Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 166: The False Emperor: I am not Lao Ai, I am the Son of Heaven

In Yanghe City, night fell, the city gates were locked, and a strong wind was raging outside the city, with a constant whistling sound. Under the city tower, a bonfire was burning, and the flames jumped and crackled wherever the wind blew, adding a bit of vitality to the silent night.

Liu Dachui, Yang Guifang and Zhu Yong sat around the stove, each holding a wine pot, feeling warm and cozy. Liu Dachui, an old general with white hair on his temples, held up the wine pot and smiled generously: "According to the rules, we should not drink, but tonight, I allow the three of us to drink to our heart's content."

Yang Guifang smiled slightly. He was the one who escorted Zhu Yonghe's last thousand new troops into Yanghe City ten days ago. He respected the veteran Liu Dachu very much. After all, Guo Deng was brought up by Liu Dachu.

Zhu Yong seemed to be still immersed in deep sorrow. He led an army of 10,000 people out of the border, but only a thousand were left when he returned. Whenever night fell, his comrades who died on the battlefield would frequently appear in his dreams, making it difficult for him to let go.

Seeing this, the old general Liu Dachui looked at Zhu Yong with deep eyes and said in a steady tone: "Zhu Yong, a real man is born in the world, shrouded in horsehide, and died on the battlefield. This is such a heroic thing! As military generals, we carry our country on our shoulders and the people in our hearts. Although our comrades died heroically, they will always be with us. Their unfinished work needs us to complete. You must not indulge in grief. A true warrior can stand up quickly after falling, and can still stand up straight and move forward in adversity."

"You have to cheer up, Zhu Yong!" Liu Dachui's voice rose a few notches. "For the sake of those dead comrades and for the mission of our Ming soldiers, you must be strong. We must use the blood of the enemy to commemorate their heroic spirits, and use one victory after another to comfort their souls in heaven. Remember, only by constantly moving forward can we live up to their sacrifices and be worthy of our ancestors who have been sleeping in this land for generations!"

Zhu Yong heard this, and a gleam flashed in his eyes. He held the wine pot tightly, as if holding endless strength and determination. He looked up at the night sky, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and then raised the wine pot.

"It has to be you, old general." Yang Guifang said after taking a big gulp of wine, "I've been talking all these days, but it's useless!"

Liu Dachui smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed softly:
"This is not a skill, you will all be able to do it in the future. Haha, because you will see countless young people die in battle before your eyes. Not to mention the Han and Tang dynasties, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, countless young men died on this land."

At this point, his voice suddenly became excited:
"But how many heroes have galloped on this land? During the reign of Emperor Taizu, there were Xu Da, Duke of Wei, and Li Wenzhong, Duke of Cao. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he led five expeditions to the northern desert. There were Wei Qing and Huo Qubing during the Han Dynasty, and Li Jing during the Tang Dynasty. Hahahaha, wouldn't it be heroic to be able to gallop on the same land with these heroes?"

Yang Guifang nodded repeatedly.

Hey, these veterans are good at talking. Just a few words can make people excited.

……

After Zhu Yonglian drank a few sips of wine, his face flushed slightly, and he said to Liu Dachui: "General Liu, after this battle, you can retire and go back to enjoy your grandchildren. This Yanghe City, leave it to me."

Liu Dachui glared at him speechlessly: "Hey! You want to chase me away? I'm all alone, what's the point of enjoying the company of my grandchildren? In this life, I have my life-and-death comrades, and the children I brought up, that's enough!"

A complex expression flashed across Yang Guifang's eyes, and she said softly, "General Liu, you really should go back to Beijing to enjoy your life. Why can those masters in Beijing enjoy their life? What have they done?"

Liu Dachui laughed out loud and said generously:
"You don't understand this. When I was young, I liked a girl. Oh, more than one. Haha. Also, I have relatives at home. Whenever I stand on this tower and look back at the interior of the country, knowing that they can live a peaceful life, I feel it's worth it. Don't be so resentful. Someone has to stand up, right?"

"The beacon fires illuminate the high platform! Singing sad songs and playing the zither, pouring wine from the high platform, what a leisurely mood!"

Zhu Yong's eyes lit up when he heard this. He secretly decided that he would stay here to guard the frontier, and even if he died, he would sleep on the grassland with his brothers who died in battle.

Yang Guifang drank the wine slowly, but he had different ideas. For him, the border guard was too small to influence the general situation of the world. Even if he was the commander-in-chief of the border, he was still too small.

He wanted to return to the capital and enter the center of power of the Ming Dynasty so that he could realize his ambitions.

"Let's talk business," Liu Dachui said, "Yesen has become cunning, sending out small groups to constantly invade our borders and rob the people. Oh, it's really annoying."

Yang Guifang frowned slightly and said, "Let's move the people along the border into the military town."

Liu Dachui helplessly spread his hands and smiled: "Some have moved in, but some are unwilling. My border people are also very brave. They don't want to leave their homes and want to fight directly with the grassland barbarians."

Yang Guifang pondered for a while and said, "There are still two steps to this matter. First, we will also send out teams. If we find them, we must kill them without mercy and use their heads to build Jingguan at various checkpoints."

Liu Dachui gasped: "How can you be so murderous, kid? Even more murderous than the veteran."

Yang Guifang smiled and continued, "Another step is to divide Yesen internally. They can't solve the food shortage problem by looting. Haha, we can make good use of this."

The corners of his mouth curled up into a sinister smile. Liu Dachui slapped his thigh and said, "You kid, you have the potential to be a famous general. You are so cruel and sinister."

Zhu Yong asked with a puzzled look on his face: "I have little education, don't lie to me, aren't all the famous generals in ancient times Confucian generals and benevolent generals?"

"You are so naive, aren't you?" Liu Dachui said loudly, "A general's success is based on the sacrifices of thousands of soldiers. Confucianism? Benevolence? That's just on the surface."

Seeing that Zhu Yong was still confused, Yang Guifang raised the wine pot and said, "Come on, let's toast to the old soldier. I really learned something today."

……

Outside the pass, Yesen’s camp.

Yesen personally walked out of the tent to greet the two distinguished guests. They were two men, neither dressed in Mongolian nor Chinese clothes. Yesen greeted them enthusiastically: "Hahaha, the wind from Changshengtian brought two great heroes to this Khan."

"Greetings, Great Khan." The two men just nodded.

They came from the Jianzhou Jurchens in the east. The older one was Li Manwang, the leader of the Jianzhou Guard, and the younger one was Tongshan, the leader of the Jianzhou Left Guard. Although they took Chinese names, they were actually all Jurchens.

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, Li Man paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty and was granted the title of Commander-in-Chief and the title of Commander of Jianzhou Guard. Tongshan paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty in the second year of Zhengtong and was granted the title of Commander of the Left Guard and the title of Commander of the Left Guard of Jianzhou.

In name, they all belonged to the Ming Dynasty, but in fact, they often changed their allegiance, especially after the Battle of Tumu, when the Ming Dynasty's strength was greatly weakened and the Jianzhou Jurchens' harassment of the Ming Dynasty became more frequent and bolder.

Yesen had called them here, of course, for the sake of the alliance. He warmly invited the two men into the central army tent, served them fine wine and mutton, and after a few glasses of wine, they began to talk business.

"Gulun, Chongshang." Yesen called them by their Jurchen names. "You go south from the east. I will lead the army to take Juyongguan. The main force of the Ming army is being held back by me. You can go south quickly. Hahahaha, when the time comes, our two armies will merge and compete for the Central Plains. We won't have to go back to that bitter and cold land anymore."

Li Manwang pondered for a moment and smiled: "Great Khan, but we are weak and dare not offend the Ming Dynasty."

Yesen waved his hand nonchalantly: "The Ming Dynasty is no longer the Ming Dynasty of the past. I wiped out their elite four years ago, and they have been devastated. Moreover, I tell you that the current Ming emperor is a fake, and the real emperor is the one I captured. I sent the real emperor to Guanxi, so sooner or later the real emperor will come south from the west."

Li Manwang and Tong Shan exchanged a glance. Although they were outside the Great Wall, the Jurchens also had spies in the capital. Of course, they also knew the legend of the true and false emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"Okay, let's work together with the Khan." Li Manwang raised his glass. Tong Shan also raised his glass. He basically listened to Li Manwang, and he was still Li Manwang's son-in-law.

……

Beijing.

At the morning court, an imperial edict announced: Jiangnan Governor Xu Youzhen had made great contributions to the implementation of the new policy and was promoted to the Grand Secretary of Jinshen Palace and the first rank of the cabinet.

The ministers were secretly shocked. From today on, Xu Youzhen would be the second assistant minister of the cabinet. They all knew that Xu Youzhen was the emperor's trusted minister. His Majesty was paving the way for him. Xu Youzhen would definitely be the next first assistant minister of the cabinet.

Down towards the back.

Zhu Qizhen summoned Xu Youzhen to the Qianqing Palace. The emperor and his minister had not seen each other for two years.

"Xuanyu." Zhu Qizhen called him by his given name, sounding very friendly. "I feel relieved now that you are back. In the past two years, first you governed Jiangnan, then Yang Guifang went to the northern border, and Liu Dingzhi went to Shaanxi and Gansu. Only Li Xian, Shi Biao, Ke Qian and the others are left by my side. It's been difficult."

Xu Youzhen was very moved and bowed: "I am willing to die for your majesty. However, your majesty, the times are different now. All the ministers in the court can be used. Your majesty cannot distinguish between relatives and strangers."

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded: "I understand, you are all my subjects. However, you have been with me from the beginning, how can I not distinguish between relatives and strangers? I also know what you mean, I will only be fair on the surface in the future."

Xu Youzhen felt warm in his heart because the Emperor remembered their past. He bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to report to you the current situation in Jiangnan."

"Tell me, I also want to know what the new policy is like." Zhu Qizhen nodded.

Xu Youzhen spoke for an hour, roughly describing the current situation of the new policy. As Zhu Qizhen expected, the new policy was basically implemented, but it was not perfect. When it came to specific counties and townships, those gentry and local officials colluded and concealed the facts.

"Take your time." Zhu Qizhen said.

"Your Majesty, there is one more situation." Xu Youzhen frowned, "I visited Taizhou some time ago and met Zhang Lun and Shen Manqing there."

When Zhu Qizhen heard about these two people, he asked anxiously: "How are they now?"

"Both of them are pretty good. Zhang Lun is now the chief general in the fight against the Japanese pirates and is traveling all over the coast. Shen Manqing is the magistrate of Taishan. He does a good job and is deeply trusted by the local people. I would like to ask for your approval to promote him to the magistrate of Taizhou." Xu Youzhen said.

"Okay, Shen Manqing is a capable kid." Zhu Qizhen waved his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xu Youzhen continued, "I want to talk about the Japanese pirates. In the past two years, the Japanese pirates have become more and more rampant. They have divided into many small groups and plundered along the coast. Because the defense line is too long and we are short of soldiers, Zhang Lun is now in a state of panic."

After hearing this, Zhu Qizhen's face turned as cold as ice.

Now the main forces of the Ming Dynasty are all in the northern border, and they really can't spare any troops. He gritted his teeth and said, "Well, it seems that we can only make the people along the coast suffer a little longer. Once the war in the northern border is over, we can free our hands and feet to fight against the Japanese pirates. To completely eliminate the Japanese pirates, we have to kill them in their lair."

Xu Youzhen nodded: "Zhang Lun knew the difficulties of the court, so he never asked the court. He and Shen Manqing organized the local people to fight against the Japanese. Your Majesty, don't tell me, in just two years, Zhang Lun has already become a great general."

The four young men of the Yu family, Yang Guifang and Zhang Lun were sent to the battlefield, Li Xian was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and Ding Xiu was the governor of the Jinyiwei. The paths of these four people were completely different.

Zhu Qizhen also had high expectations for these young people. After all, they were his peers, and his future would definitely depend on them.

……

As the two were chatting, Jinyiwei commander Shi Biao asked to see them.

Shi Biao hadn't seen Xu Youzhen for two years, and was very excited to see him: "Old Xu, you're finally back. With you here, you can give His Majesty advice. I really can't stand it."

Zhu Qizhen was annoyed: "You are just a crude warrior!"

Shi Biao grinned and said, "Your Majesty, you should leave the rough work to me. I just received news from the Jinyiwei of Jianzhou that Li Manwang and Tongshan went to see Yesen."

Zhu Qizhen had always been paying attention to the Jianzhou Jurchens. As a time traveler, he knew that the Jurchens later entered the country and established the Qing Dynasty. Some later historians said that Tongshan was Nurhaci's fifth ancestor.

However, it is unclear whether it is true or not, because the surname Aixinjuelu does not exist now. Zhu Qizhen's idea is, who cares? Just wipe out the Jurchens first.

"We probably have to form an alliance with them first," Xu Youzhen immediately analyzed. "If the Jurchens also move south at this time, we will have to divide our forces again."

Zhu Qizhen was not panicked at all: "Eshen can do these things behind the scenes, so can we! We are much richer than Yesen. Wait, I have arrangements."

Xu Youzhen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the emperor was so calm.

Zhu Qizhen asked them to stay for dinner, but Shi Biao had urgent government affairs to attend to, so he left first. Zhu Qizhen and Xu Youzhen then had dinner in a side hall.

After a few drinks, Xu Youzhen hesitated to speak. Zhu Qizhen glared at him and said, "Old Xu, if you have something to say, just say it. Do we still need to be so shy between the monarch and his subjects?"

Xu Youzhen looked embarrassed and angry: "Your Majesty, there are still some people who are plotting against you."

"I know, it's a fake emperor. The words that Prince Xiang said before his death, 'Kill the fake emperor, kill the evil queen, and restore our Ming Dynasty', will definitely make those people believe it." Zhu Qizhen said.

"They also said that Your Majesty and the Queen Mother..." Xu Youzhen took a breath, "Some even said that Your Majesty was Lao Ai, and that you relied on your ability to conquer the Queen Mother, so you could sit firmly on the throne of the emperor. There are many more unpleasant things... I wish I could kill them."

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were cold.

I am not Lao Ai, I am the emperor!

(End of this chapter)