King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

After hearing what Zhu Tan said, Pu Yongxin was completely panicked. Before the soldiers came forward to drag him away, he immediately kowtowed and cried.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent, and the Park family is innocent!"

"Your Majesty, you are wise. I am truly wronged!"

These two cries were truly tearful and the actor’s acting was superb.

If Zhu Tan had not had solid evidence, people would have really believed that he was wronged.

In fact, Park Yongxin was really panicked.

The reason why he came down from the mountain stronghold and surrendered himself was to delay time so that the Park family members in the mountain stronghold could evacuate quickly.

But now it’s been less than a day, and he didn’t say a single word after meeting Prince Lu, and was forced to sign twice without knowing why, and then he’s going to be taken away?

And judging from Prince Lu's expression, it seemed that he had no intention of getting any information from him from the very beginning. It seemed that he already knew most of the affairs of his family.

He couldn't delay any time at all. If King Lu's men really followed his previous route back, they would probably find the stronghold in a few days.

Once the copycat is found, the consequences...

Zhu Tan looked at Park Yongxin indifferently at this time, without saying a word, with a calm expression.

This man is at the end of his rope, what else can he say?

At this time, two soldiers stepped forward, grabbed Park Yongxin's arm roughly, and tried to drag him down.

Park Yongxin was really anxious, and shouted in a hurried tone: "Your Majesty, please have mercy! The Park family has made great contributions to the country!"

"Your Majesty!!"

Zhu Tan remained silent the entire time, just watching Park Yongxin being dragged away, wondering if this man would reveal any important information at this juncture.

But he was disappointed, because Park Yongxin did not reveal the Park family's connections in the court.

Zhu Tan stretched his body, turned to look at Ma He, and said with a smile: "Go and ask clearly."

"I want to know who is protecting the Park family and who they are in contact with in the court."

"Don't torture yourself to death. We still have to take you to the capital later."

Ma He's heart was slightly moved when he heard this, and he stepped forward, bowed and said, "I obey your command."

"Oh, right."

Zhu Tan reached out and touched his ear, then asked, "Have our people gone down yet?"

"Your Highness, he has already gone down."

Ma He said respectfully, "After discovering this man, four hundred soldiers dispersed and searched along the same path he came from."

"Yes." Zhu Tan nodded and said with a smile: "Inform the king immediately when you have any news."

"Also, the Park family's assets must be counted clearly. Tell Sun Junchu to appease the innocent people who were killed. If he can't do it well, then I will do it myself."

"Yes."

Zhu Tan waved his hand, and Ma He bowed and went down. As he went down, the pure murderous intent in his eyes kept flashing.

Zhu Tan leaned on the soft couch, thinking about what might happen next, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he sneered softly.

Park Yongxin, the Park family, they thought that their little plans could be hidden from Zhu Tan, but they overestimated themselves.

Last night, Zhu Tan went directly to the Park family, and the people from Quanzhou Dusi immediately sealed off all of the Park family’s manors after the assassination.

Where can a country gentleman like Pu Yongxin run to?
Moreover, this man suddenly appeared today, but his wife and children were nowhere to be seen. Where did he go? Did he secretly kill him and bury him in a pit dug in the deep mountains and forests? This is obviously unrealistic.

Therefore, Zhu Tan had already issued an order that if Park Yongxin was found but his wife and children were not found, the soldiers under his command would immediately search for him.

Let’s not talk about these issues and just talk about Quanzhou city.

The Pu family has been thriving in Quanzhou for a hundred years and is the richest family in the country, but there are not many members of the Pu family in Quanzhou. Most of those who were found last night were from the Pu family's side branches, and there was not even a single direct relative.

Isn't this just fooling fools?

Although Zhu Tan did not wander around Quanzhou City, when he heard the news, he was still able to clearly judge the situation.

The Park family might have been accustomed to a life of luxury and were used to cooperating with those court officials who were greedy for profit, or it might be that this matter happened too suddenly, so such a big flaw was exposed.

Things will soon have results. Now Zhu Tan is no longer thinking about Quanzhou's affairs, but thinking about what to do next.

……

In the evening, outside Quanzhou city, deep in the mountains.

A team of soldiers from the Shandong Dusi were walking through the woods. All of them were wearing leather armor, holding weapons, with frowns on their faces, as if they were facing a powerful enemy.

But these people's faces showed signs of fatigue.

They had been searching in the deep mountains and forests for a whole day, but found no clues.

The mountain paths had long been broken, and the dense jungle was overgrown with weeds. Only some intermittent roads could be seen, which seemed to be animal paths.

As for horse hoof prints, human footprints and the like, there were none.

"Boss, when will we find out?"

At this time, a soldier whispered to his captain: "I am hungry."

"Fool!"

The centurion turned around, slapped the soldier on his helmet, and cursed: "All he does is eat!"

"The prince has ordered us to look for him. If we can't find him, don't go back."

"But we don't even know what to look for."

The soldier straightened his helmet and whispered, "Why don't we take a break? We've been searching for almost a day."

"The general and his men are nearby, do you dare to rest?"

The centurion glared and said in a deep voice: "You have lived enough, but I haven't lived enough."

"Do your job well!"

The soldier was scolded by his superior, but he didn't take it seriously. He turned around to look at the brothers behind him and grinned.

These soldiers usually eat and live together, so they have a very good relationship and will not complain just because someone says a few words to them.

"Don't complain, kid."

At this time, the captain whispered again: "This time the prince has entrusted us with a big task. If we can find the person, it will be a great achievement, greater than killing the Japanese pirates at sea."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, several soldiers gleamed with hope in their eyes.

If you want to stand out in the Ming Dynasty's military, the only way is to make merit. Which soldier doesn't want to make merit and stand out?

"Nonsense, can I lie to you?"

The centurion cursed and said, "It was the captain who said it himself. The prince personally instructed me to do it."

"The credit is right in front of you. It's up to you whether you want it or not."

After saying that, the centurion stopped talking and continued to walk forward with his back bent, never letting down his guard.

Upon hearing this, several soldiers perked up and walked forward slowly, being much more cautious than before.

After walking more than a hundred steps forward, the team passed a hill. The centurion suddenly stopped and clenched his fist with one hand.

All the soldiers behind him stopped immediately and stood on guard with weapons.

A soldier asked.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

"That mountain over there, why does it feel a little bit wrong?"

The centurion pointed to a hillside not far away. The soldiers around him stretched their necks to look. They saw that the hillside was lush and green, just like any other hill.

But if you look closely, there seems to be something hidden in the woods, forming a whole.

"Let's go and take a look." The centurion raised his long sword and whispered, "Get ready for the thunderbolt!"

"Hey!"

The soldiers behind him all looked excited and nodded immediately.

The Sky-shaking Bomb is an early warning firearm that Zhu Tan specially equipped for these soldiers. It is similar to the Sky-shaking Monkey. It does not need to be ignited. Once pulled, it will soar into the sky with a sound like thunder.

The sun is setting and the sunlight is blinding.

A group of more than ten people moved forward slowly. The hillside in the distance was getting closer and closer, and the things hidden in the woods were becoming clearer and clearer.

Only then did everyone see clearly that those hidden among the trees were clearly rows of wooden stakes driven into the ground, neatly arranged, almost completely surrounding the entire hillside.

"This... Boss, what is this..."

The soldiers nearby were stunned. They had never seen such a thing before. It was beyond their imagination.

The centurion frowned, he was not sure what he saw, but he appeared much calmer than the soldiers, and whispered.

"Go around and take a look first."

After saying this, he hid himself in the woods and quickly ran to the other side of the hillside.

The soldiers behind him immediately followed, and more than a dozen of them shuttled through the dense grass like a dozen migrating gophers.

Soon they reached the other side of the hillside. Everyone lay in a hidden corner and looked forward until they saw the village gate covered with green leaves and the watchtower that almost blended in with the green. Then they were stunned.

"Boss, it's the village!"

"I found it! This is exactly what the prince is looking for!"

"Boss, fire the cannon!"

The centurion was also a little excited at this time. He stared into the distance with his eyes fixed, trying his best to calm his excitement, and said in a deep voice: "Fire the cannon and call for help!"

The soldier behind him got it and immediately took out the thunder bomb from his arms, pointed it at the sky, and was about to pull the fuse.

boom!
Suddenly, a deafening sound was heard in the sky. Several people looked up subconsciously, and saw a thin mist in the air, which seemed to be blown away by the breeze.

"Fuck him!"

The centurion reacted the fastest. He snatched the thunder bomb from the soldier's hand and pulled the fuse hard.

At the same time, he clearly saw many people rushing towards the mountain village. They were so densely packed that there were at least hundreds of people.

But the clothes those people wore were completely different from theirs.

boom!
There was another deafening roar. The centurion lay down in the woods, gritting his teeth and looking towards the direction of the mountain stronghold.

"Boss! Who are those people!"

"What are you going to do? Boss! Should we go find the boss?"

"What the hell are you trying to steal the credit for?"

The centurion remained silent, but his eyes were looking into the distance.

He looked at the men armed with swords and weapons attacking the stronghold with swift movements. Some of them had already climbed up the walls of the stronghold.

He also saw someone on the wall of the stronghold shooting arrows down, every arrow taking someone's life.

"Boss! Speak up! What should we do?"

"Why don't we charge in now? If they break into the city first, we will..."

"Don't fucking say anything! Wait for our people to arrive!"

The centurion suddenly growled and said angrily: "These people are the fucking Jinyiwei!"

"What……"

……

"What did you say? Jinyiwei?"

Late at night, Quanzhou Port, on a warship.

Zhu Tan frowned, looking at the messenger kneeling on the ground in front of him, feeling a little dizzy.

"Yes."

The messenger said, "I saw it with my own eyes, it was indeed the Jinyiwei."

"When General Wang sent me back with the message, our people had already approached from the back."

"General Wang said that we must break into the city before they do."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tan's eyes gradually became deep and his brows furrowed.

He only thought about it for a moment, and immediately understood the key point. He then waved his hand and said, "Got it. You go down first."

"Respect."

The messenger kowtowed, stood up and left. Zhu Tan then revealed an intriguing smile on his face and whispered to himself.

"Old man, you really played a great game of chess, making the two of you run around in circles."

The sudden appearance of the Embroidered Uniform Guards near the secret stronghold in the mountains and forests directly proves two things.

First, the old man in the capital knows everything about this place, and probably knows more than Zhu Tan.

Second, the Jinyiwei had been prepared for a long time, just waiting for Zhu Tan to take action in Quanzhou, and then they would take action immediately and destroy the stronghold.

Zhu Tan was using his father as a gun, but he was not angry. It was not a shameful thing to be schemed against by his father.

But there is one thing Zhu Tan still can't understand.

With the old man's devilish temper, after knowing about the Park family's affairs, why didn't he just wipe them out with lightning speed, but had to patiently guide him and let him be the first to take action?
Is there anything in the Ming Dynasty that makes the old man afraid?
Zhu Tan thought about it carefully, and then roughly understood what his father meant.

The old man probably isn't sure what the Park family's ultimate goal is, so he probably wants to lure the snake out of its hole by asking him to take action.

But who is this snake that is attracted?

Thinking about the causes and consequences, the thread gradually became clear. Zhu Tan now understood that this matter from beginning to end was a trap set by the old man, a trap to lure out the big fish.

From the beginning when Zhu Tan was ordered to organize the army, to later when Tang He obtained the intelligence about the Park family, it was probably all done by the old man.

The old man led Zhu Tan to Quanzhou step by step just for this final move.

Or rather, for someone here.

After figuring out the key points, Zhu Tan grinned. It seemed that some of his previous defensive methods were no longer useful.

The reason why Zhu Tan forced Park Yongxin to sign and seal and seized all the property in his family was actually to have something to say in the court and prevent those civil servants from finding obvious evidence.

Afterwards, he reported the Park family's collusion with the Japanese to dispel the old man's doubts.

In this way, if handled properly, he would be able to take over the Park family's assets.

After all, he was assassinated, so it’s no big deal to get some money.

But now it seems that these preparations will not be needed.

His approach coincided with the old man's thinking, so he didn't need to explain anything.

But if you want to perform this scene well, there is only one last step left.

Thinking of this, Zhu Tan stood up and said directly: "Someone come!"

“Follow me to the village!”

……

Just after midnight, the lights in the Pu family village were bright and blood was everywhere.

Jiang Lin, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stood in the mountain stronghold with a frown on his face, looking at the soldiers from the Shandong Military Commission in front of him, not knowing what to say.

The Jinyiwei were very fast. After receiving the news from Quanzhou, Jiang Li immediately ordered an attack on the stronghold.

But he didn't expect that the soldiers under the King of Lu were even faster, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives for military merit. (End of this chapter)