Daming prepares the emperor

The torrential rain in Wuchang City did not affect Ying Tian.

The weather in Yingtian was very good, the sun was shining brightly, and spring had arrived. Everyone's thick clothes began to peel off slowly like shells, revealing thinner clothes with brighter and more beautiful colors.

Zhu Biao was sitting in his small study room, holding the bamboo slices that Liu Bowen "exploited" from Zhu Zhijie, and using a small knife, he carved runes stroke by stroke. Books on the table.

The book belonged to Liu Ji, and there were many runes on it, each with its own function. He asked Zhu Biao to figure it out by himself, and engraved some practical runes on it.

It's a big job, and it needs to be done quickly.Liu Ji had already prepared the fan, and Song Lian also took the time to seriously draw the landscape painting and put up the characters. When Zhu Biao finished his work, the fan should be completed.

"elder brother!"

With a bang, the door was opened.

Zhu Biao's hand trembled, almost drawing a twisted mark on the bamboo.

He was so focused just now that he didn't notice anyone at the door.If this trace is drawn, the power of his fire talisman will change from a bonfire to a lighter.

"What's the matter with you?" Zhu Biao asked with a smile.

He looked very kind, like a very gentle neighbor's brother.

But Zhu Xing immediately shuddered, he knew that Zhu Biaoyi must be angry when he smiled like this.

"Brother." Zhu Xi laughed a few times, "Brother, do you know what Dad is doing there?"

"I don't know." Zhu Biao took the carving knife and continued to draw on the bamboo slices slowly, "Do you want to get in touch with the soles of our father's shoes again? Let me tell you, my mother just made it for him." A new pair of shoes—"

"No, that's not it." Zhu Xi swallowed subconsciously, leaned over and whispered, "Brother, we seem to be going to war here! A group of people are having a meeting in the hall."

"Do you want to see it?" Zhu Biao blew on the bamboo chips.

"How dare I." Zhu Xi wrinkled his face, "I just, I just want to know what's going on, what's going on, I'm just curious."

"Are you curious? Do you want to go to war with Dad?"

"When I grow up, I will definitely go! Now it is, I..." Zhu Xi groaned, and finally said the real purpose. As soon as he said this purpose, he himself blushed, " Xu Yungong and I made a bet to see who can know the news first, if the bet loses, he will ask me to catch thirty grasshoppers for him!"

"Then you can catch him. Be generous, good boy."

Zhu Biao rubbed his younger brother's head perfunctorily, as if rubbing a meatball.

"Brother!" Zhu Xi jumped up and said, "Is this a problem of grasshoppers! This is a problem of dignity! My dignity! I'm sure I will know!"

"This is a secret, you just use it to bet with others?"

"Hey, brother, sooner or later everyone will know who to fight with! Don't say it's me, the people in the city will know too. It's either Chen Youliang or Zhang Shicheng. Just help me."

Zhu Biao smiled, stretched out the hand stroking Zhu Xi's hair, squeezed the back of his neck, turned the person around, and pushed him on the back with one hand. In an instant, he didn't see anything With all his strength, he pushed the man out of the door.

"Okay, I'll go ask Dad at noon."

Liu Chubai, who was lying in the corner, was signaled by Zhu Biao's eyes, and put his feet on the door, shutting Zhu Xi out completely.

Although Zhu Xing was pushed out, but got the promise, he was extremely happy. He scratched the door frame outside the door and said happily: "Thank you brother!"

"I'll tell dad, just say you asked me to ask."

Zhu Xi wailed: "Don't! Brother, don't, I was wrong!"

There was indeed a meeting in the hall.

But this is not a meeting on how to fight the war as Zhu Xi thought, but another issue is being discussed.In other words, what they discussed was not just the issue of war.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on a wooden chair with armrests, and there were two rows of ministers standing below him, one was civil servants and the other was military generals.

Everyone stood with solemn expressions and respect.

Li Shanchang was the first in the line of civil servants, and he spoke out first, and said to Zhu Yuanzhang who was seated above him, "Marshal, I think the matter of Hu Sanshe is inappropriate, and this person should not be killed."

"Oh, what do you think?"

"Hu Dahai has a strict discipline. Since you started the army, you have been leading the army in battle. You have made great military exploits, and you have never killed innocent people or raped women indiscriminately. This incident is considered a trivial matter, and you should not be punished so severely."

Zhu Yuanzhang hummed and said nothing.

Seeing this, Li Shanchang stroked his beard, and continued: "The war is tense now, Chen Youliang intends to send troops, and Zhang Shicheng has never been safe enough, one move can affect the whole body, it's better to be careful."

"What about the others, do you have anything to say?"

Liu Ji put his hands in his sleeves and looked indifferent. He stood in the second position in the row of civil servants, that is, behind Li Shanchang, and glanced at his back, not intending to speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang found him very interesting when he saw this look, and said, "Berwen, please tell me your opinion."

"The minister thinks he should be killed. Hu Sanshe blatantly violated the commander-in-chief's order and used grain to make wine in Wuzhou. The impact was extremely bad. The commander-in-chief wanted to show his prestige, so how could he be lenient?"

"If the net is lenient, and others go to brew wine privately, what should the commander do? Is it possible that as long as he is the heir of a meritorious minister, all sins can be forgiven?"

After these few words, the generals among the generals who had a good relationship with Hu Dahai all widened their eyes and glared at Liu Bowen quietly, wanting to say something, but when they saw Zhu Yuanzhang, they shut up again.

Most of them are from poor backgrounds, have never read any books, and don't know much about etiquette. They are better at cursing each other, and they all use dialects. They often "discuss" something, as if In a group of ducks, it seems that whoever has the loudest voice is right.

For this, Zhu Yuanzhang told them many times, and in the end he was severely punished, so that they had a long memory, knowing that they could not speak casually, and they had to care about the majesty of the superior.

So even though they were angry now, they were still nervous, and they only remembered Liu Ji fiercely.

After all, every family’s children have small faults, and they themselves often take advantage of loopholes. Some took several concubines, some secretly took treasures from landlords and rich families, and some even committed manslaughter after drinking. The most common The only thing is that there is no money for meals.

How much will their interests be damaged by a strict investigation like Liu Ji's?

Li Shanchang also cursed secretly in his heart, and then quickly typed up another draft to ensure that Liu Ji could have something to say.

Sometimes, at their level and status, it doesn't depend on whether the words are right or not, but on who is speaking.Once a faction is divided, it is confrontation.Even if that side says the sun is round, this side knows that it is sick to say so, but it has to bite the bullet and respond that the sun is square.

The people below are all watching, and the people in the middle are leaning on it. This is not just a problem between two people.

This is not a simple question of right or wrong.

"So I think that Hu Sanshe should be executed." Liu Ji concluded.

"Inappropriate!" Li Shan said long, "It shouldn't be like this. Hu Dahai is leading troops abroad to fight. If he hastily executes his eldest son, it may cause a mutiny."

Liu Bowen smiled: "Master Li is being cautious in his actions."

Li Shanchang narrowed his eyes: "When people are old, they just think more and be more thoughtful, lest there will be mistakes."

His words seemed to say that Liu Ji was not thinking properly at all.

Liu Ji looked away, not really wanting to argue with him.

He has said what he should say, and he doesn't really care about the rest.

Li Shanchang saw that he would not argue, so he lowered his head and put his eyes on the ground, waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang's verdict.

Zhu Yuanzhang first took a look at the generals, to see if they had expressions of dissatisfaction, and to see if there were any gloomy faces among the generals who had good friends with Hu Dahai.

Then he looked at the civil servants to observe their views on Li and Liu.

After looking around calmly, he had already remembered everyone in his heart, so he said slowly: "Berwin is right! This matter cannot be let go. As I said, if you want to fight, you must have a strategy! You must obey orders! It’s not allowed to make wine without permission, but it’s not allowed! No matter who it is, if we find out, it will be beheaded.”

Li Shanchang bowed and said: "...Yes."

"After this matter is done, I will write an article to tell everyone, so that they can see what will happen to Hu Sanshe." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Liu Ji, "Go and do it."

Liu Ji also saluted, and replied respectfully: "Yes."

"Well, let's talk about something else." Zhu Yuanzhang clasped the table with his knuckles, "Chen Youliang has sent troops and went down the river."

The ministers all involuntarily stood up straight, their expressions becoming more serious.Because this is the theme of this meeting, the matter mentioned before was only out of Zhu Yuanzhang's personal will, and it was resolved first.

Whether it was for the purpose of shocking the public, or because of the view that one must first settle down when fighting against the outside world, Zhu Yuanzhang's approach was very different, reflecting his distinctive composure.

"Taiping is broken, Hua Yun is dead."

As soon as this sentence came out, it was like a landmine exploded.

The originally serious people began to panic, frowning and looking at each other.

Li Shanchang's heart tightened, and he said: "Commander, when was this military report, how could Chen Youliang win so quickly?"

"His boat is good." Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the military newspaper on the table and stood it up to face himself. "The letter said that his boat was like a towering giant tree. It stopped at the river bank after going down the river, and the stern was flush with the city wall." , Soldiers can attack the city by running around on the boat, but Huayun can't defend anything at all."

"This...Chen Youliang's navy is already strong..."

"It seems that their shipbuilding technology has improved again."

"In this case, it's better to set up an ambush on the river bank."

Another person said: "Not good, we should retreat to the mountains on both sides, the terrain there is higher, easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"You should stabilize your mind first, and write to see what Chen Youliang means."

A group of counselors disagreed, as if they were about to quarrel.On the other hand, the military commander was gearing up and eager to try, as if rushing out the door, Chen Youliang was right outside the door, and he could cut people with a knife.

The idea of ​​retiring to the mountain made Liu Ji want to laugh, and he wondered if he would think so if he saw the two thousand-year-old monsters on the mountain.

In short, the hall was suddenly bustling like a vegetable market, and there was nothing to discuss in the chaos. With the blessing of the counselor's eloquence, everyone's opinions seemed to be very reasonable.

Zhu Yuanzhang was irritated when he heard this, and waved his hand outside the door: "Okay, I know what you mean. Let us all go out now! Baishi, Bowen, you two stay."

The two parties quickly shut up, lined up and went out, gathered at the door and waited for the result.

The door is closed.

"Come on, let's talk inside."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang strode into the back room first.

Li Shanchang raised his hand and said to Liu Ji, "Master Liu, please."

After Liu Ji arrived in Yingtian Mansion, he didn't get any official position because of his practice. In terms of his status, he was Zhu Yuanzhang's adviser. The folks called this occupation a military adviser.

Although there is no clear distinction between him and Li Shanchang, Comrade Zhu valued him very much after Liu Ji came. It is really hard to say who has a higher status. According to the order of status, it is indeed possible now. Be humble.

Coincidentally, Liu Ji didn't seem to know what modesty meant at all, so he cupped his hands, thanked Mr. Li, and went in by himself.

Li Shanchang's smile froze for a moment, he flicked his sleeves and followed.

"What do you think of this matter?"

A large rectangular table was placed in the inner room, with chairs on all sides, and Zhu Yuanzhang sat down at the first place.

Liu Ji opened his mouth and said: "Those who persuade the commander-in-chief to surrender and evacuate can be killed."

Li Shanchang, who was walking over, was so surprised that his legs went limp when he heard it for the first time. He almost knelt down and looked at Liu Bowen involuntarily.

He knew that Liu Bowen was straightforward, but he didn't expect it to be so straightforward.When I first heard this, I thought it was said by a rough general. If we really wanted to do this, wouldn't there be only one or two people left outside the door?

Zhu Yuanzhang was expressionless and asked, "What do you think should be done?"

"Set up Longwan." Liu Ji said, "Chen Youliang has always been stronger than us. This time he took the initiative to attack, the commander should occupy a favorable terrain, catch him by surprise, and completely reverse the previous situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak."

Zhu Yuanzhang also felt that he was going to fight, but he was still worried about one thing: "What about Zhang Shicheng?"

"Zhang Shicheng is just a prisoner. He only occupies a small amount of his own territory, never dares to take the initiative, and often hesitates between the Red Scarf Army and the Yuan Dynasty. Promising."

This time Li Shanchang's opinion is consistent with Liu Ji's.

"You also think we should set up an ambush?"

"I remember...Chen Youliang has an old friend who is also in Yingtian. Maybe we can trick him into going deep."

"who is it?"

"Kang Maocai!"

"Kang Maocai?" Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, "They have a good relationship?"

"They are old friends. When the Red Army revolted in the past, there were not as many factions as there are now. The relationship between the two seems to be very good."

"Okay." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "You go and send someone to call him, and tell him not to engage in those farm work. Let's work it out together and see how we can make Chen Youliang fall for this trick."

Kang Maocai came soon.

He was originally a leader of the army, but later discovered his talent for farming by accident, and got a deputy. Now he is guarding Longwan, and he also serves as the field envoy of the Dushui camp. He is doing better than his job.

This is a very burly man, with tough lines on his face, a pair of piercing black eyes, and the wind blows under his feet when he walks, he looks like a man with an open mind.

And he is.And he is a dutiful son.

"Marshal, what's the matter?" Kang Maocai asked, cupping his hands.

"How is your relationship with Chen Youliang?"

"Very good." Kang Maocai said generously, not at all afraid that Zhu Yuanzhang would put on small shoes for him.

Zhu Yuanzhang is very satisfied, he hates others to lie to him the most.

"We want you to write him a letter, saying that you want to work with him, betray us, and ask him to meet at Jiangdong Bridge."

Kang Maocai was stunned, a little hesitant, but he quickly thought of his mother at home, so he made up his mind.

In such troubled times, the most taboo thing is indecision and deliberation.It is true that he served the Yuan court before, but now that his career has stabilized, it is not good to repeat it.

Liu Ji's literary talent is good, Zhu Yuanzhang arranged for Liu Ji and Kang Maocai to make a draft together.

"You tell him that Jiangdong Bridge is a wooden bridge."

Kang Maocai scratched his head, then turned around and asked, "Marshal, what's the use of writing this?"

"Tell you to write, you write! Make him believe that what you say is true."

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned on the back of his chair and pointed out: "If he wants to fight Yingtian, he can only come from the Qinhuai River. The Jiangdong Bridge is made of wood, so his fleet can pass through it. If he can't pass, he can only go ashore from Longwan. You Tell him the news, Chen Youliang will definitely send spies to investigate, and when he finishes the investigation, we will replace the wooden bridge with stones!"

Li Shanchang frowned and said: "This is a big project, the marshal is sure?"

"Yes." Comrade Zhu smiled, "We have people to choose, and some people can do things for us."

Liu Ji held the brush and pondered how to draft in Kang Maocai's tone.When Zhu Yuanzhang said this, his thoughts were divided, and he immediately thought of someone, so he couldn't help but smile.

There are indeed options.

Time is fleeting, like a fleeting moment, and after everything is over, it will be evening.

Zhu Yuanzhang let the ministers go out and told them to go back to prepare quickly, then he went back to the yard and called Wu Ce over.

In fact, Kang Maocai's connection with Chen Youliang has never been broken. Under the instruction of Comrade Zhu, he was a double-faced spy, working three jobs and earning one piece of money.

Liu Ji and Li Shanchang knew what was going on with Kang Maocai in their hearts, but they would never say it, as if they didn't know anything, this is the way of being an official.

But Zhu Yuanzhang didn't completely trust Kang Maocai. He wanted to deliver the letter with his own people, and Kang Maocai's family members also had to closely monitor him.

Once he has a change, kill him on the spot!

Wu Ce received the task and quickly set it up.When Kang Maocai arrives home, there will be spies outside his house.

This battle is too important to lose, and it's over if you lose.

Liu Ji was thinking about the battle of Longwan, and walked quietly on the way out of the mansion alone.

Because of his personality, he is not very familiar with the civil servants, and he is in a state of faint opposition to the people of Li Shanchang's group.The generals are also unfamiliar, and they have already offended them just now.

So when Liu Ji went out, no one invited him to accompany him, which led to the scene where he was alone.

But he didn't care.

The flowers planted in the garden have already bloomed, colorful and very beautiful.The light brought by the sunset is evenly scattered on the leaves, and a few rays of light are revealed from it, and some small bright spots are sprinkled.

Liu Bowen sniffed the fresh air and became in a good mood.

When passing by the promenade, he heard a meow, and when he turned his head, he saw a fat orange cat squatting on the eaves, licking its paws obediently.

He saw the cat's heels at a glance, and asked in surprise, "Jinhua cat demon?"

"That's obviously a pig demon." Zhu Biao came out from the corner, with a look of lovelessness on his face, and said slowly to Liu Ji, "Sir, my father just called me over and said he wanted me to go find it." Stone."

Liu Ji laughed out loud.