Ming Dynasty: I, Zhu Yunwen, started by resurrecting my grandmother.

Just then, a soldier entered from outside and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, King Zhou requests an audience!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's expression immediately changed: "Who are you saying wants to see me?"

"Your own brother, Zhu Su."

Zhu Di immediately sensed something was wrong: "Let him in!"

"promise!"

The soldier agreed and turned to leave.

Not long after, King Zhou walked in from outside, knelt on the ground, and cried, "Fourth Brother, please save me!"

Zhu Di frowned upon seeing this.

His face darkened: "You are now a prince, how can you be so disrespectful, crying and sobbing like this?"

"Oh dear, Fourth Brother, you don't know this, I am no longer the King of Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di was greatly alarmed: "What makes you say such a thing?"

Zhu Su then recounted the whole story to Zhu Di.

It turns out that Zhu Yunwen changed his strategy on Huang Zicheng's advice.

Originally, the focus was on Beiping, but upon hearing that Zhu Di had gone mad, Zhu Yunwen relaxed his vigilance and even thought that Huang Zicheng's words made sense.

King Zhou was the younger brother of King Yan, and he occupied the Central Plains, making him a force to be reckoned with.

However, he had committed many mistakes during the reign of the previous emperor, and was therefore notorious for them.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen unexpectedly issued an imperial edict listing the ten major crimes of the Prince of Zhou.

Finally, considering he was the emperor's uncle, he was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner. The Central Plains region he controlled was taken over by the court, all his property was confiscated, and he and his family were exiled to Shu.

It should be said that this move was also very ruthless to Zhu Di.

This was tantamount to cutting off Zhu Di's left and right arms.

Originally, Zhu Di could have launched an attack on the imperial court from two directions: one from Beiping and the other from the Central Plains. This two-pronged attack would have given him a greater chance of victory.

However, things are different now. The Central Plains region has been taken over by Zhu Yunwen. Zhu Di was so angry that he stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, pointing with his hand: "How many times have I warned you to restrain yourself, to be careful and cautious, and to keep a low profile, but you never listen."

Do you think that because you're an imperial uncle or a prince, the court won't dare to do anything to you?

You think Zhu Yunwen is a cowardly and incompetent man who wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you, right?

Now you see clearly, right? Zhu Yunwen is not what you think he is. He is extremely cunning and ruthless.

If it weren't for his brother's sake, you'd probably be beheaded by now.

"Fourth Brother, what should I do now?"

"Let me tell you, there's no going back in this world. Since things have come to this, you just have to accept it."

From this moment on, let's tone it down. Save our lives first; if we lose our heads, we're completely finished.

Zhu Gaochi watched from the side and thought to himself that his fifth uncle was really useless. All he did all day long was seek out women, eat, drink and have fun. He had no real skills.

I heard that my grandfather used to value him highly and sent him to Fengyang to study military command skills for three years. I never expected him to have fallen so low.

Zhu Su stood up, greeted Zhang Xin, and then sat down beside him.

Zhu Di sighed deeply: "Back when Zhuge Liang was in Longzhong, Liu Bei visited him, and Zhuge Liang proposed a strategy of dividing the world into three parts. He suggested that when the world changed, they should launch a two-pronged attack on Northern Wei."

Then one can dominate the world.

You may not know this, but my strategist Yao Guangxiao also gave me a strategy for conquering the world.

One of the points is that we also launched a two-pronged attack.

That's like walking on two legs, one in Beiping and the other in the Central Plains—how stable!

However, you lost the Central Plains overnight, without even a chance to resist.

"Alas, it seems this is fate."

Zhang Xin could only comfort him from the side, saying, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be too sad. There is a saying that goes, 'Where there's life, there's hope.'"

As long as King Zhou is in good health, he will still have some prestige and retain some of his old followers.

When the king raises his army in the future...

Even if the Zhou king secretly contacts some loyal officials, there will still be an opportunity for a counterattack.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di thought for a moment and said, "The court has exiled you to Shu. It's not right for you not to go."

"That's alright. I spent a lot of money to hire someone who looks exactly like me to dress up as me and go to Sichuan. So, I don't need to go there for the time being," Zhu Su said.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di thought that his idea was not bad: "In that case, you shall stay in Beiping for the time being. Your brother will soon be leading troops south."

"Fourth Brother, are you rebelling so soon?"

Zhu Di nodded: "Originally, I didn't intend to rebel so soon."

We wanted to wait for another opportunity, but the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for us.

Whether we rebel sooner or later, we'll rebel anyway. So we might as well launch a counterattack immediately. The court won't have enough time to prepare, and we can catch them off guard.

"Chen Zuyi's recent unrest in the south provides a perfect pretext."

"Fourth Brother, please allow me to contact other princes, such as Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai, with whom you have always had a very good relationship. He controls Jingzhou and is very powerful."

Jingzhou is the heartland of the realm. If he could turn against you and side with you, things would be much easier.

Zhu Di thought Zhu Su's suggestion was quite good: "You're right, we're fighting alone, and our chances of winning are very small."

If the Prince of Xiang sides with us, then we can contact the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin. If all three of them support us, then we'll have a 50% chance of winning.

The plan has been decided by everyone.

That evening, after the banquet ended, Zhang Xin indeed brought Hongyu back to his residence.

Zhu Gaoxu witnessed this scene and was furious. He punched a horse to death and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He thought to himself, "Zhu Gaochi, you just wait!"

You knew perfectly well that I liked Miss Hongyu, but in order to win over Zhang Xin, you suggested to Father that Hongyu be given to Zhang Xin.

There are many ways to win over Zhang Xin, aren't there?

You don't necessarily have to give Hongyu to her; you're just deliberately making things difficult for me!

One day, I will avenge this.

Noon the next day.

Zhang Xin hosted a banquet for Xie Gui under the pretext of discussing military affairs.

He had ambushed axemen in the corridor beforehand. When Xie Gui arrived, he ordered the axemen to rush out, tie Xie Gui up, and seize his military power. The military power of the Beiping Military Command was now in Zhang Xin's hands.

Zhu Di was very pleased to hear about this.

Even he himself hadn't expected that a courtesan could have such power.

He invited Yao Guangxiao over.

Yao Guangxiao appeared to be a monk, but he possessed brilliant strategies and extraordinary talent.

If compared to Liu Bowen and Zhuge Liang, he is in no way inferior.

Zhu Di then explained the current situation to Yao Guangxiao.

"Sida, what do you think we should do next?"

Yao Guangxiao sneered: "Your Majesty, what did I say back then? Was I right?"

The court might target Prince Zhou. I advised Your Majesty to warn Zhu Su to be careful and keep a low profile. Now, it seems he brought this upon himself.

Zhu Di nodded slightly: "Yes, you are absolutely right."

You're incredibly insightful!

Now I regret it too.

Although I tried to persuade him, it wasn't enough."

Yao Guangxiao picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Originally, I planned for us to launch a two-pronged attack, but now we can only launch one."

What are Your Majesty's thoughts?

Zhu Di cleared his throat: "I heard that Zhu Yunwen, Chang Yuchun, and Zhao Sili are currently fighting against Chen Zuyi and his son Chen Shiliang."

Chen Zuyi and Chen Shiliang's pirate forces were numerous, numbering in the tens of thousands.

Zhu Yunwen and his men numbered only a little over 1000; clearly, this was also part of Qi Tai's plan.

He wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work.

"I intend to take this opportunity to request permission from the court to reinforce Zhu Yunwen and his forces. Ostensibly, it will be to provide reinforcements, but in reality, we can use this opportunity to lead our army south."

After listening, Yao Guangxiao nodded: "Your Majesty's plan is indeed brilliant."

However, there are a few points that this humble monk must remind Your Majesty of.

"I'd like to hear more details!"

"Firstly, Tie Xian's troops are stationed in Jinan, so it won't be easy for him to get a haircut."

Your Majesty should still avoid his sharp edge.

Zhu Di frowned upon hearing this, because if he wanted to attack the capital from Beiping, he would have to cross the Yellow River.

If Zhu Yunwen had deployed a large force to guard the Yellow River crossing, it would have been very difficult for the Beiping army to cross the Yellow River.

The only way is to go around from Jinan, Shandong.

However, this also means that they have no choice but to confront Tie Xian head-on.

Yao Guangxiao continued, "Your Majesty's plan may fool ordinary people, but it may not fool those like Tie Xian and Qi Tai."

So, we need to increase the stakes a bit.

"Oh, you mean?"

"We can use a feint attack. Back then, when Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were facing off at the Yellow River during the Battle of Guandu, didn't they use this tactic?"

We can follow suit.

On the surface, we crossed the Yellow River at Yanjin, but in reality, we sent a large force to launch a surprise attack on Jinan.

In that case, Tie Xian and Sheng Yong would definitely be caught off guard.

Then we can take Jinan in one fell swoop.

"As long as we control Jinan, the eastern gateway to the capital will be wide open."

"That's definitely a good idea."

"In addition, we can claim that the Northern Yuan is going to attack Beiping."

"Your Majesty may appoint the Crown Prince to garrison Beiping."

Zhu Di nodded: "Then, how many troops should be left for him?"

"Around ten thousand, take the rest with you," Yao Guangxiao suggested.

Zhu Di looked worried: "Beiping is our base camp. We must ensure that Beiping is safe and sound. If Beiping is lost, we will be in big trouble."

Is leaving Zhu Gaochi with 10,000 troops a bit too few?

Yao Guangxiao put down his teacup and chuckled, "Your Majesty, people say that no one knows a son better than his father. It seems that Your Majesty doesn't quite understand the Crown Prince."

Looking across the entire court and beyond, the Crown Prince can be considered the foremost general in defending the city. If he were given ten thousand men to guard Beiping, even an army of five hundred thousand or a million would be helpless against him.

Upon hearing Yang Guangxiao's words, Zhu Di's eyes lit up: "Is Gao Chi really as powerful as you say?"

Yao Guangxiao laughed heartily: "Your Majesty, if I am not mistaken, you will surely succeed, and your success is inseparable from your good sons."

Zhu Gaochi was the top general in charge of defending the city.

Zhu Gaoxu was more suited to charging into battle. Looking at the court, among the generals, apart from Chang Yuchun, probably no one could stop Zhu Gaoxu.

One excels at defense, the other at offense.

How could Your Majesty not succeed?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di seemed somewhat excited: "Yes, now that you mention it, it seems you understand my sons better than I do."

"The most important thing in employing people is to use their strengths. If you do the opposite, sending Zhu Gaoxu to defend the city and Zhu Gaochi to fight on the battlefield, that would not be appropriate."

"What Si Dao said is very true."

Yao Guangxiao suddenly thought of something: "There's one more thing I need to remind you. Zhu Yunwen is no ordinary person. Don't let his youth fool you; I'm afraid our tricks won't escape his notice."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's expression became worried again.

The reason Zhu Di pretended to be crazy last time was because he also felt an invisible pressure after Zhu Yunwen came to Beiping. Through several tests, he also knew that Zhu Yunwen was not easy to deal with.

Yao Guangxiao continued, "Actually, Zhu Yunwen is also in a difficult situation. He is also a prince, and he has already been stripped of his power."

He was actually a victim, but considering the bigger picture, he didn't want the people to suffer, and in the face of matters of principle...

He prioritized the well-being of the people, which could be seen as a manifestation of his heroic sentiments.

Therefore, he would uphold the unity of the Ming Dynasty and did not want it to split.

He was known for his hatred of evil, and it was said that he had infiltrated Chen Zuyi's pirate gang alone and killed one of the pirates.

Those pirates were indeed hateful; every time they conquered a city, they would cut off the heads of everyone, regardless of age or gender, and hang them on their horses' necks.

Their methods were so cruel and outrageous that it was the main reason why Zhu Yunwen hated those pirates.

We can also change our approach.

Zhu Di couldn't help but ask, "How do we change it?"

"We can try to join forces with Chen Zuyi and Timur to besiege the capital."

Zhu Di frowned and asked, "Will this work? Is it appropriate?"

Yao Guangxiao's right hand kept fiddling with the string of Buddhist prayer beads: "There are no eternal enemies or eternal friends in the world, only eternal interests."

Isn't that what the Three Kingdoms period was like?

Today, Liu Bei and Cao Cao have joined forces to attack Sun Quan.

Tomorrow, Liu Bei and Sun Quan will join forces again to fight against Cao Cao.

When Liu Bei became powerful, Cao Cao and Sun Quan joined forces to attack him.

Therefore, we can send envoys to the Northern Yuan and Chen Zuyi to persuade them to join us in attacking the capital.

Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao discussed the matter until late at night.

The capital city.

Fengtian Hall, early morning.

The eunuch Gou'er shouted loudly, "If you have something to say, speak now; otherwise, roll up the curtain and leave the court."

At this moment, Qi Tai, the Minister of War, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

Recently, Zhu Di has gone mad, and the Prince of Zhou has been stripped of his fiefdom.

Zhu Yunwen and Chang Yuchun were fighting pirates in the east, which was of little importance. In any case, whether they won or lost, there would be no loss for the court. Everything was going smoothly, so Zhu Yunwen was in a good mood, in high spirits, and full of energy.