When Zhu learned of this, he was furious, believing Chang Mao had violated etiquette, and ordered him to commit suicide.

When the envoy arrived, he found that Chang Mao was dead. He returned and reported to Zhu Yuanzhang, and the matter was finally settled.

After Chang Mao died, Chang Sheng succeeded him and inherited Chang Yuchun's title.

Chang Sheng was straightforward and honest, and he couldn't get along well with the ministers in the court.

In a fit of anger, he left the capital and came here.

After Chang Yuchun returned from his search, father and son met.

Chang Sheng knelt on the ground and recounted the events to Chang Yuchun.

Unexpectedly, Chang Yuchun's face darkened: "It seems you still don't understand the ways of being an official."

In fact, Zhu Yunwen was qualified to inherit the throne.

Zhu Yunwen was one year older than Zhu Yuntong, but he was born to Lady Lü.

According to the primogeniture system of the Shang and Zhou dynasties,

After Zhu Xiong Ying died, Zhu Yunwen became the legitimate grandson of the emperor.

If we follow the system established after the Tang Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen's status changed from that of a concubine's grandson to that of a legitimate grandson.

Regardless of the circumstances, Zhu Yunwen had every opportunity and right to inherit the throne, but we and Lan Yu ruined him.

We were originally his loyal supporters, but Old Zhu was worried about his relatives seizing power.

Therefore, by taking advantage of the Lan Yu case, he killed more than 15000 people, causing rivers of blood to flow inside and outside the capital, and even staining the Yangtze River red.

You all don't know how to restrain yourselves in court, which only adds to Zhu's psychological burden.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen's failure to become emperor is largely due to both you and Chang Mao.

So far, you still haven't learned your lesson and remain so willful.

How can this be allowed?

Chang Sheng came happily, but unexpectedly got a severe scolding from his father.

Although he was filled with resentment, he dared not argue in front of his father.

Chang Sheng was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and possessed exceptional martial arts skills.

Zhu Yunwen asked him to be in charge of training new recruits here.

It's perfect to have Changsheng do this kind of thing.

His personality was suited to charging into battle, but he was not so well-suited to the intrigues and power struggles of the imperial court.

That bothered him a lot.

Zhu Yunwen was very happy to see his second uncle come to help him.

Because he currently lacks capable generals under his command.

Zhu Yunwen was in his tent, thinking and analyzing the current situation.

It should be said that the current situation is very unfavorable and severe for him, because their strength is too weak.

At this moment, Zhao Ling'er walked in from outside the tent, her face beaming with joy.

Zhu Yunwen looked at her and asked, "What happened that made you so happy?"

Zhao Ling'er reported to him, "We have recently recruited three thousand soldiers."

"How many?"

"Three thousand!"

"Really? You're so capable!" Zhu Yunwen seemed a little excited.

Originally, when he came to fight the pirates, Qi Tai only gave him 1,000 soldiers, plus 500 men brought by Chang Yuchun, for a total of 1,500 men.

Later, they recruited a thousand new soldiers, bringing the total to two thousand five hundred.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ling'er recruited three thousand soldiers this time, which means they now have a total of about five thousand people.

Zhu Yunwen praised, "You are really capable."

Zhao Ning'er smiled and said, "Currently, all these new recruits have been handed over to Chang Sheng for training."

The question now is:

Firstly, there was a lack of warhorses;

Secondly, there was a shortage of weapons;

Thirdly, they lacked armor and uniforms;

Fourthly, there is a lack of money and food.

Zhu Yuntong's head was buzzing when he heard her say that.

Before Zhu Yunwen went to Beiping that time, he forged Qi Tai's notes and extorted a sum of money from Zhu Yunwen.

He used the money to recruit soldiers and buy horses.

Now that we have more troops under our command, the money is clearly not enough.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhao Ling'er: "So, do you have any ideas?"

Zhao Ling'er rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and said, "Currently, the situation inside and outside the court is not very clear."

I think we need to be prepared for a protracted struggle.

Suzhou has a special geographical location and is a prosperous place.

However, due to the pirate raids, many fields were left uncultivated.

Not to mention ordinary people, even officials have fled.

I think we can train soldiers and cultivate land at the same time, following the example of Cao Cao.

Wasn't Cao Cao originally from the Qingzhou Army?

At that time, all the feudal lords were short of food.

At that time, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu hoped to plunder the common people, but Cao Cao did not do so.

He ordered the Qingzhou army to cultivate land and train simultaneously, making them self-sufficient.

Food is the most important thing for people. How can the army survive without food?

Cao Cao's actions won him great popular support, which was one of the main reasons he was able to defeat Yuan Shu, win the Battle of Guandu, and ultimately defeat Yuan Shao.

After listening, Zhu Yunwen nodded, agreeing with Zhao Ling'er's reasoning.

"But farming requires tools, seeds, and so on. Where do those things come from?"

Zhao Ling'er pondered for a moment: "This isn't too difficult to solve, because some of the local people have been frightened away by the pirates."

The farming tools are left idle at home.

We can discuss with them about renting some farm tools.

As for the seeds, we can discuss with the distributors and settle the payment after the harvest.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen laughed, thinking to himself that Zhao Ling'er was indeed quick-witted.

If everything has to be bought with money, where will all that money come from?

Zhao Ling'er continued, "What we lack most right now are warhorses, weapons, and armor. Only when we have these things can the army be effective in battle."