Chapter 617 The real general of the West Expedition
Zhu Laosi received a fat beating, but it is said that this guy not only did not cry, but also walked out with a smile.
Anyway, the second and third two losers can't do anything to him.
Those little brats who followed him to cause trouble were also safe and sound. Not only did he win, he simply won!
From now on, I will be the boss of this martial arts school.
When he graduates from martial arts, he will be able to become the General of the Conquest of the West, and from then on he will dominate the world. These people are his own soldiers and must obey his orders.
Thinking of this, Zhu Di was so happy. As for the pain on his butt, he could still bear it anyway, so there was no need to take it seriously. Instead, it was his own seal. He spent so much effort to buy it from the flea market, and the result was
So gone.
His father also sternly warned him not to cause trouble again, especially with official seals. If he dared to appoint officials and make wishes casually again, his legs would be broken immediately.
Zhu Di felt that his father was not lying this time, so he should restrain himself a little.
But it is impossible to prevent yourself from making trouble.
If you can't play with the big seal, just find something else. Anyway, this General Zhengxi belongs to him and no one can take it away!
Zhu Di was messing around in the school, but Zhang Ximeng really didn't care.
He has too many things to be busy with now.
In fact, studying history is nothing.
Zhang Ximeng took over the power of supervision and evaluation from hundreds of officials. All the official officials of the imperial court had a file with Zhang Ximeng.
His evaluation and supervision is different from the Yushitai and the Ministry of Personnel.
The Yushitai discovered a problem and sent a memorandum to arrest and imprison the person. The Ministry of Civil Affairs also had clear rules for three promotions and promotions.
However, Zhang Ximeng's subordinates are more focused on daily life and seem very trivial... For example, the official's task completion status, whether anyone has reported it, his character, knowledge, whether he is cautious, and what areas of expertise he has, can be counted in the comprehensive assessment.
What time...
Obviously, the workload of the Menxia Province is beyond the imagination of other yamen.
It is precisely because of this, and with Zhang Ximeng in charge, that Menxia Province has enough capital to be on an equal footing with Zhongshu Province.
Just imagine, if the senior officials under you have been evaluated for many years and this person is not considered an outstanding talent, and you insist on promoting this person despite the disapproval of the world, will you have to bear the consequences? Is there a personal relationship between you?
A question of giving and receiving?
Once you really get to this point, it will be troublesome.
Without sufficient skills, it is extremely difficult to withstand overwhelming pressure.
With such earth-shattering authority, Zhang Ximeng naturally did not dare to let it go easily. Even if the four kings under his command were all capable ministers and officials, Zhang Ximeng still wanted to control the overall situation.
This kind of thing has nothing to do with trust. After all, if you receive a salary from the old Zhu family, you have to be worthy of the money.
In addition to presiding over the provinces and supervising the compilation of national history.
Zhang Ximeng has another important thing to do, which is to organize elite soldiers and generals to conduct a census of the entire Ming Dynasty... to find out the population and household registration, mountains and landforms, as well as the property economy, education situation, etc....
Zhang Ximeng requested that within two or three years, he should be given a roughly complete summary of the domestic situation.
Then based on this information, the next step of work can be planned.
Which direction should Ming Dynasty develop from now on, which areas need to be enhanced, which problems must be solved...all depend on these detailed reports.
The reason is very simple. When the Yuan Dynasty retreated to the grassland, the biggest foreign enemy was gone, and then the world was at peace and the Hongwu era prospered?
What are you thinking about? There are still too many messy things.
Everything is in ruins, the people's livelihood is in ruins, and bandits are everywhere. In this situation, if you say that everything is gone and it can be over, that doesn't make sense!
Take the simplest thing as an example, how to divide provinces and regions next... The provincial system left by Yuan Ting is good, but the division of provinces is too hasty.
Do you dare to imagine that Yuan Ting created such a monster as Henan Jiangbei Province...basically turned the Central Plains, Nanyang Basin, and Lianghuai into one province.
This province covers a vast area between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. The Red Turban Uprising mainly came from the Jiangbei Province of Henan, and it can be regarded as single-handedly burying the Yuan Dynasty.
In addition, the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the Yuan Dynasty were also very large. Yingtian and Suzhou were all under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Fujian also belonged to this province. The richest places in the south of the Yangtze River were all under the jurisdiction of the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
As for the province of Jiangxi, it is even more exaggerated. It actually extends to Lingnan. Can you believe that Guangzhou is part of Jiangxi?
These messy things have to be dealt with, divided into regions, and then officials are arranged to strengthen local governance.
Zhang Ximeng has turned his subordinate department into a super yamen. He cannot just sit back and ignore these matters. He can only handle them personally and carefully.
Needless to say, Zhang Ximeng was busy, but there were things that he had to ask about. Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict and asked Zhang Ximeng to come over.
After the monarch and his ministers met, Lao Zhu sighed.
"I just got an emergency report saying that Feng Guoyong is ill."
Zhang Ximeng was slightly startled, and took the message from Zhu Yuanzhang's hand. He read it again and again, then Zhang Ximeng frowned deeply and fell into a dilemma.
Feng Guoyong accepted the gold medal and marched into Guanzhong, which was the established strategy.
Not long ago, Feng Guoyong left Guanzhong, went north to attack the remnants of the Yuan army, successfully recaptured Yan'an Prefecture and other places, and drove Zhang Liangbi to Hetao in one fell swoop.
Feng Guoyong then led his troops to attack westward. Their goal was to open up the Hexi Corridor, enter the Western Regions, and then cut off the connection between the Yuan Dynasty and the Mongolian vassal state from the flanks.
Not only to regain his homeland, but also to surround the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty on the grassland.
This is a very large strategic layout.
Just as he was punching out, Feng Guoyong suddenly fell ill in the army and lost his arm.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang was worried and said: "In the last decisive battle in the Central Plains, although Xu Da and Chang Yuchun made great contributions, it was Feng Guoyong's Nanyang Army who first launched the counterattack. This is the case now. If we want to completely eradicate Yuan Ting
The remnants must, like the Western Han Dynasty, penetrate the Western Region and outflank the Yuan army. This time the burden falls on Feng Guoyong again."
"The fourth child has been talking about it all day long, and he wants to be the general who conquers the west. Little does he know that our real general who conquers the west is none other than Feng Guoyong!" Zhu Yuanzhang said helplessly: "Mr. Zhang, do you have any opinions? Who can replace Feng Guoyong?
For state use, should we choose one among Ding Pulang, Fu Youde and others, or should we arrange someone from the DPRK to go there?"
Facing Lao Zhu's question, Zhang Ximeng was in a dilemma.
After all, sending troops to the Western Regions involves high mountains and long rivers, and the situation is extremely complicated. It cannot be done without a general who is versatile in both civil and military affairs.
Looking at the generals of the Ming army, Xu Da is definitely fine, but those of Chang Yuchun's level are far behind.
But the problem is that Xu Da belongs to one of the three armies and must stay in the court to deal with emergency military situations at any time. If Xu Da is sent and encounters an urgent war, in addition to the imperial commander's personal expedition, only King Lu will be left to supervise the division.
Therefore, Feng Guoyong is the most suitable candidate, which was what Zhang Ximeng and Zhu Yuanzhang had already discussed.
Now suddenly Feng Guoyong fell ill, and in a hurry, no one could replace him!
"My lord, Wu Zhen, Wu Liang, Hua Yun, Tang Shengzong, these people all had a chance, but now it's hard to say."
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "It's hard to say! These people are not as good as before, especially Hua Yun. He used to be the cavalry commander, but now he can't even ride a horse. After only a few years of hard work, he is so decadent! It's really
Disappointing!”
Lao Zhu thought for a while and then said: "Sir, what do you think, let Zhu Wenzheng go?"
Zhang Ximeng nodded slightly. Zhu Wenzheng was indeed a rare talent among young generals. He was willing to endure hardships and was able to fight. He commanded the cavalry, attacked Shangdu, and made great military exploits.
But Zhu Wenzheng also had a problem, that is, he was relatively junior and was the emperor's nephew. This status was a help to him, but it was also a limitation. Those generals may not be able to completely listen to him.
But at the moment, other than Zhu Wenzheng, I really can’t find anyone more suitable.
Just when Zhang Ximeng was about to agree, another memorial suddenly arrived from Didao, written by Feng Guoyong himself.
After receiving this memorial, both Zhang Ximeng and Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent.
Feng Guoyong first introduced the current situation of the Ming army.
After expelling Zhang Liangbi, the Ningxia Road, which was the main territory of Xixia at that time, has fallen into the hands of the Ming Dynasty. Now it is arranging soldiers to colonize the border and consolidate control.
From this point to the west, Feng Guoyong hoped to penetrate the Hexi Corridor and regain his homeland.
He introduced in the memorial that due to the previous war, the Yuan Dynasty drew many soldiers and horses of the kings of Shaanxi and Gansu to deal with the Red Turban Army. As a result, the Hexi Corridor was empty, and the Ming army fought through it, almost as if they were in an uninhabited land.
But at the same time, Feng Guoyong also pointed out that although the march went smoothly, as far as he could see, everyone wore Hu clothes and performed Hu rituals, which was very different from the customs of the Central Plains. During the period when people with colored eyes lived together, there were not many Han people left.
It's like being in a foreign land.
At this point in the memorial, you can clearly feel that the handwriting was hesitant. Feng Guoyong endured the pain and wrote it down.
"Recovering the northwest and changing customs cannot be delayed for a moment. The illness of one of you is a small matter, but the illness of the country is a big matter. If the general is replaced at the battle, I may not be able to return to the sky with a disabled body and see the beauty of the sky, which will only make Your Majesty sad.
.In addition, it takes time to select a general and get to know him well. I am afraid it will take half a year. It will be the sin of the minister to harm the country and the people."
"Therefore, I boldly implore my Majesty the Emperor not to allow me to return to the capital, and allow me to lead the troops to the west. After regaining Hexi, I can rest in peace, repay God's kindness, and live up to my husband's lifelong ambition!"
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear it anymore and pounded the table hard, "We know, we know! Feng Guoyong must be seriously ill, otherwise he wouldn't write like this! If I had known this, we shouldn't have sent him to lead the army.
!”
Zhang Ximeng also said: "My lord, send someone to Didao quickly. I hope I can catch up."
The imperial envoy left the capital overnight with the decree.
In the far northwest, a carriage carrying a sick general arrived and stopped in front of a city.
"Brother, we have arrived in Liangzhou." The drowsy Feng Guoyong was slightly startled when he heard the call. After a moment, he suddenly laughed and said: "But that Liangzhou that Lu Fangweng only dreamed of?"
Feng Guosheng nodded with tears in his eyes.
"Come on, help me down quickly, I want to see...see the land of Liangzhou."
Feng Guoyong trembled and got off the carriage. With the support of his brothers, he slowly walked into Liangzhou City. Suddenly, he murmured: "There is a poem by Lu Fangweng. The daughters of Liangzhou are full of high-rise buildings. They comb their hair like in Kyoto."
!We finally arrived in Liangzhou, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to see Liangzhou’s daughter when she learns how to comb her hair according to the weather.”
Feng Guosheng said with tears: "Brother, you can see everything! I will make arrangements now! Let's go up to the tallest building in Liangzhou and overlook Liangzhou and the land of Hexi!"
After Feng Guosheng finished speaking, he leaned down and carried his brother on his back with his broad back. The moment he stood up, Feng Guosheng almost fell down. It was not that it was too heavy, but that it was too light!
Feng Guosheng cried loudly.
But Feng Guoyong, who was on his back, chuckled and said, "Why are you sad, silly brother, I am much more blessed than Lu You!"