Chapter 148: Zhu Di

Eighty years of lifespan!

This is almost equivalent to a person's entire life.

Adding the three hundred and twenty years of lifespan he already possessed, that makes a full four hundred years!

This long span is simply beyond imagination.

Zhu Ying tilted his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through time and space, as he thought to himself: "Four hundred years have passed; it should be the modern era by now, right?"

"Of course, this modern era must be different from my previous life because of my existence."

"By then, I will surely be able to create a brand-new Huaxia nation, a Huaxia nation capable of unifying the world."

"Airplanes, cannons, technology, rockets—these things that seem like Arabian Nights in the present will also inevitably appear one by one as time passes."

"Four hundred years!"

"Long and enduring."

"And in the future, I may even obtain more four-hundred-year spans."

At the thought of this, a fiery light couldn't help but flicker in Zhu Ying's eyes, his heart filled with infinite anticipation for the future.

The future is truly promising.

At the very least, Zhu Ying has gradually acquired the ability to change the future.

Thinking of the scenes where foreign races wantonly trampled on the Huaxia land, cruelly slaughtered the Huaxia people, and the Japanese invaders of the distant future committed countless massacres, Zhu Ying's eyes instantly filled with coldness.

These things.

He, Zhu Ying, will absolutely not let these tragedies play out again.

To slaughter!

That can only be done by his Huaxia slaughtering the foreign races.

"General Zhu."

Just at this moment.

Li Jinglong's excited voice came from afar.

Hearing this.

Zhu Ying snapped out of his deep thoughts and looked up, only to see Zhu Di and Li Jinglong, under the tight protection of a group of personal guards, walking toward the front of the Garrison Commander's mansion.

Li Jinglong's face was flushed red, his excitement evident, his footsteps so light he seemed about to fly.

Zhu Di, meanwhile, wore a smile, his expression steady, his pace composed, his every gesture exuding the demeanor of a king.

Seeing this situation.

Zhu Ying rose unhurriedly, his face calm, and he cupped his hands, saying: "Greetings, Prince Yan, greetings, General Li."

"Haha."

Li Jinglong's laughter was extremely loud: "General Zhu, there is no need for such courtesy."

"You are the greatest hero of our army in breaking the city."

"The first merit of the Northern Expedition was actually taken by you on the very first day."

As he spoke.

Li Jinglong stepped forward quickly, grabbed Zhu Ying's arm, and shook it vigorously a few times, his eyes full of enthusiasm.

"General Li, you flatter me." Zhu Ying smiled with a calm expression: "As a warrior of the Great Ming, going to the battlefield to kill the enemy and protect the country is my duty as a subordinate."

"Haha." Li Jinglong laughed again: "General Zhu is too humble!"

"Breaking the city with a single cavalry, capturing the city in a single day."

"In the entire Great Ming, perhaps only General Zhu has such capability."

"The first merit of the Northern Expedition has been obtained by our army; as for Marquis Yongchang and the others, I fear it will take them quite some time to break the city."

Speaking to this point.

Anyone could understand the pride in Li Jinglong's words.

Of course.

For Li Jinglong, his attitude toward Zhu Ying at this moment was enough to show how much he valued Zhu Ying.

Not to mention anything else, just the fact that Zhu Ying was the first to break the city allowed his army to gain the upper hand over Lan Yu in terms of military merit.

Once this news reached Ying Tianfu, Li Jinglong could even imagine the scene: many people would sincerely praise that a tiger father has no dog son, and that the student has surpassed the master.

Although Li Jinglong did not directly participate in the siege, as the commander holding military power, his share of this merit was naturally indispensable.

"Given the Northern Yuan's defensive posture at the border, it would take Lan Yu at least half a month to capture Zhentangcheng."

Zhu Di said slowly: "However, because of our army's act of breaking the city, it will inevitably trigger the Northern Yuan to mobilize troops, which will also speed up Lan Yu's progress in breaking the city."

"On the battlefield, pulling one hair affects the whole body; that is just how it is."

Zhu Ying said with great certainty: "However, more than half of the Yuan troops in this city have retreated to defend, so the subsequent cities will surely be more heavily guarded."

"Moreover! The Northern Yuan Emperor will certainly send reinforcements, and the upcoming great battles will be even more difficult."

"With General Zhu here, I firmly believe that the Northern Yuan will be unable to withstand General Zhu's edge at all." Li Jinglong said with a face full of smiles and full confidence.

Such trust.

It was hard to imagine that Li Jinglong had only known Zhu Ying for a few days.

Zhu Di, meanwhile, stared quietly at Zhu Ying, his gaze revealing a hint of inquiry, mixed with a complex meaning. At this moment, his heart was a cocktail of emotions, and for a time, he didn't know what to say.

"Someone come." Li Jinglong suddenly shouted loudly.

"General." The personal guard commander heard the call, quickly came before Li Jinglong, cupped his hands, and bowed respectfully.

"Quickly send an urgent report to Ying Tianfu, reporting to the Emperor that our army has broken through the Northern Yuan's major border city."

Li Jinglong's expression was serious, with a hint of urgency: "Also, highlight General Zhu's achievements; you must describe it with emphasis so the Emperor knows how heroic General Zhu is."

"General, how should I emphasize it?" The personal guard commander asked with a blank expression, scratching his head, full of confusion.

Seeing this situation.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Li Jinglong's eyes, and after a moment of thought, he said: "Forget it, I will write it myself."

After speaking.

Li Jinglong turned to face Zhu Ying, his face changing back to a gentle smile, and said: "General Zhu, the city has been captured; General Zhu and the soldiers of the Daning border army should have a good rest. I will handle these finishing matters myself."

"This time, I am going to write a detailed military report to submit to the Emperor."

Zhu Ying saw this and smiled slightly, saying: "General Li, please go ahead and get busy."

Submitting the first merit of the Northern Expedition to Ying Tianfu was undoubtedly a great thing.

Zhu Ying knew in his heart that the first to achieve military merit and present it to Zhu Yuanzhang was the undisputed first merit, so he naturally would not refuse.

"Prince Yan." Li Jinglong cupped his hands respectfully toward Zhu Di and said: "Then this subordinate will go handle the affairs first."

Subsequently.

Li Jinglong turned and walked away with long strides, his urgent manner as if there were some extremely urgent matter waiting for him to resolve.

At this moment, Zhu Di's gaze fell on Zhu Ying, and he smiled: "This Prince has guarded Beiping Prefecture for many years, but this is the first time I have stepped into a Northern Yuan city in the northern frontier. Would General Zhu be willing to accompany this Prince into this Garrison Commander's mansion to take a look?"

"Naturally, I am willing." Zhu Ying nodded.

Moreover.

He keenly sensed that Zhu Di seemed somewhat unusual at this moment, as if he had some secret buried deep in his heart, and the occasional flicker of worry in his eyes could not be hidden.

Subsequently.

Zhu Di took the first step and walked toward the interior of the Garrison Commander's mansion.

Zhu Ying followed unhurriedly behind him, his expression calm, but his eyes revealing a hint of vigilance.

Unlike when he was in Liaodong, where he could harvest quite a lot of spoils after defeating the Yuan army and capturing cities.

The treasures of Man Jier and Nahachu had made Zhu Ying a fortune.

However.

In this true territory of the Northern Yuan, such as the Garrison Commander's mansion before him, Zhu Ying had already carefully investigated, and there was simply no profit to be made here.

Building these border cities had already consumed a vast amount of the Northern Yuan's financial resources.

Stepping into the main hall of the Garrison Commander's mansion.

Zhu Di walked steadily toward the main seat at the very back, staring at the chair that symbolized power, as if lost in thought.

"General Zhu."

Zhu Di slowly turned around, his gaze like a torch, looking straight at Zhu Ying, and suddenly asked: "I wonder what insights you have regarding this expedition against the Northern Yuan?"

"The Emperor's holy intent is to thoroughly pacify the Northern Yuan's scourge and defeat the Northern Yuan."

Zhu Ying's expression was solemn, his tone firm: "As a subject, I should naturally strictly follow the holy decree."

Zhu Ying knew in his heart that Zhu Di's sudden question must have a deeper meaning, so he just answered along the lines of the conversation without saying too much; toward Zhu Di, he always maintained a sense of vigilance.

Zhu Di nodded slightly and asked with a smile: "Then does General Zhu feel that this time our Great Ming can thoroughly defeat the Northern Yuan?"

As he spoke.

Zhu Di paced slowly while staring intently at Zhu Ying's eyes, seemingly wanting to probe for some important information from Zhu Ying's gaze.

"Northern Yuan!"

Zhu Ying's expression remained unchanged: "In the final analysis, the current Northern Yuan is like a candle flickering in the wind; although Great Ming cannot thoroughly eradicate it, at least we can make the Northern Yuan court cease to exist and add another fire to the Northern Yuan's collapse."

"The greatest achievement this time may be the destruction of the Northern Yuan, but the major tribes under the Northern Yuan will still exist."

"In this way, the threat to Great Ming's northern frontier will also continue."

Since Zhu Di asked, Zhu Ying spoke his mind directly about his judgment of the situation; he believed that with Zhu Di's wisdom, he would surely understand the deeper meaning.

Hearing this statement from Zhu Ying, a flash of brilliance crossed Zhu Di's eyes.

He truly had not expected that Zhu Ying could see the situation so thoroughly.

This time, many generals of the Northern Expedition were full of thoughts about thoroughly destroying the Northern Yuan so that Great Ming's northern frontier would never have threats again.

However, this was actually a short-sighted idea.

"General Zhu is truly both a fierce general with the courage of ten thousand men and a wise general capable of insight into the situation."

Zhu Di's eyes were full of admiration: "There are really not many people who can see through the key to this."

"In this battle, our Great Ming may be able to destroy the Northern Yuan court, but we cannot thoroughly eradicate the hidden dangers of the Northern Yuan."

"It is nothing more than making the Northern Yuan fall apart and letting its tribes govern themselves."

"Ever since the Northern Yuan was driven out of our Huaxia Central Plains, the Northern Yuan court's control over its tribes has been declining day by day."

"Now, defeating the Northern Yuan is the fatal blow that the Emperor has given to the Northern Yuan."

Hearing this!

"The current Emperor was able to rise from humble beginnings, create this vast empire, and rebuild Huaxia; his vision is naturally unquestionable."

Zhu Ying's eyes were full of respect: "The Emperor must have long ago seen through the chaos within the Northern Yuan, which is why he first recovered Liaodong and then launched the Northern Expedition to the northern frontier."

"His purpose was to allow Great Ming's northern frontier to enjoy long-term peace."

"After this battle, not to mention anything else, at least within a few years, the northern frontier will be stable and secure."

Zhu Ying said with a smile, very positively.

"Then the peace of the northern frontier in the future will have to rely on our Beiping Army and the Daning border army under General Zhu Ying." Zhu Di smiled and looked at Zhu Ying, with a hint of probing.

"Bearing such a heavy responsibility, I will naturally do my best." Zhu Ying smiled.

At this time.

Zhu Di suddenly turned around, his eyes carrying a hint of deep meaning, and asked: "I wonder how General Zhu views my eldest brother?"

With this question, Zhu Di's eyes instantly became cautious, staring intently at Zhu Ying, as if waiting for an answer.

"Zhu Di, is he probing my loyalty to Zhu Biao?"

Zhu Ying thought to himself.

However, on the surface, Zhu Ying still showed full respect, saying with a solemn expression: "The Crown Prince is the heir to the country and has been carefully cultivated by the Emperor for many years; with the Crown Prince in charge of the country in the future, Great Ming will surely be even more prosperous."

"It seems that General Zhu also holds my eldest brother in high regard." Zhu Di said with a smile, a smile whose deep meaning was hard to fathom.

"The Crown Prince has bestowed great grace upon this subordinate, and the reason I was able to obtain the title of Champion Marquis is also because of the Crown Prince's gift."

Zhu Ying revealed a grateful expression: "After this Northern Expedition, if I am fortunate enough to enter Ying Tianfu for an audience, that would be my good fortune."

Zhu Ying responded with a smile, his words watertight, fully displaying the loyalty and duty of a subject; no matter how carefully Zhu Di pondered it, he could not pick out a single flaw.

Hearing this.

Zhu Di did not say anything more.

"With the success of this Northern Expedition, General Zhu will surely be able to enter Ying Tianfu for an audience as he wishes." Zhu Di said with a smile.

"Then I will borrow Prince Yan's auspicious words." Zhu Ying responded politely.

After the two had a conversation, their words were extremely cautious, revealing not the slightest flaw.

After Zhu Ying left, Zhu Di's face instantly turned gloomy, his eyes revealing a hint of unwillingness, mixed with a hint of worry.

"Eldest brother... Zhu Ying..." Zhu Di muttered in a low voice, a complex emotion flowing in his eyes, as if he had many entanglements and considerations in his heart.

After Zhu Ying left the Garrison Commander's main hall, he thought to himself: "Zhu Di, he is clearly probing me."

"Does he think I pose a threat to him?"

However.

Zhu Ying did not take this matter to heart.

"Zhu Di, you have ambition; that is your business."

"Now I am still relying on the great tree that is Great Ming; as long as you and I are at peace, that is fine."

"If you dare to make any small moves, don't blame me for being impolite."

Zhu Ying thought coldly in his heart.

Zhu Ying was a reborn person; it was absolutely impossible for him to work for others without reservation. Moreover, he now possessed powerful strength and a long lifespan; in the future, Zhu Ying firmly believed that he would surely be able to create his own nation. He was clear about Zhu Di's thoughts, but he was simply too lazy to pay attention to them. If Zhu Di wanted to rebel, let him go; as long as he didn't provoke him, it would be fine.

Zhentangcheng, Ming Army camp.

Inside the main camp!

"What did you say?"

Lan Yu stood up abruptly from his seat, his face full of disbelief: "Zhu Ying has already led the Daning border army to break through Zhentangcheng? And half of the Yuan troops in the city were annihilated? The main general Mahawu was also beheaded by Zhu Ying?"

His voice trembled slightly due to extreme shock and excitement.

It was not just Lan Yu; the expressions of the many generals in the camp were the same. They looked at each other, their faces full of shock and confusion, as if they had heard something like Arabian Nights.

"How exactly did he do it?" Chang Mao couldn't help but stand up, his brows furrowed, and he asked loudly: "Could it be the same as when he was in Liaodong, taking the lead and forcing his way into the city with cavalry?"

"Reporting to the General," the soldier inside the tent replied respectfully. "I do not know the specific details, but according to the news that arrived, Zhenxiacheng has indeed been breached, and it was indeed General Zhu Ying who, acting as the vanguard, was the first to break through the city."

After receiving this affirmative answer, Lan Yu's expression became extremely complex, his face covered with a layer of solemnity, and he slowly sat back in his seat.

"You may withdraw." Lan Yu waved his hand at the soldier in the camp, his voice low.

After the soldier withdrew.

"Uncle." Chang Mao said anxiously, pacing back and forth in the camp: "Is this Zhu Ying really a fierce general naturally skilled at breaking cities? The cities built by the Northern Yuan at this border are all high-walled and thick-walled. We attacked for a whole day today and couldn't take them down; the city gates are as solid as rock and simply cannot be rammed open."

"How on earth did this Zhu Ying do it? According to common sense, it should take at least half a month to capture it."

Chang Mao kept shaking his head as he spoke, his face full of worry.

"The military merit of this Northern Expedition is related to the future status of our Huaixi Group in the imperial court." Lan Yu clenched his fists, his expression solemn: "If the main military merit is snatched away by this Zhu Ying again, our Huaixi will really be firmly suppressed by him in the future."

Although he brought up the status of the entire Huaixi Group to talk about the matter, in reality, Lan Yu was most concerned about his own interests.

This Northern Expedition was directly related to whether he could be promoted to Duke!

"Then what should we do now?" Chang Mao stopped pacing, looked at Lan Yu, and asked helplessly: "Now that Zhentangcheng has been broken by Zhu Ying, the first merit of the Northern Expedition has fallen into his hands, and even that kid Li Jinglong has gained great merit. This is not good news for us."

"In the first battle, we were severely suppressed."

"It seems." A flash of determination crossed Lan Yu's face: "We can no longer attack tentatively."

"Starting from tomorrow, our army will attack with full force."

"Move all the cannons and bring up all the musket teams."

"We must bring out all our combat power and break the city at all costs."

"Since we are already behind, we will catch up with full force. Tomorrow, I will personally supervise the battle."

Lan Yu said in a low voice, full of a sense of urgency.

This was truly being forced into a corner by Zhu Ying.

"Good." Chang Mao nodded immediately.

The military camp where Zhu Ying is located is also the location of the Second Route Army's camp.

"Grand General." Li Jinglong held the battle report with both hands, bowed slightly, and handed it respectfully to Guo Ying, saying: "This is the battle report written by this subordinate; please take a look, Grand General."

Guo Ying took the battle report, opened it slowly, and a look of surprise gradually appeared on his face.

"Breaking the city gate with a single cavalry, beheading over a thousand enemies."

"Including the main general of Zhentangcheng, Mahawu, more than a dozen Yuan generals died at the hands of Zhu Ying."

Guo Ying looked at this battle report, his expression extremely shocked, his eyes full of disbelief.

"General Li." Guo Ying raised his head and looked at Li Jinglong with confusion: "Are you sure the content of this battle report is true?"

The content on this battle report sounded too exaggerated.

"Reporting to the Grand General." Li Jinglong's expression was firm, his tone decisive: "Absolutely true."

"This was carefully counted by this subordinate directly through the Regional Military Commissioner."

"Moreover, after General Zhu Ying broke into the city first, he took the lead and fought bravely all the way."

"The number of Yuan troops who died at his hands is definitely far more than a thousand."

"Although this sounds a bit unreasonable, it is the truth."

At first.

Li Jinglong himself felt that this number was too outrageous and simply unbelievable.

But after a detailed count, he could only marvel at Zhu Ying's bravery and the brilliance of his military merit.

"Since it is the truth." Guo Ying closed the battle report, his expression serious, and said immediately: "Then present it to the Emperor."

"The Emperor has planned the Northern Expedition for a long time, and now that such results have been achieved in the first battle, the Emperor should be informed."

"Grand General." Li Jinglong bowed slightly, revealing a joyful smile, and said respectfully: "In order to present this heart-stirring battle report to the Emperor faster, this subordinate has a suggestion."

"Why don't we use carrier pigeons to convey the good news of breaking the city in the first battle first."

"As for the detailed military report, it will be presented as an urgent report."

Undoubtedly, this is the fastest way.

Hearing this, Guo Ying raised his head slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of teasing and insight, looked at Li Jinglong, and laughed: "You kid, your mind is quite sharp."

"You are eagerly wanting the Emperor to know quickly about the results of your first merit in the Northern Expedition, right?"

Guo Ying said this with a hint of a smile.

"Haha." Li Jinglong heard Guo Ying say this and couldn't help it anymore, laughing heartily, though a bit embarrassed.

"Good." Guo Ying waved his hand: "Since that is the case, then do as you say."

He sat up straight and said in a low voice: "Use carrier pigeons to present the news of breaking the city in the first battle to the Emperor first, so that the Emperor can know the good news of our army at the first opportunity."

"As for the detailed military report, it must be rigorous and detailed, and then presented as an urgent report; there must be no mistakes."

"This subordinate obeys!" Li Jinglong heard this, his expression immediately became serious, and he immediately cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Guo Ying.

After receiving Guo Ying's approval, Li Jinglong withdrew.

While walking, he thought excitedly in his heart: "Zhu Ying, oh Zhu Ying! This time you have made such a great merit, you have really helped me a lot, so I must definitely reward you well."

"This carrier pigeon message cannot be written too much, but I will definitely fill it with words of praise for you, which will be much more prominent than the commendation for you in the detailed military report."

Thinking of this, Li Jinglong couldn't help but grin again, thinking to himself: "We can also be considered to have achieved a great cause together."

Thinking this way, Li Jinglong only felt that his whole body was full of energy, even his footsteps became exceptionally light, and the smile on his face could not be stopped, as if he had already seen the glorious scene of himself and Zhu Ying being commended by the Emperor after returning to Ying Tianfu.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 149 =====