Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 219 The Prince of Nanping, Desperate News

For the illiterate people of the Ming Dynasty...

No matter how grand your promises are, or how much you exaggerate them, it's all for naught.

Because they cannot imagine it.

However, if you tell them that there are as many as 5,600 large granaries in Shaanxi, mountains of rice and flour, so much so that the people of Shaanxi don't need to work and can live off the grain for a lifetime, they could do so without having to work.

Tell them that it was Zhu Jinzhen who brought all this to the people of Shaanxi.

Tell them that the people of Shaanxi are growing grain seeds provided by Zhu Jinzhen, with a yield of about 10 shi per mu, and the grain tax is outrageously low, almost a symbolic charge.

And let them see the 'evidence'.

There was no need for Zhu Jinzhen and the secret guards to guide public opinion; it was enough to make countless people yearn for it.

This completely ignited public opinion throughout the Ming Dynasty.

The news that Prince Su was ordered to quell the rebellion directly overshadowed the news of the Heavenly Sword that had spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.

……

The Prince of Nanping's Mansion.

Princess Zhu Qingqing truthfully relayed the information gathered by the Blood Robe Hall to the Prince of Nanping.

"To quell the rebellion in accordance with the will of Heaven?"

"Qingqing, is the news true?" The Prince of Nanping suddenly stood up, his face filled with shock.

"Ah."

Zhu Qingqing did not hide anything and told the widely circulated news of the Jingnan Rebellion, and sent the proclamation from the Prince of Su's mansion, which had spread throughout the world, to the Prince of Nanping.

"It's actually true..."

The Prince of Nanping held the proclamation, his expression extremely complex.

Beside them stood a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a python robe, who said in a deep voice, "Father, Zhu Jinzhen is imitating Emperor Taizong, raising an army under the pretext of 'Jingnan,' intending to seize the imperial power. Is it possible for us to profit from this? Or perhaps..."

"Brother, are you planning to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?" Zhu Qingqing was incredibly clever and immediately guessed her brother's thoughts.

“Yes!” The heir of the Prince of Nanping nodded and said, “Although Zhu Jinzhen has a strong army and a million soldiers under his command, this is not the same time as before. The current emperor is not the Jianwen Emperor. It will not be easy for him to succeed in the Jingnan Campaign.”

"We might just be able to take the risk, be the last bird to catch the fish, and reap the benefits!"

The idea of ​​the Prince of Nanping is very good. Zhu Jinzhen has already issued a proclamation to the world, calling for an army to rise up and quell the rebellion. The Prince of Nanping's mansion can first flatter and deceive the emperor, and then turn against him in the end.

If Zhu Jinzhen truly has the ability to march on the capital, then all they need to do is eliminate Zhu Jinzhen, and then find a way to control the troops of the Prince Su's mansion, and the world will be in their hands.

Conversely, if Zhu Jinzhen is incompetent, they only need to go with the flow, respond to the court's call, and eliminate treacherous officials.

It can be said to be the best of both worlds.

The Prince of Nanping coldly said, "Get out."

"Father, what did you say?" the heir of the Prince of Nanping asked in disbelief.

"I told you to get out."

"Why, Father? Did I say something wrong?" The heir of the Prince of Nanping protested vehemently, not understanding what he had said wrong.

"Idiot, stupid."

The Prince of Nanping cursed twice. If it weren't for the fact that he was his own son, he would have kicked him out immediately. Pointing at his son's nose, he began to berate him: "Who do you think you are? Reaping the benefits while waiting to be the last one to fall? Don't you know who Zhu Jinzhen is? Huh??"

"The youngest land-based sword immortal in the Ming Dynasty, the number one border king."

"The troops under Prince Su's command were loyal to him. He raised soldiers for more than four years, making the entire Shaanxi province an ironclad fortress. Not to mention any other forces, even the people of the imperial court could not be placed in his place."

"The ruthlessness of their methods is unprecedented."

"Since he inherited the title of king and repelled the Mongol and Liao invaders, his reputation in Shaanxi has been soaring. In the past two and a half years, he has killed countless people, from high-ranking officials and noble families to gangs and gangs."

"You still want to scheme against him?" The Prince of Nanping berated his own son mercilessly.

They can reap the benefits without lifting a finger. Even if the Prince of Nanping's Mansion submits to them, it's still uncertain whether the other party will accept them!
"From today onwards, you are confined to your quarters for three months. You are not allowed to leave the house until everything is settled. Otherwise, if I find out even once, I will break your legs."

"Yes..." The heir of the Prince of Nanping looked dejected, his head bowed as he left.

"He's utterly hopeless," the Prince of Nanping cursed again, exasperated.

Zhu Qingqing watched her brother's disheveled figure leave, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. Then, she composed herself, frowned, and said, "Father, what my brother said is absurd, but as members of the imperial clan, shouldn't we make preparations in advance for Prince Su's rebellion?"

Although she didn't say it explicitly, the Prince of Nanping knew that his intelligent daughter was referring to the issue of taking sides.

“There’s no need, or…it’s useless!” The Prince of Nanping shook his head bitterly and recounted several secrets that ordinary forces would never know, eliciting gasps of surprise from Zhu Qingqing.

"Father, is the news true?" Zhu Qingqing asked timidly.

"real."

The Prince of Nanping nodded with difficulty.

"Last night, the Blood Robe Hall sent back news from Shaanxi."

"The news about the Cangyun Army and Tiance Prefecture under the command of Prince Su's Mansion has been fully confirmed, and they are even more terrifying than rumored. They are simply beyond the ability of the garrisons and guard posts in various parts of the Ming Dynasty to resist."

An army composed of tens of thousands of Vajra Realm experts.

When the news was confirmed, the Prince of Nanping was stunned for several hours. He stared at the secret reports sent back by the Blood Robe Hall all night and still hasn't closed his eyes.

Zhu Qingqing pursed her lips unwillingly and asked, "Father, what about our plan..."

“It’s impossible, give up.” When the Prince of Nanping said these words, it was as if all his strength had been drained, and he looked as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

His life's dream, a plan that he conceived and laid out for decades!
It wasn't that the emperor discovered it, nor was it because he made a mistake; it was simply because of the overwhelming power of Prince Su's campaign to quell the rebellion that the grand scheme painstakingly built up over decades by generations of the Nanping Prince's family crumbled!
"Is there really no other way?" Zhu Qingqing asked persistently.

The deep-seated blood feud between their lineage and Zhu Houzhao's lineage, and the position that should have belonged to their lineage.

Should we just give up like this?
Zhu Qingqing was unwilling to accept this.

"A few days ago, a major event occurred at the border." The Prince of Nanping closed his eyes in despair, ignoring his daughter's disappointed expression, and said in a low voice, "Princess Mengyuan stole something from Prince Su, which enraged Zhu Jinzhen, who dispatched his best men to hunt her down. Do you know how many men were sent that day?"

Zhu Qingqing shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.

“Dozens of terrestrial immortals, hundreds of celestial grandmasters!” The Prince of Nanping’s closed eyelids twitched wildly, and his body trembled involuntarily with every word he spoke.

With such a lineup, plus the million-strong army under the command of Prince Su's mansion.

The Prince of Nanping had no idea what they could use to compete with Zhu Jinzhen.

I'm afraid that as soon as it shows any sign of life, Zhu Jinzhen will crush it like a weed on the ground and turn it into dust.

Zhu Qingqing's delicate body trembled, and she exclaimed, "Father, you...you're not joking?"

"This concerns the overall situation and the foundation of our ancestors. If it were not true, how could you dare to speak nonsense?" The Prince of Nanping knew why his daughter was shocked. He believed that no one in the Ming Dynasty who heard this news could have performed better than his daughter, Zhu Qingqing.

Dozens of terrestrial immortals and hundreds of celestial grandmasters.

In addition, there is a million-strong army.

And Zhu Jinzhen, who himself is a renowned land-based swordsman who has been famous for many years.

The Prince Su's Mansion was practically a super-enhanced version of Emperor Taizong Zhu Di, and even more so after he had already amassed an army of hundreds of thousands.

Let alone their Nanping Prince's Mansion.

Even the royal families of the Ming Dynasty, such as the Prince of Taiping, the Prince of Ning, and the Prince of Anqing, who had their eyes on that position, would feel nothing but despair upon hearing this news, and would have no other thoughts whatsoever.

It's not that they're unwilling to fight for that position.

The enemy is truly monstrous!
Just as Zhu Qingqing was stunned into silence, the Prince of Nanping revealed an even more shocking piece of news.

(End of this chapter)