Daming: My boss Zhu Yuanzhang

Li Wei's massacre made the ministers panic-stricken, and they hated and feared him as a king of a different surname.

Those who saw the opportunity early and established connections have since been actively trying to curry favor with those old subordinates who have connections with Li Wei, while those who have no channels are also trying hard to find ways to show their loyalty.

However, many people also turned their attention to Zhu Gang and Zhu Di who led the troops to besiege the city.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang in the imperial city was old and trapped in the enemy camp. If there was an accident, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, the two princes who held military power, would be the most powerful contenders for the throne.

Of course, according to the current strength, Li Wei is the strongest one, but he is just a son-in-law and has no qualifications to inherit the throne. If he wants to be emperor, he has to seize the throne, and he ends up being branded as a traitor and being reviled by others.

Of course, this is not absolute. As long as one can accomplish great things, even if he came to power by illegitimate means, he will still be a wise ruler respected by the people. Therefore, there are many people who will join him.

However, the ministers did not expect that the emperor who was gradually ignored in the palace was the real wise ruler!

In the Shen Ce Gate tower, Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao sat opposite each other and talked in low voices.

"Recently, several officials from the Ministry of Rites came to visit me. Do you think I should meet them?"

"Your Highness can hold a secret meeting with them and tell them to continue serving in the court. They will be of use in the future." Yao Guangxiao said softly.

Zhu Di frowned slightly when he heard this: "Why not recruit them directly? I heard that the King of Jin has already recruited many important officials in the court. Now is the season for recruiting people. I also want to recruit some talents for my own use."

Now Li Wei is no longer a talent, but he doesn't want to give up on other talents.

Yao Guangxiao paused and said in a deep voice: "Please forgive me for speaking frankly, but I'm afraid Your Highness has no hope in the battle for the throne. The King of Qin has made many mistakes, and His Majesty will not make him the crown prince. But even so, there is still the King of Jin standing in front of you. The King of Jin is as powerful as you, and he is your elder brother. You can't win over him, and..."

Zhu Di frowned slightly: "And what?"

"Moreover, I feel that His Majesty will not make him the crown prince. This crown prince position will probably end up being given to that little boy in the palace." Yao Guangxiao said leisurely.

Zhu Di was surprised and asked, "Are you talking about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's second son, Zhu Yunwen?"

"Not bad!" Yao Guangxiao nodded slightly.

"How can a young boy like him covet the throne? The situation is turbulent now, and my father will never be so foolish!" Zhu Di retorted.

Yao Guangxiao smiled slightly and was about to explain to him, but at this moment, a soldier rushed in.

"Report! Your Majesty, a large army suddenly appeared on the river. I roughly estimate that there are no less than 200,000 soldiers!"

Zhu Di was shocked when he heard this and stood up suddenly: "Did you see clearly which army this is?"

"Looking at the flags, it should be Duke Xin who is leading the army!"

"Xin Guogong Tang He?"

"Yes!"

Zhu Di was in doubt: "Didn't he return home to take care of himself? Why did he suddenly lead so many troops to Beijing? Did he rebel too?"

However, Yao Guangxiao shook his head and said, "No, I think His Majesty must have secretly ordered him to lead his troops to the capital."

Zhu Di turned his head and looked at him, and something suddenly occurred to him.

Although Tang He was also a founding hero and had a very high prestige in the army, it was impossible for him to mobilize such a large-scale army without an order.

"It seems that we have thought too much. Everything depends on your majesty's will." Yao Guangxiao sighed softly.

Before Tang He arrived, Li Wei had the strongest military force in the capital, followed by the 100,000 personal troops fully equipped with firearms, and finally the two vassal kings. As for Lan Yu's miscellaneous soldiers, they had been completely wiped out.

However, when Tang He arrived and brought such a large number of troops with him, plus his personal troops in the capital, Zhu Yuanzhang took absolute initiative.

Although Li Wei's soldiers were very powerful, they were no match for so many soldiers and could only break through and escape. As for the two princes, they could only obey their orders and not cause any trouble.

At the same time that Zhu Di received the notification, Zhu Gang, who was stationed at Jinchuan Gate not far away, also received the notification from his subordinates and was equally shocked.

Tang He's army soon arrived at the outer Jinchuan Gate, and Zhu Di and Zhu Gang had no choice but to welcome them together with Guo Ying and Zhang Long.

Tang He ordered his men to disembark and organize the troops, then he smiled and went forward to greet Zhu Gang and Zhu Di: "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, and to His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan!"

"You're welcome, Duke Xin."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di both put aside their own little thoughts and greeted Tang He with a smile on their faces.

As an old minister who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the world from the very beginning, Tang He had extraordinary qualifications and status, so the princes did not dare to be rude to him.

After Zhu Gang and Zhu Di greeted Tang He, Guo Ying and Zhang Long also greeted Tang He one after another.

"Duke Xin, was it my father's order that you bring so many troops to Beijing?" Zhu Gang asked directly.

Tang He put away his smile and said seriously, "Of course, His Majesty has issued a secret order, ordering me to mobilize the guards from Fujian and Huguang to Beijing. If Your Highness the Prince of Jin does not believe it, you can check it out."

As he spoke, Tang He took out the secret decree and seal for mobilizing troops that Zhu Yuanzhang had sent to him.

Zhu Gang took a look at it but did not take it. He said softly, "There is no need to check. We naturally trust you."

"Haha, then I would like to thank His Royal Highness Prince Jin." Tang He said, and then put away the secret decree and seal, and asked, "What is the situation in the capital now?"

Guo Ying replied: "The rebels led by Lan Yu, Li Shanchang and others have been wiped out, and they have all been brought to justice. However, most of the imperial palace is now under the control of Li Wei, so we dare not act rashly. In addition..."

Guo Ying paused, glanced at Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, and then continued, "His Majesty has ordered the two princes to hand over their troops to us, and then return to their fiefdoms."

After Guo Ying finished speaking, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di couldn't help but look a little embarrassed.

Tang He glanced at them and vaguely understood the hidden truth, but he did not point it out. Instead, he snorted coldly and changed the subject, saying, "Humph, Li Wei is really powerful now. He actually dared to do such a rebellious thing!"

"Isn't it? Father is the same. If he hadn't rashly agreed to Li Wei's request to take over the palace, we would have directly launched a siege and captured this kid long ago!"

Zhu Gang immediately said with some complaints.

However, Zhu Di, Guo Ying and others did not agree with his words. Zhu Gang had never fought with Li Wei and did not know how powerful he was. But they had all suffered losses at the hands of Li Wei!

Although Tang He did not know that Li Wei had invented a more powerful new firearm, he had at least fought against the Japanese together with Li Wei. He was deeply impressed by how Li Wei used firearms to defeat the Japanese army of 100,000 with less than 40,000 soldiers.

Although he prided himself on being an expert in battle, if he really faced Li Wei, he would have to rely on his absolute military advantage to fight him.

"Well, now that things have come to this, there is no need to say more. Let me go to the palace first to meet His Majesty and see what His Majesty's will is." Tang He said.

Everyone looked at each other and were a little surprised when they heard this.

"Duke Xin, you may not understand since you just arrived here. Although there are still imperial troops stationed in the imperial city, they are no match for Li Wei's men. Li Wei went on a killing spree some time ago, killing Mao Xiang who came to the palace to see the emperor, as well as many important officials in the court. Duke Xin has an important responsibility and should not take risks!"

Zhang Long advised.

Although most of the people killed in the past few days were those whom Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill, all the blame was placed on Li Wei. The soldiers who were confronting Li Wei were also terrified, fearing that one day when they entered the palace to face him, Li Wei would take the opportunity to murder them!

However, Tang He smiled lightly after hearing this: "It doesn't matter. Aren't you all here? If I really can't come back, you can command these troops." Although he did not have much contact with Li Wei, he still had a certain understanding of him. Of course, when they were in Japan, Li Wei tried his best to march quickly to rescue these old generals who were in the way at the last moment, which showed that he was not a ruthless and cruel person. He also heard a little about the reasons why Li Wei rebelled, so he was not surprised at Mao Xiang's death. As for himself, he felt that Li Wei would not kill him at will.

Guo Ying and Zhang Long tried to persuade him again, but Tang He still insisted on going to the palace in person, so they had no choice but to agree.

After temporarily handing over the troops to Guo Ying and Zhang Long, Tang He rushed to the palace with a few personal soldiers.

In the imperial city, Chen Su hurriedly found Li Wei, reported to him the news that Tang He had led his troops to the city, and asked anxiously:
"My Lord, do we need to do anything?"

After listening to Chen Su's report, Li Wei was also shocked and confused. He didn't expect that Zhu Yuanzhang had such an arrangement.

Now that Tang He had arrived with so many troops, the imperial court's military strength was nearly ten times that of his. With such a huge gap, even if he had powerful modern firearms, he could not win. In order to avoid running out of ammunition and being defeated, he could only break out and escape.

After thinking about it, Li Wei shook his head and said, "No, just let the soldiers strengthen their defense. As long as the imperial city is still in our hands, no matter how many troops there are outside, they will not dare to act rashly."

Now the only thing he can rely on is that the imperial city is still in his hands. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang is still in the palace, the troops outside will not act recklessly. Of course, the premise is that they cannot force Zhu Yuanzhang to fight them to the death.

Fortunately, he has now reached an agreement with Zhu Yuanzhang, so the situation will not come to a point where both sides will be destroyed for the time being.

But after hearing this, the worry on Chen Su's face did not diminish at all.

These old subordinates had all been hoping to send Li Wei to the throne, and then have them become dukes and marquises. Now that the court has increased its troops, it has undoubtedly created great resistance for them, which is not what they want to see.

Li Wei glanced at him, probably guessed what he was thinking, and said softly: "Don't think too much, just do as I say and strengthen your defense."

"Yes!"

Chen Su pondered for a moment, and could only agree respectfully, then turned around and walked away.

After he left, Li Wei sat alone in the room and began to ponder.

In fact, it is better to be like this now. Both sides have their own support and neither can do anything to the other. Chen Su and others who want to support him in seizing the throne can only stay put for the time being. This actually buys him more time to prepare.

However, just when he figured it out, Chen Su, who had just left, suddenly came back.

"Your Highness, Tang He is coming to the palace! This is a good opportunity, we can take him down directly!" Chen Su said excitedly.

Li Wei was slightly surprised, but then he shook his head and said, "The troops he brought have already arrived. Even if we capture him now, those troops will not disappear and will not be of much use at all."

Chen Su frowned slightly. He understood this, but he always felt unwilling if he did nothing. If Li Wei missed the opportunity to seize the throne, they would get nothing.

"Come on, follow me to meet this Duke Xin."

Li Wei stood up and smiled.

He and Tang He had some friendship. It was his timely support that saved Tang He and others during the war with Japan. Although this was caused by him, Tang He had to acknowledge this favor. After all, he could have ignored it.

"Yes!"

Chen Su bowed and said yes, then followed Li Wei out.

Outside the Meridian Gate, Tang He came to the gate with several personal soldiers, and then stepped forward to explain his purpose to the personal guards standing by, who then hurried into the palace to report.

While waiting to be summoned, Tang He looked up at Li Wei's soldiers guarding another army, especially the more sophisticated rifles in the hands of these soldiers, which made him look sideways frequently.

After a while, the guards had not returned yet, but Li Wei had already brought Chen Su to the Meridian Gate Tower.

After looking at the soldiers, Tang He happened to look up and saw him standing on the city wall. The two looked at each other, but neither said much.

Chen Su whispered beside Li Wei: "Prince, are you really not going to do it?"

Li Wei shook his head gently: "No need."

Upon hearing this, Chen Su could only sigh helplessly.

After a while, the guard who had gone in to report came out hurriedly and said to Tang He, "His Majesty has spoken and summoned you to the palace for an audience."

"it is good."

Tang He responded and then stepped into the palace. Led by the guards, he went to the Wuying Hall where Zhu Yuanzhang was.

"See Your Majesty!"

When he entered the hall and saw Zhu Yuanzhang, Tang He immediately bowed respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the book in his hand, looked up at him, and said softly, "Are you here?"

"Yes, I have mobilized 200,000 troops from Huguang, Fujian and other places to garrison in Beijing, and they have all arrived now," Tang He said respectfully.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"It's not hard. Your Majesty has given the order, and I will do my best!"

"Haha, there's no need to be so polite, old brother." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

Hearing this, Tang He also relaxed a little and smiled a little, then asked: "Your Majesty, now that the army has arrived, what should we do next?"

Previously, the imperial court was short of troops and Li Wei occupied the imperial city, so Zhu Gang, Zhu Di and others did not dare to act rashly. But now with the troops he brought, the imperial court was confident that it could defeat Li Wei. Whether to fight or make peace depended on Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude.

"You don't have to do anything, just guard the capital." Zhu Yuanzhang said lightly.

Upon hearing this, Tang He immediately said respectfully, "Yes, I obey your order!"

"Yeah." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, and then asked, "What's going on outside now? Have the third and fourth brothers not left yet?"

"Not yet." Tang He did not hide it and replied directly.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face suddenly darkened and he snorted coldly: "Tell them to get out of here!"

"Yes, I will convey your majesty's will to them when I return." Tang He replied respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then his eyes softened, and he said softly to him: "This is probably the last time I will trouble you. We are both old. When this matter is over, I will give you some land and money, and you can return home to live out your years."

Tang He looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, and seeing his gentle eyes, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The political situation has been turbulent recently, and nobles have been killed one after another. Although he feels that his loyalty should win Zhu Yuanzhang's trust and he will not be eliminated, he is still somewhat worried.

Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude at this time undoubtedly showed him that he would not touch him, allowing him to completely put his mind at ease.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tang He bowed again to express his gratitude.

"No need to be so polite." Zhu Yuanzhang personally stepped forward and helped him up. (End of this chapter)