unclear

Chapter 582 The imperial commander’s personal expedition
"The eldest princess...does the empress dowager also have shares?" After hearing this title, Hong Tao hesitated for a moment before remembering who it was. His half-sister, the eldest princess of Rongchang, Zhu Xuanyu.

Although she is only less than one year older than him, Hong Tao has not seen this sister much since he was a child. She is the only legitimate child of Emperor Wanli. Even if she is a daughter, her treatment is not comparable to that of Jingyang Palace. Before the crown prince was canonized, the princess was married to Yang Chunyuan, the son of Yang Ji, deputy commander of the Nancheng Army and Horses Division.

Emperor Wanli gave birth to a total of ten princesses, most of whom died in infancy. Only two, Rongchang and Shouning, survived to adulthood. On the contrary, the survival rate of the sons was relatively high, with five of the seven sons surviving.

But Princess Shouning is the sister of Prince Fu, both born to Concubine Zheng. After the Yangxin Palace rebellion, she also ate Gualuo and was given poisonous wine together with her consort Ran Xingrang. The current eldest princess Rongchang is regarded as the only daughter of Emperor Wanli, and the biological daughter of the Queen Mother, so her treatment is quite good.

For the sake of the Queen Mother, Hong Tao was not too demanding. As long as he did not collude with foreign officials, he would give her no less benefits, such as allowing her family members to invest in the factory. But this was the first time I heard about running a shop in the border market. With Yang Chunyuan's dull character, there must be someone behind him, such as the Empress Dowager.

"Long live Lord, I have noticed that two of them are controlled by the family of Prince Yongnian Mingfu." Wei Zhongxian answered fluently. It seems that he had done his homework in advance and discovered that it was not a day or two.

"Is there any suspicion of bullying others, evading points, or illegal smuggling?" Hong Tao frowned when he heard that Yongnianbo's family members were also involved. Wang Mingfu is the natal family member of the Queen Mother. If he really violates the rules of heaven, it will be a bit troublesome to deal with it himself.

"The shops of the Wang family and the Yang consort family sell glass wine vessels and self-ringing bells. According to the slave's investigation, there has been no illegal behavior."

"That's good! No need to guess, the person who sent the message to Jianlu is not in the capital. If Du Song's words are true, this large-scale seizure of customs is obviously not impulsive. It will take at least ten days to mobilize the army and prepare food and fodder.

Judging from the time, they learned that the capture of Manila Port by the navy was closely related to me. There is only one possibility: the news was leaked from the sea. Chief Jian was a smart man. He wanted to take advantage of the navy's massive march southward and the emptiness in the north. He seized the opportunity very accurately. "

The most likely possibility is that the Japanese merchants in Manila Port brought the news of the fall, and then Hou Jin learned about it, or the Portuguese in Haojingao were lax. There is no need to dwell on the specific details, as they are too random.

Hong Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the Queen Mother and the Prince Consort did not do anything too outrageous, even more relaxed than when he heard that Hou Jin had withdrawn his troops. As for who leaked the news and let the enemy know that the northern troops were empty, it is actually not difficult to guess.

"Long live my lord, we should dispatch the navy to quickly return reinforcements at this time. Compared with Manila, Shanhaiguan and the capital are more important!"

The courtiers probably didn't have this condition. They only knew that the navy was going south to Manila Port to earn face for the emperor. They didn't know whether to fight, how to fight, or what to do after the fight was over.

Seeing that the emperor did not intend to pursue the matter of collaboration with the enemy, Cao Huachun dared to make suggestions. He is Wang An's disciple and Wang Chengen's master. He started from the position of Chief of Ceremony, Supervisor of Ceremonies and Suitang. He is very serious and prudent in his work and has never made any mistakes in more than ten years.

He is very smart and ranks first in the internal study hall. Now he has taken the time to learn a lot of new knowledge from the Cuju team. Last year, he was promoted to Bingbi. It was not all based on connections, but more recognition of his ability.

"Declaration of Yuan Keli and Li Ruzhang's arrival in Beijing will be held tomorrow, and the General Staff and Military Aircraft will discuss the matter together. Zhang Ran, recall all the warriors from all over the country to be on standby. Wang An stays, and the others should disperse first."

Hong Tao didn't say it was done or couldn't be done. He issued a series of orders and then announced the adjournment of the meeting. It seemed that he didn't pay much attention to Hou Jin's large-scale invasion, or at least he wasn't very anxious. "Wang An!"

"The slave is here!"

"I want you to take another risk. Do you have the courage?" After everyone dispersed, the emperor suddenly said something meaningless.

"... If you are willing, my slave, please give me your orders!" Wang An was stunned for a moment, and then agreed without asking anything.

"Hehehehe, this is right. I think you were very courageous when I was the prince. None of the eunuchs and maidens who died suddenly in Jingyang Palace could not do without your methods. You were not timid when you arrived at the East Palace, facing Chen Ju I can still get my annual salary back. Now that I am the emperor, I shouldn’t be afraid. What’s the point?”

Seeing Wang An's performance, a smile appeared on the emperor's face, but he did not say what risks he would take, but recounted the previous moments.

"As long as the Long Live Lord is of use, I am willing to fight with my own body, even to the death!" The more this happened, the more nervous Wang An became, mainly because he could not understand what the Emperor was going to do.

But one thing he felt was that the emperor must have something big to entrust him with, something that he couldn't even hide from. At this time, there was no other option but to bite the bullet and go up. The consequences of losing the emperor's chain at the critical moment would be disastrous.

"Get up first, sit tight and listen! In fact, it's not that dangerous. Just keep your heart. I plan to lead the troops to meet with Nurhaci for a while to see what they are capable of and dare to call themselves emperors. This time I'll be away for at least a few months, or at most three or four months. I need you to take charge of the overall situation and take care of my home!"

"Long live my lord, you must not do it! I am willing to lead the troops to Shanhaiguan, and I will not let the prisoners advance even if they are broken into pieces!" Wang Angang had not yet stood firm when he stood up, but he immediately knelt down again after hearing the emperor's words. Good guy, the emperor is marching in person, this is like the sky is falling.

When people are excited, their voices will be louder, but at this time, such topics cannot be heard by outsiders, so they must keep their voices down. It was hard to hold back this energy, which made the facial features on an old face become a little distorted.

"What are you doing? You're going to bite someone! Wang Chengen, stand closer. If he pounces on you, you should block it for me first!" This expression really frightened Hong Tao, and then Wang Chengen was unlucky and became a human shield.

"Long live my lord, the government has not returned to its original position at this time, and the promotion of the New Deal in Shandong and Zhili is at a critical juncture. You can't do without it!" Seeing the emperor's behavior, Wang An knew something was wrong.

This Long Live Lord is a standard smiling tiger. He can still discuss things when he speaks with a straight face. Once his fat face is covered with a harmless smile, it proves that he has made up his mind.

However, you still have to persuade out of loyalty, but you have to pay attention to some strategies. For example, using the court battles and the New Deal, which the emperor is most worried about, as reasons, the chance of success will be higher.

(End of this chapter)