Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 33 Surrounded
"What did you say"

Ding Kuichu stood up from the table with a look of astonishment on his face. The inkstone in his hand fell to the ground and broke into pieces in an instant.

"Li Mingzhong has rebelled and is coming with a large army," Zhu Zhijian said anxiously.

"Impossible!" Ding Kuichu slammed his hand on the table, his face filled with anger.

"Oh, my Lord Ding, it's already so late. When the spies in the city reported the news, Li Mingzhong's rebel army was already more than ten miles east of the city. If we don't come up with a plan, Li Mingzhong will attack the city."

Seeing that Ding Kuichu still looked incredulous, Zhu Zhijian could not help stamping his feet and said

Seeing Zhu Zhijian confirm it again and again, Ding Kuichu finally lost hope, but his face was still filled with disbelief and anger.

He knew that the King of Gui had won over Li Mingzhong, and he also asked the city gate guards to guard the city gates. However, he asked the city gate guards to guard against Li Mingzhong leading people into the city to demand payment, not to guard against Li Mingzhong's rebellion.

He never thought that Li Mingzhong would rebel. Li Mingzhong surrendered to the King of Gui, not to Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong or other rebels.

But the Prince of Gui was the future regent emperor. Even if the Prince of Gui was dissatisfied with Ding Kuichu, could he still let Li Mingzhong rebel on his own?
Ding Kuichu's mind was in a mess. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out why Li Mingzhong would start a rebellion. But Zhu Zhijian's words were so sure that it was obvious that Li Mingzhong had really led his army to attack.
Fortunately, he had asked people to be on guard against Li Mingzhong's movements before, otherwise, it would not be that Li Mingzhong was leading his men to kill them, but that they had already reached the door.
All kinds of thoughts were rising and falling in Ding Kuichu's mind. He wondered if he was too harsh on Li Mingzhong and others outside the city. Then he wondered if Zhu Zhijian lied about the military intelligence and it was actually a misunderstanding. Then he thought of the King of Gui who always caused trouble for no reason.

When the name of King Gui crossed his mind, Ding Kuichu suddenly felt as if he had grasped a clue and suddenly cried out:

"King of Gui"

"Oh no, don't let the Gui King run away"

Ding Kuichu slammed his hand on the table suddenly, as if he had figured something out. A look of anger flashed across his face, and he suddenly shouted

"Comer"

Ding Kuichu walked from the left to the hall and shouted at the door.
"My Lord, what happened?"

The leader of the guards outside the door heard Ding Kuichu's angry shouts and thought something had happened in the room. He rushed into the room with a long sword, but found that Ding Kuichu was just standing in the hall angrily.
"Wu Tai, quickly mobilize people to surround the Guiwang Mansion. Do not let anyone escape from the Guiwang Mansion."

"ah?!!"

Wu Tai, the leader of the imperial guards, looked stunned and didn't know how to respond. The governor asked him to surround the future emperor. Should he go or not?

He remembered that he had heard a similar passage in a storybook before. Was he going to become a character in the storybook?

“Go quickly”

Seeing Wu Tai standing there blankly, Ding Kuichu said angrily:

"Then what name should I use to surround... surround the Guiwang Mansion?" Wu Tai said with some difficulty.

"Idiot, you are responsible for protecting the guards and preventing the thieves from causing trouble. What's the reason? Do I need to teach you? Hurry up and surround the Guiwang Mansion. Don't let the Guiwang escape."

"If you escape from King Gui, you will be beheaded."

Ding Kuichu suddenly clenched his fists and stared at the guards in front of him, like a beast waiting to devour someone, with a ferocious look on his face.
"Yes, I will go right away."

Seeing the furious look on Ding Kuichu's face, the guards dared not say anything more. They gritted their teeth and retreated.

They could be Ding Kuichu's personal soldiers, and their families and relatives were naturally under Ding Kuichu's control. They were in the same honor and disgrace with Ding Kuichu, and they had no choice.
“Hopefully it’s not too late”

Ding Kuichu looked at the soldiers going away and whispered to himself
In fact, he also knew that since Li Mingzhong led his troops to attack, the King of Gui must have been out of the city.

But even if the Prince of Gui escaped secretly, it was impossible for the concubine and others in the palace to escape together. If these people disappeared together, the impact would be huge. It was impossible for him not to have received any news in advance.

The King of Gui must have escaped from the city first, using the Queen Mother and others as a cover, so that no one could find him.

As long as he captured the Guiwang Mansion's concubine and other family members, he could use their lives to threaten the Guiwang and make him afraid to act rashly. Yes, when he thought of the Guiwang's name just now, he already understood everything.

This is not a rebellion at all. Everything is planned by the King of Gui. The King of Gui must have secretly left the city and let Li Mingzhong take Zhaoqing by surprise. Then he killed Ding Kuichu and robbed him of his money, food and military power.
Thinking of this, Ding Kuichu's face became more and more angry. As the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, if he hadn't led the troops to guard the area, the Prince of Jingjiang would have seized Guangdong and Guangxi last year and established himself. How could there be any Guangdong and Guangxi provinces in the Ming Dynasty?
Guangdong and Guangxi belonged to Ding Kuichu, and the King of Gui wanted to seize his inheritance. He was really ambitious and unworthy of a human being.
He, the King of Gui, was originally just a vassal king who lived off rice. If Ding Kuichu hadn't supported him, what would the Ming Dynasty have to do with him?

Now Ding Kuichu has worked tirelessly to make him the regent, so that he can eat better rice. What else is he dissatisfied with? Shouldn't he be grateful to Ding Kuichu?

But what is the Gui Wang doing now? He repays kindness with hatred and does not know what is good for him. Now he is even thinking of killing people to silence them.
We are about to support you, why did you rebel?

When Ding Kuichu thought of this, he became more angry and his expression became more ferocious.

Zhu Zhijian stood aside with a dull look on his face, looking at Ding Kuichu with horror. He had jumped up in shock when he heard that Ding Kuichu was going to send troops to surround the Guiwang Mansion.
He is not Wu Tai. Wu Tai just seems to have noticed something, but he is a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. How could he not know those stories from the previous dynasties?
But it was because he seemed to have guessed what Ding Kuichu was going to do that he became more and more frightened. He came to see the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mr. Ding, not to see Emperor Ding.
But then again, if Ding Kuichu became the emperor, could I also be a cabinet minister? I am Ding Kuichu's confidant, and I have witnessed such a big event, so it wouldn't be too much to be the prime minister.
Zhu Zhijian's mind was in a mess. He was terrified of what was happening before his eyes, and then he was daydreaming. He even felt a little excited for no apparent reason.

All these mixed together, and finally Zhu Zhijian stood there with a dull look on his face, without taking any action for a long time.
Ding Kuichu had a gloomy expression on his face as he thought about how to survive. If he wanted to save his life, he still had to rely on military power.

The Gui prince has a fierce and stubborn temperament. The women in the palace may not be able to protect his safety. What if he follows the example of Emperor Gaozu of Han and wants to share a piece of my pie? Can he, the governor of two provinces, really sacrifice his life for those women and children? This is absolutely unacceptable.
Thinking of this, Ding Kuichu spoke again and called in a personal soldier.

"Take my jade pendant and quickly go find General Yan Yuncong and tell him that Li Mingzhong led his troops to rebel in order to get pay. Ask him to leave the city immediately and lead the troops to Zhaoqing to quell the rebellion."

"After receiving the order, have him leave the city immediately and not let him come into contact with anyone else."

"Also, after General Yan leaves the city, bring all his family members to the Governor's Office. Did you hear me?" Ding Kuichu said with a grim expression.
Ding Kuichu clenched his hands in his sleeves. As long as he captured the family members of the prince's mansion, he could use these people to negotiate with the King of Gui to delay time. When Yan Yuncong led his troops over, with a large army in hand, he would be invincible.
He, Ding Kuichu, will never fall here!
The guard had obviously received instructions from Wu Tai, so he did not ask any more questions. He just responded and hurriedly retreated.

Zhu Zhijian, who was standing aside, was more and more certain in his heart. He surrounded the Guiwang Mansion, dispatched troops to quell the rebellion, and controlled the generals' families. I'm afraid that after defeating Li Mingzhong, the next step would be to wear the yellow robe. What else could this be but becoming the emperor!
The two of them were thinking about their own things, no one spoke, and the room was extremely silent.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the room. A personal soldier rushed into the room and reported
"Sir, urgent news from the city gate. We have found out that the rebel outside the city is not Li Mingzhong, but Su Guansheng."

"Su Guansheng"

Ding Kuichu was stunned for a moment, seemingly unable to react.

"Yes, the army has already arrived at the city. The flag at the head of the army reads "Su, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion"

"The city gate general found an official from the Ministry of Personnel from Fujian Province. The official said that he was a Grand Secretary of the Dongge, and his surname was Su. He must be the Grand Secretary Su Guansheng of the Longwu Dynasty." The personal guard quickly reported
"How dare this traitor to lead his troops into the court for no reason."

In fact, there was no need for the personal soldiers to report. After just a moment of hesitation, Ding Kuichu had already remembered who Su Guansheng was.
In Guangdong Province, there were only a few people worthy of Ding Kuichu's attention. Su Guansheng occupied his Guangzhou City and had an army under his command. How could he not know who Su Guansheng was?
"I see, I see, I understand."

Ding Kuichu took a few quick steps on the spot, a look of realization flashing across his face.

Su Guansheng had previously submitted a petition to the court, but was ignored. Seeing that he could not be crowned as the emperor, he simply relied on the soldiers in his hands and led his troops to force his way into the court, hoping to take some credit for the succession.
When Ding Kuichu thought of this, he instantly connected everything together, but his expression became more and more angry.

"What a poor student, what a treacherous minister, he led the army into the court for no reason and disturbed the court. This traitor deserves death."

Ding Kuichu was furious and punched the table beside him with a loud bang.

"Yes, this traitor Su Guansheng is so bold, he deserves the death penalty"

Zhu Zhijian also woke up at this time, and figured out the reason, and started cursing as well.
"Hurry and find Lord Qu and Lord Lu, and have them come to the government office to discuss this matter immediately."

"Also send someone to chase General Yan and tell him that it was Su Guansheng who led the troops to cause chaos. The order to mobilize troops remains unchanged. Lead the troops to support us as soon as possible."

Ding Kuichu regained his composure and quickly gave orders to his soldiers.

A hint of coldness flashed across Ding Kuichu's eyes. If the King of Gui was causing trouble, he would still be somewhat afraid, but he really wasn't afraid of Su Guansheng at all.

Su Guansheng is simply seeking his own death by leading his troops into the court at this time. Does he think that no one would dare to touch him just because he has two or three thousand soldiers?

It's just wishful thinking!
Since Su Guansheng had fallen into the trap, he could just kill the traitor and take over Guangzhou.
Guangzhou City has a developed maritime trade and its people are wealthy. It is said that the tax silver from the port alone is more than tens of thousands of taels every year. He has long wanted to pocket some of it.
Su Guansheng led his troops into the court and cut himself off from the world. Qu Shisi and Lu Daqi, two old villains who claimed to be upright, would certainly not tolerate this man.

In this area of ​​Guangdong and Guangxi, as long as the three of them work together, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished!
In Ding Kuichu's mansion, messengers from all directions were sent out, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, they forgot to make any arrangements for Guiwang Mansion.
As the gates of the city were shut down and messengers were coming and going, the city began to become chaotic.
(End of this chapter)