Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 282 The Calamity of the Cursed Water
Ma Jixiang, who wielded immense power, had a bloody hole in his head and collapsed limply, dying silently.

Chen Gui calmly asked everyone if the strength he had demonstrated was believable enough.

He had actually given Emperor Yongli enough respect.

Please bow upon entering.

He explained the matter again.

If Zhu Di were in his place, he would have been slapped across the face long ago for being so distrusted.

However, sometimes, in order to intimidate the other party and gain their trust, it is necessary to use some methods.

This move indeed horrified Emperor Yongli and his ministers.

Fear filled Yongli's eyes.

Deng Shilian, Pei Tingmo, Tu Hongyou, Deng Kai and others were initially shocked, but then a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes.

They had long wanted to get rid of Ma Jixiang and had submitted petitions to impeach him multiple times, but all their efforts were in vain.

Even Deng Kai's leg was broken at Ma Jixiang's behest.

The fact that Ma Jixiang was so easily executed naturally left the group somewhat incredulous.

Silence fell over the room.

After waiting for a moment and seeing that they remained silent, Chen Gui continued, "Your Majesty, if you still do not believe me, then I can only ask His Highness the Prince of Yan to speak with Your Majesty."

"The Prince of Yan is also here?"

Deng Shilian asked a question subconsciously.

"No."

"Then why?"

"hehe."

Chen Gui smiled and had someone take a shortwave radio from their backpack and place it on the coffee table. Then he dialed the other end of the line.

After a moment, a voice came from the radio: "This is the Kunming Telegraph Office."

"I am Chen Gui. I have arrived in Burma and joined up with Emperor Yongli, but he does not trust us. Please give me your instructions, Your Highness. Is Your Highness asleep?"

Amidst the astonished gazes of Emperor Yongli and his ministers, Chen Gui spoke with someone in the distance using the radio.

Kunming Telecommunications Office?
Does this mean the speaker is in Kunming?
But this place is more than a thousand miles away from Kunming. Is this the legendary transmission of sound over a thousand miles?

"Your Highness is still awake. I will go and inform Your Highness."

After they finished speaking, the radio went busy.

About fifteen minutes later, a deep voice came from the other end: "Hey, this is Zhu Di."

“Your Highness, I am Chen Gui. We have arrived in Burma and found Emperor Yongli.”

"Hmm, let this unfilial descendant speak to me."

"Yes."

Chen Gui picked up the earphones and gestured for Emperor Yongli to come over and put them on.

Radio stations have loudspeakers, so they can hear the sound, but if they want to talk to the other side, they have to use the microphone in their headphones.

Emperor Yongli hesitated for a moment, then followed Chen Gui's instructions, put on the earpiece, and cautiously said, "I..."

"What do you mean, 'I'?"

A harsh voice came from the other end: "Zhu Youlang, I order you to cooperate with Chen Gui and his men in all their actions! There are no questions asked."

"But."

"There are no buts, and you have no other choice. If you don't want to listen, I'll have Chen Gui bring you to Kunming tonight. You can choose whether to have Bai Wenxuan escort you to Kunming in a dignified manner, or to bring you here like a prisoner."

"Yes"

After a moment of silence, Emperor Yongli sighed and agreed.

Zhu Di hung up the phone.

He had no good feelings towards Zhu Youlang.

In terms of ability, he was probably no match for Emperor Chongzhen. He was subservient and made no achievements in his life. The court was in chaos and infighting was rampant.

Originally, the Southern Ming still possessed vast territories including Yunnan, Guangxi, Huguang, and Guizhou, but he lacked independent judgment and made poor personnel choices, leading to rampant treachery and rebellion. Generals like Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu, who were fighting on the front lines, were constantly constrained.

Although this had little to do with Emperor Yongli, who was essentially a puppet during his reign, constantly on the run and powerless to manage the warlords left over from the Daxi and Dashun regimes in various regions.

However, it is undeniable that his incompetence and cowardice prevented the Yongli court from establishing prestige and thus from effectively organizing forces to resist the Manchus.

The fact that anti-Qing forces in various regions fought independently, remained unmoved when allies were in trouble, and even engaged in constant infighting was also part of his problem.

Therefore, Zhu Di definitely cannot let him become emperor in the future.

Emperor Yongli fell silent.

Chen Gui then stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, as I just mentioned about the future. Compared to Your Majesty being captured by the Burmese and eventually sent to Wu Sangui to be strangled with a bowstring, it is already extremely good that His Highness Prince Yan has come to save your life. At least you can live a peaceful life in the future. Kunming and Guiyang have now been recovered, and His Highness Prince Yan will soon open the teleportation gate. When His Majesty the Great Ancestor comes, Your Majesty will have a chance to meet His Majesty the Great Ancestor. I hope Your Majesty can be sensible and not anger His Highness Prince Yan, so that I have no choice but to resort to force.”

"I understand."

Zhu Youlang smiled wryly and said, "Then let's do it your way."

"Very well, Ma Jixiang is dead. Among Your Majesty's ministers, Commander Deng Kai is a loyal and devoted subject who has vowed to protect Your Majesty to the death. Please appoint Deng Kai as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to purge the remnants of Ma Jixiang."

Chen Gui said, “I will send people to assist Deng Kai. I believe you all have your own judgment on who should be killed and who shouldn’t, so I won’t get involved. Tomorrow, the Burmese will come to pressure you all again. I will lead men to infiltrate the entourage and kill them when the Burmese attack. Then, I will lead troops to attack the Burmese capital. According to His Highness Prince Yan’s wishes, King Mang Bai of Burma and his ministers have committed treason and massacred the emperor’s camp. They should be executed by slow slicing. I will return first. The five men will stay here to protect His Majesty and help Deng Kai handle the aftermath.”

After saying that, he turned to the squad leader's flag and said, "Wang Wenguang."

"My subordinate is here."

"You stay here, I'll go back and make arrangements."

"Yes."

"I shall take my leave now."

Chen Gui bowed to Emperor Yongli again and backed out of the hall.

After he left, all the officials looked at Emperor Yongli.

Emperor Yongli said helplessly, "Do as he says. Deng Kai, go and purge the remnants of Ma Jixiang."

"Yes."

Deng Kai responded in a deep voice.

He then went out with Emperor Yongli.

Two or three hundred attendants had already surrounded the palace.

This was also one of Ma Jixiang's methods of controlling the imperial court.

In addition to being the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ma Jixiang was also the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

Emperor Yongli had only about three hundred followers, almost all of whom were under his control, which meant that this amount of military power was in the hands of Ma Jixiang.

After Deng Kai and his group came out, they called in a few of Ma Jixiang's confidants.

These people couldn't see Ma Jixiang and hesitated.

Seeing this, Wang Wenguang and the others also took out their pistols, attached silencers, and killed one by one as Deng Kai pointed at them. In a short while, they killed seven or eight people, leaving the remaining people terrified.

If Emperor Yongli and Deng Kai hadn't reprimanded them, they probably would have all run away in an instant.

Then, under the cover of night, without waiting for Myanmar to launch the cursed water attack, Deng Kai controlled the remaining people and summoned them to talk.

This means that the Ming army has already captured Kunming, and Bai Wenxuan is about to come to welcome His Majesty. He is to purge the court of treacherous officials, kill Ma Jixiang and other traitors. You should obey his orders and you will be rich and powerful in the future. If you disobey his orders, this will be your fate.

Under duress and bribery, the remaining people all obeyed Deng Kai's orders. Next came roll call.

At this time, many treacherous officials of the Yongli Emperor's reign were drinking and gambling, completely unaware of the impending crisis.

Deng Kai ordered his men to call them out one by one, and kill them one by one as they came out.

The night was like a massacre; in just half an hour, more than fifty people had died by gunfire.

There were treacherous officials in the imperial court who followed Ma Jixiang, as well as officers in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who helped Ma Jixiang control his lower-ranking followers.

The matter was finally settled in the middle of the night.

Chen Gui also brought in the hundred men, changed into the clothes of Emperor Yongli's attendants, set up their weapons and equipment, carried guns on their backs and concealed pistols at their waists, and waited for the next day.

The next day.

The sky is bright.

The messenger of King Mangbai of Burma crossed the Cursed River and arrived at the Yongli Emperor's camp.

Their attitude was extremely arrogant. They stated bluntly, "There is no other reason for this trip than my king fears that you have ill intentions and wants you to drink the cursed water and swear an oath. This will also facilitate your trade. Otherwise, if we cease all contact, even daily necessities will become difficult."

It means that if we don't make an alliance with them, we will cut off all daily necessities and cease trade with them, and they will have trouble finding food and shelter.

Seeing this, Emperor Yongli had no choice but to pretend to agree and ordered Duke Mu Tianbo of Qian to lead a group of officials, both high and low, across the river to the other side.

It was early morning, and the accompanying officials were on tenterhooks.

They had already sensed something was wrong. First, Ma Jixiang and his cronies had vanished, and many unfamiliar faces had appeared in the group. Second, the Burmese were coming with great force, and this trip was likely to end badly.

Mu Tianbo and Deng Kai were in the know; they had discussed the matter with Emperor Yongli the previous night. Seeing this, they comforted many officials and then crossed the Cursed River by boat.

The oath-taking ceremony took place on the east bank of the Cursed River. The Burmese built a tall tower there, saying they would climb the tower to make the oath.

However, when Chen Gui and his group arrived at the location and surveyed their surroundings, they saw that there were about several hundred guards around them, seemingly protecting them, but in reality, they were subtly surrounding them.

The surrounding area was dense forest and tall grass, and one could vaguely see figures in the woods, indicating that an ambush had been laid long ago.

They remained unmoved, waiting to see what tricks the Burmese were up to.

It was mid-July, already autumn. But Myanmar was still unbearably hot and humid, and the dark-skinned, short-statured Burmese people around them, resembling a group of monkeys, looked at them with ill intent.

Many officials wiped the sweat from their brows, looked up at the blazing sun, and their faces showed distress.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Since it's a pledge, shouldn't it be placed on an altar? Besides, where were your Burmese officials when the covenant was drafted?"

"Yes, when we got there, there was nothing there."

"what is going on?"

Everyone was talking about it.

The Burmese envoy grinned menacingly and said, "Naturally, we've come to swear an oath. Gentlemen, it's time to set off."

Having said that, he shouted, "Attack!"

In an instant, Burmese guards swarmed around them, armed with knives and guns, and advanced towards them.

Meanwhile, figures moved about in the woods, and groups of soldiers rushed out of the bushes, eyeing the forest menacingly.

"You Burmese are treacherous! You will all die a horrible death!"

"Bastard, bastard!"

"Quickly break out and protect His Majesty!"

Many officials and generals were taken aback, and the scene descended into chaos.

At this crucial moment.

A chilling, cruel expression appeared on Chen Gui's face as he gave the order: "Kill!"

"kill!"

Many soldiers pulled out their rifles and opened fire on the surrounding Burmese soldiers.

In fact, the Burmese had already noticed that they were carrying rifles.

But since I didn't know what it was, and it didn't look like a blade, it didn't even have a cutting edge. It was black and looked no different from a fire poker, so I didn't pay any attention to it.

But to everyone's surprise, flames shot out from the front end of these things, and the surrounding Burmese soldiers fell down in an instant, causing everyone to turn pale with horror.

Many Burmese soldiers were terrified and fled in all directions, but they could not escape the bullets. They did not even have a chance to beg for mercy. In just a few minutes, nearly a thousand Burmese soldiers in the vicinity were shot dead.

Their positions were so close together that there was no need to aim; just spray and fire. Under the gunfire, the remaining Burmese soldiers fell one after another, and in an instant, more than half of the three thousand were gone.

"My God, Northerners know sorcery, they know sorcery."

"Run, run."

"mother."

The Burmese soldiers cried out in Burmese, their mouths gurgling and screaming incessantly.

Snowflakes splattered, and limbs flew everywhere.

Although the soldiers today use the domestically produced QBZ, which has higher accuracy and less recoil, its power is certainly not as great as the AK copied by Hongwu.

But it is still a 5.8mm bullet. If the cavity effect caused by the bullet hits the limbs, such as the arm or neck, it can easily knock off the entire arm or even the head.

The scene was filled with wailing and screams, as bloody and cruel as a slaughterhouse. Corpses were everywhere, and blood flowed all over the ground, truly resembling a river of blood.

Such an effect could only be achieved in ancient times.

After all, in ancient times, soldiers would stand close together in formation. If it were modern-day mowing down troops like this, with the troops spread out, even if everyone was a sharpshooter, they would be lucky to kill a few dozen people.

The officials present were all dumbfounded. No one had expected that those unfamiliar faces would suddenly step forward and, like demons descending from the heavens, kill so many people with a series of "clattering" sounds.

In less than fifteen minutes, countless people had died or been injured at the scene.

Chen Gui stepped on the back of the Burmese envoy whose leg had been broken, fired a shot into his head, and then ordered, "Chase him! Chase him all the way to Ava! I'm going to slaughter the Burmese!"

"Yes."

The surrounding soldiers shouted loudly.

Then Chen Gui contacted Yang Heng via shortwave radio and learned that the situation had been resolved. Yang Heng and Bai Wenxuan immediately set off for Ava.

This place is about 30 kilometers away from Ava, and also about 30 kilometers away from Bai Wenxuan and his group's location.

The soldiers took off in pursuit.

The officials behind them then seemed to wake from a dream and gathered around Mu Tianbo and Deng Kai to ask about the situation.

"What...what exactly is going on?"

Who are they?

"Amitabha Buddha, what just happened?"

Many officials were filled with lingering fear.

It was only at this point that Mu Tianbo and Deng Kai explained the situation to them briefly.

When they learned that it was Zhu Di who had traveled through the ages to come to this place, everyone fell silent.

Some people believed it. In such a desperate moment, someone could give them hope, which was like a lifeline, and there was no reason to doubt it.

Some people, however, became increasingly desperate.

Because everyone knows that this is truly a fantasy, unbelievable.

They felt like they had just escaped one wolf's den only to fall into another.

A sudden gust of hot autumn wind swept by, leaving many people with bewildered expressions.

What should these former officials of the Ming Dynasty do?
(End of this chapter)