After making repeated promises, he sent away Dai Sanchun, who almost immediately bowed down to seek advice. Zhu Yuan asked the boy to open the window further and look outside the cabin.

The wind has picked up, the sky remains gloomy, and the fog on the river has dissipated.

Zhu Yuan looked up and saw that the north bank of the river was far less prosperous than in later generations. There were only a few people living on the bank. The plain shrouded in gloom in winter looked primitive and wild, like a cold landscape painting with rich ink.

After retracting my vision and looking closely, I realized that the ships on the river had begun to move to the left, making them clearly distinguishable. There were also some fast-oaring boats with flags flying in the center of the river, seeming to be directing traffic.

This surprised Zhu Yuan.

I remember reading a quote by the famous Wanli minister Zhang Juzheng in my previous life, but I forgot the exact source. It was probably "It is not difficult to legislate the affairs of the world, but it is difficult to implement the law; it is not difficult to listen to what is said, but it is difficult to say what is said to be effective."

To put it simply, everyone knows the truth, but they can’t do it.

That’s why a girl in a movie said: “I’ve heard a lot of great truths since I was a child, but I still can’t live a good life.”

This applies to countries as large as individuals and as small as individuals.

But now, just looking at the fact that a rule can be implemented in just two days, it is no accident that Zhu Yuanzhang won the world.

Immediately, Zhu Yuan discovered that the speed of the lucky ship he was riding was really fast. In just a short period of time, he had already surpassed several ships of different sizes going in the same direction.

"Little official, the wind is getting stronger, why don't you close the window?"

A voice came to his ears, breaking Zhu Yuan's thoughts.

It's Xu Wu.

Zhu Yuan looked away and saw that everyone in the room looked nervous, so he could only nod his head and reminded: "Don't close it tightly, there is charcoal gas."

Xu Wu knew Zhu Yuan's little habits along the way, but he still tightened the window here and said with a smile: "Little official, can I open the front window?"

You almost welded the windows shut, what else can I say?

He muttered helplessly in his heart, knowing that they were thinking about his own body, Zhu Yuan still agreed and said nothing else. He lowered his head and started to flip through the book with the light coming from the window paper.

The rest of the journey was silent.

There is about 150 miles of waterway from Yangzhou to Jinling. The wind direction is wrong, so we go against the current, hurry and go slowly. When we arrive at the mouth of the Qinhuai River, it is already dark. The time is at the beginning of Xu hour, which is about seven o'clock in the evening.

The lucky ship stopped at the south ferry of Jinling City. Zhu Yuan was surrounded by several followers and walked out of the cabin. He was immediately stunned by the scene in front of him.

Obviously due to the Northern Expedition, the night ban has not yet come, and there are still busy figures under the lights scattered around the pier. However, what attracts Zhu Yuan most is the waiting people under various lights nearby and the ones extending all the way to the city.

There is a long queue of torches at the door.

this……

The battle is a bit big.

Zhu Yuan carefully identified the crowd approaching and found that the leader was a middle-aged man wearing a scarlet official robe. He was relieved.

Not Zhu Yuanzhang himself.

It's impossible even if you think about it.

The biography of Zhu Yuanzhang that I read in my previous life records that he personally went out of the city to the Yangtze River to greet the surrendered Qin Conglong, and became the first Yuan Dynasty Jinshi under Zhu's command, but that was at the beginning of his business.

Now, Zhu Yuanzhang is about to ascend the throne. Even if Zhu Yuan's bold words are attractive enough, and even if Zhu Yuan is confident enough in what he has given, it is unlikely that Lao Zhu will come out to greet him in person.

Briefly surprised, Zhu Yuan quickly regained his composure, but Mao Xiang was shocked when he came to him again.

This is of course not Zhu Yuanzhang himself, but this is Cui Liang, the Minister of Rites under King Wu.

Among the civil servants of the Western Wu Dynasty, he was only a few high officials of the imperial court.

Throughout his journey, Mao Xiang always felt that his master valued a certain boy too much. What could a teenage boy do, no matter how strange he was? Seeing this battle, he realized that he had underestimated his master's regard for Zhu Yuan.

degree.

Cui Liang and his party approached, and Zhu Yuan also walked along the gangplank to the shore under the supervision of his attendants. The two parties began to greet each other, but Mao Xiang, who was still standing on the boat, once again had mixed feelings.

Even some dark thoughts arise.

This young boy was treated with such courtesy by his lord, probably because of his words of "send five hundred years of imperial sacrifice". However, the lord is a person who will never tolerate people who seek fame and reputation.

If the Lord is satisfied, the outcome can be imagined.

Thinking of this, Mao Xiang couldn't help but begin to look forward to the tragic scene of the young man on the shore being lifted high and then falling heavily.

While looking forward to it, it is inevitable to feel sorry for yourself.

Think about Li Shanchang, who has become the Duke of Xuan. His father was alongside him back then. If he could live to this time, he should be a prince and son. Why would he need to go to the battlefield to gain fame?

Mao Xiang was looking at the scene on the shore in a daze. Suddenly, a uniformed primary school student bypassed the crowd with his eyes and walked quickly on the gangplank to the boat. He cupped his fists and said to him: "Commander Mao, the Lord has an order. You must go first and hurry up."

Ma enters the palace and I have something to ask."

Mao Xiang suddenly came back to his senses, clasped his fists in return, and followed the primary school student off the lucky boat.

When he came to the shore, he climbed on the fast horse that had been prepared. In less than half a cup of tea, Mao Xiang arrived at the Wu Palace, two miles away from the Jubao Gate in the south of the city.

This place was originally the palace of the old Southern Tang Dynasty. Before Zhu Yuanzhang captured Yingtian, it was the residence of the Yuan Dynasty Jiangnan Yushitai. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang was named King of Wu by the Han and Song Dynasty courts, and this mansion became the Wu Palace.

Mao Xiang got off his horse, and someone who had been waiting for him led him all the way to the White Tiger Hall on the west side of the front yard of the palace, where Zhu Yuanzhang's daily office was.

At this time, the lights in the hall were bright.

When Mao Xiang entered the palace, he had long since lost his previous cluttered thoughts. He paid homage to Zhu Yuanzhang who was sitting behind the desk. After receiving a response, he stood up. Looking carefully from the corner of his eye, he found that the Lord was looking down at a memorial, and on the west side of the hall,

Compared with the past, there is a row of large screens suddenly added, as if they are blocking something.

Zhu Yuanzhang's gentle yet majestic voice came to his ears: "Tell me again?"

Mao Xiang immediately stood upright, lowered his head slightly and said: "Your Majesty, as I reported in my previous letter, the little official was still reading and practicing calligraphy all the way. He didn't like to get close to others and was taciturn. There was no one there before arriving in Yangzhou.

Others have been in contact with minor officials, except this morning, Mr. Hua Gaohua came to visit in the name of saying thank you..."

"Hua Gao?"

Mao Xiang felt the doubts and displeasure in the voice, and subconsciously lowered his body, not daring to hide it, let alone add jealousy, and said truthfully: "Master Hua borrowed the name of thanking the junior official for his 'keep to the right' strategy, but in fact it is

...In fact, after hearing the name of Xiao Guanren, I wanted to seek medical treatment, but Xiao Guanren declined."

After writing the case, Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, seemed to be suppressing a smile, and cursed in a low voice: "This piece of shit..."

Obviously, he also understood what kind of medical treatment Hua Gao was seeking.

Mao Xiang waited for a moment and then continued: "We have just boarded the ship. When Dai Taiyi was treating the junior official, for some reason, the junior official became interested in Dai Taiyi's calligraphy and chatted a few more words."

Zhu Yuanzhang also became interested, thought for a moment, and said, "That's Dai Sanchun. What is his nickname?"

Mao Xiang said: "The epitome of Dai Taiyi's name is 'rebirth', which was given by his father. It may mean 'rejuvenation with a wonderful hand'."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it for a moment, but obviously failed to understand the profound meaning of the word 'rebirth', so he asked again: "Go on?"

Mao Xiang continued: "Just one more thing. Dr. Dai once examined the illness of a junior official. The two talked about medical theory. The junior official said that he did not understand medical skills, but he also mentioned that he was confused about the root causes of many diseases by Dr. Dai. , he knew a little bit about it, but he also set a three-year period, saying that he would ask the imperial physician again after three years."

Zhu Yuanzhang sounded more curious this time: "Why three years?"

Mao Xiang shook his head: "I don't know."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment and then asked: "Who is around the young scholar?"

Mao Xiang understood and said: "The general gave two personal soldiers, and I arranged for two soldiers from the Gongwei Division to pretend to be servants, and two maids. They were obtained by confiscating the Wang family after breaking Yizhou. I will check them one by one. All of them are innocent."

Zhu Yuanzhang grunted and said, "As for those two soldiers, let them return to the general to resume their duties. Leave the rest to the little scholar."

Mao Xiang responded and wrote it down.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought of nothing else and said: "You have been working hard all the way. I will remember your merits and go home. I will also look at your wife and children who have fought thousands of miles."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Mao Xiang bowed and saluted, but then said: "Your Majesty, the army ahead is on the offensive in an urgent manner. I want to set off back to Shandong tomorrow."

"Well, it's a good thing for a man to make progress. Your father would be happy if he knew it. But you should be relaxed and relaxed in your work. Rest at home for a day and start again the day after tomorrow."

"Your Majesty orders."

After Mao Xiang left, the hall returned to silence.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was behind the desk, looked outside the hall, wanting to call someone to ask where the person was. After thinking about it, he still didn't say anything. He lowered his head again and looked at the handwritten letter from Xu Da, who had been curious about it for the past two decades.

During these days, Zhu Yuanzhang himself did not know how many times he read this letter.

"..."

"When asked about the military affairs, he said that the Northern Expedition between Han and Song Dynasties was like a bandit's advance, with no rules and regulations. Although Tongguan was defeated in the west, Kaiping in the north, and Liaoyang in the east, it was overwhelming, but in the end nothing was accomplished."

"Today we in Western Wu want to conquer the world, so we should use the strategy of cannibalization, camp step by step, and advance slowly. This theory coincides with my lord."

"He also has the theory of 'tactics' and 'strategy', and the envoys suddenly became enlightened. Tactics refers to the attack and defense of a city and a place. Strategies refers to the gains and losses of a province and a country. He said: In ancient times, it was about conquering the world. For example, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty did not care about the gains and losses of a city or a place, but he must have a strategic vision to grasp the overall situation and dominate the world."

"..."

"When it comes to Confucianism, one person said: Confucianism is like a shadowless sword that has protected China for thousands of years. This is an unparalleled contribution. If there were no Confucianism that said, "When the barbarians and the Di enter China, they will conquer China." Words are the rules, riding and shooting are nomadic, the virtues are ruined, etiquette is gone, and I really think it is so."

"..."

"When it comes to the Yellow River, one person said that there are only eight words for how to deal with the problem, which is 'double-layer dikes, constricting water and attacking sand'."

"He also said that water control in the lower reaches is a temporary solution. The root cause of the Yellow River floods lies in Guanzhong. Guanzhong has repeatedly been the foundation of hegemony. Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang all established their capitals here. However, the fertile fields thousands of miles away cannot sustain the cultivation of thousands of years. Consumption means too much consumption for cultivation, turning fertile fields into deserts, and even rolling yellow sand down the rivers, causing siltation in the Central Plains."

"..."

"We talked until late at night, and a guard came to report. I realized that it was already the third watch. I recalled all the things he said and felt a lot. Then I remembered his bold words and asked: "The young gentleman has all kinds of wonderful opinions.

, It is refreshing and a great talent. However, how dare you say that you will give away five hundred years to the country?"

"The man didn't answer, so he asked for paper and pen, and took a moment to complete a picture, saying: The rise and fall of the ages are all in this picture. If you look at this picture, you can avoid the repeated reincarnation of the country like the Han, Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties. Although I dare not say that it will last forever.

, which is more than enough to add five hundred years to the country in one dynasty."

"I looked at this picture and had some insights. When I asked carefully, the man laughed and said: This is the emperor's teaching. Do you really want to listen?"

"I dare not ask any more questions. I will record in detail what was said that night. I will attach a picture drawn by someone else and send it to my lord."

"Da, bow your head and bow again."


Chapter completed!