Emperor Ming Dynasty

The wind of early summer was blowing in the city of Beijing, and millions of people cheered for a crackdown on crime.

Tens of thousands of people were exiled overseas, either in the northeast or northwest. It can be said that cries were everywhere, and the sad wind of farewell lingered in the air for a long time.

Who doesn’t have a few relatives?
In the Duke's Mansion of Jin Kingdom, his eldest son Li Puxing was worried.

In the 300th year of the Ming Dynasty, the heirs of the Dukes of the state did not have the title of heir apparent. The only exception was that in the early Ming Dynasty, Tang He, the Duke of Xin, and his second son Tang Xian, one was Xu Huizu, the son of Duke Xu Da of Wei, which shows that Tang He and Xu Da had a close relationship in his heart. Heavy.

In accordance with the usual practice, Li Puxing only granted the title of Xunwei, with a salary of dozens of dan per year, just so that he could often appear in front of the emperor.

He came in a hurry and saw his father waving a big knife on the school field. For a while, he could only stay aside, not daring to disturb him.

Li Dingguo, who is in his forties this year, is still wielding a big sword with great power and a fierce look on his face, like a tiger descending from the mountain.

After more than thirty years on the battlefield, he still maintained his military demeanor.

"What's wrong?" Li Dingguo put down the knife, and the servant on the side handed him a towel and tea, and he relaxed.

"Dad, several people came to ask for mercy." Li Puxing whispered: "Who doesn't have a few relatives..."

"Nonsense!" Li Dingguo frowned: "Our family was almost implicated, how could we dare to intercede with them?"

"That's all. Some of my old subordinates, to tell the truth, said that my family cannot protect itself!"

"Yes!" Li Puxing nodded.

After a while, Li Puxing returned: "I just talked to them for a long time!"

"That's good!" Li Dingguo said casually: "My status is different, and now I am in the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion. You have to move around those old departments frequently."

“If the relationship is not maintained, it will loosen.”

"Dad!" Li Puxing hesitated for a long time before saying: "Now both the government and the public say that Your Majesty will follow the old example of Hongwu..."

"After all, this time I saved dozens of noble families!"

"Bullshit!" Li Dingguo angrily yelled, "Don't look at what's going on with Grandfather Taizu. He only became emperor in his 40s, so he is naturally old."

"You are only in your forties now, and you can survive for at least another 20 years. How many of you nobles can survive this?"

These words actually told the truth.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Guangwu of the Han Dynasty were both in their prime when they ascended the throne. They were not oppressed by powerful ministers and could watch the storm with a smile.

"But, your majesty has the same prestige as Taizu." Li Puxing muttered: "It's not enough to tie the ten great princes together, so why not just let them be slaughtered?"

Li Dingguo choked for it.

In addition to age, the most outstanding feature of monarchs who have always slaughtered heroes is that they have great power and are capable and measured in controlling the situation.

Just like Ming Taizu, although the nobles controlled the army, in fact the middle and lower-level officers were basically hereditary, bribed by the emperor, and then assigned to be stationed across the country, forming military households.

This is also the basis for his ability to launch the four major Hongwu cases.

Military power is as stable as Mount Tai.

For example, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, both known as Qi Long and Yu Hu, were both from Fengyang Prefecture in the Huaihai area.

With millions of military households in hand, why worry about rebellion?

Guangwu of the Han Dynasty was a powerful man who could not even conquer the land. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the Guanlong nobles had five surnames and seven hopes. How could they kill aristocratic families?

Now Emperor Shaowu came from a humble background and was very powerful. He divided the army into the capital camp, the frontier army, and the patrol camp. The Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army looked majestic, but the management of the patrol camp was still restricted by local civil servants.

"Pa—" Li Dingguo became angry because he was afraid of hitting his son on the shoulder: "What nonsense are you talking about."

"Your Majesty is so benevolent that you can't act recklessly."

"These people are suddenly rich and greedy. They are just asking for trouble. If Your Majesty really wants to do that, how can you scare the snake?"

Hearing his father's comfort, Li Puxing breathed a sigh of relief: "I hope it's just to clean up corrupt officials and not to implicate us."

"Keep your hands and feet clean!" Li Dingguo finally said something else: "I don't want to beg His Majesty for mercy!"

But for Li Laiheng, who had just entered Beijing, he seemed to be shocked.

He was afraid that this was the emperor settling the scores, and this stubborn warrior inevitably became frightened.

He took the initiative to go to Duke Jing to pay a visit to Gao Yigong.

In the huge capital, only the first grade of high school could give him safety.

"Laiheng!" Gao Yigong sat upright and said with a smile: "I know your reason for coming, but don't worry, the court is in peace, but your Majesty can't be idle anymore."

As one of the ten great princes, Gao Yigong had a close relationship with the emperor, so he naturally knew it: "Your Majesty patrols privately in secret, and occasionally sees injustice in the capital, so he naturally becomes angry."

"After all, you are at the feet of the emperor, so it is extraordinary! Don't be too nervous, just stay calm and behave yourself."

This relief made Li Laiheng feel a lot more comfortable.

"Uncle, with your words, I feel relieved!" Li Laiheng smiled.

He has a two-level relationship with Gao Yigong.

As Li Guo's adopted son, his relationship with Gao Yigong, Li Zicheng's brother-in-law, is naturally a grandson relationship; Li Guo and Gao Yigong have a very good relationship, like brothers, which is also an uncle-nephew relationship.

Under today's circumstances, the uncle-nephew relationship is naturally the most appropriate.

If it weren't for Li Zicheng, it would be normal for him to call him uncle, even if he was seven or eight years older.

The two chatted about the news in the capital, and Li Laiheng finally calmed down. He smiled and said: "Master Gao goes to the southwest to follow the prince. His future is really bright!"

"I would rather he stay in the capital!"

Gao Yigong sighed and said: "I went to the southwest less than half a year after getting married. So what if I have made great achievements? My position as the Duke of the country still belongs to him!"

"It's better to have a peaceful life. What I want most right now is to have a grandson!"

Li Laiheng felt relieved about this.

Two generations of emperors have been favored, and the overwhelming wealth of Duke Jing's mansion is bound to be unstoppable.

Here, brothers Zhu Li and Zhu Fan took several mothers and brothers and sisters to the capital.

This took a lot of effort on their part to persuade.

"Mom, this capital is much more lively than Yuquan Mountain." Zhu Fan said with a smile, and helped Bian Yujing to the four-entry courtyard.

Afterwards, Li Xiangjun and Kou Baimen also got off the carriage surrounded by their children.

The three daughters together gave birth to seven children for the emperor, but the two brothers Zhu Fan and Zhu Yue were the most outstanding. They participated in the palace examination last year and won the second-level Jinshi.

With two Jinshi in one discipline, the Yuquan Zhu family's reputation immediately became a sensation. Even among the imperial merchants, they were extremely outstanding.

"Why did you buy such a big place?" Bian Yujing didn't smile much on his face. Instead, he blamed: "For our family, the three courtyards are considered big."

"If you ask me, Yuquan Mountain is better!" Kou Baimen immediately agreed: "Spend the winter in the capital and go to Yuquan Mountain to escape the summer heat."

Li Xiangjun smiled but said nothing.

She knew what they were thinking.

In the melon fields and plum trees in Beijing, there are so many people and it’s extremely inconvenient to date the emperor, but Yuquan Mountain is much better.

"Yes!" Zhu Fan could only smile bitterly: "When summer comes, my son will send you back to Yuquan Mountain."

"Auntie, we just want to fulfill our filial piety!" Zhu Li helped sing.

Unlike the mothers, the remaining brothers and sisters were wandering around happily.

No matter how good Yuquan Mountain is, you will get tired of it after staying there for more than ten years. The capital city is bustling and lively, and is most popular among young people.

"Yue'er, take some of your younger siblings out for a walk!"

When Bian Yujing saw these energetic guys, he didn't know what they were thinking: "Don't cause trouble."

Zhu Li smiled bitterly and left the house with his five younger brothers and sisters.There are too many places to visit in the capital, but not many are suitable for them. It is impossible to go to the theater or watch horse racing, right?

"Have it!"

The carriage moved slowly, and he opened a corner of the curtain and saw a chess hall.

"go!"

"No, brother, I want to watch a cricket fight!" Zhu Chu, the third child, couldn't help complaining.

At the age of 17, he was full of energy, which he had been holding back in private school for a long time, which made him want to be wild.

"Pah!" Zhu Yue decisively gave him a chestnut: "Playing with things makes you lose your ambition. It's been a few years since you took the exam and you haven't won the scholarship yet. Do you still have the time to play?"

This trick was really good at killing chickens to scare monkeys, and the remaining people immediately settled down. They were all ladies and gentlemen, so elegant.

Entering the chess hall, it was indeed extremely quiet. Only the sound of chess pieces could be heard, surrounded by sandalwood, which made people feel relaxed and happy, and their hearts calmed down unconsciously.

The rise of Go, like fishing, was initiated by the emperor.

Compared with the comfort of fishing, the competitiveness and elegance of Go are more favored by everyone. Literati regard playing chess as a battle on the chessboard to express their ambition to control the country.

Not to mention other places, there are literati and elegant people everywhere in the capital, creating an environment for the chess hall.

Of course, playing chess must be rewarding, which is why everyone flocks to it.

Making money while playing is both elegant and profitable, so why shouldn't it be popular?

Walking forward, I found a chessboard for my younger brothers and sisters who were eager to try, and let them play against each other.

He came to a lively place.

I saw a young man sitting upright, holding a black piece in his hand, and opposite him was a man in his thirties holding a white piece.

The two of them fought with gusto, causing everyone to wander.

Of course, what surprised everyone the most was that the young man gained an advantage with just one move, greatly increasing his chances of winning.

Zhu Yue looked at this young man. His young and serious appearance made people couldn't help but admire him.

In just a moment, the boy won a big victory and won a round of applause.

"it is good!"

"It's a really good one!"

Young people are neither arrogant nor impetuous.

"Young man, you played chess well." Zhu Li nodded with a smile: "Which teacher did you worship?"

“I used to learn from a beggar, but now I can only play chess by reading the records!”

Jiang Liuer was stunned and said slowly.

"My chess skills are very good!" Zhu Li nodded: "I have to further my studies, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste of talent?"

"Don't play chess often. Once the pieces are stuck to the chess, it will make people upset later."

Jiang Liuer lowered his head in shame.

Although the grievance was settled because of the complaint, the family property had been confiscated long ago, so how could it be returned.

He just took a few worthless tokens and returned home, still poor.

Zhu Li looked at the young man's slightly shabby appearance and couldn't help but sigh: "I miss you for your talent, that's all."

As he said that, he asked someone for pen and paper and wrote: "Jin Weiyuan is known as the Five Heroes of the Capital City, the leader of the "Xi Jin Sect", he is good at slaying dragons and has excellent chess skills."

"I once learned chess from him for a few days, so you can become his disciple!"

A letter appeared in front of Jiang Liu'er, and he couldn't believe it.

Jin Weiyuan's name is very famous in the chess world.

After thanking him again and again, Jiang Liuer couldn't wait to leave the chess hall.

As soon as they went out, a father and daughter got out of the carriage and witnessed the angry young man leaving.

"Dad, he's not dead!" Fang Baihua said in surprise, "I didn't expect that he could still survive after informing the prince!"

Fang Sheng was also stunned. Looking at the boy's running steps, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Sure enough, a hero comes from a boy, and he still has some abilities."

"He can also play chess!" Fang Baihua couldn't help but said, "I don't know how he compares to me!"

Fang Sheng shook his head and took his daughter into the chess hall.

The turmoil in the capital was not important to Gao He.

At this time, he was on the plateau, marching with his troops.

While riding on the horse, he felt that his breathing was a little short.

Even though he had been familiar with Xikang for many months, the environment in Lhasa still made him uncomfortable.

This kind of altitude sickness made him miserable.

Sometimes when he fell asleep at night, he was afraid that he would be suffocated to death.

But there is nothing he can do. As the commander of the camp, he must follow the prince and pay allegiance on behalf of his family and himself.

He was wearing a plateau Zang robe, which was cumbersome and needed to keep warm, and his face had a ring of plateau red.

"Head!" At this time, the scout ran over and said: "The rebels have gathered in the manor and seem to be ready!"

"Oh?" Gao He couldn't help but said, "Are you really so audacious? Do you think that I can't do anything to them if they just cower?"

"Hmph, I'm going to show them the power of the Shaowu Cannon today!"

After being ordered to come to exterminate the rebellious party, Gao He naturally did not fight an unprepared battle.

There has been no war on the plateau for many years. In addition, a large number of serfs are not well fed and clothed, and their productivity is low. Even the slaves of the nobles cannot make an iron weapon.

Facing the experienced and well-equipped Ming army, it naturally suffered repeated defeats.

Especially in field battles, there is almost no victory.

Naturally, those nobles gained experience and only dared to huddle in the manor and fight defensive battles.

At first, they succeeded, and they could only use the human sea tactic to encircle them.

However, the artillery shipped from Sichuan and Xikang greatly increased everyone's confidence, and they repeatedly defeated the shrinking rebels.

The Shaowu-type artillery is a light artillery developed in Shaowu in 11 years. It weighs only [-] kilograms and was designed for the northwest war and the grassland war.

Compared with the red artillery weighing several kilograms, it is less difficult to transport and more powerful than the French cannon.

If it were a fortified city like Beijing, it would naturally be helpless, but a manor on a plateau like this was simply a matter of control.

"The stone castle looks amazing, but it is just piled and pieced together, not as good as rammed earth!"

Facing the urgent expansion of the manor that is three feet high, Gao He can be said to have rich experience.

He immediately asked people to carry out the artillery and directly aimed at the newly built place to bombard it.

It's just the front.

Then people went around to eliminate loopholes in the wall.

How can a manor that has been built for hundreds of years be foolproof? There must be many dog ​​holes or cave-ins.

This is the key point.

(End of this chapter)