My father Yong Le Emperor, you let me keep a low profile

Chapter 89 I will dig the corner of the Fifth Army Battalion as well!

In July of the tenth year of Yongle, Taicang Port Wharf.

"Damn it, the steam engine has to be on the agenda, I've had enough of the monsoon days."

Looking at the sea of ​​people on the pier, welcoming the people returning from the expedition, Zhu Gaoyu muttered in a low voice.

Since the end of the Japanese battle in mid-April, Zhu Gaoyu left the army stationed in Japan and returned to Daming with the rest of the army.

It was a little better when I left, just following the monsoon, but it was hard when I came back to Daming.

Taking the zigzag route can go against the wind, but for a super large ship like a treasure ship, every time it changes direction, it is a big project.

Good guy, it's been more than three months, and the sailors are so tired that their hands and feet are weak. If it wasn't for the call to go home, they probably would have given advice to Zhu Gaoyu and left after the monsoon came.

It is precisely because of the laboriousness of such a large ship that Zheng He waited for the monsoon to come every time he sailed to the west.

"God, you are finally back."

When Zhu Gaoyu complained, there was also a person on the shore, who heaved a sigh of relief.

This person is our Eunuch Zheng.

As the commander of the ocean-going fleet, after several voyages to the West, he set his life mission on the voyages.

In addition to finding the holy city in his mind to worship, he also wants to spread the reputation of Daming to the world.

But there is a prerequisite for all of this, that is, he has a boat in his hand.

He didn't worry about this before, but since last year, he, the commander of the treasure ship, has become a polished commander.

In the beginning, more than half of his subordinates were poached away by Wang Jin, a second-five boy, and he was so angry.

In the end, Zhu Gaoyu hadn't discussed it yet. The old man gave an order, let alone people, even the boat was gone.

If the old man hadn't comforted him and said that the ship would be returned to him after the war against the Wa country, he wouldn't know how depressed he would be.

In addition to Zheng He's mission to sail to the West, there was another matter that caused the court some headaches.

That is the envoys from various countries who followed him back.

Since Zheng He didn't have a fleet at hand, he couldn't sail to the west, let alone these people.

The imperial court is very concerned about face, these tribute envoys who came from afar must take care of their food and lodging.

From the envoys to the servants, there are thousands of people, and the monthly expenses for food and drink are not small expenses.

No, the Ministry of Household Affairs, whose face is blackened when asked for money, writes to the letter every day, asking to get a batch of ships first, and send these people back.

When Xia Shangshu left, they didn't leave much money. If they spent all of it, they would be scolded to death by Shangshu when they came back.

"play music!"

When the first warship entered the pier, Lu Zhen, Minister of Rites who was ordered to come to greet him, waved his hand vigorously, and the accompanying court music played triumphant music.

Hundreds of dancers from the Jiaofang Division danced to the drums on the platform of the pier to celebrate the safe return of these soldiers from the expedition.

"Wan Sheng. Wan Sheng Wan Sheng"

The soldiers standing on the deck, seeing such a big welcoming scene, were very excited and waved their hands vigorously to the shore.

"Fourth brother, thank you for your hard work!"

As soon as Zhu Gaoyu took his people off the boat, Zhu Pangpang, dressed in formal attire, greeted him and gave Zhu Gaoyu a warm hug.

"I have seen His Royal Highness, Your Highness Jin An!"

The generals following Zhu Gaoyu paid their respects calmly, without any excitement from seeing the prince on their faces.

Zhu Pangpang didn't seem to see the expressions of these people, and raised his hand slightly with a smile on his face.

"Okay, get up, everyone has worked hard for the country. His Majesty has prepared wine and banquets in the court, and is waiting for you. When the time comes, I will respect the generals."

"The last general takes orders."

Zhu Gaoyu stood aside with a smile, not paying any attention to the politeness of his boss and his subordinates.

Zhu Gaoyu is very confident in the people under his opponent. If the boss pulls them away with a few good words, it can only mean that Zhu Gaoyu is blind.

After a few polite words with the generals, Zhu Fatty pulled Zhu Gaoyu, walked forward, and whispered: "The people from the Nankong family are here, are you ready? If not, I will send them away." gone."

Zhu Gaoyu, who waved to the cheering people on both sides, replied in a low voice: "It's a good time to come, and it saves me from having people send things over."

"The old man is planning to let them take over the title of Duke Yansheng?"

Zhu Pangpang shook his head: "Chao Zhongwen Wu has this intention, but Father is still hesitating. He wants to take this opportunity to cancel this title, and take back the land rewarded by Shandong by the way."

"You probably have heard about what those families have done for so many years. Shandong has also suffered bad luck in the past few years. There have been many natural disasters, and the land in the hands of the people has almost been requisitioned."

"Our father wants to take back the land of the Kong family and give it to those people who have no land."

Zhu Gaoyu nodded slightly, and asked, "Brother, you also agree with this idea."

Zhu Pangpang hesitated for a while and replied: "Actually, I don't agree. These lands are in the hands of the common people, and they can last for a few years. Once a natural disaster strikes, they will still fall into the hands of those aristocratic families."

"I've been worrying about this for the past few days, and I haven't been able to think of a solution."

"Because of this, the matter of the Kong family has been delayed again and again, and our father has not given an explanation to the court so far."

After finishing speaking, he looked at Zhu Gaoyu, smiled and said, "Your brain has been faster than mine since you were a child, give me some ideas."

Zhu Gaoyu looked at Zhu Pangpang with a smile: "I just came back, brother, you can't let me idle for a few days."

"Ha ha…"

"Those who can do more work, brother, you can help brother."

"The old man didn't want to have a headache, so he left this matter to me. Brother, I've been thinking about it for several days, but I haven't fallen asleep. Look, I've lost a few catties."

Zhu Gaoyu took a step back, looked at Zhu Pangpang's fat figure, and nodded seriously.

"I lost a few catties, it's hard for my brother."

"Yes, you have to help brother."

"Okay, let me think about this matter, and find a free time tomorrow to discuss it with the old man."

"Haha, it really is my brother, and I know that I love my brother."

"That is, my elder brother, I don't hurt whoever hurts."

"Meet Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the King of Yue!"

The two brothers came to the reception platform talking and laughing, followed the officials who came to greet Zhu Pangpang, and hurriedly saluted to meet them.

"Thanks for your hard work, gentlemen."

After everyone saluted, Zhu Gaoyu also bowed his hands and said hello.

The next step is the formal start of the welcoming ceremony.

On behalf of the old man, Zhu Pangpang expressed condolences to the soldiers who returned in triumph, and welcomed the ashes of those soldiers who died in battle.

Finally, the wine and meat rewarded by the old man were distributed to the soldiers of the fleet, and the welcoming ceremony ended.

Some fleet officers and soldiers will stay here to rest and enjoy the wine and meat rewarded by the court, while some soldiers and officers will follow Zhu Gaoyu to Jinling to receive the court's reward.

After receiving the ashes and identity certificates of Yan Shenggong and others, the members of Nan Kong's family did not wait long and left in a hurry.

"His Royal Highness, can you give me my boat?"

Zheng He, who had just sent Kong's family away, had been waiting by the side for a long time, finally found a chance to speak, and grabbed Zhu Gaoyu to take the boat.

Looking at Zheng He who kept looking at the distant pier, Zhu Gaoyu joked with a smile: "Duke Zheng, you are wrong, it is the imperial court's ship, not yours."

Zheng He's expression froze, he quickly smiled to the side, and saluted Zhu Pangpang, who was watching the two talking.

"The minister is guilty, please punish him, Your Highness!"

"It's okay." Zhu Pangpang waved it nonchalantly, and blamed Zhu Gaoyu: "Eunuch Zheng is dedicated to court and has absolutely no selfishness. This is well known, fourth brother, don't talk nonsense."

Zhu Gaoyu nodded with a smile, but an inexplicable color flashed in his eyes.

Regarding Zheng He, Zhu Gaoyu was actually very complicated.

I admire the courage and deeds of the other party, and feel helpless because the other party only supports Zhu Pangpang's line.

From the beginning of contact with Zheng He, Zhu Gaoyu understood that Zheng He absolutely supported the prince's lineage.

Or to be more precise, it is to support ancestral rituals.

Except for Zhu Pangpang, Zheng He kept a respectful distance from other princes.

If it wasn't for the two of them sailing to the West together, and Zhu Gaoyu talked to each other, Zheng He would probably leave with only a few polite words.

If a capable person is not used by me, no matter how great the ability is, it is meaningless.

Zheng He's voyages had a great impact on the court and the future, but for Zhu Gaoyu, who planned to put it in Southeast Asia, it might not be a good thing.

After all, Zhu Gaoyu and Zheng He are not on the same side, and may even be enemies in terms of future power relations.

No matter what people in the future say or scold, Zhu Gaoyu must stop Zheng He's voyage to the West.

Even if it doesn't stop, Zheng He can't be allowed to go.

It is enough to have him Zhu Gaoyu, and he will even do better than Zheng He.

In fact, Zheng He's voyages did not have as many reasons as later generations speculated.

It is nonsense to look for Emperor Jianwen.

The old man doesn't care about Jianwen who is still on the throne, let alone the wandering emperor who is like a bereaved dog.

The old man sent Zheng He to the West for two reasons.

First, because the old man was born in rebellion, he urgently needs to make meritorious deeds to get the approval of those foreign countries and prove his orthodoxy.

The second is to make money. After Jing Nan's years of tossing, the finances of the Ming court were completely defeated.

If you don't want to find a way to get some money, how can the grand blueprint in the old man's mind be completed.

The old man's idea is good, but he overlooked one thing.

There is no good end to eating alone.

The goods that Zheng He carried on his voyages were all manufactured by the government, and the money from selling these things went into the old man's own pocket.

This makes those aristocratic families who can only watch, naturally jealous.

Therefore, as soon as the old man died later, those people took action one after another, and forcibly stopped Zheng He's voyages to the West on the grounds of decadent money.

Even if Xiao Zhu did it a few times later, it was still a lot of thunder and rain, and it ended in nothing.

The civil and military of the Manchu Dynasty did not support going to the West, not because they were hostile to it, but because the court made money and did not take them with them.

There is a saying that is good, seeing others make money is more uncomfortable than losing money yourself.

In order not to make yourself uncomfortable, let others lose money with you, or not make money.

Moreover, these people have gone too far. On the one hand, under the banner of the ancestral system, they do not allow the emperor to open the sea ban, and on the other hand, they make a lot of money from smuggling.

Zhu Gaoyu sighed in his heart when he thought that the opportunity of Ming Dynasty to surpass the historical dynasty and become the best in the world was just missed in vain.

So whether it's for himself or for Daming's future.

He had to take over Zheng He's voyages.

As for how Zheng He will arrange it in the future, that is the old man's business, and it has nothing to do with him.

"Zheng Gong, the fleet has just returned from a long voyage and needs to be inspected and repaired. The soldiers fought for the country and returned alive from the battlefield. No matter what we say, let them reunite with their families."

"People are not rocks. They have thoughts and emotions. We can't ignore their feelings for our own selfish desires."

After speaking, Zhu Gaoyu nodded to Zheng He, greeted Zhu Pangpang, and walked to the motorcade waiting in the distance.

Zhu Gaoyu's words made Zheng He fall into silence.

That sentence of selfish desire made him even more inexplicably sad.

He, Zheng He, can swear to the sky that he has never had any selfish intentions in his actions, and they are all for the court.

I thought that Zhu Gaoyu, who went to sea with him, should be able to understand him, but unexpectedly, he said these words today, which made him feel a pain of not being understood.

"Eunuch Zheng, don't think too much, the fourth brother has no other intentions." Noticing Zheng He's somewhat lonely eyes, Zhu Pangpang was afraid that he would think too much, so he quickly spoke out to comfort him.

"The fourth brother actually has no other meaning. He just thinks that the soldiers have been out fighting for a year, and he wants the soldiers to reunite with their families more often."

"If not, you wait for a few days, I will go back and discuss with His Majesty, let the fleet recover as soon as possible, and start the next journey."

Zhu Pangpang had some ideas about Zheng He's voyages to the West.

But it's useless to have ideas, his father is still alive, even if he has ideas, he has to hold back.

Glancing at the fleet soldiers who disembarked and hugged their families, Zheng He also felt that he was a little anxious, and quickly shook his head and said: "His Royal Highness, His Royal Highness Yue Wang is right, I am indeed a little anxious, and I don't care about the soldiers. feel."

Zhu Gaoyu left without stopping at the pier.

He didn't even look at the items seized from Wa Kingdom.

It's not that he doesn't care about these things, but that what he wants has already been sent away by the fleet, and what is left for the old man is the rags he picked up.

He wasn't afraid that the old man would know.

He, Zhu Gaoyu, handed over all the silver mines to the imperial court.

The imperial court is full of greasy food, what's wrong with asking me, a hard-working person, to drink some soup?
Taicang Wharf is more than 500 miles away from Jinling, and the team walked for more than two days before returning to Jinling City.

"I'm back, I'm back..."

Having received the news a long time ago, the people waiting at the gate of the city saw the team approaching from a distance, and quickly lit firecrackers to greet them.

"Let the brothers go back to report safety first, and then gather tomorrow morning to wait for the imperial court's reward."

Looking at the family members of the soldiers who came up, Zhu Gaoyu saw that many soldiers kept looking sideways, with excitement and joy in their eyes.

But because of the discipline of the army, I could only hold back my chest and raised my head without squinting.

Zhu Gaoyu was very satisfied with this and lived up to his training during this period.

The soldiers under him now have some shadows of modern troops in terms of marching discipline.

When Zuo Jun conveyed Zhu Gaoyu's order, the soldiers instantly cheered.

After saluting Zhu Gaoyu's carriage under the leadership of the officer, he rushed to his family excitedly and hugged them.

People who have never experienced parting will never understand the excitement of people at this time.

Especially for these expeditionary soldiers, no one can guarantee whether they will come back alive after parting.

Through the curtain of the carriage, Zhu Gaoyu saw a smile on his face as he watched the soldiers and their relatives hugging each other, laughing excitedly and even crying.

"Your Highness."

Putting down the curtain, just as Zhu Gaoyu was about to give orders to go home, there was another call of greeting from outside the car.

Zhu Gaoyu opened the curtain and looked, and saw several officers from the Fifth Army Battalion.

The Fifth Army Battalion did not stay in the fleet, they came back with the team.

After all, they were only on secondment. Now that the war is over, they will naturally return to their original troops.

Getting up and getting off the carriage, Zhu Gaoyu cupped his hands at several officers.

"Brothers who worked hard this time, I will truthfully report the achievements of the Fifth Army Battalion to His Majesty. You just need to go back to the camp and wait."

Zhu Gaoyu thought they were here to say goodbye, thinking that after all, they had sacrificed their lives under his own hands, and now that they were leaving, it was natural to send them off.

"this…"

The leading general hesitated for a moment, looked left and right, saw that they were all his own people, gritted his teeth and knelt down on one knee.

The same is true for the other generals.

"Brothers, who are you?"

Zhu Gaoyu was a little puzzled, and stepped forward to help a few people up.

"Your Highness, we and our brothers have already discussed it. I admire Your Highness and I am used to fighting with you."

"I heard that Your Highness still has some places in your hands. Brothers entrust us to ask Your Highness if you can let us follow you."

A good general and a good coach can give soldiers more chances of surviving on the battlefield.

Zhu Gaoyu is such a commander in their minds.

Think about it, if you fight against a country that is not weak, the number of casualties does not even exceed 500. Where can you find such generals?

In addition, they have also been in contact with the navy for a period of time, and they have heard that the navy's military salary has never been in arrears, and it is even higher than that of other troops.

In terms of daily food, His Highness is also very generous, almost every day has a meal of meat.

On weekdays and holidays, their family members can still receive some gifts.

Although it was not a valuable item, the soldiers kept this feeling in their hearts.

The soldiers of the Fifth Army Battalion were naturally very envious when they learned about this.

Coupled with the admiration for Zhu Gaoyu, the idea of ​​following was born.

If Zhu Gaoyu was just an ordinary prince without the right to recruit soldiers, even if they had such thoughts, they would not dare to say so.

But Zhu Gaoyu is different, this His Royal Highness the King of Yue is a prince who has the right to lead the army.

Moreover, they have also inquired that the navy still has 2 places in His Highness's hands. His Majesty promised at the beginning that as long as those who are willing to come to the Navy, they can be directly transferred from the captain.

It was precisely because of this that they came up with the idea of ​​following Zhu Gaoyu, and dared to raise it.

"I see!"

Zhu Gaoyu showed a look of surprise, and said with emotion: "Actually speaking from the bottom of my heart, I am also reluctant to part with you brothers. We are all people who have fought our lives together on the battlefield. I also wanted to keep you at the beginning, but I was afraid of delaying the brothers. their future, so I didn’t express this idea.”

"Now brothers think highly of me, if I refuse, it will hurt the hearts of brothers."

Going forward to help several people up one by one, Zhu Gaoyu cupped his hands and said seriously: "Thanks to everyone for not giving up, I will have a bite of food in the future, and I will never starve my brothers."

"My subordinates greet Your Highness!"

When they heard this, they prostrated themselves on the ground again, formally recognizing the relationship between superior and superior.

After saying a few words, several generals led the troops back to the Fifth Army Camp excitedly.

The reason why the Fifth Army Battalion is needed is because they have to go back to report first, and then wait for the documents from the Ministry of War to arrive before they can leave.

In addition, Zhu Gaoyu also gave them a mission.

That is to go back and see if there are any soldiers from the Fifth Army Battalion who are willing to come over, and if there are, they will take them away together.

Our King Yue, after hollowing out Zheng He's fleet, began to extend his claws to the Fifth Army Battalion.

If the old man knew that his fourth son was poaching his corner again, would he regret that he was so excited and gave such a big power.

"What are you looking at? If you don't want to go home, get out of here."

Liu Sheng, who was leading the team in the distance, scolded the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion who were eager to see through with a dark face.

Staring at the soldier who turned his head three times, Liu Sheng said viciously in his heart: Damn it, as long as I work as a commander for a day, no one can run away.

(End of this chapter)