The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 159 Zhu Yuanzhang: Tiande has betrayed us

Everyone gritted their teeth in hatred upon hearing this.

If Xu Da hadn't repeatedly warned them not to make a move in the court, they would have rushed up and given these civil officials a good beating.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Marquis Yongjia Zhu Liangzu and others went to meet them.

Several people stepped forward and spoke up.

"Your Majesty, General Xu Da has worked tirelessly for the country and has made great contributions, but his unauthorized mobilization of troops is also a serious crime."

"Those who have made merits should be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes should be punished. At present, the general is not suitable to command the troops of Yingtian Prefecture."

"Perhaps Your Highness should stop this matter first and ask His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince for their opinions. We are all military generals of the Ming Dynasty. No matter who they are, even if they have done us a great favor, if they do something that is detrimental to the Ming Dynasty, we will fight to the death to protect the safety of the Ming Dynasty."

These people spoke with absolute certainty, and some officials who did not understand the truth actually thought these people were capable of great things.

Those who understood the schemes of these Huaixi nobles were extremely disdainful.

Their words seemed to imply Xu Da's loyalty, but were actually a roundabout suggestion to Zhu Xiong Ying to temporarily relieve Xu Da of his power in order to ensure the stability of Yingtian Prefecture.

The following words indicated that the military generals of the Ming Dynasty were not limited to Xu Da's men; they too could share the burden of the country. Finally, he made a statement.

Tell everyone that they are utterly loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, Huyou stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Highness, when His Majesty entrusted Ying Tianfu to you, he said that you could consult with the Duke of Wei on any matter!"

"Wei Guogong is only doing this because he has the trust of the people of the world. After all, those people dare to plan such a thing, they may have other purposes. If something goes wrong, it will be difficult, not to mention that the matter of the Scout Command is very important."

"Only by drawing troops from various parts of the north can we achieve any results. Therefore, in my opinion, the Duke of Wei not only has no fault, but should be richly rewarded!"

When everyone heard this, they were all in an uproar, not expecting that Hu Weiyong would speak up for Xu Da at this time.

Xu Da and Hu Weiyong had often clashed in the past, but now Hu Weiyong was actually supporting Xu Da.

Several people at the scene looked at Hu Weiyong with angry expressions.

I continued speaking as if I hadn't noticed their expressions.

Zhu Xiong Ying was not surprised by Hu Weiyong's astonishing move.

Although Hu Weiyong had various problems, he was indeed a smart man.

If you can't even see this, then you've wasted all these years in the imperial court.

"You are all right, what the Duke of Wei did was indeed somewhat inappropriate, but it must be said that it did help our Great Ming Dynasty consolidate its power and stability!"

"Since I assumed the regency, it has been thanks to the assistance of you gentlemen that the country has been stable. I hope that you will continue to support me with all your might in the future!"

Several nobles from Huaixi had their eyes light up upon hearing this. Could it be...?

His Majesty intends to entrust him with the military power around Yingtian Prefecture. If that's the case, that would be wonderful.

Zhu Xiong Ying turned her gaze to Chang Mao, who was standing below.

"General Chang Mao, from this moment on, all the troops around Yingtian Prefecture of the Imperial Court are under your command. You must quickly take over the troops and protect the safety of the capital without fail!"

"I will obey your orders!"

The court officials were greatly shocked by this situation. They had previously guessed that the Chang brothers' return to public life was closely related to Zhu Xiong Ying, and that Zhu Xiong Ying would likely give them important positions. Now, seeing this, they realized that it was indeed the case.

At this moment, Duke Lan Yu of Liang felt somewhat dissatisfied. He had originally thought this position was his, but unexpectedly it was given to Duke Chang Mao of Zheng. However, upon reflection, he realized that the Chang family was, after all, family, and there was no need to be too clear about who was who. So he stopped thinking about it.

Zhu Xiong Ying made numerous arrangements, placing his subordinates in various positions, and soon he had almost completely seized power in Yingtian Prefecture.

The nobles from Huaixi listened for a long time without hearing their names, and their faces turned very ugly. The reason they had not been valued before was because they did not have any troops under their command.

If I had troops under my command now, even His Majesty would never dare to touch me.

Unexpectedly, he ended up gaining nothing and may have offended the generals in the court who belonged to Xu Da's faction because of this incident.

Inside Fengyang Prefecture.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his crown prince Zhu Biao lived a very comfortable life today.

The entire family of the nobles who had harmed people in Fengyang Prefecture was basically wiped out in one fell swoop.

The local officials in Fengyang Prefecture also knew who the important figure from above was, and dared not hide it in the slightest. As a result, the administration of Fengyang Prefecture became more transparent and efficient.

This change pleased Zhu Yuanzhang greatly.

"Biao'er, do you see that? Many officials in our Great Ming Dynasty are only responsive to force, not persuasion!"

"No matter how much money you give them, they'll never have enough. In fact, they'll end up turning against you. But if I teach a few of them a lesson, the others will be scared. They fear danger but not morality. That's just how these guys are!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao nodded, but he had his own thoughts in mind.

This approach might indeed quiet these officials down for a while, but its effect is very limited. The world is so vast, and there are so many places; who knows how many corrupt officials might emerge from each one?

"Based on this, Tie Xuan should be arriving in Yingtian Prefecture soon. I wonder how the kid is doing on the road. It probably won't be safe. Those guys are capable of anything!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious when he heard this; these guys were good for nothing but causing trouble.

He had thought that these people had fought alongside him for so many years and could finally get some rest, but instead they had committed so many acts of corruption and bribery, leaving him feeling caught in a dilemma.

Just then, Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, appeared here with a letter.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, this is an urgent document from Yingtian Prefecture!"

"It is said that a major event has occurred in Yingtian Prefecture: General Xu Da has mobilized all the troops in the north!"

These words startled Zhu Yuanzhang and Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who were resting.

Mobilizing troops without Zhu Yuanzhang's orders was no small matter, especially since the person in question was Xu Da, a seasoned general with unparalleled military prowess.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked utterly incredulous.

"What did you say? General Xu Da actually mobilized troops? That's impossible!"

"Just how many troops were mobilized!"

After thinking for a moment, Mao Xiang said in a low voice.

"It's likely that all the garrison troops from the north have been transferred there, amounting to forty or fifty battalions!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely angry.

"Does Tiande intend to rebel?"

(End of this chapter)