Rebellion and uprising are two different things.

In those days, it was normal for peasant uprisings to occur due to famine, land annexation, corvee labor, taxes, etc.

Or it happened in every dynasty.

Generally speaking, the imperial court would first try to appease the rebels, and if they refused to listen, it would suppress them with military force.

But the concept of rebellion is completely different.

To rebel is to openly attack the Ming Dynasty.

Under the leadership of Liu He, Zhu Ying quickly arrived at the Huagai Palace.

At this time, apart from Jiang Lin and Liu He, there were no other ministers present.

Seeing his eldest grandson coming, Zhu Yuanzhang directly handed him a report.

"Let's take a look."

Zhu Ying took the report and read it carefully.

After reading it, it’s no wonder that the old man was a little angry.

This was a rebellion that took place in Mianyang County, Shaanxi.

The reason why the word "rebellion" is used to describe it is because the other party has already proclaimed himself emperor.

The leader among them was called Tian Jiucheng, who called himself Emperor Ming of Han and his reign title was Longfeng.

Gao Fuxing under his command was called "Maitreya Buddha", Wang Jingangnu, He Miaoshun and others were called "Heavenly Kings". Their names and slogans were the same as those of the Red Turban Army at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

This was a rebellion launched in the name of the White Lotus Sect.

Moreover, when this report reached the capital, Tian Jiucheng and others had already captured Lueyang and other places, occupied the dangerous mountainous areas between Sichuan and Shaanxi, and had an army of 100,000, with a great momentum.

"Grandpa, it seems that someone is behind this. This so-called Tian Jiucheng is most likely just a pawn pushed by the person behind the scenes."

"Otherwise, with their capabilities, it would be impossible for them to move so quickly and have enough weapons and food in such a short time."

"Ordinary people wouldn't think so much. If there's famine or other reasons, they will definitely head to the wealthy cities."

"But they didn't attack the big and rich cities, but took a longer route to attack places that were easy to defend but difficult to attack, heavily guarded, and had little money."

"The purpose of this march route is very clear. It is almost clear that they are going to conquer various dangerous areas. It is obvious that there is a master guiding them."

After reading the report, Zhu Ying thought about it for a while and then said what he thought.

After listening to this, the anger on Zhu Yuanzhang's face eased a little. His eldest grandson's intelligence did not disappoint him.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already thought of these things when Zhu Ying came on the way.

However, the eldest grandson was able to quickly figure it out after just reading it, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel very relieved.

"The masterminds behind this must be the remaining nobles of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. This place is close to Mongolia. After those remaining nobles fled back to the grasslands, they have been plotting against our Ming Dynasty all the time."

"This Tian Jiucheng is naturally their target, in order to seize our Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed out.

However, Zhu Ying frowned and said, "Grandpa, in my opinion, they seem to be under some kind of pressure, so they launched the war in a hurry."

"Logically, they could have hidden themselves for a longer period of time. For example, in Mian County, they could have secretly controlled the local officials and directly seized the city."

"But for the Shaanxi and Sichuan regions, although there were some plans, they were clearly not well prepared and suffered heavy losses. According to the White Lotus's custom, they usually take the initiative to gain the upper hand."

"This time they took action before even the rumors spread, as if someone was chasing them."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, the anger on his face completely turned into a smile, and then he said: "Grandson guessed correctly. Speaking of which, their haste is largely related to Grandson."

Zhu Ying didn't quite understand.

Does it have a lot to do with you?

Zhu Yingke had never made any plans for Shaanxi. The main reason was that the place was too poor and there were a lot of indigenous people there.

Even though it was located on the border of the Ming-Mongol regime, Zhu Ying never took it too seriously. Usually, only his caravans would go there to trade, but Zhu Ying had never been there.

So when the old man said this, Zhu Ying was confused.

"Jiang Li, tell our eldest grandson what's going on."

Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.

Naturally, this information had already been collected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"I obey your order."

Jiang Li replied respectfully, then bowed to Zhu Ying and said, "Your Highness, the reason why Tian Jiucheng is rebelling right now is indeed closely related to your Highness."

"According to the intelligence from the Imperial Guard, although Tian Jiucheng and his men had close contacts with the Mongols before this, they had no plans to rebel for the time being."

"Because it's too remote, it's hard for the imperial court to take care of it. Plus, there are so many indigenous people there, so it's never been regulated."

"And this rebellion is because of your highness's arrangement of the Su and Song regional security bureaus, which made Tian Jiucheng and others, or the conspirators behind Tian Jiucheng, feel the crisis."

"Tian Jiucheng was urged by those behind the scenes to rebel."

After hearing Jiang Li's explanation, Zhu Ying also understood a lot.

In fact, regardless of the scale, there have been dozens of peasant uprisings of varying sizes since the first year of Hongwu.

The last large-scale uprising was in the 16th year of Hongwu.

Mountain people from Longquan and Yongxin in Jiangxi Province gathered together to rebel against the Ming Dynasty, and their leader called himself "Shun Tian Wang".

Dai Zongren, the deputy commander, led troops to suppress the rebellion but failed.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately appointed Deng Zhen, Duke of Shen, as General Zhennan, and Chen Yong, Marquis of Linjiang, and Gu Jing, Marquis of Jining, as left and right deputy generals, and ordered them to lead an army of 100,000 to attack.

The Ming army was large in number and powerful in strength, and they quickly defeated the rebels, captured countless of them, and put down the uprisings in both places.

A rebellion of this scale would usually be spotted early on by the Jinyiwei deployed in various places, so the Ming Dynasty was able to quickly obtain extremely specific intelligence.

As for Tian Jiucheng, it was an unexpected incident.

Zhu Ying frowned and said, "That's impossible. If it was Mongolia or the Public Security Bureau in Jiangnan, how could they get the news so quickly?"

"Besides, even if the Mongols got the news, they would definitely not understand the benefits and would not be so decisive. At present, only the Jiangnan region has made arrangements."

"It seems that behind this, it is not just the Mongols who are causing trouble. There are also people from within the Ming Dynasty who are helping to pass on information or are even involved."

"From my grandson's perspective, these people are most likely related to people from the Jiangnan region, and can only be from the Jiangnan region."

Zhu Ying analyzed as he spoke.

No matter what the Jiangnan region is like, it is ultimately considered the place that produces the most talents in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Ying never overestimates himself, nor underestimates the wisdom of the ancients. After his Public Security Bureau strategy is implemented, there will definitely be smart people who analyze and speculate on the various possibilities in the future.

When this possibility is deduced by them, it will inevitably arouse vigilance and countermeasures of resistance.

That's why the old man said that their sudden rebellion was closely related to him.

Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked when he heard Zhu Ying's analysis.

With just a few clues, Da Sun has almost completely sorted out the whole story.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Jiang Li and nodded slightly.

Jiang Li, who got the emperor's understanding, said again: "Your Highness is really smart. If I hadn't read the report, I would never have thought of so much, nor would you be so comprehensive."

"As Your Highness said, the mastermind behind this is not only the Mongols, but also has deep connections with the big merchants and landlords in the Jiangnan region."

"The reason why Tian Jiucheng dared to directly declare himself emperor was that the Mongols provided him with war horses and even firearms."

"As for money, Tian Jiucheng was not short of it. Many wealthy people in the Jiangnan region strongly supported him and sent him countless gold, silver and treasures."

"There is also a large amount of food in it, so Tian Jiucheng has the courage to directly attack the important border area of ​​Shaanxi and Sichuan."

"Many of those people in the Jiangnan region have long been noticed by our Jinyiwei, but the people behind the scenes are very careful, and what the brothers have found are just some superficial skills."

"Before they even catch the big fish, they start rebelling."

Jiang Lin's words let Zhu Ying know that the Jinyiwei had deep intelligence organizations all over the Ming Dynasty, and most of the local officials were under the surveillance of the Jinyiwei.

It is no wonder that Zhu Yuanzhang executed a large number of corrupt officials in his early years, and even those in many places who were far away from the emperor could not escape.

The Jinyiwei must have made a lot of contributions in this regard.

Zhu Yuanzhang said at this time: "At present, these bandits have already done something, and it is not easy to fight them, especially since they are in a dangerous place. If we want to take them down, we must prepare an army of 300,000."

Raising an army of 300,000 to fight Tian Jiucheng is actually a relatively small number.

If Tian Jiucheng, who was guarding a dangerous place, really understood military affairs, he would not panic at all even when facing an army three to five times his size.

In fact, in this regard, it is no longer just a battle between Daming and Tian Jiucheng.

What's more, there are hidden behind-the-scenes games with Mongolia and the Jiangnan region.

For the current Ming Dynasty, if the 300,000-strong army were defeated, it would very likely cause turmoil throughout the country.

This result was what the Mongols wanted, and it was also what the wealthy landlords in the Jiangnan region wanted.

Because Shaanxi was involved, the imperial court could only focus on appeasement in the Jiangnan region and ensure the supply of the soldiers on the march.

"If we attack directly, the losses will be too great. We can only take it step by step."

"Since Tian Jiucheng has the support of the Mongols, it means that he has more than just war horses. It is more likely that the Mongols are involved."

"I'm afraid that Tian Jiucheng has promised a lot of benefits to get the Mongols to help him. The Mongols won't go out until they get enough benefits."

“Not to mention supporting the war horses, I’m afraid the money used for these war horses was collected by those behind the scenes in Jiangnan.”

Zhu Ying began to analyze how to deal with the situation next.

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded in agreement and said, "Regarding the Jiangnan region, we have already arranged a large number of Jinyiwei to go there. We must first completely cut off the connection between the two sides."

"Without financial support, Tian Jiucheng and his people can only rely on the Mongols."

"The Mongols' insatiable greed will definitely force Tian Jiucheng into a desperate situation in a short period of time. At that time, Tian Jiucheng can only raise troops again and seize more areas to satisfy the Mongols' appetite."

When Zhu Ying heard the old man's plan, he did not give a direct answer.

According to the current situation, this is naturally the best way.

But for the people in Shaanxi, they are living in dire straits.

It is conceivable that for people like Tian Jiucheng, especially the White Lotus Sect.

There is a great possibility that it will invite a wolf into the house and provoke the Mongols into the Ming Dynasty again.

There is even a great possibility that some cities would be ceded directly to the Mongols.

In the eyes of many Mongolians, Han people are just two-legged sheep, and the result is predictable.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Ying said, "Grandpa, regarding this matter, I think it is better to act quickly rather than slowly. If we slowly force Tian Jiucheng into a dead end, by then, the entire Shaanxi Province will probably be cleansed by the Mongols."

"The Gunpowder Department is now able to produce a large number of matchlock guns. Cannons are not very useful on the Shaanxi-Sichuan border, especially between the mountains and forests."

"But the matchlock gun can be very effective in this regard, so I would like to ask grandfather for permission to form a fire guard. After training, I will go to Shaanxi to redress the injustice, which should yield unexpected results."

After hearing what his eldest grandson said, Zhu Yuanzhang did not respond immediately.

Instead, I began to think about the feasibility of this plan.

Zhu Yuanzhang now has rich military experience, and his planning has been indispensable in most of the previous wars.

This is obviously the case this time.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, although Tian Jiucheng's men now seemed to be very powerful, they were actually just a group of rabble.

Its elimination is the inevitable result.

The only thing to worry about is the size of the loss.

To forcibly capture a dangerous area would mean the loss of many of the Ming Dynasty's elite troops.

This is what Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to see.

Now, the matchlock gun proposed by his eldest grandson made Zhu Yuanzhang feel that it might be feasible.

"How many matchlock rifles have been produced by the Gunpowder Bureau now?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhu Ying replied: "So far, we should have more than 3,000 muskets. By the time the army sets out, 4,000 muskets should not be a problem."

"As for the selection of matchlock gunners, the previous fire commanders have good experience. They only need a little training to master it."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. As he was well versed in firearms, he naturally understood all of this.

But soon, Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Since we are going to choose a day to march, according to my eldest grandson, who should we choose as the commander this time?"

After hearing this, Zhu Ying began to think quickly in his mind.

The first person to be excluded is naturally Duke of Liang Lan Yu, and even the entire Huaixi military generals group.

Because the current Huaixi military generals group has made too many contributions, and Zhu Ying currently needs to quickly support someone who can compete with Liang Guogong Lan Yu and others.

After some thought, Zhu Ying said in a deep voice: "My grandson thinks that Uncle Seventeen would be a good candidate."