Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Chapter 890 Raid on the granary! A distinguished person meets the emperor

Zhu Han heard this, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes: "What a great opportunity! General Zhang, you immediately lead the elite troops to attack the enemy's granary at night, and make sure it succeeds in one fell swoop. At the same time, strengthen the defense of the camp to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the opportunity to enter."

General Zhang took the order and left, while Zhu Han continued to deploy other defensive measures.

In the capital, General Zhao was anxiously waiting for news from the border. Suddenly, a messenger rushed in with a secret letter in his hand. General Zhao took the secret letter, opened it quickly, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

"Good news! We have received good news from the border. Our army has successfully destroyed the enemy's granary. The enemy's morale has been greatly reduced and they are considering retreating." General Zhao excitedly handed the good news to his trusted aide beside him.

The trusted staff received the victory report and showed joy after reading it carefully: "This is really great! Your Majesty's heroic command at the border has finally won us victory. We must quickly pass this news back to the border to boost morale."

Zhao Canjun nodded in agreement and ordered: "Ride as fast as you can and send the victory report to the border. At the same time, strengthen the defense of the capital to prevent Zhu Di from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos."

At this time, there was a gentle knock on the door outside the study. General Zhao retracted his thoughts and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The door slowly opened, and a staff member who was responsible for contacting the clean-minded people came in. He looked a little anxious, and walked quickly to General Zhao, bowed and said anxiously: "General, the morale of the clean-minded people has been greatly boosted after receiving the victory news from the border. They are preparing a large-scale rally to petition Your Majesty in the court, requesting severe punishment for Zhu Di, and at the same time further supporting His Royal Highness Prince Han."

Upon hearing this, General Zhao frowned slightly and nodded: "This is a great thing. The power of the clean people cannot be underestimated. Their support is crucial to us. You go there immediately and help them prepare for the rally to ensure that everything goes smoothly."

The staff received the order and wanted to leave, but Zhao Canjun added: "Also, at the meeting, we must emphasize His Royal Highness Prince Han's loyalty and support for the Crown Prince, so that His Majesty can see that His Royal Highness Prince Han is not only working for the interests of the country, but also for the future of the Crown Prince."

The aide bowed and agreed, then turned and left. Officer Zhao looked at his departing figure, thinking to himself that every step in this power struggle must be taken with caution, as the slightest mistake could lead to a complete loss.

At the same time, in Zhu Di's mansion, the atmosphere was equally solemn. Zhu Di sat in his study, frowning, playing with an exquisite jade ring in his hand, and remained silent. Seeing this, the young counselor stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, the situation on the border is not favorable to us. How should we deal with it?"

Zhu Di slowly put down the jade ring, his eyes flashing with a hint of ruthlessness: "The defeat on the border is only temporary, our real battlefield is in the court. Pass the order down, tell the generals on the border not to be too attached to the battle, conserve their strength, and wait for the opportunity to counterattack."

The young strategist nodded in response, but he still had doubts in his heart: "Your Highness, the upright people in the court and the courtiers loyal to the crown prince are closely united around King Han. How can we disintegrate their alliance?"

Zhu Di sneered: "Disintegrate the alliance? That will take too much time. What we need to do is to directly attack their core - King Han himself. As long as King Han falls, those so-called alliances will naturally collapse."

The old counselor added: "Your Highness is right. But King Han has a deep foundation in the court. We need to find his fatal weakness and strike him with one blow."

Zhu Di nodded in agreement, and then ordered: "Continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, especially the investigation into the relationship between Prince Han and important officials in the court. At the same time, prepare some 'evidence' that is unfavorable to Prince Han. If necessary, you can throw it out in the court to make His Majesty and the officials suspicious of Prince Han."

The old and young counselors took orders and left, and the study returned to peace. Zhu Di sat alone at his desk, thinking about his next action plan.

In the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting in the imperial study, reading the battle report sent from the frontier, with a frown on his face. At this time, a eunuch hurried in and bowed to report: "Your Majesty, the nobles request to see you, and they have important matters to discuss."

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the battle report and said in a deep voice: "Call them in."

Soon, several noble men entered the imperial study. After bowing, one of the elders said, "Your Majesty, there is a good news from the border. Our army has successfully destroyed the enemy's granary, and the morale has been greatly boosted. This is the result of the wise command of His Royal Highness Prince Han. We have come to congratulate Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, his eyes deep: "I already know about your achievements in the frontier. But the situation in the court is complicated. I hope to see that all of you can work together to seek common interests."

The upright people all expressed their agreement and took the opportunity to make suggestions to Zhu Yuanzhang, asking him to severely punish corruption in the court, strengthen the education of the crown prince, and consolidate the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang listened to them one by one, but did not express his opinion immediately. He just said in a deep voice: "I have kept your words in mind. I will make a decision after careful consideration."

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang did not give a clear answer immediately, the upright people exchanged worried glances. The elder spoke again, his voice earnest: "Your Majesty, corruption is rampant in the court and has seriously eroded the foundation of our Ming Dynasty. If it is not rectified in time, it may endanger the safety of the country. We implore Your Majesty to put the overall interests of the country first and punish severely."

Another upright person took over the conversation, his tone firm: "Your Majesty, His Highness Zhu Han fought bloody battles on the frontier to protect this land and let the people live and work in peace. If the court is not honest and upright, how can it be worthy of the sacrifices of the soldiers on the front line?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned upon hearing this, and after a moment of contemplation, he slowly said, "How could I not know what you are saying? However, the affairs of the court are complicated and cannot be solved overnight. I need to plan carefully to eradicate the corruption in one fell swoop."

At this time, a relatively young and upright person stood up, with a bit of urgency in his voice: "Your Majesty, we are willing to help you solve your problems. I suggest that a special agency be established to monitor all officials and investigate corruption. At the same time, the legal system should be strengthened so that corrupt people will have nowhere to hide."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes: "Your suggestion makes sense. I will seriously consider it. However, this matter is of great importance, so we must act cautiously and not act too hastily."

The upright people were relieved to see Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude soften. Although they did not get a satisfactory answer immediately, at least their determination and sincerity have been shown to His Majesty.

"Your Majesty is wise." The elder bowed and saluted, "I am willing to serve your Majesty and work together for the future of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his hand slightly, motioning them to stand up: "Your loyalty is commendable, and I am very pleased. After I have made careful plans, I will discuss the major plans with you."

The upright people withdrew after receiving the order, their hearts full of expectations and visions for the future. As long as His Majesty can make up his mind, they will be able to eliminate corruption for the Ming Dynasty and restore the government to a clean and honest state. At the same time, in Zhu Di's mansion, the atmosphere was equally tense and solemn. Zhu Di sat in the study, holding a jade ring tightly in his hand, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

"Your Highness, the defeat on the border is inevitable. We need to adjust our strategy as soon as possible." The young strategist stepped forward and whispered, "I think we can temporarily abandon the offensive on the border and instead concentrate our efforts on making arrangements in the court."

Zhu Di nodded slightly, and said in a low voice: "That's right. The border issues cannot be resolved overnight. We need to shift our focus to the court and look for the flaws of King Han."

The old counselor added, "Your Highness, I think we can secretly collect the correspondence between King Han and the important officials in the court to find evidence against him. At the same time, we can use the contradictions between the upright people and King Han to create a public opinion offensive."

Zhu Di heard this and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes: "This is a great plan. Although the Qingliu people have no real power, they have a high reputation among the people. If we can pull them into our camp, it will surely put great pressure on King Han."

He turned to the young strategist and said, "You must make arrangements immediately and make sure that every step is foolproof."

The young strategist took the order and left. The study returned to peace. Zhu Di sat alone at his desk, secretly thinking about every move to make next.

At this time, Zhu Han was leading his army in a fierce battle with the enemy at the border. Although he was on the battlefield, he was always concerned about the situation in the court.

"Your Highness, the enemy has launched another fierce attack!" A scout came running over and reported nervously.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Han stood up quickly, his eyes sharp: "Pass the order down, the whole army is ready to fight! Make sure to hold the position and wait for the arrival of reinforcements!"

Zhu Han's voice echoed in the military camp, and the soldiers moved upon hearing the order and quickly entered a state of combat readiness. Zhu Han stood on a high place, looking at the soldiers ready to go, with a hint of determination and resoluteness in his eyes.

"Comrades, we are responsible for defending our country. Today's battle is not only for the peace of the border, but also for the future of Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Han's voice penetrated the noise and reached the heart of every soldier. "We must let the enemy know that the territory of Ming Dynasty cannot be violated!"

The soldiers shouted in unison: "We will defend the Ming Dynasty to the death! We will follow the prince to the death!" The sound was like a wave, shaking the earth, showing their fearless courage and firm determination.

At this moment, a messenger came running over and reported nervously: "Your Majesty, the enemy seems to have made some unusual moves, and their offensive seems to be even more fierce!"

Zhu Han frowned and quickly looked around, only to see the enemy troops rushing in like a tide with great momentum.

"Pass the order down, strengthen the defense line, and make sure to hold on to every inch of land!" Zhu Han ordered in a deep voice, his tone revealing unquestionable majesty. "At the same time, order the elite troops led by General Zhang to destroy the enemy's supply lines and cut off their reinforcements in the shortest possible time!"

The messenger took the order and quickly conveyed Zhu Han's order to each battalion and team. The barracks suddenly became busy, and the soldiers took their positions according to the order, ready to face a more intense battle.

At the same time, in Zhu Di's mansion, the atmosphere was equally solemn. Zhu Di sat in the study, playing with an exquisite jade ring in his hand, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Your Highness, the situation on the border is extremely unfavorable to us. We must take measures as soon as possible." A young strategist stepped forward and whispered with a hint of worry in his tone.

Zhu Di nodded slightly, his eyes deep: "What happened on the border is irreversible. But our battlefield is not only on the border, but also in the court. Pass the order down, let everyone strengthen intelligence gathering and make sure to grasp every move of Zhu Han and his followers."

The old counselor added: "Your Highness is right. At the same time, we can also use the conflict between the upright people and Zhu Han to create more public pressure and make Zhu Han isolated and helpless in the court."

Zhu Di smiled slightly, with a sly look in his eyes: "This is a great plan. Although the Qingliu people have no real power, they have a high reputation among the people. If we can use them, it will cause great trouble to Zhu Han."

He turned to the young strategist and said, "You must make arrangements immediately. Make sure that the upright people see Zhu Han's true face and let them know who is the one who truly cares about the Ming Dynasty."

At this time, a middle-aged strategist walked slowly into the study, looking solemn, as if he had something important to discuss. "Your Highness, regarding those ministers in the court who have close ties with King Han, should we take more direct measures?" He asked in a low voice, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

Zhu Di tilted his head slightly, looking at him sharply, with a sneer on his face. "Directly? Directly will only alert the enemy. What we need is to quietly disintegrate their alliance and let them go to destruction without knowing it."

The middle-aged counselor frowned upon hearing this, and seemed to disagree: "But Your Highness, time is running out. If we don't take action, I'm afraid King Han will force us into a desperate situation step by step."

Zhu Di shook his head slightly, his eyes revealing a kind of confidence: "Desperate situation? A truly desperate situation is often the beginning of a turnaround. You just need to follow my plan, and leave the rest to me."

Seeing Zhu Di's firm attitude, the middle-aged counselor had no choice but to bow and prepare to leave. At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, and an attendant rushed in, reporting in a panic: "Your Highness, it's not good! An urgent report came from the border. King Han seems to have seen through our layout and is strengthening the defense line. At the same time, he sent elite troops to raid our rear!"

Zhu Di's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard this, but he quickly regained his composure. He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and slowly paced in the study, thinking about countermeasures. "It seems that King Han is more difficult than I thought. However, this is exactly what I want. Pass the order down, tell the generals on the border not to fight hard, lure the enemy deep into the territory, and then annihilate them in one fell swoop."

The attendant withdrew and fell into deep thought again in the study. Zhu Di knew that the battle on the border was only a superficial contest, and the real battlefield was still in the court. He had to proceed step by step and ensure that every step was accurate.

"Your Highness, regarding the upright people, should we increase our efforts and use their reputation among the people to create more public opinion that is unfavorable to King Han?" At this time, a counselor in charge of intelligence stepped forward and put forward his own suggestion.