Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 167 Zhu Yuanzhang Comes to the Late Ming Dynasty
"How about it?"

The entrance to the cellar in Zhu Yunfeng’s villa at Zhujiaping, Shangfeng Mountain.

Lao Zhu, Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He stood there waiting.

Little Zhu Di just came from that world over there.

Zhu Yunfeng was the one who went to explore the Yongle Dynasty before.

Later, during the Hongxi and Xuande dynasties, it was Ji He.

This time it's Zhu Di's turn.

He had been there once before, and this time he went there to gather intelligence.

"That's a storage room over there, full of miscellaneous items, and the stone tablet is placed in the corner."

After returning, Xiao Zhu Di described the room to the three people: "The room is smaller than the Treasure House, and it only has one floor. It is definitely not the Treasure House."

The Treasure House, as the treasure house of the Ming Dynasty, is located in the northeast corner of the imperial palace. It is also used as a warehouse for storing various rare treasures. It is three stories high and covers an area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters. Each floor has different storage.

The place where young Zhu Di went was a slightly larger warehouse with only one floor, which was obviously not the treasure house.

"Just as I guessed, that should be Prince Ji's Palace from the Chenghua period."

Zhu Yunfeng touched his chin and said, "Now there is a problem."

"what is the problem?"

Old Zhu asked.

"How do we prove our identity?"

Zhu Yunfeng spread his hands and said, "In the past, we could ask the previous emperor to come over, but now Zhu Qizhen was beaten half to death by our ancestor, and he is probably going to die soon. Although we can also ask Zhu Jianshen to come over, it is likely that he is in the late Chenghua period. If we ask Zhu Jianshen when he was young, it may not work. What if my ancestor, the first Prince Ji, thinks that I am an imposter, or simply doesn't even see Prince Ji, and his servants think there is a thief and start to attack directly? What should we do?"

Before, when they entered the palace, they first used force to intimidate, and secondly relied on the previous emperor.

The guards guarding the palace are the elite in the army. They have seen the power of firearms and will not act rashly after seeing the power of AK and grenades.

Moreover, many of the palace guards belonged to the Twelve Guards and had followed the previous emperor on patrols many times. Therefore, many middle and high-level generals in the army and even ordinary soldiers had seen the emperor's appearance and recognized him, so there was naturally no problem.

The royal palace is different.

Although the princes of the Ming Dynasty would also bring several hundred guards according to the specifications, these guards were mainly used to protect the periphery of the palace.

The palace was usually inhabited by palace maids and eunuchs, as well as some slaves and servants from the outer residences.

They may not necessarily know the previous emperor.

After all, those who were assigned to the palace were often palace maids and eunuchs of very low positions in the palace, and they could only see the emperor a few times.

What’s more, if it is the late Chenghua period.

Emperor Chenghua reigned for twenty-three years, which was longer than the time Zhu Di spent on the throne, covering a huge period of time.

Now that Zhu Qizhen is deposed, we can only ask young Zhu Jianshen to come.

If we bring Xiao Zhu Jianshen from the early Chenghua period to the late Chenghua period, the palace maids and eunuchs of Prince Ji's mansion might not have entered the palace at that time, so the probability that they did not know Xiao Zhu Jianshen was very high.

Therefore, entering Prince Ji’s Mansion is very risky.

It's possible that we might have to start fighting, kill some people first, use force to deter others, and then we can seize the initiative.

But there are also huge problems with doing this.

If his identity cannot be fully proven, even if Prince Ji Zhu Jianjun is captured, people may not necessarily acknowledge his identity.

If we send people to Beijing at that time, not only will the journey be long, but the Chenghua Emperor in Beijing will most likely not acknowledge that Zhu Yuanzhang has come. He will only think that he is an impostor, and may even send a large army to surround and suppress him.

Therefore, compared with the previous part, the third part is from the Chenghua period to the Chongzhen period, when the stone tablet is in the stage of Prince Ji's Mansion, and it is still very difficult for Zhu Yuanzhang to prove himself.

First, Zhu Qizhen couldn't come to prove it.

Second, he was too far away, and if he did not appear in the palace, there would be no one who knew the previous emperor, and he would inevitably be unable to prove himself.

no way.

This is indeed a problem that they need to solve.

"Well"

Hearing the question raised by Zhu Yunfeng, Old Zhu pondered for a moment, looked at the sixteenth ball and said, "Why don't we go to the end of Ming Dynasty first?"

"Late Ming Dynasty?"

Everyone's eyes turned to the ball.

Old Zhu said, "At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the world was in chaos and the situation changed drastically. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were doing evil everywhere. Who would care about my identity? Moreover, if it was in the late Chongzhen period, Zhang Xianzhong would have conquered Hunan and set fire to the Prince Ji's Palace in Changsha. There would probably be no one in the palace."

"If you go to the end of the Ming Dynasty, you have to be well prepared. After all, it's very chaotic and dangerous there. Not to mention the peasant uprisings everywhere, in the chaotic times, bandits, vagrants, officers and soldiers are all trouble."

Zhu Yunfeng said: "Zuo Liangyu has his own army in Hubei and is looting the people at will. Wherever Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's troops pass, no grass grows. It is irrational to rush there rashly."

"And I remember there were red-coated cannons in the late Ming Dynasty."

Little Zhu Di also said: "Although the artillery is not powerful, it has a long range and is a threat to us. It is probably impossible to rely on automatic rifles alone."

"Then get ready before you go."

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Bring together 3,000 elite soldiers, all with automatic rifles and a large number of magazines, and bring mortars, compressed biscuits and other marching rations. Get more food and load it on tricycles."

"Well, how about this? Send the people over first, and I'll get the supplies from Hyundai. Electric tricycles are inconvenient and there's no way to charge them, so I'll use human-powered tricycles."

Zhu Yunfeng thought for a moment and said, "The Ming side only needs to bring all the guns and ammunition, occupy the location of the stone tablet first, and build a military camp. I will then frantically send supplies over there. What do you think?"

"can."

Lao Zhu nodded, this was indeed the best way.

With the modern world behind them, they certainly have no shortage of resources, but the stone tablet cannot be moved, which means they can only start from Changsha.

That doesn't matter.

The chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was caused by people fighting in Nanjing. It’s just the end of the Ming Dynasty. The worst that can happen is that we have to fight for the throne all over again!
After finalizing the plan, Zhu Yuanzhang went to the Hongwu Dynasty to call Mao Xiang and others.

We still have to send ten people over first and let them gain a firm foothold.

Soon, a group of people were transmitted to the world of the sixteenth sphere through the stone tablet.

Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He were also very curious, so they followed.

As the light waves flowed, when Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He opened their eyes, they saw a dilapidated warehouse.

At this time, there was nothing in the warehouse. The stone tablet lay alone on the ground, the surrounding walls were broken and collapsed, the doors and windows were broken, and there were even traces of fire.

Through the half-open door, one could see a pile of ruins outside. The surrounding flowers, plants and trees had been burned to the point where only black ashes covered the ground.

Apparently they did arrive at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and arrived at the Prince Ji's Palace, which had already been plagued by Zhang Xianzhong.

According to Zhu Yunfeng's genealogy.

The eighth King of Ji, Zhu Youdong, fled after Zhang Xianzhong conquered Hunan. He originally wanted to flee north to Beijing, but on the way he heard the news that Beijing had been conquered by Li Zicheng, so he prepared to go south to join the Hongguang regime.

But Zhu Youdong died of illness while in Huai'an.

Zhu Youdong's son Zhu Ciying then took Zhu Youdong's body to Nanjing and was appointed as the ninth King of Ji by Zhu Yousong of the Nanjing Hongguang regime.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong had already abandoned Hunan and entered Sichuan, so Zhu Cixiong took a boat back to Changsha and rebuilt the Prince Ji's Palace.

As a result, the Hongguang regime fell the following year and the Qing army was approaching with great force. Zhu Cixi immediately prepared to defect to the Longwu regime in Fujian.

But he never expected that before he arrived in Fujian, the Longwu regime was conquered by the Qing army again.

By 1647, the Qing army was approaching Changsha, and Zhu Cixiong was forced to gather the Zhu Ming royal family in Hunan and split up and fled separately.

It was at this time that Zhu Yunfeng's ancestor Zhu Cibei separated from his family and fled, hiding in the Xuefeng Mountains.

Therefore, the Jiwang Mansion in Changsha was ravaged by Zhang Xianzhong and the Qing army respectively.

At the moment, we don’t know when it was. Was it during the reign of Zhang Xianzhong, or later when the Qing army entered the pass?

"Your Majesty, where is this?"

Mao Xiang took off his mask and looked around in surprise.

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands behind his back and said calmly: "The Ming Dynasty three hundred years later is already the end of the dynasty."

'Ming Dynasty three hundred years later?'

More than a dozen guards were stunned. How did they get here?
Mao Xiang was smart. He immediately knelt on one knee and said, "I am willing to follow Your Majesty and fight for the country again."

"Hahahahaha."

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could laugh, Zhu Yunfeng started laughing, patted Mao Xiang on the shoulder and said, "Old Mao, you are good and have a bright future. You may become a marquis or a duke in the future."

Mao Xiang smiled naively.

Because of his investigation into the Hu Weiyong case, he was conferred the title of Earl of Loyalty and Bravery.

However, this earl was the lowest rank of earl, not a hereditary earl, and not even a noble, so he naturally wanted to improve himself.

Opportunities are indeed reserved for those who are prepared. Now, if I really follow His Majesty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, it is time for me to show my talents, establish meritorious services, and accumulate wealth.

"Let's investigate the situation first, and then follow me into the city."

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped out of the dilapidated treasury.

Prince Ji's Palace is located in the center of Changsha, which is the area of ​​the city center of Changsha in later generations.

Everyone in Changsha knows that there is a South Gate and a Simen Gate on Changsha Pedestrian Street. These are actually the gates of the palace of Prince Ji in the Ming Dynasty.

The South Gate is the south gate of the palace, and the Simen Gate is the Yiwei Yamen, which is specifically responsible for ceremonial guards.

The warehouse is located in the northeast corner of the palace, close to the warehouse of the imperial palace. When you come out of the warehouse, you can see the vegetation garden that has been burned to ashes.

The towering rockery, the dried-up canals and the numerous scattered ruins all indicate that this place once had a glorious past.

Looking at the high walls of the royal palace in the northeast corner, the traces of fire are particularly obvious. The walls have collapsed in some places, but you can still vaguely see the houses outside the walls and the people on the streets.

"Your Majesty, there is someone."

Mao Xiang quickly noticed that there were a few refugees searching for something among the rubble not far away.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Catch him and interrogate him."

"Yes."

Mao Xiang waved immediately.

About ten people divided into two groups and surrounded the refugees.

They were located in the northeast corner of the warehouse, and to the south was a garden, where there was a "Purple Gold Mountain" and a Wanchun Pool.

There used to be countless pavilions and towers, but now most of them have collapsed. Later, Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and led the Qing army south, where he dismantled the remaining bricks, tiles and wood from the Prince Ji's Palace and used them to build the city wall.

Therefore, although there was a fire at this time, there were still many remnants in the palace, which attracted refugees in the city to come and search to see if there were any treasures left.

The guards of this flag were all elite and acted quickly. By the time the refugees realized something was wrong, they had already been surrounded. Under the threat of swords and guns, they were forced to come before Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Who are you?"

Lao Zhu asked.

The refugee was pale and thin, and looked emaciated. Seeing their elegant and majestic appearance, he was shocked and knelt down and said, "Master, please spare my life, Master, please spare my life."

"Just asking you questions."

Old Zhu walked up to Zhu Yunfeng, took out a few biscuits from his backpack, opened the package and handed them over, saying, "Don't be afraid, just tell me what you have to say."

The refugees looked at each other, then carefully took the biscuits and immediately started to devour them.

One of them was a little older. He ate two bites and then remembered Zhu Yuanzhang's question. He hurriedly said, "Sir, we are from Yuezhou. Our hometown suffered from war and flood, so we had to flee to Changsha."

"Oh."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Which emperor is in power now? Is there any war in Changsha?"

"This"

The old man hesitated. As a commoner, he had no right to comment on the emperor.

Little Zhu Di said, "Don't be afraid. This is the Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. He has come down to earth to make decisions for the people. If the Emperor is incompetent, Taizu will punish him."

"what?"

The old man was dumbfounded. After hesitating for a moment, he kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, it is Emperor Chongzhen."

In fact, he didn't know whether the other party was Taizu or not. Although he was stupid, he couldn't believe everything others said. But since the other party gave him food, he would just treat the other party as Taizu.

"What year is Chongzhen now?"

Old Zhu asked again.

"The year before last, a minor official came to the village to collect taxes and told us that it was the 14th year of Chongzhen. Last year there was a disaster, and this year there was war. No one has come to collect taxes for two years."

The old man said cautiously, "I took my sons and nephews out to seek work and wandered around. I don't know when it started, but judging from the time, I think it was August or September in the sixteenth year of Chongzhen."

"The sixteenth year of Chongzhen?"

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself, then realized something and immediately asked, "Is that Zhang Xianzhong's army in the city?"

"Forehead"

The old man showed fear on his face and lowered his head, not daring to answer.

How dare he say that?
When Zhang Xianzhong captured Hunan, he did not actually kill a lot of people, but he killed a lot of people in Changsha.

Historical records show that "the Xian bandits broke into Changsha and killed countless people in the city, captured and fugitives. The bandits plundered everywhere, claiming to be robbing horses. That year there was a thousand miles of drought, and wherever the bandits passed through the area, the blood stained the dry crops. There were piles of hands like mountains, and there were two or three hundred stakes, and not a single one of them had not been used to flay someone."

Compared to the massacre in Sichuan later, Zhang Xianzhong actually did not kill many people in Changsha. This was because Zhang Xianzhong at that time was still disciplined and claimed that he did not harm anyone wherever he went, so he did not cause much harm to Hunan.

However, the peasant army also had a drawback: if they did not plunder after breaking into a city, it would definitely affect morale, so naturally there would be looting and killing.

However, the big bosses are often local royal palaces and government offices. For example, the Prince Ji's Palace was looted by Zhang Xianzhong, and many wealthy families in the city were also robbed and killed. Now there are still troops stationed in Changsha and the Dashi Army in the city. How dare they speak nonsense?

"You can speak up if His Majesty tells you to. What are you afraid of? Even if there are bandits in the city, His Majesty has his own soldiers and generals."

Seeing that he was hesitant, Mao Xiang immediately threatened him, "Besides, you are afraid of the bandits, but are you not afraid of Your Majesty? The bandits can kill people, but why can't I?"

"Yes Yes Yes."

The old man was startled and said quickly, "The Great Western King is indeed in Changsha, but I heard a few days ago that he went south to attack Yongzhou, and he left a lot of troops in the city."

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, waved his hand and said, "Mao Xiang!"

"His Majesty!"

Mao Xiang hurriedly bowed in response.

"You should subdue them first to prevent them from reporting the news. Then, use this area as your base and set up camp. I will go back and call for help."

"Yes."

"Fourth."

"father."

"Just go with me!"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned and left.

He wanted to go back and mobilize his elite guards.

Bring all the guns and cannons and capture Changsha!
(End of this chapter)