Zhu Yuanzhang can see my dreams

Chapter 349 349 The advantage is mine
Zhu Di's guess was absolutely correct.

At the beginning of the "rebellion", Zhu Di had no advantage at all.

The number of troops under his command, including those mobilized and forced to surrender, was no more than tens of thousands.

Most of them were soldiers who participated in the siege of Peking.

He was unable to control any territory other than his fiefdom of Peking.

Emperor Jianwen had a standing army several times larger than that of Prince of Yan, abundant resources, and had abolished several vassal states.

This way, it seems that I have the advantage.

but.

Wars since ancient times have not been simple horizontal comparisons.

Compared with the central court, Zhu Di experienced wars in the north for many years and commanded large troops in battle many times.

He has outstanding leadership skills, his soldiers are highly combat-effective, and he is also the first in strategy at this time.

On the other hand, Emperor Jianwen's army suffered greatly due to indecisiveness in command and poor coordination.

Don't underestimate Geng Bingwen, he is a veteran.

But for an ordinary person, leading an army of 100,000 people would be considered a top commander, not to mention an army of 300,000. The difficulty is simply exponentially multiplied.

At the same time, the imperial court did not take the fact that Prince of Yan had started a rebellion seriously, thinking that Zhu Di could destroy him in a snap, and focused its energy on some reform issues.

"Brother-in-law, why didn't our eldest nephew use you as his military advisor? Instead, he picked an unknown editor from the Imperial Academy to do the job. Does he have the brains to do that?"

Zhu Di took a deep breath and suddenly thought of the result: "Could it be that Wang Buli died early because of mental damage?"

He looked at Wang Buli standing aside.

Wang Buli almost believed what he said, because he knew he was pretending.

However, he was a little worried about what Zhu Yuanzhang had seen about the future of the Ming Dynasty. What if Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a clear mind and wanted to take him with him before he died?

Wang Buli was also stunned.

"I don't think so." Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Wang Buli was not dead, so he sat down again:

"This good son-in-law of mine has a good relationship with you kings. My eldest grandson may not trust him and may have imprisoned him long ago. I let him come forward as a military advisor and didn't kill him. This means I have given him an explanation."

After listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Di understood that his father knew more than he did.

Since his own brother was treated so badly, how could Wang Buli be treated any better?
Wang Buli took a sip

This made Zhu Di make up his mind that after his father died, he would find a way to get Wang Buli and his son, who was held hostage, to return to Beiping together, so that Wang Buli could help him.

At that time, he would directly announce to the public that Wang Buli had been detained to prevent Zhu Yunwen from ruining his son's name.

Zhu Di believed that at that time, with Wang Buli's help, even with only 800 people, he could quickly conquer the entire Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang also shook his head slightly. Geng Bingwen was already old, and it was not a good job for him to lead so many people.

At that time, Geng Bingwen should have been enjoying his retirement at home, and it would be difficult for him to have much prestige if he suddenly came out to lead the soldiers.

"Geng Bingwen's plan was to use superior military forces to restrict the Prince of Yan to the Beiping area and prevent him from roaming around. So he placed 130,000 troops in Zhending, and assigned 100,000 troops to Xu Kai to garrison Henan. Pan Zhong stationed a part of his troops in Mozhou, and Yang Song led 9,000 troops to attack Xiongxian, agreeing that Pan Zhong would provide support from behind.

Zhu Di gathered his troops and analyzed that Pan Zhong and Yang Song's troops were advancing lightly, were closest to Beiping, and had not yet established a firm foothold, so they should be attacked by surprise.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Zhu Di's actions, because that was how he fought wars in the past. Everyone came up with ideas and he made the final decision.

“This is a really good habit.”

Wang Buli believed that this was the time to pool ideas and give full play to the subjective initiative of his subordinates, as everyone was a grasshopper on the same rope.

"The King of Yan personally led his army to Zhuozhou. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival. He guessed that the enemy did not expect me to come and must be drinking and having fun, so he launched an attack in the middle of the night, wiped out Yang Song's 9,000 men, and captured 8,000 war horses.

After Zhu Di conquered Xiong County, he thought that Pan Zhong was still unaware of the situation, so he sent someone with more than a thousand soldiers to ambush at the bridge. When Pan Zhong led his troops across the bridge to provide support, Zhu Di took the opportunity to lead his troops to meet the attack. Pan Zhong was defeated and captured, and Zhu Di took advantage of the victory to conquer Mozhou in one fell swoop.

After clipping his wings twice, Zhu Di summoned all the generals to discuss again. Now Geng Bingwen doesn't know that we are approaching him suddenly, so it's a good opportunity to catch him off guard again.

It happened that Zhang Bao, a young general under Geng Bingwen, came to surrender. Zhu Di learned about Geng Bingwen's plan from Zhang Bao. 130,000 people were stationed on both sides of the Hutuo River, and Zhu Di formulated a strategy.

Zhang Bao returned to Geng's army and said that he had been defeated and captured. He took advantage of the fact that Prince Yan's soldiers were negligent in guarding and stole a horse to escape. He also spread the news that Prince Yan would attack Zhending. The plan was to transfer Geng Bingwen's troops on the south bank to the north bank so as to wipe them out in one fell swoop. As expected, Geng Bingwen fell into the trap and moved his camp.

Upon receiving the news, Zhu Di attacked from a small path to the east gate of Zhending. At that time, Geng Bingwen was busy receiving envoys from the court. Zhu Di led his troops around the city and destroyed Geng Bingwen's two camps. Geng Bingwen fought hastily, but was defeated and retreated back into the city, defending himself behind closed doors.

Those who did not enter the city fled south across the river. Several generals were captured, and tens of thousands of people were killed, wounded or captured.

Zhu Di knew that Geng Bingwen, the veteran general, was good at defense, so after three days of siege, he decisively returned to Peking.

"In the past half month or so, Lao Si has deployed his troops with great speed, attacked the enemy unexpectedly, used spies, understood both ourselves and the enemy, misled the enemy, and lured the enemy into action. His military talent is worthy of praise."

Wang Buli praised Zhu Di repeatedly and said that he had quite a few ideas when it came to commanding battles.

Zhu Di looked at his own swiftness and called everyone together to discuss.

In addition to the teachings of his father-in-law Xu Da, he was also trained through occasional battles with Wang Buli.

One person is short-term, two people are long-term.

Zhu Yuanzhang vaguely felt that Wang Buli was involved in this, especially since the general surrender was so timely.

And Geng Bingwen doesn't seem to be that dedicated.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed a few times and said, "These battles were indeed well fought. It's worth it that we handed the North to you and gave you some experience."

"Thank you, Father."

Zhu Di had some confidence. According to the current trend, he still had a good chance of winning.

"When Zhu Yunwen heard that Geng Bingwen had been defeated, he appointed Li Jinglong, the son of the late Cao Gongzi, as the general to replace Geng Bingwen, based on Huang Zicheng's recommendation.

In September, Li Jinglong went to Dezhou, gathered the defeated soldiers, and mobilized 500,000 troops to station in Hejian.

"what?"

Wang Buli, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were all very surprised.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang praised Li Jinglong as a qualified second-generation general, he actually did not have high expectations for Li Jinglong in terms of military affairs.

Zhu Di couldn't help but glance at Wang Buli and whispered, "Did you arrange this?"

"How should I know?" Wang Buli immediately argued:
"It was this kid Li Jinglong who took your brother away earlier. He is deeply trusted by your eldest nephew. With our relationship, can Zhu Yunwen trust me?"

Zhu Di thought so too, there was actually no one in the Ming Dynasty who could lead the troops.

Half a million people?

Zhu Yuanzhang himself had never led so many troops, let alone Li Jinglong, whom he did not think highly of.

Is it true that the Ming Dynasty has no more commanders available?

Five hundred thousand soldiers and horses, facing a veteran like Zhu Di.

Coupled with Li Jinglong's command ability, Zhu Yuanzhang even felt that Zhu Yunwen deliberately wanted Zhu Di to win.

It seems that this grandson has not received much military education. He only knows how to use military force to defeat others and has no military awareness at all.

Then Qi Tai has a solution.

But after all, he had never been in the army, and many of his battles were based on his own imagination.

If the Ming Dynasty was invaded by foreign enemies at this time, and the Mongols attacked, without Zhu Di, the king of the border, to provide support, wouldn't the north be lost?
However, Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it for a while. Li Jinglong had a good relationship with Zhu Di. He wondered if Wang Buli deliberately pushed him to Zhu Yunwen so that he could gain the trust of the new emperor and play a decisive role in some things in the future.

Although Li Jinglong is the oldest, he trusts Wang Buli very much.

All ideas were secretly obtained from him, and even the dandy boy who went to the border to act as a smuggler with the Mongols did it in a very professional manner.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Wang Buli silently.

He didn't believe that Wang Buli would stay out of the fight for the throne, just like Li Shimin and Li Jing did when Li Shimin and Li Jing did not help each other during the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

This is not Wang Buli's character.

What happened next was exactly as Zhu Yuanzhang had expected. This time Zhu Di was attacked from two large armies in the southeast. Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, led his troops from Liaodong to attack Yongping.

Zhu Di decided to concentrate his superior forces to rescue Yongping first, and then come back to rescue Beiping.

Because he knew Li Jinglong, who was a man of few strategies and practical combat experience, especially large-scale military operations. Even his father had never fought such a rich war. In Zhu Di's view, Jianwen was not a good fighter, and 500,000 people were piled up here.

The government's policies were not well implemented, the military discipline was not in good order, it was cold early in Peking, and the soldiers lacked food and clothing.

In addition, Li Jinglong lacked wisdom and courage, and his authority was not strong enough, so he was doomed to fail.

Zhu Di warned the crown prince Zhu Gaochi that if Li Jinglong came to attack Beiping, he should only hold his ground and not go into battle, and wait for his father to come back and beat him up.

In six days, Zhu Di arrived in Yongping. Wu Gao and others immediately fled to Shanhaiguan. Zhu Di sent light cavalry to pursue them and captured and killed thousands of them.

Because the war progressed quickly, Zhu Di once again summoned his generals to discuss the strategy of marching north to take Daning.

Zhu Di and Zhu Quan had a good relationship, and the two brothers often joined forces to fight, especially since Zhu Quan had far more troops than Zhu Di.

Because they had a good relationship, Zhu Yunwen once again provided assists.

I want to deprive Ning Wang Zhu Quan of his three guards to prevent the two of them from forming an alliance.

Then Zhu Di forcibly abducted Prince Ning, gathered all his subordinates, and took over the Three Guards of Doyan.

It strengthened military strength, expanded territory, and consolidated the rear security from Peking to the Northeast.

Li Jinglong's actions were completely within Zhu Di's expectations. He divided his troops into three routes. First, he used the main force to attack the gates of Peking. Second, he used part of his forces to attack Tongzhou and cut off the Yan army's way back to Peking. Third, he led nine battalions to station in Zhengba Village to intercept the Yan army returning there.

Zhu Di integrated his troops on the road and divided them into five armies.

It snowed heavily that day and the Baihe River froze. The Yan army crossed the river on the ice early the next morning, defeated more than 10,000 sentries of Li Jinglong, and then attacked Li Jinglong's main force.

Most of Li Jinglong's troops were from the south. They arrived in September, and it was cold early in Peking. Heavy snow fell, and the soldiers suffered from the severe cold. Many froze to death or were disabled. Their morale was low and their formation was in chaos.

Zhu Di took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, breaking seven camps in a row and killing and capturing tens of thousands of people.

Li Jinglong led the remaining troops to flee to Dezhou.

After reorganizing his troops, Zhu Di continued to attack Li Jinglong's troops under the city of Beiping, destroyed four of their camps, and the rest fled to Dezhou.

The siege of Peking was lifted, but Zhu Yunwen was still unaware of the situation. He felt that Li Jinglong's arrangement would allow him to capture Zhu Di in no time, so he promoted him to the position of Prince Grand Tutor and gave him a generous reward.

Zhu Di looked at his middle-aged self in the picture. He was really full of vigor and vitality, as if he was saying that no one in the world could match him.

"Insight into the enemy's situation, accurate judgment, decisive decision-making, and clever deployment."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect that his son had actually inherited this style in military affairs compared to himself.

"The strategy and tactics were used very well." Wang Buli put down the Bingkuoluo in his hand and couldn't help laughing:

"It's just that the current Zhu Di doesn't have the confidence that Zhu Di had in his prime."

Zhu Di himself admitted that he saw himself in the future being able to fight a war with ease in such a situation, and this was exactly what he was pursuing.

I just don't know whether they could break into the Yuan court, directly destroy the Yuan Dynasty, and accomplish the task of Fenglangjuxu.

“People always grow up.”

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy that his son was so outstanding.

Compared with the second and third brothers, Zhu Di gave him a good feeling.

Zhu Yuanzhang could sense that the second oldest brother, in particular, had ambitions to become emperor, while the third oldest brother was secretly encouraging him.

At least the fourth brother had his own life pursuits, and when it came to becoming emperor, it seemed that Zhu Yunwen was forced to fulfill his wish.

Why cut down the feudal lords for no reason?
You are about to overturn the barrier I set up for you. How can this be okay?

Especially since you have just ascended the throne and have no prestige at all.

With just three cobblers under his command, can their plans match Zhuge Liang's?

However, both of his sons wanted to become emperor, but unfortunately they were unlucky and neither of them lived to see Zhu Di's rebellion.

If they lived to that age, perhaps Zhu Yunwen would have to worry about more than just Prince Yan.

Zhu Yuanzhang himself was well aware that the soldiers in the south could not endure the bitter cold in the north, and now soldiers were fleeing back to their hometowns from the north.

It was because Wang Buli invented the iron stove and the government controlled the coal mines that the soldiers in the north had a much better time in winter and did not freeze to death.

Although the Ming Dynasty is now in the extremely severe Little Ice Age, the north still becomes cold early.

"Li Jinglong doesn't have the ability to command 500,000 troops, and Qi Tai and others can't do any good logistics support." Wang Buli complained sharply:
"Just to supply such a large army, many civilians will be needed to serve as laborers to transport the goods for them. Even if the court purchases winter uniforms, it will not be enough."

Zhu Yuanzhang had always planned to grow cotton in the north, so that he could save the trouble of transportation. Local picking and local production could effectively reduce costs.

He expected that by that time, military farming in the north of the Ming Dynasty had already achieved initial results, and there were places where clothes and armor were produced. Look at Zhu Di's army, how warm they were dressed, and then look at Li Jinglong's army.

So many people don't have access to stoves.

"That's right. Before the troops move, the food and fodder must go first. How can a general win without considering these things? That's really a scholar's view."

Zhu Yuanzhang also echoed the comment.

He thought Zhu Yunwen didn't think it was that complicated at all.

As for the issues of food, clothing and shelter for the many soldiers, he just felt that if there were enough people, they would definitely win.

Zhu Di also nodded. Wars are never won by numbers, and not everyone has the ability to command 500,000 troops.

Zhu Di found it very difficult even for his father-in-law Xu Da, not to mention Li Jinglong who had hardly fought in a war.

Wang Buli stretched lazily, and then saw Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di disappear at the same time.

He was also shocked because he didn't understand how they came and how they disappeared.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat in the main hall again, with only Zhu Biao guarding him.

Zhu Biao also had a look of joy on his face. After three years, he could finally enter the fairyland again.

"father?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly and said, "I just don't know how many times this will happen in the future."

"Well, it's fine as long as you can get in. You can't force it."

Zhu Biao didn't have too many thoughts. He just felt that Wang Buli's health had almost recovered, which was good, as he had rarely smiled in recent years.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up from the dragon throne and took two steps.

He then turned around and asked, "Biao'er, do you think I'm a tyrant?"

"Dad, where did this come from?"

Zhu Biao didn't understand why his father suddenly asked this question. He was watching the actions of the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the fairyland. Could there be some new actions?
Which descendant described the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty as a tyrant, which led to such a question?
"Alas, many of our policies are not understood by future generations, and even openly violate our ancestral system." Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said:
"My eldest grandson wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords before he even ascended the throne. He even forced your brother to death and imprisoned many people."

"Xiong Ying?"

Zhu Biao had never thought about reducing the power of the princes, and never imagined that his son would think so.

"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you. Xiongying died young, and it wasn't him who ascended the throne."

"what?"

Zhu Biao really did not expect this result. He couldn't understand why Xiong Ying, who was so strong, would die young!

Could it be that I have been so busy with official duties in the past two years that I have seldom been with him and have not been able to take good care of him?

"Dad, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Zhu Biao was actually a little angry. If you want to hide it, just keep it secret. If you want to tell it, just tell it earlier. Why do you have to tell it when the time comes? Have you ever considered his feelings?

"Ever since I knew that Xiongying died early, I followed Wang Buli's advice and let him play healthily and didn't let him learn too much. Now I tell you that even I don't know whether Xiongying can live healthily.

What if the method that Wang Buli used to change his anger since childhood is useful? "

"Dad, what he said was just to comfort people. How can you take this seriously?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, "As the crown prince, your life span is really difficult to control. Please observe for a while longer and handle less government affairs in the future."

"I see." Zhu Biao then asked, "So Yunxun inherited the throne?"

(End of this chapter)