Chapter 163: The Great Ancestor, Exalted Emperor, Reborn — Part One (Sixth update, begging for monthly tickets)

"Crown Prince, bad news, bad news!"

The panicked voice of Huang Xiaobao rang out just as Zhu Cilang and Wu Sanmei were about to drink the wedding cup! They were getting married today — at the height of life's joy, how could they not have a couple of drinks? Not hard liquor, but red — a tribute wine from Shen Tingyang, a fine vintage from the 1630s. Who knew if it was a Lafite? But it tasted quite good. They were drinking when Huang Xiaobao burst in, face full of alarm, still panting heavily, pointing at Zhu Cilang's wine cup, gasping: "N-no, bad news, bad—"

"What bad news? Don't tell me it's the wine—" Zhu Cilang was startled too. "Is the wine poisoned?"

How merciless the imperial house is! Surely no one had slipped him some crane's-crest poison or the like.

"It's— it's the Tartars!"

"The Tartars poisoned it?" Wu Sanmei cut in, her voice trembling. The young girl had thought the same as Zhu Cilang; her broad face had gone white with fright.

"N-no, not poison!" Huang Xiaobao finally got the words out. "The Tartars are attacking! Tartar cavalry disguised as the Prince of Dai's troops have reached Dagu! Thousand Years, you must flee at once!"

It turned out that news of the Qing army's surprise attack on the Dagu pontoon bridge had reached Sea Sand Island. Cao Youyi, on duty tonight, dared not delay, and at once sent word to notify the Crown Prince and the Chongzhen Emperor.

Zhu Cilang slammed the table with a crack and stood up. "Nonsense — flee from what? They're only Tartars. How many are there?"

"Three thousand. Oh, and they fell into an ambush crossing the bridge — two or three hundred drowned. But the remaining twenty-seven or twenty-eight hundred won't be easy to handle! Young master, you'd best leave now."

Though two or three hundred had drowned, plenty more hadn't! Huang Xiaobao thought it over and still figured they couldn't win. Thirty!

"Two or three hundred drowned, you say?" Zhu Cilang laughed heartily. "That's a victory in the first engagement! A fine omen — why would We run? We shall go meet them in battle! Sanmei, fetch Our armor!"

"Mm!" Wu Sanmei nodded firmly. "This humble one will go to the battlefield with Thousand Years too!"

"Good!" Zhu Cilang smiled. "We'll go together! Xiaobao, summon the Guard Battalion!"

"Imperial Father, wake up, wake up quickly..."

The Chongzhen Emperor's ears were filled with increasingly urgent calls. He was sleeping groggily; he opened his eyes, and in a daze saw a white-haired old man standing by his bed — none other than Cao Huachun.

"Ah—" The Chongzhen Emperor cried out, and said reflexively: "What time is it? Time for court, isn't it?"

How diligent he was, after all! Even in his dreams he thought of holding court, thought of saving his Great Ming realm. But this Great Ming realm was too hard to save — save and save, and it had reached the brink of destruction. What was to be done?

Beside him, a bed-attending palace lady, Wei Qinghui, Lady of Handsome Fairness, also woke. Hearing Chongzhen speak of court, she sighed softly: "His Majesty is truly too diligent. But these days you are away on tour, and need not hold morning court."

Only then did Chongzhen remember that he was already in exile, and moreover had been sidelined by his son. And his son, somehow or other, had saved the Great Ming in a few swift moves. At this rate he would soon usurp the throne — and what's more, he was a wise Crown Prince who had saved the nation in its hour of peril. As emperor, he could not refuse to abdicate, yet abdicating would win him no credit either. He would probably end up as the Ming Huizong!

At this thought he was about to weep in sorrow, when Cao Huachun beside him said, rapid and urgent: "Imperial Father, bad news — the Tartars are attacking!"

"Who is attacking?" Chongzhen had not heard clearly.

"The Tartars!" Cao Huachun said. "The Manchu Tartars are attacking!"

"Why?" Chongzhen found it inconceivable. "Didn't the Crown Prince agree to cede territory, pay annual tribute, and give a princess in marriage? Why are they still coming? What more do they want?"

"Imperial Father, the Tartars have the ambition of wolves — they surely want to seize the Great Ming's realm!"

"Why does someone always want to seize Our realm?" The Chongzhen Emperor sighed. "The roving bandits have only just left, and now the Tartars come. What is to be done? Where is the Crown Prince? He is now Army Supervisor — how does he plan to respond?"

Cao Huachun shook his head: "How else can we deal with them? The Tartars are utterly ferocious, far beyond the roving bandits. Even the Army Supervisor Crown Prince would find them hard to handle. It seems we can only take to the sea and flee. Once we reach the auxiliary capital, we can slowly devise a plan."

The Chongzhen Emperor snorted, and said bitterly: "That is all we can do. We knew the restoration would not be so easy!"

It was precisely because the restoration was not easy that he, the emperor, had a chance to stage a comeback!

Otherwise, once Beijing was recovered, could he still sit securely on the dragon throne? At this thought, the Chongzhen Emperor's mood suddenly lightened.

"Qinghui, attend Us and help Us dress!" the Chongzhen Emperor ordered. "Companion Cao, go at once and gather men — summon the Duke of Ying, the Duke of Cheng, the Duke of Ding, the Marquis of Wuqing, the Marquis of Xincheng, the Earl of Xiangcheng — all of them!"

The Chongzhen Emperor now felt he had few people at his disposal, so he wanted to use the flight from Sea Sand Island as a chance to gather a following. Once he reached the auxiliary capital Nanjing and brought in the Nanjing nobility and civil officials, he could contend with his son Zhu Cilang.

But he would never have imagined that the Crown Prince, Zhu Cilang, had long been prepared for this very situation!

Zhu Cilang had already donned a suit of gleaming golden full-length armor. One hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he strode grandly out of his "bedchamber," accompanied by a great beauty in "silver armor" — none other than Wu Sanmei.

"Your subjects pay their respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Outside the courtyard, Chen Yidao was also fully armored, leading more than a hundred officers and men of the Central Division Guard Battalion on night duty, drawn up in two ranks, saluting Zhu Cilang.

Chen Yidao stepped forward and reported in a low voice to Zhu Cilang: "Your Highness, the Great Dragon Head has been made ready — you may board at any time!"

"The Great Dragon Head?" Zhu Cilang smiled. "No need. We are not afraid of Tartars. Have men prepare the ferry — We shall go to Dagu to meet the Tartars in battle!"

"Also, summon the troops! The Vanguard Division, the Guard Division, the Left Division, the Right Division, and the New Army artillery battalion — summon all that can be summoned, and assemble before the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

Recommending a fresh, brand-new book, "Punitive Expedition Against the Qing and Colonization," set in the same era as this one, opening with the Zheng family's richest man. Updates are very fierce.

(End of Chapter)