Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 7
"Why didn't you summon me?"

"Is it possible that I didn't perform well and Lao Zhu's requirements are so high..."

After Li Ying and others left, Zhu Gaoxu lay on the Datong bunk, crossing his legs and wondering about Zhu Yuanzhang not summoning him.

Looking at the bricks on the roof, Zhu Gaoxu had a toothache and guessed what Lao Zhu was thinking, but he couldn't figure out that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't arrange his own affairs.

In the end, he could only blame his predecessor for Zhu Yuanzhang's "indifference" to him.

"You said why didn't you be a good boy before and please your grandpa?"

After Zhu Gaoxu finished cursing, he turned sideways and wanted to turn over.

"Tuk Tuk..."

"Your Highness, the food has been delivered!"

Coincidentally, there was a knock on his door at this time, and two familiar voices also sounded outside the door.

"The door is not closed, come in!" Hearing this voice, Zhu Gaoxu stood up and sat down, and the camp door was pushed open the next moment.

When the sun shone in, two young men five feet five six inches tall appeared at the door.

"You two didn't leave?"

Looking at these two people, Zhu Gaoxu stood up and stretched his back. The two young men also walked in and put three meals on the table.

One of these two young men has a broad face and big eyes, dark skin, and looks very honest. Their name is Wang Xuan, and their father is Wang Zhao, a member of the Thousand Households in Yiliang, Yunnan.

The other man has a long face and a thin face, slightly white skin, and looks a bit smart. His name is Yang Zhan, and his father is Yang Qiu, an official of [-] households in Chongming Shasuo.

These two were the two children of military attachés in the barracks next door. Due to their poor skills and the fact that their father's official position was lower in the barracks, they were mostly bullied by the other children.

It wasn't until Zhu Gaoxu warned the brothers in the camp that the two men were less bullied.

The two of them always followed Zhu Gaoxu in their spare time, leading horses and passing swords to him when he was practicing martial arts.

"Did you two fail?"

Seeing the embarrassment on their faces and their lack of answers to his questions, Zhu Gaoxu immediately thought of their situation.

"Your Highness is worthy of being Your Highness..." Yang Zhan licked his face and flattered him, while Wang Xuan next to him nodded repeatedly.

Looking at their appearance, Zhu Gaoxu was not surprised.

From Zhu Gaoxu's understanding of the two, they were both the children of military attachés who did not practice martial arts before, so they were easily bullied.

The two of them have been practicing martial arts for the past few months.

With the skills I have developed over the past few months, it will be very difficult to pass the exam.

However, now that Zhu Yuanzhang ordered his children to go home and prepare for the exam for three years, and they haven't left yet, the situation is self-evident.

"Do you two mean to rely on me in the cathedral?"

Zhu Gaoxu sat at the square table. He picked up his chopsticks and guessed the two people's thoughts. He glanced at the food at the same time.

Stir-fried cabbage mixed with some oil, a few pieces of lard residue, stir-fried chicken, and a bowl of white rice next to it. This is Zhu Gaoxu's meal, while the meals of Wang Xuan and Yang Zhan opposite him are completely different from his. different.

They only had two bowls of brown rice, two plates of fried leeks, and a bowl of clear water soup without any foam.

Seeing their meals, Zhu Gaoxu gave them a portion of the half-palm-sized plate of chicken during questioning.

His move was skillful, and the two of them didn't say anything. They just bowed and bowed in return. It was obvious that this was not the first time they had received this favor.

"Your Highness, we thought about it and returned to the guardhouse. It's not interesting to practice martial arts alone. It's better to follow His Highness. Your Highness can also teach us."

Yang Zhan was a bit clever, but Wang Xuan was the stupidest, so Yang Zhan was the one who spoke, while Wang Xuan just nodded.Seeing them like that, Zhu Gaoxu thought that he really couldn't go back to Peking for the time being, and he needed two helpers around him, so he nodded:

"Start extra practice tomorrow. If you two can't pass the exam in three years, don't even say you know me when you go out."

"That will definitely not disgrace His Highness!" Yang Zhan patted his chest and assured, then he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with Wang Xuan.

After Zhu Gaoxu moved his chopsticks, the two of them started to move their chopsticks separately.

"How many children are left in the courtyard?" Zhu Gaoxu asked while eating, and Yang Zhan responded promptly:

"It's just the three of us, everyone else has gone back."

"I asked Wang Qianshi before I came here. He said that if His Highness stays, he will move to the east courtyard, and that courtyard will be used for us."

"In the future, you can go to the restaurant to eat, or you can cook by yourself in the courtyard."

"It's just that the Governor's Mansion won't get any of this food money."

Yang Zhan did a good job of inquiring about information in life. He asked the lieutenant general about many things before coming to Zhu Gaoxu, thus saving Zhu Gaoxu a lot of trouble.

"Finally, we don't have to sleep in the Datong bunk. You two tidy up the courtyard a little, and we will move in tonight."

"Got it!"

As soon as Zhu Gaoxu opened his mouth, Yang Zhan responded.

The three of them finished their meal after a while, and Yang Zhan took Wang Xuan to clean up the yard to the east of the teaching ground.

It wasn't until dusk that the two of them packed up and returned, taking Zhu Gaoxu and his bedding and clothes towards the yard.

The great teaching ground is four miles long from east to west and five miles deep from north to south. There are many empty courtyards of military commanders.

The yard that Zhu Gaoxu and the others got was the yard where a military general lived before. It covered an area of ​​half an acre. There was a main house, four wing rooms, a woodshed, a kitchen and a dry toilet. The area was quite large, not to mention the three of them. , it is more than enough to accommodate six people.

Zhu Gaoxu had the highest status, so he lived in the main house. He used the east wing for resting, the west wing for his study, and the main hall for entertaining guests and eating.

As for Yang Zhan and Wang Xuan, they each stayed in the left and right wing rooms closest to the main house.

As soon as the three of them arrived, they were tired from taking exams during the day and fell asleep separately.

It wasn't until the morning bell rang again the next day that Zhu Gaoxu got up and fetched a bucket of water from the well in the courtyard to wash himself.

Wang Xuan and Yang Zhan went out early. He didn't find them, so he used a stone bench to practice weightlifting in the courtyard. It wasn't until there was a knock on the courtyard door at Chenshi that he put down the stone bench and opened the door.

He originally thought that the people coming were Yang Zhan and Wang Xuan, but he didn't expect that the people waiting for him turned out to be his uncle.

"You can't even be polite anymore?"

Looking at Zhu Gaoxu standing in the courtyard, the tall Xu Huizu laughed and cursed. Only then did Zhu Gaoxu come back to his senses and bowed: "Uncle."

Xu Huizu was wearing a red plate-collared robe. He nodded in greeting and then walked into the courtyard to take a look.

"This yard is not bad. I will send you a few stones of rice and some other things for daily use in a moment. I will also send you some military books. Remember to read them."

"Book of war?" After hearing Xu Huizu's words, Zhu Gaoxu was stunned, and Xu Huizu also turned around and looked down at him:
"Yesterday, His Majesty summoned the emperor's eldest grandson to send someone to prepare to test your strategy. I know that you don't have time to read military books, so I postponed the day a little later."

"Your Majesty probably wants you to go back to the north, but you are young now and I'm afraid you won't be able to convince the public."

"I'm going to test your strategy, so I have a good idea."

"Isn't that easy?!" Zhu Gaoxu became very happy when he heard that he could go back to the north after completing the exams, and the gloom of yesterday was gone.

"Simple?" Xu Huizu glanced at Zhu Gaoxu with a dumbfounded look, and suddenly asked:
"Tell me, how to make military grain vinegar cloth and salt crystals..."

(End of this chapter)