Lan Yu came back with the news, which soon reached the Five Military Commandery.

The Huaixi noble group felt aggrieved and sad about the crown prince's decision, believing that the crown prince had abandoned them.

How could they possibly know that they should be grateful to the Crown Prince for being able to be alive today.

But given the current situation, there is no other way. We can't just rebel.

His Majesty's temper has calmed down somewhat now, but they no longer have anyone to talk to.

Everyone knows that His Majesty has opinions about the Duke of Liang. If it weren't for the Crown Prince, the Duke of Liang might have been demoted.

Whether it was breaking through the pass or later beating up the Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui, it showed that he did not take the imperial court seriously.

There are not many people who can exchange directly with Your Majesty.

Feng Sheng does not belong to the Huaixi Party, and although Fu Youde does, it is clear that he does not interfere in state affairs.

"It is true that a new emperor appoints new ministers."

At this moment, they feel that their own era is declining, and no matter how unwilling they are, they can only accept the reality.

Although there are no more opportunities to make meritorious contributions, most people are actually very satisfied with their current titles, especially in terms of salary. The court has indeed not treated them unfairly, and there is nothing wrong with what the crown prince has done.

Life is much more comfortable than before. In such an environment, no one wants to force himself to stand out.

Moreover, many of their sons went to the Ming Dynasty Capital Military Academy, which, to some extent, could be considered as following in their father's footsteps.

For example, in the elite knights of the Ming Dynasty, many of the captains of hundreds and captains of thousands are their sons.

After Lan Yu went back, Zhu Ying ordered the Jinyiwei to keep a close watch on these Huaixi nobles. Although he was not worried that they might cause any big trouble, if there were any who were not smart enough and wanted to cause trouble, they would of course be dealt with in advance.

Fortunately, these Huaixi nobles were relatively sensible. They initially had some complaints, but that was it after two days.

This means that from now on, the military power of the Ming Dynasty will begin to tilt towards Zhu Ying.

The second step is to replace the generals, so that they can be mentally prepared this time.

…

Prince Yan's Palace.

Zhu Di looked at the fat black man in front of him and finally sighed: "Thank you for your hard work in the past few years."

How could it not be dark in places like Annan? After all, it is a tropical place.

Even though he was working very hard, Zhu Gaochi showed no signs of losing weight, but he didn't get fatter either.

Zhu Ying also took Zhu Gaochi's physical problems into consideration, so he arranged for a doctor to take care of him. Although the obesity problem has not been cured yet, Zhu Gaochi now looks much more energetic.

"Father, I am not tired. I am just dealing with some domestic affairs in Annan. I don't have to fight with Japan like you and my second and third brothers do."

"Our neighboring country Champa is also basically under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, and the overall situation is relatively peaceful," Zhu Gaochi said with a smile.

At this moment, Xu Yihua's gaze turned to the child following behind Zhu Gaochi and next to his daughter-in-law Zhang.

"Is this my grandson? He has grown so big. Let me hug him." Xu Yihua asked with surprise in his eyes.

In the 28th year of Hongwu, Zhang was named the Crown Prince of Yan and not long after Zhu Gaochi went to Annan, Zhang followed him there.

She is the daughter of Commander Zhang Qi and has a generous and outgoing personality.

After the marriage was granted, Zhu Gaochi went there alone, and Zhang did not wait in the capital, but took a boat directly to find her husband.

Now five years have passed and the child is almost three years old.

Zhu Di also looked at the child with wide eyes: "Is this my eldest grandson? What's his name?"

Zhu Gaochi looked at his mother holding her son in her arms affectionately, and he felt relieved. He replied, "According to the rules set by Grandfather Emperor, his name is Zhu Zhanji."

The two-year-old Zhu Zhanji looked very smart, completely unlike Zhu Gaochi. He had big, bright eyes, and when he saw Xu Yihua coming over, he didn't seem scared at all, but instead giggled.

Xu Yihua held the baby in her arms and showed it to Zhu Di, who was very happy because this was his first grandson.

Historically, when Zhu Zhanji was born, Zhu Di dreamed of his father, who gave him a large jade tablet that symbolized power and said to him, "Your grandson will prosper forever."

Of course, this doesn’t happen now. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive and well. If Zhu Di dreamed about this, it would not be a sweet dream but a nightmare.

"You kid, your eldest grandson is already born, why don't you write a letter?" Xu Yihua complained.

She didn't even know she had a grandson and was a grandmother.

Zhu Gaochi smiled bitterly and said, "I sent someone to deliver a message about a fleet that was heading directly from Annan to Japan. Later I learned that the ship had encountered a storm and sank on the way."

The dangers at sea are unpredictable, especially in today's era. The seemingly prosperous sea routes always encounter various problems every year, leading to dangers and causing many ships to sink to the bottom of the sea.

Zhu Gaochi did not wait for a reply and initially thought that his father did not want to bother with him. It was not until last year that he found out that his father had sunk.

This was also because Zhu Gaochi dealt with a lot of government affairs in Annan, and it was no exaggeration to say that he was busy with a lot of affairs every day, especially in the areas of rice planting and water conservancy irrigation.

Zhu Gaochi made great contributions to Annan's ability to pay tribute with such a large amount of grain.

Zhu Di didn't say much. He just nodded and went to hug his eldest grandson.

"Prince, your eldest grandson looks quite similar to you." Xu Yihua said with a smile after handing Zhu Zhanji over.

Zhu Di took a closer look and found that the man's eyes and eyebrows were indeed somewhat similar to his own, so he smiled even more happily.

Zhu Gaochi helplessly watched his son playing in his father's arms.

It was obvious that my father and mother were too busy to take care of me.

"Your brother and the others are in the backyard. You can go and say hello to them. Your father and I will take care of the eldest grandson first." Xu Yihua said with a smile.

Now Zhu Gaochi still has a good relationship with Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui.

Because Zhu Di was not the emperor before the Jingnan Rebellion, the two of them could not shake the position of the crown prince. After all, there was still the emperor above him. Even if the father wanted to, it depended on whether the emperor agreed.

Zhu Gaoxu was also very clear that in the eyes of the Emperor, his eldest brother was obviously much more popular than himself, because the Emperor liked his eldest brother more because he was naughty and didn't study.

On the way to the backyard, Zhang whispered, "Annan is already stable, and Zhanji will be three soon. You are the prince of Yan, and it would be meaningless for you to stay in Annan for a long time. Maybe you should talk to your father about going to Japan together after this time."

Zhu Gaochi replied: "It depends on the Crown Prince's opinion."

Zhang said: "As long as you ask the grandson, he will naturally not refuse. Now my father and mother both like Zhanji very much. This is an opportunity."

Zhu Gaochi had no choice but to reply: "I'll find a chance to talk about it."

In Annan, Zhu Gaochi was a minister, and it was obvious that the imperial court would not allow him to be crowned king.

Moreover, the royal family of Annan has already received a promise from the Crown Prince that the son of the Crown Prince's Concubine Yue, Zhu Wennan, will be crowned King of Annan just by hearing his name.

Moreover, it was already a very obvious thing in the Ming Dynasty that the Crown Prince's concubines were granted titles of king in various countries.

Zhu Gaochi didn't have much idea at first, but Zhang was unwilling.

No matter what, Zhu Gaochi is the crown prince of Yan and will definitely inherit the throne of Yan in the future. So Yancheng in Japan is where he will really live in the future.

Now it is equivalent to working for the Ming Dynasty.

So Zhang thought that this time when she returned to the capital, she could let Zhu Gaochi go to Yancheng in Japan.

"Even if you don't consider yourself, you should think about your son. He is the grandson of the emperor. Is he going to stay in Annan forever?"

Zhang heard the perfunctory tone in Zhu Gaochi's words and spoke immediately.

When Zhu Gaochi heard his son, he said seriously, "I will go to the palace to see the crown prince tomorrow."

Only then was Zhang satisfied.

On this side, Xu Yihua also said to Zhu Di who was holding his grandson: "Now that Chi'er is back, I think he will not go to Annan. When the Northern Expedition is over, he will follow us to Yancheng."

Zhu Di snorted coldly when he heard this: "Isn't this his own choice? It seems that he is uncomfortable being by my side."

Xu Yihua said: "No matter how much you dislike the eldest, you should also think about the eldest grandson in your arms. Besides, the eldest is the prince. How can he inherit Yancheng in the future if he stays in Annan?"

Zhu Di said: "He has the ability to govern internal affairs. Are you still worried that he can't take over Yancheng?"

Xu Yihua was a little angry and took her grandson from Zhu Di's arms: "I don't want my grandson to stay in Annan all the time and not be able to see him for several years. We didn't even know that he was born this time."

"If you insist on doing this, then you can take the second and third sons back to Japan, and the eldest son and I will go to Annan. I can't bear to leave my eldest grandson behind."

When Zhu Di heard this, his momentum immediately dropped.

"Okay, I'll listen to you and let the boss go back to Yancheng with me."

"It's not something that will happen in the near future. There's no need to be so anxious. This time, my father is going to lead the army in person to the northern grasslands. We don't know how long the war will last."

"Speaking of which, this move by the Crown Prince was really amazing. He almost misled us."

There was some emotion in Zhu Di's tone. He was very nervous on the road, but he felt relieved when he got the news that his father was alive and well. Otherwise, he would have been afraid to enter Nanjing City.

It seems that it was the Crown Prince who set him up.

"I think I'm overthinking it. Maybe the Crown Prince doesn't mean that at all." Xu Yihua replied while teasing his eldest grandson.

Zhu Di shook his head and said, "That's impossible. Don't underestimate the Crown Prince. His methods are more sophisticated than we thought."

"I heard that a large number of governors and generals gathered at the Duke of Liang's mansion the day before yesterday. They wanted to participate in this Northern Expedition."

"But after Lan Yu came back from the palace, he told them that his father had personally led the army to fight."

Xu Yihua heard this and said, "Father is leading the army himself, so the Crown Prince can't do anything about it."

Zhu Di snorted coldly, "It was the grandson's idea to notify us to come back. Father only found out about it later. Given your doting on the grandson, if he had any plans, would you not agree?"

"I think the one who really attacked the nobles in Huaixi was not my father, but the crown prince."

Xu Yihua was surprised: "Hasn't the Crown Prince always been protecting the nobles of Huaixi? Why did he suddenly take action this time?"

Zhu Di said: "He is not protecting the Huaixi nobles, he is protecting Lan Yu."

"When he entered the palace, he received strong support from the Huaixi nobles. At that time, the Huaixi nobles represented the Ming army. He was also favored by his father, so who would dare to say anything gossipy?"

"When the cunning rabbit dies, the good dog is cooked. The crown prince has been constantly infiltrating the army with the military academy he established. Now the Huaixi nobles have become an obstacle. He wants to seize the military power in the hands of the Huaixi nobles through this northern expedition."

"We, the emperor's uncles, are nothing more than pawns in his hands."

"This nephew is really not a simple person."

If he were honest, Zhu Di still had some admiration for Zhu Ying. Whether it was economics, politics, or the military, Zhu Ying's methods amazed him.

It turns out that some things can be done this way.

At first, no one could see anything, but after a few years, people realized how vast Zhu Ying's layout was.

With this kind of silent and subtle approach, Zhu Di now feels that his defeat was not unfair.

Zhu Di no longer had any intention of rebelling. The Ming Dynasty had reached such a level under Zhu Ying's governance. Zhu Di asked himself that if he were the emperor, he would never reach such a level.

Therefore, we have to admit that although Zhu Ying is a very capable man, he is also a truly wise and enlightened monarch.

Xu Yihua suddenly thought of Prince Ning at this moment, and said, "We haven't ridden the train that the Crown Prince built yet. I heard that there is a train specially used for testing in the Research Department. We have nothing to do tomorrow or so, so why not go and experience it."

Xu Yihua heard this news from you somewhere else.

The Crown Prince specially opened the Scientific Research Department's train for everyone to sit on and experience. It has been spreading like wildfire in the noble circle recently.

Therefore Xu Yihua also became interested.

Zhu Di nodded and said, "Yes, let's go and have a look. Maybe we can build a train in Japan as well."

If you know a little about trains, you will know how useful they are.

Having a train means better control over the local area, and Zhu Di certainly wanted to build one in his own kingdom.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed quietly. Because the news of the Northern Expedition was published in the official newspaper, the enthusiasm of the people in the entire capital was high.

Everyone was talking about it. Unlike Tubo, this time they were fighting against the grassland.

It has been thirty-three years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Many of the older generation grew up under the rule of the Mongols. When they recall the past days, they are filled with sighs.

This battle affects the fate of the Ming Dynasty. We must not only win, but also win beautifully.

Although the Ming Dynasty has not yet announced its expedition, the trains to the nine borders had already started rumbling into action after the first month of the lunar year.

Large numbers of soldiers, food, and firearms were continuously loaded onto trains and headed for the nine borders, and preparations were made.

After the grand court meeting on March 3rd, Zhu Yuanzhang would lead the army in person and head straight to the grassland.

The decision to lead the army in person also represents the determination of this Northern Expedition.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang seldom led his troops on military campaigns in person.

If he knew that Zhu Di later came up with the idea that the emperor should guard the national borders and the king should die for the country, he would certainly find it absurd.

Zhu Yuanzhang's policy was that the princes guard the borders and the emperor guard the country.

As an emperor, he should develop the economy and provide support and command in the rear.

The reason why he personally led the army this time was firstly because of his own wish, but most importantly because the Ming Dynasty now had a grandson.

He would bring along all the princes who were capable of fighting, so that even if any accidents occurred, the Crown Prince could still ascend the throne smoothly.

As for whether the princes around him would have ideas about the throne if he died on the way, this was not within Zhu Yuanzhang's consideration.

Since ancient times, a coup d'état and a rebellion have been two completely different things.

Be it Sima Yi or Li Shimin, they did not lead a large army to attack the palace. Instead, they used a small number of troops to take the palace by surprise and quickly control it.

Even if it was Zhu Di, without Li Jinglong's internal and external support, he would not have been able to enter Nanjing City and would have ended up in failure.