Chapter 115

The entire hall fell into a dead silence.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang moved a sand table over.

Immediately, he ordered the terrain of the entire Xuan and Da regions to be laid out.

Fu Youde and others were also hurriedly summoned into the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared fiercely at the crowd before him.

He felt as though someone was missing.

After pondering for a long time.

"Jiang Huan!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Bring that brat Su Qiao out of the imperial prison for us!"

"Yes!"

Just as Jiang Huan went to fetch Su Qiao.

Zhu Yuanzhang also initiated a video call in the chat group.

Zhu Di and Zhu Qizhen, who had been at a loss on the other end, found no better solution.

They could only drop what they were doing.

And threw themselves wholeheartedly into Zhu Yuanzhang's side.

Not long after.

Su Qiao, dressed in prison garb, was brought by Jiang Huan before Zhu Yuanzhang.

He saw Zhu Yuanzhang lying on a recliner, staring at Su Qiao with a solemn expression.

He then spoke.

"Su Qiao, I am asking you a matter now."

"As long as you answer well, I will pardon your crime; do you understand?"

The moment the words fell.

Su Qiao suddenly lifted his head.

Don't bother!

I've already been in prison for so long!

Why pardon me again?!

Old Zhu, are you mentally ill?!

Su Qiao was just about to open his mouth to say he gave up.

He immediately sensed something was wrong.

If Old Zhu discovered he was merely seeking death for no reason.

What would happen afterward?!

Su Qiao's lips twitched slightly twice.

Then he rose on his own and bowed to Old Zhu.

"Please ask, Your Majesty."

Seeing Su Qiao's attitude, Zhu Yuanzhang was also stunned for a moment.

Then he rose on his own, stared fiercely at the sand table before him, and said in a low voice.

"Suppose a future ruler of our Great Ming produced a foolish Emperor."

"Who, immediately upon assuming personal rule, rashly led twenty thousand Great Ming elites north to campaign against the grasslands."

"And was then trapped by the Tatars at the border; how should he now withdraw back to the capital?"

Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

Su Qiao was stunned for a moment.

To be honest, those fortune-tellers kept in Old Zhu's palace do have some skill!

Isn't this the Tumu Fortress incident?

Looking at the sand table before him, Su Qiao's expression naturally darkened.

He then walked straight up to the sand table before him.

He saw that Zhu Yuanzhang had already planted those few Squad Leader flags at a stronghold named "Tianzhen."

It was still some distance from Tumu Fortress.

Fortunately, these fortune-tellers had some margin of error.

Otherwise, Su Qiao couldn't help but wonder if there were other transmigrators in Old Zhu's palace.

After examining the sand table for a moment.

Su Qiao raised the bamboo rod in his hand.

Then he struck the sand table before him hard.

A "Crack!" sound rang out.

Whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Di and Zhu Qizhen in the other timeline, all froze in place.

Zhu Di: Holy crap?! Is this my father's subject?! Has my father's temper improved?!

Zhu Qizhen: Great Ancestor doesn't quite match what the history books say...

Su Qiao turned around abruptly, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang behind him, and snorted coldly, saying,

"Your Majesty, this matter is actually no longer important."

Zhu Yuanzhang's brows gradually knitted tighter.

He stared fixedly at Su Qiao and asked,

"Why?"

Su Qiao, holding his prisoner's robe, stood aside and said in a low voice,

"Nothing else, because this war cannot be won."

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed the anger in his heart and whispered,

"We know, but what We ask is: how to preserve the entire army, how to save this elite force of Great Ming!"

Su Qiao looked up in confusion, gazing at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked,

"Your Majesty, does it still have any meaning whether the entire army is preserved or not?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned upon hearing this.

"Twenty thousand lives, and you tell Us it has no meaning?"

Su Qiao snorted coldly,

"What meaning?"

"Even without these twenty thousand people, the Tatars in the north cannot seize the capital!"

"The fact that twenty thousand people can be hastily assembled first proves that Great Ming still retains some vitality."

"Whether these twenty thousand people live or die, this share of vitality remains."

"As long as Great Ming has a shred of vitality, the Tatars cannot seize the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and the Han people of the world will not allow the Tatars to seize the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!"

"If the Tatars cannot even seize the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, what grand dream of ruling the Central Plains are they dreaming?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's brows tightened.

Zhu Di in another timeline also hurriedly whispered.

Emperor Chengzu Wen:

"Father, it is about right; just now, this son calculated that there are still two hundred thousand anti-Japanese defense troops in the Shandong area, and over one hundred thousand soldiers on the Grand Canal transport; at most half a month, they can all be transferred to the capital. Even if these two hundred thousand people all perish in battle, the capital will not be lost."

"This young man has some substance."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression gradually grew gloomy.

Looking at Su Qiao, he asked,

"Having these two hundred thousand people is better than not having them, right?! How can you say it has no meaning?"

Su Qiao, expressionless, snorted coldly and said,

"Your Majesty, you must know a principle."