"Your Majesty!" Han Du was hurriedly summoned into the palace by Zhu Biao, very confused as to what had happened.
Zhu Biao's face was heavy, he stood up with a memorial, walked to Han Du and handed it to him.
Han Du subconsciously took it and heard Zhu Biao's cold voice: "There is news from Mei Yin."
"Have things changed?" Han Du did not open the report to read, but followed Zhu Biao with his eyes and asked directly.
Zhu Biao raised his head slightly and looked outside the palace, sighing: "He said that the Yellow River burst its banks, causing flooding in Huai'an Prefecture, and the army was unable to travel."
Han Du frowned suddenly. Is this Mei Yin's attitude?
"Does he want to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers?" Han Du sneered.
Huai'an Prefecture is located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and will indeed be affected by floods. But Huai'an Prefecture is hundreds of miles away from Xuzhou. Even if it is affected, how big will it be?
And even if there is no way for all the 400,000 troops to return to Beijing, it is still possible for more than 100,000 to 200,000 troops to return. This is a very urgent matter to return to the capital to rescue, but Mei Yin doesn't even send out a single soldier?
And even if the road encounters flooding and makes it difficult to move forward, Huai'an Prefecture is not far from the sea. Mei Yin really wanted to rescue the capital. Even if he went down the river and went to sea, he could still make it back by boat.
Does he want to wait until the dust settles before welcoming a new master? But why does he have such confidence, just relying on the 400,000 troops at his disposal?
The sound of pindrops could be heard in the silence of the hall, and the beating candlelight had a hint of cold desolation. It was the kind of atmosphere that could make even the bravest people feel uneasy.
"Can the Fire Dragon Cannon really resist the Yan army?" Zhu Shou sighed quietly.
King Qin's army only came with 30,000 soldiers and horses from King Shu, and Mei Yin didn't move at all. If the Yan army came to the city, the court would have no way to resist it. Zhu Biao had to consider how he would deal with the situation if the capital was breached.
Han Du understood Zhu Biao's considerations. If the capital was breached, he and Zhu Biao would either be caught by Zhu Di and live worse than death, or they could flee the capital and go elsewhere to issue orders to King Qin.
But since it didn't work the first time, it won't be of much use if you try it again.
Han Du raised his head, looked into Zhu Biao's expectant eyes, and nodded heavily: "As long as there are enough numbers, not only can we resist the Yan army, but we can even annihilate them all!"
"How much do you need?" Zhu Biao shouted sharply.
There seemed to be lightning flashing in Han Du's heart, "At least 50,000! With 50,000 we can resist the Yan army."
"Okay!" Zhu Biao nodded solemnly, "I will order the court to give top priority to the Arms Bureau in all matters. If there is a shortage of people, we will continue to recruit craftsmen. If there is a shortage of raw materials, we will send people to find them. If there is no one in the capital, we will go outside the capital. No matter what, We must ensure that the Ordnance Bureau has enough people and raw materials.”
Han Du nodded, agreed with Zhu Biao's approach, and added: "Since Zhu Di blew up the Yellow River embankment, I have lost the whereabouts of Yan Jun, and I don't know where Yan Jun is now."
"You don't have to worry about this. Since I got the news, I immediately sent a scouting horse to the north. Maybe there will be news soon." Zhu Biao was also waiting anxiously.
Han Du was relieved and hoped that Zhu Di would be hindered by heavy rain and floods and try to delay his march.
Since Tan Ma has been sent out for so long and still hasn't received any news, it shows that Zhu Di is still far away from the capital.
Even Han Du thought that the later the news arrived in the capital, the better. The later it showed, the more time he had to prepare.
"Your Majesty, it's time for the navy to return to the capital to aid."
Don't even think about catching Zhu Di's family at this time. The navy had already captured Peiping, but what they got was an empty city.
Obviously, Zhu Di had already prepared for the imperial court's surprise attack by sea and had already moved his base.
And the whole north is so big, no one knows where Zhu Di will hide his lair.
"I understand." Zhu Biao also felt that it would be safer to have a navy guarding the Yangtze River.
Although Han Du said that the Fire Dragon Cannon was extremely powerful and could resist or even destroy the Yan army, this was a desperate move after all.
If the navy can block the Yan army to the north of the Yangtze River, it will naturally be safer.
...
Following Zhu Biao's order, the entire court was surrounding the Arms Bureau.
The people in the Ordnance Bureau felt the unprecedented glory. In the past, when a high-ranking yamen was in a place like Beijing where there were as many dignitaries as dogs, who would give them a second glance?
But it's different now, completely different.
Even if he is a lowly raw materials collector in the Ordnance Bureau, even if he is a fifth-rank official in the capital, he will greet him politely: "Brother, what else is lacking in the Ordnance Bureau?"
As long as there is still something missing, no matter what it is, this Beijing official can get it for the Ordnance Bureau.
...
Zhu Di is very high-spirited now. Ever since the Yellow River embankment was blown up and flooded Xuzhou, the smile on his face has never stopped.
As for the innocent people who were affected by the disaster, in his opinion, they were just dirt under their boots. Anyway, he wouldn't notice it on weekdays. Even if he notices it, just wipe it off with a silk handkerchief!
Since Zhu Di backhandedly trapped the imperial army in Xuzhou, the civil servants and nobles who got the news went crazy and sent Zhu Di all kinds of things, including money, food, luggage, and even domestic servants and soldiers.
Even if Zhu Di didn't speak to them, they were still rushing to be the first, fearing that they would fall behind others.
After the floods flooded Xuzhou, there were no soldiers and horses in the entire Jianghuai area except the consort Mei Yin who could resist the army of King Yan. As for Mei Yin, haha, he is just a wallflower!
King Yan can easily conquer the capital as long as he goes south. If he ascends the throne in Yuanqiu then, he will be able to conquer the dragon!
Who wouldn’t want this credit?
As a result, the Yan army quickly expanded again after being damaged, and soon returned to a size of 600,000, and even continued to increase.
Moreover, there is sufficient food and grass, abundant baggage, and with such a large army, Zhu Di has full confidence in driving his eldest brother off that chair.
"Brother, you have resigned. You are too kind. How can the emperor be kind? When my father was in power, he killed so many people before he could stabilize the country. Why can't you learn from it?"
"But fortunately, there is still this king. My father said that this king is the most similar to him. After I ascend the throne, all those who are disobedient will be killed. The Ming Dynasty will naturally be impregnable!"
...
A few days later, Zhu Biao got the news and immediately summoned Han Du into the palace.
"The fourth child was in Lingbi ten days ago, and now he is missing." Zhu Biao sighed.
Although the Yan army was huge, they were guarded by scout horses during the march. The few people he sent did not dare to get close at all, and could only slowly explore the traces of the Yan army.
Han Du cupped his fists and saluted, then leaned forward to look at the map.
Han Du only glanced at it and said resolutely: "Lingbi is heading south, with Linhuai on the right and Sizhou on the left. I think the Yan army will definitely go to Sizhou."
"Oh? Why are you so sure?" Zhu Biao was very curious. The land of Jianghuai and Huaihe Rivers are vast and smooth. Logically speaking, it is possible for Zhu Di to go anywhere.
】
But as Han Du said, there are only two best roads from Lingbi to the capital, Linhuai and Sizhou.
Han Du pointed towards Linhuai, "Linhuai is close to Fengyang, where is the ancestral mausoleum. No matter how brave Zhu Di is, he dare not go to Linhuai to disturb the ancestral mausoleum. Therefore, he can only go to Sizhou."
Sizhou...Zhu Biao looked at it again and again, and couldn't help but nod in agreement with Han Du's opinion.
Then he sighed: "It's a pity that I don't have many troops now. Otherwise, I might be able to intercept Laosi in Sizhou."
Han Du had no regrets. He shook his head slightly and said, "It's too late. The news came too late. Perhaps the Yan army has already passed Sizhou and is heading towards the capital. Even with a large army, there is nothing they can do."
The two looked at each other and could only place their hopes on the Yangtze River natural barrier and the fire dragon cannon.
As news came one after another, Zhu Biao finally caught Yan Jun's traces. The Yan army has indeed passed Sizhou and is heading straight towards the capital.
...
Zhu Di is surrounded by flatterers these days, but when he hears such flattery for the first time, he still feels very innovative and feels comfortable. But after listening to it too much, he gradually began to smell the real smell of farts, which made Zhu Di feel a little nauseous.
Moreover, Zhu Di now had to face a big problem that stood in front of him.
The Yangtze River is dangerous!
The Yan army crossed the Chu River and approached the Yangtze River.
Seeing the warships neatly arranged in the Longjiang Water Village, Zhu Di's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Angrily returning to the commander's tent, Zhu Di looked at everyone, "Tell us, how can we cross the Yangtze River?"
How could it be so easy to cross the Yangtze River?
The Yangtze River is known to be naturally dangerous, and even if you want to cross it on weekdays, you need to be careful. Now there are even more naval forces standing across the river. Even if all the 6 to 7 million troops are filled in, they will not be able to fill the surging river.
Who said you can throw a whip to cut off the current? Just brag, this is the Yangtze River, let alone throwing the whip, even if you throw people into it together, not a single bubble will pop up.
Monk Daoyan saw that Feng Sheng was helpless, and he immediately knew that the opportunity had come.
He immediately said with a signature smile on his face: "Your Majesty, looking at the size of the navy, the main force should not be in the capital. This warship can defend this place, but it is impossible to defend the entire Yangtze River."
Zhu Di was stunned when he heard this. His heart suddenly moved as if he had some understanding, but he just couldn't grasp the light.
"Tell me, what can you do?"
Dao Yan said: "Your Majesty can send a small number of soldiers and horses to feint attack here, and the army can go east to Yangzhou, and naturally it can easily cross the Yangtze River."
Feinting to attack Zhu Di also thought this was a good idea, but Yangzhou...
"Yangzhou is a fortified city, and it will not be easy for me to capture it. Once the imperial court learns of the news, it will definitely send a navy down the river to intercept me."
Seeing Zhu Di's anxiety, Dao Yan finally felt that Zhu Di's previous feeling of relying on him came back. He glanced at Feng Sheng proudly and showed a victorious smile.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, if Your Majesty attacks Yangzhou, he will definitely succeed!"
You must achieve your ambition!
When Zhu Di heard these four words, he could no longer sit still, and immediately said without hesitation: "Okay, I will trust you again."
The next day, Zhu Di ordered his troops to bombard the Longjiang Water Village, and he led his army back east, heading straight to Yangzhou Prefecture.
