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

Images flow across the sky.

The absurd scene of Zhu Qiyu being forced to wear the dragon robe and ascend the throne in tears came to an end.

The gloom that shrouded the capital city did not dissipate.

instead……

The billowing dust from the north grew thicker and more oppressive!

【Ding--】

[Time: October of the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign.]

Location: Deshengmen, outside Beijing!

[Event: Esen, the Taishi of the Oirat Mongols, along with Zhu Qizhen, the "student of the Ming Dynasty," have brought their troops to the city gates!]

on the screen.

The autumn wind is bleak, and withered grass stretches to the horizon.

At the edge of the earth, a black line appeared.

Those were countless Oirat cavalry!

That was a ferocious army that had just devoured 200,000 elite Ming troops at Tumu Fortress and was now in a state of rampant arrogance!

"Waaaaah!!!"

The mournful sound of the bugle echoed through the sky.

Esen rode a tall horse, followed by the prison cart carrying Zhu Qizhen.

At this moment, Esen was full of vigor and high spirits!

Extremely arrogant!

He gazed at the majestic city of Beijing in the distance, a cruel, cold smile curling at the corner of his lips:

"snort!"

"The Ming Dynasty?"

"That's all there is to it!"

"I slaughtered those 200,000 elite troops like pigs!"

"People in Beijing must be terrified by now, right?"

Esen brandished his riding whip and laughed loudly at the generals behind him:

"That crazy guy Gu did manage to run back."

"But he has no soldiers! No generals!"

"We even have the emperor in our hands!"

"It's just an empty shell!"

"Pass down the order!"

"All troops, accelerate!"

"Tonight, let's drink in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City!"

"Make that madman Gu pour me some wine!"

"roar--!!!"

Tens of thousands of Oirat cavalrymen roared like beasts and swept towards Deshengmen like a flood bursting its banks!

In their view.

This battle was a foregone conclusion!

The Ming Dynasty is already like meat on a chopping board, at their mercy!

however.

When the army charged to within an arrow's throw of the city wall.

Also first...

He abruptly reined in his warhorse!

"Whoa—!!!"

It wasn't just him.

The tens of thousands of Oirat soldiers behind them, who were preparing to charge into battle, all stopped abruptly.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the city gate in front of them, as if they had seen a ghost!

Silly!

I was completely dumbfounded!

On the Deshengmen city tower, which should have been heavily guarded and imposingly cold, one could see...

now……

It was actually a piece of—

Auspicious and festive!

There were no flags or soldiers on the battlements.

Instead, it was filled with rows of huge, bright red ones—

Big red lanterns!!!

When the wind blows, the red lanterns sway in the breeze, creating a festive atmosphere!

Even more outrageous is!

From the city tower, bursts of cheerful, joyful, and even slightly frivolous laughter could be heard—

The sound of suona horns!

"Beep—beep beep—beep beep beep—"

The melody is cheerful and has a strong rhythm.

It makes you want to dance the Yangko!

And right in the center of the city gate tower.

There was a huge octagonal table set up.

The table was laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and there was even a steaming copper hot pot!

An old man with gray hair, wearing a bright red python robe.

He was sitting at the table.

Holding a pair of ivory chopsticks, he swayed his head to the rhythm of the suona while dipping mutton into the hot pot!

It was indeed—Gu Canghai!

"this……"

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating from getting too excited.

"Is this some kind of war?"

"Is it still Chinese New Year?"

"What is that old madman Gu Canghai doing?"

"The Empty City Strategy?"

Esen frowned, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem was like playing the zither.

That old madman is something else, throwing a banquet? And hanging red lanterns too?

What kind of weird, unorthodox method is this?

Just as Esen was hesitating and filled with suspicion.

On the city floor.

Gu Canghai, who was eating hot pot, seemed to notice the guests below.

He put down his chopsticks.

Pick up the homemade megaphone next to him.

Stand up.

He lay on the battlements, giving Esen a warm and hospitable smile.

"Ouch!"

"Isn't this Brother Esen?"

"A rare guest! A rare guest indeed!"

Gu Canghai's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, reverberated throughout the area, making the whole place buzz.

"Why are you so late?"

"I've been waiting for you until the flowers have withered!"

"Look!"

Gu Canghai pointed to the sea of ​​red lanterns on the city wall:

"To welcome you, our esteemed guest who has traveled from afar."

"I've borrowed every red lantern in Beijing!"

"Is this grand enough?"

"Is this enough face?"

Esen's face twitched as he listened.

Welcome me?

I think you're trying to fool me!

"Gu Canghai!"

Esen drew his scimitar, pointed it at the city wall, and roared:

"Stop playing tricks on me!"

"You think you can scare me with a show of force?"

"I have the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in my hands!"

"If you know what's good for you, surrender now! Otherwise, I'll slaughter this entire city of Beijing!"

"surrender?"

Gu Canghai seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.

He picked up a glass of wine from the table and raised it in a toast to Esen from afar:

"Brother Yesen."

"Don't get so angry."

"You've come all this way, you must be hungry, right?"

Gu Canghai asked with a smile:

Have you eaten?

He was taken aback for a moment.

What kind of opening is this? Asking each other before the two armies has eaten?

Instinctively, I replied first, "No...I haven't eaten!"

"You haven't eaten?"

Gu Canghai's smile instantly became incredibly bright.

So dazzling...

It's creepy!

"Since you didn't eat..."

Gu Canghai suddenly slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the ground!

"Snapped!"

That crisp sound was like a signal flare from the Grim Reaper!

The smile on Gu Canghai's face vanished instantly.

Instead.

It was a grotesque and insane force that sent chills down your spine!

He pointed at the Oirat army below and let out a roar that could stop everyone's heart:

"Since you didn't eat..."

"Then—"

"Eat my cock!!!"

boom!!!

Before the words were even finished!

A sudden change has occurred!

All that could be seen on the city wall were rows of originally festive "big red lanterns".

The red cloth in front was suddenly ripped off from behind!

It revealed the inside...

It was pitch black!

It's ice cold!

It exudes an aura of death—

Cannon muzzle!!!

Behind each lantern lies a door that Gu Canghai has drastically modified—

Red-coated cannons!!!

A full one hundred!

Lined up in a row!

Like a hundred gaping, blood-red mouths, they locked onto the vanguard of the Oirat forces below the city!

"Holy crap?!"

Esen's pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints!

That instant.

He finally understood why Gu Canghai had hung red lanterns!

That's a gun cover!

This is a disguise!

"Run! Run!"

Esen's agonizing screams hadn't even finished.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

One hundred red-coated cannons roared in unison!

The earth is trembling!

The air is burning!

One hundred huge solid iron bullets, or even exploding bullets filled with gunpowder and nails.

With earth-shattering kinetic energy, and with Grand Tutor Gu's "hospitality".

Hard...

It crashed right into the midst of the Oirat army!

"Bang--!!!"

Blood and flesh flying everywhere!

Limbs and severed bodies flew everywhere!

Those elite Oirat soldiers who charged at the forefront were smashed into mincemeat by cannonballs before they could even scream!

Or it was torn to pieces by the blast wave!

"Aaaaaah!"

"Help!"

"What kind of sorcery is this? Lanterns turning into cannons?"

"Mommy, I want to go home!"

The once-fierce Oirat vanguard force was instantly transformed into a living hell!

Countless warhorses were terrified and ran wildly, trampling their own soldiers into mincemeat!

Although Esen was far away, he was not killed directly by the explosion.

But he was also thrown off his horse by the blast wave and got a mouthful of dirt.

He scrambled to his feet, looking disheveled.

Looking at this scene that resembled a battlefield, I was filled with dread.

Looking at the city wall that was still smoking.

My whole body was shaking!

chill!

A chill that penetrates to the very bone ran from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head!

This is hardly a ghost town.

This is clearly a steel hedgehog armed to the teeth!

This is clearly a hell with its mouth wide open, waiting to devour people!

"Hahaha!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

On the city floor.

The smoke of battle has cleared.

Gu Canghai remained standing there.

Holding that megaphone, he laughed so hard he was doubled over, tears streaming down his face.

"Brother Yesen!"

"How is it?"

"This dish..."

"Is it hard enough?!"

"Surprised?!"

"Surprised?!"

"This is something I prepared especially for you—"

"Welcome gift!!!"

……

The Hongwu Plane.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched this astonishing reversal unfold on the screen.

Looking at those "red lanterns" that had blown up the Oirat people, making them cry out in agony.

He was stunned for three seconds.

then.

"Pfft—Hahaha!"

Zhu Yuanzhang burst out laughing again!

He laughed as he slapped his thigh hard, making a loud "slap slap" sound.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"This method... is too underhanded!"

"That's absolutely outrageous!"

"Hiding a cannon inside a lantern? How could he even think of that!"

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at the arrogant and domineering Gu Canghai in the picture and laughed loudly at the court officials:

"See that?"

"That's what they call—all's fair in war!"

"Gu the Madman is absolutely right!"

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, repeating the golden quote that had flashed across the sky, his eyes filled with admiration:

"A friend has arrived..."

"There's fine wine!"

"The jackals are coming..."

"There's a shotgun!"

"As for these idiots who come to our doorstep..."

"Then there's only one option—"

"Bring on the cannons!!!"

Zhu Biao was also thrilled, nodding repeatedly:

"Grand Tutor's move... was a bit unsportsmanlike."

"but……"

"It smells so good!"

……

The orthodox plane.

The walls of Beijing.

In real life, Yu Qian looked at the future scene on the screen and watched his teacher's godlike operation.

My nerves, which had been tense from the stress, finally relaxed.

He looked at the coffin that had just been placed on the ground beside him.

His eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

"teacher……"

"The students understand!"

"There's no need for benevolence or morality with these barbarians!"

"As long as it sends them to hell..."

"Any method will do!"

"Even if... we have to turn lanterns into cannons!"

……

on the screen.

The air was thick with the smoke of gunpowder.

Esen retreated to his main camp, looking dejected.

He looked at Beijing, a city like an impregnable fortress, and at that seemingly invincible old madman.

The initial contempt and arrogance vanished completely.

Instead.

It was a deep-seated fear!

Even...fear!

"Gu Canghai..."

Esen gritted his teeth, breaking the whip in his hand:

"You old bastard!"

"Don't think you can scare me with a few cannons!"

"I still have hostages!"

"I still have my iron cavalry!"

"Pass on the order!"

"All troops, disperse!"

"Prepare for the siege!"

"I refuse to believe that your red lanterns can keep going off forever!"

however.

What was unknown to them at the time was that...

This was merely an "appetizer" prepared for him by Grand Tutor Gu.

The real main course.

A real hearty dish.

There's more to come!

The red-coated cannons are only for long-range attacks.

If you dare to come closer?

If you dare to charge?

hum!

Then let me show you what it means to be—

Times have changed!

What is meant by—

Line them up and shoot them!