My father is Jiajing

Chapter 186 Prince Yu's Self-Awareness
After nearly eight days, Zhu Zaigui finally led the army in the suburbs of Beijing to drive the Tatar bandits led by Altan out of the Great Wall.

The experience of this arrogant Tatar bandit group during these eight days can be described as extremely "bumpy". Except for the initial Battle of Pigeon Cave which was won in one go, the nightmare began in the subsequent Huangyu Valley.

The repeated defeats dealt a severe blow to the morale, making it impossible for Anda himself to maintain the most basic stability. He had been trying to make a comeback and rebuild the morale.

But every time he made a move, it seemed like he had stepped on the opponent's bomb point. He was always led by the nose by the Ming army and didn't even show any strategy of his own.

So this battle was not only a complete loss, but also a very frustrating process. Not only did he lose many soldiers and generals, but he also lost all the prestige he had accumulated on the grassland.

For Anda, this is definitely a huge shame that he will remember for the rest of his life!
But now Anda had no intention of holding a grudge against the Ming cavalry who had caused him such a great loss this time. He wanted to immediately re-establish his prestige on the grassland and purge those tribal leaders and generals who had become disloyal.

Otherwise, not only him, but also the Tumed tribe will never have peace on the grassland.

So now that Alanda has escaped from the outskirts of Beijing, the first thing he thinks of is not revenge, but cleansing!

At the same time, Zhu Zaigui also felt greatly relieved.

Because on the afternoon of the day when he led his army to drive the remaining Tatar troops led by Anda out of the Great Wall, the weather changed.

Endless black clouds appeared out of nowhere, and the murderous autumn thunder rumbled in the sky. Soon, a heavy downpour would fall from the sky, as if there was a hole in the sky.

Such a heavy rainstorm reduced the combat effectiveness of all troops to the lowest level in an instant, especially the Ming army, which was famous for its firearms and artillery. It fell into a complete trough in this sudden rainstorm.

But fortunately, the Tatar bandits had been driven out of the Great Wall and had been terrified.

If this rain had come a few days earlier, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Zhu Zaigui, standing in the freezing autumn rain, gave a final speech of encouragement to the soldiers responsible for defending the Great Wall, praising their courage and justice in defending their country without fear of life and death. He then thanked them for their active cooperation, which ultimately prevented the Tatar bandits from spreading from Miyun to other areas outside the capital, thus preserving the lives and property of the people outside the capital to the greatest extent possible.

Finally, Zhu Zaigui promised to recommend their achievements to the court and let them get the rewards and benefits they deserve.

After saying these words, Zhu Zaigui handed over the command of this place to Wang Ruxiao and Luo Xihan, and then left the three camps of the Imperial Stables, namely the front camp, the rear camp, and the warrior camp, to guard the Great Wall for a few days to observe the situation.

Zhu Zaigui then took Teng Xiang and a team of personal guards and left the Great Wall, heading towards the Shunyi Industrial Park in the rear.

When Zhu Zaigui appeared near the Shunyi Industrial Park, people led by Huang Jin, Meng Chong, Chen Hong, Li Fang and others were waiting for Zhu Zaigui's arrival on a stone arch bridge upstream of the Chaobai River.

Huang Jin and his companions saw a group of people coming in the rain. Although they couldn't see their appearance clearly, they all knew that it must be Prince Yu who returned victorious.

Huang Jin and others stood on the bridge in the rain, waiting expectantly. When Zhu Zaigui, Teng Xiang and others arrived at the bridge and looked at Huang Jin and others who were already drenched by the rain, they were deeply moved.

Zhu Zaigui said, "Everyone, please stop being polite and go to the shed to hide from the rain. If you catch a cold, it will be no joke."

Everyone was moved by Zhu Zaigui's words, and they followed Zhu Zaigui to the shelter at the bridge head.

Meng Chong looked at Zhu Zaigui whom she hadn't seen for several days and burst into tears with excitement, "My Lord, I miss you so much."

Zhu Zaiqi looked at Meng Chong and immediately smiled, "Okay, don't cry anymore. Isn't the prince back safely?"

Meng Chong nodded excitedly, "Your Highness is so powerful that he defeated the bandits. I am proud of you!"

Huang Jin and others were also excitedly watching the conversation between Zhu Zaigui and Meng Chong, and they all had the same idea. However, in terms of closeness, Meng Chong was the most important eunuch around Zhu Zaigui, so no one competed with him for this prominent opportunity.

Zhu Zaigui chatted with everyone for a few more words in a relaxed manner, and then his eyes became serious.

Zhu Zaigui said, "From now on, you must keep the fact that I am Zhu San to yourself, and no one is allowed to mention it. Otherwise, not only you, but also I may be in big trouble."

Zhu Zaigui's words stunned Meng Chong and others who were overjoyed, but Huang Jin understood what Zhu Zaigui meant.

Huang Jin bowed to Zhu Zaigui and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have already issued a death order. Anyone who dares to reveal Your Majesty's true identity will be beaten to death immediately."

Zhu Zaigui looked at the wounded Huang Jin and said with emotion: "Thank you, eunuch. If you hadn't charged in front and defeated the bandit vanguard in one fell swoop, buying time for me, this battle wouldn't have been so successful. Please accept my greetings, eunuch!"

After saying this, Zhu Zaigui was about to bow to Huang Jin, but how could Huang Jin dare to accept the prince's greeting?
And even under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

So Huang Jin also dodged fiercely, and then bowed deeply to Zhu Zaigui: "These are all what I should do. I dare not take credit for them."

Zhu Zaigui looked at Huang Jin, who was so steady and measured, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. This might be the secret of Huang Jin's ability to stand firm in front of Emperor Jiajing.

He always knew his position and identity clearly, and never relied on the power of Emperor Jiajing for his own sake. Such a person not only made Emperor Jiajing himself feel at ease, but also gained special respect from the officials inside and outside the court.

After taking shelter for a while, the rain outside finally subsided a little.

Zhu Zaigui turned around and looked at the surging Chaobai River, and sighed in his heart: "This time we were able to drive away the Tatar bandits so smoothly, and this river also played a great role! Where is Zhang Tianci now?"

Meng Chong continued, "Chief Engineer Zhang has been tense for so many days in the industrial park. He suddenly relaxed and caught a cold. Imperial Doctor Li is treating him."

Zhu Zaigui also laughed when he heard this, and then said with concern: "Ask Imperial Doctor Li to take good care of him. His contribution this time is not small. When the court awards merits, he will probably be received by His Majesty. Tell him to take good care of himself. In the future, the expansion and design work around the industrial park will still require him to take charge of the overall situation for the king."

Meng Chongxi said happily: "Your Highness is right. Now that the rain has stopped, we should hurry back. There is a celebration banquet waiting for you in the industrial park."

When Zhu Zaigui heard that there was a celebration banquet, he immediately shook his head and said, "No, no, I won't go."

When Meng Chong heard that Zhu Zaigui was not going, he immediately became anxious, "Your Majesty, Mr. Gao is also in the industrial park, don't you want to meet him?"

When Zhu Zaigui heard that Gao Gong was also there, he shook his head and said, "Then you can't go. If you go, how can I explain it? You guys just go to this celebration banquet and have some fun. Remember, you can't reveal my true identity, even to Mr. Gao."

When Meng Chong heard Zhu Zaigui emphasize this sentence again, his eyes could not help but become resentful, "Your Majesty, do you have to travel at night in fine clothes for such a great contribution?"

Zhu Zaigui laughed: "No matter how great the merit is, it must be shared among people. Zhu San can have this great merit, but I cannot have it. Do you understand this principle?"

Zhu Zaigui spoke so bluntly that the people present were no fools and they immediately understood what Zhu Zaigui meant.

Yes, Zhu Zaigui is not just an ordinary person, he is the biological son of the current emperor and a prince of the Ming Dynasty. How could he have such a great feat?

If someone else had such a great achievement, it might have brought him enormous wealth, but for Zhu Zaigui, it might have caused him endless troubles and might even endanger his life, so it was absolutely unacceptable.

(End of this chapter)