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

Chapter 197 It’s over! The prince is going to get rid of the donkey after it has served its purpose!

At noon in July, the sun is scorching.

The city of Jinzhou seemed to be tightly covered by a huge steamer.

Thick clouds pressed heavily over the city, making the sultry air even thicker. Every breeze carried rolling heat waves, rampaging through the city.

The trees along the street were wilted by the sun, their leaves curled up into a ball, lifeless.

On such a scorching day, a peace negotiation slowly began in a government office in Jinzhou.

Of course, it’s called a negotiation, but it’s basically no different from an argument.

Two long wooden tables were placed facing each other, with the two parties sitting on either side, each with an undisguised look of toughness and vigilance on their faces.

The sun shines through the window, casting a few beams of light, but it cannot dispel the tension and depression that fills the room.

Snapped!
The negotiation finally began when the civil servant from the Ming army slammed the table.
The two sides were arguing fiercely over the issue of territorial division.

The Ming army wanted to gain more territory, but the Jiannu refused to agree.

At the critical moment, the two imperial censors that Zhu Cilang brought from the capital played a crucial role.

These two censors were named Wu Yuanzhao and Pei Yuanji.

On weekdays, the two guys were like two restless "thorns", always finding fault and finding ways to cause trouble for Chongzhen in the court.

But most of the time, what they said made sense, and Chongzhen couldn't do anything about them.

The reason why Zhu Cilang brought them along this time was to prevent Chongzhen from causing trouble along the way and to find these two people to give him something to do.

Unexpectedly, he came in handy at this moment and became the key figure in determining the situation.

After all, he is the censor!
The most powerful thing is the mouth!
At this moment, Wu Yuanzhao slammed the table suddenly, and the heavy solid wood table made a dull and heavy sound, like a muffled thunder exploding in the lobby.

His eyes widened instantly, and there seemed to be a raging fire in his eyes. He stared at Dorgon opposite him and shouted loudly:

"What are you talking about? Is ceding such a small amount of territory considered too much? As everyone knows, Liaodong is the sacred and inviolable territory of the Ming Dynasty. It was only previously occupied by you, the slaves of the Jiannu army."

"Now we only want to take back this little bit of territory, and you actually think it's too much?"

"If you think it's too much, then let's not talk about it anymore. How about we just get ready for another fight?"

"Anyway, our Ming army is strong and capable of taking back these lands. There's no need for you to pretend to cede them!"

As he spoke, the veins on his neck bulged out like winding little snakes, and his face turned red.

If you don’t know, you might think it’s some military general!

But in fact, he was just a scholar who couldn't even lift a knife.

At the same time, Dorgon was completely helpless against the aggressive and sharp-tongued censor in front of him.

His face turned pale and red.

Then he said with resentment:
"But what you ask for is too much. If I really have to cede so much territory, I will not be able to explain it to His Majesty when I return."

"How about ceding the land west of here?"

As Dorgon spoke, he stretched out his finger and pointed to a location on the map in front of him (roughly the present-day Tai'an County, Liaoning Province).

It is about two hundred miles away from Jinzhou and two hundred miles away from Shengjing.

However, Wu Yuanzhao clearly did not intend to compromise. He straightened his back, put his hands on his hips, and said in a firm tone:
"No, this is too little. We absolutely cannot agree to this!"

Pei Yuanji on the side also quickly echoed:
"Yes, this is too little. Do you think we are beggars?"

"It seems that you still don't have sincerity today, so let's not talk about it today and talk about it tomorrow!"

After saying that, he pulled Wu Yuanzhao beside him and pretended to turn around and walk out.

Putting aside his stance, Dorgon was also a famous general, but at this moment he had no temper at all.

Seeing that the two men were really about to leave, Dorgon quickly winked at the two Jiannu envoys beside him.

The two men understood instantly and hurried forward. After great effort, they pulled Wu Yuanzhao and Pei Yuanji back, and the negotiations were able to continue.

At this moment, it was not only Dorgon who felt uncomfortable, but also the Jiannu literati he brought with him.

Although they had read some books, they were far inferior to these well-read and eloquent imperial censors.

This resulted in them being completely unable to argue with each other.

Sometimes when the arguments got too fierce, Wu Yuanzhao and Pei Yuanji would use some historical allusions to curse people, but sometimes they couldn't understand what they were saying, and they got into a very awkward situation for a while.

To be honest, they really regretted coming here.

Originally, this kind of thing should have been done by the Han people who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, but those people did not dare to show up, and Huang Taiji did not dare to let them come along.

Because once these people appear, they will be labeled as traitors.

By then, they might be eaten alive by angry people before negotiations even begin.

Even if they were lucky enough not to be killed, they would probably not be able to say a word under the condemnation of the two imperial censors.

This has led to the current situation.

At the same time, in a side hall of the government office, Zhu Cilang was sitting at a table, drinking tea and quietly listening to the fierce quarrel coming from the lobby.

It has to be said that sometimes he really hated the censors' daily nitpicking and fault-finding nature. He thought they were too harsh and always caused trouble for the emperor for no reason.

But given the current situation, Zhu Cilang suddenly felt that these imperial censors were still somewhat useful.

In this way, this extremely intense negotiation lasted for three full days.

During these three days, the two sides went back and forth, neither side gave in, and every clause was repeatedly debated and weighed.

In the end, the Jiannu side reluctantly agreed to give up all the land west of Changning Fort (now Liaoyang County, Liaoning Province), which was exactly the same as Zhu Cilang and Zu Dashou had planned before.

In addition, since the silver that the Jiannu had previously looted from the Ming Dynasty had long been spent, there was not much silver left for compensation.

So in the end the two sides agreed that the Jiannu would compensate the Ming Dynasty with 500,000 taels of gold, 3 million taels of silver, and 30 boxes of various rare treasures.

Zhu Cilang was also aware that the Jiannu had limited financial resources, so after weighing the pros and cons, he reluctantly agreed to the compensation plan.

The next most critical issue is population.

The Ming Dynasty demanded that the Jiannu return all the 200,000 abducted Ming civilians, but the Jiannu simply could not provide so many people.

Because the survival rate of the Han people who were abducted to Liaodong was less than 70%.

In other words, the Jiannu captured 200,000 Ming Dynasty civilians, but only 150,000 of them survived.

Coupled with the subsequent heavy labor and cruel abuse, there are now less than 50,000 people left alive.

Therefore, the Jiannu could only release these 50,000 Han people at most.

In addition to these requirements, Zhu Cilang also made an additional request.

That is, in addition to these Han people, he also asked the Jiannu for some Jurchens.

These Jurchens were the families of the Jiannu who had been captured by the Ming army before.

Zhu Cilang had previously sent people to find them and asked them to write down the names and addresses of their family members in detail, intending to bring all their families to the Ming Dynasty.

These Jiannu prisoners were captured and knew that they could not go back. They also understood that their families would have a hard time in the future and would suffer endless discrimination and hardship.

So when they heard that Zhu Cilang wanted to bring their families to Jinzhou and become citizens of the Ming Dynasty, they agreed without hesitation.

A rough estimate shows that there are more than 7,000 people.

When the Jiannu saw this request, they were all dumbfounded.

They could understand why the Ming Dynasty asked them for Han people.

But asking them for the Jurchens, what's the point?

However, some of them soon realized that based on the addresses and names of these people, they were not ordinary Jurchens, but Jurchens of some status.

And most of them are old, young, women and children!

Needless to say, some Jurchens must have surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, which is why the Ming Dynasty demanded their families.

After realizing this, Dorgon was so angry that he gritted his teeth!
He never imagined that these damn guys would betray the Qing Dynasty and surrender to the Ming Dynasty!
But then I thought again, aren't they surrendering to the Ming Dynasty now?
After realizing this, Dorgon instantly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost.

Yes, even Huang Taiji "surrendered" to the Ming Dynasty, let alone those soldiers who were defeated?

Originally, this matter was not in Fan Wencheng's plan, but now that things have come to this, there is no way to refuse.

Because as the defeated party, they no longer have the bargaining power.

So in the end, Dorgon agreed.

In this way, the two sides finally finalized all the peace talks.

After Dorgon returns, the Jiannu will deliver the things they promised before one after another.

After the peace talks were over, it was time for Dorgon to return and report.

So, the next morning, after meeting Chongzhen, Dorgon set out on his return journey with more than 300 people.

They originally brought 500 people with them, but when they left, there were only more than 300 people left.

The remaining two hundred or so people were forcibly detained by the Ming Dynasty to take care of the hostage sent to the Ming Dynasty by Huang Taiji.

In fact, these people don't want to stay from the bottom of their hearts, because they understand that once they stay, they may never be able to go back in this life.

But it was obvious that they had no choice at all.

So they could only watch Dorgon leave.

During this period, Zu Dashou was not idle either.

On the second day after sending Dorgon and others to Jinzhou, Zu Dashou quickly returned to Liaodong.

Although he did not advance further, he sent many people to clear the blocked road ahead.

Now all the roads ahead have been completely cleared. As long as Zhu Cilang gives the order, they can continue to move forward at any time.

Overall, the situation now is going more smoothly than the original plan.

After all, if the previous plan was implemented, it would definitely cause many casualties among soldiers. Now that the Jiannu have successfully sought peace, they only need to go and take over the land that the Jiannu promised to cede.

This is undoubtedly the best result.

As Dorgon returned to Shengjing, Zu Dashou's 200,000 troops also received orders.

Afterwards, the 200,000-strong army set out directly and continued to advance forward.

But this time it was not for war, but for the handover of territory and population.

Three days later, the sun was high in the sky.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose up on the road outside Shengjing.

The one who appeared in the front was none other than Dorgon!
After three days of non-stop travel, Dorgon and his entourage finally arrived in Shengjing.

At this moment, their war horses were soaked in sweat, their manes were disheveled, and even they themselves looked exhausted.

Dorgon didn't even have time to rest. After entering Shengjing, he went straight to the palace.

As soon as he entered the palace, Huang Taiji, who had already heard the news, came to greet him eagerly. Without waiting for Dorgon to kneel, he looked at him with a face full of expectation and anxiety and asked:
"How is it going? How is the peace negotiation going?"

In fact, the moment he saw Dorgon return safely, Huang Taiji knew in his heart that the peace talks were likely to be successful.

But he still had no idea what the specific terms of the peace agreement were.

Dorgon did not dare to hide anything and immediately informed Huang Taiji of the specific results of the peace talks.

He also handed a memorial to Huang Taiji, which stated the specific details of the peace talks.

At this moment, Fan Wencheng also hurried over.

Huang Taiji did not read the contents of the memorial, but handed it directly to Fan Wencheng beside him, and then continued to listen to Dorgon's story.

After listening to what Dorgon said, Huang Taiji's brows instantly frowned and the muscles on his face twitched unconsciously.

He never expected that the Ming army's requirements would be so harsh!

Land, population, gold, silver and treasures, every compensation was like a sharp knife, cutting into his heart.

Huang Taiji was filled with resentment and anger at this time!
Because whether it is land, population, or gold and silver treasures, they had fought hard to gain them, but now they are ceding them so easily, which is really unreasonable.
Heartache!
Huang Taiji was secretly angry, but he could do nothing about it.

Because they had just been defeated and their strength was severely damaged, they had no capital to fight against the Ming army again.

However, he still blamed Dorgon in his heart for agreeing to such a large amount of compensation.
At this moment, Fan Wencheng, who was standing by, had finished reading the memorial. He raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a faint smile as he looked at Dorgon and said:

"Very good, very good. This time, Your Highness has made a great contribution."

"Although these compensations are indeed a bit painful for us, they are not impossible to come up with."

Seeing that Fan Wencheng was speaking for Dorgon, Huang Taiji could no longer blame Dorgon.

Because if he kept blaming Dorgon at this moment, it would not only embarrass Dorgon, but also make himself appear narrow-minded, which would be detrimental to internal unity.

Finally, he suppressed his dissatisfaction, looked at Dorgon and said:
"You did a good job this time. I am very satisfied."

When Dorgon heard this, he knelt down on the ground and said sincerely:
"I dare not take credit for anything, I only hope to make up for my previous mistakes. Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely not let Your Majesty down in the future."

Huang Taiji was very smart. As soon as he heard this, he understood that Dorgon was asking him for the reward of reorganizing the Zhengbai Banner that he had promised him before.

For a moment, Huang Taiji's eyes became a little complicated.

There is hesitation, reluctance, and more importantly, entanglement with power.

Because to be honest, he didn't want to agree to let Dorgon reorganize the Zhengbai Banner.

He wanted to reorganize the Zhengbai Banner in his own name to further consolidate his rule.

But as Dorgon successfully completed his mission of seeking peace and returned, it seemed inappropriate for him, the emperor, to refuse at this time.

After all, it was he who asked Fan Wencheng to convey the previous promise to Dorgon.

If he regretted it now, not only would Dorgon hold a grudge against him, but his soldiers would also think that he was untrustworthy.

Thinking of this, Huang Taiji sighed in his heart, and then said:

"Don't worry, I will keep my promise to you. After you go back and rest for a few days, I will assign you some manpower and let you reorganize the Zhengbai Banner."

"Don't let me down again."

After hearing this, Dorgon's eyes flashed with a subtle joy, and he quickly thanked him again:

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will never let you down."

Then he bowed deeply again and retreated respectfully.

After Dorgon left, Huang Taiji slowly sat down on the chair, rubbed his eyebrows helplessly, and a tired expression appeared on his face.

Then he looked at Fan Wencheng who was standing aside and said:
"Mr. Fan, aren't the Ming army's demands a bit too much? I'm really reluctant to give these things away."

Fan Wencheng took two steps forward, bowed slightly, and said calmly:

"Your Majesty, I know the Ming army's demands are a bit excessive, but now that things have come to this, we might as well agree to them."

"In a few years, when our army and horses are strong, we can definitely take these things back."

"It's okay to endure humiliation for a while, and suffer a little loss. Besides, we can still make up for the losses we suffer from North Korea."

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji nodded slightly, and the expression on his face gradually eased.

Although it seems that they suffered heavy losses this time, these losses can be made up for by finding ways to get them back from North Korea.

Although North Korea is extremely poor now, if it is squeezed hard enough, a lot of money can still be squeezed out.

Thinking of this, Huang Taiji felt a little better.

So not long after, Huang Taiji ordered the handover of land, population and property according to the results of the negotiation.

After three days of preparation, the two armies met again.

On this day, the sky was clear and cloudless, and a gentle breeze blew, fluttering the flags of the soldiers on both sides.

The battlefield was completely silent, save for the rustling of flags in the wind. On the Ming side, Zu Dashou arrived with two hundred thousand troops to complete the handover.

On the Jiannu side, it was Daishan who came forward to complete the transaction.

The place where the two parties were located was Changning Fort, which was the place where the territory was divided as agreed.

Moreover, this time, no conflict broke out between the two sides. Each side led its army to complete matters such as land cession and population handover in an orderly manner.

Everything is so natural.

After the land transfer was completed, not far away, a large group of Han people, driven by the Jiannu, rushed towards this side.

These are the people returned to the Ming Dynasty by the Jiannu, and there are about 50,000 of them!

Among them were also some Jiannu civilians, who were exactly the ones Zhu Cilang specifically requested.

But of course, after the handover is completed, these Jiannu people will become people of the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, when Zu Dashou first saw these Han people, he couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

The people on the opposite side were so excited that they were almost in tears. Most of them were not local people from Liaodong, but were abducted from the Ming Dynasty by the Jiannu.

They originally thought that they would never be able to return to the Ming Dynasty in this lifetime, but they did not expect that they could actually return to the Ming Dynasty in their lifetime, and were even personally welcomed by the Ming Dynasty army.

At this moment, all the people couldn't help crying. Some of them hugged each other, some knelt on the ground, shouting words of gratitude.

After the population handover was completed, hundreds of boxes of gold, silver and jewelry were delivered to Zu Dashou.

Zu Dashou waved his hand behind him, and then a soldier came out and began to check the quantity. After confirming that it was correct, they loaded the goods into the trucks one by one and prepared to transport them back to Jinzhou.

After everything was done, Daishan did not stop at all. He led the army vehicles to a place ten miles away and then stationed there.

Because he was worried that the Ming army would suddenly change their minds. If that happened, they could counterattack immediately!

But it was obvious that he was overthinking it, because so far, the Ming Dynasty had completely completed its layout in Liaodong!

Afterwards, Zu Dashou began to implement the next plan.

That is to say, build a defense line with the delivery site as the center and extend to both sides.

At this time, Zu Dashou was standing on the dilapidated city wall of Changning Fort, overlooking the land, while planning the location and direction of the defense line in his mind.

Behind him, soldiers and laborers had begun to prepare to build the city in an orderly manner.

As for the Han people who had just been rescued, they were also assigned some simple tasks at this time.

Although these Han people really wanted to return to the Ming Dynasty, it was obviously not realistic.

Because there are many natural disasters, man-made disasters and conflicts within the Ming Dynasty at present, if these 100,000 people are allowed to return to the Ming Dynasty, how should they be resettled?

Therefore, letting them continue to stay in Liaodong is the best option.

Immediately afterwards, Zu Dashou selected some young and old people and sent them back to Jinzhou. The remaining young and middle-aged people were all converted into military households on the spot and then dispersed to the surrounding areas.

Although the people were somewhat disappointed, they finally accepted it silently when they thought that this place would become the territory of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Zhu Cilang naturally knew everything Zu Dashou had done, and it was even his decision.

Although this decision is somewhat inhumane, it is also a helpless move.

After all, the Ming Dynasty is currently trying to move people from the inland to Liaodong to serve as immigrants and guard the border. We can't move people back to the inland at this time, right?
For the sake of the Ming Dynasty, the people had no choice but to suffer.

Generally speaking, Liaodong should be considered stable up to this point.

At least in the next two or three years, there should be no more conflicts between the Ming Dynasty and the Jiannu.

In the next few years, Zhu Cilang was finally able to escape from the Liaodong war and concentrate on dealing with Li Zicheng.

As long as he could get rid of Li Zicheng, he could gather all his forces and completely wipe out the Jiannu in one fell swoop.

In this way, the world will be completely stable!
On the other side, on the city of Jinzhou.

As the sun sets, the afterglow dyes the entire Jinzhou orange-red.

Zhu Cilang stood on the city wall, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

He looked at the magnificent scenery of Liaodong in the distance, and saw only the continuous mountains and winding rivers in the distance. For a moment, he felt a little lost.

There was a hint of trance in his eyes, as if he still couldn't believe that he actually led the Ming Dynasty to win the "Battle of Songjin" which was related to the life and death of the Ming Dynasty!
All this really seemed like a dream, making him feel that it was a little unreal.

But the facts are there, he did win!

And it was a beautiful win!

As a time traveler, he felt that he should be qualified.

Because he really saved the Ming Dynasty and saved hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers!

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the tranquility and joy after the victory.

A few days later, the silver shipped from the capital arrived in Jinzhou, totaling 15 million taels.

If converted, this silver actually weighs more than one million kilograms!

That's a full five hundred and fifty tons!

Correct!
You heard that right!
That’s a full 550 tons of silver!

If this silver was transported by land, it would require at least several thousand horse-drawn carriages, so this time the Ministry of Revenue did not choose to transport it by land, but by sea.

In addition, the Ministry of Revenue also transported two million shi of grain. All these things added up to fill more than a dozen large ships.

As for the victims outside the capital, it will take a few more days to complete the relocation.

After all, silver can be transported away by simply loading it onto a ship, but the migration of ordinary people requires a lot of preparations, and it is not something that can be done just like that.

But it doesn’t matter. After all, the Ministry of Revenue is not just a decoration. They know what to do and will naturally arrange everything.

After receiving the silver, Zhu Cilang did not hesitate and immediately began to give out post-war rewards.

In this way, a large amount of silver was distributed to soldiers and generals. Those soldiers who needed to stay in place and could not return did not have to worry, as their rewards would be personally escorted by a special team.

In short, the goal is to ensure that every penny of silver is accurately delivered to the soldiers.

After all, Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang are still in Jinzhou, so no one dares to covet the silver.

Because if someone stretched out his hand that he shouldn't have stretched out, or took money that he shouldn't have taken, and this matter happened to be known by the emperor and the prince, then this person's life would basically be over.

Although those generals usually liked to withhold soldiers' wages, no one dared to do anything at this time, for fear of losing their heads if they were not careful.

Besides, they also have rewards, and their rewards are more than ten times higher than those of ordinary soldiers. They may even be promoted. There is really no need to take risks for this little money.

Just like that, according to the previous plan, millions of silver were distributed.

Including the pensions for soldiers killed in battle, the total amount was approximately 9.5 million taels.

It is 500,000 taels more than previously planned.

However, in the face of this great victory, this little bit of silver was not worth mentioning at all, and Zhu Cilang didn't care at all.

It took a full five days just to distribute this money!

In addition, Zhu Cilang had no intention of taking the gold, silver, and jewelry that the Jiannu paid as compensation back to the capital. Instead, he distributed most of them to the generals in Liaodong, and used the rest to resettle the people.

Hong Chengchou alone received a full 50,000 taels of silver this time. Wu Sangui and others received a little less, but each of them still received 30,000 taels.

Zu Dashou received the most, 100,000 taels of silver and some other rewards.

Even if these military generals were greedy for money, they would only take a few thousand or tens of thousands of taels a year, and most of the money they would spend on supporting their own soldiers, so they would not actually get much.

But this time, the soldiers all received rewards, so naturally all the silver went into their hands.

In this way, all the soldiers who participated in this battle, whether they were local military households or border troops, received at least 30 taels of silver, and the most received was tens of thousands of taels.

Everyone benefited tangibly and naturally felt even more grateful for Zhu Cilang's kindness.

It can be said that in their eyes, the status of Prince Zhu Cilang has far surpassed that of Chongzhen.

But of course, no one dared to say this kind of thing out loud. After all, saying it out loud would be disrespectful!
Moreover, for them, the silver reward was not the most important thing. The most important thing was the various titles bestowed upon them.

After distributing the silver, they began to confer titles!

The conferment ceremony was held in the front yard of the General's Mansion, which was decorated solemnly. However, because it was in Liaodong, the ceremonial guards were not complete, so they could only deal with it briefly.

But this title is real!

However, Zhu Cilang was not yet qualified for the title, so Chongzhen had to do it himself.

After the conferment ceremony began, Chongzhen stood on a temporary platform and personally read out the decree of enthronement.

Several marquises, earls, viscounts and barons were granted titles, and these military generals who were awarded the titles were almost going crazy with joy.

Their faces were filled with irrepressible excitement, their hands were shaking as they took the imperial edict of nobility, and some even had red eyes from excitement.

After all, money is gone once it is spent, but a title is a real symbol of status as long as you don't make any big mistakes in your life.

At present, Zhu Cilang has not issued an edict saying that titles cannot be inherited, so in their view, the titles they have obtained can be inherited.

Think about it, they just risked their lives once, but in return they received generations of glory and wealth for their descendants. How could they not be happy?
There is no doubt that the morale of the Ming army has reached an unprecedented high.

If the Jiannu had not asked for peace before, this group of people would have immediately trampled Shengjing with just one order from Zhu Cilang!
After everything was over, the general's mansion was brightly lit and bustling that night.

Zhu Cilang issued an edict to entertain all the military generals.

Since the Crown Prince had invited them, the generals naturally did not dare to refuse, so they all came to the banquet.

The banquet was filled with lights and wine, and there was a peaceful atmosphere everywhere. The tables in front of everyone were also filled with delicious food. The aroma of wine filled the air, and the atmosphere was very happy.

Zhu Cilang sat in the main seat, wearing a casual suit and a Yishan crown on his head. He smiled and raised his glass to celebrate with the generals.

Everyone was immersed in laughter and the whole banquet looked harmonious.

After all, getting promoted and making money is a great feeling, and nothing can make people happier than these things.

They clinked glasses and congratulated each other. Some of them were already a little tipsy with blushes on their faces.

After five dishes and three rounds of wine, Zhu Cilang suddenly put down the wine glass in his hand, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then clapped his hands.

Immediately afterwards, a group of Jinyiwei carried several large boxes in front of the crowd.

After the box was opened, the dazzling light instantly dazzled everyone's eyes, and they saw that the box was full of glass products!
There are various exquisitely shaped wine glasses and tea cups, as well as some quaint and exquisite mirrors.

To put it bluntly, this thing is actually glass, but people just don’t know it!

At this time, these things were shining with extremely dazzling light under the candlelight. When everyone present saw this scene, their eyes widened instantly, and they were almost blinded by the glare.

Because in their eyes, these things are priceless treasures!
But of course, only Zhu Cilang knew that these things were actually not valuable!

Then, Zhu Cilang said with a smile:

"After the banquet is over, you can divide the things here among yourselves. Everyone will have a share. This is my extra reward to you."

When everyone heard this, they quickly smiled and agreed:

"Since Your Highness is so generous, then we will not be polite."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for the reward!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

For a moment, everyone bowed and expressed their gratitude, unable to suppress the smiles on their faces.

Amidst laughter and joy, another large box was carried in.

When the soldiers saw this scene, they felt even more delighted. They whispered to each other and guessed what the treasure was in the box. No one knew what the treasure was.

However, after the box was moved in, Zhu Cilang did not rush to have it opened. Instead, he placed it in the middle of the hall, deliberately creating a mysterious atmosphere.

One of the generals couldn't help but be curious and asked with a smile:
"Your Highness, I wonder what treasure is inside?"

Zhu Cilang smiled, a hint of deep meaning flashed in his eyes, and said:

"Go ahead and open it. There's something in there that should belong to you."

When the general heard this, he hurriedly stood up, straightened his clothes, then bowed to Zhu Cilang, and then quickly walked to the box.

The moment he opened the box, he was slightly stunned because the things inside were completely different from what he had imagined.

The next second, he seemed to have discovered something, and then the smile on his face disappeared instantly. He reached out with a trembling hand and took the thing in his hand.

Now, everyone could see it clearly. It seemed to be something similar to a memorial.

But they couldn't see clearly what was written on it.

However, although they could not see clearly, the general standing in front of the box could see it clearly.

In an instant, extreme fear surged onto his face like a tide, and the smile he had previously had completely disappeared, replaced by a pale face.

His drunkenness dissipated instantly, and his eyes were filled with extreme fear, as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.

The next second, the memorial slipped from his hands.

Then his legs suddenly went weak and he fell heavily to his knees with a thud.

Then he slammed his forehead hard on the ground.

boom!
In an instant, a dull sound was heard, which instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The originally noisy banquet suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone noticed that something was wrong.

His eyes were focused on the box and the kneeling general at the same time, and his face was full of confusion and anxiety.

Their intuition told them that the box contained no reward at all.

But it's a deadly thing!
Some people subconsciously clenched the wine glasses in their hands, and their palms were sweating.

Someone leaned forward slightly, trying to see clearly what was in the box.

Some people looked at each other, their eyes full of worry and fear.

Feeling that the atmosphere was about right, Zhu Cilang slowly stood up, walked to the box, picked up the memorial from the ground with a smile, and gently put it back into the box.

At this moment, everyone's eyes followed his movements.

Zhu Cilang glanced at everyone with a faint smile still on his face, but this smile made everyone feel inexplicably pressured at this moment.

Just when everyone was filled with panic, Zhu Cilang finally spoke slowly. His voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it had a power that could not be ignored.

"Everyone, you may be curious, what exactly is inside this? Why would a battle-hardened general be so frightened?"

Zhu Cilang paused slightly and slowly swept his eyes over the crowd. His eyes seemed to be able to see through the fear and anxiety in everyone's heart.

"Let me tell you the truth! What's in here isn't any gold or silver treasures, but memorials from the court officials and censors impeaching you in recent years."

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally quiet hall suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone's breathing unconsciously became rapid.

Zhu Cilang continued:
"Some accuse you of corruption and abuse of power, some accuse you of reckless killing, and some accuse you of raising private soldiers and plotting rebellion. In short, memorials and impeachments like these abound."

"And basically everyone of you has a share!"

Zhu Cilang's voice remained steady, but every word he spoke was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

Especially the last sentence, which made everyone feel that their blood instantly solidified. A bone-chilling chill rushed from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads, and their whole bodies could not help but tremble violently.

Because they all knew in their hearts that the things written in these memorials were not completely unfair to them. After all, who hasn't done some dirty things to reach their position?
In an instant, fear enveloped everyone like a dark cloud.

For some people, fine beads of sweat suddenly appeared on their foreheads and slid down their cheeks in large drops.

Some people were so nervous that their throats tightened, and they swallowed subconsciously, but it couldn't relieve the dry throat.

Others looked around in panic, as if they wanted to take the opportunity to escape.

At this moment, they even felt that there were hundreds of fully armed swordsmen and axemen lurking in the darkness around them.

Those swordsmen hid in the shadows, with the blades in their hands polished to an extremely smooth state. They would rush out in an instant and chop all of them into meat paste as soon as the prince in front of them gave the order!

Everyone had only one thought in their mind at this moment:
My Lord, you are going to kill the donkey after it has served its purpose!

(End of this chapter)