King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 715 Zhu Jinghong: I have four opinions
Baochai got on the carriage, her mind full of Zhu Jinghong's impressions.

In a trance, the carriage returned to the palace and she was helped out of the carriage by a maid.

When they returned to Tongxin Hall and had not yet sat down, someone reported that Daiyu was crying.

Baochai was just about to look through the accounts, but when she heard this she couldn't help but sigh, and then set off for Hanxiang Courtyard.

Zhu Jinghong left, and although he only took Qiqige and Nuomin with him, the palace became deserted.

Walking in the alleys, Baochai actually felt a little lonely.

At this moment, she remembered what Zhu Jinghong said. Maybe she could leave the city and live in a villa outside the city in a month or two.

As for the reason, it is to prevent some people from becoming desperate and being easily caught in one fell swoop if they live in the city.

"The Fengtian Jingnan Rebellion...it's better not to happen!" Baochai sighed.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong's guess was correct. That night, the prince brought up the old matter again, trying to plan to control the emperor and then succeed to the throne early.

But this time, he was rejected by Yuanchun and Miaoyu. Now these two act as his think tanks.
It’s not that the scholars in the Eastern Palace are disloyal, but Zhu Jingyuan really doesn’t trust outsiders in this kind of business that could cost him his life, so he can only discuss it with Yuanchun.

As for Zhu Jinghong, he left the capital on the 25th of the first lunar month, passed through Yumen Pass on the 15th of the second lunar month, and arrived in Hami City on the 8th of the third lunar month.

In March, Baochai reported to the empress that living in the prince's mansion made her miss her loved ones and that everyone in the palace was unhappy, so she asked for permission to move to another courtyard.

The queen was kind-hearted, so she agreed.

As for Zhu Jinghong, he only rested in Hami for two days and then continued his journey to Turpan.

The war between the Ming Dynasty and Dzungar was an extremely costly war of attrition. It lasted for three or four years and made life difficult for the Ming Dynasty, and even more difficult for the Dzungars.

Even with support from Russia, Kazakhstan and others, the pressure on transporting food, fodder and weapons was still enormous because the supply lines were too long.

So at the beginning of the year, the tug-of-war in Turpan ended and the rebels withdrew to the Urumqi area.

On March 25, Zhu Jinghong arrived in Turpan, which had been expanded into a fortress and stored a large amount of food, fodder and military equipment.

The main force of the Ming army was scattered within twenty miles around Turpan, which was considered a very close garrison.

Zhu Jinghong was ordered to come and command the troops. This news had already reached the front line, so everyone in the army was looking forward to his arrival.

He rode in a carriage inside the Great Wall, but outside the Great Wall he rode a horse. There were bows and arrows and swords on both sides of the saddle, but he basically had no chance to use these things.

Zhu Jinghong traveled light and with a small entourage, making himself a smaller and safer target.

But he was on guard against outsiders but not his own people. As soon as he approached the military camps, his whereabouts were discovered and spread quickly.

Then, there was a widespread commotion. The soldiers who were resting ran out of the tents and headed towards where Zhu Jinghong was.

Fortunately, Zhu Jinghong was accompanied by enough guards, and nearby military officers and generals came to take control of the situation, thus forming a "safe zone" of 20 meters square around Zhu Jinghong.

Sitting on the horse, listening to the cheers of the people around him, Zhu Jinghong had a faint smile on his face, and he looked confident and strong.

The cheers from all around demonstrated what it meant to be the popular choice.

Zhu Jinghong found such a scene normal, but the Crown Prince and Prince Rui should really come and see it in person.

After watching this, they may decide to give up and admit defeat, thus avoiding disaster.

“Stand back…Stand back…”

"Get out of the way..."

Amid the cheers, the guards and generals struggled to clear the way, their voices easily drowned out by the shouts.

To be honest, Zhu Jinghong enjoyed the feeling of being worshipped, but he had more important things to do right now and certainly couldn't stay here for too long.

"Everyone..."

Zhu Jinghong spoke and gestured for everyone to be quiet, and the scene soon quieted down.

"Everyone... I'm here to fight, not to perform on the street. What do you want to do by surrounding me here?"

When talking with the lower-level soldiers, Zhu Jinghong never put on airs and would even joke around most of the time.

"I will definitely go and take a look at the guard posts in the future. We will have plenty of time to spend together. Why do you have to gather here?"

"Listen to me, everyone return to your camps and train hard. If we want to win the battle... we still have to rely on you!"

When someone in a high position speaks so modestly, it naturally benefits the people below him, and they respect Zhu Jinghong even more.

But to achieve this effect, one must have the foundation of incredible military achievements like Zhu Jinghong.

If someone else said this, even if there was no booing, it would not resonate with others.

Seeing that everyone was still eagerly surrounding him, and that some were coming from a distance, Zhu Jinghong said solemnly, "Today, I will issue the first military order!"

"Everyone, stand at attention!"

Zhu Jinghong's military training method had been implemented in the Ming Dynasty for several years. All the guards of the imperial army, the guards of the Beijing camp, and the local dusi and mobile dusi were basically under unified command.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong gave an order, and everyone present stood at attention almost at the same time.

After taking a quick look, Zhu Jinghong was very satisfied, and then he said solemnly: "Return to your camps!"

"Yes!"

Everyone shouted in unison, and then really obeyed the order. After paying homage, they returned to their camps.

Zhu Jinghong was able to move forward, and about ten minutes later, he arrived at the south gate of Turpan Fortress, where a large number of senior generals had gathered.

The two leaders were the two generals who had led the troops before, namely Shi Guangzhu and Liu Fang.

Seeing these two people who looked much older, Zhu Jinghong could imagine how much pressure they had been under in the past two years.

Behind the two of them were several generals of the Beijing camp, commanders of the various guards of the Imperial Guard, commanders of the various guards of the Beijing camp, and generals of the Anxi Xingdusi and Qinghai Xingdusi.

In addition to this general, there were two people in charge of supervising the army, namely Liu Zhong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables, and Liang Qian, the Right Censor-in-Chief.

The Right Censor-in-Chief is a second-rank official, and this position is not permanent. Now it is set up specifically for military supervision, which shows the importance of military affairs in the northwest.

This was indeed the case. Of the 100,000 combat soldiers of the Imperial Guard, 25,000 were under his command, and of the 200,000 soldiers of the Beijing Army, more than 75,000 were in the northwest.

One third of the Ming Dynasty's most elite troops were concentrated in his hands. He also had two mobile military commissions, five military commissions in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shuofang, as well as the Mongolian, Tibetan, and Jurchen tribes under his command.

All in all, the number of troops under Zhu Jinghong's command was almost 200,000.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Everyone saluted in unison.

Jumping off his horse, Zhu Jinghong walked towards the crowd: "No need to greet!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

After everyone stood up, they went to greet Zhu Jinghong.

"The Thirteenth Master is finally here. We have been waiting for this for a long time!"

The person who spoke was Liu Fang, and what he said at this moment was absolutely the truth, because the pressure of leading troops in the northwest was too great, and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief when Zhu Jinghong came.

At this time, Shi Guangzhu said, "Master Thirteen, you have worked hard on your journey. We have prepared a banquet to welcome you back!"

Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "I am tired too. I will not refuse your kindness!"

Only two governors spoke during the whole process. The other generals or commanders had no right to speak in such occasions.

Chatting and laughing with the two governors, Zhu Jinghong and the others entered the fortress and soon arrived at the military camp not far away, which was also the residence of the Governor's Office. A banquet had been set up in the military camp, and there were also Western dancers. The bright colors made Zhu Jinghong look at them a few more times.

Zhu Jinghong came to the main seat, glanced at the dozens of senior generals present, and said with a smile: "Everyone... please take a seat!"

Zhu Jinghong knew almost all of the dozens of people present, including many of his die-hard fans.

For example, Hou Jing, the commander of the Huben Right Guard, Shi Chong, the commander of the Jinwu Left Guard, and Wang Jie, the commander of the Yaowu Central Guard...

After sitting down, Zhu Jinghong looked around at everyone, and after a while he spoke: "Everyone, since the autumn of the twelfth year of Zhengtong, I left the northwest... it has been more than three years!"

"Thank you for your hard work over the past three years!"

Hearing this, everyone felt deeply moved, because the past days were indeed not easy to endure.

"The northwest is in a tough battle, and the emperor ordered me to come and lead the troops. Since I received the order, I have been deeply terrified. I feel that the peace of the northwest and the overall interests of the court depend on me, and I am trembling with fear as if I were walking on thin ice..."

"However, Your Majesty has great trust in me. Even if it is difficult, I will work together with you to defeat the bandits!"

Zhu Jinghong's speech was not loud, but it was sonorous, powerful and full of determination.

Even when he said he was afraid, everyone felt that he had the confidence to move forward and defeat the enemy.

There was no other way. All the large-scale battles commanded by Zhu Jinghong in the past few years had achieved brilliant victories, and a large number of generals were promoted as a result.

Therefore, the military has full confidence in him and trusts him unswervingly.

It is precisely based on this point that the emperor specifically asked him to lead the troops in order to maximize the chances of victory.

"In order to achieve complete victory, I thought a lot on the way here. I have gained some experience in the past two months. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to share it with you!"

At this point, Zhu Jinghong took off his pearl-rimmed hat and said, "Next... I will give you four suggestions!"

Everyone just wanted to drink and chat with Zhu Jinghong and take this opportunity to get closer to him, so they didn't want to hear these things at the moment.

Fortunately, there were only four opinions, which made everyone feel a little better.

"First, we must boost the morale of the entire army and make all soldiers understand that we will win this battle. To this end..."

Zhu Jinghong divided the so-called first point into several smaller points, and emphasized some things separately in each of the smaller points.

What was said at this moment was all practical stuff. Although everyone present was eager to learn, they had to listen carefully at this moment.

After the first point comes the second, third, fourth...

This discussion lasted for half an hour. Zhu Jinghong was so thirsty that he drank three cups of tea.

"I came here today and you all hosted a banquet for me. I am very happy about this..."

"But before the great battle, you indulged in wine, meat and women, which I really don't like!"

Zhu Jinghong's previous remarks had already made the generals feel heavy-hearted. His stern tone in speaking these words now made everyone even more terrified.

"The battle in the northwest is of great importance. I am worried and anxious, but you are so relaxed and casual. Is this your attitude to win the battle?"

All the generals present were high-ranking generals. As a general in command, firing so ruthlessly could easily cause the generals to become alienated.

It would be impossible for Shi Guangzhu and Liu Fang, who had previously commanded the troops, to speak such harsh words to so many people.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were few people who could do this, and Zhu Jinghong happened to be one of them.

What he relied on were, first, his status as the emperor's legitimate son, and second, his incredible military achievements.

So at this moment, all the generals present lowered their heads and did not dare to confront Zhu Jinghong at all.

Shi Guangzhu and Liu Fang came to the stage one after another and kowtowed in front of Zhu Jinghong's case, saying, "We are guilty, and I hope Your Highness will punish us severely!"

After the two veteran generals apologized, the others dared not sit still and stood up and knelt to apologize.

Although these people have no other intentions, on the surface this can be considered "forcing the emperor to abdicate."

So again, it depends on who is involved. If someone else were to lead the troops, it would be difficult to end the situation at this moment. It is impossible to punish so many people.

But for Zhu Jinghong, this is not a problem at all.

He was still sitting in his seat, silent for a few seconds before saying, "People say that the law does not punish the masses, but you all know that I never follow the world's customs!"

"You are indeed at fault, but I am the new king today and I do not want to embarrass you!"

"But I have to make one thing clear to you. Military law is ruthless and military orders are as strong as a mountain. If anyone breaks the rules again in the future... don't blame me for being merciless!"

In other words, Zhu Jinghong did not intend to punish anyone. Ordinary people would be considered as compromising by doing so, but none of the players present had such an idea.

This shows how much respect and admiration these people have for Zhu Jinghong.

"You must strictly implement the four points I just mentioned. I will conduct inspections at any time. Anyone who shirks his responsibilities will be severely punished!"

After the beating just now, all the generals calmed down and switched from idle mode to combat mode. In fact, they are not afraid of fighting a big battle.

The problem now is that Zhu Jinghong talked too much just now, and even if they listened carefully, they couldn't remember those twenty or so small points.

Zhu Jinghong was prepared for this, and continued, "I have ordered people to copy down what you just said. Go and collect it after dinner!"

Looking at the people who were still kneeling, Zhu Jinghong picked up his chopsticks and said to them, "Now everyone go back to your seats and eat!"

Eating was really just eating. Even though there was fine wine on the table, they were no longer in the mood to drink due to the heavy pressure.

The original welcoming banquet ended in a dull atmosphere. As Zhu Jinghong stood up, the generals present also left one after another.

Their most urgent task at the moment was to get Zhu Jinghong's "speech draft", and Shi Guangzhu and Liu Fang were called over by Zhu Jinghong.

In Zhu Jinghong's military tent, the two governors again pleaded guilty.

But at this time, Zhu Jinghong was humble and personally stepped forward to help the two veterans up.

"I just spoke harshly, and failed the kindness of the two old generals. Please don't blame me!"

"How dare you!"

Shi Guangzhu and the other man confessed their crimes again. As two old foxes, they certainly knew the purpose of Zhu Jinghong's outburst.

In order to get everyone to focus and to get the various armies to work together, Zhu Jinghong's method was simple but very effective, but others could not use it.

"Your Highness is right. If we don't unite the troops, how can we defeat the invaders together?"

"I am a dull and stupid person, without your courage and wisdom. I can only try my best to follow you. I just hope your Highness will not despise me!"

The two veterans held themselves very upright, and every word they said showed their absolute support for Zhu Jinghong, which made Zhu Jinghong feel much more at ease.

Zhu Jinghong has too many troops under his command in this battle, and senior generals like the two governors will surely become his arms in the future.

Zhu Jinghong is alone, so the next group battle will inevitably be carried out by these two governors.

"I feel relieved that you two are so generous!" Zhu Jinghong looked happy.

Face is given to each other. Since the two veterans are so sincere, Zhu Jinghong will naturally not put on airs anymore.

Next, Zhu Jinghong talked in detail with the two veterans and learned more about the army’s situation and the latest enemy dynamics.

The so-called knowing yourself and the enemy means you can fight a hundred battles without danger!

(End of this chapter)