The arrest of Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong made Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and the others panic. Jin Shangyi did not expect things to develop to this stage and was at a loss for ideas.
Zhu Di had many powerful battle generals under him, but in terms of leadership, Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong were the strongest.
Now that Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong had been captured, it meant that the King of Yan's three guards had lost their strongest commander. What was more serious was that the hearts of the three guards of the King of Yan were wavering and on the verge of disintegration. More than 500 people betrayed the three guards and defected to the Yamen of the Governor.
"Come in, His Highness is awake."
Xu Yihua frowned and opened the door.
Everyone hurriedly entered the room. Zhu Gaochi told Zhu Di about the news that Ping An had captured Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong. Zhu Di sat on the bed, his eyes sunken and exhausted. He sighed and said,"What do you guys think?"
"Royal Father, we can't wait any longer. We must act immediately!”
Zhu Gaoxu quickly said, explaining his opinion,"The Imperial Court is pressing on step by step, and the intention of cutting the vassals is clear. We can't just sit back and watch the butcher's knife fall. We should take this opportunity to use the excuse of saving Generals Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong to mobilize the three guards and take down Beiping Prefecture!”Zhu Di's eyes were filled with worry. He looked at Zhu Gaochi and asked,""What do you think?"
Zhu Gaochi sighed and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He said,""Father, since things have come to this, the best way for us now is to lead the new army into the three guards.”
"Big brother, are you stupid?" Zhu Gaoxu could not believe his ears and questioned,""If we could attract a new army, would we have to wait until today?”
Zhu Gaochi ignored Zhu Gaoxu and looked at Zhu Di. He said solemnly,""Your son has analyzed the Imperial Court's plans and also reviewed all of the Imperial Court's arrangements around Beiping Prefecture.”
"What is it?"
Zhu Di asked.
"His Majesty knows that we want to rebel, but he doesn't want us to rebel," Zhu Gaochi said seriously.”
Yuan Rong sneered and said,"What do you mean they knew we were going to rebel? If the Imperial Court knew, everyone would have been deposed as commoners or imprisoned in the capital. How could they stay here peacefully? What do you mean by not wanting us to rebel? Could it be that His Majesty is magnanimous and wants to use benevolence to reform us? You want us to submit to the Imperial Court?"
"Shut up!"
Zhu Di shouted coldly.
Yuan Rong's expression turned ugly, but he didn't dare to say anything else.
"Jin Shangyi, what do you think?" Zhu Di asked, closing his eyes.”
Jin Shangyi took a step forward and frowned. His eyes were full of worry as he said,"If the new army does not enter the three guards, we will no longer have a chance. However, once the new army enters the three guards, our chances will be extremely slim.”
"If we control the Beiping Prefecture now, won't all the problems be solved?”
Zhu Gaoxu shouted in dissatisfaction.
Jin Shangyi looked at Zhu Gaoxu and said respectfully,""Prince, Ping An and Sheng Yong are already prepared. Under such circumstances, the three guards may not be able to control the Beiping Prefecture. Even if we control Beiping Prefecture, where can we go? Don't forget that there were still 400,000 soldiers around the Beiping Prefecture.”
"To the south is Zhending, Baoding, and Hejian, which Geng Bingwen is defending. To the east is Shanhaiguan, Kaiping, and Linqing, which are controlled by Qu Neng and Xu Kai. To the west is Datong, which is controlled by Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding. With the morale and fighting strength of the three guards, no matter which direction they chose, they were not confident.”
"For now, we can only accept the new army and plan for the future. This was a method that had to be carried out, and it was also the only way to win back the hearts of the Third Army.”
Jin Shangyi's words made Zhu Gaoxu very unhappy. He thought that Jin Shangyi was trying to boost the morale of others and diminish his own prestige. He said to Zhu Di,""Royal Father, as long as you give me ten thousand soldiers, I will decide on Beiping City.”
Zhu Di waved his hand and looked at Zhu Gaochi.""You're right. His Majesty is not forcing me to rebel, but forcing me not to! Whether it was Beiping, Shanhaiguan, Datong, Jinan, Zhending, or Master Daoyan's transfer to the capital, His Majesty used the word 'strength'!”"Therefore, a good fighter seeks power from the situation and does not blame others. Those who are in power are the ones who fight, just like turning wood and stone. The nature of wood and stone is to be quiet when it is stable, to move when it is dangerous, to stop when it is square, and to move when it is round. Therefore, the momentum of a good fighter is like turning a round stone on a thousand-foot mountain. It is momentum. Hehe, this nephew of mine is very good.”
Zhu Gaochi lowered his head and asked through gritted teeth,""Father, what should we do?"
Zhu Di sighed and said tiredly,"Forget it, let's lead the new army into the three guards and wait for the opportunity. If the heavens bless me, there will definitely be a turning point."
"Your Highness, Pingan requests an audience."
Qiu Fu reported in a low voice.
Zhu Di's face turned cold. Zhu Gaoxu and the others were also a little flustered. Ping An had captured Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong, and then came to the King Yan's residence. What was his intention? Could it be that he had received the imperial edict and wanted to send the King of Yan and his men to the capital?
"No guards."
Qiu Fu added.
Zhu Di's eyes were dark as he got out of bed.
Xu Yihua quickly supported him. Zhu Di shook his head and said,"It doesn't matter. If I can't even withstand this little storm, how can I ride the Desert Sea? Let Ping 'an do it."
In the main hall.
Ping An bowed to Zhu Di and said apologetically,""I received intelligence today that Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong incited soldiers to resist the court and intended to rebel. The matter was urgent, and the Commandant did not have time to ask the King of Yan to arrest Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong.”
Zhu Di's face was cold. He waved his sleeve and swept the tea bowl on the table to the ground. He said sternly,"Understand? Although Zhang Shimei was a surrendered general of the Yuan Dynasty, he submitted to our Ming Dynasty and made great contributions. In the battle of catching fish sea, he was even more famous. He once followed Lan Yu to attack Yuanshun and Sanmao caves. He was highly valued by Taizu and served as the commander of Anqing Wei.”
"You followed this king out of the fortress to fight. You fought bravely, were resourceful, and made many meritorious deeds. You actually said that you intended to rebel against such a loyal person? That Zhu Shihong was originally the Deputy Thousand Households of my Swallow Mountain Guards. Seeing that he was loyal and brave, I promoted him to the Right Guard Commander Qian. He has followed me for many years.”
"Don't say anything about inciting the soldiers to resist the Imperial Court. I've never even said anything disloyal to the Imperial Court. How could there be rebellion? Ping 'an, if you can't produce any evidence, don't blame me for reporting to the capital and accusing you of negligence, connivance, and slander!”
Ping An looked at the angry Zhu Di and calmly took out a stack of papers. He placed them on the table and said softly,""There are 100 confessions from the soldiers of the Third Guard here, and there are more than 400 in the yamen. If the King of Yan needs them, I don't mind making another trip. He only hoped that the King of Yan would take care of himself.”
With that, Ping An bowed and strode out.
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