In the early autumn of October, Deng She is not the only one who enjoys the scenery.

In Jinling City, Wu Guogong's Mansion, Zhu Yuanzhang's garden. Outside the gate of the house, on the first day of the first lunar month, the peach charm written by him is still there, "the six dragons meet a thousand officials, and the five tigers are crowned by the generals", and the ink is thick in fourteen words. It's just that because of the wind and rain for more than half a year, the spring breeze that comes out between the lines is proud and arrogant, but there are still some things that are wrong.

Since the fifteenth year of Zhizheng, he incorporated Chaohu sailors Liao Yongan, Yu Tonghai, etc., and led his troops to cross the river, successively won Taiping, Jinling, Yangzhou, Huizhou and other places, invincible, shaking the north and south, has vaguely formed a good situation in which he and Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang stand in the south of the Yangtze River. Just this year, however, things seem to have taken a subtle turn.

In the first month of this year, Zhang Shicheng broke through Haozhou, and found and broke through Si, Xu, and Pi Zhuzhou.

Although most of these places were originally not owned by Zhu Yuanzhang, they were occupied by the Song regime and sporadic Red Turban forces in various places. And long before he crossed the river, he had little to do with Haozhou. Moreover, after the slaughter of the city that was taken off that year, Xuzhou, which was populated by millions of people, has long since withered. But this Huaisi important land, after all, where the north-south main road is held, is now for Zhang Shicheng to go, but in the long run, it has to be said to be a potential worry.

On this side, Zhang Shicheng opened up his territory and made good news, and Zhu Yuanzhang sent Chang Yuchun to attack Hangzhou, but the number of battles was unfavorable. In March, it had to be recalled.

In May, Chen Youliang sent Luo Zhongxian to capture Chenzhou. Subsequently, the attack on Chizhou. Thanks to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun at that time, according to Zhu Yuanzhang's plan, he ambushed Jiuhua Mountain, won a battle, beheaded more than 10,000 people, captured 3,000 alive, and often encountered most of the pits. Less than a month after the victory, in leap May, Chen Youliang even personally raised the army and fell into peace. In this battle, Zhu Yuanzhang's old man Hua Yun was killed in battle, and his adopted son Zhu Wenxun died in battle. The losses are not insignificant.

Taiping is the gateway to Jinling. Zhu Yuanzhang took Jinling, and he took the road of quarrying first, then Taiping, and finally Jinling. Chen Youliang did the same, and soon after taking down the Taiping, he and Zhang Shicheng invaded Jinling together, and went east from the quarrying and boat division, "Jinling Earthquake".

Thanks to Zhang Shicheng, he ignored Chen Youliang and sat still, giving Zhu Yuanzhang a chance to survive in death. used a trick to coax Chen Youliang to be fooled, and in a water battle, it was useless to kill the enemy. There is a saying: If you kill a thousand, you will lose 800 yourself. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang won, his vitality was also injured because of it.

But fortunately, another general under his command, not long after the Jinling Water War, earned him a face. In leap May, Hu Dahai took the Xinzhou Road occupied by Chen Youliang, fought a beautiful battle, and won the victory. In June, the spring is often restored, and the city is built. After two successive victories, morale was easily restored.

These are all external troubles, but what worries Zhu Yuanzhang the most is internal worries.

Where do you start with internal worries? It's a long story. In February of the fifteenth year of Zheng, Liu Futong welcomed Han Lin'er, established himself as the emperor, also known as the king of Xiaoming, and set the capital in Bozhou. In May, he sent people to summon the generals of Heyang. Who are the generals of Heyang? At that time, those who were in Heyang were Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhang Tianyou, Guo Tianxu and other Guo Zixing's old generals.

The generals elected Zhang Tianyou as a representative, went to Bozhou, looked for his return, and gave Guo Tianxu as the marshal, Zhang Tianyu as the right deputy marshal, and Zhu Yuanzhang as the left deputy marshal.

Guo Tianxu is Guo Zixing's eldest son. Zhang Tianyou, "Zixing's wife and brother", is the younger brother of Guo Zixing's second wife, Mrs. Xiao Zhang, and is also one of the best generals under Guo Zixing. In terms of the distance of the relationship with Guo Zixing, both of them are closer than Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang married Ma, Ma is Guo Zixing's righteous daughter, and she can be regarded as a godson-in-law. At that time, he was only the third among the generals of Guo Zixing's group.

A few months later, the generals of Heyang crossed the river and attacked Jinling. Those who guarded Jinling at the time had the Qingjun Chen Yexian. Chen Ye first surrendered and then rebelled, and Guo Tianxu and Zhang Tianyou died in the chaos. It's just that coincidental. What is the truth? No one knows. In the following years, Guo Zixing's other two sons, Guo Tianyou and Guo Tianjue, were also killed by Zhu Yuanzhang successively for rebellion or because they wanted to "murder Wu Guogong".

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang seems to have collected all his military power and become the real commander of the First Army.

However, internal worries still exist. Although Guo Zixing's sons are dead, Guo Zixing's old department still exists. Shao Rong, Guo Zixing's old department, his people are "rough and brave and good at fighting". In the eighteenth year of Zheng, he was appointed as Pingzhang of Jiangnan Province, and Zhu Yuanzhang was also Pingzhang at that time, and the two were on an equal footing. Even later, Zhu Yuanzhang was promoted to the provincial prime minister, respecting Wu Guogong, and Shao Rong was second only to him, and his status was still far higher than that of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun's generals. He is well-deserved as the No. 2 big man in Jiangnan Province.

On the side of the couch, how can you allow others to snore? The old department of Guo Zixing gathered around Shao Rong, such as the Song brothers, was Zhu Yuanzhang's internal worries.

"My lord?"

"Oh, Mr. Song is here."

Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking about it, and the guards led in a person. He is about 50 years old, with a magnificent appearance and a beautiful beard. His name is Song Lian, the word Jinglian, a famous scholar in the south of the Yangtze River, and a scholar and a Confucian.

Emperor Yuan once called him to edit the Hanlin Academy, and he resigned in the name of supporting his parents. A few months ago, at the recommendation of Hu Dahai, Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to recruit him to Jinling, and at the same time, Qingtian Liu Ji, Longquan Zhangyi, and Lishui Ye Chen were recruited. These four people are all people from Jiangnan and the leaders of Confucianism. Zhu Yuanzhang even favored the gift, and set up a special Lixian Hall to deal with it. And respected as the "Five Classics Master", in addition to official duties, often invited to talk about history.

Song Lian is sincere, and not long after the new Zhu Yuanzhang, the deacon became more and more respectful and humble, lifted his clothes, and respectfully performed the court ceremony.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, helped him up, and said, "Sir, you don't have to be polite. Seeing that Song Lian had brought a scripture book with him, he patted his head and said, "It turns out that Mr. should be talking about books, but I have been negligently forgetting about the recent affairs." Turning to the court, he said with a smile, "Early autumn is coming, and the climate is pleasant. How about we teach in this academy today? ”

Zhu Yuanzhang's beggar background, originally illiterate, later became a monk, began to read and write, and then joined the army, with the status of the rise step by step, more diligent and hard-working, learning to make up for clumsiness, and ordinary martial arts are completely different, now has a rough understanding of literature and ink, and the literati and Confucian dialogue, speech and behavior, can also do proper etiquette, can be called elegant. Occasionally, he can write some poems, which are quite appreciated by Wenchen.

Song Lian is indispensable.

Several guards moved out the tables and chairs and placed them under the garden trees, and two people, one master and one minister, sat opposite each other, and Song Lian began to explain the scriptures. What he said to Zhu Yuanzhang was "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period", one of the important classics of Confucianism and an important historical book. The disputes between the countries in the Spring and Autumn Period are in line with the current situation. Tang Taizong said that with history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall. To learn more about historical facts and allusions, for Zhu Yuanzhang, it not only increases his knowledge, but also helps to expand his horizons, which has practical value.

Song Lian explained eloquently, Zhu Yuanzhang listened attentively, interrupting from time to time and asking questions. Three or two maids cook tea and pour water, and the red sleeves add fragrance.

It is also the time, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the leaves are green and yellow. The breeze floats, and the garden is full of chrysanthemums. In the courtyard, the voices of people are silent, and only the sound of Langlang books is heard. If there is no guard Tiger Ben who stands tall with his head high, holds a halberd, and stands in the courtyard and under the corridor, where is the famous Wu Guogong Mansion, it is like a quiet academy.

There was a rush of footsteps, stopping not far from the tree.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened attentively, and was suddenly unconscious. Song Lian was well-behaved and knowledgeable, and looked up quietly, and saw that it was the head of the house. I saw that his face was anxious, and he looked at him several times in succession. Song Lian knew in his heart that this person must have something urgent to report, so he didn't hurry, finished a paragraph, coughed, and said: "Sage Yun: Learn from the old and learn the new." The way of learning is to review the past. My lord, that's all for today, right? ”

Zhu Yuanzhang was not in a hurry to speak. He closed his eyes slightly, reminisced about what he had just heard, chewed and digested, and after a while, he said, "Mr. is really talented." Listening to your class is better than reading a book for ten years. Ha ha. Turning his eyes slightly, he found the head of the house, his face sank, and he said, "Didn't I have an order earlier, when you listen to the lecture, you must not disturb!" But what is the matter with you? ”

The chief steward hurried up, presented a letterhead, and said, "Urgent report from the north." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang unfolded, couldn't see a few lines, Huo Ran got up. Song Lian was startled, and quickly got up from the chair and stood to the side. A thousand words are better than a silence. He was strange in his heart, and he just didn't ask. Zhu Yuanzhang turned upside down, looked at it carefully, circled the tree three times, and sighed: "There are so many heroes in the north!" ”

Without waiting for Song Lian to inquire, he took the initiative to hand the letter to the past and said, "Why bother to gather for the urgent report, King Yan of Haidong has entered Yidu." ”

"King Yan?"

The first king with a different surname in the Song regime, King Xiao Ming was personally canonized, and Deng She's name, Song Lian has actually admired it for a long time, like thunder. Zhu Yuanzhang has always been very concerned about Deng She, especially in recent months, as long as it is related to Deng She and Haidong, no matter how big or small, no matter how big or small, no matter how big or small, if there is a rumor, he will inevitably do everything possible to send people to search and understand.

"This Yan King is really an outlier. The rise is rare in the world. There are Liaodong and Goryeo, and now they are benefiting from the capital. Sir, in your opinion, what kind of impact will this news have on the situation of disputes in the world once it spreads? ”

Song Lian's strength is not in strategy. Zhu Yuanzhang once asked Tao An, how are Liu Ji, Song Lian and the other four compared to Tao An? Tao An replied: "The minister's strategy is not as good as the base, the knowledge is not as good as Lian, and the talent of governing the people is not as good as Yi and Chen." "Song Lian's strength lies in the way of learning. However, despite this, Zhu Yuanzhang's question is too simple, Song Lian can still see it, he said: "The pattern of the north and the south will change because of this." ”

"How to change?"

"King Yan is scheming, seeking to gain the capital, without it, in order to bypass Liaoxi and Hebei, and get the way to the Central Plains. Liaoxi is the gateway to the capital, and there is a Polo army in Hebei, both of which are tiger's dens and cannot be moved easily. Take the road to Yidu, honesty is the best policy. However, as soon as Yidu entered Haidong, the Jin and Hebei Yuan troops would definitely be uneasy, and the minister thought that the battle between Jin and Hebei and Shandong was imminent. ”

"Sir's opinion is the same as mine."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face is big, his eyebrows are detailed, and when he talks about military affairs, his elegant demeanor is gone, although he wears a soft towel and civilian clothes, his tone unconsciously has a golden and iron voice. He summoned the guards, ordered to unfold the map, looked down on the rivers and mountains, pointed to the vertical and horizontal, and said: "Chahan has long wanted to map Shandong."

"It's only because of him that he captured Bianliang, the army needs time to recover, and the grain needs time to prepare; Second, in his heart, Shaanxi, Jinji, and other places, there are Polo tigers on his side, and if he does not resolve the internal contradictions first, he is incapable of moving lightly. Moreover, before Haidong entered Shandong, Wang Shicheng and Tian Feng were not in harmony, and they attacked each other, so they could not be worried for the time being. Therefore, he did not move for a long time.

"Now, King Yan has entered Yidu. and Tian Feng shared Wang Shicheng's old land. The internal discord in Shandong was suddenly changed.

"Tian Feng called himself the King of Flowers and Horses, a long-term person, strategic, enterprising, over the years, although facing Chahan and Polo, these two Tartar generals, but there is no fear, almost no month without fighting, no day without fighting. This is well aware of the land of Shandong, the code will be destroyed, and the war can be strong. King Yan, Yongping raised troops, it took less than two years to have Liaodong and Haidong, counting their past, not to mention no month and no war! According to my Haidong spy report, of the 800 old soldiers he started with, only 13 survive today. It can be seen that its belligerence is even worse than that of Tian Feng.

"Also, why bother to gather secret reports that King Yan and Tian Feng divided the old land, and according to the agreement, Yidu returned to Haidong in the west, and Yidu returned to Tianfeng in the east. And, it was too difficult for King Yan to seize Jinan, and Tian Feng was in a daze. Tian Feng Liushi Chengxiao will Wang Daer and his elites, and King Yan should not know. These two people are very forbearing. The hero of the world.

"If the two heroes stand side by side, if they don't fight infighting, they will definitely join hands to expand the world. In such a situation, even if Chahan is reluctant, he is afraid that he can't help himself. He turned his head leisurely, looked at the north from afar, and said, "The heroes are competing for the Central Plains." It's a pity, it's a pity. ”

"What's the pity? Why is the lord sighing? ”

"It's a pity that I'm far away in Jiangnan and can't meet him. Chahan, Polo, King Yan, Tian Feng, Heroes of the Northland, all here! Just thinking about it makes people's blood boil. ”

Thinking of others, compared with himself, Zhu Yuanzhang only felt that he had a thousand catties of strength, but for a while it seemed useless. His gaze fell on the map, below Shandong, is Huaisi, and down Huaisi, that is, Jinling. The left of Jinling, Chen Youliang; The right of Jinling, Zhang Shicheng.

He muttered in a low voice, "Shao Rong, Shao Rong." Immediately, he reminded himself that Tian Feng and Deng She could endure it, and he could. He thought to himself, "The time has not come, and I have to be patient." However, the pride in his heart that was urged by Chahan and Deng She was really unable to press it, and shouted, "The knife is coming!" ”

The guard drew his sword and presented it to him.

When Zhu Yuanzhang joined the army, he started as a small foot soldier, charged into battle, and often killed in front. Maybe the martial arts are not skilled, but the waist knife in hand, a hundred battles into steel, there is a fierce murderous atmosphere. Song Lian on the side couldn't stand it, shivered, and quietly withdrew a few steps.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not dance the knife, he held the knife in his hand, tested the edge with his fingers, generous and intense, touched the scene, wrote a poem, and recited: "The sky is the tent and the earth is felt, and the sun, moon and stars sleep with me." I didn't dare to stretch my feet at night,......, "I took my fingers, picked up the knife and slashed down, and there was a bang, and the table was cut in two, "I'm afraid of stepping on mountains and rivers!" ”

At this time, where does he still have the slightest talent to learn tirelessly?

"Perhaps, this is what he is, right?" Song Lian thought.

"Order, why bother to gather on my behalf and show favor to King Yan! Send Wang He to the other side to help, and set off on the same day! ”

——

1. Battle of Chizhou. Zhu Yuanzhang won, beheaded more than 10,000 people, captured 3,000 alive, and often encountered most of the pitfalls in spring.

Chang Yuchun has the name of "good killing".

In the battle of Chizhou, more than 3,000 prisoners were captured, "Yu Chun said: 'This is all the enemy, do not kill, for the future.'" 'Reach it, to hear it. Wu Guogong sent an envoy to the generals to release him, and Yu Chun first killed him in the night pit, and stopped 300 people. ”

2, Hu Dahai took the Xinzhou Road occupied by Chen Youliang.

"Friendship forgive Kou Longjiang, and ordered Hu Dahai to send troops to smash Guangxin to contain it. Wang Kai said to the sea: "Guangxin is the gateway to friendship and forgiveness, and he will pour the country into the country, and he will be defended by heavy troops, and he must be in front of the whole army unless he is in command." 'From there, the sea comes from it. ”

3, Hu Dahai.

He voted for Zhu Yuanzhang relatively early, in the fourteenth year of Zheng, he came from Hongxian County to vote for Zhu Yuanzhang, when Zhu Yuanzhang was still in Chuzhou.

"Hu Dahai is a general, and the order is strict. Conquer and win. Love the tribe, care for the remnants, and do their best. He recited to himself: 'I am a warrior and do not study, but I only know three things when I march: I will not kill people, I will not take people and women captive, and I will not burn people's houses. ’

Therefore, as soon as his army came out, people from near and far rushed to join him. His death is also mournful, and the Wu people are all mourning, such as losing their parents. Geng Zai became a prestige and a cloud. ”