Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 173 Don’t Let This Leak
In Fang Guoan's opinion, the reason why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince fell into such a dangerous situation was all because of his misunderstanding of Zhu Cilang's intentions. But in fact, even if he had not misunderstood, he would most likely be sent out by Zhu Cilang.

As for whether Zhu Cilang had expected that Hangzhou City would be attacked.
Most of it was expected. After all, it was dark in the middle of the night, how could the troops stop the opponent so accurately?

Of course, the arrival of so many people was completely unexpected for him.

Zhu Cilang calculated very clearly that when Duoduo went south, the Manchu, Mongolian and Han tribes together had only about 30,000 troops. After gathering the surrendered soldiers from various towns in northern Jiangsu, his military strength suddenly increased to about 250,000.

But later, the Qing army attacked from all sides, and without waiting for Jiangbei to be completely pacified, they rushed into Jiangnan. Their forces were dispersed due to the pursuit of Hongguang and the collection of food and grass.

After Nikan's troops were wiped out, there were only about 30,000 to 40,000 people left under the city of Hangzhou.

After this calculation, the number of Qing troops is still several times that of the Hangzhou defenders. No matter what Zhu Cilang wants to do, he has to think carefully.

just
There are more than 10,000 "new recruits" in Hangzhou to support the Qing army. Are all of them useful here?
Others thought that they were all useful, but Zhu Cilang knew clearly that although a large number of extremely powerful troops emerged in the towns in northern Jiangnan after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, Liu Zeqing's troops were not among them.

As the saying goes, what kind of general you lead what kind of soldiers you will have.

After the Qing army entered Lianghuai, Liu Zeqing abandoned his troops and fled to the sea. Seeing that the enemy was advancing with great momentum, he ran back to surrender.

By that time, his troops had already surrendered to the Qing Dynasty one after another. Duoduo would never let this kind of person get involved in military power again, so he gave him two maids and sent him back to Beijing.

At this point, Duoduo was actually quite happy. After all, without the town commander, it would be easier for him to quickly take control of the army, which was a great thing for the Qing Dynasty.

But when he got to know them in detail, he found that the style of this group of people was exactly the same as that of their commander. If they were not reorganized, they would probably be just a show.

Therefore, in the original history, Liu Liangzuo's subordinates basically never appeared in the Jiangnan Battle led by Duoduo, and Zhu Cilang grasped this point and dared to take out most of the capable soldiers to fight tonight.

As for its results.
"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

When Generals Fang and Xiang saw Zhu Cilang lying on the ground with his eyes closed, covered in blood, and an old man beside him putting his fingers on his wrist, they both felt their hearts break.

"Don't make noise!"

All the ministers present could understand why the two were in such a state, but the doctor was currently treating His Highness and could not allow them to cry or make a scene.

As the former Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Ma Shiying had to speak out to stop this situation.

"Lord! What happened to your Highness?"

Fang Guoan was still wary of Ma Shiying, so he didn't dare say anything more after hearing the scolding. But in Xiang Rensheng's eyes, who else could be considered besides His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

Even if the Jade Emperor were here to stop him, he would first have to find out what had happened to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Seeing Xiang Rensheng's reaction, Ma Shiying was naturally a little unhappy, but when he looked at the hundreds of soldiers standing behind him who had been killed and turned into blood, he could only pretend that he didn't hear it.

"Come this way, come this way."

Originally, Huang Daozhou should have been happy that Ma Shiying was humiliated, but perhaps because Zhu Cilang's words and actions had some shock on him, he actually stepped forward at this time to lead the two of them aside, which relieved his embarrassment.

When they saw the Qing army rushing into the city, Zhu Cilang asked the two of them to evacuate first, but the crown prince who was the regent was still at the front leading the troops to fight the enemy, and it was not reasonable for them, as the ministers, to just leave.

You know, the situation now is fundamentally different from before.

Zhu Cilang was not in Hangzhou earlier, so even if they abandoned the city, it would likely cut off his retreat, but this could be covered up by saying that the move was inappropriate.

But in that situation, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was fighting just a few feet away. If they left, they would not only be despised by the world at that time, but their names would also be hung on the pillar of shame in history and be infamous for eternity.

In this way, the two old ministers stood in the distance and waited quietly for the final moment to come.

It is just unknown whether the defenders had already become mourners because of Fang Guoan’s calm attitude towards death, or whether their fighting spirit was aroused by the presence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in person.

Anyway, the Qing army could not advance an inch after rushing down the ruins, while the Ming army seemed to have the upper hand. Not only did they kill all the Qing troops who had initially entered the city by force, but they also rushed into the ruins more than once.

If the defenders had not been pushed down the slope by the Qing army using their numerical advantage and had not been forced to wait for the other armies to return, the defenders would have been able to drive the Qing army out of the city under the leadership of Your Highness.

Under such circumstances, it was even more impossible for the two old ministers to leave, and they even had the urge to go into battle and kill the enemy.

But when the Qing army outside the city was defeated due to the return of a large group of Ming troops, Zhu Cilang, who had been taking advantage of the periphery of the battle group, failed.

Not only was he stabbed in the chest, but he also fell heavily into a pile of rocks.

Afterwards, I don’t know if he hit his head, but he fell into a coma and has not shown any signs of waking up until now.

"What are you guys doing?! Why did His Highness rush to the front?!"

"Brother Xiang, we can't stop him. Hi!"

With a heavy sigh, the four guards felt extremely regretful.

The entire guard camp knew Zhu Cilang's general habits very well, but as guards they failed to follow him closely. Now that the Crown Prince's safety was uncertain, how could he not be annoyed and blame himself?

Seeing several guards kneeling on the ground and apologizing, Xiang Rensheng, with bloodshot eyes, immediately raised the iron rod in his hand.

But he also knew what His Highness looked like when he went mad, and in the end he could only throw the iron rod he had raised high to the ground.

"Wake up! Your Highness is awake!"

A loud shout was heard, and everyone couldn't help but move forward, but when they squeezed into the crowd, they saw that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a dazed look in his eyes and seemed not to have fully recovered.

"You guys, this palace hiss~~~"

After barely uttering a few words, Zhu Cilang took a deep breath and put his head up with his hands.

"Your Highness?!"

"Your Highness?!"

In this situation, everyone could see that although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had awakened, his injuries could not be underestimated. As a result, everyone turned their eyes to the old man.

"Your Highness must have sustained a head injury."

Hearing this, everyone was speechless.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has covered his head tightly. Who can't see that he has a wound on his head?

When everyone was about to ask more questions, they heard a faint voice asking questions.

"Where is this place?"

When these words came out, all the ministers knew that His Highness must have a serious problem in his head. But when they turned their eyes to the doctor, Ma Shiying shouted at the generals and commanders: "Pass the order, no discussion of what happened here! No spread outside! Anyone who violates the order will be executed!"

Although we don't know how serious the Crown Prince's condition is, it is necessary to issue a gag order. Otherwise, if rumors are raised, it will cause trouble. "Xiang Rensheng! Lead the troops to clear the way and escort His Highness back!"

Hearing Lord Ma's order, Xiang Rensheng planned to act according to it. However, who would have thought that before he could make any move, the Crown Prince, who was in great pain, suddenly jumped up.

"Wait! I will not leave until you explain clearly!"

"Your Highness, you are injured and need to rest now. Let's talk about everything after you return."

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was making a fuss again, Huang Daozhou started to persuade him.

The current situation is really not suitable to be delayed for too long. Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives spreads the news of His Highness's appearance, the good situation may be ruined.

"You are. A. Ma. A. Ma."

"Old minister Ma Shiying."

"Yes, yes, it's Ma Shiying, Xiang."

"Your Highness, I will be here."

"You are my palace guard."

"It's Your Highness."

Seeing Zhu Cilang's performance, the atmosphere in the field suddenly relaxed.

Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has recognized Lord Ma and General Xiang, it should be no problem even if he really suffered a head injury.

"Your Highness is not seriously injured, but he is still a little hurt. I dare to ask Your Highness to go back to the tent and rest. We will take care of the aftermath here."

"That's fine. I still have a severe headache."

Having said this, Zhu Cilang stretched out his left hand. Although Xiang Rensheng on the side didn't quite understand what this meant, he still quickly stepped forward to serve as an armrest.

"You guys come with me, I still have some things to settle."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not specifically point to anyone, and the few people present who felt they were qualified slowly followed.

After a while, everyone entered the tent, took their seats and waited for His Highness's arrangements.

"I have a terrible headache right now. Do you have anything to add regarding tonight's arrangements?"

As the words fell, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of shock in their hearts.

What to add?
Wasn't it you, Your Highness, who personally arranged tonight's battle from beginning to end, and weren't all the ministers just acting according to your arrangements?

But now.
Except for Xiang Rensheng, all the people present were thousand-year-old foxes. As soon as Zhu Cilang said this, they all keenly sensed the problem.

"Your Highness, Generals Fang Guoan and Xiang Rensheng followed orders tonight and went out of the city to meet the enemy. They have both returned victorious. If there is anything to add, it would probably be that we still need to keep an eye on the Tartars' reactions."

When replying, Ma Shiying's expression was natural and his tone was cordial, but his eyes never left Zhu Cilang's face.

When he mentioned the names Fang Guoan and Xiang Rensheng, His Highness clearly glanced at the only two people wearing armor under the tent.

I'm afraid it's true.
But if that's true, then he's too cunning.

With this in mind, Ma Shiying could not help but quickly replay all the previous events in his mind. Although he felt a sense of relief, he couldn't help feeling a little scared at the same time.

"Tell me how the battle went tonight."

"Your Highness, our troops have been divided into two groups. One group will be led by my nephew Fang Yuanke to blow up the Tartar artillery positions, and the other group will be led by me personally to support the guards."

At this point, Fang Anguo paused for a moment, and when he saw that the Crown Prince seemed to have digested everything, he continued, "The artillery position must have been blown up, but I just returned to the city and have not had time to understand the damage. I am here to assist, so I will report to the general."

After saying that, Fang Guoan returned to the team, and then told Xiang Rensheng and Li Yongmao about their respective battle situations. Everyone then formed a rough impression of tonight's battle situation in their minds.

In tonight's battle, not only did the guards inflict great casualties on the Qing army, but what was even more rare was that most of the soldiers were merely exhausted, and not many were actually killed in action.

Although Li Yongmao brought troops to support, they did not suffer many casualties because of the hundreds of troops left by Fang Guoan in the front.

When reporting, he did not omit the mention of the hundreds of troops who had fought hard in the battle for the sake of avoiding suspicion. Not only did he spend most of his time describing their achievements, he also described their bravery in such vivid detail that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was sitting in the tent, could not stop nodding his head.

In fact, according to normal reporting, there is no need for them to be so detailed, let alone provide so many details.

However, they all had some guesses in their minds, but they could only try their best to explain these things more clearly to see if they could be of any help to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Well, the battle tonight was won thanks to your dedication and sacrifice. I would like to thank you on behalf of the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Highness, you are too kind. If you hadn't led the troops and boosted their morale, I'm afraid the Tartars would have entered the city long ago."

After hearing His Royal Highness's words, everyone could not accept it calmly. However, when they were about to tell Zhu Cilang their "heartfelt words" one by one, they saw him gently wave his hand, and then directly said: "You all can stay by my side at such a critical moment, I think you all rely on me very much."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of all the ministers froze, and then the atmosphere in the tent immediately became serious.

The Crown Prince's previous questioning was not because he wanted to know about the battle situation tonight, but clearly wanted to determine whether the people present were reliable from their descriptions of tonight.

As for why he did this
Is it possible that one could not recognize where one was one moment, but could tell who everyone was the next?
What's more, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never called anyone's name until now, even before outside the tent, he only called out two people's surnames.

You know, some people had called him "Mr. Ma" or "General Xiang" before.

"I think you all have seen that I can only remember certain things now, but I can't remember your names."

"what?!"

"Your Highness!"

After the words were spoken, the ministers were naturally surprised, but Zhu Cilang waved his hand calmly, signaling them to stay calm, and waited until their emotions calmed down a little before speaking again.

"It's okay. I'm much better now than before. I can remember most of what happened with you. I think I'll be able to remember everything after some time."

"call."

It was not known whether they were truly nervous or pretending to be nervous, but as soon as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said this, several sighs of relief were heard in the tent. However, the atmosphere had not yet become more relaxed, as Zhu Cilang's next words made the ministers a little nervous again.

"But it's inevitable that I will forget sometimes, so you all need to cover up for me and don't let this leak out."

"What His Highness said is absolutely true."

(End of this chapter)