My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 62 Multiple Layers of Protection

Among the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign, four were granted the title of Duke by Zhu Di: Zhang Yu, Duke of Rong; Zhu Neng, Duke of Cheng; Qiu Fu, Duke of Qi; and Chen Heng, Duke of Jing. Zhang Yu and Chen Heng died in the Jingnan Campaign and were posthumously granted the title.

Zhang Yu was transferred from the Anqing Guard Commander to the Yanshan Left Guard. During the Battle of Dongchang, in order to rescue Zhu Di, he rushed into Sheng Yong's camp and died from exhaustion.

After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he said that Zhang Yujing's achievements were the greatest.

Among the four dukes, Chen Heng was the oldest. He once served as the Vice Commander of the Yanshan Left Guard and later rose through the ranks to become the Commander of Beiping.

The Beiping Regional Military Commission was subordinate to the Rear Army Military Commission. Chen Heng was promoted by Zhu Yunwen to Vice Military Commissioner, a first-rank official.

After Zhu Di raised his army, Liu Zhen, Chen Heng, and Bu Wan, who were stationed in Daning, led their troops out of Songting Pass to attack Zunhua.

At this time, Liu Zhen held the official position of Commander-in-Chief, a first-rank official.

Each of the Five Military Commissions had one Left and one Right Commander-in-Chief, both of whom were of the first rank.

Bu Wan's official position was Commander-in-Chief, a second-rank official.

Therefore, among the three, Liu Zhen had the highest rank.

Although Chen Heng was willing to submit to Zhu Di, he also had to consider the thoughts of Liu Zhen and Bu Wan, and dared not act rashly.

Liu Zhen was weak-willed and lacked fighting spirit, so he was not a threat. Zhu Di cleverly used a counter-espionage scheme to eliminate Bu Wan, who was the real threat.

Later, Zhu Di went to Daning to "borrow troops." Chen Heng planned to surrender and led his troops to storm Liu Zhen's camp. Liu Zhen hurriedly fled.

Chen Heng was seriously wounded in the Battle of Baigou River. Later, when attacking Jinan, he fought fiercely with Ping An at Huashan and died from his injuries.

Zhu Neng was the youngest of the four dukes, ten years younger than Zhu Di, and inherited his father's position as deputy commander of the Yanshan Guard.

During the Battle of Dongchang, Zhu Di was trapped in Sheng Yong's formidable battle formation. Zhu Neng charged through the encirclement, fought desperately, and protected Zhu Di as he broke through the enemy lines.

After the defeat at the Battle of Fei River, the generals of the Yan army wavered and advised Zhu Di to withdraw his troops.

Zhu Neng stepped forward and firmly supported Zhu Di's continued southward march, refuting the generals with the story of Liu Bang's nine defeats in ten battles but eventual conquest of the empire.

Later, in the Battle of Lingbi, Zhu Neng captured famous generals such as Ping An alive.

Qiu Fu once served as the commander of the Yanshan Central Guard. In many battles, such as Jiahe and Lingbi, he served as the vanguard, charging ahead like a fierce tiger.

According to the regulations of the imperial court, each princely residence was to establish a Prince's Guard Command Office. Each princely residence was to have three guards, and the guards were to be divided into five units: left, right, front, rear, and center. Each unit had two commanders of a thousand men and ten commanders of a hundred men. In addition, there were two units of encirclement guards, each with one commander of a thousand men.

The guards of Prince Yan, Zhu Di, were called the Left Guards of Yanshan, the Right Guards of Yanshan, and the Central Guards of Yanshan.

Zhang Yu, Zhu Neng, Qiu Fu, and Chen Heng all served as guards in Yanshan and were Zhu Di's most trusted confidants.

Zhu Gaoxi analyzed the military resources in his adoptive father's hands, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly realized something.

None of the aforementioned four key figures were sent; the strategy adopted by the "cheap father," which allowed for both offense and defense, did not rely entirely on him.

In case of a future defeat, he can still make a strong defense, since he did not send out his strongest lineup.

Although Zhang Fu later proved to be a formidable fighter, he was only twenty-one years old. Zhu Gaoxu, on the other hand, was skilled in riding and archery and possessed extraordinary strength, but at this time he was only sixteen, loud and impulsive, and utterly lacking in cunning.

These two men are loyal and trustworthy, possessing a certain level of combat prowess. They are young and have unlimited potential, yet they do not attract much attention.

Perhaps the cheap father was worried that the two of them were too young and wouldn't be able to handle the situation, so he specially sent Guan Tong, a veteran in his fifties, to come.

Guan Tong was the commander of the guard cavalry of the Prince of Yan's mansion. His subordinates were all elite Mongol cavalry who had surrendered. The five hundred men brought by Zhu Gaoxu and Guan Tong were very likely all from this force.

These elite soldiers had followed Zhu Di in battle for many years and were loyal only to him. With them by his side, not only was the fighting power abundant, but the worst possible outcome could also be prevented.

Zhu Gaoxi couldn't help but admire his father's meticulous arrangements.

Guan Tong was originally a subordinate of Nahachu, a general who surrendered from the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and was granted the title of Duke of the whole country by the Northern Yuan.

In the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign, when Feng Sheng led his troops to conquer Liaodong, he saw Tong surrender and went to persuade Nahachu to surrender as well.

When Lan Yu hosted a banquet for Nahachu, he took off his own clothes and insisted on giving them to Nahachu, which angered Nahachu. Nahachu then told his subordinates in Mongolian to find a chance to escape.

Chang Mao, the eldest son of Chang Yuchun and the Duke of Zheng, had his subordinates understand their conversation and immediately translated it.

In a moment of desperation, Chang Mao stepped forward to stop him, and in the ensuing struggle, he slashed Nahachu's arm.

Although Nahachu was eventually calmed down by Feng Sheng, his followers panicked and scattered upon hearing the news.

Guan Tong was ordered to pacify the tribe, and the more than 40,000 Nahachu people finally surrendered.

In the twenty-first year of the Hongwu reign, Lan Yu led his army to conquer the northern desert. Guan Tong, relying on his familiarity with the terrain of the border region, found a spring at a critical moment, which solved the immediate problem.

Later, Guan Tong came under Zhu Di's command.

In the twenty-third year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Di led his troops on a northern expedition, and Guan Tong was ordered to persuade Naierbuhua to surrender.

As Zhu Gaoxi pondered, he fell into deep thought.

Guan Tong, Zhang Fu, and Zhu Gaoxu each have their own strengths. How can we properly arrange them into suitable positions?

The allocation of military resources should be divided among different groups to ensure that they can play their full role.

Guan Tong is brave and skilled in battle, and has a high level of experience, making him qualified to be a commander. However, his reputation is too great, and if he were to serve as the commander of the guards of the Prince of Wu's palace, it would easily attract attention.

If they are transferred or framed, the five hundred cavalry will be leaderless and their fighting strength will be greatly reduced. We need to take precautions as soon as possible.

As a prince, Zhu Gaoxu could neither serve in the palace nor hold a nominal position in the Prince of Wu's residence. It would be better to let him stay in the Prince of Wu's residence, nominally as a temporary resident, but in reality, to gradually take over the command of the five hundred cavalrymen and firmly control this elite cavalry force.

Zhang Fu was best suited to enter the palace and command the vegetable garden guards.

Having planned carefully, Zhu Gaoxi briefly explained his thoughts to Zhu Youdun.

Zhu Youdun immediately agreed without any objection.

Xu Zengshou sent a great gift: Yishiha, a sixth-rank official from the Imperial Horse Administration, volunteered to work in the vegetable garden.

Yishiha surrendered to the emperor in the early years of the Hongwu reign. He had received great kindness from Xu Da and had a close personal relationship with Xu Zengshou. He was highly skilled in martial arts, cautious and low-key, and very suitable to be Zhu Gaoxi's personal bodyguard, just like Sanbao.

Li Hui had only been in the palace for a short time and had limited connections, which made his movements quite inconvenient.

Moved by the experience, Zhu Gaoxi completely forgot about the bullying Xu Miaojin had inflicted on him recently.

"In the palace, Sanbao and Yishiha take turns on duty. When leaving the palace, Zhang Fu accompanies you. In case of emergency, the guards of the Prince of Wu's mansion can be mobilized. With this triple protection, you basically don't have to worry about safety issues no matter where you go in the capital," Zhu Youdun said with a smile.

"Brother, you won't leave, will you? I hope you can stay," Zhu Gaoxi said with utmost sincerity.

"I'm your sparring partner, why would I leave?" Zhu Youdun smiled calmly. "Grandfather will personally teach you skills, and we'll learn together."

The mystery remains unsolved, but given the importance attached to Zhu Gaoxi's safety, he must be entrusted with an important task.

What exactly did Xie Jin and Yin Changlong write in their letter to the old emperor that made him go to such great lengths to arrange these things?

Could it be related to the storage space?

Zhu Gaoxi's heart pounded wildly.