Small teaching place.
Zhu Di observed the military formation drill of the cavalry and artillery battalion, while Xu Huizu, Tie Xuan and Yang Rong looked on. Li Liang, the governor's minister, came over. After bowing, he presented a document to Xu Huizu: "A report from Datong."
Xu Huizu took the document, looked at it, and frowned.
Zhu Di noticed something strange, but Datong was an important border town and it was not convenient to directly ask about military matters, so he remained silent.
Seeing Xu Huizu's solemn expression, Tie Xuan couldn't help but said: "Wei Guogong, is there an urgent military situation in Datong?"
Xu Huizu handed the document to Tie Xuan without covering up, and said worriedly: "Xue Lu sent news that Marquis Wu Ding was ill and unable to speak."
Tie Xuan was worried: "Wu Dinghou has fought for his country all his life, but now he is seriously ill and cannot speak. This matter should be reported to the emperor immediately, and someone should go to treat him or bring him back to the capital."
Xu Huizu sighed heavily.
The iron bones are strong, but time does not spare heroes.
Soon after, Zhu Yunwen learned the news. After discussing with the cabinet and the imperial hospital, he decided to send imperial doctors and officials to take Wu Dinghou back to Beijing. But just two days after the welcoming team set out, an urgent report was sent to the capital.
Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, passed away on August 10, the ninth year of Jianwen!
Zhu Yunwen was very sad when he saw the report and ordered to stay away from court for three days.
Guo Ying is loyal and cautious, and his sister is Zhu Yuanzhang's concubine Ning, so she can be said to be a relative of the emperor. Although there are countless favors, Guo Ying is always sober and has not been involved in Taotao Ronghua.
During the Hongwu period, many officials managed real estate and land, but Guo Ying only guarded a single house, neither arrogant nor extravagant. Taizu once asked Guo Ying, and Guo Ying's answer made countless people feel ashamed.
He said: "I am a commoner who relies on favor and is fortunate enough to be ennobled. My descendants have plenty of food and clothing. How can I increase my desire for luxury?"
Among the founding heroes, it is rare to be able to stay so clear-headed.
What's even more rare is that Guo Ying has never asked for leave due to physical discomfort or illness, and has always been fighting on the front line. Later, Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, and Guo Ying even took charge of Datong to intimidate the Tatars and Oaras so that they did not dare to invade the border easily.
Zhu Yunwen had been on the throne for nearly ten years and had only met Guo Ying three or four times. However, this man's loyalty, bravery, and wisdom were impeccable. From the beginning to the end, he dedicated his life to the Zhu Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty.
After discussion by the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet, Zhu Yunwen approved that Guo Ying be posthumously given the title of Duke of Yingguo and the posthumous title of "Weixiang".
After finally passing the sad August, in September, Changxing Marquis Geng Bingwen also fell ill. Although he had been diagnosed and treated many times by imperial doctors, he was old after all and had reached the end of his life.
Zhu Yunwen took Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi into the Changxing Hou Mansion.
Geng Xuan and Geng Ping greeted Zhu Yunwen with red eyes.
Zhu Yunwen didn't say much, and went directly into the room. He smelled the smell of herbs all over the room, and his heart became even more depressed. He walked to the bedside and looked at Geng Bingwen, who was sick on the bed. The once tough military general was only skin and bones. The skin collapsed on the cheeks, and it seemed like it could be blown away in one breath.
Geng Xuan wiped the corners of her eyes and whispered in Geng Bingwen's ear: "Father, the emperor is here to see you."
Geng Bingwen heard the voice and slowly opened his eyes. Before his pupils were revealed, tears were already flowing from the corners of his eyes. Geng Xuan quickly wiped them away.
"emperor."
Geng Bingwen saw the person beside the bed clearly and weakly wanted to stand up and salute.
"Marquis Changxing, lie down peacefully."
Zhu Yunwen stretched out his hand and pressed it lightly, then looked at the imperial doctors Wang Bin and Sheng Yin beside him.
Wang Bin shook his head slightly and Sheng Yin remained silent.
It's the end of life.
Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath and held Geng Bingwen's hand: "If you still have any unfulfilled wishes, tell me and I will do it for you."
Geng Bingwen tried hard to laugh, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing. After his breathing became smooth, he replied: "Your Majesty, this old minister is already decayed and does not dare to talk about his wishes."
Zhu Yunwen felt that Geng Bingwen's hands were a little cold, so he used force and looked at the cloudy eyes in front of him: "You are the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty. Your contribution is part of the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. I will remember it, and my descendants will also remember it."
Geng Bingwen smiled, full of relief.
With Emperor Jianwen's words, Geng Bingwen had no regrets anymore.
Geng Xuan heard this and knelt down with his two younger brothers to thank the emperor for his kindness.
Geng Bingwen's eyes wandered, and finally he turned his head to look at Zhu Yunzhen, and said slowly: "I hope that the emperor will not forget the hardships of founding the country, the hard work of the people, and diligent administration, from beginning to end. I hope that the Ming Dynasty will be prosperous and prosperous."
】
Zhu Yunwen nodded sadly.
Geng Bingwen looked at Geng Xuan and other sons, and said the last words of his life: "The descendants of the Geng family should serve the country with loyalty. There are police on the border and dare to be pioneers. Don't be greedy for luxury..."
Geng Xuan and others agreed repeatedly.
Geng Bingwen left with a smile.
Zhu Yunwen held his hands that were cold and had no warmth, and his heart was filled with sadness.
Geng Bingwen's historical achievements have been ignored by many people, especially when he lost to Zhu Di during the Jing Dynasty in history.
Yes, among the countless generals in Hongwu, he is not as dazzling as Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Lan Yu and others, nor can he compare with Fu Youde and Feng Sheng, but his contribution to the Ming Dynasty cannot be underestimated.
He was the Marquis of Changxing of the Ming Dynasty.
Changxing is located at the mouth of Taihu Lake, connected to Guangde by land, and borders Xuan, She and other places. It is the gateway to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Geng Bingwen was ordered to guard Changxing. With 7,000 defenders, he blocked Zhang Shicheng's 100,000 troops, laying the foundation for Zhu Yuanzhang to secure his position in the sky.
The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang dared to go to Poyang Lake to fight Chen Youliang with all his strength was because Zhang Shicheng could not threaten Yingtian. The reason why Yingtian cannot be threatened is that Geng Bingwen is guarding Changxing.
In other words, without Geng Bingwen sticking to Changxing, Zhu Yuanzhang would not have the conditions to fight Chen Youliang first, and would have to fall into the dilemma of fighting on two fronts, with unpredictable consequences.
Regarding Geng Bingwen's contribution, later historians gave a fair evaluation in eight words:
The foundation of creation has many powers.
These eight characters show its historical status.
Zhu Yunwen walked out of the Changxing Marquis Mansion and looked at the gloomy sky, unable to hide the sadness in his eyes.
Guo Ying left, and so did Geng Bingwen.
There are not many veteran generals left during the founding period of the People's Republic of China.
Zhu Yunwen named Geng Bingwen the Duke of Xingguo, with the posthumous title "Guwu". Geng Xuan succeeded Geng Bingwen and became the new Marquis of Wuding. Because he was a military general and the first commander-in-chief of the Donghai Navy, he could not really observe the mourning for three years. Zhu Yunwen gave him three months to replace him with three years and return to Tianjin Port before the end of the year.
At the beginning of October, the weather was getting colder, and many people were already on their way to the capital.
On this day, Zhu Yunwen was handling government affairs, and the chamberlain notified Liu Changge to ask for an audience.
Liu Changge entered the Wuying Hall, and after saluting, he said quickly: "Your Majesty, the Yunnan Security Bureau sent an urgent report saying that Hou Xian, the director of rituals, Zhao Bo, the monk, and Zhiguang, the monk, have invited Uzang Harima and Drakpa Gyaltsen. Already on his way to the DPRK."
Zhu Yunwen raised his eyebrows, took the document, looked at the date, and nodded slightly: "After more than two years, there is finally news. Good, very good. According to the time, they should be able to reach the capital before the end of the year, and they will not miss it. There will be people waiting for the grand military parade, and no delay will be allowed."
Liu Changge agreed and left.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the map. Yuan Yue should have returned to Xijiang Province at this time. The Congling training will avoid winter and start next summer. No matter which form Uzang takes to surrender to the Ming Dynasty in the future, the Ming Dynasty must station troops there.
The Ming army with firearms does not need to compete with the Uzang people for strength. As long as they can maintain half of their physical strength in the plateau environment, they can control the Uzang people.
Uzang is special. It is no better than the Jurchens in the Northeast or the Tusi in the Southwest. The situation there is more complicated. Buddhism has a deep-rooted influence there. It is unrealistic to directly set up officials to manage the monks.
Although Zhu Yunwen was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, facing a complex place like Uzang, he had to negotiate with the top officials of Uzang and at the same time use force to force him to surrender.
On this day, Zhu Yunwen saw a document summoning the cabinet, the Ministry of War, the Fifth Army Governor's Office and others for discussion.
The document was written by Xue Lu of Datong. The content is very simple, that is, the Tatar tribe fought with the Oara tribe. The Tatar tribe was defeated and went south to Gansu, possibly threatening Gansu Xingdusi and other places in Western Xinjiang Province.
Jie Jin read the document and thought that Zhu Yunwen was worried about the Tatar invasion of Western Xinjiang, so he said: "I think that although the Tatar Arutai is ambitious, it is unlikely to invade Western Xinjiang and the capital of Gansu Province."
"reason."
Zhu Yunwen does not need unfounded speculation, but reliable analysis.
Xie Jin gave the reason: "Your Majesty, since the victory of Qamdo, the Oara and Tatars have been intimidated and have not dared to take any action in the past three years. The Tatars are nomadic near the Hetao and have not dared to take a step towards Datong. This shows their concerns. Heavy. In addition, the Tatars just fought with Oara and suffered a loss and went south. They will not provoke our army in the future, so as not to cause greater... trouble."
Yang Shiqi frowned and asked: "If the Tatars suffer heavy losses and are humiliated first, will they attack Gansu, Western Xinjiang and other places to vent their anger and protect their face?"
Xie Jin looked at Yang Shiqi, this was a difficult question to answer.
It is entirely possible for a person to be beaten, humiliated, become angry, and lose his mind.
Xu Huizu came out and pointed at the map: "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter where the Tatars go. They can't even take care of Wala. So what if they go south to Jiayuguan, Guazhou, and Hami? Although there are not many sergeants there, they can't hold on at all. Question, not to mention there is a batch of divine cannons left in Western Xinjiang. If the Tatars really want to attack the city, they must first pass the divine cannons."
Zhu Yunwen looked at Xu Huizu who looked relaxed and asked: "Do you think Xijiang, Gansu and other places are worry-free?"
Xu Huizu said confidently: "I have been to Western Xinjiang and know the city defenses there. Equipped with divine machine guns, they are enough to hold on for more than half a month. Whether it is in Xijiang or in Jiayu Pass, there are more and more cavalry. Once there is a police force, they will be able to defend it." If we rush for reinforcements within a few days and attack from both inside and outside, we will be able to defeat the enemy."
Zhu Yunwen looked at Yang Rong.
Yang Rong came out and seconded Xu Huizu: "What the Duke of Wei said is very true. I think that the Tatars will not go south to attack cities and seize territory. Even if they go south, it will not be a big problem."
Zhu Yunwen turned around and looked at the map, pointed in the direction north of Jiayuguan, and said: "So, the Tatars want to spend the winter here. In this case, there are not many people in Hetao, right?"
