In the capital.
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Emperor Hongzhi sat on the dragon throne. He was not in the mood to read the memorials and had been waiting for news of Datong.
The day passed quickly
There were no more urgent reports from Da Tong, and Emperor Hongzhi became more and more anxious as he waited.
How was the Crown Prince after he came out of seclusion?
After the capital camp arrived at Datong, what decision would the new commander Tan You make?
If the army came out to rescue the Crown Prince, what would happen if they met the main force of the Tartars?
Emperor Hongzhi's heart was burning with anxiety, but there was nothing he could do.
Now, he could only place his hopes on his ancestors and hope that the various emperors of the Ming Dynasty could bless this sole descendant of the royal family.
At this moment.
Outside the hall, the sound of someone running could be heard.
Emperor Hongzhi stopped thinking and looked up at the palace door.
A few breaths later.
The figure of the pen-wielding eunuch, Xiao Jing, appeared at the entrance of the hall.
Xiao Jing, who had just run over, did not dare to delay when he saw Emperor Hongzhi looking at him. He quickly ran to Emperor Hongzhi's side and knelt on the ground. He reported with a happy expression,
"Your Majesty, the East Chamber has just sent news that the Crown Prince has defeated the vanguard of the 50,000 Tatars outside the pass.”
Emperor Hongzhi was anxious and worried, but when he heard the news of the great victory, he was instantly delighted.
The uneasiness in his heart was finally swept away.
A smile appeared on his face. He let out a deep breath and asked in a relaxed manner.
"In this case, shouldn't the Crown Prince return?”
"Uh…"
Emperor Hongzhi's breathing stagnated. When he saw Xiao Jing hesitating, his expression changed instantly. He turned his head to stare at Xiao Jing who was kneeling on the ground and shouted sternly.
"Could it be that the Crown Prince has not returned yet?”
Xiao Jing shivered and quickly replied.
"No, I haven't."
Emperor Hongzhi's anger surged as he pointed at Xiao Jing who was on the ground.
"Didn't Zhen ask you to capture him? Where is he? Where is he?"
Xiao Jing wanted to cry but had no tears. He raised his head and explained.
"Your Majesty, this servant's servants did not manage to find His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Xiao Jing saw that Emperor Hongzhi was about to get angry again and quickly continued.
"And not only the East Chamber soldiers, but even the Datong border guards who chased after him out of the pass did not see any trace of His Highness.
Wang Shouren was worried that the Crown Prince would be surrounded by the main forces of the Tartars if he ventured deep into the grasslands, so…
Thus, Datong General Wang Shouren had already led the remaining Datong border troops towards the direction of the Tartar army.”
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped the dragon table.
"Pa!"
"Nonsense!" After Emperor Hongzhi shouted, he glared at Xiao Jing and asked.
"What about the capital camp? Where's the new Earl of Ning, Tan You? Isn't he in Datong?"
"This servant doesn't know how the new Earl of Ning will make his decision. When this servant's servants returned from Da Tong, the new Earl of Ning had just arrived at Da Tong, so the memorial should be reaching the capital soon.”
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he frowned and his body began to tremble in anger.
Based on Emperor Hongzhi's understanding of Zhu Houzhao, the Crown Prince had his own motive for going deep into the grasslands. He was most likely going to find Dayan Khan.
When Emperor Hongzhi thought of this, his heart began to beat faster.
The other party had 250,000 Tartar cavalry!
The dignified Ming Crown Prince did not care about his own safety?
When Emperor Hongzhi first heard that the 50,000 vanguard of the Tartar army had been annihilated, he was overjoyed.
However, who would have thought that he had just felt at ease.
This Crown Prince had caused an even bigger matter.
If he had known this would happen, Emperor Hongzhi would have sent people to keep an eye on the Crown Prince and not let him leave the capital.
Just as Emperor Hongzhi's face was filled with anger and regret, a young eunuch ran into the hall and knelt before the palace.
"Reporting to the emperor, the cabinet's Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian request an audience.”
Emperor Hongzhi frowned slightly. The three cabinet elders were here at the same time. There was a high chance that it was about the border. Thinking of this, he turned to His Highness and quickly said.
"Announce!"
When the young eunuch heard the edict, he got up and quickly ran to pass it on.
Not long after, the three cabinet elders rushed over. After entering the hall, they did not even have to bow when they heard Emperor Hongzhi ask anxiously,
"Do you have the latest news on the border?”
Chief Assistant Liu Jian took a step forward and raised the memorial in his hand.
" Reporting to the Emperor, the Xinning Earl of Datong, Tan You, has sent a memorial. Datong General Wang Shouren has presented it…"
When Liu Jian said this, his tone sank and his expression became much more solemn. After pausing for a moment, he said solemnly,
"Hand over a blood letter."
Emperor Hongzhi's expression instantly turned cold when he heard the words 'blood letter'.
Xiao Jing, who was kneeling on the ground, quickly ran down the hall when he saw this. He took the memorial from Liu Jian's hands and presented it to Emperor Hongzhi's table.
Emperor Hongzhi's face was solemn as he took Wang Shouren's blood letter and shook it lightly.
The blood letter, which had already turned black, appeared in front of Emperor Hongzhi.
'The Tartars are sending more troops to invade the Central Plains!
Before this, there were 50,000 vanguard cavalry of Tartar, and His Highness the Prince had led his troops to suppress them.
We followed closely behind, but the horse power was not as good.
By the time we got out of the pass, His Highness the Crown Prince had disappeared.
I am afraid that Your Highness will face the main force of the Tartar Hu Krupp alone, so as to protect Your Highness.
Therefore, he took the initiative to lead the rest of the Datong border army, a total of 27,643 people, to the north to resist the enemy.
As the commander of Datong, I know that it is a crime to mobilize troops without authorization. When I return to Datong with the Crown Prince, I will definitely bow my head and admit my guilt and be willing to be punished!
Wang Shouren led a group of border troops in Datong to express his will with blood and report to the court.
I hope that in the next life, where the sun and moon shine, where the wind and rain come, and where the rivers pass, all will become the land of the Han Dynasty!
Wang Shouren and the Datong border army wrote their last words!
Year Yichou, April!
Emperor Hongzhi's hand that was holding the blood letter began to tremble when he read to the end.
Tears gradually appeared in his eyes, and he blamed himself.
If he had known this would happen, he would not have indulged the Crown Prince. Otherwise, he would not have caused such a situation.
Emperor Hongzhi held back the tears in his eyes and slowly put down the blood letter.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Then, he picked up the memorial from Tan You, the new Earl of Ning.
Xinning Bo's memorial was almost the same as Wang Shouren's. After he wrote down the situation he had explored in Datong, Wang Shouren's memorial was written down.
Then, he directly stated that the Crown Prince was outside the pass, and his life and death were unknown.
He led the capital camp and wanted to ask for an edict, but it was too late. The general was outside, and he didn't accept military orders. When this memorial was sent to the capital, he had already sent troops to the frontier, trying to save the Crown Prince when the war was about to start.
When Emperor Hongzhi saw this, tears flickered in his eyes and his expression was filled with sorrow. He ignored the three cabinet elders and said in a sad voice.
"Let's go to the ancestral temple!"
Then, Emperor Hongzhi slowly stood up and walked out of the hall.
Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian heard Emperor Hongzhi's words.
The few people who understood what he meant also looked sad. They silently followed behind Emperor Hongzhi and walked towards the ancestral temple.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。