He put down the battle report in his hands, stood up, said, "Arrange for people to patrol the city walls, send someone to Suzhou Prefecture to deliver the news. Oh, right, send a few scouts to observe the Qing Army's movements, especially to watch when they transport the Red-coated Cannons over. If they see anything, they must report back immediately."
“Young Master, rest assured, everything has already been arranged. You should go and get some rest first.”
Zhu Ci closed his eyes wearily and said, "Arrange for everyone to take turns resting. If there is urgent military intelligence, it must be reported immediately. Do you understand?"
His subordinates were good in every way, except that sometimes they were too concerned for him, often leaving messages behind and waiting for him to wake up before speaking.
It wasn't a problem back when he was in Suzhou, as there were no particularly urgent matters then, but he couldn't afford to be like this now.
After he had arranged everything on his end, Jiang Xueyan also brought people to clear out a room for him. Zhu Ci hurriedly washed up, treated the various wounds on his body, then fell fast asleep.
He was truly exhausted. Since leaving Suzhou, he had been on edge; whether it was the surprise attack on the Qing Army or fighting them head-on, both had drained much of his mental and physical energy, not to mention the fact that he had been constantly charging at the front.
However, he did not sleep very soundly during this nap. He woke up around noon, faintly hearing Jiang Xueyan say, "It is nothing particularly important, so do not disturb the Young Master. The Young Master will certainly let them in."
Zhu Ci closed his eyes, feeling a heart rate faster than usual, then wiped his face, asking in a slightly hoarse voice, "What's wrong?"
“Young Master,” Li Cheng said, standing outside the door. “Reinforcements are arriving. The commander claims to be the Left Governor, the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Liu Zhaoji.”
Zhu Ci took a deep breath; he also knew of this Liu Zhaoji, who had once been one of Wu Sangui's subordinates, but was later dismissed due to unfavorable military results and subsequently followed Shi Kefa.
Previously, Shi Kefa had arranged for him to station troops along the Huai River in Gaoyou; now, he was the only one who could lead troops to come and reinforce.
“Let him in and have him wait a moment; I will go see him immediately.”
Liu Zhaoji would still have to meet him; this man was brave and loyal enough, the only uncertainty was to whom he was loyal. If he was loyal to Shi Kefa.. then he would have a headache.
Shi Kefa.. Sigh, one cannot say this man is a bad person. Judging by the fact that he has been defending the city and has never accepted Dodo's surrender, he possesses integrity; he is just far too conservative.
The Great Ming has reached such a stage that what it needs is a final stand, for continuing to be conservative will only mean waiting for the Qing Army to blast open the city gates with cannons.
After Zhu Ci got up, he finished washing, hurriedly ate a few bites of steamed buns, headed to the front office. Jiang Xueyan followed behind him and said, "Young Master, if it doesn't work out, let's meet again tomorrow. How can you not eat a proper meal?"
Zhu Ci shook his head and said, "If things go smoothly, I can eat with Liu Zhaoji later. If not, I'll just eat by myself; there's no rush."
Jiang Xueyan felt helpless and could only go down to instruct the kitchen to prepare the food first, while inwardly cursing Liu Zhaoji for arriving at this exact moment instead of earlier.
If he had just met up with His Highness directly back then, why would His Highness have had to take such a risk?
She knew she was taking her anger out on the wrong person, but she still couldn't help herself.
Zhu Ci slowed his pace upon arriving at the Rear Office. After walking in slowly, he glanced at the two people sitting there, looking deeply worried.
The ones who came to provide reinforcements were not just Liu Zhaoji, but also He Gang.
Although Liu Zhaoji held the title of Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince, he had never actually seen the Crown Prince; he had only heard that the Crown Prince would personally lead reinforcement troops.
He felt suspicious about this. It was good enough that the Crown Prince hadn't fled with the imperial carriage; where would he have found the troops to come to his aid?
But if someone were to impersonate the Crown Prince.. there would be no need.
Liu Zhaoji was slightly stunned when he saw Zhu Ci; based on visual estimation, this person's age indeed matched.
He hesitated for a moment, then stood up cautiously and, along with He Gang, bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
“There is no need for such formalities, Grand Guardian Liu.”
Zhu Ci sat down with an air of dignity, before he could speak, Liu Zhaoji could not help but ask, "May I venture to ask Your Highness, where is Minister Shi now?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Him? He's been captured by me. Do you want to go in too? *Evil kitty kicks open the prison door. jpg*
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock
Chapter 87
Zhu Ci glanced at him and said, "In the Heavenly Prison? You want to go see him?"
Liu Zhaoji's eyebrows shot up as he took two steps forward. "What crime has Minister Shi committed that he is to be thrown into the dungeon?"
Presumptuous!" Jiang Xueyan drew the long saber from her waist and stepped forward, saying, "How dare you be so disrespectful in the presence of His Highness?
Liu Zhaoji froze for a moment, clearly having never seen such a fierce woman before.
Before he could speak, Zhu Ci said, "Xueyan, step back."
Jiang Xueyan glared at Liu Zhaoji and let out a huff, she sheathed her blade, but continued to stare at Liu Zhaoji with murderous intent.
He Gang immediately stood up and said, "Your Highness, please calm your anger. Grand Protector Liu is a straightforward man who lacks flexibility; he certainly had no intention of offending Your Highness."
He Gang was a bit more flexible than Liu Zhaoji. One had to realize that Shi Kefa had been in Yangzhou for many years; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this place was his territory. Yet, not only had he been thrown into the Heavenly Prison, but the entire Yangzhou city acted as if nothing had happened.
With such control, this Crown Prince is not someone they can confront head-on.
Most importantly, the Tartars are still watching hungrily; if they start fighting amongst themselves, wouldn't that be playing right into the Tartars' hands?
Zhu Ci was certainly not angry; he simply looked at Liu Zhaoji and asked, "Is refusing to support the reinforcements considered a crime? Is missing a tactical opportunity considered a crime? Last night, when I led my men in a life-and-death struggle against the Tartars, Shi Kefa failed to even open the city gates—is that not a crime? I have merely thrown him into the Heavenly Prison. If I truly held him accountable, what if I sentenced him for building up his own private army and intending to rebel?"
As soon as Liu Zhaoji received the news, he immediately led his troops toward this direction, but having just arrived in Yangzhou, how could he know what had happened?
He opened his mouth. If his superior really did such a thing, then being thrown into prison would truly be no injustice.
Zhu Ci leaned back in his chair, his eyes lowered, said, "Whether I have wronged him or not, you can go and ask him yourself. Now, I ask you one question: if you were facing the current situation, should you defend or take the initiative to strike?"
He was still there wondering why the Crown Prince would ask such a question, but Liu Zhaoji's mouth was faster than his brain, he immediately said, "It would be to take the initiative to attack, of course. The Tartars would not dare to attack the city now precisely because they are not yet fully prepared; simply defending might not hold them off, but taking the initiative to attack is the only way to find a glimmer of hope."
“Well done!” Zhu Ci immediately slapped the tea table and said, “A hero's view is similar to mine. I think the same. Since you two have come all this way to offer your support, I should host a banquet to welcome you, but since supplies are currently tight, let us just have a simple meal.”
Liu Zhaoji opened his mouth, wanting to speak up for Shi Kefa, but before he could say a word, He Gang pulled him back.
Although he was a bit simple-minded, he wasn't stupid, so he could only fall silent.
Originally, these two felt that the Crown Prince's so-called simplicity was merely an excuse; how could they not know the ways of those imperial nobles?
Not having music and dance during a meal could already be considered simple.
However, they did not expect that His Highness the Crown Prince was truly simple; all the dishes were essentially home-cooked fare, the portions were not very large.
During the meal, the Crown Prince showed no sense of pretension.
He felt a slight sense of relief in his heart, feeling that this Crown Prince seemed rather reliable.
During the meal, Zhu Ci did not observe the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping; he was constantly communicating with Liu Zhaoji about how to deal with the Qing Army in the upcoming struggle.
It must be said that, compared to Shi Kefa, Liu Zhaoji was more to Zhu Ci's liking.
To put it nicely, Shi Kefa was conservative, but to put it bluntly, he was a coward. At a time when the Qing Army was already retreating, Shi Kefa wouldn't even dare to leave the city, even though any scout could have known what was happening.
He wouldn't even dare to beat a dog that had fallen into the water; what else could one expect from him?
This person would only cause himself more trouble if he stayed, but since his crimes weren't severe enough to warrant execution, Zhu Ci simply threw him into the Heavenly Prison to reflect on his actions, so that he wouldn't cause trouble for him outside.
Shi Kefa had troops, he had troops as well, now Liu Zhaoji had arrived, his influence was even greater. If a disagreement were to arise, it would be difficult to judge whether Liu Zhaoji or He Gang would side with whom.
Liu Zhaoji also felt that this Crown Prince had great vision, but he was still somewhat conflicted about the matters involving his superior.
After finishing the meal, Zhu Ci sighed and said, "Enough, I know you are worried about him. You may go to see him, but I will not release him. Minister Shi only wants to defend the city and has no intention of taking the offensive. Once he is released, if he opposes me and I insist, what will you do?"
He understood immediately upon hearing this and gave Liu Zhaoji a quick tug.
Liu Zhaoji could only say in a low voice, "Your servant takes his leave."
As soon as these two left the prefectural office, servants immediately stepped forward to tell them everything that had happened in Yangzhou.
He gasped, for they had only heard in a hurry that the Crown Prince had led the troops to repel the Tartars; at the time, they had thought it would be a mutual loss and that the enemy would temporarily retreat, but they never expected it to be a great victory.
He immediately grabbed Liu Zhaoji's hand and said, "Brother Liu, I won't bother with talk of achieving great deeds; if Yangzhou is to be held, it must be by His Highness himself. Minister Shi might not be able to hold it!"
Liu Zhaoji scratched his head and said, "Let's go. Let's go see the Grand Secretary."
Although Shi Kefa had been thrown into the Heavenly Prison, his treatment was still quite good; the cell was clean and tidy, equipped with all the necessary bedding, his meals were decent; he was even allowed to be taken out to soak up some sun.
Upon hearing that Liu Zhaoji and He Gang had brought men to support him, he was deeply moved. He grasped Liu Zhaoji's hand and said, "I didn't misjudge you back then."
Liu Zhaoji asked bluntly, "Minister, is what His Highness said true?"
Shi Kefa's moved smile instantly turned into a bitter one: "Sigh, this was indeed a miscalculation on my part."
He Gang couldn't help but say, "If reinforcements were coming, why didn't you open the city gates?"
Shi Kefa said with some helplessness, "I am also unaware of this matter; no one came to report it to me."
Liu Zhaoji and He Gang exchanged a glance, knowing that this must have been the subordinates acting on their own initiative.
The two of them knew very well that this Minister had a somewhat soft temperament; while he was close to his subordinates, he inevitably possessed more affability than authority.
Liu Zhaoji felt somewhat helpless; at this moment, he was unable to say anything.
He Gang stepped forward and said, "Minister, you.. just stay here for a few days. The Crown Prince is furious right now; I'm afraid his anger won't subside anytime soon."
Shi Kefa frowned. "I do not care for my own safety, but now that the Crown Prince is the only one overseeing the overall situation in Yangzhou City, I fear.. sigh.."
He thought to himself, "Give me a break. At the very least, His Highness the Crown Prince drove the Tartars away as soon as he arrived. In the past few days, you did nothing but hold Yangzhou while receiving Dodo's letter of surrender."
He Gang only muttered in his heart, while Liu Zhaoji said directly, "Rest assured, we will do our utmost to assist the Crown Prince."
Shi Kefa opened his mouth, but was this something he could be at ease about? He wanted to get out; after all, he had presided over Yangzhou for many years, being thrown into the Heavenly Prison like this left him feeling deeply unwilling.
It was a pity that even Liu Zhaoji would not speak of rescuing him at this time.
The dignified Crown Prince led troops to come to your aid, yet you kept him outside the gates without even knowing, while he was fighting to the death against the Tartars, you failed to send troops to support him.
Liu Zhaoji felt that the Crown Prince's temper was already quite good just by throwing Shi Kefa into the Heavenly Prison and providing him with good food and drink.
Of course, the main reason was that He Gang was right; his and Shi Kefa's military styles were completely different.
He is bold, while Shi Kefa is steady; until a result is reached, Liu Zhaoji cannot say who is better.
If Shi Kefa were here, he would naturally listen to his superiors, but right now.. he would rather listen to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's mood was currently quite good. Liu Zhaoji and He Gang had arrived with four thousand men; including Shi Kefa's original forces, the total was approximately twenty thousand.
He might not be able to command Shi Kefa's men, even if they were obedient, they might not be willing, so Zhu Ci decided to hand them over to Liu Zhaoji to minimize internal impact.
Anyway, Liu Zhaoji is someone who only knows how to fight and has no interest in forming factions; as long as he doesn't form cliques and cause trouble, anything is fine.
Zhu Ci had no other choice now; his men were all too young. While there were indeed those in this world born for war, he could not rely solely on the heavens to send him the Ziwei Imperial Star.
Aside from the reinforcements, what likely delighted him most was the presence of cannons and birdlock guns within Yangzhou.
Rockets are certainly useful, but who would ever complain about having too many firearms?
The Red-coated Cannon has various flaws, but the only thing that cannot be denied is its power.