However, Liao Yong'an was captured during a major battle with Zhang Shicheng and refused to surrender for eight years before being killed. His younger brother was Liao Yongzhong.

Yu Tingyu died in battle during the capture of Anqing, while his eldest son, Yu Tonghai, was lost during the capture of Pingjiang and later died from his injuries. This man was also the one who saved Zhu Yuanzhang in the Battle of Poyang Lake, offered a plan to burn the boats, and was the first to make contributions.

Unfortunately, he had no descendants, and his second brother, Marquis of Nan'an, Yu Tongyuan, had also followed Xu Da in his campaigns, but died of illness at a young age and was stripped of his title because of his involvement in the Hu Weiyong case.

As for Yu Tongyuan, the youngest member of the Yu family, although he was not as brave as his father and brothers, he was once the Marquis of Yuexi, but his title was revoked because he was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case.

Zhu Yunying sighed and said, "The Duke of Hejian and the Duke of Guo have made great contributions. My grandfather often sighs when he thinks of the past. However, Yu Tongyuan has lost his title and is not suitable to command a large army. It would be better to recall him to the capital. I think it is still not too late."

The Yu family lived in Chaohu, which was relatively close to Yingtian Prefecture. Although Yu Tongyuan could not lead a large army on his own, he was a veteran general and could keep the situation under control.

This could actually be considered a beautiful story. If Yu Tongyuan had been able to achieve great things, he might have been able to regain his title.

In fact, Yu Tongyuan only rose to prominence because of his father and brother's merits. Although he made some contributions while fighting alongside Xu Da, he was not particularly outstanding among the famous generals of the early Ming Dynasty. If it weren't for the contributions of Yu Tingyu and Yu Tonghai, Yu Tongyuan would not have been granted the title of Marquis of Yuexi.

At this moment, Li Jinglong said, "Your Majesty, I believe that although there are pirates on the Yangtze River, the court has a skilled navy with large ships and powerful cannons. A few small pirates are not a concern. I know that the army also has several thousand infantrymen. Therefore, Ping An, the son of Pingding, the Vice Commander of Jining Guard, is brave and skilled in battle and can lead the army."

This is where things get interesting. Ping An's father, Pingding, had actually followed Zhu Yuanzhang from the very beginning. After his death in battle, Ping An succeeded his father. Most importantly, he became Zhu Yuanzhang's adopted son, with the courtesy name 'Bao'er'.

Although Pingding served under Chang Yuchun and died in battle while helping Chang Yuchun conquer the Yuan capital, he was, in a sense, a member of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family—at least nominally. He was also one of Zhu Yuanzhang's surviving adopted sons.

Chang Yuchun suddenly found it interesting, because both Yu Tongyuan and Ping An actually had a good relationship with the Chang faction.

When Zhu Yunying remained noncommittal, Chang Mao said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Chen Xuan, the Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army..."

Zhu Yunying immediately waved his hand and said directly, "Yan Chun still has great uses, there is no need to send troops."

Chen Xuan was a remarkable figure. In his early years, he served General Lan Yu as a retainer and was highly regarded. He made significant contributions during his time in the southwest. Most importantly, he had served under Zhu Yunying in his early years, and after the deaths of Zhang He and Zhu Shou, he was in charge of overseeing maritime transport.

Since the emperor had said so, Chang Mao naturally wouldn't say anything more. He did indeed want to recommend Chen Xuan, believing that Chen Xuan had some talent and that if he made some contributions, being ennobled and appointed as a general would be within reach.

But things are hard to say now, because His Majesty clearly has other plans for Chen Xuan. In fact, this is also an opportunity for Chen Xuan. Don't be fooled by the fact that he may not seem as illustrious as Zhang He or Zhu Shou, those two were founding marquises, so they naturally carry some weight.

However, Chen Xuan didn't need to worry, because he had always been His Majesty the Emperor's confidant and naturally had no shortage of opportunities to make meritorious contributions.

Xu Huizu thought for a moment and then suggested another person, "Your Majesty, Marquis Wu Gao of Jiangyin is skilled in naval warfare."

Zhu Yunying chuckled and said, “Duke of Zhongshan, there are many great generals in the court. Marquis of Jiangyin has not yet returned from his expedition against Goguryeo, so there is no need for him to lead another expedition.”

Wu Gao could be considered an outstanding second-generation official; his father was Wu Liang, who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang in raising an army in his early years.

In reality, it was simply that Zhu Yunying was magnanimous, because Wu Gao's brother-in-law was Zhu Yunying's seventh uncle, Zhu Fu. This man had repeatedly shown Zhu Yunying disrespect when Zhu Yunying was inspecting the north, but Zhu Yunying never took it to heart.

Chang Mao looked left and right, and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Wu Zhong, the son of the disgraced minister Wu Zhen, is capable of undertaking great responsibilities!"

Xu Huizu and Li Jinglong were taken aback, thinking that only Chang Maocai would dare to recommend Wu Zhong.

Wu Zhong's father was Wu Zhen, the Marquis of Jinghai, one of the Twenty-Four Generals of Huaixi, who participated in the wars to quell Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, and Chen Youding, and ranked twentieth among the founding heroes appointed by Zhu Yuanzhang. He was an expert in naval warfare, once supervised maritime transport, and led troops to the Ryukyu Islands to suppress Japanese pirates.

However, he was posthumously labeled a member of Hu Weiyong's rebellious faction, so his title of Marquis of Jinghai was revoked. Of course, he was also Wu Liang's younger brother. In other words, he was Wu Gao's cousin.

Zhu Yunying thought for a moment and said, "Summon Wu Zhong."

Chang Mao was pleased, as it seemed he had recommended a capable person to His Majesty. As for whether that person was worthy or capable, that was naturally up to His Majesty's judgment; he only needed to recommend those he deemed reliable and usable.

Zhu Yunying was actually quite pleased, as he still had a large number of elite troops and capable generals under his command. Perhaps it wasn't as numerous as when Zhu Yuanzhang was conquering the country, but there was no need to worry about a situation where there were no great generals in the court.

Furthermore, it must be acknowledged that among Zhu Yunying's generals, while some were founding veterans, a large number were also promising sons of military families. While there were indeed many纨绔 (spoiled brats) among these sons, to say that the military merit system was corrupt would be blatant lying.

With such a large and capable group of men under his command, Zhu Yunying naturally felt more at ease. He still had many things to do, which naturally required more talented generals and commanders, and he wasn't worried about being unable to control them.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!