Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 116: The Assassination King
In the dense forest, Li Chengdong looked excited and stared at Yan Keyi in front of him.
"Is it really a dragon banner? Can you confirm it?"

"The vanguard of that group of people had dozens of cavalrymen leading the way, and everyone was wearing armor. They looked quite elite. The people in the scout camp did not dare to get too close and could only observe from a distance. There was really no way to be sure."

Yan Keyi looked embarrassed, and after hesitating for a while, he spoke again
"Maybe I saw it wrong. Wasn't the emperor killed in Tingzhou? Where did the emperor's dragon flag come from?"

Li Chengdong listened to Yan Keyi's words, but did not respond. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

Others did not know the details of this trip, but he knew very well that the reason why they raided Guangzhou was because Su Guansheng transferred soldiers from Guangzhou to Zhaoqing to support the new emperor.
They knew that Guangzhou's defenses were weak, so they launched this surprise attack.

Su Guansheng led his army to support the new king, but at this time a dragon flag suddenly appeared outside the city. There were women and elite cavalry soldiers in the team. Where did these people come from?
There is only one possibility, that is, Su Guansheng went to Zhaoqing this time and successfully supported the new emperor!
The convoy that suddenly appeared outside the city was the team that escorted the new emperor into Guangzhou, so there were soldiers and dragon flags in the team.

As for why Su Guansheng supported the new emperor in Zhaoqing, but appeared in Guangzhou at this time, it is easier to explain.
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province. It is a rich place. If the new dynasty is established in Guangdong Province, Guangzhou should be the capital.

More importantly, Guangzhou is Su Guansheng's territory. If he were Su Guansheng, after successfully supporting the new emperor, he would definitely bring the new emperor back to Guangzhou like Su Guansheng did.
Although it is unknown how Su Guansheng defeated the officials of Zhaoqing, the new emperor arrived in Guangzhou at this time. It is obvious that Su Guansheng won a great victory in the process of supporting the emperor.

If you control the emperor, you control the court.

Why did Su Guansheng not even care about his old nest in Guangzhou and lead his troops directly to Zhaoqing? Wasn't it for this?
The colorful tent at the West Gate also has a reasonable explanation. Why was the colorful tent set up at the West Gate? Because Zhaoqing is just west of Guangzhou.
The person Guangzhou was going to welcome was not an important official from the imperial court, but the new emperor who was about to enter the city.
Li Chengdong's thoughts kept rising and falling, and he became more and more confident in his guesses. Only in this way could he explain everything in front of him.

Li Chengdong's face became more excited when he thought of this.
This is the emperor!
When he was in Tingzhou, he had the opportunity to capture and kill Emperor Longwu, but because the Qing army was nearby, he could only assist from the side and watched helplessly as Emperor Longwu's great achievement was taken away by the Jurchen barbarians.
But now no one can compete with him.

As long as he could capture and kill the emperor, he would be able to completely gain the trust of the Qing court. By then, not to mention being the governor of Guangdong Province, even being crowned a king would be a piece of cake.
Are there any kings, princes, generals or ministers of different species? How could Kong Youde and Geng Jingzhong be crowned kings? Why can't Li Chengdong be crowned kings?
There are only four Han people who have been crowned kings in the Qing court. Kong Youde and the other three surrendered early, and Wu Sangui surrendered Shanhaiguan.
A fortress can be crowned as a king, so why can't Li Chengdong be crowned as a king for capturing and killing an emperor?
Destroy a province, capture and kill an emperor. As long as this emperor can be captured this time, who else in the entire Qing court will have a greater contribution than him, except for Duoduo Bolo?

Wu Sangui, Kong Youde, what will they count for then?

If this is really as he thought, then this is the biggest opportunity in his life. He must personally confirm the situation of the team outside the city.
Li Chengdong made up his mind and without hesitation, he directly called Du Yonghe over.
"Everyone, stay where you are. I have something to go out for."

"Take care of the camp. No one is allowed to move before I come back. Everything will be settled after I come back."

Li Chengdong gave an order, and without waiting for Du Yonghe's response, he changed into a set of leather armor and hurriedly rushed out of the forest with Yan Keyi.
Twenty miles west of Guangzhou, Li Chengdong, Yan Keyi and a few others stood on a hilltop, watching the team winding through the mountains in the distance.

Li Chengdong looked at the convoy, and when he saw the yellow dragon banner standing in the middle of the team, his face suddenly became excited.

There is no mistake. This banner is exactly the same as the one he saw in Tingzhou Prefecture.

This is the Yellow Dragon Banner used by the Emperor when he travels. There is no mistake.
And in the convoy must be the newly-appointed emperor of the Ming court!
The court etiquette is clearly divided, even the eaves regulations are clearly divided. Except for the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who dares to use such flags? This is punishable by death.
“It’s truly a gift from heaven.”

Li Chengdong's face was filled with joy, and he couldn't help but praise softly. Yan Keyi and others beside him saw Li Chengdong's reaction and knew that the person in the convoy was the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Everyone's faces suddenly turned red, and as they looked at the convoy below, a trace of greed flashed across their faces.

Li Chengdong suppressed his excitement and carefully checked the number of cavalrymen in front of the team. Then he waved his hand and left with Yan Keyi and others.

In the dense forest camp, Li Chengdong called all the generals in the army, including Du Yonghe, Ma Bao, Yan Keyi and five or six other generals of the central army.

Li Chengdong glanced at the generals on the field, his face darkened, and he said

"I am calling you all here because I have obtained a huge fortune and would like to ask you all if you are willing to come with me to get it."

Ma Bao and the others looked puzzled. They were all generals in the army and knew that the purpose of this trip was to raid and seize Guangzhou.
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province. Thousands of ships sail out of Guangzhou Port every day. With a prosperous maritime trade, it is no exaggeration to say that it is extremely wealthy.

Everyone in Guangdong Province knows how rich Guangzhou is. As long as they seize Guangdong Province, they can take all the wealth in the city. What could make people richer than seizing Guangzhou?
Li Chengdong's behavior at this time must be related to his departure just now. They were all ready to set off for the raid, but Li Chengdong suddenly stopped everyone and hurried out.
Li Chengdong must have discovered something important just now

Ma Bao's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say anything. He just looked at Li Chengdong in front of him quietly.
But Du Yonghe spoke directly

"We have followed the general to this point, and we have already entrusted our lives to the general. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."

Li Chengdong heard Du Yonghe's words, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He continued
"As you know, we raided Guangzhou this time because we received intelligence from Guangdong Province that Su Guansheng led his troops to Zhaoqing to support him. There are no soldiers guarding Guangzhou now."

"General Yan just reported back that the scouts found a team 20 miles west of Guangzhou City. There are about 2,000 people in the team, and they are carrying a large number of baggage and women."

"I just went to check it out myself. The team has a dragon flag. The flag is exactly the same as the one we seized in Tingzhou."

"I judge that the person in that team must be the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty supported by Su Guansheng this time!"

"I decided to give up on taking Guangzhou and instead attack this team"

"Are you willing to follow me and capture and kill the Ming Emperor?"

Li Chengdong spoke in a low voice, a stern look appeared on his face, and his eyes were fixed on the generals in front of him.

(End of this chapter)