On the second day of the first month of the sixth year of Yongle, the ice and rain have not stopped, and the road is muddy.

Zhu Gaoxu ordered that the governor Liu Ying led the left and right outposts and the front army for a total of three route armies, and after leaving the baggage, the camp continued to advance.

After the advance army arrived in Guizhou City, Liu Ying would leave the left and right posts under the command of the deputy general and camp in Guizhou City; And Liu Ying himself led the remaining former soldiers and horses to continue to march in the direction of Zhuguang Road.

Zhu Gaoxu couldn't wait for the rain to stop. The territory of the Ming Dynasty is too vast, only within the territory of a province, and the weather is very likely to vary from place to place. It's raining in Banzhou, but the weather may be sunny on Wu Gaojun's side.

In case Wu Gaojun approaches Guizhou first, all the previous strategies will have to be nullified, and a new way will be found!

…… The strength of the three armies of the Han Dynasty in the front, middle and rear armies, the number of infantry and cavalry of each army exceeded 25,000; The establishment of the four armies on the left and right posts and on the left and right is divided into two guards, and there are more than 11,000 people in one army. The total strength of the army is more than 120,000. The system of guards in all provinces and places of the Ming Dynasty was similar, but the establishment of the army was different, which was related to the art of war, tactics and habits handed down by the commander of the army.

The men and horses of the former army and other troops left the camp and marched on the road. Zhu Gaoxu rushed to the road ahead, dismounted and walked beside the infantry column, he walked in the mud with a long spear, and soon his boots and trouser legs were full of muddy water.

It is no wonder that at this time people called the people who needed to work, not only the farmers, the mud legs. Almost all the roads are bad after the rain, and it is difficult for people who do not live in the courtyard of the big city to have mud on their legs.

The soldiers looked sideways at the Han King on foot. Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and said loudly: "This king tries it himself, can he go this way!" ”

At this moment, Liu Ying, who was riding a horse, came head-on, and Liu Ying said, "Lord Wang! Please get on the horse, and the last will walk! ”

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at him, "You also get off the horse and accompany this king for a walk." ”

Liu Ying turned over and dismounted, hugged her fists and said, "The last general will obey the order." ”

The most capable generals recognized by Zhu Gaoxu in his heart all have important missions at this time; There are no generals in the army who are completely satisfied with him. The generals in the army, except for the Wei commanders in Yunnan, were promoted from the former Qianhu and Deputy Qianhu of the Han Dynasty...... In addition, one of the three escort commanders, Liu Ying, was in the army.

He remembered a line from a movie: What is the most expensive thing? Talent!

At this point, both sides are a little embarrassed. Zhu Gaoxu thought that Wu Gao was not the most suitable general to reinforce Guizhou, he was too stable; If you don't consider He Fu's handle being pinched by Zhu Gaoxu, He Fu is better...... And the people of the Han Wangjun to stop Wu Gaojun need very stable people, and Liu Ying is not the best candidate.

But Zhu Gaoxu was suffering from the fact that no one was available for a while.

He recalled Liu Ying's performance in various battles, as well as his usual remarks, and felt that Liu Ying was a person who was inclined to attack and set up decisive battles in a decent manner. Just like when everyone was in Chongqing Mansion, Liu Ying and Qu Neng argued, and the difference in their ideas actually lies in whether they are radical or not.

Liu Ying was now next to Zhu Gaoxu, a shoulder behind Zhu Gaoxu, and the two of them were trekking together on the muddy road. Liu Ying should have guessed that Zhu Gaoxu had something to tell him, so he waited silently while being careful about his feet.

Zhu Gaoxu finally said: "Every time I go to other places, I can't help but be very happy. ”

Liu Ying nodded and made a voice, casually agreeing. The generals seem to have become familiar with Zhu Gaoxu's habits, and when he talks about business, he will talk about some trivial things from time to time.

Zhu Gaoxu continued: "It seems that because of childhood memories, every time I went to my uncle's house (of course, not the Xu family), the elders and friends were very affectionate to me, and I could have many novel plays. I didn't have to do my homework, and my parents had less control over me in front of my relatives. So every time I have to leave home and go to another country, I feel very good. ”

He turned his head and glanced at Liu Ying, "Governor Liu knows that people's childhood memories are the deepest, and they often affect a lifetime. ”

Liu Ying thought seriously for a while, nodded and said, "What the prince said is very reasonable. ”

Zhu Gaoxu opened his mouth to speak, and stopped talking, not wanting to continue talking about it, so he changed his words: "If it weren't for the war, maybe we wouldn't have gone to Guizhou City in our lives." ”

"Battlefield...... Such as gambling. Zhu Gaoxu sighed, and immediately turned his head and whispered, "We don't have much capital, as long as we lose this kind of battle once, the situation will take a sharp turn for the worse!" I am afraid that there will be more people who surrender than the enemy army in the Sichuan government; Even if someone wants to borrow your and my heads to seal the marquis, it is not surprising. ”

Liu Ying's expression gradually became solemn, and she gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously.

The two were silent for a while before Zhu Gaoxu spoke: "I have seen some people in the 'Battle of Jingjing', and he may be a good general if he leads thousands of men and horses to participate in a battle; But if you go up one level, maybe it won't be easy. The generals who can sit on one side must have the idea of the overall situation, and do not miss the overall situation because they are greedy for a little military merit! When I judge the merits of the generals, I will not judge the number of enemies killed by ordinary soldiers. Did Liu Dudu understand what this king meant? ”

Liu Ying's round face, which was white and a little feminine, suddenly became very nervous, he stood still and hugged his fists and said: "The last general asks King Han to guide the battle strategy!" When the time is right, the prince can personally visit the battlefield on the Eastern Front and supervise the last general. ”

Unexpectedly, Zhu Gaoxu shook his head: "Liu Dudu, you have to rely on yourself this time." ”

"Why?" Liu Ying said in confusion, "I'll tell you the truth in front of the prince, I haven't done such a thing before, and I feel a little bottomless." ”

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly felt a sense of dependence from Liu Ying's demeanor and tone; It's like an underage child, dependent on his parents. Liu Ying is already in her thirties, but this is not surprising...... Maybe most of the people are still children in the war? In the future, the mode of human warfare will grow, and it will still grow.

Zhu Gaoxu replied: "Capturing Guizhou City as soon as possible is the top priority of this war. This king can't master the battlefield on the Eastern Front all the way, and he can't understand the truth better than Liu Dudu, who has been on the front line. If this king interferes, it will affect your judgment and strategy! Liu Dudu, everyone's thoughts can't be exactly the same.

The innumerable intuition, speculation, trade-offs, and imagination composed of each moment can form the integrity and systematization of the strategy, which is why there is always only one main general who leads the troops, and there is no distinction between the left and right generals. ”

Zhu Gaoxu slapped his palm on Liu Ying's shoulder, looked into his eyes and nodded encouragingly: "Remember what you should do in the overall situation, I already talked about it yesterday." Believe in yourself too! In this world, a person can take on important responsibilities, and it is not always possible to have the opportunity. Think about the positions of the princes in the Yongle period, the Zhang family, the Qiu family, and the Zhu family, in the Yanwang Mansion before. ”

The most reused and trusted military minister of the Yongle Dynasty is, of course, the commander of the three guards of the Yanwang Mansion, and now he is famous all over the world.

The position of Guogong represents too many things. Fame, power, status, money, and beauty can even get the enemy out for no reason to revenge, at least most of your private desires can be satisfied.

Liu Ying was not as tall as Zhu Gaoxu, he raised his head to meet Zhu Gaoxu's gaze, his mouth was tightly closed, and his eyes were bright. Zhu Gaoxu knew that he was tempted, whether it was the desire for fame, profit, or power, it was a kind of desire. This is the source of motivation for people to do great things!

Zhu Gaoxu continued to encourage: "Remember, you must win the overall situation, those things are not empty promises!" As long as we win this battle, the territory of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan will be firmly held by us, and the great cause will have a foundation.

The glorious record of the Han Dynasty's victory over the many will make the billions of subjects in the world re-respect us and reconsider the possibility of us dominating the Ming Dynasty; Even if there is still a gap in strength, our momentum has already overshadowed the Jingshi. ”

Liu Ying's face and eyes were slightly red, and she clenched her fists and said categorically: "The last general will definitely live up to his heavy responsibility!" ”

"Good. This is what the king wants. Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Liu Dudu is still young, don't be prematurely old and stubborn, not everything must be like a platoon and be decent." ”

Liu Ying said again: "The last general will remember the teachings of the prince. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Liu Dudu led the front army first. After the army arrived in Guizhou City, the king would transfer Zuoye and Zuoye to reinforce Liu Dudu, creating the illusion of a heavy army to the eastern front. ”

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and shouted, "Lead the horse here!" ”

When the guards led the horse, he turned over and got on his horse, and the mud immediately covered the stirrups and the horse's belly.

He no longer continued to threaten Liu Ying with the fate of defeat...... Of course, the end of defeat was very serious, and Zhu Gaoxu himself did not want to imagine it.

This is no way to do it, there is no betting, you can win 100,000 taels with a penny, and you have to fight as much as you want...... In addition to buying lottery tickets, but there were no lottery tickets in the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Gaoxu never bought lottery tickets before; Because that thing has more than one opponent, but a chance to compete with hundreds of millions of people.

Zhu Gaoxu hugged his fists and said: "Liu Dudu, good luck!" ”

Liu Ying also returned the salute and bowed: "Take care of the prince." ”

Zhu Gaoxu rode a horse and led the escort team to go back in the opposite direction of the march.

He returned to the post station, and when he dismounted, he saw Miaojin standing under the eaves watching the rain, so he walked over and greeted him. Miao Jin glanced at him and said, "King Han, go and change your clothes." ”

Zhu Gaoxu looked down and said, "Change it at night, I'll go out in a while." ”

Miaojin asked, "King Han went to send Liu Dudu, what did he say?" She seemed to be very interested in what Zhu Gaoxu had to say.

Zhu Gaoxu said casually: "I told him that the war was won, what he could get." ”

Miaojin asked in detail again, and Zhu Gaoxu stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Guogong." ”