Chapter 18 9. Show majesty and subdue the generals

From taking down Dingyuan to occupying Hezhou, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was only 27 years old, fully demonstrated his military talents. Rigorous and powerful, it is also his personal charm that has won the support of many people. Most of these people who support him are young and middle-aged, while those veterans who follow Guo Zixing in the army dismiss his success.Zhu Yuanzhang decided to show his majesty and let Guo Zixing's subordinates know that he would not completely obey Guo Dashuai, and that it would be a matter of time before he became independent. When Zhu Yuanzhang arrived in Hezhou, he held in his hand Guo Zixing's call for him to be the commander-in-chief of Hezhou military.Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Zhang Tianyou was the first to disapprove of him, and Zhang Tianyou had contributed to conquering Hezhou, and he was Guo Zixing's brother-in-law, and some veterans who were stationed in Hezhou also stood on Zhang Tianyou's side and were Guo Zixing's subordinates.Such as forcibly managing the military and Hezhou City, these people will definitely not be convinced, and there will inevitably be internal disputes.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who came out of Haozhou, hated the internal strife the most, which was simply suicidal.If it weren't for internal fighting, Sun Deya, Guo Zixing, and Zhao Junyong were all powerful characters, how could Zhu Yuanzhang's development be accommodated, especially since Guo Zixing was forced to have little room for development. Thinking of this, when Zhu Yuanzhang arrived in Hezhou, he did not immediately release Guo Zixing's appeal, but asked Tang He and Xu Da to keep it a secret, and decided to give those veterans a blow, and at the same time use tactics to subdue them.

This morning, when it was time for the military meeting, all the generals arrived early, and only Zhu Yuanzhang came late.When Zhu Yuanzhang came in, he saw that all the generals were sitting on the right seat, only the position of the general in the hall and a few seats on the left were vacant.The custom at that time was to follow the custom of the Mongolians and respect the right.Zhu Yuanzhang didn't say anything, just sat on the chair at the end of the left, and looked at the empty seat of the chief general meaningfully.It turned out that yesterday Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to remove the chief general's seat in the hall and replace it with a wooden stool. At first glance, it seemed that there was no principal seat, but setting a wooden stool presumably Zhang Tianyou and the others would definitely not have the idea of ​​sitting on it.

Sitting in the last seat on the left, Zhu Yuanzhang listened quietly to the speeches of the generals and remained silent.I saw that Zhang Tianyou was proud of his meritorious service, and he was talking high-spirited, while the other generals talked about charge and siege, but they didn't talk about how to judge the enemy's situation or how to plan the deployment of troops.When it was time to discuss the next military plan, all the generals fell silent and looked at each other, not daring to judge or make suggestions.Zhu Yuanzhang just spoke at this time, talking about the current military situation, rigorously analyzing the development trend of the rebel armies from all sides, reasonably speculating on the movements of the Yuan army, and proposing that only by planning to develop in the south of the Yangtze River and crossing the river can there be a broad world.These conclusions and rigorous logical analysis made all the veterans present admire Zhu Yuanzhang with admiration, and even Zhang Tianyou restrained his aloof and disdainful demeanor.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not come up with a call to action to be appointed as the general soldier, and he had to wait for a better time.He knew that it was one thing to lead troops to fight, but it was another to manage the city. He just wanted to convince the generals in the army. Only by believing in himself could he serve himself in the future.Guo Zixing is now trapped in Chuzhou, and he is weak and sick. Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang, who has great ambitions, will not give up Guo Zixing's military power. When it came to the next meeting, Zhu Yuanzhang was really respected, and some veterans even pulled him into the right seat.In this regard, Zhu Yuanzhang still treated each other quietly and humbly, and sat on the left side.Last time we talked about the military atmosphere, but this time it seemed that everyone didn't know what to say. There was no leader, and no one presided over the theme of the meeting. The venue was a little deserted.Seeing that everyone had nothing to say, Zhu Yuanzhang proposed to build a city wall, and all the generals agreed.When he attacked Hezhou last time, the city wall had experienced a fierce battle, and it was already incomplete.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that everyone agreed, so he suggested that he should be responsible for half of the project, and the generals should be responsible for half of the project together. The construction period is three days.After hearing this, all the generals were overjoyed, thinking that they had taken advantage of it, they agreed to come down one after another. Zhu Yuanzhang divided the city wall he was responsible for into several sections, and assigned Tang He, Xu Da, Zhou Dexing and others to take charge of the repair of each section, day and night.In the early morning of the fourth day, only Zhu Yuanzhang completed the task and built half of the city wall in Hezhou.However, the other generals did not take the time limit for building the city into consideration due to their large numbers of people, and none of them could convince the crowd. Due to the lack of communication and coordination, the project was delayed.

On the fourth day, all the generals gathered to discuss matters, and they didn't take the unfinished business of building the city to heart, with a look of indifference on their faces. Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his face, walked to the position of the chief general, took out Guo Zixing's order with a serious expression, stood there and said: "We are ordered by Marshal Guo. The commander-in-chief and the state's military administration have heavy responsibilities, but for such a small matter as building the city wall, all generals should pay attention." I couldn’t finish it on time. You understand the importance of the city wall better than us. If there is an enemy situation, how to defend the city? The military affairs are so urgent, but the generals don’t take it to heart. Why are you talking about military discipline? The military law must be strictly enforced, and anyone who disobeys orders will be dealt with strictly." The generals saw that it was indeed Guo Zixing's token, but no one dared to speak, and that it was indeed their own who delayed the project. forgive.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked around and understood in his heart that although these people admitted their mistakes on the surface, they were still somewhat dissatisfied in their hearts.Zhu Yuanzhang decided to punish his sworn brothers first, affirm righteousness, and strictly discipline. Zhu Yuanzhang first ordered Tang He to be dealt with, because although Tang He completed the task, it was not good enough and the quality was not high.Seeing this, all the generals knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was by no means a weak person, nor was he a child's play, and he was able to deal with things impartially. He no longer asked for forgiveness, and accepted punishment one after another.

The age gap between Li Shanchang and those veterans is not that big, and he is eloquent and eloquent.Zhu Yuanzhang asked Li Shanchang to communicate with those veterans more on weekdays, mediate the relationship between them, and establish Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige.At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the soldiers to return all the money and civilian objects obtained in the army to the owners, and open warehouses to help the people, which was praised and loved by the local people. However, with the development and growth of the army, people of all kinds are mixed in, especially when the militia is surrendered, the armed forces of the landlords are very complicated.Zhu Yuanzhang had been wary of this for a long time, but he never found the right time and opportunity to sort it out.One day not long after arriving in Hezhou, Zhu Yuanzhang was about to go out when he saw an eight or nine-year-old child outside the barracks, dressed in rags, weeping softly.When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this child, he remembered his impoverished youth, so he stepped forward to inquire.It turned out that the child's father was raising horses in the military camp, and his mother was also in the camp.His parents didn't dare to recognize each other, and he didn't dare to recognize his own parents, so he had to wait outside the door, but he was hungry and afraid, so he began to cry.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately returned to the camp, summoned all the idlers in the camp, and asked the children to recognize their mother and father.After investigation, it turned out that there were many small officers and soldiers who looted things, occupied civilian women, and forced servants after the siege, so that many couples could not recognize each other, and dared not recognize each other.Zhu Yuanzhang was furious in his heart: How can this go on!Immediately summon all the generals and officers to strictly enforce military discipline: "Most of the soldiers in Hezhou City are single and have no wives and children, but we must not harm the people or plunder their wives and daughters. The army has military discipline. If you take the city in the future, you will get women. Only those who are unmarried can marry properly, and it is absolutely forbidden to seize a married woman, and those who violate the rules will be severely punished.”

The next day, Zhu Yuanzhang called the men and women in the city to gather in front of the yamen, and asked the men to stand in two rows on the street, and asked all the captured women in the military camp to go to meet their husbands.Sure enough, many couples recognized each other, and the public's gratitude and admiration for Zhu Yuanzhang increased a little.In this way, the originally lonely Hezhou City gradually became prosperous and orderly after management and renovation.And Zhu Yuanzhang's position in the army was gradually consolidated. After only four years in the barracks, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually rose from a soldier to the general, and became a general guarding one side, with a reputation far and wide.Hezhou became a new stronghold for Zhu Yuanzhang to reopen his career. Here he not only became a general, but also initially showed his political ability to govern the city.It was also in Hezhou that Zhu Yuanzhang once again witnessed Sun Deya and Guo Zixing fighting, but the two men couldn't do anything in Zhu Yuanzhang's territory, so they had to leave obediently. Soon after, Guo Zixing, who was originally weak and sick, passed away in anger.In Hezhou, Zhu Yuanzhang has a more ambitious goal - Jiqing.It is a place where tigers occupy the dragon's pan, controls Suzhou and Hangzhou in the south, and is protected by the natural danger of the Yangtze River. At the same time, all the taxes and taxes in the southeastern region of the Yuan Dynasty were gathered here, and it was a battleground for military strategists.