Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 189 Sun Chuanting surrenders to Zhu Yuanzhang
The Prince Xiang's Mansion is not the imperial palace, and the palace hall is not the main hall of the Qianqing Palace in Nanjing.

And the hall has changed its appearance.

The thrones were removed and replaced with blackboards with maps hung on them.

There was a big table in the center with chairs on both sides. Tang and Feng Sheng sat on the left and right respectively.

Wang Yangji, Liu Xizuo, Du Yinxi and other civil officials and advisers were sitting further back, while Zhu Yuanzhang sat at one end of the long table.

The other end of the long table faces the door. There is some distance between the door and the table, but if the guests are not allowed to enter, they can only stand at the door.

It’s just like the military headquarters often seen in anti-Japanese war TV dramas, where they are located in an old landlord’s house somewhere.

However, Old Zhu just sat there with his sword drawn and his horse mounted, his whole body like a dragon and a tiger crouching. Just with him sitting there, the prince's mansion seemed to have turned into an imperial palace.

The temperament that a person exudes makes people feel that he is like an emperor.

That majestic face was so overwhelming that even if Sun Chuanting was standing or he was sitting, people would bend over unconsciously.

This kind of momentum has no effect on Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He, but for the ancient people in feudal society who have remained under imperial rule for two thousand years, it is a terrible feeling of oppression.

Although Sun Chuanting was allowed to stand up straight, he still leaned forward unconsciously, slightly bent his waist, and did not dare to maintain a straight posture.

Seeing that he seemed a little nervous, Lao Zhu smiled and pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "Sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Sun Chuanting sat on the chair carefully, but as if he was meeting Chongzhen, he did not dare to sit on the whole chair. He only sat on a small part of the chair, with his legs together, very properly.

Zhu Yunfeng and the other three also swarmed in. Little Zhu Di ran to Zhu Yuanzhang with a smile, pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "Father, I hope I didn't embarrass you this time. I only brought 800 people with me, 800!"

As he spoke, he made the number eight hand gesture, looked around, and emphasized: "Li Zicheng had hundreds of thousands of people, but I defeated him in one battle. How powerful am I?"

"Ok?"

Old Zhu frowned and looked at him sideways.

Young Zhu Di was excited at first, but soon noticed something was wrong.

Zhu Yunfeng beside him whispered to Ji He: "Old Four is really getting cocky. Is he so brave now?"

"I guess he's gotten used to being with us, so he started to act like a little kid."

Ji Hyuk whispered back.

At that moment, little Zhu Di's face turned the color of liver, and he stood up and said: "Father, you know me well. I am just too happy."

"Okay, sit down."

Old Zhu waved his hand.

He didn't have any more requirements for his son.

I used to be decadent and lived as a fat otaku.

After hanging out with Zhu Yunfeng and the others for too long, his thinking has almost become that of a modern person, and he has become increasingly indifferent to the moral principles and hierarchy that are so important to him.

But from another perspective, the fourth emperor could not do the job. In this case, there was no need to blame him any more. Just let him do what he wanted.

Anyway, whether he goes to the modern world to become a rich man, or returns to the Ming Dynasty, or goes to other Ming Dynasties to become the king, it is all his ability, just support him.

Everyone sat down.

Old Zhu then looked at Sun Chuanting and said, "Sun Chuanting."

"His Majesty."

Sun Chuanting quickly stood up slightly, half hunched over.

Lao Zhu said, "What do you think of the current situation in the world?"

Sun Chuanting smiled bitterly and said, "The bandits are spreading across the Central Plains, and the Jiannu are wreaking havoc in the Northeast. The country is in turmoil, really."

"What exactly?"

Old Zhu asked.

Sun Chuanting felt the cold winter, sweat on his forehead, and said bitterly: "It is indeed the sign of the country's demise."

"Well"

Old Zhu was not angry, but just pondered and said: "Then what do you think, now that I am here, what should I do?"

"The Great Ancestor has come to the world, and the chaotic times have been pacified. The world is now at peace. This is the great blessing of the Ming Dynasty."

Sun Chuanting said hurriedly.

Zhu Yuanzhang's prestige in the Ming Dynasty was so great that even Sun Chuanting, who was arrogant and unafraid of power, was full of praise for him.

However, Lao Zhu frowned and asked, "Is that all?"

"Forehead"

After thinking for a while, Sun Chuanting knew what Zhu wanted, so he said, "Taizu should contact Your Majesty and return power to Taizu. With Taizu's prestige, the world will be settled in three months."

"Hahahahaha."

His words made Zhu Yuanzhang laugh, and he said, "Do you think the little emperor Chongzhen in Beijing will believe that I am Zhu Yuanzhang?"

“This may be a way to make sense and appeal to emotions.”

Sun Chuanting gritted his teeth and said a few words, but he felt that even he didn't believe it.

He knew very well what kind of character Chongzhen was.

To say that he is suspicious is an overstatement; he is more like a fickle person.

At that time, he served as the Governor of Baoding and was responsible for the security of Hebei. However, due to illness, he temporarily lost his hearing and could not continue to serve, so he submitted his resignation and recommended Yang Wenyue as his successor.

Who knew that Yang Sichang, Gao Qiquan, Yin Sanpin and others were at odds with him for various reasons, so they falsely accused him.

Although the censor Yang Yijun had confirmed that Sun Chuanting was indeed ill and could not hear, and reported it to Chongzhen, Chongzhen still felt that Sun Chuanting was deliberately evading and shirking responsibility. He charged him with "obvious fraud", dismissed him from his post, and had the Embroidered Uniform Guard imprison him in the imperial prison for three years.

If anyone were to serve as his minister, who wouldn't find this operation outrageous?
They didn't believe that he was so seriously ill, and they had to put him in prison without summoning him in person to check on his condition. Sun Chuanting felt that he was lucky not to have died of illness in prison. He actually recovered and his ears were not really deaf. He was lucky to be alive.

If Taizu's affairs were reported, even if he destroyed Li Zicheng's army, the Jinyiwei would rush to him the next day with his imperial edict.

So he could only hesitate and say nothing.

"You disappoint me."

Old Zhu frowned and said, "I thought you were in this chaotic world. Now that I'm here, you can think of a solution. But you are just a silver-plated spear head, a decoration that looks good but is useless. What use do I have for you?"

The calm words contained something unusual. Sun Chuanting's hair stood on end. He quickly stood up and knelt down, saying, "I deserve to die. I just..." "Just what?"

"It's just that there are some things that Taizu can say, but I dare not say them. I am loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to Your Majesty. If I say them, wouldn't that mess up my loyalty?"

"hehe."

When Zhu heard his words, he laughed. He liked this kind of loyal minister the most, so he said, "Well, that's a nice thing to say, but I want an answer. Are you loyal to the Ming Dynasty, loyal to the little emperor in Beijing, but not to me?"

Sun Chuanting's entire face was distorted, and his heart was filled with confusion.

This is the essence of the matter.

At present, Sun Chuanting's position is commander-in-chief, in charge of military and political affairs in most areas except for a few areas such as Hebei, Shuntian Prefecture, Yunnan, Fujian, etc.

If Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to pacify the chaos in the world as soon as possible, conquering Sun Chuanting was a very good choice.

Therefore, it is necessary to let Sun Chuanting come closer.

With Sun Chuanting's current prestige, if he were taken to Sichuan and Nanjing, basically wherever he went, they would surrender, without any surprises.

However, Sun Chuanting knew that this was a signal sent by Zhu.

But as a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, he must be loyal to Chongzhen.

Under such circumstances, he could not tell Zhu Yuanzhang that he was willing to surrender and follow him north to Beijing to drive Chongzhen off the throne.

Because doing so would mean being disloyal to Chongzhen, and would mean not being a loyal minister, but a traitor.

But couldn't he just be loyal to Zhu?
Naturally be loyal.

Zhu Yuanzhang's status is much higher than Chongzhen's, and in terms of the priority of loyalty, Zhu Yuanzhang is definitely much higher than Zhu Youjian.

But who can be 100% sure that this is Lao Zhu?

Lu Daqi and his friends had been to the Hongwu Dynasty, so they were 99% sure of that. However, Sun Chuanting had never been there, so even if he believed it 1% now, there was still % left, which became one of the reasons for his entanglement.

Secondly, people in later generations may not understand how being loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, can be considered betrayal.
However, the ideas of the ancients were different.

There are no two days in the sky.

Now there are two suns in the Ming Dynasty. If he immediately abandons the smaller one and joins the bigger one, others may not say anything, but he still cannot get over it in his heart.

After all, although Chongzhen had imprisoned him, he was also grateful to him for his recognition and support.

Originally he was just a county magistrate, and because he hated Wei Zhongxian, he resigned and stayed in his hometown for nine years.

In the seventh year of Chongzhen, he was rapidly promoted by Zhu Youjian, and even jumped seven or eight levels, from the seventh rank to the fourth rank of Shuntian Prefecture.

After that, he was quickly promoted to the second-rank Governor of Shaanxi, Governor-General of Baoding, Governor-General of the Three Borders, etc.

The current position is even more exaggerated.

He was appointed as the Prince's Grand Tutor, Commander-in-Chief, General Manager of the military affairs to suppress bandits in Yingtian, Fengyang, Anqing, Henan, Huguang, Sichuan, Guizhou, Jiangnan and Jiangbei, Governor-General of the three borders of Shaanxi, Minister of War and Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief, and was granted the Imperial Sword.

What does that mean?

At present, military and political affairs in most parts of the world are controlled by Sun Chuanting. Although he has no hierarchical relationship with local governments, the areas under his jurisdiction are basically under his command. It is not an exaggeration to call him the Grand Marshal of the Army of the World.

In just a few years, he was promoted like a rocket and now holds the highest position in the country. It can be said that Chongzhen gave him considerable trust.

Although he was only given an official position but no money or food, and was asked to raise funds on his own in Shaanxi, which seriously hindered Sun Chuanting's development and he was even arrested and imprisoned for three years, at least the sense of ceremony was too great. He had such a status at the age of fifty, and even the prime minister did not have such treatment.

After a long silence, just when Zhu Yuanzhang was running out of patience, Sun Chuanting said, "Of course I am loyal to Taizu, but what should I do if Beijing issues an imperial decree to summon me back?"

Afraid that Zhu Yuanzhang would not understand, he explained, "There are still turmoil in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. Li Zicheng has not been eliminated yet. The Jiannu in the northeast are eyeing us covetously. It is difficult to defend Shanhaiguan alone. Moreover, the Jiannu often go south through Mongolia to raid Hebei, Shandong, and other places. The court is likely to call me back to defend the north."

"You don't have to worry about this. If the Jian Nu invades, I will send a team of soldiers to accompany you north. But before that, you have to go to Sichuan and Nanjing with me. I have to recover the entire south and let the Ming Dynasty return to my rule before I can go north."

Old Zhu leaned back in his chair, tilted his head and squinted at Sun Chuanting, and said in an unquestionable tone: "The little emperor in Beijing is too suspicious and won't believe that I really came down to earth. I could have brought his carpenter brother back from the Tianqi era, but the long river of time I opened up ended in Changsha. If I went to the Tianqi era, I would also end up in Changsha."

"Besides, I can't prove my identity in the Tianqi Dynasty. It's troublesome to be an emperor from one dynasty to another, and the journey is long. I don't want to waste that effort. It's better to just seize his throne."

As he said this, he narrowed his eyes and said to Sun Chuanting, "I know that you are not completely sure of my identity in your heart, but it doesn't matter. Before going to Sichuan, you can go to Changsha first. I will take you to see my Hongwu period, and you can also go to the Yongle period. Just take it as a glimpse of the style of me, the founding emperor."

"It is my great wish to be able to see the prosperity of the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties, but Li Zicheng is the only one who can defeat Li Zicheng."

Sun Chuanting was a little hesitant.

Traveling through time to visit the Hongwu and Yongle periods is still very attractive to the loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

But as the last pillar of the Ming Dynasty, his first priority is national security.

Now Li Zicheng has become a bandit again, and has gone to Henan, Xuzhou, Huaihai and other places to cause chaos. Hebei and Shandong are now empty, and people are afraid that he will go north to harass Beijing.

Therefore, Sun Chuanting was still very worried about the safety of Beijing, fearing that Li Zicheng would continue to cause great damage to the Central Plains.

Old Zhu was naturally aware of this and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, he is just a first-rate thief. I have never taken him seriously. I will just send a general to bite him to death. What I need most now is for the people of the world to recognize my identity!"

"Father."

Hearing what the elder Zhu said, the younger Zhu Di immediately stood up and said, "I am willing to go. At that time, I didn't have enough ammunition, so I couldn't kill Li Zicheng. I'm very sorry. This time I will bring enough ammunition and make sure he never returns."

"Well"

Old Zhu pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, then you and Baoer should go. Bring all the baggage and more people this time, just 1,500 people will be enough, and you will know how to fight."

Little Zhu Di thought for a moment and said, "I plan to lead 500 light cavalry to pursue, with tens of thousands of civilians as auxiliary soldiers and a thousand knights as guards."

"Oh?"

Old Zhu's eyes lit up and he praised, "Good idea. Let's take a day off today and set off tomorrow. Bring your walkie-talkie and radio so you can keep in touch at any time."

"Yes!"

Little Zhu Di's face suddenly lit up with a smile, which made Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He beside him very unhappy.

If nothing unexpected happens, if Zhu Yuanzhang sends Sun Chuanting this time, he will have to go back to Hunan, and he will probably have to move some supplies by the time. Wouldn't it be possible for young Zhu Di to avoid the hard work by letting him go out to fight?
really.

Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He are two brothers in distress, and their fate is really to be treated like oxen and horses.

Who would have known that the chairman and general manager of Yunfeng Group, who are now worth hundreds of billions and are known as Mr. Zhu and Mr. Ji outside, are secretly doing hard labor in a warehouse?

I immediately decided what to do next.

Young Zhu Di led his men to chase Li Zicheng. Sun Chuanting went to Hunan and then went to Sichuan with Old Zhu to recover Sichuan, Yunnan and other places. Then they went east along the river and captured Nanjing. After that, the south was conquered by an order, forming a situation of two emperors in the north and the south.

Things became simple after that. As long as all the southern provinces believed in Zhu's identity and supported him as the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the north would have no obstacles and could march smoothly into Beijing.

By that time, even if Zhu Youjian did not acknowledge Old Zhu's identity, it would be beyond his control!

(End of this chapter)