Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan never doubted Zhu's "basic abilities". To be honest, Zhu certainly had some shortcomings, perhaps because of his growing environment, or the limitations of the times, etc. He could not be perfect.

But no matter in politics or military, in Zhu Yunhuan's view, Zhu was an extraordinary genius, a brilliant figure who appeared only once in thousands of years.

As for military affairs, whether in terms of strategy or tactics, Zhu Yuanzhang's abilities were far beyond the reach of Zhu Yunhuan.

Li Jinglong was a little puzzled when he arrived at Wenhua Palace. The Crown Prince should have just returned to the palace, so why was he in such a hurry to summon him?
Zhu Yunhuan got straight to the point and said, "Grandfather is not very satisfied with the Shenjiying. He thinks we are too slow in doing things and he can't stand it anymore. You also know that he is impatient. He scolded me!"

Li Jinglong immediately knelt down, looking extremely terrified, "I am incompetent, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

"Well, there are no outsiders here." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Grandfather has done it himself. He has prepared a method to train a new army. He doesn't trust others, so he lets you take care of these things."

Li Jinglong became happy instantly. He didn't care whether the Kaiping Palace would be further developed because of the relationship with the Crown Prince, nor did he care that the Zhongshan Palace would soon have a Crown Prince's Consort to add icing on the cake.

In the eyes of the emperor and the crown prince, only the lineage of Duke Cao can be truly trusted.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Li Jinglong and said seriously, "You must train the Shenjiying well for me. This is one of the main combat forces of my Beijing Army."

Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Li Jinglong couldn't help but look sideways.

Although many nobles knew that the Crown Prince attached great importance to the navy and firearms, they did not expect that he had such a high status.

According to the military system of the Ming Dynasty, the Wei Suo system was to set up garrisons in important military locations across the country. Those guarding the capital can also be collectively referred to as the Beijing Army. However, even if they are all Beijing Army, they have different statuses, and only a handful of them can be called the real Imperial Guard.

Zhu Yunhuan was extremely serious and said to Li Jinglong, "This Shenjiying is extremely important to me. It is responsible for protecting the capital and preparing for war. This is what I want."

Li Jinglong also became serious, "I will do my best to live up to Your Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Li Jinglong and said with a smile, "That's how it should be. It's said that brothers fight like tigers. After all, we are connected by broken bones. There are some things that only you can do. I will be in charge of the Shenji Camp in the future, so soldiers and generals, you have to be more careful. Whether it's the Five Military Command Office or the Ministry of War, I will approve the documents when the time comes."

Since we are planning to train a strong army, it is not only necessary to have advanced military equipment, but also the military personnel who can use these weapons are the most fundamental.

Li Jinglong had no doubt about Zhu Yunhuan's words. Being transferred to the Beijing Army was the dream of countless soldiers stationed in other garrisons.

As for those who wanted to stop him, let alone Cao Guogong Li Jinglong, he was so important that he could not only stop ordinary soldiers, but also generals. Moreover, he had Zhu Yunhuan as his backer. He was the grandson of the Ming Dynasty, the prime minister, and the commander-in-chief, and he was in charge of both the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery.

Therefore, the soldiers selected this time, firstly, need to have a clean background, and secondly, need to have outstanding abilities. This is to gather a group of elite soldiers and form a new army with a group of good soldiers and generals, so that the combat effectiveness can be further exerted.

It's just one unit, and the number of troops won't exceed 10,000. But in this era, an elite unit can have the opportunity to lead a war and take on tough tasks when the war is difficult. Elite soldiers are not too many for any general, but they are also the most difficult to train.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "As for firearms, I will naturally issue an order to give you the best firearms. You can also use the granular gunpowder freely. First, you must train elite soldiers and generals, and second, you must carefully remember the advantages and disadvantages of using various firearms, so that when the time comes, you can ask people to improve them."

For Li Jinglong, this is naturally a pressure, but more of an opportunity.

Inheriting the title of Duke of Cao was just a beginning for Li Jinglong. His birth made him rich and prosperous, but he also knew that this was far from enough. Without sufficient ability, he would just be a rich and idle person, which was obviously not what he pursued.

One of Li Jinglong's opportunities is to train the Shenjiying well and make this firearms unit, which is valued by the Crown Prince, more combat-effective.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Li Jinglong and asked, "Who do you think is more suitable to be the commander of the Firearm Battalion?"

Li Jinglong immediately replied, "Your Highness, I think Zhu Neng is a very promising young man. He is not only intelligent, graceful and dignified, but also very brave and strong. He is really rare."

Zhu Yunhuan said seriously, "What I want is a commander-in-chief, not a brave vanguard."

Li Jinglong quickly explained, "Your Highness, you are wise. Although Zhu Neng is young, he has been in the army for a long time. He is good at commanding soldiers and has strict discipline. I think he can be a good general."

Hearing Li Jinglong say this, Zhu Yunhuan laughed, "Well, I'll see what kind of ability he has." Zhu Neng, Zhu Di's Duke of Chengguo, ranked second among the meritorious officials in history, second only to Qiu Fu, Duke of Qi. It's a pity that he died of illness on the way to conquer Annan, when he was only 37 years old.

However, Zhu Neng is only 25 years old now, which can be considered as a promising young man. His status and official position are now suitable for him to become the commander of the Shenji Camp.

Li Jinglong continued, "Your Highness, I think that Wang De, the son of Marquis Dingyuan, is loyal, brave and courageous, and should also be included in the Shenji Camp."

After taking a look at Li Jinglong, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Wang De is not good enough, he has other uses. Go back and think carefully about the training of the troops, and just decide on the commander."

Wang De could certainly be considered Zhu Yunhuan's confidant. After all, Wang Bi, Wang De, and his son had very deep ties with the Chang faction.

In fact, Zhu Yunhuan had not used Wang De much in the past few years, and the resources he invested were very limited. But even so, neither Wang Bi nor Wang De had any complaints, and Chang Sheng and Lan Yu did not think there was any problem.

It's not just because Wang Bi is still in good health and often needs to go out to guard and control, but also because Wang De now has some special tasks and often needs to represent the younger generation of the Chang system to appear everywhere.

After Li Jinglong left, Zhu Yunhuan said to Zhang Fusheng, "Ask Duke Wei to come over after the court session tomorrow."

After saying this, Zhu Yunhuan went straight to Wuying Palace, but he did not forget to eat.

One day passed, and a new day began. Old Zhu probably drank two more cups yesterday and got sick again. Whether he was really sick or not, the officials no longer cared about it. It was enough for the crown prince not to show any anxious expression on his face.

After presiding over the morning court, Zhu Yunhuan returned to Wenhua Hall and asked Xu Yingxu to pack up and go to Fujian. First, he will supervise the construction of the city to defend against Japanese pirates. Second, he will do a thorough investigation and collection. Many people like to go to sea. Let him find out the waterways and the ships used. The shipbuilders and the merchants going to sea should all be found out. How to build a ship and what to prepare for going to sea, let him find out everything in detail.

Xu Huizu immediately accepted the order and said, "I will obey your orders."

"I have been thinking about the navy a lot in recent years, and you should know this too." Zhu Yunhuan said bluntly, "After all, the navy is short of generals. I think his background is okay, but he lacks some skills. As the eldest brother, you should also find a way out for your younger brothers."

Xu Huizu said sternly, "Your Highness, I am from the Zhongshan Palace and have obtained an official position in the court. If I abuse public resources for personal gain, my late father will never forgive me!"

Zhu Yunhuan pointed at Xu Huizu and said unhappily, "You will suffer sooner or later with your temper."

Xu Huizu continued to stand firm, "My father always taught me when he was alive. The Xu family has been blessed by the emperor for generations and we dare not let him down."

Zhu Yunhuan admired Xu Da's family style. So he didn't think it was strange that Xu Huizu had such a strict character. Respectful, loyal, and dutiful, the second-generation head of the Xu family might not be the most talented and capable, but unless there were any major accidents, he would have no problem taking care of the family business.

Zhu Yunhuan admired Xu Huizu's character. As the crown prince, he certainly liked such a law-abiding minister. Especially since Xu Huizu was in a high position, it was rare for him to remain calm and not arrogant when he was in a high position.

The members of the Chang family were not very capable and had a rather dandy attitude. Li Jinglong liked to wear fancy clothes and pay attention to appearances, and he also attached great importance to face.

Even though Zhu Yunhuan knew that no one was perfect and that some harmless things did not need to be taken seriously, it would be the best if all his subjects were like Xu Huizu.

Looking at Xu Huizu, Zhu Yunhuan said, "You will start fasting in a few days, and everyone in the mansion should fast. After the mourning period, the marriage will be decided, and it is time to pay the bride price and ask for the name."

Xu Huizu immediately knelt down, unable to hold back his excitement, "I will obey your orders."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "It's not good for the founding duke to be the envoy this time. My second uncle who can't sit still will most likely be the envoy. After all, he is the leader of the kings. Let Xu Zengshou go back to Fengyang. One is to offer sacrifices to the imperial mausoleum, and the other is to announce the decree to recall the King of Qin."

Xu Huizu had no objection. Normally, when a crown prince or grandson got married, there would be an envoy, who would most likely be an important official. But the King of Qin was not far from Fengyang. Given the emperor's personality, he could really send Zhu Chong as an envoy.

There was no way. Zhu Chong was not only a subject, but also an elder, and the Zhu and Xu families had a close relationship.

Although it is said that the royal family has no private affairs, and the rules are constantly being improved, it is not considered a violation of the rules to use the prince as an envoy. The emperor sitting on the dragon throne will only be happier when he sees this scene, and the family will be harmonious! (End of this chapter)