Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 213 Fu Youde’s reminder, Zhu Gang’s decision!

A strange scene appeared on the grassland.

More than 100,000 Ming troops confronted 3,000 new troops.

The atmosphere is already tense.

It seemed as if a fierce conflict was about to break out between the two sides in the next moment.

Zhu Gang held down the unruly horse under his crotch, and his expression changed again and again.

Zhang Fu was wearing a black devil mask on his face, so his expression couldn't be seen clearly.

The same was true for the 3,000 new army soldiers.

Only their sharp gazes and the movements of their hands revealed their attitude.

The horse that Zhu Gang was riding began to move uncontrollably from side to side again. He slowly raised his hand and slowly closed his eyes.

The current situation is completely beyond Zhu Gang's expectations.

Without the court's permission, hundreds of thousands of troops were secretly dispatched to fight outside the border. If this happened to a general, no matter how meritorious he was, he would definitely be charged with the serious crime of having his property confiscated and his entire family exterminated.

He is the Prince of Jin, the biological son of the current emperor.

There is no way I could lose my life over this.

But what about the title of prince?

Not long ago, the imperial court issued an edict to abolish the original royal family system and implement a system of inheritance with reduced titles.

At the same time, it was clearly stated that any royal family member who made mistakes would be severely punished by being stripped of their title or abolished.

He undoubtedly hit the right spot.

Once the matter is reported to the court, I am afraid that he will lose his position as prince.

Zhu Gang was unwilling to accept this.

Without the title of prince and the three guards, all his plans would be in vain.

Even if Zhu Yuanzhang dies in the future, he will no longer have the capital and qualifications to fight for the world.

But what should I do if I don’t admit defeat?

Raise an army to rebel?

This is certainly not possible.

Old Zhu is still alive.

He was a vassal prince and the son of the emperor. There was no chance of success for him to rebel against his father.

The imperial court doesn't even need to mobilize any troops. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang issues an imperial decree, the generals and soldiers who still obey his orders will start to rebel.

Beyond that, there is a middle option.

That is to destroy the Ming army in front of them, then put the blame on the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and at the same time, steal the other side's military merit.

Zhang Fu led the new army in a bloody battle with the Northern Yuan cavalry, but was ultimately defeated due to being outnumbered.

Afterwards, the King of Jin led an army of hundreds of thousands and defeated the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

This explanation was perfect, and Zhu Gang could explain it to the court.

Not only was Zhu Yunhuan unable to punish him, he also had to praise him with a pinch of his nose.

Even if the truth was discovered later, the court would not be able to overturn the verdict on the New Army.

First, the adverse effects caused are too great.

Secondly, if this new army was destroyed in one battle, Zhu Yunhuan would not have many means to restrain Zhu Gang and could only use appeasement to win them over.

Even though I knew he did it, I had no choice but to admit it.

The question is, can we really annihilate this new army in front of us?
If it were in the past, if anyone asked Zhu Gang this question, he would slap the other person twice without hesitation.

With an army of over one hundred thousand, can't they defeat just three thousand new troops?

What kind of brain could come up with this?

But now, witnessing the current situation on the battlefield and seeing the new army facing his army of more than one hundred thousand without fear, Zhu Gang's heart was somewhat shaken.

There is no doubt that a fierce battle had taken place at the scene before.

The result of the battle was that the new army defeated the Northern Yuan cavalry at a very small cost and with almost no losses.

Countless corpses were left on the battlefield.

With Zhu Gang's eyesight, he could estimate that there were probably tens of thousands of corpses left on the grassland.

How many people were there in the Northern Yuan army that came to attack the new army?

Thirty thousand?

fifty thousand?

or more?
The Northern Yuan cavalry had amazing combat power. If there were really tens of thousands of Northern Yuan cavalry, they would not be able to defeat the 3,000 new troops in front of them, and instead were defeated by the other side, fleeing in a panic after leaving behind tens of thousands of corpses, then the hundreds of thousands of troops he was leading might not be able to annihilate the new army in front of him.

This idea was somewhat absurd, and Zhu Gang found it difficult to accept it for a while.

But the battlefield before him was telling all this silently, forcing him to believe that this was most likely the truth.

What's more, the formation displayed by the new army clearly shows that they are not afraid at all.

With only 3,000 troops against over 100,000, the new army was actually more powerful.

After thinking for a long time, Zhu Gang finally did not dare to give the order to attack.

Beside him, Fu Youde shouted sternly: "Bold Zhang Fu, who do you think you are? How dare you question His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin? Do you want to rebel?"

Compared to Zhu Gang's panic, Fu Youde, who had fought on the battlefield for countless years, seemed much calmer.

He was fully aware of the current situation, and the first thing he had to do was to seize the banner of loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness and bring it to his side.

Fu Youde bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty has ordered His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin to stay in Taiyuan and guard against the Northern Yuan cavalry moving south. This is the heavy responsibility that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin shoulders."

"When His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin heard that the Northern Yuan cavalry was heading south, he gathered his troops and rushed over, intending to fight them to the death to protect our Ming Dynasty."

"Is there anything wrong with this?"

"The imperial court does not allow the prince to leave the country, so what?"

"Military and national affairs should be decided on the spot. How can we stick to the old rules and be complacent?"

"I will be outside, and I will not accept your order."

"That day, you followed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to Taiwan, and His Majesty repeatedly ordered His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the others to return to the court."

"But you didn't listen at all, and instead took your army to Japan."

"If we are talking about punishment, shouldn't we punish His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and you first?"

"Your Highness Prince Jin has a duty to defend the territory, and it is also your responsibility to lead the army out of the border."

"You casually question the prince and order the new army soldiers to aim their guns at the Ming army led by Your Highness. Are you trying to rebel?" Fu Youde suddenly shouted.

Zhu Gang couldn't help but admire him secretly.

Older gingers are more spicy.

Fu Youde is older than him and is much more stable when encountering things.

These words are really sharp.

Put all the responsibility on the other party.

The pot was thrown clean.

Wonderful!

"Really?"

In response to Fu Youde's rebuttal, Zhang Fu was not in a hurry. He took out a document from his arms and said, "Before I led the troops to set out, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince summoned me to discuss matters and gave me an order."

"It clearly states that if His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin leads his troops out of the border without permission, I will arrest him and escort him back to Jinling City to be punished."

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, Prince Jin, I have a duty to perform and must follow your orders."

"Your Highness, Prince Jin, please dismount and get on my prisoner cart."

"Whether the King of Jin is loyal or rebellious, he has finally returned to Jinling City, and the court will make the final decision."

"Duke Ying's sharp tongue and his distorted words are better left to the court, where he can speak to His Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and all the officials in the court."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of all the generals in the field changed drastically.

How could the King of Jin surrender docilely?

However, before anyone could think about it, they heard Zhang Fu shout again: "Commendants, you are generals of the imperial court, not the private soldiers of the King of Jin."

"You blindly followed the orders of the King of Jin without his permission and led your troops out of the pass without permission. This is a serious crime."

"Are you still not coming to your senses now and are you still going to follow him all the way to the end?"

"Do you know that the law of the country is ruthless?"

"If you don't turn back in time, you'll make a huge mistake!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a general suddenly accused him, "Zhang Fu, who do you think you are? You are just the son of a deputy commander."

"Your father Zhang Yu is here, so he has no right to interrupt."

"Do you think that just because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appreciates you and lets you command three thousand new troops, you can be so proud of yourself?"

"I'm telling you, as long as His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin and Duke Ying give the order today, I can immediately lead my army to destroy you and defeat your three thousand new troops..."

boom!
A gunshot!
The general's voice suddenly stopped and he fell off his horse.

A bullet hit him right in the head.

He fell to the ground with his head facing the sky, his eyes wide open, staring blankly at the sky above.

Until his death, he couldn't believe that Zhang Fu actually dared to kill him.

Moreover, even at such a long distance, he was killed with one strike.

There was no chance for me to escape.

"If any of you are still unconvinced, you can give it a try."

Zhang Fu took the gun in his hand.

The black devil's mask looked particularly hideous and terrifying in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Before setting off, Zhu Yunhuan specifically told him how to act.

This was also the key reason why Zhang Fu and his 3,000 men were sent out through Taiyuan.

Otherwise, there would be no need for him and Zhu Neng to split their forces into two groups.

Even if we have to divide our forces, there is no need to spread them so far apart.

We will leave Peking together and keep our troops at a certain distance from each other.

This way they can take care of each other.

Going to Taiyuan means that the real purpose is not to drink.

Zhu Yunhuan told him very clearly that if Zhu Gang disobeyed orders, the new army could fight with Zhu Gang's army.

There is no need to restrain ourselves just because the other side is the Ming army.

Even if it meant killing Prince Jin Zhu Gang, or even if it meant inflicting heavy damage to the Ming's own army of more than 100,000, it would not matter.

Zhang Fu knew very well what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince meant.

This is to tell the garrisons in various garrisons and other princes across the world openly that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not afraid of rebellion by the princes, and even less is he afraid of rebellion by the garrisons in various garrisons.

Everything has a price.

The best scenario is undoubtedly to quell the rebellion on the grasslands outside the Great Wall without affecting the people in the Central Plains.

Therefore, Zhang Fu simply fired decisively.

He just wanted to force the generals present to make a decision.

Let's see whether they will follow King Jin till the end, or turn back after losing their way.

The wind blew.

The grassland suddenly became quiet.

More than 100,000 people stood there quietly, and no one spoke for a moment.

The faces of the generals who followed Zhu Gang all turned extremely pale.

No one would have expected that Zhang Fu was not intimidated by the titles of Prince of Jin and Duke of Ying, nor was he frightened by the army of over one hundred thousand. Instead, he was so arrogant and was willing to take action as soon as he said he would.

A commander was shot dead.

How dare he?

Who gave him the courage?

Does Zhang Fu really think that he can do whatever he wants with an order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
Will Prince of Jin Zhu Gang and Duke of Ying Fu Youde both listen to him?
Did he really think that with the 3,000 new troops in his hands, he could compete with the army of more than 100,000 led by the Prince of Jin?
Why is he so accurate?

At this distance, can he take the lives of others at will?
The generals suddenly realized that they were standing too far forward.
Want to distance himself from Zhang Fu.

But at this moment, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, retreating would undoubtedly make him appear cowardly.

None of the generals could afford to lose face like this.

What's more, there are our own soldiers in the rear, and there is no way to retreat unless we retreat as a whole.

While I was in a state of uncertainty, I heard Zhang Fu speak again.

"May I ask, Your Highness the Prince of Jin, will you surrender yourself obediently, or will you continue to be stubborn and lead your army to fight my new army?"

"My new army just defeated the 60,000 cavalry of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Now is a good time to test the might of the King of Jin's army!"

After saying that, he raised his hand gently.

Then he saw the new army soldiers behind him adjusting the muzzles of their cannons in an orderly manner and aiming at the Ming army in front of them.

The soldiers beside the carriage also raised their guns.

The generals around Prince Jin were in a commotion.

Judging from the shooting just now.

At this distance, once an exchange of fire breaks out, he and his companions will be the first to be shot.

Zhang Fu is really too arrogant.

But the reason behind his arrogance was that he had the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the powerful fighting force of the 3,000 new troops behind him.

Defeat 60,000 Northern Yuan cavalry?

is this real?
All the generals were veterans of the battlefield. By observing the battlefield scene before them, they could roughly judge that there were indeed nearly ten thousand corpses on the scene.

The three thousand new troops were almost intact.

The Northern Yuan Dynasty suffered losses of over ten thousand in one battle.

If it was true that 60,000 Northern Yuan cavalry were defeated by the new army of only 3,000 people in front of them, then the outcome for their more than 100,000 people might not be much better.

At this moment, the generals could not help but recall the horrific achievements of the New Army published in the "Da Ming Daily" in which they went out to sea to destroy the Japanese pirates, take back Taiwan, and conquer Japan.

Looking at the faces of the new army soldiers wearing the terrifying devil masks, the generals felt fear for no reason.

The imperial court wants stability at the border.

Therefore, no matter how big the mistakes the generals made, as long as they did not really rebel, the court would try its best to appease them.

This is also the greatest confidence in their hearts.

After all, there were many generals present, involving an army of more than 100,000, so the court had to consider it carefully.

Stability is the key.

But if the 3,000 new troops under Zhang Fu's command could sweep away their army of more than 100,000, then it seemed that the court had no need to worry too much.

Do you still want to stand with King Jin?

If we lose the battle...

Many people are wavering in their hearts.

On horseback, Zhu Gang's face was even gloomier than water.

As a prince, he had never been provoked like this by a general.

If it were in the past, he would have definitely disregarded the consequences and would not stop until he had killed the other person.

but now.

Zhu Gang took a deep breath and was about to give an order when he heard Fu Youde's voice coming from the side.

"Your Highness, the only option now is to go to Jinling and apologize to His Majesty!"

Zhu Gang turned around in shock and looked at Fu Youde with disbelief.

Fu Youde took a deep breath and said, "I have carefully examined the battlefield, and what he said is true. Judging from the traces left on the battlefield, there were indeed 60,000 Northern Yuan cavalrymen who came to besiege the Ming New Army."

His voice gradually became lower and his eyes closed slightly.

Zhu Gang's face turned ashen.

This is an endless prairie.

There was nothing special about the terrain, and it was daytime, so it was impossible for any side to attack us unexpectedly.

When the two sides fight here, they can only fight head-on!
A real fight with real swords and real guns, a life-and-death battle based on strength.

Sixty thousand Northern Yuan cavalry were defeated in one battle.

Three thousand new troops, almost intact.

what does this mean?
If I launch an attack on the new army at this time, I would be courting death.

Zhang Fu fired a provocative shot just now, as if he was intentionally trying to anger him.

Perhaps, this is exactly what Zhu Yunhuan wanted.

Take this opportunity to kill himself, the King of Jin.

Even my father couldn't say anything.

Think about this.

Zhu Gang felt cold sweat suddenly break out all over his body, and he felt chills all over.

Looking at Zhang Fu's black devil mask in the distance, it seemed as if he had already seen the murderous intent hidden in those black eyes.

Zhu Gang no longer hesitated and dismounted.

"I, the prince, violated the imperial order and led the army out of the border without authorization. I hereby apologize to the court. I am willing to follow the general back to Jinling City and listen to the judgment of my father, the emperor."

……

(End of this chapter)