Chapter 277: The army sets off

A big white pig was pulled onto the general's platform, and in front of the soldiers, the executioner's sword fell like lightning. The pig was cut off its head. The personal army was quick and quick. A large basin was handed over, and a pot of red pig blood was swaying.

Zhu Gaochi's fat body trembled, his face stared at the white pig who was still spasming on the stage in horror, and his hands unconsciously covered his neck.

Xiao Fan said softly in his ear: "It's very cruel, right?"

Zhu Gaochi nodded, then shook his head in a hurry.

"Does it feel like chopping on your neck?"

Zhu Gaochi was sweating profusely and swallowed his saliva and did not dare to speak.

Xiao Fan looked at the big white pig that was constantly spasming on the ground, and then at the fat and fat Zhu Gaochi. He found that the two had many similarities. No wonder Zhu Gaochi, the three brothers of the Zhu family, looked so ugly...

However, in comparison, Zhu Gaochi was not that bloated, and was much thinner than when he first saw him. Perhaps because the days after entering Beijing were too exciting and their lives were too suspense. Zhu Gaochi was frightened day and night, so he naturally became much thinner. Zhu Di must have felt so distressed when he saw it.

But Xiao Fan didn't feel guilty at all. If history had not changed, this fat man was later Ming Renzong. It's a pity that he had been in the immortal class for less than a year. It is said that he died of coronary heart disease caused by obesity. In this life, Xiao Fan was scared to lose weight. At least his life could last longer. Xiao Fan felt that he had accumulated virtue.

Look, people still need to be under pressure. Living too well is not necessarily a good thing. Look at the thin brother Zhu in front of you, that's so inspiring.

Xiao Fan decided to take the three brothers of the Zhu family to fight together. These three people were of great use to him. Zhu Di had only these three sons in his life. Taking them by his side must be three life-saving Tao Talismans.

He patted Zhu Gaochi's shoulder intimately, and Xiao Fan said with a smile: "Brother-in-law is frightened. The pig blood will ripen later. I'll give my brother-in-law two bowls to suppress the shock..."

Zhu Gaochi was so scared that he almost fell down the stage and shook his head quickly: "If you don't eat, you won't eat me if you kill me!"

Xiao Fan no longer forced him. He understood Zhu Gaochi's feelings very well. After all, eating an animal that looked eighty-slight like him was really uncomfortable.

The horse farm cannons roared and the drums were shaking. After the oath-taking procedure was completed, it was time to lead the army to set off.

Zhu Yunwen held Xiao Fan's hand reluctantly, with tears in his eyes and choked, "Shi Du Xiao, thank you for your hard work, you have no eyes on the battlefield, you must take good care of yourself..."

Xiao Fan was very moved. This time he went to the battle, more than half of the twenty-four guards of the palace were drawn out. In order to suppress the rebellion, Zhu Yunwen took out his old fortune.

"Your Majesty should take care of yourself in the capital. There are fewer guards in the palace. Remember to lock the door at night to prevent fire and theft..."

"Don't worry, I've got dozens of local dogs..."

“Eat hot pot?”

"Steal the gate!"

At the command of Xiao Fan, the general general of the rebellion, the army marched northward, and was connected for dozens of miles. The flags were waving, the iron armor was bright, the spears, halberds, swords and crossbows were shining, and the gloomy sky emitted a cold light, and the army showed its heroic spirit.

Looking at these young and vivid faces, Xiao Fan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Perhaps there were those who were loyal to the emperor and the country, and those who were also those who wanted to gain military fame and fortune. No matter what, they took up weapons, but once the war started, how many of them would die? What should the parents, wives and children do behind them in the future? The history of ancient and modern times is the same. Countless little people gave their lives and blood to exchange for the big people's own selfishness. Sadly, the little people felt that nothing was wrong, as if their purpose of living was to die for those big people who were lofty one day.

Zhu Di provoked a war, he was committing evil, but what about the other side of the war?

Xiao Fan was confused. As the leading coach of the other side, was he also committing evil?

On the horse-drawn general's stage, Zhu Yunwen waved at him with a close hand. After a few years of getting to know each other, his handsome face was still so tender and simple. Perhaps this is why Xiao Fan would rather commit murder than help him. A visitor from hundreds of years later, in this strange era, if he had no friends, it would be so lonely and painful.

Ji Gang, who had been standing on the stage, bowed his body and handed a snow-white scarf respectfully on it. Zhu Yunwen took it and wiped the corners of his eyes, then smiled slightly at Ji Gang, with a bit of intimacy in his smile.

Xiao Fan rode on the horse and saw this scene from afar, his heart suddenly sank.

Ji Gang...is it appropriate to keep him in the capital?

…………

…………

After leaving Beijing and crossing the Yangtze River, the marching speed is very fast.

The three brothers of the Zhu family were taken away by Xiao Fan without hesitation. Cao Yi got three prison carts for them and put them in wooden cages and headed north.

Xiao Fan was very kind, leaving only two of the three prison carts, and was distributed to Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, two brothers, to stand inside, while Zhu Gaochi was allowed to ride a horse by Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan is very particular about distance and closeness. Zhu Gaochi is the only elder brother recognized by Huamei. Xiao Fan recognizes him as his elder brother-in-law. His elder brother-in-law is his own family, so of course he cannot let him suffer. As for the other two Zhu brothers, he is not familiar with him and is doing his job in business.

Under the jealous and envious eyes of Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, Zhu Gaochi was lifted onto the horse by the soldiers, and walked side by side with Xiao Fan with a cramped expression.

"Xiao...Mr. Xiao, I, I'd better go down and take the prison car..." Zhu Gaochi mustered up his courage and said with his lips.

Xiao Fan's lips curled: "The official road is rugged and uneven. My brother-in-law likes to stand in the prison car and play with the shock of the car?"

Zhu Gaochi looked at the two younger brothers who were bitter in the prison car ahead and said with a bitter face: "I am the elder brother, I always have to share the hardships with my younger brothers..."

"My brother-in-law is indeed kind-hearted and deserves the word "relative"..."

Zhu Gaochi told the truth very kindly: "This has nothing to do with kindness. I often want to slap these two bastards to death with one mouthful. What I am afraid of is that if they gossip in front of their father in the future, after all, they are suffering now, but I am enjoying it..."

Xiao Fan smiled and said, "So what if your father knows? Are you afraid that your father will be stripped of the position of prince?"

Zhu Gaochi was speechless.

Xiao Fan laughed and said, "Brother-in-law is afraid that he hasn't figured out the situation yet. Now your father is no longer a prince. He is a traitor. You have also been removed from the position of prince by the court. Now your Yan King's lineage is a pure and completely poor peasant..."

Zhu Gaochi was stunned for a while, and finally sighed sadly and accepted this cruel reality.

Xiao Fan looked at Zhu Gaochi and said lightly: "Su Wen's brother-in-law is quite famous, he is calm, has a sense of words and deeds, and likes to study. These are the comments of great scholars of the times. I wonder how you view your rebellion against your father?"

Zhu Gaochi shook his head sadly and said, "Father... How can one judge a son as a son? It is a matter of unfilial piety to judge his father by his son. Lord Xiao, you are making things difficult for me."

"What do you think the court fought against your father, and what will happen?"

Zhu Gaochi said: "Mr. Xiao knew that I liked studying, but I was not very interested in military affairs. It was ridiculous to make me, an outsider comment."

Xiao Fan's eyes moved to the distance and said firmly: "The Holy Lord will surely win a complete victory!"

Zhu Gaochi stared at him silently.

Xiao Fan smiled and said, "Don't think I'm talking big blindly. What I say is well-founded. Anyone who fights, the right time, the right place, and the harmonious people are indispensable. You might as well think about it. Your father rebelled. Which of these three things did he occupy? In terms of heaven, he was disorganized because of the reform of the imperial court's military system, and he rushed to fight. Everything was unprepared. In terms of territoriality, the Ming Dynasty had a vast territory and numerous cities. More than 100,000 people might be able to capture several cities, or even more than a dozen cities. So what? The Ming Dynasty has hundreds of people.

Does he rely on these tens of thousands of people to attack thousands of cities? In terms of harmony, the court has occupied the hearts of righteousness. Your father, everyone in the world knows that he was treason for rebellion and usurping the throne, but he was just named Jingnan. This name can only be used to deceive himself. How can he deceive the scholars and people of the Ming Dynasty? The people are in a favor and have few supporters. What's more, the court has sent 500,000 troops to fight against the rabbit to quell the rebellion. Your father's defeat is decided, it's just a matter of time..."

Zhu Gaochi's face became paler and paler, he bit his lips tightly, and said nothing.

Xiao Fan looked up at the sky and said lightly: "If your father has the ability to overcome these factors, then he still has a factor that he absolutely cannot overcome..."

Zhu Gaochi looked up at him.

Xiao Fan pointed his thumb at himself and said with a smile: "I am the commander of the imperial court. As long as I am here, your father cannot win, and Daoyan cannot do it. I am born to be the nemesis of your father. Your father's rebellion has been aware of the imperial court for a long time. In recent years, he has been secretly alert to prepare for deployment. Your father rashly raised his troops and captured several cities. You may have taken the lead in this war, but taking the lead may not necessarily lead. The strength determines the final victory or defeat. Your father's strength is not as good as the court. He is too far behind in strategy or strategy, and he will definitely lose."

"Those who have attained the truth will have many helpers, and those who have lost the truth will have few helpers. This is the truth that ancient sages told the world. The country has inherited from generation to generation, but inheritance must be based on etiquette and law, the principles of kings, ministers and ministers. You know better than me. Everything in this world has a rule, just like playing games. Games also have their own rules. If you are not satisfied with this rule, you can withdraw from this game, but you cannot play this game that everyone wants to play according to your rules, unless you have enough strength to change this rule, there are rules between kings and ministers. The king is the king, and ministers are the ministers. This is normal orthodox, and we must abide by it. It is obvious that your father does not like this rule that is unfavorable to him. He has enough ambitions and courage, but he does not have enough strength, so his failure is destined..."

Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but say, "Mr. Xiao, why do you want to tell me this?"

Xiao Fan patted his shoulder and sighed, "If you have the opportunity to see your father, please advise him not to commit murder again. Knowing that it is a lost war, what's the point of fighting? The soldiers of the Yan army are all hard-working men who feed their wages, why bother paying their lives?"

Zhu Gaochi was silent for a while and said, "I will think about what you said."

"I hope you can figure out that the ethical principles in this world are not something that can be covered by the excuse of "Fengtian Jingnan". Put down the butcher's knife, and the demon can become a Buddha."

Zhu Gaochi hesitated and said, "What if... I advised my father, he is still obsessed with it?"

"If he dares to die, I dare to bury him!"

Three days later, Xiao Fan and his 10,000 soldiers arrived at Xuzhou Prefecture on the north bank and met with the main force of the 500,000 imperial army that were on standby outside Xuzhou Prefecture. Sheng Yong and Ping An visited Xiao Fan and handed over the command of the army.

Geng Bingwen was ordered by Xiao Fan to go to Kaifeng, Henan, and news came from the Jinyiwei that he had gathered officers and soldiers from each of the guards and thousands of households in Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong, a total of more than 70,000 people entered Kaifeng, Henan. Kaifeng had sufficient food and grass and sufficient Hyogo's military equipment. Geng Bingwen was sure to defend Kaifeng to the death and not allow Yan Ni to enter the city. Moreover, Geng Bingwen had followed Xiao Fan's orders to control the Zhou King Zhu Su, who was guarding Kaifeng, and sent soldiers to escort the King of Zhou and his family to the capital.

At the same time, news came from the northern Daming Prefecture that the Yan army, which was unstoppable along the way, finally encountered a tough skeleton in Daming Prefecture. Wuding Marquis Guo Ying was not easy to deal with. The two sides had a small battle outside the city, and the battle was extremely fierce. Guo Ying suffered a little loss, so he led his troops to Daming Prefecture according to Xiao Fan's order and strictly guarded the death.

The Yan army immediately attacked the city, but the city wall of Damingfu was strong. Zhu Di even used Hongwu cannons, but the iron bullets fired from the cannons could only knock out a little bit of gravel on the city wall, and the city wall did not move at all.

On the first day of the attack, the Yan army suffered more than 2,000 casualties, but they did not even climb the city. On the second and third day, the Yan army left countless bodies at the base of the Daming Mansion wall, but still could not attack. Zhu Di was so angry that he jumped into the camp and cursed, while Guo Ying, who was guarding the city, was in a state of ease and freedom.

If the military strategy is ten, it will be surrounded, and if it is twice as many, it will be annihilated. Unfortunately, the Daming Mansion will guard the city for 80,000 soldiers. Not to mention ten times under Zhu Di, it is less than twice as much as Guo Ying. It is unrealistic to siege the city.

In the past few days after the imperial court came out, Guo Ying dragged more than 100,000 Yan troops to Daming Prefecture. Zhu Di could not capture the city and could not advance. The war was in a stalemate.

Xiao Fan was very satisfied with Guo Ying's performance. After all, he was a veteran who had fought with Zhu Yuanzhang through the country. He was not good at attacking but was good at defending. A Daming Mansion was guarded by him like an iron bucket. Guo Ying guarded the Daming Mansion and Geng Bingwen guarded Kaifeng, Henan. The two remaining veterans nailed the two cities tightly on Zhu Di's halfway to march south. I believe Zhu Di must be very annoying now...

Without time to do pre-war mobilization and review the three armies and other catwalks, Xiao Fan took over the command of the 500,000 army and immediately issued the first military order: the entire army set off to head north.

He ordered Ping'an to be the vanguard of the army and led 50,000 troops to go first. Xiao Fan led the central army to follow closely. Hundreds of scouts and explored the horses along the way to inquire about the information of the Yan army. The 500,000 army started to travel, and it ran for a hundred miles without seeing the beginning and end.

On the third day, the army crossed the Yellow River and went straight to Yanzhou, Shandong.

One by one, open and secret orders were issued. On the fifth day, when camping, Wang Gui, the shopkeeper of the Dafeng Grain Store in Peking, entered the military camp alone under the guidance of his personal guards.

The candles in the tent were dim, and Wang Gui trembled to see Xiao Fan, standing solemnly, and did not dare to breathe.

Xiao Fan did not greet him and said straight to the point: "How much food have you sent to Yan Ni in the past two months?"

Wang Gui thought for a while and said, "Shopkeeper Chen helped raise the food, and the young man gave him about 100,000 stones of grain."

"One hundred thousand stones... In this way, the Yan army has no risk of shortage of food in a short period of time..."

Wang Gui smiled and said, "There is absolutely no shortage of food, the white rice and flour are enough."

Xiao Fan's face sank: "Why are you sending so many?"

Wang Gui was stunned, then knelt on the ground and said tremblingly: "Sir, you must be unreasonable. Didn't you ask the young man to send it?"

"Oh? Is that right?" Xiao Fan scratched his head: "Forget it, since I asked you to give it to me, I will forgive you."

Wang Gui: “…………”

"I asked you to come mainly to ask you..." Xiao Fan glanced left and right, lowered his voice and said, "...Is there any medicine added to the food I sent?"

Wang Gui nodded hurriedly: "All of them are mixed. According to the adult's instructions, each bag of grain is mixed with medicine and grain at a certain proportion..."
To be continued...