A Brief War: Leyue

Zhu Li stared wide-eyed at the assembled officials below, none of whom dared to breathe loudly. At this moment, Zhu Li was in a frenzy.

The Wind and Rain Pass, which had remained impregnable for a century, was breached in his hands—a disgrace. For Zhu Li, who aspired to be the first emperor in history, it was an even greater disgrace!

"Father!" Leyue gently tugged at Zhu Li's hand. Zhu Li looked at Leyue standing beside him and his mood relaxed a little. He was very happy to have dinner with Leyue today, but the urgent report from 800 li away made his mood plummet.

"This time, the Yuan Mongolia actually dared to attack my Ming Dynasty, they are simply courting death!" Zhu Li's voice was very cold, extremely cold, and none of the ministers below dared to utter a sound.

"Is there any general willing to go and deal with them for me?" Zhu Li's face was full of Killing Intent, reminding the ministers below that the emperor before them had once been a valiant general.

"What's going on? Not a single civil or military official dares to resist the Yuan Mongolia. Right now, the Yuan Mongolia only has 80,000 men, but soon all the large tribes will gather their forces. When more than a million troops come, it will be dangerous!" Zhu Li was a little anxious, and his voice suddenly became louder.

"Bang!" Zhu Li slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and glared at the officials below.

Old General Wang sighed, stepped out of the crowd, and respectfully said to Zhu Li, "This old minister is willing to accept the order to go into battle!"

Zhu Li looked down at Old General Wang, his anger vanished, replaced by a smile. He advised, "Old General Wang, you should enjoy your retirement. How can we let you shoulder this responsibility?"

Old General Wang said, "The safety of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen. How can an old minister only care about his own enjoyment and ignore the safety of the people?" Old General Wang's voice was as loud as a bell, and his uprightness made the generals around him feel ashamed.

Suddenly a general stepped forward and said, "This humble general, Hong Zhu, is willing to fight." Hong Zhu was a man who did not like to show off, so he had not stepped forward earlier, but Old General Wang's words had stirred up his patriotic feelings.

Zhu Li looked at the general before him and asked in confusion, "You are... I don't think I've seen you before."

Old General Wang introduced, "General Hong has only recently been promoted, which is why he's qualified to stand in the Golden Palace. General Hong is very skilled in warfare." Old General Wang's words clearly indicated his approval of General Hong's participation in the battle. Old General Wang knew a bit about General Hong Zhu; he generally didn't take action, preferring to keep a low profile, but when he did, it was always extraordinary.

Although Zhu Li trusted Old General Wang's judgment, this campaign was no small matter, and he was unwilling to entrust such a powerful position to a young general. He then said, "Old General Wang, would you be willing to serve the Ming Dynasty once more?"

Old General Wang immediately knelt down and said, "This old minister is willing!"

Zhu Li appeared very pleased and said, "By imperial decree, Old General Wang hereby appointed as the marshal of this battle, and General Hong Zhu as the deputy marshal. They shall lead the standing armies of the three prefectures of Jizhou Prefecture, Youzhou Prefecture, and Bingzhou Prefecture, totaling about one million men, to Wind and Rain Pass immediately."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Old General Wang and Hong Zhu immediately knelt down and said.

"Report..."

Zhu Li had just started to feel a little better when he heard the shouts outside, and a bad feeling suddenly filled his heart.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from Jingzhou Prefecture," a soldier said, kneeling at the entrance of the Golden Palace.

Zhu Li immediately said, "Quick, quick, quick, bring it up!" Zhu Li's personal eunuch immediately brought up the urgent report and presented it to Zhu Li, who took it in one gulp.

Upon seeing the urgent report, Zhu Li's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and finally even turned black! "Ah!" Zhu Li suddenly threw the urgent report away.

"Bang!"

The urgent report immediately turned into dust. Zhu Li's True Primordial Energy had blasted the report to smithereens, and the generals below were horrified.

"Jin Kingdom, Jin Kingdom, hahaha... hahaha... the Jin Kingdom has actually joined in the fun, good... good! I have decided to personally lead the expedition!" Zhu Li exclaimed suddenly. He was already somewhat insane.

The courtiers below were still unaware of what had happened, but upon hearing Zhu Li's voice, they knew it must be related to the Jin Kingdom. Anyone with a modicum of sense had already guessed what had occurred.

Zhu Li looked at his ministers below and said, "The urgent report just now said that the Jin Kingdom has also begun to attack Jingzhou Prefecture!"

"Ah, the Jin Kingdom has also begun its attack. This time, it seems the danger is truly great."

"I think it will be very difficult to defeat them this time. Now that Old General Wang has been assigned to Wind and Rain Pass, who will take charge of the situation in Jingzhou Prefecture?"

The entire Golden Palace became noisy as the ministers began to discuss the matter. They weren't worried about the Yuan Mongolia invasion, but now that the Jin Kingdom had also launched an attack, things were getting complicated.

"Both the Jin Kingdom and Yuan Mongolia have made their moves, so what about the Liao Kingdom?" A voice suddenly rang out.

Zhu Li's expression shifted. He glanced at Hong Zhu, who was speaking beside him, and thought to himself, "Yes, the Liao Kingdom might also take advantage of the situation. It's hard to say what will happen if I go to Jingzhou. What will happen to the Liao Kingdom? It seems I really can't leave."

Old General Wang said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the situation is fraught with danger. Your Majesty must come to support the overall situation and cannot go to the front line. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."

Zhu Li glanced gratefully at Old General Wang. Just now, he had said in a fit of anger that he would personally lead the army. As an emperor, one cannot speak carelessly; what is said must be carried out.

"Old General Wang is right. I can keep things under control here regarding the fight against the Jin Kingdom!" But who can lead the troops? Zhu Li was troubled.

Looking at Leyue beside him, Zhu Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, "Quickly summon the Second Prince Zhu Deng to me."

Zhu Deng was renowned for his bravery and resourcefulness in battle, making him a capable commander. Zhu Li felt a pang of helplessness: the Ming Dynasty had many brave and fierce generals, but most importantly, very few who could truly be commanders. A commander needed more than just offensive strategies; he also needed to know how to utilize the strengths of his subordinates. For a commander, intellect was more important than mere martial prowess!

The Second Prince Zhu Deng, quickly arrived at the Golden Palace. He had already learned of everything from the Zhu Deng outside the palace. Upon seeing Zhu Li, he immediately knelt and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"My son, rise quickly. I have an important matter to entrust to you this time, and you must not disappoint me!" Zhu Li looked at Zhu Deng with affection. He loved all three sons very much. The First Prince was refined and magnanimous, the Second Prince was brave and skilled in battle, and the third prince was fond of nature. Each of them was a remarkable person. Although the third prince seemed to be neglecting his duties and was fond of nature, Zhu Li, as his father, was very clear about his abilities. Therefore, Zhu Li had never restrained his third prince.

"Father, please give the order. Your son will certainly not disappoint you!" Zhu Deng appeared extremely excited.

Zhu Li said, "Very well, convey my decree that the Second Prince will represent me in this battle against the Jin Kingdom, leading a million-strong army from Yongzhou Prefecture, Jingzhou Prefecture, and Yangzhou Prefecture!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhu Deng was in high spirits and appeared extremely happy. His hobby was enjoying war, yes, enjoying it, which was also the reason he became a commander.

Old General Wang suddenly said, "In battle, morale is of utmost importance. It is excellent that His Majesty has sent the Second Prince to fight in His Majesty's place. However, on my side, there is no one to replace His Majesty. Morale is somewhat lacking!"

Zhu Li thought to himself: That makes sense. But who should we ask?

"Father, I am willing to go in your place!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Li looked at Leyue in shock. A girl who was not even twenty years old actually asked to go to the front line!

Leyue immediately said, "Father, I am only supervising the battle from the rear. There is no danger." Old General Wang was standing to the side, was also a little stunned. He had originally hoped that the First Prince or the third prince would go to supervise the battle together, but he did not expect that Princess Leyue would ask to go into battle.

Zhu Li thought it made sense. After all, Leyue was only supervising the battle from the rear, while there was a million-strong army in front. What was there to worry about?

"Alright, alright... Leyue, you will go in my place, hahaha... hahahaha... you really are my good daughter!" Zhu Li readily agreed and burst into laughter, a hearty laugh that shook the entire Golden Palace.

And so, Leyue went to Wind and Rain Pass to oversee the battle in place of the emperor!

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