Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 158: Prince Xiang burned himself to death to prove that the emperor was fake

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

Emperor Zhengtong got up early in the morning and looked at the blue sky. He was in a good mood, for winter was finally over.

The sparse willow and apricot trees stubbornly sprouted green new buds in the cold wind, and occasionally a few wild flowers in early spring could be seen poking their heads out. The wind swept across the vast Gobi Desert, carrying fine sand particles, gently hitting the city walls, making a low and long echo. Outside the city, the wind and sand were still raging, rolling up waves of yellow, rushing away into the distance.

"Your Majesty, an urgent letter from Prince Xiang." Xu Bin came in with a letter.

The Zhengtong Emperor was startled, took it and opened it, glanced at it quickly, and his expression changed drastically: "Uncle Xiang Wang wants to quell the rebellion?"

Xu Bin couldn't believe it after hearing this: "He... is he crazy? The current vassal kings don't have any soldiers at all."

The Zhengtong Emperor's expression changed continuously, first with surprise, then with suspicion, and then with secret joy. He took the letter, read it again, and sighed: "Uncle Xiang Wang did this for the Ming Dynasty and for the Zhu family. Even if he fails, he must tell the world that the one in the capital is a fake emperor."

Xu Bin reacted: "Is the Prince of Xiang paving the way for your Majesty?"

"Yes!" The Zhengtong Emperor said excitedly, "If he makes such a fuss, I will step forward and use the real imperial seal to issue orders to the world, and more people will respond."

"It would be better if the Ming Dynasty had more princes like Prince Xiang." Xu Bin sighed, "When the time comes, your majesty will reveal his identity to the world, and the princes will respond immediately. Who will still believe in the fake emperor in the capital?"

The Zhengtong Emperor smiled bitterly: "This is difficult. The fake emperor is afraid of killing those vassal kings. However, as long as we have the upper hand, those vassal kings will choose to stand on our side. By then, even if the fake emperor occupies the capital, the situation will be over."

He looked up at the southern sky with great anticipation in his heart.

It has been four years, and he has been wanting to return to the capital and take back his throne all the time.

"Hasn't there been any letter from Tan You recently?" asked the Zhengtong Emperor.

Xu Bin shook his head: "No! According to the intelligence we have received, Shaanxi and Gansu not only have a new governor, but also a Jinyiwei pacification envoy. Tan You didn't contact us at this time, probably because he was afraid of being exposed."

"Yes, it's right to be careful." The orthodox emperor frowned slightly, "Where's Yahansha? I haven't seen him in this period of time."

Xu Bin's face became serious. "Some tribes in Shazhou disobeyed orders and started fighting. Yahansha went to suppress the rebellion. The fake emperor set up more guards and appointed several commanders. This move was vicious enough. The seven guards in Guanxi all had internal strife."

"Why did the civil strife suddenly break out at this time?" the Zhengtong Emperor wondered.

"Is there someone behind this?" Xu Bin was shocked.

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Zhengtong Emperor: "It's not impossible. The Jinyiwei are very good at doing these things. Go and remind the Seven Guards of Guanxi."

Xu Bin bowed and left in a hurry.

……

Mobei, Tuotuo Camp.

In the central army tent, Khan Toghtobuha was meeting a guest. His guest turned out to be a man from the Central Plains, an envoy sent by Datong garrison commander Guo Deng, named Wang Shan, who had come to Toghtobuha more than once.

Tuotuobuhua stared at him and said coldly: "This Khan knows that you just want to cause chaos in Mobei so that you cunning Ming people can reap the benefits."

"Wrong!" Wang Shan said in a deep voice, "It is to help you, the Khan, take back Mobei. After that, we will trade with each other and make peace between Mobei and the Central Plains."

Tuotuobuhua raised his glass and said, "Well said! However, I still have some concerns. Lord Wang, why don't you stay with me for a while longer?"

"Okay, I also want to see more of the grassland scenery." Wang Shan was very calm.

He has determined that Tuotuo is also short of food, and he can't hold out for long. If Tuotuo wants to get more from the Ming Dynasty, then he can fight him, and the Ming Dynasty can afford it. However, if he wants to spread the news of his mission, it will be fine as long as he knows it first.

At this time, a personal guard came in hurriedly, holding intelligence in his hand, and seemed to be hesitant to speak. Tuo Tuo Bu Hua smiled and said to Wang Shan: "Sir Wang, then you should go down and rest first. The wind in Mobei is strong, don't walk around."

"Thank you, Great Khan." Wang Shan bowed and left the military tent.

The guard then walked up to Toghtobuha and bowed, saying, "Great Khan, I just received a message that the Ming army appeared behind Yesen. They are elusive and have won several battles in a row."

After Tuotuobuhua opened it and read it, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It's quite interesting. The Ming Dynasty didn't defend this time, but took the initiative to attack?"

The guard's eyes were filled with hatred: "Great Khan, should we also take this opportunity to attack Yesen?"

In all the previous battles with Yesen, Toghtobuha was defeated. Their hatred for Yesen was even greater than that for the Central Plains.

"Wait a little longer!" Tuotuo said, "I need the Ming Dynasty to give us more support."

……

Outside the pass, Yesen’s camp.

Bang!

Yesen threw the teacup to the ground angrily, his eyes spitting fire: "How is it possible? Last night, a squad behind our left was wiped out, and this morning a squad behind our right was wiped out. How did that Ming army get through right under our noses?"

Boyan standing by was also puzzled: "This is strange. Coming and going like the wind shouldn't be like this. How did they do it?"

"There is only one possibility!" Yesen's face became solemn. "There are more than one Ming army roaming outside the Great Wall. That's why we feel that they come and go like the wind."

"Ah?" Boyan was shocked, and then he was puzzled, "But if there are more than one, our spies can at least detect one, right?"

Yesen was furious: "If the spies are all blind, how can we fight this war?"

Boyan came up with a plan: "The Ming cavalry is patrolling outside the Great Wall, so their city defenses must be insufficient. Why don't we attack Datong fiercely?"

Yesen took a deep breath and sneered, "It's time to attack! Boyan, you hold the line, let those tribesmen go first and test the Ming army's defense."

"Yes!" Boyan accepted the order.

Yesen immediately gave the order and the army set out straight for Datong.

The sound of horns and drums resounded through the sky. The sun shone on the vast grassland, and hundreds of thousands of troops set out.

Yesen sat high on his horse, looking at the army ready to go. He waved his arm violently, as if injecting endless power into the surging force. Suddenly, thousands of horses galloped, dust flew, the earth trembled, and the sky seemed to be shaken by this majestic momentum, and the clouds hurriedly moved away.

The vanguard troops rushed out first like sharp arrows, their figures drew swift tracks on the grassland. Following closely behind was the main army, with flags flying and soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder. The sound of horse hooves and shouts gathered into an unstoppable torrent, rolling towards the direction of Datong City.

……

Beijing. After the morning court session, Zhu Qizhen went directly to the Ministry of War. Recently, he did not summon them to the Qianqing Palace, but came directly here because the Ministry of War had a huge sand table, which could be used for intuitive deduction.

Prince's Guardian Yu Qian and Duke of Jing Chen Mao were conducting a deduction, and Duke of Ying Zhang Fu was also there. Seeing the emperor coming in, the three of them hurriedly paid their respects, and Zhu Qizhen waved his hand: "Go on! I'm just a spectator."

The three of them continued to deduce, taking turns to play Yesen, enjoying it. Of course, it was to find out more information so that they could be prepared. Zhu Qizhen drank tea and watched on the side. After an hour, the three old men were finally tired.

"I have an immature suggestion." Zhu Qizhen pointed at the sand table and said, "Why not send another 3,000 people to Yesen's lair. Of course, only 3,000 people are definitely not enough to capture the enemy's lair, but the enemy doesn't know our strength. As long as we create a situation of attacking Yesen's lair, Toghtobuha might make a move. He wants to destroy the Oirat more than we do."

After hearing this, the three looked at each other. Yu Qian looked at the simulated route on the sand table and raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, this trick of yours might be very useful! Three thousand people can't affect us, but if we go straight to Yesen's lair, if Toghtobuha moves, Yesen will have a headache."

"Your Majesty, you are so vicious." Chen Mao said.

"If Toghto can be mobilized, will Yesen still have the mind to attack the Ming Dynasty?" Zhang Fu laughed.

Zhu Qizhen had a smile on his face.

What he didn't say was that he had secretly formed an alliance with Alazhiyuan and dealt a fatal blow to Yesen at the critical moment.

After learning about the war situation at the front at the Ministry of War, he returned to the Qianqing Palace and began to review memorials.

"Is there no memorial from Shi Biao yet?" he asked.

"No!" Cao Jixiang said, "I check to see if there is Mr. Shi every morning."

Zhu Qizhen was secretly calculating the date. Shi Biao, leading two thousand Jinyiwei, should arrive at Xiangyang city.

……

Xiangyang City.

At daybreak, when the streets were still deserted, two thousand Jinyiwei rushed in from the city gates. The leader, riding a tall horse, was none other than the Jinyiwei commander Shi Biao.

After entering the city, a general in armor came forward and clasped his fists: "Lao Shi, you are so impressive now."

He was Li Bao, the commander-in-chief of Xiangyang. He had once been a comrade-in-arms with Shi Biao. Shi Biao made arrangements to transfer him to Xiangyang to serve as the commander-in-chief.

"Old Li, stop talking nonsense and capture King Xiang immediately." Shi Biao waved his hand without getting off the horse.

"We're waiting for you!" Li Baofei mounted his horse, "We have been monitoring the palace. There are 800 personal guards of the King Xiang in the palace, and nothing else."

Shi Biao's eyes were filled with disdain: "Eight hundred guards, he dared to rebel?"

Li Bao chuckled: "They probably think they can control me. After all, the commander of the royal guards has come to me and given me gifts, and I accepted and handed them over."

"You are quite clear-headed, kid." Shi Biao urged his horse on.

Soon, they arrived in front of Prince Xiang's mansion. Shi Biao waved his hand and the Jinyiwei surrounded the mansion. There was such a sudden commotion outside, and the people in the mansion must have known about it.

Soon, Prince Xiang, surrounded by his personal guards, opened the door. He glanced at Shi Biao and asked angrily, "Shi Biao, what do you want to do?"

Shi Biao rode his horse forward a few steps, took out the imperial edict, and began to announce: "Prince Xiang, receive the edict."

King Xiang stood still and snorted coldly: "Read it!"

Shi Biao was not angry either, and began to read:

I have heard that King Xiang has been secretly recruiting soldiers, forging weapons, and training death squads, with ulterior motives and the intention of treason. Such behavior is extremely treasonous and is a great threat to the country and a danger to the country. I have heard of it and am deeply saddened and vowed to eliminate it.

I hereby order the Jinyiwei and the brave troops to rush to the residence of Prince Xiang and bring him to justice. Don't let him escape. Anyone involved in this case, regardless of whether they are relatives or strangers, noble or humble, will be severely punished to serve as a warning to others.

Admire this!

"Hahaha, hahaha." King Xiang laughed after hearing the imperial edict. "Is this king plotting rebellion? The emperor sitting in the Fengtian Palace is a fake. I want to take back the Zhu family's kingdom."

Shi Biao shouted: "Catch him!"

The guards standing behind Prince Xiang immediately escorted Prince Xiang back: "Protect the prince!"

……

The palace guards, wearing iron armor and holding sharp blades, rushed out like a raging wave, vowing to defend their master to the death, and resolutely blocked the Jinyiwei and Xiangyang Duzhishisi coalition forces. The two sides confronted each other, with swords drawn and a strong murderous atmosphere in the air.

With the order, the battle was ignited instantly, with swords flashing and arrows raining down like locusts. Although the palace guards were outnumbered, they were all brave and fearless, fighting ten to one, showing amazing loyalty and determination. However, the Jinyiwei and the Duzhihuisi had a large number of troops and were unstoppable. In addition, they were well-equipped and well-trained, and gradually gained the upper hand.

Soon, the gate of the palace collapsed under the fierce attack. In the dust, Shi Biao, with a burly figure and a voice like a bell, roared: "Except the family of Prince Xiang, the rest of you will be killed without mercy!"

The shouts of killing were deafening, the screams were endless, the blood dyed the bluestone road of the palace red, and the air was filled with a suffocating smell of blood. The Jinyiwei rushed in like a tide, advancing towards the backyard of the palace, leaving behind cold corpses.

In the backyard, although the palace guards had suffered heavy casualties, there were still a few warriors, back to back, shoulder to shoulder, making the final resistance. Suddenly, a loud laugh was heard: "Everyone, run for your lives!"

Prince Xiang and his family were standing on the roof of the attic in the backyard. He looked at the Jinyiwei and said coldly, "I am the grandson of Emperor Taizong and the younger brother of Emperor Xuanzong. How can I live like this when I am humiliated by slaves? The emperor in the Fengtian Palace is a fake. I will die today to prove to the world that the emperor is a fake! There is a fake emperor in the country and a demon queen in the palace. The Ming Dynasty is in danger. I hope that people with lofty ideals in the world will kill the fake emperor and the demon queen!"

"Kill him!" Shi Biao was anxious.

However, just as the Jinyiwei rushed to the attic, a fire suddenly broke out in the attic. It turned out that the King of Xiang had been prepared. In a blink of an eye, the attic was already on fire. Only the figure of the King of Xiang could be seen. He was still shouting: "Kill the false emperor! Kill the evil queen! Restore our Ming Dynasty!"

Soon, the attic was reduced to ashes, along with the Xiang Wang family. The shrill screams echoed in everyone's ears: "Kill the false emperor! Kill the evil queen! Restore our Ming Dynasty!"

Shi Biao's face turned livid.

A vassal king burned himself to death, and this matter became a big deal. Soon, this matter would spread all over the world: Prince Xiang burned himself to death to tell the world that the emperor in the Fengtian Hall was a fake.

"Li Bao, you take care of the aftermath," Shi Biao said, "I have to return to the capital immediately to report what happened to His Majesty. This matter is troublesome."

"Why do I feel that King Xiang is ready to die?" Li Bao frowned.

Shi Biao sighed lightly: "This price is too high. No matter what, you continue to look for information about King Xiang. I feel that although he is dead, there is still a backup plan."

"Yes!" Li Bao nodded, "You should return to Beijing soon. His Majesty needs to know the situation here as soon as possible."

Shi Biao mounted his horse and hurried back to Beijing without even having time to eat.

(End of this chapter)