First Minister of Ming Dynasty

"What a natural born genius!" Zhang Ximeng expressed his sincere admiration.And Yu Tingyu and Liao Yongan who followed behind him were also dumbfounded, darling, are all the people in the Zhu family army so fierce?

This big black man is not well-known, why is he like a tiger?

"Captain, let's go too, take down Tongling in one go!" The two said in unison.

Chapter 1: The Bodhisattva Soldiers Are Coming

Zhang Ximeng stepped on the springboard and set foot on the land on the south bank of the river, feeling that something was missing... He looked to both sides, Lan Yu was following him, and Li Wenzhong had just jumped off.

"Sir, what's the matter?"

Zhang Ximeng lowered his voice, "Well, I need a fan!"

Lan Yu frowned, he didn't understand what it meant, but Li Wenzhong was shrewd, and couldn't help laughing: "The feather fan and scarf, the mast and scull disappeared in smoke while talking and laughing! Sir, are you trying to learn from Zhou Lang?"

Lan Yu had an exaggerated expression on her face, she couldn't help curling her lips, she dared to compare herself to the ancients, sir, isn't she too arrogant?

Zhang Ximeng blinked, "Li Wenzhong, is your uncle comparable to Emperor Wu?"

Li Wenzhong was stunned, "This... now my uncle may not be as good as Sun Zhongmou, who is in the southeast, but his uncle's future is limitless!"

"Hahahaha!" Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly and said, "That's it. We assist the lord and achieve dominance. How can Zhou Lang be compared?"

After Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, he walked straight to Tongling County with a strong figure and big strides.

Lan Yu moved closer to Li Wenzhong, and said in a low voice, "Mr. likes to brag, don't listen to his nonsense!"

Li Wenzhong acted as if he had never heard of it. He lowered his head for a moment, and suddenly realized, excitedly clenched his fists, "That's right, Mr. is right! But Lan Yu, if you don't study hard, I'm afraid you won't be able to become a Marquis!"

Lan Yu was stunned, why were you fooled by Zhang Ximeng?

"Fenghou Zizai, my brother-in-law is the first to enter Tongling, and he is the first to ascend! In a few years, I will also be able to train soldiers and charge into battle. A mere Marquis can't help Lanyu!"

Li Wenzhong didn't care what Lan Yu said, he was just beaming and ran towards Tongling.

The follow-up navy soldiers also went ashore in batches, and everyone was smiling.

Although they still don't understand what this battle means, from Jiangbei to Jiangnan, it is always a good thing to win the first battle!

It's just that the big guys are mostly Chaohu people, and they have no feelings for the land in the south of the Yangtze River. In the past, the big guys had a hard time. If they can plunder, grab gold and silver treasures, go back with food, and enjoy the fruits of victory, it would be the best!

Among the sailors, there are many people who are gearing up and eager to try.

Fortunately, Zhang Ximeng put the most emphasis on military discipline during these few days of training.He also mixed up the members of the Yu family and the Liao family to monitor each other, so he didn't dare to act rashly.

Moreover, Chang Yuchun took the lead in entering Tongling, showing his strong combat effectiveness.

There are not many soldiers in Zhu's army, but their deterrence is sufficient.

That's why there was no looting.

Although in the eyes of many people, soldiers are tool people, but sorry, if you want to turn soldiers into real tool people, you need strict and even cruel training to succeed.

Otherwise, the soldiers will have their own minds, and all sorts of messy things will happen.

In history, when the old Zhu crossed the river, someone wanted to snatch it and ran back quickly. Zhu Yuanzhang had to cut off the cable and let go of all the ships. Only with his determination to fight his back did he force the soldiers to stay in the south of the Yangtze River and develop their power .

The difficulty of starting a business can be seen!

But for the people of Tongling, the Zhu family army who committed no crime in the autumn really made their eyes shine.

In a house, two elderly men were sitting in the middle. They were the elders in the city and two most famous scholars. One was Tao An and the other was Li Xi.

The two were quite nervous and looked outside anxiously. At this time, a young man came in from the outside. It was Tao An's nephew. His surname was Yang and his name was Tianyang.

The young man is in his twenties and is very energetic.

"How is it? Zhu Jiajun is really as rumored?"

Yang Tianyang nodded vigorously, and exclaimed: "Uncle, Mr. Li, I really opened my eyes today. Those Zhu Jiajun really didn't enter the houses. The Yuan army set fire, and they took the initiative to put out the fire. Some people beat gongs and drums to invite the people in the city Go out and put out the fire, and guess what?"

Tao An rolled his eyes angrily, "What do I guess, tell me quickly, kid!"

Yang Tianyang exclaimed: "Anyway, I never expected that they took out the military rations and said they were rewarding the common people... Tell me, we put out the fire for our own sake. How can we ask for other people's rations?"

Tao An couldn't help but took a deep breath, looked at Li Xi, the two old men were deeply shocked, "It is said that seeing a hundred things is worth seeing once, this Zhu Jiajun really looks like a master of the king!" Li Xi praised from the bottom of his heart.

Tao An said: "Since the 11th year of Zhizheng, it has been four years now. At the beginning, the Peng Party took down Tongling, and then the Yuan army killed it again. Repeatedly, which time was it not that the people were robbed and the people were in dire straits? That Although Monk Peng is famous, we have all seen the soldiers of the Peng Party, and they are no better than Yuan Ting, they are all like dogs!"

Li Xi nodded and said yes, "Tuo Tuo was deposed, the Yuan court destroyed the Great Wall by itself, and the country will be subjugated one day. It's just that it's hard to say who will belong to the world. After seeing the demeanor of Zhu's army today, I am sure that the one who wins the world must be This person! Brother Tao, what do you think?"

Tao An nodded, "Of course that's the case, but it doesn't seem appropriate for Zhu's army to clean up the powerful and divide the land evenly!"

Li Xi smiled, "Brother Tao, don't ask why you know it. If there is no thunderbolt method, how can there be thousands of miles? Tian's method is also more fair and reasonable! If you say that they eradicate the powerful, they are also related to the Yuan court, and they are still guilty of serious crimes. Among other things, I heard that Li Shanchang is a small official of the Yuan court, isn't he also the Zhu family's army at this time? Council?"

Tao An finally laughed, "Brother really has a good opinion, but I'm afraid the parents of our two families will have to give up some of them."

Li Xi nodded, and said with a smile: "Let's give in a little bit, and I can exchange for a bright future for future generations. I am so happy!"

Tao An also laughed and said, "Since that's the case, there's nothing to say... Tell everyone to welcome Master Wang!"

Li Xi and Tao An, two old men took the lead, greeted family and relatives, brought drinks and food, and came to reward the three armies on their own initiative.

What surprised them was that before they came out, the people in Tongling had already moved.

Many people greeted each other warmly and chatted freely.

The two old men listened carefully, and it turned out that the big guys were saying: Bodhisattva soldiers are here!

That's right, Zhu Jiajun's reputation has long been passed on.

Since last autumn, many people who escaped from Jiangbei have returned to Hezhou one after another, and then there was news that these people had obtained land and had the foundation to settle down.

He also said that all exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes have been abolished, and there is no need to pay rations in the ration fields, everyone can eat enough, and the young and old can wear warm clothes.

Some merchants are also rumored that they took copper materials to Chuzhou and other places, and sold them at a very good price, and they saw along the way that every household had grain stockpiles, and everyone had grain stockpiles.

People in Arita even feed broken rice to chickens!

This is all thanks to Zhu's army. If the Bodhisattva soldiers arrive one day earlier, the common people will suffer one day less.

All kinds of rumors have long been spread along the river, especially the places separated by the river from Hezhou and Chuzhou, which are well known.

However, Zhu's army crossed the river, and the first battle was Tongling.

And the first Anmin notice that was posted was about the land distribution order.

Almost instantly, Tongling boiled.

Hundreds of believers took the initiative to welcome the soldiers and horses, and ate pots of pulp, and the scene was unprecedentedly lively.

This kind of scene made Tao An and Li Xi both excited and shocked. They wouldn't be late, would they?

Sure enough, there turned out to be a wealthy businessman named Chen Di. He was in the copper business. Needless to say, he had money, but his status was not high.

But who knew that he brought several carts of belongings and volunteered to contribute.

"The villain pays homage to Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Ximeng glanced at him and said with a smile, "You know me?"

Chen Di hurriedly said: "When Mr. Zhang was in Chuzhou, he talked about business taxes with merchants from all over the place. The villain was also among them, but he didn't dare to talk."

Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly, "Why, did I let people talk?"

Chen Di hurriedly said: "No, Tongling was still in Niyuan's hands at that time, and the villain didn't dare to say more, for fear that it would cause trouble. Now, now that the Zhu family army is here! Tongling has a blue sky! The villain really wants to shout Shout out, Long live Zhu Jiajun!"

As soon as he took the lead in shouting, the guys behind him first followed suit, and then other common people also shouted long live, the scene was lively.

Zhang Ximeng and other big guys were a little quieter, and then asked: "Since you know about business taxation, you must have some experience. Do you think it's appropriate?"

"It's suitable! It's very suitable!" Chen Di took the initiative: "Folks, I took two thousand catties of copper materials to Chuzhou. Since the materials are in short supply, I only charged half of the tax. Afterwards, someone escorted me and went to Chuzhou. From the beginning to the end of the market, everyone was polite and greeted me with a smile. I didn’t ask for a single penny, and they even found me a place to live and arranged for the delivery. To be honest, the money I brought now is that I went to Chuzhou several times I earned from doing business... nothing else, I will take out all the money today and dedicate it to the Zhu family army! Please, Mr. Zhang, accept the villain's wishes!"

Only then did the big guy know that Chen Di had made a fortune during this period, and he actually secretly transported copper materials to Chuzhou. He was really brave!

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help but asked curiously, "How did you cross the Yangtze River without encountering any danger?"

Chen Dihan said with a smile: "There are still dangers, but there is a saying, money is the way to the gods! Those Yuan soldiers are very greedy. I can send copper materials across the river, but I still need their warships." Mile!"

Hey!

This surprised everyone, Yuan Jun is really full of loopholes!

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "You said that money can lead to gods, is there anyone on our side who fell under your money?"

"No! Not a single one!" Chen Di immediately denied.

Zhang Ximeng said angrily on purpose: "What's going on? You won't lie, will you?"

Chen Di waved his hands again and again, "Mr. Zhang, please think about it. The Yuan Tartars deducted the military pay, and the soldiers lived a hard life. As long as you give the money, they will do things for you, regardless of whether the court lives or dies. But it is different with you, everyone shares Tian, ​​a family of three, has dozens of acres of farmland, and dozens of acres of mulberry and hemp fields, at least worth a few hundred yuan. Although the villain has a little money, I can't sell a few people! People even look down on me rotten money!"

Hearing his explanation, everyone burst into laughter.

Zhang Ximeng even laughed and said, "So if the land is divided well, it can also prevent corruption?"

As soon as these words came out, a voice came from the crowd, "Don't say it! Those who have no property have no perseverance. The Zhu family's army divides the land, that is the kingly way!"

Everyone followed the sound and saw a vigorous little old man, wearing a Confucian shirt, squeezed out from the crowd. It was Tao An who came, and an old man followed behind him, it was Li Xi.

These two are quite prestigious in Tongling, and when they arrived, everyone was amazed.

Zhu Jiajun is really popular!

Tao An came to Zhang Ximeng, sized him up carefully, and then bowed and said, "You must be Dudu Zhang. The old man has the courage to say that Jinling is the place where tigers occupy the land of dragons, and the foundation of emperors. We should draw it up as soon as possible to achieve great things!"

Chapter 151

Zhang Ximeng's entry into Tongling went smoothly and even exceeded his expectations.

After learning about it, Zhang Ximeng realized that Peng Dang and the Yuan army had fought along the river. Tongling, Anqing, and Chizhou had all suffered military disasters.

And Zhu's army's reputation has spread, and now Nan Xiaqiu has committed no crimes, so he is naturally supported by the people.

Zhang Ximeng was very excited, but he also knew that his current strength was not enough. To put it bluntly, he was still a partisan, and he was helping Zhu Yuanzhang to break down the Yangtze River defense line.

So to capture Jinling, I really think highly of him.

But going downstream, it is important to win Taiping.

Taiping is located in the upper reaches of Jinling, guarding important areas. It is not only the land gateway of Jinling, but also an important place where the Yuan army's navy stationed. The Yuan army stationed heavy troops here.

"Captain, as far as this old man knows, the leader of the Yuan army stationed on Taiping Road is Pingzhang, and there are Wanhu Naha, Wan Jun, Han generals Zhang Xu, Dalu Huachipu, etc. Lihan Huli, the general manager Jin Yi and others, have elite soldiers and strong generals, tens of thousands of horses, if they want to attack, it may not be easy!"

Tao An sighed: "I don't know how many troops the governor has brought?"

Zhang Ximeng grinned wryly, "Except for the sailors, there are only 500 people."

"what!"

Both Tao An and Li Xi were shocked. They thought that Zhang Ximeng was able to go down to Tongling with one drum, so naturally he had a strong army, and there were still 2 or 1000 people. In the end, there were only more than [-] people, which is too little!

Li Xi reluctantly said: "There are more soldiers and horses, there are more soldiers and horses to fight, and few are few to fight. If you are not capable of fighting, you should outsmart, right?"

This is really listening to what you say, like listening to what you say.

Being incapable is not outsmarting.

The question is who has this wisdom?

Zhang Ximeng had just arrived, and the two old men were still good at studying, so let them fight and give advice, so I asked Yu Blind.

There was silence in the room for a while, and suddenly Tao An slapped his thigh, "I think of someone, he's ready!"

"Who?"

"Brother Fenglin!" Tao An said with a smile, "He's full of strategies, but it's a pity that he has no one to master. He has been wasted so far and can only teach at home. If he can come out of the mountains, the land in the south of the Yangtze River can be won!"

Tao An said that brother Fenglin was like a living fairy, Zhang Ximeng was also very curious, who is this guy, who has such abilities, magician living fairy Liu Bowen?

Li Xi took the initiative to introduce to Zhang Ximeng that this brother Fenglin happened to be from the old Zhu family, also surnamed Zhu, named Zhu Sheng, named Yunsheng, and named Fenglin.

It can be said that Zhu Sheng came from a famous family. He and Zhu Xi belonged to the same clan, similar to the relationship between Zhang Ximeng and Zhang Yanghao.His mother was also a lady of the family. Zhu Sheng studied at the age of eight, studied under famous scholars, and wrote many books in his early years.

He didn't seek fame and fortune, nor was he greedy for fame and fame, he just became a scholar in Chizhou. Later, when the war was raging, Zhu Sheng returned to She County, farming behind closed doors, teaching students, enjoying himself.

It is not easy to get this old man out of the mountain.

"Hey, in fact, we all know in our hearts that brother Fenglin is extremely talented, which is rare in this world. He was selected as a scholar at the age of 19, and then he was 46 years old before he passed the examination. He resigned after several years of learning. He It's not that you can't pass the exam, but that you disdain to be an official in the Yuan court. But in this world, you want to honor your ancestors, so you have to take the exam for fame. Speaking of it, Brother Fenglin is also very depressed."

"He's over half a century old now, and he doesn't accept the Yuan court, but he has been a member of the Yuan court for most of his life. He has a strategy in mind, but he doesn't have a clear master. It's a pity that he is so talented."

Li Xi obviously knows more about Zhu Sheng. At this time, this old man represents the mentality of many Confucian scholars.

For the Yuan Dynasty, they were contradictory, and for the rebel army, they were even more contradictory.