Emperor Fengtian Chengyun issued an edict saying: "In the 15th year of Hongwu, the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiongying, passed away and was buried in the Xiaoling Mausoleum. The next night, strange phenomena occurred in the sky and the earth. The stars moved and the earth dragon rolled.

Ten years later, the Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly reported that there was a man who looked and behaved very much like Prince Yiwen. Upon investigation, it was found that Zhu Ying was taken in by his adoptive father Zhu Dayou by the Yangtze River on the day of the strange incident in Prince Yu's Mausoleum ten years ago, and he had no memory of the past.

We were puzzled and opened the tomb of King Yu to find out the truth. The coffin in the tomb was moved to the Yangtze River along an underground river due to cracks in the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it was found that Zhu Ying once had a strip of cloth as proof, which was embroidered by Empress Xiaoci Gao herself.

So the truth came out, Shui Luo showed up and it turned out that Zhu Ying was our eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying.

The emperor's eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying, our eldest grandson and the eldest son of Crown Prince Yiwen, is benevolent, filial, wise and virtuous, and he is naturally worthy of ascending the throne.

Civil and military officials at home and abroad, work together to assist us and benefit our people.

June 18th, the 25th year of Hongwu.

Zhu Yuanzhang wrote quickly and finished the work in one go.

Seeing this, Liu He, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, hurriedly handed over the jade seal.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the seal, carefully read the contents of the imperial edict, and said:

"Liu He."

"I am here."

"Place this edict on the dragon throne in Fengtian Palace. If there is any change, summon the eldest grandson to the palace immediately to take charge of all palace affairs."

"I obey your order."

"Jiang Li."

"I am here."

"You have been extremely thorough in this matter, and I trust you. If there is any change, I will ask the Jinyiwei to manage the palace and protect our grandson so that he can ascend to the throne."

"I obey your order."

After finishing all these matters, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction.

In fact, the arrangements for the eldest grandson will only take two or three months, so I think that will be enough.

This is an inevitable process.

Even when Zhu Ying had not appeared at the beginning, Zhu Yuanzhang had to plan for half a year to kill Lan Yu and others, until February after the New Year.

Only when you feel you can act, do it.

If a mere Lan Yu had to be treated like this, let alone the succession to the throne, one cannot be too cautious.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang issued this edict was only because he took into consideration his physical condition, especially after meeting Tang He.

Tang He was a few years older than him. He suddenly suffered a stroke and became unable to speak or move his hands.

People are like this. The more worried they are, the more likely they are to have wild thoughts.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang's writing of the will was equivalent to taking out an insurance policy for Zhu Ying.

If something unexpected happens, you won't be completely at a loss.

There were still some loyal ministers in the court, and with the assistance of Jiang Lin's Jinyiwei, it was not difficult for him to ascend the throne.

Even if there is some danger, I believe that with the methods of the eldest grandson, it can be conquered in the end.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang issued another decree:

"Send a decree to the commander of the Xiaoling Guards. If there is any change in the palace, order the Xiaoling Guards to come down the mountain and enter the palace to protect our grandson from ascending the throne."

Upon hearing this, Liu He quickly said, "I obey your order."

With the current military strength of the Xiaoling Guard, it can be ranked among the top among the millions of elite troops of the entire Ming Dynasty.

The main reason for summoning the Xiaoling Guards over was that the excavation of the mausoleum could prove the identity of the eldest grandson.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the arrangements were roughly ready, so he began to review the memorials.

…

Sichuan Provincial Administration, Jianchang Prefecture Government Office.

Lan Yu, his sons Lan Naoer and Lan Taiping.

Governor Nie Wei, Sima Xu, Qu Neng and others discussed military affairs in the hall.

"The Duke of Liang is indeed very impressive. He just arrived in Handong and the rebels fled upon hearing the news. I would like to offer a toast to the Duke of Liang."

Next, Qu Neng, the commander-in-chief of Sichuan, stood up, picked up the wine glass, spoke to Lan Yu, and then drank the wine in the glass.

"Let's drink together." Lan Yu said heroically, and picked up the wine glass on the wooden table and drank it all.

On the first day of April, the second day after Lan Yu set out on the expedition to Handong, Yuelutemur, the commander of Jianchang Guard in Sichuan, launched a rebellion.

The number of rebels under Yuru Temur was tens of thousands, posing a huge threat to the Ming Dynasty's rule in the entire Daliang Mountains region.

While Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the Sichuan Regional Military Commission to quell the rebellion quickly, he also urgently summoned Lan Yu, the Duke of Liang, who was currently conquering Handong, to rush south to wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop.

In addition to Yuru Timur, the rebellion also involved tribes such as Mongolia and Xifan. The rebellion spread to Xichang, Dechang, Huili, Yanyuan and other places.

Jianchang borders Yunnan Province in the south and Wumeng in the east. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.

However, for the current army of the Ming Dynasty, Yuru Temur can only be regarded as a group of rabble.

At that time, Yuru Temur led more than 10,000 people to attack Jianchang Wei. The new commander of Jianchang Wei, An De, not only did not defend the city, but directly opened the city gate.

The attack of 800 elite cavalrymen, coupled with the power of firearms, instantly defeated Yulu Timur's mob, killing people and horses in great numbers. If the cavalry had not been too few, Yulu Timur would probably have been wiped out in this wave.

Unable to take down Jianchang Wei, Yulectemür turned around and headed straight for Suzhou Wei.

Lu Yi, the assistant commander of Suzhou Guard, adopted the same tactics as An, the commander of Jianchang Guard. He directly opened the city gate, sent out cavalry, and launched a head-on attack.

Faced with the fierce attack of the Ming army, Yuru Timur retreated again.

Since Lan Yu was far away in Gansu at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Lan Yu's old subordinate Nie Wei to be the commander-in-chief and Xu Sima to be the left deputy commander-in-chief, and led the Shaanxi infantry and cavalry south.

Sichuan Commander Qu Neng was appointed as the right deputy general and led his troops to suppress the rebellion. After Lan Yu arrived, all the troops were under the command of Duke Liang.

Before the army arrived, the local Sichuan army led by Qu Neng had already approached Yuru Timur's old nest, Baixingzhou.

Yuerlutemur did not dare to fight a decisive battle with the Ming army. He used a trick of feigning surrender to trick Qu Neng and took the opportunity to escape.

At this time, Lan Yu arrived in Jianchang and all the troops gathered.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not pursue Qu Neng's mistake, but let him make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence.

So now Qu Neng has no other idea but to follow Lan Yu and gain some merits to atone for his sins.

"They are just a bunch of chickens and dogs. My father can easily crush them when he comes. Now that the army has gathered, it won't be long before Yulu Timur dies."

Below Lan Yu, his eldest son Lan Naoer spoke first, his tone full of arrogance.

Upon hearing this, many generals present nodded slightly. For the famous general Lan Yu, Yulu Timur's rebellion was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"Before I came here, I received an order from His Majesty that Yulu Timur is extremely treacherous and cunning, and has repeatedly rebelled. We must not trust him. When the army is encircled and suppressed, no matter what he says, we must capture him first."

Lan Yu's face was calm and he spoke slowly.

"I understand. I will follow the Duke of Liang's orders."

Hearing Lan Yu's words, Qu Neng quickly agreed.

Just after three rounds of drinks, everyone began to discuss how to eliminate Yuru Timur.

"Report!!! The capital has been rushed for 600 miles. His Majesty has ordered the Duke of Liang, Lan Yu, to come to the capital for an audience immediately."

A postman rushed into the hall of the government office, holding the imperial edict, and spoke quickly.

"What!"

Lan Yu was shocked when he heard this, and quickly stood up and took the imperial edict from the postman.

Unlike awards and honors, the process for imperial edicts reaching the military has always been much simpler, especially for expedited letters, which only require confirmation that the military generals have received them directly.

Lan Yu looked through the contents of the imperial edict, but his brows were deeply furrowed.

"Dad, His Majesty suddenly summoned you to the capital, but what happened?" Lan Nao'er saw his father, Marshal Lan Yu, and after reading the imperial edict, he stopped talking. He couldn't help but walk over and asked.

Lan Yu shook his head and said, "The decree didn't say anything, it just asked my father to go directly to the capital."

"Dad, could it be related to the crown prince?" Lan Naoer asked.

Lan Yu said nothing, walked back to the main seat and looked at Qu Neng, as well as his old subordinates Nie Wei and Xu Sima.

Everyone immediately understood and stood up and said, "Duke Liang, please forgive me for not being able to hold my liquor. I have to go back and rest first."

After saying this, he got Lan Yu's permission and left.

Only Lan Yu's two sons were left in the account.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has passed away. A letter came in a while ago saying that His Majesty has designated His Royal Highness Yunwen, the Grandson of the Emperor, as the Crown Prince."

Lan Yu thought for a while and then said.

"How can your majesty make His Highness Yunwen the crown prince? In terms of status, His Highness Yunhuan is much more noble than His Highness Yunwen. No matter what, His Highness Yunhuan must be made the crown prince."

"Besides, His Highness Yunwen is only the son of his step-wife. His Highness Yunxun is the real legitimate son."

Upon hearing this, Lan Naoer immediately complained.

Lan Taiping, who was standing by, said with some concern, "Dad, does His Majesty have other plans when he summoned you to the capital this time?"

Hearing what his second son Lan Taiping said, Lan Yu was somewhat dissatisfied, but also somewhat helpless and said: "Now that we have entered the army, we should not think too much about other things."

In early May, when the news of the prince's death reached Lan Yu, he had other ideas.

At that time, he was really heading west to conquer Handong. Seeing the rebels fleeing, Lan Yu wanted to lead his troops deep into Handong.

At that moment, he suddenly encountered strong opposition from other generals.

Lan Yu understood at that time that these people who came under his control might have received secret orders from His Majesty.

But Lan Yu insisted on his own opinion and ordered Song Sheng to advance according to his own plan.

In fact, I just want to wait and see who His Majesty will choose as the successor to the Ming Empire.

But at this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's edict arrived, ordering Lan Yu to lead his army to Jianchang to quell the rebellion of Yuelu Temur.

After the imperial edict was issued, Lan Yu had no choice but to march towards Jianchang.

Lan Yu planned to go deep into Xifan and reach Jianchang via Song and Die, but unexpectedly encountered continuous heavy rain.

The generals who were not directly under Lan Yu had a direct conflict with Lan Yu.

After killing hundreds of soldiers as a deterrent, Lan Yu finally had no choice but to arrive at Jianchang from Longyou.

Now that they had been in Jianchang for more than ten days, Lan Yu was in no hurry to capture Yulectemür. Instead, he summoned many generals every few days to discuss military affairs, and then they would drink and have fun.

Of course, Lan Yu had no intention of rebelling at the moment. He was just trying to support the enemy by raising troops.

With Zhu Yunhuan as the crown prince, Lan Yu could naturally feel at ease.

If Your Majesty appointed Zhu Yunwen based on rumors, I'm afraid he would have had other thoughts.

Being able to become a famous general, Lan Yu was certainly not a stupid person.

However, when Zhu Yuanzhang's urgent edict of six hundred miles arrived, Lan Yu had no choice.

"You stay here and guard the place. Don't rush to attack Yulu Timur. We will make decisions based on the situation when the time comes."

"I understand, children." Lan Naoer and Lan Taiping replied in unison.

After giving the instructions, Lan Yu had no other arrangements. He did not take a small soldier like Yuelutemur seriously.

Even if I am not there, it is only a matter of time to capture him with the help of my generals.

…

Zhu Ying did not go to the teahouse today.

Instead, he was in the study in the yard, looking through the military information of the Ming Dynasty.

The mountain of information records the entire Ming Dynasty's military deployment, personnel situation, and names of generals.

These materials are the highest military secrets of the entire Ming Dynasty.

But now, it is placed on Zhu Ying's desk openly.

This was delivered this afternoon by Song Zhenfu, the Jinyiwei.

At that time, dozens of Jinyiwei came over, and Zhu Ying almost thought that something big had happened.

Among these military materials, there is also a more secretive separate report from the Jinyiwei.

It is a secret investigation of all generals' factions.

This includes all people related to Lan Yu.

Zhu Ying opened Lan Yu's personal information with some curiosity, and fell silent when he saw the densely packed names on it.