Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 844 Zhu Su Goes South
In the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty, because there was a large Lian Mountain in the northeast of Yuezhou, the name of Yuezhou in Lingnan Road was changed to Lianzhou, and the prefecture was named after it. This was the beginning of the name of Lianzhou.

Lianzhou governed one prefecture and two counties, namely Qinzhou, Hepu County, and Lingshan County, all of which were poor and exhausted. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was called "Lianzhou Road". In the first year of Hongwu, Lianzhou Road was changed to Lianzhou Prefecture. In the seventh year of Hongwu, Lianzhou Prefecture was downgraded to a prefecture. In the ninth year of Hongwu, Lianzhou was combined with Leizhou for jurisdiction. In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, Lianzhou was promoted to Lianzhou Prefecture again.

Lianzhou is a place where the word "fu" is repeated repeatedly, which shows how exhausted it is. Even Zhu was struggling whether to establish another prefecture here.

It was precisely because this place was exhausted and close to the chieftains of Guangxi that the Ming Dynasty sent two dukes to train troops here, which made it justified. Annan would never have thought that the two dukes of the Ming Dynasty would sharpen their knives here, and their ultimate target would actually be themselves.

It was September, and it was already a bit chilly in Yingtian Prefecture, but when I got here, the weather was surprisingly hot. There were many mountains and hills here, and even on the official road, it seemed like I was walking on a winding mountain road. Occasionally, a river, several feet wide, flowed.

The official road was full of trees, lush and green, but most of them were not very tall. However, there were many wild animals. Occasionally, a wild game like a pheasant would be frightened by the team and would rush out from the bushes. The soldiers who were suffering from the scorching heat would be refreshed. When they looked around and saw that the general was not nearby, they would raise their hands and shoot arrows. Once they hit the target, they would run over and pick up the pheasant. His comrades would also carefully protect him. Everyone who saw the pheasant would have a share. Naturally, no one would eat alone, which meant that they could all have meat for the next meal.

In the central army, a long-shafted four-horse carriage with a wide axle and large wheels, decorated with dragon patterns, was pulled by four strong horses and was moving briskly. A tall pole was inserted on the shaft, with a flag hanging on it. The flag was inscribed with a line of large characters "King Zhou Su". On the other side of the shaft was a second flag, which was the flag of the sun and moon hanging in the sky, symbolizing the Ming Dynasty.

The eunuch Gou'er became stronger and stronger, sitting on the shaft of the cart, even in such a hot sun, he still kept his body straight. He held a snake-skin and gold-threaded whip in his hand, but he didn't whip, but occasionally flicked it in the air to make a few whip flowers, and the four horses followed his instructions and galloped forward, neither fast nor slow, just matching the speed of the army.

Inside the spacious and luxurious carriage, Zhu Su sat on a soft mattress and rolled up the curtain halfway, so that the sunlight could just pour into the carriage without being too glaring. The sun was blazing outside, but there was a cool breeze inside. There was a desk next to the window, and on the desk was a square ice lamp with carved patterns. When the carriage moved forward, the hot air blowing in from the window turned into a cool breeze.

In addition to Zhu Su who was holding a book, there was also a scholar with a white face and short beard, dressed in a green robe. The scholar was sitting in the corner, listening to instructions with his hands down. Only when Zhu Su asked questions did he say a few words with fear and trepidation. If Zhu Su did not ask questions, he would be like a clay or wooden sculpture. Although the car was not hot, there were a few traces of sweat on his forehead.

"Okay, Jinshen. You and I can be considered as a teacher and student, and we are also old friends. Why should we be so reserved?" Seeing that this man was always on pins and needles, Zhu Su couldn't help but smile. "I asked for your permission to transfer you here so that you can assist me in quelling the chaos in Sizhou, not to sit here like a clay Buddha."

"Come, come, come, tell me more about this Sizhou Pingwu Chronicle from the pre-Tang Dynasty..."

This scholar with the courtesy name Jinshen was none other than Jie Jin, a great scholar from the Imperial Academy who had assisted Zhu Su and others in deceiving the Western barbarians in the past.

Xie Jin was still young at the time, but he had already gained a reputation in the capital. Zhu Su bribed him and taught him to trick Philip and Firut, two Western barbarians, into handing over a letter of betrayal to the Ming Dynasty, and by the way, he punished them and cheated them of a sum of money. This was also a great achievement. If nothing unexpected happened, Xie Jin would be recommended by Zhu Su, promoted by the Imperial Academy to the court, and appointed by the emperor... In fact, Zhu did summon the young talent Xie Jin.

Unexpectedly, Xie Jin might be overjoyed, or he might have inherited the spirit of the ancient madmen. After leaving the palace, he called his friends and got drunk on the Qinhuai flower boat. He told everything he had done and even boasted in public that he would inherit the mantle of the new school and become the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.

This was reported to Zhu Yuanzhang by the Imperial Guards, who immediately flew into a rage. You know, deceiving the Western barbarians to present a letter of credence is not a good idea. This is just a move that will not only give the Ming Dynasty a moral advantage over Britain in the future, but if he spreads the letter around like this, no one will believe it and it will be a waste of time. Will the court still have dignity?
That night, the Jinyiwei threw the drunk Xie Jin back to the mansion and gave a message to Xie Jin's father: "You are a late bloomer. If you bring your son back, it will help you to make progress. In the next ten years, it will not be too late for you to be of great use."

Your son is still too young. Let him go and hone his skills first. After ten years, he can come and serve as an official in the court!
The emperor hated Xie Jin, and the Xie family felt as if they were punished by heaven. They were in great distress. Zhu Biao heard about this and sent a eunuch to comfort Xie Jin: "Father knows all about Xie's talent. However, jade needs to be picked, and people need experience. Now you can go home and study hard, and it will not be too late to serve the country in the future."

The prince personally comforted Xie Jin, and Xie's father and son finally felt relieved. The father and son turned to the direction of Zijin Mountain to thank the emperor for his grace, and the family packed their bags and returned to their hometown in Jiangxi. Zhu didn't really dislike Xie Jin. He treated all talented young people as treasures to help his descendants govern the country in the future. Xie Jin won the first place in the Jiangxi provincial examination. Zhu saw it in his memorial and remembered it in his heart. He told it as an interesting story at the family dinner.

Zhu Su also thought of this young but knowledgeable and talented scholar. After all, he would be the editor-in-chief of the Yongle Encyclopedia in the future. How could he be less talented?
Zhu wanted to be the governor of Lianzhou, Sizhou and other southwestern military affairs, but he really didn't know the situation in the southwest in the early Ming Dynasty. What's more, the situation of the chieftains in the early Ming Dynasty was complicated and could not be sorted out by ordinary people... If there was such a clerk who was good at paperwork, whether it was to dig out information from the pile of old papers or to sort out this mess, it would be much more reliable than doing it himself.

To put it bluntly, you need a reliable manager so that you can be at ease and be a hands-off boss most of the time.

Those in a higher position are better at commanding others.

Therefore, Xie Jin was transferred from Jiangxi by Zhu Su's request. As a small clerk beside King Zhou, he joined the group going south.

(End of this chapter)