Chapter 149: Good news arrives! Zhu Yuanzhang

Ying Tianfu, inside the Imperial Palace, the Fengtian Hall is solemn and majestic.

Since the horn of the Northern Expedition was sounded, the court sessions that were originally held every three days are now held almost every day.

After all, with a great war at hand, there are a thousand things to do and everything is complicated.

Moreover, the financial consumption of this war for the national treasury and the interior of the Great Ming Empire is enormous. To ensure the smooth progress of the Northern Expedition and keep everything stable and orderly, Zhu Yuanzhang leads by example and treats the court sessions with extreme caution.

"Reporting to the Emperor." Tang Duo stepped out from the ranks, his voice clear and confident: "Now Grand General Guo Ying, as well as Generals Lan Yu and Li Jinglong, have all arrived at the northern frontier for several days."

"Presumably, at this moment, they have already launched an offensive against the Northern Yuan."

"In this battle, our Great Ming has made full preparations, with sufficient supplies, baggage, cannons, and iron shells; we will surely be able to destroy the Northern Yuan in one fell swoop!"

As he spoke, Tang Duo raised his head, his peripheral vision secretly observing Zhu Yuanzhang's expression.

"On the battlefield, the situation changes in an instant."

On the Dragon Throne, Zhu Yuanzhang's face was solemn, his tone steady as he instructed: "We must naturally treat it with stability and cannot have the slightest carelessness."

Rising from humble beginnings.

Zhu Yuanzhang treats everything with caution; this great war concerns the foundation of Great Ming, so he naturally reveals caution and worry about the battlefield situation.

Even if Great Ming is fully prepared, the true victory lies on the battlefield.

It changes in an instant and cannot be determined by common sense.

"Please rest assured, Emperor." Tang Duo immediately straightened his body, his expression serious, his tone decisive: "The Ministry of War is paying close attention to the northern frontier war situation at all times; if there is any movement, this subject will surely report it at the first opportunity."

After speaking, Tang Duo cupped his hands and performed a great bow to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, a hint of gratification appearing on his face.

Immediately after, his gaze shifted, landing on a minister, and he opened his mouth: "Minister Qin."

The voice was not high, but carried unquestionable majesty.

"This subject is here."

Minister of Works Qin Da heard the call, hurriedly stood out from the ranks, stepped forward a few steps, and bowed, his posture extremely respectful.

"Reporting to the Emperor, now that the great war has broken out, the Ministry of Works does not dare to be the slightest bit slack."

"At this moment, the craftsmen belonging to the Ministry of Works are working day and night to rush the production of cannon shells."

"Only, compared to the solid cannon shells of the past, the Ministry of Works now uses a brand-new technique, adding iron needles, iron thorns, and other things to kill enemies into the shells, making the production process more complicated, so the speed of rushing production is slower than that of solid cannon shells."

Qin Da said, raising his head slightly to observe Zhu Yuanzhang's expression; seeing that the Emperor did not show displeasure, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "But please rest assured, Emperor, all personnel of the Ministry of Works will surely do their best and will never dare to delay the needs of the war."

"As soon as a batch of cannon shells is produced, the Ministry of Works will immediately hand them over to the Ministry of War to be quickly transported to the northern frontier battlefield."

Qin Da's words were earnest, his tone full of determination.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Qin Da's statement, nodded with satisfaction, and a smile appeared on his face, then he said: "Minister Qin, the power of the cannon shells has increased, and you have made an indelible contribution."

"When there is feedback from the battlefield that proves these new cannon shells can indeed kill more enemies, We will surely reward you greatly."

Qin Da heard this, and a look of surprise and gratitude instantly appeared on his face, and he bowed again: "This subject thanks the Emperor for his great grace!"

His voice was a bit excited.

"Father Emperor." Zhu Biao wore a smile, stepped forward, and said gently: "For this Northern Expedition, all the Ministers have been performing their duties faithfully."

"In this Northern Expedition, our Great Ming army has high morale and is fully prepared; we will surely achieve great success."

"Once the Northern Yuan is destroyed, our Great Ming border will welcome long-term peace."

While speaking, Zhu Biao also revealed his confidence in the victory of the Northern Expedition.

"The Crown Prince is right." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao, a loving smile appearing on his face, and nodded in agreement.

No matter what Zhu Biao said, it was naturally correct.

Just at this moment!

"Report!" A loud shout came from outside the hall, the voice urgent and loud.

Immediately after, Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Jiang Huan, wearing a flying fish robe, walked into the hall with hurried steps.

That flying fish robe looked particularly striking in this magnificent hall.

Seeing his figure, many ministers in the court couldn't help but tighten their hearts.

For the court ministers, and even the Huaixi generals, they might have many contradictions and be at odds with each other, but they had one common point: they were full of fear and dread for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was directly under the command of the current Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

And for this Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Jiang Huan, they hated him even more, grinding their teeth.

However.

Jiang Huan was like the sharpest knife in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand, possessing the power to execute first and report later; although the ministers were full of resentment in their hearts, no one dared to offend him easily.

However, there were often people in the court who submitted memorials in the open or in secret, requesting the abolition of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but these memorials were all suppressed by Zhu Yuanzhang without hesitation and were simply ignored.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, without the supervision of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the officials of the world would not know what awe was.

"What is this Jiang Huan here for?"

"Could it be that he has caught the handle of some family again?"

"Jiang Huan, this executioner."

"..."

Looking at Jiang Huan's figure, many court officials revealed disgust and hatred without any concealment.

However, Jiang Huan's arrival this time was not because he had found any handle on the court ministers, but because he had received a carrier pigeon message from the northern frontier.

In this era, although carrier pigeons had already been applied, long-distance information transmission was not very safe, so carrier pigeons were generally only used as a backup means.

Truly urgent matters still relied on urgent reports.

And within the imperial city, the one directly responsible for receiving carrier pigeon messages from various prefectures was the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"What is the matter?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Jiang Huan, who had rushed into the hall, his expression calm, his tone steady as he asked.

After Jiang Huan entered the hall.

He immediately bowed and reported loudly: "Reporting to the Emperor, a carrier pigeon message has returned from the northern frontier."

Speaking to this point, he raised his head slightly, his expression full of excitement, and his voice increased a bit: "Good news!"

If it were other matters, such as investigating corrupt officials in various prefectures, Jiang Huan would never be so reckless as to enter the Fengtian Hall for an audience directly.

After all, it is currently the critical period of Great Ming's Northern Expedition, and it is a time when all ministers need to be united; such things cannot be done casually.

But since it was good news, Jiang Huan naturally would not miss this great opportunity; for such heart-stirring news, he naturally came to report it immediately.

"Good news?" Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly stunned, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, staring intently at Jiang Huan, and asked: "Are you sure it is good news from the northern frontier?"

Not only was Zhu Yuanzhang astonished, but Zhu Biao and the civil and military officials also revealed expressions of disbelief.

The Northern Expedition army had only started the Northern Expedition for a few days; even if the Yuan court were unbearable, it would be impossible for good news to come so quickly, right?

"This subject does not dare to deceive the Emperor." Jiang Huan straightened his back, his expression serious, and said decisively: "This report was written by General Li Jinglong, the deputy general of the Second Route Army of the Northern Expedition; it is absolutely true and is well-deserved good news."

While speaking, Jiang Huan's eyes were shining with excitement.

"Present it quickly." Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became interested, also revealing a curious expression, and immediately beckoned: "We want to see what kind of good news it is."

Yun Qi, who was on the side, saw this, immediately walked into the hall quickly, took the good news from Jiang Huan's hand with agile movements, and then ran quickly to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, holding the good news high with both hands to present it.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately reached out to take it, his gaze quickly scanning the content of the good news.

As he looked, the expression on his weathered old face became increasingly surprised.

After scanning the good news, Zhu Yuanzhang read it several more times, seemingly carefully confirming its authenticity.

But looking at the results in the good news that Li Jinglong guaranteed with his life, Zhu Yuanzhang finally chose to believe it.

"This battle report is too shocking?" Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself: "When We fought south and north, We never had such brilliant results, right?"

"In the past, Wenzheng guarded Hongdu City and killed countless enemies, but he never reached such an astonishing number of kills."

"Killing over a thousand enemies and beheading more than a dozen Yuan generals."

"The northern frontier says that Zhu Ying has the courage of the Western Chu Overlord, but now it seems that the Western Chu Overlord is probably inferior compared to him, right?"

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang's heart was also surging, and it was hard to calm down for a long time.

"Father Emperor." Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, his eyes full of confusion, and couldn't help but ask: "Is it good news from Jiujiang? Now that the attack on the Northern Yuan has just begun, how can there be good news so quickly?"

Especially looking at the complex expression on Zhu Yuanzhang's face, Zhu Biao was secretly worried that Li Jinglong would report false military information.

After all, Li Jinglong was on the battlefield for the first time, and Zhu Biao had always valued this cousin very much.

After all.

This was the legitimate son of Zhu Biao's cousin.

And also his own cousin.

"Biao'er." Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head, his gaze carrying a hint of deep meaning, and said slowly: "Don't you know about Zhu Ying's bravery?"

Hearing this, Zhu Biao looked surprised and couldn't help but blurt out: "Could it really be good news? And it was done by Zhu Ying?"

For a time, the name of Zhu Ying was mentioned again in the court, and it had been more than a year since it was last mentioned.

After all, for more than a year, Great Ming had no war.

"Yun Qi." Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate any longer and handed the good news in his hand over.

But after watching Yun Qi take it, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to suddenly think of something and added: "Say it briefly; just read out the results."

Apparently, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Li Jinglong had added quite a lot of embellishments in the good news.

Most of them were praises for Zhu Ying's bravery, with all kinds of compliments.

"This slave obeys the decree." Yun Qi responded respectfully, then walked to the side of the steps, cleared his throat, and read out loudly: "This subject Li Jinglong reports to the Emperor!"

"This subject and Prince Yan, following the imperial decree, launched the Northern Expedition against the Northern Yuan to eradicate the scourge of the northern frontier for our Great Ming."

"Now, our army has arrived under the so-called Zhentangcheng of the Northern Yuan, and General Zhu Ying, the Daning Commander, led the army as the vanguard to attack this city."

"After a day of fierce fighting, General Zhu Ying successfully broke through Zhentangcheng, led the army to kill into the city, beheaded over a thousand enemies, beheaded over fifteen generals, and beheaded the Yuan main general Mahawu, successfully capturing Zhentangcheng."

"Breaking through the Northern Yuan's strong city on the first day of the Northern Expedition, taking the first merit."

"General Zhu Ying's bravery is the first in the world."

"This subject is deeply impressed."

"Specially using carrier pigeons to report this good news to the Emperor."

"This subject and all the soldiers of the Northern Expedition will surely destroy the Northern Yuan and return peace to our Great Ming's northern frontier."

Yun Qi's voice echoed in the court; although it was not loud, it was exceptionally clear, and every word seemed to strike heavily on the hearts of the ministers.

And after this battle report was read, the court ministers heard the results achieved by Zhu Ying, and they looked at each other, their eyes revealing expressions of surprise.

"Killing a thousand enemies?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Even if his blade was rolled, it would be impossible to kill so many people, right?"

"This number seems too exaggerated."

"Li Jinglong is on the battlefield for the first time; could he be reporting false military information?"

"Killing a thousand enemies and beheading almost all the generals of the Northern Yuan border city; how is this possible?"

"I also think this kill count is definitely a lie."

"However, there should be no reason for it; Duke of Cao is on the battlefield for the first time and has no old friendship with Zhu Ying, and this battle report is directly to the Emperor, so he should not dare to report false information."

"Could it be that this Zhu Ying really killed so many Yuan troops?"

At this moment, the ministers in the court couldn't help but discuss it, just like when Zhu Ying's name first appeared in the court.

That time, Zhu Ying killed a hundred enemies and was hailed as the Daning warrior, and his name spread to the court, which made many people unbelievable.

And this time, the number of kills is even higher, and it has exceeded a thousand; this is simply like Arabian Nights!

Even the Western Chu Overlord, who was invincible on the battlefield in the past, couldn't have done this, right?

"Father Emperor." Zhu Biao was full of confusion and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang again, asking: "Is this number really true? Killing a thousand enemies; this is too unbelievable?"

Zhu Biao, who had always valued Zhu Ying, couldn't help but have some doubts about the authenticity of the military report at this moment.

"This military report was temporarily drafted by Jiujiang, but the content described has been confirmed by the Regional Military Commissioner."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was calm, and he said slowly: "This military report is true!"

"And Jiujiang said that the real military report has even more numbers than this report."

After speaking, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

Hearing this, even for Zhu Biao, his expression at this moment was very complex and hard to describe.

Apparently, the content of this military report greatly exceeded his expectations and shocked him.

"Killing a thousand enemies."

"This is already something that cannot be done by human power."

"Zhu Ying, how exactly did he do it?"

Zhu Biao couldn't help but think secretly in his heart.

"This subject congratulates the Emperor."

"Our Great Ming broke through the Northern Yuan border city on the first day of the Northern Expedition."

"This is the joy of our Great Ming."

Tang Duo immediately stood out and congratulated loudly.

"This subject and others agree."

"Congratulations to the Emperor."

"The Northern Yuan border city, the Northern Yuan spent a lot of effort and financial resources to build it."

"Just to resist the military edge of our Great Ming."

"This time it was broken by our Great Ming."

"The joy of our Great Ming, the joy of the Emperor..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 150 =====