First Minister of Ming Dynasty

But when you think about it, it's kind of fun.

Prophetic nursery rhymes have been endowed with special meanings since ancient times, and they will pop up every major event.

For example, when Cao Wei usurped the Han Dynasty, there was a nursery rhyme that "the committee is on the side, the ghosts are connected, and the contemporary Han Dynasty is unspeakable". .

This thing can be used in the government, it can be used in the opposition, it can be used by the government, and it can be used by the people.

In the final analysis, it all depends on how to interpret it.valley

Zhang Ximeng is also an old hand at juggling prophecies, so he undoubtedly used this trick on Tuotuo.

In the final analysis, it depends on how many people in the Yuan court want to attack Tuotuo. What Zhang Ximeng provided is just clues.

"Sir, this is your worst move, so what's your worst move?"

"Of course it's an opera. This is Wu Datou's responsibility. I prepared three plays for him, all of which are scenes in which powerful ministers bully the king. As long as someone with a heart waved his flag and shouted, he would become a tool to attack Tuotuo and create momentum. .”

Lao Zhu nodded, "Sir, these two moves are already ruthless enough, do you have more...excessive ideas?"

"It's not too much, but in the name of Yexian Tie Mu'er, he greeted Tuotuo's party members and wanted to wave the flag for Prime Minister Tuotuo. Just wait for the big break in Gaoyou, and the prime minister will immediately return to Beijing to receive the title, take charge of the court, and rise to a higher level !"

Bad policy and next bad policy are all insinuations.

When it came time to make the next move, he changed his mind, no longer projecting attacks on Tuotuo, but flattering him, rubbing rouge and powder on his face, saying that he was the pillar of the Great Yuan Dynasty, responsible for the life and death of the Great Yuan Dynasty on his shoulders, thousands of miles across the country, and the whole world Between his thoughts.

But if you think about it a little, you will know that this third move is the most ruthless. The effect of flattery is often unexpected, and it is more lethal than direct attack.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered silently. To be honest, based on the current situation in the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Ximeng's tricks worked, and Tuotuo was almost certain to die.

The only question now is whether people like Wu Datou can implement it well, and whether the helpers contacted by Jia Lu can go all out... If you really follow this script, then you can give Tuotuo a song in advance All birds are facing the phoenix.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it for a while, and then suddenly sighed: "Sir, this kind of insinuation, explicit praise and real derogation, is also effective when you put it on your own people and fight each other?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and nodded, "My lord is wise. In fact, strategies in this world are generally like this. There is no distinction between good and bad. It is nothing more than grasping the key points and pushing the boat along the way. If Tuotuo and the emperor and ministers in Dadu are of one mind, even if you use ten times more Kung fu is of no avail. But having said that, if they have long had a rift and the government and the opposition are arguing about it, these inadvertent little tricks will have an unexpected effect!"

Zhu Yuanzhang understood, he nodded heavily!

As the strength of the subordinates increases and the number of people increases, various noises will emerge.

Lao Zhu can see through most of the things at a glance, and knows that there are people with intentions making troubles, but there are also some comments, which are really vicious, some are divisive, and some criticize Lao Zhu himself.

Said that he robbed good family property, indulged unruly people, harmed nature and justice, suffered retribution, and was doomed to have no children in his life!

Only a very few people knew about Ma Shi's pregnancy. After all, it was still early, and they were afraid that they might not be able to keep it, so they were extra careful, lest Ma Shi would be under pressure.

As a result, there are all kinds of rumors, and there is no good thing who can say these things!

"Sir, we are wondering if we should also rectify... At the beginning, we were quite polite to those rich households. It is true that their fields were divided, but their property in the city, we did not Move! Not only did he not move, he provided them with convenience and encouraged their development. Take the Yang family as an example. In just half a year, their grain business has tripled their previous profit! But they are still not satisfied, that Yang Wen, no Just give Yexian Timur to join the army? There are also several families, all of the same breed!"

The more Zhu Yuanzhang said, the more angry he became, "There are still people who say that we will shine in the world and set an example for the people... Do you think they have good intentions?"

Zhang Ximeng had no choice but to smile bitterly. Lao Zhu had been a monk before, so he naturally had a bald head. In the past few years he had been in the army, but it was not long enough, so Lao Zhu wore a turban hat most of the time, and carefully tucked it up.

Setting an example for the people is also a homonym. Didn't Lao Zhu promote opera?When it comes to the stage, the thief must read Ze!

These eight characters clearly satirize Zhu Yuanzhang as a monk and bandit, so it is no wonder that Zhu Yuanzhang loses his temper.

"My lord, leave this matter to me. I will definitely investigate it carefully. Once the Tuotuo army is broken, we can concentrate our forces, rectify the interior, and then choose the opportunity to cross the river and achieve supremacy!"

Lao Zhu nodded vigorously, and finally a smile appeared on his face, "Sir, we can rest assured when we do things, but I don't know how long Tuotuo, an old thief, can last?"

Just as they were discussing, someone hurried in suddenly, with an inconceivably happy look on their faces.

"Superior, Young Marshal Peng and Daheng Miao captured Huai'an and captured countless!"

"what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't believe it, and Zhang Ximeng was also surprised. At the beginning, they arranged for Peng Zaozhu and Miao Daheng to be on the sidelines, to support and restrain them.

Why did the partial division become the main force and even captured Huai'an?

How can this be?

Are Yuan Jun all fools?

The person who delivered the letter handed the news to Lao Zhu and Zhang Ximeng, and after they read it, they were pleasantly surprised!

It turned out that Peng Zaozhu used Xuexue to deceive Huai'an City Gate, and in one fell swoop, all 30 shi of grain in the city fell into Peng Zaozhu's hands.

Zhang Ximeng glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, and sighed excitedly: "My lord, Tuotuo's death is really coming!"

Chapter 124 Tuotuo collapsed

Is 30 shi a lot of food?

Lao Zhu has nearly a million stones in stock, and Zhang Ximeng's grain bank has almost the same stock. Zhu's army is so extravagant that they raise fat pigs in batches.

A mere 30 shi is really not much.

But looking around the world, the one who can say this is Zhu Jiajun.

All other forces suffer from food shortages.

Liu Futong, Tianwan Emperor Xu Shouhui, needless to say.

Is it easy for Yuan Ting?

Before the Red Turban Uprising, 400 million shi of grain was transported from the south to Dadu every year to maintain the expenses of high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

Together with the Red Scarf Army, first of all, the grain was too short, and they could only rely on sea transportation, with only 160 million shi left, not even half of it.

Food prices more than tripled all of a sudden.

And frequent battles quickly consume inventory.

Yuan Ting was stretched long ago, so why did Tuotuo wait until October before he dared to go south? It was because he waited for the harvest in the north and reluctantly replenished some stocks.

Do everything possible to mobilize 150 million shi of military rations to supply the army going south.

Tuotuo claimed to have an army of one million, but the actual number was only 40, and he went south along the canal to save costs and reduce consumption as much as possible.

But even so, the amount of food that could be transported to the front of the army was less than 120 million shi. After repeated battles, the food in his hands was only a little over 50 shi, and 30 shi of which was stored in Huai'an as the basis for the entire army. Total granary.

According to Tuotuo's meaning, he hopes to win Gaoyou as soon as possible, open up the canal, and get the grain supplement from Jiangnan.

However, Gaoyou failed and lost Huai'an instead, with tens of 10 horses and less than one month's ration left.

Things are up to now, although we are not at the end of the mountain, but we are not far from being cornered.

When Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Ximeng got the news, they were all cheered up. The most critical opportunity finally appeared, and regardless of whether those schemes could be successful, the lack of food alone was enough to kill Tuotuo.

"Hurry up, call everyone and discuss countermeasures immediately!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted excitedly, and soon all civil servants and generals, from more than a thousand households, all arrived.

This is also the position that the military commander has won for himself after several discussions about the military situation.

After hearing the situation, the big guys were all excited, a godsend opportunity really appeared.

"My lord, I think we should keep the food in Huai'an, and immediately send troops north to assist Marshal Peng and the others." It was Fei Ju who spoke, and he was gearing up, wishing he could get this job right away.

It's just that Xu Da was silent and thought for a while.

From Liuhe to Huai'an in the north, the distance is about [-] li. Even at the fastest speed, it will take seven or eight days to arrive.With such a long battle line, there is still a weak link like Tianchang in the middle.If the Yuan army came from Gaoyou again, it might ruin the whole army.

"Superior, why don't you ignore Huai'an and enter Gaoyou!" Xu Da said suddenly.

Entering Gaoyou?

As expected of you!

Xu Da, you are too courageous.

The main force of Tuotuo, with 10,000+ people, is still in Gaoyou. To attack Gaoyou at this time, wouldn't it be like hitting a stone with an egg?

Xu Da stood up abruptly, and he had already shown his uniqueness in the battle of Tianchang.

"Superior, although there are many Tuotuo soldiers and horses, but the hearts of the people are not in harmony, it is difficult to control. If the wind is smooth, it will be fine. If there is a setback, there will be chaos. There are many soldiers in Gaoyou, but there may not be any who can be separated to fight us. How much. In addition to the lack of food and grass, the morale of the army is unstable, if you attack Gaoyou at this time, you can be [-]% sure that you will break the blockade of the Yuan army, rescue Gaoyou's trapped soldiers and horses, and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!"

After Xu Da's analysis, many people were dumbfounded. Now that Zhu Yuanzhang has assembled all the soldiers and horses, and there will not be more than 5 people, is there really a chance of winning the siege of Gaoyou?

The big guys talked about it one after another, people like Feng Guosheng and Tang Shengzong opposed Xu Da's idea, but what's interesting is that Hu Dahai strongly supported it.

This guy may not understand the overall situation of the art of war, he is purely greedy for merit, wherever there are many Yuan troops, he will fight wherever he wants.

It's really interesting that the most rational and the most irrational are standing together.

Their debate has not yet come to a conclusion, but one point has gradually reached a consensus, that is, Huai'an is too far away, and they can only be left to Peng Zaozhu and Miao Daheng. The main force of Zhu's army can only attack other positions to contain the Yuan army. Peng Zao lived in support.

However, to attack Gaoyou directly is still too challenging for everyone to bear, and it has been too long to make up their minds.

At this moment, Zhang Ximeng suddenly said: "Huai'an is too far away, Gaoyou is too strong, can we take Yangzhou!"

Yangzhou!

Everyone was shocked, and after thinking about it for a while, they felt more and more reasonable.

There are not many Yuan troops in Yangzhou, they are close to each other, and guarding the canal, the geographical location is more important than Gaoyou.

Regardless of whether Yangzhou can be taken or not, the Yuan army will be mobilized to create fighter opportunities.

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face, "Huai'an is too far away, Gaoyou is too strong, and Yangzhou is impartial. It's just right! What do you guys think?"

Xu Da was startled, stood up hastily, bowed and said: "I think it's just right!"

Fei Ju and the others also stood up, "Sir, don't hesitate, send troops immediately!"

"it is good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said: "Fei Ju, Hua Yun, you lead three thousand cavalry, go to Zhenzhou, return to Feng Guoyong to transfer, set off from Zhenzhou, go straight to Yangzhou. Xu Da, you lead the front battalion soldiers and horses, go straight from Liuhe Take Yangzhou, if you encounter the Yuan army going south, you have to adapt to the situation and handle it properly."

With Xu Da's ability, it is enough to be alone.

Zhu Yuanzhang's arrangement is very appropriate.

The army was mobilized, and he and Zhang Ximeng led the main force and marched towards Yangzhou as the reserve force of the whole army.

It can be seen that Lao Zhu is not fully sure of winning Yangzhou, and he did not bet all his capital on it, but tested the reality and then made arrangements.

Attacking Yangzhou is indeed a wonderful move.

The entire Lianghuai battlefield has completely come to life.

Tuotuo in Gaoyou received all bad news.

A few days ago, victory was in sight, but in a blink of an eye, it turned out to be gloomy.

The younger brother also defeated Timur first, and all 2 horses were wiped out, and even his own whereabouts were unknown.

Xuexue has three ten thousand households, not to mention the end, Xuexue has not been whereabouts yet. Of the 3 people, less than a thousand came back. These soldiers who escaped by chance were extremely panicked, and they all said that the red thieves were powerful, like soldiers descending from heaven.

These two disastrous defeats have left Tuotuo devastated.

But compared with the news that followed, it was nothing.

A group of red thieves deceived the gate of Huai'an and raided the granary.

After Tuotuo heard it, he almost vomited blood!

Huai'an is an important place, how can it be lost!

He immediately summoned his subordinates to discuss countermeasures. After a lot of wrangling, Tuotuo ordered to gather [-] households, and asked Shandong soldiers to go south to kill the Huai'an red thieves together.

The continuous disastrous defeats have already frightened Tuotuo from sending 3 to [-] troops. Only [-] or more can guarantee safety.

But these men and horses hadn't formally moved out, another bad news came, the red bandits sent troops to attack Yangzhou again, there were many people and horses, and the situation was critical...

Holding the request letter from Yangzhou, Tuotuo was stunned.

Liuhe, Tianchang, Huai'an, Yangzhou... What's going on?valley

Where did so many red scarves come from?

Grow out of the ground, fall from the sky?

why no one told me

Until now, Tuotuo has not figured out how big the Zhu family army is.Lao Zhu slowly became king with this hand, the effect is really outstanding.

Tuotuo thought a lot, and he even suspected that Xu Shouhui, Emperor Tianwan, had sent reinforcements.

But no matter what, his situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

He had to save Huai'an, if he didn't save Huai'an, the whole army would be short of food, and within a month, it would fall apart... What about Yangzhou?Not to mention, if Yangzhou falls, even if Gaoyou is captured, so what?Siege Yangzhou again, do the same thing again?

And the most embarrassing thing for Tuotuo is the red scarf on the opposite side, how many are there?It seems that these people will even attack Gaoyou!

Tuotuo didn't dare to order casually, so he immediately called his confidant Gong Bosui, who joined the army, and Hara, the deputy envoy of the Hakka Province. These two were not high-ranking officials, but they were Tuotuo's confidantes, military counselors, a bit similar to Zhang Ximeng's role under Zhu Yuanzhang.