Ten days after his father's death, Huangfu Zhiguo proclaimed himself emperor and named the country Jiajing.
The Kyushu Empire called this year the first year of Jiajing.
An imperial edict was delivered to the palace of King Zhengxi.
King Zhengxi only received the news three days ago that the emperor had passed away and his brother had finally returned to the afterlife.
He immediately summoned the Tiger Marshal Hu Xingguo, the Cloud Marshal Yun Tiangang, the Iron Marshal Tie Ba, the two national masters, and six counselors to hold an emergency meeting. The emperor passed away and the nine provinces were in turmoil. What should they do at this time
"Your Highness, the Emperor has passed away. As the Emperor's younger brother, it is reasonable for them to issue an order for you to return to the capital to attend the funeral. The Crown Prince and the Regent have been doing evil and treasonous things over the years, doing all kinds of things that harm the people. Over the years, Your Highness has devoted himself to the country and was willing to die for it. For the sake of the hundreds of millions of people in the Kyushu Empire to live and work in peace and contentment, you have lived in this remote and barbaric land for 25 years."
The First National Master Zuoqiu Weitong first separated the issues and pointed out that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his men were unkind and unjust, while the King of the Western Expedition was a benevolent and righteous king, thus laying the foundation for the following text.
"It is because of you that the three kingdoms in the west dare not look east; it is because of you that the Western Great Wall of the Kyushu Empire is built; it is because of you that the Kyushu Empire is safe and stable. The people sing a ballad: 'If there is a king in the west, the Kyushu Empire will prosper.' This means that you have brought prosperity to the Kyushu Empire."
"What did the prince and his men do? They were very critical of you and suppressed you in every way. If it weren't for your broad-mindedness, wisdom, and fairness in dealing with people, without any flaws, you would have been framed by them. They didn't reward meritorious service, suppressed ministers, envied talented people, and treacherous ministers were in power. The court has been made a mess by them."
"Back then, the Emperor Retired designated the throne to you, but you gave it to your elder brothers out of kindness. They have ruled the country for decades, and now it is time to return it to you, Your Highness. As the saying goes: a little bit of kindness, a big bit of hatred. Huangfu Zhiguo, this young boy who has not yet grown his hair and is still wet behind the ears, might be plotting against you. Your Highness must be on guard against this matter."
Everyone looked at Zuoqiu Weitong with surprise in their eyes. These words revealed several meanings: First, the prince was ignorant and tolerated treachery; second, the people were surrounded by treacherous ministers and powerful officials in power, and their lives were miserable; third, the King of the Western Expedition had made great contributions, but they still tried to frame him; fourth, the Emperor's throne was given up by the King of the Western Expedition; fifth, they were extremely vicious.
King Zhengxi's face turned pale, and he shouted, "Master, we are discussing the current situation not for you to blame the court. My principle is that I would rather the world betray me than I betray the world. What's more, thunder and rain are all grace from the king. Even if my nephew Huangfu Zhiguo wants me dead, I have no choice but to obey."
The first counselor waved a feather fan, looking like an immortal: "Your Highness, you are betraying the world by saying this. I am a monk who doesn't care about the secular world. Why did I come out of seclusion to serve Your Highness? Because Your Highness has a natural talent to shoulder the world and embrace the universe. It is related to the well-being of all people in the world."
"Ten years ago, the emperor, who was in his prime, suddenly fell ill. Why did he fall ill so strangely? Second, Tiger Marshal was in the capital a few days ago and had seen the emperor. Although the emperor was in good spirits after ten years of pain and suffering, he showed no signs of dying. Why did the emperor die right after Tiger Marshal passed away?"
"Your Highness, please think about it again. Why did they conceal the death? What is their intention?"
The first counselor waved his feather fan and spoke eloquently: "Your Highness, you have heard of the axe shadow under the tent, the poison in Yuhua Palace, the hundred-foot-long silk... Since ancient times, it is not uncommon for sons to rebel and plot against their fathers. Thousands of Xuanwu iron coins can make fathers and sons, brothers, friends and relatives turn against each other, not to mention that it involves hundreds of millions of people and the throne of the Nine Cauldrons."
Prince, have you also heard that "Huangfu Zhiguo colluded with the regent and secretly poisoned the emperor. Then who dares to say that there is no trick in the emperor's death?"
The first counselor took the matter a step further, saying that the prince poisoned the emperor and murdered his father, and that such a person had lost all conscience and no sense of human ethics. The regent was the perpetrator, and they were in cahoots with each other.
Finally, the first counselor bowed and said, "Your Highness, in the Kyushu Empire today, the Crown Prince is vicious and incompetent, he murdered his own father and coveted the throne; the Regent abuses his power and harms the country with despicable means; the court is in power with treacherous ministers, and it is dark and gloomy; the people of Kyushu are in dire straits, waiting for help, just like waiting for rain after a three-year drought, they are so anxious and weeping."
"Your Majesty, if you don't care about the people of the world, how can you be said to have lived up to the people of the world? Besides, even if you compromise, you will suffer the consequences if you don't take what God has given you. As long as the prince and his men send an imperial edict, you will be in a dangerous place in the capital. It will be impossible for you to come back."
The King of Zhengxi looked sympathetic and said, "Everyone, I have always regarded the throne as a feather. Wealth and honor, if not obtained by proper means, are like floating clouds to me. I swear not to rebel. How about this? Spend all the savings I have accumulated over the years. If it really doesn't work out, you all need to find another way to make a living."
Therefore, the King of Zhengxi distributed countless properties and funds to these people.
Now the messenger came to the palace of the King of the West. The palace was all white, and the messenger was allowed to enter. In the palace, soldiers stood in rows, like sculptures, which showed that the King of the West had a good command of the army.
The King of Zhengxi set up the incense table, then knelt down with all his family members in front of the official to receive the order.
The official who delivered the imperial edict saw that the King of Zhengxi was doing his job meticulously and had no intention of looking down on him. He thought that everything was reasonable and logical, and he couldn't help but think: "It is said that the King of Zhengxi has a rebellious heart, but today it seems that there is no such sign."
He opened the imperial edict and read out: "The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: The late Emperor passed away in the Zhenqian Palace. My heart is burning with grief. The Imperial Uncle is my closest relative. I ask the Imperial Uncle to bring 300 people to the funeral as quickly as possible. I decree this!"
The King of Zhengxi kowtowed in thanks, his face full of tears: "I accept your order!"
The first counselor stepped forward and stretched out his hand to stop him: "Wait, Imperial Envoy, I am not trying to stop you, but there are many doubts in this matter. Please help me to clear up my doubts."
The messenger originally thought that the King of Zhengxi was still unclear about his intentions, and that if he could receive the order, he could go back and hand it over, and his mission would be completed. Who knew that a Cheng Yaojin would show up here
King Zhengxi shouted, "Asshole, what kind of place is this? There is no law, why don't you get out of here?"
The first counselor gently fanned his feather fan and bowed to the King of Zhengxi. "Your Majesty, your words are your will, and I should obey. However, the current situation is unclear, so I dare to ask for the reason. I ask Your Majesty to decide whether to kill or spare me."
"I want to ask, how many days ago did the emperor pass away?"
The messenger told the truth. He knew that according to the King of Zhengxi's information channels, he would definitely know the time of the emperor's death. There was no benefit in lying: "It was ten days ago."
"The King of Zhengxi is the emperor's brother, and they are very close. Why wait ten days to tell him if there is nothing wrong? Is there any conspiracy? Another thing, what does it mean to only bring 300 people? The King of Zhengxi is a true descendant of the phoenix and dragon, and his life is dependent on heaven. Bringing so few people, is there some conspiracy against the wise king?"
"There are many cases of suspicion. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it. His Royal Highness has done many evil things over the years. You came to convey the imperial decree. Why did you ambush 3,000 people within five miles of the palace? Are you plotting something bad and plotting against the prince? Come, find a place for the imperial envoy to ask him."
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and a group of people surrounded the official who delivered the imperial edict.
The official who delivered the imperial edict had more than a hundred guards, who came to protect their master, and the situation was tense.
King Zhengxi shouted, "Assholes, are you trying to put me in an unjust situation?"
The first counselor waved his hand and said, "Disarm them and interrogate them thoroughly."
Blood was spilt in the Palace of the King of Zhengxi. The messenger and more than one hundred people under his command all died in the Palace of the King of Zhengxi.
At the same time, the three thousand people brought by the imperial edict were all wiped out by the people from the King of Zhengxi's palace, and no one was left alive.
The King of the Western Expedition raised the banner of clearing out the corrupt officials and punishing the treacherous and corrupt officials, and officially launched his army.
Almost at the same time, the three states, under the leadership of Tiger Marshal, Cloud Marshal, and Iron Marshal, divided into three routes, with a total of 2 million people, and attacked towards Jiuding City.
When the prince saw that the thing he was most worried about had happened, he immediately ordered General Long, General Feng, and General Xue to lead three groups of troops totaling 1.5 million to meet the enemy in full force.
At the same time, various states and counties began a series of rebellious activities. The frenzied bandits and some forces intertwined to attack cities and break through villages.
The vast majority of military forces in each state and county were withdrawn and transferred to the battlefield. They united with some families, chambers of commerce, and forces in the state and county to launch an action to resist the rebels.
Almost all of a sudden, there were rebels active in the Kyushu Empire, the thirty-six counties, and more than a hundred cities.
The prince's desk was filled with fierce distress signals from rebels all over the country. If one could open it, it would say: So-and-so city calls for help, at what time, in what city, rebels are everywhere, and although they have been repelled, they are still powerful and request help.
The lord of the city was killed and the rebels occupied the city.
The prince slapped the dragon desk with a loud clatter, "Uncle Wang, I just don't believe it. I have been working hard for the country all these years, and the people are living a good life. Are they going to rebel? Has my kindness not been passed down to the people all these years?"
The regent bowed and said, "Your Majesty, calm down. These small forces are just bandits. Bandits are inevitable in any dynasty. They can disrupt our rear, but they will not cause any major hindrance to the overall situation. Among our nine provinces and thirty-six counties, only Daxingzhou was captured by the enemy. Among more than one hundred cities, only four were occupied by bandits."
"Is there any province or county without rebels?" The Crown Prince asked, his eyes as sharp as swords, staring at the Regent, the Crown Prince's Tutor and others.
The Prince's tutor bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I checked the thirty-six counties in Kyushu, and only Xuanwu County sent a report saying that the rebellion in Xuanwu County had already been suppressed by Ye Zhuangyuan, and they have stationed 50,000 troops and are preparing to rescue the entire state."
The crown prince stared at the southeast direction where Ye Xiangyang was: "Pass on my order, according to the original plan that Ye Xiangyang and I made, let him act according to the circumstances."