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

Originally, Zhu Gang had some hesitation about Zhu Di's choice, but after the Great Battle of the Grasslands, all his hesitation vanished.

He knew in his heart that the upcoming battle in Annam was his last chance, and if he couldn't seize it, he would truly lose control of Zhu Yunwen's chariot.

With his abilities, it would have been very easy for him to go out and conquer a territory. However, that was not the result he wanted. Moreover, the fact that even an outstanding person like Zhu Di ultimately chose to bow down to Zhu Yunwen had a great impact on him.

He had witnessed all of Zhu Yunwen's actions and was keenly aware of the changes in the Ming Dynasty. Recalling his previous conversation with Zhu Di, this led to a certain degree of change in his thinking.

Most importantly, Zhu Gang had no ambition for the throne. Although he is not highly regarded in history, the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang eventually assigned him to keep an eye on Zhu Di shows that his loyalty to the court was extremely high.

Historically, if Zhu Gang had not died, it's hard to say whether Zhu Di would have launched a rebellion. Zhu Gang's ideology was roughly similar to that of a vassal king like Zhu Quan, though he might have been more assertive, given that Zhu Gang commanded a powerful and well-equipped army.

It was precisely because of this personality that, after witnessing Zhu Yunwen's excellence, his thinking gradually changed, and he went from fighting against him to wanting to work under Zhu Yunwen's command.

"Third Brother, there's no turning back on this kind of thing. Once you make a choice, there's no going back. You'd better think it through."

"Yes, Third Brother, you must not act impulsively in this kind of matter. I admit that His Majesty is very powerful, but if you surrender to the court, you will lose your freedom. By then, even if you regret it, it will be too late."

"Third Brother, if possible, I think you should think it over carefully. At the very least, you shouldn't so readily join His Majesty's ranks."

"."

Everyone chimed in, trying to persuade Zhu Gang to change his mind.

Although they had their own plans, they were still thinking about Zhu Gang's future. As everyone said, if Zhu Gang were to submit to the imperial court, he would certainly not be as free as a prince. This was obvious and didn't need much explanation.

Zhu Gang waved his hand, his expression resolute, and said, "My brothers, I am well aware of your good intentions, but I have really thought this through. Please don't try to persuade me anymore."

His decision to pledge allegiance to Zhu Yunwen was not impulsive, but rather the result of long and careful consideration. It was only after witnessing Zhu Yunwen's resounding victory on the grasslands that he made up his mind.

It's not really his fault. Throughout history, there have been many excellent emperors who conquered the grasslands, but how many of them could actually do so? Moreover, Zhu Yunwen was still so young.

Just a little thought is enough to understand how vast Zhu Yunwen's future is; it's practically endless.

Furthermore, even with Zhu Yunwen's explanation regarding the Annam matter, he still had many doubts in his mind. His willingness to volunteer this time was partly due to his intention to observe further. After all, only by actively delving into the matter himself could he gain a clearer understanding of the situation!
"Third brother."

Looking at Zhu Gang's appearance, everyone had incredibly complicated expressions, and they were all at a loss for words.

After talking for a long time, their mouths were already dry, but Zhu Gang remained unmoved. They all suspected that Zhu Yunwen had secretly given Zhu Gang some kind of spell.

Otherwise, Zhu Gang, who used to be a very shrewd person, would not be so stubborn now, unwilling to even think, and would directly devote himself to Zhu Yunwen's command, and even volunteer to go to the quagmire of Annam.

"Alright, alright, I understand the situation perfectly well. Everyone has their own ambitions, so please don't try to persuade me anymore." Zhu Gang waved his hand repeatedly, definitively settling the matter.

Joining Zhu Yunwen's side was his last chance, and leading troops to Annam was an opportunity he had earned for himself. He would not let a few words from Zhu Zhen, Zhu Tan, and others change his mind.

Everyone fell silent, feeling extremely disappointed. Without Zhu Gang leading the way, who among them would speak to Zhu Yunwen in the future?
It seems that everyone else's qualifications are a little lacking!

Zhu Gang looked at everyone's expressions, thought for a moment, and said, "My brothers, although I am now working for His Majesty, our relationship will not be affected in any way. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to come to me. If there is anything I can do to help, I will definitely not hesitate to do so."

He wasn't stupid. Although he made the decision to help Zhu Yunwen, he wouldn't sever his relationship with his brothers because of it. After all, he also needed helpers and power.

He wanted to see a higher view, not to become alone.

"Huh?" Everyone was shocked when they heard Zhu Gang's words.

However, the reason they persuaded Zhu Gang just now may have been due to various factors, but most of them were for their own sake. After all, it was always Zhu Gang who communicated with Zhu Yunwen before, and now that they suddenly heard that Zhu Gang had sided with Zhu Yunwen, they were all quite surprised.

Now that they suddenly heard that Zhu Gang was willing to continue to help them contact Zhu Yunwen, they felt much more at ease, and their minds relaxed completely.

"Third Brother, since you have made your decision, we will not try to persuade you any further. However, once you enter the imperial court, you will need to be careful in many matters."

“That’s right, that’s right, Third Brother. Even though you will be working for His Majesty in the future, the relationship between us brothers will remain the same as before, and that will never change.”

"Third Brother, I still think you should think about this carefully. After all, this is no small matter. If you make a mistake, there will be no going back."

"Third brother, I feel relieved to hear you say that. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know, and I will definitely help you if I can."

"."

Everyone spoke up, realizing they couldn't persuade Zhu Gang to change his mind, and since they had received a promise from Zhu Gang that he would continue to help them communicate with Zhu Yunwen, they decided to stop interfering with Zhu Gang.

They didn't know how things would ultimately turn out, but they hadn't suffered any losses. Of course, the main reason was that they felt they couldn't persuade Zhu Gang, and continuing to say anything would be a waste of breath.

Prince Yan’s Mansion!
Li Jinglong arrived at the Prince of Yan's residence and was chatting with the brothers Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui: "What do you think is the situation with the Prince of Jin? Is he going to pledge allegiance to His Majesty?"

Although Zhu Gang's defection was not officially confirmed in the court, people close to Zhu Yunwen, such as Li Jinglong and Zhu Gaoxu, already knew about it.

At first, they were even somewhat incredulous. Zhu Gang's defection to Zhu Yunwen felt like a dream to them; it was simply too surreal.

"Who knows what Third Uncle is thinking? But Third Uncle has probably pledged allegiance to His Majesty now. He's even planning to lead troops to Annam." Zhu Gaoxu shrugged. Although he was quite surprised at first, he didn't care too much after calming down.

Although he didn't know Zhu Gang's situation, this matter wasn't very relevant to him. Whatever Zhu Gang's purpose was, it wouldn't affect him in the end.

Zhu Gaosui thought for a moment and said, "I think that my third uncle probably saw the result of the grassland war and witnessed His Majesty's ability, and then he had the same idea as my father."

Zhu Gaoxu was taken aback upon hearing this. After thinking about it carefully, he nodded and said, "That possibility cannot be ruled out."

"Does the Prince of Jin have the same idea as the Prince of Yan?" Li Jinglong was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this, and then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked a problem: both Zhu Di and Zhu Gang had the surname Zhu, and both of them were outstanding among the princes.

Outstanding people naturally cannot only see the immediate gains and losses. Putting aside other things, judging from the actions of Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, although they lost their freedom by siding with Zhu Yunwen, if the Ming Dynasty reaches a high enough level in the future, then the two of them will inevitably rise with it.

Moreover, unlike short-sighted individuals, figures like Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, upon witnessing Zhu Yunwen's formidable abilities, certainly did not immediately think of hindering him or becoming his enemy. Instead, they stepped forward to offer assistance and help Zhu Yunwen lead the Ming Dynasty to even greater glory.

Zhu Gaosui's casual remark gave Li Jinglong a sudden realization, allowing him to see things more clearly.

"Alright, Jinglong, stop thinking about so many things. Whatever Uncle San thinks, it has little to do with us. Besides, His Majesty will make a decision. You're always trying to figure out what His Majesty is thinking, which isn't a good thing," Zhu Gaoxu said, shaking his head.

The emperor's mind is unpredictable. Although he knew that Li Jinglong and Zhu Yunwen had a good relationship, their statuses were now different. It was obviously not a good thing for a subject to constantly try to figure out the emperor's thoughts.

Who wants to be studied by others all day long for no reason?

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong's expression stiffened, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "Gao Xu, don't talk nonsense. I'm not trying to figure out His Majesty's thoughts. I'm wondering why Prince Jin suddenly decided to pledge allegiance to His Majesty."

"Stop thinking about it, let's go have a drink!" Zhu Gaoxu stepped forward and put his arm around Li Jinglong's shoulder.

Li Jinglong gave a wry smile and banished the jumbled thoughts from his mind.

Huitong Hall!
The night was deep, but Chen Tianping's heart was still burning with excitement, and he could not calm down for a long time.

His trip to the palace gave him the answer he most wanted: the Ming emperor relented and gave a direct answer that the Ming Dynasty would help the Chen family suppress the Annam rebellion.

What pleased him even more was that the Ming emperor directly assigned a prince to help him.

The prince was a prince of the Ming Dynasty. For someone of such status to go and help the Chen family suppress the rebellion shows how highly the Ming emperor regarded him.

"General Pei, our hard times are about to end. Next, it's that scoundrel Hu Jili's turn to suffer!" Chen Tianping said excitedly, looking at Pei Boqi beside him.

He wasn't worried at all about whether the Ming Dynasty would be able to suppress Ho Quy Ly. If it were before, he might have been worried, but now the Ming Dynasty had even conquered the powerful Northern Yuan to the north. With such strength, clearing out the rebellion in Pyongyang would be a piece of cake!
The thought of returning to Annam soon to inherit the throne and killing the usurper Ho Quy Ly filled him with an overwhelming sense of unease.

Having endured so much for so long, the life-or-death moments on his escape, the groveling and subservient behavior after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, the constant fear of being assassinated, the hatred for the traitor Hu Jili, and so on—all of this had overwhelmed him to the point of suffocation.

However, all of this made him relax instantly after hearing the words of the Ming emperor. Although he had betrayed Annam's interests in order to gain the Ming's help, it was not his original intention, but a helpless act forced upon him by the traitor Hu Quy Ly.

Pei Boqi, beaming, nodded to Chen Tianping: "Yes, Your Majesty, we've finally made it through. Now it's time for Hu Jili's death countdown!"

He could understand Chen Tianping's feelings very well. To be honest, he was also very excited and couldn't calm down for a long time.

After arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he never relaxed and traveled around tirelessly in order to obtain the Ming Dynasty's help and bring Annam back into the hands of the Chen family.

It's no exaggeration to say that the pressure he was under was no less than that of Chen Tianping. Chen Tianping had already given up, and his identity prevented him from traveling around, while he had been silently holding on, and sometimes he had to comfort and encourage Chen Tianping.

Now that we have finally received help from the Ming Dynasty, it is time to take revenge on Hu Jili!
"Damn Hu Jili, I will make him pay for his crimes in blood! This heartless scoundrel deserves to be torn to pieces! I will not be able to quell my hatred until he is executed!" Chen Tianping gritted his teeth.

Having seen the glimmer of revenge, he could no longer conceal the resentment in his heart. Although the Ming Dynasty had not yet sent troops, he did not mind venting his emotions in advance. Since the sudden collapse of the Chen Dynasty, his mind had been extremely tense.

Now that the pressure has suddenly subsided, the fact that he didn't immediately lose control of his emotions is already a testament to his self-control! (End of Chapter)