I was to be executed by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Empress Ma smashed Zhu Yuanzhang's jade seal.

"Execute this traitor to cleanse the court of corrupt officials!"

The voices condemning the rebellious son were loud and oppressive, echoing over the city of Jinling.

The 500,000-strong army outside the city responded to his words with a deafening shout. Spears slammed into the ground, armor plates clashed, and the metallic clang of metal made the entire earth tremble.

That overwhelming killing intent was so palpable that it made everyone below the city wall gasp for breath.

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao's faces were drained of color.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and the others also had solemn expressions and their palms were sweaty.

They knew that the emperor was telling the truth.

Faced with absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery seems so pale and powerless.

Even if Zhu Muying had extraordinary abilities, it would be impossible for him to fight against an elite army of 500,000 men with only eighteen people.

It’s over.

This time it's really over.

A shadow of despair fell over everyone's hearts.

Amidst this deathly silence and despair, a laugh suddenly rang out.

"Ha ha……"

"Hahahaha!"

It is Zhu Muying.

He actually laughed.

He looked at his arrogant father on the city wall and laughed so hard he almost cried.

Everyone was stunned by his laughter.

What kind of time is this to still be able to laugh?

Has this kid gone crazy from fright?

"What are you laughing at?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Zhu Muying finally managed to stop laughing. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, raised his head, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and said, word by word, "Father, I laughed at you... for being too naive."

"What did you say?!"

"Your subject says,"

Zhu Muying's voice suddenly rose, like a dragon's roar echoing through the heavens, carrying an arrogant air of looking down upon the world, "Do you think you summoned this army of 500,000?"

"Do you think you summoned this army of 500,000?"

Zhu Muying's voice was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

The area in front of Chengtian Gate fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Only the howling wind and snow carried his words to every corner of Jinling City.

What does that mean?

What does that mean?

Zhu Yuanzhang, standing on the city wall, suddenly narrowed his eyes, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

"What...what do you mean?"

He stared intently at Zhu Muying, his voice carrying a surprise and doubt that he himself was unaware of.

Xu Da, Lan Yu, and the others below the city gate also looked bewildered.

These four armies—the Tiger Guard, the Eagle Guard, the Longjiang Navy, and the Northern Frontier Army—were the most elite forces in the Ming Dynasty, directly under the command of the Emperor and the Ministry of War.

If they weren't summoned by the emperor, did they grow legs and come running here on their own?

Hu Weiyong and other civil officials thought Zhu Muying had gone mad.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

An imperial censor jumped out, pointed at Zhu Muying's nose, and cursed, "Prince Ying! Stop spreading rumors and misleading the public! All the troops in the land are His Majesty's personal guard! How dare you sow discord here!"

"Exactly! I think he's just scared out of his wits and started talking nonsense!"

"Your Majesty! There's no need to waste words with such a traitor! Please issue an order immediately to execute him on the spot as a warning to others!"

The civil officials were filled with righteous indignation, and each of them wanted to make a good impression on the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored them.

His eyes, like those of an eagle, were fixed on Zhu Muying, trying to find even the slightest flaw in his face.

However, no.

Zhu Muying's face remained calm and composed as she stated a fact that couldn't be simpler.

"Father,"

Zhu Muying slowly raised his hand and pointed his bright silver spear towards the east of the city.

There, a dark mass of people, countless military flags depicting tigers descending the mountain fluttered in the wind and snow.

"To the east is the Tiger Guard, numbering 36,000. It is one of the most elite field troops directly under the Grand Commander's Office, stationed year-round in Huguang, responsible for suppressing the mountain tribes and barbarians in the south, and is known for its fierceness and skill in battle. Their commander is Wu Liang, the Vice Commander-in-Chief."

Zhu Muying's voice was unhurried, like a storyteller recounting his tale.

"Three years ago, I was ordered to go south to quell the rebellion and fought alongside General Wu Liang. At that time, our army was besieged in a valley by 30,000 rebel troops and was cut off from food supplies. It was I who led eighteen horsemen and killed the rebel commander amidst the 10,000 troops, thus relieving the siege of the Tiger Guard."

As he spoke, he pointed the tip of his gun at the west side of the city.

There, embroidered with a pattern of an eagle fighting a rabbit, stands the Eagle Guard Banner.

"To the west is the Eagle Guard, numbering forty-one thousand men. They are veteran soldiers selected from under Marquis Mu Chun of Xiping, fresh from the battlefields of pacifying Sichuan, and each of them exudes a fierce killing intent. Their commander is Vice Commander-in-Chief Geng Bingwen."

"Two years ago, General Geng Bingwen was ambushed in Sichuan and besieged by the enemy in Luzhou. The city was ravaged by plague, and less than one in ten soldiers survived. It was I who rushed to the rescue from a thousand miles away, bringing medicine and food, and personally went up to the city to supervise the battle. I shared life and death with the soldiers and held out for seven days and seven nights until the reinforcements finally arrived."

The spear tip turned again, pointing towards the south of the city.

On the Yangtze River, warships stood in rows, and the banners of the Heilongjiang Navy, painted with images of giant whales leaping into the sea, blotted out the sky.

"To the south lies the Longjiang Navy, with 800 warships and 50,000 soldiers. It is the most powerful navy in the Ming Dynasty, guarding the entire Yangtze River natural barrier. Their commander is Liao Yongzhong, the Left Commander of the Central Military Commission."

"General Liao Yongzhong's only son, Liao Quan, was once my personal guard. In the last battle against the Tartars in the northern frontier, he was hit by thirteen arrows and died on the battlefield in order to protect me. I once swore at his grave that as long as I live, I will regard General Liao Yongzhong as my uncle and fulfill my filial duties in place of Liao Quan."

Finally, Zhu Muying pointed the tip of his spear northward.

There stood the largest army in the Northern Frontier. They had no unified banner, but the eyes of every soldier were like those of a wolf, filled with a thirst for war.

"As for the north, with its more than 300,000 troops, I need to elaborate further, don't I?"

Zhu Muying sheathed his spear, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and said with a faint smile, "They are all brothers who followed me and crawled out of piles of dead bodies in the northern frontier."

"Father, do you still believe that you summoned them?"

Every word Zhu Muying said was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew all of these things he mentioned.

It was precisely because he knew this that he was even more alarmed!

He always thought that Zhu Muying was highly respected in the army because he was good at fighting.

He never imagined that Zhu Muying's prestige had reached such a high level!

He wasn't trying to win people's hearts; he was risking his life and his heart to gain the loyalty of those arrogant and fierce soldiers!

He saved Wu Liang's life!

He saved Geng Bingwen's soldiers!

Liao Yongzhong's son died for him!

The 300,000-strong army in the northern frontier was built by him!

This……

This is no longer about prestige!

This is an act of kindness!

It was an immense favor that would make even the toughest men risk their lives for him!

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned deathly pale.

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared!

"Zhu Muying, your death is near! They are our soldiers! They are the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty! They obey us!"

"If Father doesn't believe me, just try it and you'll see!"

In an instant, everyone's nerves were on edge!

The question remains: can Zhu Yuanzhang's orders actually mobilize these large armies?

Who else could be the one whose army only obeys Zhu Muying's orders?

Whose orders should these 500,000 troops take?