Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

Back at the residence, Zhu Kai and Gu Wen analyzed the situation.

Gu Wen said, "Your Majesty, this matter is becoming increasingly complicated. We must proceed with caution."

Zhu Kai said: "No matter who it is, as long as they break the law, I will never tolerate it."

At this time, Zhu Kai received news from the capital saying that Zhu Yuanzhang was dissatisfied with his actions in Jiangnan and believed that he was exceeding his authority.

Zhu Kai said helplessly: "I am wholeheartedly for the people, but I have been misunderstood."

Gu Wen comforted him, "Your Majesty, once the truth comes out, His Majesty will understand your painstaking efforts."

However, the investigation reached a deadlock, and the wealthy businessman began to transfer property and destroy evidence.

Zhu Kai said anxiously: "We can't let him succeed, speed up!"

At this time, a mysterious man found Zhu Kai.

The mysterious man said, "Second Prince, I can help you, but you have to agree to one condition."

The mysterious man said: "After this is done, please keep my family safe."

Zhu Kai thought for a moment and said, "As long as what you say is true, I will promise you."

With the help of a mysterious man, Zhu Kai finally found the key evidence and uncovered the conspiracy behind it.

It turned out that the person who colluded with the wealthy businessman was a cabinet minister in the court.

Zhu Kai returned to the capital with evidence and met Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Kai said: "Your Majesty, I have found out the truth about the incident in Jiangnan."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Tell me quickly."

Zhu Kai reported the whole story one by one.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious: "How dare you be so bold and reckless, I will never forgive you easily."

After Zhu Kai successfully solved Jiangnan's problem, before he had time to catch his breath, another difficult matter was placed before him.

A tribe on the northern border suddenly rose up and frequently harassed the border, burning, killing and looting, making the people miserable.

Zhu Kai volunteered in the court: "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the border to resist foreign enemies and ensure peace on the border of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated and said, "Kai'er, the journey to the border is long and dangerous. You must think carefully."

Zhu Kai said firmly: "Your Majesty, as a prince, it is my duty to serve the country."

Zhu Yuanzhang finally agreed, and Zhu Kai set off immediately with a team of elite soldiers.

On the way to the border, Zhu Kai discussed strategy with his generals.

The general said: "Your Majesty, the enemy is coming with great force this time, and we should not underestimate them."

Zhu Kai replied: "We need to understand the enemy's tactics and troop distribution before making any plans."

The general continued, "I heard that the enemy is good at cavalry and archery, and has great mobility."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment and said, "Then we must strengthen our defenses and not give them any chance to take advantage of us."

After several days of travel, Zhu Kai and his party finally arrived at the border.

As soon as he arrived at the border, Zhu Kai summoned local generals to understand the situation.

The local general said: "Your Majesty, the enemy has become more and more rampant in recent days, and our defense line was almost breached several times."

Zhu Kai said solemnly: "Pass on my order, strengthen patrols and keep a close eye on the enemy's movements."

One day, the enemy attacked again.

Zhu Kai personally went up to the city wall to command the battle.

Zhu Kai shouted loudly: "Soldiers, our homeland is behind us, we must not let the enemy take a step forward!"

The soldiers were greatly encouraged and fought bravely.

However, the enemy's attack was fierce, and for a while, there was a fierce battle on the city wall.

Zhu Kai said to the generals around him: "Send a team of elite soldiers to attack the enemy from the flank and disrupt their formation."

The general took the order and left.

After a hard battle, the enemy was finally repelled.

Zhu Kai said: "Although we repelled the enemy this time, we also suffered heavy losses. We must find a way to change the situation."

General C said, "Your Majesty, why don't we send someone to the enemy camp to gather information so that we can know ourselves and the enemy."

Zhu Kai nodded and said, "This plan is feasible, but you must be careful."

Soon, the spies brought back important information.

The spy said, "Your Majesty, there is a disagreement within the enemy army. Some generals advocate continuing the attack, while others want to seek peace."

Zhu Kai's eyes lit up: "This is our chance. Maybe we can disintegrate them from within."

Therefore, Zhu Kai decided to send an envoy to the enemy camp to try to persuade them to surrender.

When the messenger came back, he said, "Your Majesty, the enemy leader is adamant and unwilling to sue for peace."

Zhu Kai snorted coldly: "In that case, let's prepare for a decisive battle."

On the eve of the decisive battle, Zhu Kai boosted morale.

Zhu Kai said: "Tomorrow's battle is related to the peace of the people on the border. We must let the enemy know that the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are invincible!"

The soldiers shouted in unison: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

On the day of the decisive battle, the battlefield was filled with the sound of killing.

Zhu Kai led the charge.

Zhu Kai shouted: "Soldiers, follow me and kill!"

After a fierce battle, Zhu Kai's side finally won the victory and the enemy was defeated and fled.

Zhu Kai looked at the enemy troops retreating into the distance and breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Kai said to the generals: "This victory was hard-won. We must strengthen border defense to prevent the enemy from invading again."

Just when Zhu Kai was preparing to return to the capital, he received an urgent letter from the capital.

The letter said that someone in the court took advantage of his absence and falsely accused him of having his own army and intending to rebel.

Zhu Kai crumpled the letter into a ball angrily.

Zhu Kai said: "This bunch of treacherous villains actually framed me like this!"

Gu Wen said, "Your Majesty, we need to return to the capital as soon as possible and explain everything to His Majesty."

Zhu Kai said: "Okay, organize the troops and set off immediately."

Zhu Kai finally returned to the capital with a heart full of worry and fatigue.

As soon as he entered the city, he found that the atmosphere in the capital was extremely tense. People were whispering in the streets and alleys, and their expressions were complicated when they saw his team.

Zhu Kai returned to the palace, and before he had time to rest, he was summoned into the palace by Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face, and the ministers around him had different expressions.

Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly: "Zhu Kai, someone impeached you for holding your own army and intending to rebel. What do you have to say?"

Zhu Kai knelt on the ground and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you. I am going to the battle only to protect the peace of the border and I have no intention of rebellion."

The minister stood up and said, "Your Majesty, don't trust his one-sided words. He has a large number of troops at the border, which is extremely dangerous."

Zhu Kai glared at the minister: "You are slandering me. I, Zhu Kai, have devoted my life to the country. What crime have I committed?"

The minister also echoed: "Your Majesty, we must be cautious, just in case."

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Your Majesty, the heaven and earth can see my heart. I hope Your Majesty can see clearly."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then said, "I will trust you for now, but this matter needs to be investigated thoroughly."

Zhu Kai thanked him and returned to the palace.

Gu Wen asked anxiously, "My Lord, what's the situation?"

Zhu Kai sighed and said, "Although Your Majesty trusts me temporarily, this matter still needs to be investigated. I'm afraid someone will not let it go." Sure enough, in the following days, various rumors that were unfavorable to Zhu Kai continued to spread.

Zhu Kai said to his confidants in the mansion: "Someone must have deliberately framed me and wanted to kill me."

The confidant said: "Your Majesty, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to find a way to fight back."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment and said, "First find evidence of the mastermind."

After some secret investigation, Zhu Kai discovered that the mastermind behind all this was a prince who had always been at odds with him.

Zhu Kai gritted his teeth and said, "So it was him. For the sake of power, he would do anything to achieve his goal."

Zhu Kai decided to go to the palace again to present the evidence to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Kai said, "Your Majesty, I have found out that the false accusation was committed by that prince. Please make the decision for me."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the evidence and was furious: "How dare you frame my brother like this? It's really abominable."

The prince was brought to the palace and still argued: "Your Majesty, this is Zhu Kai's false accusation. He wants to eliminate dissidents."

Zhu Kai said, "Don't try to quibble. The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to deny it."

Zhu Yuanzhang finally found out the truth and severely punished the prince.

Although Zhu Kai was cleared of his grievances, after this incident he realized that the struggles in the court were becoming increasingly brutal.

One day, Zhu Kai and Gu Wen were walking in the garden.

Zhu Kai sighed, "In this game of power, if you are not careful, you will be doomed."

Gu Wen said: "Your Majesty, you need to be more careful in your future actions."

However, the storm did not subside.

Urgent news came from the border again, the enemy troops gathered again and were ready to take action.

The ministers argued endlessly in the court, some advocated peace talks, and some advocated sending troops.

Zhu Kai stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the enemy has bullied us too much. We must send troops this time to completely solve the border problem."

But some ministers objected: "The Second Prince has just experienced a storm, and it may be inappropriate to advocate war at this time."

Zhu Kai argued: "What's wrong with fighting for the country? If we don't repel the enemy, the Ming Dynasty will never have peace."

In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to let Zhu Kai go to war again.

Before the expedition, Zhu Kai said to his soldiers: "We will not return until we win this expedition, in order to repay your majesty's kindness and ensure the safety of the people."

The soldiers shouted: "We are willing to follow the prince to kill the enemy and defend our country!"

Zhu Kai led the army to the border again. Unlike the last time, the enemy seemed to be better prepared this time.

Zhu Kai discussed military intelligence with the generals in the tent.

The general said worriedly: "Your Majesty, the enemy's formation and tactics have changed a lot this time. We have to make a new battle plan."

Zhu Kai frowned and replied: "No matter how they change, we must adapt to the situation. Send out spies first and learn as much as possible about the enemy's situation."

The spy came back and reported: "Your Majesty, the enemy has acquired many new sophisticated weapons, and their food and grass reserves are also sufficient."

Zhu Kai pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that they are well prepared. We can't fight them head-on."

At this time, the army was facing a shortage of food and fodder.

The official in charge of grain and fodder said, "Your Highness, the grain and fodder transportation in the rear has been attacked by the enemy, and the supply can't keep up."

Zhu Kai slammed the table in anger and said, "Strengthen the troops to escort the food and fodder. We must not let the food and fodder problem affect the war situation."

In the difficult situation, the morale of Zhu Kai's troops was somewhat low.

A soldier said to his companion: "This battle is too difficult. I don't know if I can return alive."

His companion encouraged him, "Don't be afraid. With the prince here, we will definitely win."

After Zhu Kai learned about the soldiers' mood, he went to the army in person to boost morale.

Zhu Kai said loudly: "Soldiers, we are fighting for the glory of the Ming Dynasty and for our relatives in our hometown. Difficulties are only temporary. As long as we unite as one, we will surely defeat the enemy!"

The soldiers shouted in unison: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

After several days of observation and thinking, Zhu Kai came up with a plan to defeat the enemy.

He said to his generals: "We will pretend to retreat, lure the enemy to pursue us, and then set up an ambush."

The generals expressed their agreement.

The battle began, and Zhu Kai's army pretended to retreat as planned.

The enemy leader laughed triumphantly and said, "Haha, Zhu Kai is no better than this. Chase him!"

When the enemy entered the ambush circle, Zhu Kai gave an order and the ambushers sprang up everywhere.

Zhu Kai shouted: "Kill!"

For a moment, the shouting and killing were deafening and the enemy army fell into chaos.

After a fierce battle, Zhu Kai's army achieved a phased victory.

However, the enemy did not give up. They regrouped and prepared to attack again.

Zhu Kai discussed countermeasures with Gu Wen in the tent.

Gu Wen said: "Your Majesty, although we have won the victory, we have also suffered heavy losses. What should we do next?"

Zhu Kai said: "We must find a way to cut off the enemy's food supply, so that they will fall into chaos without fighting."

So Zhu Kai sent out an elite force to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's food and forage camp.

The unit successfully completed its mission and the enemy's food supplies were burned.

Panic and confusion began to appear among the enemy troops.

Zhu Kai took the opportunity to launch a general attack and eventually defeated the enemy completely.

When the news of victory reached the capital, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Zhu Kai is indeed a loyal and capable general of the Ming Dynasty."

When Zhu Kai returned to the capital, the people of the capital lined the streets to welcome him.

Zhu Kai was commended by Zhu Yuanzhang in the court.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Zhu Kai, you have made great contributions this time, I will reward you handsomely."

Zhu Kai knelt down to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty. This is all thanks to the soldiers."

However, Zhu Kai's achievements aroused the jealousy and fear of some other ministers.

Minister C said to Minister D in private: "Zhu Kai is now too powerful to be a threat to the emperor, which is not good for us."

Minister Ding echoed, "We have to find a way to weaken his power."

They advised Zhu Yuanzhang that Zhu Kai's prestige in the army was too high and might pose a hidden danger.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Zhu Kai in his heart, he couldn't help but have some doubts.

Zhu Kai noticed the change in Zhu Yuanzhang and felt helpless.

Zhu Kai said to Gu Wen: "Being with the emperor is like being with a tiger. We must be more careful."

Zhu Kai knew very well that Zhu Yuanzhang's doubts might bring him great trouble, so he decided to take the initiative to resolve the crisis.

He first found Zhu Yuanzhang and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I know that my achievements may have caused some unnecessary suspicion, but my loyalty to Your Majesty has never changed. I am willing to resign part of my military power to reassure Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly moved after hearing this, but still did not express his opinion.

Zhu Kai returned home and discussed countermeasures with Gu Wen.

Gu Wen said, "Your Majesty, this move may temporarily ease your majesty's doubts, but those ministers with ulterior motives will probably not give up."

Zhu Kai frowned and said, "I understand, but for now I can only stabilize the situation and then look for an opportunity to prove my loyalty."

At the same time, those ministers who were jealous of Zhu Kai continued to fan the flames in the court.

Minister C said: "Your Majesty, although Zhu Kai has voluntarily resigned some of his military power, his influence in the army is still there and we must guard against it." (End of this chapter)