Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 174 Don’t let the wealth go to outsiders

Although they didn't know why they were suddenly summoned collectively, Lan Yu and others did not have any dissatisfaction. They all felt that something big might have happened, because under normal circumstances, there was no need for the heads of the five major military governorates to appear collectively.

Zhu Yunhuan got straight to the point and said, "You heard about it during the morning court session. There is some unrest in Annan now. There are powerful officials in Goryeo and Annan who have usurped the throne. The Tartars even killed their rulers. Timur also killed the Western Chagatai Khanate. These Tartars are barbarians after all."

Lan Yu and others naturally agreed and also attacked these traitors who were causing chaos in the country.

In fact, there are many regicides in Chinese history, and they are generally notorious. Even the Sima family pretended to push Cheng Ji as a scapegoat, and Sima Zhao, who was bold enough, did not dare to bear the name of regicide.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Annan and Goryeo may be attacked by troops in a few years, you should discuss it carefully."

Lan Yu immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I have pacified Yunnan and Guizhou before, and I am quite familiar with Lingnan. When I was suppressing the rebellion before, I wanted to send troops to Annan."

Zhu Yunhuan was too lazy to talk about it. Four years ago, when Lan Yu suppressed the rebellion of Jianchang Wei, he was reluctant to return to Beijing and wanted to march out of the country in one breath.

Fu Youde felt something was wrong. He was the commander-in-chief in the pacification of Yunnan and Guizhou, and Lan Yu was just a deputy general. But just as he was about to step forward, he realized that he was not young anymore, and with so many military achievements, he was no longer suitable to lead troops.

Xu Huizu immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I believe that the Duke of Liang is the pillar of the court. There is no need for the Duke of Liang to lead the army to fight against the rebellion in Annan or Goryeo."

Li Jinglong also hurriedly followed, "Your Highness, I second the proposal. Goryeo and Annan are small countries, and there is no need for the Duke of Liang to send troops. I am willing to do it for you."

Duke Lan Yu of Liang was anxious. On the surface, he was praising him, but this was blocking his chance to lead his troops to war. The generals in the army knew that whether it was Goryeo or Annan, it was a country after all. In the past, some of the imperial guards had rebelled or the barbarian tribes had rebelled, and they all needed the imperial dukes to lead the troops.

So there is no such thing as wasting talents. It is simply that Li Jinglong and Xu Huizu wanted to lead their own troops and accumulate military merits. It is that simple!
Zhu Yunhuan interrupted with a smile, "There is no need to be so anxious. The court will not send troops this year. We just want you to prepare in advance. You must decide how to train the troops and how to use them. When we really send troops, you must not be completely in the dark."

It seems that the excitement is in vain, because no troops will be dispatched immediately, and even if there is a fight, it will be of no use.

However, for Lan Yu and others, this is also a huge opportunity. The merit of destroying a country is no small achievement. It also helps the Ming Dynasty expand its territory by thousands of miles. This is an even more remarkable achievement. Of course, they will look forward to it very much.

Even the top nobles were eager for this kind of military merit. With such merits, they would definitely not be crowned king during their lifetime, but it was destined to be crowned king after their death. Such merits could even basically establish their status as the top noble.

For Lan Yu and others, no amount of merit was too much. Even though Fu Youde and Lan Yu had made great contributions, they were still far behind Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, and even inferior to Li Wenzhong.

It is said that there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Who would not have a little pride in his heart if he could become a top noble?
After making some simple arrangements, Zhu Yunhuan let all the nobles leave.

In less than a moment, Zhang Fusheng came to report, "Your Highness, Duke Kai and Duke Liang are outside the palace asking to see you."

Zhu Yunxun was both angry and amused, "Go ahead."

As soon as Chang Sheng and Lan Yu entered the hall, they had fawning smiles on their faces, which gave people goose bumps.

Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "Uncle, I didn't hear you trying to steal the credit just now. Can you say it in private?"

Chang Sheng was thick-skinned and didn't care about the teasing. "Your Highness, don't you know what kind of person I am? It's okay for me to help out. If there is a real war, you can let me fight, but you can't let me lead the troops. How about letting the Duke of Liang lead the troops, and I will be a deputy general?"

Zhu Yunhuan said, "A founding duke serving as a general? That's a bit too much. My Ming Dynasty has a strong army and many famous generals. We don't need a duke to serve as a general. You should stay in the capital and help me manage the capital army."

Chang Sheng naturally knew his own limitations and said, "I also want to help Your Highness, but I am really stupid and my ability is questionable. Your Highness, I cannot be trusted, but the Duke of Liang can!"

Lan Yu looked expectant. He was actually a little afraid of Zhu Yunhuan, but he also had some confidence. For example, now he dragged his nephew over to see how good the situation is now.

Others are a little afraid of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but the eldest nephew has a good relationship with the Crown Prince.

"Speaking of this, I really want to ask." Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lan Yu and said, "You are good at leading cavalry. Not only are there dense forests in Annan, but there are also a lot of miasma and many mountains. Is that suitable for you?"

Lan Yu said confidently, "Your Highness, there are also many high and steep mountains in Yunnan and Guizhou, and I can also fight there."

This makes sense. Although Lan Yu is better at cavalry, it does not mean that he cannot fight in mountains or woods.

Zhu Yunhuan was silent for a moment before he said, "We are all family, so I won't lie. Duke Liang, I just want to ask you one question. If we defeat Annan, and you are not allowed to fight the Tartars in the future, what do you think?"

Lan Yu asked in confusion, "Your Highness, I can fight!" "It's hard to be rewarded for great achievements. You have the merit of destroying the remnant Yuan Dynasty, so you have the capital to be crowned king after your death. Now if you destroy Annan, when I want to use troops in the north, should I use you or not?" Zhu Yunhuan asked directly, "Just look at the former King of Zhongshan and my grandfather. They were the ones who fought every major battle?"

Lan Yu thought for a moment and said, "If there really is a war, it will be between my brother-in-law and the King of Zhongshan."

Meeting such an upright Lan Yu, Zhu Yunhuan was very helpless, but he also knew that what he said made sense.

In the past, some decisive battles were basically led by Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, and Zhu Yuanzhang really didn't seem to care about the difficulty of being rewarded for his great achievements.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said to Lan Yu, "Can it be the same now as before? Was it the King of Zhongshan who pacified Yunnan and Guizhou?"

Lan Yu understood clearly and said directly, "That was not prepared for Duke Xin, but Duke Ying took the credit."

This statement leaves people speechless, because when Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Yunnan and Guizhou, it was indeed prepared for Tang He. He equipped Tang He with elite soldiers and generals in the hope that he could be granted the title of duke.

Zhu Yunhuan was too lazy to say more. Lan Yu was very stubborn sometimes. When he got angry, people didn't know what to say.

"Remember, I will need to rely on you from now on, but what about in the future?" Zhu Yunhuan said unhappily, "Duke Ying has retired now, and you are not young anymore. In ten years, will you still be able to lead troops to fight again?"

Lan Yu immediately said, "Your Highness, in ten years I won't be seventy yet, I can still go to war!"

Not to mention Zhu Yunhuan, even Chang Sheng was speechless at this point. Lan Yu was really blindly confident sometimes.

Zhu Yunhuan was somewhat reluctant to think about it, and said directly, "Think about this matter again when you go back. If you have the time, help me figure out how to use the troops and help me train the firearms unit."

These are the truly important things. Zhu Yunhuan really hopes to train a complete firearms army as soon as possible. The Shenjiying and the like are still worth looking forward to.

After sending away the shameless Lan Yu and Chang Sheng, Zhang Fusheng came to report, "Your Highness, Duke Cao is outside the palace asking to see you."

Zhu Yunhuan really didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Go ahead."

Li Jinglong, who is very handsome and has a good temperament, has a fawning smile on his face at this moment. He is obviously a handsome man, but now he looks a little wretched and hateful.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Li Jinglong and said directly, "Cousin, are you here to challenge me to a fight?"

Li Jinglong immediately said, "Your Highness, I know that my family has been blessed by the Emperor for generations, and I should serve the court with all my loyalty."

"First, train the troops. The use of troops cannot be determined in one or two years." Zhu Yunhuan said, "If I really want to select generals, I will definitely think carefully about it. You should find a way to make contributions in the next two years."

Li Jinglong actually had some concerns in this regard, in the final analysis, he was not worried about his family background. But in terms of military achievements, Li Jinglong and others were actually like most of the young nobles, basically without any military achievements.

Among the second generation of nobles, Mu Chun was actually the only one who had the most outstanding military achievements and the most extensive experience in leading troops in battles.

Whether it was Li Jinglong or Xu Huizu, they did train their troops, but their experience in fighting wars was pitifully little.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Li Jinglong and said, "Cousin, we are family and we should keep our differences. You should help me manage the military power in the future."

Li Jinglong was both happy and worried, mainly because he also had his own aspirations. Having been familiar with military books since childhood, he did not want to just muddle through. However, he also understood that what the crown prince said was very reasonable, and his position was that of a noble and a relative of the emperor.

Before Li Jinglong left, Zhang Fusheng came again to report, "Your Highness, Duke Wei wants to see you."

Zhu Yunhuan really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You guys are wasting your time. Just leave in front of the other party. I'll wait now. If the Duke of Ying also comes to ask for an audience, I'll just call you all over."

Now it was Li Jinglong's turn to feel awkward. He had deliberately gone around in circles before asking for an audience. But it seemed that Duke Wei had the same idea as him. As for himself, when he asked for an audience outside, he met Duke Liang and Duke Kai.

These nobles all had similar thoughts. They all became anxious when they saw some hope of military merit.

It’s obvious that the good things should be kept within the family!

(End of this chapter)