Chapter 425 Figured it out
Zhao Xiaofei slammed the table in anger and said, "How could this happen? We have already made Huang Degong a prince, is there anything he is not satisfied with? I will go back to Liaodong and bring my brother back now!"
"You can't go now. I have ordered Shi Lang to send my brother to the seaside first, take a boat back to Tianjin, and then return to the capital. My brother's injury is not serious, you must not leave the capital now. The south is rebelling, and they support the King of Tang. If you leave at this time, what will the subjects think?" Princess Kunxing persuaded earnestly.
Zhao Xiaofei had no choice but to sit down helplessly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Why? The world has just seen hope of stability, and I have spent all my financial, material, and human resources, but they only care about fighting among themselves! None of them can survive!"
Zhao Xiaofei's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness after he finished speaking. Princess Kunxing said, "My husband, there is no turning back for you and me now. For the sake of our son, for you and me, and for the sake of our children, we must persevere."
"I know. I'll ask General Zhou Wanshan to come back and lead the troops south! Shi Lang will prepare warships and land from Hangzhou Bay. By advancing by land and sea, we will be able to pacify the situation before the end of the year." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Okay, I'm glad you have a plan in mind! Our family depends on you!" Princess Kunxing said, holding Zhao Xiaofei's hand.
"Don't go back to the palace to handle government affairs at night. I just came back, let's have a good talk." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"No, if you ignore state affairs for half a day, the memorials will be rejected. Let Zhaoren or Li serve you!" Princess Kunxing said.
Zhao Xiaofei was speechless at first. What was his wife thinking? He asked her to accompany him just to talk. Husband and wife need not only physical needs but also emotional communication.
"Princess, do you think I'm the kind of person who's impatient? How long has it been since we had a good talk? Since you've been busy with state affairs, I rarely see you. You're my first wife, don't we even have time to sit together and talk?" Zhao Xiaofei said.
"My husband, the country is in crisis now. How can we renew our love for each other for another ten years? Let's think about how to deal with this mess first! I don't want my son to take over a mess when he grows up. I just hope he can be a peaceful emperor." Princess Kunxing said.
Zhao Xiaofei was speechless. Princess Kunxing's words made sense. Zhao Xiaofei was a little lost, still thinking about the emotional exchange between husband and wife. Because for him, he could return to the modern world, but for Princess Kunxing, she had no way out.
She could not abandon the kingdom left by her father, nor could she let outsiders take it. Since her brothers died without descendants, her son was the most suitable person to be the emperor.
Princess Kunxing returned to the Forbidden City, and Zhao Xiaofei refused to allow any other woman to accompany him. Princess Zhaoren came, but Zhao Xiaofei also sent her away.
He sat alone in the palace's study, staring at the ceiling in a daze. How could he be so unlucky? After all his efforts, he ended up with such a mess.
What he didn't expect was that he underestimated people's so-called loyalty to the emperor and orthodoxy in that era, underestimated the greed of these traitors, underestimated the shamelessness of some literati, and overestimated his own abilities.
Zhao Xiaofei thought about it. Did he think that if he killed Li Zicheng, drove out Zhang Xianzhong, and wiped out the Jianlu, the world would be at peace? He had not carried out reforms and had not completely eliminated the vested interest groups such as the southern landlords and maritime merchants, which led to the current situation.
I naively thought that if I could preserve the Ming Dynasty and reduce the number of Han people killed, my journey through time would not be in vain.
However, if he hadn't changed the minds of the people of that time, the Ming Dynasty would still be doomed to collapse. Even if he had conquered the entire New World, it would only have extended the Ming Dynasty's existence by a few decades. At most, it would have meant the creation of a few more Chinese-speaking nations.
After figuring everything out, Zhao Xiaofei's eyes revealed not only cold murderous intent, but also firmness and decisiveness.
"Someone come here!" Zhao Xiaofei shouted to the guard on duty outside.
"Your Highness, what's the matter?" the guard asked as he entered the room and bowed.
"Call Xiao Si in, I have something important to discuss with you." Zhao Xiaofei said.
The guard went to call Xiao Si, who knelt down and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you need me to do?"
"They in the south support King Tang's enthronement. Have you arranged any personnel to be around them?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"Yes!" Xiao Si replied.
"Are you sure you can assassinate him?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"This..." Xiao Si touched his beard and hesitated.
"It's okay, just tell the truth!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"It's difficult! There is no problem in delivering the message, but the chances of assassination are slim." Xiao Si said in embarrassment.
"It doesn't matter. It's not easy to train these people. It's better to let them continue to send us information." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Yes!" Xiao Si said.
"Just send more people to their territory to spread rumors, poison, and sow discord. Do it all to them." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Yes!" Xiao Si broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. For the first time, he felt that the prince was decisive and ruthless in his actions.
"Are there any other martial arts sects that can help them?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"No! At least none of the upright Ming sects that cooperated with the imperial court went to the south." Xiao Si said.
"Okay, that's good! Let the internal security send someone to guide them. Make sure to eliminate the local officials who have defected to them. It's better to kill the wrong ones than to let them go!" Zhao Xiaofei said coldly.
"Yes!" Xiao Si knew that he was going to do something big when he heard this.
"If you handle this well, you should have a title, and Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu will have a good future in the future." Zhao Xiaofei said.
After hearing this, Xiao Si's eyes lit up and he immediately kowtowed in thanks, saying, "Xiao Si will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
"Go down!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
A few days after Xiao Si left, Zhao Xiaokun was sent back to the capital.
Shi Lang, Wu Sangui, and Kong Youde knelt on the ground. Shi Lang said, "Your Majesty, we failed to protect the governor. Please forgive us!"
"Okay, stop saying these polite words to me. Can I really make things difficult for you? Wu Sangui and Kong Youde, can you still lead troops to fight?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"Yes!" they both answered at the same time.
"Okay! Then get ready. I order you two to be the vanguard and lead the troops south to fight against the rebellious King Tang!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Yes!" Kong Youde and Wu Sangui answered at the same time.
"You two go down first!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
Kong Youde and Wu Sangui went down, and Shi Lang knelt on the ground without getting up.
Zhao Xiaofei didn't let him get up, but asked, "Have the Tianjin Navy seen it?"
"I saw it when I came back. It was huge, no less than the fleet of eunuch Sanbao back then!" said Shi Lang.
"No, there's still a long way to go! But the combat capability is definitely stronger than when the eunuch Sanbao went to the West, don't you think?" Zhao Xiaofei asked back.
"That's for sure. Your Highness wants me to launch a surprise attack on Nanjing by sea?" Shi Lang asked.
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