On the eighth day of February in the sixth year of Hongwu, King Zhu Su of Wu, who was inspecting Su Song's affairs on behalf of the crown prince, mobilized more than 3,000 Taicang Guard sailors and assembled nearly 20 large and small warships, preparing for the arrival of the news three days later. Go to sea and eliminate the remaining small groups of Japanese pirates on the surrounding islands to completely eliminate the hidden dangers of Su Song.
"Your Highness, Suzhou Guard Qianhu Cao Yuan wants to see you." At this time, King Zhu Su had moved to Taicang Guard to personally supervise the final departure to sea. At this time, he was inspecting the ships used to go to sea with Taicang Guard Commander Cai Ben, but he heard a report from a Wang Guard.
"Cao Yuan?" Zhu Su was a little surprised. Cao Yuan was his chosen temporary acting commander of the Suzhou Guards. Although he was only acting temporarily, his memorial was already on its way to the Governor's Mansion in central Beijing. As soon as there is a reply from the Governor's Office, I believe that the name of Suzhou Guard Commander will definitely fall on Cao Yuan.
He now has the important responsibility of commanding the First Guard, so why did he leave the station privately and go to the Taicang Guard?
"Let him come and see you." But after all, he was the one he chose, so he didn't want to see him, so he drove him back.
"General Cao Yuan, I have met His Highness!" Cao Yuan, who was wearing armor, saw Zhu Su from a distance, hurriedly ran to Zhu Su, and then knelt down on one knee with military courtesy.
Zhu Su looked unhappy and asked: "Cao Yuan, I entrusted the Suzhou Guards to you, why did you leave your post without permission and come to Taicang?"
"Your Highness, forgive me!" Perhaps sensing Zhu Su's displeasure, Cao Yuan quickly changed his kneeling posture to two knees, then knelt down and touched his forehead to the ground: "Your Highness, please forgive me. General..."
"The general is only willing to follow His Highness, but is not willing to be the commander of the Suzhou Guard!"
As soon as these words came out, not only Zhu Su was shocked, but Cai Ben, the commander of the Taicang Guards next to him, also had a look of disbelief.
You must know that in this era, there is no such thing as a noble man and a lowly military officer. The rank of a military officer is as high as that of a civil servant. And those literati who want to become officials have to pass the provincial examinations one by one. Even if they get the top prize, they may not be awarded a third-grade official.
As for Cao Yuan, he was just a member of a mere thousand households. Just because he followed the Fifth Highness for a few days, he actually got such a great opportunity. At such a young age, he could get a glimpse of the position of a third-grade commander... Even Cai Ben felt the same. Being the commander of Yiwei, he was also extremely jealous.
You must know that he, the commander, was the one who followed Chang Guogong to lick blood and fight his way through mountains of swords and seas of fire... He, Cai Ben, has always been extremely proud of his position as commander.
And now, this Cao Yuan actually said that he only wanted to follow His Highness and did not want to be a commander?
Cai Ben suddenly felt like a dog.
"...Don't want to do it?" Zhu Su frowned. "Cao Yuan, you have to think clearly."
"The commander of the Suzhou Guard is a third-grade military attache. Originally, your qualifications were definitely not enough to be this commander. I see that you have made great military achievements in quelling the chaos, so I will give you a thumbs up. This is a rare opportunity for you. If you miss it, I’m afraid I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!”
"What's more, what do you want to do with me? I am just patrolling on behalf of the prince. After returning to the capital, I will no longer have military power in my hands. Do you still want to be an ordinary pawn among my king's guards?"
"Even an ordinary pawn, a general is willing to do so." Cao Yuan lowered his head and said firmly. "The general knows very well that his qualifications are still low and it is difficult to convince the public. If he suddenly gains a high position, it will be a disaster rather than a blessing."
"Besides, if it weren't for Your Highness, the General would still be looked down upon and wasted years... Not only the General, but also the more than a thousand soldiers under the General are willing to follow His Highness from now on and make achievements with His Highness!"
"You..." Zhu Su was speechless for a moment. "I have made great achievements... After this trip to sea, it is time for me to return to Beijing and become a peaceful prince."
"When the time comes, Cao Yuan will only do some security work, so how can you get any military merit? Let's just say that this time you go to sea, you will only face the remaining three melons and two dates. Your military merits are not enough to fill your teeth. Sew..."
"Your Highness, since General Cao's ambition is very strong, why don't Your Highness allow him?" Seeing that Cao Yuan was still determined, Zhu Suzheng couldn't laugh or cry, so Cai Ben, the commander of Taicang Guards, advised him.
"It just so happens that I also feel that Your Highness has only transferred more than 3,000 men from my Taicang Guard, which is too small... Since General Cao has this intention, it is better to transfer more than a thousand brothers from the Suzhou Guard. If more people are to protect Your Highness, I will also It’s better to feel more at ease.”
He looked at the young Cao Yuan and admired him in his heart: This is a young man who knows how to advance and retreat, and knows the truth of "the higher you climb, the harder you fall". Indeed, with his military exploits and shamelessness, he occupied the position of commander of the Suzhou Guard, and he didn't know how many of his subordinates would feel resentful. When the time comes, he might end up just like Yang Lu.
It is better to follow this young Highness closely. His future achievements may be far more than a third-grade commander... His Highness said that he wanted to return to the capital to be a Taiping Prince, but judging from the talents he showed, Ying Tianfu How could your Majesty let this capable son hide? At least he is also a feudal king.
When the time comes, are you still afraid that you won’t have the opportunity to make contributions? There is no limit to the future, and Cai Ben is willing to form a good relationship with such a young man.
If I were a few years younger, I would be afraid that I would not want to waste time in this peaceful land in the south of the Yangtze River. At most, I would only deal with those disgusting Japanese pirates... Now that the Northern Yuan is not destroyed, there will be a battle with the Ming Dynasty sooner or later. Wouldn't it be great to be able to win the title of marquis and wife and son in northern Xinjiang with the help of a horse on your hip and a gun in your palm?
Seeing Cai Ben speak for himself, Cao Yuan glanced at Cai Ben gratefully. Zhu Su laughed and said: "Commander Cai is really worried. The remaining Japanese pirates are just remnants. Three thousand people are too many. Why bring an extra thousand people from the Suzhou Guard..." He turned around and saw Cao Yuan. His face was pitiful, and his heart softened: "That's all, in that case, you can follow me. But if you don't achieve anything in the future, don't regret it."
"Yes!" Cao Yuan was overjoyed, stood up and stood behind Zhu Su. He had personally seen His Highness' abilities. Just because he could invent a nearly invincible melee formation like the Yuanyang Formation, he did not believe that His Highness would really just be a peaceful king in the future.
"In this case, the Suzhou Guards have asked Commander Cai to take care of them as well." Zhu Su said helplessly. "I am writing another letter to my father and the Governor-General, asking you to appoint Commander Cai to serve as the commander of the Suzhou Guard. As for the Taicang Guard, Commander Cai would also like to recommend a reliable subordinate, so that I can also report it to you. Play..."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Cai Ben was overjoyed. This was an unexpected surprise. Although Suzhou Guard and Taicang Guard are both guard posts, there are also three, six or nine levels between the guard posts. Suzhou Guard is located in the prosperous city of Suzhou. If you don't seek promotion, it will undoubtedly be a first-class guard house. Besides, Taicang Guard was also taken over by his own subordinates...
Zhu Su looked at the overjoyed Cai Ben and helped him up with a smile. Originally, he wanted to cultivate Cao Yuan, who had a close friendship with him, to take charge of the Suzhou Guard, because he hoped that he could provide more help when he wanted to launch maritime trade in Suzhou in the future.
And now I am deliberately showing kindness to Cai Ben, hoping that Cai Ben will be able to repay his kindness in the future.
(End of chapter)
