Chapter 101 Chen Youding's city exploded
Chen Youding, a native of Qingliu, Fujian, is a fellow villager of Chen Huoxing, a female general under Zhu Yuanzhang.
The eight Fujian provinces once paid a huge price for resisting the Yuan Dynasty, but fifty or sixty years were enough to smooth things over.
The Yuan Dynasty attached great importance to overseas trade. Fujian and Guangdong had good business, so it was normal that there were people among the people who defended the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.
However, Chen Youding, who was later called a loyal minister of the Yuan Dynasty, really cannot be considered a loyal minister of the Yuan Dynasty.
Chen Youding was born into a peasant family. He was called up to join the army to quell the uprising and was called a general. He established his own regime in Fujian, killed Yuan Dynasty officials who disobeyed him, and appointed himself an official. He forced the Yuan Dynasty to order him to be appointed as the governor of Fujian Province. He did not look like a loyal minister at all.
The reason why he was hailed as a loyal minister of the Yuan Dynasty was that when the city was broken, he said he would be loyal to the Yuan Dynasty and committed suicide by swallowing poison. After being escorted to Yingtian, he shouted "My country is destroyed and my family is ruined, I will die for the Yuan Dynasty." Then Zhu Yuanzhang executed him and his son.
Regardless of whether he was a loyal minister of the Yuan Dynasty or not, and was praised by later marketing accounts for his loyalty to the emperor, let's just say that Xu Da, Liu Ji, and Biao'er's artillery combined to quickly capture cities and territories, and soon besieged Chen Youding in an isolated city.
Due to the long distance, humid weather, and the fact that the craftsmen did not strictly follow regulations when transporting gunpowder, the ammunition of the new artillery was consumed faster than expected. With only the last city left, Xu Da had no way to clear the way with firepower.
But that didn't matter. Xu Da and Liu Ji weren't inexperienced at sieges. We could surround this isolated city, eat toasted buns and grilled seafood below, and wait for Chen Youding to consume all his food and forage and force his way out. This would only erode their remaining manpower. It would only take a little longer.
Female generals Chen Huoxing and Xu Shuzhen, both from Fujian, played a significant role in the attack on Chen Youding. Leveraging their hometown advantages and ancestral bonuses, they diligently persuaded the soldiers in the city to surrender.
Their persuasion was effective, and many generals in the city persuaded Chen Youding to open the gates and surrender.
Why should we risk our lives for the Yuan Dynasty? There's no need. If we surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang now, we can still become an official in the future.
Chen Youding disagreed.
But Chen Youding refused to surrender or go to war, and just lived a life of luxury in the city.
Anyone who has read military books knows that "defending a large city requires field battles."
Even if the enemy claims to have a million troops attacking the city, it is impossible to station troops at every city gate. They can only concentrate the attack on a few city gates.
A powerful general defending the city (yes, that's Zhu Wenzhen) will observe and even predict the enemy's strength, and when he sees an opportunity, he will open the city gate where the enemy's strength is weaker, go out of the city to fight in the field, eliminate the enemy's manpower, increase his own morale, and seek a breakthrough or ask for help.
When Chen Biao was preparing to stay in the city, he already knew the time of rescue exactly, and he had defeated Chen Han's morale in the early field battles, so he could rest.
However, he was ultimately unable to stay in the city. Instead, he launched an all-out attack and won a great victory, which was beyond Chen Biao's own expectations.
Fujian is mountainous. If Chen Youding did not want to surrender, he could have taken advantage of his local strength and launched a surprise attack outside the city during heavy rain or fog to try to break out.
The generals kept requesting to go to war, but Chen Youding just didn't agree.
The generals were all confused. You don't agree to go to war, and you don't agree to surrender, so what are you making a fuss about?
The generals were making a big fuss, and Chen Youding suspected that they would betray him, so he killed several of those who advocated going out of the city to fight.
When Xu Da heard the news, he was completely shocked.
Chen Youding is not very old. He is one year younger than the lord and is only 36 years old. Why does he look like he has Alzheimer's disease?
After Xu Da and Liu Ji discussed it, they immediately contracted the front line, set up more fires, baked more steamed buns and dried meat, and sent troops to the beach from time to time to catch fish for their snacks and prepare seafood barbecues.
Fujian is rich. We have implemented the well-field system to provide food and fodder support for the Fujian enclave for several years. There is no rush, we can take our time.
Xu Da and Liu Ji even made the seafood hot pot that Chen Biao had been dreaming of, and tried every day to find the best pot base to cook the seafood.
Just as they were eating hot pot and barbecue and singing songs, Chen Biao's letter arrived.
Their Biaoer said eagerly, "The shipyard has all the personnel and tools, but the seaport is blocked by Zhang Shicheng, so even if we build a ship, we can't test it out." Biaoer wanted to build a ship in a large port in Fujian or Guangdong, and Uncle Xu should remember to help Biaoer find a place.
In the middle of winter, Xu Da broke out in a sweat: "Are we too slow?"
Liu Ji said gravely, "It's a bit slow indeed. We've been fighting for a year with Biaoer's new firearms!"
Xu Da smiled weakly and said, "I told Biao'er that we will definitely finish the war this year. I have confidence!"
Liu Ji said disdainfully, "Yes, you are confident. It's clearly not New Year's Eve yet, but you dated the letter the second day of the first lunar month!"
It will definitely be finished this year.
It is now the second day of the first lunar month.
If we fight for another year, even if you, Xu Da, send people to Yingtian to find Biaoer to make a new batch of ammunition for replenishment and support, there will be enough time!
Xu Da sighed, "Haste makes waste. Now Chen Youding is courting his own destruction. We just need to wait a little longer... I can only disappoint Biao'er."
Liu Ji consoled him, "Biao'er is just being coquettish with you, not urging you to send troops. You've seen how Biao'er defends the city. If you really attack the city for him, you're going to piss Biao'er off to death."
Xu Da smiled and said, "Indeed."
Just as Xu Da and Liu Ji were about to give the order to hold on, a spring thunderbolt struck the city's firearms bureau, setting off a fierce fire in the gunpowder depot. Even from outside the city, they could hear the explosions.
Xu Da and Liu Ji looked at each other.
Xu Da: "Biao'er, this divine boy..."
Liu Ji: "Shut up! Don't say anything! Be careful of the secret!"
Xu Da immediately shut up and ordered a fierce attack on the city.
On that day, Chen Youding discovered that a fire at the city's firearms bureau had caused chaos in the city. He looked up and cried bitterly, "God has destroyed our Yuan Dynasty," as if he had followed the Yuan Dynasty for many years.
The generals rushed to open the city gates to welcome the Ming army into the city.
When Xu Da and Liu Ji rode into the city on horseback, their expressions were still a little confused.
Only after they entered the city did they learn that a fire had broken out at the Firearms Bureau, triggering a massive explosion in the city. Was this truly... God's will?
Xu Da sighed, "It can be seen that Biao'er is very eager to build a shipyard here."
Liu Ji said fiercely: "Shut up! This is just an accident! Don't talk nonsense! Not even to the lord!"
Xu Da nodded: "I understand, I understand. I was just expressing my feelings to you."
At the end of the 23rd year of Zhizheng's reign (1363), Xu Da led a large army to attack Fujian and Guangdong.
The following year, Fang Guozhen and his son surrendered.
In the first month of the following year, Chen Youding, who was stubbornly resisting in the city, was captured due to a fire and explosion in the city's firearms bureau. Chen Youding swallowed poison but did not die. He and his son were escorted to Yingtian, waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to return to Yingtian for trial.
In February of the 25th year of Zhizheng (1365), Zhu Yuanzhang sent Liao Yongzhong and Tang He to lead the navy along the coastline to Fujian and Guangdong to help Xu Da recover the scattered lost territories in Fujian and Guangdong.
Chen Biao's shipyard employees and managers were also in the navy, and followed the navy to the southeast coast.
When this navy sailed out of the Yangtze River estuary in a mighty force, Zhang Shicheng, who was enjoying the peace and prosperity, waved his hand and did not stop it.
Since they are not going to attack him anyway, why should he waste his energy to stop Zhu Yuanzhang?
At this moment, no one was nagging Zhang Shicheng about how Zhu Yuanzhang would surround him after he took over Fujian and Guangdong. The nagging people had long been gone, and the rest were either pretending to be clay figurines or just flattering.
There are already more than a hundred poems in the collection praising Zhang Shicheng.
Xu Da and Liu Ji did not respond to Tian. After they conquered Fujian and Guangdong, they took advantage of the situation and went straight to Guangxi.
Liao Yongzhong and Tang He were doing almost the same civil service work as General Chang Yuchun, the great general of the military farms. Chang Yuchun sent them a letter of congratulations.
Chang Yuchun had already conquered half of the Mingxia regime's territory in Sichuan and Shu under the pretext of training labor reform camps and new recruits. The Mingxia emperor Ming Yuzhen was seriously ill.
In the north, the Yuan emperor and the crown prince were at loggerheads. The warlords Kuokuo Timur (also known as Wang Baobao) and Borod Timur took advantage of the discord between the emperor and the crown prince to continue their feud. Borod Timur invaded Dadu, and the crown prince fled to Kuokuo Timur.
After the protagonist of our article, Chen Biao, failed in his attempt to follow the navy to Fujian, he took a vacation at home in high spirits. He packed up all the affairs of Zhu Yuanzhang and the Chen family and rushed them to Comrade Chen Guorui to give him a headache. At this time, he learned a piece of news that almost scared him to death.
Zhu Yuanzhang's only adopted son given the surname "Zhu", his good-tempered cousin Zhu Wenzhen made a mistake and was dismissed from his post. He was whipped several times by Zhu Yuanzhang himself and now he has returned to Yingtian to reflect and recuperate.
When Chen Biao learned the news, he was lying on the soft chaise longue with his hands folded on his abdomen, pretending to be dead and basking in the sun.
Ah, the spring sun is so wonderful. Once this side gets enough sun, I'll turn it over.
Then, Chen Biao rolled down from the chaise longue.
He had grown taller and was no longer plump, but he was still so scared that he rolled off the chaise longue!
Chen Biao turned into a screaming chicken like his second brother, shouting in a shrill voice: "What?! Impossible!! What crime did my cousin commit?!"
Li Zhen smiled bitterly: "Wen Zheng, the Ming King wanted him to be the governor of Guangdong, but he publicly declared that he would rebel against the Ming King and even smashed his official seal."
Chen Biao, who was covered in dust and dirt, said in a daze, "Going to Guangdong to govern a region? Isn't that good? That's amazing."
Zhu Wen is now in charge of the state. The "fu" in the Ming and Qing dynasties is the "zhou" in the late Yuan Dynasty. Now Zhu Yuanzhang has gradually changed "zhou" to "fu", such as Yingtianfu, which is equivalent to a larger "city" in later generations.
When Zhu Wenzhen went to Guangdong, he was promoted from mayor to governor, and concurrently served as the military commander of the province, which was equivalent to the ancient governor or prefect.
Chen Biao racked his clever little head but couldn't figure out why his cousin was so angry that the lord actually beat him up personally?
Li Zhen continued to smile bitterly, "Wen Zheng has always been impatient with mundane affairs. He's patiently served as both a general and a prefect, and he's already built up a lot of anger. Now the King of Ming is asking him to go from governing a prefecture to governing a province... Alas, Zhu Wen Zheng is trying to tire the King of Ming out, fearing that his achievements will overshadow his own!"
Chen Biao's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out for a long time.
He didn't know whether to say that his lord was too oppressive, or that his cousin was really asking for death this time.
Chen Biao no longer had any idea who was right or wrong.
My lord, he values Brother Zheng because he trusts him. Who doesn’t want to be a high-ranking official?
As for Brother Zheng, if he were to be the governor, he would be exhausted to death.
Ouch. The lord, who was nearly pissed off to death, is so pitiful. Brother Zheng, who was nearly exhausted to death and now got beaten up, is also so pitiful.
Chen Biao wiped his face vigorously. I didn't laugh, I really didn't laugh.
Am I the kind of person who takes pleasure in other people's misfortunes?
