Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 364 Urgent Delivery

At the port of Dengzhou, the sea breeze whips and flutters the sun, moon, and dragon flags, its sound like the waves.

Zhu Youjian, with a golden dragon coiled in his sleeve, stood with his hands behind his back on the naval command platform.

Before them stretched ten thousand miles of clear water, dotted with thousands of ships; behind them stood forty thousand elite troops, generals who had fought a hundred battles.

The sky is high and the clouds are light, the sea is wide and the wind is long.

Beneath the command platform, the harbor resembles an enormous jade bowl, brimming with the empire's ambitions.

Just as Zhu Youjian was experiencing a surge of emotions, a rapid and chaotic sound of hooves ripped through the port's usual hustle and bustle like a sharp blade.

"Urgent dispatch—!"

A hoarse shout came from the end of the port avenue, as if carrying the sandstorms and bloodshed of the border.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn over.

A swift horseman galloped towards the command platform, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The knight, dressed in the uniform of a courier, was already soaked with sweat and dust. He lay prone on the horse's back, almost becoming one with his mount.

His horse was exceptionally fine, clearly a steed that had been changed several times. At this moment, it was foaming at the mouth, its hooves flying, and it was at its last gasp.

The warhorse galloped to the foot of the command platform, let out a mournful neigh, its front hooves buckled, and it collapsed to its knees, never to rise again.

The knight reacted swiftly, rolling off his horse just before it collapsed. He tumbled several steps, ignoring his injuries, and staggered to his feet. Holding a copper pipe sealed with sealing wax aloft, he hissed, "Liaodong, Commander Sun, an urgent military report from 800 li away, presented to His Majesty!"

The surrounding noise fell completely silent at this moment.

The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the mournful sound of the sea breeze blowing the flags and the heavy breathing of the dying warhorse.

Qin Liangyu's face was ashen. She personally stepped down from the command platform, took the copper tube from the postman, and quickly presented it to Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian's face was expressionless.

He quietly reached out and took the brass tube, still warm from the knight's body. His movements were steady and deliberate, and with a gentle twist of his well-defined fingers, the sealing wax cracked with a soft click.

He pulled a secret letter wrapped in oilcloth from the copper tube.

Unfold the oilcloth, and inside is a memorial written on silk.

The calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, with strong and elegant strokes, clearly the work of Sun Chengzong.

Zhu Youjian's gaze fell upon the silk.

On the command platform, you could hear a pin drop.

Qin Liangyu and her officers held their breath, their eyes fixed on the emperor.

They saw the emperor's pupils seem to contract slightly for a moment. His hand holding the silk was as steady as a rock, yet the edges of the silk tightened slightly due to the silent force exerted by his fingertips.

"Memorial on Military Affairs in Liaodong"

Your subject, Sun Chengzong, kneels to report to Your Majesty:

...I dispatched night spies and secret agents to spy on the situation several times during the Jingzhe solar term, and finally received a definite report. The slave chieftain Huang Taiji has already issued an order to gather troops.

His order was: All the troops in the country, except for those guarding the Khorchin in the north and the Zhenjiang in the east, all the remaining Gushan Ejen and Meile Ejen of the Eight Banners, regardless of whether they were Manchu, Mongol or Han, shall be conscripted and begin to assemble at our Guangning defense line immediately.

Judging from their formation, banners blotted out the sun, and armored soldiers were as numerous as clouds. From Shenyang to the Liao River, camps were linked together, with smoke rising from cooking fires. Their vanguard scouts had already reached the west bank of the Liao River and were occasionally engaging our cavalry in battle.

This time, the Manchu chieftain mobilized his entire force, bringing with him the elite troops accumulated over more than a decade, and the entire destiny of the nation. His momentum was overwhelming, like a collapsing mountain or a tsunami, determined to achieve his goal in one decisive battle, capturing Guangning and seizing all of western Liaoning.

The characters on the silk were sharp as knives, and the sentences were sharp as awls.

There was no superfluous analysis, no lengthy requests for instructions, only the most direct and coldly honest statements of facts.

The Jurchens have launched a full-scale attack!

This was not merely a large-scale military offensive; Huang Taiji had staked the entire fate of the Later Jin dynasty on this high-stakes gamble.

Zhu Youjian slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over the crowd, and once again looked at the vast and boundless sea.

The sea breeze ruffled the hair on his forehead, and his eyes were as deep as the night, as if they could pierce through time and space and see on the other side of the Liao River, countless Jurchen soldiers gathered into a torrent of steel.

Zhu Youjian slowly and deeply inhaled, the breath seeming to stir up pent-up thunder.

A trapped beast.

These two words exploded in his mind.

This is the struggle of a cornered beast, the desperate fight of a cornered enemy!

The secret report included another piece of intelligence transmitted from the secret chambers during the "Awakening of Insects" (惊蛰) period, which concisely explained the root cause of Huang Taiji's actions.

"This year there has been a severe drought, followed by locusts. The people have nothing to eat, and people are resorting to cannibalism. Many cattle and horses have died, and soldiers are filled with resentment. Each of the princes has his own agenda, especially Amin. The chieftain is beset by internal and external troubles, and if he does not fight, he will collapse on his own. Therefore, he is taking a desperate gamble to sustain the war."

Natural disasters and man-made calamities, coupled with internal rifts and a survival crisis, finally cornered Huang Taiji.

He has no chance to wait until next spring when the flowers bloom.

The Ming Dynasty could wait, Sun Chengzong's fortress could wait, but his tribe and his hungry soldiers could not wait!
Rather than perish in internal strife amidst hunger and cold, it is better to concentrate all our strength into a final blow, smash through the hard shell of western Liaoning, and seize space for survival.

If we win, we will have all of western Liaoning, and have a full view of the Central Plains, thus turning the tide of the nation's fate in one fell swoop.

If defeated, the nation's strength will be exhausted, and there will be no chance of recovery. It will disintegrate amidst internal and external troubles.

Zhu Youjian smiled.

He envisioned the game as one where he could patiently wait for the opportune moment, lay out his strategy calmly, and then strike decisively with a thunderous blow.

But their opponents couldn't wait any longer.

Huang Taiji overturned the chessboard, grabbed all the chess pieces, and fiercely hurled them at Zhu Youjian's face.

This is a desperate act.

"Your Majesty..." Qin Liangyu stepped forward, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Zhu Youjian turned around.

All emotion had vanished from his face, replaced by a calm as if it were frozen solid.

"Qin Liangyu." His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Your subject is here!" Qin Liangyu knelt on one knee, the armor plates striking each other with a resounding clang.

"All troops are ready with arrows drawn, swords unsheathed, and weapons at their ready for battle!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals looked puzzled, but Qin Liangyu's gaze sharpened as she waited for what she would say next.

"You are the sharpest sword in my hand. A good sword should not be drawn lightly. I want you to become a sword hanging over the heads of the Jurchens! Once the Liaodong war begins..."

He withdrew his gaze, stared intently at Qin Liangyu, and said, word by word:

"At that time, it may be Lushun, Zhenjiang, or any coastline that the Jurchen chieftain could never have imagined! Your mission is to appear at the most critical moment and in the most critical place, and deliver a fatal blow to the Jurchens!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Qin Liangyu's voice was more composed and resolute than before.

The emperor's gaze then turned to the remaining generals present.

"The rest of the units, hold fast to Dengzhou, maintain the sea routes, and ensure the smooth flow of supplies and troops! Dengzhou is the foundation of the Northern Expedition; it cannot be lost!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" the generals shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

The order has been given.

However, as everyone could see, the emperor did not stop there.

He took off his black casual clothes, revealing a tight-fitting outfit underneath that was suitable for riding and archery.

Zhu Youjian strode down from the command platform and went straight to the magnificent imperial horse that had just been brought in.

"His Majesty!"

"Where does Your Majesty wish to go?!"

The courtiers were greatly alarmed and quickly followed suit.

Zhu Youjian mounted his horse with clean, swift movements. He reined in his horse, his posture upright as a pine tree, his gaze sweeping over his panicked ministers with lightning speed.

His voice, at this moment, was no longer calm, but carried a resolute tone like the clash of metal, resounding throughout the entire Dengzhou Port:

"The slave chieftain had no patience to wait until the spring of next year."

He paused, looking around at the fleet he had built and the base he had created, his eyes burning with a raging fire that seemed to devour the heavens and the earth.

"How can I, the Emperor, sit here and quietly avoid the cold winter?!"

He pulled hard on the reins, and the warhorse reared up, letting out a loud neigh.

"Preach my will!"

"Prepare the carriage and head north!"

The horse's hooves landed heavily, kicking up dust.

Zhu Youjian did not look back at the thousands of masts behind him, nor did he linger in this harbor that symbolized wealth and power.

His gaze pierced through the void, locking firmly on the north.

"I personally went to see the snow in Liaodong this year!"

(End of this chapter)