My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 114 Butterfly Wings
Li Wenzhong was constantly monitoring news from Yingchang and learned of the death of Emperor Zhizheng immediately.

He made a decisive move, abandoning supplies and logistics, and led his army on a day-and-night march to attack Yingchang.

The ascension of a new emperor inevitably brings chaos to the court, and even though Emperor Yuan Zhaozong had been deeply involved in the court before his accession, he was still no exception.

So much so that Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan did not know that the Ming army had attacked until Li Wenzhong's army arrived at the city of Yingchang.

However, he was more courageous than his father, Emperor Zhizheng. Instead of abandoning the city and fleeing, he gathered all the city's troops and prepared to give Li Wenzhong a big blow.

He had a beautiful dream, but people were not convinced of his new position.

If he can stop Li Wenzhong, his prestige will surpass that of his father, Emperor Zhizheng, and he will become the new emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.

However, he did not act blindly. While holding firm, he also sent people to Liaodong and other directions to seek reinforcements.

When the army surrounds them, Li Wenzhong will have no chance of escape, even if he had wings.

Defeating the famous Ming general Li Wenzhong is an exciting thought!

Only under my leadership can the Great Yuan Dynasty turn the tide and reclaim everything it has lost.

In short, the future is bright, and as long as we persevere, there is hope.

Li Wenzhong cooperated with him, and the army surrounded them from all sides without leaving a single gap.

Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan was overjoyed. Since ancient times, when besieging a city, it was necessary to surround it with three sides open and one side left unguarded, in order to prevent the defenders from having no way to escape and becoming determined to die.

Li Wenzhong's ambush from all sides was a grave mistake, a major military blunder, unworthy of a renowned general.

This time, it's my turn to achieve success and fame.

Then he learned what it meant to apply what he learned in practice, and he also learned why Li Wen was a famous general.

Li Wenzhong used only a feint attack to expose a flaw in Yingchang's solid defenses.

On the first day, the main army was sent to the south of the city, and on the morning of the second day, the attack on the south of the city was continued.

Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan was very determined and remained steadfast in his original strategy.

The next afternoon, the Ming army launched a sudden and fierce attack on the north side of the city.

The attack was extremely fierce, and the Ming army stormed the city walls several times.

However, they were quickly driven away by the Yuan army.

Emperor Zhaozong was overjoyed. "I knew Li Wenzhong was going to use a feint attack, but now he's out of options!"

Li Wenzhong seemed somewhat enraged and ordered his army to launch a fierce attack on the north side of the city.

The Yuan army faced increased defensive pressure, so Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan moved his main force to the north of the city for defense.

However, to his surprise, not long after the main force was transferred, the Ming army launched another fierce attack on the south of the city.

The Yuan army was caught off guard and the Ming army stormed the city walls.

The Yuan army, already uneasy, completely lost morale and began to desert en masse.

Emperor Yuan Zhaozong, still lost in his daydream, was shocked. In his panic, he had no time to make any preparations and, with the desperate protection of his personal guards, broke through the encirclement.

After confirming that it was safe, a headcount was taken, and it was found that only a little over a hundred riders remained.

Of all the officials, only five or six escaped with him; the rest remained in the city.

At this moment, all of Emperor Yuan Zhaozong's ambitions vanished into thin air.

He finally understood why his father had fled as soon as he heard that the Ming army was coming.

It turns out we really couldn't beat them.

But Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan still faced a problem: where to go next?

Remembering Wang Baobao's letter, he originally wanted to go and meet with Lin, but his subordinates dissuaded him.

Wang Baobao's mind is unsettled; what if he really has rebellious intentions?
Moreover, you're only taking a few of us with you, with no troops or power. Be careful, he might use the emperor to command the other lords.

Moreover, he only had 60,000 to 70,000 men under his command, most of whom were new recruits with very poor combat effectiveness.

With this small force, they couldn't stop the Ming army.

Why not go to Fishing Lake? That area is directly under the control of the Khan's faction.

Once you arrive, you can quickly assemble a new team.

Only when you have troops in your hands can you be the Great Khan of the Mongols and the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.

Moreover, Buyur Lake is very close to Liaodong, where Naghach has an army of 200,000 and Goryeo, which is loyal to the Yuan Dynasty.

This argument successfully persuaded Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan.

He immediately led the remaining soldiers to Buyur Lake.

Wang Baobao didn't learn of this news until more than twenty days later, and he was so angry that he almost fainted.

He knew that the Yuan Dynasty was truly finished this time.

His original plan was to use his own strength, along with the name of Emperor Yuan Zhaozong, to assemble an army of at least 100,000 to 200,000 men.

Moreover, Karakorum is located in the heart of the grasslands (within Outer Mongolia), and for the Ming Dynasty to attack this area would be a costly and distant expedition.

The supply of food and provisions alone could have crippled the Ming army.

If the Ming Dynasty dares to attack Karakorum, Karakorum will surely be able to deliver a crushing blow by relying on its geographical advantage.

However, now all plans have fallen apart.

As a warlord with no foothold on the grasslands, he couldn't command anyone at all.

It is also difficult to obtain much reinforcements from other tribes.

Let alone expanding his army, it's questionable whether he even has enough food to feed his current troops.

As for leading troops to Buyur Lake to join Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan...

He might have had such thoughts before, but he doesn't dare to now.

Emperor Zhaozong and his court officials clearly did not trust him. If he were to lead troops there, others would only suspect that he wanted to fight each other.

Moreover, letting it pass by like this would be tantamount to a lamb entering a tiger's den.

Although he didn't want internal strife, he also didn't want to go and die.

Reflecting on the root cause of all this, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.

The tactic of sowing discord is truly effective time and again.

He didn't blame the Ming Dynasty for being treacherous; everyone was at odds, resorting to any means necessary.

Blaming others for being cunning only reveals one's own incompetence.

The only thing that bothered him was what happened to his sister.

Your brother is powerless to rescue you. I only hope that Ma Yu will treat you better.
-
As for Li Wenzhong, although he was very disappointed that Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan had escaped, he was overjoyed after counting the spoils of war.

Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan never even considered escaping, so he made no preparations beforehand.

When the Ming army captured Yingchang, they captured almost all of the Yuan dynasty's high-ranking officials alive.

This included Emperor Yuan Zhaozong's crown prince, empress, concubines, and countless princes and ministers.

They also found jade seals from the Jin and Song dynasties, as well as countless other treasures in the treasury.

It can be said that the treasures accumulated by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty over hundreds of years were packaged up by the Ming Dynasty in one go.

Afterwards, Li Wenzhong led his army in triumph, and on the way, he also captured Daxing, captured the Yuan Dynasty Duke Jiang Wenqing alive, and took more than 37,000 Yuan soldiers prisoner.

When he returned to Yingtian, Zhu Yuanzhang personally went to the dock to welcome him, which shows how excited he was.

At the victory banquet, Zhu Yuanzhang announced on the spot that Li Wenzhong would be granted the title of Duke of Cao, a hereditary title.

The other generals also received titles and rewards.

Zhu Shuang naturally attended the celebration banquet, but he was more concerned about something else than the others.

Seizing an opportunity, he asked, "Cousin, do you know the whereabouts of the Yuan Dynasty's false emperor?"

Li Wenzhong shook his head and said, "I sent people to track him, and all I know is that he went northeast."

"We don't know exactly where we're going yet."

"However, based on speculation, it is highly likely that they went to Buyur Lake."

Zhu Shuang was overjoyed. Karakorum was in the northwest, and Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan had traveled all the way to the northeast, so it could be inferred that he had not gone to Karakorum.

It doesn't matter where he went exactly, as long as he didn't meet up with Wang Baobao.

"It's good that they didn't go to Helin; our plan to sow discord has succeeded."

Li Wenzhong, of course, also knew about the divisive tactic, and so he smiled and said:
"The only capable fighter in the Yuan Dynasty is Wang Baobao. If he were to join forces with the Yuan puppet emperor, he would become a major threat to our Ming Dynasty."

"Now that he no longer has the name of the Yuan false emperor to command the heroes, he has become a toothless tiger."

“My cousin’s plan is worth a hundred thousand troops.”

Zhu Shuang was also very pleased, but said modestly:
"Cousin, you flatter me. To truly defeat the enemy, we still need to rely on you."

Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally also concerned about the plan to sow discord, and after the victory banquet, the emperor and his ministers discussed the matter.

Upon learning that Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan had not gone to Karakorum, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed and immediately adjusted his strategy.

"Our original plan was to send Tiande to Beiping to train troops next year, and then attack Helin the year after, to have a final battle with the remnants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty."

"It seems the plan needs to be adjusted slightly now."

So he ordered Xu Da, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde and other generals to train troops in Shanxi, and also ordered Li Wenzhong to train troops in Beiping.

At the same time, the Ministry of War was ordered to procure military supplies and provisions.

"Next year, we will divide our forces into three routes: Feng Sheng will attack the Hexi Corridor, Xu Da and Fu Youde will lead the main force to attack Helin, and Li Wenzhong will go out of Juyong Pass to contain the enemy forces in the northeast."

"We must achieve our goal in one decisive battle and completely eliminate Wang Baobao."

"Without him, the Mongol Yuan dynasty is nothing but a bunch of mediocre people, and our army can easily wipe them out."

Ma Yu was also very excited when she learned about this.

For no other reason than that history has truly changed.

Historically, after the death of Emperor Zhizheng, Li Wenzhong conquered Yingchang.

Emperor Zhaozong of Yuan suddenly realized his mistake at the last moment and chose to reconcile with Wang Baobao.

Using the monarch's name, they conscripted hundreds of thousands of troops.

This led to Wang Baobao's desperate counterattack in the fifth year of the Hongwu reign.

This battle can be said to have delayed the Ming Dynasty's unification process by at least ten years.

Now, because of the divisive tactic, Emperor Yuan Zhaozong did not go to Karakorum.

Wang Baobao, a Sinicized Mongol, could not command anyone.

With his limited forces, he was no match for the massive army led by Xu Da and Fu Youde.

History has truly changed.

As for why Zhu Yuanzhang launched the Northern Expedition a year earlier, this is easy to understand.

As the saying goes, "the longer you wait, the more things can go wrong." If Wang Baobao is given too much time, the emperor and his minister might reconcile.

Even without reconciliation, Wang Baobao's abilities were more than enough to annex several tribes and establish his own foundation.

Once he establishes himself on the grasslands, it will be very difficult for the Ming Dynasty to eliminate him.

As the saying goes, we should press on with our remaining strength and not give him that chance.

After Zhu Yuanzhang issued the order, another person objected, and that was Chang Yuchun.

That very day, he stormed into the Qianqing Palace and cornered Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Up, we had an agreement, you have to include me in the fight against the grasslands."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a slight headache, "Your health..."

Chang Yuchun patted his chest vigorously: "My hands and feet have been healed for a long time. I've been training every day for the past six months and I'm even stronger than before."

"You can rest assured."

Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to send him to Xu Da's place, repeatedly instructing him not to pour cold water on himself while sweating profusely. Chang Yuchun replied, "Don't worry, I don't want to die yet. I promise to take good care of myself this time."

After receiving the appointment letter, Chang Yuchun set off in a great hurry.

Ma Yu and the others escorted him to the riverbank at the dock until the boat he was on disappeared before returning.

Seeing the worried Consort Chang and the others, Ma Yu reassured them.

Having finally made it out of the city, the group didn't rush back, but instead took a stroll around outside the city.

He even made a special trip to the refugee camp to check on the situation.

Zhu Biao explained, "The north has been pacified, and the imperial court has begun to relocate people to the Central Plains."

"Most of the refugees have been sent to the north for resettlement, which has greatly reduced the pressure on Yingtian."

Looking at the empty refugee camp, Ma Yu wore a thoughtful expression:

"Does the imperial court have a plan for relocating the people?"

There were no outsiders here, so Zhu Biao said:
"The migration from the south to the north started with relocating some of the landless and land-poor people, and then the wealthy families were relocated."

Ma Yu nodded, then suddenly asked, "Was the location of the capital decided?"

Chang Mao, Zhu Shuang, and others also looked over.

Zhu Biao didn't hide anything and said, "Even if you hadn't asked, I was just about to discuss this with you. What do you think of Anyang?"

Ma Yu revealed an expression of certainty. From the day the treasure cauldron was unearthed, he had guessed that the capital city was likely to be located there.

"I think it's great. It's located at the junction of four provinces: Henan, Shandong, Beijing, and Shanxi. It's the heart of the Central Plains."

"With the Taihang Mountains as a natural barrier to the west and a vast plain to the east, the pressure on the capital's grain transport can be reduced."

"With the Huan River and Zhang River providing water and navigation capabilities, ships can travel directly to the Yellow River and the Grand Canal."

"Moreover, the terrain is relatively high, so it can enjoy the benefits brought by the Yellow River without worrying about its flooding."

"The only drawback is that it lacks the natural defenses of Luoyang and Chang'an, so it is necessary to build a strong city."

Zhu Biao laughed and said, "Two years ago in prison you said that there is no perfect place in the world."

“Aside from the lack of natural defenses, Anyang’s conditions far surpass those of other places, making it the most suitable location to serve as the capital region.”

Ma Yu laughed and said, "Haha, I had forgotten that I ever said that."

"However, the imperial court is currently building the Fengyang Imperial Palace. Does it have the resources to build another imperial city?"

Upon hearing the mention of Fengyang Palace, Zhu Biao's expression turned serious, and he glanced at Chang Mao and the others.

Consort Chang immediately understood his meaning and stepped forward to say:
"What's over there? Come with me and let's go see."

The group knew there were things they shouldn't hear, so they all followed.

Only Zhu Biao, Ma Yu, and Zhu Shuang remained.

Zhu Biao then said, "There's a problem at the Fengyang Imperial Palace."

Ma Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that his corruption had been uncovered?
He feigned confusion and asked, "What happened?"

Zhu Biao said, "Let my second brother tell you; he knows best."

Zhu Shuang immediately explained the situation.

Just as the original historical records state, the construction of the Fengyang Imperial Palace was marred by a corruption scandal.

The conscripted laborers and artisans were bullied.

"The most serious thing is that they actually withheld all the rations that were distributed to laborers and artisans."

"People not only have to work, but they also have to pay for their own food."

This matter was discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard during their investigation of financial and tax issues among the common people, when they unexpectedly learned of it from a laborer's home.

Then, following the clues, they discovered the corruption case at the Fengyang Imperial Palace.

"At that time, some of the people who could no longer bear it had already shown signs of rioting."

"Those corrupt officials not only did not know how to appease them, but they even tried to suppress them by force."

"If I hadn't discovered it early, a popular uprising would probably have already occurred."

At this point, Zhu Shuang's face was filled with murderous intent, and Zhu Biao's eyes were also brimming with killing intent.

The Ming Dynasty had only been established for three years, yet it almost drove the people to revolt. How could they not be angry?

Even though he already knew about this from historical records, Ma Yu was still extremely angry when he heard firsthand about the people's suffering:
"How does Your Majesty intend to handle this matter?"

Zhu Biao suppressed his anger and said, "Prime Minister Li has been unwell lately and wishes to resign as prime minister to recuperate."

“My father is planning to send him to Fengyang to oversee this matter.”

"Once the matter is investigated, we will stop the project in Fengyang and transfer manpower to Anyang to build a new city."

Ma Yu had also heard about Li Shanchang's illness; it wasn't a case of him faking it to retire gracefully.

He lacks this awareness.

He was indeed sick, but it wasn't an acute illness; rather, it was some old ailment left over from the war years.

As people get older, these symptoms tend to erupt all at once.

The doctor's advice to him was to rest and recuperate.

Li Shanchang still cherishes his life and has already prepared to resign. He will retire to a position behind the scenes once a new prime minister is elected.

Zhu Yuanzhang's decision to send him to investigate the corruption case in Fengyang Imperial City was actually a good arrangement.

Given his status and position, investigating corruption would be a piece of cake for him.

However, Ma Yu, who was well-versed in history, couldn't help but smile wryly.

Sending Li Shanchang over would be like sending a thief to catch another thief.

Thinking about this, he sighed and said, "Have you ever considered this question?"

"Whose people are currently in charge of the construction of the Fengyang Imperial City?"

"These people are so corrupt, yet the imperial court hasn't heard a word about it."

"Do you think it would be possible if no one covered for them?"

Zhu Shuang revealed an expression of certainty and said, "I had a feeling there was something fishy about this, and it seems I was right."

Zhu Biao frowned and said, "You mean Prime Minister Li? That's impossible. What would he be after?"

Ma Yu sighed, "Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

"Think about how Liu Zhongcheng (Liu Bowen) broke with Li Xiang."

At this point, he changed the subject, saying, "Of course, this is just a guess. We'll have to investigate to find out the specifics."

Zhu Biao's expression turned serious: "If what you say is true, then we really cannot let Prime Minister Li go on this matter."

"When I get back, I will tell my father about this and have him appoint someone else to go."

Ma Yu didn't say anything more, hoping that the corruption case in Fengyang could be resolved soon.

In his previous life, Zhu Yuanzhang noticed something was wrong in Fengyang, so he sent Li Shanchang, who was retired at home, to investigate.

As expected, Li Shanchang found a few small fry to take the blame, while the real big shots were all spared.

Zhu Yuanzhang was unaware that the person he trusted most was not on his side.

He also commended Li Shanchang for his good work and put him in charge of the construction of the Fengyang Imperial Palace.

It wasn't until the eighth year of the Hongwu reign that the laborers and artisans could no longer endure it and began a collective strike, which brought the matter to light.

Zhu Yuanzhang then realized that Li Shanchang was the protector of corruption in Fengyang.

But out of consideration for their past relationship, they cleared his name and let him get away unscathed.

At the time, Zhu Yuanzhang probably thought that Li Shanchang was already over sixty years old and his health had never been very good.

Spare his life to preserve the bond between ruler and subject.

Who would have thought that Elder Li Shan would grow stronger with age, his health improving day by day, and he lived to be over seventy years old without showing any signs of dying.

Zhu Yuanzhang must have regretted not taking advantage of the outbreak of the corruption scandal in Fengyang Imperial City to deal with him.

As a result, he ended up being branded as someone who slaughtered heroes.

However, Ma Yu had no intention of persuading Zhu Yuanzhang to slaughter his meritorious officials. If he had dared to do so, the group of meritorious officials would probably have broken with him in an instant.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang would doubt his intentions.

Pointing out the suspicious points was enough; the rest was up to Zhu Yuanzhang to decide.
-
Qianqing Palace.

Upon hearing Zhu Biao's report, Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned extremely gloomy.

He simply hadn't suspected anything in that direction before, but now that he's been reminded, how could he not realize the problem?

Upon careful reflection, many of the officials who built the Fengyang Imperial City were recommended by Li Shanchang.

Most officials could be associated with him.

How could he possibly be completely unaware of this matter?
The key point is that Li Shanchang has a criminal record.

He had previously broken ties with Liu Bowen because he had protected his criminal subordinates.

The more Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, the more convinced he became that this conjecture was almost certainly true.

The thought that Li Shanchang had deceived him ignited a fire within him.

However, in the end, he suppressed his anger and said:
"Biao'er, you're overthinking it. We know Bai Shi's character. Although he may have some minor flaws, he's never had any major issues."

"This matter must have nothing to do with him."

Zhu Biao sighed inwardly; his father still valued their past relationship.

He naturally wouldn't go against his father's wishes, so he went along with it and said:

"That's what I think too. Prime Minister Li is the greatest contributor to the founding of the Ming Dynasty. How could he do such a corrupt and lawless thing?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with his son's attitude, but he also knew that it was no longer realistic to send Li Shanchang over, so he said:
"But your concerns are not without merit, as the saying goes, 'a melon patch or a place where one might be implicated.'"

"The officials who built the Fengyang Imperial City are mostly connected with the common people. It would be inappropriate to send them to investigate."

"Only when another capable minister is selected can this be done."

Zhu Biao said, "Father is wise, but I don't know who in the court is capable of taking on this great responsibility."

The key now is no longer dealing with the corrupt officials in Fengyang, but rather getting rid of those people under Li Shanchang's protection.

Li Shanchang should not be implicated yet.

In other words, this person must meet the following criteria.

He was capable enough to not be afraid of Li Shanchang and could understand the emperor's intentions.

The situation can be kept within a certain scope to prevent it from spreading too widely.

Yang Xian was the first to be rejected. He had a deep grudge against Li Shanchang, and sending him would inevitably drag Li Shanchang down with him.

The Zhejiang faction won't work either; they'd love to make things worse.

Try to drag more people from the Huaiyou faction into this mess.

It seems that the others are not suitable either, either because they dare not offend Li Shanchang, or because they would most likely just make a token appearance if they went.

Either they lack the ability, or they are too rigid and don't understand the superior's intentions.

After much deliberation, Zhu Yuanzhang was unable to find a suitable candidate.

Zhu Biao was also a bit troubled. With Li Shanchang around, this matter seemed really difficult to handle.

Just then, a palace attendant came to report:
"Your Majesty, Vice Minister Liu requests an audience."

Liu Bowen?
The father and son exchanged a glance, and both saw the answer in each other's eyes.

The perfect candidate has come knocking on my door, even after I've searched high and low for them.

(End of this chapter)