Chapter 1 The first year of the Dragon and Phoenix
In the first year of the Dragon and Phoenix years, outside Jiqing City (today's Nanjing), tens of thousands of troops waved their banners. The huge army was like a black cloud pressing down on the city. Following the shouts of a few knights, thousands of sergeants advanced toward the city while carrying siege equipment.
.
The soldiers on the Jiqing city wall numbly prepared arrows and rolled wood, while a golden liquid was boiling in a large black pot next to it, emitting a strong and pungent smell.
Dead bodies were strewn all over the city, and several huge pits were dug to bury them. But people on the city were in panic, with only dozens of thin people moving the bodies.
In a military tent outside the city, more than a dozen generals were arguing constantly, swearing from time to time, and making many small moves while pushing and shoving.
"If you want to fight, fight! We have conquered Jiqing and occupied a precious land. We can advance or retreat, so there is no need to hesitate!"
"Bah! What do you fucking cowherd know? Jiqing is easy to fight, how can we stay here! What will King Ming do then?"
"Haha! I don't understand! You fucking understand!"
"That's enough! You guys know nothing! Didn't you listen to what Mr. Li said?"
Sitting above him was a man wearing black armor. He had a handsome face, but he was frowning tightly, but he didn't know what he was thinking about.
"Report! There is a messenger!"
The man above raised his head, glanced at it with his tiger eyes, and all the generals immediately shut up, and the tent suddenly became quiet.
"Come in!"
Outside the door, two sword-wielding soldiers came in with a man. The man knelt down and reported the good news to the general above.
"Reporting to my lord! I'm so happy! My wife gave birth to the son at dawn the day before yesterday! Congratulations to my lord on having a successor!"
The man above was stunned for a moment, and then joy appeared on his cheeks. Before he could say anything, the soldiers below were already smiling more happily than they were having a child.
"Hahahaha! Congratulations, lord! There is a successor!"
This is a huge happy event, even bigger than the current gathering celebration where the city surrenders directly.
Zhu Yuanzhang is already twenty-seven years old this year! He has never had any heirs, which is also a major obstacle to what he wants to do now! No one will follow a lord who has no descendants.
Now, he also has a son!
Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted their congratulations with a wave of his hand, and the generals didn't care. They turned around excitedly and started talking to the people next to them.
They didn't dare to act like the marshal wanted to eat people just now. Now, when they have a reason to drink the wine they hid in the evening, the marshal won't be harsh on him on the big day, hahahaha.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought of his wife and asked quickly: "How is Madam?"
The servant hurriedly replied: "Madam is fine, mother and son are safe, and are recuperating at Chen Di's home. It was Madam who asked me to come and report immediately.
"Hahahahaha! Good! Good! Good!"
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up from the table, holding the sword on his waist with one hand, looking at the Jiqing city wall in the distance, as if there were flames burning in his eyes.
"Send the order! Withdraw the troops!"
The generals below were stunned for a moment, and then they agreed in unison!
As soon as the generals left the tent, they began to make arrangements to withdraw the troops. Withdrawing the troops was not an easy task. It would be a joke if someone paid no attention to the situation.
After everyone walked out, Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his face and said softly: "Son, son, our old Zhu finally has a bloodline to continue!"
Zhu Yuanzhang walked out of the tent and listened to the servants talking behind him, but he was full of ambition in his heart: "You came at the right time! Just watch, your father will build a big empire for you!"
The time has not yet come to capture Jiqing!
Guo Zixing had just died of illness, and Xiaoming Wang Han Lin'er appointed Guo Zixing's son Guo Tianxu as the capital marshal, his wife's brother Zhang Tianyou as the right deputy marshal, and he as the left deputy marshal.
Nominally, the Du marshal is the leader of the army, and the right deputy marshal has a higher status than the left deputy marshal.
However, most of the armies in Chuzhou and Hezhou were recruited by Zhu Yuanzhang, and all the army lieutenants and generals had defected to him.
He has the final say here! But thinking about his ambition, he still needs to be patient...
Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to be controlled by King Xiao Ming, but considering that the Han and Song Dynasties were powerful and could use their power, he ordered the army to follow the Dragon and Phoenix Annals.
In this way, even if he captures Jiqing at all costs, he is still nominally a subordinate army of King Xiao Ming. If he does not hand it over when the time comes, it will attract criticism.
"Build the wall high, accumulate food widely, and slowly become king!"
"There's no rush. Now that my son is born, I'll naturally go on steadily."
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the supervisors sent by King Xiao Ming and was walking towards him hastily, with a contemptuous smile on his face.
He casually dismissed the supervisors, and he was just using the tiger skin of the Ming religion (Manicheism) to cover him up. He did not really believe in the nonsense that King Ming came to the world, so the supervisors of Xiao Ming Wang could not control him.
"We, Lao Zhu, also spent time in the temple!"
The soldiers on the side brought a sturdy black horse without a trace of color. It was a wedding gift given to him by Guo Zixing.
The army responded before and after breaking out of camp, and withdrew in a mighty manner. The defenders in Jiqing City were even more overjoyed, but fearing that they had some plan, they guarded the city gate tightly and only sent a dozen riders several hundred meters away.
Watch from a distance.
In the afternoon, the Chinese army passed by a hill, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who was still immersed in the idea that he had a blood heir, ordered to carve a stone saying: "Those who come to this mountain will have no heirs."
Dozens of strong men guarded the gate outside the residence of Chen Di, a businessman in Hezhou Taiping (now Dangtu County, Anhui), carrying long knives on their waists and long bows on their backs, and scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
A dark and thin old man, carrying more than ten kilograms of grain on his back, pulled a half-grown boy through the gate of the house. He bent down and walked quickly. The boy was curious and looked back secretly.
At first glance, his whole body froze, and he saw a big man looking at them coldly. When he turned around, their eyes met, and his heart skipped a beat. The boy wanted to turn around, but he couldn't control his body inexplicably.
.
Snapped!
I felt a pain in my head, and heard my uncle yelling in his ears: "You are like a dog! You have just walked a few steps and you are already too lazy! Let's go quickly!"
The boy responded indiscriminately, hurriedly escaped from the terrifying line of sight, and quickly followed the uncle's footsteps and walked out.
After walking two streets, Hei Wa calmed down and said, "Hoo! Master, the guards at Mr. Chen's house have changed? Why are the new ones so bluffing? I'm sweating on my back."
Uncle Heiwa also slowed down his pace, put down the food and relaxed his shoulders.
"Hey! Why don't you tell me that you are ignorant? These are not ordinary gatekeepers. They are most likely soldiers, and they are not ordinary soldiers."
"Uncle, why is he not an ordinary soldier?"
"How does it feel for your child to be targeted by them?"
"Hey, I almost peed! It feels like I'm being targeted by a wolf."
"Ha, that's right! Someone who can do this just by looking at him is either someone who was killed from among the dead, or he is a high-ranking nobleman.
"Remember, if you see this kind of person in the future, bend down, lower your head, and leave quickly! Do you understand?"
Seeing Hei Wa nodding, the old man looked back and felt a little miserable: "I wonder when this shitty world will end?"
In the hall of the mansion, a rich and noble middle-aged man was sitting upright. He took a sip of tea and said to the young woman next to him: "Madam, you must be careful in everything, and you must not be careless!"
"I understand that the servants in the house are not allowed to enter the inner courtyard except for the birth of children. The doctor and wet nurse are also very knowledgeable. I personally watch the food and never let up."
"That's good. I have received the news that the marshal has withdrawn his troops and returned. The more this happens, the more important it is for you and me to be careless!"
"Okay, then I will go back and take care of my wife and young master."
Seeing the wife leaving quickly, Chen Di sighed secretly, "The world is in chaos! Dragons and snakes are mixed. I wonder if my bet is right?"
Mrs. Chen from the Inner Court carefully asked the adults about the condition of the child and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the mother and child were healthy.
A gentle voice came from inside the house: "Is it Sister Chen who's here? I'm really bothering you. If you don't mind, please come in."
Mrs. Chen hurriedly replied softly: "Why are you awake, but did you wake up with your sister's words?"
The maid next to her carefully pushed open the door, fearing that a bit of cold wind would get in, so Chen also hurriedly stepped in.
Walking into the inner room, a woman with a soft appearance and a strong look between her eyebrows was lying on the bed with a pale complexion. She was covered with a thick quilt but could not hide the joy of becoming a mother for the first time.
Mrs. Chen sat on the edge of the bed with a smile on her face and stretched out her hand to touch the quilt. "My sister is a noble person. She gave birth to the handsome eldest son safely. She is so energetic in just five days."
Ma didn't care about her own health. She had been alone since she was a child and had to rely on others. Although she was not abused, her life could not be said to be easy. After getting married, she followed her husband on various expeditions, so her body was extremely healthy. After giving birth to her child, she was already in good health.
Slowed down a lot.
But when I think of the child I just touched with my own hands, I can't help but smile full of motherhood.
"The child is very good. He doesn't cry or fuss. His face is pink and tender..."
Looking at Mrs. Ma who was so excited as a first-time mother, Mrs. Chen also remembered that her own children, especially the first one, were always special.
"Ah~wow~ahow~"
A faint sound passed through the wall, and not many people heard it.
Mrs. Chen was still listening attentively to Ma's story, but Ma, who was telling her child seriously, heard her child's cry in an instant and immediately asked.
"The child is crying! Come on, what's wrong? Get the child over here!"
Ms. Chen was startled and quickly comforted Mr. Ma, "Don't panic, sister. The baby may have peed. It's normal for newborn babies to cry a lot."
Mrs. Ma still looked anxious. It was not until the nanny took the baby over and gently placed it next to her that she breathed a sigh of relief.
Ma reluctantly touched her son's cheek sideways, looked into his eyes, and gently stroked his soft arms: "Good boy, mother is here, don't cry, don't cry~"
The child calmed down when he reached his mother's side, staring at her with round black and white eyes.
"This is my mother in this life, a famous empress in history, who is the direct wife of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, Empress Ma!"
Zhu Qianben was a freshman and was living a pretty good life, but he was unlucky enough to encounter an epidemic...