Ming Dynasty: A centenarian madman criticizes the Grand Secretary and brings his coffin to court!

Images flow across the sky.

The smoke of battle at Tumu Fortress and the "Knocker Emperor" who fled with his tail between his legs gradually faded away.

The camera then zooms out to Beijing, the heart of the Ming Dynasty, which was in turmoil.

【Ding--】

[Date: August 18th, the 14th year of the Zhengtong reign.]

Location: Beijing, Forbidden City, Meridian Gate (Imperial Court).

[Status: Panic grips the people, the world is collapsing!]

on the screen.

Dark clouds loom overhead, threatening to engulf the city.

The entire city of Beijing was shrouded in a suffocating silence.

News of the defeat at Tumu Fortress spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

Two hundred thousand elite troops were completely wiped out!

The civil and military officials were almost all killed or wounded!

Even the emperor... was captured by the Oirat people and sent to "study abroad"!

This news was like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone stunned!

above the hall.

The remaining civil and military officials were all ashen-faced, as if they had lost their parents.

Some were secretly wiping away tears, some were packing their belongings to run away, and some were so scared that they wet their pants.

Amidst this chaos.

A sharp and piercing voice rang out in the hall:

"Your Majesty! Your Excellencies!"

"Last night, I observed the celestial phenomena and saw that Mars was in conjunction with Antares, and the Purple Star was dim and without light!"

"This is a very bad omen!"

Xu Youzhen, a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, stood in the center of the hall, spitting as he spoke, looking every bit the charlatan.

"The Oirat army is now pressing in, their advance unstoppable!"

"The capital is sparsely defended and cannot be held!"

"The only solution now is to move south!"

"Move the capital to Nanjing!"

"Let's avoid the limelight for now and plan for the future!"

"As long as the green hills remain, there's always firewood to burn!"

These words were like a spark thrown into a haystack.

Those ministers who were already planning to flee immediately seized the opportunity, echoing the sentiment:

"Lord Xu is right!"

"This is the will of Heaven; it cannot be defied!"

"Run! It'll be too late if you don't run now!"

"Nanjing is great! Nanjing has the Qinhuai River, and it also has duck blood and vermicelli soup..."

The entire imperial court was in complete chaos!

Even Empress Dowager Sun, sitting behind the curtain, was infected by this panic. Her Buddhist prayer beads trembled, and she was about to nod in agreement to move south.

Just then!

"shut up!!!"

A furious shout, as loud as a thunderclap!

Then, Yu Qian, the Vice Minister of War, strode out from the crowd.

His eyes were bloodshot, his whole body trembled, and he pointed at Xu Youzhen's nose, uttering a roar powerful enough to shatter the river of history:

"Those who speak of the southward migration—"

"You may kill him!!!"

"The capital is the foundation of the nation!"

"If we take any action, everything will be ruined!"

"Have you all forgotten the lesson of the Southern Song Dynasty's retreat to a corner of the country?!"

"In the Ming Dynasty, there are only ghosts who die in battle, not dogs who run away!"

"Anyone who dares to speak of moving south again, I, Yu Qian, will be the first to behead him!"

That shout really startled Xu Youzhen.

The court was silent for a few seconds.

but.

It only takes a few seconds.

The ministers looked at Yu Qian, who was only a third-rank official, with disdain and mockery in their eyes.

"Lord Yu, you make it sound so easy!"

"What will we use to defend it?"

"Two hundred thousand elite troops are gone! The capital is full of the old, weak, sick, and disabled!"

"Do you want everyone to die with you?"

"Exactly! If you want to be a loyal subject, go die! Don't drag us down with you!"

Facing universal condemnation.

Faced with a court full of surrenderists.

Yu Qian, as hard as steel.

The man who was later known as the "backbone of the Ming Dynasty".

now.

His shoulders... collapsed.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in my heart.

He was, after all, not the shrewd and capable Yu Shaobao who could turn the tide.

He is now merely a weak and powerless Vice Minister of War.

Fear, despair, confusion...

It overwhelmed him like a tide.

Yu Qian raised his head, looking at the empty throne and the magnificent yet crumbling palace.

Tears finally streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"teacher……"

Yu Qian cried out helplessly in his heart:

Where are you...?

"Is the sky over this Ming Dynasty... really about to collapse?"

"The students... really can't take it anymore..."

……

The Hongwu Plane.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the image of Yu Qian, who was isolated and helpless, with tears streaming down his face.

My heart aches as if it's being stabbed!

"Those beasts!"

"These spineless cowards who are afraid of dying!"

"They've completely disgraced our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Xu Youzhen, who was still advocating for the southward relocation of the capital, and roared:

"cut!"

"Kill him!"

"Observing the stars? I think he wants to see the Book of Life and Death of the King of Hell!"

"Biao'er! Remember this face!"

"If we ever encounter a charlatan like that again, we'll bury him alive!"

however.

Scolds are scolded.

Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of this.

The situation at this point is indeed a dead end!

The emperor is gone, the elite troops are gone, and the people's hearts are scattered.

How could Yu Qian possibly stop this raging flood?

"Where's Crazy Gu?!"

"Where did that old geezer fly off to?!"

"If he doesn't come back soon..."

"The Ming Dynasty has truly fallen!"

……

At this critical moment!

Just as Empress Dowager Sun was preparing to issue an edict to move the capital south, and just as Yu Qian had closed his eyes in despair, preparing to remonstrate to the death!

suddenly!

"Beep—beep beep—beep beep beep!!!"

A suona horn sounded—extremely familiar, extremely arrogant, and extremely piercing!

It came from the sky outside the Meridian Gate!

That is--

"A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix"!!!

Moreover, it's a rock style that's like turning a funeral into a celebration!

What was that sound?

"Where did that suona come from?"

The entire court was completely bewildered, and they all rushed out of the main hall, looking up at the sky.

All I could see was the horizon.

A massive black dot, trailing a long plume of black smoke, hurtled toward the Forbidden City with overwhelming force...

It came crashing down hard!

"That...that is..."

Xu Youzhen was so frightened that her jaw almost dropped to the ground:

"meteor?!"

"A meteorite fell from the sky?!"

"I told you the celestial signs were ominous! It's like God is trying to crush us!"

"Run!"

however.

Before they could even take two steps...

The black dot quickly magnified!

close!

Closer!

That's not a meteorite at all!

That was a bite...

Smoking, burning, and pitch black—

A large coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood!!!

"Boom—!!!"

A loud bang!

The coffin did not smash into the main hall (after all, Gu Canghai did not want to kill himself).

Instead, it was extremely precise and extremely violent...

It crashed into the center of the square outside the Meridian Gate!

"Bang!!!"

The bluestone pavement shattered instantly!

Gravel flew everywhere!

Smoke and dust billowed!

The massive shockwave sent several nearby ministers tumbling over, their official hats flying off!

The entire room fell silent!

Everyone was stunned!

What kind of entrance is this?

A giant coffin fell from the sky?

"Cough cough cough..."

The smoke and dust cleared.

A violent coughing sound came from the coffin, which was already half-burnt black.

Followed by.

"Bang!"

The coffin lid was kicked off!

A large foot wearing tattered combat boots stepped on the edge of the coffin.

Then.

An old man covered in blood (the blood of the Oirat people), with half of his hair singed, and holding a half-empty bottle of beer in his hand.

He climbed out of the coffin.

He glanced around at the terrified ministers.

At last.

Their gaze fell on Yu Qian, who was still wiping away tears.

"cry?"

"Stop crying!"

Gu Canghai spat out a mouthful of gunpowder-smelling saliva, his voice hoarse yet exuding domineering power:

"I'm not dead yet!"

"The heavens of this Ming Dynasty..."

"Even if it collapses, my coffin lid will hold it up!"

"teacher?!!"

Yu Qian was startled.

He looked at the old man who seemed to have crawled out of hell, and his tears flowed even more fiercely.

But he didn't wipe it.

Instead, like a wronged child seeing their parents, they stumbled and rushed over!

"teacher!"

"You're back!"

"You're finally back!"

"Thump!"

Yu Qian knelt before Gu Canghai, clung tightly to his leg, and wailed loudly.

"Alright!"

Gu Canghai gave him a disdainful look, and then...

"Snapped!"

A slap!

He slapped Yu Qian hard on the back of the head!

"Get up, you bastard!"

"The Vice Minister of War! The backbone of the Ming Dynasty!"

"What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like that?!"

"Hold back your tears!"

Yu Qian was stunned by the blow, but he immediately stopped crying and stood up straight.

Gu Canghai nodded in satisfaction.

then.

He turned around and looked at Xu Youzhen, who was still trembling.

That look in his eyes.

It's like looking at a dead person.

"Who was it that just said we were going to move south?"

"Is it you, you charlatan?"

Xu Youzhen was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground:

"Grand...Grand Tutor..."

"This humble official is also doing this for the Ming Dynasty..."

"This is also a celestial phenomenon..."

"Celestial phenomena?"

Gu Canghai sneered, strode up to Xu Youzhen, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up!

"You want to see the stars, right?"

"OK!"

"After this war is over, I'll throw you into the East China Sea to feed the turtles!"

"The stars there...are incredibly bright!"

"Get out of my way!"

Gu Canghai casually tossed Xu Youzhen into a corner like trash.

then.

He walked to the center of the main hall.

Facing the assembled civil and military officials, and the empty dragon throne.

He pulled something out of his pocket.

That was a...

A sheepskin map stained with blood and already somewhat torn!

"Listen up, all of you!"

"That Zhu Qizhen, the emperor, has been captured by the Oirats and taken away for 'studying abroad'!"

"I failed to bring him back!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the court!

The emperor is truly gone!

"but!"

Gu Canghai suddenly unfolded the map in his hand and slammed it hard on the imperial desk!

"Even though I lost my title as a useless emperor!"

"But I brought this back!"

"This is a map showing the deployment of the Oirat army!"

"It's that bastard Esen's attack route map!"

"Even more so..."

A chillingly fierce glint flashed in Gu Canghai's eyes:

"These barbarians—"

"Gravesite distribution map!!!"

"I've got this!"

"We can bury all those bastards under the walls of Beijing and use them as fertilizer!"

Domineering!

Madness!

Arrogant!

The ministers, who had been in despair just moments before, looked at the map and at the menacing old man.

Suddenly I feel...

My mind seems to have settled down!

As long as Grand Tutor Gu is still around, it seems like the sky really won't fall down!

"But……"

Empress Dowager Sun emerged shakily from behind the curtain, her voice trembling with tears:

"Grand Tutor..."

"The emperor has been captured; the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day..."

"What...are we going to use to fight?"

"What makes you think you can command the world?"

"Jun?"

Gu Canghai turned his head and looked at the phantom of Zhu Qizhen, who was only nine years old and trembling on the way to being captured (in his mind).

He gave a cold laugh.

He pulled an axe from his pocket (it was for self-defense).

"Bang!"

He slammed his fist into the armrest of the dragon throne!

"No one is here?"

"Then let's choose another one!"

Gu Canghai pointed to Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Cheng, who was standing in the corner and hadn't dared to speak.

"Zhu Qiyu!"

"Come here!"

Zhu Qiyu trembled in fright: "Grand...Grand Tutor...I...I can't do it..."

"A man can't say no!"

Gu Canghai walked over, grabbed Zhu Qiyu's wrist, and dragged him forcefully to the front of the dragon throne.

"Starting today!"

"You are the emperor!"

"That one who studied in the Oirat region is the retired emperor!"

"Retired!"

"this……"

Zhu Qiyu was terrified, Empress Dowager Sun was stunned, and all the officials were dumbfounded.

So... it's been changed?

Is this really so hasty?

"What's wrong?"

Gu Canghai raised his axe and waved it in front of Zhu Qiyu:

"Don't you want to be one?"

"You don't have to be one."

"Then I'll put this axe to your neck and act as your scapegoat!"

"This great Ming dynasty cannot be without a head!"

"Now that your brother's gone for further studies, this mess..."

"If you don't step up, who will?!"

"Sign here!"

"Just write 'My brother is a good-for-nothing, I'm the true love!'"

Under Gu Canghai's "kind and approachable" persuasion with his axe.

With tears in his eyes, Zhu Qiyu was forced... to ascend the throne!

……

After dealing with all of this.

Gu Canghai turned around and looked at Yu Qian, who had wiped away his tears and whose eyes had become firm again.

He walked over.

He took off his cloak, which was stained with the blood of the Oirat people, and draped it over Yu Qian.

"Tingyi."

"Don't cry."

Tears cannot save the Ming Dynasty.

"Only a knife can!"

Gu Canghai patted Yu Qian on the shoulder and pointed to the battlefield outside the Meridian Gate, where a bloody storm was about to break out.

His voice was deep, yet resonant like a great bell.

"Walk!"

"Let's go to the city wall with the teacher!"

"The teacher will guide you..."

"kill!!!"

"As long as we still wear these official robes!"

"This capital of the Ming Dynasty..."

Just one step—

"No refunds allowed!!!"