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

Chapter 665 Internal and external troubles
As night fell, the capital city fell into tranquility.

Zhu Xiong Ying sat at his desk, deep in thought.

During this period, he has been extremely cautious in every move he has made.

Although local power was gradually weakened, he knew in his heart that the real threat had not been completely eliminated.

"Your Highness, I have something important to report."

Li Jinglong hurriedly entered the main hall, his expression solemn.

"We have received information that although some local forces have already yielded, they are secretly preparing to unite with external forces in an attempt to launch a counterattack."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying frowned slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"External forces?"

His voice was low and cold.

"Which external forces dare to take this opportunity to interfere in the internal affairs of our Great Ming Dynasty?"

Li Jinglong immediately replied, "According to intelligence, the Timurid Empire in the Western Regions has recently been in frequent contact with some wealthy local merchants."

"They attempted to weaken the imperial court's control over the regions by providing economic support to help these local powers rise again."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying's gaze grew even colder, and a disdainful smile appeared on his face.

"The Timurid Empire is indeed not content with being idle."

"They have always coveted the territory of my Great Ming Dynasty. Now, taking advantage of our internal investigation, they want to interfere. This is simply wishful thinking."

Although his voice was calm, every word he spoke conveyed boundless decisiveness and ruthlessness.

"Pass down the order to closely monitor all movements of the Timurid Empire."

"At the same time, we will conduct secret investigations into wealthy merchants and local officials who are secretly colluding with foreign enemies, and we must obtain all the evidence against them."

Li Jinglong nodded in agreement, and then said, "Your Highness, these local forces have colluded with foreign enemies and committed a heinous crime."

"Can we take this opportunity to eradicate these stubborn forces in one fell swoop?"

Zhu Xiong Ying pondered for a moment, his gaze deep.

“These local forces are indeed a hidden danger to our dynasty.”

"But if we act rashly, it may trigger even greater unrest."

"We must gather more evidence before we can take action."

Although his voice was calm, it conveyed boundless decisiveness and wisdom.

"The Timurid Empire has always been an external threat to our dynasty, but they have never truly confronted our Great Ming head-on."

"If we can find their weakness in this power struggle, we might be able to take this opportunity to completely suppress them."

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong's expression changed, and he immediately replied, "I understand."

"Let's remain calm and continue to gather evidence until the time is right, then strike decisively."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping coldly across the night outside the window.

“These local powers thought they could collude with foreign enemies to turn the tide, but they were wrong.”

"Anyone who dares to side with foreign enemies and betray the court will not have a good end."

He said this with an air of utter coldness and decisiveness.

***
A few days later, the atmosphere inside and outside the court became increasingly tense.

Although the crackdown temporarily quelled some of the resistance, undercurrents still simmered in the area.

In particular, wealthy businessmen who collude with external forces are secretly waiting for an opportunity to act.

"Your Highness, recently the Timurid Empire has been interacting more frequently with certain local forces."

Li Jinglong came to report again, his expression showing some worry.

“They secretly provided financial support to wealthy local merchants through some trade dealings.”

"I am worried that the power behind these forces is growing stronger and stronger, and sooner or later they will become a threat that we cannot ignore."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying's gaze turned slightly cold, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"The Timurid Empire is incredibly audacious to think it can cultivate power within our Great Ming Dynasty."

"They misjudged the situation."

His voice was deep and cold, conveying endless decisiveness.

“These local forces are just pawns in their game, and I have already seen through their scheme.”

"We can no longer sit idly by and wait for our doom; it's time to take the initiative."

Li Jinglong immediately nodded in agreement, and then asked, "How does Your Highness intend to deal with these forces that collude with foreign enemies?" Zhu Xiong Ying pondered for a moment, a hint of calm killing intent flashing in his eyes.

"First, we need to make sure we have all the evidence against them and that they have nowhere to hide."

"Then, launch another thunderous strike."

“Those wealthy merchants and officials who collude with foreign enemies and secretly plot will all be severely punished without exception.”

Although his voice was calm, every word he spoke conveyed endless decisiveness and ruthlessness.

"However, we need a catalyst before we can take action."

"An opportunity to completely expose their conspiracy."

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong looked somewhat puzzled.

"Your Highness, I don't quite understand. What kind of timing would be the most appropriate?"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled slightly, his eyes revealing deep thought.

"The reason they dared to secretly collude with foreign enemies was because they believed that the imperial court's power was no longer sufficient to suppress them."

"But if we can convince them that the court still has a firm grip on the situation, they will not dare to act rashly."

"At the same time, we must also put enough pressure on our external enemies."

"Pass down the order to increase troop deployment to the western border regions, creating the illusion that the imperial court is putting pressure on the Timurid Empire."

"Let them think that we have started to pay attention to their movements."

He said this with an air of utter coldness and wisdom.

Li Jinglong immediately nodded in agreement and said, "I understand. I will arrange for troop movements immediately to ensure sufficient defenses on the western border."

"However, Your Highness, will the commotion at the border provoke a reaction from the Timurid Empire?"

"If they feel threatened, they may take more aggressive measures."

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Although the Timurid Empire has always coveted our Ming Dynasty, they are not truly prepared to go to war with us."

"Their national strength is far inferior to that of our Great Ming. If we attack rashly, we will surely suffer a crushing defeat."

"They dare not easily confront our Great Ming."

"What we need to do is let them know that any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of our Great Ming will be met with a fatal blow."

Although his voice was soft, every word he spoke was filled with endless coldness and decisiveness.

***
A few days later, troop movements on the border proceeded rapidly.

Under Zhu Xiong Ying's orders, the Ming army strengthened its defenses in the Western Regions, and Timurid spies quickly relayed the news back.

"Your Highness, the Timurid Empire has already responded."

Li Jinglong came to report again, his expression showing a hint of vigilance.

"According to our intelligence, they have begun to move troops to the western border, seemingly to test our reaction."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Sure enough, they couldn't sit still any longer.

"But they dared not attack rashly and could only probe the border."

He said this with an air of utter coldness and decisiveness.

"Pass down the order to continue strengthening border security, but do not provoke conflict."

"We need to put pressure on them, but we can't give them an excuse to start a war."

Li Jinglong immediately nodded in agreement and then said, "I will make arrangements immediately to ensure a stable situation on the border."

"However, Your Highness, the Timurid Empire is unlikely to be satisfied with such a test."

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"The Timurid Empire's ambitions should not be underestimated, but their strength is insufficient to shake our Great Ming."

"What we need to do is exhaust them with anxiety."

"Any slight movement from them will become an excuse for us to strike them."

"At the same time, we will continue to monitor local forces that collude with them covertly, and take immediate action once we have solid evidence."

His voice was deep and cold, revealing boundless wisdom and decisiveness.

A storm is brewing.

(End of this chapter)