The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

On the 28th day of the intercalary fourth month, at nightfall.

Zhu Houzhao had already made all the strategic arrangements for the ambush at Malangu. He brought less than 3,000 men, plus more than 2,000 men temporarily gathered locally, for a total of more than 5,000 men, which was more than he had expected. He was preparing to launch a fatal attack on Malangu, the only way for the Duoyan Guard leader's son and grandson to invade the border in the south.

"Father, Lieutenant General Chen Qian has arrived at the designated position. He will work with the young prince to tighten the rope of the bag. Commander Tan Mao has led his cavalry to wait at the entrance of the valley so that the Tatars can spot us and thus not suspect that we have an ambush here."

Qian Ning was very excited.

Jiang Bin had previously distinguished himself in Zhangjiakou, which he greatly admired. Now, he had the opportunity to do the same, and he was even accompanying the emperor, making it all the more significant.

Zhu Houzhao nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good. This is how an ambush should be carried out. It should be a mix of deception and reality. If there isn't a single person to be seen around Malan Valley, how can the Tartars not be suspicious? Only when they discover Tan Mao's group and find that his group is not large will they take the risk."

"Father is wise and mighty, no one can match him," Qian Ning continued to flatter.

Zhu Houzhao listened impatiently and said, "Issue an order to the army that no cooking fires are to be lit tonight. Anyone who dares to leak this information will be punished by me."

Qian Ning immediately agreed, "Can't the soldiers endure this little hardship? By the way, Your Majesty, news just came from the capital that the Empress Dowager..."

"What's wrong?" Zhu Houzhao asked, his face showing displeasure.

I'm leading troops in battle here, and you're bringing up my mother? Don't you know that my mother is a stumbling block to my success, a hindrance?

Qian Ning looked completely innocent and said, "Father, it's like this, I don't know which damned person actually told the Empress Dowager that you went to Jizhou to lead troops into battle, and the Empress Dowager then..."

No need to say more, the meaning is already very clear.

Zhu Houzhao asked, "What reason do you have for me to return?"

"The Empress Dowager said that she is not feeling well, and that the Empress is also ill. She hopes that you can go back to visit her as soon as possible," Qian Ning said.

Zhu Houzhao sneered, "If you're feeling unwell, go see the imperial physician. What do you want from me? Do you think I'd treat them? Such a lame excuse! Send someone back and tell them I know, and I'll return after I finish my business! That's why, to achieve great things, one must stay away from women!"

Qian Ningxin asked, "Your Majesty, how did you come to this conclusion?"

If you stay away from women, where will your son come from? Without an heir, do you really intend to let that adopted son from the Ning family inherit the Ming Dynasty's empire?

"Alright, I'll take a nap for a while. The Tartars could come at any time after midnight."

Zhu Houzhao said, "I almost forgot to ask Mr. Tang whether it was daytime or nighttime when the Tartars arrived. It's getting hot, and wearing all that armor must be so uncomfortable."

Qian Ning said, "Father, may I help you loosen your armor?"

"No need! War could break out at any moment, and I must be ready for battle at any time. If the Tartars come, I will have to go up and fight them. I can't let Zaiyi outdo me, can I? If he can kill, so can I!"

Unbeknownst to him, Zhu Houzhao had developed a competitive mentality towards his stepson.

Qian Ning, who was listening from the side, was also stunned. He thought to himself, "They really are like father and son. They are both born into wealth and status, but they are so selfless when fighting."

Isn't it better to stay alive and enjoy the wonders of ruling the world?

……

……

It was late at night.

Zhu Houzhao was half asleep.

He said he wanted to lead by example, but over the years he had ruined his health and started to doze off.

"Your Majesty..." Zhang Zhong appeared beside Zhu Houzhao and called out softly.

Qian Ning said, "His Majesty is resting. Do not disturb him unless it is urgent."

Zhang Zhong seemed puzzled. Usually, when the emperor was in the Leopard Chamber, he would only go to sleep close to dawn.

Why is it that once you're on the battlefield, you can't stay up all night?

"What is it?" Zhu Houzhao's voice came.

Qian Ning and Zhang Zhong then realized that the emperor had already opened his eyes in alarm.

Zhang Zhong crawled forward and said, "Your Majesty, we have detected signs of Tartar activity over there..."

"Yeah?"

Zhu Houzhao became excited and picked up his binoculars to observe.

He was still complaining, "It's pitch black, and I can't see very clearly."

Qian Ning said, "There don't seem to be many people."

Zhang Zhong hurriedly added, "Yes, I heard there were only a dozen or so riders who came in the dark, without even carrying torches."

Zhu Houzhao then pointed his telescope at Tan Mao's camp at the southern entrance of the valley and said, "Very good, there is light over there. This will make the Tartars think that they are in the dark, while our Ming army is in the light."

Zhang Zhong looked at Qian Ning with a puzzled expression, as if to say, "Explain to me what His Majesty means by this."

Qian Ning laughed and said, "The art of war is to use deception and real tactics."

Zhang Zhong's expression seemed to suddenly realize something.

"The Tartars came in the dark... Summon Mr. Tang to me," Zhu Houzhao said immediately.

Zhang Zhong stood there, motionless.

Qian Ning hissed, "Why aren't you going yet? At this time, His Majesty needs a strategist by his side."

"yes!"

Zhang Zhong then hurried off to find Tang Yin.

By the time Tang Yin was brought before the emperor, the traces of a small group of Tartar cavalry were already quite obvious a little over a mile away.

"Mr. Tang," Zhu Houzhao said expectantly, "the Tartars have arrived, haven't they? Was the battle you mentioned fought at night?"

Tang Yin was completely baffled by the question.

It's already amazing that you accurately stated it was today, but they even asked me whether I made the call at night or during the day?

How am I supposed to find out?

"Your Majesty...I do not know," Tang Yin replied truthfully.

Qian Ning said anxiously, "Mr. Tang, didn't you say it was all based on what you saw in your dream? Dreams always have a scene, right? Can't you even tell if it's day or night?"

Fortunately, Tang Yin had already been trained in using vague rhetoric, so he appeared quite experienced at this moment.

"Your Majesty, the scene in the dream was not clear. It is already difficult to know the time. Moreover, because Your Majesty and the army have made preparations in advance, there may be causal effects. The earlier the preparations are made, the greater the impact. Even the scene seen in the dream may change..."

Although Tang Yin himself didn't quite understand this theory.

But Zhu Houzhao seemed to understand.

The Butterfly Effect.

This is also why Zhu Yi doesn't take the initiative to become a prophet.

The greater the impact of certain events on history, the lower the likelihood that subsequent history will unfold as originally intended.

At this point, someone needs to step forward and take the blame.

Zhu Houzhao said, "Mr. Tang, although I don't quite understand, for some reason, what you said makes a lot of sense to me. You are indeed a wise man, not just pandering to me or the situation."

Tang Yin thought to himself, "Am I that amazing?"

His Majesty speaks so highly of me?

Qian Ning immediately chimed in, as if he were a genius, "Father is absolutely right. Mr. Tang could have easily said that the battle would take place at night, but he insisted that things couldn't be settled yet."

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "He can predict the movements of the Tatars so clearly, who dares to say he is incompetent? It is precisely because he is a pragmatic and cautious person that I can trust his prophecy and come here! Send people to investigate again. Once a large number of Tatar cavalry are found to have entered the valley, we will lock the valley entrance and trap them like turtles in a jar."