Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 201 What?! The fourth prince became emperor?! He actually succeeded in his rebellion?!

Inside the Wuying Hall, Empress Ma, feeling weary from contemplating the difficulties of governing the country, especially the challenges of ensuring long-term stability and prosperity in its later stages, was deeply moved.

In the end, he turned his attention back to Zhu Yuanzhang and began to inquire about the future of the fourth prince.

He was quite worried about the future of his fourth son.

From Chongba's account, it is clear that he was extremely dissatisfied with Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen's actions were indeed infuriating, making one wish they could give him a good beating to wake him up and stop him from being so foolish as to do such things again.

Although the fourth prince was forced to rebel.

However, throughout history, those who rebelled as princes have never had a good ending.

Even though the fourth brother is quite capable, he still can't break through this barrier.

Whether in terms of troop strength or food supplies, they were at a significant disadvantage, far too far behind.

They were no match for the imperial court and were naturally at a disadvantage.

No matter how badly the imperial court is doing, as long as you rebel, you will naturally be at a disadvantage in terms of righteousness.

Although Chongba enfeoffed princes, it seems that he gave them considerable power.

In reality, however, it was far less powerful than the vassal kings of the Han and Jin dynasties.

It's like being pickled and then castrated.

Especially the vassal kings during the Jin Dynasty, whose power was truly boundless.

They can have their own army, collect taxes within their own fiefdoms, and appoint and dismiss officials within their fiefdoms at their own discretion.

It is a country within a country.

The Jin Dynasty was born with many disadvantages. Its military was not strong enough, and later it put away its weapons and let its horses graze freely, thus crippling its military strength.

There were also various other problems, such as powerful clans controlling the government and so on.

It's fair to say that the root of the problem is rotten.

Even though it was this bad, it still failed to overthrow the Jin Dynasty when the War of the Eight Princes occurred.

Ultimately, it was the Western Jin court that successfully quelled the rebellion.

Although the War of the Eight Princes was named after eight princes, there were actually more than eight rebels at the time.

Instead, it was mainly composed of eight regional princes, with other regional princes also participating.

The scale of its impact is simply unimaginable.

This shows just how difficult it was for a vassal king to successfully rebel.

From Chongba's account, it is clear that Xiong Ying and Biao'er were gone, and Zhu Yunwen took over the empire from Chongba.

There is no doubt about Chongba's ability to govern the country. He struggled out of that muddy place, rose all the way to become emperor, and reigned for thirty-one years.

Under Chongba's rule, the Ming Dynasty will surely prosper.

Given Chongba's personality, he would inevitably pave the way for Zhu Yunwen in various ways.

This would allow Zhu Yunwen to better rule as emperor and leave behind a court with a strong army and ample supplies.

If the fourth brother rebels at this time, wouldn't he be courting death?
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't see even the slightest hope that the fourth son would survive.

Since the fourth prince has committed rebellion, he is bound to die sooner or later; it's just a matter of time.

The thought of her fourth son dying made her feel extremely sad.

"No, sister, our fourth son lived a long life, he lived to be sixty-five years old."

Ok?
The fourth son actually lived so long?! Much longer than Biao'er!
Empress Ma, who was grieving, was taken aback when she heard the news.

This was an outcome she hadn't anticipated.

Overjoyed, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This... Zhu Yunwen is too foolish, he's done all sorts of terrible things."

But ultimately, in terms of family ties, they didn't truly sever all ties, which is commendable.

She praised Zhu Yunwen.

In Empress Ma's view, the fourth prince had rebelled, but instead of dying young as she had expected, he lived to the age of sixty-five.

There is only one possibility: after the fourth prince's defeat, Zhu Yunwen did not take action against his own uncle.

Instead, they chose methods like imprisonment to keep the fourth son under their control.

From this perspective, it's not bad.

Upon hearing what his sister said, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that she had misunderstood.

He was already convinced that the fourth prince's rebellion would fail.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Let alone his own sister, even if he were in modern times, he would be extremely shocked and puzzled if he had only just found out that his fourth brother had rebelled and succeeded in becoming emperor. He would not have understood how his fourth brother had done it.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew better than anyone else how substantial the fortune he left to Zhu Yunwen before his death was.

It can be said that this was done to ensure that Zhu Yunwen could maintain his position after taking power and to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.

He carried out a purge of the generals in the army, which undeniably affected combat effectiveness to some extent.

However, even without Lan Yu and his men, the Ming army can still fight!

Their wealth remains exceptionally substantial, making a rebellion far more difficult than anyone could achieve.

But the fourth prince succeeded in his rebellion, marching all the way from Beiping to Nanjing.

In his modern days, he saw some comments suggesting that a large part of the reason the fourth prince was able to successfully rebel was because he purged his own troops, severely weakening the Ming army.

That's why the fourth brother was able to turn the tables in the end.

If Lan Yu and others were still alive, Zhu Yunwen's throne would be absolutely secure.

Zhu Yuanzhang simply smiled and remained silent in response to these remarks.

This is simply because they don't understand what kind of person Lan Yu is, or the situation in their own Ming Dynasty.

Lan Yu's abilities are indeed very strong, but his personality is also arrogant enough to surpass his abilities!

Even when he was still alive, he was able to order his own people to attack and forcibly take down the city after he returned from destroying the Northern Plains Royal Court, because the border guards were a little slow in opening the city gates.

After his own death, Zhu Yunwen, such a worthless scoundrel, came to power. How could he possibly control him?

Given Zhu Yunwen's actions after taking the throne, such as reducing the power of the princes and drastically elevating the status of civil officials while suppressing military generals, Lan Yu would probably rebel even faster than the fourth prince.

If Lan Yu were still alive, after the Jingnan Rebellion, it probably wouldn't have taken the fourth prince even four years to enter Nanjing.

He is different from Geng Bingwen, Ping An, Zhai Neng, and Mei Yin.

Even after Zhu Yunwen had done those things, they would still act according to his orders.

"Girl, that's not how it is. That kid isn't that kind-hearted."

It was our fourth son who, after raising an army, marched all the way from Beiping to Yingtian City to quell the rebellion.

He ousted Zhu Yunwen from the throne and became emperor.

what? !

Empress Ma was stunned when she heard what Zhu Yuanzhang said.

The news was so unexpected that everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

No... what did I hear?
The fourth brother not only rebelled, but he also succeeded in rebelling?
No... how did he do that?!

how can that be!

The disparity between the two sides was too great, so how could the fourth prince have succeeded in his rebellion?
Seeing his sister's surprised expression, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but smile to himself, finding it amusing.

"Zhongba, the fourth brother... how did the fourth brother do it?"

Empress Ma inquired about this matter.

She had given up thinking and decided to ask for the correct answer directly.

Because no matter how she thought about it, the fourth brother was doomed.

But in the end, the fourth brother turned the tables!
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "In this respect, it is naturally because our fourth son is particularly good at fighting. You have to be strong yourself to be able to fight."

On the other hand, Zhu Yunwen was such a stupid bastard that he caused all sorts of things that were unpopular.

Of course, besides these two aspects, there is another important factor, namely, Jinglong played a crucial role in this.

"Girl, you have no idea, Jinglong was later known as the God of War of the Ming Dynasty!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang said this, he appeared serious on the surface, but he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

He was planning to play a not-too-big-but-not-too-small joke on his sister.

Let's see how my own sister reacts to this.

When I finally uncover the mystery, I imagine my sister's reaction will be incredibly amusing. The title of "Great Ming War God"—how intimidating!

If I hadn't known about Li Jinglong's achievements during the Fourth Prince's Fengtian Rebellion in modern times, I would have been completely stunned by the title of "God of War of the Ming Dynasty."

It can only be said that in later generations, there were no natural ideological constraints such as kings, nobles, generals, and ministers. In addition, with nine years of compulsory education, a sharp increase in the level of public intelligence, and the emergence of the Internet as a medium, there were many more collisions of ideas.

This makes people's thinking more active, and when they speak, they tend to be more witty.

For example, in the old version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang verbally abused Wang Lang to death, which was incredibly exciting.

As a result, it was turned into a bizarre and hilarious video, with all sorts of creative twists and turns.

what?
Empress Ma was once again taken aback by Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

Clearly, no one expected that Li Jinglong would later make such a name for himself.

He was actually called the God of War of the Ming Dynasty!

The title of "Great Ming War God" is so prestigious and rare that just hearing it makes one understand its glory and rarity!

Throughout history, very few people have been able to earn such a title; each one of them was no ordinary person.

Military geniuses like Han Xin, the god of war Bai Qi, and military genius Li Jing... which one of them didn't achieve legendary feats?

Which one of them, in terms of military strategy, doesn't inspire awe?
It's incredible that Jinglong has such a title!

This is a true case of a powerful grandfather surpassing his ancestors. Even Bao'er, the father and the Duke of Cao of the Ming Dynasty, is absolutely no match for Jinglong in this regard.

A true scion of a military family! This is what a scion of a military family looks like!
Like father, like son; that's exactly what Bao'er and Jinglong are like!
It seems that Jinglong sided with the fourth brother during his conquest of the world and achieved great military exploits.

Many of the battles were absolutely spectacular, featuring numerous legendary clashes.

Otherwise, there would never have been a title like "God of War of the Ming Dynasty".

"Jinglong is a really amazing kid! I've had a feeling for a long time that he's different from other kids, and that he'll achieve something extraordinary in the future."

Who would have thought this child would be even more capable than I imagined!

Empress Ma exclaimed with deep emotion.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but suppress a laugh as he listened to what his sister had to say.

On the surface, he also pretended to be calm.

My little sister is so funny. I'll tell her the answer later and let her know where Jinglong's title of "Great Ming War God" came from. I'm sure her reaction will be quite interesting.

Zhu Yuanzhang was already looking forward to it, and subtly glanced around the room a few times.

Once he confirmed that he didn't see the feather duster, he felt even more at ease.

……

"Where did you get all these cannons?"

How could artillery be so powerful and durable?

How did you manage to acquire so many powerful cannons in such a short time when the Ming Dynasty had never possessed them before?
On the warship, Chen Zhili asked urgently, almost using all his strength.

He genuinely wanted to die knowing the truth.

This time I suffered a huge loss, the kind of loss that completely ruined me.

Now that things have come to this, he has no other thoughts but to figure out how the Ming Dynasty managed to develop such cannons.

If it weren't for the fact that the Ming Dynasty had so many cannons, catching them completely off guard...

They were absolutely certain of victory against the Ming Dynasty's navy this time.

He was also certain that a year ago, the Ming Dynasty did not have such cannons.

After all, at that time, Wu Liang and Wu Zhen were still alive and had not been dealt with.

He himself was also part of the Japanese naval forces, and had many informants.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty's navy was no secret to him at all.

If the Ming Dynasty had cannons of such power, he would have known long ago.

But... it's too unbelievable that these cannons were produced in just about a year.

Did he receive guidance from an immortal?
Otherwise, how could the power of artillery have been increased so much in just one year?

He could accept it if it were just one or two subjects, or even dozens.

The key thing is that there are hundreds of these things!
How is this possible!
If he doesn't figure this out, he won't be able to die in peace.

Upon hearing Chen Zhili's question, Zhu Di waved his hand, signaling those who were pulling Chen Zhili toward the execution to stop.

Looking at Chen Zhili, he said, "You want to know?"

Chen Zhili nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

He didn't just want to know; he desperately wanted to know!
"Then I won't tell you. Do you want to die knowing how you died?"

I'm telling you, you're delusional!

"After all the inhuman things you've done, you still want me to grant your dying wish? You're dreaming!"

Chen Zhili, who was listening intently and trying to unravel his doubts, suddenly widened his eyes upon hearing Prince Yan Zhu Di's words, and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

No... what kind of rubbish is this?!
How could Zhu Laosi be so vicious?

Can't even a dying person's dying wish be fulfilled?
If you're not going to satisfy me, why make me stop and pretend to give me the answer first?
"Take him away and execute him. Oh, and first, since his mouth can't be covered, cut off his tongue."

After killing Chen Zhili and destroying his spirit, Zhu Di immediately confessed.

"You scoundrel... Waaaaah..."

In his shock and anger, Chen Zhili was about to shout a curse.

But he could only utter a few words before he could stop, his mouth was gagged.

His tongue was quickly cut off, and he could only make some indistinct whimpering sounds, making it impossible to understand what he was cursing.

Although Zhu Di knew that Chen Zhili's insults must be very harsh, as long as he couldn't say them and couldn't understand them, then it wasn't an insult directed at him.

Seeing Chen Zhili like this, Zhu Di felt a sense of satisfaction.

He showed Chen Zhili absolutely no pity.

Regardless of the terrible things Chen Youding did back then, the atrocities committed by Chen's pirate gang over the years are enough to justify his fate.

Before his death, Zhu Di felt uneasy if he didn't strike him hard enough to destroy his spirit.

Of course, a large part of the reason he treated Chen Zhili this way was that he wanted to destroy his morale.

On the other hand, if you really asked him about this matter, he couldn't explain it either.

He naturally knew quite a bit about these things.

The apparent reason was the strong support from his father, the emperor, and the fact that Tao Wanhu and others in the firearms battalion were also working hard to make firearms.

Ultimately, this allowed them to create so many incredibly powerful cannons.

However, these are only the superficial reasons.

The deeper reasons, such as how they discovered that doing so could produce such a useful cannon.

In this, how much effort did his own father, the emperor, put in, and so on.

What he couldn't understand even more was how his father knew so much.

As far as he knows, his father is not only knowledgeable about firearms, but also about culture, economics, and other aspects.

He originally thought his father was exceptionally capable, and that nothing could stump him.

Now, he feels more and more that his father, the emperor, is unfathomable and practically omnipotent.

While Zhu Di's thoughts were wandering far away, Chen Zhili was being tortured, his flesh sliced ​​off piece by piece and thrown into the sea...

……

"Girl, from what we've gathered, it seems that the fourth brother didn't initially have any rebellious intentions."

The biggest reason for this was that Zhu Yunwen, that beast, went too far.

He left his uncles no way out.

The methods used to weaken the power of the princes were too cruel. A year after taking action against the fifth prince, within a month they successively weakened the power of the seventh, twelfth, and thirteenth princes, all on charges of treason!

In the Kunning Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang continued to answer Empress Ma's questions.

"Old Twelfth has a strong character and is unwilling to suffer such humiliation."

He chose to prove his innocence through death.

When confronted by those who came to arrest him, he simply set his entire household ablaze in flames…

Empress Ma: ? ? ? !!!
(End of this chapter)