I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 359: Zhengde Returns
On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the eleventh year of the Zhengde reign, Zhu Houxun and all the civil and military officials stood in silence twenty miles away from the capital.

Scouts kept coming to report to Zhu Houxuan that the army had reached eight or six miles.
When they saw the familiar banner in the sky, the crowd began to stir.
Although there were official and private news, everyone knew that Zhu Houzhao had won a victory in Yingzhou, and it was not a small victory.
However, the fermentation of public opinion for a long time made no one believe the outcome of this victory, let alone the killing of the Mongolian Khan in battle.

However, many people in the welcoming crowd could not suppress their curiosity about this large army, and stretched their heads to look at the army returning home in the distance.

After the banner appeared, a long black line appeared in the distance and soon came to them.
The silver armor and the fiery red helmet tassels gave people a strong visual impact, the neat team made people feel awe, and the murderous aura hidden in the soldiers in this team made many people feel awe.
The civil and military officials behind Zhu Houxuan all looked at the new army with astonished eyes. This was the first time they had seen the new army. Although the new army had been established for more than two years, it had been training hard in Tongzhou most of the time. Even when it appeared in the capital, it was only on a small scale. This was the first time that such a large-scale and organized army had appeared in the capital.

The army trained by the emperor himself does not look weak! This is what everyone thinks.

The leading army did not stop, but ignored the welcoming crowd and headed straight towards the capital.
The welcoming crowd did not move, all their attention was focused on the big banner.
As the new army advanced, the big banner finally arrived to greet everyone.

Next to the big banner is Zhu Houzhao’s golden carriage.

A bright yellow figure was standing upright on the golden carriage. He saw Zhu Houxun standing at the front of the crowd at a glance, and a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.

Zhu Houxuan, along with all the civil and military officials, knelt on the ground and shouted, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Congratulations on your victory!"

For a moment, drums and music sounded, and gongs and drums were deafening, making the scene very lively.

The emperor's golden carriage slowly stopped in front of Zhu Houxuan. Zhu Houzhao, who was in high spirits, waved his hand and said, "Everyone stand up!"

Then Zhu Houzhao could not wait to jump off the emperor's golden carriage, punched Zhu Houxuan hard on the shoulder, then hugged Zhu Houxuan and said with an excited smile: "My brother, the Prince of Jing, I miss you so much!"

Zhu Houxuan was a little confused by Zhu Houzhao's enthusiasm. Although he understood why he was so enthusiastic, this was a very formal and solemn occasion. Wasn't this action a little out of line? Moreover, it was embarrassing.
The accompanying civil and military officials looked at the actions of the two people with the most power and status in the empire with complicated expressions. They were still so close and there didn't seem to be any grudges between them.

"Brother." Zhu Houxuan gently pushed Zhu Houzhao away, reminding him to control his emotions.
Zhu Houzhao did not care about Zhu Houxun's behavior. Instead, he pulled Zhu Houxun's arm and said, "Brother, go back in the same car with your brother!" Zhu Houxun looked back at the civil and military officials behind him and found that they had different expressions.

He really wanted to refuse Zhu Houzhao's invitation, but he also knew that he could not persuade Zhu Houzhao, so he had to board Zhu Houzhao's golden carriage.

The new army began to move again.

Zhu Houzhao pulled Zhu Houxun and pointed to the back excitedly and said, "Brother, look!"

The height of the Emperor's Golden Chariot was quite good, and the view was very good when standing on it. Zhu Houxuan looked along the line of defense pointed by Zhu Houzhao, and saw that not far behind the Emperor's Golden Chariot were dozens of large carts, each of which was filled with human heads protected by lime.
They are filled with negative emotions, either in pain, numbness, or fear.
Their hair was disheveled, and the muscles on their faces had darkened and shrunken due to the loss of moisture, making them look even more horrible.
With so many people gathered together, it was a nightmare scene, but no one cared.

Zhu Houxuan looked further away and saw groups of Mongolian captives tied up with ropes and linked together. Driven by the new army soldiers, they were constantly moving forward.
Their eyes and expressions were completely numb, as if they were wooden people who had lost their minds, walking forward mechanically.
Zhu Houxuan observed their physical condition and found that they were in good condition.
"These are the spoils of battle, brother. All the heads and prisoners are here," Zhu Houzhao said excitedly.

"This battle was won thanks to you, my brother, for giving the new army so many good things. Otherwise, I would not have won at all. I deserve half of the medal this time." Zhu Houzhao smiled widely and could not help but patted Zhu Houxuan's shoulders twice.
Zhu Houxuan looked at this scene and listened to Zhu Houzhao's words, and his heart was also overwhelmed.
The civil and military officials who came to greet them were extremely shocked to see the dozens of carts loaded with Mongolian heads and groups of Mongolian captives.
Too many! Too many!

Peng Ze looked at the heads and prisoners in the team with a dark face. He was actually beginning to waver in his heart.
He took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and kept his original intention.
He suddenly looked at the Minister of Revenue Wang Qiong and said, "Sir Wang, these heads and prisoners must be carefully checked by your Ministry of War's Examination Office to prevent any unqualified persons from filling the numbers."

Peng Ze’s meaning was very clear: the number of heads and prisoners seen now was really as many as reported in the military newspaper, so now we had to check whether there was any falsification.

Peng Ze's voice was not small, and many people around heard it. Those who were around Peng Ze were all high-ranking officials. Peng Ze's words were very much to their liking, so they all looked at Wang Qiong.

Wang Qiong also felt a lot of pressure. He wanted to refuse because if he did so, he would offend the emperor to death. But he knew he couldn't refuse because this matter was related to the actual interests of the civil servants. Even if he didn't have a good relationship with the civil servants, he was still a civil servant. So he decided to do what Peng Ze said first.
The troops returning to the capital slowly marched towards the capital. More and more people gathered on the roadside to watch the fun, and they all looked at them in shock.

Zhu Houzhao liked the feeling of parading and boasting about his achievements. He stood on the emperor's golden carriage and kept waving to the people along the street. Then he suddenly thought of something and grabbed Zhu Houxuan's hand and waved to the people along the street together.
(End of this chapter)