Great Ming: I, Zhu Di, Declare My Intentions to Seize the Throne from the Start!

The hall fell into silence for an instant.

The ministers looked up in astonishment.

Standing on the side of the hall, Lu Ben and Hu Weiyong, who also came to watch the ceremony, looked at each other calmly from the corner of their eyes, and then quickly moved away.

A hint of a smile appeared on the corners of the lips, and no one noticed it.

Not setting up a reserve for now?

That's a lot to say.

The grandson Zhu Xiongying was registered as the grandson from the age of ten.

The eldest son with upright roots.

According to the imperial ancestral system established by Emperor Zhu, after the new emperor ascends the throne, his grandson Zhu Xiongying will have an identity without any flaws.

He must be registered as the crown prince as soon as possible.

But now...

Lu Ben quietly clenched his fists to relieve the excitement in his heart.

good sign!

His gaze passed through the officials and looked at his grandson Zhu Yunwen who was standing next to Zhu Xiongying on the right.

…

At this moment, Zhu Di frowned and looked at Xiongying.

His lips moved, and in the end, he chose not to show any attitude on this issue.

Nothing else.

With his elder brother's attitude towards him, if he expresses his attitude on this matter, it will make the matter worse.

Although it is impossible to accurately judge why the eldest brother did not appoint the crown prince immediately.

But that's okay.

Could it be that during the Ming Dynasty, the eldest brother could appoint someone else as the crown prince?

It depends on whether they, Xiongying's uncles will agree or not.

certainly.

He was unable to express his opinion on whether to establish Xiongying as the crown prince immediately.

But it doesn't mean that he has no attitude.

Immediately, he cupped his fists and said: "Brother, the enthronement is over and the viewing ceremony is over. It is not convenient for me to be present next, so I will take my leave now."

That’s it.

Without waiting for Zhu Biao's consent.

Zhu Di waved his hands and turned around to leave.

Baiguan looked at Zhu Di with a cold face and left step by step.

At this moment, even the conservatives who hated Zhu Di, instead of rejoicing in his misfortune, looked grave.

Especially Hu Weiyong and Lu Ben.

Feeling Zhu Di's momentum that was no longer restrained for a moment.

Hu Weiyong and Lu Bencai calmed down and clearly realized one problem: Yanhua's huge influence on the position of the future prince of the Ming Dynasty!

Even if His Majesty really doesn't want to make Zhu Xiongying the crown prince.

But other princes in the prince's line.

Who can replace Zhu Xiongying?

Who can get the approval of Yanhua Zhu Silang?

If the crown prince appointed by His Majesty is not his grandson Zhu Xiongying.

Lan Yu and others were constrained by loyalty to the emperor and could not go too far.

But Yanhua Zhu Silang will probably raise an army, right?

‘Zhu Silang must be killed! ’

Lu Ben saw Zhu Di's back disappearing from the palace gate, with a dark face, gritted teeth and clenched his fists.

Zhu Silang will not die.

His grandson Yunwen couldn't even hope to become the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

I'm afraid that the day Yun Wen ascends the throne will be the time when Zhu Silang raises his troops to fight back to the Central Plains!

…

Zhu Biao frowned and stared at Zhu Di's back, his face not looking good.

…

"The grandson has not been appointed as the crown prince?"

"Prince, no, why doesn't Your Majesty appoint your grandson as the crown prince?"

"No, Taisun studied under King Yan. We all have seen what Taisun has done over the years. The biogas lighting project in Jinling City was built by Taisun."

…

On that day, the news that Xiong Ying was not appointed as the crown prince spread a lot in the mourning Jinling City.

The people showed great shock, confusion, and a little bit of dissatisfaction.

That night.

Lu Mansion.

After Lu Ben heard the butler's report and the public opinion in the city became public, he waved the butler away.

His face was very embarrassed.

Looking at Hu Weiyong, "I didn't expect that Zhu Xiongying has won so many people's hearts over the years. Even so, I am not afraid of Zhu Xiongying. No matter how powerful he is, he will be restrained by His Majesty. As long as Your Majesty is dissatisfied with him, that's fine." ”

"But Zhu Silang is our great enemy. Unless Zhu Silang dies, I am afraid that even if His Majesty really hates Zhu Xiongying, he will not dare to easily appoint Yun Wen as the crown prince."

Hu Weiyong glanced at Lu Ben.

He reminded: "His Majesty may not necessarily be disgusted with Zhu Xiongying. Perhaps, His Majesty is dissatisfied with this person who is more like Zhu Silang than his grandson, but it may not be to the point of disgust."

Lu Ben wanted to help his grandson become the heir apparent, and he almost went crazy.

He must pour a basin of cold water on Lu Ben.

Lest Lu Ben make any radical and risky moves.

As a result, all his plans failed.

"There is no rush as to who will be the crown prince. As long as our alliance against Yan continues to succeed, in the end, we will definitely be able to nominate one of our favorite princes to become the crown prince."

Lu Ben was slightly stunned.

He instantly understood that Hu Weiyong was reminding him.

Then he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Xiang Hu is right, if we kill Zhu Silang, we will prune the reformists in the court."

As long as these people are finished.

Zhu Xiongying not only lost his supporters.

Moreover, he will also stand on the opposite side of the prince.

In this case, Zhu Xiongying, the great grandson, would not be able to become the heir apparent even if he died.

By then, this Ming Dynasty will definitely belong to his grandson Yunwen.

"Hu Xiang, we must kill Zhu Silang. This is an excellent opportunity. Zhu Silang's family is all in Jinling and has become our prey. If we miss this opportunity, we will never have it again!"

Lu Ben looked at Hu Weiyong eagerly...

…

Zishi.

Zhu Di returned to Huitong Hall.

Stay outside the courtyard.

The Marine Corps officers on duty silently saluted Zhu Di.

Zhu Di also had a tired face, raised his hand in return, and warned: "Let the brothers take turns on duty, don't be too nervous, it's not the time to be nervous yet."

After saying that, Zhu Di walked into the other courtyard.

Miaoyun's room was lit with lights.

Zhu Di walked in.

He saw Xu Miaoyun, sleeping on the soft couch.

He walked over gently, just about to cover Xu Miaoyun with a blanket.

Xu Miaoyun was awakened. When she saw Zhu Di, she stood up and asked, "You're back? Who will watch over the funeral of my father, the emperor, and my mother tonight?"

Before the funeral.

All kings must keep vigil for Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying.

It took several months, so the brothers took turns.

Zhu Di sat down on the couch and took the tea cup handed by Xu Miaoyun, "Big brother will guard tonight. Big brother means, in order of eldest and youngest."

Xu Miaoyun nodded.

He stood up, prepared hot water for Zhu Di to wash, and asked: "Brother, why did you postpone the canonization of Xiongying as the crown prince?"

Zhu Di turned the tea cup, frowned in thought, shook his head and said: "I don't know, I have also analyzed it. First, the eldest brother may be doing it for Xiongying's good. Sitting in the position of the prince is a target."

"The current situation in the DPRK is different from that of my eldest brother."

"Next, the struggle between innovation and conservatism will definitely be fierce, and Xiongying's attitude in supporting innovation is actually clear at a glance. If Xiongying is appointed as the crown prince early, the conservatives' struggle against the reformists will inevitably point the finger directly at Xiongying. "

"From this point of view, it is not a bad thing for Xiongying to not be the crown prince for the time being."

After the court meeting, the second brother, the third brother, and the fifth brother complained about this.

He persuaded for this reason.

Xu Miaoyun came over with a warm wet towel.

Seeing Zhu Di in a daze, he asked, "What are the other reasons?"

Zhu Di came back to his senses, put down the teacup, took the towel, wiped his face, and said: "The other reasons may be because of me."

"1. Brother, let's be a little emotional and show it to me on purpose."

"two……"

Zhu Di paused again and pondered.

After a while, while wiping his hands, he said: "Eldest brother may really do something to us. If we now appoint Xiongying as his grandson, and when eldest brother makes some move against us, Xiongying will definitely object. Just imagine, a prince and a new prince Emperor, how bad and bad the political impact will be if there are fierce conflicts and disputes?”

Xu Miaoyun took the towel from Zhu Di's hand, turned around, and said calmly: "I know that you don't want to use the greatest malice to speculate on eldest brother, so when you said this, you hesitated and didn't want to say it, but I think the last one is the eldest brother. , the real reason for suspending the establishment of a reserve!”

【

】

Zhu Di was silent, staring blankly at the candles placed on the table.

…

The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The funerals of Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were carried out in an orderly manner, with Zhu Di taking the lead, Zhu Xiongying as the assistant, and the uncle and nephew taking care of it.

A fleet consisting of sixteen ironclad ships and sixteen steam-powered transport ships.

Appeared at the mouth of the Songjiang River in the Ming Dynasty.

Song Sansi, the commander of the Songjiangkou Navy and the son of Song Zhong, approached in an animal-powered sailing hybrid naval flagship.

Board the deck of Yanhua Fleet.

After saluting each other.

Xu Xianchang explained the purpose of his visit, "Song Tongzhi, we came back with the prince. The prince returned to Jinling by railway in Fujian and ordered us..."

"The imperial court is already aware of this matter." Song Sansi said with a smile: "The imperial court has also sent the customs clearance documents. Xu Tongzhi can enter the inland at any time. I don't know whether Xu Tongzhi rests for a day at our Songjiangkou division camp, or now Shall we set off immediately?"

"If we set off immediately, I will escort Xu Tongzhi to Jinling."

After Yu Tongyuan was dismissed.

The Ming Dynasty Navy and the Chaohu Department have completely withdrawn from the Ming Dynasty Navy.

The most elite division commander of Songjiangkou was also convinced by Zhu Biao, and Song Zhong's son, Song Sansi, took over.

Yanhua's party already knew about this.

Of course Xu Xianchang knew it and said with a smile: "With the control of Laosong, let's set off immediately."

…

Woo woo woo...

The whistle blows.

Song Sansi took Xu Xianchang's flagship and accompanied him on the journey.

Xu Xianchang held up his telescope and looked toward the rear of the fleet.

A small hybrid ship slowly evacuated and headed towards the depths of the ocean.

Xu Xianchang frowned.

He always felt that there was something fishy about this boat.

Although we met near Songjiangkou.

But this small boat, after following it for a while, did not enter the Songjiang estuary. Instead, it turned around and left.

His whereabouts are very suspicious.

‘Perhaps, it’s because I have never seen a merchant ship from an armored fleet. ’

Xu Xianchang suppressed his uneasiness, put down the telescope, and chatted with Song Sansi to learn about the situation in Jinling.

…

Just when Xu Xianchang led the fleet and quickly approached Jinling.

That hybrid boat that left.

At two hours.

Appeared in the sea outside Songjiang Estuary, thirty miles away.

A strange fleet is docked in the distance.

A large ship larger than the Duke class, with a dark appearance.

On the deck, the artillery pieces exuded a biting coldness under the sunlight.

Ye Kai held up the telescope.

Standing on the bow of the deck, looking at the hybrid reconnaissance ship slowly approaching in the distance.

Soon, the scout ship approached.

A businessman boards the ship.

He bowed to Ye Kai and said: "General Ye, it has been found out that our naval fleet, under the command of Commander Xu, has entered the imperial inland canal."

Ye Kai opened the telescope and said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Yang."

The shipowner is an aborigine from Xu Fu Province.

My ancestors were from the Central Plains.

His surname is King Yang!

"Master Yang, next, we hope that you can take the goods to Jinling. Once something happens in Jinling that is unfavorable to our prince, you must find a way to rush out as soon as possible and bring us the news. We will be here There is a steam-powered reconnaissance ship left in the sea area. When you arrive, follow the agreed signal and light the smoke prepared on the ship..."

…

Woo woo woo...

After a while.

In the sound of sirens.

Prince Yang's boss stood on his merchant ship and watched the Duke-class, fully armored warship slowly set off for Ryukyu.

I couldn't help but sigh: "This is our Yanhua battleship!"

…

On the flagship.

The captains and staff of each fleet ship surrounded Ye Kai and asked in confusion: "General, why doesn't the prince let us go to Jinling?"

"Yes, just because our eight Duke-class iron-clad ships have gone to Jinling, they don't need Commander Xu's First Fleet to take care of them. The new emperor doesn't even dare to have any small thoughts!"

"You know, even though our fleet only has eight ships, in terms of combat effectiveness, Commander Xu's fleet, with twice the firepower output, might be able to barely equal us!"

…

Ye Kai turned his head and looked at his side. All his colleagues who were about the same age as him laughed and scolded: "Don't think I don't know. You want to drive our new generation battleship to Jinling City to show off!"

hey-hey……

Everyone laughed.

Ye Kai turned around with a smile, raised his binoculars, and looked in the direction of Songjiangkou.

The smile gradually disappeared from his face.

‘Commander Xu, please don’t make the wrong choice! ’

He didn't know why the prince asked Xu Xianchang to lead the team back to Jinling.

To be honest, he has never let go of his suspicion of Xu Xianchang.

For this reason, he wrote secret memorials many times to remind the prince.

…

As for their fleet.

It was built in a secret shipyard on the northern island of Xu Fu Province.

All colors.

A new generation of Duke-class ironclads!

Compared with the Marquis class of the First Fleet commanded by Xu Xianchang.

The hull is larger.

It is larger than the early Yanhua Duke-class and hybrid battleships.

The displacement reached 3,000 tons!

Fully enclosed.

The gun bay was completely eliminated.

There is no gun port on the hull.

All artillery pieces are mounted on the deck.

Two stepped decks.

Each ship has a total of forty-eight cannons!

Among them, twenty-four are super-large-caliber, new-generation naval guns.

Ten inches in diameter!

If a projectile of this caliber hits even a first-generation ironclad, one shot can make a hole in the hull.

Eight ships, with a total of 384 guns!

Not to mention the caliber, the number of artillery pieces alone has completely crushed sixteen ironclad ships.

Moreover, the artillery has been gradually modified into a new generation of breech-loaded artillery.

The advantage of breech-loading ammunition is that it fires quickly!

Up to two rounds per minute compared to front loading.

The rear loading can carry out four shellings per minute!

Of course, it is not without disadvantages.

The air tightness problem of the rear loader has not yet been completely solved, resulting in a doubling of the charge, but the range is not significantly improved compared to the front loader.

…

At the same time, the hull is not made of wood and covered with iron like the first-generation ironclad.

Many important parts such as the keel have been replaced with all steel.

…

In short, if Commander Xu really betrays Yanhua.

He is not afraid either!

The eight new-generation ironclad ships he commanded were enough to sink all sixteen First Fleet warships in the Qinhuai River.

Then bombarded Jinling City.

Rescue the prince!

…

Xu Xianchang did not know that there was such a fleet.

In the entire Yanhua, only two people know about it.

The warship was secretly built on the northern island of Xu Phuoc Province.

Even the supporting naval officers are retired navy officers who were secretly recruited by the Military Intelligence Department and sent to Xu Fu Province.

…

That evening.

Xu Xianchang commanded the First Fleet and arrived at Jinling Pier.

During the docking period.

Song Sansi took out an imperial edict in front of everyone, "Xu Tongzhi, your Majesty's imperial edict, Xu Tongzhi arrived in Jinling and went to the palace to see the prince immediately!"

"We are the Yanhua Navy. How can our commander go to see the new emperor first before he has met our prince? This is against the rules! We Yanhua are not vassals of the imperial court, let alone vassals of the imperial court!" Some generals immediately retorted with dissatisfaction. .

Song Sansi was unmoved, holding the imperial edict in one hand and staring at Xu Xianchang with a smile.

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