Zhu Gaosui's words exploded in Zhu Gaoxu's mind like a bomb.
Father... doesn't have much time left?
He seized Zhu Gaosui by the collar and growled, his eyes bloodshot, "Is what you said true?"
"Absolutely!"
Zhu Gaosui's expression was just as grave. "The Imperial Physicians say Father suffered many hidden injuries from his campaigns in his younger years."
"This time, he caught a chill, and his rage attacked his heart. He's already at the end of his strength."
"He's holding on by sheer force of will."
"If that last breath leaves him, even the immortals won't be able to save him."
Zhu Gaoxu let go. It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body; he staggered two steps backward.
He had always believed his father was invincible on the battlefield.
He had never imagined that even this Iron-Blooded Emperor would one day fall.
But then, an unprecedented surge of joy and ambition began to swell wildly in his heart.
Father was on his last legs.
And that fat Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, who was sickly all year round, probably wouldn't live much longer either.
So into whose hands would Great Ming's Jiangshan ultimately fall?
Before, his greatest rival had been the eldest son of the Crown Prince's line, the Imperial Eldest Grandson, Zhu Zhanji.
But now there was another... Zhu Zhanjun!
A Zhu Zhanjun with three thousand invincible iron cavalry, wealth rivaling a nation, and a mind so deep it was terrifying!
"No! We absolutely cannot let him live!"
A vicious killing intent flashed in Zhu Gaoxu's eyes. "He's already grown powerful. If we let him keep developing, we'll both end up dead at his hands!"
"That's exactly what I think."
Zhu Gaosui nodded in emphatic agreement. "Second Brother, we have to find a way to get rid of him before he returns to the capital!"
"How?"
Zhu Gaoxu frowned. "Those three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders by his side are impervious to blades and spears, fire and water."
"Our men can't even get close to him."
"If force won't work, then we'll use cunning."
A sinister smile tugged at the corner of Zhu Gaosui's mouth.
"Don't we still have 'friends'?"
He spoke pointedly. "Yesen may have been defeated, but the Oirats' main forces are still intact."
"We only need to 'accidentally' let them know Zhu Zhanjun's route."
"Then tell them that Zhu Zhanjun is carrying blueprints for a Secret Weapon that can make an army invincible."
"Tell me, won't Yesen be tempted?"
Zhu Gaoxu's eyes lit up at once.
"Kill with a borrowed knife! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"Exactly."
Zhu Gaosui sneered. "No matter how formidable Zhu Zhanjun is, he has only three thousand men."
"Lure him into an Oirat ambush, and even the strongest army will be worn down to the last man!"
"What's more, the weather is freezing, with blizzards raging."
"If he 'accidentally' dies on the road back to the capital, wouldn't that be perfectly normal?"
"When the time comes, we'll just shed a few sympathetic tears for him in front of Father. Who could possibly suspect us?"
The two exchanged smiles, each seeing the other's undisguised greed and malice.
And so, a plan to kill Zhu Zhanjun took shape in secret.
At that very moment, Zhu Zhanjun, the thorn in their sides and the splinter in their flesh, was lounging in his tent, roasting meat over the fire and eating whole roast lamb.
He showed not the slightest awareness of being the Grand Marshal of All Troops Under Heaven, nor any joy at the honors he was about to receive.
There were no military reports spread out before him, nor any battle maps.
Instead, there was... a gigantic world map that only he could see.
It was a function built into the system.
The map clearly marked the borders, populations, military strength, and national power assessments of every country in the world at the time.
Great Ming shone gold, its national power assessed as "Strong."
To its west, across another vast expanse of land, a name glowed blood red.
—Timurid Empire.
National Power Assessment: Extremely Dangerous!
[System Notification: Host has completed the "Mobei Campaign" sign-in mission. Reward: 100,000 National Fortune Points.] [System Notification: Host has initially consolidated Great Ming's military forces. The next stage of the main mission, "Shadows of the Western Regions," has been unlocked.] [Mission Objective: Before the Timurid Empire's eastern expedition, undermine its potential for war and eliminate its threat to Great Ming completely.] [Mission Reward: ???]
Looking at the blood-red territory, Zhu Zhanjun's eyes turned grave.
He understood the terror of the Timurid Empire better than anyone else in this era.
It was a vast military empire spanning Central Asia, founded by Timur the "Lame."
Its founding ruler, Timur, even proclaimed himself "the successor of Genghis Khan." He waged war throughout his life and never suffered a defeat.
In history, after conquering all of Central and Western Asia, he had gathered hundreds of thousands of troops and prepared to march east against Great Ming.
Had he not died suddenly of illness on the way, Great Ming would have faced its greatest challenge since the dynasty's founding.
And now, the Timurid Empire was at the height of its power.
"The Oirats? The Tatars?"
Zhu Zhanjun looked at the two dim red dots on the map, representing the Oirats and the Tatars, both of whom he had already crippled, and curled his lip in disdain.
"They're nothing but appetizers."
His finger jabbed firmly at the blood-red "Timurid Empire."
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