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

"Nonsense! A thirteen-year-old boy like you going to the battlefield will only cause trouble for Wuji, won't it?"

Emperor Chongzhen frowned and directly rejected his son's absurd request.

He had already read the report from the Imperial Censorate. This time, Huang Taiji's momentum was so huge that he was not simply targeting Li Zicheng and Omubu. He must have other plans for the Ming Dynasty.

For this purpose, the Grand Marshal Zhang Shikang not only mobilized 60,000 guards, but also 20,000 Qin soldiers, 30,000 Tianxiong soldiers, 20,000 Yuan soldiers, and the remnants of Li Zicheng and Omubu's troops. The total force will exceed 150,000.

If the Huben troops near Guanningjin and Guihuacheng are included, the number of troops ready to be deployed to participate in this war will be more than 250,000.

A war of this scale even during the Ming Dynasty had to be traced back more than 20 years to the Battle of Sarhu.

In that battle, the Ming Dynasty deployed 200,000 elite troops to fight a decisive battle with the Later Jin, but ended up suffering a crushing defeat and losing a large amount of territory.

Twenty-two years have passed, and the situation has changed. Emperor Chongzhen is very concerned about this war, but he resists the urge to interfere in military affairs.

But Zhang Shikang still saw six words from Emperor Chongzhen's earnest gaze - avenge the humiliation and recover lost territory.

And in such a war, his thirteen-year-old son actually said that he wanted to join the army. Isn't this nonsense?

The experience of sneaking out of the palace with Zhang Shikang to lead the army in person two years ago was still fresh in his mind. Emperor Chongzhen felt that as the Son of Heaven, wearing armor and standing in front of the battlefield to boost the morale of the soldiers was what the emperor should do in times of war.

After Zhu Cilang's request was rejected, he subconsciously looked at Zhang Shikang. Emperor Chongzhen frowned and looked at Zhang Shikang and said:

"Wuji, is this what you mean?"

In the past two years, my son's personality has changed a lot. Before this, he was humble and polite, and he would often study Confucian classics.

Ever since Zhang Shikang became the prince's teacher, the prince's personality has gradually changed from dull to more lively.

Emperor Chongzhen often asked servants in the palace to report on the prince's recent situation. It was said that he not only read military books, but also dabbled in firearms, warships, etc.

Emperor Chongzhen did not intervene in this matter. In view of his own failures over the years and Zhang Shikang's performance in improving the situation at the court, he had already decided to entrust the education of the crown prince to Zhang Shikang.

But no matter what, it is not appropriate for a thirteen-year-old prince to go to a dangerous place like a battlefield.

Not to mention that he is such a father. If this were to be spread to the court, all the civil and military officials would definitely disagree with it.

With the previous experience of the dispute over the national foundation as a lesson, the court officials would never agree to let the crown prince take risks.

"Hehe, as expected, nothing can be hidden from your Majesty's discerning eyes. In the past year, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been paying close attention to the military affairs of our Ming Dynasty. He has been to the Xishan Camp and the General Manufacturing Bureau many times. He has also been studying books related to the Art of War.

But what you learn from books is always superficial, especially when it comes to war. No matter how much theory you learn, if you don’t go to the real battlefield, it will always be just talk.

Therefore, I thought that a war was about to break out, and I thought of taking His Royal Highness the Crown Prince down to take a look.

I know that Your Majesty is worried about the dangers on the battlefield. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly not let Your Highness the Crown Prince take risks.

Your Majesty should know that I have encountered so many assassination attempts in the past two years, and the security work has been very good.

And if we really can’t win, I will definitely take His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and run away.”

Zhang Shikang said that he had no psychological burden at all when he fled, even in front of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. These words were actually what Emperor Chongzhen often said to him before each of his expeditions.

But Zhang Shikang obviously misunderstood. If Emperor Chongzhen really cared about the safety of the crown prince, he would not have allowed Zhu Cilang and his sister to wander around outside the palace with Zhang Shikang after the assassination attempt.

But there was nothing wrong with what Zhang Shikang said, but it made Emperor Chongzhen a little depressed.

Seeing that Zhang Shikang was not understanding at all, Emperor Chongzhen simply dismissed his attendants and waved to Zhang Shikang, asking him to come forward.

Then he whispered to Zhang Shikang:

"Wuji, what I mean is... Cilang is too young after all. If you really want to go, why don't you let me go first?"

After saying this, Emperor Chongzhen felt a little embarrassed.

No wonder he didn’t let his son go. It turned out he wanted to go himself.

After the first time, Emperor Chongzhen really wanted to experience it again, to witness and personally participate in a great battle with his old enemy, and to feel honored by it.

Zhang Shikang's face darkened when he heard this and he was speechless.

In fact, Zhang Shikang had already realized in the past two years that Brother Chongzhen was not interested in military affairs at all. If he was not the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, this brother might never have paid attention to the war in his entire life.

Compared to the war, this brother cared much more about farming. He would go to the vegetable garden in the imperial garden every day and do everything himself, no matter how big or small.

Emperor Chongzhen enjoyed watching the crops he planted with his own hands grow vigorously. Because of his love for the crops, Emperor Chongzhen also paid special attention to the farming affairs of the Ming Dynasty. A while ago, he even asked the Ministry of Revenue whether there was enough grain seeds in various places.

There were two reasons why this old man wanted to return to the battlefield. One was that he felt bored in the palace and wanted to go out for some fresh air. The other was that he wanted to lead the army in person. If he could win this battle, the historian would surely record his merits in the history books.

Who says that the current emperor has no vanity? The emperors of all dynasties have always cared about these things.

But Zhang Shikang didn't want his brother to feel it, he wanted him to feel it himself.

This old man is beyond help. It would be better for him to stay in the palace and review memorials and farm instead of joining in the fun on the battlefield.

Swords and knives have no mercy. If there is any mistake, all the civil and military officials in the court will fight him to the death.

Although it was a bit hypocritical, Zhang Shikang wanted to take Zhu Cilang with him because he actually wanted to further brainwash the prince and make him understand what was the most important thing as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Compared to Brother Chongzhen, whose thoughts had been imprisoned for too long, it was easier for the young Zhu Cilang, who had just begun to be brainwashed by Confucian scholars and was in a rebellious period.

And my brother is just like that, but Zhu Cilang is still young.

A great man once said that the world is yours and ours, but ultimately it is yours.

He wanted Zhu Cilang to see the world, see the Ming Dynasty's army and warships, and then see the countries overseas.

This is very important to Zhu Cilang, and it is equally important to a newly awakened lion like Daming.

It’s not that he didn’t want to bring Brother Chongzhen with him, but he felt it was unnecessary. The risks and benefits were completely disproportionate.

But if I refuse directly, it will seem that I am not giving this old man face, so after thinking for a while, I said awkwardly:

"Your Majesty, it's not that I disagree, it's just that this war is too important.

Huang Taiji must have been confident in his decision to mobilize the entire nation to attack the Ming Dynasty. The war will not be easy, and I am not sure about it either."

Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, Emperor Chongzhen immediately fell into the trap and glared at them:

"What? Wuji, you are not sure either?"

"That's for sure. If the Jian Lu were really that easy to defeat, why would the Ming Dynasty be in such a state in the past few years?

What I mean is that Your Majesty should not go to this battle. With Your Majesty staying in the capital, I don't have to worry about logistical problems. With Your Majesty around, I feel much more at ease on the battlefield.

Next time, the next time there is a war, I will definitely take Your Majesty with me."

……