Chapter 82: Song of the Frontier
Upon hearing that the Wuliangha were heading south, Zhu Zhanji immediately summoned all the generals to discuss countermeasures. Although there were not as many young and famous generals as during the Hongwu and Yongle periods, the veterans were still there and the national prestige was high. The generals naturally requested to send troops to defeat the Wuliangha, and some even wanted to lead the troops themselves. However, in summary, they had no intention of letting Zhu Zhanji go to fight.
Although Zhu Zhanji had experience of personally leading an expedition against the King of Han, he won without fighting and the people he defeated were all Han people. There was still a certain risk in facing the Mongols this time.
Zhu Zhanji was very calm and said, "The Wuliangha bandits dared to march south because they must have thought we were unprepared. If they knew I was here, they would have fled long ago. In that case, I will lead my elite troops to fight in person."
When His Majesty spoke, Yang Rong was naturally the first to agree, saying, "Your Majesty is mighty, but..."
Zhu Zhanji followed his gaze and saw that everyone was looking at Zhu Yuhuan behind him without saying a word. The meaning was obvious.
If it were an ordinary soldier, wearing green armor would be considered good equipment, but with such equipment on the battlefield, it would be very difficult to protect the princess.
The princess is also of royal blood. If something goes wrong, won’t everyone become a laughing stock?
Zhu Yuhuan didn't mind and volunteered, "Shunde is willing to stay in Zunhua with the army to guard the rear for Daddy."
She hadn't originally planned to go to the battlefield herself. Putting aside the equipment issue, she was too small compared to the other soldiers in the army, and even more so insignificant in front of the Mongols. Going to the battlefield would be a stark contrast, making her an easy target. Even if she survived, she would actually hinder the army. It would be better for her to stay behind and observe the situation.
Everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had been worried about Zhu Zhanji taking the princess on a border patrol. Seeing that Zhu Zhanji was going to lead the army in person, they were afraid that the princess would not know the big picture and would force herself to follow.
However, Zhang Fu immediately understood that Princess Shunde had already known the local terrain and her thinking was as quick as His Majesty's.
Xifengkou's terrain is rugged, and the roads are narrow and dangerous. A combined attack by the entire border patrol army is naturally impossible, so Your Majesty chose to lead an elite raid. The remaining troops must have a place to rest, and consideration must also be given to the convenience of accommodating the returning troops. Zunhua is safer and more reliable than other prefectures and counties, making it the best rear base.
"Good. Today the army will return to Zunhua and organize the elite soldiers." Zhu Zhanji pondered for a moment and said, "The terrain here is narrow. Three thousand elite soldiers will go first, and the main army will follow."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Someone boldly spoke up, "Isn't 3,000 a little too few? Besides, it's too risky for Your Majesty to lead the troops personally."
Zhu Yuhuan, noticing Zhu Zhanji's annoyance, took the initiative to speak, "Xifengkou is a ravine. If a large army marches forward, it will inevitably be slow and miss the opportunity to attack. Furthermore, the Wuliangha bandits are unaware of your presence, which shows they are few in number and weak, careless and underestimate the enemy. They only care about looting and have not sent anyone to investigate our military situation. Your Majesty, if you lead your troops and attack proactively, you will surely defeat the enemy by catching them off guard and taking them by surprise."
Her clear thinking impressed everyone, especially the likes of Guo Xuan, Marquis of Wuding, and Song Ying, Marquis of Xining, who were either renowned for their military exploits or had military backgrounds. They had never expected a little girl like Zhu Yuhuan to be so clever. Only Duke Yingguo, Zhang Fu, had long known that Zhu Yuhuan was unusual. Seeing everyone's surprise, he couldn't help but stroke his beard with a hint of smugness.
Zhu Yuhuan said obediently, "Your Majesty had already memorized the border map before your border patrol. Shunde was accompanying you, so he naturally knew it as clearly as Your Majesty did."
Zhu Zhanji was naturally very satisfied that someone spoke for him, and said to everyone: "Shunde is thoughtful, and his brothers and sisters are always smart."
Naturally, everyone agreed.
"The army retreats to Zunhua, regroups, and sets out as soon as possible!"
When the border patrol troops returned to Zunhua, they immediately began to select elite troops. Zhu Zhanji even summoned the generals into the tent to discuss countermeasures. Zhu Yuhuan naturally could not listen to such important military decisions, so he could only "stand guard" outside and watch people coming and going in the camp.
However, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but wonder in his heart that the food that Zhu Zhanji had people prepare was only enough for one month. In order to facilitate the assault, Zhu Zhanji would definitely not carry too much food, probably only enough for ten days at most. After that, there would be a large army following, so he would have to order Zunhua and other places to gather food and follow. At that time, Zhu Yuhuan would naturally have to move the camp forward, and he probably wouldn't stay in Zunhua for too long.
Zhu Yuhuan was pondering when a figure in silver fish-scale armor suddenly appeared before her. She looked up and saw that it was a member of the Imperial Guard. He saluted and said, "Your Highness, the Princess, is greeted by your Highness."
Zhu Yuhuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "So it turns out that the person who delivered the imperial edict these days was Commander Liu. I've always heard about him from Master, and today I finally have the chance to meet him in person."
The Imperial Guards were the emperor's trusted confidants, and since Saihazhi had reached a certain age, it was naturally difficult for him to succeed him. Retirement was inevitable. Taking this into consideration, Saihazhi had informed Zhu Yuhuan in advance that he would be more cautious in his future actions. After all, even if Saihazhi promoted his trusted confidants, he could not guarantee that his successors would obey his orders completely.
As expected, Zhu Zhanji did not personally accompany him on this expedition, but instead appointed Liu Mian, the commander-in-chief second only to Saihazhi.
Liu Mian was not young and acted very calmly. Perhaps because she took into consideration that Zhu Yuhuan had some friendship with Saihazhi and that she was a princess who could follow the emperor on border patrols, she made a special effort to say hello to Zhu Yuhuan this time.
"Your Highness, you are truly flattering me. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to meet the princess." Liu Mian said with a smile, "I was previously in charge of court affairs and often worked in the government office. I only saw the princess practicing martial arts in the training grounds a few times when I visited the commander."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "I see. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future. Tomorrow, my father will lead the army in person, and he will need the Jinyiwei to pass on military intelligence."
"Your Highness is right."
As the two were talking, Wang Jin came out, glanced at them, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, Commander Liu, the Emperor has summoned you to come in."
Although Zhu Yuhuan was surprised, he remained neither humble nor arrogant and said, "Okay."
The tent was filled with military officers and soldiers accompanying the army, but Zhu Yuhuan remained unmoved. Liu Mian felt even more moved when he saw her so calm.
No wonder Commander Saihazhi praised Her Royal Highness the Princess so much. Although Her Royal Highness is young, she does not look childish at all.
Zhu Zhanji saw the two men come in and said, "Shunde, you and the Marquis of Xining and the Marquis of Wuding will stay in Zunhua tomorrow. You must stay in the army and do not run around. Wait until you receive military intelligence before marching north."
Zhu Yuhuan saluted and said, "Shun De obeys your order."
Zhu Zhanji then said to Liu Mian, "Have someone identify Princess Shunde, and have the princess's attendants pay attention. They must protect the princess and not let her get away."
"yes."
After the ministers had left, Zhu Zhanji patted his daughter's helmet and said, "Stay with the Marquis of Xining more often. The Princess of Xianning has a close relationship with our family and can protect you."
Zhu Yuhuan felt dizzy after being hit through his helmet, but he still responded, "Yes, Huanhuan will remember it in my heart."
Zhu Zhanji saw that she was a little confused, so he smiled and asked, "Are you scared?"
Zhu Yuhuan thought to himself, it's you who's leading the troops into battle, not your son, so why should I be afraid?
But of course he couldn't say that outwardly. Zhu Yuhuan pondered for a moment, then said frankly, "He adjusts his arrows and calls his hawks, both of which are known for their extraordinary abilities. The fox will run and the pheasant will leap, sweeping away the ancient hills."
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but laugh out loud when she said that. He said, "When Daddy wins, I'll let you go with us. Then we can go hunting freely in a quiet corner, father and daughter. Wouldn't that be even better?"
Zhu Yuhuan said with a grin, "Then Huanhuan will wait for Daddy's great victory."
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