Zhu Youjian glared angrily at Lu Xuan, but did not order the arrows to be fired. On one hand, Lu Xuan was prepared, carrying a heavy shield; on the other hand, he had to maintain the dignity of the emperor.
"Lu Xuan, you came from humble beginnings as a hunter. You were favored by the late emperor, which allowed you to rise rapidly through the ranks and become the general of Liaoyang. The emperor's favor is the greatest in our dynasty. Has the Ming Dynasty ever wronged you? Has my Zhu family ever wronged you?"
"Your Majesty, the late Emperor's kindness was immense, and we have never treated him unfairly."
"Then why do you do this disloyal and unjust thing?"
"May I ask Your Majesty what constitutes disloyalty and injustice?"
“You led troops to threaten the capital. Isn’t that disloyal and unjust? This is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire family.”
"Is that so? But why was it that along the way, with twenty-three cities and 150,000 Ming troops, I was unable to stop this disloyal and unjust person?"
"You...you relied on your superior military strength and firearms to force your way through..."
"May I ask Your Majesty, why is it that I, a mere garrison commander of Liaoyang, possess a stronger and more powerful army than this glorious Celestial Empire? Why did those twenty-one cities not hinder my advance? As the Son of Heaven, can Your Majesty answer these two questions?"
Lu Xuan shouted these words, and the entire city wall fell silent instantly. Who could answer this question? Who dared to answer it?
"Does Your Majesty not know how to respond? Why not ask the ministers behind you?" Lu Xuan's words made the air on the entire city wall freeze.
Zhu Youjian didn't turn around to ask, because he didn't have many important officials behind him. Upon hearing that he was to confront Lu Xuan at the city wall, most of the civil and military officials fell ill that day.
"Lu Xuan, I admit that your army is strong and well-equipped. But my capital has 100,000 imperial guards and ample supplies. Do you really think you can break through the capital? In three to five days, hundreds of thousands of border troops will come to the aid of the emperor. At that time, this city wall will be your burial ground."
Surprisingly, Lu Xuan did not refute Zhu Youjian's words. Instead, he spoke up.
"Your Majesty, you have not answered my question yet!"
Zhu Youjian was stunned again. He was unwilling to answer the question because he himself did not know.
Why is it that I, the Son of Heaven, have such weak and feeble soldiers? Why is it that the glorious Ming Dynasty, with its twenty-one cities, cannot stop this rebel army? Why are so few of the civil and military officials, who spout such loyalty and righteousness, willing to stand atop the city walls and confront this traitor?
Zhu Youjian had too many questions in his mind. But as a prince who had only been on the throne for less than ten days and had never received any imperial education, these questions had no answers.
In reality, even though he received a so-called imperial education as the crown prince from a young age, he still couldn't answer these questions. These were questions his teachers were deliberately concealing from him. If nothing unexpected happened, he would never get the answers from anyone.
"Doesn't Your Majesty know?" Lu Xuan asked again.
Zhu Youjian was pale, and opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond. An old man beside him stepped forward.
“A sharp-tongued person only knows how to use words. His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, why should I explain to you?”
"Finally, someone dares to speak up! May I ask this gentleman's name?"
"Hmph, I am Sun Chuanting." The old man glared angrily, seemingly still possessing some backbone.
"Lord Li, I'll remember you." Lu Xuan nodded slightly to the old man, then said to Zhu Youjian.
"Your Majesty, if you don't understand this problem now, then go back and think about it carefully. I will not attack tonight; Your Majesty can give me an answer tomorrow."
After Lu Xuan finished speaking, he rode back to the camp, leaving Zhu Youjian muttering to himself on the city wall.
"Your Majesty, it's windy at the city wall, you should go back!" Sun Chuanting gently advised.
“Sun Chuanting, tell me. Why is this? He is merely a border governor of the Ming Dynasty. How could he train such a powerful army and possess so many firearms? Where did he get the money and provisions?”
"The late emperor approved ten million taels of silver for Liaodong every year. The rebels certainly have no shortage of money."
"Then why did Liaodong only produce one such army? A dozen or so generals, plus Li Rubai, the Liaodong military commissioner—have they all betrayed the country? Why don't my imperial guards in the capital have his repeating muskets, or his more powerful cannons? Let alone the imperial guards in the capital, even the Shenyang garrison, just one city away, is no different. Li Rubai even watched this traitor raise an army and force the emperor to abdicate, without doing anything about it."
None of the court officials dared to come to the city wall to face this traitor. They all knew the traitor's firearms were formidable; did I not know that? But I am the Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven!!!
With that final, hoarse, suppressed roar, Zhu Youjian roared out the last sentence. Tears welled in his eyes, no longer able to be held back!
------------
Chapter 168 Zhu Youjian's Bewilderment and Helplessness (Please Subscribe)
That night, Lu Xuan stood in the military camp, gazing at the lights of the capital.
In truth, with the tall city walls blocking his view, he couldn't see anything at all. But he still stood there motionless, gazing at the ancient city. His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick walls, revealing the dazzling lights and bustling activity within.
"My lord, there is a secret message," Ding Baiying said softly from behind him.
"Why are you suddenly calling me 'Master'? I went to great lengths to get you to call me 'Young Master Lu'. Could it be that all my efforts have been in vain?"
"Things are different now; I need to be mindful of the rules."
"Haha, alright, watch your step. I'll set a rule for you now: call me Lu Lang."
"...Lu Lang".
"That's more like it! By the way, what secret message?"
"Sent from the city."
"Heh, they can't even stand it on the first night?"
"Yes! They were the ones who forced you to take action, and now they're the ones secretly colluding with you. What's wrong with the officials of the Ming Dynasty?"
"This country has been sick for a long time. It's terminally ill, its body infested with maggots. Guess who these maggots are?"
"...Is the illness so severe that the medicine is no longer effective?"
“That’s right. Sprinkling a little powder can relieve the pain for a while. But it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. To cure the disease, you have to cut away the flesh and let the blood flow. Cut away all the rotten flesh and let out all the pus and blood. In this way, the patient will be in excruciating pain, even on the verge of death. But when he recovers, he will become a healthy, strong, and completely new person.”
Lu Xuan had intermittently shared his political views with her over the years, so Ding Baiying was able to understand what he was saying. However, she didn't respond, but instead took his arm, rested her head on his shoulder, and listened quietly to him.