Chapter 5: The Gift of a Sword

  "This... I dare not accept."

  When he heard this remark, Wei Yue's face also changed!

  The prince's personal belongings, having just passed through his hands, were unexpectedly given to himself with such ease and simplicity, even he couldn't help but be moved by it!

  But it was only for a brief moment, after blinking, the man returned to his previous calm expression, kneeling on one knee, bowing his head and simply saying thank you.

  Zhu Ciwen's smile gradually turned cold, and he stretched out his hand to suspend the knife, but it was caught in mid-air, making him feel quite embarrassed.

  A man's heart is as hard as iron until he dies... This sickly tiger-like fellow in front of me, why does he have this indignant and unyielding look on his face?

  The gift of the sword was a move that made Wei Yue's followers, one by one, change their expressions. Could imperial artifacts be given out so lightly?

  If it were a civil or military minister in front, getting an imperial reward would be like receiving the precious sword of authority, enough to control the three armies.

  The prince's utensils are slightly inferior, but they are not easily obtainable. The military officer in front of him, however, is simply making excuses with a light and clever tone, without showing any signs of being overwhelmed or too afraid to accept.

  "Given to you, then just accept it."

  Zhu Ciyan rode the tiger and found it hard to get off, so he simply used the same trick as before, taking big strides forward with a smile all over his face. When he got close, he handed the precious sword to Wei Yue, whispering in his ear: "I don't care what you think, this sword is yours now, whether you throw it away or give it to someone else when we leave the palace, it's up to you!"

  "The crown prince said so, I really have no place to hide."

  Originally, Wei Yue's face was expressionless, but at this moment, his face was also full of helplessness. He had no choice but to put away the knife, but Zhu Ciyan didn't let him off the hook. The people of later generations were far inferior in their showmanship. At that time, they took down the old knife from Wei Yue's waist and personally tied up the newly forged good knife for him. Only then did he smile and retreat, saying loudly: "Good sword, good man!"

  This somewhat artificial yet effective speech moved everyone present, except for the eunuchs who looked unimpressed, all the military officers of the Imperial Guard showed a touched expression.

  "Today is truly a happy day," After this ordeal, although it didn't have the expected effect, at least something was accomplished. A good knife, carefully crafted by someone, had not even been used once before being casually given away. But on Zhu Ciyan's face, there was a smile, seemingly carefree and unbothered. At that moment, he simply stared at Wei Yue and others, saying in a deep voice: "I only like strong archers who can charge into battle, if it's those useless people, even if I didn't give them the precious knife, they would still be waiting for their death sentence!"

  The crown prince spoke in this manner, and those present were moved to emotion, while others furrowed their brows and pursed their lips, making various strange expressions.

  Zhu Ciyan just ignored him, took a deep breath and continued: "Today is the anniversary of the fall of the Northern Dynasties, the bandits have been wreaking havoc for over ten years. The Eastern Barbarians invade our borders every few years to plunder our crops, just like in recent years when they penetrated deep into the capital region and Shandong, their military might almost reaching Huai'an. Tens of millions of civilians, hundreds of millions of gold and silver, men, women, old and weak, crying out to heaven and earth, were taken captive by the barbarian cavalry like pigs and dogs!"

  At this point, there was an eerie silence in the room.

  The Eastern Barbarians' invasion is indeed an inevitable event for the Great Ming, and in the past, the Jizhen, Xuanfu, and Datong passes had firmly blocked the Northern and Eastern Barbarians outside the border walls. Now that the Eastern and Northern Barbarians have joined forces, thousands of miles of border walls can be crossed on horseback, while the originally strong Ming border army has been defeated and is no longer capable of fighting the enemy anywhere!

  "The bandits invaded the border several times, and each time they broke through dozens of cities and took away tens of millions of civilians! A few cavalrymen could easily take away hundreds or thousands of people, while the Han people were like mules, carrying their elderly and children, pushing carts with their family property and valuables, and obediently following the bandits out of the pass. In the end, our Ming army arrived, but the slaves left behind a wooden sign that read: 'Ming general sends his regards!'"

  At this point, Zhu Ciyan was already furious, looking around at the crowd with a stern face, suppressing his anger and calmly saying: "Today's gift of the sword is not for any other reason, but I recall that my father, the Emperor, also suffered at the hands of bandits and Eastern slaves. The Imperial Guard is the foundation of our great Ming dynasty. You military officers must focus on martial affairs and not engage in sycophancy. As the Crown Prince, I am here today to give you not only this precious sword but also these words. Whether or not you listen is up to your own conscience... Disperse!"

  The officers present were either still expressionless or looked as if nothing had happened, but more of them showed a look of shame and anger.

  The Eastern Barbarians invaded the border, even forcing their way to the foot of Beijing City. This was a personal experience for many people, and after decades of war, they had been killing each other, so even the Imperial Guards were deployed outside, either to reinforce Liaodong or to attack the bandits. Zhu Ciyan's words were like a whip, striking the backs of these military officers who still had a conscience, leaving a bloody scar that cut to the bone with every sentence.

  The Imperial Guards of the Great Ming are no longer reliable, and among ten people, there may not be one who can be used. However, these men in front of us have also been carefully selected from thousands, still having strength in their hands and good conscience in their hearts.

  Zhu Ciwen finished speaking, and he felt his heart surging with excitement, unusually agitated. But when he turned to look at Wei Yue, he saw that the latter was only biting his lip, not saying a word. Although his facial expression had changed and was no longer as wooden as before, there was still no significant change. Zhu Ciwen couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in his heart, but his usual ruffian nature took over, and he thought to himself: "Whatever you're thinking or plotting, I'll make sure to tame you!"

  Just as he was thinking of saying something else, Li Jiye rushed forward and bowed to say: "Your Highness, the Eastern Barbarians have not invaded our borders for many years. This year, their leader Huang Taiji has died, and the slaves are without a master. They have pushed a young child to succeed to the Khan position, and it is feared that they will not be a threat in the future. As for the bandits, Sun Chuanting, the governor, is good at governing the army and has bravery. He is currently leading an army of 100,000, day and night, pursuing them! The Emperor has already ordered the Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of Works to prepare silver plaques for rewards, raise funds, and prepare for rewards... Your Highness, the country is about to flourish again, and the days of peace and prosperity are near."

  Li Jiye's words were just making excuses for Zhu Ciyu's recent performance.

  The great Ming dynasty's emperor is still just a young prince wearing the imperial crown and robes!

  With Chongzhen's irritable and violent temper, he didn't know what kind of storm would arise from what the Crown Prince had just said! Although Tian Guifei was already dead and no one could threaten the Crown Prince's position as the eldest son, it was better to be careful now and smooth things over than to explain unclearly afterwards.

  "What a reward?" Zhu Ciyan didn't take it kindly and just snorted coldly upon hearing Li Jiye's words.

  Today's performance, including every word and sentence, is the result of his careful consideration. After rebirth, his own physical exercise and martial arts practice are only minor matters, just to prevent this body from becoming a burden. However, the great disaster that will come tomorrow has less than half a year left!

  In such a short period of time, this old empire that has lost the hearts of its people wants to reverse history and change the existing trajectory, which is absolutely impossible. The current situation is that even gods can only stand by helplessly!

  As for Chongzhen's stubborn temperament, it was even harder to change. He knew history well, just like a prisoner waiting for his sentence, and every day he could only spend in fear and terror.

  If this continues, I'm afraid I'll be scared to death before the steel knife even reaches me. There's no other way, once I've accepted it, all I can do is grit my teeth and struggle to survive!

  To seek survival, one must have a plan for escape and self-preservation before great disaster strikes!

  The current situation, what he did was scolded by Chongzhen, he had no time and no reason to argue with the crown prince, so the current situation is only slightly precarious, like a foot of water, one jump can pass.

  But if you don't find a way to establish your own image step by step and accumulate your strength, the great difficulties that will come in the future will be like an unfathomable deep pool of darkness, and it will inevitably drown him.

  "What reward?" Zhu Ciyan continued to sneer, despite Li Jiye's urgent jumping in front of him. He loudly said: "The bandits have been rampant for over a decade, with 500,000 soldiers, claiming to be one million. Sun Chuanting was defeated by them just last year. Now, he has barely trained some troops, and with Gao Jie, Bai Guang'en, and Chen Yongfu added, there are only 30,000-40,000 soldiers who can fight. Even if Sun is skilled in strategy, how can he be a match for the bandits with his weak army? One side has fewer soldiers but advances fiercely, while the other side has more soldiers but repeatedly retreats. This is intentionally showing weakness to find an opportunity, and then taking advantage of it to cut off the enemy's supply lines and counterattack! This obvious situation can be understood by reading a few days' worth of reports. Among all the officials in court, except for the Minister of War, Feng Yuanshao, no one else has noticed? Reward? I hope someone will receive this reward!"

  "Little master, little master!"

  Li Jiye was already sweating profusely, and all the imperial guards were staring blankly with their eyes wide open.

  With the emperor's temperament, if any high-ranking official dared to say such things, they would be dismissed from office at best and executed at worst. There is no room for leniency. Huang Daozhou was a renowned scholar throughout the land, but he was almost appointed to the Imperial Cabinet when he offended the dragon's majesty and was dismissed from office and sent back to his hometown.

  But little did they know, this young master had such a bold and daring attitude, actually daring to openly criticize the emperor's decision in front of everyone.