Chapter 304 The National Treasures Are Lost For Half A Life
Li Shanchang is now beaming and elated. After all, asking an emperor to kneel down will cause trouble if he doesn't do it right. Even if he doesn't care, he has to consider future generations. This is something Zhang Ximeng, who has not yet married, cannot understand.
But for Zhao Gou to face the Central Plains, to return to the lost mountains and rivers, and the collapsed country, the connotation is very different. It can even be interpreted as the kneeling of the previous emperors of the Song Dynasty. After all, they failed to restore their homeland. Or simply
To put it bluntly, kneeling to the northwest is kneeling to the Yanhuang Mausoleum, which is a sign of guilt and apology for the fall of the Central Plains.
In turn, Zhu Yuanzhang's banner was to restore the Central Plains, which could downplay the offense against the imperial power. In short, there were too many benefits.
"Xiang Zhang, you have been of great help... Just in time, I have something here and I would like to ask Xiang Zhang for help."
Zhang Ximeng said quickly: "Brother Li, just give your orders, and I will tell you everything."
Li Shanchang smiled and said: "Prime Minister Zhang, I have been putting pressure on Fang Guozhen these days. He is already here and will attend the ceremony in person tomorrow."
When Zhang Ximeng heard this, he couldn't help being surprised. He had been busy setting the tone for Zhu Yuanzhang's accession to the throne, but he didn't even take into account Li Shanchang's affairs. This guy actually brought Fang Guozhen over. What a dirty trick!
Although Zhang Ximeng didn't know what Li Shanchang did specifically, the fact that he could force Fang Guozhen, a small overlord, to come over was enough to show how powerful Li Shanchang was.
Han Lin'er ascended the throne, Zhu Yuanzhang did not go, Xu Shouhui ascended the throne, and other leaders of the Red Turban Army will not go either.
However, when Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he could bring Fang Guozhen over to serve as the atmosphere team. There is no doubt that it is an added glory.
"Prime Minister Zhang, how do you think Fang Guozhen should arrange it and how can we add glory to our position?" Li Shanchang asked curiously.
Zhang Ximeng really thought about it seriously, "Brother Li, Fang Guozhen is not alone. We should put Fang Guozhen, Chen Youding, and Zhang Shicheng together... By the way, has Chen Youding been here?"
"No, he just sent his subordinates."
"Where's Zhang Shicheng?"
"He asked Zhang Shixin to come over." Li Shanchang thought for a while and added: "Liu Futong only sent a congratulatory letter, but no one was sent."
Zhang Ximeng thought for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle.
It stands to reason that Liu Futong and Zhu Yuanzhang have the closest alliance, so they should come to congratulate them, or at least send someone here... However, Zhu Yuanzhang has already dug up the ancestral graves of the old Zhao family, and Liu Futong and the others have called for the revival of the Song Dynasty, so naturally it is not easy to come to congratulate them.
.
But there is nothing to worry about. After all, what Liu Futong wants is Zhu Jiajun's food and material support, and Zhu Jiajun needs Liu Futong to weaken Yuan Ting's strength.
This premise still exists, and the covenant between the two parties still exists.
Lao Zhu will not imitate Sun Shiwan.
The Cao family is black and beautiful, but the Shu Han is upright and upright. Only Sun Shiwan has repeatedly jumped between the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty and the king of Wei and Wu. In vain, he served as a foil for the Three Kingdoms' struggle for hegemony. His main task was to provide support to those two families.
As for the drama, would you say it's a tragedy or not?
"Brother Li, let's ignore Liu Futong for now. Why is Fang Guozhen willing to come over?"
Li Shanchang chuckled, "We have captured Hangzhou and have a port. The city of Hangzhou is bigger than all his mansions put together! Fang Guozhen went back and forth with Yuan Ting, and he was able to fight back and forth with Zhang Shicheng.
, but if he meets us, he will not end well!"
Currently, there are three forces to the east of Zhu Jiajun, namely Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, and Chen Youding... Zhang Shicheng is the strongest, Chen Youding is the farthest, and only Fang Guozhen, who is not strong enough, can give him to Lao Zhu with just one mouthful.
After swallowing it, I really had no choice but to come.
Zhang Ximeng said: "Brother Li, since he came here sincerely, we can't neglect our distinguished guest... I remember that Yuan Ting gave Fang Guozhen the title of water transport to thousands of households, and he surrendered to Yuan Ting. You must know that Dayuan gave Zhang Shicheng his wife
Lieutenant! This shows that even the Yuan Dynasty did not take Fang Guozhen seriously. Although this person is cunning, he has no ambition... Can we give him a high official and completely tie him down? "
Li Shanchang had a smile on his face. Apparently, he thought so too.
"Prime Minister Zhang, I, to be honest, I have promised Fang Guozhen that I will give him the title of Duke of the State of Yue... I have told the superior before that I plan to ask Prime Minister Zhang to meet with the superior this time to present this
It is better to finalize it in advance, or to complete the canonization and determine the title before the grand ceremony. Let Fang Guozhen participate in the grand ceremony as a vassal."
Lao Li finally revealed his plan.
Zhang Ximeng thought about it for a while, and suddenly felt that Li Shanchang's idea was very good, but it seemed a bit stingy. However, considering Lao Li's understanding of maritime power, it was already very good to be able to achieve this step.
"Brother Li, do you think you can turn the Duke of Yue into the King of Yue?"
"King of Yue?" Li Shanda was shocked, "Xiang Zhang, I'm afraid it's inappropriate to just call him King of Wu when he ascends to the throne. Is it inappropriate to confer the title of King of Yue?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled calmly, "What if we add two more kings?"
Li Shanchang was puzzled and said, "Xiang Zhang, you might as well just say it."
"I want to canonize Chen Youding as King Fu, canonize Zhang Shicheng as King Huai, and then make an appointment for the Northern Expedition... If any of them dare to object, we will unite with Fang Guozhen to use troops against them. If no one objects, it will just confirm the status of the leader of the kings, and also
It’s a way to pave the way for the next step.”
"Oh!" Li Shanchang pondered: "Is this appropriate?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "Whether the other party accepts the title or not, what matters is not the name of the lord, but the strength in the hands of the lord. What's more, didn't Xiang Yu take the lead in canonizing the kings in the first place?"
Li Shanchang said: "Well, when we come to power, we don't want to be an overlord, right?"
Zhang Ximeng laughed: "Of course it's impossible! In fact, I have a plan. The country established by the Mongols is not only the Yuan Dynasty, but also many vassal states in the Western Regions. There are many maritime merchants from these countries in Hangzhou. Like
If a person like Fang Guozhen is willing to respect his lord and expand overseas in the future, occupying land and becoming a king, he can be considered as giving full play to his talents and serving as a pioneer for his lord. Perhaps one day, we will not only overthrow the Yuan court and expel the Hulu, but also take advantage of the trend to go to other places.
Take a look at the vassal state. Although it will take a long time, there is still no harm in making arrangements early. Even if they are unwilling to accept it, isn't that one more reason to use troops? "
Li Shanchang thought about it carefully and thought about it again and again. It is true that doing this can increase Lao Zhu's reputation a lot. Li Shanchang does not consider overseas vassals, but if these people don't know how to promote, he will send troops to wipe them out!
The successful victory of Hangzhou this time also gave Li Shanchang great confidence.
It’s time to lay out.
"Okay, let's meet the superior together!"
Li Shanchang and Zhang Ximeng held final discussions with Zhu Yuanzhang until late at night before finalizing the matter. Li Shanchang still had to make arrangements, which would undoubtedly last all night.
Zhu Yuanzhang is even more unlucky. He needs to play with Fang Guozhen tomorrow morning, and then he has to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, announcing that he is the king of Wu. Then he has to go to Yue Fei's tomb to pay homage to Prince Yue, and he has to erect a kneeling statue of Wanyan Gou, and at the same time announce the demise of the Yuan Dynasty.
, the determination to expel the Hulu... In this way, there are three or four speeches alone, and there are no mistakes.
There is no doubt that Lao Zhu will have to memorize the manuscript all night long.
That is to say, Zhang Ximeng can still take a nap for a while, although it is not up to eight hours, but people can't be too greedy.
By the time he got up, Zhu Ying had already put on a military uniform.
This kid is very fast, and his body is strong and well-nourished. He looks like a calf. You really can't treat him like a child.
"Brother, can you hurry up! Today is a good day for my godfather!"
Zhang Ximeng chuckled, "It's a good day for your godfather, but why do I think your kid is happier than your godfather?"
Zhu Ying chuckled, "Brother, I have already told my godmother that while my godfather is happy, he will find a position for me and let me lead the army. Do you think I can be unhappy?"
"Let you lead the troops? Can you do that?" Zhang Ximeng asked with a frown.
Zhu Ying's face tightened, "Why not? Li Wenzhong has already become the commander."
Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, "But Li Wenzhong's test scores were very good! It's not like someone who kept counting down in the class. Well, you can lead the army if you want. No one will stop you. Get me a first-class diploma."
, and then I will approve your joining the army!"
Zhu Ying was shocked. Do you want me to get an A grade?
Why don't you kill me!
"Brother, can't it be done without my godfather's approval? You can't deny my godfather's order, right?"
Zhang Ximeng chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I won't let the appointment document be sent to the lord. And even if the lord specially orders it, it won't be a problem if I want to delay it for three to five years."
"You!" Zhu Ying said anxiously, "Brother, I want to fight, not take the exam for the top prize. It's useless for me to learn those things!"
"I know!"
Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "If a person is in the examination room and faces something with standard answers, he cannot be invincible. Going to the battlefield and dealing with more complex situations will be even more difficult! Even Huo Qubing has read military books.
Only then can you control your troops and horses."
Zhang Ximeng patted Zhu Ying on the shoulder and said, "After you get good grades in the exam, just treat it as the first battle in your life!"
Zhu Ying was stunned for a long time. She could only clench her fists and shouted loudly: "You, don't worry, I not only want to take the first-class exam, but also take the first place!"
"Then you have to hurry up. After a hundred days, I wish you a smooth landing!"
With a smile on his face, Zhang Ximeng went to meet Lao Zhu and prepare for a busy day.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had already invited Fang Guozhen over. The two of them sat in a pavilion in the manor, chatting and laughing happily.
"Brother Fang, I heard that your life was very difficult before?"
Fang Guozhen nodded quickly, "Indeed, when I was a child, I was herding horses and farming with my family. When I got a little older, I started selling smuggled salt!"
Speaking of the past, Fang Guozhen is still a little embarrassed.
Zhu Yuanzhang was much more calm, "We are not as good as you. When we were young, we herded cattle, and later we were tenant farmers. Later, we suffered from drought and plague, and there were not many family members left...Brother Fang, you said that poor people like us,
At what position in this life can I be satisfied?"
Fang Guozhen was stunned. He didn't know how to answer at all. The higher the status, the better. But if he asked himself, he didn't seem to be destined to become emperor. The dragon throne was not something he could covet.
"Brother Fang, let's put it this way, if you could be a hereditary and irreplaceable prince, would you be willing?"
Fang Guozhen almost didn't hesitate and nodded immediately, "I, I can't ask for it, but I'm afraid I won't have this blessing."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "How about we make you a prince? The hereditary and irreplaceable King of Yue will retire with the country. Are you willing to follow us?"
Fang Guozhen looked at Zhu Yuanzhang stupidly, making sure that he was not telling a joke.
Suddenly, Fang Guozhen knelt down and said excitedly: "The superior is superior, I pay my respects to the superior! I have thirty thousand athletes and hundreds of ships under my command. The national treasure has been wandering for half of my life, and I only regret that I have never met the Ming Lord. Thanks to the superior, I will not give up. I am so grateful."