Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 36 The Prince Appears
At noon on April 10, Zhu Cilang finally led the Palace Army to the outside of Xuzhou City, and immediately ordered Zhou Shixian to lead his men into the city to contact the garrison generals inside.

Li Banghua successfully contacted Lu Zhenfei three days ago and is now heading towards Nanjing. He is one man and four horses, traveling continuously, covering 120 to 130 miles a day. He should have almost reached Nanjing by now.

If it was Zhou Shixian, it could have been even faster, but Zhou Shixian's status was not high enough. The so-called civil and military ministers in Nanjing City even looked down upon Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying. What was Zhou Shixian, a young son-in-law and captain, who knew a few scholars?
Moreover, in addition to reporting that he had successfully contacted Lu Zhenfei and that the other party was loyal and would immediately raise an army to welcome the emperor, Li Banghua also specifically mentioned the rumors in Huai'an City, especially those about the "fake prince."

If Lu Zhenfei had not seen Li Banghua with his own eyes, he probably would not have believed that the real prince went south along the canal. He even told Li Banghua that this false news had already spread throughout Nanzhili, and that someone must be fanning the flames behind the scenes.

However, they all thought that the news about the fake prince was also spread by Li Zicheng, and they never thought that the mastermind behind the matter was Lu Jiude.

Two days ago, Lu Jiude sent people to Xuzhou, Huai'an, Fengyang and other prefectures to impersonate Zhu Cilang, causing a commotion among the people and making the rumors about the fake prince more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Zhu Cilang didn't learn the news until yesterday at Qulipu, northwest of Xuzhou City, from the scouts he sent out. It seemed that the enemy he faced not only had a plan in advance, but also wanted to do it to the extreme!
However, this also means that the other party did not easily obtain the consensus of the various troops in Nanzhili, so they needed to build momentum in advance to encourage the various tribes to support the new king.

In other words, the various troops in the Nanzhili area are probably still watching the situation and waiting for accurate news from the north.

After all, supporting a new king is a huge matter. If you choose the right one, you will be rewarded for your loyalty. If you choose the wrong one, it will be tantamount to rebellion and your entire family will be executed!

After some analysis, Zhu Cilang became more determined to go to Fengyang. The fake prince making noise in the downtown area should be the work of Lu Jiude. It also meant that the other party was still preparing to support Zhu Yousong, and at least they had to wait until the news was fully spread.

This is a critical time node!
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang's heart relaxed a little. He was not too late. It would depend on the generals left behind in Xuzhou City to see how much they knew about Gao Jie's army's march south to Fengyang.

But why hasn’t Tang Ma, who was sent into the city to deliver the message, returned yet?
.
"What? This time it's not the crown prince, but the prince consort?"

A burly man with a face full of flesh, thick eyebrows and big eyes turned his head and glared at the personal soldier who came to report. This was Gao Jie's nephew Li Benshen, and he was the Xuzhou garrison commander left by Gao Jie.

"Ah!" the guard paused and said quickly, "The person who came here said that he was the prince consort, named Zhou Shixian. He was ordered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come and inform the general to lead the troops out of the city to welcome him immediately!"

"Damn it! The Crown Prince and the Prince Consort are both trying to tease me?" Li Benshen cursed angrily, "Who the hell is tired of living?"

He simply didn't believe such a thing. A fake prince appeared in the city two days ago, and now a prince consort appeared. This would be everyone's first reaction.

"But..." the personal soldier hesitated to speak. He saw Zhou Shixian leading a team of fully armed cavalrymen. The armor and weapons in each of their hands were better than his. Moreover, the young man who claimed to be the son-in-law of the emperor had an extraordinary demeanor and did not seem fake.

Li Benshen looked at the personal soldier in front of him and saw that he seemed to have something to say, and he became suspicious for a moment. When Gao Jie left with his troops, he specifically reminded him to be careful about everything.

"But what? Tell me now, or I'll beat you to death!"

Upon hearing this, the personal soldier immediately recounted his observations one by one, and Li Benshen couldn't help but take it seriously. After all, anyone with so many cavalrymen must have an unusual background.

"Could the rumors be true? Did Li Zicheng really send a fake prince?" Li Benshen frowned, supporting his right elbow with his left hand and resting his chin with his right hand, thinking carefully.

Seeing Li Benshen frowning, the guard thought for a long time but said nothing. He said angrily, "Then should we still go out of the city to welcome the emperor? What if those people are really bandits in disguise?" Li Benshen didn't care what the guard was going to say next and interrupted him immediately, "He said he wanted me to lead the troops out of the city to welcome the emperor?"

"Yes!" The soldier nodded.

"Maybe they really are bandits, trying to lure us out of the city and then seize Xuzhou!" After receiving a positive answer, Li Benshen panicked and said to himself:
"It must be like this. The prince and the prince consort are all just a cover. The moment I leave the city, I will definitely be ambushed!"

Thinking of this, Li Benshen looked at the personal soldier who also had a terrified expression on his face and asked again:
"Where's that guy who calls himself the Prince Consort? Has he been arrested? Don't let him go back and tip off the enemy. He's probably sent by the rebels to spy on the army. Internal and external cooperation is Li Zicheng's most common tactic."

Li Benshen was originally a soldier under Li Zicheng, but he defected to the court with Gao Jie. He knew all the tactics of the Shun army very well.

"I've asked someone to watch them. They're still outside the city gate." The guard said, then paused, hesitated for a moment, and then continued:

"However, judging from their accents and the armor and weapons they carry, they don't seem like our old brothers from Shaanxi. Do you want me to go and verify it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Benshen hesitated again. No matter what the situation was, if he made a mistake, it would be a serious matter of life and death, so he dared not be careless. Moreover, if the other party was really the crown prince from the capital, if he did not go out to greet him, it would also be a serious crime, and he could not bear the consequences!
"How about this? Let's go outside the city to welcome the emperor, but just outside the city!" Li Benshen pondered for a long time and finally came up with a plan that would satisfy both sides. "Go tell that prince consort, and tell them that the Nanjing Ministry of War has ordered that this general can only welcome the emperor outside the city. Let them come on their own."

When the personal guard heard this, he seemed to have suddenly realized something and immediately flattered, "General, you are indeed brilliant!"

"Humph, it's not that easy to get me to meet him!" Li Benshen was very proud when he heard the flattery. "What a bullshit prince, what a bullshit prince consort! I want to see who they are and whether they are tired of living."

An hour later, on the city wall of Xuzhou Prefecture, a group of soldiers were stunned, as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Li Benshen, who was standing on the top of the city wall, almost had his eyes drop to the ground.

To his northwest, an army of several thousand men was marching towards them in a mighty force, with scouts whistling and marching back and forth all around, looking very imposing. Parallel to this army were hundreds of ships of various sizes on the river, their masts, oars, and sails blocking out the sun.

As large numbers of uniformed infantrymen advanced continuously, dozens of flags soon fluttered across the plains northwest of Xuzhou City. From the city walls, it looked as if half the troops were fully armored. The elite cavalrymen at the front wore Ming helmets, their armor gleaming in the sunlight, making them strikingly visible.

"Damn it, is it really the prince?" Li Benshen was shocked by the solemn and grand military appearance outside the city.

Amid the sounds of flags and drums, the troops that arrived at the city quickly formed into formation. All the soldiers stood solemnly. There was silence on the front line, and a murderous atmosphere was overwhelming.

Li Benshen's eyes twitched as he watched, and he felt terrified. The army in front of him truly had the aura of a powerful army!

Soon, he saw more than a dozen cavalrymen running out from the flank of the palace army formation. The man in the lead was wearing shining mountain armor, and two cavalrymen behind him followed with flags. They galloped past the infantry formation, quickly triggering a burst of cheers from the crowd.

"The sun, moon, mountains and rivers will always be there, and the Ming Dynasty will always be there!"

(End of this chapter)