When Qin Ruhui, the prime minister of Daxin, and his cronies launched a coup in Jinling City, intending to depose Emperor Lingwu of Daxin and install a new emperor, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin also embarked on his journey back to his fiefdom of Longcheng.
The second day of the sixth month in the second year of the Lingwu era of the Daxin dynasty.
Chen Huai'an returned lightly equipped, but was overtaken by the Longcheng Inner Guards who rushed from Jinling City when he was less than a hundred miles away from his fiefdom of Longcheng in Jincheng.
"Your Highness—"
The visitor was Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard. His other identity was a centurion under Fang Tianyao, the admiral of the Daxin Navy.
The matter that would make the Deputy Commander of the Dragon City Guard risk exposing his identity to personally return to Dragon City to report to His Highness Prince Jin must be of great importance.
drive!
drive!
drive!
Sigh—
Luo Yucheng rode up and finally reined in his warhorse next to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, bringing it to a stop.
Just as he was about to dismount and kneel before Chen Huai'an, Chen Huai'an stopped him, saying, "Luo Yucheng, there's no need for such formalities."
"For you to personally travel all the way from Jinling City to catch up with me, something major must have happened in Jinling City. Let's get straight to the point!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Luo Yucheng took a few deep breaths to compose himself, and then said, word by word, "Your Highness, the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui launched a coup in Jinling City three days ago;"
"The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Su Chen, led 50,000 troops from Liangjiang to break through the imperial city. The commander of the Imperial Guard, He Changdong, protected the Empress Dowager Su Wan'er and the young Emperor Zhao Lingwu as they fled the palace and sought refuge with the naval commander, Fang Tianyao!"
Um?
Chen Huai'an frowned slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.
The coup d'état launched by the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui was something Chen Huai'an had already anticipated; it was only a matter of time.
On the contrary, it was Empress Dowager Su Wan'er who took the young Emperor Zhao Lingwu to seek refuge with Naval Commander Fang Tianyao, which surprised Chen Huai'an.
In his memory, Admiral Fang Tianyao was the kind of person who wouldn't act until he saw a clear benefit.
For him to risk breaking ties with Qin Ruhui and step forward to protect Empress Dowager Su and the young emperor, Empress Dowager Su must have offered him some irresistible price.
Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Luo Yucheng, if I'm not mistaken, did Empress Dowager Su reach some kind of agreement with Fang Tianyao, which is why Fang Tianyao is willing to be an enemy of Qin Ruhui in order to protect the safety of Empress Dowager Su and the young emperor?"
"Your Highness, you are truly a prophet!"
Luo Yucheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin and continued, "Your Highness, Empress Dowager Su has reached an agreement with Fang Tianyao, provided that Fang Tianyao can ensure the safety of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor."
"Once Wu Sanjia leads his troops to the capital to defend the emperor and quells the coup launched by Qin Ruhui, Empress Dowager Su will issue an edict in the name of the Emperor of Lingwu of the Great Xin Dynasty."
"Fang Tianyao is hereby conferred the title of King of the Four Seas, and all the seas beyond the territory of the Great Xin Dynasty are granted to him. Furthermore, the court will pay Fang Tianyao all expenses required for his navy annually."
"In other words, Fang Tianyao will become the rightful king of the sea!"
snort!
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an snorted coldly and said with a look of disdain:
"That spendthrift woman, Su Wan'er! The great new empire that Emperor Gaozu and my father and the older generation fought and bled for, and she just handed over the sea territory to Fang Tianyao, this pirate captain, with a few words?"
That's why they say, "When a woman is in charge, the house collapses and the walls crumble."
Of course, this was just Chen Huai'an making a few comments about Su Wan'er.
In fact, from the moment Qi Jiguang and his Qi Family Army, the Longcheng Navy, were born, it was already destined that the vast territory of this new dynasty could only have one king—that is, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin!
Fang Tianyao and his ilk, these so-called Four Sea Kings, are nothing more than stepping stones for the Dragon City Navy to set sail and conquer the stars and the sea.
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "Luo Yucheng, after the news of Empress Dowager Su and the young emperor receiving Fang Tianyao's protection spread, what was Qin Ruhui's reaction?"
Without hesitation, Luo Yucheng replied, "Your Highness, Qin Ruhui is making two plans."
"On the one hand, he dispatched Luo Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, to the fiefdom of the Prince of Fu to welcome back Zhao Lingzhan, the son of the Prince of Fu, preparing to announce the deposition of Emperor Lingwu in Nanjing and enthrone Zhao Lingzhan as the new emperor;"
"On the other hand, Qin Ruhui also sent envoys to the kingdoms of Nanyue and Nanzhao to seek the assistance of King Li Zongmin of Guangxin and King Murong Fu of Pingxi;"
"They attempted to persuade Li Zongmin and Mu Rongfu, who had already declared themselves emperors, to jointly send troops to deal with Wu Sanjia, who was heading south to the capital to rescue the emperor!"
oh?
Upon hearing this news, Chen Huai'an's expression immediately lit up, showing great interest. He said, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about the existence of those two clowns, Li Zongmin and Mu Rongfu!"
"It seems that this grand drama of a coup in the new dynasty is becoming more and more exciting and interesting!"
Chen Huai'an then asked, "How did the powerful families of Jiangnan react to the palace coup in Jinling?"
Luo Yucheng replied, "Your Highness, the powerful families and clans in the Jiangnan region are currently adopting a wait-and-see attitude, and there are also those who privately recruit soldiers and train them into armies."
"Generally speaking, the powerful families and clans in the Jiangnan region still tend to side with the orthodox Xin Dynasty!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded and said, "It is time for me to consider sending a special envoy to the Jiangnan region to promote my policies!"
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an suddenly changed the subject and said sternly, "Luo Yucheng!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Luo Yucheng, on horseback, straightened his back as if electrocuted, awaiting the king's command.
Chen Huai'an instructed, "Effective immediately, I hereby promote you to Special Envoy of the Prince of Jin. You will travel to Jiangnan with my tokens and edict to secretly cultivate relationships with the three powerful non-royal princes and various aristocratic families in the region."
"Proclaim to them my governing principles and policies. If they pledge allegiance to me at the appropriate time, I will preserve their privileges and interests in the Jiangnan region."
"I hope they will prioritize the well-being of the people, refrain from futile resistance, and stop blindly following the rotten-to-the-core Xin Dynasty down this dark path, so as to end this chaotic situation as soon as possible!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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