Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Di was a little worried now. He was ordered to lead the army north and ordered Prince Ning, Prince Qi and others to lead the army to fight against the Hu people.

But the problem now is that they have only fought to the Checheer Mountain, which is in the north of Daning City, and captured dozens of Yuan generals including Bolin Timur. This seems to be a victory, but it is only a small group of enemies.

According to the current customs of the Ming Dynasty, capturing dozens of people and defeating an enemy force of more than a thousand people cannot be considered a great victory.

"Fourth brother, we still have to continue to send troops." Zhu Quan said, "With such little military merit now, if we return to the court, we will definitely receive training."

Prince Zhu Yu of Qi said with some dissatisfaction, "If the Tartars don't go south, what can we do? If they hide and avoid fighting, where can we find these people in this vast grassland? Father blames me, but how can I blame him? Is it because we are afraid of fighting or are we not brave enough?"

Zhu Quan said dissatisfiedly, "Seventh brother, the emperor intends to order us to send troops. If we can gain a lot this time, it would be the best. If we can't kill the generals or capture the enemy, we should also do something good."

"You can't have peace in Daning, right?" Zhu Yu said somewhat unhappily, "I have sent out all the troops from Qingzhou, what else can I do? It's the Hu people who don't fight, not me!"

Zhu Wen wanted to go back, and both Zhu Di and Zhu Quan understood this.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was proud of his bravery, it is difficult to say how capable he was in leading troops.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang was not very supportive of this military expedition. It would be fine if he led the troops alone, but now he was just helping out and had few opportunities to gain military merit.

Moreover, the reason for this military expedition was that traces of Hu people appeared near Daning. This actually posed no direct threat to Zhu Yuanzhang, so he certainly did not feel any sense of urgency.

Zhu Di was very unhappy and looked at Zhu Yu and said, "Seventh Brother, don't talk nonsense!"

Looking around the camp, Zhu Di said directly, "Anyone who talks about retreating will be executed! I cannot execute him, so tie him up in the capital and let Your Majesty and the Crown Prince judge the crime!"

This time Zhu Yuan didn't dare to say anything. He could ignore Zhu Quan's face, and sometimes he could also not care too much about Zhu Di's attitude.

But if he really returned to Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Yu would be afraid of more people. In front of Old Zhu, he would definitely behave himself.

And the nephew who looks kind and close, like the emperor's brother back then, is essentially just superficially friendly. He comforts while suppressing, and is very skilled in using both kindness and force.

Zhu Di said with a serious expression, "The imperial court has dispatched 100,000 soldiers and horses, how can we return without success?"

Capturing dozens of people and defeating a small tribe of more than a thousand people was considered a failure in Zhu Di's eyes. Such achievements were not worth mentioning in his eyes.

It would be a shame if an army of 100,000 could only achieve this much.

"Fourth brother, go attack Wulianghatu City." Zhu Quan said directly, "There are many Wuliangha tribes who are not obedient, we should intimidate them!"

Zhu Di was quite pleased to hear Zhu Quan's words. He no longer blamed his father for enfeoffing Zhu Quan in Daning!

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted a policy of appeasement towards the Mongolians, which basically meant "promoting all talented people". Many of the Ming Dynasty's guard posts were run by the leaders of these Mongolian tribes, but there were often rebellions.

Although many Mongolian tribes surrendered after the Battle of Buir Lake, the Three Uriankhai Guards were no exception. They rebelled and invaded the Ming border again.

"Fourth brother, we must conquer Wuliangha, so that those bandits can be safe." Zhu Quan continued to persuade, "If we send out an army with such a large momentum this time and fail to achieve anything, it will be a shame to our father."

Zhu Di said very confidently, "I will never turn back. If I go back now, I'm afraid I won't have another chance!"

Zhu Di's resolute attitude made many people feel relieved. No one was satisfied with the current military achievements. If they did not achieve greater military achievements, they would definitely not be satisfied.

These people are all warmongers. Except for the King of Qi, many people still think that it will be difficult to get another chance to go on an expedition if they return now.

So even if it seems a bit futile now, no one is willing to give up and needs to continue to persevere.

The continuous attack is not only to eliminate some small tribes near Daning, but also to eliminate some potential hidden dangers. Therefore, some larger tribes should be eliminated.

After hearing Zhu Di's decision, Zhu Quan felt most relieved, otherwise his pressure would have increased. Others who were not stationed in Daning might not feel the pressure, but Zhu Quan could feel it.

Zhu Quan felt that the three guards under his command, plus some guards of the imperial court, still put him under considerable pressure.

Zhu Di could be said to have a "word that carries weight", mainly because as the fourth brother he still had some say in front of Zhu Quan and others.

Among the royal family members of the Ming Dynasty, Qin Wang Zhu Chong has an outstanding status and ability, and naturally has the highest prestige. Jin Wang Zhu Gang has outstanding ability and military achievements, and never needs to be polite in front of other brothers.

Then there is Prince of Yan Zhu Di. In addition to being the fourth son of the emperor, he was also very good at leading troops in battle. Even when facing his third brother Zhu Gang, Zhu Di was not inferior.

Zhu Di had his own troubles, and Zhu Gang also had his own troubles at this time.

When Zhu Gang was leading his younger brothers out of the camp, he became angry when he saw his second brother riding a horse towards him in a domineering manner.

Zhu Chong was a little arrogant, looking at his brothers, "You led tens of thousands of troops to the battle, and this is all you have achieved?"

Zhu Chan, Zhu Gui and others felt a little embarrassed and very aggrieved, but they did not dare to glare at Zhu Chong, as this second brother was not someone to be trifled with.

Zhu Gang stared at Zhu Chong and asked, "Second brother, did you say this, or did the emperor say this?"

Zhu Chong's expression changed instantly, and he said proudly, "Father and nephew will naturally not say anything about you. Father has always favored his sons, and nephew has always respected you. This is what we said, because you are really useless. With so many soldiers and horses, you have achieved such little results and can't even find the Tartars. Is this reasonable?"

Looking at this lawless and shameless second brother, Zhu Gang was helpless. After all, no one could take care of this second brother.

After joking, Zhu Chong said seriously, "You guys are not allowed to go to Daning to look for enemies. Do you understand?"

Lan Yu stepped out of the crowd and said, "Your Highness, Prince Qin, I think the Tartars are probably near Daning."

"No!" Zhu Chong suddenly became serious, holding a whip and pointing at Lan Yu, "I respect you as the Duke of Liang, and remember your past contributions. Remember this, you are not allowed to look for enemies in the direction of Daning!"

Lan Yu's face flushed red, but he, the usually somewhat domineering Duke of Liang, did not dare to show his teeth in front of Qin Wang Zhu Chong. "What is the will of the emperor?" Zhu Chong knew what Zhu Gang, Lan Yu and others were thinking, and said directly, "Send troops from both sides to drive the Tartars heading south back to Mobei. What's wrong, you still want to encircle them? Can't the fourth brother and his men defeat those small tribes, or can't the will of the emperor control you?"

Zhu Gang was immediately embarrassed. He and Zhu Di did dislike each other, and it could be said that they were competing with each other. So sometimes he would rather not make any achievements than hope that the other party would make great achievements.

Zhu Chong continued with a cold face, "Before we set out on the expedition, I reminded you again and again. How come you can't remember?"

Zhu Gui and others lowered their heads and dared not speak. They did not dare to say anything in front of Zhu Gang.

Because Zhu Gang helped build and divide many of the border fortresses, pastures, etc. in the northwest, these younger brothers still had to look at Zhu Gang's mood.

As for their second brother, not to mention other things, the title of "King of Qin" alone was enough to overwhelm them. And Zhu Gui and others also understood very well that as princes, their words did not carry much weight in front of Old Zhu, but Zhu Chong's words carried weight.

Zhu Chong stared at Zhu Gang and asked, "Will you continue to send troops to encircle Daning, or will you cross the desert to drive the enemy away?"

Zhu Gang was unhappy, but he could only answer honestly, "Go across the desert to drive out the enemy and drive the Tartars back to the northern desert."

"We should not only rush back to Mobei, but also kill as many as we can." Zhu Chong said unhappily, "We should bring back the captured cattle, horses and sheep that we can. As for those that we can't bring back, you know what to do with them!"

Zhu Chong was not polite to some ethnic minorities in the territory, and he was even more ruthless to the Tartars. He did not care whether the Tartars had cattle and sheep to survive the winter. Even if the Tartars had just survived the cold winter and their cattle and horses had just gained some weight, it was still not acceptable.

Zhu Gang also understood instantly that this time the purpose of sending troops was not necessarily to kill a large number of enemies, but to eliminate some of the Tartars' potential.

As for the possibility that this might cause the Tartars to go south to plunder when they can no longer sustain their supplies in the autumn and winter, if that were really the case, the Ming emperor and his ministers would be encouraged.

The Ming Dynasty now holds the absolute strategic initiative and is constantly attacking to find the fleeing Tartars. If an opportunity for a decisive battle is found, the Ming Dynasty will only be excited, not afraid.

The strategic goal of the Ming Dynasty was to force the Tartars into a decisive battle or to flee further away.

Seeing that Zhu Gang and the others had made their attitude clear, Zhu Gang was relieved. "Next time I come here, those who should be tied up and sent back to the capital must be tied up. Don't blame me for not warning you."

Even though Zhu Gang was a little unconvinced, he could only be honest and said, "I know, I will definitely not act on impulse."

According to Zhu Gang and Lan Yu's plan, they would approach Daning, wipe out some tribes, and then continue to advance northward. There would be no problem with this.

Seizing the opportunity for Zhu Di, Fu Youde and others to make meritorious deeds, and then continuing to do what they should do, is simply killing two birds with one stone.

Both Zhu Gang and Lan Yu had somewhat domineering personalities, and they were both capable and confident enough, so they didn't think there was anything wrong with it. However, Zhu Gang stopped them in time.

According to the original plan, no deviation is allowed. This is Zhu Chong's task.

"My nephew and his wife-in-law have a child. This is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Chong stared at Lan Yu and emphasized, "You must finish the battle and return before autumn and winter. I will prepare all the supplies and food for you."

Zhu Gang and others had heard about these things before, after all, the news had been announced in the court. Moreover, there were constant messengers between the army and the court to convey military intelligence and orders, so even if there was a slight delay of a few days, everything that needed to be known was known.

After dispersing the crowd, Zhu Chong said unhappily, "Third Brother, you've gone too far this time."

Zhu Gang complained, "Second brother, I don't have any Tartars here. No matter how bad the situation is, there are still some Tartars on the Fourth Brother's side. Some of the vassal garrisons did not flee far after the rebellion. If you ask me, it's because my father is partial to me, allowing the Fourth Brother to make merit."

Zhu Chong thought about it carefully and said, "It is not appropriate to place many of the garrisons in Daning. I will report this to my father later. We can report together."

Zhu Gang's eyes lit up at this. He had previously felt that it was not appropriate to place some of the surrendered Mongolian tribes in Daning.

Although the location there is indeed very important, but too many tribes are arranged, which is also a hidden danger. In addition to the possibility that the Tartars may rebel again and connect with each other, Zhu Quan may have a strong army.

If this is true, then the older brother will lose face. Can he still let his younger brother suppress him?

These are definitely things that cannot be tolerated, so both publicly and privately, some things do require advice, and these are not trivial matters.

"Just wait and see. The fourth child will be promoted sooner or later." Zhu Chong lowered his voice and said, "In the past few years, you have been too smooth sailing. The emperor favors you, and Yunhuan also allows you to take power."

Zhu Gang was a little proud at once. He was now the most trusted vassal king of the Ming Dynasty. Although he was not in charge of both military and political affairs, he was basically in charge of the northwest defense line. This was also known to everyone. This was absolute trust.

Compared with other brothers, Zhu Gang was naturally more proud and his voice was even louder because he had enough confidence.

"Behave yourself this year and next, or your father will not let you off easily!" Zhu Chong lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Although your father favors you, no matter how favored you are, you are not as favored as your brother and Yunhuan."

Thinking about the fact that his second brother had been farming in his hometown for nearly two years and often returned to Beijing, Zhu Gang suddenly became serious.

He, the Prince of Jin, was highly valued, but the one who seemed closer to the Emperor and the Crown Prince was actually the Prince of Qin and the Chief of the Imperial Clan. This was also the reason why the Prince of Qin was mediating and supervising Zhu Gang and others this time.

Zhu Gang thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Is father in good health?"

"It's good. Now we have hope again. It won't be difficult to live a long life." Zhu Chong understood what Zhu Gang meant and said, "If the fight goes well, we will go back and pay homage to the new emperor. If the fight doesn't go well, my father will take away your power and I will take you back to pay homage to the new emperor."

Zhu Jian was speechless for a moment and became anxious, "So soon? Is it really next year?"

"That's what I'm saying. That's what the emperor meant." Zhu Chong said with some complaints, "Before I returned to the vassal state, the emperor was also testing me. What else could I have in mind? Yun Hun has long been the crown prince. You better be smart. I still want peace!"

Zhu Gang also understood it immediately. As long as some words were explained more clearly, Zhu Gang would actually be able to understand it.

Even though he may seem unkind at times, he is quite capable and does an excellent job in carrying out the tasks assigned by Old Zhu.

In major matters, Zhu Gang was actually much stronger than Zhu Chong.

It seems that this year's battle is to send a gift to the new emperor to ascend the throne! (End of this chapter)