Liu He came in a hurry and told his grandson what he saw.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang had already fallen asleep at this time, so it was naturally impossible for Zhu Ying to go over and wake him up.
"You go back and wait, and let me know immediately when grandpa wakes up."
"Follow orders."
Zhu Ying rubbed his temples. This was the first time he felt such a difficult thing.
The old man had obviously lost his thoughts. He originally thought that Concubine Ning had said that it would be fine if Xiao Wen Cheng came over to accompany her, but now it seems that the situation may be even worse.
When encountering such a thing, Zhu Ying no longer had the time to make arrangements for the Northern Expedition, so he sent an order to Huang Guan to make arrangements.
After thinking about it, Zhu Ying chose to go to Ye Yueqing's place.
"Your Highness." Seeing Zhu Ying coming over, Ye Yueqing bowed slightly and saluted.
Zhu Ying waved her hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite, and then told the old man's situation.
At this time, he could only ask Ye Yueqing to discuss it.
"Grandpa's situation is like this now. He usually eats and drinks all he wants, but today I heard he lost his appetite after just a few mouthfuls of gruel. It's not a good idea to continue like this."
"The imperial doctor said that heart diseases require heart medicine. It won't work if Xiao Wen Cheng goes there for the time being, but I still let Xiao Wen Cheng stay with grandpa first. The most dangerous thing about this kind of disease is being alone, and it is easier to be too quiet.
Sentimental and random thoughts."
"Now we have to think of a way to get grandpa back on his feet."
Zhu Ying felt a little inexplicably irritable, and for the first time he felt powerless.
Hearing this, Ye Yueqing did not answer immediately, but thought deeply and asked: "Your Majesty's problem now is that he misses the Queen, but suddenly there must be other reasons for this. After all, the Queen has been gone for so many years.
"
"Is it because there has been less government work recently, leaving His Majesty too busy, and this is why he is so sick?"
Zhu Ying shook his head and said: "I thought so before, but now that the Northern Expedition is approaching, and the spring is only a few months away, it stands to reason that grandpa should be more concerned about this matter. He told me before that the Northern Expedition cannot be completely defeated.
Yuan is his biggest regret."
"Now that our Ming Dynasty has gained strength, we may even completely conquer the grassland. Grandpa shouldn't be like this."
Ye Yueqing's thinking is quick and her emotions are more delicate.
After listening to Zhu Ying's words, he thought for a while and then asked: "Is His Highness mainly responsible for the Northern Expedition?"
Zhu Ying nodded: "Yes."
Ye Yueqing suddenly realized: "It seems that the problem lies here."
Zhu Ying couldn't help but ask: "What's going on?"
Ye Yueqing explained: "His Royal Highness is now in charge of the Northern Expedition. His Highness is also responsible for all arrangements, large and small. Although His Majesty has participated, his participation is probably not deep. He is generally responsible for some logistical work, so that's it."
Zhu Ying listened and seemed to feel something: "That's right."
Ye Yueqing said: "That's it. Who is your Majesty? In his early years, he conquered the great Ming Dynasty by conquering the North and South, restoring China, expelling the Tartars, and defeating the Northern Yuan Dynasty. This is his greatest wish."
"Your Highness is His Majesty's favorite eldest grandson. Although His Majesty is happy that His Majesty is taking the lead, this feeling is completely different. His greatest wish cannot be fulfilled by himself, which must be extremely disappointing for His Majesty."
"These many influences, combined with evil spirits entering the body and creating illusions, lead to such a possibility."
Zhu Ying suddenly understood and said: "You mean, let grandpa lead this Northern Expedition."
Ye Yueqing said with a smile: "This Northern Expedition will definitely be famous throughout history. It depends on whether His Highness is willing to give up this credit."
Zhu Ying knew that Ye Yueqing was joking, so she immediately said with a smile: "What's wrong with that? As long as grandpa's health gets better soon, there will be no problem."
"Now that the cause of the disease has been found, now it depends on how to get grandpa to take over the Northern Expedition. We still need to think of a better way to explain it."
Ye Yueqing said: "This is not simple. Didn't His Highness call on several imperial uncles to return to the capital to participate in the Northern Expedition? Why not take this opportunity to call back all the princes and grandsons."
"Since it's a reunion, let's make it more thorough. Besides, the train tracks are almost completed now, and the scenery over the grassland is beautiful. Why don't Your Highness let His Majesty drive the expedition in person?"
Zhu Ying was a little shocked. He didn't expect that Ye Yueqing would dare to think of such a method as the imperial commander's personal conquest.
But then I realized, this is really a good idea.
Grandpa looks old, but he can actually ride horses and shoot arrows. This depressed person will only become more depressed if he always stays in one place.
Once the train is built, it will only take a few days to go to the grassland, and it will not be tiring.
Moreover, the grassland has a wide view and a unique scenery, which is equivalent to going on a trip.
With hundreds of thousands of people following, there is nothing to worry about in terms of safety.
In less than half an hour, someone from Liu He's side sent word that His Majesty had woken up.
But when Zhu Ying wanted to see him, he was blocked from the door.
Obviously Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to see his eldest grandson at this time.
He knew what Da Sun wanted to say to him, so he simply disappeared.
Fortunately, Xiao Wen Cheng was there, so there was a fuss immediately.
"Grandpa, didn't you tell me to let my dad build a snowman together? You can't see him anymore. My dad has done nothing wrong now."
Zhu Yuanzhang was helpless and had no choice but to tell Liu He: "Let the eldest grandson come in."
Xiao Wencheng's assist was quite impressive, and Zhu Ying finally came in.
In fact, if he forced his way in, no eunuch would dare to stop him. However, doing so would make the old man very unhappy and would in turn trigger greater conflicts.
"Tell me, what are you asking for? Didn't I tell you to rest and not to disturb us?"
"We asked you to supervise the country. There are so many things to deal with, as well as the Northern Expedition. This is how you will supervise the country for us."
Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily.
Zhu Ying did not follow what the old man said, but added: "I haven't told grandpa yet. On the day when grandpa fainted, my grandson issued an order asking several imperial uncles to rush back to the capital immediately."
Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and said angrily: "You bastard, we are not dead yet, why are you so anxious to express condolences to us?"
The return of the vassal king to the capital is a major event, and may even affect the succession to the throne.
Although it seems that Da Sun is in control of everything, some accidents are always uncertain.
His sons Zhu Yuanzhang knew very well that they were now very prosperous. They had obtained a lot of money from the Japanese country and raised a large number of private soldiers.
I had originally planned to go, but if I came back and saw my body like this, I would inevitably have some other thoughts.
The temptation of the throne has caused many brothers to kill each other throughout the ages.
Even if there is only a slight possibility, I will do everything for it.
Even if Da Sun wins in the end, the rebellion cannot be simply wiped away. Some people will die in the end.
They are all his own children, how could Zhu Yuanzhang imagine such a thing happening.
The best thing is that when he died, his sons were all overseas, and his eldest grandson succeeded to the throne smoothly.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang had thought about it. Before he died, he would give an edict to several princes. When he died, they were not allowed to return to Beijing to express condolences.
Now, Da Sun suddenly made such a move, which really disrupted Lao Zhu's plan.
This makes Lao Zhu angry.
Facing the old man's angry rebuke, Zhu Ying replied with an expression as usual: "My grandson was once a businessman and is very familiar with business, but he has no experience in leading troops in war."
"The Northern Expedition is of great importance. It is the foundation of our Ming Dynasty for eternity. If anything goes wrong, it will affect our Ming Dynasty Zuo."
"The grassland is vast, and it is not something that a commander can decide. Nowadays, there are only a handful of generals available to the Ming Dynasty. But for such great contributions, my grandson doesn't know how to reward him. For example, the Duke of Liang, should I give him the title of "King Jianjian"?
?"
Zhu Yuanzhang cared most about the stability of his throne, so when he heard this, he shouted: "Nonsense."
Zhu Ying spread her hands: "Grandpa, tell me what should be done."
The ball was thrown over, but Lao Zhu was a little unable to catch it.
After thinking about it, it seems that it is more reliable to send my own son to the Northern Expedition.
In fact, over the years, Zhu Yuanzhang has been continuously taking away the military power of the Huaixi general group and giving it to his sons. This is how Jiubian came about.
Zhu Ying's words were specifically meant to put the old man in a bad light. Even if Lan Yu was asked to go, he wouldn't worry about anything that would overwhelm him.
It's just that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to come here. He was already very suspicious of these governors and generals. Zhu Ying's words were like speaking to his heart.
Zhu Ying took this opportunity and said: "The emperor's uncles are now making a lot of money in the Japanese country, and they have raised many private soldiers. This time they are transferred back from the Japanese country. Firstly, it is a test, and secondly, it is also a deterrent."
"Not only are several imperial uncles from the Japanese Kingdom, including Yunwen, I also sent him a message this time, but also Gao Chi in Annan and Seventeenth Uncle in Goryeo. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we also have a big brother in our family.
reunion."
"My grandson has thought about it. Now that the railway track is built, it will only take three to five days to go to Jiubian. When the time comes, grandpa will take over and lead the imperial uncles to completely pacify Beiyuan. It will be a blessing for us in the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean by your grandson, let us lead the expedition in person?"
Zhu Ying said matter-of-factly: "Of course grandpa will go. As for the imperial uncles, who can control the scene if grandpa doesn't go? With grandpa holding the battle, what kind of trouble can Beiyuan make? Isn't it possible that grandpa can't ride a horse?
No more bows?"
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said: "We are Lianpo, and we are getting older as we get older. How can we shoot a bow and arrow?"
Zhu Ying's eyes flashed with joy.
Now the old man's energy and energy are obviously different. The original old age has been swept away, and his eyes are bright and lively. There is no trace of the senility he had before.
As soon as the energy came up, Lao Zhu felt empty in his stomach, and immediately said to Liu He: "We are hungry, please hurry up and ask Guanglu Temple to cook us a meal."
Liu He listened to this angry voice and replied happily: "Old slave, I'll go now."
Zhu Ying's heart was shattered, and she finally inspired the old man to fight.
——
Samarkand.
After a month of traveling, Cabest finally returned.
He only led a part of his own army, and the army was slowly withdrawing from Tubo, waiting for the next spring to go there.
Because winter has arrived, and the winter in Tubo is the coldest, so staying there to eat is a problem.
Tubo was far away and it was too troublesome to transport grain and grass. They didn't carry much grain and there was no place to rob. If they stayed, they wouldn't have to fight. In the winter, the horses would lose their fat and the soldiers would starve to death.
When Timur heard the news of Cabeste's return, he asked him to come directly to the palace to see him.
Although there has always been information exchange, having Cabest tell it in person can help us understand the situation of Ming Dynasty better.
In the palace, with a bonfire next to the lamb and fine wine, Timur listened to the report from Cabeste.
Cabeste described in detail all his military actions after arriving in Tubo, including his ideas and the results he achieved.
"At the beginning, everything went very smoothly. The Tubo chieftains had no resistance to our army, and the city was easily destroyed by artillery. Wherever the army went, they surrendered."
"It's just that Tubo was too poor and they didn't have much food in their warehouses, so I sent part of the army to the Western Regions."
"It was in the Western Regions that I met the Ming Dynasty's cavalry."
"The cavalry of the Ming Dynasty are all heavily armored. Their muskets are very powerful. Even our heavy cavalry cannot stop them if they get within thirty steps. Arrows have no effect on them. There is nothing we can do.
Pierce their armor."
"Their armor seems to use special technology. It is not as heavy as ours, but much lighter. This makes them faster. Although not as fast as light cavalry, it is much faster than our heavy cavalry."
"With ten thousand cavalry, they can charge against several times the number of enemies. Without the suppression of artillery, no one can defeat them on the battlefield."
"Bei Yuan had nearly 80,000 cavalry, but they were also overwhelmed."
Timur's expression didn't change much. He had known this information for a long time, and it would be clearer when Cabeste told it again.
"Bei Yuan, did you tell me about the secret recipe of the train?" Timur asked after taking a sip of wine.
Compared with the war in Tibet, trains were Timur's biggest concern.
Nowadays, cement roads have been built everywhere in Samarkand, which makes the cavalry faster and makes transportation easier.
This also means that Timur has strengthened his control over various places.
And now we know that the Ming Dynasty invented something called a train, which can travel thousands of miles in a day, which made Timur covet it extremely.
But at the same time, he was also very afraid of the Ming Dynasty.
Firstly, the influence of the Ming Dynasty is getting bigger and bigger now, and secondly, the emperor like him who founded the Ming Dynasty is still alive and well.
Historically, when Timur went to attack the Ming Dynasty, he also heard about Zhu Yuanzhang's death and Zhu Di's difficulties, so he personally went to attack the Ming Dynasty. However, he died of illness on the way.
Now it is impossible for him to conduct a personal expedition, because it is of little significance, but his greed for the East made Timur send Cabeste there first to test it out.
Facts have proved that it is very difficult for Ming Dynasty to attack today.
Cabeste replied helplessly: "When I left, I didn't see the envoys from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, but I heard that they were preparing for war because they were about to go to war with the Ming Dynasty."
"When this winter passes, Ming Dynasty and Bei Yuan will fight. This may be our opportunity."
Timur didn't speak, just nodded, and then asked Cabest to step back.
Later, at the back of the hall, five ministers in robes walked in.
This was Timur's think tank, which was equivalent to the military advisor of the Central Plains Dynasty, and was dedicated to providing advice to Timur.
Timur was a tyrant, but he was not a coward. He knew how to make others work for his own advantage.
"Tell me, how can we win the Ming Dynasty's train? You have all read the content in the Ming Dynasty newspaper. This train is very important to us."
Several ministers looked at each other, and one of them said: "Your Majesty, the possibility of Beiyuan seizing the secret train recipe is very low. Even if they get it, they may not give it to us."
"Perhaps, we should send a delegation over to apologize to the Ming Emperor for what happened to Tubo. This was all caused by Bei Yuan's instigation."
Timur frowned and said, "Will they give us the secret recipe of the train?"
There was already a bit of anger in his tone.
The minister quickly said: "The Ming Emperor has many princesses. Your Majesty can let the eldest or second prince marry the daughter of the Ming Emperor. In this way, we, Samarkand, and the Ming Dynasty will be the best allies."
"Your Majesty can write to the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, as long as they are willing to make peace and give us the secret recipe for the train. In this way, when the Ming Dynasty fights the Bei Yuan, we in Samarkand will never help the Bei Yuan attack the Ming Dynasty."
Timur asked: "What if the Ming emperor disagrees?"
The minister replied: "Then let General Cabest lead the army and march into Ming Dynasty's territory when Bei Yuan is at war with Ming Dynasty to let them know how powerful our Samarkand is."