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

The capital city.

Zhu Yunwen's study.

Zhu Yunwen sat at his desk, reviewing memorials.

Recently, the main types of memorials submitted are as follows:

First, officials along the southeastern coast submitted petitions requesting transfers to the central plains.

Although the pirates have been driven away for now, they could return at any time.

Some cities remained in the hands of pirates;

Secondly, officials north of the Yellow River also requested to return to the capital.

Because Zhu Di rebelled in the north, they were afraid of being killed and felt insecure;

Third, many places are suffering from famine and locust plagues, and people are displaced and have no food to eat, so they are requesting relief from the imperial court;

Fourth, some people reported that the princes were secretly colluding with each other in an attempt to oppose the imperial court. Others discovered that Zhu Su, who had been demoted, had not gone to his place of exile but was instead moving around.

Currently, he is with Zhu Bai, the Prince of Xiang, in Jingzhou.

Zhu Bai and Zhu Di originally had a very good relationship, which made Zhu Yunwen very irritated. He did not expect so many things to happen.

Just then, Qi Tai rushed in from outside, sweating profusely and panting, saying, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen frowned and asked, "What happened? Has Zhu Di attacked again?"

Qi Tai shook his head: "No!"

"Has the pirate Chen Zuyi landed again?"

Qi Tai waved his hand again and said, "No, not exactly."

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but after Zhu Yunwen repelled the pirates, he actually did not return to the capital in triumph."

He was stationed in Suzhou and, without the court's permission, privately recruited soldiers and expanded his army, which now numbers over 5000.

"What?" Zhu Yunwen was taken aback and asked in astonishment, "What does Zhu Yunwen want to do? Does he want to rebel?"

Qi Tai wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Your Majesty, you don't need to be too nervous. I don't think Zhu Yunwen is going to rebel yet."

"What did he mean by recruiting an army in Suzhou?"

"I think his main purpose now is to guard against pirates. After all, pirates have tens of thousands of men, big ships and powerful cannons, while their small force is indeed a bit small."

Zhu Yunwen felt somewhat relieved after hearing Qi Tai's analysis.

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then, may I use this as grounds to punish him?"

Qi Tai shook his head: "In the past, it would have been perfectly possible, but now it's not."

Why?

"Your Majesty, please consider this: to our north lies the Northern Yuan, which is eyeing us covetously. Now, Zhu Di has also rebelled."

According to scouts, Zhu Di has already sent people to contact Chen Zuyi, planning to attack Jinan from both sides, and then attack the capital.

"Think about it, if Zhu Di could collude with pirates, what about the Northern Yuan? Perhaps they've already sent people to contact the Northern Yuan and reached an agreement."

"Is it possible?" Zhu Yunwen expressed his doubts, "Zhu Di and the Northern Yuan have been fighting for many years, and many people have died on both sides. The hatred between them is extremely deep."

Qi Tai waved his hand: "Times change, and there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests."

Back then, when the late emperor was alive, Zhu Di could only be loyal to the court and dared not have any disloyal thoughts. He could only wholeheartedly resist the Northern Yuan.

However, the situation is different now; Zhu Di has developed his own strength.

Our court wants to weaken the power of the regional military governors, and he is worried that he will be weakened as well. Therefore, he will try to unite all possible forces to fight against the court.

"If you had listened to me back then and directly targeted Zhu Di, catching him off guard and catching him off guard in a surprise attack on the princes, we wouldn't have so much trouble today."

Zhu Yunwen also said, "I regret not listening to you back then. It was all Huang Zicheng who misled me. He insisted that if we were to reduce the power of the princes, we should reduce the power of the Prince of Zhou first."

He said that King Zhou had committed many mistakes during the reign of the previous emperor, and that his punishment was justified. It seems his insight is not as good as yours.”

Qi Tai also understood that at this point, saying anything was useless.

Qi Tai then analyzed, "We are beset by internal and external troubles one after another."

At this point, if Zhu Yunwen were to be punished further, he would not be someone to be trifled with.

He had complex relationships with Chang Yuchun, Zhao Sili, and others.

Those people were wholeheartedly helping Zhu Yunwen. It is said that Chang Sheng had already arrived at the Suzhou military camp to help him train new recruits.

Chang Sheng is a master at fighting, and he's even better at training new recruits.

They numbered 5000 men; although not a large number, their fighting strength was extremely high.

If Zhu Yunwen is pushed too far, he's capable of anything.

Zhu Yunwen listened and thought it made sense.

"Then tell me, how should I deal with Zhu Yunwen?"

Are we just going to let it go like this?

Qi Tai shook his head and slowly said, "Let me tell you a story, and you might understand."

When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched their uprising, Chen Sheng sent his friend Wu Chen with three thousand men, including Zhang Er and Chen Yu, to attack the Zhao region.

Unexpectedly, Wu Chen actually conquered the Zhao territory and declared himself king.

This infuriated Chen Sheng, who wanted to punish Wu Chen.

Chen Sheng's men advised him, "Your Majesty, you can't do this."

Chen Sheng asked why.

Chen Sheng's ministers analyzed, "Because there is still the Qin Dynasty to the west, if you punish Wu Chen, then we will have gained another enemy."

The Qin Dynasty was already difficult to deal with.

Wouldn't it be even more troublesome if there were another military officer?

Chen Sheng thought his minister's words made sense, so he asked him how to handle the matter.

The minister said, "Why don't you congratulate him on becoming king, and then let him attack Qin? That way, regardless of who wins or loses, it will be a good thing for the Great Chu."

Chen Sheng agreed with him, so he congratulated Wu Chen on becoming king and ordered him to lead troops to attack the Qin Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen seemed to understand: "Minister Qi, do you mean that I should reward Zhu Yunwen and send him to fight the pirates or Zhu Di?"

"Your Majesty is wise! We cannot afford to fall out with Zhu Yunwen at this time."

"Very well, since that's the case, I will draft an imperial edict and send you to the military camp in Suzhou to read it aloud." Zhu Yunwen said, taking out his writing implements.

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai grinned and said, "Your Majesty, could you send someone else?"

Why is that?

"As you know, Zhu Yunwen and I don't get along. That time, he killed the monk Xuanfa, but pinned the blame on me."

Because of this, Zhu Yunwen and I had a bit of a falling out.

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand and said, "Those are all things of the past. I don't think I, Zhu Yunwen, will hold it against you."

That's settled then.

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen had made his decision, Qi Tai didn't need to say anything more.

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Two days later, on the morning.

Qi Tai rode his horse to the Suzhou military camp and read out the imperial edict.

Zhu Yunwen, Chang Yuchun, Zhao Ling'er, and others knelt to receive the imperial edict.

The imperial edict essentially commended Zhu Yunwen for his achievements in fighting pirates.

Zhu Yunwen was appointed General Who Conquers the Slaves, tasked with fighting pirates and assisting the court in resisting Zhu Di.

Zhu Yunwen accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude.

After reading the imperial edict, Qi Tai came to Zhu Yunwen and grasped his hands with both of them: "Yunwen, you have worked hard leading the troops to fight against the pirates. His Majesty cares about you very much."

Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "Do you think I don't know what you, Qi Tai, are all about?"

Do you need to put on an act in front of me?

However, Qi Tai was, after all, the Minister of War, in charge of the nation's military forces.

Zhu Yunwen didn't bring it up. Since you want to act, we'll play along.

"I'm not tired, you are. It's so hot in the weather. It must have been really hard for you to come all the way from the capital."

"I have prepared some wine; please come inside the tent to talk. Please!" Zhu Yunwen was very hospitable.

"Thank you for your hospitality, General Zheng Lu."

Zhao Ling'er saw this and thought to herself, "Qi Tai is really good at pretending."

Despite repeatedly trying to kill Zhu Yunwen, he now pretends to be a good person.

After everyone entered the tent, they took their seats according to their status as guests and hosts.

Because Chang Yuchun was present, Zhu Yunwen did not sit in the main seat.

Instead, the seat of honor was left empty.

He and Zhao Ling'er sat on the left, while Qi Tai and Chang Yuchun sat on the right.

In front of each of them was a square table laden with wine and meat.

Zhu Yunwen raised his wine cup: "Lord Qi, the military camp is cramped and simple, not comparable to the capital. Please bear with me! I toast you."

"General Zheng Lu, what are you saying? This is already very good," Qi Tai quickly raised his wine cup. "Everyone has worked hard. I'd like to toast you all."

After everyone had finished their drinks, Qi Tai put down his wine cup and slowly said, "It was truly remarkable that you managed to repel Chen Zuyi's pirates with such a small force."

I have already reported your merits to the court and request His Majesty to bestow rewards upon you.

This time, the imperial court's promotion of you to General Who Conquers the Barbarians is just the beginning.

"In the future, if you achieve even greater merit, the imperial court will surely bestow further rewards upon you."

Zhao Ling'er glanced at Qi Tai and thought to herself that this old guy was a real chameleon. Not long ago, when she returned to the capital, she saw Qi Tai and Zhu Yunwen at the military training ground. At that time, Qi Tai's attitude was so tough.

He said that merits and demerits cannot offset each other, and that Zhu Yunwen should be punished.

Unexpectedly, they realized this at this moment and promoted Zhu Yunwen to the rank of General Who Conquers the Barbarians. Ultimately, it was because Zhu Yunwen now had an army under his command, and with strong troops and horses, the court began to pay attention to him.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ling'er asked, "Lord Qi, I remember when I returned to the capital not long ago, the Emperor said he would neither reward nor punish Zhu Yunwen. Why is he bestowing a title upon him this time?"

"Well—," Qi Tai paused, "His Majesty, after careful consideration, believes that King Wu's ability to defeat the pirates with fewer troops is indeed worthy of commendation."

The King of Wu set a good example, and it is hoped that other kings will learn from him.

Therefore, this imperial edict was issued again.

"Oh," Zhao Ling'er smiled slightly, "It must be that Lord Qi spoke well of Yunhu to the Emperor."

Qi Tai blushed and chuckled dryly, "Ah, I wasn't much of a help either."

Zhao Ling'er looked intently at Qi Tai: "May I ask, Lord Qi, as the Minister of War, what instructions do you have for me today?"

Qi Tai drank a cup of wine, looked at everyone, and then sighed: "The court is unfortunate. Since the late emperor passed away and the emperor ascended the throne, many things have happened one after another. This is truly a time of great turmoil."

First, Zhu Di led 100,000 troops to attend the funeral.

This is going against the late emperor's orders.

Fortunately, the Prince of Kaiping appeared in time and repelled Zhu Di, averting a disaster.

Soon after, the Northern Yuan launched another large-scale attack.

Chen Zuyi and his son Chen Shiliang landed on the southeastern coast and captured more than fifty of our cities.

They killed, looted, and burned everything, plunging the people into misery. Therefore, the imperial court has sent you to suppress them.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Di seized the opportunity at this moment.

On the surface, he claims to be supporting your attack on pirates, but in reality, he is plotting a rebellion, which is a great misfortune for the imperial court.

The court is now beset by internal and external troubles, one after another.

The King of Wu and the Emperor are brothers. If the Emperor doesn't rely on the King of Wu, who else can he rely on?

Zhao Ling'er sneered inwardly. Oh, the pirates are here, Zhu Di has rebelled. Now you know Zhu Yunwen is your brother?

Not long ago, you were about to kill him.

"May I ask what the imperial court's next plan is?"

Qi Tai cleared his throat: "I heard that the King of Wu has recruited new soldiers here, so His Majesty sent me here to say that..."

Please, General Zhenglu, leave two thousand men to deal with the pirates.

The rest of the troops will return to the capital with me to fight against Zhu Di.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ning'er thought to herself, "See? I knew you had no good intentions."

The imperial court already has so many troops, yet it's still not satisfied and wants to mobilize our troops. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, "Minister of War, I think you may have made a mistake. Originally, the court gave me 1000 men, plus my maternal grandfather's 500, making a total of 1500 men."

However, we suffered many casualties in the fight against the pirates, and now we only have 1000 old, weak, and disabled soldiers left. Where am I supposed to find soldiers to give you?

"No," Qi Tai replied, thinking to himself that Zhu Yunwen was trying to evade the question. He clearly had five or six thousand men, but he insisted he only had 1000.

"Didn't you recruit a lot of new soldiers in Suzhou?"

"No," Zhu Yunwen denied vehemently. "Lord Xu, I think you've made a mistake. We only have a thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers. When have we ever recruited any soldiers?"

"Really not?" Qi Tai thought to himself, you're lying through your teeth.

Zhu Yunwen withstood the pressure and calmly replied, "Really not!"

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen wouldn't admit it and there was nothing Qi Tai could do about it, he rolled his eyes and said, "How about this? I've heard that the Prince of Wu is skilled in military administration, and I happen to be somewhat interested in inspecting your troops."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen immediately understood that he wanted to test his strengths and weaknesses: "Okay, but we didn't prepare beforehand."

Qi Tai waved his hand: "No need to prepare. Just be yourself, natural is best."

Zhu Yunwen nodded upon hearing this and said, "Alright then, let's go to the drill ground after we finish drinking."

Qi Tai thought to himself, "If this meal goes on until evening, wouldn't that give you time to prepare?"

"No need, let's go to the drill ground now and take a look."

"Now? Is it that urgent?"

Qi Tai gave a wry smile: "The military situation is urgent, and there's no time to lose."

Zhu Yunwen looked troubled: "Alright then, let's go to the drill ground now."