Sitting in his imperial tent, Zhu Yunying was in a good mood. As the emperor, his autumn hunt was clearly not a fleeting affair. He chatted idly with his military officers and high-ranking officials, subtly showcasing the martial spirit of the Ming Dynasty.
Xu Miaoqing smiled and encouraged the sons of several military meritorious officials. These children, who were not yet adults, were theoretically within Xu Miaoqing's jurisdiction to discipline. The Empress said that she was the mother of the nation, and disciplining these sons of the imperial family and military meritorious officials was also Xu Miaoqing's responsibility.
At this time, Zhu Yunying simply watched from the sidelines. These young children naturally didn't require much of his attention, or even encouragement. He could chat and offer some words of encouragement to the children's fathers and brothers with ease.
"Third Uncle, you usually like to practice swordsmanship. How about you and Eighth Uncle perform a duet today?" Zhu Yunying raised his wine cup and said to Chang Sen with a smile, "Yunyi once said that Eighth Uncle is skilled in archery and horsemanship, but he is best at swordsmanship."
Eighth Uncle, also known as Zhang Lin, was the husband of Princess Fuqing.
His father, Zhang Long, had just passed away. He was a fellow villager of Zhu Yuanzhang. He had served as a deputy general under Xu Da and Li Wenzhong, and also fought alongside Fu Youde in Yunnan, followed Feng Sheng in persuading Nahachu to surrender, and worked with Tang Shengzong in Pingyue and Zhenyuan. He also assisted Lan Yu in pacifying Yunnan and Guizhou and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Fengxiang.
When Chang Sen was half-drunk with wine, he said casually, "Your Majesty, I've had too much to drink. How about the second son of the Xu family instead?"
The generational hierarchy is quite messed up. Old Zhu and Zhang Long are of the same generation, as are Zhang Lin and Chang Sen. However, Xu Da's children have also had their generational ranking lowered because of Zhu Yunying, which is something that can't be helped.
Zhang Lin watched with longing. Although he was the heir to a marquisate, he had not yet inherited the title. Furthermore, while he held the prestigious title of Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, there were many Imperial Son-in-Law Commandants in the Ming Dynasty, and they didn't wield much real power. At least Zhang Lin didn't have any real power; not every Imperial Son-in-Law was like Mei Yin.
“If the third brother is no good, then let me do it!” Chang Sheng, who was also half-drunk with wine, stood up, clasped his hands and asked to fight. “I have heard that the Imperial Son-in-Law’s swordsmanship is superb, and I have long wanted to experience it for myself. Let me do it and add some fun for Your Majesty.”
"That's fine," Zhu Yunying said, looking at Guo Ying. "Marquis Wuding, you were the Emperor's personal guard, fighting alongside him in countless battles. The Emperor once said that you are comparable to Yuchi Jingde of the Tang Dynasty. You are comparable to Lian Po, but you are still the Emperor's 'Guo Si'. I'll leave you as a personal guard; instead, tell me about your military achievements."
Guo Ying was somewhat excited. He had always been a staunch confidant of Zhu Yuanzhang and had always enjoyed great favor from him. However, Guo Ying's excitement now stemmed not only from the continued favor he received, but also from the prospect of his family's continued prosperity.
Looking at Wang Chengen, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Give the Marquis of Wuding a seat."
Guo Ying was somewhat excited. He was now considered one of the few remaining veterans in the court, but he had just turned sixty. In this era, that was considered a "long life," and such a veteran deserved some respect.
"Although I am fond of martial arts, I have been busy with political affairs in recent years and have neglected martial arts practice." Seeing Guo Ying sit down, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Whether it is battlefield tactics or martial arts practice, I am not very knowledgeable now."
Guo Ying naturally knew all this, as he had once taught the young Zhu Yunying. He not only taught him about leading troops but also had him practice martial arts. Guo Ying had a general idea of Zhu Yunying's talent, foundation, and skill level.
He didn't think Zhu Yunying had to become a figure like Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. Zhu Yunying didn't need to be a general who dominated the battlefield. As long as he was a wise and powerful emperor who could recognize and use people well, that would be enough. That was the ability an emperor should have, and that was the most important thing.
Chang Sheng and Zhang Lin began to exchange blows. At this point, the exchange was not a real battle of wits, nor was there any hidden agenda like Xiang Zhuang's sword dance aimed at Liu Bang. The most important thing was to make the fight exciting and entertaining.
This was just the appetizer; many other eager young martial arts disciples offered their suggestions.
"Marquis Wuding, we also think that although you are an old general, you can still contribute to the country." Zhu Yunying said casually while looking at the young military officers sparring with a smile, "Marquis Wuding has guarded the capital for many years and is a pillar of the country. We think that Marquis Wuding is still a venerable old horse in the stable, and should contribute to the country again."
Guo Ying was somewhat excited, but also somewhat confused. "This old minister is not old and can still share Your Majesty's burdens."
“We are preparing to reorganize the garrison system. It seems that there will be no major wars in the next few years, so it is time to consolidate the military strength of the Ming Dynasty.” Zhu Yunying continued to watch the military drill and said to Guo Ying, “Our Ming soldiers are brave and fierce, and there are many fierce generals in the court. Many of those who followed my grandfather in conquering the country were also our fellow townsmen from Fengyang. They learned how to fight on the battlefield.”
Guo Ying didn't understand these things, but he needed to keep listening, and he also felt that what Zhu Yunying said made sense.
Zhu Yuanzhang brought many people from his hometown back then. Even though some of them weren't from the same hometown, they were basically all within the category of the Twenty-Four Generals of Huaixi. Zhu Yuanzhang had been a monk, while Xu Da came from a farming family and made a living by farming. At most, he had learned martial arts from a young age.
The vast majority of these people were just like Xu Da. Feng Guoyong, who loved reading and was well-versed in military strategy, was one of the very few. He was one of the few who had studied military strategy systematically, and he was one of the few who had been involved in the founding of the empire by Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Thinking back to the meritorious officials who followed our grandfather in conquering the world, most of them also had impoverished childhoods. Even though the Prince of Zhongshan and the Prince of Kaiping were geniuses, they still suffered a lot before they became proficient in military strategy and dominated the world." Looking at Guo Ying, Zhu Yunying said slowly, "We are preparing to open a martial arts academy, and our Ming generals should study it carefully."
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