The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 293 King of Han
After the selection of the personnel to restructure the Ministry of Works, the topic returned to the Han King's rebellion.

Li Xianmu made no attempt to hide his disdain, saying, "The King of Han is an arrogant and reckless man, and he is all bark and no bite."

He was proud of his achievements during the Jingnan Campaign, but he didn't realize that he was only brave and capable of leading the charge and charging into battle, but he couldn't command a large army, let alone carry out a rebellion.

It is said that in Shandong, as soon as he raised the banner of rebellion, he set up government offices and bestowed titles upon his officials, acting like an emperor, yet he did not even control the area around Le'an.

Even if Mount Tai were flattened, he would still have no chance of succeeding.

Your Majesty, please issue an edict to arrest him and bring him back to the capital, and then punish his crimes.

“There are many nobles in the capital. I recommend Marquis Yangwu. He is well-versed in military formations. Give him 50,000 troops and he will surely be able to defeat the King of Han.”

Yang Rong retorted sharply, "Has Your Majesty forgotten Li Jinglong's past deeds?"

The people in the hall were taken aback, and then felt a chill in their hearts. It had long been rumored throughout the land that Li Jinglong and Prince Yan, Zhu Di, had a secret connection, and that Li Jinglong had made an indispensable contribution to the Prince Yan's success.

Now, the nobles are already close to the Prince of Han, and the people are restless. What if they collude with the Prince of Han if we send them there?

Although Yang Rong didn't say it outright, there were no fools present; who wouldn't know?
A cold glint flashed in Li Xianmu's eyes, and he calmly said, "Your Majesty must learn from the lesson of Jian Shuren and send someone who is not afraid of the Prince of Han in order to achieve success."

Yang Rong's words just now were somewhat offensive, and Li Xianmu covered for him.

However, Yang Rong's words were enough for Zhu Zhanji to exclude all the nobles from the selection process. Historically, even Zhang Fu's desire to lead the expedition was politely refused by Zhu Zhanji, who then personally led the expedition.

Facing one's own uncle on the battlefield is nothing to boast about. If there were no other choice, Zhu Zhanji would absolutely not have wanted to personally lead the army.

This actually reflects a subtle distrust of the nobility.

The same applies this time. Zhu Zhanji immediately became serious and then turned his gaze to Li Xianmu. "After counting all the officials in the court, only the teacher can make the trip in person."

"The minister obeys the order."

Li Xianmu remained calm. He knew that this matter would fall on his shoulders the moment Yang Rong uttered those words.

Among all those in the court and the country, only Li Xianmu possessed both ability and trustworthiness, and had absolutely no secret dealings with the Prince of Han. Who else could be the best candidate for this task?

The reactions of the courtiers in the palace varied.

Although the Grand Secretary accompanied the Northern Expedition several times, he never actually commanded the army. Could he really succeed?
There are concerns.

Some people were quite uneasy.

If it really succeeds, wouldn't we be able to return with even greater momentum, reaching even higher levels, and our prestige would truly soar to the heavens?

For a time, I was unsure whether to agree or disagree, and I didn't know what to say if I opposed it. Now it seems that only the prime minister is the most suitable.

The hall fell silent, with only dust floating in the light and shadow that streamed into it, seemingly without end.

……

There was a reason why Zhu Di enfeoffed the Prince of Han in Shandong. It was very close to the capital and had no natural defenses. In case of any unrest, he could immediately lead his troops there.

It can be said that Zhu Di knew his son very well and guessed in advance that such a day might come.

Li Xianmu set out from the capital and led a large army to Shandong. In just a few days, before Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han could make any arrangements, his army was already at the gates of the city.

All of this happened so fast that Zhu Gaoxu found it hard to believe. He asked blankly, "How come it's completely different from when Father Emperor was fighting the rebellion?"

After he finished speaking, he realized he had said something foolish. During the Jianwen era, the two capitals, the North and South, were thousands of miles apart, so things were naturally slow. But now they were practically next to each other.

Faced with the sudden arrival of the imperial army, Zhu Gaochi was momentarily flustered and didn't know what to do. Only a chill ran through him from the depths of his heart.

The only thing that could comfort him was that Li Xianmu was leading the army. In Zhu Gaoxu's view, Li Xianmu did not understand military affairs and was just a scholar.

Outside the city, in the imperial army's tent.

Li Xianmu sat steadily at the head of the tent, surrounded by his accompanying generals. He was only responsible for strategy here, while the specific tactical execution and troop command were naturally left to the professional generals.

At this moment, the tent was in an uproar as everyone argued about how to attack.

Li Xianmu coughed lightly, and the argument in the tent immediately fell silent. Everyone looked at Li Xianmu, waiting for him to speak.

Although Li Xianmu did not have high prestige in the army, this was not a chaotic era, and there was no need for extremely high prestige in the army. With his power, everyone in his camp had to curry favor with him, just like generals like Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang in history had to be obsequious to Zhang Juzheng.

"Zhu Gaoxu dared to rebel because he underestimated His Majesty's recent ascension to the throne, believed himself to be invincible, and was close to all the generals. He thought he could tempt them to rebel against the court with great rewards. Now that I have led my army here, he will surely give up the temptation."

However, because he underestimated me, he then led his army to attack, attempting to defeat my army in order to boost morale. Therefore, tomorrow we will beat the drums. As long as the rebel army fails to win a single battle, their morale will collapse. At that time, we only need to wait for Zhu Gaochi to collapse on his own.

He was all bark and no bite, lacking both strategy and decisiveness; ultimately, he failed!

Li Xianmu suddenly stood up, looked around at everyone in the tent, and said sternly: "On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. Gao Xu, that wicked bastard, is not worth dying for. Any soldier who kills the Han traitor Zhu Gao Xu will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver and promoted three ranks. Any of you who kill Zhu Gao Xu will be promoted to duke or marquis and have your salary increased by 1,000 shi."

boom!
Li Xianmu's words shocked the entire tent. Everyone was astonished by the generous reward and Li Xianmu's ruthlessness. Jianwen had said not to kill the Prince of Yan, but now Li Xianmu was doing the opposite and wanted to capture and kill the Prince of Han!

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, even the emperor would not have said such a thing. Only Li Xianmu dared to do so. No wonder the emperor appointed Li Xianmu, a civil official, to command the army. He truly made the right choice.

Li Xianmu was naturally aware of the complex thoughts in everyone's minds, but he didn't care. This was just the beginning. After Zhu Zhanji passed away in the tenth year of Xuande, he would let all the imperial relatives in the world know that the good days of being able to escape death by relying on their imperial relatives were over.

……

The next day.

Banners fluttered in the wind, and war drums thundered.

Beneath the walls of Le'an City, the imperial army stood in formation like iron, their spears and halberds gleaming coldly in the pale autumn sunlight.

When the cry of "Kill the Prince of Han and be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces" echoed over Le'an, Zhu Gaoxu in Le'an City turned extremely ugly, and the expressions of his subordinates also changed drastically.

After a long silence, Zhu Gaoxu gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Li Xianmu, how dare you!"

But the chill that surged from the bottom of his heart after hearing that Li Xianmu was coming quickly spread throughout his limbs and veins, freezing him into a block of ice.

"Reorganize the army!" Zhu Gaoxu stood up abruptly and said sternly, "I want Li Xianmu to know that war is not something a mere scholar can handle. We will defeat the imperial army and teach them a lesson."

The central army of the imperial court.

Li Xianmu sat in charge, while Yang Rong, who had come with him, looked at the well-organized army and was filled with doubt. "Prime Minister, along the way, there are many defectors in Le'an City. If we surrender directly to them, we can subdue them without a fight. Anyone with eyes can see that the Prince of Han is definitely not the court's army. Why do we have to fight a battle like this?"
"Warfare is inauspicious; even a sage uses it only as a last resort."

Yang Rong couldn't understand it at all, and finally couldn't help but ask it here.

The Prince of Han's rebellion this time was a complete joke, incomparable to the scale of the Prince of Yan's campaign to quell the rebellion. The Prince of Han himself was also no match for Zhu Di's prestige.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the Prince of Han is doomed to fail. "This battle isn't for the Prince of Han's benefit, but for the officials in the capital and the nineteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty."

Li Xianmu's voice was calm, yet it was filled with murderous intent and chilling intent: "If I dare to kill even the Prince of Han, who else would I not dare to kill?"
Some people should consider whether their heads can be securely placed on their necks.

This is the final warning!

Upon hearing this, Yang Rong's pupils contracted sharply. He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and said in a low voice, "This humble official understands."

As Li Xianmu's power grew, even his former ally Yang Rong gradually dared not look him in the eye. Today, Li Xianmu's words even filled Yang Rong with fear and awe.

……

"coming."

With the sound of galloping hooves, the city gates of Le'an opened wide, and a torrent of soldiers poured out. Zhu Gaoxu, clad in armor, took the lead, brandishing his lance, and personally led his elite infantry and cavalry into battle.

Even Li Xianmu admitted that Zhu Gaoxu was a truly fierce general, still incredibly brave even more than twenty years after the Jingnan Campaign.

Li Xianmu calmly gave the order, "Fire the arrows!"

As the imperial army waved its command flags, a rain of arrows instantly filled the air. Countless arrows flew up from the rear ranks of the army, like locusts darkening the sky during a famine. The arrows pierced the void, their tails trembling and creating a mournful whistling sound as they fell into the ranks of the charging rebel army.

Instantly, men and horses fell, blood splattered everywhere, the momentum of the charge was halted, and screams instantly drowned out the war drums.

In just one encounter, hundreds of people died under the arrows. In Le'an City, the number of armored soldiers was clearly insufficient. Zhu Gaoxu, fully armored and protected by his personal guards, continued to charge forward. Driven by Zhu Gaoxu's bravery, the rebel army charged forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

"Shield array!"

The heavy infantry at the front of the imperial army roared in unison, and their giant shields crashed into the ground in layers, forming a dam and fortress made of shields.

Long spears, like a forest, suddenly thrust out from between the shields, their menacing tips waiting to devour lives.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu's expression changed drastically. He immediately changed formation and tried to flank the infantry from both sides. No general would allow cavalry to charge the heavy infantry's shield formation.

At the same time, he felt a chill run down his spine, wondering why Li Xianmu, a mere civil official, could have such a well-organized military formation and such high morale among his soldiers.

He doesn't understand!

Some of the rebel cavalry, unable to react in time, crashed into the shield wall in despair.

The deafening roar was deafening; warhorses neighed in agony, and the imperial shield bearers were sent flying. The sounds of bones shattering filled the air.

The sharp spear pierced his body.

Weapons pierced their bodies, shields were dented from impacts, and the imperial soldiers, layer upon layer of shield bearers, held on to the soldiers in front of them, spitting blood but stubbornly holding on.

A series of hissing, roaring, and wind howls, accompanied by billowing dust, transformed the place into a grinding wheel of flesh and blood in an instant. Life was lost within it, turning into mutilated corpses on the ground in the blink of an eye. The soil was soaked by the gushing blood, turning into a dark red swamp, resembling a living hell.

A strong, pungent smell of blood filled the air, almost suffocating people.

Li Xianmu watched this scene unfold, his hand slowly curling up as he stared intently at Zhu Gaoxu.

Zhu Gaoxu was indeed unstoppable. With his lance wielded, he charged left and right, and almost no one could stop him. He was indeed a fierce general who was able to rescue Zhu Di from the midst of a massive army.

But wars never change because of one person, and even Xiang Yu could not win a war by himself.

Li Xianmu, who was in the central army, saw everything clearly, but his expression remained calm; he simply raised his hand slightly.

"The Divine Machine Battalion, prepare."

The Shenji Battalion, trained by Zhu Di specifically to deal with Mongol cavalry, is now being used against Zhu Gaoxu.

The imperial cavalry on the left and right flanks spread out like wings and began to encircle and squeeze the rebels who had penetrated too deeply into the rear.

The Divine Machine Battalion advanced slowly.

As Zhu Gaoxu charged forward, he looked around and immediately spotted the Shenji Battalion. A chill ran through him as he saw that the attack he had led was ineffective and almost pointless.

A sense of fear rising from his tailbone made him feel powerless.

His troops were already retreating like the receding tide, while the imperial army was closing in like an iron wall.

The arrogant look on Zhu Gaoxu's face was finally replaced by fear, and a chilling cold gripped his heart.

Gotta go!

If we don't leave now, we're really going to die here!

The words "Kill the King of Han and be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces" echoed in his mind, filling him with fear. These words were spoken by Li Xianmu, and he believed that Li Xianmu would really dare to do such a thing.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Gaoxu abruptly turned his horse around and, under the desperate protection of his personal guards, fled in a sorry state towards Le'an City.

……

"After today's battle, Zhu Gaoxu's courage will surely be shattered, and the officials in the city's confidence in Zhu Gaoxu will surely plummet to rock bottom. Send a letter of surrender to the city, and Zhu Gaoxu can escape death by binding himself and surrendering."

The imperial court gave him only one day. If he did not surrender before sunrise tomorrow, he would be executed without mercy!

Inside the main tent, Li Xianmu maintained his composed demeanor, but his words sent chills down everyone's spines.

They even felt that Li Xianmu wanted to kill the Prince of Han and had no intention of giving him a chance to surrender.

Such thoughts of dissent cannot be voiced directly, nor would they dare to.

They all bowed their heads and said, "We obey the Prime Minister's order!"

In Le'an City.

Zhu Gaoxu received the letter from the imperial court urging him to surrender. His face was filled with sorrow. When he retreated into the city today, he had already seen the restless eyes of many people.

Some people want to use him to save their lives and gain wealth.

Zhu Gaochi did not want to die. Today's defeat had made him completely give up his dream of becoming emperor. After receiving the court's letter of surrender, he...

He immediately prepared to surrender.

Unconditional surrender.

Zhu Gaoxu was afraid that if he was too slow to surrender, he would be killed by Li Xianmu, the god of death, who would take revenge for him.

(End of this chapter)