Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 95: The purpose of the martial arts performance, Zhu Houzhao's imagination

Just when the martial arts performance was in full swing.

Zhu Houzhao and his group left.

They returned to Jinghua Palace under the escort of several Tiance soldiers.

Along the way, Guo Zhentao and his companions kept trying to find a way to break out of the encirclement.

However, no matter which direction, the Tian Ce soldiers responsible for stationing guard and patrol were still no different from usual, as if the densely packed soldiers gathered in the Tian Ce training ground just now were an illusion of theirs.

Until returning to Jinghua Palace.

The worries of Zhu Houzhao, Guo Zhentao and others finally died down.

"I thought this was an opportunity, but I didn't expect that the defense of Tiance Mansion was not relaxed at all, and it was no different from before." Guo Zhentao had a splitting headache. Prince Su's military parade was the best time for them to leave Tiance Mansion.

They planned carefully and were even prepared to pay the most painful price in exchange for the emperor's chance of survival.

But they never dreamed of it.

It seems that the elite troops are all at the reviewing platform.

As a result, the force responsible for patrolling and guarding Tiance Mansion has not been weakened at all.

On the way back, there was a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps in the Vajra Realm, and a guard every hundred steps in the Zhixuan Realm. There was also a faint celestial energy watching every move of Zhu Houzhao, Guo Zhentao and others.

They were not given any chance to escape at all.

"never mind!"

"Unless Prince Su wants me to leave, no matter how capable we are, we won't be able to leave."

Zhu Houzhao shook his head with a gloomy expression.

He also wanted to escape from prison, but based on what he saw and heard in front of the Tian Ce Palace today, Zhu Houzhao knew that even if he was lucky enough to escape from the Tian Ce Palace, there was no possibility of him leaving Jiayuguan.

On the contrary, it might anger Zhu Jinzhen and make him kill the emperor like Zhu Shou.

Looking at the distraught and despairing emperor, Guo Zhentao and the others, except for Liu Xi, who had a strange look in his eyes, all felt sad.

After a long pause, Guo Zhentao finally asked in a deep voice, something that transgressed the etiquette between monarch and subject: "Your Majesty, is there really no way for you and Prince Su to get along with each other?"

"Is it really true that we can only fight against each other?"

Zhu Houzhao glanced at him and gave a helpless smile. "Prince Su is the first king of the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty, commanding a million heavy troops. You all saw the Tiance martial arts performance today. There were hundreds of thousands of Vajra Realm Tiance soldiers, hundreds of Vajra Realm Cangyun Iron Cavalry, thousands of Zhixuan, and hundreds of Tianxiang."

"There are even more than a dozen immortals who have never appeared in the world."

"Prince Su has the qualifications to look down on everything, and he also possesses unparalleled courage."

"Young Sword Immortal, the most powerful prince, commanding a million soldiers."

"I can't imagine why he would compromise."

Zhu Houzhao was now 100% certain that the rumors in the capital about Prince Su plotting treason and colluding with foreigners to sell out the country were indeed a frame-up.

Because, if Zhu Jinzhen wanted to rebel, he would not have needed to go through so much trouble.

Collaborating with foreigners and selling out the country?

The two fierce and ferocious countries of Mongolia and Liao have hundreds of thousands of people in the Vajra Realm?
For the first time, Zhu Houzhao felt only contempt and disdain for foreign barbarians in his heart.

"As for internal strife?"

"You are too naive. The struggle for imperial power has always been a life-and-death struggle. If he is determined to fight for the throne, the Zhu family bloodline will be no shackles for Prince Su."

Zhu Houzhao took a few deep breaths, his face full of bitterness: "After all, Emperor Taizong was not the heir to the throne back then."

Even though Emperor Taizong was renowned for his meritorious service, including five expeditions to the northern desert, seven voyages to the west, and three conquests of the empire, and even though he was the first great ruler in history to conquer the Wolf's Lair, the historical records do not record his succession as a natural successor. What has happened will surely happen again, and what has been done will surely be done again.

No matter what reasons Emperor Taizong Zhu Di had.

With his precedent, Zhu Houzhao was sure that Zhu Jinzhen would follow suit.

He hasn't shown his fangs yet, but that may be because he thinks the time is not right, or it may be because of some reasons that he, the emperor, doesn't understand!
"In that case, isn't Your Majesty's situation extremely dangerous?" Guo Zhentao, Qinglong and others said worriedly with serious expressions.

Zhu Houzhao's face was filled with sorrow and he shook his head slowly: "Not necessarily!"

"Your Majesty, please clarify."

Several people bowed.

Zhu Houzhao sighed. "Why do you think Prince Su summoned the three armies for this military exercise today? To intimidate? To demonstrate military might?"

"No, neither."

"He is forcing me to bow my head and sending me a signal."

"He possesses the power to easily overthrow the Ming Dynasty and completely drive me off the throne."

"He's telling me that changing the world isn't difficult. He wants a legitimate reason, and he wants me to abdicate!"

Guo Zhentao and the others' pupils suddenly shrank, and they exclaimed in disbelief, "What?"

No matter how hard they tried, they could not imagine that the purpose of Prince Su's martial arts performance today was to force the emperor to abdicate?
"If I give in, Prince Su will take the throne and the Ming Dynasty will be transformed! But with the power accumulated by Prince Su's Mansion, it will not be a problem to maintain peace for hundreds of years."

"If I don't retreat, Prince Su's martial arts demonstration today is a warning to me. Even if I give it my all, I will only waste the lives of my soldiers and destroy the Ming Dynasty's destiny. By then, the Ming Dynasty will be in turmoil, with flames of war everywhere. Don't blame him for not warning me!"

"However, no matter what choice is made, it will inevitably lead to catastrophe and chaos for the entire Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Houzhao sighed deeply, his heart full of entanglement.

If we advance, the country will be destroyed; if we retreat, the country will be handed over to us.

Zhu Houzhao truly experienced what it meant to be caught in a dilemma.

It seemed like a multiple-choice question with two choices, but in fact Zhu Jinzhen did not give him any room for choice.

Revolt?

Zhu Houzhao thought about fighting to the death at all costs.

But reason also told Zhu Houzhao that these were useless efforts.

What can he use to compete with Prince Su’s Mansion?

Moreover, when Zhu Houzhao looked at the problem from a perspective beyond his stubborn emperor's mindset, he had to admit that if he abdicated, the foundation accumulated by the Prince Su's Mansion would be enough to bring the Ming Dynasty back to its peak, even surpassing the Qin and Han dynasties!

Zhu Houzhao imagined a scene in his mind.

Put yourself in the perspective of Zhu Jinzhen after he became emperor. If the Mongols were not convinced, you could order Commander Cang Yun to lead 100,000 Vajra Realm Cang Yun cavalry to march across the grasslands and defeat them until they surrender.

The Liao Dynasty was arrogant, and the neighboring Song Dynasty had ulterior motives towards the Ming Dynasty?
The Tiance troops attacked the Liao Dynasty and trampled on the Song Dynasty.

The Sui Dynasty has ulterior motives, heretics have appeared, fight them!
What is the overall situation that matters? What is the constraint of the civil service group?

Anyone who dared to express dissent would have his entire nation destroyed and his entire clan exterminated. The entire land of the Nine Provinces and the four seas would submit to the iron hoof of the Ming Dynasty. For a moment, he was trembling all over, feeling an indescribable joy.

Guo Zhentao, the God of Capture Liu Dufeng, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Qinglong and others looked at Zhu Houzhao strangely, not understanding why the emperor was so distraught and so high-spirited at the same time?

Guo Zhentao signaled with his eyes: "Could it be that Your Majesty has been so shocked that he has gone insane?"

"I do not know!"

Liu Dufeng and Qinglong shook their heads like rattles.

(End of this chapter)