First Minister of Ming Dynasty

And before the formal discussion, Zhang Ximeng also brought his son Zhang Shuning to show Li Shanchang.

Lao Li smiled happily, grabbed his little hand, looked and looked, and then took out a red gold longevity lock and hung it around the little guy's neck.

It's just this pure gold, which is very particular.

In fact, red gold is not pure gold, but some red gold. It is said that some iron elements are mixed in it, so it is a little reddish.Chinese people like red, so they like to decorate with red gold, which is better than gold in wedding celebrations.

Li Shanchang specially prepared a red gold long-life lock for the young master of the Zhang family, so he was naturally prepared.

"Zhang Xiang, I don't want to hide it from you. The boy in my family is in Lingnan, and he has done a lot of business. Now the life of my family is pretty good. Now, I dare not say that I can be famous even if I am famous. I am now I only want to assist the upper left, achieve dominance, and then retire after being successful, and enjoy the rest of my life."

Li Shanchang stared at Zhang Ximeng's eyes, and said with all his heart, "Mr. Zhang, please be careful. I really don't have other thoughts."

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help laughing, "Brother Li, you must be too careful, can I still find out about you?"

"No!" Li Shanchang shook his head resolutely, but said seriously: "This time a large-scale Northern Expedition swept the world and sent troops from multiple directions. What's more, I don't need to take my face into consideration, and I will definitely not cover up these people."

Zhang Ximeng pondered slightly, Li Shanchang's statement was very interesting.

In fact, large-scale use of troops has always resulted in deficits, lack of food and grass, and it is not uncommon for warehouses to be burned.

Throughout the previous battles of the Ming army, after each battle, some officials would be involved, and Lao Zhu would categorically get rid of them.It's hard to say whether Li Shanchang is involved with these people, but Lao Li's overall logistics work can achieve more than 95 points.

This level of internal affairs is completely comparable to Xiao He.

With great achievements and no conclusive evidence, to be honest, no one can shake Li Shanchang's position.

Obviously there is no need to worry, but Lao Li greeted himself in advance. Did he foresee that something big would happen?

Zhang Ximeng turned his head, and then smiled: "Brother Li, the last decisive battle in the Central Plains has already consumed all the inventory of the imperial court. Although the territory has increased a lot, the Central Plains and Shandong have suffered from wars and chaos, and now they want to be self-sufficient. It is still difficult. Although we have added rich places such as Suzhou, the food in these places is not enough for ourselves, and we need to mobilize from outside."

"From this point of view, we only have the food accumulated in the past year. In terms of foundation, it is not as strong as before. However, we have to send troops from multiple directions, and we have to attack Dadu. The distance is long, and the consumption is doubled. Calculated in this way, the Northern Expedition at this time is indeed costing people and money. Suspicion. Tang He, Xu Da, Feng Guoyong, they are all capable of fighting, but you, Li Xianggong, are the most difficult in charge of Daming’s purse and rice bag! It’s really not easy!”

The most important thing in life is a confidant, Zhang Ximeng's words all touched Li Shanchang's heart.No matter how many quarrels the two of them had, Lao Li now regarded Zhang Ximeng as a good friend.

Speaking of it, Li Shanchang is even more pitiful than Zhang Ximeng, Zhang Ximeng can still be friends with Liu Bowen and others, and be open and honest with Zhu Sheng.But around Li Shanchang, except for his subordinates, there is really no one who can talk to him.

"Zhang Xiang, I actually can't figure it out. Why can't we wait two years until the treasury is full, and then go on a large-scale northern expedition and sweep the world. Wouldn't it be safer?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled slightly, "Brother Li's thinking is naturally reasonable. It's just that the moment is rare. The Northern Expedition, the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, no matter what time it is, it will be a huge loss. In addition to our own account, we also need to calculate It is the enemy's account. And it would be the best if the first battle can be successful, if it is delayed and becomes a protracted war, it will not be a good thing."

Li Shanchang lowered his head and thought for a while, then hesitated and said: "Master Zhang, what do you mean, we can win quickly without bloodshed?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "The unification of the world has always been achieved by fighting. It is unrealistic to expect to be defeated without a fight. But how long this battle will last and how much it consumes can be controlled."

Li Shanchang's heart was shaken, he couldn't help leaning forward, and asked: "Mr. Zhang, can you speak more carefully?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said: "Before dealing with Zhang Shicheng, I was already preparing to take Fujian. Chen Youding is a cooked duck. Now Fang Guozhen will return soon. Liao Yongzhong and Yu Tonghai have trained their navy for a long time. As long as the two armies are united, Thousands of warships blocked the sea immediately! Then a [-] army came, shaking the heavens and the earth. The lord sent Zhang Shicheng as an envoy. There is a [-]% chance that Chen You will surrender directly. The remaining [-]% is also a little resistance. Then surrender."

After thinking about it for a while, Li Shanchang nodded vigorously, "It makes sense, so it doesn't cost much to use troops in Fujian?"

"Actually, there is still money to be made...Fujian tea is good!" Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Fang Guozhen has opened up routes to Japan and Korea. When the business starts, we only need to increase the price of tea and silk by three times, and it will be worth it." consumed."

"three times?"

Li Shanchang turned pale with shock, "Master Zhang, can this work? What if the two countries don't want to?"

"Then put them on the list of lackeys of the Yuan court, announce the exclusion of the Huaxia system, and Daming will send a large army to conquer. When the time comes, the country will be ruined and the family will be destroyed, so don't blame Daming for being rude."

Li Shanchang's eyes widened... Isn't this a robber?But when you think about it, it's pretty cool.

By the way, didn't Zhang Ximeng write an article, advocating not to toss your own people, but to look outside, so that's what he meant!

Sure enough, the old man was still too naive.

"Well, what about other places?"

Zhang Ximeng laughed again: "Bazaravalmi in Yunnan still obeys Da Yuan's command, and he belongs to Yuan officials in name. In these years, Da Yuan first wronged Tuotuo, and then continued internal fighting. After we killed Chahan, Bo Luotie Mu'er died again at the hands of Wang Baobao. Now the crown prince has mobilized the generals to besiege Wang Baobao. As long as you have a little brain, you will feel that the Yuan court has dug its own grave and is at the end of its rope. "

"Now marching, there are definitely a lot of civil and military people in Yunnan who are interested in Ming Dynasty, and marching is relatively easy. If you sit back and delay, if Yunnan becomes self-reliant, it will be difficult to attack if Dali Kingdom is established."

Li Shanchang nodded, "Yes, that's what it means. The place in Yunnan is far away and the mountains overlap. The Tang Dynasty attacked Nanzhao Kingdom and suffered heavy losses. Hundreds of thousands of people were buried in other places... I just thought that Yunnan was not easy to fight, and I was afraid. Too much money and food were wasted. Listening to what Zhang Xiang said now, the key to attacking Yunnan is not the number of soldiers and horses, but the timing! Now the Yuan court is in turmoil, with constant internal fighting, and Zaravalmi has no self-reliance. Great timing."

Li Shanchang couldn't help rubbing his hands, and said with a smile: "It's a pleasure to chat with Zhang Xiang, and see the sun through the clouds! Well, what about Ming Yuzhen from Bashu, he has become independent!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "He is indeed self-reliant, but as far as I know, Ming Yuzhen's health is not good. He is already very old, his ambition is lacking, and he has to worry about his young son. What else can he do? What's more, as long as we can win Yunnan, we can contain Bashu! At least half of it can be stabilized."

"Well, what's left of half?"

"Of course it's on Feng Guoyong and them. As long as we take Tongguan, march into Guanzhong, station soldiers and horses in Hanzhong, and block the two ends, Ming Yuzhen is like a bird, put it in our cage, and let him do whatever he wants. , can you still fly out?"

Li Shanchang nodded again, "Tall, it's really tall! Zhang Xiang, you really have a plan!" Lao Li calculated carefully, is there any omission?

"Then Wang Baobao is left. How is Zhang Xiang going to deal with him?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said: "We will go to Shandong with a dignified teacher, advance by land and water, and go straight to Dadu. It is enough to follow Maogui's original route. In addition, we can also let Guan Duo and Zhang Ding, who are still in Korea, send troops. Enter Liaodong and contain the Yuan court."

"All in all, although we are sending troops from multiple directions, the battlefield is very large, and it seems to consume a lot, but there are only two places that we really need to fight... In the west, it is Tongguan, and in the east, it is Dadu! After careful calculation, the consumption will not be too much It's too amazing." Zhang Ximeng paused, and then said: "Brother Li, actually, you don't need to worry, there won't be a problem that you can't fill in the shortfall and have to fill it with human life."

Li Shanchang took a sharp breath, and his old face blushed, "As long as Zhang Xiang is willing to protect me, I'm not afraid."

Li Shanchang sat for a while, then got up and left.

When he left, Jiang Nan came out with a red gold longevity lock, and fell heavily in front of Zhang Ximeng.

"This Li Shanchang, he has nothing to show his courtesy, what does he mean by sending this?"

Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly, reached out and picked up the long-life lock from the table, looked carefully, it was quite strong, and there was no damage, then he said with a smile: "You still don't understand? He didn't give it to our son, it was clearly for him I asked for it myself!"

"For himself? Did he commit a crime?" Jiang Nan immediately came to his senses, which can also be called an occupational disease attack.

Zhang Ximeng thought for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Li Shanchang may not be implicated in it, but he has a long nose and is good at smelling. I guess he knows something about the situation. This time, he used a large number of troops. If it breaks out, the lord will turn to him to settle the score." , Li Xianggong's head may not be able to stay on the neck."

Jiang Nan lowered his eyelids, thought for a while, and said, "That's right, His Majesty has often fought battles these years, even if you are not in the capital, everything is up to Li Shanchang to decide, this time it is like this again, I don't know what will happen What about the matter?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled unabated, and suddenly said: "Who did you hear that the lord will personally lead the army this time? If the lord doesn't leave, how will Li Shanchang be the master?"

"What?" Jiang Nan was shocked, "Impossible! Hundreds of thousands of troops have been mobilized, and if His Majesty doesn't follow, he won't be at ease! No matter what, he will personally conquer!"

"Hahahaha!"

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help laughing, "You underestimated the lord, and you underestimated our Daming! Don't worry, the lord will not leave this time. He wants to stay in Yingtian. With so many soldiers dispatched, he can only stay in Yingtian." God, to micro-manage in time."

Jiang Nan still couldn't believe that Zhu Yuanzhang could rest assured that several 10 people would go to war. Who gave him the confidence?

But at this moment in the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was lying on the ground, Zhu Laosi was riding on his father's back wantonly, shouting non-stop.

Empress Ma came and couldn't help but said: "It belongs to the fourth miller! Let's have fun! The next time we meet, I don't know when."

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was sitting on the ground, smiled, and said casually: "My sister is thinking about it, this time we will stay in the capital and not leave!"

Chapter 545 Lost Zhu Di and Lost His Army

"Chongba, are you really relieved?" Empress Ma stretched out her hand, picked up Zhu Laosi, and handed it to the maid at the side. This little monkey was too noisy and delayed the serious business between their husband and wife.

"This time there is an army of hundreds of thousands, and the expedition is thousands of miles. If you don't lead the expedition yourself, I'm afraid something will happen!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "It's just because it's the second time, so I have the confidence. It's another expedition, and the family is more important. We only care about the front, and can't care about the back. The country is getting bigger and bigger, and things are getting more and more After thinking about it, it is more important than anything else to take care of the family. As for the affairs before the army, with Xu Da's prudence, Chang Yuchun's bravery, and Hu Dahai's loyalty, it seems that nothing will happen."

Mrs. Ma frowned, and hurriedly said: "These three are all rare generals and warriors in the world, of course they are good. But when the three of them get together, it's hard to say."

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered slightly, and said with a smile: "Your sister, do you mean that someone should watch them?"

Ma Shi said: "If you don't want to go, then find someone more suitable."

Empress Ma's attitude was very firm. The one who could succeed Lao Zhu and suppress the generals was undoubtedly Zhang Ximeng.

Apart from him, there will be no second candidate.

"Sister, look, when Suzhou dealt with Zhang Shicheng, let him go. Now that the Northern Expedition is in Dadu, let him supervise the troops. We really can't bear it. Now that you have only one son, we are all together, and he doesn't want to take concubines." , I can only work hard for Jiang Tiju. They finally got together, and we can't bear to let Mr. go north at this time!"

Empress Ma thought for a while, "Hey, who's to say no! I've also seen that kid Shu Ning, who is honest and quiet, much better than our fourth brother. I also hope that Mr. Ma will have a few more children, and he will spread his branches and leaves. What a wonderful thing." When Ma said this, he sighed again, "But in the current situation, you have to stay at Yingtian, with so many soldiers and horses, so many soldiers, so many threads, all in a mess. If there is no Zhang I'm afraid you can't rest assured that your husband is in charge of military affairs. Otherwise, let Jiang Tiju follow him to mobilize food, grass and supplies, and take care of your husband by the way. It's good for them to be together as husband and wife."

Old Zhu took a deep breath, and suddenly smiled, "Your sister is thoughtful, but both husband and Jiang Tiju have left, what about that child Shu Ning?"

Zhu Yuanzhang had a smile on his face, and his eyes were full of greed, as if Zhu Bajie saw the ginseng fruit... Empress Ma was startled, and suddenly understood what her husband meant, couldn't help stretching out her fist, and beat Zhu Yuanzhang hard.

"Why are you so bad! You must stare at other people's children!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled foolishly, "I can't help it, this kid is so good, we can't help but be greedy!"

Empress Ma sighed: "It's true, Mr. has learned from others, and Jiang Tiju is also a hero in the female middle school, so their children can't be wrong. Then let's do it, Zhongba, just go and bring the children here."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned dark, and he couldn't help coughing: "Sister, you are also smeared. If we can snatch that child... and bring it here, will it be so troublesome? You should go, you are more suitable than us."

Empress Ma gave her husband a stern look, and you have to think badly of yourself and play tricks on yourselves.As a result, the woman charged forward, are you still a man?

Lao Zhu doesn't talk nonsense, who made Zhang Ximeng too difficult to deal with, if he doesn't accept softness, we can only play the emotional card.

Mrs. Ma pondered for a while, then said: "Okay, I'll go, but I can't go alone! How about this, give me the fourth child and take him there, it's considered a teacher."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally agreed cheerfully, so Zhang Ximeng couldn't refuse even more.

These two couples secretly discussed how to take Zhang Shuning away. Are you so confident?Will the Northern Expedition be able to do it?

Nonsense, if it weren't for this self-confidence, Zhu Yuanzhang would not have chosen to stay in Yingtian.

This battle is simply not my advantage. If Yuan Ting wants to keep Dadu, he must make at least three major strategic decisions right... This is not over. The real difficulty is that every time Yuan Ting is right, Daming must be wrong once. .

After three rounds like this, they could barely keep most of the capital after paying huge sacrifices.

This difficulty is so great that it is simply an impossible task to ask a certain writer to add updates.

Of course, this does not mean that you can win casually, you must ensure that you do not make mistakes.

In the matter of not making mistakes, Zhang Ximeng is even better than Zhu Yuanzhang.

So when all parties were actively preparing, Empress Ma took Zhu Di to see Zhang Ximeng.

Today's Zhu Di is wearing beautiful silk clothes, and the hair on his head is combed into two bumps, as if he has grown a pair of horns.

This kid entered Zhang's house, and happened to see a pony. Zhu Di couldn't move, stared at it for a long time, and suddenly grinned and cried, "Ride, ride a big horse, a big horse! Really, really a horse!"

Dare to feel that he thought riding Zhu Yuanzhang's fake horse was not enjoyable, so he insisted on riding a real one.

This pony has quite a background, it was sent by Zhu Ying, it is said that it was to investigate the situation in Yunnan, and the horse was brought back casually, mainly to let Zhu Ying see the situation of the cavalry in Yunnan.

Zhu Ying laughed when she saw it. This thing is too small, almost like a toy.

After he had seen it, he bought it, sent it to Yingtian, and gave it to Zhang Shuning as a gift.

In the past, Zhang Ximeng wanted to accept gifts but couldn't, but now, after having this little boy, the gifts have skyrocketed, and the father actually borrowed his son's light, so there's no reason for it.

Empress Ma dragged Zhu Di, a little weeping boy who had nothing to offer, to meet Zhang Ximeng and his wife.

"Sir, the fourth child is too naughty, His Majesty is very worried, I'm afraid he will trouble you in the future."

Zhang Ximeng blinked his eyes. To be honest, this Zhu Laosi really doesn't look like a big man. He cried and wiped his tears for a pony, and he didn't have much promise.

It stands to reason that he is not qualified to worship under his own sect, but out of curiosity, Zhang Ximeng still agreed.

"You can only do your best."

Empress Ma was overjoyed, "Just do your best!"

Seeing that Mr. Zhang agreed, Empress Ma decided to pursue the victory and settle the important matters together.

"Sir, these days, you are all discussing the Northern Expedition. I told Chongba that he wanted to stay in Yingtian and sit in command, but he couldn't leave the army alone. Only Mr. Zhang could hold it back, so I told Chongba You recommended Mr.... you won't blame me, will you?"

Zhang Ximeng quickly said: "The empress is joking, this matter is my duty."

Mrs. Ma was even more delighted, and then said: "Sir, what Chongba means is that you don't need to face the enemy in person, you just need to sit in the back immediately. I don't think you and Jiang Nan have been married for too long. You always get together less and leave more. Let Jiang Nan follow you on this expedition!"

Zhang Ximeng frowned slightly, "Is this... probably inappropriate?"

Empress Ma smiled, "There's nothing wrong with it. Didn't I also follow the army in the past? Jiang Nan is very capable, and there's nothing wrong with handling the military affairs. Why don't you ask Jiang Nan what he means?"

Jiang Nan next to him hurriedly said: "I have also rested for a long time, and it is my duty to come back to work again."

Ma Shi was ecstatic, step by step, the couple had already taken the bait.

Next, just say that you are gone, I will help take care of the family, and I will be able to take Zhang Shuning away without any hassle, it is perfect!

But just when she was about to open her mouth, Jiang Nan suddenly said: "I am going to the army with Zhang Xiang, and there is no one to take care of my family... It just so happens that my eldest brother is coming to Beijing. My parents are also here. How about letting Let them come over and take care of the children for us!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "What Ma'am said is that I am alone now, and your parents are my parents. Their two elders are also educated and sensible, and they can also do business and do things. They are more than enough to take care of a child. They say that they are relatives of the next generation. Maybe they are better than us. Both of them will take care of the children!"

Jiang Nan chuckled, "Don't worry, they are absolutely capable."

Zhang Ximeng nodded, and then said: "Empress, our family has made arrangements, and we can leave at any time."

Empress Ma was dumbfounded, that's not how the script was written!

Who knew Jiang Nan moved his parents here?

"This... this kid can't live without playmates, he's just one, so he's lonely. Just like Zhu Di, he chases after several older brothers every day. It's really indispensable to make troubles in the palace."