Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan was naturally very concerned about the training and establishment of the three camps. Maintaining the basic combat effectiveness of the Beijing Army was a must, and it could even be said to be one of the measures to keep the military strength of the Ming Dynasty strong.

Old Zhu naturally would not object to these things. He was very satisfied and proud of the Wei Suo system and did not think there was any need to change it.

But this does not mean that Zhu Yuanzhang thinks the Wei Suo system is perfect. He also knows some of its shortcomings.

The three camps were just some supplements to the guard system, not a drastic move to abolish the guard system. Under such circumstances, there was naturally no need to oppose it.

Zhu Yuanzhang understood this truth, and Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood it as well. Therefore, the affairs of the three camps could be carried forward smoothly and orderly, and there was no problem.

A new face appeared in the Wenhua Hall, but it was not completely out of place.

Chen Xuan, the co-governor of Chengdu Right Guard, had been ordered to return to the capital. This general, who was famous for his archery skills in his early years, might now be used for other purposes.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chen Xuan and asked, "Do you know why I asked you to return to Beijing?"

Chen Xuan replied honestly, "I don't know, and I don't dare to speculate."

Chen Xuan had just entered his thirties. This brave general who always led the troops on the battlefield would simply bandage his foot and continue fighting even if he was injured. However, he became extremely cautious when he arrived at the Wenhua Palace.

He was a third-rank official, which was considered a high-ranking official. But in the capital, his position was not high enough, not to mention that he was in the palace, facing the second most noble grandson of the emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan did not play dumb and said, "You have previously followed the Duke of Liang to conquer the Nanfan and Yuexi tribes, and have made many military achievements. This is a good thing. The court needs a general like you who is both civil and military."

Although Chen Xuan was excited, he did not dare to express it too much, "Your Highness, I am ashamed to accept your praise."

Zhu Yunhuan did not play by the rules and said directly, "It's not an exaggeration. You have made military achievements, which is also seen by others. Since you are a talented person, I will naturally use you to avoid letting your pearl be covered in dust."

Chen Xuan was still somewhat excited and expectant. Although he was the commander of the Right Guard of Chengdu, a third-rank official, he was only thirty years old, a time of true youth and strength. He still hoped to make further progress in his official career.

What's more, a third-rank commander is really nothing in the army.

Although some garrisons were added or abolished in recent years, the Ming Dynasty basically maintained about 320 garrisons.

The Five Military Commandery was composed of 17 military commanderies, but we won't talk about them for now. In the garrisons alone, in addition to a third-rank commander, each garrison also had two third-rank commanders and four fourth-rank commanders.

Therefore, with this calculation, there are more than 320 third-rank military generals in the local garrisons, not including the officials of the Military Commandery and the Five Military Governor's Office.

It is human nature to want to make progress, but Chen Xuan doesn’t think that his career should be like this. He still very much hopes to make greater progress.

Zhu Yunhuan said with emotion, "It is said that the Sui Dynasty fell because of this river, and it is still thousands of miles long because of the Grand Canal. It is said that the Sui Dynasty fell because of the second emperor, but in my opinion, the Grand Canal will benefit future generations."

Chen Xuan didn't dare to answer at this time, but just waited patiently for the next words, wanting to know what the Crown Prince wanted to say.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "This Grand Canal must be taken seriously. Even during the Yuan Dynasty, in order to connect the north and the south, three sections of the canal were dug successively, allowing grain transport to go directly from Peking to Hangzhou. This is a good thing."

The prototype of the Grand Canal in later generations actually appeared during the Yuan Dynasty, because before that the center of the Grand Canal was Luoyang.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chen Xuan and asked, "Do you know how much food the court would consume if it deployed troops in the north?"

Chen Xuan immediately replied, "I don't know the exact number, but I have been in the army for a long time and I know that if military rations are transported, the loss on the road will be quite large."

This is true, because when transporting military rations, they were basically carried on shoulders or pulled by horses, and the amount of land transportation was not particularly large. In addition, the laborers and soldiers who transported the rations on the road also had to eat and drink, so the consumption was naturally high.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "That's true. We consumed too much food on the road. This is not a good idea, but we have no other choice now."

Different modes of transportation will naturally have different costs.

Air transport seems to be the fastest, but it is expensive. Railway transport has a large volume, but it is not very convenient. Road transport has very good timeliness and convenience, but the volume is small. And sea transport has a large volume, but it is relatively slow.

In this era, it is even more unnecessary to think about many things. However, there are some things that can be considered.

Zhu Yunhuan then told him about his own arrangements. "The court had previously deployed troops in Liaodong, mostly by sea. Xian'en Duke Zhang He and Zhu Shou, Marquis of Zhuolu, were both civil and military, and had made great military achievements. They had also traveled on the sea for 20 years, supervising the shipping and grain transport."

Chen Xuan seemed to understand what the Crown Prince meant, which was actually to ask him to "change his career".

Zhang He has passed away, and Zhu Shou is not young anymore, which naturally means that we need to consider a "successor" now.

Zhu Yunhu continued, "You are a general in the army and you know how to allocate supplies. You go to open the canal and build the city. The food in Liaodong, Beiping and other places will rely on the grain transport from the south of the Yangtze River."

This is undoubtedly a rather arduous task, and for Chen Xuan it is both flattering and daunting.

It seems that he has been reused, but the things he is doing now are not what he is best at. This is not leading troops to fight. This is more like what a civilian should do, not what a senior general should do.

There was nothing wrong with doing this, because the imperial court had previously supervised the grain transport with the nobles, and this group of people also knew how to command a large group of people. Whether it was soldiers or laborers, managing a large number of people was also a science.

What's more, these generals have one good point, they know the importance of baggage and logistics. An excellent general is not only able to lead troops to fight, but also needs to learn how to handle a series of things such as logistics and supplies.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to make arrangements and said, "Remember to go find Marquis Zhulu. He has been in charge of the grain transport for more than 20 years and can give you a lot of advice."

Chen Xuan immediately replied, "I will definitely consult with Marquis Zhuo." "The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue should also go. This cannot just be the business of the Metropolitan Governor's Office." Zhu Yunhuan continued, "You guys look at it and discuss it first. When you come up with a plan, send it to me."

Chen Xuan naturally did not dare to have any objections. He was asked to supervise the grain transport and dredge the canal. These were all arrangements made by the Crown Prince. Even if Chen Xuan thought he was better at fighting, it was a great achievement to do these things well.

Take Marquis Zhulu for example. He was not a marquis conferred at the founding of the country. At that time, he was only the commander of the guards and the deputy governor. It was because of his great contributions in supervising the grain transport that he was conferred the title of marquis in the 20th year of Hongwu.

The same is true for Zhang He. In his early years, he followed Zhu to cross the Yangtze River, participated in the Battle of Poyang Lake, the crusade against Zhang Shicheng, and other military achievements. However, these were not enough to make him a marquis. Instead, he traveled to Liaodong for twelve years and escorted the sea transportation ten times. He was previously named the Marquis of Navigation and posthumously named the Duke of Enguo because of his contributions to opening up shipping routes and supervising grain transport.

Therefore, for Chen Xuan, what he is asked to do now is also an opportunity to make further progress in his career.

It is indeed not easy to be granted a title or appointed as a general, but if you do some things well, the opportunity will come.

After arranging these things, Zhu Yunhuan felt relieved. Some things have to be done sooner or later, and it is definitely not a bad thing to start doing some things now.

"Building water conservancy projects requires long-term persistence!" After Chen Xuan left, Zhu Yunhuan rubbed his temples and worriedly said, "There are still many things to do next, and they are all large projects."

This is no exaggeration. Dredging the Grand Canal is a big project. In addition, we must consider the issue of diverting the Huai River into the sea. Floods in the Huai River are also a hidden danger to the Grand Canal. If we think about it a little more, we will see the chain reaction caused by the diversion of the Yellow River.
Therefore, dredging the Grand Canal is not enough. We must also address the symptoms and root causes. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve the maximum effect of many things.

Before Zhu Yunhuan could breathe a sigh of relief after finishing all these things, Zhang Fusheng hurried over.

"Your Highness, urgent news from Fengyang." Zhang Fusheng said in one breath, "Duke Xin was seriously ill the night before, and the palace is prepared."

Tang He had suffered a stroke three or four years ago, and many people were actually mentally prepared for his imminent death. But considering the relationship between him and Lao Zhu, this matter was naturally unusual.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Let Tang Yu go back to serve, let the imperial physician go, and let my uncle-in-law go to visit on behalf of the royal family."

Tang He's grandson Tang Yu was brought by Zhu Yunhuan. Although there were no special arrangements or care for him, as long as he was nominally a member of the Prince's Mansion, many things naturally became logical.

Whether it was to have the imperial physician treat him or to have the relatives visit him, it was necessary. Whether it was because of Tang He's relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang or Tang He's past achievements, such a noble should not be treated carelessly.

Tang He naturally hurried to arrange these matters. In the final analysis, all these things of Tang He must be done well. This is a very important matter and it cannot affect the important matter of the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

We can ignore other people and just talk about Zhuge Liang and Tang He. They are the model of the relationship between a ruler and his ministers.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and realized that if Tang He couldn't survive, there would be a lot of things to prepare for later.

It is only right to send envoys to offer condolences and there is nothing wrong with posthumously conferring him the title of king. At that time, he will also be granted a burial, have his statue enshrined in the Temple of Meritorious Officials, and be worshipped in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, etc. These are all as they should be.

"Tang He must have been buried in his hometown, so he was not buried with the Xiaoling Mausoleum." Zhu Yunhuan suddenly had an idea, "Yuan blue and white porcelain, it seems that the inscription was written by Fang Xiaoru, so it was chiseled. It was stolen and destroyed for various reasons, but another Yuan blue and white porcelain was unearthed."

Forget it, Zhu Yunhuan thought that he should not think about these things, but he must start preparing in advance, as Tang He might have a hard time enduring.

Just thinking about Old Zhu, Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but feel a little worried. Although Old Zhu was very worried after Tang He had a stroke, and it was difficult to see him normally. But as long as Tang He was still alive, Old Zhu still had a friend alive.

If Tang He leaves, there will be no one of his generation whom Lao Zhu recognizes.

But there is nothing that can be done about it. Birth, aging, sickness and death are obviously beyond the control of human power. Even if you are an emperor or a duke, you are really powerless in these matters.

Considering that Tang He is already seventy years old now, this can be considered a natural death, and it is also a relatively satisfactory ending.

However, you still need to persuade when it is time to persuade, and you still need to comfort when it is time to comfort.

Zhu Yunhuan walked away, and when he arrived at Wuying Palace, he said, "Grandfather, there is a letter from my hometown. I am afraid that Duke Xin will not have much time left."

The brush in Old Zhu's hand fell down, and he sighed and said, unable to hide his sadness, "We also thought about it. He was seriously ill before. It's good that his children and grandchildren are here with him now, and he can enjoy a few years of happiness without suffering."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "I'll have someone go over to check on them first, so that if anything happens, there won't be any hassles."

Lao Zhu said, "You decide. I feel bad. He has been very ill these past few years and can't talk to me, but at least I still have a brother to talk to. If he dies, I will have no one to talk to."

Old brothers are old brothers, and some of the things you can talk about with old brothers obviously cannot be discussed with your grandchildren.

His parents, brothers and sisters are all gone, his wife, eldest son, and eldest grandson are all gone, and now even his last childhood friend who could talk to him is going to die. Old Zhu feels that he is truly lonely now, with only one grandson left.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't know how to comfort Old Zhu, but after thinking about it, it seemed that there was not much to say. Everyone knew about Tang He's situation, but they just didn't want to talk about it or think about it before. In fact, they already had some answers in their hearts and had already been mentally prepared.

Old Zhu was really a little sad. After all, even if he had a heart of stone, he still had some softness in his heart.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "If it really comes to that, we can posthumously confer him the title of king and build a tomb in his hometown. I guess he doesn't want to come to Zhongshan."

Meritorious officials were buried in Xiaoling Mausoleum, especially those of Tang He's rank. However, there were exceptions, such as Mu Ying and Li Wenzhong, who were not buried in Xiaoling Mausoleum. However, their status was also special. Tang He could be said to be the only duke who was not buried in Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Lao Zhu nodded and said, "He definitely doesn't want to come, so let him stay in his hometown. This is the only way for us brothers."

Zhu Yunhuan also needs to arrange these things early. If you think about it carefully, there will be a lot of things to do next. (End of this chapter)