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

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious at Liao Yongzhong's words.

"Mu Ying avenged your son, so we don't blame you!"

"But don't forget! Your surname is Liao, not Zhu! You are a subject of the Great Ming Dynasty, not Zhu Muying's slave!"

"Today, as long as you stand on our side, we will bestow upon you the title of Duke! The title will be hereditary! Your Liao family will enjoy wealth and honor forever!"

Zhu Yuanzhang began making promises.

He set aside his imperial airs and used brotherhood, wealth, and honor to win over his last remaining brother.

This is his last trump card.

He believed that no one could resist such a temptation.

On the Yangtze River, on the flagship of the Heilongjiang Navy.

As Liao Yongzhong listened to the emperor's hoarse voice, his weathered face was filled with painful struggle.

Duke!

Hereditary succession!

This was the glory he had dreamed of all his life in the military!

If he simply nodded, if he simply ordered the navy's cannons to be aimed at the city, all of this would be his.

His descendants will forever enjoy this glory.

but……

In his mind, Zhu Muying's young yet resolute face reappeared.

"Uncle Liao."

Zhu Muying did not call him Governor or General, but used the most intimate title.

Do you remember?

"What were the last words Ah Quan said to me before he died in battle?"

Liao Yongzhong's body jolted violently.

Zhu Muying didn't wait for his reply and continued talking to herself.

He said, "Your Highness, my father is old. His greatest wish in life is to see the Ming Dynasty's dragon flag planted all over the sea. I may not live to see that day. Your Highness, you must fulfill this wish for me and for my father!"

Zhu Muying's voice carried a subtle sadness.

"Ah Quan is my brother."

"His last wish, I, Zhu Muying, will never forget in this lifetime!"

"If I survive today, one day I will personally lead the Ming navy to sweep across the four seas and display my might beyond the borders! I will let the dragon flag of my Ming dynasty fly over every coastline in this world!"

"So that future generations will feel awe and reverence when they speak of the Ming Dynasty's navy!"

"May Ah Quan's spirit rest in peace in heaven!"

His words were powerful and resounding; every word was like a heavy cannonball, striking Liao Yongzhong's heart hard!

Sweep across the four seas and spread your might beyond the borders!

Let the dragon flag of the Ming Dynasty be planted all over the sea!

This……

Isn't this exactly Liao Yongzhong's lifelong dream?!

He had mentioned this grand ambition to His Majesty countless times while drunk, but His Majesty always refused to support him, citing the empty treasury and the need for recuperation.

He thought that this dream would never come true in his lifetime.

But now, His Highness the King of England has given him this promise in front of the whole world!

Liao Yongzhong's breathing became rapid.

A flame reignited in his cloudy old eyes!

He knew what choice he had to make.

To hell with the Duke!

To hell with hereditary succession!

In this life, I don't seek fame or fortune, I just want to have a good time!

All I want is for my dream to come true!

"Pass on my orders!"

Liao Yongzhong suddenly turned around and roared at the generals behind him who were already excited!

"Longjiang Navy, all warships! Lower the dragon flag! Raise..."

He paused, then with all his might, roared out the slogan that even he himself felt unfamiliar with.

"His Highness Prince Sheng Ying, the 'Commander' flag!"

"All ship guns, turn them around! Aim them at the Chengtian Gate tower!"

"Just give the order, Your Highness, and we'll raze that city wall to the ground!"

"boom!"

The entire Heilongjiang Navy was in an uproar!

Countless naval officers and soldiers rushed onto the deck and let out a deafening cheer!

One after another, dragon flags representing imperial power were lowered without hesitation.

Instead, there were banners embroidered with the huge character "帅" (shuai, meaning "commander"), Zhu Muying's personal banners!

On the Yangtze River, eight hundred warships all changed flags!

Nanjiang, defected!

On the city wall, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the banners bearing the character "Commander" fluttering in the river wind, and at the countless dark cannons aimed at him. He could no longer hold on, his body went limp, and he collapsed completely onto the dragon throne.

All the light in his eyes was extinguished at that moment.

All that remained was a deathly despair.

Three large armies, three of his most trusted elite forces, all defected in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

He lost.

They lost badly, utterly and completely.

They lost miserably, utterly humiliated.

The flags have been raised in the south, and ten thousand cannons are pointed at you.

A deathly silence fell upon the city tower of Chengtian Gate.

Zhu Yuanzhang slumped on the cold dragon throne, his eyes vacant and his face ashen.

He was like a gambler who had lost all his chips, with no chance of turning things around.

Three months.

He meticulously planned and laid out his scheme for three months.

He mobilized an army of 500,000, believing he had everything under control, and intended to wipe out all the disgruntled meritorious officials and nobles in one fell swoop.

In the end, however, his meticulously planned game turned out to be a huge joke from the very beginning.

His proud army of 500,000 men was reduced to three separate units, totaling nearly 130,000 men, which became the enemy's forces in the blink of an eye.

This is more than just a slap in the face.

This is to crush his dignity as emperor, to the ground, to grind it repeatedly, and to pulverize it!

He couldn't figure it out.

He really couldn't understand it.

What exactly did he do wrong?

Wasn't he good to Wu Liang?

Don't you trust him enough?

Was he not good to Geng Bingwen?

Don't we value him enough?

Was he not good to Liao Yongzhong?

That's his brother, the one he grew up with, wearing open-crotch pants!

Why?

Why do they all have to betray me?

Just for a few promises from that brat Zhu Muying?

A few tears?

Is his imperial favor and his title as the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming Dynasty so utterly worthless?

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart was filled with resentment and bitterness.

But he no longer had the strength to roar or question.

Because he knew it was useless.

The tide is gone.

His only hope now lies with the more than 300,000 troops in the northern frontier.

That was his last and largest force.

Their commander, Li Wenzhong, was his nephew and the family member he trusted most.

They wouldn't be so...

Zhu Yuanzhang dared not think any further.

He cast his last hope toward the north of Jinling City.

There, the dark, imposing army, like a storm cloud, stretched all the way to the horizon.

They did not beat drums like the Tiger Guards, nor did they kneel like the Eagle Guards, nor did they change their flags like the Longjiang Navy.

They just stood there quietly.

More than 300,000 pairs of eyes, like wolves, silently watched everything that happened on the battlefield.

This silence gave Zhu Yuanzhang a chance to catch his breath.

It was also given to him, his last fantasy.

perhaps……

Perhaps they are still waiting.

They awaited the emperor's command.

As long as I speak up, as long as I promise Li Wenzhong a higher position, they...