For several days in a row, the reports from all over the Ming Dynasty were all about natural disasters and requests for disaster relief, which made Zhu Yuanzhang tireless.
Finally, a different one came, which made Zhu Yuanzhang breathe a sigh of relief.
Another good news came from Datong Prefecture, this time more than a dozen Mongolian tribes were directly wiped out.
Good news is good news, but why is it from Datong Prefecture?
The thought of Zhu Gui gave Zhu Yuanzhang a headache.
But the thought of going to court the next day gave him an even bigger headache.
So he immediately called Prince Zhu Biao.
"Prince, have you read the memorial in Datong Mansion? What do you think?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked while sitting on the dragon chair.
"To report to the Emperor, I feel that the Thirteenth Emperor has grown up, and his actions in Datong Mansion during this period are enough to prove it."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "I know all this. I am asking you about what he mentioned in the memorial. He wants to build an additional Mongolian mansion outside Shanxi."
"I feel something is wrong. The Mongols have not yet eliminated their covetousness towards the Ming Dynasty. The war in Datong Prefecture does not mean that the war on all fronts is beneficial to the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Biao thought for a moment and said.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Yes, you have thought carefully, but this boy did really well this time. I decided to give him some rewards. The rewards and punishments are clear. What do you think, Prince?"
"I think it is indeed necessary. As one of the kings guarding the border, the Thirteenth Emperor is the only vassal king without a prince to protect him so far. Will my father consider..."
Zhu Biao only said half of what he said and stopped talking because he noticed that Zhu Yuanzhang's face had darkened.
He could tell that Zhu Yuanzhang still had some views on Zhu Gui, which could not be changed by a few memorials.
"Let's do this. Since disasters broke out in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, I will send special envoys to inspect various places. If the situation in Datong Mansion is really as stated in the memorial, I can consider giving him the right to form personal guards."
Zhu Yuanzhang finally relented.
This made Zhu Biao also breathe a sigh of relief.
…
Soon, Zhu Gui received an imperial edict from Nanjing.
Except for some rewards, there is nothing practical.
This made him a little disappointed.
However, along with the imperial edict came a personal letter from Prince Zhu Biao.
The letter stated that the emperor wanted to inspect Zhu Gui, and if he passed, he could form a bodyguard.
"The old man still doesn't trust me. It seems that this king's previous reputation was really bad."
Half a month has passed since the disaster relief work in Yingzhou, and several small coal mines have started construction in the local area.
Most of the victims were employed in the mines, and their food and clothing were guaranteed.
This made Zhu Gui also supported by the victims.
There was actually a county where people took the initiative to raise money to build a temple for Zhu Gui.
Zhu Gui also took a look.
The temple is a bit crude and the clay sculptures look nothing like it.
However, this also reflects the trust that local people have in him.
This made Zhu Gui full of emotions.
…
In the underground prison of Datong Mansion.
Hei Muhan and a group of Mongolian tribe leaders were imprisoned here.
Opposite them were some bandit leaders sent over by Scar.
The daily execution of bandits has become a special feature of Datong Prefecture.
However, Zhu Gui did not kill these Mongols despite all opinions.
Today, he came to the prison with Xu Yingxu again.
"Your Majesty, these are Mongols who are in fundamental conflict with us Han people. I guess they will not surrender."
Xu Yingxu didn't know how many times he had said this.
He could agree with Zhu Gui's edict to pacify the horse bandits, but he had always been skeptical and opposed to his idea of recruiting these Mongols to surrender.
Facts also show that he is probably right. These Mongols have been imprisoned for half a month and show no signs of softening.
Zhu Gui brought a map over today. He asked someone to unfold it directly, and then pointed to a part of it and said: "General Xu, look carefully. This is our current territory of the Ming Dynasty. It is only a corner of this continent. Don't you think so?"
No other ideas?"
"What is this?" This was the first time Xu Yingxu saw such a large map, and it could be said that his worldview was somewhat shattered.
"As you can see, this is a map of the world."
It also took Zhu Gui several days to draw this map from memory.
"A map of the world? But my lord, how do you know the world is like this?"
Xu Yingxu stared at the map, feeling a storm in his heart.
"You know it from books, so don't be blinded by what you see. Whether we Han people or Mongolians, we only occupy a small corner of this world."
"What do you mean by His Highness?" Xu Yingxu finally came to his senses.
"Of course you can't take over the whole world just by calling people, but as long as all the races in the world respect our Ming Dynasty, then the Ming Dynasty can take over the whole world."
Zhu Gui said calmly.
"The general seems to understand a little bit."
At this moment, the way Xu Yingxu looked at the acting king Zhu Gui changed a little.
Unexpectedly, the young prince in front of him actually held the whole world in his heart. He had really underestimated him before.
Zhu Gui just patted Xu Yingxu on the shoulder, and then went down to the cell.
The personal guards blocked the bandit leaders behind him.
Zhu Gui looked at the Mongolians and said, "Actually, your family members are not dead, but are being imprisoned by this king."
His words finally had an effect. These Mongolian tough guys raised their heads and looked at him, with disbelief in their eyes.
Although these people survived the last battle, when they returned to the tribe, they found that not only was there no one in the tribe, but it was also burned.
They were caught by the ambushing Ming army before they could check carefully, so in their minds, all the old, weak, women and children of their tribe had been killed by the Ming army.
This is the knot in their hearts.
Now Zhu Gui's words suddenly turned the pent-up anger in their hearts into shock and confusion.
Zhu Gui nodded and continued: "I know that you plunder the Han people just to survive. Now I will give you a chance to survive, that is, be loyal to me."
"In the future, you will not only have endless pasture, but you will also not have to worry about natural disasters."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hei Muhan stood up and said: "Mongolians will never be slaves."
The other chiefs' eyes flickered, but they neither agreed nor spoke.
Seeing this, Zhu Gui looked at Heimuhan and said, "It seems that you are determined to go against me?"
"I will give you three chances to leave with the warriors of your tribe. Within three months, I will catch you three times. If I do it, you will surrender to me. How about that?"
Hei Muhan glanced at the others and thought again and again: "Okay, if you don't do it, you will let all the Mongolians go."
"It's a deal."
Xu Yingxu on the side looked stunned. He wanted to stop him, but it was too late.