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

Thirty-six thousand Tiger Guard soldiers responded to their commander with equally hoarse and fervent voices!

The roaring and shouting created a visible sound wave that soared into the sky, dispersing some of the dark clouds.

The blizzard subsided briefly under the impact of this wave of sound.

The entire city of Jinling trembled in fear at this earth-shattering cry of loyalty!

On the city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang's body swayed violently. He felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a hot, metallic liquid surged up.

He gritted his teeth and forced back the mouthful of blood.

He cannot fall.

He absolutely cannot show the slightest weakness in front of this rebellious son, or in front of the world!

His eyes were fixed on the calm figure below the city.

Zhu Muying remained seated quietly atop his magnificent white horse, facing the kneeling loyalty of 36,000 elite soldiers, and witnessing the earth-shattering roar of the battle. Yet, his face showed no trace of pride or excitement.

He simply accepted it all calmly; it was how it was supposed to be.

This calm, this sense of entitlement, made Zhu Yuanzhang feel more humiliated and angry than any arrogance or conceit!

On what grounds?

What gives him the right?!

These soldiers are our soldiers!

This army was built by our own hands!

Wu Liang, you were the one we promoted from among piles of corpses!

The food you eat, the armor you wear—aren't they all provided by us?!

Now, you kneel down and pledge allegiance to our son!

What do you take us for, the emperor?!

"We will follow Your Highness's lead without question!"

Shouts of loyalty, like wave after wave of tsunamis, repeatedly washed over the Chengtianmen city gate.

The city gate tower was already deathly silent.

If the previous drumbeats of death and the unusual changes in the military formation only made these pampered civil officials feel uneasy and confused.

At this moment, the Tiger Guards' undisguised public defection and their thunderous cries of loyalty were like an invisible giant hammer, shattering their pitiful illusions and hopes.

fear!

Boundless fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed their reason.

"It's over...it's all over..."

The Imperial Censor Wang, who had been the most vocal and had pointed at Zhu Muying's nose, calling him a "traitor," now had his eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, and had fainted from fright. His body went limp, and he slid down from the edge of the city wall and collapsed to the ground.

Nobody paid any attention to him.

Because the performance of others wasn't much better than his.

Right Chancellor Hu Weiyong, a man who once held immense power and influence in the court, had lost all his former authority.

His face was ashen, his body trembled violently, and yellow, foul-smelling liquid slowly trickled down his trouser legs, leaving a shameful stain on the cold bluestone bricks.

He was so scared he peed his pants!

"No...it's not my fault...it's not my fault..."

He muttered incoherently, using his hands and feet to desperately try to squeeze behind the crowd, trying to find a place to hide himself.

He was afraid.

He was really scared.

Just now, he was working with the emperor to utterly destroy Prince Ying, Zhu Muying.

He even planned how he would divide the power vacuum left by the Duke of Wei's mansion and the Prince of Zhongshan's mansion after the King of Ying died.

But now, they're not dead!

Not only did he not die, but he also transformed into someone who could make 36,000 Tiger Guards kneel down and pledge their loyalty!

How can this be considered a vassal king?

This is clearly a warlord who commands a large army!

Once he starts settling accounts, how can the Right Chancellor, who has been the most vocal in his criticism, possibly have a good ending?

The more Hu Weiyong thought about it, the more frightened he became. He only regretted that his parents hadn't given him four legs so that he could escape from this dangerous place immediately.

Compared to Hu Weiyong's disheveled state, Left Chancellor Li Shanchang was much calmer.

But if you look closely, you can see that his hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, are also trembling slightly uncontrollably.

His usually calm and worldly eyes were now filled with turbulent emotions.

He had a long career in officialdom, having served more than one monarch, and was accustomed to the changing of the court, life and death, honor and disgrace.

He thought that there was nothing in this world that could truly move him anymore.

But today, he was wrong.

Looking at the young man in white robes and silver spear below the city, and at the more than 36,000 elite troops bowing in submission, he felt for the first time how pale and powerless his proud schemes and wisdom were.

This was not a simple coup, nor was it a common mutiny.

This is……

A shift in faith!

It is the soul of the entire Ming military, swearing allegiance to a new master!

Four words from the history books involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

— Soldiers belong to their generals.

This has always been the greatest taboo for emperors.

But the young man in front of me has taken those four words to the extreme.

He didn't even need to raise his voice; a simple signal was enough for a contingent of the emperor's elite troops to willingly offer him everything.

What terrifying prestige this is!

What a terrifying tactic!

For the first time, Li Shanchang began to have doubts about the man sitting on the dragon throne.

Your Majesty, he...

Can we really still control the situation?

On the other side of the city gate, Crown Prince Zhu Biao held tightly to his swaying mother, his face equally ashen.

He looked at his fifth brother, who was both familiar and unfamiliar, below the city, his mind a complete mess.

How could this happen?

How did things turn out this way?

Fifth brother...

When did he acquire such terrifying power?

Isn't he just a warrior who only knows how to fight?

How could he possibly turn the Tiger Guards into his own people right under his father's nose?

Zhu Biao couldn't understand it, but he knew that from this day forward, the world of the Ming Dynasty was likely to change.

He glanced subconsciously at Empress Ma beside him.

Empress Ma's face was already streaked with tears.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood there, motionless, like a stone statue eroded by wind and snow for thousands of years.

The thunderous cries of loyalty were like poisoned steel knives, repeatedly stabbing into his heart, tearing his internal organs to shreds.

His mind was blank.

Only countless images flashed by frantically.

He saw Wu Liang, the Deputy Commander of the Tiger Guard, that honest and straightforward man, who three years ago had drunk himself into a stupor at the victory banquet, clinging to his leg and crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty! You are my second parents! If it weren't for you, I, Wu Liang, would still be farming in the countryside! My life belongs to you! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to beat a dog, I will never chase a chicken!"

"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 even unto death!"

and many more……

What did Wu Liang say at that time?

Zhu Yuanzhang's mind went blank.

He always thought that Wu Liang meant, "His Majesty has given the order, and I will not hesitate to die for it."

But now, upon careful reflection, he realized with horror that what Wu Liang had said back then was clearly...

"I will obey Your Highness's orders, even at the cost of my life!"

He was drunk at the time, and he didn't pay attention to this detail at all!

He took it as Wu Liang's gratitude for Mu Ying saving his life, and said it casually!

But now it seems that it was not just a casual remark!

That was a vow he made from the bottom of his heart!

Zhu Yuanzhang then thought of Geng Bingwen, the Vice Commander of the Eagle Guard, a veteran general known for his composure.

After the siege of Luzhou was lifted, the battle report that arrived, besides recounting the military achievements, also included a personal note at the end: "With Luzhou on the verge of falling, 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 dire straits. This kindness, I and the entire Yingyang Guard will never forget!"

Never forget!

What a wonderful phrase, "never to be forgotten!"

There was also Liao Yongzhong, the Left Commander of the Longjiang Navy, his old brother who fought alongside him all the way from the Chaohu Water Village.

Before his son Liao Quan's mourning hall, his eyes were red, and he kowtowed three times to Zhu Muying, who had rushed back from the northern frontier to pay her respects.

That scene was secretly reported to him by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At the time, he thought that Liao Yongzhong was a loyal and righteous old brother, and that Mu Ying was a child who knew how to win people's hearts.

But now he realizes that it wasn't about winning people's hearts at all.

That's like killing someone by destroying their spirit!

The person Liao Yongzhong kowtowed to was not the emperor, but Zhu Muying!

He transformed his grief over the loss of his son into loyalty to Zhu Muying!

betray!

A complete and utter betrayal!

He thought he had everything under control and that he could manipulate everyone.

In the end, he was the one who was kept in the dark and made a fool of!

He still looked down on him the most, considering him to be just the son of a brave but reckless warrior, and he was completely outmaneuvered!

"Pfft—" Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer suppress it, and a mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out of his mouth.

Crimson blood splattered onto his bright yellow dragon robe, resembling blooming, eerie plum blossoms.

"His Majesty!"

"Father!"

The eunuchs, Zhu Biao, and Empress Ma nearby all gasped in surprise, creating a chaotic scene.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared with all his might.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes, bloodshot with anger and humiliation, fixed on Zhu Muying below the city walls.

He lost.

In terms of cunning and understanding of people's hearts, he suffered a complete defeat.

However, he hasn't lost everything yet!

He still has the Eagle Guard, the Longjiang Navy, and the more than 300,000 troops in the Northern Frontier!

He doesn't believe it!

He didn't trust these people, and they were all Zhu Muying's people!

Wu Liang is a simpleton, easily bought off by favors!

What about Geng Bingwen and Liao Yongzhong?

They are all veterans who have followed him for decades. Would they really betray their emperor for such a small personal favor?!

"Geng Bingwen!"

Zhu Yuanzhang, forcing himself to stay upright, pointed towards the west of the city and roared like a trapped beast, "And you?! Are you going to follow that traitor Wu Liang and betray us?!"

He wanted to gamble again in front of everyone!

He's going to throw out the multiple-choice question again!

He refused to believe he would lose twice in a row!

"Geng Bingwen! Are you going to follow in the footsteps of that traitor Wu Liang and betray us?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's roar, tinged with the stench of blood, echoed above Chengtian Gate.

His finger pointed straight towards the west of the city.

There stood the Eagle Guard's military formation.

An iron formation composed of 41,000 battle-hardened veterans who had just returned from the bloody battles in Sichuan.

Their commander, Vice-Commander-in-Chief Geng Bingwen, was known for his composure, loyalty to the emperor, and patriotism.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, Wu Liang's betrayal was perhaps an accident.

That simpleton is easily blinded by Zhu Muying's life-saving grace.

But Geng Bingwen was different.

He is a smart man, a veteran who knows how to weigh the pros and cons.

He should understand what the consequences would be for betraying the emperor and making an enemy of the entire Ming Dynasty!

He should know that his family and his clan are all under the control of the imperial court!

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was confident this time.