Chapter 6: The Underworld (Part 6)
But things were worse than Zhu Zhanji had imagined. Zhu Yuhuan was in Yunnan and had just waited until the road was safe before setting off. It was impossible for him to rush back to the capital to persuade the emperor in a short time.
What's even more terrifying is that Wang Zhen, with Zhu Qizhen's vague consent, ordered people to deliberately slow down Zhu Yuhuan's itinerary to ensure that she could return to the capital after the emperor left Northern Zhili.
Zhu Zhanji felt completely disappointed now.
For others, "there is always a way out", but for Zhu Qizhen, it became "self-destruction".
Zhu Gaochi glanced at his son and saw him staring at the projection in a daze, with two big words written on his face - miserable life.
Otherwise, how can we say that children are all debts? Having a son like Zhu Qizhen is a debt within a debt, and this is an unprecedented debt that happened in the royal family.
After seeing how Zhu Qizhen organized his army, how he led his troops out at a time that was not suitable for border patrol, and how little food he provided to the soldiers who followed him on the patrol, Zhu Zhanji felt that the ominous premonition in his heart became even stronger.
Despite Zhang Fu's guidance, Zhu Qizhen always passed the problem to others and never took responsibility, so he was only a paper-talker in military affairs.
Zhu Zhanji was secretly praying for a heavy rain to arrive soon so that he could drive his foolish son back to the capital. Then, when news of the death of General Guo Xuan of Xuanfu reached Zhu Qizhen, he was overjoyed and exclaimed, "He's saved now..."
Seeing everyone looking at him, he realized that he had shouted out in a hurry. His face flushed red, and after a while he said, "I think Zhen'er will lead his troops back to the capital after seeing this situation."
When the emperor goes out to patrol the border, it is very important to inspect the military situation. The most important thing is to have someone to receive him locally. Guo Xuan, the general of Xuanfu, has passed away, and there is no successor for a while. As the emperor, Zhu Qizhen would lose face if no one received him, so returning home is the best choice.
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but feel emotional.
God really helps him!
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "You stubborn son, you have just started a family but haven't established a career yet. How can you go back like this?"
Zhu Zhanji was stunned when he heard this, and realized that what Zhu Yuanzhang said was right, and his heart skipped a beat.
As expected, Zhu Qizhen had no intention of returning. Instead, he casually appointed Yang Hong to succeed him as the general of Xuanfu, and then continued to advance towards Xuanfu with an army of tens of thousands.
Song Ying, Marquis of Xining, who was leading the way for Zhu Qizhen, was on patrol in Yanghe area when he was ambushed by the Oirat army. Almost all of his troops were killed, and only a small number of people fled to Datong and other places for help. Zhu Mian, Earl of Wujin, led his troops to rescue, but there was no news for a while.
July is a rainy season, and due to the bad weather, the emperor's march was extremely inconvenient. Zhu Qizhen was the emperor after all, and Wang Zhen would never let him suffer. But the soldiers under him were miserable. They had to follow Zhu Qizhen in armor and helmets, regardless of wind and rain, with very little food and no rest. Their morale was low.
Seeing this, the accompanying cabinet ministers naturally wanted to persuade the emperor to return to Beijing as soon as possible to avoid a camp riot, but the emperor obviously did not consider this and just continued to lead his troops westward.
When the army arrived in Yanghe, they did not see the Ming army to greet them, but corpses all over the mountains.
At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer bear to watch and angrily threw the remote control in his hand away. With a "bang", the remote control shattered into pieces in an instant, and the ground was covered with fragments.
Even Zhu Yunwen, who usually mocked Zhu Di's family whenever he got the chance, did not dare to say a word at this moment and knelt on the ground like everyone else.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang beat and scolded him on weekdays, he would not hold on to him after venting his anger. Even though he was cruel to Zhu Zhanji last time, he did not really do anything.
But this time Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was surprisingly calm, more like a dead silence of anger.
How could everyone not understand this? I'm afraid that at this moment Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to cut Zhu Qizhen into pieces.
Recruiting soldiers is not a difficult task for a country, but it is not easy to train an army capable of fighting. An army of 10,000 people was wiped out because of Zhu Qizhen's wrong decision on a whim. Anyone would be angry, not to mention that from the projection, the number of dead Ming soldiers was obviously too large, and there was a high possibility that there were soldiers from Yanghe and other places who came to rescue.
Zhu Qizhen now had only two ways to make up for it. One was to command the army to fight against the Oirat as the emperor to boost morale and establish his own majesty as the emperor. The other was to return home as soon as possible via a safe route and stay in the rear to ensure supplies, just like when he conquered Luchuan.
This was obviously the first time that Zhu Qizhen had encountered such a scene. He was obviously frightened and immediately ordered the entire army to advance westward to Datong, intending to temporarily station there and hold the Datong defender accountable.
Zhu Di stared at the projection for a long time, his face serious. He asked, "Is he blinded by greed? Or does he always blame the people around him and forget his own limitations? The Wala invaded, and he was a young man who had never been on the battlefield, without any generals by his side. How could he have the confidence to command the troops? Huh?"
Seeing that he wanted to get into the projection, Zhu Zhanji became even more worried about his son. He could only hope that the cabinet ministers and senior officials who accompanied him would be more sober for the sake of their own lives.
Fortunately, this group of people did not disappoint Zhu Zhanji's expectations. Despite Zhu Qizhen's repeated advice, Wang Zhen was obviously frightened by the situation in Yanghe and never dared to bring up the topic of letting the emperor go to the battlefield in person. The group planned to return to the capital from Zijing Pass and make further plans.
Before the soldiers could breathe a sigh of relief, Zhu Qizhen heard that the baggage had been robbed by the Oirat Mongols and wanted to go back and fight the Oirat Mongols to the death. His fickleness and frequent changes in orders forced the soldiers to suffer, and there were complaints from those below.
"The Ming Dynasty has indeed improved under your son's leadership."
Hearing these words suddenly, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but look confused and looked at Zhu Di who was gradually calming down.
"These soldiers were being treated like dogs by Zhu Qizhen, and there wasn't even a camp whistle."
Zhu Zhanji fell silent upon hearing this and stopped speaking for his son.
Zhu Gaochi sighed inwardly upon seeing this.
Otherwise, he would be so frustrated that his son would be useless. Fortunately, he has a good son and will not follow in his son's footsteps.
The border patrol army finally encountered the Beijing camp troops that came to rescue from the capital after going around in circles. Zhu Qizhen, considering that Yang Hong and Xuanfu were still facing attacks from the Oirat, assigned personnel from the border patrol team to rescue Xuanfu, which made Zhu Di very angry.
They could see the projection, so they knew that Yesen was following Zhu Qizhen like a shepherd, leading his main force to kill one by one, and killing a group by a group. Wasn't this just sending the army to its death? Not to mention that these people had already been suffering with Zhu Qizhen for a month and were already exhausted. How could they be a match for the Oirat?
Seeing Zhu Qizhen dragging his troops slowly forward, Wang Zhen was worried that the baggage could not keep up, so he planned to spend the night in Tumu Fort. The Wala soldiers, led by Yesen, quickly surrounded Tumu Fort.
It is easy to tell which general has higher quality.
Even Zhu Gaochi, who had the best temper, felt as if his chest had been hit by Zhu Qizhen's head. He felt indescribably suffocated, and he opened his mouth for a long time, but he couldn't say a word.
How come the Zhu family still has such descendants?
Instead, Zhu Di started to curse, saying, "Didn't Zhang Fu teach this brat anything? He still thinks victory will just fall from the sky. He prepared for a few days and then took tens of thousands of troops out to patrol the border. He doesn't treat the soldiers as human beings. He is hesitant and indecisive. He sent armor and weapons to those bastard Tartars for nothing. He brought shame to himself and the country—"
No one else spoke, and for a moment the only sound in the room was Zhu Di's cursing.
Seeing this, they knew everything was clear to them. They knew that Zhu Qizhen was in great danger. If he died, it would be the end of everything. However, they were afraid that this guy did not have the courage to die.
Just as they expected, the Oirat used the excuse of wanting to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty and promised to retreat and evacuate on the surface. When the Ming army, which had been without water for a long time, relaxed its vigilance and went to the river to divert water, they launched a surprise attack. Except for those who were quick on their feet like Shi Jing and who had doubts in the letter, the rest of the people lost their lives without knowing the truth. Those who saw it wanted to run, and the whole team suddenly fell into chaos. Many people were trampled and injured. The Oirat was like a fish in water in the chaos and easily defeated the Ming army. Many people were killed. The rest who were willing to surrender were directly taken prisoners or taken back as slaves.
Zhu Qizhen's close associates, such as Wang Zhen, were fortunate enough to be killed by their own men. Others, such as Cao Nai and Kuang Ye, were less fortunate, as they were dispersed by the Oirat army, who, knowing only that they were civilians, simply killed them. But the one everyone cared about the most was Zhu Qizhen, who, facing the Oirat, trembled with fear, forcing himself to remain calm, and drawing his sword to clamp it around his neck.
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind. He felt angry because of his useless son, sad because he was afraid that his son might not have a good end, and nervous about the situation that the Ming Dynasty would face next.
But he could never have imagined that Zhu Qizhen held the sword against his neck for a long time, muttering "ancestors and country" for a long time, but was reluctant to even draw a blood mark.
If Yesen's younger brother Bayan Temur had not arrived in time, Zhu Qizhen would have had to stand here with his sword all day.
"Stop making a fuss. He is the emperor. He is more useful alive than dead."
Zhu Zhanji immediately understood what would happen next from these words. He felt his scalp tingling, white light flashing in front of his eyes, and his head buzzing. He could hardly stand, staggered back a few steps, and suddenly fell to the ground.
He had lived for nearly forty years and had been a ghost for twelve years, but he had never been as frightened as he was today.
The expressions of the others were also unpredictable. Zhu Yunwen, who usually loved to make fun of Zhu Di's family, had a serious expression at this moment.
Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang at the top, his face was as gloomy as ink. I'm afraid he can't wait for Zhu Qizhen to go to the underworld so that he can cut Zhu Qizhen into pieces.
"Zhu Zhanji, you don't have to worry about me killing your son and leaving it at that. I don't think he'll be able to come down for a while."
This time, Zhu Yuanzhang did not scold Zhu Zhanji harshly, but this short sentence was more painful than killing Zhu Zhanji.
Of course, the Oirat would not be so foolish as to kill Zhu Qizhen. Instead, they took Zhu Qizhen as a hostage and began to threaten the Ming Dynasty. They took Zhu Qizhen to inquire about all the checkpoints that could be reached.
The emperor was in the hands of the enemy, and the officials who had the final say in the court were mostly ministers. They had no say in the matter, let alone the "rebellious ministers" who would abandon the emperor. Empress Dowager Hu was not the emperor's biological mother after all. At the request of the saintly Empress Dowager Sun, the ultimate outcome was likely that the Ming Dynasty would use various means to try to get the emperor back.
A fat pig like this that can be slaughtered at will, only the Wala would be foolish to let him go.
What is shame? This is shame.
The emperor who led his troops to fight the enemy was captured by the enemy instead. He wanted to save the lives of his soldiers but ended up killing more people...
Nothing to say.
"Your brother is a coward, and your second son is suppressed by Zhu Qizhen every day. Even though he now holds the important position of regent, he may not be able to turn the tide. As for that baby, there is no need to say more..." Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "After so many years of hard work, the only person you can rely on is your daughter. What a good emperor!"
Zhu Zhanji felt more bitter than anyone else. After a long while, he said, "What the Grand Master said is..."
After watching the projection for such a long time, he couldn't think of anyone else who could turn the tide except Zhu Yuhuan.
Although Zhu Zhanji had only two sons, he did not know much about his second son, Zhu Qiyu. He only knew that he was a well-behaved child. Zhu Qiyu's position as regent was mediocre because he was dancing in shackles and did not show any outstanding qualities.
On the contrary, Zhu Zhanji only treated his daughter as a tool. After years of tempering, her wings have grown stronger and stronger. She has already become a hero among men, in no way inferior to anyone.
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "After all, Xuanfu hasn't completely fallen yet and is still resisting. This Yesen doesn't have a sufficient number of troops and is only interested in exchanging the emperor for benefits. I believe he can hold out until your daughter returns."
After all, Zhu Yuhuan also had the imperial edict left by Empress Dowager Zhang before her death. It was not difficult for him to discuss with Zhu Qiyu, who stayed in Beijing to govern the country, and temporarily handle state affairs.
Thanks to Zhu Zhanji and Empress Dowager Zhang for giving Zhu Yuhuan enough opportunities to gain experience, and Zhu Yuhuan's ability is strong enough, it should not be difficult for Zhu Yuhuan to take command and integrate people's hearts to deal with the Wala.
Wang Zhen's behavior of specifically ordering people to stop Princess Shunde before leaving was even more foolish.
Fortunately, Zhu Yuhuan had heard the news that the emperor was patrolling the border and realized that the situation might be serious. Instead of being as cautious as usual, he became unusually rampant.
"I, Zhu Yuhuan, am a descendant of Emperor Taizu Gao, the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong Wen, the grandson of Emperor Renzong Zhao, and the daughter of Emperor Xuanzong Zhang. Before her death, Empress Chengxiao ordered me to assist Your Majesty in government, setting a precedent for princesses assisting in government affairs in this dynasty. I conquered Luchuan and stabilized Yunnan—"
Zhu Di was delighted when he saw this and cheered, "How can the royal family bow down to a eunuch? I finally feel relieved!"
During his reign, eunuchs were merely tools of the emperor. They dared not disobey the emperor's orders, and even if they had some ulterior motives, they would never dare to overstep the imperial authority.
In comparison, Wang Zhen was simply climbing over the heads of the royal family and acting wildly. Zhu Di had long been dissatisfied with his behavior of taking advantage of "Emperor Taizong's favoritism of eunuchs" to do things for himself and raise his own status. He was already secretly happy when he saw Wang Zhen being torn into pieces by the soldiers. Now seeing Zhu Yuhuan's public statement, he felt even more relieved.
"It's really unusual for this girl to suddenly act so high-profile."
Zhu Zhanji also had this feeling vaguely, but the situation was critical now. If Zhu Yuhuan were to be regent, he might be able to help Zhu Qizhen.
——As a brother suppressed by Zhu Qizhen, it would be very convenient for Zhu Qiyu to do something bad at this time.
But Zhu Yuhuan's sudden high profile was not as simple as it seemed. At least when he entered the palace gate at night, everyone looked surprised.
There are two reasons why Zhu Yuhuan was able to enter the palace so smoothly without disturbing anyone. One is that the female officials in the palace guided him, and the other is that the Imperial Stables made it easier for him.
Hu Shanwei was once a female official in the palace, and Hu Shanxiang had been in charge of the palace power for many years. The former was understandable, but it was unexpected that the Imperial Stables were so bold as to extend an olive branch to Zhu Yuhuan.
The female officials and the Imperial Stables joined forces, and Zhu Zhanji had to consider the worst case scenario, which was a "palace coup."
Zhu Zhanji suddenly thought of another point. The eunuch Fan Hong in charge of the Imperial Stables is now an old man. Zhu Qizhen had already held great power when he was young. However, because an accident happened when Zhu Yuhuan was teaching Zhu Qizhen how to ride a horse, Zhu Zhanji punished the entire Imperial Stables under the pretext of Empress Dowager Sun, who was a noble concubine at that time.
Under normal circumstances, Zhu Zhanji would not have believed that the Imperial Stables had such courage, but the situation was different now. If the Imperial Stables wanted to take revenge... more importantly, Zhu Yuhuan could now directly unite with Prince Zhu Qiyu of Qin and push his other brother to the throne, imitating what happened to Princess Taiping.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw the unpredictable expression on Zhu Zhanji's face and sneered, "What's the matter? Someone is shooting himself in the foot again?"
Zhu Zhanji came to his senses and remained silent.
Regardless of which speculation it is, it seems to confirm what Zhu Yuanzhang said.
"Yun Wen is right. In my opinion, her appetite is probably not that small." Zhu Yuanzhang ignored the glances from the others and simply stared at the projection. "Everyone knows the consequences of imitating Princess Taiping... and now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we don't seize it and rise to the top, wouldn't we be foolish?"
He naturally didn't know that there was a saying in later generations: "Take a risk and a bicycle can turn into a motorcycle."
Everyone was slightly stunned when they heard this. Looking at the smile on Zhu Yuhuan's lips in the projection, they suddenly realized that she was no longer as gentle and calm as usual, but had a bit of desperate madness.
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