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

Chapter 369 The Awarding of Rewards Causes a Shock
The incident in Quanzhou was not an isolated case.

Zhu Jinzhen never imagined that the powerful families of Jiangnan would be so audacious and ruthless, not only colluding with Japanese pirates to invade the Ming Dynasty, but also recruiting a group of fake 'Japanese pirates' from Southeast Asian countries through their shady maritime smuggling operations.

"Okay, since you want to play."

"I'll play along with you to the very end."

Zhu Jinzhen's gaze was cold and sharp. He directly selected another 18,000 soldiers from the tens of thousands of Cangyun and Tiance soldiers guarding the capital and deployed them to the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian via the Anywhere Door.

From major towns to coastal mountain villages.

On this day, nearly 20,000 Cangyun Army soldiers and Tian Ce soldiers descended from the sky like divine warriors.

There was no opportunity for those powerful families and nobles who attempted to use the pretext of Japanese pirate raids and plunder to coerce or hinder Zhu Jinzhen to prepare or react.

The Cangyun Army and the Tiance soldiers launched a bloody massacre along the coast against those who were disguised as Japanese pirates, or were actually Japanese pirates, and all those who intended to invade the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Jinzhen glanced one last time at the coast of the Ming Dynasty, at the few ships adrift at sea, then looked deeply toward Japan, snorted coldly, and finally withdrew his divine sense from the sea.

"Zhao Yan Yi Mei and Yu Hua Tian entered the palace."

"Summon Xu Yu to the palace to see the emperor."

Soon, the soldiers of Tian Ce brought the people summoned by Zhu Jinzhen to the Wenhua Hall.

"Greetings to Your Majesty."

"Flat body."

Zhu Jinzhen waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, and then looked at Yan Yimei: "In the Jiangzhe and Fujian regions, Japanese pirates are frequent, and many of them are in disguise. Move the secret guards planted there."

"You can also access intelligence from the Western Depot and the Six Doors, including information from the Dragon Guard Manor."

"I only care about the result."

"Yes, I will give the order immediately."

Yan Yimei could tell that Zhu Jin was truly enraged, and immediately nodded in agreement.

"Xu Yu."

"Your humble servant is here," Xu Yu stepped forward and bowed in reply.

"How are the preparations for the coronation ceremony going?"

Zhu Jinzhen glanced at Xu Yu, seemingly asking a casual question, but it put Xu Yu under immense pressure. Xu Yu quickly lowered his head and replied, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has almost completed all the necessary rituals. In about five days, Your Majesty will be able to offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, to the gods of Heaven and Earth, and to hold the enthronement ceremony."

"Five days?"

Zhu Jinzhen pondered for a moment, then nodded indifferently.

I was neither happy nor unhappy.

This timing was not a problem for Zhu Jinzhen.

It doesn't make much difference whether it's one day earlier or one day later.

Summoning Xu Yu to the palace was merely to inquire about the progress of the matter.

"Get it done quickly," Zhu Jinzhen added as a reminder.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly hurry."

Zhu Jinzhen hummed in agreement, then looked at Yu Huatian: "This time, the Japanese pirates have harassed our Great Ming Dynasty, burning, killing, and looting in Quanzhou Prefecture, even committing acts that nearly resulted in a massacre of the entire city. They have also raided villages and towns along the southeast coast more than a dozen times..."

"It wasn't all the work of Japanese pirates."

"The Western Depot should pay more attention to the local wealthy and powerful families during its investigations."

Upon hearing this, Yu Huatian's pupils contracted slightly. He had already suspected this, but he wasn't quite sure. Now that Zhu Jinzhen had voiced it, he immediately bowed and replied, "Yes, even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I will never let those traitors escape justice."

"Your forces are too weak. I will grant you ten Grandmaster positions in the Celestial Phenomenon Sect."

"You can choose trustworthy personnel from the Western Depot."

As Zhu Jinzhen spoke, he glanced at Yan Yimei and said, "This matter can be handed over to Yimei."

This was the first time Zhu Jinzhen had spoken so frankly in front of others about bestowing power upon someone of a certain level. Previously, although he held the Gourmet Tablecloth and possessed countless rare and precious materials and elixirs made by experts to cultivate talent.

However, they had never stated so directly that they could offer a Grandmaster-level spot. Sure enough, the moment Zhu Jinzhen's voice fell...

Yu Huatian and Xu Yu's pupils both contracted, and even the eunuchs and palace maids serving in the Wenhua Hall seemed to have heard an unparalleled secret, trembling with fear and kneeling on the ground.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will select carefully and will not disappoint you." Yu Huatian's voice was trembling. He, the temporary supervisor of the Western Depot, was only at the peak of the Zhixuan realm, still a step away from the Tianxiang realm.

It was this step that, if he hadn't served under Zhu Jinzhen, Yu Huatian himself didn't know if he would ever have had the chance to truly take it and reach the realm of a Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena.

Now, Zhu Jinzhen casually told him to choose a few trustworthy people, and he would bestow power upon them.

The key is……

When Zhu Jinzhen spoke just now, he did not specify that it had to refer to a Xuanjing Grandmaster or a Vajra Realm expert.

Its profound meaning is thought-provoking and deeply moving.

"Does Your Majesty mean that even ordinary people who don't know martial arts can suddenly become Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena?" This terrifying thought surfaced in Yu Huatian's mind.

Xu Yu, standing next to her, was in a similar situation.

He was a smart man; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to secure the position of Provincial Governor under Zhu Jinzhen.

But, precisely because he was a smart man, he understood one more principle.

The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes.

unless……

"His Majesty is not trying to test or warn him; he probably doesn't care." This thought flashed through Xu Yu's mind, followed by, "In that case, there are only two possibilities."

"His Majesty trusts me and Yu Huatian."

"At the same time, perhaps it also serves as a warning?"

Regardless of Zhu Jinzhen's motives, these words alone deepened Xu Yu and Yu Huatian's awe and loyalty towards him.

Zhu Jinzhen's forces were so formidable that they were hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Even the immortals in the heavens and the mortal realm were killed by Changsun Wangqing, Yang Ning, and others.

Now, he even said that he could directly bestow the title of Grandmaster.

Not to mention that the two men were already loyal, even if it were an ordinary court official, upon hearing Zhu Jinzhen's words, he would be terrified and dare not have any more ulterior motives.

After all, it's remarkable that they could so casually bestow ten positions as Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena.

Who can guarantee that Zhu Jinzhen won't bestow even more, what if it were a hundred or a thousand?

Looking at the current state of the Cangyun Army and the Tiance Mansion, who dares to question this possibility?
At the same time, a guess naturally arose in the minds of Xu Yu and Yu Huatian.

That is……

Perhaps the Heavenly Sword incident, which has caused a great uproar throughout the world, is not just a rumor, but a real event.

"If the Heavenly Sword is real, then Zhao Min, who stole it, is the one who..." A cold glint flashed in Yu Huatian's eyes. If it weren't for his lack of strength and the fact that it was the wrong time, he would have volunteered to hunt down Zhao Min and take back the Heavenly Sword.

But right now, his top priority is to help Zhu Jinzhen find out about the collusion between the Jiangnan aristocratic families and the Japanese pirates.

Zhu Jinzhen naturally noticed the two people whose expressions kept changing, but he remained unmoved. Ten spots for Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena were nothing to him now.

Since he launched the Jingnan Campaign, the number of celestial beings under his command has increased by over a hundred.

The number of Cangyun Army soldiers, Tian Ce soldiers, or Xuanjia Secret Guards who are at the terrestrial immortal realm has long since exceeded a thousand, and is now over two thousand.

With hundreds of terrestrial celestial beings and over two thousand terrestrial immortals, throughout the entire human realm and all dynasties, only the reign of the First Emperor made Zhu Jinzhen somewhat wary; the rest were not worth worrying about.

Even if all the countries in the world attacked him, Zhu Jinzhen wouldn't even flinch.

He naturally had the right to disregard the ten spots for Grandmasters of Celestial Phenomena.

More importantly...

Just today, his check-in system gave him another huge surprise.

(End of this chapter)