Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Zhang Shicheng in October of the 25th year of Zhizheng (1365), and captured Tongzhou, Xinghua, Yancheng, Taizhou, Gaoyou, Huai'an, Xuzhou, Suzhou, and Anfeng counties in one fell swoop, driving the forces of Eastern Wu out of the Jiangbei region.

In May of the twenty-sixth year of Zheng, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an article to denounce Zhang Shicheng. In November of the same year, Hangzhou and Huzhou surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang successively, and Pingjiang became an isolated city. So Zhu Yuanzhang surrounded Pingjiang with heavy troops and launched the Battle of Pingjiang.

Zhang Shicheng is capricious, greedy for enjoyment, and very indulgent to his subordinates.

After Zhu Yuanzhang cut off Zhang Shicheng's two wings and then two arms, he formed a trend of encircling Pingjiang in the north, west, and south, in order to implement his strategic policy of besieging Pingjiang and attacking its heart.

On November 25, the strategic deployment for the siege of Pingjiang was completed: Xudatun Fengmen, Changyu Chuntun Tiger Hill, Guoxingtun Loumen, Huayun Longtun Xu Gate, Tanghe Tun Changmen, Wang Bi Tun Panmen, Zhang Wentun West Gate, Kang Mao Caitun North Gate, Geng Bingwen Tun Northeast City, Qiu Chengtun West Gate, He Wenhui Tun Northwest City.

In the entire deployment, Zhu Yuanzhang's army did not commit any crimes in the autumn, and the people were happy. Xu Dabu successively defeated Zhang Shicheng's peripheral army at the Yinshan Bridge at the mouth of the catfish, and burned more than 1,000 warships of the Zhang army at Guandu.

Under the deterrence of the Zhu army, Songjiang Prefecture and Jiading Prefecture surrendered one after another in the first month of the 27th year, making Pingjiang even more isolated.

The Zhu army built a long siege outside the city, and built a wooden tower and built an enemy tower on three floors to overlook the city, and each floor was equipped with bows, crossbows, firecrackers and Xiangyang cannons, attacking day and night.

After eight months of siege, Zhang Shicheng's army was not supported, and many soldiers surrendered. Zhang Shicheng failed to break through twice.

On the last day of the siege of Pingjiang, Zhang Shicheng's younger brother Zhang Shixin supervised the battle at the head of the city, but he still did not forget to have fun, sat on the silver chair and drank, and the people who served on the left and right handed him peaches, but before the peaches arrived, he happened to be hit by a cannon and his head was shattered.

In September, Xu Dabu attacked Fengmen, Chang Yuchun attacked Changmen, and Zhang Shicheng's troops surrendered Tang Jie and Pan Yuanshao.

Zhang Shicheng led the rest of his troops to defeat in the street battle, and Zhu's army occupied Pingjiang. Tongzhou, Wuxi and other places surrendered one after another, and the Great Zhou regime perished.

In this battle, Zhu's army adopted a long-term siege of Pingjiang, which had become a lonely situation, and the "city locking method" made Zhang's army fall into the predicament of running out of food and being exhausted, and waited for death. Zhejiang, Anhui laid a solid foundation for the north to extinguish the Yuan.

At the same time as the Battle of Pingjiang began, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Liao Yongzhong to Chuzhou to pick up Han Lin'er, the king of Xiaoming, to Yingtianlai, but when he crossed the river in Guabu, the bottom of the boat leaked, and the king of Xiaoming sank to the bottom of the river.

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang announced that he would no longer take the year of the dragon and phoenix, and called the twenty-seventh year of Zhizheng (1367) as the "first year of Wu".

In the first year of Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Tang He to be the general of the southern expedition to defeat Fang Guozhen, who had been in eastern Zhejiang for many years. Later, he ordered Hu Tingrui to be the general of Zhengnan and He Wenhui to be the deputy general to attack Fujian. In the same year, Fang Guozhen surrendered.

In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang's momentum covers the world, everyone knows that the world is already in his hands, countless small forces have defected, the army is victorious without a fight everywhere it goes, and all the enemy troops are looking forward to the wind!

However, the civil ministers and military generals under Zhu Yuanzhang were all frantically "persuading" and wanted Zhu Yuanzhang to hold the founding ceremony immediately.

These proud soldiers are looking forward to what kind of title they can get!

One day, Xu arrived at the Wu Palace, and said directly to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Big brother, you should have been called the emperor a long time ago, this will be before Chang Yuchun and I go on the expedition, you will ascend the throne and become the emperor, so that the prestige of the Northern Expedition will be greater!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was expressionless and glanced at Xu Da, "Who asked you to say this?"

"No, no one, big brother, isn't this a good thing!"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't speak, Xu Da looked at it and continued to persuade, "Big brother, for so many years, you have always pushed and pushed the matter of being the emperor, before, we understand!" The eldest brother is afraid that the tree will make a big move and will be targeted by the world's righteous army, but now you can't push it!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the lobby and still didn't speak.

Xu Da walked up to him, "Big brother now as long as he sends troops to the Northern Expedition, the Yuan Court will undoubtedly be defeated, and there is no way to go without a king in the world!" Isn't it? ”

"Again, the brothers are anxious to open the country!"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep look at Xu Da and said: "The brothers are all anxious, they can't hold back, and they all want to be the founding fathers, princes and prime ministers!"

"The emperor is not in a hurry, he will be in a hurry!"

Xu Da also heard Zhu Yuanzhang's dissatisfaction, and asked carefully, "Brother, shouldn't this be?" ”

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up: "It should be!" Totally deserved! But why don't you think about it for us?

"Once we are called emperors, we have to be canonized! Hundreds of highly decorated generals, who doesn't want to be a duke and marquis! There must be a comparison between them, competing for position and merit! ”

"How do you let us settle down? If others don't say it, just say you Xu Da! What kind of title do you want to make? Do you want to be crowned king? ”

Xu Da was immediately at a loss, "I... I, I"

"I, me, me! You can't say it! In addition to you, Li Shanchang often meets spring, how can Liu Bowen seal these people? ”

Xu Da hurriedly waved his hand, "Don't ask me about this, let's not get involved in this matter."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him, "Oh! You also know that there is not only a full house here, but also rights and wrongs? ”

Seeing that Xu Da didn't dare to answer, Zhu Yuanzhang said helplessly, "Kaiyuan is the emperor, let's be late!" It's better to be late! Late enough! Let's go, let's go! What a mess you! ”

"Hey, brother, we have one more thing..."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "When you came in just now, you could just say one thing!" ”

"Let's think of another one!"

Zhu Yuanzhang exhaled deeply: "Say it!" ”

Xu Da looked at him carefully, "Brother, you are the emperor, we don't care what others do!" But you have to make your sister-in-law the queen!

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened, "What the hell are you doing!" ”

Xu Da stood up and looked straight into Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, "We know that there are many women behind the palace, they are all younger and more beautiful than your sister-in-law, once you become the emperor, this concubine and that concubine are only afraid of more!" ”

"But there is no woman in the world who is more virtuous than our sister-in-law! Big brother, you can't treat your sister-in-law badly when you become the emperor! ”

The more Zhu Yuanzhang listened, the darker his face became, and he shouted, "Let's tell you!" We are the sun, and your sister-in-law is the moon! The sun and the moon are in the sky! Forever!

When Xu Da heard this, he smiled and said, "With this, we can concentrate on the Northern Expedition!" ”

"Get out!"

"Hey!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Xu Da, who ran out happily, with a black line on his face, shook his head and laughed angrily!

On October 21 of the first year of Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Xu Da, the right prime minister of the book, to be the general of the conquest, and Pingzhang Chang Yuchun to be the deputy general, leading an army of 250,000 to the north into the Central Plains!

During the Northern Expedition, the "Edict on the Central Plains" was issued, in which the proclamation put forward the program of "expelling Hulu, restoring China, establishing Chen Ji, and relieving the people", so as to inspire the people in the north to rise up against the Yuan.

Zhu Yuanzhang made another deployment for the Northern Expedition, proposing to take Shandong first and remove the barrier of Mengyuan; march into Henan, cut off its wings, seize Tongguan, and occupy its threshold; Then he marched into the capital, and at this time the Yuan Dynasty was lonely and took it without a fight; If troops are sent to the west, Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, Guanzhong, and Gansu can be swept down.

The Northern Expedition marched according to the plan. Xu Da led his troops to take Shandong first, then marched westward, captured Bianliang, and then waved his army to Tongguan.

…………