Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

Chapter 116: I will help you chop down thirteen more!
In August, the Ming Dynasty was at its strongest in terms of military power. Wang Baobao couldn't help but feel a headache. He had no chance of defeating the Ming Dynasty at the moment, and there were many people behind him who were trying to make things difficult for him. He had no way of dealing with the Ming Dynasty with all his heart.

Especially since Zhu Kai had a weapon that he had never seen before in his hand, which made Wang Baobao feel even worse.

But, now that things have come to this, what can we do?

Wang Baobao's seventh adopted son, Lu Shan, felt very upset when he saw his adoptive father looking so sad. The Mongols did not have any capable fighters, and they were all holding him back and restricting his adoptive father.

Fleeing to the far west was the best option for the Mongols, but they chose to stay in the miserable far north, always dreaming of counterattacking the Central Plains.

It's just too ridiculous.

Seeing Wang Baobao's sad face, Lu Shan persuaded him, "Father, there is no need for us to serve the Mongols anymore. Why don't we lead the army and go to the far west to develop ourselves? With them around, we can only be tied up. Father, you are loyal to the country, and it's ok for them not to appreciate it, but they also try to trip you up everywhere. Why should we..."

"Stop talking." Wang Baobao interrupted Lu Shan and said, "Your Majesty is just being deceived by treacherous officials. We, as officials, must be loyal to Your Majesty."

After saying that, Wang Baobao looked at Lu Shan and then said, "In the Song Dynasty, there was a general named Yue Fei. He assisted the emperor wholeheartedly, but he was helpless because of the corrupt officials... Now your majesty is not a foolish person, and is a hundred times smarter than the king of the Song Dynasty. I believe that one day your majesty will lead us back to the Central Plains!"

Wang Baobao himself didn't believe these words, but Lu Shan knew them.

Although Lu Shan had little education, he had heard of the story of Yue Fei. Now when he heard Lu Shan say that he wanted to be Yue Fei, how could Lu Shan not be anxious?
No matter how he persuaded, Wang Baobao had no intention of changing his mind and still insisted on his own point of view. Lu Shan's persuasion finally succeeded in making Wang Baobao angry. He picked up a knife and was about to kill Lu Shan. If it weren't for the other adopted sons who stopped him, Lu Shan would have been cut into eight pieces.

On the second day, the news that Wang Baobao wanted to learn from Yue Fei spread throughout the military camp. Many soldiers did not know Yue Fei's story, but some knew that Yue Fei was framed and killed by treacherous officials, and that the Song Dynasty would be over if he died...

After hearing the rumored story, the soldiers in the army couldn't help but think of Wang Baobao, and then suddenly realized a problem: Isn't Wang Baobao facing the same situation now?
Wang Baobao was loyal to the Mongols, while the other people around the emperor were treacherous ministers who kept persecuting Wang Baobao.

If the soldiers in the Song Dynasty heard such a story, they would be angry, but they would not necessarily take action.

But the Mongolian soldiers are different, they will really take action.

Through repeated battles, Wang Baobao has established his prestige in the army, but this prestige is not enough.

At least Wang Baobao thinks this is not enough.

We have to keep increasing the stakes!

Wang Baobao is waiting, waiting for an opportunity.

"Seventh Brother, although I can imitate Yue Fei, I, Wang Baobao, am not a blindly loyal person."

After thinking it over, Wang Baobao called over the generals who were at odds with him and said, "Zhu Kai of the Ming Dynasty has appeared in the northern border of the Ming Dynasty. You lead your troops to the direction of Yanjing to prevent him from appearing in the grassland. If he makes any move to go deep into the grassland, you must find ways to stop him!"

This general had always been dissatisfied with Wang Baobao, but he had also fought with Zhu Kai and knew that Zhu Kai had a very powerful and mysterious weapon in his hands. He had also witnessed the power of that weapon with his own eyes. When he heard what Wang Baobao said, his face suddenly turned pale.

This is just asking yourself to die!

Wang Baobao, you are going to kill me!
The general subconsciously said what he wanted to say: "No!"

"What did you say?"

Wang Baobao's face suddenly darkened, and he looked at the other party: "If you disobey orders, you will be executed according to the law!"

I’ll kill you!
The general looked at Wang Baobao with a gloomy expression and found that Wang Baobao's eyes were even gloomier.

He knew that if he didn't accept the order, he would be dead soon.

You have to answer it whether you want to or not.

The helpless general could only bow and say: "I obey your orders!"

The general left Wang Baobao's military tent, mounted his horse and headed for the royal court. He wanted to tell the big boss behind him that Wang Baobao wanted him dead.

Little did he know that this was exactly the effect Wang Baobao wanted. If he followed the order to monitor Zhu Kai, he would die. Although he could survive after leaving the military camp, he would not be far from death.

Anyway, Wang Baobao’s camp will no longer be open to him in the future.

Wang Baobao portrayed himself as a man loyal to the emperor and loving the Mongols, and as the wronged Yue Wumu, in order to establish an image in the hearts of the soldiers. He wanted to ensure that everyone he took away in the future would obey his orders.

With Zhu Kai around, no one can stay in the Far North. Zhu Kai is a warmonger and he will not stop until the Mongols are wiped out on the grassland. What qualifications does Wang Baobao have to resist?

In this case, it is better to make another choice: to make yourself king, or to make yourself emperor.

Ying Tianfu.

Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Kunning Palace happily.

Recently, Li Shanchang returned to the court, and all the court officials became cautious at the grand court meeting. If they were beaten to death by Zhu Yuanzhang, their names would go down in history, but if they offended the head of the civil servants in the world, they would be infamous for eternity after their death.

Looking through the previous records, how many people who offended Li Shanchang would have a good ending?
The best one is Liu Bowen, who went home to retire after becoming a count. If Liu Bowen did not have a good relationship with Zhu Kai, he would not have reappeared in Yingtian Prefecture now.

However, Liu Bowen was not bad either. He was reassigned by Li Shanchang to the Ministry of Revenue, where he began to clean up and reform the Ministry.

Li Shanchang had reported to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao how he was going to carry out reforms. Even Liu Bowen knew some of the secrets, but the other ministers did not know. When they heard that Li Shanchang was going to carry out reforms, they were all extremely nervous. They did not know what Li Shanchang was going to do, and everyone was in danger.

He couldn't even keep his official position, so who would care about the Kong family's affairs?
In the court where everyone was in danger, Zhu Yuanzhang was able to enjoy a good leisure time. When he had nothing to do, he would practice driving in the palace with Ma Xiuying, and call Zhu Kai's two wives to play mahjong together. Zhu Yuanzhang then felt the joy of being an emperor.

When he was an emperor in the past, he was not really an emperor at all. He was clearly an old ox that only worked and did not eat grass.

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished his half-hour morning court session and returned to Kunning Palace to prepare for breakfast, he saw Ma Xiuying sitting on a chair with a sad face.

What?
Didn’t cook?
Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his smile and even his steps became lighter.

Needless to say, there is no one else except Zhu Kai who can make Ma Xiuying so sad.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in trouble because Zhu Kai was not at home.

Zhu Yuanzhang glared fiercely at Zhang Cheng, the wooden man next to him.

You dirty bastard, you only know how to cause trouble for us, right?
Didn't you know I was coming to have breakfast? Couldn't you wait until I had breakfast before giving the letter to the girl?
"Girl, what's wrong?"

Zhu Yuanzhang came over cautiously and sat down next to the chair: "You look so unhappy, is it because that little bastard Zhu Kai got into trouble again?"

"You still have the nerve to say it?"

Ma Xiuying glared at Zhu Yuanzhang angrily and slapped the letter in front of him: "Look at what your precious son has done. He actually threatened Duke Song!"

What does our precious son mean?

Zhu Yuanzhang was very dissatisfied. It was obvious that Ma Xiuying treated Zhu Kai as a treasure and he couldn't even hit her. Why was she blaming him now?

He was secretly dissatisfied but did not express it out loud. Zhu Yuanzhang took the letter in his hand suspiciously. After reading the contents... Zhu Yuanzhang almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

This little bastard really dares to do anything!

Feng Sheng, you old man, now you know how powerful Zhu Kai is, right? He used to bully us, but now we have two fathers-in-law... Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders was not so heavy.

Although he was happy, he still had to pretend. Zhu Yuanzhang folded the letter angrily and said, "I knew that this guy would cause trouble when he went out. He even threatened his own father-in-law. This little bastard... Sister, do you think this is okay? Let's go to the northern border in person and bring that guy to Feng Sheng and ask him to apologize to Feng Sheng. If that doesn't work, we'll beat him up!"

Zhu Yuanzhang beat Zhu Kai without any scruples. Zhu Kai's recovery ability was second to none among all his sons. Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't beaten Zhu Kai for such a long time and wanted to satisfy his desire.

"You go?"

Ma Xiuying looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, "What are you going to do about the court affairs?"

"Isn't Li Shanchang here?"

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands in his sleeves, his face full of pride: "I have to say, it is a great move for us to let Li Shanchang return to the court. You don't know, sister, after he returned to the court, none of the ministers who chattered all day long dared to speak loudly, and they all became very honest!" Ma Xiuying knew Li Shanchang's ability, and nodded in agreement: "I haven't seen Mr. Li for a long time. When you have time, invite him to have a meal at home."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and then he said, "Li Shanchang has worked hard, how can one meal be enough? At least three meals, and... he has a good relationship with Kai'er, and is now teaching Kai'er. Let's treat him to a few more meals, just as a gift to Mr. Li, okay?"

After hearing this, Ma Xiuying thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.

"Kai'er is good at everything. He is capable, tall, and filial...but he is too troublesome."

At this point, Ma Xiuying glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang in annoyance: "It's all your fault. You don't teach Kai'er more on weekdays. As a father, you only think about state affairs."

"..."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled bitterly.

So there's no way to avoid taking the blame, right?

Ma Xiuying prepared breakfast and brought it to Zhu Yuanzhang. The two ate and talked. Ma Xiuying said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "You just said that you wanted to go to the northern border?"

"what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said something, but he didn't expect Ma Xiuying to take his words seriously. He waved his hand quickly: "I just said it, I didn't mean to take it seriously. There are still a lot of things waiting for me to do in the court, so it's not convenient for me to go to the north."

"What's the inconvenience? There are Mr. Li, Liu Bowen, and Biao'er in the court now. It won't have any impact if you go to the northern border."

Ma Xiuying thought her analysis made sense, and then said, "Besides, you can't stay in the North for half a year. You have to come back after a trip. And it's been five years, and you haven't been to the North. It's far away, and I don't know how many soldiers know that you are their emperor."

This statement is flawed, but it makes sense.

Even if Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Feng Sheng, he could not resist the support of his subordinates.

Besides, in the army, the soldiers trust their immediate superiors. Not to mention the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, they may not have even met Feng Sheng many times. If one side turns against them, the Ming Dynasty will not be safe. They should indeed take a trip to the northern border.

Besides, there is Zhu Biao in the court now, who can handle most of the things. Li Shanchang has just entered the court, and he dare not stir up trouble. In addition, there is Liu Bowen who does not get along with Li Shanchang, and there is also the modest gentleman Wang Guangyang. This configuration...

Even if I were away for half a year, there wouldn't be too much chaos in the court.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought Ma Xiuying's proposal was very appealing, so he nodded and said, "Okay, let's find a chance to go over and take a look."

"Ah."

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's agreement, Ma Xiuying picked up the bowl and pretended to be indifferent and said, "When you come back, bring Kai'er back."

"Uh-huh?"

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately understood what Ma Xiuying meant.

So I'm just a tool, right?
You little bastard, just wait for me in the North!

……

It was impossible for Feng Sheng to appear on the grassland, and he didn't even want to see Zhu Kai.

Zhu Kai was also happy that no one cared about him. He wandered around Yanjing City for a few days, trying all the delicious food and fun things there. Then he organized his troops and prepared to take a trip to the grassland.

It is very cold on the grassland, especially after September, when the weather starts to drop sharply. We can only wait until October at most. After that, the soldiers on both sides will not only fight against the enemy, but also have to fight against the weather.

Zhu Kai, who was well-versed in history, knew very well that after a battle in the fifth year of Hongwu, there was no major battle in the sixth year, but a period of recuperation. After all, the cost of fighting a war was enormous. But Zhu Kai didn't care about that. In addition, potatoes and corn had begun to be promoted in Huguang, and sweet potatoes had also begun to be cultivated. These were all very high-yield crops. Couldn't they support themselves in fighting a war?

Feng Sheng didn't care when Zhu Kai was going to the grassland. He just asked his deputy general to find a team of very experienced guides for Zhu Kai. At other times, he didn't even want to see Zhu Kai.

After leaving Yanjing Prefecture and crossing the Great Wall, the experienced guide immediately told Zhu Kai the news he had discovered:

"There are quite a few Mongol spies nearby."

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Kai smiled.

What about this good thing?

For the warmongering Zhu Kai, he came to the North to fight. If he couldn't even see the enemy, Zhu Kai felt that he would lose a lot of fun.

Now, the enemy has appeared.

What is a surprise?

This is the surprise!
So, Zhu Kai waved his hand and said, "Continue to the north."

"????"

When the guide heard Zhu Kai's words, his forehead was full of black lines.

Didn’t we agree that we should continue westward and then meet up with Feng Sheng at Yanmen Pass?

A brave guide asked Zhu Kai, "Your Highness, aren't we heading west to meet up with Marshal Feng at Yanmen Pass? How about we continue heading north now..."

"You don't understand. If we go north and west, won't we end up at Yanmen Pass?"

Zhu Kai pointed to the Great Wall behind him and said, "Why do we appear north of the Great Wall? Because we want to tell those Mongols that outside the Great Wall, there are our Ming army guarding. If we keep walking along the Great Wall, will the Mongols laugh at us for being cowards?"

"I don't know what you think, but when I hear this, I will definitely duel with Wang Baobao!"

The guide thought Zhu Kai was fooling him, but he had no evidence. He wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Zhu Kai: "But, but, what's the but? I am the second prince of the Ming Dynasty, but my words are not as effective as Feng Sheng's? If you want to listen to Feng Sheng, go back to Feng Sheng. If you are a man, then follow me! Do you dare to go deep into the heart of the Mongols?"

If you are a real man, follow Zhu Kai. If you don’t, wouldn’t you be a wimp?
The guide was immediately hardened by Zhu Kai's excitement: "Let's go, what are you afraid of? Your Highness, I also fought in the battlefield and chopped off thirteen Mongolian Tartar heads."

"Hahaha! Good brother, this time I will help you kill thirteen more!"

Zhu Kai appeared on the grassland and moved very quickly, advancing forty miles a day, dancing on the belly of the Mongols.

The general who was sent by Wang Baobao to file a complaint did not show up under the nose of the Ming Dynasty in the end. The general sent to monitor Zhu Kai was another general who had a bad relationship with Wang Baobao. He had never fought with Zhu Kai and thought that Zhu Kai only appeared in the northern border to gain merit.

If I accidentally captured Zhu Kai while monitoring him, maybe I could even get the title.

So, he was very excited when monitoring Zhu Kai's whereabouts.

When he discovered Zhu Kai appearing at the edge of the grassland, he did not report it to Wang Baobao immediately. He saw that Zhu Kai had only more than 3,000 followers, and wanted to take this opportunity to take all the credit.

But he never expected that he would hit a wall.

Who is Zhu Kai?

The most warmongering person in the Ming Dynasty is not afraid of you coming, but afraid of you not coming.

He brought more than 3,000 people with him, preparing to use guerrilla tactics against Zhu Kai. He wanted to use the grassland cavalry's superb riding skills to continuously consume the manpower of Zhu Kai's personal soldiers, and finally kill him directly. This plan was too simple and perfect.

However, the reality is cruel.

As soon as he appeared in Zhu Kai's sight, Zhu Kai rushed towards the Mongol army like a hungry wolf, howling and ordering him as he rushed at him: "No guns, no guns, I want to fight with the Mongol generals."

In the Ming Dynasty, it was not known whether those generals intended to or not, but they were unwilling to become Zhu Kai's opponents.

This made Zhu Kai very angry. Was he really invincible in the world?

(End of this chapter)