First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Good guy, since when did Lao Zhu become so generous, he is really willing to spare!

This gold medal probably weighs more than ten kilograms!

They really guessed right, Lao Zhu removed a golden dragon leg from Chen Youliang's dragon bed, and melted this huge gold medal for commanding the army.

On the gold medal, there is only one large character: Ling!

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "Zhao Gou recalled Marshal Yue with twelve gold medals, framed Zhongliang, and caused the Northern Expedition to fall short. He is a sinner through the ages. Today, our generation of monarchs and ministers are united in the Northern Expedition to restore the mountains and rivers of China. Let me give you the gold medal first, and make decisions at the moment." , as if I were here in person. Military affairs, big or small, are all in your hands!"

"Feng Guoyong, step forward and receive the gold medal!"

Feng Guoyong trembled all over, he never expected that there was such a skill!

Any general should understand the truth that leading an expedition and internal and external troubles come at the same time.

Not only do you have to concentrate on dealing with the enemies in front of you, but you also need to be distracted behind you.

Sometimes, the enemy behind you is ten thousand times more hateful than the one in front of you.

For example, Wan Yan Gou's contribution to the Great Jin Dynasty is better than a hundred Jin Wushu.

Therefore, for such a major event as leading the Northern Expedition, the rear has unconditional trust and bold authorization, which has unparalleled significance. It can even be said that the success or failure of the army depends on this matter.

Although everyone knew that Lao Zhu was not a bastard like Wanyan Gou, but he was able to achieve this step, which was beyond expectations.

Feng Guoyong stepped forward, knelt down on both knees, and raised his hands above his head, "I, I thank you for your grace, and I respectfully receive the gold medal!"

Zhu Yuanzhang reached out to grab the gold medal, solemnly handed it over to Feng Guoyong, and said with a smile: "It's good to lead the army, be careful."

"I understand that the kindness of the superior is like heaven, and the only thing I can do is to repay it with death!"

Old Zhu asked Feng Guo to use it, and then said: "You don't doubt the employing person, and don't use the suspecting person. We will not let you down, and please wait so that you will not let the Chinese ancestors down!"

As soon as these words came out, the other five generals knelt down and saluted together.

"Please rest assured, the ministers must serve the country loyally and never regret it!"

When everyone stood up and looked at the rest of the people, except for Zhang Ximeng, who was not salivating, wishing to get the gold medal, and it was such an honor to be the one who led the attack!

Zhang Ximeng also sighed, and he said softly: "I'm thinking about one thing, if Marshal Yue had had such a favorable time, place and people back then, why would he worry about the Jin Kingdom not being destroyed and the Central Plains never being restored!"

In a word, the generals fell into shock again, and everyone couldn't help thinking.

How high a famous player can achieve is not just a matter of his own ability, or even ability is secondary, he needs to be born at the right time and get enough help.

Yue Fei's comprehensive ability is also top-notch in thousands of years.

Under such a difficult situation, they trained a strong army and regained a large area of ​​land. All the generals present asked themselves, who can be much stronger than Yue Fei?

But what will happen to Yue Fei? His ambitions have not been rewarded, and the Central Plains has not been restored... In comparison, the opportunities for Feng Guoyong and others are really good.

"The hero of the upper world, the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty... to drive troops to the north and restore the Central Plains is a major event that responds to the people. I, the Ming Dynasty, are the weather of the holy dynasty, and I am full of vigor. How can I be compared to the general subjugated people like Zhao Song!" Feng Guoyong said proudly: "Marshal Yue was unfortunately born in the Zhao and Song Dynasties. We are fortunate to serve the Ming Dynasty. Everyone should imitate Marshal Yue's heart, serve the country loyally, and live up to this life!"

All the generals praised in unison, and their breath penetrated Changhong.

At this time Zhang Ximeng said again: "You generous men, do you know that there is another ancient man in this Yueyang Tower, you should not forget it."

This time it was Guo Xing who said with a smile: "What Zhang Xiang is talking about is Mr. Fan Wenzheng who worries about the world's worries first and enjoys the world's joys later?"

Zhang Ximeng nodded, "Indeed, these words lead to the second question raised by Governor General Feng just now. Yue Fei's Northern Expedition not only did not have strong support from the imperial court, but also went deep alone and scattered. It is not easy to recover the Central Plains. You guys I thought, why did you choose this time to march into Nanyang?"

Guo Xingdao: "Mr. Zhang, I think that Nanyang is empty now. Since the defeat of Nansuo Hongjin and Beisuo Hongjin, the main force of the Yuan court fought against Han and Song Dynasties, ignoring Nanyang and other places. If we wait for Kaifeng to be destroyed, Chahan Tiemu It will not be easy for Er's army to attack Nanyang when the army goes south. This is the best time."

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "This is one of them. What will happen after you occupy Nanyang?"

"It's time...to divide the fields evenly, win people's hearts, accumulate food and grass, and lay the foundation...to establish a firm foothold first, and then to make progress. Taking advantage of the fierce battle in the Central Plains, save a lot of food and grass."

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "I really understand! The imperial court is also governing Huguang, restoring people's livelihood, and vigorously emigrating... For a year or so, the food and salaries of Huguang and other places can be sent to Nanyang to support you to continue going north. In short, the lord has tried his best to fight for you. For the best conditions, it's up to the big guys!"

All the generals once again thanked in unison.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "We wanted to give wine and drink with you... But we ordered the prohibition of alcohol, even drinking fruit wine is inappropriate. There is only a bowl of clear tea. When we recover Dadu, we will make an order , Brew triumphant wine, and drink Yanshan with you!"

"Thank you, Holy Grace!"

"Recover the Central Plains, drink Yanshan."

"Recover the Central Plains, drink Yanshan!"

In the midst of shouts, drink tea, and march the army to the north!

The Northern Expedition is not uncommon. Liu Futong's three-way Northern Expedition was vigorous and vigorous, and he has been tossing for so many years, but compared with Daming's Northern Expedition, it is nothing.

Commander Feng Guoyong only has 5 troops, but these [-] are all capable veterans.Among them is a terrifying number, that is, the number of literate people in this army exceeds [-]%!

In other words, as many as 3 people are literate.

Not to mention comparing with other soldiers and horses, even among the Ming army, they are still outstanding.Chang Yuchun even called them scholar soldiers in private.

Not only are there many literate people, what's more, the trainers here are twice as many as other soldiers and horses!

These trainers include old people who followed Zhu Yuanzhang in Huaixi, scholars who crossed the river to join them, and even more than 200 elite Miao soldiers.

More importantly, many Mongolians were attached to them.

It is no exaggeration to say that this army of soldiers is countless fires. They can not only fight wars, but also govern the place, and they can also preach the ideas of the Ming army. , can win support and win the hearts of the people.

Chahan Timur, your grandpa Mingjun has arrived!

On the fifth day after the Yueyang Tower meeting, Feng Guo used his military uniform and carried the gold medal bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang to cross the Yangtze River from Wuchang to the north bank.

Immediately, all the armies were assembled, and they embarked on the road of the Northern Expedition.

First of all, with Fu Youde as the vanguard, he marched quickly to capture Suizhou, and then took Xiangyang directly.

Feng Guosheng led a partial division to attack Anlu, and also went north to Xiangyang.

In less than a month, the Northern Expedition Army conquered Xiangyang, made some adjustments, and sent troops again to recover Tangzhou and Dengzhou. The troops pointed at Nanyang!

The speed of this advance is really thrilling.

It took Yue Fei the first Northern Expedition to recover the land of the six states, and it took two or three months. At this time, the Ming army was even faster and more ferocious than the Yue family army.

This is not to say that these people are better than Yue Fei, after all, the support the two parties received is completely different.But then again, it is enough to be proud of having such a record.

And just as the Ming army was advancing triumphantly, a secret report from the Yuan court was delivered to Zhang Ximeng.

"My lord, Arwin is currently in Nanyang!"

"Alu Wen?" Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Could it be Chahan Timur's father?"

"Ok!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and nodded, talking about Chahan Timur is also interesting, he is also called Li Chahan, his son is Wang Baobao, and his daughter is... Zhao Min.

Well, there is a story about how this family got together!

"My lord, according to the secret report, Aluwen came to Nanyang to collect food. He has [-] soldiers and horses by his side. They are not very weak, but they may not be Feng Guoyong's opponent."

Old Zhu's heart skipped a beat, "So it's possible to capture Arwin? Is this news reliable?"

"Reliable, it was sent back by Zhou Huiniang. This eyeliner is a relative of the general next to Chahan Timur. There is absolutely no problem."

Old Zhu pondered for a while, with a smile on his face, "We sneak attack on Chahan Timur's father, which is not a heroic act, but today, we don't care about anything. The sir immediately sent the news to Feng Guoyong, so that Based on the situation, he judged that if he could succeed, he would take Arwin down. We want to see, if even the old man can't keep him, what kind of face does Chahan Timur have to lead the army!

4Chapter 17 A legacy for posterity

At the same time that Feng Guoyong and others sent troops to the north, Lao Zhu also arranged for the commander of the capital of Huguang Province. This person was Lao Zhu's nephew, Zhu Wenzheng.

Frankly speaking, this arrangement is a bit confusing. Zhu Wenzheng is young, capable of fighting, and is a relative of Lao Zhu. It was the time when he was released to make meritorious service, but he was put in the rear. Isn't this depressing!

But Lao Zhu just arranged it like this, Zhu Wenzheng didn't dare to say anything, and even honestly took his subordinates to Dongting Lake to eliminate the bandits.

"Sir, what do we think, Zhu Wenzheng is not the best candidate to destroy Shu!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "My lord, isn't this just for him to practice! As long as he can endure loneliness, settle down, and be able to properly complete the mission, wipe out the bandits, and enter Shu in the future, he must be the one."

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered again and again, "Actually, what we mean is that Tang He should be given the credit for destroying Shu."

Zhang Ximeng said, "My lord, I think Tang and this person have a greater effect."

"What's the use?"

"Reform the soil and return to the people!" Zhang Ximeng said slowly, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded a little bit awe-inspiring, and it was indeed Tang He.

……

"How to manage the southwest has been discussed more than once in the court. The big guy has set two standards. One is to improve the land and return it to the local people, and the other is to divide the land evenly."

Tang He was taken aback, and then said: "Mr. Zhang, if you can achieve even land, what's the difficulty in sending a low-ranking official?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "That's right, it's not about choosing one or the other, but the upper limit and the lower limit. It's best to equalize the land."

Tang He was slightly dazed, but raised his head and said, "Master Zhang, I thought it was just Juntian, I'm afraid it's not enough!"

"Why?"

"The situation of each seedling department is different. In many places, not only are they squeezed, but the land is barren and the output is limited. They are just too poor!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "That's right, so in addition to those two, I have a higher standard, which is equalizing the land and enriching the people!"

Tang He's eyes lit up, but he pondered for a while. This sounds nice, but it's really not easy to do.

There are too many places where the mountains overlap, the terrain is rugged, the land in the mountains is very barren, and the things produced are not enough to make ends meet. To make this kind of place rich is no less than reaching the sky in one step!

"Tanghe, things are difficult, I know. But there is always a way to keep improving. Take Juntian as an example. I heard that there is a girl Tian in the Miao Department?"

Tang He nodded, "Indeed, when my daughter is going to get married, the family will allocate a field to grow hemp and indigo as a dowry. But most of the Miao people rent and grow land, so how can there be a girl's field! Not all rich people."

Zhang Ximeng frowned, and said with a smile: "Then this time in the Miao Department, we will give each household a portion of the girl's land. No need to pay for the grain, it will be considered as the master's gift!"

Tang He was overjoyed when he heard this.

In fact, since crossing the river, the Zhu family's army has paid attention to the average distribution of land, and such ration fields no longer exist.And this time, it was a special kindness to give the seedlings part of the field, and to have a girl's field again.

But to have this result, it was also fought by tens of thousands of Miao soldiers, and it is reasonable to reciprocate.

"Zhang Xiang, if this can be achieved, the Miao people must be grateful, and the matter of equalizing the land will be much easier."

Zhang Ximeng said: "Equalizing the land is the first step. First let the big guys fill their stomachs. For some Miao people who live in the mountains and the ruggedness is difficult, you can encourage them to go out of the mountains. There are still wastelands in Huguang. They can be distributed to them. Some good places. Besides, among the Miao people, there are some skilled people. We should find a way to encourage them, help them set up workshops, and sell them to the outside for profit... Besides, we need to arrange some goods stations, which will be set up by the government and sold at a low price. For salt, buy local products. As for the commercial tax, it can also be discounted appropriately."

Having said this, Zhang Ximeng said to Tang He, "Do you know the purpose of doing this?"

Tang He nodded vigorously, "Master Zhang has worked hard, the Southwest is not only barren, but also the chieftains rebelled constantly, and even the Yuan Dynasty suffered from it. If these methods can be used to completely eliminate the chieftains, win the hearts of the people, and avoid wars, For Daming, it is definitely beneficial."

"Yeah!" Zhang Ximeng said: "It's not just these, places like Yunnan have been alienated from the Central Plains since the Tang Dynasty, and it has been hundreds of years now. The rest of the places are similar. We are here Repay the debts of the predecessors and benefit the future generations. If these lands can be managed well, the great troubles in the Southwest can be solved, which is better than the great achievements of expanding the territory!"

Tang He was startled, and said, "Master Zhang, I, I didn't intend to take credit for the Northern Expedition!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "If you don't take it, the lord wants to give it to you! Originally, I wanted you to lead the army into Nanyang."

Tang He shook his head hastily, "No, Feng Guoyong's civil and military strategies are all superior to mine, so letting him go is much more suitable than me!"

"What about the Northern Expedition on the East Road? Who do you think is suitable?" Zhang Ximeng asked with a smile.

"Let, let Xu Da be the coach and Chang Yuchun be the vanguard!"

"What about you? You don't want to?" Zhang Ximeng asked again.

Tang He took a deep breath, his complexion changed again and again, and finally he sighed, "Mr. Zhang, I, I am willing to reform the soil and return it to the people in the southwest, and promote the equalization of land. I promised Miao Bing that I would let them live a good life. Let them have a house to live in, clothes to wear, meat to eat, and their children to go to school... I, I can’t say no! "

As Tang He spoke, he lowered his head slightly.

As a general, if you only do these things, you will indeed bury your talents.

"General Tang, you were Qianhu at the beginning, but you gave up the military power to the lord, and now you have given up the great achievements of the Northern Expedition. You are a kind person!"

Zhang Ximeng sighed very much, and then said: "We can't let the honest people suffer... Actually, to be honest, I threw Zhu Ying to Lingnan in order to plot Yunnan and other places in the future, and I also asked him to properly handle the affairs of the Li people. When I come to you , the Miao people, the Yi people, you two need to manage the Southwest better!"

Tang He frowned slightly, "Zhang Xiang, what do you mean?"

"After they are settled down, they will go south in a big way...Feng Guoyong and the others will go to the Western Regions in the future...but in the southwest, the territory is vast, and the scope of their advances is far beyond the Western Regions!"

Zhang Ximeng took out a map from his sleeve and spread it out in front of Tanghe.

Starting from Yunnan, there are a lot of small countries, and then to the west, there is a large piece of more fragmented magical countries like the sands of the Ganges River... It is only a rough estimate on the map, such a large place is not much worse than the Central Plains.

Tang He frowned slightly, and then suddenly realized... No wonder Zhang Xiang wanted to throw Zhu Ying to Lingnan, so there was such a big world waiting for him!

Although Zhang Xiang would not be partial to his brother, he would definitely not cheat Zhu Ying!Only in this way can it make sense.

"Zhang Xiang, do you want me to assist Zhu Ying?"

"No!" Zhang Ximeng said resolutely: "He charged in the front. You have a calm personality and a solid style of work. Zhu Ying can only charge in the front. You have to apply your experience in governing the Miao people to other people. Use effective methods, support us, vigorously develop, and push as far as possible!"

Having said this, Zhang Ximeng got up and paced, sighing slightly.