"You...let Li Ruolian come over soon!"
Zhu Yuanzhang paused before continuing.
Shen Zhanran also noticed Zhu Yuanzhang's hesitation, but he did not ask. Instead, he bowed and walked out of Dongnuan Pavilion.
"Father, are you worried about Mr. Shen?"
At this time, Zhu Cixiang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in surprise.
Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer his question, but asked in a deep voice: "What do you think of what just happened?"
Zhu Cixiang thought for a while and said: "My son thinks this is very strange. You must know that Hengshui is only more than a hundred miles away from Dezhou."
"At that time, the war in Shandong was so fierce that even the ministers in the capital heard about it. It is impossible for Ma Degong and others not to know about it."
"However, he did not pursue him. Instead, he allowed Ma Chongxi to enter Shandong. My son felt that this was quite unusual."
"Xie Sheng is from a prominent family in Dezhou. Since he was able to capture Dezhou, Liaocheng and other places in a short period of time, he should have 20,000 to 30,000 people in his hands."
"In addition, Dezhou had a city to rely on, and Ma Chongxi had just suffered a major defeat, but he fled without fighting. This is also quite puzzling."
"As for Lu Jiude, it is even more incomprehensible, because he and Shen Tingyang only had more than 20,000 people, but they still divided their troops to attack Guo Sheng. Don't say that he was the one who led the troops. Even those who did not know how to fight would never Wouldn't do that..."
After Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Zhu Cixiang's analysis, he nodded and said: "Yes, these things are very suspicious, and even you can see it, can't Shen Zhanran see it?"
Zhu Cixiang was stunned and said hesitantly: "Father, does Mr. Shen have any difficulties? You must know that when you were not in the capital, he tried his best to help his son."
"Without Mr. Shen's help, I'm afraid I may not be able to see my father again... He shouldn't have other thoughts, right?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Although Li Zushu and others' plans are careful, Shen Zhanran's talents are more than enough to deal with them."
"But he only defended the imperial city and ignored Li Zushu and others. If we hadn't taken action in time, I'm afraid even Zhu Guobi and others might not have been caught. How can he be considered as dedicated?"
When Zhu Cihong heard this, he discovered the problem with the previous plan.
However, he thought that Shen Zhanran had worked very hard to quell the rebellion in the past few days. He was worried all day long, and he felt a lot haggard. He really couldn't accept Shen Zhanran's betrayal in his heart.
So he whispered again: "Father, is it because Mr. Shen was under too much pressure and was negligent?"
Zhu Yuanzhang knew that although Zhu Cihong had made some progress, he was still a bit weak in temperament and could not accept the betrayal of someone he trusted, so he did not force him anymore.
He sighed secretly, and after calming down, he said slowly: "So we asked him to interrogate Xu Yunzhen. He should also know that this is an opportunity we gave him. I hope he will not let us down... ."
At this time, a young eunuch came in to report that Li Ruolian was outside asking for an audience.
After Zhu Yuanzhang asked the young eunuch to bring Li Ruolian in, he steeled himself and sat down on the wooden chair that had been polished very smooth.
"Li Qing, can you fully control Huang Degong's troops?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked after Li Ruolian bowed.
Li Ruolian was stunned for a moment, then bowed and said, "Uncle Jingnan's troops were originally from the Beijing army. Last time Tian Xiong and Ma Degong caused trouble, they did not follow them."
"After that, I went through the battles of Yuxian and Hengshan with me, so there should be no problem with my loyalty."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "What we mean is, if we ask you to lead this army to attack Huang Degong, can you command it?"
Li Ruolian was shocked when he heard this. He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in panic and said: "Your Majesty, Uncle Jingnan is loyal to your Majesty..."
But before he finished speaking, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp eyes and immediately shut up.
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while and then said: "We have just received news that Zuo Liangyu, Huang Degong and others did not pursue Ma Chongxi after they defeated him in Hengshui."
"Ma Chongxi entered Shandong and joined Guo Sheng, ruining Shi Kefa's plan to pacify Shandong."
"You should also know that the southern grain was robbed at sea before. If we cannot open up the land route, we may be in danger of running out of grain."
"Once this happens, let alone quell the rebellion, I'm afraid we may not even be able to defend the capital!"
When Li Ruolian heard this, his expression suddenly changed.
He was stunned for a while, then bowed and said: "Your Majesty, please issue an order. The general will immediately lead his army to Shandong to quell the rebellion and open up the food road."
Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Li Ruolian for a while, then said in a deep voice: "No, Shandong is no longer the focus. What we want to capture now is the area east of Henan."
"Because Li Thief had previously deployed troops from Henan to deal with Huang Degong and Xingshi."
"In addition, Yuan Zongdi fought fiercely in the Mianchi area and recruited many rebels, so the rebels' strength in the east of Henan is very weak."
"We want you to lead your army to occupy this place immediately. This will not only open up the food route, but also trap Guo Sheng, Ma Chongxi and others in Shandong..."
After listening to Zhu Yuanzhang's story, Li Ruolian nodded repeatedly and said: "Your Majesty, the general will organize the army now and set off immediately!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Li Qing, don't worry, you haven't answered our question just yet."
Li Ruolian looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with some confusion and said, "Your Majesty, what does the last general's attack on Henan have to do with Uncle Jingnan?"
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered: "According to our information, Huang Degong may be in Taiyuan at the moment. We know that you and Huang Degong fought side by side and do not want to meet with swords."
"But now famine and plague are raging in Shanxi. We originally planned to use the vacant land to settle the people after capturing Shanxi. However, due to the intervention of Zuo Liangyu and others, we had to abandon most of the areas south of Shanxi."
"With Zuo Liangyu's character, he will definitely maintain the interests of Shanxi's gentry. Then the people's lives will not be improved, so we must cut off his escape and force him to run Shanxi well."
"Seizing the east of Henan is a key step, because after Zuo Liangyu captures southern Shanxi, he will definitely send his troops south to connect Hubei, Henan, and Shanxi."
"So you are very likely to encounter Huang Degong when you go here. If your generals defect after seeing him, how will you win the eastern part of Henan?"
After hearing this, Li Ruolian understood Zhu Yuanzhang's purpose.
Then he said with some doubts: "Your Majesty, Zuo Liangyu's army is currently fighting Yuan Zongdi. If they defeat Yuan Zongdi, even if they take the eastern part of Henan, they may not be able to achieve their goal!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Thief Li has returned to Shaanxi. He will never let Zuo Liangyu occupy the west of Henan again, otherwise he will have to move the capital to avoid danger."
"But Li Ze has just been defeated. If he moves the capital at this moment, the morale of the army will inevitably be shaken, so he will definitely defend the western part of Henan."
"And the main forces fighting against Yuan Zongdi now are Du Yinxi and Shen Yunying. Both of them are acting under the orders of Jiangxi Governor Yuan Jixian. With Zuo Liangyu's character, he will not let them lead the army and will definitely send people Replace them.”
"When he finds that he cannot capture Henan, he will definitely try to capture the east of Henan. At that time, his main force is already involved in a war. The only way is to let Huang Degong take action. Then you will have to fight Huang Degong."
"So if you are not sure, this battle will be lost, and all our previous efforts will be in vain. We just made a wedding dress for Zuo Liangyu."
Only then did Li Ruolian understand the seriousness of the matter. He was silent for a while, and then said solemnly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, if Huang Degong really colludes with Zuo Liangyu, the general will definitely kill him with the sword."
"It's just that the general is leading Huang Degong's troops after all. They have followed Huang Degong for many years, and the general is really not sure!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Okay, as long as you are willing to fight Huang Degong, we have a way to make you succeed!"
When Li Ruolian heard this, he couldn't help but look happy. Just when he was about to ask, he saw a young eunuch coming in to report that Wu Mengming was outside asking for an audience.
