Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 74: Lord Jingguo

When the successor was being decided, Ma Shiying and Shi Kefa both favored Prince of Gui, while Qian Qianyi and other Donglin Party members favored Prince of Lu.

Afterwards, a group of people bargained for the status of Prince Lu via correspondence, which allowed the towns in northern Jiangbei to connect with each other in time, and eventually, with their overwhelming military force, they pushed Hongguang to the throne.

Now, except for Huang Degong who is still stationed in Wuhu, the rest of the people in the towns in Jiangbei are either dead, one has fled, or one has surrendered. Hongguang himself even abandoned his country and fled, which is equivalent to leaving the legal system in Yingtian.

In this light, it would indeed be reasonable for Qian Qianyi to support Zhu Cilang to succeed the throne at this time.

But having said that, will Zhu Cilang really ascend the throne at this time?

The answer is naturally no.

So on the way back to the city, Qian Qianyi could only rack his brains, but in the end he still couldn't figure out why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince rejected his proposal after giving such a clear hint.

"My Lord! My Lord! I am the governor of Yingtian Prefecture!"

"Sir, please don't make it difficult for me as a servant."

Just as the carriage returned to the gate of the mansion and Qian Qianyi was about to bend down and walk out of the carriage, he heard a burst of noise. After a moment's hesitation, he sat back down.

The Governor of Yingtian Prefecture was only a fifth-rank official. Not to mention that he had no right to seek an audience with Qian Qianyi, the second-rank Minister of Rites, even his immediate superior, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, had to send a visiting card before entering Qian's mansion, and would only have the opportunity to meet him when Mr. Qian was free.

Of course, there are probably not many people who can be called officials in the Yingtian Prefecture Government now, but this is by no means a reason for him to be so reckless.

After a while, the noise outside gradually died down, and Qian Qianyi walked out of the carriage leisurely and walked towards the mansion. However, a man at the corner of the street breathed a sigh of relief and disappeared into the crowd.

Let’s not talk about whether Mr. Qian will call his disciples to discuss the matter after returning home or spend the night with his beautiful concubine.

Just to say that the uncle and nephew Xu Wenjue, who were supposed to be enjoying a life of luxury in the Duke of Wei's mansion, finally met the Duke of Jingguo, Huang Degong, of the Ming Dynasty after traveling through mountains and rivers and going through numerous hardships.

"Sit down, sit down, sit down. Don't blame these soldiers for being so slow."

After listening to the two people's stories, Huang Degong, who was still frowning, immediately stood up and walked towards them, obviously wanting to untie the ropes for them personally to express his apology.

"How is Duke Wei? I really miss you after not seeing you for so many years."

"Don't test me, Duke. As far as I know, you and my elder brother have never met, so why would you miss him?"

After hearing Xu Wenjue's reply, Huang Degong's brows, which had been relaxed, frowned again. He looked at the two of them for a long time and then returned to his seat and sat down.

"Don't blame me for being cautious. The mountains and plains are full of Tartar scouts. How can I believe that you two kids can come from Yingtian safely?"

"Don't underestimate us, Duke. We are young, but we can easily defeat a few Tartars."

Xu Wenjue said it lightly, but the wounds on the uncle and nephew made Huang Degong know that they must have experienced a life-and-death battle.

It was not known whether it was because the Tartar scouts focused all their energy on the front, but the uncle and nephew who came from behind only encountered one Tartar when they were about to reach Huang Degong's military camp.

In the final fight, both of them were injured, but the Tartar lost his life directly. One cannot help but sigh that they were really lucky.

At this point, even if Huang Degong still believed it, he could only keep his doubts in his heart. What's more, he knew nothing about the situation in the north. If he could get a little bit of information from the conversation, it would be a rare gain.

"Did Duke Wei escape?"

"No, when the two of us left the city, my elder brother was about to lead people to defend the inner city."

Hearing this, Huang Degong fell silent.

The emperor fled and most of the defenders were taken away. Even if the Duke of Wei was a god from heaven, he would have died for his country at this time.

It's a pity that these two kids still haven't understood what's going on. How can they respond? "Please ask the Duke of Jingguo to send troops to rescue Yingtian!"

Just when Huang Degong was struggling with how to tell the two of them the current situation, the uncle and nephew looked at each other and knelt in the center of the military tent.

"Please stand up! Please stand up!"

Huang Degong quickly helped the two of them up, but he was thinking in his heart how to wake up the two kids.

But after thinking for a while, he finally decided to speak frankly.

The world is in chaos, and it will be difficult for these two kids to live the same life as before. It is better for him to be the bad guy than to be muddle-headed and bring shame to the Duke of Wei.

"The Tartars were able to send so many troops here, Yingtian must have been lost."

After saying this, Huang Degong immediately turned away, as if he was afraid of seeing the two children crying.

But when it comes to the details, only he himself knows. A clay pot will break if it is not separated from a well. The general is bound to die in the battlefield. After he dies, who can treat his family like this?

"Duke, Yingtian is still holding on."

Hold on? How to hold on? After all, it is a doll, and it is still in the maze without knowing it.

Huang Degong just sighed but did not turn around because of these words.

"It's our fault for not making it clear. The Tartars attacked at night, but were repelled by Your Highness."

Your Highness? Your Highness is not with me.
? !
"Your Highness?"

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"The one imprisoned by His Majesty?"

"Yes."

Huang Degong turned around with a look of astonishment and asked several questions in succession. After getting a definite answer, he froze in place.

Even a general like him who had fought his way out of a pile of dead bodies would be helpless in Yingtian's current situation. It is really amazing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can still hold on in such a situation.
After thinking for a long time, Huang Degong still couldn't find the right words. He had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being and pulled the two of them aside to inquire carefully about Yingtian's situation in the past few days.

After a while, the uncle and nephew told each other everything they knew, but Huang Degong frowned and began to think after the initial excitement.

According to what the two said, Yingtian must have withstood the first wave of attacks from the Tartars.

If he could contain the Tartars in front of him here, then as long as the reinforcements arrived, the siege of Yingtian would not only be solved, but the situation of the war would also change dramatically.

But if that really happens, how will His Majesty and His Highness get along?

In terms of emotion, Hongguang promoted Huang Degong to a height that ordinary military generals could hardly reach. Even though he strongly opposed the poor treatment of Zhu Cilang at the beginning, that was also based on recognizing Hongguang's status.

Logically speaking, it was Hongguang who left Yingtian alone and listened to the slander of those villains, which made the situation so difficult. In contrast, the prince in Yingtian City is the best candidate to revive the Ming Dynasty.

It's hard to accept the situation, but a balance must be found. Such a difficult choice makes Huang Degong, a warrior who has been fighting for half his life, scratch his head.

Just when the tent had fallen silent due to Huang Degong's thoughts, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the tent, followed by a soldier holding his waist and abdomen rushing in.

"Marshal! Generals Tian Xiong and Ma Degong have intercepted your majesty!"

When this voice came out, the three people in the tent stood up immediately.

(End of this chapter)