Chapter 55

For the Great Ming of the Chongzhen reign.

One mad department head might not make much difference.

But if the entire court of dignitaries went mad, that would be a different story.

Zhang Zhang Zhiji, Duke of Ying; Xu Xu Yunzhen, Duke of Ding; and Zhu Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Cheng—three men who usually never even set foot in the military camps—actually broke with all precedent, donned their armor, and rushed out to the Jingying camps beyond the city walls.

The first thing they did upon arriving at the camps was to verify the troop numbers of each battalion!

They cleared out all the phantom positions.

In the past, relying on the wealth accumulated by their ancestors.

They simply did not care whether the court lived or died.

But now things were different.

Aside from their titles and those few acres of land back home, they hardly had a few taels of silver left in their pockets.

As for eating empty rations.

That could still be done once peace returned to the realm.

If not by themselves, then by their own descendants.

The immediate priority was to stop the losses.

The Great Ming must not fall; that was their only demand!

The atmosphere throughout the court and the countryside was completely renewed.

And as large numbers of troops were transferred to Liaodong, imperial clansmen from all over the realm had also begun arriving one after another in the capital.

These feudal princes had originally worried whether the court could actually produce enough silver to appease them.

After all, they had received no small amount of news along the way.

Each of these feudal princes believed their own branch was the most populous among the entire Zhu family.

They never expected that imperial clansmen from every corner of the realm could all be so prolific.

A mighty host of several hundred thousand clansmen.

Even if there were a mountain of gold, it would be stripped bare!

But when they saw the court ship out two million taels today.

And approve another two million shi of grain and fodder tomorrow.

All doubts in the hearts of these feudal princes vanished completely.

No one cared from which path Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian had suddenly acquired such vast wealth.

All the imperial clansmen only wanted to cut a huge slice from this big cake to fatten themselves!

For nearly half a month.

Feudal princes from various regions arrived in the capital one after another, fearing that if they came too late, their journey would be in vain!

57, system reward?!

When all the imperial clansmen under heaven had finally arrived in the capital.

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian personally ascended Qihua Gate to place a video call to Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang.

In another spacetime, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang, gazing at those distant clansmen, was also startled.

As the founding emperor of the Great Ming, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang.

Could absolutely never have guessed that his descendants would multiply to a population of four hundred thousand.

And this counted only the males!

If one included the princesses, commandery princesses, and imperial sons-in-law from all regions.

The number would reach nearly a million!

Though he said it was impossible.

Yet when seeing these dense crowds of descendants across more than two hundred years of time and space.

The corners of Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth still couldn't help but split into a wide grin.

Emperor Taizu Gao:

"Hahaha, are these all our descendants?"

"Tsk tsk, these young fellows at the very front look truly robust; which feudal house do they belong to?"

Emperor Sizong Lie:

"They are all blood relatives of Great-Grandfather; passed down to today for over two hundred years, our Zhu family can truly be called the greatest clan under heaven!"

"Those at the very front are members of the Chu Wang Fu."

Emperor Taizu Gao:

"Eh? Descendants of our Old Sixth? Hahaha, good, very good..."

Gazing at the imperial clansmen beneath the lens.

The corners of Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth could hardly close.

He couldn't help but murmur softly:

"Sister... these are all our children... if only you could see them with me..."

However, when Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang thought that these descendants of his were about to be sent onto the battlefield.

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang immediately stopped smiling.

Emperor Taizu Gao:

"Fight then; with so many people in our Zhu family, if we still lose this realm, then our Zhu family will have lost immense face!"

"Go immediately and draft an edict; use the words from the Ancestral Instructions of the Royal Ming to tell them on our behalf: The realm is the realm of our Zhu family; when we originally bestowed titles upon them, it was so they would defend the rivers and mountains of our Great Ming on our behalf!"

"Now, it is their turn to go!"

Emperor Sizong Lie:

"Your son shall immediately draft the edict!"

Just at this moment.

A voice suddenly sounded beside Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's ear.

[The Great Ming's national fortune has successfully reversed its decline; your chat group has activated the teleportation function!]

[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining one Teleportation Talisman (capable of transporting one person to a designated time and space)!]

Seeing this, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes immediately lit up.

Transport one person to a designated time and space?!

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang nearly could not restrain himself from making a personal tour of the Chongzhen era.

But the rationality of an emperor forcibly calmed Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang down.

These children were about to head to the battlefield.

For an ancestor in his twilight years like Old Zhu to go over would clearly change nothing.

After all, Old Zhu could hardly personally lead these descendants to fight Huang Taiji to the death.

Thinking of this.

An idea immediately formed in Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.

—Send a general over!

Moreover, he happened to have someone perfectly suited for this right here!

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang immediately ordered a carriage prepared, left the imperial palace, and headed straight for Lan Yu's residence!

Su Qiao was correct.

After Zhu Biao's death, Lan Yu had already become a certain death trap.

However, at this moment, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang had already found the best destination for Lan Yu!

Liang Duke Prefecture.

Since being placed under house arrest by Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang, Lan Yu seemed to have vaguely sensed his own fate.

Over the past year, Lan Yu had grown considerably thinner.

Looking at his sovereign before him, Lan Yu's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Yet in the end, he knelt respectfully before Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Guilty subject Lan Yu pays respects to Your Majesty!"