The Holy Emperor of Ming

Chapter 326: Forming an Alliance Against the Ming Dynasty (4600)

One grandmaster at the highest level, and ten grandmaster-level warriors.

Among the major countries in the world, less than half of this power can be produced.

And the Ming Dynasty court increased so much in an instant.

This is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty that is recognized as unrivaled in the world, and it is only a small part of it.

Moreover, after these forces were controlled by the imperial court, the forces originally used to check and balance these forces were left vacant.

As if it was a snowball, Zhu Houzhao suddenly felt that the power he could use at will increased greatly.

Without hesitation, the factory guards rushed towards the Wulin Family, a behemoth that was almost on par with the eight major righteous sects in terms of high-end and high-level strength.

Thoroughly investigate and purge the martial arts families.

Especially those martial arts families with complicated connections in Jiangnan.

At the same time, Zhu Houzhao once again made significant enhancements and additions to the Martial Arts Hall.

Feng Qingyang from the Huashan Sect was appointed to replace Wuming as the head of the Guangxi martial arts branch hall.

Huo Tiandu of the Tianshan Sect was appointed to replace Zhang Daoyun as the head of the Shu martial arts branch hall.

Emei Yuan Zhenren was appointed to replace Hengdao Toudao as the master of the Yunnan martial arts branch hall.

He Zudao of Kunlun was appointed as the master of Jiangxi martial arts branch hall.

Appoint the Seven Wounded Old Man from the Kongtong Sect as the master of the Guangdong Martial Arts Branch.

Appoint Xie Bingqing of the Dian Cang Sect as the master of the Zhejiang martial arts branch.

Yin Zhong of the Yin family was appointed as the head of the Huguang Martial Arts Hall branch.

Each of the six major sects sent out a great master to serve as the master of a local martial arts branch hall.

There is also a Yin Zhong from the Yin family, who was strongly recommended by Yin Tianxue.

At this point, the two capitals, thirteen provinces, and fifteen martial arts halls of the Ming Dynasty were completely complete.

The two branch halls, Beizhili and Nanzhili, are the most important, and are headed by two great masters, Zhu Ye and Mi Wentian.

The other thirteen branch halls are headed by great masters.

Except for a few, all of these great masters are from the eight major sects of the righteous path.

This is not to say that Zhu Houzhao really had no one available.

Instead, at this time, it is necessary to rely on the power and influence of the eight major sects so that the Martial Arts Hall can truly establish the status and influence of managing the martial arts world.

At the same time, it will make the actions of thoroughly investigating, cleaning up and rectifying the martial arts world go more smoothly.

As for whether the eight major sects would become larger or even difficult to control, Zhu Houzhao never worried about it.

To him, no one in the Ming Dynasty is irreplaceable.

Zhu Houzhao's high hopes were not disappointed. After the imperial edict was issued, people from the six major righteous sects respectfully accepted the edict, and six great grandmasters set out to the martial arts branch halls in various places.

This action further silenced the entire Ming Dynasty martial arts community.

Everyone knows that the righteous martial arts world of the Ming Dynasty has completely surrendered to Emperor Shengwu.

No one can make any waves anymore.

The factory guards' actions went much more smoothly, and the martial arts families that were being investigated were very cooperative.

The number of other martial arts forces that have surrendered to the imperial court is increasing.

As for the figure in Yu Jian Villa in Shu who also received the order but had a gloomy face, few people paid attention to him.

A few days later.

Another force that had been thoroughly investigated and purged was presented to Zhu Houzhao.

This is a force mainly composed of evil forces.

Such as in the future, Yin Ji, the jellyfish of the Shenshui Palace, Li Ruohai of the Xieyi Sect, and Grandma Tang San of the Tang Sect.

The Ming Dynasty court added four more powerful grandmasters.

In just a few months, the Ming Dynasty court added more than a dozen grand masters.

This is far from over. There are the martial arts families, the remaining righteous martial arts families like Cihang Jingzhai, the remaining evil forces, and so on.

East Sixth Road is also a large treasure land with many strong people.

Of course, a thorough investigation and rectification of these forces and places will take longer.

After all, there are only six of the six major sects, and the remaining ones are spread all over the Ming Dynasty.

But in the future, the strength of the Ming Dynasty court will continue to increase rapidly.

At this time, Zhu Houzhao and other high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty naturally did not want to immediately join the battlefield of the Sui Dynasty.

It’s still the same sentence, time is on the side of Ming Dynasty.

But they also know in their hearts that this time is actually not far away, it is very close.

Part of the reason is that they themselves are driving this.

In mid-May, Zhu Houzhao, whose power at his disposal had increased significantly, sent two Grandmasters at the extreme level and three Grandmasters to secretly go to the East Sixth Route.

As time went on, the friction between the Ming army led by Wang Shouren and the Liao Kingdom became increasingly greater.

Time passed little by little, and it was late May.

The war in Taiyuan of the Sui Dynasty became increasingly fierce.

The casualties on both sides have reached tens of thousands, and two or three people in the innate realm have died on each side.

At this time, the friction between the Ming army in the East Six Route and the Liao army was almost reaching a critical point.

Bianjing City.

Wang Shouren is still in charge here.

After reading some more intelligence about the Liao army, he looked thoughtful.

After a while, Ye Gucheng walked in.

"General, the information from the Liao army is a bit abnormal." Ye Gucheng bowed slightly and said directly.

"Oh?" Wang Shouren looked over with a smile, "If Ye Tongzhi has any ideas, just speak up."

“These days, the Liao army has been retreating continuously and has not gathered its forces.

In addition, in the past month or so, they have been plundering people's wealth on an increasingly large scale and transporting it back to the north.

I feel that the Liao army does not seem to want to fight us anymore, but wants to return to Liao." Ye Gucheng said truthfully.

He is now the highest-ranking official in the Jinyiwei in the East Six Route and also the highest-ranking official in the Ming army's intelligence force.

In addition, he is an extremely intelligent person, and he came to this conclusion based on the information.

"Ha." Wang Shouren smiled in appreciation, "Ye Tongzhi is indeed sharp."

"Grand Commander, do you think so too?" Ye Gucheng was shocked, but not too surprised.

He had long been convinced of the strength of the man in front of him, and had long seen it, so it was normal.

Suddenly, he understood: "So that's why you started to increase the friction between the frontline troops and the Liao army more than a month ago.

It is concluded that the Liao army does not want to fight us!"

After careful consideration, he understood a lot of things.

I'm afraid that the actions of the Liao army have always been under Wang Shouren's control and he had guessed it in advance.

Increasing the friction with the Liao army is to force the Liao army to make a decision and return as soon as possible.

Wang Shouren smiled and agreed without saying anything.

"The Grand Commander is indeed a master of strategy. I admire him." Ye Gucheng said sincerely.

"Mr. Ye, you are too kind." Wang Shouren said politely.

"Grand Commander." Ye Gucheng pondered and said uncertainly: "The Liao army does not want to fight us. The reason is not difficult to guess. It is nothing more than that they are not sure of resisting us.

Plunder for a while and then return to Liao, which is also in line with the habits of grassland countries.

But the real reason should be more than that.

I think it is still related to the Mongols. The Liao army does not want to fight with our Ming army and waste its strength.

Instead, we will continue to let the Mongols stand in front of our Ming Dynasty."

"Yes." Wang Shouren nodded, looked towards the north, and said with a more serious tone: "If nothing unexpected happens, the four Mongolian and Yuan countries will soon formally reach an alliance."

Ye Gucheng's expression changed slightly, and some doubts suddenly cleared up. He solemnly uttered two words: "Sui Kingdom."

He continued: "When the four countries formally reach an alliance, Beimang will certainly have many concerns, and the Chagatai Khanate and the Golden Horde of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty will be able to march south in large numbers and attack the Sui Dynasty.

Our Ming Dynasty will inevitably enter the Sui Dynasty and fight against the Mongols.

The Liao army withdrew from the three western routes, which meant that the Mongols and the Ming Dynasty would fight each other, and not focus on the Liao Kingdom. "

"That's right." Wang Shouren said calmly, "Only if the Liao army retreats can they stand on the same line with the Jin Kingdom and jointly contain our force."

'Yes. '

Ye Gucheng understood that with the four nations forming an alliance, not to mention Beimang, the mission of the Jin and Liao nations should be to deal with, or at least contain, the Ming armies in the six eastern routes.

If the Liao army continues to stay in the three western routes, it will inevitably face the attack of the Ming army first.

The Liao army hoped that the Ming and the Mongols would fight to a mutual defeat in the Sui Dynasty, and did not want to fight the Ming army and let the Jin Kingdom watch the show, so they would not continue to stay in the West Three Roads.

Retreating, together with the Jin Kingdom, they contained the Ming army, tried not to really take action, and watched the Ming and the Mongols fighting while looking for opportunities. This was the best choice for the Liao Kingdom. After figuring this out, Ye Gucheng hesitated and hesitated.

"Does Tongzhi Ye have any other ideas? Feel free to speak up." Wang Shouren said cooperatively.

"Grand Commander, the strength of the Ming Dynasty is increasing rapidly, so it is not appropriate to attack externally.

Why are you so anxious to drive the Liao army out of the West Three Roads?" Ye Gucheng frowned slightly and said seriously.

Wang Shouren increased the friction between the Ming army and the Liao army, forcing the Liao army to make a decision and retreat.

He believed that if Wang Shouren had not given this order, the Liao army would not have taken the initiative to increase friction with the Ming army.

Because the Liao army was eager to stay in the Western Three Routes longer and plunder more wealth.

If the Liao army stayed in the three western routes to plunder wealth, the negotiations between the Liao Kingdom and the Mongols would certainly be prolonged.

The Ming Dynasty will be able to gain more time.

All of these things can be said to affect the entire body.

Ye Gucheng's question was a bit of a question, but Wang Shouren's expression did not change, and he said seriously: "Delaying time is good for our Ming Dynasty.

But the people of the West Three Roads cannot delay any longer.

The people of West Third Road will be the people of our Ming Dynasty. They are watching us and waiting for us.

The people of East Sixth Road are also watching us."

“What the Grand Commander said is correct, but I think that everything still has to be prioritized.

We should put the overall interests of the Ming Dynasty first.

Moreover, the more the three western routes are oppressed by the Liao army, the more popular our Ming Dynasty will be.

The most important thing is that we, the Ming Dynasty, have only been in the East Sixth Route for a few months, and the new army has just been trained. If we delay fighting the Liao army for a few more months, no one will say anything. "Ye Gucheng said solemnly.

"If it's a few months later, no one will say anything. You may be able to hide it from others, but you can't hide it from your own heart.

The Ming Dynasty should also be upright." Wang Shouren said calmly with deep meaning.

Ye Gucheng frowned. This was not the answer he wanted.

He also likes the words "upright and upright".

But everything should be based on the interests of the Ming Dynasty first and foremost.

Unless your Majesty issues an order personally.

He bowed deeply and said, "I understand. I will record everything truthfully and report it to Your Majesty."

Regardless of whether Wang Shouren reported it in advance or not, he had to report it.

"This is your responsibility, Mr. Ye," Wang Shouren said gently.

Without saying anything more, Ye Gucheng left.

Wang Shouren didn't care and continued to look at the information from various places.

Since coming to East Sixth Road, the past six months have been an unprecedented experience for him.

He understood more and more the difficulties faced by powerful officials throughout the dynasties.

That’s right, he is now a powerful official, the most powerful official in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

He was also the most trusted official of the Ming Emperor.

But even so, there are all kinds of defenses, doubts, distrust, etc. around him.

These came from the imperial court, from officials of the Eastern Six Routes, from the imperial guards, and from the military.

Of course, none of these dared to be revealed openly, but were reflected in one thing after another.

Even in his situation, he has so many "constraints", let alone other powerful officials?

Then, Wang Shouren felt a sense of superiority and pride.

Because compared to other powerful ministers, he has the best Majesty.

This, even with his character, made him feel proud.

As for those 'restraints', he didn't care at all.

Although some of these "constraints" were certainly due to selfish motives, most of them precisely reflected the growing prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.

There is no room for powerful officials to cause trouble.

Ye Gucheng's final doubt did not leave any trace in Wang Shouren's mind.

After a while, he gave the order: "Tell Han Shizhong and Yue Fei to let them go a little.

They will decide the specific situation themselves.”

····
Over the years, many memorials questioning Wang Shouren were presented to Zhu Houzhao in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Then the result is simple.

What he said made sense. Zhu Houzhao responded firmly, "I'll listen to the commander-in-chief."

It doesn't make sense. To put it simply, just punish them directly. The lighter ones will be demoted, and the heavier ones will be dismissed from office.

In Zhu Houzhao's eyes, people like Ye Gucheng who only wrote down the true events made sense.

He did not blame Ye Gucheng for the idea. As usual, he said, "I'll listen to the general." He also added that the general had already reported it to him, and that was it.

Wang Shouren had indeed long ago reported the matter of increasing friction and forcing the Liao army to withdraw from the three western routes as soon as possible, which attracted the attention of the cabinet and the military cabinet and caused some controversy.

Then Zhu Houzhao made the decision personally and followed Lao Wang's instructions.

It’s nothing, he just likes the words “upright”.

Besides, they will all be his people now, so of course they cannot be bullied by outsiders.

When you really can't move easily, that's fine, you can just bear with it.

If you have the ability but still endure, how can you be considered a hero?

It was precisely because of this approach that Zhu Houzhao sent several strong men to the East Sixth Route in mid-May.

As for entering the battlefield of Sui State, although I don't want to, I have to make some choices.

Entering June.

The fighting in the Sui Kingdom continued and was still as brutal.

The Liao army in the three western routes also engaged in a series of small-scale battles with the Ming army.

As if there was a tacit understanding, no strong men above the grandmaster level took action, it was just a fight between armies.

The Liao army's cavalry was indeed formidable, but the Ming army's discipline, formations, morale, and equipment also enabled this new army to unleash combat effectiveness beyond many people's expectations.

The result was that, overall, the Ming army still had the upper hand, and the Liao army retreated northward on a large scale.

Piece of land after piece was recovered by the Ming army.

By mid-July, the Liao army had completely withdrawn from the Western Three Routes, and the Western Three Routes were completely recovered and occupied by the Ming army.

At this point, the nine northern territories of the former Song Dynasty became the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

When the news spread, most people in the nine northern routes and the Southern Song Dynasty cheered, finally driving the Tartars out.

People in the original territory of the Ming Dynasty were also happy and proud.

Various boiling sounds were heard everywhere.

Only most of the high-ranking officials in the Southern Song Dynasty court were silent and worried.

More worried than before.

Without anyone knowing, some people got in touch with some people.

July 20th is destined to be a day that will be remembered by people all over the world.

The four kingdoms of Mongolia, Northern Mang, Jin and Liao simultaneously announced an alliance to resist the Ming Dynasty.

Suddenly, the news spread in all directions, causing countless shocks.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were many people who felt solemn about this.

None of the four Mongol Yuan countries could confront the Ming Dynasty head-on. Even the former number one enemy, the Mongol Yuan, could at most give the Ming Dynasty an all-out fight.

But if the four countries join forces, the situation will be different.

Daming was solemn, while Nansong and Liyang were secretly happy and relieved.

The situation of the Sui Dynasty was even more serious.

Requests for help were sent to the Ming Dynasty.

Because with the alliance of the four countries, the Chagatai Khanate and the Golden Horde, with a total of 200,000 cavalry, began to march south.

In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao received a letter asking for help from the Sui Dynasty.

It was written by Yang Guang himself.

"This Yang Guang would actually bow to me like this!" Zhu Houzhao said in surprise after reading the letter.

He was one of the people who knew Yang Guang's tyranny, pride, and unwillingness to bow best.

Although in the past two or three years, the Sui Dynasty has bowed to the Ming Dynasty many times, such as sending princesses for marriage.

But this was the first time that Yang Guang personally bowed to Zhu Houzhao.

(4600 words.)
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　Today's 4600 words are words short of yesterday. I will update words first and make up the remaining words tomorrow. Maybe I wrote too much yesterday, so I feel a little weak and stuck today. Starting tomorrow, I will resume updating at around : every evening.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)