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

Wang Yuemin put down her wine cup and sneered, "I really don't understand what kind of system your Ming Dynasty has. You win a battle, yet you still punish people."

Does this mean that losing a city and suffering a defeat should result in a reward?

Wouldn't this lead to unclear rewards and punishments?

Who will be willing to risk their lives for the imperial court in the future?

This wouldn't be a problem in our Great Yuan Dynasty.

Those who win a battle will be rewarded;

"To suffer a defeat and lose a city is to be beheaded; it's that simple."

Zhu Yunwen, holding the document, looked at everyone and slowly said, "Since Shang Yang's reforms in the Qin Dynasty, the military merit system has been established, which means that whoever kills more enemies will receive more rewards."

At that time, it was calculated based on the number of enemy heads.

Therefore, the Qin army was extremely brave and quickly rose to prominence, earning the nickname "the army of tigers and wolves."

During the Han Dynasty, military merits were also used to confer titles of nobility.

For example, Li Guang never received a title of nobility throughout his life.

The most fundamental reason is that although he fought many battles, he made few military achievements.

Therefore, the military merit system has its positive and reasonable aspects, but it also has its inhumane aspects.

I am just a deposed prince who has died countless times but has not died.

I only ask to bring some benefits to the people and reduce the disasters and suffering they experience. As for promotions and titles, I no longer care.

I'm already thanking God that the imperial court won't find fault with me or punish me.

Wang Yuemin praised, "Grand Commander of Pingbei, your awareness is truly high."

In our Great Yuan Dynasty, becoming an official was all about getting promoted, making money, and seducing women.

Without these rewards, who would be willing to risk their lives?

As for what you call working for the benefit of the people, that doesn't exist.

This is similar to what Qin Shi Huang said back then: the common people are all unruly and ignorant, so we must prevent them from reading and fool them. Once they read more and develop their own thoughts, they will no longer obey the control of the court.

"Restricting people from reading and acquiring knowledge is unacceptable. Therefore, I write books in my spare time to fill the gap in people's spiritual and cultural life."

Everyone spoke freely and talked about many things, drinking until late at night.

Zhu Yunwen returned to his tent.

He gathered his thoughts, then sat down at the desk.

He has started writing a book, and is currently writing "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Just then, a beautiful figure burst in from outside, carrying a sword and exuding a menacing aura.

Zhu Yunwen looked up and saw that it was Zhao Ling'er who had come.

Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open, her willow-leaf eyebrows were raised, and her face was frosty.

She pointed her sword at Zhu Yunwen and said, "I'll kill you, you unfaithful man!"

"Ling'er, don't be impulsive!"

Zhao Ling'er wouldn't listen to a word. She immediately thrust her sword at Zhu Yunwen's face.

Zhu Yunwen wondered if Zhao Ling'er had gone mad.

He quickly tilted his head to the right to dodge the sword.

Zhu Yun felt a chill running down her neck.

He quickly stood up and exclaimed, "Ling'er, what's wrong?"

Zhao Ling'er ignored all that and thrust her sword again towards Zhu Yunwen's chest: "Look what you've done!"

Zhu Yunwen dodged again, moved outside the document, grabbed Zhao Ling'er's wrist, took the sword away, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Did you drink too much?"

Zhao Ling'er slumped into a chair and burst into tears, burying her face in the document.

Zhu Yunwen put the sword away, his heart pounding, thinking how close he had come to that close call.

He kissed his heart, then went to Zhao Ling'er's side and gently patted her shoulder: "Ling'er, what happened?"

Zhao Ling'er cried, "You heartless bastard! Don't you know what you've done? And you're asking me!"

Zhu Yunwen was also completely bewildered and asked, "Ling'er, explain yourself clearly. What exactly did I do?"

"A few days ago, after you won the battle in Zhengding, what did you do with Wang Yuemin in that big tent that night?"

Did Wang Yuemin sleep with you? Have you two already consummated your relationship?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's head was buzzing. He thought to himself, "This is really strange. How did Zhao Ling'er know about this?"

Could it be that Wang Yuemin will tell Zhao Ling'er about that?

Zhu Yunwen shook his head, thinking it unlikely: "I...I didn't do anything with her."

"Stop trying to fool me. You two have already slept together, and you're still saying you didn't do anything."

You're such a heartless person! My life is so miserable, boohoo...

Zhao Ling'er cried bitterly as she spoke of this.

It turned out that Zhu Yunwen was right that night; there was indeed a figure outside his tent, and that person was one of his soldiers.

In order to gain a reward from Zhao Ling'er, the man recounted to her what had happened between Zhu Yunwen and Wang Yuemin in the tent.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling'er believed it to be true, thinking that Zhu Yunwen and Wang Yuemin had already entered the bridal chamber.

How could her heart bear such a fatal blow?

Zhu Yunwen had no choice but to patiently explain to Zhao Ling'er.

"Please believe me, there's absolutely nothing between us, nothing at all."

Zhao Ling'er wiped the tears from her face with her hand: "Is that really true? There's nothing there, no one would believe that!"

If you have nothing, why would she risk her life to save you multiple times?

Moreover, she came here secretly with 5,000 troops to help this time. If the Northern Yuan finds out about this, wouldn't they sentence her to death?

Wang Yuemin took such a big risk to come here, just to ask you out, to do *that* kind of thing with you.

Upon hearing Zhao Ling'er's words, Zhu Yunwen was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat. He swore an oath and then patiently explained for a long time.

Zhao Ling'er's emotions gradually calmed down: "You really didn't lie to me, you two really didn't consummate your marriage?"

"Ling'er, how could this be? Please believe me, you are the only one in my heart. I will never marry another woman in this life except for you," Zhu Yunwen said, patting his chest.

"You men all talk like that, but how many of you actually do it?"

People often say that if you could believe what a man says, pigs could fly.

Men are driven by their lower instincts.

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen held Zhao Ling'er in his arms, gently stroking her hair: "I'm different from them. Do you really think I'm so worthless?"

Zhao Ling'er nestled in Zhu Yunwen's arms, feeling a wave of warmth.

At this moment, she felt a pang of regret.

She looked up at Zhu Yunhu's face: "Did I hurt you just now?"

Zhu Yunwen gave a wry smile: "Your attacks just now were like a storm; I almost lost my life."

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me. When I heard that you and Wang Yuemin got together, my heart just collapsed."

My behavior was completely out of control; I felt like I was going crazy.

"Don't overthink things anymore."

Zhao Ling'er nodded gently: "Actually, I think Wang Yuemin is a very good girl. She not only saved you, but also saved me. I am very grateful to her."

However, feelings are different from other things.

I can't get over it when I imagine her possessing you.

People often say that love is selfish and exclusive.

I can't be that noble as to share the man I love with another woman.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhao Ling'er by the light and saw that she looked incredibly beautiful with tears streaming down her face.

Zhao Ling'er has a beautiful face, fair skin, and a pair of bright and lively eyes.

She was tall and curvaceous, with her full, white breasts seemingly about to burst open.

Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "What more could a husband ask for than such a virtuous wife?"

Zhao Ling'er groaned and pressed her firm breasts against Zhu Yunwen's chest.

Zhu Yunwen could feel Zhao Ling'er's heart pounding.

He also felt parched, and couldn't resist reaching his hand inside Zhao Ling'er's underwear, letting it wander up and down.

Zhao Ling'er simply took off her outer garment, leaving only a red bodice hanging on her chest.

Zhu Yunwen could easily tear it open with a simple gesture and see everything clearly.

However, Zhu Yunwen did not do that.

He saw that Zhao Ling'er's body was as soft and smooth as satin, and he felt a surge of excitement.

Zhao Ling'er kissed Zhu Yunwen's neck, her face flushed with embarrassment, and whispered, "How about I stay tonight and rest in your tent?"

Zhu Yunwen calmed down and stopped Zhao Ling'er's attack: "That won't do. There are regulations in the army that prohibit female relatives."

The Emperor has appointed me as the Grand General Who Pacifies the North. How can I keep female relatives in my tent?

If word gets out, it won't sound good. This matter is being blown out of proportion; what will the soldiers think of us?

"So what? We're already engaged, and we'll be getting married sooner or later," Zhao Ling'er said dismissively.

"That won't do either. We have to wait until we've paid our respects to heaven and earth, gotten married, and are not in the military camp before we can proceed," Zhu Yunwen insisted.

Zhao Ling'er knew Zhu Yunwen's temper; he was incredibly stubborn. If he said no, then no was no.

The two of them spent some more time being affectionate, and then Zhao Ling'er put on her clothes and left.

The capital city.

Fengtian Temple.

early morning.

Zhu Yunwen has been in a pretty good mood lately.

He had already received news of the victory, learning that Zhengding had won a great victory, and that Geng Bingwen and Zhu Yunwen had joined forces to defeat Zhu Di and capture more than 10,000 prisoners.

The prisoners have been sent to the capital.

This was a rare and great victory.

This was also of great benefit to boosting the morale of the Southern Army and restoring the prestige of the imperial court.

Zhu Yunwen thought to himself that Geng Bingwen truly deserved to be called a general skilled in defense.

To his surprise, Zhu Yunwen performed exceptionally well and proved to be a rare and talented commander.

This made him both happy and wary.

In other words, Zhu Yunwen was dealing with Zhu Di. What if Zhu Yunwen went against the court?

After all, Zhu Yunwen was of noble birth, and he knew better than anyone that after Zhu Xiong Ying's death, Zhu Yunwen should be the legitimate grandson of the emperor and was qualified to inherit the throne.

Zhu Yunwen sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze fixed on the civil and military officials.

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

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qi Tai, the Minister of War, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

Zhu Yunwen looked down at him: "Minister Qi, what do you have to say?"

Qi Tai cleared his throat: "I remember during the last morning court session, we discussed a plan here on how to deal with Zhu Di's southward advance."

At that time, Geng Bingwen proposed a policy of scorched earth and defense of Zhending.

Your humble servant also agrees.

This time, Zhu Di led a victorious army of 200,000 men to attack Zhengding with overwhelming force, creating a very critical situation.

His Majesty, with his strategic brilliance, ordered Zhu Yunwen, the General of Pingbei, to lead troops to support Zhengding. They breached the dikes of the Hutuo River, flooding the Yan army and achieving a great victory.

This is truly a blessing from His Majesty, a cause for celebration!

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly: "This time, we repelled Zhu Di's army, which was indeed a rare victory. It boosted morale and inspired the troops."

You can draft a plan to reward those who have made contributions.

Before Zhu Yunwen could finish speaking, Li Jinglong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this humble general has a different opinion."

"Oh, Minister Li, what's your opinion? Tell me."

"This humble general believes that Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying should not only not be rewarded, but should also be punished!"

Zhu Yunwen frowned and asked, "Why?"

"Although Geng Bingwen and his men captured more than 10,000 prisoners, in my humble opinion, this is only a minor victory."

Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying should press their advantage and expand their gains, instead of standing still.

If that were the case, Zhu Di's army could be completely annihilated, thus eliminating future troubles.

Now look what happened; Zhu Di escaped, and he led his main force away.

For Zhu Di, ten thousand troops were nothing more than a drop in the ocean, utterly insignificant.

The root cause was that Geng Bingwen was cowardly and afraid of trouble, and dared not pursue the enemy to further expand their gains.

Moreover, scouts reported that Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying had many criticisms of the court and were even more dissatisfied with His Majesty. How could such people be rewarded?

In my humble opinion, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying should be arrested and imprisoned in the Dali Temple jail, and punished according to the law.

It turned out that Li Jinglong was resentful because he had never had the chance to fight.

He always felt that his skills and military talents were far superior to those of Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying, but Zhu Yunwen never gave him a chance to show them, which made him resentful.

He was also very cunning, having planted his own confidants around Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying beforehand. Therefore, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying's words and actions were completely under Li Jinglong's control.

He did this to find something to hold against Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying. Once he had something to hold against them, he could accuse them in front of Zhu Yunwen. If he could bring them down, he would have a chance to show his face in public.

Unfortunately, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying were too careless and failed to discover Li Jinglong's conspiracy.

Zhu Yunwen was also surprised to hear this, because criticizing the court was no small offense.

During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, Gao Jiong made great contributions; the pacification of the Southern Chen dynasty was almost entirely due to Gao Jiong's efforts.

He Ruobi and Yuwen Bi were also outstanding in battle, but because they spoke out against the court, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered all three of them to be executed in one day. This serves as a warning from the past.

Zhu Yunwen never expected that Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying would dare to criticize him. How could this be allowed?

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen was very angry.

He looked at Li Jinglong: "Minister Li, you must have evidence to back up your words. You say that Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying have made unwarranted criticisms of the court, do you have any proof?"

"Of course there are."

At this moment, Li Jinglong took out the letter written by his trusted confidant from his bosom and handed it to Wang Yue.

Wang Yue then handed it to Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen opened it and read it. It was written very clearly on a certain day of a certain month, in a certain place, what Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying talked about. It was recorded in great detail.

Zhu Yunwen was furious, his face flushed and veins bulging on his forehead: "How dare Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying do this! Qi Tai, you are the Minister of War, immediately send an envoy to bring them back and throw them in jail!"

"This—." Qi Tai also felt that this matter had happened too suddenly. The emperor had made a 180-degree turn, and he was a little overwhelmed and hesitant.

When Zhu Yunwen uttered these words, all the civil and military officials in the court were shocked. Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying were two veteran generals left to Zhu Yunwen by the old Zhu, who were highly respected. Moreover, they had just won a battle, and Zhu Yunwen had just said that he would reward them for their merits. But now, he wanted to imprison the two of them. This change was too fast.

Xu Huizu quickly stepped forward and stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Suppressing his anger, Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Huizu and asked, "Minister Xu, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying have made irresponsible remarks about the court, even criticizing some of my grandfather's actions. Shouldn't I punish them?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down," Xu Huizu quickly bowed. "In my humble opinion, firstly, the authenticity of this letter needs further verification. Whether the contents of the letter are exaggerated or not, we will probably need to examine them carefully."

Your Majesty, how can you punish these two veteran generals simply because of a letter of dubious origin?

This time, Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying were able to achieve a victory against overwhelming odds, hold Zhengding, and capture over 10,000 Yan soldiers. This is an unprecedented great victory for our Southern Army. They should be rewarded for their merits to boost morale.

If Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying were imprisoned and punished for a minor mistake, it would surely discourage the soldiers.

Besides, if Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying are replaced, who will resist the Yan army?

Before Xu Huizu could finish speaking, Li Jinglong sneered, "Does this mean that our Ming Dynasty has no generals besides Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying?"

Anyone could tell that Li Jinglong meant that he was an outstanding general.

Xu Huizu sized up Li Jinglong: "General Li's father, Duke Cao, Li Wenzhong, is a fierce and brave general with numerous military achievements. He is a rare and valiant general in our dynasty, and is respected by everyone in the court and among the people."

However, General, since you inherited your father's title, you have yet to demonstrate any outstanding abilities.

Li Jinglong's face flushed red and then turned pale after hearing Xu Huizu's words.

He sneered, "Here, I'll borrow a saying from Mao Sui: how can you know if an awl isn't sharp if you don't put it in your pocket?"

Li Jinglong's implication was, "The Emperor hasn't given me a chance, so how can I perform?"

If the Emperor gives me a chance to prove myself, I will be sharper than an awl.

Xu Huizu smiled dismissively: "In my opinion, you have someone else who can compare to you."

"Oh, then, General Xu, who do you think I should compete with?"

"Zhao Kuo, a famous figure from the Warring States period!"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials burst into laughter, for everyone knew that Zhao Kuo was a notorious incompetent strategist, only good at theoretical discussions of war. In the Battle of Changping, the Zhao army suffered a crushing defeat, with 450,000 soldiers being massacred by the Qin army.

From then on, the State of Zhao never recovered and lost its strength to dominate the world.

"You!" Li Jinglong gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could bite Xu Huizu twice.

He steadied himself and said, "You dare to underestimate Zhao Kuo, but in my opinion, Zhao Kuo is also a famous general."

His father, Zhao She, was a famous general of the Zhao state; this is what is meant by the son inheriting the father's legacy.

Later, the King of Zhao replaced the veteran general Lian Po with Zhao Kuo.

Lian Po was also a great general in defending cities, much like Geng Bingwen.

When Zhao Kuo arrived at the army camp, he rearranged the troops, launched proactive attacks, and achieved several victories.

Zhao Jun's morale soared, and the situation looked very promising.

King Zhaoxiang of Qin was also very afraid of Zhao Kuo, so he secretly appointed the war god Bai Qi and sent him to the front line. He also told his subordinates that anyone who dared to speak out would be executed if Bai Qi was the general.

When evaluating a general, we must consider who his opponent was.

Zhao Kuo's opponent was Bai Qi. In other words, among the Qin army, apart from Bai Qi, probably no one could rival Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Kuo was a young general; it's not shameful that he lost to Bai Qi.

Zhu Yunwen listened to Li Jinglong's fallacious arguments and found that there was some truth to them.

Li Jinglong continued, "My father's military achievements far surpass Zhao She's. If I were to join the army, I would definitely be much stronger than Zhao Kuo."

Moreover, none of Zhu Di's generals could compare to Bai Qi.

Therefore, our army will surely win; if we fail, we will gladly obey military orders!

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly: "Like father, like son. General Li's courage is commendable."

Since that's the case, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. I'll dismiss Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying from their posts on the spot and let them return to the capital to retire.

You will be appointed as the commander of Zhen Ding, and Xu Huizu will be his deputy.

If war breaks out, the two of you should discuss it together.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong was overjoyed.

He quickly knelt in the center of the hall: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"This humble general will certainly win a resounding victory to serve the court."

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen had already made his decision, Xu Huizu had no choice but to kneel on the ground to receive the imperial decree and express his gratitude.

Judging from Zhu Yunwen's appointment, Xu Huizu sensed that Zhu Yunwen trusted Li Jinglong greatly, but was always wary of him.

Qi Tai then reported, "Your Majesty, there are two more thorny issues that require your decision."

Zhu Yunwen sat upright, his hand resting on the dragon throne, and asked, "Minister Qi, is there anything else you wish to report?"

"First, how should we deal with Zhu Yunwen?"

Secondly, what should be done with the prisoners of war from the Yan army?

Qi Tai's words sparked a great deal of discussion in the court.

Xu Huizu reported again: "This humble general believes that Zhu Yunwen was able to support Zhengding with a small number of troops and achieve a great victory. He is a meritorious official and should be richly rewarded."

At this moment, Huang Zi cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, I have a different opinion."

Zhu Yunwen has always regarded Huang Zicheng as a teacher and has always valued his advice.

Zhu Xuyun looked at Huang Zicheng and asked, "Minister Huang, what are your opinions?"