Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 207 Chengchou is Ill, the Rebels are Deadly (Part 2)

Hong Chengchou never expected that his trick of feigning illness to resign would actually work, and that it would be effective on the first try.

If you don't run now, when will you wait?
After receiving the approval, he immediately gave instructions to his subordinates and then hurriedly boarded a carriage to head back to his hometown, as if he were afraid that the current emperor might change his mind.

In fact, he was not only worried that the current emperor would change his mind, but he was also worried that Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong would take action before he even got home.

He had finally managed to clear himself of the involvement, and he didn't want anything to happen on the way.

He even ordered his confidants to tell Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong that no matter what, they should at least wait another ten or twenty days until he got home before taking action.

This was already the fastest speed possible, considering he was still holed up north of Kaifeng, and the Central Plains were still covered in ice and snow, making it impossible to travel by boat.

He would first have to take a horse-drawn carriage to Xuzhou, then charter a fast boat at a high price, hire two teams of people to row in shifts, rowing frantically. Even at that rate, it would probably take at least half a month to get home.

Zhang Xianzhong was in no hurry to take action, because at this time only the southern part of Runing Prefecture had been unsealed, while the Chongfan region, which was closest to him, was still covered in ice and snow.

Leading a large army on an attack also requires considering the issue of setting up camp; it's impossible for hundreds of thousands of troops to set up camp in the freezing cold.

Therefore, he gathered his troops and waited south of Runing Prefecture, not rushing to make a move, seemingly to give Hong Chengchou face.

Gao Yingxiang seemed even less anxious. After receiving the news, he actually ordered his men to disperse and move south, with their forces heading straight for the Central Plains!

As for why he spared the lives of several princes in Shanxi, it was certainly not because they lacked funds and provisions.

The Jin and Dai vassal states were among the most powerful vassal states in the land, with abundant wealth and provisions.

The key is that the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Dai, and the Prince of Shen in Shanxi still have value, so he cannot touch them yet.

This is useful not just to him, but to the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou!
Historically, this was also the case. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong roamed around, wantonly plundering vassal states and massacring vassal kings and their families. However, they did not touch the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Dai, and the Prince of Shen when they raided Shanxi several times.

Finally, in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Li Zicheng marched all the way from Shaanxi to the capital and finally captured the Jin, Dai, and Shen vassal states. Moreover, he only captured these three vassal states and did not massacre the imperial families of the Jin, Dai, and Shen vassal states.

Most bizarrely, he also brought Prince Zhu Shenxuan of Jin to the vicinity of Shanhaiguan, where the prince was "captured" by the Jurchens!

Such a bizarre and outlandish event is of unknown origin, or perhaps the Prince of Jin still has some value to the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou.

Let's leave those aside for now.

After receiving Zhu Jue's imperial edict, Pan Guozhong and Pan Yunteng also rushed to the capital.

Although the north was covered in ice and snow, the Yangtze River was still not frozen. In addition, the ships of the Beijing naval forces were concentrated in the south, so Pan Guozhong and Pan Yunteng arrived in Beijing quite quickly.

After about ten days, they arrived in the capital.

At this time, Hong Chengchou was still on his way home.

Neither Gao Yingxiang nor Zhang Xianzhong rushed to make a move.

The main reason Zhu Jue summoned the Pan brothers, Guozhong and Yunteng, was to discuss matters concerning the princes and their families.

He could send secret edicts or verbal instructions for other matters, but not for this kind of thing; he had to explain it to the person in person.

At the same time, he also wanted to test whether Pan Yunteng was truly loyal. If Pan Yunteng was truly loyal, he would definitely come to the capital without hesitation after receiving the imperial edict. If he had ulterior motives, he would probably find all sorts of excuses to avoid it.

If he discovers that Pan Yunteng has ulterior motives at this time, it will be easy to deal with. He can simply stop Pan Yunteng's food supply, and then Pan Yunteng will be unable to cause trouble.

If they only discover the disloyalty when they start dealing with the princes and royal families, it will be too late. The money, grain, and land seized from the princes and royal families will at least sustain Pan Yunteng's hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of disaster victims for a few years.

Fortunately, Pan Yunteng had no ulterior motives. After receiving the imperial edict, the young man abandoned everything and rushed to the capital.

Around 9 a.m. that day, after he finished dealing with the memorials, he did not rush to go out, because he calculated that the brothers Pan Guozhong and Pan Yunteng should arrive by now.

Sure enough, not long after, Fang Zhenghua strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Generals Pan and his two brothers have come to pay their respects by imperial decree."

Zhu Jue waved his hand without hesitation and said, "Summon."

Soon, two burly men strode in, cupped their hands and bowed, saying, "This humble general greets Your Majesty."

One of them was naturally Pan Guozhong, and the other even covered his face completely with a collar, leaving only his eyes showing.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue glanced at Wang Chengen and Liu Ruoyu beside him, and then said kindly, "Yun Teng, take off your apron. It's alright, there are no outsiders here." Upon hearing this, Pan Yun Teng quickly tore off his apron.

Zhu Jue took a closer look and nodded slightly.

This young man is truly heroic and extraordinary; he even looks somewhat like Zhao Yun from a certain drama in later generations.

With that face and the cloud-like lines at the corners of her eyes, she really had to cover it up; otherwise, she would be imprinted in people's minds at first glance.

Without further ado, he asked directly, "Yun Teng, what kind of person is Prince Rui?"

Uh, you're asking me that?
That's your own uncle!
Pan Yunteng hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to hear the truth?"

This is natural.

Zhu Jue replied without hesitation, "Just say what you have to say, and I will pardon you."

Then I said it.

Pan Yunteng succinctly stated: "Your Majesty, this humble general dares to be bold, but Prince Rui is tyrannical and extravagant, and is very unpopular in Hanzhong Prefecture."

These princes and royal family members, if they can't become emperor, they indulge in extravagance and debauchery, right?
Zhu Jue nodded slowly, then solemnly said, "Yun Teng, the main reason I summoned you here this time is for the matter of the princes and royal family."

Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong were short of money and food. No matter how much they plundered other places, they could not possibly obtain enough money and food to support hundreds of thousands of troops. Therefore, they would definitely attack the vassal states and target the vassal kings and their families.

On the surface, you are also a rebel king, and you have already become the biggest rebel king. If Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong have both taken action, and you still dare not do anything to Prince Rui, it will definitely arouse suspicion.

There are plenty of cunning people out there these days. If you think about it carefully, you can figure out where your money and provisions come from. I bet some people are already wondering if I secretly gave you these money and provisions.

Therefore, you must find a way to do something to guide those people to think elsewhere, so that they will no longer doubt your relationship with me. Prince Rui is an opportunity. After all, he is my uncle. If you dare to deal with him, those people should stop wondering what relationship you have with me.

Since Prince Rui is unpopular, once you return, secretly prepare that once Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong make their move against the other princes, you immediately seize Hanzhong Prefecture and place Prince Rui and his entire household under house arrest within the palace.”

what?
You've ordered me to place Prince Rui under house arrest!
Pan Yunteng was taken aback upon hearing this.

However, he quickly recovered and bowed, saying, "This humble general obeys the order."

Hmm, not bad. Without asking why, as long as there is an order, even vassal kings dare to be arrested. That's how a general should act.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "How many troops have you recruited? How are they training? Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong will make their move no later than after the lockdown is lifted."

Pan Yunteng quickly explained in detail: "Your Majesty, most of the disaster victims who came to Hanzhong later were young and strong, with very few old, weak, women and children. The source of soldiers is quite abundant. This humble general has already recruited 900,000 troops."

Of these 900,000 troops, the 500,000 originally conscripted soldiers have almost finished training in formation and have been equipped, and are barely ready to be deployed for battle.

As for the remaining 400,000, they have only just completed their formation and haven't had much time to train. However, I will intensify their training. Once the North Canal is reopened and the weapons and equipment arrive, they should be ready to go into battle.

You have 900,000 men under your command!
Fortunately, I have found a way to recoup my losses, so I'm not short of money now. Otherwise, the provisions for 900,000 troops would have been a real problem for me.

Your 900,000 troops are almost enough, the key is to avoid any problems.

If the Ming army suffered a mysterious defeat or was even sent away in a bizarre and absurd manner, then the 1.9 million troops were all fake.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then asked, "With your hasty expansion of your forces, there is a high possibility that spies could be planted. Once the war starts, these spies could tip you off or cause trouble in the rear, and your 900,000-strong army could collapse inexplicably. Have you thought about that?"

I will naturally guard against this spy.

Pan Yunteng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise. We must indeed guard against spies. I have also considered this matter carefully."

Therefore, the generals and even the captains of various ranks that I used were all disciples recruited before the uprising. These disciples had no idea that I was going to start an uprising at the beginning, and since they were all from Hanzhong Prefecture, the possibility of spies infiltrating them should be very small.

I also used various methods to examine my subordinates. Only those who were without problems could command thousands of troops, and only those who were absolutely loyal could command tens of thousands.

Only the nine most loyal among them can command an army of 100,000. I even specially selected the true words of the Celestial Masters sect and bestowed upon them names. They are all of the "Tian" generation, followed by "Lin," "Bing," "Dou," "Zhe," "Jie," "Zhen," "Qian," and "Xun." For example, my eldest disciple is named Zhao Tianlin. If Your Majesty hears such a name in the future, it must be one of them.

Hmm, your method is good. All the officers and soldiers at all levels have been following you since before the uprising, and they are all from Hanzhong Prefecture. The possibility of spies infiltrating them is indeed not high.

It seems you are truly capable of great things.

(End of this chapter)