Chapter 170: “Confession of Sins”

is the day.

Zhu Di was stationed in Longtan.

Tong Jun, the defender of Longtan, surrendered.

At this moment, Zhu Di climbed to a high place and looked into the distance. He could already see Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing.

I think it won’t be long before Zhu Yunwen in Yingtian Prefecture and even all the civil and military officials will get the news from Longtan.

Zhu Di knew clearly that the last hurdle in the Jingnan Campaign was approaching.

But the more this happened, the more he felt not uneasy or even excited. Instead, he became more cautious, and his mind was clear.

……

The facts were just as Zhu Di had imagined.

Ever since the news came from Longtan, the atmosphere in the entire Yingtian Prefecture has become strange and eerie.

Many more people, such as Fang Xiaoru, Huang Zicheng and others, could hardly believe it.

Prince Yan…are you going to attack the city so soon?

Somehow, this Jingnan Campaign exceeded everyone’s imagination.

It’s not because of the cruelty of the war, but because of how long it lasted.

In just half a year, the army of the King of Yan marched all the way south from Peking and arrived at Longtan outside Zhongshan Mountain in Yingtian Prefecture? !
If the Jingnan Rebellion really succeeded, as the saying goes, a new emperor chooses new ministers, how would Zhu Di treat these old ministers of Jianwen in the end?

“Dangdang!”

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yunwen threw the golden cup onto the floor tiles, making a crisp sound.

For a moment, the hall was completely silent and the atmosphere was solemn and tense.

Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, Fang Xiaoru and others who used to talk eloquently, standing in the hall and giving instructions to the Yan army in the Northern Expedition, now kept silent.

Zhu Yunwen smashed the golden cup and finally calmed down some of his anger.

But it is undeniable that deep in his heart, he still hides some resentment and anger, and even a trace of fear that is difficult to ignore.

This so-called resentment and anger was naturally directed at Qi Tai and others.

Zhu Yunwen has come to his senses these days.

Letting Li Jinglong serve as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army was a move that couldn’t be worse.

What son of Li Wenzhong, what prince’s tutor, what cousin of Zhu Yunwen, all this is bullshit.

This guy might have been flirting with Zhu Di for a long time, and was jumping back and forth between himself and Zhu Di. He was a complete opportunist.

It would be better to let Geng Bingwen continue to lead the troops. At least there is some hope that the Yan army can be worn down.

But now… Geng Bingwen has already stood on Zhu Di’s side, and it’s too late to say anything.

Zhu Yunwen couldn’t help but speak:
“Huang Qing once said that it would be easy for the emperor’s army to take down the vassal kings. But… why has the current situation become like this?”

Huang Zicheng opened his mouth, but felt his throat blocked and he couldn’t speak. There was a bitter feeling inside his lips.

Your Majesty…are you blaming him?
Huang Zicheng took a deep breath and realized that instead of worrying about whether Zhu Yunwen had any resentment towards him, it would be better to come up with a real solution.

Although Huang Zicheng had a vague idea, he didn’t know how to start speaking for a while.

Finally, Zhu Yunwen calmed down and looked at Huang Zicheng. Seeing his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, he waved his hand:

“Just say whatever you want to say!”

Huang Zicheng hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and said:
“Your Majesty, the Yan army is now threatening us. I have two options. One is to persuade the King of Yan by offering blood ties, ceding territory and paying compensation.”

Land ceding and compensation?

All territories in the world belong to the Ming Dynasty.

Is it possible that the empire that Grandpa Emperor had worked so hard to build will be split in two in the hands of Zhu Yunwen?

If a hundred years later, Zhu Yunwen faces his grandfather the Emperor, how should he explain?
Zhu Yunwen was unwilling in his heart, but he just said:

“What about the second one?”

“The second option… maybe I have to wrong Your Majesty and write a self-criticism edict, calling on the people to serve the king…”

Sin yourself?
Zhu Yunwen’s eyes suddenly widened.

Huang Zicheng stood below and said nothing, but he could clearly hear the breathing from the person above him becoming much more rapid.

However, he could also understand that if His Majesty really wrote the “Edict of Confession of Sins” and called on the world to serve the king, then what would be the content of the edict?
Huang Zicheng and others were thinking about whether Zhu Yunwen would choose to write a self-criticism edict or cede territory and pay compensation.

If he wrote the “Edict of Confession of Sins”, how should Zhu Yunwen write it…

At this moment, Zhu Yunwen on the high seat had a dark look in his eyes. He was silent for a long time before he spoke:
“It is because I am not virtuous enough that I invited the Yan thieves. But even if we take a step back, are the Yan thieves not wrong? Could it be that the Dusi, the Provincial Administration, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the civil and military officials of the various prefectures and guards in the world are really unwilling to come to the king’s aid and save the country from collapse when the orthodox court is at stake?”

Zhu Yunwen’s words seemed to sound like an admission of guilt. However, as his close ministers, Huang Zicheng and others could not fail to hear the resentment hidden in Zhu Yunwen’s heart, as well as the stiffness in his tone when he said this.

If it were in the past, they might have spoken up to dissuade Zhu Yunwen from writing the contents of his words in the edict of repentance.

However, as the think tank made repeated mistakes, the difficulty of conquering the pass for Prince of Yan Zhu Di decreased dramatically as he marched southward. The strength of his troops expanded, and he managed to reach Longtan and face Zhongshan in such a short time.

Thinking of this, they swallowed the words that were about to come out of their mouths.

“The Edict of Confession of Sins”… It’s good enough that it can be written. As for its content, it’s better not to delve into it too deeply.

However, what surprised them the most was not only this “Edict of Confession of Sins”, but what Zhu Yunwen said next:

“I remember… Princess Qingcheng is also in Yingtian Prefecture, right? She has a good relationship with Zhu Di and is also Zhu Di’s cousin. Why not let her go outside the city and discuss the cession of land with Zhu Di…”

In addition to writing the “Edict of Confession of Sins”, he also had to cede territory?!
When these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked at first, but after they recovered, they seemed to think that it was understandable.

Always think twice before doing anything, just as if you were taking out insurance.

Fang Xiaoru took a step forward, bowed and suggested:
“Your Majesty, since you are ready to test Zhu Di and see if you can cede territory and pay compensation so that you can keep your distance from each other, I think it would be better to make another plan.”

Zhu Yunwen was now more surrounded by panic and anxiety, so much so that when Fang Xiaoru offered advice, his attitude was only indifferent.

However, Fang Xiaoru was not frustrated, but continued:

“Your Majesty, I think that calling on the world to serve the king will not be a successful campaign in a short period of time. What we can do now is to rely on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to strengthen the river defense. If Zhu Di really cannot make peace with the court, then we can use the 100,000 troops of Yingtian Prefecture to fight a decisive battle with the Yan army on the Yangtze River!”

Fang Xiaoru’s plan was not a bad idea. Even Zhu Yunwen, who had been cheated many times, did not have any expectations at first. However, when he heard the idea, he stood up and nodded, which was considered as his approval of his idea.

By the time the discussion was over, Zhu Yunwen felt extremely exhausted.

Thinking about the bold words he said when he first ascended the throne, Zhu Yunwen felt extremely complicated at this moment, and he had no intention of keeping anyone.

It was not until Huang Zicheng and other close ministers left the hall that he bent his waist and supported his forehead with his hands. There was a faint blue-black color under his eyes.

Ever since Zhu Yunwen heard the bad news one after another from the Yan army, he couldn’t sleep all day long.

Even in the middle of the night, he dreamed of his grandfather many times.

At the beginning of the dream, Grandpa Huang didn’t say anything, just looked at me. When the dream ended, Grandpa Huang only said one sentence:

“Yun Wen, what did you promise us?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yunwen woke up from his dream.

When he came to his senses, Zhu Yunwen’s back was soaked with sweat, and it seemed that water could be squeezed out if he twisted it gently.

When the door curtain was lifted, the eunuch outside walked in with his head bent. The cool breeze that came in caused a layer of fine goose bumps to appear on the skin on his back.

Until now, Zhu Yunwen still seems to be able to feel the feeling of that day.

……

Dragon Pond.

The place where King Yan’s army was stationed.

Even though Princess Qingcheng was Zhu Di’s cousin and they had a good relationship in the past, she couldn’t help but feel complicated when she walked here and looked at this fierce and silent army.

Zhu Di saw his cousin, Princess Qingcheng, and his eyes turned red. He strode towards her, tears sparkling in his eyes:

“Cousin, if it weren’t for this Jingnan Rebellion, with Zhu Yunwen’s move to reduce the power of the feudal lords, I’m afraid I would never see you again in this life!”

When Princess Qingcheng heard this, she was choked. For a moment, she really didn’t know whether to say bad things about Zhu Yunwen or refute Zhu Di to his face.

Fortunately, seeing Zhu Di with his untidy beard and dusty appearance, Princess Qingcheng still had some friendship for her younger brother. When she thought of the complicated situation at the moment, her nose felt sore and she actually burst into tears.

It is really a great sin.

She was a good Princess Qingcheng, who had been staying peacefully in Jinling City with her husband and children by her side. However, because of an imperial edict from Emperor Jianwen, she traveled thousands of miles to the enemy camp alone.

Don’t say that when two armies are fighting, envoys should not be killed, not to mention that she is Zhu Di’s cousin. If you really want to say that, wouldn’t Zhu Yunwen himself be more suitable?
Fortunately, Zhu Di still has some of his old feelings for her.

As the two of them were facing each other in tears, Zhu Di sighed in his heart.

It seems that simply learning Xiao Si’s methods may not be completely effective.

Just like now, when Zhu Di and Princess Qingcheng met, they burst into tears before saying a word. Apart from hugging each other and crying, which brought them closer to each other, the rest was just a waste of time.

Zhu Di wiped his tears with his sleeves, and said calmly:

“Cousin, I think you came here this time for more than just a simple visit to see me, right?”

Princess Qingcheng looked at Zhu Di’s calm face and was a little confused for a moment.

No, he was crying loudly just now.

How did Zhu Di manage to control himself so easily?

For some reason, Princess Qingcheng always felt that… this was not the first time Zhu Di had done this.

Six thousand words today



(End of this chapter)