Hwaseong County, Hwaseong Prefecture Office.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the Huacheng guard in front of him. It was this man who was bribed and "persuaded" by Zhu Houcong to transfer the guards of the four gates of Huacheng, and then opened the city gates to welcome in the Gushan Yicong led by Zhu Yuanzhang.

In fact, before Zhu Yuanzhang entered the city, Zhu Houcong had already used the Huacheng guards and, with the help of Bixiufang, captured the Huacheng prefect and others.

However, the Huacheng prefect was much tougher than the Tongshou. No matter how Zhu Yuanzhang persuaded him, he refused to surrender.

As a last resort, Zhu Yuanzhang had to execute the Huacheng prefect and other chief officials of Huacheng County, and then move their families to Gushan for settlement.

After Zhu Yuanzhang entered the city, he immediately opened the granaries to distribute grain, especially after he captured the counties of Hwaseong County, he confiscated all the land and distributed it to the refugees in Hwaseong County.

But this is conditional. The prerequisite for wanting to divide the land is that you are not allowed to believe in the Zhenyang Dao.

"Grandpa Taizu, are you looking for me?" Zhu Zhanji walked into the prefectural mansion and asked Zhu Yuanzhang.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Zhanji, he immediately put down what he was doing and waved, "Come here, I need you to do something."

Zhu Zhanji immediately stepped forward and said, "Please give your instructions, Grandpa Taizu."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "The Vanguard Battalion must be expanded. I've taken a look and found that the entire Huacheng County has enough money and grain to support an army of 50,000 men for a year. If we add the reserves of the powerful families in the counties, we can support an army of 100,000 men."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji immediately said excitedly, "Grandpa Taizu, are you asking me to confiscate our property?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "No, the vanguard camp we brought from Gushan has been taken away by the fourth brother to attack Weichai County. I called you here to put you in charge of training the new army."

Zhu Zhanji was a little disappointed when he heard this. He actually wanted to go to war more, but since his grandfather Taizu had already given the order, he naturally had to agree.

"Yes, Zhanji, I will obey your command!" Zhu Zhanji responded with a fist salute.

"Go ahead," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "We'll train a new army, mainly composed of refugees. If you encounter any difficulties, come and find me directly."

"Zhanji understands." Zhu Zhanji bowed immediately, then turned and left the prefectural government.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand and waved, and a woman in light blue brocade clothes walked towards him quickly. This woman was Qiluo, whose full name was Zhu Yun.

After Zhu Yuanzhang entered the city, Zhu Houcong transferred Qiluo to Zhu Yuanzhang's side to serve him.

"Call Zhu Houcong." Zhu Yuanzhang said to Qiluo.

Upon hearing this, Qiluo immediately bowed and said, "Yes."

A moment later, Zhu Houcong, wearing a brand new Feiyu suit, strode into the main hall of the prefectural government office and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang, saying, "Your servant Zhu Houcong pays homage to Grandpa Taizu."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Houcong who was bowing and asked, "How many people are there in the Jinyiwei now?"

Zhu Houcong reported: "Replying to Grandpa Taizu, there are currently forty-six people who are qualified to be employed."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly and said, "Continue the training. From these forty-six people, you select twenty capable and loyal ones and then release them."

"Release them?" Zhu Houcong was startled when he heard this, then reacted and said, "Grandpa Taizu, are you saying that we should release them all to the various counties of the Great Zhou Kingdom?"

"Yes, send them out to gather intelligence, especially in the capital of the Great Zhou Kingdom. Give them plenty of silver, and don't be afraid to spend it." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "As long as we can get the job done, we will not hesitate to spend any amount of money."

Zhu Houcong immediately accepted the order and said, "Yes, your servant Zhu Houcong obeys the order!"

After Zhu Houcong left, Zhu Yuanzhang said to Qiluo, "Call the former Huacheng guard."

Qiluo took the order again and left. Not long after, the Huacheng Tongshou walked into the main hall with a hunched back, immediately knelt down and said, "Chen Xu greets the general."

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned forward slightly and asked, "Chen Xu, you and my Gushan Yicong helped me capture Huacheng from the inside and outside. I wonder what reward you would like?"

Chen Xu was shocked when he heard this, and his heart was filled with bitterness. Did I do this willingly? It's clear that you guys are being unethical. First you tempted me with money, then you threatened me with a knife...

"Chen Xu doesn't dare to ask for reward." Chen Xu kowtowed and said.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled faintly, leaned back slightly, and said, "I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. You have made such a great contribution, so of course you should be rewarded, Zhu Yun."

Qiluo immediately stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty is here."

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Chen Xu and said, "Reward him with 10,000 taels of silver and a vacant garden mansion in Huacheng."

These vacant gardens and mansions were certainly not vacant for no reason. They belonged to the wealthy families whose property was confiscated by Zhu Yuanzhang.

When Chen Xu heard Zhu Yuanzhang's reward, his heart almost stopped beating. He felt conflicted and happy at the same time, but in the end he still thanked him and said, "Thank you, General, for the reward."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled faintly and asked, "But you were originally an official of the Great Zhou Kingdom. Now you are helping me to capture Huacheng. What will happen if you are captured by the Great Zhou Kingdom in the future?"

This is what Chen Xu was afraid of. As an official of the Great Zhou Kingdom, how could he not understand the laws of the Great Zhou Kingdom?

"General, I will be executed by beheading, and no one in my family will survive." At this point, Chen Xu immediately realized Zhu Yuanzhang's intention, and immediately raised his head and swore: "I am willing to serve you wholeheartedly, and I will definitely serve you in the future."

I am loyal and will never rebel even if I am attacked by swords and axes!"

"..." Qiluo on the side was speechless. It seemed that you betrayed the Great Zhou Kingdom after we killed you with swords and axes, right?

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent, saying to Chen Xu, "Okay, since you're so willing, I have something for you to do."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu quickly said, "General, I'm not good at fighting."

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless at this moment. After a moment's silence, he said, "I'm not asking you to go and fight. There's still a Weichai County in Huacheng Commandery that's stubbornly resisting. I want you to go and persuade them to surrender. Can you do it?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!