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

Chapter 155 Chongzhen: I did nothing, but suddenly I became the greatest emperor of all time!
The material of this hot air balloon is extremely exquisite, and is made by craftsmen using asbestos cloth mixed with other materials.

This material is light in texture and has many excellent properties such as heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and acid resistance. It is simply an excellent material for making hot air balloon spheres.

The hanging basket is woven from special rattan. These rattans have been specially treated to be both light and strong. They can effectively act as a cushion when landing, ensuring the safety of the passengers.

The burner was developed by Bi Wenxuan himself. It is made of solid metal, uses kerosene (also known as gasoline) as fuel, and the flame size can be adjusted freely.

Before the experiment began, in order to prevent the hot air balloon from getting out of control, Bi Wenxuan had people use eight thick ropes to firmly fix it to the ground to prevent it from flying away uncontrollably.

At this moment, there was a Jinyiwei in the hot air balloon acting as an experimenter.

There's no other way. After all, hot air balloons are meant to carry people, so of course people have to get on!

At this moment, the scene here naturally attracted the attention of the people in the capital.

Outside the palace, many people gathered here, looking at the big ball flying in the sky. Everyone's face was filled with surprise and shock, as if they had seen the most incredible sight in the world.

After all, in their traditional cognition, the idea that humans can fly into the sky is simply a fantasy, something that only exists in myths and legends.

But the scene before them completely overturned their cognition.

Some Buddhist and Taoist people even thought that it was the arrival of gods, and they all knelt down and kowtowed, chanting words like "God bless you" and "Amitabha".

Inside the palace, Bi Maokang, Song Yingxing and others were also surrounding Zhu Cilang, with excitement flashing in their eyes.

Bi Maokang's hands trembled slightly, and he kept muttering to himself:
"Wonderful, wonderful! This thing can actually carry people and fly. It's simply a magical object!"

Song Yingxing also nodded continuously and praised:

"Such an ingenious invention will surely change the future of our Ming Dynasty!"

They are not ordinary people, so they naturally see the help that hot air balloons can provide to the military!

If this thing is used well, it can even determine the victory or defeat of a war!

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang also showed a satisfied smile on his face, and then said to Bi Wenxuan:

"Bi Qing, you have performed a great service this time! Is there anything you want? I will grant it to you!"

Although the Zhu family's promises of everything were basically nonsense, Zhu Cilang was still willing to keep his word. After all, for such a great contribution, he deserved some reward.

However, when Bi Wenxuan heard this, he smiled and said:
"Your Highness, your words are too kind. If it weren't for your idea, I wouldn't have been able to create such a divine weapon. So if we're talking about credit, Your Highness should take the lead!"

"At most, I have made some minor contributions!"

I have to say that Bi Wenxuan is very good at talking. Zhu Cilang really enjoyed listening to him.

After a brief thought, he said:
"All craftsmen involved in making the hot air balloon will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver each. If it's you, the reward will be 10,000 taels of silver!"

"In addition, I will allocate you another one million taels of silver to mass-produce hot air balloons. Make sure to produce enough hot air balloons before the army sets out!"

Zhu Cilang knew very well that balloons were invincible in military reconnaissance.

Soldiers can use telescopes to observe scenes dozens of kilometers away and see every move of the enemy.

At that time, apart from anything else, several hot air balloons must be arranged in each of the nine important border towns, and they are especially indispensable in Liaodong.

Firstly, it can be used for military reconnaissance, and secondly, it can deter those alien races!

Bi Wenxuan knew that this matter was a heavy responsibility. He quickly knelt down to accept the order and said solemnly:
"On behalf of the craftsmen, I thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for his reward. I will do my best to live up to His Royal Highness's trust!"

Zhu Cilang then smiled and nodded.

Of course, this isn't the only good thing that's happened recently.

Bi Maokang and Song Yingxing, two skilled craftsmen, have not been idle recently. They stay in the Daming Firearms Research Institute all day, repeatedly using the previous nitroglycerin explosives to conduct various experiments.

After countless attempts and failures, they finally succeeded in accurately mixing nitroglycerin explosives and gunpowder, and developed a new type of thunder bomb.

This thunder bomb is similar to a grenade, and its power is five or six times stronger than before!
Once detonated, it can generate powerful explosive force in an instant, causing huge damage to the enemy.

At the same time, they also used nitroglycerin explosives to produce a large number of explosive packs, which were equally powerful and enough to destroy strong fortifications.

It's more than enough to blow up city walls.

With these advanced weapons and equipment, Zhu Cilang felt more and more confident.

Because he knew that in the coming war, these things would become powerful weapons for the Ming Dynasty to defeat the Jiannu.

Time passed quickly and it was night in the blink of an eye. Zhu Cilang was about to rest when suddenly, Ma Bao came in hurriedly to report.

"Your Highness, there are people outside who want to see you. They say they are sent by Huang Fei and Zheng Zhilong, the naval commanders of the Ming Dynasty."

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he instantly woke up from all sleepiness and immediately realized that this must be news about a naval battle.

A glimmer of excitement flashed in his eyes, and he said quickly:
"Let them in quickly!"

Then he quickly put on the coat he had just taken off.

Immediately afterwards, several soldiers walked in under the leadership of Zheng Chenggong.

These soldiers were all Zheng Zhilong's confidants. When they saw Zhu Cilang, they immediately knelt down and saluted, shouting:
"I see His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Afterwards, the leader respectfully presented the victory report of Zheng Zhilong and Huang Fei.

Zhu Cilang hurriedly took the good news and opened it impatiently.

Looking at the content of the good news, an ecstatic expression gradually appeared on his face.

His father-in-law did not disappoint him!
Huang Fei's performance was also outstanding.

Not only did they annihilate the Jiannu navy, they also beheaded Nurhaci's son and Huang Taiji's brother Aisin Gioro Abai, captured alive the Ming general Kong Youde who surrendered to the Jiannu, and captured more than 10,000 Jiannu heads!
This is simply an unprecedented victory!
You must know that in the war with the Jiannu, the Ming Dynasty had never had such a great victory!

In addition, Zhu Cilang naturally supported Zheng Zhilong and Huang Fei's plan to build a city in the rear of the Jiannu.

After all, it will not be a matter of a day or two to completely eliminate the Jiannu. It may take a protracted war, so it is still necessary to build a city behind the Jiannu.

On the one hand, it can force the Jiannu to no longer be able to concentrate its forces to attack the Jinning defense line, and on the other hand, it can disrupt the Jiannu from the rear!
After reading the victory report, Zhu Cilang rewarded each of the soldiers who reported the news with one hundred taels of silver, and then asked Zheng Chenggong to take them down to rest, and specifically instructed Zheng Chenggong to take good care of them.

Afterwards, he could not wait to go to the palace with the victory news to discuss with Chongzhen the important event of announcing the emperor's personal expedition tomorrow.

Before leaving, Zhu Cilang suddenly thought of something. He turned around and instructed the Jinyiwei next to him:

"Quickly summon Chief Minister Xue Guoguan, Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu, and Minister of War Li Banghua to the palace for an audience. Tell them that my father and I have important matters to discuss with them!"

After a pause, he seemed to have thought of something and continued:
"And have Cao Bianjiao come to the East Palace immediately."

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang hurried to the palace surrounded by guards.

At this time, night had fallen and Chongzhen had gone to bed.

Just as he was about to start his nightlife, he heard a sound coming from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here and he wants to discuss something important with you!"

If it were before, Zhu Cilang would not have had to wait for the eunuch to inform him and would have just barged in directly.

But now it’s different, because the father and son have reached a reconciliation, so Zhu Cilang feels that he still needs to respect Chongzhen.

Besides, it's night time now. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing if I suddenly barged in and disturbed Chongzhen and Queen Zhou's private affairs?

At the same time, when Chongzhen heard that Zhu Cilang was coming to see him, he couldn't help but frown and felt speechless.

It’s late at night, can’t we talk about it during the day?
I am now planning to create a few more brothers and sisters for Zhu Cilang!

Seeing this, Queen Zhou hurriedly whispered:
"Your Majesty, Yan'er must have something urgent to tell you so late at night. You should go and see her."

When Chongzhen heard this, he reluctantly got up and dressed. Then, under the guidance of the eunuch, he went to the side hall of Kunning Palace to meet Zhu Cilang.

When Zhu Cilang saw Chongzhen, he smiled and said:

"Father, great joy! The Ming navy has sent victory news. They have completely annihilated the Jiannu navy, killing over 11230 enemies and capturing Jiannu heads!"

"And they occupied the Jiannu's original port, completely opening up the sea route!"

what?
Upon hearing this, Chongzhen instantly perked up, with a gleam of disbelief in his eyes.

The next second, he saw the victory report in Zhu Cilang's hand, and hurriedly snatched it away impatiently, then read it carefully.

After a moment, Chongzhen couldn't help laughing, and suddenly tears fell from his eyes.

Because the Ming Dynasty hasn't won such a big victory for a long time!
Huang Fei and Zheng Zhilong are indeed loyal ministers and generals of the Ming Dynasty!

Seeing Chongzhen like this, Zhu Cilang continued:

"Father, this matter is of grave importance. We must inform the Cabinet, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War as soon as possible, and you can announce your personal expedition at tomorrow morning's court."

"This will not only boost the morale of the military and the people, but also buy time for subsequent strategic deployments."

"I sent people to look for them when I arrived. They should be in the imperial study now. Why not go and see them now?"

Chongzhen heard this and thought it made sense. He nodded and said:

"Your Highness is absolutely right. We should have informed them first about this kind of thing."

So, the father and son went directly to the imperial study.

At the same time, the chief minister of the cabinet Xue Guoguan, the minister of revenue Ni Yuanlu, and the minister of war Li Banghua had already been waiting in the imperial study.

However, when the three of them arrived, they all looked confused and had no idea what was going on.

But they knew in their hearts that something big must have happened if they were summoned urgently at such a late hour.

While Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang had not arrived yet, the three of them discussed in a low voice in the imperial study, and finally guessed that it was probably about the emperor leading the army in person.

When talking about this matter, all three of them frowned.

Although they knew that this matter was basically a done deal, nothing they said could change it.

But deep down, they don't support it.

After all, it is extremely risky for the emperor to lead the army in person. If there is any mistake, the entire Ming Dynasty may be in an irretrievable situation.

This is not what they want to see.
At this moment, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, the three of them instantly returned to their previous state. Because they knew that Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang had arrived!
Sure enough, before anyone arrived, Chongzhen's laughter could be heard.

"Hahaha"

Hearing the laughter, the three people became even more confused. They had no idea why Chongzhen was so happy in the middle of the night.

But of course, they had no time to think about it, because Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang had already appeared in front of them.

Just as the three were about to salute, Chongzhen interrupted them with a wave of his hand.

Chongzhen laughed heartily and said:
"My dear ministers, there is no need for formalities! Today I have something extremely good to tell you, a rare event that only happens once in a hundred years in the Ming Dynasty!"

When the three heard this, they were confused again.

Without waiting for them to ask, Chongzhen continued:

"Victory has arrived from the Ming navy! Five days ago, the Jiannu navy was completely annihilated, killing 15320 enemies, capturing 11230 Jiannu heads, capturing over prisoners, and rescuing over Han people!"

"And they successfully occupied the rear of the Jiannu!"

what?
When they heard this, the three of them were completely stunned.

Although they knew that the Ming navy was going to annihilate the Jiannu navy, they did not expect that the battle would end so quickly and that they would achieve such a glorious victory.

Looking at the three people's astonished expressions, Chongzhen knew that they were suspicious, and immediately handed them the victory report.

The three of them took the good news, read it carefully, and were instantly excited.

Because this victory report was written by Huang Fei and Zheng Zhilong together, and it has their seals on it, it cannot be fake!

Besides, the heads have to be sent back to the capital, so there is no way to fake it!

After realizing what was happening, the three of them hurried to congratulate Chongzhen.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Great Ming has achieved such a great victory. It is truly God's blessing on the Great Ming!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! This battle is a rare event in the Ming Dynasty, and it will surely enhance the prestige of the Ming Dynasty!"

"God bless the Ming Dynasty! The Ming Dynasty will surely last for thousands of years. I congratulate Your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty!"

Chongzhen was in a good mood at the moment, so he happily accepted their congratulations.

Even though this matter actually had nothing to do with him.
At this moment, Zhu Cilang on the side suddenly said:

"During tomorrow's morning court session, my father will announce that he will personally lead the army. I hope the three of you will fully cooperate and work together to prepare for this expedition."

When the three heard this, they dared not refuse.

What's more, with such a major victory, the next strategic plan can be fully implemented, and they really have no reason to refuse.

So the three of them hurriedly bowed and agreed.

"Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince, please rest assured that we will not disappoint your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang inquired in detail about matters such as military strength, food and logistics support, and Ni Yuanlu and Li Banghua also gave detailed reports one by one.

After Zhu Cilang received a satisfactory answer, he let the three people leave.

Before leaving, the three of them were all excited. As mentioned before, the Ming Dynasty had not won such a victory for a long time. This victory gave them hope for the revival of the Ming Dynasty.

After seeing off the three ministers, Zhu Cilang chatted with Chongzhen about the Guanning Iron Cavalry and the specific matters of tomorrow's morning court session, and then returned to the East Palace.

At this time, Cao Bianjiao had been waiting in the East Palace for a long time.

When Cao Bianjiao saw Zhu Cilang, he immediately wanted to salute, but was stopped by Zhu Cilang.

Then, Zhu Cilang handed him the victory report with a smile and said:
"General Cao, take a look! This is the victory report just sent back by the Ming Navy!"

Cao Bianjiao took the good news, quickly read it through, and immediately looked excited.

He said excitedly:

"Your Highness, in this case, it's our turn to set off!"

The previous plan was that after the Ming navy annihilated the Jiannu navy, Cao Bianjiao would lead 10,000 Guanning cavalry to take the sea route to the rear of Liaodong to carry out a sweep.

And now, this plan can finally be implemented!
You know, the Guanning Iron Cavalry has been waiting for too long, and the soldiers can no longer suppress their fighting spirit and are eager to fight!

Otherwise, they would not feel at ease receiving such high military pay!

Looking at Cao Bianjiao's excited expression, Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it's time for you to set off."

"Notify them immediately after you return and we'll set off tomorrow."

"This battle must be won!"

When Cao Bianjiao heard this, he immediately agreed solemnly:
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will not let you down!"

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang explained some other things, and then asked someone to take out 110,000 taels of silver from the East Palace's back treasury and let Cao Bianjiao take it away.

Among them, 100,000 taels were given to the soldiers and 10,000 taels were given to the officers.

Rewards must be given out before a major battle. This is a rule that Zhu Cilang had set long ago in order to boost morale.

Cao Bianjiao was grateful again, and then he left the East Palace with the silver.

The Guanning Iron Cavalry did not need to carry any logistical supplies on this expedition, because the hundreds of thousands of Ming Dynasty navy were the most solid logistical support for the Guanning Iron Cavalry.

Zheng Zhilong had already prepared for this!
It must be said that Zheng Zhilong, the father-in-law, went to great lengths to support his son-in-law.
Early the next morning, the sky was just getting light and the streets of the capital were still shrouded in silence.

Inside the palace, the bell for court rang melodiously, announcing the arrival of the morning court session.

As before, all civil and military officials wore court robes and entered the court one after another.

Then, they met Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, who had not attended court for a long time.

Seeing these two gentlemen attending court together, all the civil and military officials instantly realized that something big might happen today.

After all, Zhu Cilang had not attended court to serve as regent for three days, and Chongzhen had not attended court for almost a month.

As a result, both of these gentlemen are now attending court, which is enough to show that something big is to be announced today.

When they thought of this, many ministers felt nervous.

After all, too many things have happened in the court in recent times, and each one is of great importance. They are really curious about what Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang want to do today.

"If there is something going on, go ahead and leave if there is nothing going on!"

As Wang Chengen's sharp and loud voice rang out, the morning court officially began!

Chongzhen didn't wait for others to speak, and said with a smile:

"My dear ministers, today I have a great announcement to make!"

"Victory has arrived from the Ming navy! Five days ago, the Jiannu navy was completely annihilated. In this battle, 15320 enemies were killed, 11230 Jiannu heads were captured, over prisoners were taken, and over Han people were rescued!"

"And they successfully occupied the rear of the Jiannu!"

After hearing this, the entire court fell into deathly silence.

Except for Xue Guoguan and a few others who had already known the news and remained calm, the other ministers were all shocked and confused, and seemed unable to accept this matter.

However, in the next second, all the civil and military officials were suddenly in an uproar.

At the same time, a series of congratulations were heard.

"Your Majesty is wise! Our Ming navy is mighty! This is God's help to our Ming!"

"Great victory! This is truly a victory that only happens once in a century! The Ming army will win!"

"This victory is due to your majesty's wise decision. It is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty and the people!"

"Your Majesty is truly an emperor of all ages!"

Some of the ministers clenched their fists excitedly, their faces filled with excitement.

Some even couldn't help but shed tears of excitement.

After all, the wars between the Ming Dynasty and the Jiannu have always been characterized by more defeats than victories. Now that they have achieved such a brilliant victory, they feel extremely excited and proud.

The civil and military officials in the court now were all screened after Zhu Cilang killed all the people. It cannot be said that all of them are loyal officials and good generals, but at least they are still on the side of the Ming Dynasty, so they are naturally excited to see the Ming Dynasty win!

Sitting on the throne, Chongzhen watched this scene with satisfaction.

Although this matter really had nothing to do with him, he was still the emperor after all, so the credit should still be attributed to him.

He became the greatest emperor of all time without doing anything!
Beautiful!

Then, Chongzhen first signaled everyone to be quiet, and then continued:

"As you all know, the situation in Liaodong remains tense. The Jiannu are determined to break through the Jinning defense line and have even besieged Jinzhou for several months!"

"Now that our Ming navy has achieved a great victory, it is a good time to pursue our victory."

"Therefore, I have decided to personally lead the expedition to Liaodong!"

Chongzhen's words "I will lead the army in person" were like a thunderclap, exploding in the court in an instant.

In an instant, all the civil and military officials in the court seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand, and they could not utter any sound.

For a moment, the court was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The expressions on the ministers' faces froze, and they were all stunned and full of disbelief.

That look was as if he had seen a ghost!
What did they just hear?
Chongzhen said he would lead the army in person?
Not
What does the emperor’s personal expedition have to do with Chongzhen?

Was Chongzhen an emperor capable of leading an army in person?

Isn't this nonsense?
(End of this chapter)