Chapter 122: The whole city is empty, the people of the prefecture city welcome spontaneously

Perhaps!

Just like the evaluation of the father-son relationship between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao by later generations.

Zhu Biao was the eldest son of Zhu Chongba and his original wife. At that time, Zhu Chongba had not yet made a name for himself, and he welcomed his eldest son in that ordinary family.

And the children born later were all Zhu Yuanzhang's sons. This "Zhu Yuanzhang" was no longer the "Zhu Chongba" of that time.

Perhaps in essence they are the same person, but for Zhu Yuanzhang, the meaning is completely different.

"Your Highness."

Yao Guangxiao narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice carrying a kind of unfathomable deep meaning: "Time will verify everything."

"Yes."

Zhu Di straightened his body, his expression incomparably serious, and a kind of firmness emerged in his eyes: "Time will prove everything. I must also prove to the Father Emperor that I, Zhu Di, am also his son."

"After the governance of Liaodong is settled, the opportunity for the Prince to stand out among the sons of the Emperor will come."

Yao Guangxiao raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile, as if he had already seen the scene of the future.

"The current Emperor is talented and ambitious, and has already solved the sharp blade of the Northern Yuan hanging over the head of the Great Ming. The next step is naturally to completely conquer the Northern Yuan."

"Beiping Prefecture guards the Great Wall, and the north directly faces the Northern Yuan."

"This time, the Emperor will definitely move troops, and the Prince will definitely have a great opportunity to go on an expedition to the northern border."

"If you can really defeat the Northern Yuan, this will exceed the merit of recovering Liaodong." Yao Guangxiao's tone was serious and carried solemnity.

"If I can really lead the army, I must destroy the Northern Yuan!"

Zhu Di's eyes surged with hot light, and he was also looking forward to the arrival of this day.

The capital of the Great Ming, Ying Tianfu!

The main hall of the Donggong was solemn and majestic, and the carved beams and painted buildings exuded a unique royal majesty.

The Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of Justice stood neatly in the hall, standing straight, their expressions were also very respectful, looking at the Crown Prince Zhu Biao sitting on the main seat.

"In that case."

Zhu Biao sat on the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the three ministers peacefully, and said steadily: "The taxes of Liaodong are settled!"

"Exempt from agricultural tax for one year, starting from the day of spring plowing."

"Exempt half of the commercial tax, to encourage merchants from the Central Plains to go to Liaodong for business, revitalize Liaodong's people's livelihood, this time limit is two years."

"What do the three ministers think?"

The Minister of Revenue, Zhao Mian, immediately showed a smile on his face, bowed slightly, his tone carrying admiration: "The Crown Prince is wise! Liaodong has long been controlled by the Northern Yuan, always following the cruel exploitation policy of the Northern Yuan, engaging in aggressive warfare, completely disregarding the suffering of the people."

"Exempting agricultural tax can allow the people of Liaodong to pick up farming again and restore vitality, and exempting commercial tax can attract many merchants of our Great Ming to rush to Liaodong. After all, profit moves people's hearts. In this way, the people's livelihood of Liaodong can definitely be revived."

"This subordinate also agrees." The Minister of Personnel, Chen Jing, quickly took a step forward and echoed respectfully, his voice carrying full affirmation: "With this measure, it will definitely allow Liaodong to quickly restore its past prosperity."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face: "In that case, implement the taxes accordingly, and the Ministry of Revenue will draft the regulations as soon as possible and announce them to the world in Liaodong."

The words fell.

Zhu Biao paused slightly, his expression became serious, and he looked at the Minister of Justice, Shen Jin: "Besides this, the Ministry of Justice needs to send more officials to Liaodong."

"When the Northern Yuan controlled Liaodong, many Northern Yuan nobles acted recklessly, wantonly killing civilians, bullying men and women, and doing all kinds of evil."

"For these villains, I will never tolerate them, and I will not let go of even one."

"The Ministry of Justice should send more capable officials to go there to try cases, accept the reports of the people of Liaodong, but if such villains are found, they will be strictly punished according to the laws of our Great Ming!"

Shen Jin heard this, bowed immediately, and replied loudly: "Please rest assured, Crown Prince, this subordinate has already drafted a detailed roster, and one hundred officials under the Ministry of Justice will go to Liaodong in the near future."

"Very good." Zhu Biao nodded with satisfaction, and then added: "For those honest and law-abiding foreign races, the Great Ming should treat them with the etiquette of subjects! But for those arrogant and rampant villains who bully men and women, the Great Ming will never accept them."

"How to deal with them specifically, everything is determined by law, this matter must be watched closely by Minister Shen personally."

Shen Jin nodded again immediately, his eyes revealing determination: "This subordinate understands!"

"Your Highness."

Zhao Mian thought for a moment, stepped forward and said respectfully: "There is one more thing. Liaodong is initially pacified, and the fields in Liaodong were all controlled by Northern Yuan nobles, and civilians had no land to farm, and could only be forced to pay high rent."

"This time Liaodong is recovered, is it necessary to re-measure the fields and distribute them to the people for farming?"

Zhu Biao heard this, smiled slightly, and said without hesitation: "Naturally."

"The Father Emperor's grand plan is to let the people of our Great Ming have land to farm and food to eat."

"The fields in Liaodong must be re-measured, and all civilians in Liaodong can be fairly distributed fields. How to distribute them specifically is determined by our Great Ming Hongwu field distribution regulations."

Zhao Mian bowed deeply immediately and responded: "This subordinate understands, this matter, this subordinate will definitely settle it properly as soon as possible."

Just at this time!

"Report!"

The commander of the Donggong Jin Wuwei, Luo Yang, walked quickly into the hall, bowed in front of Zhu Biao, bowed his hands, and reported respectfully: "Reporting to the Crown Prince, the Emperor's decree has been passed from the palace regarding the reorganization of the surrendered soldiers in Liaodong."

"Present it quickly."

Zhu Biao heard that it was the Father Emperor's decree, his expression straightened instantly, and he waved his hand decisively.

The Jin Wuwei commander Luo Yang stood up immediately, stepped forward quickly, held the decree high with both hands, and presented it to Zhu Biao respectfully. 【12

Zhu Biao took the edict, slowly unfolded it, and his gaze swept over it quickly, immediately understanding the contents.

"The Duke of Song and the Marquis of Yongchang are indeed veteran generals with seasoned experience; these reorganization proposals are all very good."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly, his eyes showing appreciation: "Reorganize the three guard battalions and station them in three locations across Liaodong and Daning."

As he spoke, he looked carefully at the edict again, along with the reorganization register attached by Feng Sheng, his face full of satisfaction.

"Your Highness." Zhao Mian carefully looked up at Zhu Biao and asked tentatively: "Has the Emperor already decided on the reorganization strategy? Should we invite Minister Tang over to discuss it together?"

"No need." After scanning the edict, Zhu Biao looked relaxed and said straightforwardly: "The reorganization edict is decided; just pass the edict to Tang Duo in a while."

"I understand," Zhao Mian replied respectfully, stepping back slightly to return to his original position.

"Zhu Ying is also quite good."

Zhu Biao looked at the edict again, murmuring to himself, a gratified smile appearing on his face: "Stationed in three places, with increased control in each."

"And as for the former Northern Yuan generals above the rank of Battalion Commander, except for those above the rank of Five Thousand, all others are to be executed, which can effectively prevent these Northern Yuan officers from causing trouble again."

"And by controlling the supplies and balancing both sides, it's good, truly good."

Looking at the strategy proposed by Zhu Ying, Zhu Biao couldn't help but nod in praise repeatedly.

"Your Highness."

Luo Yang, standing to the side, bowed slightly and said respectfully: "The Emperor has said that the reorganization strategy should be based on what the Duke of Song and the other generals proposed, but the locations for the three guard battalions should still be determined by Your Highness."

"The locations for stationing?"

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, looking thoughtful.

After a moment of consideration.

Zhu Biao waved his hand decisively and said loudly: "Bring the maps of Liaodong and Daning."

In response, an Donggong official quickly stepped forward from the side and steadily presented two maps, which were indeed the maps of Liaodong and Daning.

"With the strength of Zhu Ying's Daning border army, it is enough to completely suppress one guard battalion."

Zhu Biao tapped the map lightly, his gaze focused, and decided methodically: "The first reorganized guard battalion of surrendered troops will be placed in Huizhou of Daning Prefecture."

"As for the second guard battalion, place it on the border adjacent to the Gao Li kingdom."

"The third guard battalion will be placed north of Jincheng in Liaodong Prefecture."

Zhu Biao only thought for a moment before he quickly outlined the strategic layout in his mind and immediately reached a decision.

"Your Highness."

Luo Yang stepped forward and said respectfully: "According to the report from the Duke of Song, before Liaodong was fully pacified, the Gao Li Grand General Li Chenggui had led a large army to the Liaodong border, but was intimidated and driven back by General Zhu Ying."

"Is stationing a guard battalion on the Gao Li border the reason for Your Highness's consideration?"

"Correct." Zhu Biao nodded, his expression solemn, his eyes filled with deep concern: "Although Gao Li is small, it is ambitious and cannot be ignored. This guard battalion will be placed in that border area just in case."

As he spoke.

Zhu Biao strode to the desk, reached out to pick up a brush, took out a blank imperial edict, and earnestly wrote down the stationing locations for the three guard battalions and the details for each place.

"Send this edict to the Ministry of War and have Tang Duo send it to Liaodong immediately."

After writing the edict and carefully stamping it with the Crown Prince's seal, Zhu Biao handed it to Luo Yang and said solemnly: "Proceed with all reorganization according to this."

"I obey the edict." Luo Yang immediately took the edict with both hands, turned around quickly, and walked hurriedly toward the Ministry of War.

"Three Ministers."

Zhu Biao turned his gaze toward the three Ministers, his expression dignified, his tone carrying a hint of expectation: "The matter of Liaodong is of utmost importance. Once Liaodong is completely integrated into the Great Ming, I will definitely record your merits."

"I will definitely not let the Crown Prince down."

The three bowed immediately, their expressions extremely solemn. Compared to when they were in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, they were clearly much more relaxed when facing Zhu Biao, without the caution and fear they felt when facing Zhu Yuanzhang, who was like a god of slaughter.

After the three Ministers left, Zhu Biao turned slowly, his gaze falling on the map of the Great Ming hanging in the hall.

"Liaodong is settled."

Zhu Biao frowned slightly, his eyes flashing with thoughtful light as he murmured to himself: "Next, it is the Northern Yuan."

"For the next campaign, who should be the Grand General to lead the troops?"

"The Duke of Song is clearly no longer suitable."

"As for the Marquis of Yongchang, should I let him take another step forward?"

Zhu Biao, with a thoughtful look on his face, was already immersed in the preparation and planning for the next campaign against the Northern Yuan.

…………

Daning Prefecture, Fucheng!

Sunlight spilled onto the ancient, mottled city walls, adding a touch of primitive and mysterious charm to this weather-beaten border prefecture city.

The streets and alleys were bustling with activity, people coming and going, various stalls filled with goods, and the sounds of hawking and laughter intertwined.

"Hey, why are you all in such a hurry? Running toward the city gates as if you have wind under your feet?"

A small merchant stood behind his stall filled with goods, looking at the hurried pedestrians with a puzzled face, and couldn't help but ask.

"Don't you know about such a big event?"

The pedestrian being asked didn't stop, his face filled with uncontrollable excitement as he turned his head and shouted loudly, waving his arms as he spoke, as if that would make the other person feel his excitement more clearly.

"What big event? I already know about the reclamation of Liaodong; that news has spread throughout the world, but what does that have to do with you all running outside the city?"

The small merchant scratched his head, his already messy hair becoming even more disheveled, making him look even more confused.

"Haha." The pedestrian showed a smug smile, his eyes squinting into a slit, as if showing off a priceless treasure: "In this Liaodong battle, who was the most prominent and eye-catching in the Great Ming army?"

"Nonsense." The small merchant blurted out without thinking: "That must be General Zhu Ying of our Daning border army! I heard General Zhu Ying is only seventeen, yet he has made great military achievements for the Great Ming! The chieftain of the Jianzhou Tatars, as well as Nahachu, many Northern Yuan generals died at the hands of General Zhu Ying. Because of General Zhu Ying, our Daning border army is now famous throughout the world!"

"Since you know that, don't you know that it has spread throughout the city that General Zhu is returning to Daning today!"

"Everyone in Daning city is running toward the city gates, hoping to see with their own eyes what our Daning Prefecture's great hero looks like and how heroic he is."

The pedestrian said as he quickened his pace, as if afraid that if he went late, he wouldn't be able to see General Zhu Ying.

"Really?"

The small merchant's eyes widened, full of surprise and anticipation.

"Oh, besides General Zhu, besides the Champion Earl, who else could have such great appeal! I won't talk to you anymore; I have to hurry out of the city to find a good spot, otherwise I won't be able to see General Zhu's appearance."

"Wait for me, I'm going too; I have to close my stall."

The small merchant hurriedly packed up his stall, stuffing his goods aside in a flurry, and then followed the pedestrian, running all the way toward the city gates.

Inside Daning city!

Many commoners were running toward the city gates with hurried steps and urgent expressions.

There were young and strong men who walked lightly and ran all the way, their faces full of impatient anticipation; women holding their children, urging them to watch their step while quickening their pace, their eyes flashing with excitement; and elderly people leaning on canes, walking tremblingly toward the city gates with the support of their families, their faces carrying reverence and anticipation for the hero.

The entire Daning city seemed to have been injected with a powerful vitality, becoming extremely lively and noisy, which also caused the originally bustling streets to become empty for a time; for Daning city, this was a rare grand event.

Looking outside the city, the prefecture soldiers guarding the city were busy.

Two thousand soldiers in neat armor, holding long spears, were trying hard to maintain order outside the city.

Their faces carried a mix of tension and excitement; they had never encountered such a scene before.

Countless commoners gathered outside the city.

As the prefecture city of Daning, Daning city had a large population of over two hundred thousand, and it was feared that over a hundred thousand had come out of the city, men and women, old and young.

Some commoners stood on tiptoe, stretching their necks, their eyes fixed on the distance, as if they could see General Zhu Ying's figure faster this way; some children rode on their fathers' shoulders, waving small, homemade Daning border army battle flags in the wind.

Others held incense and candles, their expressions pious, as if they wanted to pray for the returning hero.

Of course.

Some commoners might have been driven by curiosity to watch the excitement, but more were full of anticipation to see the legendary Champion Earl with their own eyes, to see what General Zhu Ying, who had fought such great prestige for Daning on the battlefield, looked like and how heroic he was.

Not to mention the entire Great Ming Empire, just within the Daning Prefecture territory, Zhu Ying was a hero worthy of the name in the hearts of the commoners.

As a border prefecture, Daning often suffered from the scourge of foreign harassment, mainly from the Northern Yuan, as well as frequent invasions by foreign tribes like the Jianzhou Tatars. The border commoners were miserable, living in deep water and scorching fire.

In this battle, General Zhu Ying led the army to reclaim Liaodong and bloodily purged the Jianzhou Tatars, which could be described as a hearty and thorough slaughter, and he fought out the prestige of the Daning border army, winning the reverence of ten thousand people.

This was the reason why the people of Daning Prefecture city were so excited, with almost half of the city's population coming out of the city to welcome him.

"Uncle Lin."

On the inner side of the official road, Lin Fu and Shen Yuer stood quietly, looking forward expectantly.

Shen Yuer wore a light blue long dress, the hem of which fluttered gently in the wind, like a blooming blue flower.

She looked at the bustling crowd outside the city, where countless commoners were looking forward expectantly, and from time to time someone shouted "General Zhu" or "Champion Earl," and couldn't help but ask: "Are these people really all here to welcome Brother Zhu Ying?"

"They are."

Lin Fu, dressed in a simple but neat robe, was also looking at the gathered crowd with shock, his face filled with excitement and pride.

There was no doubt that this was all attracted by his young master's reputation.

"The young master has truly made a name for himself now."

Tears flashed in Lin Fu's eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "He has become the youngest general in the Great Ming, and also the youngest Earl in the Great Ming."

"If the old mistress were still here, how happy she would be to see the young master's achievements today."

Watching this scene of ten thousand people emptying the city to welcome his young master, Lin Fu was extremely excited; if it weren't for his young master's reputation, he would have been unable to hold back his tears of joy.

"Steward Lin."

"Miss Shen."

Bu Wan, dressed in an official uniform with exquisite and gorgeous embroidery, walked over with many Daning city officials following behind him in neat steps.

Bu Wan's expression was gentle, a faint smile on his face as he said: "General Zhu should be here soon."

Clearly.

The news of Zhu Ying's return this time was spread by Bu Wan, but he did not force anyone to come and welcome him.

The commoners outside the city came spontaneously, full of anticipation for the hero's return.

However, inviting Lin Fu and Shen Yuer to come was naturally Bu Wan's intention, which could be considered a surprise for Zhu Ying.

"Thank you, Prefect."

Lin Fu immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, his voice carrying a bit of caution and gratitude.

At this moment, facing a high-ranking and powerful figure like Bu Wan, Lin Fu was still a bit nervous.

A Prefect, in charge of the government affairs of a prefecture, held great power and a lofty status.

In the past, let alone a Prefect, even meeting a small official in the government office was as difficult as ascending to heaven, let alone a high official like Bu Wan.

But now, such an official treated him so kindly, all because his young master had succeeded.

"The Prefect and your young master are also close friends of different generations, so there is no need to be so polite."

Bu Wan smiled and waved his hand, his expression kind and approachable, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Prefect and Garrison Commander; in the end, within a prefecture, although the Prefect's official rank was one grade higher, the official power and authority were actually on par.

The Prefect could not control the Garrison Commander, and the Garrison Commander could not control the Prefect; it was a kind of mutual check and balance of power.

At this moment!

From afar!

Clip-clop.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

A series of hoofbeats approached from afar, like rolling thunder, the formation quite grand.

Looking into the distance, at the very front was a tall, pure black warhorse; the horse had a sturdy build, tense muscles, and its four hooves stepped powerfully on the ground, its mane flying wildly in the wind.

The person on the horse was Zhu Ying. He wore black armor that radiated light under the sun, and a long sword hung at his waist, adding to his majesty.

Behind Zhu Ying, seven hundred cavalrymen followed in neat formation, wearing uniform armor and holding long spears, their presence majestic. Even though they had left the battlefield, the killing intent remained, looking like a battle-hardened army returning.

"Look!"

In the crowd, a young man shouted at the top of his lungs, his face flushed red: "Champion Earl, General Zhu is back!"

As he shouted, he waved his arms high, as if wanting the distant Zhu Ying to see his enthusiasm immediately.

"It really is General Zhu! Look..."

An elderly man with gray hair trembled with excitement, his dim eyes now full of light, and his grandson beside him was infected, jumping and shouting: "Our Daning Prefecture's great hero is back!"

"He's exactly like the rumors! General Zhu is young and handsome, that heroic spirit is just incredible!"

A young woman in coarse cloth clothes had slightly flushed cheeks, her eyes full of admiration, and she said softly to her companion.

Her companion covered her mouth and laughed: "Yes, General Zhu is a military general, yet he is so handsome; I wonder which family's young lady will have such good fortune in the future."

"Truly heroic!"

A burly man with a face full of admiration nodded forcefully: "He is worthy of being our Daning's strongest general, personally bestowed the title of Champion by the Emperor. Look at this presence; it's clearly something no ordinary person can compare to!"

"General Zhu, Champion Earl!"

"General Zhu... welcome back to Daning!"

The shouts, one after another, were like surging waves, wave after wave, instantly sweeping across the entire area outside the city, very noisy and lively.

As the clip-clop of hoofbeats became clearer, the Daning commoners gathered outside the city waiting focused their gazes on the tall, pure black warhorse at the very front.

Zhu Ying's figure appeared before the eyes of countless commoners.

The entire area outside the city instantly boiled over; the commoners were moved to tears of excitement, some waving homemade flags, others pushing forward hard, just to get a clearer look at Zhu Ying.

Children rode on their parents' shoulders, clapping their small hands excitedly, while the elderly clasped their hands together, muttering to themselves, full of gratitude for the hero's return.

Zhu Ying's originally calm face now revealed a trace of surprise. He widened his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the enthusiastic scene before him, and couldn't help but murmur to himself: "These commoners... are they all here to welcome me?"

"General!"

Liu Lei rode his horse to Zhu Ying's side, his face flushed red, his eyes full of reverence, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "You beat the Jianzhou Jurchens to a pulp in the northern frontier, and fought bravely in the Liaodong battlefield, making great military achievements! You have avenged the blood feud of countless Daning commoners! Now, you are the great hero of our Daning Prefecture, and even the hero of the entire Great Ming!"

As a native of Daning Prefecture, Liu Lei felt the suffering of this land with visceral pain.

In the past, countless commoners died every year under the slaughter of the Northern Yuan and other foreign tribes. In the eyes of those barbaric foreign tribes, the lives of Daning commoners were like ants, worthless.

Life on the border was full of dangers compared to the prefecture cities in the center of the Great Ming; countless families were torn apart, countless parents lost their children, and children lost their parents—those were heavy blood debts!

And Zhu Ying, who killed Nahachu, reclaimed Liaodong in one fell swoop, and killed countless enemies on the battlefield, his achievements stood like a towering monument in the hearts of Daning commoners.

There was no doubt that in the eyes of the commoners of Daning Prefecture, Zhu Ying was the hero who protected them, the hero who avenged the innocent people who died at the hands of the Northern Yuan and foreign tribes.

(End of chapter)