Chapter 43: Not Yet Successful

Some of the things worrying Ma Xun could not possibly be spoken aloud, and even if they were, no one would dare to believe them.

As the founding pillar of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da was inherently cautious and modest; even if you gave him ten times his courage, he would never dare to pull back the troops without authorization.

Chang Yuchun was Zhu Yuanzhang’s trusted favorite general and prospective son-in-law. Without an imperial edict, would you dare watch him lead thirty thousand men away from their garrison on his own accord?

Li Wenzhong, the emperor's own nephew, might temporarily alter his combat direction due to the fleeting nature of military opportunities, but he would certainly never dare violate the strategic intentions of the emperor.

Yet someone actually dared to do so, and that was none other than the seemingly high-spirited young general before them, Feng Zongyi!

Upon seeing Ma Xun, Feng Sheng cupped his fists with a smile and said, "Lord Imperial Brother-in-Law, I have long heard of your renowned name, though we have never met. I have looked up to you for a long time."

Ma Xun politely replied, "General Feng flatters me. I am hardly worth mentioning."

With a hint of haughtiness, Feng Sheng said, "Back then, when His Majesty swept south to Dingyuan and stayed at Miaoshan, my elder brother perceived that His Majesty possessed the bearing of one who would accomplish great things, and thus led his forces to pledge allegiance. Now, the grand army campaigns northward to achieve great merits, and the realm is unified under one family!"

Ma Xun smiled and countered, "Kokö Temür is still in Ningxia, Ü-Tsang has not yet received an imperial title from the court, Ming Sheng is still in Sichuan-Shu, and in Yunnan and Guizhou there are still the Duan family and the Prince of Liang. How can this be considered a realm unified under one family?"

Forget Feng Sheng; even veterans like Xu Da and Tang He were immensely surprised. This Imperial Brother-in-Law was not merely knowledgeable; his ambition and tone were astonishingly grand!

Feng Sheng was somewhat unconvinced. "Ü-Tsang has always refused submission to the dynasties of the Central Plains."

"I believe that statement is mistaken," Ma Xun said righteously. "Although it was formerly Tubo, it received imperial titles from the court as early as the Mongol Yuan dynasty. Since that is the case, Ü-Tsang should likewise receive titles and governance from our Great Ming."

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau indeed had a history involving Tubo and others, yet during the Yuan dynasty, it had accepted imperial investiture and nominally fell under Yuan jurisdiction.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a remarkably clever man; his recognition of the Mongols and the history of the Yuan dynasty was precisely intended to lend the Ming Dynasty a far more legitimate and righteous legal standing.

To this end, he did not hesitate to cast aside certain Red Turban elements, defining Han Shantong and Liu Futong as rebellious outlaws.

Now that the Great Ming acknowledged the orthodox legitimacy of the Yuan dynasty, regions such as the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the Northwest, Mongolia, and even the Western Regions were all lands predating the Yuan, and the Great Ming could naturally step in to take them over.

Conversely, refusing to recognize the Yuan dynasty would imply that the orthodox line of China had suffered a direct interruption of a full century since the Southern Song.

That was a grave charge Zhu Yuanzhang dared not shoulder.

Zhu Yuanzhang was now the successor to the Yuan dynasty. By establishing this legal foundation, he naturally did not rule out winning over the northerners, whose acceptance of nomadic regimes was far higher.

After careful thought, Feng Sheng remarked, "Lord Imperial Brother-in-Law is mistaken. Ü-Tsang’s allegiance differed from that of our Central Plains as far back as the Tang and Song dynasties. Furthermore, Yunnan and Guizhou had never belonged to us before."

This was also the truth. During the Qin and Han dynasties, Yunnan mostly belonged to Yizhou Commandery, but after the Western Jin, the Cuan family dominated Nanzhong for four hundred years, effectively splitting off into an independent regime.

During the Sui dynasty, this separatist force was exterminated, but upon entering the Tang dynasty, the Kingdom of Nanzhao emerged, followed subsequently by the Kingdom of Dali.

Before the Spring and Autumn period, this area was home to the southern barbarians, and during the Han dynasty, there was the Kingdom of Yelang. From the Song and Yuan dynasties onward, the Tusi chieftain system took root here, and the region always maintained a semi-detached attitude toward the Central Plains dynasties, making it difficult to truly incorporate under unified administration.

Ma Xun smiled brightly and retorted, "That was the past. Now, it is our Great Ming!"

Xu Da and Tang He exchanged glances, while Gu Shi and the others silently watched the spectacle. These matters were not for them to meddle in, for they could afford to offend none of the parties involved.

Let alone Ma Xun—one of the only two Grand Generals Suppressing the State in the Great Ming, younger brother of the Empress, and the Imperial Brother-in-Law of the realm.

Feng Sheng’s status was equally extraordinary, not to mention the standing of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. If not for the emperor’s relentless patronage, Li Wenzhong would never have been able to keep Deng Yu and Feng Sheng in check.

Ma Xun had always been amiable and generally avoided making enemies, especially among the civil and military officials at court, seeing no need to antagonize them.

Yet this did not mean he was willing to become best friends with everyone. Previously, he only walked closely with his relatives, and thus he felt no hesitation in respectfully keeping his distance from those whose temperaments clashed with his own.

Should they genuinely prove unable to get along or if a conflict arose, he was hardly one to sweep things under the rug or compromise his principles just to keep the peace.

Xu Da and Tang He thoroughly enjoyed watching the show; they were all too pleased to see Ma Xun occasionally putting these arrogant military commanders in their place.

They were well aware in their hearts that after years of continuous military achievements, many men in the army had grown boundlessly arrogant. Even now that the emperor had ascended the throne, certain individuals still lacked a proper sense of proportion.

Feng Sheng stared at Ma Xun for a moment, then silently resumed drinking; this was a person he could not afford to cross. Although he considered his own status weighty and his prestige in the army high, it was best not to provoke the Imperial Brother-in-Law unless absolutely necessary.

Should one truly anger this younger one, two larger ones would immediately leap out, and there might even appear an "even smaller one"—though that particular one happened to be the Crown Prince.

With a smile, Xu Da stepped in as a peacemaker, saying, "Since the Imperial Brother-in-Law brings these matters up, it certainly reflects His Majesty’s grand ambitions, and we hope all generals will achieve great merits!"

Ma Xun stated, "Kokö Temür is still in Ningxia, grasping an army of over one hundred thousand men. The former Yuan emperor has still cast his gaze southward, vainly attempting to break into Guanzhong and Yanyun. Until they are utterly destroyed, the northern frontier will know no peace."

Everyone inside the tent understood these principles, because what Ma Xun described was the actual situation on the ground.

Yet his words inevitably set people's minds wandering. When this Imperial Brother-in-Law arrived in the army, many suspected he was here to snatch military credit, while others guessed he was an army supervisor sent by the Emperor and Empress.

With a grand army campaigning for over two years and more than two hundred thousand men out in the field, it was only natural to send a trusted confidant to inspect things.

Now that he spoke thus, he was undoubtedly conveying the attitude of the emperor.

Xu Da could not help casting several more glances at Ma Xun. Although their time together was short, he felt he and Ma Xun were cut from the same cloth—both cautious by nature.

Yet looking at him now, this Imperial Brother-in-Law possessed his own firm convictions; when critical matters were involved, his stance was unshakeably upright.

He strongly resembled that other Grand General Suppressing the State—the emperor's brother-in-law shared this exact temperament, usually acting as a cheerful and amiable good fellow, but the moment anyone dared to contradict the opinions of the Emperor or Empress, that good old fellow would instantly fly into a rage.

Ma Xun settled down comfortably to roast a lamb leg, holding a small knife to carve the meat and sprinkle salt, thoroughly engrossed in his task.

Since Xu Da and the others had resumed discussing military strategy, it exceeded Ma Xun’s area of expertise. It was fine if he could not help, as long as he made sure not to hinder them.

Just as everyone was happily discussing the subsequent military arrangements, a personal guard suddenly strode into the tent and reported, "Grand General, Vanguard Lan requests an audience!"

Lan Yu strode in with his head held high and announced cheerfully, "Reporting to the Grand General! This subordinate and the others, obeying the orders of the Grand General and the Grand General Suppressing the State, pursued and attacked the forces of Helian Zhezhe!"

Feng Sheng rolled his eyes in frustration. Originally, the victory at Qingyang was practically his primary merit, yet this Imperial Brother-in-Law Ma had inexplicably led his troops into the city first and captured Zhang Liangchen and his son.

Now that Lan Yu and the others had dashed off to hunt down Helian Zhezhe, anyone with eyes knew it was the arrangement of Grand General Xu Da, but people insisted on claiming it was done under the military orders of the Grand General Suppressing the State.

Lan Yu paid none of this any heed and continued, "We successfully intercepted them outside Liupan Mountain, slaughtering over three thousand of their men, and Helian Zhezhe escaped with merely his bare life!"

Xu Da was overjoyed and said with a smile to Ma Xun, "It was still the thoughtful consideration of the Grand General Suppressing the State to propose the interception of Helian Zhezhe. This is a monumental achievement!"

Tang He immediately chimed in, "The Grand General is entirely correct! Had it not been for the Grand General's timely advice, that Helian Zhezhe would likely have escaped."

Bathed in the flickering glow of the fire, Ma Xun's face was flushed red, and his body temperature felt alarmingly high.

Yet he could only smile and humbly reply, "It is entirely due to the Grand General's masterful strategizing, relying upon the dedication of the three armies!"

For the goodwill of everyone present, Ma Xun not only accepted it in his heart, but he also had no way to refuse.

Whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, or Li Wenzhong, they all kept preparing military achievements and serving them right to his mouth. Ma Xun only needed to open his mouth and swallow them down. Only after watching him swallow these military honors could everyone truly be satisfied.