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

Chapter 150 Could this be a conspiracy by the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty?

"Did you see clearly? Is it really the prince who has come?"

The Duke of England asked uncertainly.

The butler nodded quickly and replied:

"No mistake, this servant recognized the Crown Prince, absolutely true!"

The Duke of England no longer had any doubts. He straightened his clothes and hurried to the door in two steps. At the same time, he asked the butler to notify other people in the family to come and welcome him.

At the same time, at the gate of the Duke of England's mansion, the servants around were already trembling with fear. They knelt on the ground and kowtowed, not daring to even make a sound.

There's no way, this guy is the prince!
The status of the entire Ming Dynasty is second only to the emperor!

In fact, Zhu Cilang could have walked in directly without being informed, but he did not do so in the end. After all, this was the Duke of Ying's mansion. If he just barged in rashly, it would be really inappropriate and disrespectful.

So he asked someone to go in and report first, while he waited at the door.

Not long after, the Duke of England came out in a hurry. Because he walked too fast, his clothes were a little messy and fine beads of sweat were oozing from his forehead.

Behind him followed a large family, including his wife, concubines, and other sons.

Everyone looked a little panicked, obviously shocked by this sudden incident.

With a "thump", the Duke of England fell to his knees first, shouting loudly:
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is here to see your Majesty!"

Immediately afterwards, the female members of the family also bowed.

"I, my concubine, meet His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The others followed suit and saluted respectfully.

The only person missing from the crowd was Duke Ying's eldest son, Zhang Shize, because he was working in the Ministry of War and was not at home.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Cilang quickly stepped forward, leaned over to help the Duke of Yingguo up, and said with a gentle smile:

"Your Highness, there's no need for such grand ceremony. I was just passing through here and stopped by to take a look. There's no need to be so nervous."

The British public said:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince's visit to my humble abode truly brings honor to my humble home! Please come in!"

As he spoke, he turned sideways and led Zhu Cilang and his group slowly into the mansion.

As the most noble of the Ming Dynasty, not only did he not need to perform such a grand ceremony when meeting the crown prince, but even when meeting Chongzhen, the Duke of Ying did not need to kneel.

However, as the saying goes, times have changed.

Others may not know the methods of this prince, but how could the Duke of England not know?
Others may not know that the Ming Dynasty had already changed, but how could the Duke of England not know?

So in the eyes of the British prince, being humble at this time will only benefit him and not harm him!

Soon, everyone arrived at the central hall.

Zhu Cilang walked to the main seat and sat down calmly, while the Duke of Yingguo accompanied him cautiously.

Duke Yingguo was a thoughtful man. While he ordered people to prepare high-quality tea and snacks, he also quickly sent someone to the Ministry of War to call Zhang Shize back.

Although he was not sure whether the prince came to see him or Zhang Shize, he felt that it was better with Zhang Shize around.

After taking a few sips of tea, Zhu Cilang put down the teacup and slowly said:

"Duke Yingguo, I have something to tell you in detail."

The Duke of England was startled and immediately understood what he meant. He quickly turned around and said to the maid and housekeeper serving beside him:

"All of you go down. No one is allowed to approach without the prince's order."

The butler nodded quickly and retreated quickly with a group of servants.

Zheng Chenggong, Li Ruolian and others around Zhu Cilang were his trusted confidants, so there was no need for them to avoid him, so they stayed in the central hall.

Zhu Cilang didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:

"Duke Yingguo, in a few days, my father will personally lead an expedition to Liaodong. This expedition is of great significance and concerns the future of the Ming Dynasty."

"By then, I will need your full support as the First Duke of Ming Dynasty. Please be well prepared."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of England was immediately shocked.

He never expected that Zhu Cilang actually planned to let Chongzhen lead the army in person.

Although there have been precedents of the emperor personally leading the army to war, the situation this time is completely different, because this time the destination is Liaodong!

Liaodong was in the midst of war at this time and the situation was extremely dangerous.

If Chongzhen encountered an accident and repeated the mistakes of the Tumu Incident, the Ming Dynasty would be in real danger.

Although he knew that since Zhu Cilang said so, it meant that he had already made up his mind about this matter, and it would be useless even if he tried to persuade him.

But as the first nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, Duke Ying still felt that he needed to give some advice.

So he said worriedly:

"Your Highness, I believe this is absolutely unacceptable! It is far too dangerous at this moment. Your Majesty is worth a fortune, how can you easily go to such a dangerous place?"

"If Your Highness the Crown Prince trusts me, I am willing to go to Liaodong on your behalf and help you solve your problems. I will not hesitate to die!"

Zhu Cilang listened quietly to the words of the Duke of England, a faint smile appeared on his face, and then he shook his head gently and said:
"This Liaodong campaign is no ordinary battle. It concerns the fate and future of the Ming Dynasty. Only if your father leads the campaign in person can we demonstrate the court's high regard for this war."

"So you don't need to persuade me anymore, this matter has been decided."

When the Duke of England heard this, he felt no emotion at all, because this was exactly what he had imagined.

But then, he still sighed with a worried look, and said:
"Since that's the case, I will say no more. I will begin preparing to accompany Your Majesty on the expedition in the coming days, and I will protect Your Majesty's safety at the risk of my life."

However, upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang shook his head.

"Don't misunderstand, Duke of England. I don't intend to let you accompany me this time!"

what?
When the Duke of England heard this, he was stunned.

Not
Why wouldn't he, the most honorable nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, be brought along when the emperor personally leads the army to fight?

What does it mean?
Just as he was about to say something, the butler suddenly came to report:

"Your Highness, Master, the Crown Prince is back!"

The prince is Zhang Shize!
The Duke of England no longer cared about what he had just said and hurriedly explained:

"Your Highness, it was I who asked him to come back. I thought you might have something to ask him, so I sent someone to the Ministry of War to call him back!"

Zhu Cilang nodded.

"Let him in!"

After receiving the order, the butler hurriedly retreated.

Not long after, Zhang Shize hurried over.

Along the way, Zhang Shize was extremely anxious. He rode at full speed and was sweating profusely.

As soon as he came in, he knelt down in front of Zhu Cilang, shouting:

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is greeted by your servant Zhang Shize."

As he spoke, his chest rose and fell violently, obviously he had been running all the way without stopping for a moment.

There was no way. After all, this was Zhu Cilang's first time visiting the Duke of Ying's Mansion, and he was really worried that something might go wrong.

Zhu Cilang did not immediately pay attention to the kneeling Zhang Shize, but cast his gaze leisurely to the Duke of Ying beside him and continued the previous topic:

"The Duke of Ying will not have to accompany the army this time. I intend to have Zhang Shize go with us."

what?
When Zhang Shize heard this, his face was filled with astonishment and confusion, and he had no idea what this meant.

What does it mean to go to war with the army?
What is the court going to do?
The Duke of England was also slightly startled, but as he had been in officialdom for a long time and had a clear mind, he came to his senses in an instant, with a hint of realization in his eyes.

It turns out that the reason why he was not allowed to go with the army was because Zhang Shize had to be taken with him!
Although things are somewhat unexpected, but when you calm down and think about it carefully, they are reasonable.

After all, I am old and my energy is no longer as strong as before. Sooner or later, the burden of the family's future will fall on my back.

It is time for the next Duke of England to emerge and take on important responsibilities.

Letting Zhang Shize accompany the emperor on the expedition would help him become familiar with military affairs, which would be of great benefit to his future growth.

Thinking of this, the Duke of England bowed respectfully and responded:

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is right. I now understand what to do."

Zhang Shize was still confused, with anxiety in his eyes, because he really wanted to know what had happened.

The Duke of England noticed his son's embarrassment and glanced at Zhu Cilang quietly without making any expression. Seeing Zhu Cilang nod slightly, he briefly and clearly explained the whole story to Zhang Shize.

After Zhang Shize understood what had happened, he instantly became energetic.

Unlike the British Duke Zhang Zhiji, he was young and full of vigor, eager to charge into battle and achieve great things.

The upcoming war is the time for him to prove himself!
Thinking of this, he straightened his back again and kowtowed to Zhu Cilang solemnly again.

The voice said firmly:
"Your Highness, rest assured. Your Highness, I, Zhang Shize, will spare no effort and go all out to never let Your Highness down!"

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded, then reached out to help him up, and said with a smile:

"The lineage of the Duke of Ying has been loyal and righteous for generations. I believe you will not let me down."

Zhang Shize was deeply moved when he heard this. The Duke of England, who was standing by, finally felt relieved when he saw this.

In his opinion, as long as this expedition can be a complete victory, his position as Duke of England will remain as stable as a rock.

This is undoubtedly a great blessing for his family.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang discussed some other matters with Duke Ying and Zhang Shize, and then got up and left.

Although he was a little tired at the end of the day, Zhu Cilang felt quite fulfilled.

Because so far, everything is progressing step by step, and the future of Ming Dynasty is promising!
Meanwhile, on the other side.

In order to convey the news about Zhu Cilang to her brother Abunai as soon as possible, Qiqige rode non-stop all the way.

It only took two days to reach Xuanfu.

During the entire journey, she braved the wind and rain, slept in the open air, and her body was already exhausted, even to the point of collapse.

Perhaps in her opinion, her speed was already fast enough, and no one could be faster than her. However, she probably never expected that the Jinyiwei sent by Zhu Cilang to report the news to Xuanfu were even faster, and they had already arrived in Xuanfu before she did.

Therefore, before she arrived in Xuanfu, Qin Liangyu, the general of Xuanfu, had already learned of Zhu Cilang's entire battle plan.

It has to be said that Qin Liangyu was once again shocked by Zhu Cilang's foresight.

When she first met the prince, she keenly realized that he was no ordinary person. His quick thinking and profound strategies made even a veteran like herself who had fought on the battlefield for many years feel ashamed of herself.

Now, when she learned about the entire set of detailed and thorough plans that Zhu Cilang had carefully planned against the Jiannu, she was even more amazed.

First, the Ming navy was dispatched to join forces with the Jiannu navy to completely eliminate the Jiannu's maritime power.

Then he sent the Guanning Iron Cavalry, which penetrated into the rear of the Jiannu like a divine army descending from the sky and wreaked havoc. They also pretended to raid Shengjing, the Jiannu capital, forcing the Jiannu to urgently send troops to support.

Afterwards, he supported Abunai to regain the throne of Khan on the Mongolian grasslands, and then persuaded Abunai to launch an offensive against the Jiannu from Mongolia, pretending to launch an attack on Yizhou.

After the Jiannu knew about this, they would definitely divide their troops again to deal with it.

After these two rounds of troop divisions, the Jiannu had very few troops left on the Liaodong defense line.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty sent another 50,000 troops to the Liaodong battlefield. As a result, the Ming army's strength instantly grew like a snowball, exceeding 200,000.

After two divisions, the Jiannu army's strength was probably less than 50,000.

With 200,000 troops against 50,000, the Ming army not only had the advantage in manpower, but was also well-equipped and had strong soldiers and horses.

No matter from which angle you look at it, this battle is a sure win and victory is almost certain.

What's more, the secret letter also said that Chongzhen would lead the army in person!

In this way, the Ming army was even more powerful, so how could the Ming Dynasty not win?

For a moment, Qin Liangyu felt extremely excited!
Therefore, when Qiqige found her and asked her to send troops to launch a surprise attack on the Jiannu together with the Mongols, Qin Liangyu agreed without hesitation.

"Don't worry, since it's the order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I will obey it."

"Well, I will first give you the supplies that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince promised to allocate. You will return to Mongolia first, and then I will have Abunai quickly gather more troops and prepare for battle."

"When the time comes, if we work together, we will surely defeat the Jiannu!"

Seeing Qin Liangyu agree so readily, Qiqige was a little overwhelmed for a moment.

When she came, although she had received Zhu Cilang's promise, she was still uneasy along the way.

He was worried that Qin Liangyu would deliberately delay for various reasons, or withhold the materials previously promised, causing him to return empty-handed.

But what he didn't expect was that things went so smoothly!

It went so smoothly that she felt it was a little unrealistic.

Do you really think too much?
After coming to her senses, Qiqige hurriedly bowed and expressed her gratitude.

"In that case, then we will follow what the general says!"

Then, without delaying for a moment, he turned around and left quickly.

In just half a day, Xuanfu demonstrated extremely high efficiency, preparing 100,000 taels of silver and 10,000 dan of grain, and handed them all over to Qiqige.

There were originally Mongolians sent by Abunai stationed in Xuanfu to facilitate trade between the two sides. Now they came in handy to transport this batch of silver and grain back to Mongolia.

When everything was ready, Qiqige led the team out of Xuanfu and headed towards the Mongolian grasslands.

On the grassland, if the Han army attacked rashly, it would easily lose its way and get into trouble. Even if they had precise coordinates, they would often be confused by the complex terrain.

But for Qiqige and the Mongolians around her who grew up on the grassland and are familiar with every inch of the grassland, this is not a difficult task.

So it only took one day for Qiqige to successfully reach the grassland where Abunai was.

After two months of intensive recruitment, Abunai had gathered 20,000 Mongolian cavalry under his command.

Looking around, the vast grassland was filled with Mongolian cavalry in armor. The scene was truly spectacular.

Qiqige looked at the scene in front of her and felt extremely excited. She seemed to have seen the former glory of Mongolia about to reappear.

She believed that with Abunai's courage and wisdom and the bravery and fearlessness of the Mongolian warriors, they would be able to bring Mongolia back to its peak!
.

"Qiqige!"

Suddenly at this moment, a burst of excited shouts came from not far away.

Qiqige turned her head and saw a young man in armor riding a strong horse, galloping towards her like the wind. Who else could it be but her brother Abunai?

Behind Abunai was a group of Mongolian cavalry.

"elder brother!"

Seeing that it was Abunai, Qiqige was surprised and happy.

They hadn't seen each other for two months, and now they met again, she was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes and almost burst out.

On the other side, Abunai quickly jumped off the horse and hugged Qiqige in his arms.

You have to know that the brother and sister have never been separated for such a long time since they were born.

After a long while, Abunai finally let go of Qiqige. After carefully looking her up and down, he smiled and said:

"Qiqige, why did you come back so suddenly? You seem to be a little fatter than before. It seems that the Crown Prince of Daming treats you very well."

Qiqige's cheeks flushed slightly when she heard this. Not knowing if Abunai was teasing her, she quickly changed the subject and said,
"Brother, I have something important to tell you."

Abunai was very smart. When he saw the mountain of food and several large boxes behind Qiqige, he guessed what was going on.

Then he nodded calmly and took Qiqige into the general's tent.

After the two of them sat down, Qiqige said seriously:

"Brother, it was the Crown Prince of Daming who asked me to come back this time. He asked me to bring you a message."

As she spoke, Qiqige recounted everything Zhu Cilang had said before in detail.

When Abunai learned about Zhu Cilang's plan, he became a little excited.

Because if Zhu Cilang's plan could be implemented smoothly, then this battle could completely drive the Jiannu back to Liaodong.

In this way, the land they had lost before could be recovered, and he would become the real Khan of Mongolia.

This is what he has always dreamed of!
After all, although he is now the Great Khan of Mongolia, this Great Khan of Mongolia was appointed by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the real ruler of Mongolia is not him, but the Jiannu.

He longed to completely drive the Jiannu out of the Mongolian grasslands and become the true Great Khan of Mongolia!
And this day seems to be coming soon!
Thinking of this, Abunai could no longer hide his excitement.

However, in the midst of his excitement, Abunai suddenly realized something was wrong. He always felt that there might be something fishy about this matter, otherwise it would have been too smooth.

Thinking of this, Abunai frowned and asked:

"Qiqige, do you think this is a conspiracy by the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Qiqige hurriedly shook her head and said anxiously:
"Probably not. After all, the Jiannu are now the Ming Dynasty's biggest enemy. The most important thing for the Ming Dynasty now is to deal with the Jiannu in Liaodong, because the Jiannu have been besieging their Jinzhou for a long time."

"If we can't repel the Jiannu, Jinzhou of the Ming Dynasty will likely be captured by the Jiannu, and then it will threaten the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty!"

"So now the Ming Dynasty is eager to defeat the Jiannu."

"Also, when I arrived, Xuanfu had already started mobilizing troops, so I think there should be no conspiracy in this matter."

When Abunai heard this, he nodded thoughtfully.

Because what Qiqige said was right. In recent times, he has been observing the war situation in Liaodong.

Knowing that the battle situation in Liaodong had actually entered a white-hot state, if the Ming army did not take action, Jinzhou might really be captured by the Jiannu.

If this happens, the Jiannu will cause a great impact on the Jinning defense line.

By then, the situation of the Ming army in Liaodong would be unstable.

From this point of view, the Ming army really needs to deal with the situation in Liaodong as soon as possible.

It seems that the Ming army should be cooperating with them sincerely.

Thinking of this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As for the silver and food that Qiqige brought, it was a timely help to him.

Although he recruited a lot of soldiers, these soldiers all needed food and money.

In recent times, he has actually obtained a lot of food and silver from Xuanfu by selling cattle, sheep and horses.

But you have to know that the silver and food that Qiqige brought were given away for free.

Only a fool would not want something that is given for free!
Poor Abunai, he didn't know that Zhu Cilang gave them these things in order to buy their lives.
In any case, with this silver and food, Abunai immediately decided to recruit another 10,000 soldiers and horses, and then launch an attack on the Jiannu after gathering 30,000 soldiers and horses.

When the time comes, he will cooperate with the Ming army and he doesn't believe that he cannot drive away the Jiannu.

As for the possible casualties caused by this war, Abunai was mentally prepared.

After all, he had experienced the disaster of losing his country since he was a child, and knew that restoring the country was never an easy task, and death was commonplace.

He only hoped that fewer Mongolian warriors would die, and it would be best if only Ming soldiers died.

This is also good for Mongolia's future. After all, everyone knows that after the Jiannu are dealt with, there may be a tough battle between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia!
But of course, it is too early to think about this now. The most important thing now is to deal with the Jiannu!
In this way, everything in Mongolia is developing according to Zhu Cilang's plan.
A few days later, in the capital.

Zhu Cilang has been bored recently, so he thought about preparing some unexpected surprises for the Jiannu.

In the Firearms Research Institute, a Jinyiwei wearing armor was conducting experiments carefully.

This experiment is not any other experiment, but the nitroglycerin experiment.

That's right!

Zhu Cilang is preparing to make nitroglycerin!

Nitroglycerin is an extremely unstable liquid bomb with incredible power.

Just a drop can cause a small explosion, and the power of about half an egg of nitroglycerin can even be comparable to that of a modern grenade.

Historically, nitroglycerin was synthesized by an Italian chemist in 1847.

But now I feel embarrassed, because Zhu Cilang planned to develop this thing two hundred years in advance.

He also planned to give this thing to the Jiannu as a "big gift".

I just don’t know how the Jiannu would react to this “great gift”?
(End of this chapter)