Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 144 The Great Ming Dynasty's Gu Breeding Farm Officially Opens

His Highness Prince Fu?!
Upon hearing these four words, everyone in the room stood up and expressed their utmost respect to the tall, stout man in the python robe.

Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun.

Regardless, he was someone who almost became the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

His dispute with Emperor Guangzong (Zhu Changluo) over the succession to the throne was a well-known and widely publicized affair throughout the country.

Some people speculate that it is also closely related to the Red Pill Case and the Clubbing Case.

Although Zhu Changxun ultimately failed to ascend to the throne due to the immense resistance to his strategy of deposing the eldest son and establishing a younger one, which would lead to chaos.

However, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, also gained considerable prestige among the people as a result.

If Prince Fu were chosen to be the "legitimate" emperor...

As long as these major families provide strong support, there shouldn't be too much resistance in terms of public support.

After all, it was a decade or two ago.

To build momentum, Prince Fu often sent people to spread the word among the people: Prince Fu is the true Son of Heaven, and the world will be prosperous when Prince Fu ascends the throne.

This is based on a solid foundation.

Although the so-called resistance from those commoners was something that the major aristocratic families could easily deal with.

But it's always better to avoid trouble than to create more trouble, isn't it?
Moreover, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, was not only renowned.

Their strength should not be underestimated.

More than a decade ago, when Prince Fu had just taken up his post in Luoyang.

Emperor Shenzong then “exploited the resources of the entire nation to enrich Prince Fu, making Luoyang as wealthy as the imperial palace.”

In addition, Prince Fu himself was quite capable.

Besides the millions of acres of fertile land that the emperor had previously bestowed upon him.

The prince's palace housed numerous assassins and also operated a host of highly profitable businesses, including saltworks, iron mines, horse farms, and arms shops.

The fact that Prince Fu was able to snatch such a large piece of meat from the local powerful families is enough to demonstrate his strength.

you could put it that way.

If it weren't for the need to maintain a delicate balance between imperial power and aristocratic families.

Prince Fu could single-handedly subdue all the powerful families in Henan and become the true king of the entire province.

Never underestimate this ability.

Henan has been a strategic location for conquering the Central Plains since ancient times, so the fact that Prince Fu was able to establish himself here shows that he was no pushover.

So when everyone in the room learned of Prince Fu's identity, they all smiled and greeted him, saying, "Greetings to His Highness Prince Fu."

May the Prince of Fu enjoy boundless blessings and peace.

"."

Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, smiled and nodded in response to each person. After greeting everyone, he casually found a seat and sat down with a smile.

You can sit anywhere.

But those words about establishing a separate central government, coupled with the sudden appearance of Prince Fu, were all in vain.

At this moment, it was as if wherever Prince Fu sat, that place became the center of attention.

As Prince Fu settled down, everyone else followed suit and sat down as well. The old man from the other side continued speaking:
"As I just said, our biggest obstacle right now is that brat emperor who has seized the moral high ground."

"As long as the greater good is on one's side, there will be immense pressure on people's hearts when taking action against them. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have decided to recommend His Highness Prince Fu as the new emperor."

"Once His Highness Prince Fu ascends the throne in Nanjing, the fate of the world will once again belong to the Promised Land. What are your opinions?"

The words fell.

The hundred or so people in the room exchanged glances.

The ascension of Prince Fu to the throne is in the best interests of all of them at that moment.

Aside from the fact that the greater good is not on their side, their own side is constrained in everything they do.

One of the problems currently facing these powerful families is the lack of leadership.

Once Prince Fu becomes emperor, these two major problems can be solved immediately.

So everyone agreed:
"If His Highness Prince Fu can seize this opportunity to ascend the throne, restore order, and revitalize the court, then the Huang family of Hebei will certainly give our full support!"

"The emperor is cruel and tyrannical, and is not worthy to be the emperor of our Great Ming Dynasty. His Highness Prince Fu is the true ruler of the world!"

"We should no longer call that man in Beijing the emperor; he is a false emperor!"

"."

Looking at the almost unanimous support from everyone in the room.

Zhu Changxun still had a smiling face.

Logically speaking, people shouldn't speak so bluntly, after all, everyone present is an important figure.

The more important a person is, the more they need to pay attention to the trivialities of appearances.

Not to mention that the matter being discussed by everyone was such a momentous one.

But the current situation in the Ming Dynasty is one that cannot be delayed any longer for them.

Even Zhu Changxun himself no longer considered staging the drama of three invitations and three refusals.

Follow the authority in urgent matters.

Zhu Changxun had long coveted the dragon throne, the throne of supreme power.

For someone like him, the throne held an almost fatal attraction.

For nearly a decade, Zhu Changxun has felt remorse almost every day for his failure to seize the throne.

If I had acted more decisively back then, would the Ming Dynasty have fallen to such a state of utter defeat?!
If he had been in charge, the Ming Dynasty would have long since restored the glorious scene of all nations paying tribute during the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu.

Various thoughts have been swirling in Zhu Changxun's mind in recent years.

So almost as soon as the leaders of the powerful families in the Jiangnan region approached him, Zhu Changxun agreed to their requests.

The powerful families needed a true emperor, and he also wanted to be that emperor; it was a win-win situation.

Zhu Changxun slowly sat up from his chair, looked at everyone, and said:

"Gentlemen, I have heard about the misdeeds my nephew has committed in recent days, and I am deeply saddened by his outrageous actions."

"If we let them continue to cause trouble like this, I don't know how much more our Great Ming Dynasty will suffer, or how many more prefectures and counties will be devastated."

"Therefore, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and its millions of people, I am aware that this action is contrary to ancestral rules and etiquette."

"But for now, we can only try to act as shepherds for the people and set things right."

"After the kings Jie and Zhou are punished, I will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to apologize to the founding emperor."

After Zhu Changxun finished making these polite remarks, there was naturally another round of conversation inside the room, which we won't go into detail about.

Once the commotion subsided, the elderly man in the center stepped forward again and spoke:
"Seven days later will be an auspicious day, and His Highness Prince Fu will travel to Nanjing on that day to ascend the throne and become emperor."

"While we have this time, we must make this known to the people of the world as soon as possible and issue a proclamation to the false emperor to denounce the traitor."

"Only in this way can the hearts of all the people be won over to the true and legitimate emperor of my Great Ming!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

They immediately wrote letters and had them delivered to their respective homes by express courier, instructing their families to begin handling these two important matters.

The latter needs no further explanation.

The proclamation denouncing the traitors was personally written by Qian Qianyi, the leader of the Donglin Party.

The entire article was written with great insight and clarity, making readers hate the false emperor to the core.

This is very simple; all you need to do is have people continuously distribute it in various places.

The former requires more effort.

If you want the common people all over the country to support the new emperor, you definitely have to give these bastards some benefits.

After all, the scene of two suns existing in one dynasty is unprecedented in the entire history of China.

Therefore, these aristocratic families must shed some blood in order to truly win the hearts of the people.

However, there's no need to worry too much about this.

After the false emperor is killed.

The blood that was shed earlier can naturally be cut back little by little from those lowly people.

After arranging these things.

Everyone turned their attention back to Prince Fu.

Prince Fu also knew that what he was about to say was the key point.

We have already made preparations to deal with that false emperor, and now it's time to actually implement our measures against him.

Zhu Changxun's smile faded, and he first looked at Huang Ze, the representative of the powerful families in Hebei, and said:

"Elder Huang, after I ascend the throne in Nanjing in seven days, I will need your four great families to station troops near the capital and launch continuous attacks on the capital."

"And I will work with the other families to settle matters in various places as quickly as possible, and then mobilize the entire nation to send troops to advance into the capital."

"Even if that false emperor has the power to save the world, he will be trapped in the Forbidden City and unable to escape!"

Upon hearing this, the elderly and short-tempered Huang Ze's expression finally softened, and he nodded with a cold smile.

As Huang Ze nodded with a cold laugh, the others also showed contemptuous smiles on their faces.

This time.

What other way does that damned false emperor have to deal with them?

Yes!
The false emperor was indeed brave and skilled in battle, able to lead more than 10,000 men to Korea to win a war that would destroy the country, which was truly a remarkable achievement.

But what can be done about it?
Now their Shijia Group has a backbone.

The final interpretation of the greater good also fell into their hands.

They can send troops directly to the capital without any scruples. What can the false emperor do then?!

There are only tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire capital?
Could these people alone possibly hold off the hundreds of thousands of troops that the powerful families from all over the country have united?

The false emperor is a human being, not a god!

At that time, no matter what means they use, it will absolutely not work.

This is because the powerful families across the country have been united in an unprecedented way.

Everyone has one goal that must be achieved: to kill the false emperor!
Under this goal.

Neither psychological warfare nor attempts to sow discord could work against a false emperor.

And they could easily kill it.

By the time.

Hundreds of thousands of troops surrounded the capital.

No need to fight, just throw silver in.

So you think you're the only one who can win people over?!
You think there are some things only you can do?!

It was to be expected.

If some schemes are used, then apart from a small group of loyalists around the false emperor, the morale of the entire army in the capital will surely collapse.

They will find it as easy as taking the head of the false emperor.

Do not!
We can't let him die so easily.

He has brought a host of aristocratic families to this state.

He must be subjected to physical torture and forced to watch helplessly as everything he built with his own hands is destroyed, dying bit by bit in the greatest pain.

That way they can vent their anger!

Thinking of this, everyone in the room couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at having avenged their great grudge.

Huang Ze took the initiative to speak, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured."

"The four families of Hebei will keep a close watch on the capital and will never let that brat get wind of the news in advance and escape."

Zhu Changxun nodded: "I am relieved to hear Elder Huang say that."

"At that time, I will compensate you for the losses of your four families in Hebei, so that you may enjoy wealth and prosperity for generations to come."

"Moreover, Mr. Huang doesn't really need to worry too much about how much Hebei will suffer."

"With our combined efforts, we can send troops from all over the country to besiege the capital within a month."

"All Huang needs to do during this period is to keep an eye on the emperor with his men."

"Even if my nephew, the false emperor, gets cornered and decides to fight you to the death."

"We will immediately dispatch a force to support you, so that you will not be left to fight alone."

At this moment, the representatives of the other prominent families also faced Huang Ze and nodded solemnly.

Regardless of any past conflicts among them.

At least for this goal, they are united and loyal.

No one would stab a community of shared interests in the back under such circumstances.

If the noble families were that foolish, how could they have survived to this day? Hearing Zhu Changxun's words, Huang Ze's smile widened: "Since His Highness Prince Fu says so, then this old man is relieved."

"No, it seems we should address Your Majesty now."

"Hahaha—" Everyone inside burst into laughter.

"Absolutely! Prince Fu is the true Son of Heaven of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Changxun also resumed his smiling expression:

"Please wait until seven days later before changing your titles. I would like to hear you call me Your Highness for a few more days."

The crowd burst into even louder laughter, a scene that could only be described as a joyous celebration.

The hearty laughter lasted for quite a while before finally stopping.

Zhu Changxun's smile gradually faded, and his expression became serious: "There is one last thing I want to tell you all."

"I know very well that I was placed on the throne by the pillars of the Ming Dynasty."

"Therefore, you can rest assured that once I enter the Forbidden City, I will not implement any policies for governing the country that are similar to those of the false emperor Jie and Zhou."

"The governing principle after the Ming Dynasty was that the Zhu family and other aristocratic families would share the world."

Everyone looked at each other.

The smile that had just faded inevitably reappeared.

As long as the false emperor is killed, the Ming Dynasty will inevitably be ruled by a system of shared power between the imperial court and powerful families.

This doesn't even require any promises from the new emperor; it's obvious.

However, faced with Prince Fu's goodwill, everyone still bowed and greeted him:
"Your Highness Prince Fu is too kind!"

“Prince Fu is the true ruler of Yao and Shun. It is a great fortune for the Ming Dynasty to have such a sage ruler as Prince Fu.”

"It is truly a blessing from our past lives that we can become subjects of the Prince of Fu."

"."

In the back and forth of their conversation, all sorts of decadent music could be heard.

The entire garden seemed to be filled with laughter and joy, making it impossible for anyone to tear themselves away.

then.

The group held a lavish and grand banquet.

Each of them was celebrating the fact that their long-cherished wish was finally about to be fulfilled.

You, a mere mortal, are trying to shake the entire aristocratic family group with your own strength?
It's as laughable as an ant constantly crashing its tiny body against a towering tree.

How could a mere emperor like you possibly control the general trend of the world and the principles governing it?

Perhaps you embarked on this path for your so-called ideals.

But we will show you with our actions how ridiculous your ideals are.

When you hear this news in the capital, what a sight it will be! And how panicked you will be!

It's a pity we won't be able to see this scene for now.

But it won't be long before we're able to properly enjoy your pain.

the other side.

Inside the Forbidden City.

After Zhu Youjian returned, he heard Chen Xinjia recount the setbacks he encountered in establishing the new school.

Extremely rare.

Zhu Youjian did not provide a response immediately.

His main job was carrying out massacres, and his side job was art.

While I wouldn't say I'm completely clueless about math, physics, and chemistry, I'm certainly not very good at them either.

If you don't know something, you just don't know it.

It wouldn't matter who came.

He certainly knew some of the famous formulas or theorems that would be passed down through the ages.

But regarding its origin, we only know what it is, but not why it is.

Even if you were to explain those things, people of this era wouldn't understand.

We can't exactly make him teach himself, can we?
While this might have some effect, the Ming Dynasty at present does not have such a stable environment.

and so.

This was the first time Zhu Youjian had encountered a problem that even he found somewhat difficult.

If math, physics, and chemistry were as easy as slaughtering people, wouldn't that be wonderful?
Inside the palace, Zhu Youjian rubbed his temples, pondering how to solve this problem.

……

soon.

A day or two passed.

At this moment.

Chen Xinjia and a group of Hanlin students were pacing back and forth in the school.

This was the first time they had encountered a problem that even His Majesty was at a loss for.

Therefore, the desire of everyone to relieve His Majesty's worries and troubles reached its peak.

This group of people hadn't slept since returning to the capital from Zhu Youjian's absence, and everyone looked disheveled.

However, to everyone's surprise,

Just as Chen Xinjia was racking his brains...

Zhang Weixian and Cao Huachun suddenly burst in, their faces filled with anxiety.

Chen Xinjia looked at the two of them and frowned, asking, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

The two didn't have time to explain in detail, and hurriedly said:

"Something terrible has happened! Come with me to the palace immediately to report to His Majesty!"

"We just received intelligence that powerful families across the country are recommending Prince Fu to be crowned emperor in Nanjing, and the enthronement ceremony will be held in five days!"

"What!?" Everyone was shocked upon hearing this and hurriedly followed the two towards the palace.

Chen Xinjia was so anxious that he didn't even have time to pick up one of his shoes after running away.

Run all the way.

The rough floor tiles rubbed Chen Xinjia's shoeless foot until it bled, but he felt no pain at all.

Because at this moment, Chen Xinjia was filled with fear.

The fact that powerful families are recommending a new emperor is a major blow to the capital.

They were well aware of why the emperor was able to successfully leave the capital time and again.

That's all because the emperor held the moral high ground, and the powerful families dared not go too far in public.

But if the powerful families were to put forward a new emperor, they could easily use some tricks to turn the tide in their favor.

At that time, the powerful families in various regions will have a legitimate reason to fight!

With only the troops in the capital, there was no way they could contend with the powerful clans that had dominated the Ming Dynasty for a century.

They don't even need to use any schemes or tricks; they just need to send troops to surround the Forbidden City, and His Majesty and his people will be dragged to their deaths.

But how should we deal with this?!

As they ran, they discussed the situation urgently and finally realized that there seemed to be only one way to ensure their safety for the time being.

That is to have His Majesty lead the army to relocate the capital (a tactical retreat) to Korea.

North Korea is currently under control, and the aristocratic families have relatively little influence there.

Once there, they would establish Korea as the new central hub of the Ming Dynasty, and then slowly devise plans for what would follow.

Although this move has many flaws, it is still much better than staying in the capital.

Going to North Korea offers a glimmer of hope, while staying in Beijing means certain death.

This is an absolute gap in strength, which cannot be bridged or countered by any skill.

After a great struggle, the group finally managed to rush into the Qianqing Palace and saw that Zhu Youjian was still handling state affairs and had not yet gone to sleep. They immediately knelt down, and Zhang Weixian crawled forward on his knees, urgently calling out:
"Your Majesty, powerful families across the land are already preparing to elect the Prince of Fu to be emperor in Nanjing in five days. Currently, powerful families have their eyes and ears in every provincial administration office to create momentum for him!"

"Once the Prince of Fu succeeds in becoming emperor, he will surely lead elite troops from all over the country to attack the capital!"

"The few tens of thousands of troops inside the city are simply not enough to withstand the offensive from all over the country!"

"We are utterly incompetent and deserve to die! We beg Your Majesty to consider the importance of the Ming Dynasty and temporarily relocate the capital to Korea, ensuring our safety before making any further plans!"

Abandoning the capital and heading to Korea was an extremely painful decision for everyone.

Having finally achieved some success in the capital, and with their families all living there, who would want to leave?

Not to mention that the Forbidden City is also a symbol of the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, just the mention of moving the capital caused everyone to feel an indescribable pain in their chests.

But this matter can only be brought up by them, not by His Majesty himself.

Hear this.

Wang Chengen and Wei Zhongxian, who were serving him, immediately changed their expressions.

The Ninth Prince was slightly better off, but Wang Chengen was so frightened by Zhang Weixian's words that he lost his composure.

They actually dared to openly establish a new emperor?!
Zhu Youjian looked at the group of imperial supporters kneeling on the ground with sorrowful expressions, but slowly put down the book in his hand and stood up, his expression still calm and composed.

He seemed unaffected by the earth-shattering actions of the powerful families in various regions.

He asked calmly, "Is the information accurate?"

Zhang Weixian replied somewhat anxiously, "It's absolutely true! All the spies I sent to the various provincial administration offices have brought back this news."

"Moreover, the Hebei region is already preparing for war, and it will probably be a few days before they launch a direct attack on the capital!"

Zhu Youjian nodded, his expression remaining calm.

Industry specializing in surgery.

What may seem like a huge problem to others may be a trivial matter that can be easily solved by some.

This applies to mathematics as well as to political struggles.

Seeing that His Majesty did not respond, Zhang Weixian, who was at the very front of the procession, slammed his head heavily to the ground.
"Your Majesty! I am the Commander of the Capital Garrison, yet I have failed to protect the safety of the capital. Now, I have disregarded rank and spoken offensively. I deserve to die!"

"We urge you to make a decision immediately!"

"If you want to leave now, it's not too late. We will risk our lives to escort you out. But if you wait a few more days, it may be too late!"

The others, knowing the gravity of the matter, all kowtowed and cried out, "Your Majesty! We beg you to make a decision immediately!"

Faced with everyone's urging, Zhu Youjian calmly asked a question that left everyone scratching their heads.

"How many kings have been appointed throughout the country in our Great Ming Dynasty?"

Everyone looked up, staring at Zhu Youjian with disbelief.

Why would His Majesty ask such a trivial question at a time like this?!

Shouldn't the most pressing concern be the Prince of Fu's impending ascension to the throne and the nationwide uproar in his favor?

After a moment's hesitation, one of the officials in charge of matters related to the imperial clan looked up and answered:
"Your Majesty! Currently, there are a total of thirty-five vassal kings throughout the territory of our Great Ming! And the number of princes under them is countless."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly.

There need to be enough vassal kings to meet the needs.

He could not possibly leave the capital.

Leaving the capital would mean completely losing the hearts and minds of the people and the base of operations.

He knew very well what this meant.

He also knew that the powerful families in various regions wanted to win over the people by having the Prince of Fu declare himself emperor, and then gather a large army to besiege the capital.

From a strength perspective, the capital city is indeed no match for the entire national army at present.

This seems to be a dead end.

But dealing with it is actually quite simple.

Just make sure the other side can't gather that many people.

To achieve this, all that's needed is to turn Prince Fu's supposed ascension to the throne into a joke.

Zhu Youjian looked at everyone and slowly uttered a shocking statement that nearly shattered their minds.

"Go and convey my decree."

“From this day forward, all regional princes and dukes may declare themselves emperors.”

Since things have come to this point, let's just start raising the gu.

However, in this life-or-death struggle, Zhu Youjian was not the only Gu King who ultimately survived.

Instead, they are Gu breeders who can crush the Gu King at will.

(End of this chapter)