Wang Jiayan saw that Zhu Cihong seemed to be about to speak, and hurriedly said to Li Jing: "Master Li, if you lead an army to go on an expedition, which troops in the capital are you planning to call on?"
Li Jing heard this and knew that Wang Jiayan was not at ease with him. He pondered for a moment and then said in a deep voice: "This time we are fighting on two fronts. We should mainly use cavalry."
"It's just that the Jurchen cavalry are fierce, and the rebels have been attacking for thousands of miles. They should be the black armored cavalry that they are proud of. Compared with them, our cavalry is slightly weaker in combat power. If we resist them head-on, it will be difficult to win. Therefore, Firearms are the mainstay of service."
"Li Jing heard that Mr. Huang had rebuilt the Shenji Battalion of 2,000 people according to His Majesty's instructions, so he wanted to use the cavalry as bait and the Shenji Battalion as the main force..."
Wang Jiayan was originally worried that Li Jing was acting impulsively, but now that he saw that Li Jing spoke clearly and clearly, and that some details were more comprehensive than he had considered, he couldn't help but nod secretly in his heart.
After Li Jing finished speaking, he asked again: "Master Li, although your method is good, it may not be able to repel the rebels if you only rely on firecrackers and other weapons. But if you use artillery, how can you guarantee the effectiveness?"
Li Jing muttered: "The key to this battle is surprise. To prevent the rebels and Jurchens from noticing, large artillery will definitely not be used, so only medium-sized Folang machines and other firearms can be used in this battle."
"As far as Li Jing knows, Mr. Huang has made a lot of these firearms. The quantity is enough to support the two battles, and there is no need to transport them back and forth."
"Although these firearms have limited power, if supplemented with gunpowder and other materials, their power will not be worse than that of large artillery..."
...
Wang Jiayan asked some more questions one after another. Seeing that Li Jing answered them fluently, he let go of his worries. He looked at Zhu Cixiang and said, "Your Highness, Mr. Li is extremely intelligent and qualified to hold the position of commander-in-chief."
Zhu Cixiang was still a little hesitant, but when he saw that Wang Jiayan also agreed, he smiled and said: "Okay, since everyone agrees with this proposal, I will appoint Mr. Li as the coach this time!"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Li Jing and said: "Master Li, you are commendable for your loyalty and bravery. When you come back victorious, I will personally ask for credit for you!"
"If there is any disagreement, you don't need to worry. I will personally lead an army to assist you when the time comes..."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing hurriedly knelt down to receive the order, and then hurriedly left with Wang Jiayan.
Zhu Cixiang was silent for a while, then looked at Shen Zhanran and said: "Sir, I know..."
Shen Zhanran saw Zhu Cixiang's expression and hurriedly said: "Your Highness, I have received the kindness of Your Majesty, and I will definitely die to repay it. I also ask Your Highness to allow me to go on the expedition with Mr. Li!"
Zhu Cihong thought that Zhu Yuanzhang was treating Shen Zhanran harshly, so he wanted to appease him. However, when he saw that he was generously requesting an order, he couldn't say anything.
He hesitated for a while and then said in a deep voice: "Sir, you are very righteous. Cixi is very grateful. Please accept Cixi's bow!"
Zhu Cixiang said before bowing to Shen Zhanran.
Seeing this, Shen Zhanran hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said: "Prince, you are the king, Zhanran is the minister, Zhanran can't bear it!"
Zhu Cihong said seriously: "Sir, before my father passed away, he asked Cixi to treat him as a gentleman. You can certainly bear it."
"If you don't accept Cixi's courtesy, Cixiang wouldn't dare to let you go on an expedition..."
Shen Zhanran saw Zhu Cixiang's determined face and knew that he would not give up if he did not receive this courtesy from him.
In desperation, Shen Zhanran had no choice but to let go of Zhu Cixiang and let him continue to salute.
But while Zhu Cihong saluted, he also bowed and returned the salute.
Seeing this, Zhu Cixiang valued Shen Zhanran even more. After cordially inviting him to sit with him, he asked him for advice on the details.
Shen Zhanran was treated so politely by Zhu Cixiang and saw his sincerity, so he immediately told him everything and solved a lot of Zhu Cixiang's doubts.
However, after he saw that everything had been agreed upon, Zhu Cixiang still frowned, and asked tentatively: "Your Highness, but Your Majesty has not reported the whereabouts of the rebels?"
When Zhu Cixiang heard this, he sighed softly and said: "Sir, I have a keen eye. In fact, my father sent a letter before to say that things in Wuchang have changed..."
After listening to Zhu Cixiang's story, Shen Zhanran pondered for a while and said: "Your Highness, you don't need to worry. Although I have never met Uncle Ping Nan, Your Majesty has a keen eye. Since Uncle Ping Nan is responsible for handling Wuchang affairs, I would like to come to him." He also has this ability.”
"Furthermore, Uncle Weiwu is brave and resourceful, so he will not be easily captured by He Tengjiao. Moreover, the ministers heard that Mrs. Qin is brave and good at fighting, so they should not be able to let Zhang Xianzhong's remnant soldiers leave Sichuan easily."
"So I guess there must be an inside story, and with your Majesty's wisdom, I have already planned to deal with it. Please don't worry, Your Highness."
After hearing Shen Zhanran's analysis, Zhu Cihong felt much relieved, and then he said with some doubts: "If this is the case, why didn't the emperor say anything..."
As he spoke, he stopped again, looked at Shen Zhanran with some surprise and said, "Could it be that my father was worried that the news would be leaked, so he said this deliberately... But if so, my father should have come back long ago!"
Shen Zhanran pondered: "In addition to fearing that the news will be leaked, His Majesty may also want to use this to confuse the rebels. After all, there are rebels in the Jinyi Guards."
"As for why His Majesty has not returned, I can't figure it out for the moment, but His Majesty always has no plans left, and I think he has other plans."
Zhu Cixiang heard this and said with some worry: "Sir, if it is as you said, can't Cixiang use the Jinyiwei's secret camp to detect the whereabouts of the rebels?"
Shen Zhanran saw the hesitation on Zhu Cixiang's face, and thought that he had to bear such a heavy responsibility at such a young age, so he comforted him: "Your Highness, you don't need to worry too much. After the rectification of Jin Yiwei by Wang Qianhu, the confidentiality of the information has been greatly improved."
"Furthermore, there are many common people around the suburbs of Beijing. After they get their land, most of them are grateful to the court, but they are also afraid of losing their land. Your Highness only needs to publicize the rebels' pursuit of stolen goods and financial aid to arouse the hatred of the people. The rebels will There will be no escape…”
As he spoke, he suddenly thought of Zhu Yuanzhang's previous migration and resettlement of the victims, perhaps with the intention of letting the people act as eyes and ears. He couldn't help but admire Zhu Yuanzhang even more, and at the same time become more afraid.
After listening to Shen Zhanran's story, Zhu Cihong was relieved.
Then he and Shen Zhanran repeatedly deduced the battle situation, and after confirming that nothing was missed, he returned to the imperial city accompanied by Wang Chengen.
When Zhu Cihong returned to the palace, it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. Thinking that he had not paid his respects to Empress Zhou, he hurried to Kunning Palace again.
When he entered Kunning Palace, Queen Zhou and Queen Yi'an were chatting.
When Queen Yi'an saw Zhu Cihong coming, she stood up and left after saying a few polite words.
Zhu Cixiang had something on his mind, so he apologized and wanted to leave.
Unexpectedly, Queen Zhou suddenly changed her expression and said, "Prince, you are out of the city today, but are you going to see Shen Zhanran?"
Seeing the serious look on Queen Zhou's face, Zhu Cixiang immediately remembered that when his father left the capital, he deliberately left Shen Zhanran in the suburbs of the capital. After a panic in his heart, he whispered: "My son is undecided about some government affairs, so he went out of the city to ask your husband for advice... ....”
As he spoke, he secretly observed Queen Zhou's expression. Seeing Queen Zhou's brows slightly frowning, he explained: "Mother, I feel that your husband is very loyal to the Ming Dynasty..."
"Since you know that he is loyal, why don't you let him enter the city at this critical time?"
Zhou Hou interrupted Zhu Cixiang with some dissatisfaction, while staring at him closely with a pair of phoenix eyes.
Zhu Cixiang was stunned when he heard this, and then hesitantly said: "I originally wanted to entrust you with a heavy responsibility, but my father asked me to farm in the suburbs of Beijing, and my husband is not willing to go to the city, so I can't force it."
Seeing Zhu Cixiang's troubled face, Empress Zhou shook her head and said, "Prince, it is good for you to be filial and benevolent, but you must also understand that the prince who oversees the country must not only be kind, but also have skill."
"What's more, your father has paved the way for you a long time ago, but you are still unable to make a decision. How can you bear the heavy burden your father has given you?"
When Zhu Cihong heard this, he looked at Empress Zhou in surprise.
Some people died, but not completely...
