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

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

Zhu Muying's voice was not loud, it could even be described as flat, but those six simple words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens, striking the city tower of Chengtian Gate and striking the hearts of everyone present.

The wind stopped.

The snow stopped at that moment.

The overwhelming killing intent emanating from the 500,000-strong army, and the chilling sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses, all vanished without a trace in that instant.

The entire city of Jinling was deathly silent.

On the city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang's facial muscles twitched violently, and for the first time, a look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes, which were blazing with anger.

Will you know once you try?

What is he going to try?

How can he try?

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind went blank.

He spent half his life on the battlefield, fighting his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. What kind of storms hadn't he weathered?

What kind of enemy haven't we dealt with?

But he had never felt this way before...

fear.

Yes, it was fear.

A fear that comes from the very marrow of his bones, a fear he himself is unwilling to acknowledge.

He looked down at his son, dressed in white robes and wielding a silver spear, his handsome face still bearing that same calm and collected expression.

He hadn't done anything, but Zhu Yuanzhang felt like a clown stripped naked and thrown into the snow, all his thoughts and all his cards laid bare.

What makes him so confident?

What gives him the right to say that?

Is it...

Could it be that the four armies outside the city really are...?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Zhu Yuanzhang forcibly suppressed it.

impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

"What...what did you say?"

A dry sound came from Zhu Yuanzhang's throat; he almost thought he had misheard.

He's the emperor!

He is the Emperor!

All the soldiers in the world eat the grain of the Zhu family and wear the clothes paid by the imperial court. How could they not obey his orders?

"The traitor!"

A censor standing behind Hu Weiyong seized the opportunity, jumped out, pointed at Zhu Muying's nose, and cursed, "Stop spreading rumors here! His Majesty's might will not tolerate such treacherous traitors as you! All the soldiers in the land are His Majesty's personal guards, and their loyalty to His Majesty is as clear as the sun and moon!"

"That's right! I think he's just terrified by the 500,000 troops and is spouting nonsense to buy time!"

"Your Majesty! There's no need to waste words with such traitors! Please issue an order immediately to execute him on the spot, thus purging the court of corrupt officials and serving as a warning to others!"

The civil officials were all indignant, their spittle flying as they spoke. Zhu Muying was already meat on their chopping block, just waiting for the emperor's order to be torn to pieces.

They were eager to demonstrate their loyalty to the emperor, but none of them noticed that Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was growing increasingly grim.

These idiots!

Can't they see that things are not going well?

They're still shouting for war and killing!

Zhu Yuanzhang stared intently at Zhu Muying below the city, trying to discern even the slightest hint of panic or guilt from that calm face.

However, no.

There was nothing there.

Zhu Muying didn't even glance at the clamoring civil officials; his gaze remained calmly fixed on Zhu Yuanzhang.

That look contained no resentment, no anger, not even provocation.

Yes, but only a faint, almost pitying, scrutiny.

That look was like a needle, piercing Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

Is he pitying us?

He's a dying man, a traitorous rebel, why should he show mercy to us, the emperor?!

The indescribable sense of humiliation and rage instantly overwhelmed Zhu Yuanzhang's reason.

How did he rise from a beggar to the emperor's throne?

It all comes down to ruthlessness; he trusts no one but the ruthlessness of the knife in his hand!

He schemed against all the heroes of the world and killed everyone who might threaten his throne. When did it become someone else's turn to scheme against him?

He was still outsmarted by his own son in a way he couldn't understand!

Can't afford to gamble?

In his entire life, Zhu Chongba has never known what it means to be unable to afford a gamble!

Our country was won with our lives!

Our foundation was built on blood!

Today, we're going to show you who the real player in this game is!

"Okay! Okay!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he laughed. He turned around abruptly and snatched the gilded battle flag, which represented supreme military power, from the hand of the guard next to him!

With a "whoosh," the command flag unfurled, revealing a ferocious dragon head embroidered in gold thread, its bloodthirsty light gleaming under the gloomy sky.

Upon seeing this command flag, all the clamoring civil officials on the city wall instantly fell silent.

Xu Da, Lan Yu, and the others below the city wall also had their pupils shrink suddenly.

Command flag for battle!

When this flag is displayed, seeing the flag is like seeing the emperor; the entire army will fight to the death!

emperor……

This is an order to start the war!

"Your Majesty! Please reconsider!"

For the first time, panic appeared on Li Shanchang's aged face.

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"

Hu Weiyong was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, clinging to Zhu Yuanzhang's leg and crying out, "When two armies clash, blood flows like rivers. Regardless of victory or defeat, it is the very foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty that is shaken!"

Zhu Yuanzhang kicked Hu Weiyong away. His eyes were bloodshot, and he gripped the command flag tightly in his hand, releasing the overwhelming murderous aura of a founding emperor without reservation.

"The foundation of the nation? We are the foundation of the nation! Anyone who dares to shake us will be utterly destroyed!"

He raised the command flag high in his hand, the veins on his arm bulging.

With an army of 500,000, all eyes were focused on that command flag.

As soon as the command flag is waved, the city of Jinling will be transformed into a sea of ​​blood in an instant.

Everyone held their breath.

Time stood still at this moment.

Zhu Muying looked at her father, who appeared to be insane, on the city wall, her expression unchanged.

He just watched quietly.

Like an outsider watching a play whose ending is already known.

Zhu Yuanzhang's hand, raised in mid-air, trembled slightly.

The gilded battle flag, weighing over a thousand pounds, now felt incredibly heavy, making it hard for him to breathe.

Swing it down!

As soon as the troops are unleashed, these 500,000 soldiers will flood the entire city of Jinling like a tidal wave!

Zhu Muying, Xu Da, Lan Yu, Chang Yuchun...

Anyone who dares to challenge his imperial power will be crushed into dust!

He, Zhu Yuanzhang, remained the same decisive and all-powerful Hongwu Emperor!

but……

Why can't I swing it?

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind was in complete chaos.

Countless images flashed before his eyes.

He saw Wu Liang, the Deputy Commander of the Tiger Guard, that honest and straightforward man, who, after drinking too much at the victory banquet, had clung to his leg, sobbing and saying, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for His Highness Prince Ying, this humble general would have lost his life long ago in the mountains of those southern barbarians! From now on, whatever Your Highness commands, this humble general will obey without hesitation, even at the cost of his life!"

He saw that Geng Bingwen, the Vice Commander of the Eagle Guard, a veteran general known for his composure, wrote in his battle report: "The fall of Luzhou was imminent, and I was prepared to die. Fortunately, His Highness Prince Ying rushed to our aid from a thousand miles away, rescuing me from dire straits and saving tens of thousands of my soldiers from fire and water. This kindness will be forever etched in my memory by me and the entire Eagle Guard!"

He saw Liao Yongzhong, the Left Commander of the Longjiang Navy, his old brother who had fought alongside him all the way from the Chaohu Water Village, with red eyes in front of his son Liao Quan's mourning hall, kowtowing three times heavily to Zhu Muying, who had rushed back from the northern frontier to pay his respects.

"Your Highness, it is my son's honor to die for you! From this day forward, you are my own son, Liao Yongzhong's son!"

He always felt that he was the emperor, the Son of Heaven.

If the king wants the minister to die, the minister has to die.

As long as he gives the order, these people will eventually listen to him.

But now, he's not so sure.

He dared not gamble.

What should we bet on?

Are we gambling with 500,000 of the Ming Dynasty's most elite troops?

Even if they win, the Ming Dynasty will be severely weakened, and its borders will be vulnerable. Will the Tartars in the north and the barbarians in the south take advantage of this weakness?

We lost...

No, he can't lose!

How could Zhu Yuanzhang possibly lose!

"Haha...hahahaha..."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter, a harsh laugh like that of a wild beast trapped in a cage.

He forced down his panic and fear, and with all his might roared towards the city below, "Zhu Muying! Stop spreading these alarmist rumors!"

"They are soldiers of our Great Ming Dynasty! They eat the imperial rations! They wear the armor we provide!"

"Their families, their wives and children, are all on the land of the Ming Dynasty! We refuse to believe that they would dare to bear the eternal infamy of treason for the sake of a mere prince like you! They dare to rebel against us, the emperor!"

His voice echoed in the air above Chengtian Gate.

He still sounded as dignified and arrogant as ever.

But only he knew that his voice had become weak and trembling, a quality he could no longer control.

Xu Da, Lan Yu, and the others below the city wall felt a mix of emotions upon hearing the emperor's blustering yet cowardly words.

They were all commanders, so they naturally understood the principle that "soldiers belong to their generals."

The emperor is right. The army's pay comes from the imperial court, but it is the generals who lead them into battle and save their lives!

Especially a general like Zhu Muying, who could eat, live, and die with his soldiers!

Zhu Muying silently raised her head and looked at her father on the city wall, who was still trying to maintain his imperial dignity.

His eyes remained calm.

But deep within that tranquility, there was a faint, almost imperceptible pity.

He pitied him.

It's pitiful that this father, alienated by the throne and power, is no longer a human being.

He thought he possessed the world, but in reality, he lost everything.

He lost his brothers, his wife, his son, and finally, he lost the hearts of the people.

A lonely man, guarding a cold imperial city, is this all he wants?

That pitying look was like a bucket of ice water poured over Zhu Yuanzhang's anger.

This instantly snapped him out of his frenzied rage.

What followed was an even stronger anger than rage—the anger of being seen through and humiliated!

He's pitying us!

How dare he!

"Great! Excellent!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, enraged to the point of despair, laughed instead of roaring. His voice became unusually calm, so calm it sent chills down one's spine.

"Since you're so confident, then today we'll let you die knowing why!"

"Let's see if our soldiers still listen to their emperor!"

He did not wave the command flag in his hand.

Instead, it suddenly plunged itself hard into the crenellations of the city wall!

"Thump!"

A muffled thud.

The flagpole of the command flag was deeply embedded in the bluestone bricks, and the golden dragon flag danced wildly in the wind and snow, like a vicious dragon that wanted to devour people.

Only a few people, such as Xu Da, who knew Zhu Yuanzhang best, felt a sudden sinking feeling in their hearts.

They knew that the emperor had been driven to a dead end and was resorting to the most extreme means to prove his authority.

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang turned around and said, word by word, "Pass on my decree!"

"Tiger Guards, heed my command!"

"Give us a piece of our hands! Slaughter on the spot those rioting soldiers from the Beijing garrison who followed Xu Da in his rebellion! Leave no one alive!"

His voice was cold and cruel, devoid of emotion.

He was going to throw the choice directly at Wu Liang!

Alternatively, kill Xu Da's soldiers and show your loyalty to him, the emperor!

Alternatively, disobeying the imperial decree would solidify the charge of treason!

He simply couldn't believe that Wu Liang, that fool, would dare to defy the imperial decree in front of the entire world!