Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 11 Capturing Zhu Zhanji Alive

Zhu Di had no idea how his fourth son had managed to win.

If he could win against such a disparate force, he would truly be worthy of the title of one of the greatest emperors of all time.

But at this moment, Zhu Di felt no joy whatsoever.

the reason is simple.

After these two instances of speaking through the heavens, Zhu Di deliberately emphasized the need to avoid them.

But what happens to you will eventually repeat itself as history continues to repeat itself.

Zhu Zhanji was too ruthless; it seemed that every uncle was an enemy in his eyes.

Especially the fourth son.

Clearly, the fourth prince had no intention of rebelling.

But the eldest grandson pressed on relentlessly, leaving no way out for him.

Perhaps that's why the fourth prince disregarded his promise to his father and ultimately seized the throne from Zhu Zhanji.

Zhu Di was all too familiar with this kind of oppression and helpless predicament.

At this moment, his resentment towards the fourth brother also dissipated considerably.

"The fourth brother should be defeated, but he probably wasn't captured alive and escaped. We'll adjust our forces later."

Zhu Di believed that no matter how capable Zhu Gaoshuo was, he would have no choice but to surrender in the face of overwhelming military force.

But what Tianmu said next completely shocked him to the point of being rooted to the spot.

"Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, Zhu Zhan, basically thought victory was assured, but he did not expect that his ancestor had already made preparations and personally led a cavalry force to break through to the southwest direction guarded by Xue Lu."

"Our ancestor, with his bow and arrow, never missed a shot, not only carving a bloody path but also striking directly at the heart of the enemy's stronghold, capturing the renowned general Xue Lu alive."

"Impossible, this is impossible!"

Zhu Di was utterly shocked.

He had tested the fourth brother's health just a few days ago.

The other party definitely does not know martial arts.

So how exactly does one manage to hit the target every time they draw a bow and shoot an arrow?

What a magnificent sight that was!

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin!

Zhu Di had fantasized about this more than once.

As it turned out, his fourth brother actually did it.

Could it be that Xue Lu was so careless?
Don't you know how to take precautions?

But Zhu Di soon discovered that this was not the case.

"It must be said that Xue Lu was indeed a great general. He quickly cut off the old ancestor from the cavalry camp and personally led tens of thousands of troops to besiege him."

"Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, was on the verge of death, yet he fought his way out of the encirclement of tens of thousands of troops as if they were nothing."

"That's amazing! How powerful must one's martial arts be to do that?"

Zhu Di was somewhat puzzled.

How did the fourth brother, who seems like a spoiled brat now, suddenly become so strong?

["Xue Lu certainly didn't dare to let Zhu Gaoshuo go so easily, so he immediately led his troops to give chase, only to fall into an ambush and be captured alive."]

This battle not only allowed Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, to break through the encirclement in the northwest, but also resulted in the capture of tens of thousands of soldiers, greatly enhancing his strength.

Of course, he did not send these tens of thousands of captured troops to the main battlefield, but used them to garrison Chen Mao.

Zhu Di felt a tremor in his heart, clearly understanding that his fourth son's counterattack was about to begin.

At this moment, Chen Mao was besieged on both sides. Previously, it was because there were too few troops stationed in the north of Ganzhou, but now that tens of thousands of troops were stationed there, Chen Mao was certainly helpless for the time being.

The fourth brother actually used the Oirat as an ally, trapping Chen Mao in the middle and making him unable to move.

For Zhu Di, the good news was that a civil war was avoided.

After all, both armies were originally meant to guard the borders of the Ming Dynasty. But...
Zhu Di couldn't understand it.

Why is the fourth son so confident? Does he think he has no fear of his eldest grandson on the front lines?
Although the northwest direction was lost, Zhu Zhanji did not panic. He knew that this was just his fourth uncle's last-ditch effort. On the main battlefield, he continued to attack Ganzhou with an army of 300,000.

"But what he didn't expect was that over the years, Prince Qi, Zhu Gaoshuo, had long been deeply loved by the people, and because of the Silk Road, merchants from all over the world supported Prince Qi."

Three hundred thousand troops were completely unable to capture Ganzhou, which was defended by only ten thousand soldiers. The stalemate lasted for three months, during which Zhu Zhanji's army suffered one-third casualties, and logistical supplies were completely depleted.

"With a troop strength difference of thirty times, and such an advantage, they still couldn't take the city?"

Zhu Di found it unbelievable.

In the past, he would have questioned the credibility of the Sky Curtain.

But now he knows it's all true.

What exactly did Lao Si do in Ganzhou to make the people of Ganzhou so willing to risk their lives for him?

Zhu Di even vaguely felt that it was not only the people of Ganzhou who were helping him, but also Zhu Gaoshuo's assistance within the Ming Dynasty.

I've been trying for three months and still haven't succeeded.

As time goes on, something bad is bound to happen.

As expected, Zhu Di's guess was proven correct.

[The Mongols, of course, would not choose to stand by and watch the civil war in the Ming Dynasty. In September, the Mongols suddenly attacked. Due to the capture of Xue Lu, the Mongol Uriyangkhai tribe's army of thousands had already invaded Ming territory. They marched rapidly and came with fierce momentum, numbering at least 80,000 cavalry.]

"Damn it, that brat should hurry up and end the civil war, and go suppress the Uriyangkhai tribe first!"

Zhu Di was quite aware that the Uriyangkhai tribe was coming on strong and was very dangerous.

If left unchecked, other tribes on the grasslands will see that the Ming Dynasty is easy to bully and will surely unite to send troops.

That would truly plunge the world into chaos.

"When the Mongols attacked, Zhu Zhanji did not retreat. Instead, he believed that internal stability must come before external resistance and decided to fight a decisive battle with Zhu Gaoshuo."

"Zhu Zhanji believed that the quality of an army was more important than its quantity. He personally selected 3000 elite cavalrymen, equipped with muskets and more than ten days' worth of rations, and they marched at full speed and stealthily to launch a surprise attack on Ganzhou!"

"As emperor and general, Zhu Zhanji certainly had courage and decisiveness, but he was unfamiliar with the terrain of Ganzhou. During the march, his warhorses died halfway through the desert and Gobi to the snow-capped mountains and glaciers."

He was eventually captured alive by Zhu Gaoshuo, the Prince of Qi, in the Qilian Mountains!

Upon seeing this, Zhu Di took a deep breath.

This was the first time he had been so disappointed in Zhu Zhanji.

How did things turn out like this when everything was going so well?
"Why did you provoke your fourth uncle if you had nothing to do? Don't you know he was one of the greatest emperors in history?"

Zhu Di was speechless; he had clearly arranged everything.

The fourth brother agreed.

He believed that if Zhu Zhanji had not wanted to reduce the power of the princes and had not wanted to oppose the fourth prince, the situation would certainly not have been like this.

We should reduce the power of the feudal lords.

You just had to pick the most powerful one to make the first move.

What worried Zhu Di most was that the various tribes of the grasslands would definitely take this opportunity to invade.

The regional princes, who were already restless, would also take the opportunity to rebel.

The world is in chaos.

The Ming Dynasty is doomed!

"But thankfully, the fourth brother will make a move!"

Zhu Di quickly calmed down.

Since Zhu Gaoshuo was honored as the Ming Zhongzu, he must have stood up to save the Ming Dynasty when it was facing a life-or-death crisis.

Zhu Di couldn't help but smile wryly.

He tried every means to prevent the fourth prince from becoming emperor.

As a result, he had to clean up the mess.

[How could Emperor Xuanzong of Ming possibly be a match for the ancestor? He's truly gone mad! Instead of resisting foreign invasion, he wants to kill his own uncle!]
Although Zhu Zhanji was capable, he should be considered a foolish ruler.
[However, why did Zhu Zhanji's son later become emperor?]
(End of this chapter)