Chapter 26: Preparing for Action Author: Bright Moonlight ???.txt Traditional Chinese

  Response

  The Jianwen Emperor was about to come knocking on his door, and this time Zhu Di couldn't help but take action. He had two options: either rebel or be eliminated like his brothers. At this point, Zhu Di's situation was extremely difficult. He wasn't even as lucky as Zhu Chongba used to be. Even if Zhu Chongba didn't rebel, he could still escape from the temple and become a vagrant, scraping together a living. But Zhu Di didn't have such good fortune. The world belonged to Zhu Yunwen, where else could he go?

  Dao Yan seized the opportunity to continue promoting his rebellious theory to Zhu Di. As for this, Zhu Di was already accustomed to it. If one day this brother didn't say these treasonous words, that would be strange. In the past, Zhu Di could laugh off these words because he was very clear that rebelling wasn't like eating a midnight snack, saying and doing were two different things. This monk who feared the world wouldn't be chaotic, with no possessions or wealth, would wholeheartedly engage in rebellious activities. But as a prince, he was worlds apart from these poor devils. How could he possibly be dragged down by these people?

  But now he has just discovered that if he indulges this nephew, he will become unable to even be poor and simple.

  He then began his own preparations, recruiting large numbers of strong soldiers as guards and conducting military training within the palace grounds. As the saying goes, "the criticism of weapons cannot replace the weapons of criticism", if you want to rebel, holding wooden sticks and farm tools is not enough, this requires a large number of weapons, the noise of forging weapons is very loud, and at that time there was no soundproofing equipment. Zhu Di fully demonstrated his imagination and creativity on this issue, he built a very large underground room, surrounded by walls, and opened multiple chicken farms nearby, so the underground room kept clanging away, but people outside couldn't hear a thing.

  In addition, Zhu Di also drew on the advanced experience of peasant uprisings throughout history and humbly learned from his peasant brothers. Before rebelling, he would create some feudal superstitions or ancient legends. For this purpose, he recruited a large number of special personnel. These people were called "Yi Ren Shu Shi" (异人术士), actually just fortune tellers and diviners on the street. He brought these people in mainly to boost his own morale and incidentally do some propaganda work, but he himself could not have imagined that this move would later play an unexpectedly significant role.

  Step by step advancement

  Jianwen Emperor, while dealing with other vassal kings, kept his eyes on Zhu Di, for he was also aware that this man was his most formidable opponent. To reduce Zhu Di's power, he first appointed Zhang Yi as the mayor of Beiping, and then appointed Xie Gui and Zhang Xin as the commander-in-chief of Beiping, taking control of the military power in Beiping. Later, he also sent Song Zhong (this name is extremely unlucky) to lead an army of 30,000 soldiers to garrison Tunping and Shanhai Pass, ready to take action at any time.

  The knife is already at his throat, and Zhu Di seems to have become a fish on the cutting board. In many people's eyes, he can only surrender now.

  However, at this moment, Zhu Di did something that others could not think of.

  According to the rules, after Jianwen Emperor ascended the throne, vassal kings should enter the court to pay homage to the emperor. At that time, the situation was extremely tense, and many people thought that Zhu Di dared not meet the new emperor as scheduled, but everyone did not expect that he not only came, but also made a shocking move.

  In the third month of the first year of Jianwen, the King of Yan came to pay homage to the new emperor. One would think that when visiting someone else's territory, one should be humble. However, this gentleman actually "followed the imperial path and entered, ascended the steps without bowing". It can be seen how arrogant Zhu Di was.

  Zhu Di's rude behavior enraged the officials, and the Minister of Revenue, Zhuo Jing, repeatedly petitioned to have Zhu Di punished on the spot. However, Emperor Jianwen refused this reasonable proposal, citing that the Prince of Yan was his closest relative. Zhuo Jing was furious, jumping up and down and shouting: "Are Yang Jian and Yang Guang not father and son?"

  But Jianwen Emperor still refused his proposal.

  Zhu Dian spent a day strolling around the capital, returning to Beiping with great fanfare. Meanwhile, Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng unexpectedly became mere spectators, their usual strategic prowess in planning and decision-making on maps proving to be nothing more than empty boasts.

  Of course, not all of Jianwen Emperor's subordinates were people like Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng. In fact, he still had many capable ministers.

  Struggle on the Hidden Battlefield

  In this struggle, Jianwen Emperor was not invincible, and he also used many tactics, especially in underground work, which was very effective.

  Successful turnaround

  In the first year of Jianwen (1399), Zhu Di sent his long history Ge Cheng to Beijing to meet with the emperor. In fact, this Ge Cheng was also a spy, and his real purpose was to gather information. However, what Zhu Di did not expect was that this person had actually been turned around, and it was the emperor himself who had turned Ge Cheng around.

  As soon as Ge Cheng arrived, the Jianwen Emperor put aside his reserve and treated him with added courtesy due to his high status. He probably also inquired about his family's income situation in a cordial manner and encouraged him to work hard. Ge Cheng was deeply moved, the emperor actually valued himself so much! For a moment, he got carried away and voluntarily confessed Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan's various unlawful behaviors and his own spy identity. Then he proudly accepted the title of underground worker for Jianwen Emperor, promising to work hard after returning and do a good job in transmitting intelligence information in time, striving to capture the Prince of Yan and others as soon as possible.

  A nail was driven in like this.

  If Ge Cheng is a small spy, then the person to be introduced below is a super spy. More ironically, this person does not even know that he has become a spy.

  She was Zhu Biao's wife and Xu Da's daughter.

  The gate is often without a tiger son, like the son of Chang Chun, Li Wenzhong's son Li Jinglong are all like this. But there are always exceptions, Xu Da's son Xu Hui Zu is an exception. Although he was born in a famous family, he never took pride in it, being humble and cautious, familiar with military strategy, and loyal to the Jianwen Emperor.

  He took advantage of his relationship with his sister-in-law and walked the wife's route. When chatting with his sister, he learned a lot about his brother-in-law Zhu Di's study and work situation, and reported it to Zhu Yunwen, who had always been concerned about Zhu Di.

  Thus, many of Zhu Di's top-secret intelligence sources flowed continuously into Zhu Yunwen's ears.

  Actually, Zhu Di's work on this front was not inferior. His intelligence sources were quite special, mainly provided by the eunuchs around Zhu Yunwen. Zhu Yuanzhang had strictly forbidden eunuchs from interfering in politics, and as the orthodox heir, Zhu Yunwen naturally took this as a golden rule. Under his rule, the eunuchs were extremely overworked and held very low positions. However, eunuchs are also human beings with their own emotions and tendencies. They were deeply dissatisfied with Zhu Yunwen but had nowhere to vent their grievances.

  At this time, the savior Zhu Di appeared. He not only actively socialized with the eunuchs in the palace but also constantly sent gifts to these people who were looked down upon by everyone. As a result, the name of the King of Yan's kindness spread among the eunuchs, and everyone was willing to work for the King of Yan.

  Zhu Yunhe had never looked at these people he considered lowly with a straight eye, but what he couldn't have anticipated was that it was precisely these lowly people who would decide the outcome of this struggle to some extent.

  Apart from these eunuchs, Zhu Di also had a very secret relationship with two people in the court. These two can be said to be his trump card spies. Of course, until the crucial moment arrives, Zhu Di will not use this trump card. He has to wait for the final moment to come.

  Huang Zizhong's Fatal Mistake

  In April, after Zhu Di returned to Beiping, he reported his illness to the court. After a period of time, his condition worsened and became critical. This illness was not sudden but had been brewing for quite some time. Because in May, which was approaching, Zhu Di had something he did not want to do but had no choice but to do.

  May is the death anniversary of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. According to etiquette, Zhu Di should come himself, but Zhu Di keenly felt that if he went to the capital this time, he might not be able to return. However, it was also impossible not to go on his father's death anniversary, so he sent his eldest son Zhu Gaochi and two other sons Zhu Gaosui and Zhu Gaozeng to replace him in worshiping. Suddenly sending out three sons, apart from showing that he attached great importance to this matter, another purpose was to tell the court that he had no ulterior motives.

  Zhu Dian was wrong this time, the situation at that time was already very clear, Zhu Yunwen had made it clear that he wanted to get rid of the vassal king, and now sending his own son to the capital city was simply sending a hostage.

  Indeed, as soon as the three brothers Zhu Gaoxu entered the capital, Qi Tai, the Minister of War, advised Emperor Jianwen to immediately take the three men as hostages. Emperor Jianwen initially agreed, but unexpectedly Huang Zicheng believed that this would only provoke Yan Wang and suggested sending the three men back to Yan Wang, indicating that the court had no intention of reducing his power, in order to lull Yan Wang into a false sense of security.

  Is this really the case! Five or six vassal kings have already been dealt with, and the matter has been made public, even the beggars on the street know that the imperial court is going to take action against the King of Yan. The word "reduction of vassals" is already written on Huang Zicheng's face, yet he still wants to cover his ears and steal a bell! Scholars handling affairs, truly have no idea what they are doing.

  Jianwen Emperor was indecisive, at this time Wei Guogong Xu Hui Zu came out to speak. According to the kinship, these three people were all his nephews. He had watched them grow up and was very familiar with their character. He advised Zhu Yunwen that he absolutely could not let these three people go back, because they not only could be used as hostages, but also had great talents. If they were released, the consequences would be unthinkable.

  It now appears that Xu Hui's fortune-telling skills have approached professional standards, and his predictions were soon verified, but the more amazing ones are yet to come.

  Xu Hui then specifically mentioned Zhu Gaocai, telling Zhu Yunwen that among his three nephews, Zhu Gaocai was the most courageous and also the most unscrupulous. He would not be loyal to Your Majesty, nor would he be loyal to his father.

  Can't help but be impressed, Xu Hui's prediction actually came true more than 20 years later, with an accuracy rate of 100%, far surpassing weather forecasts.

  However, the decision was in Jianwen Emperor's hands, and he finally made a decision to let Zhu Gaoxu and his two brothers go.

  If Zhu Yunwen had known what a great role Zhu Gaocuo would play in the later war, he would have gone to find a place to knock his head against and die for making this decision. It was also because of this that he later lamented: I regret not using Hui Zu's words!

  Unfortunately, regret and if are two words that have never been sold in history.

  Zhu Di, who was in Beiping, had already regretted his decision to send his sons into battle, but unexpectedly all three of them returned unscathed. They were well-fed and well-rested, seemingly even plumper than before. Overjoyed, he leapt out of bed and exclaimed: "That my sons and I can be reunited is the heavens helping me!"

  It was actually his opponent Zhu Yunwen who helped him.

  Schizophrenic Zhu Di

  Zhu Di understood that what was meant to come would eventually arrive, and hiding was futile. The throne might not be obtained by fighting for it, but it would definitely not be had without a fight. Moreover, there was no other way out now, Zhu Yunwen would never let him off, either the path of the Son of Heaven or the path of death!

  Let's work together!

  However, Zhu Di still lacked one thing, that is time. Rebellion was not going camping, and the food, clothing, and weapons of hundreds of thousands of people had to be prepared properly, all of which took time. In order to gain time, Zhu Di drew inspiration from his predecessors' deeds and decided to pretend to be mad.

  As a result, Beiping had another mentally ill person, Zhu Di, but strangely, others were crazy at home, while Zhu Di was crazy in the bustling streets, specifically looking for crowded places.

  The specific clinical manifestations of schizophrenic Zhu Di are as follows:

  1. Shouting loudly in the bustling streets, speaking nonsense (but guaranteed to have no reactionary slogans).

  2. Wait until mealtime to sneak into a civilian's home, look for food and laugh at people, and snatch other people's food, but without violent behavior (many beggars also have similar behaviors).

  3. Sleep on the streets and sleep for a whole day, known as the god of sleep.

  This matter shocked the ears and eyes of Jianwen Emperor, so he sent Zhang Yi and Xie Gui to investigate. At that time, it was June, in the scorching heat of summer. When the two men arrived at the Wang Mansion, they were stunned by what they saw before their eyes.

  The weather was so cold that it could freeze eggs, but Zhu Di was wrapped in a thick quilt, sitting in front of the large stove "roasting" by the fire. Just as the two were staring at him in shock, Zhu Di even said the classic line: "I'm freezing to death!"

  This must be a madman, Zhang Yi and Xie Gui immediately reached a consensus and reported to the Jianwen Emperor. To avoid disaster, he actually came up with such a despicable plan, what patience! What endurance!

  What is the world's authority? It directly teaches people to be bound by life and death!

  Upon receiving the secret memorial from the two men, Jianwen Emperor was overjoyed for a while. Zhu Di, who was mentally ill, was also very happy as he finally had time to prepare his own plan.

  Zhu Di thought things were too simple, and due to an unexpected occurrence, his plan went bankrupt.

  Zhu Di miscalculated, as the long history Ge Cheng betrayed him. He told Jianwen Emperor about Zhu Di's fake madness and secretly reported that Zhu Di was about to raise troops. Qi Tai, the Minister of War who had been hesitant, finally made a correct decision: he issued three orders: 1. Immediately order the envoy to go to Beiping; 2. Instruct Zhang Yi and Xie Gui to take action immediately to monitor the King of Yan and his relatives, and take direct action if necessary; 3. Order Zhang Xin, the commander-in-chief of Beiping, to arrest Zhu Di immediately.

  It should be said that this is a good emergency plan, but as we mentioned earlier, the execution of the plan is the most important thing. The first and second points of this plan are not a problem, the bad thing is just the third point.

  Zhang Xin said that he was not a confidant of the Jianwen Emperor, but he was appointed by the Yan King as the commander-in-chief. Qi Tai actually entrusted such an important task to him, which is simply ridiculous! It seems that this bookworm has listened to too many storytelling sessions, and in his mind, capturing people is just like "ambushing five hundred axe-wielding men behind a tent, with a signal from a cup!" He completely underestimated the complexity and cruelty of the power struggle.

  After receiving the task, Zhang Xin hesitated for a long time and couldn't make up his mind. He had a good relationship with the King of Yan, but after all, he was on the payroll of the imperial court. If he informed the King of Yan, it would not only violate professional ethics, but also turn him from a high-ranking official to a traitor. Once he got on this treacherous path, there would be no turning back.

  Life and death hang in the balance, and this line is now in my hands!

  At the critical moment, Zhang Xin's mother helped him make a decision. As soon as she heard that they were going to arrest the King of Yan, she immediately stopped Zhang Xin and said: "This must not be done (arresting the King of Yan). I often hear people say that the King of Yan will definitely obtain the world in the future. Such a person is not dead, nor can you catch him."

  We might wonder how this old lady, who rarely goes out of the house and doesn't often enter the streets, knew such "heavenly secrets". Analyzing various situations, it's likely that she was influenced by rumors spread by fortune tellers on the streets and in markets, and came to this conclusion.

  Such a major decision was influenced by such a ridiculous reason and argument, and finally made, it really makes people feel both amused and indignant.

  Feudal superstition kills people.

  Zhang Xin's Decision

  Zhang Xin was a man who acted on his decisions, and he immediately went to the Yan Wang Fu to report the news. However, unexpectedly, the Yan Wang Fu did not receive any external guests. It could be said that this was also a sign of the end of Yan Wang's luck, as those who came to report the news were not seen. What else could be done? But Zhang Xin happened to be a very persistent person, and he made up his mind to exclude all difficulties and become a traitor no matter what.

  After disguising himself, he sneaked into the palace and asked to see King Yan. King Yan had no choice but to meet him, but he didn't forget his identity as a mentally ill person. He lay on the bed, mumbling incoherently, unable to speak clearly, just like a stroke patient. Zhang Xin kowtowed for half a day, but this sick brother didn't say a word.

  Zhang Xin waited for a long time, but still didn't wait for Yan Wang to speak up. It seems that this patient is not going to speak up after all.

  "Your Highness, stop this! I have something important to tell you!" Which means "Stop pretending to be a fool, there's an urgent matter at hand!"

  But who would have thought that Zhu Bi was really stubborn and refused to change, continuing to pretend to be confused, pretending not to understand Zhang Xin's words.

  Zhang Xinsan could no longer bear it (it seems that wanting to be a traitor is not an easy thing), stood up and said loudly: "You'd better stop pretending, I have an arrest warrant for you on me. If you have the intention, don't deceive me anymore!"

  Then, a miracle in the history of medicine happened. Zhu Di, a long-term stroke patient and mentally ill person, miraculously recovered his health. In an instant, he completed a series of complex movements such as getting out of bed, standing up, and kneeling down, which was truly astonishing.

  Zhu Dian bowed to Zhang Xin and said repeatedly, "It was you who saved my whole family!" He immediately called out Dao Yan, who had been waiting for a long time on the side, and began to discuss countermeasures.

  Things have changed up to this point.

  Chi Tai's trump card

  Zhang Xin was slow to make a move, and it should also be within Qi Tai's expectations. From the development of things, he had already anticipated this point. Because just after Zhang Xin went to the Yan Wang Fu to report the news, not many days later, Zhang Yi and Xie Gui held arrest warrants for the officials of the Yan Wang Fu, leading a large number of troops to surround the Yan Wang Fu.

  It seems that Qi Tai had expected Zhang Xin to be unreliable, so he made two preparations.

  From then on, starting from the abolition of the feudal domains, things developed step by step until they reached an irretrievable point.

  Take off your mask! The final moment of decision has arrived!

  Countermeasures in the Palace of the King of Yan

  Zhu Di recovered from his illness and immediately regained his energy, but he did not expect the enemy to arrive so quickly. At the critical moment, he summoned his generals Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng to lead the guard troops in defending the palace. Due to the suddenness of the incident, the army could not assemble in time, and the number of soldiers outside was far greater than that of the palace guards. Zhu Di was facing one of the greatest challenges of his life: to conquer the world, he must first conquer Beiping, but now he couldn't even leave the palace!

  What should I do?

  This was one of the most critical situations in Zhu Di's life, with people shouting and killing outside, surrounded like an iron barrel. If they were to fight hard, it would be clear that they were no match for their opponents. What could they do? Should they just surrender?

  There is a way, as the saying goes, "catch the ringleader and the rest will fall apart". If we can take care of the leader, these soldiers will become a mob. But it's not easy to do this, they are coming straight for us, would they put down their weapons and walk into the palace to let us catch them?

  At the critical moment, Zhu Di suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something! ?

  What are these people doing here? It seems like an obvious question, from their neat uniforms, ferocious facial expressions, and shiny weapons in hand, it can be judged that they are absolutely not here to participate in the gathering. But the problem is, are they really here to catch themselves?

  Zhu Di's judgment was not wrong, Zhang Yi and Xie Gui did not receive the order to arrest the King of Yan, they received the order to arrest the officials under the King of Yan, but there was no decree to arrest him personally!

  This is indeed a case of being careless after being meticulous, and the boldness of Prince Yan can also be seen. As the saying goes, "a thief's heart is always nervous", some people who have committed crimes before will run away when they see a big hat on the street, without even checking whether it's a public security officer or an urban administrator. The reason is simple: they are guilty and nervous. It's impressive that Zhu Di can remain calm and think clearly after being confronted by the government, not being nervous at all despite being in the wrong, he's indeed formidable.

  Then Zhu Di ordered Zhang Yi and Xie Gui to enter the palace, but these two were not fools and refused to go in no matter what. Seeing this, Zhu Di listed out the names of those who had been arrested and said that they had already been caught and would be handed over to the government. They needed someone to lead them to verify the identities of the offenders.

  The two of them had no choice but to enter, as the current situation made it impossible to complete their task without entering the palace. The imperial edict also did not mention arresting the Prince of Yan. After discussing, they decided to enter the palace. Originally, they brought many guards with them, but were rejected by the palace gate guards due to insufficient rank. The palace was a restricted area, and outsiders were not allowed in, which was normal. However, during extraordinary times, adhering too closely to rules would be too pedantic. These two were indeed pedantic, and they even signaled for their soldiers to follow the gate guards' arrangements. Then, shoulder to shoulder, they stepped into the palace gates.

  As soon as they entered the palace, they were at a loss. When they arrived at the main hall, they were surprised to find that Zhu Di, who was mentally ill, was sitting there with his crutches, looking weak and listless. He didn't even get up when he saw them coming, but just let someone invite them to sit down. This scene is very similar to the scene in today's gangster movies where a crippled mafia boss holds court. Zhu Di, this black boss, didn't even give them a straight look.

  Zhang Yi and Xie Gui's hearts began to drum, but since they had already come, it was too late to say anything. Fortunately, at the beginning, the atmosphere was still harmonious, and both sides exchanged some opinions on common concerns, and the situation showed signs of easing for a while.

  Just as the two were secretly celebrating, a maid brought up slices of melon (estimated to be watermelon), and King Zhu Di of Yan suddenly became uncrippled, personally holding two slices of melon towards Zhang and Xie. The two were frightened and got up to thank King Zhu Di. But they didn't know that this time the king was playing a trick, he seemed to think that smashing cups as a signal was too old-fashioned, wanting to innovate.

  The two were about to receive the melon, but Zhu Bi refused. The King of Yan suddenly turned into a fierce Yama, his face filled with anger, pointing at the noses of the two and scolding loudly: "Even ordinary people care about brotherly and familial relationships, I, as the uncle of the emperor, still have to worry about my own life, if the court treats me like this, then nothing is impossible in this world!"

  After finishing, Zhu Di ordered the guards to bind Zhang and Xie, who were usually treated with courtesy in restaurants but ended up losing their heads over a slice of melon. Ge Cheng was also caught at the same time. With one order from Zhu Di, they were all beheaded.

  It seems that eating watermelon was really not easy back then.

  Zhu Di threw away the crutch in his hand, looked at the people around him with a solemn gaze, and shouted loudly: "I was not ill at all, it was the treacherous minister who framed me, I had no choice but to do so. Now that things have come to this point, you can't blame me!"