There are no loyal ministers in the court and there are traitors within the court. We must raise troops to punish them and purge the emperor's side!
These are the words spoken by our great-grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang himself. Perhaps his original intention was to establish an 800-year-old empire like the Zhou emperor, or even to aspire to establish a thousand-year empire.
However, it was of no use. Not even a thousand years had passed. Just one year after Zhu Yuanzhang was buried, the beacon fire was lit again, quickly spreading from the Prince of Yan's Mansion to the surrounding areas.
Officials Zhang Bing and Xie Gui of Beiping were lured to be executed. That night, Deputy Captain Zhu Neng led several hundred people, shouting the slogans of Taizu, and seized the nine city gates of Beiping! The entire battle ended quickly with nine enemy soldiers killed at the cost of one wounded.
The only difference between Prince of Yan and other vassal kings is not how much actual power he has, but that he has led troops in the north for many years and has established a deep reputation among the military.
The banner of "Feng Tian Jing Nan" was erected on the towers of Beiping, and the proclamations denouncing the treacherous officials in power were quickly posted from the legal height and moral perspective of Taizu's "ancestral teachings". The Prince of Yan organized the army and boosted morale, and the whole of Beiping was shrouded in frenzy .
Within two days, the Prince of Yan led his people out of the city to fight against Song Zhong's 30,000-strong army. Song Zhong spread rumors among his own army that "the Prince of Yan killed the family members of the imperial guards" to boost morale. Unexpectedly, when the two armies faced each other, the family members of the imperial guards appeared in front of the battle formation. Song Zhong's army quickly collapsed, and the Prince of Yan won a great victory.
In less than a month, Tongzhou, Jizhou, Zunhua, Miyun, Juyongguan, Huailai, Yongping Prefecture... were successively taken by Prince of Yan. Prince Gu abandoned his fiefdom and fled. The banner of "Fengtian Jingnan" spread like wildfire across the North China Plain, and it had already become a prairie fire.
The curtain of war has been raised rapidly, and all other ways to solve the problem have become a bubble. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, an unprecedented war is inevitable.
Zhu Gaoxu witnessed the methods used by Prince of Yan with his own eyes, and he had only one feeling in his heart: One cannot live in this world without tricks, and the methods used by Prince of Yan in his rebellion were very steady and methodical.
...
It was still dark in the capital, but outside Donghua Gate were already filled with civil servants of all kinds, waiting for the gate to open for court.
Countless lanterns and torches illuminated the surrounding ground. The faces of the officials were very solemn in the firelight. The news of the war in the north had already spread throughout the capital.
Every day, reports from various places flew into the government office in the capital like snowflakes. Everyone knew that the situation was not good, and most of them were reports of surrender and rebellion.
The time had not yet come, so no one could get in. However, a few people had already been brought into the palace from other gates.
"The emperor didn't sleep a wink all night." Eunuch Wu Zhong said softly.
At this moment, Huang Zicheng accidentally discovered that Qi Tai's face was pale, his steps were not steady, and his hands in his sleeves were even shaking a little. Huang Zicheng suddenly felt unhappy and thought to himself: You are still in charge of the Ministry of War, so you are so cowardly?
"Qi Bu Tang, Bu Tang..." Huang Zicheng called out twice.
Qi Tai finally came to his senses and turned to look at Huang Zicheng, "What?"
"What is Qi Budang thinking about?" Huang Zicheng asked casually.
Qi Tai murmured, "I didn't expect things to really turn out like this... Maybe our method is a bit insecure, or something is not very thorough, or there is a slight mistake in the timing..."
Huang Zicheng made a scolding sound from the tip of his tongue and said, "King Yan has been ambitious and full of resentment for a long time. He wants to rebel. Can you and I stop him? Qi Budang, don't think about the past anymore. Now the whole world is To attack a corner, it’s business to think of a good general to counter the rebellion.”
Fang Xiaoru, who was walking behind, said, "As a subject, being disloyal to the monarch is a crime that deserves to be punished by heaven and earth!"
Soon they entered the imperial gate and saw the emperor sitting on the throne in the candlelight, waiting. He did not move, as if he had been sitting there all along.
After several people bowed, Zhu Yunwen, who was in charge, asked directly, "Who will be the commander?"
Huang Zicheng turned to look at the Minister of War Qi Tai. Qi Tai showed no intention of saying anything, so Huang Zicheng stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I recommend Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao."
Zhu Yunwen did not answer.
At this time, Qi Tai finally spoke, "Changxing Marquis Geng Bingwen."
The Imperial Gate, which could have accommodated civil and military officials, was empty with only a few people inside. With only a few people talking at this moment, it suddenly became very lonely.
Zhu Yunwen's voice asked, "Marquis Changxing is over sixty years old. Can he still lead troops? There are thousands of civil and military officials in the court. Is there no one left to use?"
Qi Tai bowed hurriedly and said, "Of course there are a lot of people. In the court, I can easily count dozens or even hundreds of people with military talent. However, Marquis Changxing has a reputation, so it is easier for him to command the troops."
Qi Tai paused for a moment and continued, "Your Majesty, I have read the reports from various places in Beiping and other places and found that the Yan rebels occupied many cities without firing a single arrow, and many surrendered. It is only because the Yan rebels are descendants of Taizu that the officials are wavering and have no intention of fighting.
At this time, the imperial court was in charge of the whole country, commanding millions of troops; while the Yan rebels were only in Beiping, with tens of thousands of people under their control. The imperial court army only needed to attack head-on, relying on its power that was dozens of times greater than theirs, and with the momentum of overwhelming pressure from a mountain, they could pacify the rebels... As long as the imperial court army did not surrender, it would be a battle that they would surely win! "
Several people around nodded, agreeing with Qi Tai's judgment.
Seeing this, Qi Tai said, "Therefore, the general who suppresses the rebellion does not need to be a genius, but only needs to be loyal to His Majesty. A loyal general is the most important person at this time.
The eldest son of Marquis Changxing married the emperor's sister, Princess Jiangdu, and is a relative of the emperor. Now the rebels of Yan are rebelling against the emperor, and the two sides are at war. As Marquis Changxing, he must be loyal to the emperor and has no reason to join the rebels of Yan. "
At this time, Huang Zicheng also said, "I second the motion."
After listening to the two's arguments, Zhu Yunwen quickly agreed, "Good!"
Zhu Yunwen asked Wu Zhong again, "Has the Marquis of Changxing come to court?"
Eunuch Wu Zhong said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Changxing arrived early this morning and is now outside the Xihua Gate, waiting for the gate to open."
It was still dark, and it was not yet time for the court session, but Zhu Yunwen and his ministers had been discussing matters for a long time. Zhu Yunwen said, "Send the Marquis of Changxing to see the emperor first."
"I obey your command."
After waiting for a while, I saw a burly old man striding to the outside of the imperial gate with his head held high. His hair and beard were almost completely white under his black official hat. He had a square face and walked steadily and steady.
If the person coming is not Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, then who is he?
Geng Bingwen strode into the imperial gate, pretending to kneel down, and said in full force, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Majesty!"
"Old General, no need to kneel." Zhu Yunwen's voice said.
Geng Bingwen calmed down easily, clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
At this time, Qi Tai's voice asked, "Lian Po is old, can he still eat?"
Geng Bingwen raised his long white eyebrows, "Minister Qi is not convinced? How about we go outside the Imperial Gate and practice now?"
Qi Tai was not angry either, he waved his hand and said with a smile, "I admit defeat! How can I, a mere civilian, fight with an old general?"
"Hmph!" Geng Bingwen uttered a sound.
Zhu Yunwen's voice said, "Don't misunderstand, old general. It was Minister Qi who recommended you to lead the army to suppress the rebellion. At first, I was worried about the old general's age, but now it seems that he is still strong and healthy."
"Northern Expedition to King Yan?" Geng Bingwen said, then paused for a moment, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
"Please speak, old general." Zhu Yunwen said.
Geng Bingwen said, "This old minister's body is still useful in battle. But I know myself well. I followed my grandfather in many battles, big and small. I dare not boast about myself, and most of my achievements were mediocre... What I am most proud of in my life is that I defended Chang'an Prefecture with a few thousand troops and resisted the siege of more than 100,000 troops for more than a month!
Therefore, I think I am good at defense but not good at attack. Now the King of Yan is plotting a rebellion, and Your Majesty wants to mobilize troops to attack, but I am not a good choice.”
Qi Tai hurriedly said, "General, please do not refuse and fail His Majesty's high expectations. In this battle, General, you only need to use ordinary troops and you will surely defeat the Yan rebels."
Geng Bingwen shook his head and clasped his fists to his superior, saying, "It has been more than thirty years since our great grandfather established the foundation. Although only one out of ten of the old generals are still alive, there are billions of people in the Ming Dynasty, and every generation has its own talents, such as Sheng Yong. I would like to recommend someone."
The superior asked, "Sheng Yong? What is his official position?"
Qi Tai replied, "Your Majesty, I am promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief."
Geng Bingwen said hurriedly, "Although Sheng Yong is not in a high position, he can discern the situation clearly, is calm and steady, is not greedy for merit and is not impulsive. He is indeed a great general!"
The superior said, "I am afraid I cannot command the generals."
Qi Tai also advised , "Old General, don't refuse!"
Geng Bingwen was stunned for a moment, then he could only clasp his fists and say, "I obey your orders!"
Soon, the sky gradually brightened. The gates of the imperial city were opened, and all the civil and military officials entered from the east and west gates to pay homage to the emperor.
Fang Xiaoru was the first to step out and scold the Prince of Yan and other rebels. He also criticized the Prince of Yan's proclamation point by point, citing classics and Taizu's words, and scolded the Prince of Yan. From the perspective of legal principles and morality, the Prince of Yan was nailed to the pillar of shame for being disloyal, morally corrupt, ambitious, and doing evil!
Thus, the Ming Dynasty central government regained the righteousness of light, and the government army once again became the army of justice.
With the righteous cause, the emperor appointed Geng Bingwen as the "General of the Yan Campaign", specially appointed Sheng Yong and other generals to follow him, and immediately mobilized the army. He chose a day to swear an oath, and marched north with the righteous official army to quell the rebellion!
Geng Bingwen hurriedly said goodbye to his family, prepared everything including the Ministry of War documents, the commander-in-chief's seal, the king's decree, the imperial edict, etc., and prepared to leave Beijing.
Before going to the battle, the deputy general and the lieutenant generals such as Sheng Yong came to Geng Bingwen's house to pay their respects and to cooperate on the battlefield. Along with the generals, there was also the unrelated Xu Huizu.
When Geng Bingwen saw Xu Huizu, he was confused and didn't know what he meant. Geng Bingwen knew what he was thinking. He had thought about recommending Xu Huizu in front of the emperor, because his status and prestige were much higher than Sheng Yong's. But thinking that his sister was the wife of the Prince of Yan, Geng Bingwen quickly gave up to avoid making trouble.
At the mansion, Geng Bingwen greeted everyone and retreated to the back yard, where he met with Xu Huizu and Sheng Yong again. After all, Xu Huizu was a duke, and Geng Bingwen could not take advantage of his seniority and look down on him.
Sheng Yong watched from the sidelines, watching Geng Bingwen and Xu Huizu push each other around. After a while, Geng Bingwen was finally pushed to the top seat. Although Xu Huizu was a duke, Geng Bingwen was a veteran of Xu Da's group after all.Xu Huizu then sat down with Sheng Yong, and they clasped their fists and said, "May the old general win the battle and wipe out the Yan rebels in one fell swoop!"Geng Bingwen responded, "I wish to encourage you all."After saying this, Geng Bingwen first looked at Xu Huizu and said, "Before I leave, do you have anything to say to me?"If Xu Huizu has nothing to say, why did he come today?As expected, Xu Huizu hesitated for a moment and said, "I am just showing off my skills in front of an expert. I will say a few unnecessary words. Perhaps the old general already knows it.""You can speak freely," Geng Bingwen said, "what good ideas do you have? I would like to hear your advice."Xu Huizu s
In the inner hall of the prince's mansion, the prince's consort Zhang came in holding her one-year-old son Zhu Zhanji. As soon as she came in, she said, "Father has returned to Beiping. You and your son have been separated for nearly a month. Why are you still sitting here? Why don't you go to your father's mansion to greet him and discuss important matters?"Ms. Zhang has a pair of bright single-lidded eyes, a mouth as small as a cherry, and she is young and has good skin, which is a bit pleasant. When she entered the room, she sat down on the imperial chair next to the prince, let her son sit on her lap, and took a rest to hug her limp arms.But the prince sat there and sighed, with a depressed and hopeless expression on his face, and did not answer her words."What's wrong with the prince?" Madam Zhang asked again.The prince sighed again, and just as he was about to speak, he saw his son Zhu Zhanji climbing up the table and reaching for the sword t
Perhaps it was because she was given a surname in front of the King of Yan and the Princess, and because she was given a surname by a great favor, that Xu Miaojin's attitude today became more approachable. The younger generation presented her with greetings, and she returned the greetings one by one.When Xu Miaojin looked at Zhu Gaoxu, her eyes wandered and stayed on his face for a long time. The pair of unadorned almond eyes, with upturned corners, were charming in their own way. When she looked at him like this, Zhu Gaoxu's heart was suddenly in a mess.Could it be that he was too frustrated in his previous life and had never seen a truly beautiful woman? Just a glance made Zhu Gaoxu's blood boil and he had wild thoughts. He felt as if he was illuminated by some light and favored by something. His chest was throbbing, as if he had suddenly become 20 years younger and returned to his youthful age... But thinking back, Zhu Gaoxu was really only in his teens.
The Emperor Fengtian Chengyun issued an edict: Change the Beiping Provincial Administration Office to Zhending, and appoint the Minister of Punishment Bao Zhao to be in charge of the office. Appoint Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, as the general to conquer Yan, and gather 300,000 troops. Send an order to all prefectures and counties in Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi to jointly provide military pay.On the vast plains on the north bank of the Yellow River, troops from all groups moved slowly to the north like ants, and the rising dust lingered over the road like smoke.Geng Bingwen actually had only 130,000 troops, but it was still a large-scale march. The road was filled with people and horses, but there was no congestion. People pushing wheelbarrows, driving mule and donkey carts, infantry, and various artillery vehicles walked in the middle, and cavalry passed quickly on both sides. The torrents of varying speeds were well-arranged.The southern infantrym
After the troops at Deshengmen had gathered, Zhu Gaoxu ordered his generals to march. They crossed Beiping from the main road, joined forces with the main force of the Prince of Yan, and went out of the Zhengnan Gate. Tens of thousands of troops left the city one after another, marching in three groups: the front, the middle, and the rear.However, the army only walked more than 20 miles a day and then set up camp on the spot.Zhu Gaoxu rested for a while in the big tent of the Left Guard Camp. He was still a little confused... But it was his first day in the army and he did a pretty good job. At least he tried his best and there were no unpleasant experiences with the generals.He sat there alone, and then he recalled again and again how King Gaoyang fought the war.Even though Zhu Gaoxu was very serious and had done his homework before leaving, he still felt a little insecure. Fortunately, he was just a general under the King of Yan and did not have
Zhu Gaoxu led his troops to the east and saw that Zhu Neng's troops had broken through the fences in many places, and a large number of infantry were bravely rushing forward. Many people jumped into the trenches and climbed up; some people threw overturned wooden stakes and dead bodies into the trenches and were using shovels to fill the soil.The sound of killing and the roar of gunfire were deafening. Zhu Gaoxu rode his horse and watched. When he looked around again, the captain and deputy captain of the left guard army he led had all disappeared. Only Wang Bin and Wei Da were left following him.The roar of the artillery and the bonfires made the scene flicker, and the sight was not clear at ten steps away in the moonlight. There were only soldiers and horses surging, swords and knives flashing, and Zhu Gaoxu had no idea where his men were.But Zhu Neng's friendly troops had already entered, and Zhu Gaoxu didn't want to trick him, so he raised his bow and
Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Neng left a part of their troops to clean up the battlefield, and did not care about Xiongxian County. They immediately gathered their troops and headed south along the main road, and were ordered to join forces with the main force of the Prince of Yan to attack the government reinforcements.The troops took the post roads, lit pine torches, and marched in columns. Zhu Gaoxu was surrounded by his own troops, both in front and behind.Halfway through the journey, Wei Da rode his horse to catch up with Zhu Gaoxu, and then turned to look at him. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu asked, "What do you want to say, Captain Wei?"Wei Da said in a deep voice, "Just after the battle in Xiong County, Captain Zhang Wu spoke ill of the prince in public...""Oh?" Zhu Gaoxu immediately looked sideways. He remembered that when he took over the army in Peking, didn't he feel that the generals were quite supportive of him?Wei Da continued, "Captain Zhang s
On August 16, Zhu Gaoxu followed the Prince of Yan and led his army to Ouzhou. Ouzhou was empty and the officials opened the gates to surrender, so most of the Yan army was stationed inside and outside Ouzhou.The Prince of Yan held court in the lobby of the provincial government office and ordered all the generals to settle down their camps and then go to the lobby to discuss matters.Zhu Gaoxu's left guards enclosed a piece of land in front of the palace and set up camp. Wang Bin and others chose a house, and more than 200 soldiers and horses accompanied Zhu Gaoxu to live in it. When Zhu Gaoxu came in, the yard was full of people and horses. He didn't know where the original owner of the house was. He must have been driven away by the soldiers.He asked Wang Bin about the Southern Army general he had captured last night. Soon, Wang Bin brought the man into the inverted room."Kill me if you want!" The man with his hands tied behind his back came in and grun
The sky gradually darkened and the lights came on. Gao Xu held Miao Jin's hand and followed the crowd into the concert hall.People were all dressed up, especially women, who were all dressed up. Some wore traditional clothes such as ruqun or aoqun, while others were dressed in modern fashion. Each figure seemed to be wandering between the classical and the modern.Among them there are many foreigners, probably all of whom came to Taicang to attend international conferences.In terms of fun, people might prefer to watch a movie rather than enjoy such pure music. However, there were still many listeners tonight, and the auditorium gradually filled up.Perhaps some of them value the rarity of concerts and do not attend them often, while others simply value their style.Gao Xu's main happiness comes from Miao Jin's company. Imagine if he came alone or with someone unrelated, his feelings would be much worse. He is willing to be with Miao Jin and exp
There were long commercials playing on TV, but no one changed the channel.Miao Jin was doing chores and preparing ingredients for lunch. Gao Xu began to check his various instruments, which were all measuring tools he had collected a while ago.There is a ray detector, which, according to the manual, can detect radiation, including ultraviolet light, laser and other electromagnetic waves. There is a torsion balance experimental device, which can measure the gravitational constant. And an air measuring instrument.There were also some uncommon small devices. In short, except for the large instruments that were difficult to carry, he tried his best to buy all the instruments that could test general constants.Miao Jin would occasionally look over here curiously, but before she asked, she might have guessed what Gao Xu was going to do.Gao Xu would tell her clearly as long as she asked. Because when he was going to look for the cave in Huangshan, h
Gao Xu usually doesn't like watching TV. But today, when Miao Jin was watching TV in the living room, he was gradually attracted by the TV program, so he stopped what he was doing and sat next to Miao Jin.There was a studio on the TV screen, with two hosts, a man and a woman, talking about the animation "Zootopia" like a crosstalk. It was neither news nor entertainment, but a show that mocked reality.Miao Jin saw Gao Xu sitting over and said, "This TV station should be more inclined to the left-wing viewpoint."Gao Xu asked, "Why haven't I heard of the distinction between left and right wings?"Miao Jin said, "It is originally an imported product. That is how foreigners describe Ming Dynasty politics. There is no clear distinction between left and right in China. So we generally don't use such words. It is normal that we don't hear them normally."She glanced at Gao Xu and continued, "This classification first appeared in the parliament during
Gao Xu's drama project has less than half the investment of the animation project, with a total investment of about 40 million yen for 15 episodes; the profit expectations are also completely incomparable to those of animated films. As Wang Siqi and most people believe, the fastest way to make money is still the movie box office.But Gao Xu has invested more energy in costume dramas.The crew built a filming site in the Western Regions. From 509 to the first half of 510, a production period of less than a year, Gao Xu flew twice to personally observe the filming site. His subordinate Sun Jing also stayed in the Western Regions for a long time, passing various information back to Taicang.A large media company in Taicang has signed an exclusive premiere agreement with Dream Incubation Studio.The terms are a bit complicated, but the key is to adopt a cooperation model with floating copyright fees. When the series is almost finished, a pay TV station und
The glass window on the outer wall is located in the east direction, so the sunlight cannot enter the studio in the afternoon. Therefore, Gao Xu often has a slight illusion that it seems to be later than the actual time.At this moment, the phone in his coat pocket rang. Gao Xu's phone rarely received calls because he had set the Do Not Disturb function, so no calls could be received from numbers that were not saved. He took it out and saw that it was a person who he did not contact often but had saved the number a long time ago, Sun Jing.Gao Xu stood up from his desk, walked to the corner by the glass window, glanced at Wang Cheng not far away, and answered the phone.Sun Jing's voice asked, "Are you still busy with work?"Gao Xu said, "Yes, I am working on two projects at the same time, so I am a little busy. How is Mr. Sun doing recently?"Sun Jing, "Very boring. I don't have to go to work, but I've been idle for so long that I feel like I'm
This was the second time Gao Xu and Xiao Yu had a meal together. Last time they were at the company cafeteria, and today they were at a roadside fast food restaurant.After finishing work at the agency, Gao Xu drove off the main road and found a parking space. Then he randomly found a restaurant where he could eat and walked in with Xiao Yu.It was very lively inside, with all kinds of customers, including well-dressed office workers and some homely citizens, men, women, young and old, making a big noise in the room, mixed with the loud shouts of the shop assistants passing on information. Although the air conditioner was on, the shop was open and there were many people, so it was still very hot inside.There were several dishes to choose from, all of which were simple and convenient. Gao Xu and Xiao Yu gave up on the braised pork intestines with radish, and roast duck was too greasy, so they chose roast chicken.The roasted chicken skin was cut into p
After many twists and turns, Gao Xu finally contacted the director named Ma Xuan.Ma Xuan has an account on the Internet where he posts some career news. Gao Xu's assistant Yu Ni left messages and sent messages, but it took several days for her to get a response. Gao Xu came to the hall and looked through the information records on Yu Ni's computer."He doesn't seem very proactive." Yu Ni said.Gao Xu said , "You claim to be the assistant of the investor of "Dream Seekers", but he may not believe you. If our studio also has such a certified account, it may save some trouble."At this time, Shidai Heng walked by and greeted him, "Mr. Liu."Gao Xu nodded and said, "We are trying to contact Ma Xuan, the director you recommended."Dai Heng came over and said, "He should have received a lot of similar messages. And there is indeed some false information on the Internet. For the purpose of advertising, people may lie about their identities, which
The people who work here, including Dai Heng who has only been here a few days, seem to have gotten used to the environment.The studio was in good condition. The morning sun shone in through the French windows, and the room was clean and tidy. In addition to the solid wood desk and bookshelf, and a full range of domestic electrical appliances (Made in China products are more expensive), there were also comfortable leather chairs.Gao Xu was in Xiao Deng's office at the moment, sitting on one of the leather chairs, holding a tablet and reading the text he had just copied from Xiao Deng's computer. Of course, he couldn't help but listen to the sound of her keyboard at the same time.He put down the tablet, picked up the cup next to him, and found it was empty. So he stood up and walked to the water dispenser, filled up half a cup of hot water, then took a tea bag and put it in the cup to soak for more than ten seconds, then took it out and put it next to him.
The next screenwriter who came to the studio for an interview was named Dai Heng, who should be a relatively unknown person.Gao Xu looked out from the glass wall and when he saw Dai Heng, he immediately guessed that this person was probably not married yet. Dai Heng was wearing a brand new suit, a white shirt with a small cross collar, and a pair of casual leather shoes that didn't match. The most unpleasant thing about Dai Heng was his long hair, but unlike the image of Ekin Cheng, Gao Xu felt at first glance that Dai Heng was not suitable for that hairstyle. Some hairstyles look good, but they are picky about the face.But these are not problems. Now that the people have arrived, Gao Xu needs to get to know them a little bit.Gao Xu pressed the phone on the desk, "Xiao Yu, ask him to come to the office to meet.""Okay." Xiao Yu said into the phone outside, his voice coming from the desk inside.Dai Heng came in from the door with a bag on his