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

"Tell me, who are you and who ordered you to do that?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked sternly, his voice full of unquestionable majesty.

The voice was so harsh and angry that it almost blew the roof off!
Inoue coughed up a mouthful of blood foam, and a ferocious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "You want to know? I won't tell you!"

"If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

The commander of the Imperial Guards walked over to Inoue, squatted down, looked at him carefully, then turned to Zhu Yuanzhang and said:

"Your Majesty, judging from his accent, he doesn't sound like someone from Yingtian Prefecture. Rather, he sounds like..."

"Like what?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Looks like... a Japanese."

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, but still spoke out.

"what?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious when he heard this:
"How dare the Japanese barbarians send someone to assassinate me! Come, torture him severely. I want to see who is behind this!"

When the guards heard the order, they immediately stepped forward and dragged Inoue away.

Although Inoue struggled desperately, he was seriously injured and could not resist several strong guards. He was soon dragged out of the imperial study.

"Send the message to the Jinyiwei commander to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order angrily.

At the morning court the next day, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face and said nothing.

The atmosphere in the court was extremely solemn, and the ministers all felt the emperor's anger.

Everyone was silent, fearing that something bad might happen.

"Your Majesty, I have a script!"

Just then, an imperial censor stood up.

He held the memorial in his hand and said righteously:

"I want to impeach Zhu Tan, the Prince of Lu, for colluding with foreign nations and plotting evil!"

"Oh? What do you mean?" Zhu Yuanzhang's heart moved, and he asked calmly.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Lu has always been close to Japanese culture. A few years ago, he went against all odds and brought so many students from Japan, saying that he wanted the Japanese to learn Chinese culture and assimilate foreigners."

"But I think that the King of Lu is inviting a wolf into the house, and his intentions are sinister!"

The Imperial Censor's words were sharp and every one of them was heart-piercing.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have also heard that the Prince of Lu's palace has many Japanese warriors. They are all highly skilled in martial arts and their origins are unknown. We must be on guard!"

"Your Majesty, now that Your Majesty has been assassinated, and the assassin is Japanese, this matter cannot be separated from His Royal Highness Prince Lu!"

"Your Majesty, please take a closer look!"

As soon as the Imperial Censor finished speaking, there was a chorus of agreement in the court.

It was as if Zhu Tan had really committed some heinous crime.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard these words, a sneer appeared on his face, which looked particularly cold on his majestic face. These guys who usually claim to be the pillars of the country will only shirk responsibility when something happens, and they want to put all the crimes in the world on others. What happened in the palace last night has been made into a big fuss so quickly?
Although he was angry in his heart, he remained calm on the surface. He just glanced coldly at the people kneeling in the hall, his eyes were so sharp that they seemed to be able to see through people. "You mean, the assassin last night was ordered by King Lu?"

"I dare not!" The Imperial Censor kowtowed hurriedly, "But this matter is of great importance, please Your Majesty, please look into it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The other ministers also echoed, "Your Highness Prince Lu's actions are really inappropriate!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered in his heart, these are fence-sitters.

Of course he knew that Zhu Tan might not have done this, but Zhu Tan had indeed become a little carried away in recent years.

His son is good in every way, except that he is too idealistic.

Did he think that those Japanese people would really be willing to learn Chinese culture? How naive!

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang became even more furious. He slapped the dragon chair with one hand and shouted:
"What a good move! If that's the case, then all those Japanese students..."

Having said this, he suddenly stopped, glanced at the trembling ministers in the hall, and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

"Pass on my order," Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly, his voice low but full of unquestionable majesty, "Close the Dongying School, and all the Dongying students, all..."

"Behead him in public!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The ministers shouted in unison, as if Zhu Yuanzhang had done something great that benefited the country and the people.

On the second day, the Caishikou in Yingtian Prefecture, which was usually a bustling place, was now completely surrounded by people.

There were many soldiers and officers among the crowd, maintaining order, and the air was filled with a strange excitement and restlessness.

At the front of the crowd, a high platform was built, on which dozens of wooden blocks were placed.

Next to each wooden block stood an executioner holding a machete, each of them looked ferocious and murderous.

The Japanese students who were taken to the execution ground were tied up and knelt in front of a wooden block, their faces pale and trembling.

They were all teenagers and had never seen such a scene before. Some of them were so frightened that they lost control of their stool and urine and collapsed to the ground.

"It's three quarters past noon, execution!"

Following the order from the supervising officer, the executioners raised the swords in their hands high.

Under the sunlight, the blade reflected a cold light, and a cry of surprise broke out from the crowd.

"Crack, click..."

Heads rolled to the ground, blood gushed out, staining the wooden block red.

It also dyed the executioner's clothes red.

The crowd burst into cheers, as if they were watching a wonderful performance.

"Well done! These Japanese barbarians should be cut into pieces!"

"That's right, let them come to Central Plains, this is what will happen!"

……

At the same time, deep in the Jinyiwei prison, in a dark and damp cell.

Inoue was chained to the wall, covered in blood and dying.

The wounds on his body had begun to rot and emitted a foul stench, but he felt no pain because he was numb.

Since being arrested and imprisoned in the imperial prison, he has been subjected to various tortures every day. The physical pain has made his life worse than death.

But what scared him even more was that he didn't know when he would die.

I don’t know what’s happening to my companions now.

"squeak"

A sound.

The cell door opened and a tall and burly figure walked in.

Under the dim light, Inoue couldn't see the face of the person who came. He could only vaguely see a pair of cold eyes, like a poisonous snake, which made people shudder.

"You...who are you?"

Inoue asked weakly, his voice hoarse as if a broken bellows.

The man didn't say anything, but just looked at him coldly, with a cruel sneer on his lips.

"Are you...are you here to kill me?"

Inoue felt his life slipping away and he struggled to stand up, but to no avail.

"Kill you?" The man finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, "You are not worthy!"

"Who... who are you? If you want to kill me, just do it. Why torture me like this?"

Inoue asked desperately.

"Who am I? I am the commander of the Imperial Guard, Mao Xiang!"

The visitor's tone was cold, with unquestionable majesty:
"I have good news for you. All your companions were beheaded in Caishikou today."

"What?!" Inoue was struck by lightning, his eyes widened, and he looked at Mao Xiang in disbelief. "Why, are you surprised?"

Mao Xiang sneered, "Do you know? All of this is thanks to you!"

When Inoue heard the news that his companions had been killed, his eyes turned red and he acted like a madman.

He roared, his voice as hoarse as an old bellows:
"Impossible! This is impossible! You are a bunch of murderous demons!"

He struggled desperately, trying to break free from the chains and see his companions, even if they were dead bodies.

The cold iron chains dug into his bloody flesh, but could not stop his madness.

Mao Xiang looked at him coldly, his eyes full of mockery: "Why, are you heartbroken? If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"

Inoue stopped struggling, lowered his head weakly, and muttered to himself:

"Everyone is responsible for his own actions. You can kill or chop me up as you wish. But it has nothing to do with my companions. You cannot..."

Before he could finish his words, Mao Xiang interrupted him rudely:
"Everyone is responsible for their own actions? Hahaha!"

Mao Xiang laughed loudly, his laughter full of disdain and contempt.

"You Japanese barbarians, do you understand what collective punishment and rooting out the evil are?"

He walked up to Inoue, looked down at him, and said in a grim tone, "Dare to assassinate His Majesty, this is the end!"

Inoue was desperate, he knew that no matter what he said, nothing would change anything.

He raised his head sharply and rushed towards the wall desperately like a wounded beast, wanting to end it all.

"boom!"

Mao Xiang grabbed his hair and threw him to the ground.

"Want to die? It's not that easy!"

Inoue curled up on the ground in pain, his eyes empty, as if he had lost his soul.

Mao Xiang squatted down, leaned close to Jingshang's ear, and said in an almost seductive tone:

"Tell me, who sent you here? If you tell me, I can consider leaving your dead companions with their bodies intact."

Hearing this, a light flashed in Inoue's eyes, but he quickly returned to dead silence.

He laughed miserably, his voice hoarse:

"I have served the Japanese Empire faithfully, and I have died a worthy death. Why should I keep my body intact..."

"madness!"

Mao Xiang stood up suddenly and kicked Jingshang in the chest, his eyes full of disgust.

"You Japanese are so stupid! You are so complacent after being taken advantage of. It's so pathetic and ridiculous!"

"Benefit...take advantage of?" Inoue looked at Mao Xiang in disbelief, his eyes full of confusion and doubt.

Mao Xiang looked down at Jing Shang, who was curled up on the ground like a stray dog, with contempt in his eyes:
"With your crude means, how could you possibly assassinate His Majesty? To put it bluntly, with your mediocre skills, any eunuch sweeping the floor in the palace can take care of you."

Inoue gasped in pain. He was unable to refute Mao Xiang's humiliation, nor did he have the energy to be angry.

The only thing in his mind now was the scene of his companions being beheaded and the blood dyed the Caishikou red.

Their heads were piled together, no one cared...

"So, you and your mastermind are both being used as pawns."

Mao Xiang squatted down, his tone was slightly playful, like a cat playing with a mouse, enjoying the torture in front of him.

Inoue looked up suddenly, a hint of disbelief flashing in his turbid eyes.

Being used as a gun? Is there another hidden reason behind the assassination of the emperor?

He always thought that they were fighting for the glory of the Japanese Empire and sacrificing themselves to fulfill the mission of His Majesty the King.

"Impossible! We are doing this for His Majesty the King..."

"Your Majesty?"

Mao Xiang laughed out loud as if he had heard some funny joke.

"Don't be silly! Are you worth your life for His Majesty the King? You are just pawns being used by others, cannon fodder to test His Majesty's bottom line!"

Inoue was stunned. Mao Xiang's words were like a thunder, exploding in his ears.

It blew his beliefs to pieces.

He couldn't accept or believe that the goal he had been striving for was actually a complete lie.

"No...impossible..."

Inoue murmured to himself and shook his head desperately, trying to deny Mao Xiang's words, but a voice deep in his heart told him that what Mao Xiang said might be true.

"you do not believe?"

Mao Xiang seemed to see through his thoughts and a cruel smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"If you don't want to die unclearly, tell me the truth. Who sent you here? What is your purpose? As long as you tell me, I can consider leaving the bodies of your dead companions intact."

Hearing this, a trace of struggle flashed in Inoue's eyes.

Of course, he hoped that his companions could be buried in peace instead of being eaten by wild dogs.

But if he told the truth, he would be betraying His Majesty the King and the Japanese Empire...

"Why, is it hard to choose?"

Mao Xiang stood up, dusted himself off, and spoke with a hint of impatience.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. Think about it carefully. However, I advise you to make a decision quickly. If you still haven't made up your mind by tomorrow morning..."

He paused, leaned close to Inoue's ear, and said in a gloomy tone:

"Then your compatriots might have been eaten by wild dogs in the mass grave."

After Mao Xiang finished speaking, he left the dungeon without looking back.

In the dungeon, only Inoue was left, shivering in the darkness. He curled up in a corner, his mind constantly echoing Mao Xiang's words and the tragic scenes of his companions before they died.

"Being used as a gun? Cannon fodder to test the bottom line?"

Inoue closed his eyes in pain. Could it be that they were really wrong? Were they really just tools being used?

He didn't know and didn't dare to think about it.

Time passed minute by minute, and the dungeon was dead silent, with only the sound of Inoue's breathing and heartbeat echoing in the darkness.

Yes.

When in class in the school.

He seemed to understand.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was a man who emerged from battles on the battlefield.

How is it possible that he is just a teenager?

Direct assassination?

Not to mention, the palace is heavily guarded...

With such crude means.

It's nothing but a fairy tale.

Idiot's dream!

and so.

That Jinyiwei was right.

He, and his compatriots.

Even, Your Highness.

They've all been used!

All his compatriots died in vain! (End of this chapter)