Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

On this expedition, Zhang Shikang had not originally planned to go straight to the south of the Yangtze River, and the process of plowing the land would certainly not be smooth sailing.

There must be nail households like Prince Fu Zhu Changxun in every province, and there must be more than one.

Although the military power of these princes was taken away by the imperial court, they still retained several hundred palace guards, not including the servants they kept.

Moreover, hereditary princes such as Zhu Changxun possessed huge assets and food reserves, and thus had a certain ability to rebel.

To be honest, Zhang Shikang was not afraid of these clan members rebelling, but he was afraid that they would be indecisive and procrastinate.

If you want to rebel, do it now. Don't wait until I flee to Huguang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang before you start making trouble.

His original intention in going on this expedition was to eliminate all obstacles to reform, and he was also mentally prepared for the local princes to take advantage of the unrest in Jiangnan to rebel.

The troops he led were elite troops who could fight against the Jianlu on the plains. They were almost invincible in places like Jiangnan, Henan and Shandong.

"Uncle, I leave the army to you. I will go to Luoyang for a visit."

Half a quarter of an hour later, the three thousand cavalrymen had lined up, and Zhang Shikang said to Huaining Hou.

"Don't worry, Marshal. There's nothing to worry about here." Sun Weifan patted his chest and said in a low voice, hesitating:

"He is your Majesty's uncle after all, the Marshal dare not act recklessly!"

Although Prince Lu is also a hereditary prince, his blood relationship with the current emperor is nearly twenty generations apart. However, Zhu Changxun and Zhu Youjian are uncle and nephew, and their relationship could not be closer.

Even though he knew that the emperor trusted Zhang Shikang very much, Sun Weifan had always been afraid that Zhang Shikang would fall out of favor, and was one of the people who protected Zhang Shikang the most.

After all, the Ming Dynasty’s current situation and his own status are all due to Zhang Shikang. They prosper together and suffer together.

If he doesn't think about himself, he has to think about his son.

"Hey, don't worry, uncle. I will never cook Zhu Changxun alive. That's something a bandit would do, and I'm not a bandit."

Zhang Shikang laughed out loud after he finished speaking. Before he even raised the whip, Ergou, who was tactful, started running away with all four hooves, and thus avoided being whipped once.

The three thousand cavalrymen galloped wildly, raising layers of dust. Sun Weifan smacked his lips as he looked at the dust.

"Cook alive...cook alive the emperor's uncle? Nephew, you absolutely cannot do that! Nephew..."

……

An hour later, Henan Prefecture and Luoyang City were in sight.

Luoyang, as the ancient capital of 13 dynasties, has always been one of the largest and most famous cities in the Central Plains.

Even though it has suffered various natural disasters and man-made tragedies in recent years, the city of Luoyang is still crowded and bustling.

But the prosperity seemed to be only on the surface. Before entering the city, Zhang Shikang saw many beggars, who were leaning half-dead against the city walls.

Some of them had swollen and red faces, and their eyes had fierce expressions, and it was obvious that they had eaten humans not long ago.

Such is the way of the world.

Zhang Shikang ignored him and showed his seal of the marshal and led his army directly to Prince Fu's Palace in the city.

Three thousand cavalrymen were charging through the city, making a lot of noise. The common people had already been pointing and talking, and the bolder ones were following behind the army, wanting to know who this army was going to capture.

The city was actually already in quite a mess. The guards were hunting down corrupt officials and ransacking the properties of landlords, gentry, and corrupt officials.

There was also a group of people from the Eastern Investigation Bureau who were guarding the place where notices were posted outside the prefectural government office.

Many notices had been posted there, including the three imperial edicts just issued by the emperor. More people gathered here to listen to the East Factory officials read them out in public, and from time to time, the people burst into cheers from the bottom of their hearts.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Shikang personally led his troops to the gate of Prince Fu's Palace.

The gate of Prince Fu's Palace is particularly majestic, with two large stone lions that are two meters tall. Beyond the high courtyard wall, you can see the pavilions with carved railings and jade bricks inside.

However, Prince Fu seemed to have received the news long ago, and the gate of the palace was closed.

In the past, even a governor-general would have to send a letter to pay a visit to the prince of the time, and could not be summoned without permission.

But Zhang Shikang had no intention of taking the usual path and even wrote a post to give him face!

"Smash the door."

Zhang Shikang waved his hand and said to his subordinates.

Immediately, a group of cavalrymen dismounted and started smashing with iron hammers.

"Marshal, this door is made of hard wood and is difficult to break down. It would be faster to climb over the wall," said Hong Xiucheng, the commander of the royal guards.

Zhang Shikang had no doubts and immediately agreed to Hong Xiucheng's proposal.

The wall of Prince Fu's mansion was more than ten feet high, but this did not pose a problem for Hong Xiucheng. He was a martial artist. He took a few steps back, then made a sudden rush and climbed up the wall using his hands and feet.

Zhang Shikang was extremely envious.

But before Hong Xiucheng had time to be happy, he heard a whooshing sound. Hong Xiucheng tumbled over the courtyard wall, dodging dozens of arrows, but he was also shot off the wall, looking extremely embarrassed.

"Anyone who dares to besiege the palace will be killed without mercy!" The voice of Prince Fu's guards came from inside the courtyard wall.

"What the hell..."

This directly raised Zhang Shikang's blood pressure.

He had never seen anyone more arrogant than him.

At this time, the prefect of Luoyang rushed over after hearing the news. He did not take a sedan chair, but came over holding the hem of his official uniform and supporting the leg of his black gauze hat.

The prefect's surname was Chu, and he was the only remaining official in the Luoyang prefectural government. He was able to escape the liquidation by the imperial guards and not associate with the local corrupt officials. I think he was a capable official.

However, Zhang Shikang had no time to chat with this man. As soon as they met, before he even waited for the greeting, he shouted:

"Are there any artillery pieces in the city?"

The prefect's eyes widened when he heard this. He glanced at the gate of Prince Fu's mansion and immediately knew what this living devil was going to do.

"In reply to the Marquis, Luoyang is an important place in the Central Plains, so it naturally has city defense artillery, but the city defense artillery is extremely heavy and inconvenient to dismantle."

After the prefect said this, he quickly walked up to Zhang Shikang, but was stopped by Hong Xiucheng who held a knife.

Zhang Shikang waved his hand, and the prefect came forward. He then lifted his official uniform, knelt down, and whispered:

"The people of Luoyang have suffered from Prince Fu for a long time. I hope that the Marquis will take care of the people of Luoyang."

He seemed to know what Zhang Shikang was here for, but was worried about being heard by the people in Prince Fu's Mansion. Although he spoke in a low voice, his voice was very sincere.

"To be honest with you, sir, there are several French cannons in the treasury, which can be used for your benefit."

"You are a good official. Please step down. I will rid the people of Luoyang of this evil today!"

After saying this, he ordered a group of people to follow the prefect to get the cannons.

Soon, two French cannons were pulled to the gate of Prince Fu's palace by mules, and following the cavalry were several soldiers from the city who were familiar with artillery.

"Listen everyone inside, I will only give you one chance.

Open the gate immediately, or the artillery will be ready!"

Zhang Shikang said, holding a torch in his hand and standing behind two Portuguese cannons.

He firmly believed that Zhu Changxun must be watching inside the gate, and of course he said this to Zhu Changxun.

Sure enough, upon hearing that there were cannons firing outside the door, Zhu Changxun immediately ordered the guards to open the door.

"Humph, Zhang Shikang, you bastard, how dare you bully me like this?

I am standing here today, if you dare you can fire at me.

I wonder how you will explain to my nephew if you kill me!"

Zhu Changxun pointed at Zhang Shikang and cursed him angrily. He was over fifty years old, fat and big-eared. After just yelling a few words, he began to breathe heavily. It was unclear whether he was out of anger or tiredness.

Zhang Shikang was not great in anything except courage. Without even saying a word, he immediately stuck the torch onto the wick loaded with gunpowder.

Zila Zila——

Then, Zhang Shikang looked at Zhu Changxun with a smile.

Black smoke came out of the fire wick, and Zhu Changxun's eyes widened.

……