Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 41: Blood and Wine, the King and His Ministers Are One

Following Hu Maozhen's instructions, Chen Fu quickly rushed to the Fengyang government office. Lu Jiude's private residence in the city was also nearby.

However, due to the sudden change in the situation, Lu Jiude was upset and couldn't sleep at all. He paced back and forth in the lobby of the government office, thinking about how to deal with the situation. He even went to see Lu Zhenfei, who was under house arrest by him.

He wanted to launch the attack earlier, but the Huai River was between the two armies. Neither the standard battalion under his command nor the two strong troops under Gao Jie and Huang Degong could execute the order to attack in such darkness.

In this situation, he could only wait until dawn and then think of a way to break the deadlock.

Fortunately, he could not take any action, and the same was true for the so-called prince and his palace army on the north bank of the Huai River. This was the only thing that could make Lu Jiude feel a little relieved at the moment.

However, he never expected that Zhu Cilang was no longer the crown prince he thought he knew, who strictly abided by the rules and dared not overstep the boundaries.

Just when he was still worried about what to do tomorrow, a commotion suddenly broke out in Fengyang City, which had been quiet for most of the night. When he heard the noise, Chen Fu and Hu Maozhen had already led the cavalry to attack.

When Chen Fu was at the city gate, he had already asked Lu Jiude's personal soldiers who were sent to patrol about his location, so he did not split his troops at all, and directly led his elite troops to raid the location of the government office.

At this time, there were only dozens of personal guards under Lu Jiude's command inside and outside the government office, and more than a hundred ordinary soldiers who were incompletely armored and shivering in the night wind. How could they stop the hundreds of elite soldiers led by Chen Fu and Hu Maozhen?
The former are the 3,000-strong battalion of the Beijing Camp that never retreats at night, and the latter are the elite troops of the Shaanxi Suppression and Pacification Town. Their combat effectiveness is definitely not comparable to that of the southern troops.

As a result, before Lu Jiude had time to react, let alone figure out what was happening, the outer perimeter of Fengyang Prefecture's government office had already been breached. If it weren't for the small space inside the government office and the desperate resistance of Lu Jiude's personal soldiers, Hu Maozhen would have already led his troops in.

The two armies fought inside and outside the government office gate. Seeing that Hu Maozhen was unable to break through for the time being, Chen Fu made a prompt decision and quickly dispatched troops to block several other exits of the government office to prevent Lu Jiude from escaping.

However, Zhu Cilang soon arrived with the remaining dozens of cavalrymen. How could he not be there in person to kill Lu Jiude and capture Prince Fu?
Chen Fu originally wanted to let Hu Maozhen's servants consume Lu Jiude's personal soldiers, but when he saw the Crown Prince coming, he did not dare to delay any longer. He dismounted directly and prepared to charge in with the most elite armored soldiers around him.

But Hu Maozhen also heard the sound of horse hooves. He saw Zhu Cilang leading his troops towards him, and immediately shouted loudly, holding a shield and a spear, and went into battle himself.

When the servants heard what Hu Maozhen shouted, their morale was immediately boosted. They all understood what this battle meant. If they could make great achievements in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it would not be impossible for them to rise to fame overnight.

As a result, Lu Jiude's personal soldiers, who were originally struggling to hold on, fell apart and were completely defeated under this round of fierce attack led by Hu Maozhen himself.

Once they were dispersed and entered the courtyard, these southern soldiers could no longer organize a counterattack. Hu Maozhen fought and killed fiercely all the way, not caring even when the armor on his arm was cut off, until he captured the stunned Lu Jiude.

Lu Jiude had just figured out what was happening and before he had time to think of a countermeasure, he had no chance to escape.

At this time, although the personal soldiers he assigned to monitor the various armies had reacted, it was too late to rush back. Even the thirty or forty people assigned to patrol the various city gates were scattered and defeated by the cavalry led by Zhu Cilang outside the government office as soon as they returned.

After Huang Degong, Liu Liangzuo and Wang Hui received the report from Gao Jie's servants, although it was already too late, the three of them still led their troops personally to stop the reinforcements.

They had noticed the movement when Gao Jie just took action, but they didn't understand why and didn't dare to act rashly.

Now that Gao Jie has revealed the exact news, how dare they neglect it?

Since Gao Jie was already brazenly carrying out this sort of thing, the prince on the north bank was probably no sham. They might not trust Gao Jie's character, but they would not distrust something Gao Jie was willing to risk his life for. After Hu Maozhen captured Lu Jiude, he immediately tortured his men to reveal Prince Fu's whereabouts, then reported it to Chen Fu. Chen Fu's mouth twitched at the report, but he could only personally lead a team to monitor the situation. Once he was certain Prince Fu was indeed there, he sent someone to report to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang immediately ordered Chen Fu to arrest Prince Fu Zhu Yousong, who had violated the clan regulations, entered Zhongdu without authorization, and colluded with local eunuchs. Then he led his troops directly into the government office. Lu Jiude was already tied up in front of him, and Lu Zhenfei was quickly rescued.

At this time, Fengyang City was in chaos with soldiers everywhere. After Lu Jiude's personal soldiers were defeated, the remaining soldiers had already rushed into the city.

Although Chen Fu forced the three men to surrender and asked them to find other officers in the standard camp to clean up the mess, it did not work for the time being.

The two armies were facing each other, and the people in the city were already in panic. In the dark, they were suddenly hit by a war. There were also shouts and screams outside the city. How could there not be chaos?
However, Zhu Cilang had too few soldiers and horses at the moment, and was unable to quickly take control of the overall situation. Moreover, the most important thing now was not to deal with these disorderly soldiers, but to restore order.

In the lobby of the government office, Prince Fu and Lu Jiude were tied up and knelt in front of Zhu Cilang. Zhou Shixian, Chen Fu, Lu Zhenfei, Xing, Hu Maozhen and others were on the left and right. Two rows of fully armed soldiers stood solemnly, and the atmosphere from the lobby of the government office all the way to the stone lions at the door was awe-inspiring.

Under the cover of night, Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Liangzuo, Wang Hui and others arrived one after another. Seeing the Crown Prince in the hall, Lu Jiude kneeling on the ground but still standing firm, and Prince Fu with tears streaming down his face, they were all horrified. After paying their respects, they also knelt on the ground.

Gao Jie, who had been prepared, was naturally the first to arrive. The servants under Huang Degong were powerful and directly controlled the personal soldiers of the standard camp sent by Lu Jiude to monitor him outside the city. But Liu Liangzuo didn't care about these at all. He led his personal guards directly into the city to show his loyalty, and his speed was even faster.

Huang Degong was the third one to arrive. As soon as he entered the lobby of the government office, he saw Gao Jie and Liu Liangzuo kneeling on the ground trembling with fear. He had been regretting his indecision all the way, and now he could only kneel down as well, terrified the whole time.

Zhu Cilang waited until Wang Hui, the governor of Huaiyang, arrived. After bowing and kneeling, he asked Zhou Shixian to announce Lu Jiude's crimes and execute him immediately. At the same time, Zhu Yousong, the Prince of Fu, as a vassal king, colluded with the local eunuchs and entered Zhongdu without authorization. This was not only an violation of the rules, but also a serious crime. However, now was not the time to sentence the royal family, and Zhu Cilang still had great use for him.

However, Zhu Cilang did not kill Lu Jiude directly. Instead, he kicked the eunuch with evil intentions in front of three generals and a battalion commander. Then he pulled out a thick-backed sword from Zhou Shixian's waist and threw it under Lu Jiude, who was tied up and lying on the ground.

Zhu Cilang said nothing, but the four men understood. Gao Jie reacted the fastest and directly picked up the knife and stabbed it into Lu Jiude's abdomen. Liu Liangzuo followed closely behind, vying to show his loyalty. Wang Hui was also afraid of falling behind, so he pulled out the knife that was inserted into Lu Jiude's abdomen and stabbed towards the other's heart and lungs.

Lu Jiude was stabbed three times, blood seeped out of his clothes and flowed to the ground. The severe pain had distorted his face, but his mouth was blocked and he could only make "hmm" sounds.

Huang Degong no longer hesitated at this time. He took Wang Hui's knife and stabbed it towards Lu Jiude's body again. He was known for his bravery in the army. In a moment of anxiety, he used too much force and directly pierced Lu Jiude's chest, but the knife did not reach the handle.

Zhu Cilang looked at the people in front of him vying for attention, nodded with satisfaction, and walked away with a stern expression. He took the knife from Huang Degong, looked at the general with a nervous expression, patted him on the shoulder, and said loudly:

"You are worthy of being a loyal and capable general of the Ming Dynasty!"

After that, two guards stepped forward and helped the dying Lu Jiude up. Zhu Cilang immediately swung his sword and split the man's head, then shouted:
"Bring me the wine!"

Zhou Shixian immediately brought out a jar of wine that he had just found from the restaurant outside. At the same time, the five personal guards following behind him stood on the side, each holding two bowls.

Zhu Cilang dripped Lu Jiude's blood into the wine, then poured it directly into the ten bowls, almost emptying the entire jar. He then picked up the first bowl of wine and said to Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Liangzuo, Wang Hui, Lu Zhenfei, Zhou Shixian, Chen Fu, Li Benshen, and Hu Maozhen, who had already taken the bowls:

"Today, in the land where the Ming Dynasty was born, before the spirits of our ancestors, I offer this traitor's skull and blood to drink with you. From now on, you will all be loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty. As king and subject, we will defend the Ming Dynasty, protect the Ming Dynasty, expand our borders, quell the barbarians, create a new era of prosperity, and lay the foundation for the Ming Dynasty's eternal prosperity!"

　Thanks to the book friend Yuekenlu Dazhuang, 20181107124212127 for the continued rewards, and also thanks to all the book friends for their support since the book was published. The author wishes everyone good luck and prosperity in the new year!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)