Chang Sen: We uncles are so happy!

Chapter 183 Chang Sen: We uncles are so happy!

Inside the main hall.

Hearing Chang Sheng's words, Chang Sen put down his teacup, his eyes brightening, and nodded emphatically, saying, "Second Brother is right!"

"My elder brother, following his nephew, was truly impressive in Beiping!"

"Even in the future, we must not bring shame to Father!"

"So that people in the capital won't say that of the Prince of Kaiping's sons, only the eldest is capable of taking up arms and riding a horse—"

What is said here shows Chang Sen's passion!

Then, the two brothers inevitably started talking about their uncle, Lan Yu.

Chang Sheng stroked his short beard and said with gratitude, "Uncle, you deserve immense credit for our Ming army's great victory and the recapture of Liaodong!"

"I heard that in the first battle, he led several thousand cavalrymen on a snow-covered raid for hundreds of miles, captured Qingzhou, beheaded the enemy general with a single stroke, and then burned the grain supplies! In the end, he escaped unscathed!"

Yu's uncle, Lan Yu, was admired by Chang Sheng and Chang Sen since they were young!

Chang Sen laughed and said, "Second Brother, what you're saying is true! Uncle is the greatest general of our Ming Dynasty!"

"Back when he followed his father to fight Chen Youliang, he was the first to charge onto the city wall, enduring three arrow wounds without retreating!"

"Not to mention the battle of Yunnan, where his military achievements were among the best! And this time, the Emperor appointed my uncle as the deputy general of the Northern Expedition, which was intended to cultivate him!"

"My uncle lived up to expectations, achieving a great victory in the first battle, and subsequently making numerous military achievements."

Chang Sen's face lit up with excitement, sharing both honor and disgrace. He puffed out his chest and added, "And Second Brother, hasn't it been circulating in the capital for the past month that next year, our Great Ming Dynasty will launch another northern expedition against the Mongolians!"

"Given Uncle's abilities, he'll definitely be put to great use again! At that time, with me in charge of the rear, Uncle and Brother Li leading the vanguard, and with Uncle Fu and my brother and the others around, conquering the northern desert next year shouldn't be a problem!"

"But Second Brother, you need to stay at the university, while we need to stay home and look after the house. We can't go to the front lines together!"

"How wonderful it would be if, in the future, the three of us brothers could fight side by side on the battlefield!"

Seeing her younger brother's longing expression.

Chang Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Third brother, don't worry, that day will come!"

"However, for us, stationed here at this university, the responsibility is no light one!"

"Especially the firearms and other items manufactured under the supervision of the workshops, which were originally a closely guarded secret of the court and the public!"

"My third brother spends most of his time at home and has never served in the army, so he may not know its wonderful uses —"

Chang Sen, intrigued, asked curiously, "What you're referring to, Second Brother, is it the new handguns and cannons that your nephew had someone supervise the manufacturing of last year?"

For Zhu's nephew, he established a university and promoted practical education in industry, agriculture, and medicine.

Chang Sen had heard about it before.

Especially last year, he often heard his elder brother nagging about various things at home.

Chang Sheng shook his head and said, "That's not all! In recent months, Tao Gong and others, inspired by this, have created an improved version of the Thunderclap Bomb."

"That thing used to just make a noise, with limited casualties! Now, I hear they've added something to it, so when it explodes, it can cover dozens of paces; anyone or anything that gets hit will either be killed or seriously injured!"

"A few days ago, the Crown Prince even made a special trip to observe its power and ordered its production to be accelerated so that it could be used on the front lines—"

"And what my third brother said about those new muskets and cannons that the Ordnance Bureau manufactured last year, we've also heard about!"

"It was used on the Liaodong battlefield before, and it was incredibly powerful, killing quite a few people!"

"Upon hearing the news, the Emperor in the palace was overjoyed and has ordered production to be accelerated and several iron and copper mines to be reopened—"

When discussing the innovation of firearms, its significance in enhancing the Ming army's combat power is immense.

Chang Sheng couldn't help but think of his nephew and the original intention of setting up the university two years ago.

Practical learning is essential for national prosperity and the well-being of the people!

At that time, there were many dissenting voices both in and out of the government.

Looking back now, it only proves the correctness of what was said.

This includes not only the upgrading of fire-fighting equipment, but also the emergence of accelerated medical training, which played a huge positive role in saving lives and treating the wounded in the military!

This caused all the military officers to praise him repeatedly and feel deeply grateful for his kindness.

Thinking of this, Chang Sheng couldn't help but say, "Third brother, you don't know, but back when our nephew founded the university, many people in the noble families of the capital secretly laughed at us! They even said our nephew was neglecting his duties!"

"It was only out of consideration for the emperor's face that no one dared to speak out. But look at him now, who doesn't admire his foresight? They're all submitting memorials praising him!"

"As my nephew would say, everyone's vying to be a sycophant!"

Hearing his elder brother's words.

Chang Sen wholeheartedly agreed.

As they were chatting, Chang Sheng suddenly asked, "Has anything happened at the manor lately?"

The eldest brother, Changmao, was in Beiping, while he had been living outside the city for a long time. All matters, big and small, in the mansion were decided and handled by the third brother.

Given his young age, there will inevitably be shortcomings.

Chang Sen smiled and said, "Second Brother, don't worry, everything at the manor is as usual!"

"Someone from the palace came yesterday, saying that since the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, the Emperor and the Empress have each bestowed some gifts. We came today precisely to tell Second Brother about it!"

"Among them are twenty bolts of top-quality Suzhou and Hangzhou brocade, which Her Majesty the Empress left for her family to make clothes! There are also hibiscus mooncakes and osmanthus cakes made by the Imperial Kitchen—"

Since their father, Chang Yuchun, tragically passed away during the Northern Expedition against the remnants of the Yuan dynasty, the Ming emperor and empress have treated the brothers like their own sons.

During holidays and festivals, they always give thoughtful gifts!

Even marriage and having children were arranged by the palace.

This kindness is truly worthy of being called sharing weal and woe with the nation!

Furthermore, due to his nephew, the Crown Prince and his brothers became even closer through marriage!

Chang Sheng let out a long sigh and exclaimed, "The royal family has treated us very well!"

"Our Chang family should serve Him for generations to come, so as not to fail His grace!"

Chang Sen nodded and said, "Who says otherwise? By the way, Second Brother, we've heard some good news too; it's been all over the capital these past few days!"

Seeing his elder brother looking over, he lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the Emperor and Empress are already arranging a marriage for their nephew!"

Upon hearing this, Chang Sheng counted on his fingers and realized that his nephew was indeed quite old.

Time really flies! In the blink of an eye, we've all grown up!

He moved his lips, pondering, "I wonder which girl the palace has taken a fancy to? How come we haven't heard a word about it?"

Chang Sen said mysteriously, "Second brother, you've come to the right person! A few days ago, I happened to hear Xu's third brother mention that there were three families who saw their younger brother bring up the big-mouthed Xu Zengshou."

Chang Sheng did not fully believe it upon hearing this.

With the Emperor and Empress present, the marriage of their nephews was none of their concern as uncles.

We're just waiting for the wedding day so we can all celebrate together, drink the celebratory wine, and offer our congratulations.

After a moment, Chang Sheng sighed softly, "Third brother, look, my nephew is getting married in the blink of an eye!"

"Throughout these years, he's been sensible and successful. If Dad is watching from heaven, seeing how well the Chang family is doing and how outstanding his nephew is, he should be at peace!"

Chang Sen chimed in, "What you say is absolutely right, elder brother! The better our nephew is, the happier we uncles are from the bottom of our hearts."

"While we were talking about Brother Xu, we overheard something else that we were just about to tell Second Brother!"

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Wei.

While the Chang brothers were talking about Xu Zengshou, this third Xu was in his study, meeting with his father Xu Da and listening to his beloved relative's teachings.