He walked inside while asking, "Are Dodo or Jirgalang making any moves?"
Wu Xia immediately said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it is in the South. Prince of Tang Zhu Yujian's forces launched a sneak attack on Fuzhou Prefecture, Prince of Lu Zhu Yihai's forces launched a sneak attack on Guangxin Prefecture."
Zhu Ci??
He went over personally and snatched the urgent report to take a look, only to find that it was indeed real; it was a message sent from the Ministry of War, it even bore the seal of the Censorate.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: It's one thing if I don't pay them any mind, but they actually have the audacity to come here and seek death! Angry Cat Draws Sword. jpg
Heiya, it's April Fools' Day! Here's a little red envelope~ May you be happy every day~
Next update at twelve o'clock noon~
Chapter 155
Zhu Ci was almost moved to laughter by sheer frustration.
After he had sent out two manifestos previously, although these two families were still bickering with each other, they were wise enough not to come and disturb him. Zhu Ci had thought that although they lacked foresight, they at least had some sense.
It seems he was too generous with his praise earlier.
He even hadn't expected that the two families, who had been cursing each other earlier, would actually join forces.
Zhu Ci did not believe these two families would join forces; at most, they might discuss a simultaneous sneak attack, but whether they won or lost after that would depend on their own abilities.
As their territories expand, disputes may even arise between the two sides.
It was obvious, however, that in their eyes, the greatest threat now was Zhu Ci.
Zhu Yujian and Zhu Yihai also did not expect this kid to be such a formidable fighter.
When they received the manifesto before, they all tacitly agreed to stop causing him trouble because they assumed Zhu Ci and his subordinates would be busy fighting the Qing Army.
If Zhu Ci leads his men to fight the Qing Army to the death, wouldn't they be developing quite well in the rear?
Especially Zhu Yujian; with Zheng Zhilong under his command, he basically never lacks money.
Zhu Ying had only just begun to develop his business and was already making money, whereas Zheng Zhilong had been a maritime merchant for many years.
Initially, they had predicted that it would be enough if Zhu Ci could barely hold onto Huaian, but unexpectedly, he fought all the way to Fengyang Prefecture, seizing back the entire Imperial Ancestral Mausoleum and Imperial Mausoleum to renovate them.
If it had just been that, it would have been one thing, but instead, the other party even found some sort of Heirloom Jade Seal and began promoting it extensively!
Whether it was Zhu Yujian or Zhu Yihai, both of them did not believe in the authenticity of the Imperial Jade Seal, or rather, they did not want to believe.
By what right? We are all princes and grandsons of the Zhu family, yet you can just casually step in and find the Imperial Hereditary Seal, while we work diligently here without seeing any way forward.
Of course, a single Imperial Jade Seal wouldn't be enough to make them take such risks; the main issue was that both Zhu Yujian and Zhu Yihai could see that once Zhu Ci conquered Xuzhou, his prestige would rise to an even higher level.
Never mind the future; even right now, their territory is nearly surrounded.
In the past, their northern territories were held by Zuo Liangyu and Li Zicheng, but after Zuo Liangyu was defeated and Li Zicheng surrendered, a vast area fell into the hands of Zhu Ci. How could they not expand their territory?
Especially since Zhu Yujian discovered that Zheng Zhilong was actually secretly corresponding with the Marquis of Huating, Fu Youshu, appearing to have intentions of defecting to Zhu Ci!
Once Zheng Zhilong surrendered, Zhu Yujian would have no room to struggle, he might find himself imprisoned within the high walls of Fengyang once again.
Most of his life was spent in captivity; he was imprisoned in the Prince of Tang's Mansion for sixteen years, later imprisoned within the high walls of Fengyang for another eight years.
Zhu Yujian was already terrified; he did not want to return to those dark, sunless days.
Therefore, he contacted Zhu Yihai in secret to decide to join forces, then bypassed Zheng Zhilong to issue orders directly to the grassroots officers, employing several tactics in the process.
He was the Emperor, after all. His subordinates were unaware of the situation between him and Zheng Zhilong; once they received the Imperial Decree and were hinted that they would be promoted upon success, they naturally went.
Not only did they go, but they also did so under the banner of Zheng Zhilong's forces.
When Zheng Zhilong found out, he was driven mad with rage. He indeed had intentions of surrendering, as a merchant, Zheng Zhilong had many eyes and ears; he received more accurate information regarding the matter of the Imperial Jade Seal.
Zhu Yujian was unwilling to believe it, but he believed it.
Has this Little Emperor suffered any setbacks against the Tartars on his journey? His greatest setback is that he has not yet conquered Xuzhou, it is only because winter has arrived that he has been forced to stop.
His intelligence network was much stronger than the Tartars'; at least regarding their understanding of the Young Emperor's regime, they were far superior to the Tartars. The Young Emperor was simply how they referred to Zhu Ci.
They did not want to acknowledge Zhu Ci's imperial position, but he had indeed inherited his father's throne and had a true legitimate successor to endorse him.
Whether they wanted to admit it or not, they had to, so in the end, the title of Young Emperor was created.
When he learned that the Young Emperor had ordered large items to be transported to Xuzhou, he had already guessed they might be cannons.
If it were just cannons, that would be one thing, but his men had also discovered that the Young Emperor's subordinates had recently produced a significant amount of firearms that were unlike anything seen before.
He tried to investigate further, but he could no longer gather any more information.
However, even news like this was enough to make Zheng Zhilong begin to consider his future direction.
He certainly had many men under his command, but no matter how many he had, could he ever outnumber the Tartars? The Tartars had already ravaged half of Great Ming's territory, had even entered Nanjing twice as if it were an uninhabited land.
If one had to say, his advantage lay in possessing a navy, he had no shortage of ships either.
But Fu also had no shortage of ships. Zheng Zhilong had always wanted to rule the seas and become the overlord of maritime trade, but he had Fu standing in his way.
Fu's business acumen was also quite impressive, his maritime trade flourished. The two of them had even clashed head-on once, with neither side gaining any advantage, eventually resulting in a stalemate where they both ceased hostilities and agreed not to interfere with one another.
But Zheng Zhilong could never swallow this grievance. Back when he had decisively crushed the Dutch fleet at Liaoluo Bay, Fu was still wet behind the ears; at that time, Zheng Zhilong had already established maritime hegemony over the surrounding waters.
At his most powerful, even ships without the Zheng family's signal flags were not permitted to pass.
Now, not only has a portion of his business been snatched away by Fu, but even the fleet under the Young Emperor has begun to threaten his own fleet.
But did Zheng Zhilong have a way? He had no way.
Previously, he had been able to suppress Fu, but now he could not suppress the Little Emperor and the Marquis of Huating, because their ships were all equipped with rockets!
At the mention of rockets, Zheng Zhilong's eyes gleamed with envy. If he possessed such weapons, why should he worry about being unable to dominate the seas once again?
At the time, he supported Zhu Yujian because he wanted to elevate his own status, but after several months, he gradually realized that Zhu Yujian was not cut out for the role.
Actually, to say that Zhu Yujian was a昏君 is not quite right; by all accounts, he was much better than that fool Zhu Yousong.
After Zhu Yujian ascended the throne, he was diligent in his duties and lived simply, strictly punished corruption, reduced taxes, appeased refugees, even sought to ally with rebels to resist the Qing. He also recruited talented individuals and treated meritorious officials with great care.
After he ascended the throne, Zheng Zhilong was directly enfeoffed as the Duke of Ping.
But the Young Emperor was even more formidable.
To be honest, the Young Emperor's reputation is indeed not good; he has a fierce temperament and is uncompromising.
Such a person did not seem suited to conquering the world, yet somehow, they always had a crowd of people surrounding them.
Zheng Zhilong couldn't understand at first why that Fu, who clearly looked ready to establish himself as a king, would still bow to the Young Emperor?
Later, he saw the Tartars retreating step by step because of the rockets, then he understood why Fu had bowed his head.
Zheng Zhilong had been somewhat unwilling and hesitant before; there was already a Fu with the Young Emperor, so even if he were willing to bow his head, would there still be a place for him?
The one who truly made him determined was Li Zicheng.
Previously, Zhu Yujian had always wanted to contact Li Zicheng to resist the Qing together, but before he could even make contact, he received news that the other had surrendered to the Young Emperor.
The Young Emperor not only refrained from stripping him of his princedom, but even went so far as to boldly provide him with ample provisions to continue his campaigns.
Regardless of the Young Emperor's reputation among the literati, his magnanimity was truly unparalleled, which also served as indirect proof that the Young Emperor certainly held other cards; otherwise, how could he have so boldly allowed Li Zicheng to continue leading his troops without having dispersed his army?
In other words, since the Young Emperor has even given Li Zicheng a significant role, there is no way he wouldn't give him a significant role as well, right?
Originally, Zheng Zhilong had intended to get in touch with Fu to give him a heads-up, or perhaps to inform the fleet leader, Zhu Ying, who was with the Young Emperor's fleet.
As it turned out, he never expected that Zhu Yujian would strike first!
After receiving the news, Zheng Zhilong rushed into the Imperial Palace immediately.
Zhu Yujian had known this day would come, said quite calmly, "What matter has caused Minister Zheng to lose his composure so?"
He was indeed out of line, lacking even the slightest bit of politeness; he had burst straight in without even waiting for the Eunuch to announce his arrival.
Zhu Yujian felt a surge of desolation in his heart. When Zheng Zhilong had supported him as Emperor, he truly believed that the Great Ming still had hope and that the future would be different.
But now.. the hope of Great Ming was not in his hands, in the future.. perhaps not long from now, he would have no future at all.
Zheng Zhilong looked at Zhu Yujian coldly and said, "What is it that Your Majesty seeks?"
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Sigh, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm is right here in my hands, so what are you going to do about it? A kitty hugging the Heirloom Seal of the Realm and rubbing against it. jpg
This chapter includes a little April Fool's Day red envelope~
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 156
Zhu Yujian said with a smile, "It is exactly as I told you before, my dear minister; we shall wait for the right moment to rise up against the Qing."
"Resist the Qing? Who is Your Majesty fighting?" Zheng Zhilong sat down unceremoniously, facing Zhu Yujian.
Zhu Yujian took a slow sip of tea and said, "Did you not also say before that these two places are my great-grandson's weakest points? What? Is it not suitable?"
Zheng Zhilong had already cooled his temper by this time, there was not a shred of respect left in his eyes for Zhu Yujian; he merely let out a cold laugh and said, "A trapped beast fighting for its life."
After speaking, he stood up and left.
He shouldn't have come to find Zhu Yujian from the very beginning; Zhu Yujian had already gone mad, what he needed to do now was to cut ties as quickly as possible.
Zhu Yujian looked at his back and said, "Does Minister Zheng intend to surrender? I'm afraid it is already too late."
Zheng Zhilong paused, turned to look at Zhu Yujian, asked, "What have you done this time?"
Zhu Yujian smiled faintly and said softly, "The fleet of my great-great-grandson might encounter some setbacks."
Zheng Zhilong looked at him and said slowly, "Fine, that is very fine."
Zhu Yujian acted as if he hadn't noticed Zheng Feihuang's suppressed emotions, simply asked, "Zheng Feihuang, are you truly content to live under someone else's command? You and Fu are only in a temporary truce; now that Fu has better firearms in his hands, do you think he won't turn against you? If you intend to surrender, have you considered how much you will have to give him when the time comes? Fu.. is Zhu Xinghuo's number one confidant; how can you compete with him?"
Zheng Zhilong slowly turned around, walked back, sat down, said, "Even the Tartars are no match for them; do you truly believe you can manage it, Your Majesty?"
“How can we know without trying?” Zhu Yujian said nonchalantly. “In any case, the worst that can happen is that we surrender in the end.”