Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 338: Suppressing the rebellion! Forcing the emperor to abdicate!

Above the Forbidden City, dark clouds were like a thick curtain, pressing down heavily, as if foreshadowing that a storm was about to set off in the power center of the Ming Dynasty.

In Jingxinzhai, Zhu Yunhuan was standing with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, and the light in his eyes was uncertain.

The secret letter on the table was like a hot potato, making him unable to calm down for a long time.

The contents of the letter were like a sharp dagger, stabbing straight into his heart - King Zhu Su of Zhou actually resorted to such a despicable "beauty trap".

The haze in Zhu Yunhuan's heart was like a ghost, fleeting but leaving an indelible mark.

Although the territory of the Ming Dynasty was vast, it was extremely difficult to find someone who looked exactly like Empress Ma in this vast sea of people.

What's more, this person needs to pretend to be perfect in front of Zhu Yuanzhang without revealing any flaws, which makes the difficulty increase exponentially.

King Zhu Su of Zhou was quite capable to find such a person.

Zhu Yunhuan pondered secretly, but the conspiracy hidden behind it made him uneasy.

"Hmph" Zhu Yunxun snorted coldly, with a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth.

"Old Zhu has deep feelings for Empress Ma, but he is a man of great tenacity. How could he be easily deceived?"

But having said that, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart.

The position of Empress Ma in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart was heavier than Mount Tai and indestructible.

It is also because of this that the three words "Empress Ma" are very likely to become Zhu Yuanzhang's fatal weakness. Once they are controlled by people with ulterior motives, the consequences will be disastrous.

Zhu Yunhuan paced back and forth in the room, and the hurried footsteps seemed like the drumbeat of his inner anxiety.

After a moment, he stopped suddenly and shook his head vigorously, as if to get rid of all the distracting thoughts in his mind.

"Old Zhu built the Ming Dynasty with just a bowl of porridge. What storms has he not experienced? If you think you can fool him by sending a fake, you are underestimating him."

Zhu Yunxun murmured to himself, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

"No matter how lifelike this person is, she is not the real Empress Ma after all, and her flaws will be exposed sooner or later."

"Besides, Zhu Yuanzhang's seclusion in the harem was intended to lure out the enemy, in order to catch those opponents who were secretly making trouble and help him secure his throne."

"Now that this woman has entered the harem, doesn't it mean that those people with evil intentions can no longer hold back?"

After a moment of hesitation, Zhu Yunhuan quickly walked to the table, picked up the pen, and wrote a reply in a flourish, which consisted of only a few words: "Keep a close watch, and report any situation at any time."

Then, he carefully folded the letter and placed it in an exquisite box.

Seeing the box being safely passed into the harem, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But as soon as he turned around, Zhu Yunhuan's face suddenly became gloomy again, and the face of King Zhou Zhu Su appeared in his mind.

"Oh no!" he cried to himself, "I suddenly attacked the Shangshenjian. Will Zhu Su mistakenly think that my crime has been exposed and become desperate?"

Besides, since he is using the "honey trap", I will strike first.

Let’s take down Zhu Su first.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunhuan could no longer sit still. He quickly walked out of Jingxinzhai and strode towards Qinzheng Hall.

As soon as he entered the Qinzheng Hall, he immediately summoned the Minister of Military Affairs and the Minister of State Affairs to come and see him.

When everyone arrived, Zhu Yunhuan sat directly on the dragon throne, his eyes stern, and shouted loudly: "Pass the order, all the garrisons near Yingtian Prefecture will immediately enter the highest state of alert!"

The voice resounded through the hall like a huge bell. When the ministers heard it, they all looked shocked. Before they could ask what happened, Zhu Yunhuan immediately issued another order in a resounding voice:

"Prince Zhu Su of Zhou and the chief steward of the Imperial Kitchen, Sun Deying, have colluded with each other and have evil intentions. The Imperial Guards are ordered to arrest them immediately!"

"Issue an order to summon all the princes in the capital to come to the Qinzheng Palace to see the emperor immediately. Anyone who fails to come within the prescribed time will be charged with treason!"

Each of Zhu Yunhuan's decrees was like a blockbuster bomb, exploding one after another in the hall, making everyone dizzy.

"We obey your orders!" The ministers knelt on the ground and shouted in unison.

Only Feng Sheng stood there in a daze, like a wooden sculpture or clay figure, motionless, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead, his face as pale as paper.

"Feng Sheng" Xu Huizu looked at him with a sharp gaze and asked in a stern voice: "Zhou Wang Zhu Su is your son-in-law. You two have a close relationship. Now Zhu Su is plotting a rebellion. Do you dare to say that you didn't hear anything?"

Feng Sheng felt his legs go weak, and he fell to his knees with a plop. He kowtowed like crazy and said in a trembling voice, "I deserve to die! I deserve to die a thousand times!"

At this moment, the fear in his heart was like a surging tide, completely drowning him.

Ever since Zhu Yunhuan issued an order to round up all the people in the Imperial Kitchen, Feng Sheng has been on pins and needles.

He wanted to surrender himself to the emperor, but the overwhelming fear prevented him from mustering the courage.

Now being pressed by Xu Huizu, he could no longer hold back and immediately revealed all of Zhou Wang Zhu Su's conspiracy.

They sent people to search everywhere and finally found a woman who looked somewhat similar to Empress Ma, named Shang Xingyu.

Afterwards, Zhu Su used secret drugs to make her up and change the details of her appearance, and then assisted with special training so that her words and deeds were exactly the same as when Empress Ma was alive.

Not only that, Zhu Su also bribed Sun Deying, the chief steward of the Imperial Kitchen, and worked together from both inside and outside to find an opportunity to send Shang Xingyu into the harem.

Feng Sheng also confessed that Zhu Gaoxu was involved and colluded with Zhu Su.

"Okay." Zhu Yunhuan was furious and slammed the armrest of the dragon throne. "How dare Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi, the two brothers, betray me?"

The anger in his eyes was like a sharp blade that materialized, as if it wanted to burn everything in front of it.

Zhu Yunhuan thought he was very kind to the two of them, rewarding them constantly and entrusting them with important tasks. He never expected that in return he would receive such ingratitude.

As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the palace: "Yan Wang Zhu Di, the court's asset department Zhu Gaochi, came to ask for an audience."

"pass!"

Zhu Yunhuan suppressed his anger and said coldly.

Soon, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi hurried into the hall. Before they could stand firmly on their feet, they both knelt down heavily, touching the ground with their foreheads, their bodies shaking.

"The rebellious son Zhu Gaoxu was so bold and reckless that he even attempted to rebel. Upon hearing the news, I came to Your Majesty to apologize."

Zhu Di's voice was trembling obviously, and it was obvious that he was really scared.

When Zhu Gaochi hurriedly reported to him what Zhu Gaoxu had done, Zhu Di felt his scalp tingling and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt.

In the past two years, as Zhu Di got to know Zhu Yunhuan better and better, he felt more and more that this man was unfathomable and his methods were so sophisticated that they were frightening.

In his opinion, Zhu Gaoxu's reckless behavior was almost tantamount to seeking his own death.

Just when Zhu Di was full of regret and hesitation, he heard the news that Zhu Yunhuan had arrested all the people in the Shangshenjian.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately guessed that Zhu Gaoxu's shocking conspiracy might have been leaked.

At that moment, he did not dare to delay for a moment. He hurriedly dragged Zhu Gaochi into the palace and took the initiative to report his son to Zhu Yunhuan, hoping to get a glimmer of hope for survival.

"Fourth uncle!" Zhu Yunhuan looked down at Zhu Di, his eyes full of sarcasm: "Why don't you follow your good son to rebel against me? You and your son will definitely accomplish great things if you work together."

Zhu Di kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull sound, and he shouted: "Your Majesty, I dare not die! The rebellious son has committed a serious crime, and I, the guilty minister, will go and catch him."

Zhu Gaochi kept his head down, clenched his teeth, and kowtowed repeatedly. His forehead was already red and swollen, but he never uttered a word.

At this tense moment, someone outside the palace hurried in to report:
"Lu Youlin and Li Boyue from the bullet factory sent someone to say that the young prince Zhu Gaoxu had an official document from the Ministry of Justice and wanted to receive one million rounds of bullets."

"They refused many times, but Zhu Gaoxu was firm in his attitude, and in the end he still took away 50,000 rounds of ammunition."

"Lu Youlin and Li Boyao are worried that there might be something fishy going on, so they came to the Government Affairs Office to inquire."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Everyone looked at each other, shock and fear written all over their faces.

"Let's put down the rebellion!" Zhu Yunheng's voice seemed to come from the Nine Nether Hell. It was so cold and without a trace of warmth, and it echoed in the hall for a long time.

He had secretly planned this long ago, and specifically asked all the princes to bring all the three guards back to the capital, with the intention of withdrawing the princes' forces.

Just waiting for them to show their true colors so that I can have a legitimate reason to be my teacher.

However, he never expected that the one who finally provoked this shocking storm was the young boy Zhu Gaoxu.

Feng Sheng wept bitterly, knelt on the ground, and said, "I am willing to die, but I hope Your Majesty can successfully suppress the rebellion. Most of the soldiers under the King of Zhou were led by me. I am willing to go and persuade them to return to the right path."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at him deeply, his eyes seemed to penetrate people's hearts, and then glanced at Zhu Di beside him. After a moment of silence, he slowly said: "Come here, take the three of them to the prisoner car and persuade them to surrender."

Immediately, he turned to look at Xu Huizu, his eyes revealing determination: "Xu Huizu, you go and lead the troops. If you can persuade them, do so. If you can't, just kill them all!" The emperor was furious, and millions of people died.

Xu Huizu was startled and immediately knelt down to receive the order: "I accept your order!"

Afterwards, the guards rushed forward, tied up Feng Sheng, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi, and put them in the prison van.

Xu Huizu walked outside, jumped on his horse, and led a brigade of elite new troops, with their horses' hooves raising dust, straight out of the city.

……

Prince Zhou's Mansion.

The atmosphere was as heavy as the silence before a storm.

Zhu Su has been feeling uneasy these days.

It was as if there were a pair of eyes hidden in the dark, watching his every move, sending a chill down his spine.

When the shocking news came like a bolt from the blue - all the Shangshenjian were detained.

Zhu Su's eyes widened instantly, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to his forehead.

He immediately realized that the situation was out of control and danger was approaching rapidly.

"The only plan now is to rush outside the city and meet up with the three guards. Only then can we be safe and have a chance of survival."

Zhu Su was secretly calculating in his heart, beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, but he had no time to wipe them off.

Without any hesitation, he hurriedly tidied his clothes and strode out of the door with big strides. His figure looked a little embarrassed but with a bit of determination. Then he quickly got into the carriage that had been prepared.

The carriage sped along the cement road of the capital, its wheels rolling and raising clouds of dust, just like Zhu Su's troubled mood at the moment.

At the same time, he sent his trusted men to inform the other kings at full speed.

He left the capital, a place full of undercurrents and disputes.

"Zhu Gaoxu should have received the guns and bullets. With his help, my army can legitimately enter the capital to defend the emperor."

Zhu Su leaned against the carriage, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest. Various scenes of the future emerged in his mind, and a barely perceptible expectation flashed in his eyes.

The kings joined hands to force the emperor to abdicate. This was a desperate move, and success or failure depended on this one.

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

The carriage galloped all the way at an astonishing speed.

Soon, they were out of the city.

The wind from the suburbs whistled into the car, bringing with it a hint of chill.

Suddenly, a burst of fierce gunfire like popping beans broke the brief silence.

Zhu Su was startled and was instantly pulled back to reality from an illusory dream.

He quickly drew aside the curtain of the car, leaned out, and looked in the direction where the gunshots came from.

Soon, he saw a shocking scene.

Zhu Gaoxu, dressed in military uniform and with a murderous look on his face, was leading his personal guards to attack the bullet factory like a group of hungry wolves.

"What's going on?" Zhu Su was extremely anxious. He quickly jumped off the carriage and ran towards Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu turned around and saw Zhu Su, a trace of panic flashed across his eyes, and then was covered by anger.

"Humph, the director of the bullet factory, Lu Youlin, and the factory supervisor, Li Boyao, actually gave me only 50,000 rounds of bullets on the grounds that the bullet inventory was insufficient."

He was so angry that his teeth were clenched, his cheeks were puffed up, and veins bulged on his forehead.

When he talked about this, he was still filled with hatred, and looked as if he wanted to eat those two people alive.

"I must take down this bullet factory and cut those two bastards into pieces, only then will I be relieved of the hatred in my heart."

He roared and waved the sword in his hand, commanding his soldiers to charge forward at the top of his lungs.

The sound echoed in the empty suburbs, revealing a bit of madness.

However, reality dealt him a heavy blow.

The guards inside the bullet factory are as strong as a solid wall and well-trained.

As the gunshots rang out, the firepower was as fierce as a downpour.

As soon as the soldiers on Zhu Gaoxu's side showed their heads, they were suppressed by the dense barrage of bullets and could not raise their heads.

They could only lie down on the ground like frightened quails, and the charge came to an abrupt halt.

"Damn it!"

Zhu Gaoxu punched the tree trunk beside him, shaking off a few dead leaves, his eyes full of resentment and regret.

He knew clearly that the biggest problem at the moment was the shortage of bullets.

Although it seems impressive to have three thousand guns in his hands, on average, each gun only has a pitiful dozen bullets.

In order to make these soldiers familiar with guns as quickly as possible, we spent an hour or two training them on how to aim and shoot. During this process, nearly 20,000 rounds of bullets were directly consumed.

Now, in order to attack this heavily guarded bullet factory, the number of bullets in hand is already stretched to the limit.

In contrast, the guards in the bullet factory are all experienced in using guns, with skillful movements and accurate shooting.

Even many of the workers in the factory have touched guns, tried bullets, and are familiar with various gun usage techniques.

At this moment, the two sides fired fiercely and the winner was immediately decided.

It's like a professional hunter fighting against a novice.

What's even more terrible is that Zhu Gaoxu was well aware that bullets were limited and each one was extremely precious, so the soldiers were timid when shooting and dared not waste even a single bullet.

But the bullets in the bullet factory opposite were like they were free, pouring out continuously and endlessly, forming an impenetrable firepower network.

As the situation became more severe, even though he had 3,000 men and horses and was very aggressive, he was suppressed and had no power to fight back.

I could only lie on the ground in frustration, listening to the bullets whizzing past my head.

"You only received 3,000 guns and 50,000 rounds of ammunition?"

When Zhu Su heard this, he felt as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. His body swayed a few times and he almost fainted.

He originally thought that everything was ready and he could attack Huanglong with just a command.

But I never expected such a fatal accident.

Without sufficient guns and bullets, what can he use to support the king?

And how should he explain to those kings who were summoned by him and were full of expectations?
Once the kings know about this, they will definitely think that he is incompetent.

By then, people's morale will be low and this carefully planned plan to force the emperor to abdicate will surely fail.

"What are you afraid of?" Zhu Gaoxu was a fearless man. His eyes were red, like an enraged beast. He gritted his teeth and said viciously:
"As long as we take over this bullet factory, won't we have as many bullets as we want?"

"When the time comes, we will seize the initiative, and then send troops to occupy the gun factory. Why should we be afraid of not being able to turn the tables?"

Zhu Su stood there expressionlessly, staring at the smoke-filled battlefield with empty eyes.

After a long time, he slowly nodded.

Things have come to this point, there is no turning back, I can only try my best and make this one last attempt.

Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, you have no choice but to go ahead.

His hands were clenched in his sleeves, his nails dug into his palms, and traces of blood seeped out.

Just as he was thinking about it, at this moment, there was a sudden cloud of dust and thunderous footsteps in the distance. Zhu Su's heart tightened, and he looked up, only to see a large group of people rushing towards this side along the wide concrete road like a surging tide.

The leader was wearing bright silver armor and looked very majestic. It was Xu Huizu.

He reined in his horse and shouted, "Xu Huizu has been ordered to suppress the rebellion. Zhu Gaoxu, why don't you surrender immediately?"

……

(End of this chapter)