My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 145 A secret conversation between father and son under the crooked tree in Coal Hill!

Zhu Cilang was also shocked by what Chongzhen had just said.

Because he could swear that he absolutely did not tell Chongzhen about this matter.

It's impossible for anyone else!
After all, no one would believe this kind of thing unless they saw it with their own eyes!

Moreover, with Chongzhen's personality, if you tell him that the Ming Dynasty is about to end and his entire family is almost dead, you will see whether he will kill all nine generations of your clan.

so
This must really be what Chongzhen dreamed of?
But then again, what is this?
Reborn?

A last glimmer of light before death?

Or was it a dream from our ancestors before the country was destroyed?

Or is it really just a dream?

Zhu Cilang didn’t know, but he didn’t care.

Anyway, as he just said, the Ming Dynasty must win this war, no matter what the cost.

As a result, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became a little tense.

Even Chongzhen was confused at this time.

Because he had indeed had the same dream as Zhu Cilang, but he dared to swear that he had never told anyone about this dream.

But if that’s the case, why would Zhu Cilang know about it?
Moreover, Zhu Cilang's dream was far more detailed than his.

There is only one reason for this, and that is that the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty are blessing their descendants!

Unfortunately, he thought it was just a nightmare at first, and when he woke up, he had almost forgotten what happened, so he didn't take it seriously.

Besides, at that time he had already successfully "rebelled" against Zhu Cilang and had no real power to do anything else, so he gradually forgot about this matter.

It wasn't until Zhu Cilang reminded me today that I remembered it.

Li Banghua's face changed. He really didn't know how to face these two weird people.

Finally, I could only bite the bullet and ask:

"Your Majesty, how should this matter be handled?"

Chongzhen finally came back to his senses, and then looked at Zhu Cilang with a complicated expression and said:

"The Crown Prince has the final say on this matter. I won't ask any more questions!"

"If the prince's dream is true, it means that I have tried to save the Ming Dynasty once, but failed."

"So, it depends on the prince."

When Li Banghua heard this, his heart skipped a beat.

Because this means that Chongzhen is going to completely delegate power.

But then again, isn't this a bit too weird?
Chongzhen was only in his thirties at the moment, so how could he be willing to share his power with the crown prince?

This is obviously illogical.

From beginning to end, Li Banghua had no idea about Zhu Cilang's rebellion.

Even when Zhu Cilang was regent, he thought that Chongzhen wanted to train Zhu Cilang, so he kept giving Zhu Cilang power.

Now it seems that things are even more complicated than I imagined?
At this moment, Zhu Cilang finally spoke.

"The first thing to do is to write back to the King of Korea immediately and ask him to send troops to prevent this kind of thing from happening again."

"If we can't stop it, we have to burn the grain, but we can't leave it to the Jiannu."

"The Ming Dynasty will bear all the losses caused by this."

Although Zhu Cilang spoke in a righteous manner, in reality, when the time really came, wouldn't he have the final say?

Regardless of whether he bears the loss or not, the King of Korea dares not do anything.

Then Zhu Cilang continued:
"The second thing is to write a letter to Hong Chengchou immediately and tell him that no matter what the Jiannu want to do, he must act according to the previous deployment and must not advance rashly."

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua quickly responded:
"The minister obeys the order."

But he still didn't leave.

Because these two letters are just replies, Zhu Cilang hasn't said what to do specifically!

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang's voice rang out again.

"In addition, as I said before, we will send a third force out of Xuanfu, bypassing Mongolia and heading straight for Yizhou City. This time, we will attack from three sides and make sure the Jiannu know the power of the Ming Dynasty."

When Li Banghua heard this, his eyes went dark and he almost fainted.

After all this time, do we still have to resort to such extreme methods?

In his opinion, this is totally unnecessary!

However, in Zhu Cilang's view, the Jiannu turned Yizhou into a city where people could farm and station troops, which was like a nail stuck in his heart.

If this nail is not pulled out, one day it may turn into a sharp sword and tear apart the Jinning defense line.

So no matter what, he had to pull out this nail this time.

But Li Banghua still did not give up persuading him.

"Your Highness, I still think this plan is unacceptable. I hope Your Highness will think it over."

Li Banghua advised stubbornly.

Zhu Cilang smiled and patted Li Banghua on the shoulder and said:

"I have thought this through, so just relax!"

"Besides, I will also be accompanying the army this time. If we succeed, the crisis in Liaodong will be resolved. If we fail, we will not fail this time!"

When he heard these words, Li Banghua didn't know what to say.

Because he knew that Zhu Cilang was serious about it.

Although the previous expeditions to Xuanfu and Shandong could be considered as personal expeditions, no fighting broke out on these two occasions, and Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang were just going through the motions at most.

But this time is different, this time I really have to fight for my life!

For a moment, Li Banghua's thoughts were extremely confused. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Alright, don't say any more about this matter. Once I figure out what to do, I'll discuss it with you. You can go down first."

Zhu Cilang didn't care what Li Banghua wanted to say, he just waved his hand casually to signal him to go down.

After hearing this, Li Banghua didn't know what to say for a moment. He bowed and left.

But when he left, his steps were floating, as if he was dreaming.
After Li Banghua left, only Zhu Cilang, Chongzhen and Fang Zhenghua were left here.

Just when Zhu Cilang was about to say something, Chongzhen spoke first.

"I want to go out for a walk, please come with me!"

Zhu Cilang did not refuse in a hurry, but asked:

"Where does Father want to go?"

Chongzhen's expression remained calm, and he uttered two words:

"Coal Hill!"

Zhu Cilang was a little surprised for a moment. He didn't expect that Chongzhen actually wanted to go to that place.

Do you want to see the place where you died in your dream?
After a brief silence, Zhu Cilang looked at Fang Zhenghua and said:

"Go down and get ready! Go to Coal Hill!"

"Slave, you obey!"

Fang Zhenghua agreed and then went downstairs to prepare.

Soon, a group of people escorted a huge dragon chariot out of the palace.

The dragon chariot moved forward, and the ceremonial guards looked quite majestic, showing the majesty of the royal family.

However, Chongzhen seemed to be worried. He looked into the distance through the car window, his face full of contemplation.

After a while, the dragon chariot stopped steadily at the foot of Coal Hill.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Zhenghua's voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, we've reached the foot of Coal Hill. The dragon chariot can't go up. We need to switch to a sedan chair to go up the mountain!"

When Chongzhen heard this, he immediately got off the dragon chariot and ordered:

"No need for a sedan chair. I want to go up and take a look myself. Prince, please come with me. You all wait here!"

Fang Zhenghua did not agree upon hearing this, but instead looked at Zhu Cilang who had just gotten off the dragon chariot.

It was obvious that he knew who his real master was now.

Looking at Chongzhen who was already striding forward, Zhu Cilang smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Forget it, just treat it as climbing a mountain!

Anyway, this coal mountain is only about 400 meters high, and it won’t take long to climb up, so just consider it as exercise!
Thinking of this, he ordered:
"Send someone to guard in the dark. No one is allowed to approach without my order!"

Fang Zhenghua quickly responded:

"Don't worry, my lord. I know what to do!"

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang strode up to catch up with Chongzhen.

The next moment, hundreds of agile figures quickly flashed out from behind him, and then rushed towards Coal Hill from other directions.

They had to arrive before Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang went up the mountain, then eliminate all dangers and protect Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang in secret.

After all, if anything happens to these two gentlemen, all nine of their clans will die with them!

Of course, the sedan chair also has to be carried with them. In case the two gentlemen don’t want to go down the mountain, they have to be carried down.

The scene turns to Zhu Cilang.

I have to say that although Coal Hill doesn’t look high, it is still a bit difficult to climb.

This is not because he is incapable, but because his body has not yet fully developed and his physical fitness cannot keep up.

When he climbed halfway up the mountain, Zhu Cilang felt a little regretful. If he had known it would be so tiring, he should not have been so stubborn.

If Chongzhen wants to climb, let him climb by himself. It would be so comfortable for him to go up the mountain in a sedan chair!

But looking at Chongzhen who was still walking briskly, Chongzhen finally resisted the urge to shout Fang Zhenghua and gritted his teeth and followed.

After more than ten minutes, the father and son finally reached the top of Coal Hill, and then they each found a flat place to rest.

At this moment, the Jinyiwei who were secretly protecting them had been waiting for a long time.

Zhu Cilang didn't want to pretend anymore. He sat on a rock, took two deep breaths, and then shouted:
"Water! I want to drink water!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden shaking behind the woods not far away, and then Fang Zhenghua came over with two Jinyiwei, carrying two exquisitely shaped food boxes.

After taking several big sips of tea, Zhu Cilang finally calmed down a little.

Then he ordered:

"Go and bring some tea to Father, too!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhenghua hurriedly walked towards Chongzhen, carrying a teapot and teacup, and respectfully handed him the tea. Chongzhen was also very thirsty at this moment, so he didn't bother to care about why Fang Zhenghua and the others were disobeying the order. He took the tea and drank it.

After drinking three cups in a row, he put down the teacup and waved his hand.

Fang Zhenghua understood immediately and quickly led his men to disappear from the spot again.

Suddenly at this moment, Chongzhen seemed to be attracted by something. He stood up and walked towards one direction with big strides.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang had no choice but to chase after him.

After walking a few steps, I saw a huge crooked tree not far away.

It was a locust tree, which looked quite old, like a giant that had experienced the vicissitudes of time, half standing on the coal hill.

The trunk is extremely thick, the bark is rough and very tough, and every texture on the tree is like ancient writing, silently telling the story of history.

And this locust tree was exactly the locust tree in Chongzhen’s dream!
When Chongzhen walked to the tree, he suddenly stopped, as if his body was fixed and he couldn't take a step forward.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes fixed on the tree trunk, and all kinds of complicated expressions suddenly appeared on his face.

There are emotions, melancholy, and helplessness.

Because in his dream, he ended his life on this tree, and also put the final end to the Ming Dynasty.

Then, Chongzhen slowly raised his eyes and looked into the distance.

With this look, my vision suddenly became wider.

The red walls, green tiles and shining golden roof of the imperial palace, as well as the crisscrossing streets and alleys in the capital, are like an unfolding exquisite scroll, allowing people to see it clearly.

On the streets of the capital, people come and go, busy as they are, creating a prosperous scene.

"It seems that I chose a good place to hang myself in my dream!"

Chongzhen said with a wry smile, his tone full of helplessness.

Zhu Cilang also walked over at this moment, and looked at the crooked tree in front of him with a feeling of emotion in his heart.

Father, this is the tree where he hanged himself!
Then, he followed Chongzhen's gaze and instantly saw the magnificent imperial palace and the prosperous capital.

Faced with this situation, he was also deeply touched.

Next, the father and son stood quietly under the tree, admiring this prosperous scene.

After a long while, Zhu Cilang probably felt that the atmosphere here was too depressing, so he spoke:

"Father, this tree is a bit of an eyesore. Why don't we send someone to cut it down now? This way, we won't be upset every time we think about it later."

Zhu Cilang thought Chongzhen would agree immediately, but what he didn't expect was that Chongzhen shook his head.

"No need to chop it down, just find someone to lock it up first!"

"When the Ming army wipes out the Jiannu and Li Zicheng's rebels, I will personally chop them down with an axe!"

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he just felt funny but didn't say anything.

After a while, Chongzhen suddenly said:
"Regardless of whether the dream you and I shared was true or false, I have decided to entrust the Ming Dynasty to you."

"So, I will not interfere with your actions from now on, but the Liaodong war is a matter of national security, so you must not rush into danger."

Zhu Cilang nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The life and death of our country is at stake. We must act with caution and not take risks lightly."

When Chongzhen heard this, his face was filled with astonishment. He quickly turned around and asked again:
"Since you know this, why did you send troops to attack Yizhou via Xuanfu and Mongolia? You even went to the front lines yourself. Isn't that risky?"

Zhu Cilang showed a little embarrassment, raised his hand and touched the tip of his nose, explaining:

"Father, this matter must be carried out. No one can dissuade us."

"Besides, I have no intention of sending Ming soldiers as the third army."

Chongzhen's eyes were full of doubts, and he couldn't help asking:
"What do you mean?"

Before Zhu Cilang could answer, Chongzhen seemed to suddenly realize something, his expression became more and more surprised, and he said:

"Wait, do you want Abunai to lead the Mongols as the third army to attack Yizhou?"

Zhu Cilang secretly praised Chongzhen in his heart, thinking that Chongzhen was indeed smart and understood things immediately.

In fact, he did plan this.

The other two armies were all Ming Dynasty soldiers, but these three armies were Abunai's Mongolian cavalry.

And in Zhu Cilang's view, Abunai had no room for refusal at all.

Since Chongzhen had already appointed him as the Great Khan of Mongolia, he was already a subject of the Ming Dynasty and should have obeyed orders.

Furthermore, the hatred between Abunai and the Jiannu was deep-seated.

The Jiannu destroyed his family and country, and his father and brother both died tragically at the hands of the Jiannu. His hatred for the Jiannu may even be deeper than Zhu Cilang's!
Moreover, as a Mongolian prince, how could Abunai want to restore the destroyed Mongolian Empire without paying blood, sweat and making sacrifices?
Does he want to restore his country just by sitting in a yurt?

How could there be such a beautiful thing in the world?

Of course, even if Abunai really didn't want to help and just wanted to be the fisherman who benefits from the conflict between the two, Zhu Cilang also had a plan to deal with it.

He would arrange for border troops to disguise themselves as Mongolian cavalry and frequently harass the Jiannu, pretending that Abunai was gathering a large army and preparing to attack the Jiannu, forcing the Jiannu to divide their forces to deal with Abunai.

In short, Abunai has no choice but to agree to this matter!
In Zhu Cilang's opinion, if the Ming army were to confront the Jiannu head-on, there would indeed be a significant gap in strength.

Therefore, dividing the Jiannu's military forces became a key move to turn the tide of the war.

Once the Ming navy wipes out the Jiannu navy, Cao Bianjiao will immediately lead 10,000 Guanning cavalry to attack the rear of the Jiannu.

It will also create the illusion that the Guanning Cavalry wants to attack Shenyang!
It should be clear that Shenyang is of utmost importance to the Jiannu, comparable to the status of the capital to the Ming Dynasty.

The Jiannu would never sit idly by and watch their rear being attacked. They would definitely quickly send troops back to provide rescue.

At the same time, in the Mongolian region, Abunai was arranged to lead his army to attack Yizhou.

The geographical location of Yizhou is very important to the Jiannu. The Jiannu will certainly not dare to underestimate it and will definitely dispatch troops again to deal with it.

After two rounds of carefully planned troop dispersion, the Jiannu forces on the Jinning defense line will be greatly weakened.

At that time, Zhu Cilang will once again mobilize 50,000 troops to rush to the Liaodong battlefield for support. With such a strong military advantage, he doesn't believe that he can't defeat the Jiannu!
A careful estimate shows that after the previous two rounds of troop divisions, by then, the number of Jiannu troops left guarding the Jinning defense line would be at most about 50,000, and among them, the number of truly elite troops would be even fewer, no more than 20,000.

On the other hand, the Ming army had already gathered an army of 200,000 in Liaodong.

Among them, there are 20,000 Guanning cavalrymen, famous for their bravery, serving as vanguards and charging into battle.

There are also the Beijing Camp and the Tengxiang Five Guards equipped with tens of thousands of flintlock rifles as solid protection.

It can be said that the firepower is strong and the defense is solid.

In such a situation with such a sharp contrast and obvious advantages and disadvantages, how could the Ming army be defeated?
Because of the importance of this battle, Zhu Cilang will personally go to Liaodong to take charge, and he will bring the dragon flag with him!

He knew in his heart that as long as he was there and the dragon flag was there, the morale of the soldiers would be high and everyone would rush forward. No one would ever think of retreating.

Afterwards, in order to completely dispel Chongzhen's worries, Zhu Cilang told him all of his plans.

Chongzhen stood aside, listening quietly to Zhu Cilang's description of his grand plan without saying a word.

Although his outward appearance didn't show any significant emotional changes, his heart was already in turmoil.

After a long while, Chongzhen's tense nerves seemed to relax all of a sudden, and he suddenly threw his head back and laughed out loud.

"Hahahahahaha."

The laughter was bold and hearty, echoing continuously in the mountains, fully displaying the joy of the laughter.

He was just worried that Zhu Cilang was young and impulsive and might do something risky on impulse.

But now it seems that his worries were completely unnecessary.

Because Zhu Cilang's plan was too perfect.

Perfect to give him a feeling that he can do it.
Thinking of this, Chongzhen suddenly became excited again.

He looked at Zhu Cilang and said:
"Since this war concerns the safety of the nation, how about I lead the army myself?"

"After all, compared to you, the crown prince, the emperor is more capable of inspiring the morale of the soldiers!"

Zhu Cilang, who had just been passionately describing his plan, was speechless when he heard this.

After a moment, Zhu Cilang finally spoke:

"Father, you have to let me think about this matter."

Are you kidding? How can you bring Chongzhen along for such a thing?

Don’t be fooled by what he says!
What if he really gave orders on the battlefield? Wouldn't that bring him trouble?

But then again, what Chongzhen said actually makes some sense.

When it comes to inspiring the morale of the soldiers, it seems that there is no one more suitable than Chongzhen.

Even he, the prince, can't do it!
so.
Should Chongzhen be allowed to go together?
Zhu Cilang felt that he still had to think about it.

Although Zhu Cilang did not agree to lead the army in person, Chongzhen was not angry because he always felt that he had to go to Liaodong!
After a while, the father and son finally went down the mountain.

Of course, this time he was riding in a sedan chair. After all, if he really walked, Chongzhen himself would not be able to bear it.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Cilang immediately summoned Cao Bianjiao.

About half an hour later, Cao Bianjiao hurried over.

There is no way. The Guanning Iron Cavalry Camp is really far from the capital, and it takes a certain amount of time to travel back and forth.

"Your servant Cao Bianjiao pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

The moment he saw Zhu Cilang, Cao Bianjiao hurriedly bowed respectfully.

Zhu Cilang personally helped Cao Bianjiao up, and then asked:

"Cao Bianjiao, are there any night warriors among the Guanning Iron Cavalry?"

Yebushou is a title for a special branch of the military in the Liaodong border army of the Ming Dynasty, mainly responsible for reconnaissance and spying on the enemy.

They have received special training and are good at using the cover of night to quietly approach the enemy camp and spy on key information such as the enemy's troop deployment and marching movements.

It also provided crucial basis for the strategic decision-making of its own army, and was an important reliance for the Ming army to defeat the enemy on the Liaodong battlefield.

Cao Bianjiao didn't know why Zhu Cilang asked this, but he nodded and said:

"Your Highness, yes! I brought back over a hundred nightshades this time!"

Zhu Cilang nodded, and then said:

"I want you to pick out a group of death warriors from among these night warriors. I have something very important for them to do!"

"You have to select them yourself and make sure they are absolutely loyal!"

Cao Bianjiao saw Zhu Cilang's serious expression and knew that this matter concerned a matter of national importance. He quickly bowed and said:

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will go and select it myself!"

"Go! I'll be waiting for you here!"

Zhu Cilang nodded.

Cao Bianjiao did not dare to delay, and immediately took his leave and headed straight for the Guanning Iron Cavalry Camp.

(End of this chapter)