I have never thought about taking charge of the army.

Ever since he learned his identity, Zhu Ying had never thought that he would have the possibility of going to the battlefield in person.

From all accounts, it seems that this possibility does not exist.

But now, the old man brought it up.

This made Zhu Ying at a loss for how to respond for a moment.

"Does your eldest grandson think that he is incapable of fighting, or does he have other ideas?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked directly upon seeing this.

Zhu Ying replied, "Grandpa, I did engage in some small fights before, but leading troops to fight has always been just talk, and I don't have the confidence in my heart."

Although he is very successful in business, Zhu Ying is self-aware.

Military talent is a very strange thing. It involves many aspects that require more than just theoretical knowledge.

The saying that one incompetent general can lead to the death of the entire army is not uncommon.

He didn't understand why the old man suddenly wanted him to lead the army personally.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You don't need to worry too much about these things, my grandson. When he goes to Liaodong this time, the Duke of Liang and others will naturally follow him. Just study hard."

"I have always been very clear in my heart that my eldest grandson wants to expand the territory, but some things cannot be done just by sitting in the capital and attending the court."

"As an emperor, you must not allow others to override you in any aspect of your authority."

"We also know that in Da Sun's mind, he just needs to control the military power and let outstanding generals lead the soldiers."

"But have you ever thought about what would happen if one day a certain general achieved great achievements and even surpassed you in fame?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's words were almost referring to Lan Yu by name.

Lan Yu is still very young now, but such a young Lan Yu has already held the position of Duke and is also a famous general.

Historically, why did Zhu Yuanzhang want to kill Lan Yu?

After all, the ultimate reason is fear.

If Crown Prince Zhu Biao had not died, would Lan Yu have been killed?

In fact, it can be seen from many aspects that Lan Yu would definitely be taken away before Zhu Yuanzhang came to power.

Even now, Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of keeping Lan Yu.

Even the current Lan Yu has changed a lot. Even the current Lan Yu is very respectful to his eldest grandson in all aspects.

Zhu Yuanzhang even promised his eldest grandson on the surface that he would not kill Lan Yu.

In fact, in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, Lan Yu had already been doomed to die.

It’s not because of his merits, but in Zhu Yuanzhang’s view, Lan Yu was no longer worthy of any reward.

If they just want to defend the Ming Dynasty, then it won't be a big deal. It will just be a matter of slowly taking away the military power from Lan Yu.

Da Sun had said this before, and he was indeed doing something like this.

But after appointing Lan Yu to Shaanxi to deal with the uprising of Tian Jiucheng and others, Zhu Yuanzhang still felt that Lan Yu was someone who should not be kept.

As long as the eldest grandson has ambitions outside, Lan Yu will certainly continue to make contributions.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very clear about Lan Yu's nature.

As the saying goes, it is easy to change the country but difficult to change one’s nature.

Lan Yu is now constrained in many aspects, so he has started to keep a low profile, but what if his achievements become greater?

Zhu Yuanzhang's personality was suspicious.

Such a description is not necessarily a good word for ordinary people, even ministers and generals.

But when this word is used to describe the emperor, the concept is completely different.

Since ancient times, any naive emperor has never been able to keep power firmly in his own hands.

The position of emperor is inherently cold and ruthless. Whenever there is any situation involving the majesty of imperial power itself, the hidden danger should be dealt with immediately.

Throughout history, there have been too many such precedents.

The most typical example is Sima Yi's seizure of the Cao Wei regime.

When Sima Yi was in power, didn't the descendants of Cao have any doubts at all?

Of course there are, and there are quite a few people who tell tales.

And they chose to believe.

The final result was that when Sima Yi seized the throne, he wiped out the Cao family.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this history, he had a very deep memory of it.

Therefore, no matter what the situation is, he will not let the Zhu family, even if there is the slightest possibility, become like the Cao family in the past.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care even though he knew he would be criticized for executing these former brothers.

Now, he wants to tell his eldest grandson the same idea.

"If you want to use someone, especially when this person is very useful, you must be able to control him and be familiar with him."

"My eldest grandson grew up outside the palace. I believe he will understand some things clearly without us explaining them."

"But Da Sun is not familiar with those old brothers in Huaixi. In some aspects, sometimes it is not as simple as you think."

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

After hearing the old man's words, Zhu Ying's expression began to become serious, especially when he mentioned the Huaixi Military Generals Group.

Does the Lan Yu case refer only to Lan Yu?

What Zhu Yuanzhang really wanted to kill was not just Lan Yu, but the entire group of Huaixi nobles and generals.

The "Lan Yu Case" had huge implications. Not only was Lan Yu's family executed, but also generals Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, Wang Bi and others.

A total of one duke, thirteen marquises, and two earls were executed, and more than 15,000 people were implicated and killed.

"The veteran generals have all died one after another."

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, almost all the meritorious officials and famous generals were slaughtered.

You will know if you look at the record of criminals left by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Among these more than 15,000 people, almost 90% are members of the Huaixi Military Generals Group.

In other words, since the founding of the country, all the meritorious officials and generals were basically killed. Except for Tang He who saved his life, there were very few meritorious officials who survived under Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang also became a typical representative of killing meritorious officials before the founding of the country.

Could it be that these people were just like Lan Yu? Did they also want to rebel? Did they also rape the princess?

No, absolutely not!

These people who were killed had one obvious common feature, that is, they were all meritorious officials and had great achievements. After killing these people, Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial power was undoubtedly more stable, and no one could shake the Zhu family's kingdom!

Even though the eldest grandson is now very outstanding, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the hidden dangers are even greater.

Because with the beginning of the war, the Huaixi military generals group, which originally only held general military power in the world today, will become increasingly difficult to control later on.

Even grow into a towering tree.

When that time comes, will Lan Yu still be the same as it is now?

It didn't happen and no one knows about it.

But Zhu Yuanzhang did not want his eldest grandson to take this risk.

"Grandpa, I understand."

After thinking carefully in his mind, Zhu Ying nodded seriously and said.

Imperial power has never been such a simple thing.

The human heart cannot withstand the slightest test.

If he were in another position, and if he had the power to overthrow the current imperial power, would he still be a loyal subject?

The answer to this question has long been given in China's history.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very pleased to see the recognition of his eldest grandson.

Because an emperor who is not ruthless enough may not be a good emperor, but only in this way can the Zhu family's kingdom remain stable.

"Now, my great grandson can think more about the things on the grassland."

"Although those barbarians on the grassland have a large number of cavalry, our cannons are not to be trifled with."

"Especially when it comes to startled horses, it's very easy to get rid of the harassment of the horse."

"They are indeed very fast, but my great grandson must understand one thing: even the fastest horses have to rest."

"Even the strongest warriors on the grassland have their own camps."

"Although our Ming soldiers are not as fast as the grassland cavalry, these cavalrymen also have their own parents, wives and children."

Having said that, Zhu Yuanzhang’s meaning has become very clear.

In a sense, Zhu Yuanzhang is now teaching his eldest grandson some combat experience.

War is an extremely cruel thing.

Don't be fooled by the words of saints. A general who can truly achieve final victory will always use any means necessary.

The victors take their place, and all records are written by the victors.

If you are bound by morality, can you still be a winner?

This topic is a bit heavy.

Zhu Ying actually understood what the old man meant.

The infantry is slow, but the people on the grassland don’t have horses to ride, so their speed is also slow.

When the parents, wives and children of those cavalrymen were being hunted down, could they still run away?

They would only launch an attack on the Ming army, and the outcome would be self-evident.

"By the way, grandson, there is something I have been hiding from you. Now that you have returned to the palace, I will let you know."

"Yueqing is already pregnant with your child. It won't be long before you become a father, and I can finally hold my great-grandson."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile to break the heavy atmosphere.

Zhu Ying's mind was immediately drawn to this.

Am I going to be a father?

At this moment, Zhu Ying seemed a little bit unbelieving, and then he showed a look of surprise.

"Go ahead." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

At this time, Zhu Ying didn't think so much. He stood up and ran towards Kunning Palace.

…

"Hey, I'm going to have a baby."

The next morning, Zhu Ying supported Ye Yueqing and took a walk in the back garden.

"Your Highness, there is no need to be like this. Yueqing just got pregnant." Ye Yueqing said a little embarrassedly.

Although she is a pregnant woman, Ye Yueqing currently does not feel much except for dry heaving, and her lower abdomen is only slightly bulging, which has not affected her normal life.

During this period of time, ever since she became pregnant, Ye Yueqing has been looking forward to Zhu Ying's return in her heart.

When she came back yesterday, Ye Yueqing leaned on Zhu Ying's arms and slept soundly all night.

At this time, a woman only feels most secure when she sees her man.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You're already three months pregnant, so you should be more careful. You can't let the fetus get involved."

Zhu Ying said with concern.

If the previous union with Ye Yueqing did not involve too many emotional waves, it was completely different at this time.

This kind of experience can only be felt when you truly become a father.

People are selfish.

It was not until this morning that Zhu Ying suddenly felt that he understood the old man's feelings a little.

Before, he had never really integrated into the concept of the Zhu family.

In addition to the relationship with the old man, other memories of the past life had a great impact on Zhu Ying.

In fact, whether in the past life or now, we should look at it from the perspective of a country.

Putting aside the development of technology and economic prosperity, many things in politics remain the same.

In his previous life, Zhu Ying was just a nobody and had never thought about problems from such a high perspective.

The development of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, after all, is still some of the benefits of the previous life.

It is the advanced and excellent system that has brought about the crushing of the times.

"Yueqing, I think you should know about the changes on the grassland. This time, Grandpa asked me to lead the army to deal with any possible changes."

Zhu Ying looked at Yueqing who was leaning on his shoulder and spoke.

There was a hint of loss in Ye Yueqing's eyes, because the departure of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince meant that she would not be able to see her child being born.

"Yueqing believes that Your Highness will be able to easily quell the chaos on the grassland."

Hearing this, Zhu Ying thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I know what the old man means."

"This is a test for me. If it can't be completely calmed down, the old man wants me to guard the Ming Dynasty safely and securely."

Zhu Ying was also very clear about the old man's thoughts.

If we can't even solve the problem of grassland, then how can we talk about expanding the territory?

This is to make yourself retreat when you see difficulties.

To use the words of my previous life, if my business fails, I will go home and inherit billions of dollars.

But as far as this matter is concerned, Zhu Ying has also thought it through.

In this battle, he not only has to fight, but also has to fight beautifully to demonstrate his own prestige and fame.

Unlike the middle and late Ming Dynasty, military exploits are a very important part of the current Ming Dynasty.

Ambition must be matched by ability.

If we cannot suppress and control military generals like Lan Yu, then what's the point of talking about establishing overseas territories?

Thinking of this, Zhu Ying made up his mind.

However, for now, what kind of team should be formed is the issue that needs to be considered.

There is no doubt that Lan Yu must be brought along, and then those people must be brought along, including the development of the black soil in Liaodong region after the grassland problem is solved.

This series of things need to be thought about in advance.

War is fought for interests. You must first think of the route before taking action, so that you can plan and strategize well.