The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

At this moment, Su Kun, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Qian Ning's capable subordinate, entered and asked anxiously, "Commander, should we go first or last?"

As arranged by Qian Ning, his men had selected what they considered to be the elite, ready to follow Qian Ning up and give them a good performance.

Qian Ningzhi said smugly, "Of course we should give this young prince a taste of his own medicine and let him experience the might of our soldiers."

As they were talking, Qian Ning had already put on his armor and was about to head out with his new musket.

Zhong Ning reminded him, "You've never used this musket before, are you a little unfamiliar with it?"

After being glared at by Qian Ning, Zhong Ning didn't dare to say anything more.

Zhang Yong walked over and placed his hand on Qian Ning's shoulder, seemingly trying to suppress the irritation emanating from him.

"Commander Qian, it's not that I'm trying to embarrass you, but you should be cautious! Let me put it this way, I've witnessed his bravery, and I advise you, even if you want to show off, observe his performance first before making a decision."

Zhang Yongzai said, "I know I can't stop you from wanting to perform."

But you also need to be careful. If you don't know the other party's background and overestimate your own abilities, you might end up losing face instead of saving face.

"Eunuch Zhang, what do you mean by this? In your opinion, I am inferior to him?" Qian Ning was very angry.

Zhang Yong didn't say anything, but handed over a pair of binoculars, saying, "His Majesty is also waiting to see how this little prince performs, so we can't overshadow him."

Because of Zhang Yong's delay, the sound of cannons rang out outside.

Zhu Yi and his men officially began the military exercise.

Qian Ning glared at Zhang Yong, seemingly blaming him for ruining his plans. He then grabbed his binoculars and strode out to a relatively high spot, where he began to observe the situation on the other side.

……

……

Zhu Yi led ten men on horseback and quickly passed through layers of obstacles.

It looked clumsy, after all, Zhu Yi and his men were not very good at riding horses, and were quite different from the people in the Beijing garrison who trained in horsemanship every day.

But this is just a period of travel time, so it's hard to say which is better or worse.

However, in Qian Ning's view, this was a sign of weakness on the part of Zhu Yi's troops.

But when Zhu Yi's men rushed to the firing range and began firing their muskets, their speed and decisiveness were unmatched by ordinary Shenji Battalion soldiers.

"Bang bang bang..."

In the first volley, all eleven targets on the other side were hit.

It seemed like it had been trained and planned in advance, with each person's target being predetermined.

And not a single person missed the target.

This one move alone left Qian Ning speechless.

Immediately, the rider on horseback began reloading, very quickly and decisively. Although it was a front-loading machine, the loader modified by Zhu Yi was much faster than the original one, and the inherent advantage of the flintlock musket being lightweight was also evident.

The people loading ammunition on horseback were very nimble and quickly finished loading.

Apart from Zhu Yi, the remaining ten people fired directly at their respective pre-designated targets.

"Bang bang bang..."

Another volley of fire ensued, with one person missing the target, another slightly off target, and a scarecrow still intact.

At this moment, Zhu Yi, acting as the one to finish off the enemy, raised his musket one last time and, with a "bang," hit the last scarecrow squarely.

As the scarecrow crumbled and scattered, the group rode back the way they had come.

The group's movements were fluid and seamless, without any hesitation.

Even Zhu Yi's final shot seemed pre-planned, designed to showcase his command and control abilities, as well as his marksmanship on the battlefield, proving that he was not the kind of mediocre person who would take credit for others' work.

As the group walked back, the Beijing garrison soldiers who had been watching the spectacle erupted in waves of cheers.

When Zhu Yi returned to his position, he immediately dismounted and paid his respects in the direction of Zhu Houzhao.

Another wave of cheers followed.

……

……

"How is it?" Zhang Yong asked, looking at Qian Ning, who was staring blankly at him, with the air of a prophet.

Qian Ning asked in astonishment, "How long... has he been training?"

Zhang Yong said, "What does the length of a little prince's training have to do with his performance today? I only ask you, if you were commanded by Commander Qian, would it be a source of pride or shame?"

Qian Ning was provoked by those words and almost wanted to go out and show off again.

But he wasn't the kind of person known for his bravery.

After all, his gradual fall from favor began when Zhu Houzhao was attacked by a tiger in the hunting grounds, and he retreated while Jiang Bin rose up.

After gaining power and status, Qian Ning displayed his cunning and arrogance to the fullest extent, and no longer possessed the courage of a pure warrior like Jiang Bin.

Qian Ning glared at Zhang Yong as if he were an enemy and asked angrily, "How did you know this boy was so skilled?"

Zhang Yong sighed, "Inside Zhangjiakou Fortress, when the Tatar armored soldiers entered the city, even a seasoned warrior like Xu Tai had to fight and retreat, and the border troops had to struggle to maneuver around them. Yet this little prince was able to lead his men to charge right up to the armored soldiers and kill them all! Commander Qian, if you had truly witnessed his courage in actual combat, you wouldn't have uttered such a strange sigh!"

Qian Ning, still trying to save face, forced himself to say, "It's not like I didn't crawl out of a pile of dead bodies!"

That's what they said, but Qian Ning knew he was no match for them.

Therefore, he had no choice but to put aside his plans to perform.

"If it were a one-on-one fight, I would definitely beat him. The Ning family... they do have some guts, they're not simple."

Qian Ning meant that he was a good general, but unfortunately, his subordinates were all incompetent soldiers.

I'm afraid I'll hit the target, but the people below me won't be able to hit it all. If we play three rounds, I'm sure I'll lose.

Zhang Yong just smiled helplessly and said to Qian Ning, "Aren't we hurrying to see the Emperor? His Majesty might reward this little prince. Let's go!"

"Um."

Qian Ning quickly called for others to remove his armor.

He even handed over the muskets he had already acquired to the person next to him, changed into ordinary clothes, and then went with Zhang Yong to meet Zhu Houzhao.

……

……

On the high platform.

Zhu Houzhao was extremely excited, seemingly enjoying it even more than if he had taken the field himself.

"Mr. Yang, do you see? This child is truly an exceptional individual. I initially had some doubts about his abilities, but now... haha! Duke of Ying, what do you think?"

Zhu Houzhao was like a parent showing off in front of others, feeling proud of his child's achievements.

Could Zhang Mao possibly misjudge the wind direction?

Zhang Mao smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining a tiger cub! From now on, the Ming Dynasty will have one more capable general."

He is both a tiger cub and a good general—it seems like an unlikely pairing.

Being the emperor's son means being a ruler who maintains the status quo, while being a good general means being cannon fodder to charge into battle for others.

These words appearing in the same sentence make it seem as if Zhang Mao spoke offhand without careful consideration.

But Zhu Houzhao found it very pleasing.

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "Such a heroic performance deserves a reward! I have decided to bestow upon him the name Zhu Zaiyi. What does Mr. Yang think?"

Yang Yiqing said, "Your Majesty, the princes have not yet been formally appointed. Is it... inappropriate to bestow names so early?"

If Zhu Yi wanted to become the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, he not only had to be adopted, but also be granted the title of prince at the appropriate time, and then be granted the title of king, or be directly appointed as the crown prince.

This all requires a process.

At present, Zhu Yi is more of a "prospective prince", so Yang Yiqing believes that it is not appropriate to reveal Zhu Yi's status as a prince too early.

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "It's rare to be so happy today, so I've already bestowed a name upon him! The matter of adoption has already been discussed and decided. A ruler's word is law, how could I possibly take it back? I am very satisfied with this son. Although he hasn't been officially granted a title yet, from now on you will address him as a prince! Someone, convey my decree, and have him come up to receive his reward!"