nycdaug Chapter 1432
Chapter 1432
"Your Majesty, my lord, it's news from Beiping Prefecture!"
The commotion in Beiping Prefecture was caused by Judy stirring up trouble.
Although Zhu Yunwen is no longer flustered, he certainly won't let his guard down against the historical Emperor Yongle.
Zhao Feng had already interrogated the two groups of spies on the other side and was well aware of their ambitious plans in Beiping.
Upon hearing this, both Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Feng's expressions changed slightly.
"Speak," Zhu Yunwen said immediately, with a hint of impatience.
Zhang Cheng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, dared not delay: "Your Majesty, seven days ago, His Highness the Prince of Yan, who was stationed in Beiping, suddenly mobilized his most core troops, including the Yanshan Three Guards, and quickly assembled them in the suburbs of Beiping."
"After careful investigation by the person in charge in Beiping, it was discovered that not only had the army moved, but the logistics department was also working intensively to prepare and mobilize a large amount of grain and supplies. This confirmed that the troop mobilization was not for training or military parade purposes."
"And the remnants of the Northern Yuan in the northern border region..."
"There have been no large-scale riots recently... This matter requires Your Majesty's decision."
In the end, even Zhang Cheng, the commander of a thousand households, became inexplicably nervous—this was definitely the prelude to a prince's rebellion! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a matter of utmost importance.
Zhao Feng, listening from the side, was filled with rage. He coldly voiced what Zhang Cheng had dared not say directly: "This Prince Yan is truly audacious! He actually dares to plot against His Majesty! Disloyal and unjust, his crime is unforgivable!"
He dealt with two groups of spies in Beiping, and they are still imprisoned in his prison. He truly has no goodwill towards Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.
Zhu Yunwen chuckled lightly, then said thoughtfully, "Seven days ago..."
"If we calculate it, it would be about seven or eight days after dealing with Lan Yu and his group... They probably heard about the commotion I made at the morning court session, and about Zhang Yi and his group, and couldn't hold back any longer."
"Seven or eight days... that's the fastest we can manage to get information between the two places."
"Even my men need seven days to understand the situation in Tianfu, yet he only needs about the same amount of time to grasp it perfectly."
Zhu Yunwen silently calculated the time difference, and his heart suddenly became a little heavy - he knew that Zhu Di or the evil monk Daoyan must have their own intelligence network, but he did not expect that the intelligence network was larger and more detailed than he thought!
You must understand, he is the emperor, and he can mobilize the Embroidered Uniform Guard and all other channels at will!
After a pause, Zhu Yunwen narrowed his eyes and said, "My fourth uncle... is really well-connected and has access to all sorts of information. Even though I had some expectations of him, I still underestimated him."
"The Prince of Yan's wolfish ambitions have long been exposed. It is because of His Majesty's benevolence that the rebel king has repeatedly committed treason, and His Majesty has given them the opportunity to behave themselves."
"But the thieves don't understand His Majesty's benevolence."
"Your Majesty, would you like to immediately issue an order to send troops to quell the rebellion? Your humble servant is also willing to accept the order to lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard to support the army suppressing the rebellion, so as to ensure that nothing goes wrong!" Zhao Feng immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands, and asked for permission.
Zhu Yunwen smiled indifferently, not rushing to send troops immediately, but said with interest: "Since my fourth uncle is so well-informed... I'm afraid his troops won't even be able to leave the territory of Beiping Prefecture?"
As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Cheng, the commander in charge of reporting the news.
Zhu Yunwen had not forgotten.
The incident that provoked the nobles of Huaixi happened in the morning, the nobles' troops arrived at noon, and I returned after suppressing the rebellion that afternoon...
By all accounts, it seems that not long after the army is assembled and mobilized, Zhu Di and the monk Daoyan will be completely dumbfounded.
It remains to be seen whether the Yongle Emperor and that eccentric monk will be willing to let this go.
Commander Zhang Cheng said with utmost respect, "Your Majesty's foresight is truly remarkable! Your humble servant is in awe! After His Highness the Prince of Yan's army assembled in the suburbs of Beiping, they only stayed there for a little over two hours to rest before withdrawing and returning to their respective posts!"
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Feng immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, belatedly realizing what was happening, he exclaimed, "That's right! They dared to rebel because they were certain that His Majesty was powerless to stop the rebellion of the nobles of Huaixi. But His Majesty's methods are profound, so they probably have neither the righteous cause nor the guts!"
"Your Majesty is incredibly brave. Since you have dealt with so many nobles and dukes who have made great contributions in battle so cleanly, the Prince of Yan's mere tens of thousands of personal guards would probably not dare to oppose Your Majesty if you gave him a good beating!"
"Indeed, it is His Majesty's talent that commands the respect of all under heaven!" At this moment, Zhao Feng had no worries at all and began to shower Zhu Yunwen with praise.
But he didn't expect that.
After this round of flattery, I realized I had really done something amazing.
Instead of showing any joy, his master frowned and muttered to himself thoughtfully, "A mere tens of thousands of princely personal guards... Yes, just tens of thousands of princely personal guards. Even if he successfully recruited more private soldiers than permitted behind my back, it would never exceed one hundred thousand... Hiss..."
Zhao Feng quickly wiped the smile and fawning off his face, becoming serious and solemn, and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty...did...I misspoke?"
Zhu Yunwen bent his right index and middle fingers and tapped them lightly on the dragon desk with the pads of his fingers: "It's not that you said something wrong, but that your words have raised a doubt in my mind."
After saying that, Zhu Yunwen ignored Zhao Feng and started to sort things out in his mind, trying to find something from it.
Zhao Feng and Zhang Cheng didn't dare to interfere.
After a long while, Zhu Yunwen still couldn't figure it out, and said with a puzzled look, "I feel like something's not right... Zhu Di... and that wicked monk Yao Guangxiao, they're definitely not the kind of people who act so impulsively, are they?"
Zhao Feng seemed to understand Zhu Yunwen's concerns and said, "Your Majesty means... even if they don't know Your Majesty's strength, they should still consider their own worth... whether they can win against the Huaixi nobles who have caused such a great disturbance in Yingtian Prefecture?"
His guess was correct.
Zhu Yunwen suddenly realized this when he heard Zhao Feng flattering him, saying that Zhu Di and the others "didn't have the guts".
But what's wrong with this is...
"Logically speaking, even if the Huaixi nobles are currently in power in Yingtian Prefecture, and even if Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao finally have a pretext and justification for 'purging the court of corrupt officials and quelling the rebellion'... they should first consult with the other vassal kings and launch a joint attack."
"They immediately dispatched troops upon hearing the news. Aren't they afraid that the nobles of Huaixi will target them for being the first to speak out? This is really not something Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao would do!"
As Zhu Yunwen shared his deductions and thoughts, his doubts deepened.