Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 85 Guo Zixing arrives, Zhang Cheng gives Zhu Yuanzhang a new direction for his direct line

Guo Zixing, Zhu Yuanzhang's adoptive father, is also the adoptive father of Zhu Yuanzhang's wife Ma, and is Zhu Yuanzhang's boss.

originally.

Guo Zixing has been staying in Haozhou City, and together with Peng Zaozhu, Zhao Junyong, Sun Deya and others, he is called the Marshal in Haozhou City.

But after Zhu Yuanzhang went south to Chuzhou, several commanders in Haozhou City had a fight.

According to "Records of the Ming Dynasty", Guo Zixing was squeezed out by Zhao Junyong and others because he sided with Peng Zaozhu.

Therefore, Guo Zixing was eventually imprisoned by Zhao Junyong and others after Peng Zaozhu and Zhao Junyong failed.

However, because Zhu Yuanzhang was in military power in Chuzhou, Zhao Junyong was quite afraid. In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote several letters to persuade Zhao Junyong and bribed Zhao Junyong's people with large sums of money, so Zhao Junyong finally let Guo Zixing go.

These are all things that happened externally after Zhu Yuanzhang entered Chuzhou City.

However, Zhang Cheng was not very involved in these matters. Zhu Yuanzhang was mainly making decisions himself.

At this time, although Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to end the troubled times, he did not make a clear choice between ending the troubled times as a meritorious official and ending the troubled times as an emperor.

Because although Feng Guoyong, Li Shanchang and others believed that his benevolence would lead to destiny, they knew that he could not betray Guo Zixing.

After all, Guo Zixing was very kind to him and was ethically his adopted father and father-in-law.

Therefore, as long as Guo Zixing is still alive, he has to admit that Guo Zixing is the head of his family.

Therefore, although Zhu Yuanzhang is curious about how he will get the destiny if it really belongs to him, his ambition is not that big now, and he is still willing to talk about emotions and repay kindness with morality.

Therefore, he has been trying his best to save Guo Zixing.

"Records of the Ming Dynasty" records in detail Zhu Yuanzhang's deeds to save Guo Zixing.

But Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect that Guo Zixing would choose to come to Chuzhou.

Although Guo Zixing only has more than 10,000 people left due to the internal conflagration among the Haozhou rebels, his strength cannot be underestimated.

The key is that once he brings tens of thousands of people from his headquarters to Chuzhou City, a new contradiction will arise, that is, the contradiction between Guo's headquarters and Zhu Yuanzhang's own direct lineage.

To know.

Zhang Cheng, Li Shanchang, Feng Guoyong, Xu Da, and Hua Yun were all people recruited by Zhu Yuanzhang after he went south to develop independently.

Now, should these people accept the leadership of Guo Zixing while accepting the leadership of Zhu Yuanzhang, or should they still only accept the leadership of Zhu Yuanzhang?

This is obviously a question worth thinking about.

However, this is not a problem for Zhang Cheng.

Because he was familiar with history and knew that Guo Zixing was coming to Chuzhou City.

Therefore, Zhang Cheng had already thought of his response strategy, otherwise, he would not be so concerned about training firearms troops.

But for other people in Zhu Yuanzhang's direct family, this is a problem that makes them very confused, hesitant and angry.

"This is peach picking!"

Even Xu Da, who had always been taciturn, couldn't help but express his opinion when he mentioned the matter to Tang He, Hua Yun and others.

"that is!"

"Mr. Zhang and the Chuzhou City we captured, it was also because of Mr. Zhang's ability to supervise the army. In addition, he made a three-part agreement with his brothers for the sake of the people, so they had the opportunity to confiscate the houses and eliminate evil. Then he launched military pay, collected taxes, and cleared the country. Land was divided into fields, rivers were dredged, and government and merchants were opened, which made Chuzhou City prosperous as it is today.”

"But I saw that when the city of Chuzhou was in a state of turmoil, Marshal Guo came."

Hua Yun echoed.

Tang He said: "The important thing now is to see the attitude of the superiors."
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  "That's right!"

"Now it depends on the attitude of the superiors."

"If the superiors don't recognize him, Marshal Guo, and don't let him enter the city, it's not impossible."

"Even if my wife is with Marshal Guo, why should a man worry about not having a wife!"

"Since ancient times, those who do great things should not stick to trivial matters!"

In the civil servants' staff.

Zhang Mian also mentioned this matter after Li Shanchang mentioned it.

Wang Guangyang said: "I would like to know Mr. Zhang's thoughts now."

"It seems that Chuzhou City may not have the upper hand to make the decision, so why should we care about Mr. Zhang's thoughts at this time."

Li Menggeng chuckled.

"But Mr. Zhang can influence the superiors."

Feng Guoyong couldn't help but interject at this time.

Li Shanchang nodded after hearing this and asked, "Where is Mr. Zhang now?"

"We are still training the fire gunners of the Internal Guard Battalion at the newly established martial arts training hall."

Shu Anguo replied at this time.

Li Shanchang said: "What I mean is that we should persuade Mr. Zhang to persuade the superiors to refuse Guo Zixing's entry into Chuzhou City! What do you think?"

"I agree!"

"No one in Chuzhou City wants to have another Shangguan above them."

"Don't talk about us. I think the fellow rebels who followed the superiors don't want to have many other general managers to take care of them besides the superiors, right?"

Feng Guoyong first agreed.

Zhang Mian nodded and said: "The superior now has 30,000 troops, but many of these 30,000 troops are still Guo's old troops. They were originally sent to follow the superior south. They were originally intended to be a check and balance. Now if you want to refuse, The Guo family must first bribe these people, such as Zhao Jizu, etc., and there are others who have joined the higher position for the sake of Guo Zixing, such as Miao Daheng, etc. If they are not willing to be bribed by us, they should merge immediately! We can’t wait too long!”

"Then let's go see Mr. Zhang first."

Wang Guangyang said something.

"Yes, let's go see what Mr. Zhang says first?"

Others chimed in.

So, these civil servants and staff came to Zhang Cheng.

At the same time, Xu Da and other generals who were direct descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang also came to Zhang Cheng.

Obviously, these people want to persuade Zhang Cheng, let Zhang Cheng persuade Zhu Yuanzhang, or let Zhang Cheng make an idea first.

"Why don't you just go and ask the superiors?"

Zhang Chengze asked directly after these people arrived.

Li Shanchang first said: "It's not easy to ask the superior directly about this matter. After all, the superior and Marshal Guo are related as father and son, and Weng's son-in-law. We can only come to Mr. Zhang for an explanation first."

"So, you mean to convince me first so that I can agree to take you with me to force the superior to break with Marshal Guo?"

Zhang Cheng asked. Xu Dadao: "You can't say that. It's just that brothers don't know what to do now. Should we talk about loyalty or interests? To be more specific, should we force the superiors or let the superiors force us!"

"And we all want to hear your opinion, Mr. Zhang."

"No matter how you say it, this Chuzhou City can become the Chuzhou City of our rebel army, and it can be so prosperous now, so that brothers can marry and have children here, as well as have food and clothing, all of which are inseparable from your good governance, Mr. Zhang. achievement."

"that is!"

"If it weren't for Mr. Zhang's clairvoyance, Chuzhou City would not have been captured so easily."

Hua Yun agreed at this time.

Tang He also said: "Yes! In addition to the superiors, the brothers only obey your words, Mr. Zhang. You, Mr. Zhang, are the reincarnation of Zhuge, and your words are more effective than others."

"That's right! Mr. Zhang, please give us an idea."

"Yes!"

"When the person named Guo comes, will tax collection, food management, theft detection, etc. all belong to the Guo family? Will those of us who follow the higher-ups be squeezed out and sent out to die? These things We can’t help but make people worry!”

At this time, other rebel officers and generals also started talking.

After hearing this, Zhang Cheng said: "It's useless for you to ask me, because your superiors have probably quietly gone out to greet Marshal Guo."

"how come!"

"There's no point in taking the initiative to invite someone to take care of you at your home."

Feng Guoyong said something first at this time.

Hua Yun echoed and said: "Yes, how could the superiors do this? Chuzhou City was conquered by the brothers with hard work, there is no reason to give it away!"

Only Li Shanchang frowned in deep thought and said nothing.

Zhang Cheng said: "I think so. Based on my understanding of the superior, although he seems to be very obedient, in fact, he is not a person who easily succumbs to other people's will. He has always had his own persistence. And this persistence is a principle that he still adheres to after experiencing various tragic events, so it will not change easily."

"Anyway."

"It's impossible for the superiors to be really willing to break up with Marshal Guo to whom he has great favors for the sake of a Chuzhou city, or even to attack the people in the city who don't surrender to Marshal Guo, let alone break up with Marshal Guo for you!"

"If you don't believe it, you can go find the superior first and see if he is still there."

Zhang Cheng continued.

Based on his understanding of history, Zhang Cheng judged that Zhu Yuanzhang would not refuse Guo Zixing's entry into Chuzhou City, but would only take the initiative to welcome him and, as recorded in the historical "Ming Dynasty Records", take the initiative to hand over military power.

"(Guo Zixing) arrived in Chuzhou and reviewed more than 30,000 soldiers. His orders were strict and the military appearance was in good order. It was a great pleasure."

Zhang Cheng clearly remembered these sentences recorded in "Records of the Ming Dynasty", and the meaning behind these sentences was that Zhu Yuanzhang had voluntarily handed over military power, so he asked Guo Zixing to review the troops in person.

As for why Zhu Yuanzhang handed over military power.

There are two theories found by Zhang Cheng in later generations.

One is that Zhu Yuanzhang did not have strong enough control over Chuzhou's 30,000 troops. Many of the 30,000 troops, especially the senior generals, were from Guo Zixing or attached themselves to Zhu Yuanzhang for the sake of Guo Zixing's face. people, so they had to sacrifice their military power.

Because although "Ming Dynasty Records" does not record the process of attacking Chuzhou in detail, "Huang Ming Founding Heroes Record Volume 20" records that an officer named Hu Quan said this: "In July, Marshal Guo recruited thousands of households, and then This officer conquers Chuzhou."

Then, the "Records of the Heroes of the Founding of the Ming Dynasty" also recorded that Zhao Jizu "commanded his colleagues from Taizu's Chuzhou Office". Also, the record of Zhang Tianyou's participation in the Chuzhou Battle, the original text is: "When Taizu was in the Wang Nephew Hall, he prepared the troops, and Tianyou and his colleagues went to conquer. From then on, he attacked Wuhe, Xuzhou, Sizhou and collected all the strongholds. Meritorious service. At the end of the Jiawu period, he conquered Chuzhou."

Therefore, it should be certain that although Zhu Yuanzhang initially brought only twenty-four people with him when he went south, Guo Zixing should have added more people to him later.

"Records of the Ming Dynasty" also records: "Looking at what he did, he was afraid of harming himself, so he assigned 700 people to his generals, and went south alone with Xu Da and other 24 people, and decided to go far away, but he encountered illness on the way. Return."

It can be seen that when Zhu Yuanzhang took 24 people south, he returned to Haozhou.

Another example is the later part of "Ming Dynasty Record": "In the middle of the month, at the beginning of the illness, (Zhu Yuanzhang) heard that there was a staff outside and sighed as it passed by. He asked the people around him about it and told them that there was a militiaman named Donkey in Dingyuan Zhangjiabao. The people in the stronghold were alone, lacked food, and had no belongings. They wanted to surrender, but were hesitant. The commander-in-chief sent people to recruit them. He thought that there was no way to do it, so he felt regretful. The superior said calmly, this opportunity cannot be missed, that is, he must be strong. "Yi Zixing, please come," Zixing said happily, "I know you cannot do this."

From this, it can be determined that when Zhu Yuanzhang later left Haozhou to recruit the surrender militia, it was under the instruction of Guo Zixing. He no longer just brought the twenty-four people and the surrender militia to Chuzhou, but also Guo Zixing sent to follow Zhu Yuanzhang. Other generals who went to Chuzhou, so there is a record in the "Records of the Founding Heroes of the Ming Dynasty" that some non-direct descendants of Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Chuzhou, and even Guo Zixing's brother-in-law, Zhang Tianyou, also attacked Chuzhou.

Of course, there is another theory that Zhu Yuanzhang, who was only in his twenties at the time, was still too young and relatively simple, and was unwilling to violate justice easily. At the same time, he really cared about the overall situation and did not want to start a fight within the Yi army and waste his own resources. Strength, which makes the entire rebel army easier to be wiped out by the Yuan army.

After all, the "Records of the Ming Dynasty" also records that Zhu Yuanzhang advised Zhao Junyong, Sun Deya and others not to fight internally.

In short.

Zhang Cheng knew that if Zhu Yuanzhang really made up his mind to hand over military power and did not want to become an enemy of Guo Zixing, he would definitely leave the city quietly first and coerce his people to follow him and accept Guo Zixing's leadership, thereby avoiding being stopped by his people from welcoming Guo Zixing into the city. .

And as long as Zhu Yuanzhang quietly leaves the city and brings Guo Zixing to Chuzhou City, Zhu Yuanzhang's people will have to accept the reality unless they find someone to be the boss again and no longer recognize Zhu Yuanzhang as the boss.

Therefore, Zhang Cheng concluded that Zhu Yuanzhang might have quietly left the city to meet Guo Zixing.

But after Zhang Cheng said this, everyone fell silent.

For a moment, there was silence in the martial arts training hall where Zhang Cheng was.

Xu Da and Tang He even looked at each other and nodded to each other, seeming to think that what Zhang Cheng said made sense.

After a while.

Li Shanchang took the initiative to step forward and said to Zhang Cheng, "Mr. Zhang, I want to hear your thoughts."

"Yes!"

"Mr. Zhang, you haven't said what you think yet!"

Feng Guoyong suddenly realized that Li Shanchang asked this question and started talking too.

"my thoughts?"

"I'm afraid you won't agree with my idea."

Zhang Cheng said with a smile.

Li Shanchang said: "Mr. Zhang is a man of great wisdom. He is also a supporter of power like us. Naturally, he also knows that there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Therefore, at this time, we still ask Mr. Zhang to point out a clear path for us."

"that is!"

"Mr. Zhang, just give us a clear path!"

At this time, Hua Yun and others started talking.

Zhang Cheng stopped pretending and said: "My idea is that if the superiors really want to leave Chuzhou City, then we should ask the superiors to lead us out. We will not fight with Marshal Guo's people in Chuzhou City and let the superiors fall into disloyalty." The level of injustice!”

"Fight out?"

Hua Yun couldn't help but look back at Tang He in shock.

Xu Da, Fei Ju, Tang Shengzong and others also looked at Lou in shock.

Even Feng Guoyong, Zhang Mian, Li Mengeng, Guo Jingxiang, Wang Guangyang and others were surprised.

Shu Anguo even said directly: "Sir, Chuzhou City is the foundation that you have worked so hard to build! It is because of you that we have finally settled down in Chuzhou City!"

　I checked a lot of information, so the update is a little late. Cheers! Because in history, Zhu Yuanzhang dedicated the military power to Chuzhou is indeed a bit complicated, and it is a bit difficult to write clearly. The main reason is that the "Ming Dynasty Records" contains too little text about the attack on Chuzhou, so we can only infer it from other places. But what is certain is that either It's because Zhu Yuanzhang didn't have very strong control over 30,000 soldiers and horses. If he didn't recognize Guo Zixing, he would have to attack the dissident forces in Chuzhou City first. If he wanted to recognize Guo Zixing, he could avoid this situation. So either Zhu Yuanzhang obeyed the reality or It was because his structure was really big, or both. After all, the rebel army was not strong enough at that time, and internal friction was not conducive to the survival of the rebel army.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)