Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 18 A combination of kindness and power
"Your Highness, have mercy on me, Your Highness, please have mercy on me!"

Li Laoer knelt on the ground, trembling all over, but he didn't dare to move. The blade at his neck was icy cold, a constant reminder of the situation he was in. Most importantly, it was Chen Yanluo who was holding him down, which made him lose the courage to resist.

"Others may be confused for a moment, so I can forgive them. But you, Li Lao Er, instigated rebellion, intended to kidnap the Imperial Censor, and even insisted on surrendering. I will never let you go. Otherwise, where will the laws of the Ming Dynasty be, where will the military regulations of the Beijing Camp be, and where will the dignity of the Imperial Family be?"

Zhu Cilang shouted sternly, and while speaking he slowly drew out the knife in his hand. The friction sound of the sharp blade being unsheathed made Li Laoer lose all his strength instantly, and he collapsed directly to the ground.

"I didn't know it was Your Highness. I didn't intend to rebel." Seeing the knife light reflecting the fire shadow flashing above his head, Li Laoer was horrified. After his Adam's apple twitched violently for a few times, he lost his voice.

Chen Fu couldn't help but feel a little surprised when he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince walking up to him and actually wanting to kill someone himself.

How many years has it been since the Ming Dynasty had a prince like this?
At this moment, the fierce expression on Zhu Cilang's face and the murderous aura on his body made him, the officer known as "Yan Luo", feel a little scared even without the blessing of his status as the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness must have seen big battles before, and killed at least dozens of people with his own hands, otherwise it would be impossible for him to have such murderous aura!" Chen Fu sighed in his heart.

However, although he was surprised, when he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince coming up, he immediately signaled the two confidants behind him to come forward and control Li Laoer's arms from behind to prevent the other party from hurting Zhu Cilang in his dying struggle.

Zhu Cilang came in front of Li Laoer without any hesitation or saying anything more. In front of everyone, just like a soldier chasing the defeated enemy soldiers who had thrown away their weapons and armor on the battlefield, he pressed Li Laoer's helmet with his left hand, leaned sideways, and stretched out the knife from behind the opponent's neck with his right hand, and then cut his Adam's apple with force. His movements were incredibly skillful.

With a "puff" sound, blood spurted out from Li Laoer's Adam's apple. In the dark night, except for the tired war horses snorting, the surroundings were silent. Only Li Laoer was left, covering his throat with both hands and struggling on the ground.

Chang Denggui and Zhou Shixian soon came to Zhu Cilang's side. Zhou Shixian had never seen Zhu Cilang kill anyone with his own hands before. Like Chen Fu, he couldn't calm down at all when he saw Zhu Cilang killing people so skillfully and decisively and calmly as if he had just killed a chicken.

The Crown Prince he had always remembered was never like this. Perhaps, he should have known this from the day Zhu Cilang ordered the use of force to threaten the village.

Without waiting for them to say anything, Zhu Cilang turned his head to look at Chen Fu and ordered as a matter of course:

"General Chen, go and deal with those soldiers under Li Lao Er. Remember not to kill innocent people. After you've dealt with them, I want to see them in person so they know who they belong to!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fu's heart couldn't help but pause - it seems that he was not wrong, this Crown Prince is really not a simple person!

Of course, he was not stupid, so he naturally understood the other meaning of this sentence. He immediately clasped his hands and said:
"I will obey your orders and will never let Your Highness down!"

In fact, Chen Fu had also long wanted to annex the twenty or so armored soldiers under Li Laoer, but there had never been a suitable opportunity.

He realized that something was wrong from the beginning, but not only did he not stop Li Laoer, but he encouraged him to act while staying out of it. On the one hand, it was to verify his own guess, and on the other hand, it was to kill someone with a borrowed knife.

This is his strength. Not only is he extremely powerful and can convince his soldiers, but he also has excellent vision and strategy. He can make the right decisions at critical moments. On the battlefield, he can not only save his life but also kill the enemy.

The Beijing Camp mobilized troops many times to participate in the bandit suppression in the Central Plains. Chen Fu fought his way up from a private. Because he killed so many people and used ruthless methods, he was called "Chen Yanluo".

It was precisely because of his success on the battlefield that this battalion of 3,000 defeated soldiers still obeyed his orders even when they only had two or three days of food left.

Zhu Cilang naturally guessed Chen Fu's little thoughts from his series of performances just now. Excellent hunters often appear in the form of prey, just like him and Chen Fu.

However, he was the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, possessing value that Chen Fu, a mid-level officer in the Three Thousand Battalion, could never possess. This determined that he was the dominant force in this game. "General Chen is a wise man. I trust you will handle this well. You know the military situation best. You can decide who should and should not be killed. You don't need to consult me."

Zhu Cilang sighed again, then said quietly, "This trip south of mine is truly blessed by our ancestors. It is truly a blessing for the Ming Dynasty to have a loyal minister like General Chen!"

"It is my great honor to follow His Highness and serve Him! I will be willing to die for His Highness!"

Chen Fu was ecstatic at this moment. After all, Zhu Cilang was just about to tell him openly—Don't worry, this palace needs someone as smart as you!
He knew very well that under the current situation, even if he went to Yingtian Prefecture, no civil servant could bring him a definite result, not even the prince, and he might even be implicated and convicted.

But the crown prince, the heir apparent to a country, is completely different. He is the one who can truly change the situation and holds supreme power.

Naturally, he didn't believe Li Banghua's nonsense that Chongzhen had already gone south by sea. How could an emperor go south without taking the crown prince with him?

In other words, Chen Fu has now basically confirmed that the person he is protecting is the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. As long as he successfully goes south, he will be the first meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty.

This is his wishful thinking. Compared with it, what is the big deal about holding civil servants hostage and surrendering to the rebels?
Of course, if Zhu Cilang was not there, he would consider taking Li Banghua south, and then leading his troops to plunder the official warehouses and granaries along the canal, and taking the boatmen with him, as those were the first-class sources of soldiers.

After the emperor and his minister expressed their true feelings of regret for not meeting each other earlier, Zhu Cilang finally waved his hand and this time really let Chen Fu go down to deal with the remaining soldiers under Li Laoer's command.

The longer he stayed on the plains, the more dangerous it would be. However, with such a big incident happening, Zhu Cilang had to calm the troops first. Otherwise, he would only be in greater danger.

Chen Fu had absolute control over his subordinates. After asking Zhu Cilang for instructions, he immediately executed Li Laoer's other five confidants in the army as accomplices. He also disarmed the remaining 21 people and brought them before Zhu Cilang.

At this time, above the silent plain, endless darkness enveloped the earth, with only the sound of the whistling wind around.

In the light of the fire, Zhu Cilang looked at the twenty-one people kneeling in front of him, slowly took off his helmet, revealing his young face. He held a bloody knife in one hand and Li Laoer's head in the other. Seeing this, the three thousand cavalrymen who were kneeling on the ground and originally wanted to beg for mercy were horrified and silent.

"Today, I have something to say to you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the twenty-one people kneeling on the ground immediately lowered their heads, or even prostrated themselves on the ground. Standing in front of them was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, who had just killed their immediate superior with a single knife, and whose only words could now decide their life or death.

"Remember, you are all soldiers of the Beijing Camp, the personal army of the Ming Emperor. From now on, you are my soldiers, my personal army, not anyone else's private army.

The superior officers committed treason, and their accomplices have all been executed. This matter naturally has nothing to do with you. I will punish the guilty, but I will never kill innocent people, so you don't need to worry.

"You have been so loyal, not following the rebel generals, and will be escorting me south. I should have rewarded you with something. But we were in such a hurry to go south, and I didn't have much gold or silver with me. If I promised you rice fields south of the Yangtze River or silver, it would seem insincere."

Zhu Cilang paused and looked around. The dozens of soldiers from the Three Thousand Battalion around him had expressions of fear and joy on their faces. The twenty-one soldiers who originally thought they were going to die were even more stupid. Some of them even grinned and didn't care about the snot flowing into their mouths.

Li Banghua, Zhou Shixian, Chang Denggui, and Chen Fu looked at Zhu Cilang holding a knife in one hand and the head in the other, intimidating the soldiers and winning people's hearts at the same time, and they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts - His Highness really has the style of Emperor Chengzu!
"Chang Denggui, in my name, I would like to borrow some gold, silver, and jewelry from your brothers. The more the better. I will reward the troops in this wilderness today. When we reach Yingtian, I will take the gold and silver from the treasury and return it to you three times the original amount, including interest!"

　Thanks to the book friend 2021030110411934220 for the reward again and the reward from an ordinary handsome guy. The author will definitely continue to work hard.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)