Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

The enemy's morale collapsed, Zhu Di's trusted generals surrendered or evacuated the battlefield, and Zhu Biao's victory was finally confirmed.

After the battle, Zhu Biao stood on the battlefield, staring at the enemy retreating in the distance.

His heart was not completely comforted by this, but felt even heavier.

"Uncle, we finally won, but I know that the next challenge will be even more severe."

Zhu Han walked up to him, his eyes still calm, "This victory is only temporary. The real challenge lies in how to completely control the court and how to make those ministers and generals who are doubtful stand firmly on our side."

Zhu Biao's eyes were firm. "I understand, uncle. I will act cautiously in every step from now on and will never let father have any doubts again."

Zhu Han stood in front of the window, staring into the distance, seemingly thinking about something.

His eyes were deep and calm. "Prince, the situation is as you expected. The uncertainty in the emperor's heart will always be our biggest hidden danger. We must fundamentally stabilize the hearts of the people in the court, especially those wavering ministers. Without their support, even if you have the strongest army, it will be difficult for you to gain a foothold in the court."

"I know." Zhu Biao lowered his head and thought, "I once tried to rely on my own strength to change the situation, but now it seems that the position of the crown prince is not only a contest of military strength, but also a complex political game."

Zhu Han nodded, slowly walked to the desk and picked up the military book on the table.

"That's right. Although we have achieved victory through modern weapons and tactical advantages, these means are only external tools. What can truly influence the situation is still the human heart."

He paused, his eyes deep, "In this case, we must start from the source, use these unstable factors to create more cracks. Only by letting father see that the prince is capable of controlling the court can we completely eliminate his doubts about your succession to the throne."

"How can I do this?" Zhu Biao frowned. "These officials have long been accustomed to the intrigues in the court. How can I break their suspicion and truly gain a firm foothold?"

Zhu Han's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. "Everyone has fear in their hearts. Fear is the most powerful weapon. We need to use illusions to create fear and make them mistakenly believe that the prince cannot stabilize the situation in Ming Dynasty. Take this opportunity to start dividing their camps."

Gu Qingping stood aside, listening to their conversation, and understood what was going on.

"You mean, first use false intelligence to make these ministers feel uneasy, and then use divisive means to make them choose sides."

"That's right." Zhu Han nodded slowly. "Among these ministers, some are already dissatisfied, while others are wavering for their own benefit. We need to take advantage of their weaknesses and create a sense of crisis, so that they make wrong decisions at critical moments."

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Han deeply, with a gleam of determination in his eyes. "I understand, uncle. Whether it is to strike at the enemy or to win over the ministers in the court, we must take the initiative and seize the initiative. We can't continue to wait passively."

"That's right." Zhu Han stood up slowly, his eyes steady, "If we wait until the enemy takes action, it will be too late."

"Uncle, are you really going to make this move?" Zhu Biao crumpled the secret letter into a ball, and the candlelight cast a distorted shadow on the rice paper. The jade Pixiu incense burner on the desk was emitting wisps of green smoke, but it could not suppress the stagnant atmosphere in the study.

Zhu Han flicked the candlelight with his fingers, and the moonlight shone through the carved window lattice onto his black python robe: "When the game is deadlocked, you have to chisel a crack in the chessboard."

He slipped out a half tiger talisman from his sleeve, the bronze pattern glowing coldly in the moonlight, "Do you remember the military ration case in Northern Xinjiang last year? Commander Zhang still owes us a favor."

Zhu Biao paused while dipping his brush in ink, the tip of his brush hovering above the snow-white rice paper. "Zhang Yi? He is in charge of the Five Cities Military Division. If he is willing to cooperate..."

"More than that." Zhu Han took the brush and moved his wrist lightly across the paper. "Let Xu Wei spread the word in the Censorate, saying that Your Majesty is secretly investigating the private assassins in the Eastern Palace."

He paused, and a drop of thick ink spread out, "Then let the newly defected Jinyiwei captain slip the forged secret letter into the study of Zhu Di's confidant."

Zhu Biao stood up suddenly: "Forged my father's handwriting?"

"No, it's an imitation of Zhao Mao's handwriting." Zhu Han blew the ink off the paper. On the lower right corner of the letter was the private seal of Zhao Mao, an official of the Eastern Palace. "Didn't Mr. Zhao just get reprimanded by His Majesty the day before yesterday? Now he is eager to show his loyalty..."

Suddenly, a night owl cried out from outside the window. Gu Qingping's fingertips trembled slightly: "Uncle, this series of schemes will backfire if you make a mistake."

"It will look better when it's on fire." Zhu Han folded the letter into the bamboo tube. "When Emperor Taizu drove out the Tartars, didn't he also use the strategy of sowing discord? Our Fourth Prince is most like your Majesty when he was young."

He suddenly chuckled, "Unfortunately, what Your Majesty fears most now is your younger self."

Three days later, Zhuque Street, Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhang Yi's concubine's brother Wang San was playing Pai Gow in the gambling house when he was suddenly covered by the mouth by two men who looked like slaves and dragged into the side room.

"My Lord, how did the secret memorial presented to His Majesty by your brother-in-law the other day end up on the desk of Prince Yan's mansion?" The leading guard showed his bloody sword, "It says 'The Crown Prince privately transferred the border troops'..."

The dice slipped from Wang San's fingers onto the blue brick floor and rolled to the edge of his boots embroidered with a picture of mountains and rivers.

He raised his head tremblingly, and met Zhu Han's half-smiley eyes: "Master Wang, does your sister have any old friends in the Prince of Yan's Mansion?"

When the fifth watch gong sounded, an unsigned secret letter appeared in Zhang Yi's study.

The letter said that Prince Yan was colluding with Japanese pirates, and the evidence was hidden in the third warehouse of Yingtian Wharf.

That night, Zhang Yi personally led his men to raid the dock, but found a private seal engraved with the Eastern Palace emblem in the mezzanine of the granary.

"Impossible!" Zhang Yi stared at the dragon pattern on the private seal, cold sweat soaking through his armor, "This must be a frame-up..."

"The governor, please be careful with your words." The deputy lowered his voice, "Mr. Zhao Mao was summoned to the Fengtian Palace this morning. I heard that he brought 20 boxes of account books with him."

At the same time, the Censorate was in an uproar.

Xu Wei knocked the teacup heavily on the table: "The account book presented by Zhao Mao shows that the Eastern Palace secretly transferred 30,000 shi of military rations to Mobei last year. What do you think about this?"

The old imperial censor Chen Tingyu twirled his beard and sneered: "The troops stationed in Mobei are the Prince of Yan's men. The prince is aiding the enemy!"

"Shut up!" Yang Jing, the Right Censor of the Censorate, slammed the table and stood up. "You are convicting the prince before His Majesty has spoken yet?"

Before the morning mist cleared, a carriage with a green curtain stopped in the alley behind Prince Yan's mansion. The door was slightly open, revealing half of the corner of a dark blue robe.

"Tell the prince that Zhao Mao is finished." A hoarse male voice came from the car, "The emperor has sent people to review the account books of the East Palace's private transfer of military rations."

The doorman was about to respond when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a broken tiger talisman on the other party's waist.

His pupils suddenly contracted and he was about to call for help when he was hit hard on the back of his neck.

Zhu Yuanzhang threw the secret letter on the dragon table. The eight characters on the letter were stained with blood: "Drive out the Tartars and restore China." "Biao'er, what's your explanation?"

Zhu Biao knelt on the golden brick with a coiled dragon pattern, his ribs aching from the pressure of the jade belt: "Father, I have never..." "Never what?" Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed the account book on the desk, and the red annotations were glaring and shocking, "Privately mobilized border troops, colluded with Japanese pirates, and aided the enemy King of Yan. Do you think my Jinyiwei are all dead?"

There was a sudden commotion outside the palace, and Zhang Yi rushed in with blood on his armor: "Your Majesty! I found the private seal of the East Palace at the dock..."

"That's enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly, and the armrest of the dragon throne broke with a sound. "Issue an order, from now on..."

"Wait a minute."

Zhu Han walked into the hall in a purple robe and jade belt, holding a tray with half a tiger talisman in his hand: "Brother, do you recognize this?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils suddenly shrank: "This is... an old item from the Red Turban Army in Haozhou!"

"That's right." Zhu Han stroked the cracks on the tiger talisman with his fingertips. "Three days ago, my secret guards intercepted this item in the back alley of Prince Yan's mansion. The person holding the talisman was Zhao Mao's staff member."

There was deathly silence in the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down slowly, his white hair trembling: "Go on."

"Zhao Mao colluded with Zhu Di and forged evidence of the crimes of the Eastern Palace." Zhu Han took out several secret letters, "This is Zhao Mao's handwriting, and the handwriting can be compared with the correspondence between the Prince of Yan and the Palace."

Zhang Yi suddenly knelt down: "Your Majesty! I am guilty! I was deceived by Zhao Mao..."

"Blinded?" Zhu Han sneered, "How could Governor Zhang know that the private seal was hidden in the third warehouse when he raided the dock the day before yesterday? If someone hadn't tipped off..."

"Uncle!" Zhu Di finally couldn't hold back any longer, "This kind of frame-up..."

"Frame-up?" Zhu Han threw the tiger talisman on the ground. "Then please explain, Fourth Prince, why do your staff have old things from Haozhou?"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly started coughing violently, and Li Shanchang hurriedly handed him ginseng soup.

The old man's cloudy eyes moved between Zhu Biao and Zhu Di, and finally waved his hand: "Everyone, leave."

That night, inside the East Palace.

"Uncle, this is too risky..." Zhu Biao held the tiger talisman tightly, and the bronze patterns on his palm hurt.

"How can we know your majesty's intention without taking risks?" Zhu Han knocked open the secret box and took out half of the tiger talisman to match it with the other one. "When your majesty started the uprising in Haozhou, this tiger talisman was originally a pair. Half of it was broken when Guo Tianxu rebelled, and the remaining half..."

"In the hands of the emperor." Zhu Biao suddenly realized, "So you asked me to deliberately reveal my whereabouts the day before yesterday..."

"The spy that Zhao Mao planted next to you has long been marked by the system." Zhu Han's fingertips slid across the miniature map in the secret box, "The real decisive battle will begin at the court tomorrow morning."

When the fifth watch drum sounded, dozens of ministers knelt outside the Fengtian Hall. In the morning mist, Zhu Di's armor shone coldly.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial." Xu Wei stepped out holding the memorial, "After investigation, it is clear that Zhao Mao secretly colluded with the Japanese pirates..."

"Master Xu." Zhu Han came over in a purple robe, "Have you verified the secret report you received last night?"

Xu Wei's forehead was covered with sweat. "What secret report?"

"For example." Zhu Han suddenly raised his voice, "In the first year of Jianwen, Xu Wei's second son smuggled sea salt in Songjiang and was protected by Japanese pirates..."

"This information is exactly what we need." Zhu Han whispered in the study, "Prince, the situation has begun to change under your control. Next, father will definitely feel the pressure, especially those ministers who support Zhu Biao. Seeing the unstable situation, they will definitely start to re-evaluate their future choices."

Zhu Biao nodded, "I understand. We can't continue to wait passively, we must take action as soon as possible."

Soon after, the Prince's Palace began to secretly organize a large-scale military exercise. This exercise was not only to show the strength of the Prince's Army, but also to show the execution and decision-making capabilities of the Prince's Army to all supporters in the court.

At the same time, Zhu Han arranged some guards to secretly pass messages to certain ministers, revealing details about the prince's military deployment.

"This exercise must be successful." Zhu Han emphasized to Zhu Biao, "You must let your father see that you can not only lead the Ming Dynasty to glory, but also make the most decisive decisions in military command."

"I understand." Zhu Biao clenched his fists, his eyes firm, "This exercise concerns my future."

A few days later, the exercise was carried out as scheduled. Zhu Biao personally led the elite troops of the Prince's Army and demonstrated their strong combat effectiveness and efficient command ability.

Every move was precise and on point, and the performance of the Prince's army shocked all the ministers and generals who witnessed it.

However, at one point in the exercise, a small "accident" occurred. Zhu Han deliberately made a general in the Prince's Army make a mistake during the exercise, giving the enemy a slight breakthrough.

Although this mistake did not lead to serious consequences, it was enough to cause the ministers watching to begin discussing whether the prince's decision was wise.

“Although the Prince’s Army’s drills are powerful, their command capabilities seem somewhat lacking in rigor.”

One minister whispered to another, "If the prince cannot avoid mistakes in an exercise of this magnitude, it remains to be seen whether he can stabilize the situation in future battles."

These words quickly spread throughout the court. This tiny loophole deliberately created by Zhu Han had successfully sowed the seeds of unrest among the ministers.

A few days later, Zhu Biao learned the news and was furious. "This is an exercise I personally arranged, how could such a thing happen?"

Zhu Han looked at him calmly, "Prince, this is exactly what I set up. These ministers and generals saw the mistakes in the exercise, and all this is the bait we set. Now, they begin to doubt your command ability, and this is exactly what we need."

Zhu Biao frowned, "Are you saying that all this is to make them feel uneasy and then lead them to make wrong decisions?"

"That's right." Zhu Han smiled faintly, "Once they feel that the prince does not have sufficient decision-making ability, they will re-evaluate their relationship with us. Next, we will create more sense of crisis for them and force them to take sides."

However, the situation did not develop as smoothly as Zhu Han expected.

A few days later, the Prince's Mansion received a secret letter from a minister, which bluntly stated that the Prince lacked sufficient decisiveness and had problems in commanding the army. This letter was not only a question of the Prince's ability, but also an open provocation.

"Is this a letter from my father?" Zhu Biao took the secret letter, frowned, and suddenly felt uneasy. "He is also questioning my ability and is putting pressure on me in this way."

Zhu Han stood beside him and was silent for a moment. "No, this letter did not come from Your Majesty, but was manipulated by some ministers in Zhu Di's camp. They have begun to no longer hide their intentions, and deliberately use this method to weaken the prince's confidence and create a bigger rift."

"Zhu Di's supporters have begun to openly provoke me." Zhu Biao clenched the letter paper angrily, "They think that I will be shaken by this, but I will never let them succeed!" (End of this chapter)