Daming: Grandpa Emperor, please get up and sit on my throne!

Tan Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he said, "Zhang Yu, your son may be young, but he's mature and steady. He even fought alongside us against the Mongols. He's brave and strong... We don't trust anyone else with this task, so let your son handle it!"

The "Zhang Yu family kid" he mentioned.

This was none other than Zhang Fu, the renowned general who inherited his father Zhang Yu's title, twice campaigned against Annam, pacified Jiaozhi, and served as the vanguard in numerous campaigns against the Northern Dynasties. It was also he who, at the age of 60, sacrificed his life during the Tumu Crisis to uphold his loyalty as a subject.

Even though Zhang Fu is still very young.

But as soon as Tan Yuan made this suggestion, it was immediately met with enthusiastic agreement from Qiu Fu, Zhu Neng, Zhu Liang, and others: "This kid is suitable! He's the one!"

"With him by His Highness Prince Yan's side, we can rest assured. If we can successfully protect His Highness and escape this time, then with him by His Highness Prince Yan's side, wouldn't that mean you, Zhang Yu, have left behind an heir?"

"..."

Zhang Yu remained silent for a moment, but knowing the situation was urgent and couldn't afford any more delay, and having no better alternative, he could only nod and say, "Alright! Let's not waste any more time! Let's split up!"

After quickly discussing and agreeing on everything, the group reached a consensus.

They exchanged a resolute, death-defying look, then left Qiu Fu's residence together and went their separate ways...

……

And just as they expected.

At this moment, Zhang Cheng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who led his troops from Yingtian Prefecture, had indeed arrived at a location only a few dozen miles away from Beiping City.

Hmm... they said they came with an army.

But in reality, Zhang Cheng, who was in charge of delivering the imperial edict, was extremely nervous.

He turned his head and glanced behind him, looking at the small number of people following him. He was so nervous that his face almost chapped.

"Besides the dozen or so trusted men I brought with me, the rest of us only amount to a thousand men. Who is that Prince Yan? He's someone who can fight the Mongol Tartars like it's nothing... My mere thousand men are hardly enough to deter them."

As they drew closer to Beiping City, Zhang Cheng's anxiety grew stronger. The thought of Prince Yan, Zhu Di, and his renowned Yanshan Three Guards made his palms sweat.

Just as he secretly thought.

His so-called "army" numbered only a thousand, which is why they were able to arrive so quickly. However... this number is simply not enough compared to the number of personal guards under Zhu Di, a border prince who guards the frontier!

Thinking of this, he flicked his left wrist to rein in the horse's head, and raised his right hand to gesture for the people behind him to stop.

As the person in charge of this operation, everyone immediately obeyed his orders, reined in their horses, and stood solemnly on their backs.

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and asked the person beside him, "How far is it to Beiping City?"

The person next to him looked around.

He replied, "My lord, it's still forty or fifty li away."

“Forty or fifty li…” Upon hearing this specific number, Zhang Cheng became even more panicked. He muttered something to himself and immediately ordered, “Let’s rest for now and send someone to contact our people stationed in Beiping to ascertain the situation.”

"Yes, sir." Upon receiving the order, the others immediately reined in their horses and rode away.

But from the seat next to Zhang Cheng, a dismissive voice immediately came: "Old Zhang, you've only just arrived in Beiping, what's the point of resting?"

The speaker was none other than Wu Zhenhai, a commander of the Shenji Battalion who had been separated from the Alchemy Department and had come to Beiping with Zhang Cheng!

The thousand men who accompanied Zhang Cheng this time were his musketeers!

So of course he was fearless—it would be best if the Prince of Yan accepted His Majesty's decree in a safe and orderly manner and obediently returned to the Heavenly Palace with them, but if the Prince of Yan caused any trouble... then he would just pull out his gun and teach them a lesson!

"We're already here, why don't we just drive straight over?" Wu Zhenhai urged Zhang Cheng impatiently, clearly dissatisfied with his order to rest.

Along the way, Zhang Cheng had seen enough of this guy's arrogant, haughty demeanor. He couldn't help but turn away and secretly roll his eyes: "Damn it, this kid really doesn't know anything about power! Has he never heard of the Prince of Yan's achievements, or is he just plain stupid?"

Of course, while he was secretly complaining, he still politely forced a smile and patiently explained, "His Highness Prince Yan is brave and resourceful in guarding the border. He must have guessed that His Majesty's decree would be coming, and he might have even made some preparations. So... it's better to find out the situation first, isn't it?"

Wu Zhenhai waved his hand dismissively: "Who cares what happens? So what if we expected us to come? So what if we made preparations? Can't we cause any major upheavals?"

Zhang Cheng had felt the urge to point his finger at Wu Zhenhai and curse his ancestors for eighteen generations for the nth time. He cursed inwardly, but said outwardly, "Isn't it because the troops from the various guard posts in Beiping haven't all arrived yet?"

The transfer order had been issued, but it would take time for the garrison troops to assemble and arrive. This was why Zhang Cheng was so uneasy—a mere thousand men made him feel uneasy, truly uneasy.

Wu Zhenhai sighed and persisted, "Their absence won't stop us from delivering the imperial decree to the Prince of Yan in Beiping! We'll leave marks along the way, so once we arrive in Beiping, they'll be following close behind."

As he spoke, Zhang Cheng even felt that he was very anxious, even more so than he, the imperial envoy who had carried out the emperor's orders!

Actually, he wasn't wrong.

Wu Zhenhai had a thousand Shenji Battalion soldiers under his command, each carrying a flintlock musket. He was actually looking forward to something happening in Beiping! Otherwise, it would seem like he had made a wasted trip, carrying a huge treasure in his pocket with nowhere to show it off! How frustrating would that be?

"..."

Zhang Cheng had no idea what he was thinking. Time and again, he was rendered speechless: "He's got a screw loose! This guy's definitely got a screw loose! Wu Zhenhai, I'll fuck your grandma! You don't care about your life, but I do!"