Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

"What are you saying?!"

"What is Tianmu saying?!"

"What does it mean to have a paranoia comparable to Cao Cao's?"

Cao Cao was displeased and even felt somewhat aggrieved.

Tianmu was pleased to hear Cao Cao mentioned, but he was unhappy when he heard that Cao Cao was very suspicious.

If word gets out, will anyone still want to come and join him?

Cao Cao admitted that he did have some suspicions, but compared to Zhu Youjian, he was much less suspicious.

Wasn't it just that they killed Lü Boshe's family back then? That was clearly them trying to rob me.

I had no choice but to annihilate all those traitors!

Aside from Cao Cao, the statement made on the celestial screen clearly resonated with the majority.

"Cao Cao's suspicious nature has been recorded in the annals of history; now he's truly infamous!!"

Zhang Fei laughed wildly, mocking Cao Cao without any restraint.

The civil and military officials in Liu Bei's camp smiled wryly as they listened to Zhang Fei's hearty laughter.

The words on the sky truly resonated with them.

Cao Cao, that traitor to the Han Dynasty, deserved it!!

"According to Tianmu, Zhu Youjian's treatment of Hong Chengchou was truly an act of utmost trust, almost on par with Yu Jin under Cao Cao."

Liu Bei praised the treatment Hong Chengchou received, comparing him to Yu Jin in Cao Cao's camp.

In the eyes of people at the time, Yu Jin was a general who was neither Cao Cao nor Xiahou, yet Cao Cao trusted him to lead troops and even granted him the authority to act expediently with the power of a general holding the imperial axe.

It's the same principle as Zhu Youjian bestowing the imperial sword upon Hong Chengchou.

With such favor, how could I not repay the Emperor's kindness with utmost loyalty and effort!

"Rest assured, strategist," Liu Bei said hastily, turning to the somewhat dazed Zhuge Liang.

"The emperor trusted his strategist even more than Zhu Youjian trusted Hong Chengchou!!"

During the Hongwu period,

"Zhu Youjian has truly gone mad! How can the Grand Secretary be changed so frequently?!"

"Wouldn't that throw the whole country into chaos?"

"Even we don't change ours this often!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, frustrated and disappointed, berated Zhu Youjian. He now understood what the Grand Secretary meant.

He's not the prime minister, is he?

If there's a chief minister, there must be a deputy minister.

It must be some lazy descendant of the fourth prince who set up this thing because he didn't want to deal with so many political affairs.

How can someone this lazy be an emperor?!

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's complaints, the ministers felt even more aggrieved:

You're not much better than Zhu Youjian.

At least Zhu Youjian trusted Hong Chengchou; you, however, trust no one but your own family.

Take the Minister of Revenue for example, how many years has it been, and how many different officials have come and gone?

Whoever becomes the Minister of Revenue will die!

Hong Chengchou came from a poor family and entered officialdom through the imperial examination. He passed the imperial examination in the 44th year of the Wanli reign and was initially appointed as the Vice Commissioner of Education in Zhejiang Province. Later, he was promoted to the position of Councilor of the Provincial Administration Commission in Shaanxi Province.

In the early years of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, a peasant uprising broke out in the Northwest, sweeping across the entire Shaanxi province. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was beset by peasant uprisings within its borders and threatened by the Later Jin dynasty from the outside, making it a country beset by both internal and external troubles.

Faced with this situation, Hong Chengchou distinguished himself in suppressing peasant uprisings. He was promoted beyond the usual ranks for his decisiveness and outstanding strategy, and was appointed Governor of Yansui and Governor-General of the Three Border Regions of Shaanxi.

[He comprehensively suppressed the rebel forces in the Northwest, advocating a combination of suppression and appeasement, with suppression as the primary approach. He quelled the internal rebellion almost completely, captured and killed Gao Yingxiang, and forced Li Zicheng to flee to Shangluo with only eighteen horsemen.]

By the end, Hong Chengchou had become the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Minister of War, and was granted the Imperial Sword, serving as the supreme commander of the military affairs of five provinces: Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Huguang, making him the highest-ranking commander in the Ming Dynasty's internal rebellions.

"wrong!!!"

Zhu Di, always sensitive to military affairs and warfare, noticed something amiss. His three brothers, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, were also extremely grave.

"Why was Hong Chengchou, a civil official, chosen as the commander-in-chief to quell the rebellion? Where are all the military generals?"

Zhu Di couldn't help but have a terrible guess, and his heart pounded with anxiety.

Is the tragedy of the former Song Dynasty really going to be repeated in the Ming Dynasty?

...

"Looking at it this way, Hong Chengchou is quite capable. No wonder Zhu Youjian trusts him so much."

"Brother Lu, if you were Hong Chengchou, what would you think, and what would you do?"

"What should I do? Although I'm not very well-educated, I've heard a saying..."

"If you treat me as a national hero, I will repay you as a national hero."

"From now on, my life belongs to the emperor!!"

Many ministers and even ordinary people under the emperor's canopy began to fantasize about how they would repay such treatment if they received it from him.

This blatant favoritism is the most effective way to win people's hearts.

Hong Chengchou originally intended to advance slowly, fortify his defenses, and proceed cautiously step by step. However, Emperor Chongzhen was an impatient man and repeatedly issued imperial edicts urging Hong Chengchou to engage in a decisive battle. Hong Chengchou had no choice but to obey the order.

Huang Taiji led the Qing army on a night raid, launching a surprise attack on the Ming army's supply lines and burning all the provisions. The morale of the Ming army collapsed, and the army's spirits were broken.

[Wang Pu, the general of Datong, fled on his own that night. Generals such as Wu Sangui and Tang Tong also fled south in a panic. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers trampled each other and countless drowned in the sea. More than 53,000 people died in this battle.]

Hong Chengchou rallied his remaining troops and besieged Songshan. His five attempts to break out failed each time. The Qing army surrounded the city without attacking, intending to capture Hong Chengchou alive. After a six-month siege, the city's food supplies ran out, leading to the killing of horses for sustenance and even cannibalism.

On February 18th of the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), Vice General Xia Chengde secretly surrendered the city. The Qing army entered the city, and General Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, and Governor Qiu Minyang all died for their country. Hong Chengchou was captured and escorted to Shengjing (Shenyang).

"General Hong!!"

"No! Commander Hong!!"

The Ming Dynasty civil officials let out mournful cries, their voices truly moving.

"This battle was not the fault of Commander-in-Chief Hong!!"

These civil officials, observing the content displayed on the celestial screen, learned that Zhu Youjian had urged Hong Chengchou to launch a preemptive attack, which ultimately led to the army's defeat.

The image of Yue Fei receiving twelve gold tablets from Emperor Gaozong of Song is strikingly similar.

Commander Hong was right; it's all because his teammates were too bad, they were simply impossible to carry the team.

"Alas, I never thought we'd be so mistaken. I never imagined that the civil officials of our Great Ming Dynasty still possessed backbone and integrity!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed regretfully, his words filled with apology.

It seems he felt guilty about his prejudice against civil servants.

"I never imagined that our Great Ming Dynasty would produce a figure like Wen Tianxiang! The integrity of our Ming Dynasty's civil officials remains!"

After expressing his feelings, Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject and turned his attention to Zhu Di.

"Fourth son, what a fine descendant you are! Not only do you not know how to fight, but what kind of logic is it to interfere with the commander at the front?!"

Based on what he has seen of Hong Chengchou's deeds, Hong Chengchou is simply capable, loyal, and accomplished in both literature and military affairs.

If it weren't for Zhu Youjian's eagerness to fight, coupled with those cowardly generals within his ranks,

The outcome of this final battle remains to be seen!

Zhu Di, feeling guilty, dared not respond. He had been on the battlefield himself and naturally knew how difficult Zhu Youjian's actions were for the commander-in-chief.

"What a pity for Hong Chengchou! He was betrayed and captured by the Qing Dynasty Tartars."

At this point, Zhu Di was overcome with pain, regret, and heartache.

He simply couldn't imagine the extent of torment Hong Chengchou would have to endure before he could be freed.

Commander Hong, you've suffered so much!!!