Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 145 Puppet King! Please order and don’t skip the series!

Qianqing Palace.

"Did he really negotiate it? How did he do it?"

Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun couldn't help but feel weird after learning about this "good news" from North Korea.

Are all Japanese slaves fools? Did everyone really believe Zhang Chonghui’s lies? Are you going to wait until the Ming Dynasty sends troops before you get beaten?
"Replying to the emperor, perhaps..." Chen Ju didn't know how to answer such a ridiculous thing, so he could only reply:

"Your Majesty, the negotiation has been completed anyway. Our purpose of 'delaying' has been achieved. The process is actually not that important."

"That's what I said, but..." Zhu Yijun always felt that something was wrong, so he asked again: "Is there any special news from Luo Sigong?"

"Your Majesty, Luo Sigong has written back, but I haven't found any special news." Chen Ju replied uncertainly:
"That is to say... the relationship between Zhang Chonghui and Shen Weijing seems not to be harmonious. They always mock each other in front of the King of Korea and the ministers."

"What a shame!" Zhu Yijun said unhappily: "The family scandal cannot be made public. What are they going to do? Let Luo Sigong take care of them! Don't let them stay in the vassal country and disgrace the Ming Dynasty!"

"My slave, I obey." Chen Ju replied respectfully. In fact, he had already replied to Luo Sigong based on this idea.

At this moment, Chen Ju did not dare to ask any more questions. He was busy retreating after receiving the order.

Zhu Yijun looked at Chen Ju, and for the first time he reprimanded this old eunuch who was often deaf: "Are you deaf?"

Facing Guo Zhengyu's loud accusation, Wang An, the eunuch serving Zhu Changluo on the side, looked troubled, as if he had something to say but did not dare to say it.

"Back to your Majesty, His Royal Highness has been concentrating on studying recently and is very well behaved." Chen Ju answered truthfully.

How could Guo Zhengyu not understand such an answer like "There is no three hundred taels of silver here".

In the twentieth year of Wanli, September 17th.

For Zhu Changluo, the eldest son, Zhu Yijun actually hoped that he would not be so sensible and be more naughty and mischievous.

Looking at the back of Guo Zhengyu leaving angrily, Zhu Changluo was still very moved. After all, he was the 'only' gentleman who dared to 'stand up' for him.

In fact, Chen Ju lied because he hid the fact that Zhang Jianxiu suddenly became afraid of his nephew for some reason.

"What's going on? Is this how you serve His Highness the Crown Prince? It's so cold in the palace, and you don't even know how to light a charcoal fire?"

A Qianhu ran quickly and reported to the center of the crowd, a burly general filled with a murderous aura:

"Admiral Li!"

Looking at the clothes that were a little tight on the little prince's body, one could tell that they were worn many years ago.

Because only in this way, Zhu Yijun could logically depose Zhu Changluo as the crown prince, and then openly and honestly make his favorite Zhu Changxun the crown prince.

Guo Zhengyu immediately guessed the answer. He squatted down, pressed the little prince's shoulder and asked with concern:

……

Chen Ju, who was single-minded, also had to "deceive the emperor" so that his majesty, the emperor, could not "think too much" and had to make his own decisions.

"Ah... ah?" Chen Ju almost thought he heard wrongly, and asked again, "Your Majesty, do you think I should give you a heavy reward?"

"Your Highness, tell me the truth, is there someone bullying you in private? Treating you harshly? Not even giving you charcoal?"

Chen Ju thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Back to your lord, it's gone."

Although it is outrageous to reward deputy envoys for their meritorious service and reward official posts, it is not impossible... right?

Looking at the little prince again, he looked panicked now, as if he was afraid of something and didn't dare to say anything.

"Wait!" Zhu Yijun called to Chen Ju who was about to leave, and asked: "What's going on with the eldest son of the emperor recently?"

Looking at the cold hall and the eunuchs and maids who were also wearing thin clothes, Guo Zhengyu was almost certain that Concubine Zheng must be giving instructions behind this!
"Vicious woman!" After Guo Zhengyu gritted his teeth and said these two words, he really couldn't stand it anymore and decided that he must write a memorial to impeach Concubine Zheng when he got back!

……

After a long while, Zhu Yijun suddenly said: "There should be reward for merit. Since Zhang Chonghui has made merit, let's reward Shen Weijing with the official position of a 'guerrilla general'. After all, he is also the chief envoy of our Ming Dynasty, so he must have an official position."

However, it turned out that Zhu Yijun was not very happy and even a little irritable.

"Wang An, go and light the charcoal fire." Zhu Changluo ordered calmly: "Don't use red charcoal, ordinary black charcoal will do."

……

Guo Zhengyu left, and before leaving, he said to Zhu Changluo: "Prince, don't worry, as long as the master is here, no one can bully you anymore!"

His son studies hard and is well-behaved. As a father, Zhu Yijun should be happy.

Ningxia City.

The 'someone' in Guo Zhengyu's words is obviously, who else could it be besides the notorious Concubine Zheng?
Facts have proved that Guo Zhengyu 'seemed' to have guessed correctly. The little prince shook his head like a rattle and said while shaking it:
"Master Guo! No! No one treats me harshly! I'm not cold either!"

East Palace.

However, after being moved, Zhu Changluo's expression, which was originally full of panic and fear, gradually became colder.

Guo Zhengyu, who was the prince's lecturer, was very angry at this time because he was surprised to find that all his prince's students had runny noses from the cold, but the palace servants serving the prince around him all looked like they were dead and did not move at all!

From March, the Ming army surrounded Ningxia City, and on September 9, the Ming army captured the south gate. After a six-month siege, Ningxia City was finally broken!
At this time, the city was in a mess. There were traces of being soaked by the flood everywhere. The collapsed houses and the corpses of the 'Giant Temple' were soaked. The scene was so tragic that it was like purgatory on earth!
However, this kind of scene seems to have become a habit for the soldiers and generals who have been on the battlefield for a long time. Everyone is expressionless, ruthless and numb.

However, Zhu Yijun, who has been held in the palm of his hand since he was a child, does not know that children who are not loved do not have the "capital" of being naughty. It is already very rare for them to be able to live a difficult life.

How could Guo Zhengyu, who had a strong sense of justice, not be angry at this moment?

"Is there anything else?" Zhu Yijun asked again.

After learning that there was no news, Emperor Wanli seemed a little bored. At the age of 30, he suddenly picked up his fingers like a child, with a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he was considering something.

"Kai Bai surrendered! Kuai Bai said that he was bewitched by villains to rebel! He also killed Xu Chao and Liu Dongyang! And also 'thrown' their heads out! All he wanted was for the imperial court We can save him and his family’s lives!”

Upon hearing such news, before the boss, 'Admiral Li', could say anything, the Ningxia commander 'Ma Gui' complained first and said:

"Bah! Surrender? The city is ruined! Now you think of surrender? Kuaibai really knows how to daydream!"

Ma Gui finished complaining, but the atmosphere at the scene became tense. Everyone present said nothing and did not dare to make any move.

Realizing that something was wrong, Ma Gui, who belatedly realized that something was wrong, was instantly sweating. He almost forgot that there was an arrogant and violent 'Admiral Li' beside him!

Recalling the scene when Admiral Li scolded him so much when he first arrived in Ningxia City, Ma Gui's knees were so weak that he dismounted his horse and half-knelt down to beg for mercy:
"This is a low-ranking official who speaks without restraint! Please be punished by the admiral!"

Just when everyone thought that 'Li Rusong' would yell at Ma Gui and punish him, the usually irritable admiral changed his mind and ignored Ma Gui. He even calmly said to the thousand households:
"Surrender? Okay. As long as they put down their weapons and surrender, their lives can be spared."

The Admiral, who had always killed without blinking an eye, suddenly became so 'gentle', and everyone was shocked!

The Qianhu was also shocked after hearing the order, but he did not dare to ask any more questions. He hurriedly accepted the order and went down and did what he was told.

Just when everyone was shocked that the Admiral had changed his temper, Li Rusong's next move was unexpected and even more predictable!
Li Rusong's eyes suddenly turned cold. He swung the saber in his hand, and with the sound of the sharp blade piercing the air, he ordered fiercely:

"Give me the order. After collecting the weapons of the 'traitors', surround Kuaibai's house and set it on fire!"

"Not even one! Not allowed to stay!"

surrender?

What the hell are you doing already?
……

At the same time, Uiju, North Korea.

King Li Huo of North Korea received 'condolences' from the Jurchen leader of the Jianzhou Guard, Nurhachi.

Nurhaci said that after paying tribute to the horses to the Ming Dynasty, he heard about the Japanese invasion of North Korea.

Nurhachi even expressed that he was "very willing" to send his 30,000 to 40,000 brave and capable cavalry and 40,000 to 50,000 to 50,000 infantrymen to assist North Korea!
Receiving such a "heartwarming" and "intimate" condolence, the King of North Korea, Li Xin, was so moved that he almost cried.

After all, these are thirty to forty thousand cavalry! Forty to fifty thousand infantry! Rounding it all up, that’s a full 100,000 soldiers!

In comparison, the Ming Dynasty, the suzerain country, was really unscrupulous. It took several months to send so many 3,000 people.

Look how generous Nurhachi is? One hundred thousand people at once!
Li Huo was so excited that he even wanted to 'accept' this 'gift' from Nurhachi!
However, this "merciful" monarch who was famous for his hard work and frugality was still too "young" after all, and his "acceptance suggestion" was refuted by his Prime Minister Liu Chenglong.

"A 'neighbor' who we don't even have much of a relationship with on weekdays suddenly sends such a generous gift. Your Highness, don't you think it's strange?"

Liu Chenglong was not polite to his king. After all, this was a major military matter. Although he respected his king, the ability of his king... he was still very good... Although Li Huo was a bit mediocre as a monarch, he You are not a fool. Why don't you know that there is no such thing as "freedom of pie"?
But Nurhaci is willing to take the initiative to send troops, and does not want the free 'coolies'. What a pity?
However, Li Huo's idea was eventually opposed by Liu Chenglong and other ministers.

Although Li Huo was the king, he still couldn't defeat his ministers. In desperation, he had to give up...

In this regard, Li Huo and his overlord, His Majesty the Wanli Emperor, have some similarities with each other.

It is worth mentioning that Li Hao's first name was Jun, Li Jun.

Well, that 'jun' of Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun.

The king of Korea, who succeeded the royal line as the "heir" of Mingzong of Joseon, faced the embarrassing position of being fully controlled and dominated by the "Shilin forces" both inside and outside the court as soon as he came to power.

In other words, it is not an exaggeration to say that Li Huan, the 'so-called' king of North Korea, is a 'mascot'.

Under the rule of this "Ruo You Ruo Wu" king, the Korean court was divided into Easterners, Westerners, Southerners, Northerners and other cliques.

At this point, fierce internal party disputes began!
There was chaos within North Korea, no, the Japanese slaves immediately took the opportunity to break in!
In fact, to a certain extent, North Korea at this time seems to be foreshadowing what will happen to the Ming Dynasty in the future.

After all, for an entire country, 'party strife' is often the biggest cause of the success of 'foreign races'!
Li Hao felt very uncomfortable, but he could only hold back the discomfort.

This industrious and frugal king of Korea, who had a palace but not much, had no choice but to come to the Yalu River to vent his anger.

Coincidentally, Zhang Chonghui, the deputy envoy of the Chinese Dynasty, was also blowing wind by the river.

Li Hao has always had a good impression of Zhang Chonghui, a young, handsome and tall deputy envoy.

In addition to the fact that the other party helped his country buy time to 'ease', Li Huo also had some sympathy for Zhang Chonghui's 'identity'.

"Deputy Envoy Zhang, I heard that your grandfather was Zhang Shoufu of the Celestial Dynasty?" Li Huo tentatively asked Zhang Chonghui.

Li Huo originally thought that Zhang Chonghui would resist such a topic. After all, it was related to the "black history" of his grandfather.

However, what Li Hao didn't expect was that Zhang Chonghui not only did not shy away from this topic, but even went along with the conversation and sighed melancholy:
"It's a pity that things have changed. Now my grandfather is just a criminal, and I am just a criminal. It is difficult to be recognized for his crimes and meritorious services."

When Li Huo heard this, he immediately understood what Zhang Chonghui meant when he said, "It is difficult and unrecognized to make meritorious deeds."

After all, the news that the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty had awarded Shen Weijing, the diplomatic envoy, the post of "guerrilla general" as a "reward" had already reached North Korea.

What is intriguing is that the deputy envoy Zhang Chonghui, who really made great contributions, did not receive any reward.

Many North Korean officials expressed their dismay at this, and some even speculated that Shen Weijing had taken credit for the work of deputy envoy Zhang Chonghui.

Seeing that the young deputy envoy was so sad, Li He comforted him in a warm voice: "I guess there must have been some misunderstanding. When you return to the Celestial Empire, the wise 'Long Live' will definitely remember your merits and reward you."

Zhang Chonghui smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I hope so, but it's a pity for my ancestors..."

As he said this, Zhang Chonghui suddenly stopped selling because someone was coming.

The person who came was Luo Sigong, who had been 'monitoring' Zhang Chonghui almost twelve hours a day.

Li Huo also saw the twists and turns in this, so he changed the subject and asked if the other party was still used to spending more on food and accommodation recently.

Zhang Chonghui didn't seem to want to "bringing the wind" anymore, so he handed him over and left, saying that he had left in advance.

Looking at Zhang Chonghui's hurried away figure, Li Huo couldn't help but feel a burst of emotion - it would be great if he could have a prime minister who was as resolute and outstanding as his grandfather, Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister...

For Li Huan, he had to be oppressed by his ministers anyway. It was better to be oppressed by capable and loyal ministers than by incompetent ministers who liked to fight among themselves.

After all, no matter what, it is much better than the situation of national subjugation he is facing now...

"Sigh... It's really a drought and a drought, and a flood..."

Looking at the Ming Dynasty Liaodong across the Yalu River, Li Huo looked melancholy and thought of his favorite Ming Dynasty storybook - "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Recalling the plot content in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Li Huo couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh:
"It would be great if I could have a good and long-lived father-in-law..."

"So what if I am Liu Chan? It is enough that the country is still alive..."

Helping the building to collapse? The ultimate in being a minister?

As for...good guys? Bad guy?

It's just a matter of suffering for the common people...

……

Li Huo may not be able to hope for the future father he wants. After all, he himself is already in his forties.

However, Li Hepan arrived with the reinforcements from the Celestial Empire that he had dreamed of!

In October of the 20th year of Wanli.

The Ming Dynasty ordered the admiral Li Rusong, who had just ended the "Ningxia Campaign", to go north to serve as prime minister of Ji, Liao, Baoding, and Shandong military affairs. He also served as the chief military officer of sea defense against Japanese invaders.

In addition, the Ming court also appointed Li Rusong's brother Li Rubai and Li Rumei as deputy chief military officers to lead the Ming army to North Korea.

In this war to aid Korea, the Ming Dynasty mobilized a total of about 40,000 elites from all over the country, mainly including: 10,000 Liaodong cavalry; 8,000 elite cavalry each from Xuanfu and Datong; 5,000 elite infantry each from Jizhen and Baoding; There are three thousand infantry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The Ming Dynasty also ordered Sichuan Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu Qing to lead five thousand Sichuan troops as a follow-up force to march towards North Korea!
……

The twentieth year of Wanli, the end of December.

Li Rusong led the Ming Dynasty army across the Yalu River, accompanied by Song Yingchang, the right minister of the Ministry of War and the current Korean economic envoy.

At the end of the new year, which is about to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, King Li Huan of North Korea and his subjects are finally looking forward to the arrival of the Chinese army!
However, when he learned that the Celestial Empire had only sent more than 40,000 people, and not all of them had arrived yet, Prime Minister Liu Chenglong's face turned green...

Forty thousand people? The Japanese army is said to have 200,000 troops!
No matter how brave the divine soldiers of the Celestial Dynasty are, they are not that brave, right? ?
Liu Chenglong was once again 'disappointed', but this was not the end, because he discovered that the chief general Li Rusong sent by the Celestial Dynasty this time was an extremely arrogant and arrogant person!

He is even dozens of times more arrogant than the deputy commander-in-chief Zu Chengxun who ran away before!
and……

The first thing this arrogant admiral did when he came to North Korea was to beat people.

The person who was beaten was none other than Zu Chengxun...

There is no other reason. Zu Chengxun suffered a huge defeat last time, not to mention running faster than a rabbit.

I don’t know if this veteran general is too old to be frightened. After he was chased and defeated by the Japanese army, he always told everyone about the weirdness of the Japanese army when he came back!
In addition, Zu Chengxun even added some fuel and jealousy by saying that the Japanese slaves were probably a group of mentally disturbed monsters!
As soon as this statement came out, the Ming troops who had just crossed the river couldn't help but panic when they heard it!
In this way, the morale of the army began to waver!

……

Inside the military tent.

At this moment, the commander-in-chief Li Rusong was discussing the next combat strategy with Song Yingchang, the military envoy, and the main generals under his command.

Outside the military tent, there was Zu Chengxun's heartbreaking roar of pain.

"Brother, why don't we forget it..."

Li Rubai finally couldn't listen anymore. After all, Zu Chengxun, who was being beaten with a stick outside, was once Li Chengliang's servant, and he was an elder who watched his brothers grow up.

Facing his brother's plea, Li Rusong glared at him coldly and said coldly: "You also want to get a stick?"

The fear deep in his bones made Li Rubai shrink his neck slightly, not daring to plead any more.

Li Rumei, who originally wanted to speak for Zu Chengxun, was so frightened that she shut her mouth. After all, for these younger brothers, the eldest brother Li Rusong is much scarier than the father Li Chengliang!
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting colder and colder, Li Rusong also knew that almost all the people present wanted to plead for Zu Chengxun.

Although Zu Chengxun was his uncle who watched him grow up, Li Rusong would never allow him to talk nonsense, exaggerate about Japanese slaves, and shake the morale of the army!
In order to prevent anyone from wanting to 'protect' Zu Chengxun, Li Rusong directly scolded the generals:

"Whoever dares to plead for Zu Chengxun again will be punished according to the principle of shaking the morale of the army! All will be punished with twenty military sticks!"

As soon as these words came out, the scene was solemn!

Anyone who dares to jump out now is seeking death.

Facts have proved that there are still people who seek death.

Because at this moment, someone came to report:

"Reporting to Admiral Li, Song Jinglue, Deputy Envoy Zhang is out seeking an audience."

"Deputy Zhang said... Commander-in-Chief Zu was probably wrongly accused..."

(End of this chapter)