Chapter 193: Prince of Tang, You Really Know How to Draw Hatred

Zhu Yujian was thirty-eight this year, a ninth-generation descendant of the dynastic founder Zhu Yuanzhang, while Zhu Cilang was a thirteenth-generation descendant of Zhu Yuanzhang. In other words, he was four generations senior to Zhu Cilang — if Zhu Cilang were being polite, he would have to call him Imperial Great-Great-Granduncle!

But at the moment he was a disgraced commoner and did not dare stand on seniority with Zhu Cilang. Zhu Cilang, however, had long heard of him.

Because among all the princes of the late Ming, if one had to pick a ruthless man who feared neither hardship nor death, it was without question this Zhu Yujian.

Although Zhu Yujian was born into an imperial house, from childhood he had been raised on hardship. His grandfather, the Prince of Tang, Zhu Shuohuang, had kept him confined in the princely household's Office of Ceremonial for sixteen years, from the age of twelve all the way to twenty-eight! In the second year of Chongzhen, his father, the Tang heir apparent Zhu Qisheng, was poisoned to death by his uncle, and he himself nearly lost his position as heir grandson. In the end, a local official named Chen Qiyu, who had come to offer condolences to the Tang heir, stood up for him, and only then did he keep his position as heir grandson.

And after succeeding as Prince of Tang, this Zhu Yujian, who had been locked up by his grandfather for twelve years, showed an extraordinary ruthlessness — on the first day of the seventh month of the ninth year of Chongzhen, he actually had his own princely uncle (the very one who had murdered his father), the Prince of Fushan, Zhu Qishuang, beaten to death with staves, and beat another uncle, the Prince of Anyang, Zhu Qijun, half to death.

Then in the eighth month of that same year, this ferocious prince did something even more outrageous. When the Qing troops entered the passes to plunder and pressed straight toward Beijing, he actually raised troops and marched north to rally to the throne! This act broke the "princes shall not command troops" prohibition of the princely regulations. It so enraged the Chongzhen Emperor that in the eleventh month of that year the matter was referred for deliberation, he was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, and was thrown into the high walls of Fengyang — locked up for eight years!

So this forty-two-year-old former Prince of Tang had, all told, spent twenty years in confinement! He certainly did not fear hardship!

As for death — not only did he not fear it, but the two brothers who had come with him today, Zhu Yuyue and Zhu Yu'e, were both ruthless men who did not fear death either.

In history, Zhu Yujian was the Longwu Emperor of the Southern Ming, Zhu Yuyue was the Shaowu Emperor, and Zhu Yu'e, after his two elder brothers had each died for the country in turn, withdrew to Wencun Fortress in Taishan and held out against the Qing until 1659, when he too died for the country.

The three brothers died for the country one after another in resisting the Qing — truly worthy descendants of the Exalted Founder, the High Emperor.

And Zhu Cilang, who was himself the Exalted Founder, the High Emperor, reborn, naturally thought very highly of these three "descendants" who feared neither hardship nor death. Right now he needed princes like these to stand at the front and draw the Manchu fire!

Besides the three of them, there was also a Prince of Lu whom Zhu Cilang wanted to make good use of.

So today he had personally come to stand at the entrance of his command headquarters' main hall to receive them with full ceremony.

"Three Imperial Great-Great-Granduncles, you have had a hard journey. Please come in!" Zhu Cilang called out to the three elderly elders walking toward him together with Ma Shiying, while carefully sizing up all three.

The three men were full brothers and bore some resemblance to one another, all of them handsome and dignified in appearance, close in age, and all dressed in plain clothes, yet Zhu Cilang picked out Zhu Yujian at a glance.

The restrained and resolute bearing he had developed through too many storms was something the other two Commandery Princes, raised in comfort and ease, did not possess.

So Zhu Cilang stepped forward two paces, seized Zhu Yujian by the wrist, and asked warmly, "You must be the Tang prince? I have long admired your name, long admired it!"

When Zhu Yujian heard this youth address him as "the Tang prince," he was so moved that tears nearly came to his eyes.

He knew, of course, that this was the all-powerful Army-Supervising Crown Prince, His Highness — Zhu Cilang was wearing the Crown Prince's formal robes, after all!

For the Crown Prince to call him "the Tang prince" — could it mean he was going to restore his princely title? Zhu Yujian had heard Ma Shiying speak of this matter yesterday. But he had not quite dared believe it; only today did he truly feel certain.

It seemed the legend that His Highness the Crown Prince was the reincarnation of the Exalted Founder, the High Emperor, was true!

In all the Great Ming, only the Exalted Founder, the High Emperor, would not care about princes holding military power.

At that thought, Zhu Yujian dropped to his knees with a thud and knelt before Zhu Cilang. "The commoner Zhu Yujian kowtows to His Highness the Army-Supervising Crown Prince!"

Seeing him kneel, Zhu Yuyue, Zhu Yu'e, and Ma Shiying also knelt and kowtowed to Zhu Cilang.

"Rise, rise, all of you please rise." Zhu Cilang, his face wreathed in smiles, helped him up, then took him by the hand and led him into the main hall, and bade him and Zhu Yuyue, Zhu Yu'e, and Ma Shiying be seated.

"The Prince of Tang should no longer call himself a commoner," Zhu Cilang said gently to Zhu Yujian. "The Imperial Father's punishment of stripping you of your title and confining you within the high walls was far too severe, and unjust besides. We will soon issue an edict to redress your wrongs. You are still a prince of our Great Ming!"

"This subject thanks His Highness the Crown Prince for his vast grace!" Zhu Yujian was beside himself with emotion, his eyes brimming with tears.

Zhu Cilang watched him with a smile, and only after he had wiped away his tears did he say, "However, your fief of Nanyang is still in the hands of the roving bandits and cannot be recovered for the time being. You would do better to change to another place and garrison it."

What? Change fiefs as well?

Zhu Yujian was taken aback and looked at Zhu Cilang with some puzzlement.

Zhu Cilang smiled. "Has the Prince of Tang heard of the matter of the Dai princely line?"

"The Dai princely line?" Zhu Yujian shook his head. "What has happened to the Dai princely line?"

"The Dai princely line has changed hands!" Zhu Cilang said. "It has gone to Our third brother, and it has been converted from a nominal title to a substantive one, with authority over the civil and military officials and the garrison troops of Datong Prefecture."

He paused and sighed. "Our third brother is only thirteen years old, hardly a fit candidate to serve as a border prince. Placing him in charge of the Dai princely line was a matter of necessity. But restoring the system of princes commanding troops and garrisoning territory is essential! The realm of the Great Ming belongs in part to the princes. If you do not come forth to serve the country and hold a region, upon whom can We and the Imperial Father rely?

Prince of Tang, Governor-General Ma, is that not the truth of it?"

This was to make the Prince of Tang a meat shield against the Tartars and the roving bandits!

Ma Shiying understood Zhu Cilang's meaning at once and quickly chimed in, "His Highness the Thousand Years speaks most excellently! Princes are by nature the protective screens of the imperial house, and ought to hold and guard a region!"

Zhu Cilang nodded, then looked at the Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian.

Zhu Yujian, however, knitted his brows and said nothing.

If this had been eight years ago, before the Chongzhen Emperor had stripped him of his title, he would certainly have stepped forward to guard the border for the country.

But now he had suffered enough and had learned some restraint, and moreover he was empty-handed, without even a single trusted confidant. With what was he to guard the border?

"Your Highness the Thousand Years," Zhu Yujian said after a long silence, choosing his words carefully, "may I ask where you wish this prince to move?"

"How about Runing Prefecture?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"Runing Prefecture?" Zhu Yujian furrowed his thick brows, seeming somewhat hesitant.

He was somewhat familiar with Runing Prefecture, because Runing Prefecture bordered his old home of Nanyang Prefecture, lying at the junction of Henan, Huguang, and the Southern Metropolitan Region. About half its territory lay south of the Huai River, and it also took in half of the Dabie Mountains. The terrain was strategically difficult, the local character hardy and vigorous, and it served as a shield for Huaixi and Huguang — extremely vital ground.

Zhu Cilang shot a meaningful glance at Li Yan, who was seated nearby.

Having the Prince of Tang sent to garrison Runing was Li Yan's idea, proposed to Zhu Cilang — Runing Prefecture was the home of Hongniangzi and Feng San, and Li Yan had some foundation there; in the future he could go out and manage the place on Zhu Cilang's behalf.

But his own name was not weighty enough — after all, he had once been a roving bandit, and though he had Zhu Cilang's trust, it was still hard for him to command general respect. So he needed to borrow the name of the Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian, to get things done!

Moreover, Runing, that poor and remote backwater, was of the utmost importance in the grand scheme Li Yan was devising for Zhu Cilang.

Because poor and remote backwaters produce crack troops — just look at Hongniangzi and you can see how fierce the people of the Dabie Mountains are!

If Zhu Cilang went to Jiangnan, the problem of money and grain would be easy to solve, but the source of soldiers would be a difficulty. Relying on Suzhou troops, Hangzhou troops, and Yangzhou troops would probably make it very hard to defeat the Tartars and the roving bandits.

The troops of the Dabie Mountains, however, should be quite good, so Runing Prefecture had to be firmly held in hand, and it needed capable management.

Li Yan said to the Prince of Tang, "Your Highness need not worry that the people of Runing are unruly and hard to govern. The court will naturally dispatch capable officials to serve as Chief Minister, Guard Commander, and Prefect of Runing, to manage and operate affairs for Your Highness. Your Highness need only hold on in Runing and rally the people's hearts."

Zhu Cilang said, "Prince of Tang, We know that Ruyang, the chief county of Runing, is not strategically defensible, and if the bandits and caitiffs come in force, it will be hard to hold. But you will still have the strategic stronghold of Xinyang, and the Dabie mountain range. We do not ask you to perish together with Ruyang, but to hold out in Runing for the long term. Even if you must take to the mountains and become a king of the hills, you must hold on to the very end!"

"Good!" The Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian, now had his mind settled. He rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Zhu Cilang. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, this prince is willing to go to Ruyang and hold on. Even if I grow old and die in the Dabie Mountains, I will never waver!"

(End of Chapter)