But what did Zhu Di do?
His behavior is not only confusing, but also dumbfounding. Zhu Di suffered such a big loss and was wronged in front of a small Qianhu under Zhu Fan, but he did not dare to directly take revenge and go back. Instead, he ran directly to his father Zhu Yuanzhang to cry and complain.
A prince, a prince, and a very prestigious prince... He had no choice but to run to his father and cry and complain... What is this?
This shows how much pressure Zhu Fan puts on Zhu Di.
"It's fine to be alone in the capital, but Third Brother has suffered so much these years to come to this frontier place. Third Brother, you have lost weight." Zhu Biao held Zhu Han's arms, moved up and down, left and right, and sighed. .
In Han Du's eyes, although Zhu Fan could not be said to be tall and round, he could at least be seen as powerful. After all, he was much stronger.
How does this show that Zhu Fan has lost weight?
Just as the two were chatting, the cavalry who were originally on guard against Han Du and others took the initiative to step forward when they saw their own prince. How could they doubt the authenticity of Zhu Biao's identity? They all moved away from the army brought by Zhu Biao and joined the cavalry under Zhu Fan.
Zhu Biao and Zhu Fan are not only brothers, but they have not seen each other for many years, and they have endless things to say and want to express their feelings to each other urgently.
The two rode horses side by side, with Han Du following on Zhu Biao's right, and Zhu Fan was also accompanied by one of his lieutenants.
"I wonder what business the emperor brings to Taiyuan?" Zhu Fan asked casually.
Zhu Biao said casually, "Nothing, it's just that my father is a little concerned about your younger brothers. However, my father is old and it is inconvenient to come to visit in person, so I had to send an orphan to visit my third brother."
Han Du glanced at Zhu Biao in surprise. This reason... was untenable in Han Du's heart.
Sure enough, Zhu Fan was shocked and said: "How dare you bother your father to come in person? With my father's decree, I will go to the capital to visit my father immediately."
Zhu Biao smiled and waved to his third brother and sighed: "My father knows what you mean, but you guard the important border areas. If you leave, what if Meng Yuan comes to invade the border?"
Seeing that Zhu Fan wanted to say something else, Zhu Biao raised his hand to stop him in advance.
Zhu Fan had no choice but to change this direction and said: "I am so happy that the emperor can come. I have prepared a banquet in the mansion. I will not return home until I get drunk with the emperor today."
"Haha, okay." Zhu Biao nodded and agreed without hesitation.
At this moment, Zhu Fan seemed to accidentally glance at the troops brought by the emperor's brother behind him. He asked in confusion: "The emperor is traveling with so many soldiers and horses. Does the emperor have any intention?"
Zhu Biao glanced back, then smiled and shook his head at Zhu Fan and said, "What is your father's purpose? Originally I was not prepared to bring such a large group of people, but Han Du felt that there were too many recruits in Shanzi camp, so he wanted to borrow them. This opportunity gave me some experience, and now I have tens of thousands more people.”
The smile on Han Du's face became even stronger, and he quickly helped: "It is precisely His Highness the Crown Prince's kindness that gave Shanziying this opportunity. I thank His Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhu Biao waved his hand, indicating to Han Du that it was okay.
Zhu Fan was stunned for a moment, the stone in his heart was relieved, and he laughed loudly: "Hahaha, I am very curious, the emperor will not be angry with me, right?"
Zhu Biao smiled and shook his head, "Why would Gu be angry with you? Didn't you just say that we won't come back unless we get drunk?"
"It makes sense. What the emperor said makes sense. The two of us brothers will not get drunk or return home today."
Zhu Fan smiled happily.
The soldiers and horses naturally camped outside the city, and Zhu Biao walked into the Jin Palace with less than a hundred guards.
When Feng Sheng and Fu Youde heard that Zhu Biao was coming, they had already been waiting at the gate of the palace. As soon as he saw Zhu Biao approaching, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Old minister Feng Sheng... I, my minister Fu Youde, pay homage to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"You two princes, get up quickly." Zhu Biao took two quick steps and stepped forward to help them up respectively.
"Thank you, Your Highness." They both replied in unison.
Han Du also smiled and stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "I pay my respects to Duke Song and Duke Ying."
They were both familiar with each other, and they nodded slightly towards Han Du, which was regarded as returning Han Du's gift.
At this time, Zhu Fan stepped forward, laughed and made the atmosphere more harmonious, stroking his hands and said, "You don't have to stand here. If you have anything to say, let's talk about it at the banquet."
Everyone burst out laughing, sighing at Zhu Fan's straightforwardness.
After drinking for three rounds, Feng Sheng took the lead and asked Zhu Biao: "I don't know why your highness is here. If there is any use for my veteran, please give me your orders."
Over the years, Feng Sheng also felt that something was not good about his situation. He even regrets it now. After being punished by the emperor and returning to his hometown, he should not have asked the emperor to use him again.
But knowing it is one thing, and how he does it is another. He is really too attached to power and the battlefield. If he is asked to stay in the old house all day long and entertain his grandchildren, he will not be able to live a day like this.
But Feng Sheng is not stupid, and he also knows how to please Zhu Biao.
Although Zhu Biao had just drank several glasses of strong liquor, he was not drunk yet and his mind was still clear.
"This is why my father sent Gu to go out. It doesn't have anything to do with it. I just want him to gain more knowledge."
Feng Sheng laughed twice when he heard this, and replied awkwardly: "It's okay, it's okay, it's better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books."
The atmosphere suddenly became a little cold. Zhu Biao's face flashed with embarrassment. Holding his chopsticks, he didn't know whether to continue to answer Feng Sheng's words or pretend not to hear and eat his own food.
Fu Youde, on the other hand, turned a deaf ear and chewed the mutton in his mouth.
There was a look of surprise on Zhu Fan's face. He was playing with the wine glass between his fingers without drinking, and just kept looking back and forth between Zhu Biao and Feng Sheng with his eyes.
Seeing this, Han Du quickly interjected: "Your Highness, King Jin, I have a question. I don't know whether I should ask or not?"
Don't ask if you know you shouldn't ask... Zhu Fan is full of dissatisfaction with Han Du, but he can't vent it out casually on this occasion.
Instead, he should accompany him with a smiling face and raise his hand to indicate to Han Du, "Whatever you want to ask, just ask. I know everything and tell you everything."
Han Du's sudden voice made everyone's eyes focus on him. As for what to ask Zhu Fan, it is no longer important.
However, after doing the whole show, Han Du still said to Zhu Fan with a grateful look on his face: "Then I would like to thank you, Your Majesty."
After a pause, Han Du continued to ask: "When I entered Taiyuan, I found that patrols were tight and everyone looked nervous. Is there another problem in the northern grassland?"
Seeing that Han Du's question was really not something that could be dealt with casually, Zhu Fan had no choice but to nod his head and said, "Yes, I have received news that Meng Yuan in the north seems to have some unusual movements."
After being answered like this by Zhu Fan, even Zhu Biao couldn't sit still. He quickly put down his chopsticks and asked, "What's going on?"
Han Du also asked at the right time: "Since the imperial court was defeated, Beiyuan should have been in disarray. Why is it that it has started to make trouble again in just a few years?"
The former emperor of Beiyuan, Emperor Tianyuan... was now named King Anle by Lao Zhu, and he was still staying in the capital. Lao Zhu seemed to be fine and liked chatting with King Anle the most. Every time he saw King Anle trembling in front of him, Lao Zhu's vanity was greatly satisfied.
Zhu Fan suddenly drank a glass of wine without speaking.
Feng Sheng on the side explained aloud: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not know that the Bei Yuan has indeed been destroyed. But the destruction of the Bei Yuan does not mean that all the Meng Yuan people on the grassland have also died."
"Exactly." Zhu Fan glanced at Feng Sheng, then looked at Zhu Biao and said: "Actually, the Mongolian people on the grassland are not just the Northern Yuan people. There are the Oara tribe in the west and the Tatar tribe in the east. The Northern Yuan people are also At that time, these two tribes were attached to Beiyuan. So the Mongolian people on the entire grassland were actually the three tribes of Beiyuan, Oara, and Tatar combined."
"Now the Northern Yuan is gone, but the Oarahe Tatars are still there. In addition, in recent years, because of the collapse of the Northern Yuan, the imperial court has eased the suppression of the grasslands. It is said that these two groups have developed rapidly and gradually formed A threat to Ming Dynasty."
After hearing this, Han Du slowly exhaled. There is no doubt about Zhu Fan's words.
As far as I know, the grassland is almost the law of the jungle, and it is the instinct of the Mengyuan people to rely on the strong. At the beginning, Lan Yu only killed all the people in the Beiyuan Imperial Court, and did not do much damage to the ordinary Mongolian people.
After these Mongolian Yuan people lost Bei Yuan, it was very likely that they would choose to seek refuge with the Oara and Tatar tribes. In this way, the strength of the Oara and Tatar tribes will grow rapidly.
This is the most troublesome aspect of nomadic civilization for the Central Plains Dynasty, unless all Mongolian people are wiped out. Otherwise, even if one of the most powerful forces is eliminated, other inconspicuous tribes will grow up at a rapid speed and become a threat to the Ming Dynasty again under the support of these defeated Mongolian people.
Unless we can completely drive them to the west like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did to the Xiongnu. This will not completely cut off the threat of grassland nomads to the Central Plains, because as long as the grassland lasts, some people will survive and develop again on this land.
To completely remove the threat from the grassland, we must drive these people away completely and find a way to occupy the grassland land.
But this sounds simple, but actually it is not an easy thing to do. Anyway, in the past thousands of years, only Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had achieved the first step. As for whether the second step could be achieved, no one knew.
Of course, there is a second way, which is what Lao Zhu is doing now, which is to get the Mongolian people to surrender and naturalize.
Li Shimin also did this, and the effect was pretty good. Not only was the price low, but it also ensured the peace of the Tang border for more than a hundred years. But after the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty, the grassland tribes rebelled again.
"I never thought that the Meng Yuan people on the grassland would be like this." Zhu Biao sighed, and then asked: "The third brother has always been resourceful. What should the Ming Dynasty do in this situation?"
Zhu Fan said without hesitation: "There is only one way, and that is to eliminate them again before they have truly grown stronger."
Zhu Biao couldn't help but frown at the mention of another battle. The people of the Ming Dynasty are not having an easy life now, especially after Zhu Biao went to Xi'an, this feeling became deeper and deeper.
Going on an expedition consumes manpower, material and financial resources. Hundreds of thousands of troops march thousands of miles on the grassland. Regardless of whether they win or lose, the food, grass and weapons they spend are a huge burden.
Judging from Zhu Biao's original intention, he did not want to send troops to conquer the grassland.
"Where are the Oaras and Tartars now?"
Seeing Zhu Biao asking about it, Zhu Fan thought that he also agreed to the expedition. He suddenly became energetic and immediately replied: "It is deep in the grassland, otherwise they will not be able to escape our army to clear them out."
"Deep in the grassland? Wouldn't it be difficult for us to go deep into it?" Zhu Biao was stunned when he heard this.
"This... it's certainly not easy to wipe out the Oara and Tatars, but we can't leave them alone, right?" Zhu Hong came back to his senses and realized that the emperor's brother was not supportive, so he had to reason with him. .
Zhu Biao nodded, and under the burning eyes of the third brother, he had no choice but to say: "Of course we can't ignore it, but the matter is very important. Gu still suggested that the third brother should try to collect the current accurate information about these two movies, and ask my father for the last memorial The emperor takes a look."
"Brother Huang's words make sense." When Zhu Fan heard what Brother Huang said, he had no choice but to follow the trend.
...
After Zhu Fan repeatedly persuaded him to stay, Zhu Biao stayed in Taiyuan for a total of twenty days.
But there is always a banquet in the world, and no matter how reluctant Zhu Fan and Zhu Biao are to leave, the day for Zhu Biao's departure will always come.
In fact, Zhu Fan may not be reluctant to leave Zhu Biao. Maybe he was still hoping that Zhu Biao would leave quickly.
After seeing that the imperial brother was really leaving, Zhu Biao's attitude made Zhu Fan relax his vigilance. On the day Zhu Biao left, Zhu Fan insisted on sending the emperor's brother to the border of Taiyuan and Yandi in person before he would give up.
Seeing his third brother's kindness, Zhu Biao did not object, and the two rode slowly side by side.
Zhu Fan personally sent Zhu Biao off, and Feng Sheng and Fu Youde naturally followed him.
Everyone stopped at the border and exchanged pleasantries.
Zhu Fan held the emperor's brother's arm affectionately, with an excited look on his face, and said with a sad look of separation: "We must say goodbye after a long journey. Brother Huang, I can only send you here."
After the vassal king became a vassal, he was not allowed to leave the fiefdom without an edict. This was an iron rule set by Lao Zhu. Therefore, when Zhu Fan said this at this time, no one could blame him.
On the contrary, they had no choice but to separate because he had to send the prince all the way to the border, which was enough to show the world their deep feelings as brothers.
To everyone's surprise, Zhu Biao sighed helplessly after hearing this and said, "If the third brother really wants to leave with Gu, that's okay."
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding area instantly became quiet.
Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, and Han Du looked directly at Zhu Biao, wondering what the meaning of his words was.
Zhu Fan didn't realize what the emperor meant for a while. He smiled flatteringly and said, "Brother, please stop joking with me. Without the emperor's will, I can't even leave the fief. How can I follow the emperor?" ?”
The smile on Zhu Biao's face gradually disappeared. He took out an imperial edict from his sleeve robe and said seriously: "I am not joking with my third brother. The emperor has an edict. King Jin, Feng Sheng, and Fu Youde will accept it!"
There was no incense case in the wilderness, but Zhu Fan, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, and Han Du all knelt down and worshiped.
"I'm waiting, I'll take the order."
Zhu Fan's face turned green and white. After repeated changes, he had to kneel down and say, "My son...accept the order~"
Zhu Biao then opened the imperial edict and read: "The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven. The edict says: Zhu Fan will return to the capital with the prince, and the troops and horses of the Jin Dynasty will be controlled by Fu Youde. I admire this!"
"I wait, I obey the order!" Feng Sheng and Fu Youde bowed to Zhu Biao again before getting up.
Han Du also stood up and looked at Zhu Biao with a look of disbelief on his face.
But Feng Sheng's face was a little bad. The emperor handed over all the soldiers and horses of Prince Jin's Palace to Fu Youde, not even a single soldier was handed over to him. This hardly made him think that the emperor still trusted him very much.
Fu Youde was expressionless and did not want to find out what happened to Zhu Fan. The emperor insisted on summoning him to Beijing. He was not overjoyed because he controlled the troops and horses of Prince Jin's palace. Instead, he looked calm, as if he was just temporarily taking care of the troops and horses for Zhu Fan.
Of course, Zhu Fan's face was full of disbelief. Until Zhu Biao helped him up with his own hands, he had not yet recovered from the shocking news. In other words, he didn't expect this at all.
After closing the imperial edict, Zhu Biao handed it to Fu Youde, "Thank you for your hard work, Duke Ying."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you're welcome. This is a matter that belongs to the ministers." Fu Youde took the imperial edict and read it carefully, confirming that it was written by the Emperor himself and had the seal of "Ordered by God to live forever and forever". After that, he nodded.
Seeing that the matter was over, Zhu Biao said directly to Feng Sheng and Fu Youde: "Song Guogong and Ying Guogong, please go back."
The two of them could clearly see that there was something Zhu Biao didn't want them to know, so they hurriedly bowed and excused themselves, "I'll excuse you now. Your Highness, the Crown Prince, have a safe trip."
Zhu Biao nodded slightly.
After the two people left with their guards, Zhu Fan looked at Zhu Biao with his neck stiffened and asked with an unconvinced look on his face: "Brother, why did the emperor want to take away my younger brother's military power?"
"Ahem..." Han Du stood aside and said awkwardly.
Although he didn't know what was going on, Han Du also reacted at this time. The purpose of Zhu Biao's trip was probably to bring Zhu Fan back to the capital.
Since Zhu Biao's so-called hunting expedition on behalf of the sky was a cover-up, how could he be sure that going to Kaifeng and Xi'an was not a deliberate act to deceive others?
Han Du could guess without thinking deeply that this must be something between the two brothers Zhu Biao and Zhu Fan. It would be better for you to get less involved in such things.
Seeing Zhu Biao looking at him, Han Du quickly explained: "Your Highness, I just remembered that I still have some things to explain, so I will go over and explain them to them."
Originally, Han Du wanted to find a reason to leave, but he didn't expect that after Zhu Biao heard this, he waved to stop Han Du.
"It's not a big deal, it doesn't hurt to listen."
It's weird if it's not a big deal... Han Du doesn't even believe a single punctuation mark from Zhu Biao. If it wasn't a earth-shattering big deal, how could you deliberately send Feng Sheng and Fu Youde away?
What qualifications does a marquis have to interfere in something that the two princes are not qualified to listen to?
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