Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Zheng He left with steps that were heavier than before, but the smile on Zhu Di's face faded.

"There are still four classes left and Jiang Xinghuo will be released from prison."

A spark of fire suddenly exploded in the stove and disappeared in an instant with a "pop".

"Your Majesty is unsettled."

The old monk Daoyan reached out and grabbed a delicate spatula and turned over the smokeless charcoal at the bottom of the fire. The fire instantly became vigorous, and countless sparks "crackled" and made tiny popping sounds.

Zhu Di said nothing, but stood up slowly from the stool, holding his knees.

The black gold-woven dragon robe seemed a little tight on his body, and the cuffs and hem were pulled into two small arcs, falling down as he raised his body slightly.

The body of the emperor in his prime was as straight as a javelin. He looked through the half-open window at the evening stars twinkling on the Nanjing Imperial Palace.

There was one brightest star that was particularly dazzling in the night, and it seemed that even the surrounding stars were dimmed a bit.

"How should I use Jiang Xinghuo, this double-edged magic weapon?"

Dao Yan didn't seem to understand the meaning of Zhu Di's words, so he just said.

"Such a magical weapon can help His Majesty implement the New Deal in a drastic way and greatly enhance the national power of the Ming Dynasty; it can attack the voice of the gentry class and fight against the increasingly rigid Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism; it can teach future generations of kings and help the Ming Dynasty survive for a hundred years. What reason does your Majesty have for not using it?"

Zhu Di just put his hands behind his hands and remained silent.

Dao Yan turned the fire and said: "In other words, your majesty thinks that if Jiang Xinghuo does not come out, how long will it take for the Ming Dynasty to complete the national power savings required by your majesty to 'govern the Tang and Song Dynasties and reach far away from the Han and Tang Dynasties'? Conquer Japan and conquer Annan." , conquer Mobei, conquer Tianzhu, and even the Timurid Khanate that is about to move in the northwest. Doesn’t the Ming Dynasty need to be careful? Timur is slightly inferior to Genghis Khan, the genius who conquered the world on the grassland. Judging from his achievements at this time , I’m afraid it’s not too different, right?”

When Dao Yan mentioned the name "Timur", Zhu Di's eyes flashed with a hint of fear.

If there is one person in the world at this time who can be feared by Zhu Di, who claims to be the best general in the world, then it is only this neighbor to the west who is in his 60s.

If only there could be a God's perspective to separate Zhu Di.

The Imperial Palace, Nanjing, Zhili, Ming Dynasty, on the huge world map, there are two great countries that are thousands of miles apart, the Ming Empire and the Timurid Khanate.

The Tamerlane Khanate was the biggest imaginary enemy in the countless war plans of the Five Military Governors of the Ming Empire, and it was also the only opponent of the same size. What is dangerous is that the territories of these two top powers in the world are closely adjacent to each other.

The reason why there was no war between the Timur Khanate and the Ming Empire during the Hongwu and Jianwen dynasties was because the Timur Khanate was busy conquering in other directions.

Timur was born into a Turkic Mongolian noble. In his early years, he was subordinate to the Eastern Chagatai Khan Tulhulu Timur. Later, he raised an army to rebel against the Eastern Chagatai nobles. He divided and conquered Hezhong by supporting the puppet Habil Shah and occupied Western Liao. Old land. After becoming powerful, he killed Milihushin and seized the power of the Western Chagatai Khanate. He called himself the "Great Emir" and established the Timurid Empire. Later, he moved the capital to Samarkand and renamed it "Sultan".

From then on, Timur got the script of Genghis Khan and successively conquered Khwarezm and Afghanistan, and surrendered to the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. During this period, he made several western expeditions and conquered the entire territory of Persia. He defeated the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh in the battles of Kundulcha Valley and Terek River respectively, and went north to sweep the Golden Horde.

When Zhu Di raised troops in Peiping and Fengtian was in peace, Timur was not idle either.

In the first year of the Jingnan, Timur led his army to conquer the Delhi Sultanate in India, destroying Delhi, Punjab, and Kashmir; in the second year of the Jingnan, Timur once again personally conquered Syria and defeated the Mamluk dynasty; in the fourth year of the Jingnan , that is, at this point in time, Timur defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Ankara and captured Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I alive.

At this moment, Timur had already established a great empire stretching from Northern Tianzhu in the east to Asia Minor in the west, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf in the south, and the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea in the north through forty years of conquests in the north and south.

His outstanding martial arts skills are unmatched by any unrivaled hero.

Dao Yan looked at the flames and said: "According to the news from Songpan not long ago, Timur has ended his conquest of the distant empire in the west, and his hundreds of thousands of troops are returning to Samarkand one after another."

Zhu Di fell into deep thought.

As the world's number one general, his instinct reminded him that the next target of this powerful opponent was likely to be Daming.

"Timur, we are going to take action against Ming Dynasty."

"No." Zhu Difu shook his head again, "Even if Timur takes action immediately, he still has at least two to three years of preparation time. He has been fighting continuously for a long time and wants to take action against the Ming Dynasty. He needs to prepare massive supplies. After all, When attacking the Ming Dynasty from the Western Regions, there were not many supply points on the road, let alone supplying hundreds of thousands of troops. He had to bring his own baggage. After all, Timur's army was no longer a Mongolian army that could drive cattle and sheep to fight. "

Zhu Di looked to the west, his eyes seemed to see his old enemy tens of thousands of miles away.

Unconcealable excitement surged in Zhu Di's heart.

He is the only vassal king in Chinese history who successfully rebelled in a unified dynasty!

He is the number one general in the world!

Him, Emperor Yongle!

Any powerful enemy would only make him feel more excited.

Zhu Di never backs down.

"The Mongolian cavalry once swept across the world, spanning thousands of miles, and was powerful in all directions! But now, the Mongols have long lost their former grace! They can no longer be one against ten, nor can they cross deserts, cross glaciers, and gallop in the vast Western Regions !”

"If Timur dares to invade with a long march, I will definitely prevent his body from crossing Yumen Pass!"

Zhu Di's voice was sonorous and cold, full of murderous intent, as piercing as the cold edge of a cold sword.

Having said this, Zhu Di has made up his mind.

"If Ming Dynasty wants to quickly increase its national power, Jiang Xinghuo must come out!"

"I know that although some of the policies proposed by Jiang Xinghuo are of great benefit, they will harm the king's rule, but I am confident that I can put all these under my control."

"After all, Jiang Xinghuo is only one person, and I have hundreds of thousands of soldiers who followed me in the bloody battles during the four years of Jingnan."

Zhu Di's eyes shone with confidence.

The emperor's technique must be used and defended.

Zhu Di was not unclear about Jiang Xinghuo's theories that seemed to greatly enhance the Ming Dynasty's national power but would damage the foundation of his rule, but he was confident that he could control it.

No matter what, even if the banished immortal comes to this world, in front of Zhu Di, the supreme human being, Jiang Xinghuo is just a double-edged magic weapon in his hand. As long as he controls himself not to cut himself, or not to let himself suffer too much Damage can be a heavy blow to the enemy, which Zhu Di can accept.

Regardless of whether it is "reducing the vassal for performance" to allow more than a dozen feudal princes to obediently return the three bodyguards, and at the same time eliminating the big burden of supporting the clan for future generations; or "sharing the labor into the family" to gain the hearts of the people and never eliminate the troubles of Jianwen's remnants from coming back; or It was the "Ming Dynasty National Debt" that raised money for the court, and at the same time it collected the excessive Hongwu treasure banknotes; or it was the "Guano Fertilizer" that had been shipped back from Wanli Shitang and started mass production and packaging; or it was the "Tax Guards" Let the imperial power go to the countryside and let Zhu Di's voice reach the ears of all people.

These things, one by one, Zhu Di believes, have greatly enhanced the national power of Ming Dynasty and his rule.

Zhu Di could still accept the trivial parts that were harmful to his rule.

Based on this judgment, Zhu Di determined.

After being released from prison, he was still able to control Jiang Xinghuo.

Looking at the confident Zhu Di, Dao Yan lowered his head and pondered for a few moments before the old monk raised his head.

"There are only four classes left. Does Your Majesty plan to go to jail himself?"

"You mean?" Zhu Di looked at the prime minister in black.

Zhu Di's brows were furrowed: "Imitating King Wen of Zhou to worship Jiang Ziya at the Weishui River, and Emperor Liu Emperor Shu Longzhong to visit Zhuge Kongming three times?"

"That's it." Dao Yan suddenly asked, "Forgive me for being too presumptuous. I dare to ask Your Majesty, if Your Majesty doesn't get along with Jiang Xinghuo face to face, so that you know him well, then when Jiang Xinghuo is released from prison, there will be no more Misunderstanding, Jiang Xinghuo also knows all this, does your Majesty think Jiang Xinghuo will give you truthful advice and not hide anything?"

"I once met Jiang Xinghuo as the 'School Captain Yan Polu'." After Zhu Di was silent for a moment, he said: "I understand what the master means. After Zheng He finishes listening to this lesson, I will take the time to Enter the imperial prison, spend some time with Jiang Xinghuo, and get to know him carefully."

"In this way, I will have no problem using Jiang Xinghuo in the future, and there will be no problem for Jiang Xinghuo to provide me with suggestions."

Zhu Di closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were clear again: "I know how to deal with Jiang Xinghuo."

"That's good, that's good."

Dao Yan caressed the black cassock, and a meaningful expression suddenly appeared on his cheek shaped like a sick tiger.

——————

Recently, Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, who had been working overtime until late at night because of the "Jiangnan Zhou Jin rebellion case", met Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Security Guards, at the Fusi Yamen in Beizhen.

The two of them immediately went to the side hall and whispered in detail, but Zheng He concealed the bad jokes such as "returning shit to the court" and "Guano Hou", and told everything about the emperor's order for him to go to jail to listen to Jiang Xinghuo's lecture.

"Isn't it right?"

Ji Gang suddenly interrupted.

Zheng He's heart trembled and he looked at Ji Gang, this guy wouldn't be so ignorant and wanted to mention those bad things in front of him, would he?

If so, Ji Gang is really drifting.

You must know that when Jinan was hit in the Jingnan Campaign, Zheng He was already a mid- to high-level military officer commanding thousands of troops. At that time, Ji Gang was still a down-and-out scholar who was expelled from the college in Jinan Prefecture.

If it weren't for his fear of death in stopping King Yan's horse and Mao Sui recommending himself to lead King Yan's horse, Ji Gang would have died there for the rest of his life. How could he be as powerful as he is now?

Both of them came from the military, so Ji Gang was destined to be somewhat respectful when facing Zheng He.

What's more, Zheng He was one of the most powerful eunuchs in the palace.

Fortunately, Ji Gang was not in a state where he dared to confront Zheng He.

Ji Gang only said: "Isn't the Sanbao eunuch pretending to be a jailer and guarding the door of the literacy class? Mr. Jiang must have seen you."

Zheng He frowned slightly: "It was all in vain at that time, and Jiang Xinghuo's attention was all on the house, and it wasn't even a one-time relationship. Can he remember it clearly?"

"Can't tell."

Ji Gang thought deeply: "In order not to be exposed, it is better to ask the eunuch Sanbao to put on makeup, otherwise His Majesty will blame him, and Ji cannot bear it."

Zheng He nodded. The emperor must have had moments when he was not thinking clearly. At this time, subordinates would have to quietly take up the blame.

"Commander Ji is as meticulous as his hair, you've got your work done!" Zheng He said with his hands in hand.

Ji Gang smiled and said, "Wait a moment, Eunuch Sanbao. Ji will send someone to find Xiao Qi, who is in charge of disguise in Fusi, Beizhen."

"Wait a moment."

Zheng He called Ji Gang, his face remained calm, he just nodded slightly and said.

"One more thing is that my master Daoyan, Yuan Zhenren, and Zhang Tianshi didn't calculate it before."

Ji Gang was startled: "Is he a banished immortal?"

"Yes, your Majesty sent someone to ask me to verify it for the last time." Zheng He said, "There are many strange people in the world. Mr. Jiang Xinghuo Jiang has always been known as an immortal. Does your Majesty have the ability to predict the future? Completely confirmed. At that time, I was thinking, why not do this? I have always had a wish deep in my heart and I don’t know whether it can be realized. I just happened to go and test it myself in the past few days, so that whether it is true or not, I will have an explanation to Master."

"By the way, I have three more requests in the past few days. I hope Commander Ji can fulfill them." Zheng He requested seriously.

"Sanbao eunuch said it doesn't matter."

Ji Gang smiled heartily.

"Absolutely treat him like an ordinary prisoner, never let any news leak, and definitely don't come to visit."

Ji Gang naturally could not refuse the request of the emperor's confidant and Daoyan disciple, so he readily agreed.

"Don't worry, Sanbao Eunuch, we will definitely do it."

After talking about the business, Ji Gang sent someone to find Xiao Qi, who was in charge of makeup. The two sat in the side hall and chatted about miscellaneous things.

"By the way, there is actually a little thing I want to trouble Eunuch Sanbao with." Ji Gang's expression suddenly became a little uneasy.

"Oh? Commander Ji, please speak." Zheng He put down his teacup.

"Um, didn't Sanbao eunuch go to Wanli Shitang?"

As soon as Ji Gang's words came out, Zheng He's face darkened as if in a stress reaction.

It’s not over, right?

Ji Gang said quickly: "Eunuch Sanbao may not know that some time ago, when Ji went to the south of the Yangtze River with His Majesty to investigate the 'Zhou Jin rebellion case', His Majesty picked up a baby girl and gave it to Ji to raise. Ji heard that there was a girl in Wanli Shitang. There are rare 'mermaid tears', I wonder if eunuch Sanbao can catch some. If so, Ji would like to shamelessly ask for one as a gift for next year's Chou Zhou."

The so-called ‘mermaid tears’ is actually another name for South Sea pearls.

Zheng He breathed a long sigh of relief and just said: "Of course there is. It's a trivial matter. I'll send someone to Commander Ji's residence later."

"It could not be better."

Ji Gang smiled slightly.

Not long after, Xiao Qi, who was in charge of makeup from Fusi, Jinyiwei North Town, came to the side hall carrying a box of tools.

"Master Commander, what do you need to transform into?"

"What do Eunuch Sanbao think?" Ji Gang looked at Zheng He.

Zheng He pondered for a moment and said: "It's better to be someone who is more in contrast to me now, and it's better to be more masculine."

"Is there a problem?" Ji Gang asked, looking at Xiaoqi who was in charge of makeup.

Xiaoqi nodded repeatedly and said: "No problem, you can rest assured that our craftsmanship is definitely the most contrasting and masculine!"

That night, a tall prisoner with a red face and a long beard packed his bags and moved into the prison cell. The cell was next to Jiang Xinghuo's.

"Get in!"

In his sleepy state, Jiang Xinghuo heard the jailer's scolding and the jingling of shackles. He rubbed his eyes and woke up. He looked out through the small window of the cell door.

Huh, what a good candidate for Guan Gong!

This man has a muscular build, a red complexion, and a three-foot-long beard. He is not angry and intimidating, and his murderous aura makes people tremble.

With heavy shackles hanging on his body, it was obvious that he had committed something serious. Several guards with knives were waiting to escort him into the cell passage.

Probably because he was impatient at being pushed, the big man just glared coldly, and the jailer who was about to scold him retracted his head.

This big man was none other than the eunuch Zheng He. His originally dark complexion was painted red with special paint by Xiao Qi, who was in charge of makeup.

Zheng He's beard, which was originally unable to grow due to castration, was glued on with a long fake beard.

Zheng He held his head high and strode forward in the cell passage with heavy handcuffs and shackles as if on patrol. He even walked away from the jailer several times and went straight to the cell where Jiang Xinghuo was detained as Ji Gang told him.

Jiang Xinghuo was lying lazily on his side on a pile of straw, as if he was on vacation on the beach.

Zheng He paused and looked at Jiang Xinghuo through the small window of the cell door.

"You are quite leisurely."

Jiang Xinghuo was so sleepy that he didn't bother to pay attention to him. He just said something casually and turned over to fall asleep.

“Wherever you have the sea in your heart, there is the Maldives.”

“Where is the Maldives?”

Jiang Xinghuo casually took out the globe he made from the straw pile, touched the texture with his hands behind his back, and then pointed.

"here."

This thing had been carved with the golden knife given by Li Jinglong long before the "Prison Essay" that made him die.

Zheng He was a little disapproving at first, but when he saw the location of "Maldives" on the globe, his pupils shrank suddenly!

However, before Zheng He could continue to ask questions, the knife-wielding jailer behind him followed him.

Since Zheng He specifically told Ji Gang, ‘You must be treated as an ordinary prisoner, you must never let the news leak out, and you must never come to visit’, these jailers did not know Zheng He’s true identity, so they directly pushed him with a knife.

Zheng He's eyes widened in anger.

"How dare you? I am..."

Several jailers just couldn't bear to laugh.

"It won't work even if Grandma You is here. I don't care who you are?"

"This is a prison. A high-ranking official died of starvation just the day before yesterday. Do you understand?"

Zheng He clenched his fists with both hands, and the joints of his sandbag-sized fists creaked. Finally, he seemed to have thought of something, and glared fiercely at Jiang Xinghuo, who was turning over to watch the show.

Jiang Xinghuo looked confused. It's not me who provoked you. Why are you glaring at me?

Fortunately, Jiang Xinghuo always had a big heart and had no intention of arguing with the violent inmate who lived next door. Unable to sleep, Jiang Xinghuo took out the globe he had made for free from the straw pile and planned to continue to improve it.