Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 2 This person is a great talent
  "Build the wall high, accumulate food widely, and be king slowly."

Outside the Chinese army's tent not far from Chuzhou.

The stars are brilliant and everything is silent.

Zhu Yuanzhang held the cattail leaf fan and shook it gently to bring cool breeze to himself, while silently reciting the "nine-character motto" that Zhang Cheng said to him immediately at dusk.

After reading.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head and looked at the vast starry sky and the Milky Way. His thick eyebrows were slightly twisted, as if he was weighing the weight of these nine words.

"The superior is not asleep yet?"

At this time.

Feng Guoyong suddenly walked out from behind the military tent beside Zhu Yuanzhang.

Seeing Feng Guoyong's appearance, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped shaking the cattail leaf fan and said, "I can't sleep."

Feng Guoyong and his younger brother Feng Sheng were originally the sons of landlords in the Miaoshan area of ​​Dingyuan. They had a number of militiamen and formed a stronghold to protect themselves. They joined Zhu Yuanzhang on his way south to Chuzhou.

Feng Guoyong was highly valued by Zhu Yuanzhang because he was good at leading troops and well-educated.

Feng Guoyong can be regarded as the first literary staff member Zhu Yuanzhang recruited.

Because of this, even though Feng Guoyong had not long since surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang took him with him in the Chinese army and placed him next to his tent so that he could ask for advice from time to time.

Historically, Feng Guoyong was the first counselor to suggest that Zhu Yuanzhang cross the river to conquer Nanjing, which is now Jiqing, and establish a base in this area. He was also the first strategist to provide strategic advice to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Also because of Feng Guoyong's suggestion, while other rebels in the Huaixi area were still attacking each other and fighting like headless flies, Zhu Yuanzhang's rebels had already begun to fight with strategic goals.

Of course, this is related to Zhu Yuanzhang himself having quite a sense of strategy, otherwise he would not be willing to adopt Feng Guoyong's suggestions.

Back to the topic.

Not long after Zhu Yuanzhang said this, he stopped holding the cattail leaf fan in his hand and asked Feng Guoyong: "What do you think of Zhang Cheng's nine-character motto?"

"This man is a great talent!"

"What you said is also great wisdom!"

Feng Guoyong replied without thinking.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly raised his head and looked at Feng Guoyong: "How to say it?"

"Not to mention that this statement is indeed the only way to achieve great things!"

"It's just that in today's world, all the heroes are eager to become kings, and the people around them all consider persuading the Lord to become king as their top priority, all in order to show the world that destiny is here, and the rest are bandits! "

"But this person actually proposed to postpone the title of king. He is no ordinary person, but someone who is well versed in strategy!"

"I never thought there would be such a person in my hometown!"

Feng Guoyong replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded after hearing this.

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Feng Guoyong: "Are there really any local eunuchs named Zhang in this area?"

Because the Yuan Empire did not pay much attention to literature and education, and the imperial examination system was abolished and implemented, the proportion of Confucian scholars in the world's population was not as high as in the two Song Dynasties. In a local county, there were only a few people studying, and they basically all knew each other, especially It's the north, and the south isn't much better.

Therefore, Feng Guoyong, as a scholar in this area, is also very familiar with the families of scholars in Chuzhou and Dingyuan.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang checked with Feng Guoyong to confirm whether Zhang Cheng was lying and hiding his identity.

What Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know was that Zhang Cheng had already compiled his identity and background in this world based on his preliminary understanding of it after he came to this world.

Feng Guoyong also understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant by asking, so he nodded and said, "There is a family named Zhang who has been studying for generations. Their ancestors were ministers of the Song Dynasty, and their children have never been officials. However, I only heard that most of the family members have died because of last year." The great epidemic disappeared, which is consistent with the family situation described by the benefactor Zhang."

"Ascend!"

At this time, Huayun led his troops panting and came over with a group of armored soldiers and escorted a Confucian scholar.

Zhu Yuanzhang marched south to Chuzhou, surrendering Yuan soldiers and civilians along the way. Logistical support basically relied on collecting grain from landlords on the road. Of course, if the landlord was unwilling, then the grain collection could only turn into grabbing grain. Also called grain hunting.

This is inevitable.

After all, tens of thousands of rebels cannot go hungry, and now the people themselves are fleeing and waiting to be rescued and there is nothing to grab, so the rebels can only look to landlords for food.

This is also the fundamental reason why the landlords resent the rebels.

Although the rebels in this era did not rebel to eliminate the landlords, it was indeed inevitable that conflicts and struggles between classes would occur during the rebellion.

As a general under Zhu Yuanzhang, one of Hua Yun's tasks was to go south to collect grain from the landlords who had formed strongholds to protect themselves. When necessary, he would use force to attack the landlord's strongholds, capture some of the landlords' population, and plunder some of their grain.

At this time, Hua Yun was coming back from collecting food.

"Untie!"

Zhu Yuanzhang has always attached great importance to recruiting Confucian scholars. He knew the value of these Confucian scholars in this era, having traveled extensively and made friends before joining the rebel army.

Zhu Yuanzhang also often asked his officers and soldiers not to directly kill Confucian scholars after capturing them, but to first see if these Confucian scholars could be used by his rebel army.

Just like when he first saw Zhang Cheng, he didn't directly order his subordinates to rush forward and kill Zhang Cheng.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately gave this order when he saw the Confucian scholar who was tied up by the soldiers.

So the Confucian scholar was loosed.

"Demon thief!"

But after the Confucian scholar was released, he scolded Zhu Yuanzhang angrily, and then raised his head to the sky at a forty-five degree angle.

In ancient times.

The ruling class often refers to the revolting people as thieves and bandits, and because many of the revolting people relied on various religions to rebel, they are often called demon thieves, thinking that they were bewitched by some evil words and became thieves and bandits.

The Red Scarf Army who rebelled at the end of the Yuan Dynasty mostly rebelled under the influence of Mingjiao ideas, so they were often scolded as monsters and thieves by the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty at that time and the Confucian scholars who recognized the Yuan Dynasty as Zhengshuo.

The Confucian scholar also scolded Zhu Yuanzhang in this way, and seemed to use this to express his position.

Swish!
  Hua Yun immediately opened his eyes and pulled out a flash of cold light.

Zhu Yuanzhang hit Hua Yun's wrist with a cattail leaf fan. When Hua Yun put the sword back into its sheath knowingly, he looked at the Confucian scholar and asked, "What's your name?"

"I was even promoted to Jinshi by Meng Jinshang Long'en in the fifth year of my reign. I was once the deputy promoter of Confucianism in Jiangxi Province."

The Confucian scholar replied.

"You must be Mr. Mao Sizhong, who is often called Mr. Daoou in this village?"

Feng Guoyong asked at this time.

Mao Sizhong snorted: "You are a Confucian scholar, why are you a thief?"

"The current court is unethical."

Zhu Yuanzhang began to answer for Feng Guoyong at this time, but before he could speak, Mao Sizhong interrupted him: "I will not listen to the evil words of monsters and thieves, especially the treacherous and unethical words that destroy loyalty and accuse the imperial court. How can you, the stupid people and monsters and thieves? You are qualified to speak on national affairs!”

Zhu Yuanzhang's face immediately turned ugly.

"Don't even try to persuade me to become a thief. I would rather be hacked for my loyalty than to destroy my righteousness for my greed!"

Mao Sizhong chuckled and continued to say a few words.

Here, Feng Guoyong looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was as cold as a cold moon, and he said: "Cut it off!"

Hua Yun immediately raised his hand and said yes.

As a result, Mao Sizhong was dragged down.

Not long after, Hua Yun picked up Mao Sizhong's head and reported to Zhu Yuanzhang: "It has been beheaded!"

"Sew it back and give it to his family."

Zhu Yuanzhang replied sadly.

"Yes!"

After Hua Yun left, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and asked Feng Guoyong: "Is this the second Confucian scholar who refuses to join the rebel army since he went south?"

Feng Guoyong nodded: "Yes, these people are really stupid and don't know how to follow the way of heaven and the human heart."

"But they are also respectable people who observe etiquette."

Zhu Yuanzhang replied, then looked at Feng Guoyong and said with a smile: "Just like you, if it weren't for the fact that I am willing to use military rations to feed the hungry soldiers and people in your village and feel that I am righteous and willing to follow you, I am afraid that they will treat me the same as those people." As a thief, you would rather die than join him, right?"

Feng Guoyong said: "It's not just that I was moved, but I also realized that destiny is on the higher side."

"But how many people are as enlightened as the public? Many Confucian scholars still regard me as a thief."

After Zhu Yuanzhang said this, he said: "I wonder if Zhang Cheng, who proposed the nine-character motto, thinks of us the same way? You said he is a great talent, but he may not be our great talent."

Feng Guoyong nodded at this time: "I think this person will find it difficult to surrender to the superiors when he sees that we are not humble or fearful."

then.

Feng Guoyong raised his hand to Zhu Yuanzhang again and said: "But I am willing to try to persuade the superior to help him achieve success!"

then.

Feng Guoyong said again: "But what I want to tell the superior is that if he is willing, then let it go; if he is not willing, please ask the superior not to spare his life because of his talent! He should be eliminated immediately! Because this person is really We are young and talented, but if we do things for the court or others instead of serving as heroes for us, we will be in great trouble!"

(End of this chapter)