The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 142 The Dirty Nature of Power Stratagems
Zhu Xiong Ying smiled.

"Since this thing is so dangerous, why let it exist? Now that I've brought the scouts into the open, this is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Let's seize this chance to eliminate any future troubles!"

"My third uncle can handle things here in Yingtian Prefecture. As for outside Yingtian Prefecture, it would probably be of little use to hand it over to the provincial administration offices in Shandong and Hebei!"

"The troops in all the northern garrisons are under the command of the Duke of Wei. I'm afraid this matter will require your intervention, Duke of Wei!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Da was furious.

Zhu Xiong Ying has quite the grand scheme.

Not only did he get himself involved, but he also dragged Prince Zhu Shuang of Qin and Prince Zhu Gang of Jin into this mess.

No matter what happens to any of these people, Zhu Yuanzhang would fight them to the death.

"You bunch of brats, you're such a handful! I'm getting old and just want to enjoy my retirement, is it really that troublesome?"

Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes lit up.

"So, the Duke of Wei has agreed?"

Xu Da sighed.

"Can I refuse? Unauthorized mobilization of troops is a capital offense, but if my inaction puts the Crown Prince, Prince Qin, and Prince Jin in danger, it would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their families. Either way, I'll die. Tell me, what should I choose?"

Zhu Xiong Ying scratched his head awkwardly.

"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. Who can be sure that this is a bad thing? Since the Duke of Wei is so eager to do it, it means that there are benefits to it!"

"Please rest assured, Duke of Wei, Xiong Ying actually helped several families recover afterward!"

Upon hearing this, Duke Xu Da of Wei burst into laughter.

After discussing it further, Zhu Xiong Ying left the Duke of Wei's mansion. Just then, he heard someone calling his name from behind.

He turned his head and saw that the person he saw was none other than Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was panting heavily, his face full of resentment.

"Why are you running so fast, U.A.? I've been chasing you for ages!"

"What exactly are you and Uncle Xu talking about? I feel like I understand every single word you say, but why can't I understand a single sentence when they're put together?"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled.

"It seems that Fourth Uncle values ​​the affairs of the Duke of Wei's mansion very much!"

Zhu Di rolled his eyes at him.

"Isn't that all your fault? Don't forget, my wife is also from the Duke of Wei's mansion, and the Duke of Wei is my father-in-law. If you force us to the point of having our entire family executed, or if something happens to Uncle Xu, how am I supposed to explain this to Miaoyun?"

“I’m telling you, Xiong Ying, whether you’re plotting against Li Shanchang or Hu Weiyong, your fourth uncle will never stop you. Those old bastards are dead and that’s fine. But Uncle Tiande is one of our own. How can you plot against your own family?”

"And what about the second and third brothers?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed when he saw Zhu Di's indignant expression.

Fortunately, we didn't entrust this task to him at the beginning.

Zhu Di is indeed capable, but he is still too inexperienced.

"If this matter would be detrimental to the Duke of Wei's mansion, do you think the Duke of Wei would agree so readily?" Prince Yan, Zhu Di, scratched his head, seemingly unable to understand at all.

Yes, since they're going to die anyway, why is Uncle Xu so happy?

"Xiongying, stop beating around the bush and tell your fourth uncle quickly, otherwise he probably won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Zhu Xiong Ying cleared her throat.

"Although the army of the Ming Dynasty is divided into factions, do you know which two factions are the most powerful?"

Zhu Di said in a deep voice.

"Although each general has his own troops, the strongest should be the troops under the command of the late Prince of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun, and the troops under the command of Duke of Wei, Xu Da!"

"After the death of the Prince of Kaiping, most of the connections of this army were handed over to the Duke of Liang, Lan Yu. Therefore, the Duke of Liang, Lan Yu, and the Duke of Wei, Xu Da, control the largest number of troops!"

"It was indeed the two of them. Uncle Si should know about Lan Yu disbanding his adopted sons not long ago, right?"

"The military power in the hands of the Duke of Liang mostly comes from his adopted sons who are like his own limbs. Now that Lan Yu has severed ties with these people, some of them may even harbor resentment towards him. As for going back to the way things were before, it's simply impossible!"

"Therefore, the one with the largest number of soldiers in the entire Ming Dynasty was Xu Da, the Duke of Wei!"

"How can one tolerate someone else snoring beside one's bed? No one, no matter who they are, would allow such a powerful person to exist under their command!"

"Therefore, the Duke of Wei was also very uneasy. Although his unauthorized mobilization of troops this time would arouse the Emperor's suspicion, it was ultimately to save me and my second and third uncles. With these three people vouching for him, the Duke of Wei will not be in any trouble; he will only be stripped of his military power!"

Zhu Di was still completely confused when he heard this.

"If you want to remove Uncle Xu's military power, you only need to tell Uncle Xu. Why do this?"

"Uncle Xu isn't someone who craves power."

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed.

"Fourth Uncle, you're thinking too simply. It's true that the Duke of Wei may not be greedy for power, but what about the people under him? Duke Xu Da of Wei has not made any mistakes; on the contrary, he has contributed to the country, yet he was stripped of his military power. I'm afraid his people won't harbor any resentment!"

"No matter what Xu Da says this time, arbitrarily mobilizing troops is indeed a serious crime. By neither punishing nor rewarding him, we can win over the hearts of generals in various regions and even reduce the number of troops in the north!"

"To be honest, Uncle Xu's troops are all stationed in the nine important border towns. The reason why Xu Huizu was appointed to the Five Military Commands was actually because he had the idea of ​​being a hostage!"

"This time, I invited the three Chang brothers out because I wanted them to take over a portion of the military power in the north!"

"After that, we can recall Duke Cao, Li Wenzhong, and transfer Duke Song, Feng Sheng, to the north. In addition, Uncle Mu Ying has been stationed in the north for long enough. Now the matter in Yunnan needs to be resolved, and Mu Ying and Wang Bi are the best candidates!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhu Di of Yan broke out in a cold sweat.

No wonder Zhu Xiong Ying has been so active lately; it turns out that everything is linked together, and all of it is for this purpose.

Chang Mao and Feng Sheng had a strained relationship because of the Longzhou incident.

Placing Chang Mao in the north this time can divide Xu Da's power, while transferring Feng Sheng to the north is also to prevent him from becoming too powerful.

Cao Guogong Li Wenzhong has made outstanding military achievements, especially the previous surprise attack on Helin, which made his reputation in the north soar. Now it is time to recall him.

As for Marquis Dingyuan Wang Bi, he was a capable general under Duke Liang of Lan Yu. Transferring him to Marquis Xiping Mu Ying would not only pacify the Yunnan region, but also weaken the power of Duke Liang of Lan Yu, thus achieving a balance.

This series of tactics is truly frightening.

(End of this chapter)