Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Chapter 168 Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts, and the ecstatic Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai
Upon hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, Zhu Quan paused for a moment, then said with a bitter expression, "Given the current situation, we can only hope that His Majesty will arrive soon."

Then, looking at Zhu Gaochi, whose expression was somewhat somber, he said, "Gaochi, to be honest, you have done a very good job. If you hadn't blocked the news from the Northern Yuan in advance, the situation in Liaodong would be several times worse now. The current situation is already very good."

Zhu Gaochi looked up and met Zhu Quan's gaze, saying, "Seventeenth Uncle, you don't need to worry about me, I'm fine."

Zhu Quan thought for a moment and said, "Gao Chi, do you think we can catch up with them and create some difficulties for the Northern Yuan?"

He felt a little reluctant to just give up Liaodong.

In particular, the troops in Beiping still have a strong fighting capacity, so he wanted to give it a try.

Zhu Yunwen was rushing towards Beiping.

Judging from the news of the Northern Yuan's withdrawal, they must have known about the changes in the situation in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, time is very precious for the Northern Yuan now. Do they dare to get entangled with the troops in Beiping?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi frowned.

Without a doubt, Zhu Quan's proposal was extremely bold and carried enormous risks.

However, high risk also means high reward.

Once Beiping sends troops, it will definitely impact the Northern Yuan's tactical arrangements again, and may even force them to make some concessions.

"This is what I'm thinking. Anyway, His Majesty will arrive in the next couple of days. With His Majesty's backing, even if I suffer a heavy blow, the Northern Yuan won't dare to continue invading the Ming Dynasty. They'll just have to slink back to the grasslands." Zhu Quan said, expressing his thoughts.

To put it bluntly, he's now relying on Zhu Yunwen's backing to launch a fierce attack on the Northern Yuan's troops.

To put it simply, it was like a fox borrowing the tiger's might, using Zhu Yunwen's power to intimidate the Northern Yuan troops.

This is undoubtedly a very bold and crazy idea.

“Seventeenth Uncle, this is extremely dangerous.” Zhu Gaochi’s expression was grave.

"I know, but I can't just stand by and watch Liaodong be ravaged. I have some ability, but I can't just stand by and do nothing," Zhu Quan said with a wry smile.

If you don't have the ability, then you just have to put up with it.

Unfortunately, there are still many capable soldiers in Beiping, and their morale is extremely high after learning that Zhu Yunwen is riding towards Beiping.

With their morale soaring and their fighting spirit so strong, Beiping was not afraid of the Northern Yuan in the slightest, except for the lack of cavalry.

Of course, the Northern Yuan only needs cavalry.

Without the support of city walls, the gap between cavalry and infantry was widened infinitely.

Infantry are better at attacking and defending cities, but their mobility is not as good as that of cavalry.

The vast grasslands are the perfect place for cavalry to demonstrate their skills.

This brings us to an important reason why the Central Plains dynasties were never able to conquer the grasslands.

To conquer the grasslands, an excellent cavalry force is indispensable and the most basic requirement.

Grassland tribes grow up on horseback from childhood, making them natural-born knights, a quality that the Central Plains dynasties could not match.

Zhu Gaochi thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until His Majesty replies before we talk about it. Let's first find out when His Majesty can arrive."

When Zhu Yunwen will arrive is a crucial point in time.

If Zhu Yunwen arrives late, and Zhu Quan leads his men to pursue the Northern Yuan, what if the Northern Yuan gets angry and turns against Zhu Quan?
Although Liaodong was part of the Ming Dynasty, its proximity to the grasslands resulted in vast plains.

Although the Northern Yuan troops may not have performed as well as those on the grasslands, it was still far beyond what Zhu Quan could achieve by simply leading a small infantry unit to Liaodong.

In particular, this southward invasion by the Northern Yuan involved a large-scale movement of over 100,000 people.

If we rashly go in pursuit, not only will we fail to ease the situation in Liaodong, but we might also end up getting ourselves caught in the crossfire, which would be a huge loss.

Before rushing to Liaodong to provide assistance, it is essential to ensure one's own safety.

"Okay!" Zhu Quan nodded.

He understood Zhu Gaochi's concerns, and therefore did not insist on leading his troops to pursue the Northern Yuan forces.

On the road!
"Drive, drive, drive!"

Zhu Yunwen, leading the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, was heading towards Beiping. Along the way, they did not rest much.

time is money.

Zhu Yunwen clearly understood that the sooner he arrived in Beiping, the less damage the Ming Dynasty would suffer from the Northern Yuan's southward invasion.

Moreover, with both Beiping and Liaodong currently struggling to resist the invasion of the Northern Yuan, how could he possibly dawdle on his journey?

"In another day and a half, we'll be able to reach Beiping," Zhu Yunwen thought to himself as he looked at the map.

"Your Majesty, a letter from Beiping!" Ma Sanbao rode up to Zhu Yunwen's side, holding a letter in his hand, and said in a deep voice.

"A letter from Beiping!" Zhu Yunwen frowned and reined in his warhorse.

"Lulu!"

The warhorse, in pain, reared up and let out a loud neigh.

"Pass down the order to rest on the spot!" Zhu Yunwen took the letter from Ma Sanbao, opened it, and began to read it.

When news arrives in Beiping at this time, it's either good or bad news.

In comparison, bad news is more likely.

After a moment, Zhu Yuntong put down the letter in his hand and said softly, "In the end, we still couldn't seal it off. The Northern Yuan isn't all made up of bots. But that's normal, since the Northern Yuan still has capable people."

Trying to block information, especially information that has already spread and is known to everyone, is extremely difficult.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di, Lan Yu and others came over.

"The Northern Yuan has learned of the situation in our Great Ming and is preparing to flee," Zhu Yunwen said softly.

Although he desperately wanted to get to Beiping and Liaodong immediately, he knew clearly that what had happened was already done, and there was no use in being anxious.

"Sigh, in the end, it couldn't be hidden after all?"

"Hmph, how can the Northern Yuan come and go as they please on our Ming Dynasty's land?"

"Liaodong is in trouble, Your Majesty. We need to speed up our journey and arrive as soon as possible."

"I knew all along that the news couldn't be kept secret forever. To be honest, it's already quite an achievement that we were able to keep it a secret for so many days."

"."

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, everyone began to discuss among themselves, and their expressions all became extremely solemn.

The Northern Yuan's intention to flee is good news for Beiping, but bad news for Liaodong.

Anyone with a brain can figure out that after failing to capture Beiping, the Northern Yuan would definitely turn its attention to Liaodong.

"Alright, enough talk, let's keep going!" Zhu Yunwen waved his hand.

Instead of overthinking, we should head to the Liaodong battlefield as soon as possible.

Of course, regardless of the situation in Liaodong, it wouldn't affect his strategy of conquering the grasslands. However, he didn't want the people of the Ming Dynasty to suffer unwarranted persecution, as much as possible.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Everyone agreed, knowing that the situation was urgent.

After a short rest, Zhu Yunwen continued his journey towards Beiping.

Ying Tianfu!
Huang Zicheng, beaming with joy, approached Qi Tai and said, "Lord Qi, good news! I've found out His Majesty's whereabouts."

During this time, the two of them had been secretly gathering information from all around.

Of course, the two were only thinking that they were secretly spying; in reality, more and more people had discovered them, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was monitoring their every move.

"His Majesty's news? Is it true?" Qi Tai was stunned at first, but then his face showed undisguised joy.

After several days of searching, Zhu Yunwen had not heard a word from him, as if he had completely disappeared. He was about to give up.

To everyone's surprise, Huang Zicheng suddenly ran over to tell him that he had found out about Zhu Yunwen.

“Really, the person who told me the news didn’t show up, and the news might even be fake,” Huang Zicheng said.

"Whether it's true or not, we have to go and see," Qi Tai said.

After hearing Huang Zicheng's words, he calmed down a little. He thought he had found Zhu Yunwen, but it turned out to be just a piece of news.

Although the veracity of the news cannot be confirmed, having information at least provides direction, which is much better than the two of them searching aimlessly.

Regardless, now that we have news, we should naturally go and take a look.

“That’s what I think too. Besides, I think this news is very credible,” Huang Zicheng said.

Although the veracity of the news is somewhat uncertain, based on his years of experience, the accuracy of the news is still very high.

That's why he was so happy.

"Oh? Why do you say that? Do you have some evidence?" Qi Tai turned to look at Huang Zicheng.

"Hehe!" Huang Zicheng chuckled, his face full of mystery, and said, "Do you know where His Majesty is right now, based on the information I received?"

Qi Tai, seeing Huang Zicheng's appearance, was immediately intrigued and asked, "Where?"

Huang Zicheng took a deep breath, glanced around, leaned close to Qi Tai, and whispered, "Huangjue Temple!"

"Huangjue Temple?" Qi Tai was taken aback upon hearing this, somewhat puzzled.

The news that Zhu Yunwen is at Huangjue Temple is quite reliable.

He didn't find it particularly reliable; in fact, he thought it was somewhat frivolous.

Looking at Qi Tai's appearance, Huang Zicheng saw through his thoughts and said, "Lord Qi, have you forgotten that His Majesty spent a long time in a temple back then?"

Because Zhu Yuanzhang had spent time in a temple, the status of monks was greatly elevated after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, and temples sprang up one after another.

Among the many temples, Huangjue Temple is definitely the most famous. This is because Huangjue Temple was a place frequently visited by the Ming Dynasty imperial family.

A temple frequented by royalty, how could it be ordinary?

Qi Tai paused, realizing he had truly forgotten about this matter.

After careful consideration, it's quite possible that the last escape route Zhu Yuanzhang left for Zhu Yunwen was Huangjue Temple.

It's very simple.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been a monk, so when he was leaving a way out for Zhu Yunwen, a temple was definitely an option in his mind.

As for whether it's true or false, Huangjue Temple is definitely a possibility, and it's definitely not just baseless rumors.

“In that case, let’s go to Huangjue Temple. If we can’t find His Majesty, we should leave Yingtian Prefecture for the time being. After all, we’ve been in Yingtian Prefecture for quite some time now, and we don’t want to be discovered by those wolves of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.” Qi Tai took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

“Alright, I also plan to leave Yingtian Prefecture soon if I can’t find His Majesty,” Huang Zicheng said.

He didn't know why, but lately he had been feeling uneasy while staying in Yingtian Prefecture, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

If he hadn't suddenly learned of Zhu Yunwen's situation, he would have been preparing to talk to Qi Tai about leaving.

When they first entered Yingtian Prefecture, they agreed to stay for two or three days and then leave. However, seven or eight days have passed in the blink of an eye, and they are still staying in Yingtian Prefecture.

He also knew that the longer he and Qi Tai stayed after the Jinyiwei left, the easier it would be for them to be discovered.

"Let's get going now, there's no time to lose," Qi Tai said, standing up.

"Okay!" Huang Zicheng nodded.

Afterwards, the two disguised themselves and left the inn, heading towards Huangjue Temple.

In the small courtyard!
When Jiang Huan heard from his subordinates that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai were rushing to Huangjue Temple, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately ran to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Get up, what is it now?" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said softly.

Recently, he has had a lot of free time. The six cabinet members have managed the court very well, which has saved him a lot of trouble.

In addition, he secretly admired Zhu Yunwen's sharp eye.

Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Ying, Yang Shiqi, Fang Xiaoru, and Yao Guangxiao were all officials when they served under him.

However, even he hadn't realized how powerful these people were.

In particular, all six of them are now taking advantage of this opportunity to secretly compete for the position of Grand Secretary.

Jiang Huan took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai went to Huangjue Temple. Judging from their expressions, they seem to have learned some news."

"What?" Upon hearing Jiang Huan's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression immediately turned serious, his face filled with astonishment.

The next second, his brows furrowed: "How did those two end up at Huangjue Temple? Who told them the news?"

"I was unaware of this. Recently, many people have learned that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai have come to Yingtian Prefecture." Jiang Huan shook his head, feeling a sense of helplessness.

Who would have thought that sometimes being unable to conceal one's whereabouts can be a good thing?

Of course, this is also because Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Miaojin, or the cabinet did not take action to arrest them; otherwise, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai would already be in prison.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a moment, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Jiang Huan stood aside, waiting quietly.

After a long time.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, looked at Jiang Huan, and said in a deep voice, "Go and send someone to keep an eye on things. If Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai really meet Yunwen, you must find out what they are talking about."

He had already spoken with Zhu Yunwen before, and now he wanted to see if Zhu Yunwen had fully regained his senses.

The throne was no longer any possibility for Zhu Yunwen.

(End of this chapter)