Chapter 904 Follow Him in This Life
After returning from the Northern Expedition, the Tiger Guards took a long vacation and took turns to rest. They are still taking turns to rest today.
Some people suggested that this might be too loose.
Yan Xu went to ask Jiang Qingzhi for instructions, and Jiang Qingzhi said, "That's a human being, not a puppet. He's been training and going to war for half a year or a year without a break, and his whole body is too tense. Aren't you afraid of something happening?"
Yan Xu's reaction at the time was: "Who dares?"
Jiang Qingzhi kicked him out and ordered him to eat and live with the soldiers.
After only ten days, Yan Xu came to apologize. Jiang Qingzhi asked him how he felt, and Yan Xu said...
“…I said at the time, it’s like being in jail.”
On the training ground, the Tiger Guards were training. Yan Xu sighed, "My Lord is right. The brothers are really overwhelmed. If we don't give them some time off, they will either slack off or complain. If their morale is not high, what's the point of training more?"
"Commander, now that Altan has stopped his activities, I'm afraid there will be no place for fighting in the next few years?" someone asked regretfully.
All the generals looked at Yan Xu, and Yan Xu said, "I have asked Lord Bo about this matter, and Lord Bo said that we should just stay prepared for battle."
"But who can we fight?"
"Yeah! No one's coming."
Yan Xu sighed, "Master asked you to study, but you...Master said, if the enemy can go, I can go too. What does that mean? Why should we wait for others to attack us? Daming should rush out, kick open the enemy's door, and beat them up."
The generals were startled, and someone laughed and said, "This is really what Lord Bo said. If you don't come, I will go!"
"That's a relief!"
"That was when the Ming Dynasty was founded, and Emperor Chengzu led five northern expeditions. We haven't had such good days since then. I never expected it!" An old general was filled with emotion. "At first, I thought I would just have to sit there and be beaten by the foreign tribes on the grasslands for the rest of my life, but I never expected that there would be a day when they would come to my doorstep. I'm really... looking forward to it."
"I wonder how Altan is doing." Chen Bao looked to the north. After returning from the northern expedition, his grandfather was overjoyed and immediately held a banquet for the guests, solemnly introducing him. According to Chen Bao's understanding, his grandfather had raised his status in the family by a large margin.
From then on, the attitudes of the elders who used to give him instructions and lectures began to change. They would speak to him politely, enthusiastically, or cautiously, and their tone became gentler...
Who gave all this?
Grandfather asked him meaningfully.
Long Wilbur!
Chen Bao narrowed his eyes and felt his blood boiling.
——Follow him!
His grandfather gave him three words.
To extend this, it can be said: No matter success or failure, honor or disgrace, follow Long Wilbur!
Unlike these military commanders who did not read much, Chen Bao read a lot of books, especially history books. The powerful and far-sighted families would let their children read history from an early age.
By reading history, you can understand the general trend of the world and the rise and fall of things. If you compare history with the present, you will be surprised to find that the present is exactly the same as history.
In other words, the present is a repetition of history, and history is also repeating itself over and over again...
The rise and fall of every dynasty is a repetition, a reincarnation...
Once you understand this principle, you will have a clear understanding of the current situation.
If we put the current situation into the context of history and follow the historical context, the subsequent development of the situation will be almost certain.
In Chen Bao's view, the previous Ming Dynasty was no different from the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, and had already entered the middle and later stages of the dynasty. If nothing unexpected happened, the future would be a bottomless abyss, the sunset of the empire that no one could change.
But everything changed when the purge of the Beijing guards began.
My grandfather praised the biogas digester and said that the family's farmland harvest increased by more than 10% because of it. Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, what does it mean to increase the income by more than 10%?
This amount could extend the Ming Dynasty's reign for at least ten years.
This is Chen Bao’s own analysis.
Then came the Northern Expedition.
According to Chen Bao's analysis, if nothing unexpected happened, the Ming Dynasty would inevitably fall due to internal and external troubles. In the process of the dynasty's collapse, the grassland aliens would become the nightmare of the Ming Dynasty.
So he was also observing the situation in the army. After the purge of the Beijing guards, the training methods were completely new, followed by the replacement of firearms.
Altan Khan's march south was a test. Countless people were watching the Huben Zuowei, the first garrison to be fully equipped.
The Northern Expedition was a battle that determined the direction of the Ming Dynasty. Chen Bao and his grandfather privately said that if they lost, the literati would launch a crazy counterattack and suppress the emperor's struggle. From then on, the Ming Dynasty would return to its original track.
That track leads straight to the abyss of hell.
It is also the road to national destruction.
His grandfather was very pleased with his progress and asked: What if we defeat Altan Khan?
"It can extend the life of the Ming Dynasty by another 20 years," said Chen Bao.
Grandfather nodded and sighed, "Growing up, growing up."
But what was unexpected was that in the northern expedition, Altan was defeated.
Chen Bao judged that there would be no major wars in the nine borders in the next five years, or even ten years.
Later, Emperor Jiajing launched a new policy. Chen Bao, who was promoted to a thousand households for his meritorious service, quietly observed in the army. When Jiang Qingzhi brazenly took the powerful people in the capital as the first target, Chen Bao's family was not spared.
But fortunately, the Chen family was not in the first batch.
So Chen Bao saw the "wonderful" performance of the powerful and wealthy, and saw their various ugly behaviors... and crazy counterattacks.
The war of public opinion was reversed, and Chen Bao was so excited that if alcohol was not banned in the army, he would have gotten drunk to celebrate the new policy, the Ming Dynasty, and Chang Wei Bo.
——Follow him in this life!
The grandfather's instructions have now become Chen Bao's belief. "Captain Chen," someone asked Chen Bao, "Captain Chen is not like us rough people. He must have studied since he was young! What will happen to Altan now? Can you explain it to us?"
Chen Bao collected his thoughts and said, "After Altan Khan's defeat, there will inevitably be chaos within the country, and opponents will force him to abdicate... followed by suppression."
"Who does Captain Chen think is good?"
"An Da!"
"Why? Altan is a defeated general. On the grassland, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Altan has become a drowned dog. Who would follow him?"
Chen Bao smiled and said, "The Northern Expedition frightened the foreign tribes on the grasslands and also made them fearful. They were worried that the Ming Dynasty would take advantage of the situation and attack...
When a crisis comes, people will always subconsciously look for someone to lean on. After the defeat in the south, the situation on the grassland was unclear, and those tribes would instinctively look for a powerful leader to rely on, but who on the grassland has such prestige at the moment? "
The generals were startled, and someone said, "It's still Altan!"
"So, in order to resist the possible crisis, most tribes will still choose Altan as their leader. This is a blessing in disguise." Chen Bao said with a smile: "Altan can be regarded as a blessing in disguise. However, there will be many opponents. It all depends on Altan's methods."
"The grassland is probably covered in blood right now." Yan Xu looked to the north and sighed, "What a great opportunity, but it's a pity that we can't attack."
"We could have attacked. After the great victory, we should have marched north. What a pity."
"Yes! The morale of the army was high at that time. If we had taken advantage of the situation and marched to the grassland, I bet that we would have been able to beat Altan to a pulp."
"Why not pursue?"
This question puzzled the generals.
Yan Xu knew some of the reasons, and seeing that Chen Bao was silent, he said, "Chen Bao, tell me."
This was an opportunity for the newly appointed Qianhu official to show his face. Under the spotlight, Chen Bao, who was a man of his time, first bowed to Yan Xu to express his gratitude, and then said: "The capital was empty at that time. And compared with the external enemies, the problems within the Ming Dynasty were more troublesome."
"What do you mean?"
"Captain Chen, don't play dumb. Just speak directly!"
"Yeah! We are rough people, we don't know how to beat around the bush."
These generals were somewhat dissatisfied. Chen Bao said leisurely: "After returning from the Northern Expedition, we began to take turns to rest. But Lord Bo instructed that those who stayed behind must be ready to fight at any time and must not slack off and must obey orders at any time. Everyone, where is the opportunity for fighting around?"
The generals were startled, and someone murmured, "The capital?"
"New policy!" In a flash, someone was shocked. "What Lord Bo means is..."
Yan Xu nodded, "If necessary, we will go out and suppress... the capital!"
Chen Bao said softly: "This is a fight that is no easier than the Northern Expedition. If we win, the Ming Dynasty will prosper. If we lose, the Ming Dynasty will perish."
A few riders arrived outside the camp, and someone came to report, "Commander, the Lord has sent someone to do something."
The only one who could be addressed as "Lord" by the soldiers without using the title of nobility was Jiang Qingzhi.
"Yes, please."
The one who came was Bol and two guards. He walked up to the command platform and saluted skillfully, "Greetings, Commander Yan. The Lord ordered me to come and get someone."
"Catch someone?" Yan Xu was stunned. "Catch who?"
Yan Xu looked at the generals, "Who the hell has committed a crime? To the point of alarming Lord Bo!"
All the generals looked at each other.
"My uncle will be here soon." Bol observed the other's expressions but maintained a stern face, completely different from his usual cheerful appearance.
In the past he was a follower and a guard, but today he is Jiang Qingzhi's representative, so his attitude is naturally colder, which puts pressure on these people.
He didn't know how to rule his subordinates. When he was in Lisbon, the nobles and high officials were all cold to their subordinates. Jiang Qingzhi could be easygoing with his subordinates, but as his followers, Boll felt that he had to use this method to remind these people that being easygoing could turn into being strict at any time.
"Who is it?" Chen Bao asked.
"Small flag officer, Zhao Yue."
"Chen Bao, you take him with you."
"Take orders."
Chen Bao was originally a military judge and was particularly familiar with the people below him.
He led Boll and the others down, and Chen Bao walked to the middle of the formation. He waved at a centurion, who came out and saluted, "Greetings, Captain!"
Chen Bao asked: "Is Xiaoqi Zhao Yue here?"
The captain subconsciously turned around and looked at a small flag officer, pointing at him, "Over there!"
In an instant, the flag officer turned and ran.
"Damn it! He's playing tricks right under my nose!" Chen Bao grinned, "Catch him!"
When Jiang Qingzhi rode his horse into the Huben Zuowei, Zhao Yue was knocked down.
He said calmly, "Take it to the lobby, I'll question it."
When Zhao Yue saw Jiang Qingzhi, his face turned pale and he was then carried into the lobby by Sun Chonglou with one hand.
(End of this chapter)
