My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 269 What's going on? The moment I go to court, the Ming Dynasty is about to fall?

And to be honest, Emperor Chongzhen was actually quite unhappy with these Mongol tribes.

Back when the Jurchens had not yet developed, these Mongol tribes ignored the Ming Dynasty and would occasionally harass its borders.

This caused great unrest and turmoil in the border regions of the Ming Dynasty, and the people suffered greatly.

Later, they were defeated by the Jurchens, which can be considered as a form of annihilation of their country.

However, after the Ming Dynasty defeated the Jurchens, they were able to indirectly restore their country.

However, after that, they did not submit to the Ming Dynasty, and did not even send a single envoy to the Ming Dynasty. This was simply an open provocation against the Ming Dynasty.

So, I helped you restore your country, and you didn't even offer a word of thanks?

To be honest, Emperor Chongzhen was quite angry.

Despite his anger, Chongzhen kept it to himself because he was worried about affecting the court's future plans.

Now, he can finally vent his anger.

The next second, Chongzhen suddenly let out a cold laugh, and then shouted:
"Good! That's how you deal with these ungrateful bastards. Let them know how powerful the Ming Dynasty is!"

Zhu Cilang hadn't expected Chongzhen to react so strongly. He paused for a moment, then said:

"So, Father Emperor has agreed?"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, but then suddenly hesitated and said:

"If it's just this matter, then of course I agree. But you don't need to go, do you?"

"Either the Duke of England or the Prince of Tang can be sent; they are both important officials of the court and should be able to handle this matter."

Zhu Cilang shook his head and said:
"No, because it will snow on the grassland in less than a month. Once it snows, it will greatly affect marching and fighting. So this matter must be resolved quickly."

"If we send the Duke of England or the Prince of Tang, those border troops might not listen to them."

"After all, they had just won a battle and were full of pride. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them arrogant and fierce soldiers."

"Therefore, we must have someone who can keep things in check, and that person is either Father or your son."

"But Father is the emperor and needs to guard the capital and stabilize the court, so it is most appropriate for me to go."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was momentarily speechless.

He knew in his heart that Zhu Cilang was indeed right.

Thinking of this, Chongzhen could only sigh, and then continued:

"In that case, I will not try to persuade you any further. But remember, once you arrive in Xuanfu, you must not leave the city under any circumstances. You only need to stay inside the city."

Even though he already knew that Zhu Cilang was the reincarnation of the True Martial Emperor, Chongzhen also knew that Zhu Cilang's body was still a human body, and if he were to be injured, he would bleed or even die!

Whether out of father-son relationship or out of hope for the future of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen did not want Zhu Cilang to suffer any harm.

Faced with Chongzhen's worries, Zhu Cilang simply smiled.

"Father, rest assured, I know what to do. I will be careful and cautious and will not put myself in danger."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:
"You said before that burning fields and destroying nests do not count as military merits. If that's the case, how can you guarantee that the soldiers will be willing to do their best to do this? After all, without the lure of military merits, they may lack motivation."

Zhu Cilang said confidently:

“Normally burning fields and destroying nests do not count as military merits, but this time, in addition to burning fields and destroying nests, we will also gain territory.”

"As long as we can successfully strike at those Mongol tribes and seize their land, we can exchange pastures outside Xuanfu with Abunai and expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, it can naturally be considered as territorial expansion, and territorial expansion naturally brings military merit."

"Besides, the Ming Dynasty is not short of money right now. Even if we can't give military merits, we will give enough money."

“If you give them enough money, they will naturally do their best to do it.”

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen agreed with the statement and nodded in approval.
"Hmm, you make a good point, let's do it that way!"

After a pause, Zhu Cilang suddenly spoke again:

"There is one more thing. During my absence, it would be best if Father Emperor did not attend court. If you wish to attend, that is fine, but you must not participate in political affairs. All matters will be handled by the Cabinet, and there will be no mistakes!"

"This is also for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, please remember this, Father!"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he was so angry that his nose almost twisted out of shape.

Not
Something about that sounds a bit strange.

It's as if the Ming Dynasty would perish if he got involved in politics?
Is he that bad?

Upon closer reflection, it seems that before Zhu Cilang's "rebellion," the Ming Dynasty truly did almost perish.
For a moment, Chongzhen felt as if he had swallowed a fly, and then, with a sour face, he said:
"Don't worry, after you leave, I'll either go to the Taoist temple outside the city to cultivate immortality, or I'll stay in the harem and not go out. I won't attend court, okay?"

Zhu Cilang touched his chin.

"That would be the best way!"

Emperor Chongzhen was speechless once again.

Speechless as I am, the next steps still need to be taken care of as soon as possible.

Emperor Chongzhen then immediately issued an edict summoning the cabinet and several ministers to an audience.

Soon after, cabinet ministers and several important officials rushed to the palace.

Without hesitation, Chongzhen explained the matter in detail, including the plan to burn the fields and destroy the nests of the Mongols, and that Zhu Cilang would personally go to Xuanfu to direct the operation.

The ministers were quite surprised to hear this. None of them expected that the court would launch such a large-scale military operation so soon, when winter was just around the corner.

Their faces showed disbelief.

However, since it was the emperor's decision, and given that this matter was indeed very beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, they couldn't say anything and agreed.

And so, the matter was settled.

Because the troops to be mobilized were mostly stationed near the capital, the troops in various locations received their orders that afternoon.

The orders spread like lightning throughout the various military camps.

Soon, the Ming army began to operate again.

Given the current situation, the total number of troops deployed by the imperial court around the capital is approximately 150,000.

Although the number is significantly less than the massive military force of two to three hundred thousand during the reign of Emperor Chengzu.

However, in terms of combat strength, these 150,000 troops far surpassed the more than 200,000 troops during the reign of Emperor Chengzu.

The key reason for this lies in the significant improvement in weaponry and equipment.

The current army has basically equipped all its personnel with advanced flintlock muskets.

Compared to previous cold weapons, this flintlock musket was much more powerful, had a longer range, and was much more accurate.

Moreover, the supply of ammunition for soldiers' shooting practice is extremely abundant every month.

With ample ammunition for training, the soldiers' shooting skills naturally became increasingly refined.

Furthermore, Zhu Cilang was determined to build a powerful army that was close to the modern forces of later generations, so he spared no expense in this regard.

He provided comprehensive support for everything from the upgrading of weapons and equipment to the supply of materials needed for soldier training.

This is how the well-equipped and highly trained army we have today was created.

Of these hundreds of thousands of troops, only about 30,000 were cavalry.

Zhu Cilang planned to lead 15,000 cavalry on this expedition, all of them light cavalry, excluding heavy cavalry.

This is because speed is the key to movement on the grasslands.

Heavy cavalry had extremely high defense, but they were just too slow.

Light cavalry, on the other hand, are highly mobile and can quickly infiltrate and outflank the enemy to launch surprise attacks, as well as retreat swiftly before the enemy can react.

In addition, the generals accompanying him included Cao Bianjiao, Zhang Shize, Li Hu, Huang Degong, Ma Xianglin and other fierce generals.

Some of them would follow the army into battle, fighting and achieving merit.

The other part was responsible for protecting Zhu Cilang's safety and ensuring that he was safe and sound during his campaign.

These generals were all seasoned veterans who had fought countless battles. With them around, Zhu Cilang's expedition was more secure.

In addition, there were a thousand Imperial Guards and a thousand Imperial Bodyguards accompanying him, including Fang Zhenghua.

For the next two days, Zhu Cilang was busy for a very short time.

He knew that he needed to make arrangements in advance for all matters, big and small, in the capital before leaving, in order to prevent any unexpected situations.

So he went through all the possible things that might happen during his time away from the capital and made corresponding arrangements for each one.

The most important thing is road construction.

As the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the smooth flow of roads in the capital was not only related to the daily operation of the city, but also to the face and prestige of the imperial court.

Therefore, he specially summoned Zhou Shipu, the Minister of Works.

During the audience, Zhu Cilang repeatedly explained the importance of this matter to him.

"Minister Zhou, this road repair project concerns the overall situation of the capital and even the entire court. We must attach great importance to it and not be negligent in the slightest."

Zhou Shipu, the Minister of Works, was well aware of the importance of this matter and readily agreed, even signing a pledge on the spot.

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will do my utmost to repair the road. All the cement roads will be repaired before you return to the capital. If I fail to complete this task, I, the Minister of Works, will resign."

Indeed, scholars and military generals are different!
If this were a military officer, he would definitely say things like "if I don't complete the mission, I'll cut off my head" when signing the pledge. But for a scholar, the worst that could happen is simply resigning from office!

Of course, Zhu Cilang didn't intend to chop off anyone's head.

Subsequently, Zhu Cilang summoned several cabinet ministers.

Then he explained some political matters in detail to several cabinet ministers.

In fact, Zhu Cilang's worries in this regard were somewhat unnecessary, because handling state affairs was not difficult for the cabinet ministers at all.

After all, the cabinet ministers were already very skilled at handling state affairs, so Zhu Cilang basically didn't need to worry about them.

Furthermore, Emperor Chongzhen had promised not to interfere in political affairs and granted the cabinet ministers full autonomy, so there were naturally no problems in handling state affairs.

Time flies, and two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Early that morning, Zhu Cilang, riding in Chongzhen's imperial carriage, led a troop of about 20,000 people slowly toward Xuanfu.

Logically speaking, only Emperor Chongzhen was qualified to ride in the imperial carriage; even Zhu Cilang, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, was not qualified. However, at this moment, no one dared to say anything.

The reason is quite simple: this was done with special permission from Emperor Chongzhen!

Since the emperor has agreed to let the crown prince ride in the imperial carriage, what else would dare to say?
In addition, because each soldier had been given ten taels of silver as a departure allowance the night before, the soldiers were in high spirits and their eyes revealed determination and confidence.

Because they knew that this expedition would be another opportunity to distinguish themselves.

Even if you don't achieve any merit, you'll still receive a substantial reward.

After a simple ceremony, the army slowly set off towards Xuanfu.

Behind the army stood dozens of civil and military officials who had come to see them off.

As Zhu Cilang slowly departed in his imperial carriage, the ministers bowed respectfully from afar before leaving on their own.

Some people couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, after all, they could relax a little during the time the Crown Prince was away from the capital.

Of course, they were just relaxing for a bit; they wouldn't dare to do anything reckless.

After all, everyone knows that although the Crown Prince is not in the capital, intelligence agencies such as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Western Depot are still in the capital.

These intelligence agencies are like invisible eyes, constantly monitoring the actions of the court officials.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble is undoubtedly courting death.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the imperial carriage, Zhu Cilang was leaning against one side with his eyes slightly closed, looking extremely tired.

There was nothing he could do. He stayed up very late last night preparing for the expedition, and then got up too early this morning, leaving him completely exhausted.

Zheng Xiaomei sat quietly drinking tea. However, at this moment, Zheng Xiaomei had already changed out of her girlish attire and was dressed in the clothes of a young eunuch.

Her originally long, black, and lustrous hair was tied up and hidden inside her hat, and her face was lightly made up, concealing her originally beautiful features.

At first glance, you really would think he was a little eunuch with red lips and white teeth.

Those who didn't know the truth might have thought Zhu Cilang had some unusual fetish.

Even Qiqige, who was standing to the side, did the same. She also changed out of her previous daughter's clothes and into a little eunuch's outfit.

As Qiqige peeked out from behind the curtains, a hint of urgency appeared on her face.

Watching the trees and fields slowly recede outside, I longed to reach my destination soon.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Cilang didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, then yawned and said:
"Don't worry, what's the use of worrying? Even if it's an urgent dispatch, it will still take time to get to Xuanfu. Then Xuanfu will send someone to find Abunai, and Abunai will come to Xuanfu. All this trouble will take at least four or five days. There's no use in worrying."

Upon hearing this, Qiqige's tense mood finally relaxed a little.

She nodded slightly, then continued to look at the scenery outside the window, though a hint of anxiety still lingered in her eyes.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to the grasslands of the Chahar region.

As early as yesterday, Qin Liangyu received an urgent message from the capital.

Qin Liangyu took the memorial and, after a brief reading, was somewhat surprised by Zhu Cilang's decision.

After all, she had only asked if they wanted to burn the fields and destroy the nests at the beginning, but she didn't expect it to turn into such a big operation.

Fifty thousand cavalrymen mobilized—what a massive undertaking that must have been!

To put it bluntly, as long as someone can lead the way, they can easily conquer most of the grassland.

Despite thinking this way, Qin Liangyu did not hesitate at all and immediately began to strictly carry out the instructions in the memorial.

She knew that military orders were absolute, and since the Crown Prince had made the decision, she had to fully cooperate.

Immediately afterwards, she sent people to deliver a message to Abunai, along with a secret letter from Zhu Cilang.

At this time, trade between the Ming Dynasty and the Chahar tribe is still very frequent.

Almost every day, large numbers of cattle and sheep were sent to Xuanfu for trade.

The Mongols drove their herds of cattle and sheep to the market in Xuanfu to sell, and then bought large quantities of grain and other supplies, which were continuously transported back to the grasslands.

To ensure the smooth operation of trade, Abunai even sent someone to live in Xuanfu to oversee the trade.

This is why the Ming Dynasty was able to contact Abunai's people in such a short time.

Before long, several fast horses left Xuanfu and headed straight for the grasslands.

A day later, at a simple campsite.

Mongol cavalry were all around, dressed in leather armor and carrying scimitars, patrolling vigilantly.

Inside the very center tent, Abunai sat there with a gloomy expression.

His face showed signs of fatigue and anxiety, his brows furrowed tightly as his subordinates reported on their recent achievements.

Although Abuna has been plundering surrounding tribes recently in an effort to obtain enough supplies for the winter.

But the results weren't as good as he had imagined.

Firstly, those tribes had been plundered by the Jurchens before, and they didn't have many usable resources left.

Secondly, since everyone was a nomadic people, they all knew the principle of running away if they couldn't win, so the surrounding tribes ran away very quickly.

Because the tribes were different, they fled to different places and in different directions, which made it difficult for Abuna to deal with them for a while.

To make matters worse, he had previously come into contact with a relatively large tribe, namely the Yarkand Khanate.

The tribe's military strength was comparable to his, and the two sides fought several battles. Although Abunai commanded his cavalry to fight hard, he did not gain much advantage and could only retreat in frustration.

The situation is extremely dire at present.

According to Abunai, this harsh winter could kill several thousand or even tens of thousands of people.

He was filled with worry and didn't know how to get through this difficult time.

Just as Abunai was frowning and at a loss, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent.

Immediately afterward, a burly man with a weathered face rushed in. He immediately knelt on one knee upon entering the tent and loudly announced:
"Your Majesty, someone from Xuanfu has arrived. They say that General Qin Liangyu of Xuanfu has delivered a secret letter to Your Majesty personally!"

what?
Upon hearing this, Abunai's already furrowed brows instantly tightened into a deep frown, his eyes filled with doubt and unease.

He couldn't understand why Qin Liangyu would suddenly write him a letter.

It should be noted that although they have always had trade relations, their relationship is only based on interests and they are not close friends.

Could there be some serious mishap in the trade?

If that were the case, it would be a huge problem. Currently, the Chahar tribe still relies on trade with the Ming Dynasty in many ways. If trade is blocked, the tribe's survival could be in danger. Thinking of this, Abunai felt a sense of panic.

But he was, after all, the Great Khan of the Mongols, and quickly composed himself, saying in a deep voice:
"Let him in."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a Mongolian man walked in with his head down and hurried steps.

Abunai had some recollection of this Mongol; he was a Mongol official whom he had sent to Xuanfu to oversee trade.

Without waiting for the other party to kneel down, Abunai went straight to the point and asked:

"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened in Xuanfu? Why did Qin Liangyu suddenly send you with a message?"

The Mongol dared not conceal anything and quickly replied:

"Your Majesty, everything is normal in Xuanfu, and trade is proceeding as smoothly as usual. However, just yesterday, General Qin Liangyu of Xuanfu suddenly approached me, saying that he had two extremely important letters that I must personally deliver to Your Majesty."

"They also said that these two letters were a matter of life and death for the Chahar tribe. I dared not neglect them and rushed back day and night."

After saying this, he respectfully took out a wooden box from his pocket and handed it to Abunai.

Abnai stepped forward and opened the wooden box, whereupon he saw two secret letters placed inside.

Without the slightest hesitation, Abnai picked up the two secret letters.

When he saw that one of the secret letters was signed with the name Qin Liangyu, his expression didn't change much.

However, when he saw the three characters "Zhu Cilang" at the end of another letter, his face instantly turned extremely ugly, like the sky before a storm, gloomy and terrifying.

In an instant, Abunai's mind involuntarily recalled all the experiences of being tricked by Zhu Cilang.

That incident caused him heavy losses, and he still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it.

As a result, whenever he sees Zhu Cilang's name, he feels a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his heart is filled with fear and vigilance.

Abunai didn't know why Zhu Cilang would write him such a secret letter, but his intuition told him that Zhu Cilang might be trying to trick him again!

So immediately afterward, Abunai hesitated.

Because he didn't know whether he should read the secret letter written by Zhu Cilang.
(End of this chapter)