Zhang Huangyan was reluctant to believe what the man said, but after seeing his appearance clearly, he had to believe it.

The man's name was Zhang Mingzhen, and he was a guerrilla general in Hai'an Town, Yangzhou Prefecture.

He was supposed to be stationed in Hai'an Town.

This time I came to Yangzhou to collect military pay.

I didn't expect to encounter such a thing.

Zhang Huangyan had a close relationship with him and knew that he would not lie to him.

After realizing the truth of the matter, Zhang Huangyan was angry and shocked.

What made people angry was that Zhang Tianlu, the general of Guazhou, actually became Zhu Guobi's accomplice.

What was shocking was that the important city of Yangzhou was easily lost just because of a traitor.

Zhang Mingzhen yelled, "Master Zhang, stop being stunned. If you don't leave now, it will be too late!"

Zhang Huangyan stomped his right foot hard and ordered the soldiers behind him: "Retreat!"

After everyone determined the direction, they ran towards the north gate.

During the escape, some soldiers fell behind due to exhaustion.

Some soldiers did not want to leave Yangzhou, so they took the opportunity to leave the team.

Some soldiers were caught up and killed by the royalist army while fleeing.

After Zhang Huangyan and Zhang Mingzhen escaped from the city, they counted the troops and found that the total number of their troops was less than 500.

Zhang Mingzhen panted and asked, "What should I do?"

"What to do?"

"Of course, what to do next! We can't just watch the rebels invade the capital, right?"

Zhang Huangyan spread his hands: "I don't know either!"

Zhang Huangyan is still a little confused.

He could not believe that the prince would come to the king's defense, nor could he believe that Yangzhou was lost in just half a day.

But it had already happened, and he had to believe it.

As for what to do next, he had no idea.

Zhang Mingzhen thought for a moment and asked, "Where is the Governor of Huaiyang? Where did he go?"

"He has already left Yangzhou and went to Huai'an to deploy defenses."

Zhang Mingzhen suggested: "Let's go to Huai'an! Together with the Governor of Huaiyang, we can defend Huai'an. As long as Huai'an is not lost, they will not dare to invade the capital."

Zhang Huangyan thought for a while, raised his head and said: "It's useless, Huai'an will be lost."

"Why?"

"Since they dared to raise an army, they must have made arrangements in advance. Whether it was bribing the garrison commanders or planting traitors, they could have entered the city as long as they were at the gates. The troops of the various prefectures and states are extremely scattered and are no match for them at all."

Zhang Mingzhen was a little annoyed: "Then what do you think we should do? We can't just sit there and do nothing, right?"

"Of course not!" Zhang Huangyan stood up and said, "Let's go directly to Xuzhou. As long as we defend Xuzhou, the rebels will not be able to move north."

Zhang Mingzhen wanted to agree, but then he thought of a problem: "Brother Zhang just said that since they dared to start an uprising, they must have made arrangements in advance, either bribing the garrison commanders or planting traitors. What if they have also made arrangements in Xuzhou? Wouldn't it be a trap for us to go there?"

Zhang Huangyan said confidently: "Don't worry, even if the entire Nanzhili is theirs, Xuzhou is an exception."

"Why?"

"Because the people from the three judicial departments of the capital have been staying in Xuzhou. They are at odds with the Nanjing court. If Xuzhou is not safe enough, they will not go there."

"That makes sense!" Zhang Mingzhen's expression improved a little: "As long as we hold out for ten days or half a month, the imperial court's reinforcements will arrive."

Zhang Huangyan looked towards the north: "I hope so!"

......

The first thing Zhu Guobi, Marquis of Funing, did after entering Yangzhou City was to post notices to appease the people.

The second thing is to find the local wealthy families and ask them to express their support.

Looking at the soldiers who came to their doorstep, the wealthy families immediately understood their intentions.

No matter how reluctant they were, they dared not be stingy.

They all gave some money and food to the army that was sent to support the king.

Many soldiers took advantage of this opportunity to enrich themselves.

He clearly received one thousand taels of silver, but when he handed it over, he said he only received one hundred taels.

In order to raise enough money and grain, Zhu Guobi had no choice but to order a second collection.

There was a lot of complaints for a while.

The local gentry, in particular, were very dissatisfied with the actions of the Royalist Army.

Fortunately, while raising money and food, the Qinwang Army passed on the news of abolishing the Ming Yuanbao.

Due to the offsetting of good news and bad news, Yangzhou City did not fall into chaos.

On June 12, after a short rest, Zhu Guobi headed towards Gaoyou and approached Huai'an.

In order to cooperate with Zhu Guobi in the battle, Zheng Zhilong led the navy to arrive at Donghaisuo (now Lianyungang) first, and made an appearance of planning to land from the rear of Huai'an.

In order to ensure a safe retreat, Huaiyang Governor Wei Yinwen had to divide his troops for defense.

The defensive pressure on Huai'an increased dramatically due to the lack of troops.

On the morning of June 13, the troops loyal to the king captured Gaoyou.

When the news reached Nanjing, there was cheering in the court.

It went so smoothly!

It went smoother than expected.

If everything goes smoothly, we will be able to capture Beijing in no time.

In the crowd.

The Left Vice Minister of War Ren Jun and the Right Vice Minister Cao Rong not only did not smile, but instead had worried looks on their faces.

Pang Tianshou, the seal holder of Nanjing Silijian, stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong with the two adults? Why didn't you smile when you saw the victory news?"

Ren Jun took out a secret letter and handed it to Pang Tianshou, saying, "Eunuch Pang, please read it yourself."

Pang Tianshou took the secret letter and found only a few numbers on it: Ma Shiying of the Western Route Army secretly allowed a grain transport caravan to head north, which was suspected of smuggling grain and fodder.

Pang Tianshou asked: "What's going on?"

Ren Jun didn't say anything.

Pang Tianshou questioned loudly: "It was agreed before the uprising that in order to weaken the combat power of the northern troops, the first thing to do is to prohibit the transportation of grain from the south to the north. All grain transport will be stopped, and the caravans can only follow us and supply us with grain."

"Ma Shiying is so good that he actually disobeyed orders!"

Ren Jun took out a letter with a dark face and handed it to Pang Tianshou.

It was a handwritten letter from Ma Shiying.

Ma Shiying believed that the Jiannu were ultimately the enemy of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ping Liao army was at a critical moment in its campaign to wipe out the Jian Nu, and cutting off its food supplies would be extremely disadvantageous to the army.

That's why he sent the grain transport team north.

Pang Tianshou threw the secret letter to the ground with force: "Ma Shiying, ah Ma Shiying, you are a guy who is always causing trouble instead of helping others."

Pang Tianshou was still not satisfied.

He bent down to pick up the secret letter and discussed with everyone, planning to change the commander in the middle of the battle and replace Ma Shiying.

Although others were also dissatisfied with Ma Shiying, after much discussion they still felt that Ma Shiying was suitable to lead the troops.

The two armies continued to march north.

Noon on June 13th.

The news that the prince had raised an army to support the king reached the capital.

The Minister of War Wang Jiayan ran to the cabinet to meet Xie Sanbin.

Xie Sanbin's expression twisted: "The crown prince has raised an army to support the king?"

"yes."

"Why do you want to serve the king?"

"It is said that there are no loyal ministers in the court, and there are treacherous people inside! Your Highness, the Crown Prince, in accordance with the "Imperial Ming Ancestor Instructions" of Emperor Taizu Gao, raised an army to serve the king and eliminate the emperor's side!"

"Clear the emperor's side?" Xie Sanbin pointed at his nose and said, "Clear who? Clear me?"

Wang Jiayan lowered his head and replied: "My Lord is the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, so you should be counted as one."

"What do you mean count me in?"

"Because in addition to you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has to clear one more person."

"Who?"

"Wang Chengen, the Secretary of the Imperial Household Department."