Daming: If I find a great-grandson, I will teach an emperor through the ages

Chapter 216 A combination of kindness and power

And to be honest, Geng Bingwen's status was higher than Guo Ying's, so his mission to Osman was overqualified.

Back then, Geng Bingwen's father, Geng Junyong, followed Lao Zhu, and they were also from the same hometown in Bozhou. They were the group of people that Lao Zhu knew very well.

Later, in the war against Zhang Shicheng, a private salt dealer, Geng Junyong died in battle. Seeing this brotherhood, Lao Zhu promoted Geng Bingwen.

Geng Bingwen also had a lot of motivation when he was young. When he beat Zhang Shicheng, in order to avenge his father, he captured Huzhou in one fell swoop and killed Zhang Shicheng.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Geng Bingwen followed the army to the north and gained a lot of accumulated merit. Although he was only granted the title of Marquis of Changxing, in terms of status and merit, he was on an equal footing with Chang Yuchun and Tang He.

Furthermore, Geng Bingwen gradually began to become drowsy as he aged.

Not going to the battlefield or leading troops all year round directly led to his weakened ability to respond to various events.

In the original history, when Zhu Di was in trouble, Emperor Jianwen was the first to send Geng Bingwen to fight.

But the old and dim Geng Bingwen led his troops to the battlefield, but was suppressed and beaten by the Northern Army, which had significantly fewer troops than his own.

Although this was inseparable from the discord within the court, it also fully exposed Geng Bingwen's lack of ability.

Osman is a more critical move, and Cao Wei is really worried about Geng Bingwen sending an envoy.

And then again, let’s not talk about the decline of Geng Bingwen’s ability at this time. Let’s just say that Geng Bingwen’s status is there. It is a bit inappropriate for such a great hero to go to the Ottomans as an envoy. To put it bluntly, the Ottomans are not worthy of the Ming Dynasty. .

On the other hand, Guo Ying is much more suitable and reliable than Geng Bingwen in every aspect.

Zhu Xiongying nodded after hearing this. He felt that Cao Wei had considered it more comprehensively than him.

"According to the Grand Master's words, it's just that...Wu Dinghou has always been a non-dispute person, and he may shirk his words."

"This is easy to handle," Cao Wei said with a smile: "Your Majesty just writes an edict, and I will go and talk to Marquis Wu Ding."

Wu Dinghou was also loyal to the court and the Zhu family, but now that he was old and unwilling to cause trouble, he showed kindness and power to make him unwilling to move.

After hearing this, Zhu Xiongying no longer hesitated and immediately wrote a decree and handed it to Cao Wei.

"Then I'll take my leave now. There will be classes at the Manufacturing Bureau tomorrow." Cao Wei stood up and cupped his hands.

"Master, walk slowly."

the next day,

After the manufacturing bureau class was over, Cao Wei put the imperial edict in his arms and drove to the Wuding Marquis Mansion with some gifts.

The Wuding Marquis Mansion was the house that Zhu Yuanzhang rewarded Guo Ying with. It was very grand in size and decoration. Cao Wei came to the door, said his name, and was welcomed into the lobby by his servants without any notification.

Cao Wei took an entourage and entered the house. Only then did he realize that the house looked grand from the outside, but the inside was completely different from the appearance. Almost all the furniture and objects were old, and mottled marks could be seen everywhere. The lobby A piece of the stone steps in front of the door became rotten for some unknown reason. I don’t know how long it had been rotten. It has not been repaired until now.

This Guo Ying is really poor! Cao Wei thought in his mind that Guo Ying's sister was obviously related to the Zhu family by marriage, but he lived in such a shabby life, and he didn't know how he lived.

Soon, Guo Ying came over after hearing the news and handed over to Cao Wei from all the way.

"I didn't know that Grand Master Cao was here, but I missed the welcome from afar. I hope Grand Master Cao will forgive me."

"You're welcome, Mr. Guo," Cao Wei returned the greeting with a smile.

"Master, please sit down quickly."

Guo Ying made a move to make Cao Wei sit down, and then asked his servants to serve tea. However, when the servants took out the tea, they found that the tea leaves had already become moldy. It was obvious that Guo Ying rarely drank tea on weekdays, and tea leaves were Things also need to be properly preserved.

This scene made Guo Ying a little embarrassed, but Cao Wei smiled slightly and said, "I have long heard that Mr. Guo is not strict with trivial matters. When I saw him today, he certainly lived up to his reputation."

"It made the Grand Master laugh." Guo Ying's smile was a little shy.

Cao Wei waved his hand, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," and then waved to the entourage behind him.

"It just so happened that a craftsman who came back from Henan a few days ago brought me some local Maojian. I brought some today and invited Mr. Guo to taste them together."

"So, the railway construction project in Henan is almost completed?"

"should be……"

The attendant handed a box of tea to the servant of the Guo Mansion. The servant turned and left, and soon came up with hot tea.

Cao Wei took the tea and took a sip. Guo Ying also picked up the tea bowl and opened the lid. He saw tiny tea leaves sinking to the bottom of the bowl. The tea soup was clear and fragrant. After taking a sip, he felt a slight tinge at first. Astringent and bitter, then sweetness returns in the throat and lingers for a long time.

"Good tea," Guo Ying couldn't help but praise, and then drank all the tea in one gulp.

Cao Wei couldn't help but shake his head when he saw him drinking like this. If he drank like this, any tea would be like boiled water.

Guo Ying wiped his lips and said with a smile: "Master, don't be surprised. I'm just like this. I'm not born to be blessed."

"Hahahaha," Cao Wei laughed, "The most important thing in a person's life is contentment. Mr. Guo lives a free and easy life. If we talk about enjoying happiness..." He turned around and looked around.

"When the Grand Emperor was in trouble, I probably didn't even dare to expect to live in such a big house."

Guo Ying nodded, and then asked Cao Wei about the reason for his visit. After all, as a Grand Master of Dazhu Kingdom, it was impossible for Cao Wei to visit his cold kiln for no reason and bring gifts.

"Grand Master has a noble status. I wonder why he came to my humble residence today?" Guo Ying asked tentatively.

"Master Guo, you don't have to be like this. I'm here to bring you something good," Cao Wei looked at Guo Ying's cautious look and couldn't help but laugh.

Hearing what Cao Wei said, the suspicion on Guo Ying's face became even more serious. He understood the principle of not going to the Three Treasures Hall for anything. If Cao Wei had something good, why should he give it to him?

Just listen to Cao Wei say, "Far to the west of the Ming Dynasty, there is a country named Osman. The country has countless wealth. Your Majesty wants..."

After Cao Wei finished speaking, Guo Ying thought to himself, as expected, he was asked to run errands. He was sent as an envoy to some bird country. He was not familiar with the place and could not understand what he was saying. How could this be a good thing?

"This...is this what His Majesty means?" Guo Ying asked.

"Can I still lie to you?" Cao Wei took out the edict in his arms.

"But I'm already old, and I'm not feeling well today. I'm afraid I won't be able to do the job!" As he spoke, Guo Ying coughed twice.

"It is my blessing to be trusted by your majesty, but I am really not up to par. I hope the grand master will report back to your majesty and find someone else."

Seeing that Guo Ying was tired and didn't want to move, Cao Wei raised the corner of his mouth and smiled.

"Master Guo, when you followed the Supreme Emperor in the north and south campaigns, you never complained about your hard work. It is precisely because of this that the Supreme Emperor values ​​you very much."

Speaking of his glorious history, the smile on Guo Ying's face brightened. He waved his hand and said, "I won't talk about the past..."

Cao Wei's expression turned serious.

"However, Mr. Guo has made various contributions to the Supreme Emperor. That was many years ago. Now the Supreme Emperor has no longer paid attention to court affairs. Now His Majesty orders you to go to Osman as an envoy, but you are so evasive. It's easy for me to say. After all, we are the same As a minister, but does His Majesty think... that you are arrogant in taking credit? Just because the Supreme Emperor relies on you, you are unwilling to serve him?" When Guo Ying heard this, the hairs all over his body stood up in fright, and a chill went straight to him. He blew on the back of his neck.

He hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop Cao Wei and shouted:

"Grand Master, don't you dare say such nonsense!"

Cao Wei seemed not to hear it and kept talking to himself,

"The reason why His Majesty sets his sights on the Ottomans is, after all, for the development of the Ming Dynasty. Mr. Guo must have heard about my teaching in the Manufacturing Bureau a while ago. It is my students who are about to graduate and may conduct various researches in the future. , I don’t know how much money was spent, but all this is for the development of Ming’s technology, otherwise sooner or later others will catch up.”

"Your Majesty has worked hard for the Ming Dynasty and has never complained about being tired. What else has he said? Shouldn't we ministers share your Majesty's worries?"

"But now His Majesty has entrusted Mr. Guo with an important task, but Mr. Guo shirks it like this. Wouldn't it hurt His Majesty's heart?"

"Hey, what did Hu Weiyong, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, commit? Look at my memory, I can't even remember it."

Guo Ying was even more frightened when he heard this!

Why is Hu Weiyong involved? He was very clear about what Hu Weiyong had committed, which was to work against the will and collude with cronies, control the government, and confuse the government. The most important thing was not listening to Zhu Yuanzhang!

What does Cao Wei mean when he says that?

He didn't obey Zhu Xiongying's order, was he just obeying and disobeying? Is he suspected of disrespecting the emperor by relying on his status as a veteran of the previous dynasty? Are you more likely to collude with cronies and control government affairs in the future?

Although it is far-fetched to say this, who can say that it doesn’t make sense? This damn thing is so reasonable!

Moreover, the veteran minister of the previous dynasty has always been a difficult character to deal with. If he disobeys this time, will Zhu Xiongying take this opportunity to purge the court?

Thinking of this serious consequence, Guo Ying suddenly broke into a cold sweat!

The case of Hu Weiyong killed more than 30,000 people! Guo Ying's face turned pale!

When Cao Wei saw this, he knew that the scare was enough.

"Okay, since Mr. Guo is ill, he should take good care of himself in the mansion. I will go back and ask your Majesty to find someone else..."

After Cao Wei finished speaking, he stood up and left.

How dare Guo Ying let him go at this time? Once he leaves, it will be difficult to predict whether he will live or die!

"Grand Master! Grand Master!" Guo Ying stood up and stepped forward to hold Cao Wei down and hold his hand.

"What did the Grand Master say? I'm not feeling well. It's because I haven't been active for too long. I just take this opportunity to stretch my muscles, otherwise my old bones will get rusty."

Guo Ying's tone changed so quickly and completely that Cao Wei couldn't help but look sideways.

I didn’t expect that a guy with a square face like you could change his face so quickly.

"Master Guo, are you sure? There is really nothing wrong with your health?" Cao Wei asked with raised eyebrows.

"No problem! No problem!" Guo Ying slapped her chest loudly.

"Don't say it's just a minor problem. As long as I have one breath left, I will go through fire and water for His Majesty, Grand Master!"

After saying that, Guo Ying picked up the edict, placed it on the table in the middle, took two steps back and knelt down respectfully.

"Your Majesty, Guo Ying, is willing to serve as an envoy to Ao... Ao..."

"Osman," Cao Wei reminded from the side.

"Yes, I am willing to serve as an envoy to the Ottoman Empire under His Majesty's orders!"

Cao Wei looked at all this and thought to himself, little boy, I can't control you anymore.

Although he was already laughing in his heart, Cao Wei quickly stepped forward seriously.

"Oh, Mr. Guo, get up, get up. I am so lucky to have such a loyal minister like Mr. Guo! Your Majesty will be very happy if he knows about it."

Guo Ying had already fallen for Cao Wei's advice, and had no choice but to admit it, smiling and nodding in agreement.

Cao Wei said again:

"Lord Guo, please relax. This time I am sent as an envoy to Osman. I will definitely ask your Majesty to send elites to protect Lord Guo. The minimum number is tens of thousands. Moreover, this is a mission to another country and it is not a war. There will be no What’s the danger? When Mr. Guo completes his mission and returns to Ming Dynasty, it will be a credit, isn’t it?”

After hearing what he said, Guo Ying felt much better. Anyway, this was his decision, so he could only think about the good.

However, what Cao Wei was thinking in his heart was not consistent with what he said.

Elite, it depends on what kind of elite you are.

Although the Ottoman national power is not too strong compared to the Ming Dynasty, it is not weak, otherwise it will not be able to defeat many European countries in the future.

The purpose of this mission to the Ottomans was not only to explore the internal intelligence of the Ottomans, but also to confuse the other party and create an illusion that the Ming Dynasty was not as powerful as they thought, and that the events in Europe were just a coincidence.

By letting Osman relax his vigilance, it would be easier for Ming to take action.

If we really send a large army with long guns and cannons, how can we confuse the other party?

What were the elites of the Ming Dynasty like in Guo Ying's time?

Fireguns, broadswords and long swords, or if that doesn't work, bring some repeating muskets.

Guo Ying didn't know what Cao Wei was thinking. If he knew, he would probably vomit blood directly.

"Master, sit down," Guo Ying asked Cao Wei to take a seat, and then asked his servants to boil a pot of tea.

Next, Cao Wei began to tell Guo Ying some important matters. Guo Ying listened carefully and remembered every word in his heart.

"The Ottoman state reserves are extremely large. They must be placed in some places that ordinary people cannot reach. I need to trouble Mr. Guo to find out carefully."

Guo Ying was stunned when he heard this.

"Since it's a place that ordinary people can't reach, why would you let me go there as an outsider? Isn't this the Grand Master's way of imposing things on others?"

Cao Wei smiled happily and said:

"As the saying goes, there are always more solutions than difficulties. I know Mr. Guo's ability. This little thing will definitely not trouble you. In the battle of Poyang Lake, it was all thanks to Mr. Guo's design to lure Chen Youliang's army out of the field, and we were able to win in the end."

"Nowadays, it's just an Ottoman country. The people in the country are ignorant and ill-educated. Isn't Master Guo still able to capture him?" Cao Wei mentioned the old words and put a high hat on Guo Ying.

After hearing this, Guo Ying was silent for a long time, and finally nodded,

"I'll do my best."

Cao Wei smiled, "In that case, I won't bother you anymore."

After instructing his entourage to put down the remaining gifts, Cao Wei was about to leave. Guo Ying left him to eat, but Cao Wei couldn't bear to eat him again.

(End of this chapter)