Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 251 The six princes announced to the world: The emperor is fake

Northwest, Dunhuang City.

The sky seemed to be weighed down by endless leaden clouds. The heavy snow was like a mad beast, roaring and sweeping in. It intertwined with the raging sandstorm to form an impenetrable net, shrouding the entire world in chaos and vastness. The cold wind was like a knife, piercing through the cold armor of the guards on the city tower, leaving invisible scars.

This cold winter in the northwest is really hard to endure.

But in such bad weather, a caravan actually entered the city. They traveled through the vast snow and wind, as if they had come from another world. Although it was called a caravan, there were no vehicles loaded with goods. Instead, there were a group of people covered in cotton robes and their accompanying followers. Each of them had a long sword slung around his waist, exuding an aura that should not be underestimated. They were obviously masters who had undergone rigorous training.

Zhu Qiyu welcomed the group of people at the city gate. He shouted enthusiastically to the leader, "Uncle Wang, you are finally here. Thank you for your hardship along the way."

The man pulled down his hat, his face was frosted, and he said, "We are finally safe."

The four people behind him also pulled down their hats and clasped their fists towards Zhu Qiyu: "Your Highness Prince Qing."

"We are all members of the Zhu family. Don't be so polite. Come on, I'll take you to see His Majesty." Zhu Qiyu said enthusiastically, "He will definitely be happy that you are here."

It turned out that the five people in front were all vassal kings of the Zhu family: Zhu Shanyan, the King of Su, Zhu Huiyan, the King of Min, Zhu Meigui, the King of Jin, Zhu Gongxi, the King of Qin, and Zhu Zihou, the King of Zhou.

They received letters from Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu, and finally chose to come to Dunhuang. Normally they were afraid of being caught, so they chose to come during this bad weather time.

Zhu Qiyu brought them to the palace in the city. Emperor Zhengtong was already waiting in the hall. When he saw them coming in, he hurried to greet them.

"Uncle Wang..."

"I will see you, Your Majesty."

The five vassal kings knelt before the legitimate emperor, and the Prince Su, who was kneeling in the front, burst into tears: "Your Majesty, you have suffered! May your ancestors bless you, and you are still alive. It is good to be alive, it is good to be alive."

"Hurry, everyone, get up." The Zhengtong Emperor raised his hand, his eyes moist, "I am very happy that you can come. Our ancestors in the underworld will also be very happy."

King Min gritted his teeth and said, "How can we let an outsider take away the Zhu family's kingdom?"

"Yes!" The King of Qin said bitterly, "We are all members of the Zhu family. The blood of Emperor Taizu flows in our veins. If we let the country fall into the hands of outsiders, how can we face our ancestors in the future?"

"The Zhu family still has some courage. At worst we can die together." said King Jin.

King Zhou glanced over and said, "I am the younger generation here, I will listen to the elders."

The Zhengtong Emperor looked at them and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, now that you are here, I am no longer fighting alone. The Zhu family is united and will definitely be able to take back the Ming Dynasty."

He enthusiastically asked everyone to sit down and talked about the recent situation in Dunhuang. After some discussion, military advisor Wu Xingdao spoke up: "This year the imperial court will definitely send troops to the northwest to completely destroy us. In this case, we will take the initiative. If we cannot stop the imperial army, we will at least cause trouble for them first."

"Military advisor, just tell me, what should we do?" Zhu Qiyu asked.

"You six vassal kings should jointly announce to the world that the emperor is a fake and call on the people of the world to oppose the false emperor." Wu Xingdao had a cold smile on his face.

King Min frowned slightly: "Will people in the world still believe it now?"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. I will plant the seeds first." Wu Xingdao waved his hand. "No one in the Central Plains will stand up at first, but places like Yunnan are hard to say. The local chieftains don't want to be controlled by the court. And in Shu, the local heroes and nobles have always missed the Ming family. Not to mention the Dharma Kings of U-Tsang. Therefore, as long as we can stop the court army, these places will definitely rise up."

After listening to this and discussing it for a while, everyone agreed to follow the military advisor's advice.

……

Capital city, suburban camp.

Zhu Qizhen came to have fun with the soldiers today. The one in charge of the army now is the new commander of the Central Army, Yang Guifang. He led Zhu Qizhen on a tour and then came to the Central Army tent.

There was a big fire burning in the tent, and it was very warm.

"Let's have a drink." Zhu Qizhen sat down by the fire.

Yang Guifang brought two pots of wine and two plates of side dishes. The two sat opposite each other and began to drink and chat. Yang Guifang was a little reserved at first, and Zhu Qizhen said jokingly: "Don't be so reserved, I just came here to meet a good friend today. This kind of weather is the best time to drink and chat with a good friend."

"I dare not." Yang Guifang nodded slightly.

He was happy in his heart because His Majesty treated him like a good friend. Of course, he knew that he could not help His Majesty treat him as a friend, but he still felt a lot more relaxed.

"When I lead my troops to the northwest this year, I will definitely let you be the commander-in-chief." Zhu Qizhen said after taking a sip of wine.

"I will not let your majesty down." Yang Guifang bowed, "We will conquer the western part of the pass, and our borders should reach Yangguan and Yumenguan."

Zhu Qizhen nodded slowly, then frowned slightly: "According to Ding Xiu's information, the western part of Guan has been integrated. Haha, that Wu Xingdao is quite capable, you can't underestimate the enemy."

"When I conquer Dunhuang City, he won't be able to escape." Yang Guifang's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "And the fake emperor over there, I will kill him with a single blow to prevent him from becoming a nuisance."

Zhu Qizhen was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Yang Guifang to be so direct. The purpose of his coming today was to hint to Yang Guifang that after conquering Dunhuang City, the Zhengtong Emperor must be killed. Otherwise, his survival would always be the cause of chaos.

"Who do you choose as deputy general this time?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

Yang Guifang pondered for a moment and said, "Transfer Wang Yue and Zhu Yong who are still in the border to me. They also need to accumulate more experience."

"Okay." Zhu Qizhen agreed readily.

Because he also thought so in his heart, to train young people, the Ming Dynasty needed more outstanding young commanders. In the future Western Expedition, they would still be needed to take charge.

"Your Majesty..." Yang Guifang seemed to be hesitant to speak, and then spread his hands, "Duke Xia mentioned to me that he wanted to be the commander-in-chief again and lead the army to the northwest. He went there with the late emperor, but he didn't manage to conquer Guanxi completely, which was his regret."

Yu Qian? He wants to take charge?
Zhu Qizhen was slightly stunned. If Yu Qian took the initiative to fight for it, it would be difficult for him as the emperor to refuse.

"We can't let him take charge." He glared, "If he volunteered, how could I refuse?"

Yang Guifang smiled bitterly and shook her head: "I don't know either. If the Duke who just made great contributions asks for battle, the court officials will agree. After all, my qualifications are a little shallow, and the court officials are more confident that Duke Xia will lead the troops."

Zhu Qizhen frowned and had to think about it carefully.

……

Spring is here in a blink of an eye.

Everything is revived and full of vitality. Inside and outside the city, flowers are in full bloom, peach blossoms are bright red, willow branches are swaying gently, and the red walls and yellow tiles of the capital are even more solemn and brilliant under the spring sunshine.

The patrol guards of the Five Cities Military Department shuttled through the streets and alleys, maintaining law and order and traffic. Horse-drawn carriages rumbled by, pedestrians hurried by, and everything was in good order.

On both sides of the street, there are many shops, with various signs swaying in the wind, and the sounds of hawking and talking and laughing are heard one after another, making it very lively. In the teahouse, the aroma of tea wafts around, and people sit around a table, drinking tea and chatting, enjoying the leisure time in spring; in the bookstore, scholars and writers flip through newly arrived books, and occasionally a few low recitations can be heard.

In the distance, one or two clear bird calls could be heard occasionally, and the spring breeze was neither cold nor dry. Nowadays, the caravans in the capital were endless, and the Daming Trading Company was even busier.

Chao Xiaotian didn't even have time to eat breakfast in the morning. He stopped to eat a big pancake while listening to the report of the caravan that had just returned from the northwest. When he heard one of the news, he stopped and his face changed drastically.

"The six princes gathered in Dunhuang and announced to the world that the emperor in the capital was a fake, a person who looked like the emperor. The six princes testified together and called on the people of the world to oppose the fake emperor."

"When the fake emperor is overthrown in the future, the returning emperor will reward those who participated in the opposition. It is not impossible that they will even be made marquises or prime ministers."

After listening to this, Chao Xiaotian asked anxiously, "Has this news spread?"

The chief escort who reported the news nodded repeatedly: "Boss, it will soon spread all over the world. There are many caravans now, all over the Ming Dynasty. The news spread from Dunhuang. Many people even saw the six princes. They are the real ones. Alas, thinking about what the King Xiang said after he burned himself to death, it seems that the current emperor is probably real. Alas, how can such a good emperor be fake?"

"No, Your Majesty is real. His name is Zhu Qizhen, and he is the son of the late emperor." Chao Xiaotian said in a deep voice, "If it weren't for Your Majesty, do you think we would have the good life we ​​have now?"

"Absolutely not!" said the chief escort. "We are just ordinary people. No matter whether he is real or fake, he is sitting in the palace, which is true. No one will object. Do you think we are stupid?"

Chao Xiaotian still frowned slightly, thinking that the Jinyiwei should know this news, right? It was obvious that the fake emperor in Dunhuang had a conspiracy, so he spread it like this.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Qizhen looked at the intelligence in his hand and snorted in his heart: "There are still a few brave men in the Zhu family. They actually braved the wind and snow to go to the northwest to oppose me."

Shi Biao, the commander of the Imperial Guard, asked, "Your Majesty, does Ding Xiuwen want to carry out the assassination? Although it is difficult, he will still find an opportunity."

"Yes, but you have to do it cleanly." Zhu Qizhen held his forehead, "Otherwise, everyone in the world will think it was me who did it."

"Yes." Shi Biao nodded.

Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said, "Take my order and bring all the princes who did not go to the northwest to the capital. I want them to tell the world that the princes in Dunhuang are all fake."

Shi Biao was surprised, and then praised: "Yes, Your Majesty, this move is brilliant."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Since Dunhuang has already begun to call for the whole world, what are we waiting for? Let's start the war!

"Cao Jixiang, go and call the ministers of the Ministry of War and the Cabinet." Zhu Qizhen's murderous intent was exposed. "It's the beginning of spring, a good time to kill people. The imperial army should go to clean up the western part of the pass."

He slammed the table with both hands, and Shi Biao, who was standing beside him, felt a chill down his spine. His Majesty's imperial majesty was becoming more and more awe-inspiring.

(End of this chapter)