Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian thought to himself, "How dare Wei Zhongxian mobilize local troops without authorization!"

What right do you have to do this?

"Lord Wei, if the court wants to suppress the bandits, it will naturally be organized and deployed by the court."

How could you mobilize the troops at Shanhaiguan without authorization?

This time, the Later Jin sent 10,000 troops. What if the Later Jin sent 50,000 or 100,000 troops?

Are you planning a rebellion?

The imperial court has regulations stipulating that no one may mobilize local troops without authorization.

In special circumstances where it is necessary to mobilize local troops, the approval of the Ministry of War and the Emperor is required.

Otherwise, they will all be treated as treason.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongqin's tongue seemed to tremble slightly.

If this matter were taken too seriously, even if the emperor sentenced him to death, he would have no grounds for protest.

"Because Gao Di, the general of Shanhaiguan, had served as the Minister of War and was very experienced."

Therefore, the old servant discussed with him how to wipe out those thieves.

Later, he also agreed to transfer troops from Shanhaiguan.

Lao Wei originally intended to report this matter to the Emperor.

Because His Majesty was unwell, we did not want to disturb His Majesty's presence.

So, I didn't say anything at the time.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao coughed twice and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, I already know about this matter."

"You've shared my burdens, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian was secretly shocked, thinking to himself that this was a capital offense. "Brother, how can you so easily spare him?"

Zhu Youxiao asked, "So, was Gao Yingxiang captured?"

"No, he got away. That thief is very cunning."

They could have caught him, but his nephew was very brave and rushed over to rescue him.

Our imperial army is no match for him.

"Oh, who is his nephew?"

"It is said that the man's name was Li Zicheng."

"Li Zicheng?" Zhu Youjian shook his head. "I have never heard of such a person."

He's just an unknown nobody, is he really that capable?

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, you are unaware of this."

Li Zicheng was from Mizhi County, Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province.

He was a monk when he was young, and later he herded sheep for a local landlord surnamed Ai.

His mother died when he was a teenager, followed by his father.

He usually enjoys wielding knives, spears, and clubs, and is surrounded by a group of desperados.

This time, Gao Yingxiang wanted to seize the grain allocated by the imperial court for disaster relief to expand his own power.

Upon learning of this, the old servant felt they had become somewhat arrogant, and therefore dispatched troops to subdue them.

"Cough, cough, alright, they're just a bunch of petty thieves, nothing serious," Zhu Youxiao said dismissively, not taking the matter to heart. "Throughout history, how many bandits have succeeded in causing trouble?"

Zhu Youjian reminded him from the side, "Your Majesty, you can't say that."

Back then, the Qin Dynasty's army was extremely powerful, and it unified the six states with the strength of a single nation.

Later, the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising broke out.

Initially, the Qin court did not take this matter seriously.

However, in the end, the Qin Dynasty was overthrown not long afterward.

Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out.

Although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was eventually suppressed, the Eastern Han Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, Your Majesty, you must not underestimate those thieves!

Zhu Youxiao stubbornly said, "The Qin Dynasty was not overthrown by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, but was defeated by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang."

The Eastern Han Dynasty wasn't overthrown by the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but rather destroyed by Cao Cao and his son Cao Pi.

Zhu Youjian was speechless upon hearing this.

Wei Zhongxian looked at Zhu Youjian and asked again, "May I ask Prince Xin, how many Later Jin soldiers were killed and how many prisoners were captured in the Battle of Shanhai Pass?"

"Several hundred Later Jin soldiers were killed and 1000 prisoners were captured."

"Your Majesty, this old servant believes that Prince Xin's crime is of the highest order."

Zhu Youxiao was taken aback upon hearing this: "Oh, what crime did Prince Xin commit?"

Wei Zhongxian's face darkened: "First of all, he is untrustworthy. Since he signed an agreement with Dai Shan and the others, he should abide by the agreement."

However, no sooner had they left than he sent men to hunt them down.

Isn't this breaking the alliance?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian thought to himself that Wei Zhongxian must have received some benefits from them, otherwise why would he speak up for them?

"Secondly, since they went to pursue and kill them, why didn't they annihilate all 10,000 of their troops? Instead, they only killed a few hundred and captured 1000 Later Jin soldiers."

This indicates that Prince Xin was cowardly in the face of the enemy. According to our court's regulations, Prince Xin should be executed to honor his fellow students.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao thought to himself that according to the imperial court's system, there was indeed such a rule: those who were cowardly in battle and stood by and watched would be killed without mercy.

But what evidence is there to prove that Zhu Youjian was afraid of the enemy?

Isn't this nonsense?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian said angrily, "Eunuch Wei, I think you don't understand the situation on the battlefield at that time."

At that time, the Later Jin army had 1 troops, while we only had 3000. We were outnumbered and outgunned.

Our soldiers all fought bravely and fiercely, and it is truly remarkable that we have achieved such results.

"Were you Mongol cavalrymen impersonating Ligdan Khan to launch a surprise attack on them?"

"Yes, that's true."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you impersonating someone else's army? Can't our Ming army fight them openly and fairly?"

Zhu Youjian straightened his clothes: "Your Majesty, the reason we are doing this is as a policy of harassing the enemy."

This led Huang Taiji to believe that Ligdan Khan's army was hunting him down.

This makes it easier for them to start a fight.

When they fight to the bitter end, we can then profit from the conflict.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao said, "That's a pretty good idea."

Wei Zhongxian, however, disagreed: "Your Majesty, our Ming army has always been upright and honorable. Why would we need to resort to such underhanded tactics?"

Zhu Youjian was furious when he heard this, and he really wanted to go up and slap Wei Zhongxian twice.

However, he could hear his mother's words again, telling him not to have a direct confrontation with Wei Zhongxian.

Now, Wei Zhongxian holds absolute power in the court, controlling the government and having his people everywhere.

You can't fight city hall!

Zhu Youjian's forehead veins bulged, but he endured it again and again.

Fortunately, Zhu Youxiao was not too confused and did not punish Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment and said, "There are many ways to fight on the battlefield. As long as you can win the battle, it is a good strategy."

I believe that Prince Xin has not committed any wrongdoing, but this does not mean that our Ming army is not a righteous and honorable force.

This precisely demonstrates that Prince Xin was quick-witted and knew how to adapt to changing circumstances.

Zhu Youxiao's words silenced Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian rolled his eyes and asked, "So, what should be done with Daishan and the prisoners?"