Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 192: Living in the Shu Palace
Chongqing has been the most important transportation hub on the Yangtze River waterway since ancient times.

You can also take the water route from Chengdu to Chongqing.

The Jinjiang River flows through the city, and goes south along the river to the Minjiang River. The river then merges into the Yangtze River in Yibin, passes through Luzhou and reaches Chongqing.

Places in central Sichuan such as Suining and Nanchong, and even in the north such as Bazhong and Dazhou, also converge here relying on the Jialing River.

Therefore, Chongqing became the waterway center of Sichuan, and Chongqing could quickly radiate to the entire Sichuan area.

To defend Sichuan, we must also control Chongqing, because it is the last gateway into Sichuan from the east. After entering Sichuan via the Yangtze River and passing through the Three Gorges, Chongqing becomes the only obstacle.

For example, the Mongolian Battle of Diaoyutai, Zhang Xianzhong's Battle of Sichuan, and the Qing Dynasty's Battle of Kuidong all took place in Chongqing. Once Chongqing was lost, Sichuan would quickly fall.

Therefore, as an important city in the southwest, Chongqing bears a considerable strategic position. In ancient times, it was the most important economic and military center in Sichuan.

Lao Zhu traveled by land, crossing some small rivers and streams along the way, and had to climb over mountains and hills, which was quite tiring.

Fortunately, nothing happened along the way. Although the people in Sichuan and Shu were exhausted and their livelihood was declining, there was a saying that the world was in chaos but Sichuan was not. With Qin Liangyu stationed along the Yangtze River, the public security was still acceptable.

The ancient city of Chongqing is located at the confluence of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River, on a cliff. The city walls are distributed up and down, and the city gates are staggered. It is said that there are seventeen gates, nine open and eight closed.

The group took the Jiangbei route, crossed the Jialing River, arrived at Modou Wharf, and entered the city through the West Water Gate.

At the city gate is Xiaoshizi Street, to the north is Ermendong Street, and to the south is Mawangmiao Street. Compared with Fengjie, Chongqing can be said to be quite lively, with people coming and going from the south and the north, and it is very prosperous.

Wang Xingjian, a representative of the Chongqing government, went to greet the emperor. More than a dozen officials, including Chen Xun, deputy military envoy, and Wang Xi, magistrate of Ba County, were also left in the city.

In addition, dozens of officials of all ranks, including Sichuan Governor Chen Shiqi, Sichuan Provincial Inspector Liu Zhibo, Sichuan Military Councilor and Military Supervisor Lu Anshi, Northern Sichuan Councillor Long Wenguang, and Deputy Envoy Zhang Jimeng, were there to welcome them.

Chen Shiqi was a frontier official, equivalent to the top official in Sichuan, but Sun Chuanting was the commander-in-chief of Sichuan military affairs, so the Sichuan army was actually under his control, so naturally he had to come to welcome him.

At this time, Chen Shiqi and others were standing at the city gate chatting and laughing, and had not yet realized the seriousness of the matter.

It was late winter and the weather was gloomy.

The Qinling Mountains blocked most of the cool breeze blowing into Shaanxi from the Loess Plateau, but the cold still penetrated the land of Bashu. Amid the howling north wind, the leaves of the trees on the cliffs of Chongqing rustled.

People were coming and going outside the city gate. Although there was war, the cargo transportation from Sichuan to Yingtian was not delayed. At least the Yangtze River waterway was relatively peaceful for the time being.

Chen Shiqi looked at the river bank not far away. Several large ships had already crossed the river and were about to dock at Modou Wharf. As he walked towards the wharf, he said to Liu Zhibo beside him, "The commander-in-chief is here."

"In the battle of Tongguan, the commander-in-chief defeated Li Zicheng's ambition to enter Shaanxi, which was a great achievement. And Lu Duxian also defeated Zhang Xianzhong in Hunan. It is just a matter of time before the country returns to peace."

Liu Zhibo also said with a smile.

Lu Anshi said: "But now Li Zicheng has not been wiped out, Shaanxi has become barren, and many people have fled to Hanzhong and Bashu. I think this time they are also trying to raise food and money."

Long Wenguang said: "There is nothing we can do about this. The Tartars in the north have repeatedly attacked our borders, and Your Majesty has no money to pay or food to send. You can only raise money on your own."

"Alas, the state is in a state of decay. If His Majesty Taizu saw the Ming Dynasty today, we would be too ashamed to see him."

"In this world, corrupt officials are rampant, soldiers and bandits are everywhere, and Sichuan and Shu can have a brief period of peace. It's already good enough. Moreover, the local chieftains in various parts of Sichuan are also restless. It's not easy for everyone."

"Then think of a way to get some food and fodder for the commander-in-chief. See if you can find a rich family in Shu, or ask the King of Shu for some."

"Haha, King Shu."

An official sneered, but since it involved the prince, he could not say much. The other officials in Chengdu also looked at each other and remained silent.

All the officials in Chengdu knew that King Zhu Zhishu of Shu was as stingy as a miser and would not spend a penny.

Trying to take money from him is like asking for half his life.

Therefore, if Sun Chuanting enters Sichuan this time, it would not be easy to raise enough military funds and food. At least he would definitely not be able to get money from Zhu Zhishu.

As everyone was chatting, the boat had already docked.

Led by Chen Shiqi, the group came to the dock. Soon the boat was fixed to the dock, wooden boards were lowered from the boat to the shore, and some people got off.

What was surprising was that the person who was originally thought to be the leader was Sun Chuanting in official uniform, but the leader was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, looked to be around sixty years old, with an old and majestic face.

Which prince is this?

The Sichuan officials showed the same confused expressions as the Hubei officials in Wuchang.

They all subconsciously thought it was a certain vassal king.

After all, it’s still the same problem. The dragon robes of the Ming Dynasty and the vassal kings are of the same style, and even have dragon patterns, but the patterns are slightly different.

But most officials have no time to study the styles and patterns of dragon robes.

So they couldn't tell whether it was the emperor's dragon robe or the prince's dragon robe.

The only problem was that the man was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, which was very different from the vermilion dragon robe worn by the emperor and the princes of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang also had a vermilion dragon robe, and the red dragon robe of the Zhu family originated from Zhu Yuanzhang.

However, the red dragon robe during Zhu Yuanzhang's period was not an official dragon robe, but a daily robe, that is, clothes worn on a daily basis, and there were no patterns on it.

It can't even be called a dragon robe. It should be considered an ordinary red garment that the emperor wears when he is not wearing the formal dragon robe.

It was not until the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qizhen, that this kind of clothing began to have patterns and became a dragon robe.

So when we look at the portraits of emperors from the early Ming Dynasty, they are all wearing bright yellow dragon robes with red collars inside, or they are wearing a red single garment inside and a yellow robe without patterns on the outside, or they are simply wearing a red single garment.

From the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the red inner garment began to replace the outer yellow dragon robe, and was embroidered with dragon and seal patterns. This is how the vermilion dragon robe style that we often see in the middle and late Ming Dynasty came into being.

The clothes Zhu Yuanzhang wore were completely different in color from the dragon robes worn by the emperor or the princes in the late Ming Dynasty, which surprised the officials present.

But when they saw Sun Chuanting, Ma Qian, Qin Liangyu, Wang Xingjian and others following behind them, they subconsciously thought that it was some unknown vassal king from Huguang who had run to Sichuan.

This was very common when Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were wreaking havoc. For example, the princes of Huguang basically escaped completely, so they were still able to fight back.

When he got closer, Chen Shiqi didn't speak for the time being. He didn't know Sun Chuantong, but he knew Ma Qian and others, so he looked at everyone with an inquiring look.

Sun Chuanting stepped forward, holding up the imperial sword and official seal, and said, "I am Sun Chuanting."

"I, Chen Shiqi (Liu Zhibo), pay my respects to the Commander-in-Chief."

Chen Shiqi and others hurriedly greeted him.

"This is His Majesty Taizu in person. He has come to save the world. This time he came to Sichuan to make Bashu submit to His Majesty!"

Sun Chuanting shouted loudly.

"."

"Forehead"

Chen Shiqi and others raised their heads, still with confused expressions.

Just like many officials in Wuchang, Hubei, and Fengjie in eastern Sichuan, it seemed that they could no longer hear the Ming language.

"This is His Majesty Taizu."

Ma Qian and others also spoke up immediately.

Everyone then spoke at once and explained the situation.

It took a long time for Chen Shiqi and others to digest the whole thing. Although they were still somewhat skeptical, they could not directly question it because of the evidence from Sun Chuanting and others.

Old Zhu was still the same as always. He liked to observe the terrain and environment when he arrived at a place. With his hands behind his back, he looked at the city of Chongqing.

After many officials had talked to each other, Chen Shiqi carefully came to Zhu Yuanzhang and respectfully asked: "Your Majesty, I, Chen Shiqi, pay my respects to you, Emperor Taizu."

"Ah."

Old Zhu turned around and nodded, "Is Sichuan willing to submit?"

"Of course I am willing."

Chen Shiqi thought for a while and said, "But I still have some doubts in my heart. If there is a chance, I would like to go to Hongwu and see the great era of the founding of the country."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Of course you can, but I have lost all my magic power to travel through time and space to descend to the mortal world. I rely entirely on magic tools to maintain the teleportation array. If the magic power of the magic tools is also exhausted, I will not be able to return. Therefore, not too many people should be sent. Just select some reliable, prestigious, loyal and patriotic people to go. After I pacify Sichuan and Shu, I will go to Yingtian Prefecture. When I pass by Yuezhou, I will stop by Changsha."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Shiqi suddenly became happy.

He was born into a family of scholars and liked to study the art of war, but he was actually a jack of all trades. However, he was also a Jinshi and a master of Confucianism, and he believed most in loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.

If you say he is capable, that's definitely not the case, but if you talk about loyalty, he is a martyr for his country after all, so he is naturally loyal.

It is a great honor to be able to follow Taizu to the Hongwu period. It can be said to be the standard of a loyal minister. When Taizu pacifies the world in the future, it will definitely be a matter of glory for the family, so naturally he is very happy.

After everyone was sure of Lao Zhu's identity, they entered Chongqing city and stayed in the Chongqing Prefecture Government for one night. They set out again the next morning and headed towards Chengdu.

At this time, the entourage grew again. Sichuan officials followed Zhu like a follower. There were forty or fifty officials from all over the country alone.

After another eight or nine days, the team traveled through Yongchuan, Neijiang, and passed Ziyang and Jianzhou. In late December and early winter, the team arrived at Chengdu, the political center of Sichuan.

Jinguan City is huge, with high walls and thick walls.

If the King of Shu, Zhu Zhishu, had not been as stingy as a miser and unwilling to allocate money and food to the soldiers defending the city, Zhang Xianzhong would not have been able to capture the city within three days.

Chengdu Prefecture also left behind some officials, such as Fang Yaoxiang, the co-magistrate of Chengdu, Chen Qichi, the deputy military commissioner of southern Sichuan, Zhang Kongjiao, the assistant magistrate of Sichuan, Liu Shidou, the magistrate of Chengdu Prefecture, Wu Jishan, the magistrate of Chengdu, Shen Yunzuo, the magistrate of Huayang, and dozens of other local officials. Upon learning that the governor had brought the commander-in-chief over, officials of all sizes in Chengdu hurried over to greet him.

At the Yinghui Gate in Dongcheng, officials of all ranks in Chengdu are waiting here.

In fact, all the main officials had gone to welcome Sun Chuanting, and the officials who stayed in Chengdu were actually of low rank.

Although compared with ordinary people, they are big shots, but compared with Sun Chuanting, Chen Shiqi and others, they basically belong to the type that needs a lot of connections even to meet them.

Therefore, the convoy entered the city almost in a swagger, without even having to explain anything to these middle and lower-level officials.

Fang Yaoxiang, the Tongzhi of Chengdu, was the highest-ranking official, a fifth-rank official. He stepped forward to greet him, bowed 90 degrees, and after Chen Shiqi introduced him, he smiled and said to Sun Chuanting, "Welcome, Commander-in-Chief. I have already prepared a banquet at the restaurant."

"We are exhausted from the journey. We will skip the meal and go to the mansion to rest for a while."

Sun Chuanting shook his head.

Seeing this, Fang Yaoxiang hurriedly asked Chen Shiqi, "Sir, is the commander staying at the prefectural government office or the governor's office tonight?"

Chen Shiqi said with a strange expression: "I live in the Prince of Shu's mansion."

"???"

A group of Chengdu officials, including Fang Yaoxiang, were full of questions.

what's the situation?
Although the commander-in-chief held the highest position among the ministers, the first rank, and was in charge of military affairs in the southern regions of the country, the princes and officials were strictly separated and were not allowed to interact with each other.

Moreover, even if the commander-in-chief has a friendship with the King of Shu, he is not allowed to stay overnight in the King of Shu's mansion.

Wait a moment.

All Sichuan officials knew that the commander-in-chief was coming to Sichuan this time, probably to ask for money and food.

And who has the most money and grain in Sichuan?

The King of Shu.

understood.

Many officials immediately showed an expression of enlightenment.

It seems that he is going to the Prince of Shu's Palace to beg for money.

But the King of Shu is so stingy.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Sun Chuanting with pity.

Obviously they could guess what the outcome would be.

of course.

People certainly won't say it out loud.

Fang Yaoxiang said, "Then let's go to the restaurant first, and then come back for a banquet after the commander-in-chief has a conversation with the King of Shu?"

"Well, you go ahead."

Sun Chuanting waved his hands impatiently.

Although he was also promoted from a county magistrate, his current position is too high, a first-rank official.

According to the past, these fifth and sixth rank officials were not qualified to meet with him, so what were they supposed to do?
At that moment, everyone left tactfully.

The carriage continued into the city.

Chengdu Prefecture is also prosperous and bustling.

Although it is winter, the streets are crowded with people.

"History of Ming Dynasty" records that Zhang Xianzhong massacred Sichuan, but according to archaeological and miscellaneous historical records, it was the Qing Dynasty that did it.

Of course, Zhang Xianzhong also did a lot of bad things, including chopping off hands and slaughtering many Sichuan officials and civilians. He killed quite a few people.

Before Zhang Xianzhong and the Qing Dynasty brought disaster to Sichuan, Sichuan had a registered population of about nine million, with Chengdu alone having five or six hundred thousand. By the reign of Emperor Kangxi, there were only more than ten thousand people left in Chengdu. This shows the extent to which Zhang Xianzhong and the Qing Dynasty had brought disaster to Sichuan.

The convoy passed through the streets and alleys, and the people along the way looked on curiously. Among them, there were several sturdy warriors who were eating and drinking in a nearby restaurant and looked at the convoy coming on the street.

"Have you heard? Commander Sun is coming to Sichuan."

"General Sun almost annihilated Li Zicheng in one battle, but unfortunately he ran out of food and fodder and could not continue the pursuit."

"A real man should be like this. It would be great if my brothers and I could join Commander Sun. We should serve the country and make great achievements!"

Those sturdy warriors were actually military generals from Chengdu Prefecture. The leader was called Zeng Ying. His father was a civil servant and his family was wealthy, but Zeng Ying liked to wield spears and sticks and hang out with the military generals.

Because he was rich, generous and magnanimous, everyone called him Mr. Zeng.

The others were Yang Zhan, Cao Xun, Xu Mingjiao, Lu Yinchang, and Zhao Ronggui, all of whom were military generals from Chengdu, serving as commanders, lieutenant generals, and garrisons.

Even though there was a third-rank lieutenant general among them, the status of military generals was low in the Ming Dynasty, while that of civil officials was high. A seventh-rank county magistrate dared to point at and scold a second-rank general, let alone a mere third-rank lieutenant general.

Zeng Ying's father was a civil servant, and interacting with them would be considered lowering one's status. Therefore, everyone, led by Zeng Ying, looked at the convoy on the street with envy.

"What's the point of talking about this? It's better to take action."

After hearing what they said, Zeng Ying drank a lot of wine. Under the influence of alcohol, he jumped down from the second floor. Although he staggered a few steps, he was unharmed.

Then, while others were surprised and Zhu's guards raised their AKs and looked at him warily, Zeng Ying stopped the convoy, knelt down and shouted: "I am Zeng Ying, and I am willing to follow the commander to fight the enemy!"

The scene froze for a moment.

Lao Zhu's guards looked at each other, then smiled and put away their AKs.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Old Zhu looked at Zeng Ying from inside the carriage.

Sun Chuanting was stunned, then looked at Lao Zhu, and when Lao Zhu nodded slightly, he said, "I am Sun Chuanting. Since you have the heart to serve your country, then follow me."

"Thank you, Sir Commander, thank you, Sir Commander!"

Zeng Ying was overjoyed and much sober at this time. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat and thought to himself that he was reckless.

But after being shocked, he was happy. He looked at his friends upstairs and shouted, "Don't you want to follow the commander-in-chief and make achievements?"

Everyone did not dare to follow Zeng Ying's example, but ran down from the upstairs, knelt down in front of Sun Chuanting and said, "Guangyuan Garrison Commander Yang Zhan, Sichuan North Camp Commander Cao Xun, Xunan Guard Commander Lu Yinchang, Fu Biao Commander Xu Mingjiao, Sichuan North Commander Zhao Ronggui, we pay our respects to the Commander-in-Chief."

"You guys also want to go with me to fight the thieves?"

Sun Chuanting asked.

"I and others have long wanted to follow the commander-in-chief and build achievements."

Everyone said hurriedly.

"Well, follow me."

Sun Chuanting smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Today I will give you a task. If you can complete it, just follow me."

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief."

Everyone was overjoyed.

Although they were military generals from Sichuan, Sun Chuanting could control the Sichuan troops.

So to some extent, they all belonged to Sun Chuanting, and if Sun Chuanting wanted to take them away, the local government in Sichuan would not have any objection.

After gathering these strong men, Sun Chuanting signaled them to follow him.

The team continued to march through the city, and soon arrived in front of a palace that was as magnificent as an imperial palace.

The Palace of King Shu!

It was built by Zhu Yuanzhang for his son, Zhu Chun, the King of Shu, in the 15th year of Hongwu.

The format is modeled after the Nanjing Forbidden City, but it is not even surrounded by walls, but city walls. The south gate is the Duanli Gate, which is directly in the format of a city gate.

The interior of the palace was like a palace, with its own officials, guards, palace maids and eunuchs.

At this moment, the gate of Duanli Gate was closed, and there were several guards sitting lazily or leaning on the city wall at the entrance.

It would be better to say that they were servants rather than guards. They were not wearing armor, but only had swords on their waists. They were lazy and casual, which did not look like the heavily guarded palace at all.

When the team arrived in front of the palace, they just took a look and seemed not to care at all who came.

After all, no matter what kind of official came, the King of Shu was the most distinguished nobleman in Sichuan.

The carriage stopped and Lao Zhu lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.

He stood on the carriage, frowning as he looked at the Prince of Shu's Palace in front of him.

This dignified royal palace is run by the current King of Shu like a landlord's home. There is no trace of the grandeur and majesty of a royal palace at all.

Could it be that one of his proudest sons, the descendant of the Shu scholar, had become so depraved?
(End of this chapter)