Chapter 003 The Marshal knows everything
Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to discuss serious matters with Chen Biao, Xu Da and Tang He returned to their own house next door to accompany their wives and children. Chen Wenzhen, Li Baoer and Chen Ying slipped away side by side to exchange feelings. Ma went to see the two sleepy kids, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Biao alone to chat.
Zhu Yuanzhang was full of energy and did not feel sleepy even after a full stomach. He picked up his son and ran to fish.
The Chen family's mansion drew water from Xuanwu Lake and built a stream and pond in the courtyard.
Zhu Yuanzhang was lying under the shade of a tree wearing a straw hat, with a fishing rod under his feet and his son lying on his stomach. He didn't mind that he had just eaten and his son was pressing on his stomach.
Holding a branch in his mouth, he continued the previous topic: "Biao'er, I know you have a kind heart. But this is the way the world is. Ordinary people will eat their own children when they can't survive, not to mention those bandits. But as long as people have enough food, they won't do such cruel things. We are also doing a good deed by taking them in."
Chen Biao lay flat on Zhu Yuanzhang's stomach. His full belly was very elastic and more comfortable than any pillow. "I'm not kind-hearted. I'm only good to my family. Whether I'm kind to ordinary people or not is something that your Marshal Zhu, who wants to be the emperor, needs to consider. If he doesn't care, why should I care?"
Now it was Zhu Yuanzhang's turn to have his eyelids twitching.
Chen Biao picked up a piece of grass and held it in his mouth, imitating his father. "If he wants to subdue the ogre, then let him do it. But Dad, you must stay away from that ogre and never work with him. Otherwise, when Marshal Zhu has used him to appease the people, I'm afraid you will be implicated as well."
When alone with his father, Chen Biao spoke more directly about Zhu Yuanzhang's "bad things".
Zhu Yuanzhang said awkwardly, "Son, I've been wanting to ask you for a long time, do you have any prejudice against Marshal Zhu?"
Chen Biao lay on his father's stomach, stretching his short limbs like a little turtle: "No prejudice."
Zhu Yuanzhang patted Chen Biao's belly and said, "So you have a big problem with Zhang Mingjian? If you don't like him, then I will talk to the Marshal and decide not to recruit him."
Zhu Yuanzhang was not joking.
Zhang Mingjian was so hungry that he ate human flesh. Soon the army would mutiny, and Yangzhou would still be in his pocket.
He took action now because, firstly, he had heard of Zhang Mingjian's evil deeds and could not bear the suffering of the people of Yangzhou; secondly, Zhang Mingjian and his 10,000 to 20,000 Qing troops were indeed brave and good at fighting.
If Chen Biao was very hostile to Zhang Mingjian, Zhu Yuanzhang would have trusted his son's intuition. If he didn't want to recruit him, then so be it. It was no big deal.
Chen Biao immediately said, "Dad, don't say that. How could the Marshal not have thought of what you and I could have thought of? He talks about saving Yangzhou, but in reality, he's coveting Zhang Mingjian's troops. If you object by saying Zhang Mingjian is a bad person, what will happen if the Marshal gets angry and embarrassed?"
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was already a little angry, said: "... Actually, actually, actually, the Marshal really wants to save Yangzhou."
Chen Biao patted his father's arm. Knowing his father was a veteran "Zhu Yuanzhang sycophant," he reassured him, "The Marshal's going to recruit Zhang Mingjian's Qing army has objectively saved the people of Yangzhou. Although there are only eighteen households left in Yangzhou, they are still human beings... Ouch!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was so shocked that he sat up from his recliner: "Eighteen households?!"
Chen Biao rolled on the grass and continued to roll towards the lake.
"son!!!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was even more frightened now and hurried to chase Chen Biao.
As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang was too nervous and didn't look at the ground. He stepped on a smooth pebble and fell into the lake.
Chen Biao was pulling at the grass on the ground to save himself, and was already hanging on the edge of the lake, with only half of his body above the surface. Zhu Yuanzhang pounced and took Chen Biao with him.
With big splashes and small splashes, the father and son fell into the water together.
The servant who was sent more than ten meters away heard the sound of someone falling into the water and hurried forward to check.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already stood up from the lake, the water only reaching his waist.
Chen Biao was lifted high above Zhu Yuanzhang's head, like a stone lifted by a strong man, or a big fathead fish lifted by a fisherman with a good harvest.
Of course, there are other metaphors for this action.
For example, Simba in "The Lion King" and Arthas, the filial son in "World of Warcraft".
"One day, my life will come to an end, and you will be crowned king!"
"My father is beyond saving. Stop treating him and remove the tube!"
"A-choo." Chen Biao sneezed, and snot, saliva and lake water sprayed out together, covering his face.
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly carried his fat son to the shore.
The servants rushed forward in a panic and wiped the water off the bodies of the master and young master who had fallen into the water.
After a chaotic battle, Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Biao had a conversation, warning the servants not to tell Ma about this, and then went to the bathhouse.
Luxurious is the way to live in luxury. After Zhu Yuanzhang returned, the bathhouse was kept filled with hot water.
However, Chen Biao found someone to open a coal mine on the southern foot of Qinglong Mountain, burning honeycomb coal. In terms of cost, it was actually not much.
After Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the account books, honeycomb coal immediately became a staple in the homes of military generals and civil officials. Qinglong Mountain was also placed under military control, and the Chen family was only responsible for external sales, taking 20% of the sales profits.
Chen Biao: Convex (◣д◢) convex!
"Honeycomb coal is a good thing." Zhu Yuanzhang sighed again today.
"Honeycomb coal is a good thing. Ha, damn Marshal!" Chen Biao splashed the water vigorously. "I think he's just waiting to reap the fruits of our labor in this matter of the Qinglongshan Coal Mine!"
Zhu Yuanzhang: "...Not really, not really. The Marshal is not that kind of person. With coal mines, people won't freeze to death in winter, and smelting iron and copper will also be easier. The Marshal should do this."
Chen Biao held a handkerchief soaked in cold water over his head to prevent himself from getting dizzy. "Important mineral resources should indeed be nationalized. But he wanted to do it sooner rather than later, after our family had built the scaffolding... Humph, he did it on purpose!"
Coal was already widely used during the Northern Song Dynasty, and Chen Biao merely improved upon honeycomb coal. He didn't believe Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know the benefits of coal. When Zhu Yuanzhang agreed to allow the Chen family to operate the coal mine, Chen Biao was quite touched.
But it's just waiting here to trick me!
Zhu Yuanzhang: "..." How should I answer this? I didn't mean to say that. It's just that before honeycomb coal appeared, I didn't think that honeycomb coal could replace charcoal and firewood?
Zhu Yuanzhang was just a farmer, and Yingtian was his first permanent settlement. Before he accompanied Chen Biao in these matters, he really didn't understand.
A father must never reveal his ignorance in front of his son. At least, the Chen Guorui pseudonym was already quite stupid, and the Zhu Yuanzhang pseudonym had to maintain his all-knowing image. So Zhu Yuanzhang could only listen to Chen Biao's complaints silently and tacitly accepted the blame.
After Chen Biao complained for a while, his bath was almost over and Zhu Yuanzhang thought about his business again.
This time, the father and son went to a safe place to discuss serious matters.
Zhu Yuanzhang lay on a hammock under the shade of a tree, while Chen Biao continued to lie on his father's belly.
Zhu Yuanzhang patted his son's belly and said, "Biao'er, what do you mean by eighteen households... eighteen households?"
Chen Biao said: "It means exactly what it says."
The "Chen Biao" who has been integrated into the memory of later generations was a student of economics and finance. He was well-versed in the economic development of the Ming Dynasty and the impact of each policy, but he knew very little about Ming Dynasty historical figures. He was not a frequent reader of novels or film and television dramas, so he could not remember the names of many historical figures.
Of Zhu Yuanzhang's family, Chen Biao only remembered the names of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Yunwen. He couldn't even remember the name of Zhu Yuanzhang's deceased crown prince.
Among Zhu Yuanzhang's ministers, in addition to Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Liu Bowen and Hu Weiyong, he also knew that there was a Prince Mu in Yunnan, but he was not sure what Prince Mu's name was.
Therefore, Chen Biao had only "heard of" and "only knew a few things" about these historical events in the early days of the Ming Dynasty, but he was not sure which specific people were involved.
This is normal. Most people just need to read the story. Who would remember people's names?
But "Zhang Mingjian" is just the name of a minor figure in history, but Chen Biao is very familiar with it.
When studying the economic changes in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, it is inevitable to mention several massacres. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Yangzhou suffered a devastating blow.
Before Zhang Mingjian occupied Yangzhou, the city had been ravaged by war, and everyone who could escape had fled. After Zhang Mingjian captured Yangzhou, there was no more food to be harvested. Zhang Mingjian and his Qing army resorted to cannibalism.
Using human flesh as military rations was very common in troubled times and had existed in all dynasties, so other forces at the time did not care.
When Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to persuade Zhang Mingjian to surrender and entered Yangzhou City, he found something wrong.
There were only 18 households left in Yangzhou City, while Zhang Mingjian's Qing Army still had tens of thousands of people and more than 2,000 horses. This did not conform to the normal rule that the general army had no food to eat and could only eat human flesh.
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and ignored the rule of "not killing surrendered ministers" . "The Veritable Records of Ming Taizu" said, "When he arrived in Yingtian, Taizu personally skinned him alive."
After Zhang Mingjian was beheaded by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, the Qing Army was handed over to Xu Da, who was the strictest in military discipline.
Xu Da was renowned for his strict military discipline. Historical records show that he conquered countless cities, both large and small, without causing any casualties, ensuring the safety of the people. However, during the attack on Changzhou, problems arose – a group of young soldiers, despite orders to kill, loot, and stage a feast.
Zhu Yuanzhang realized then that the entire Qing army was doomed. He ordered military action against the Qing army for disturbing the people, and all the generals who participated in the attack on Changzhou, including Xu Da, were punished for this incident.
Chen Biao is not a good person in the general sense. He calls himself a "sophisticated egoist" and shouts "If you are poor, you should just take care of yourself."
In this war-torn era, he didn't think he could save anyone, and he was lucky enough to be able to protect his family.
So he knew what had happened to the people of Yangzhou, but he just secretly told his shop assistants in Yangzhou to tell the people of Yangzhou in advance when they left that the man-eating demon Zhang Mingjian was coming , and asked everyone to flee quickly.
But it's of no use.
In fact, in the original history, didn’t the people of Yangzhou know about Zhang Mingjian’s reputation?
Those who wanted to escape had already escaped, and those who didn't escape were just hoping for a lucky break and wouldn't give up until they saw the Yellow River.
Chen Biao said indifferently, "They eat people and divide them into different levels. The first level is children like me, the second level is young women, and the third level is young men. Dad, you don't have a good taste, so you will probably be divided into the fourth or fifth level."
Of course, not all the people in Yangzhou City were eaten by Zhang Mingjian's Qing Army.
Prions are natural agents that prevent cannibalism. Mad cow disease is caused by prions. If Zhang Mingjian had eaten human flesh daily, he would have died from the prions long ago.
They simply confiscated all the grain in Yangzhou City without leaving a single grain, and then raised a group of tender children and women as food reserves. Most people died of starvation or were killed, and some people starved to death or even cannibalized each other.
But it is a fact that Zhang Mingjian turned Yangzhou into hell.
Chen Biao made a joke, but Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't laugh.
Chen Biao turned over and looked up, seeing his father's expression blank with shock. He said, "Dad, don't you know that almost all the people in Yangzhou City are dead?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head blankly: "How do you know what's going on in the city? Our people can't get into the city."
Chen Biao scratched the small tuft on his head and said, "Zhang Mingjian's men left the city to steal food. I asked the guys in Chen's caravan to find out."
It was normal for his father not to know what was happening in Yangzhou City. Chen Biao knew that there would only be 18 households left in Yangzhou City, so he specifically asked about this when he inquired.
The Qing army who went out of the city to rob food received bribes, and the number of residents in the city was not a military secret, so they told everything.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Biao'er, did you sell grain to him?"
Chen Biao shrugged his chubby shoulders. "Sell? Will those Qing soldiers pay for it? Brother Ying had his men scare them with Marshal Zhu's name and gave them all the caravan's supplies, so we escaped."
Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Does Ying'er also know about this?"
Chen Biao said: "Yeah."
Zhu Yuanzhang was angry: "Why didn't he tell me!"
Chen Biao poked his father's puffy cheek and said, "Brother Ying just came back. Besides, you're not at home, how can he tell you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang knew this, but he was still angry.
He sat up dejectedly, cross-legged, and hugged Chen Biao even tighter: "I really didn't know Zhang Mingjian was this kind of person."
Chen Biao said helplessly, "Now that you know, are you still going to the Marshal to argue and stop him from surrendering Zhang Mingjian? Please, Dad, it's normal that you don't know. But how could someone as wise as the Marshal not know something that Brother Ying could ask casually? Compared to this 'little thing', Zhang Mingjian's tens of thousands of troops are more important."
Zhu Yuanzhang was a grown man, and his brows were furrowed with grievance.
I really don’t know!
Chen Biao continued to persuade his stubborn father: "Dad, if you want to be an emperor, you need both face and substance, and substance is more important than face. Zhang Mingjian has tens of thousands of men under his command. If he doesn't surrender, how many will die if we kill him forcefully? For the sake of your brothers in the army, you have to surrender. As long as Zhang Mingjian surrenders, can the Marshal still kill the surrendered minister? Don't be the first to speak out. The Marshal is already wary of you. If you expose this matter, how will you live in the future?"
Zhu Yuanzhang felt even more aggrieved: "What's wrong with killing a surrendered minister? Why can't such a heinous surrendered minister be killed? I will kill him with my own hands!"
Chen Biao perfunctorily said, "Yes, yes, with your temper, even if Zhang Mingjian surrendered, you would kill him with your own hands. But you are not Marshal Zhu. Alas, with your temper, you can only be a mid-level general. Look at Marshal Zhu, those who achieve great things do not care about trivial matters. Only those who are thick-skinned and black-hearted can become emperors."
Zhu Yuanzhang opened his mouth, Zhu Yuanzhang closed his mouth, Zhu Yuanzhang opened his mouth again, Zhu Yuanzhang closed his mouth again.
Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that his liver hurt: "The Marshal is not that kind of person! Biao'er! Believe in your father!"
Chen Biao changed the subject: "Yes, yes, yes, I believe you. Now that we've finished our business, do you want to go see your brother? Let Tang'er recite the Three Character Classic for you. Tang'er is having the most fun now. It's a rare occasion for you to go home, why don't you spend some time with your sons?"
His son still didn't believe him and tried to change the subject. Zhu Yuanzhang could only mutter, "What are you talking about? Don't I write to you every few days?"
Chen Biao was speechless: "I am the only one who can understand your letter. Even if I read it to them, writing letters is not as emotional as communicating face to face. Let's go and see my brothers!"
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, jumped off the hammock, held his son on his neck, and slowly went to visit his two younger sons.
With his son Chen Biao as an example, Zhu Yuanzhang had little interest in his younger sons who only knew how to eat, drink, defecate and urinate, and were dirty and smelly, even though they were also his legitimate sons with Ma.
and……
Chen Chong: QAQ.
Chen Tan: TAT.
Zhu Yuanzhang put Chen Biao on the ground and asked angrily, "Am I, your father, so scary?! Ah?! You cry every time you see me!!"
Chen Xun hid behind Ma, and Chen Jin crawled into the quilt. The two children shouted in unison: "Woooooooooo!!!"
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was already in a particularly bad mood, roared angrily: "Come out here! Why are you crying?"
Ma quickly protected the two youngest sons, and Chen Biao immediately hugged his father's thighs: "Dad, don't be angry, don't be angry, my brothers are still young, forget it. They say that children can see the bloody aura of those who have been on the battlefield for a long time. My brothers must be crying because of this. This shows that you are powerful, Dad."
Zhu Yuanzhang: "Then why don't you cry?"
Chen Biao: "My eyesight is not good !"
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
He picked up Chen Biao and pretended to spank his son who was talking nonsense.
Chen Chong poked his head out from behind Ma and screamed, raising the Three Character Classic in his hand and throwing it at Zhu Yuanzhang: "Big brother has been captured by a monster! Wow wow wow wow!"
Chen Jing crawled out from under the quilt, rushed to the side of the small bed and spat at Zhu Yuanzhang: "Pooh, pooh! Wuwawawa!"
Chen Biao closed his eyes in despair.
Thank you, brothers. I know you all love me and want to protect me.
But...
Zhu Yuanzhang was furious: "I don't want these two sons! I want to throw them all away!"
Ma touched the baby in her belly and sighed.
Biao'er looks like herself, and the other two children look like Chongba, which makes her as a mother really desperate.
