Arei rode over and stretched out his hand to Zhu Zhanji: "Hurry up and get on the horse!"
The Jinyiwei who was holding the leg had already died, but he refused to let go. Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to swing his sword to cut off the arm of the dead body, pick up the central army flag, ride on a horse with A Lei, and meet Zhu Zhanhe who came to support them, and the three of them joined forces.
At this time, three hundred Japanese pirates who had escaped from prison came from the rear, and almost all the guards protecting Zhu Zhanji were killed. With the enemy outnumbering us, the three men retreated decisively.
While Zhu Zhanji was retreating, he raised a flag to summon the young troops to join him. The young troops came from all directions, forming a siege and strangling the escaped Japanese pirates.
The three men arrived at a sentry post, which Zhu Zhanji used as a temporary combat command center, conveying orders with flag signals and drum beats.
Zhu Zhanhe never leaves Zhu Zhanji's side. Except for A Lei, everyone else seems to be an assassin, which is a paranoid suspicion.
When the Ming navy led by Pingjiang Bo arrived on the island and joined forces with the young army to encircle and suppress the fake Japanese pirates, the overall situation of the war was already decided.
Arei's eyes were blank and she said nothing. It was the first time in her life that she killed someone. When she saw Zhu Zhanji in danger, she didn't know where she got the courage from, but she aimed her gun, fired two shots in a row, and finally knocked down the enemy.
Now Arei came to his senses, the thrilling scene replayed in his mind again and again, and his hands were shaking.
She had the impression that the faces of the enemies who died from gunfire were covered with black cannon fodder, red blood, and gray dust. She was slightly nearsighted and did not wear glasses, so she could not see the details of the enemies' faces, but that blurry face kept flashing in her mind.
When she rode her horse to pull Zhu Zhanji onto the horse, the distance between them was closer. In a trance, the dying eyes of the fallen enemy were looking at her, and not at Zhu Zhanji who was so close to her.
It's very strange, because Zhu Zhanji was obviously the enemy's target.
There was no hatred, no attachment to life, and no resentment in those eyes.
On the contrary, those eyes were gentle.
How could this happen? A Lei went over and wanted to take a closer look at the person, but the person closed her eyes and died. Zhu Zhanji rode with her and rode away immediately...
"Are you okay?" Zhu Zhanji walked over and asked.
"Ah!" Arei woke up suddenly, "I... I'm fine."
After surviving the catastrophe, the pair of dying but gentle eyes in his mind could not be shaken off. A Lei thought of the embroidered spring knife in the man's hand, so he asked Zhu Zhanji: "The traitor turned out to be among the Jinyiwei, did Lord Ji know?"
A Lei had only heard the Zhu brothers say that there was a traitor colluding with the King of Han, but he thought about Ji Gang.
Ji Gang was notorious, known as the Jade-faced Rakshasa. But to A Lei, he was "Uncle Ji", kind and handsome, even more handsome than her brother-in-law.
Looking at A Lei, Zhu Zhanji was startled. His mind suddenly buzzed, and the details that he couldn't figure out before suddenly became clear and connected:
The mine exploded prematurely, not because of his good luck, but because of A Lei!
Ji Gang’s flying knife is not inaccurate, it’s because of A Lei!
The battle-hardened general of three dynasties died at the hands of a small man who had never killed anyone before, because this small man was Are.
He had also heard about the scandal between Ji Gang and Hu Shanwei...
It turned out that Are saved him twice.
Zhu Zhanji knew that A Lei and Ji Gang had a close relationship, and it would be too cruel to tell A Lei the truth.
However, Ji Gang led a thousand Jinyiwei in a collective rebellion, and even he was unable to suppress the matter.
Zhu Zhanji was full of tricks, and he immediately changed his words and said, "Ji Gang was the traitor. He was forced into a corner by Zhu Zhanhe's probing and rebelled on the spot. He was later killed by Zhu Zhanhe's artillery fire."
After saying this, Zhu Zhanji glared at Zhu Zhanhe frantically.
Zhu Zhanhe was a half-brother, and he immediately understood what his eldest cousin meant. "Ji Gang and I started fighting on the artillery platform. He was too cunning. He jumped off the platform and was caught by the Jinyiwei. He tried to escape, but I killed him with the artillery."
A Lei couldn't believe his ears. "Uncle Ji... is he a traitor? Dead?"
Zhu Zhanhe nodded. "Ji Gang and the Jinyiwei rebels were almost completely wiped out. Their crimes are obvious. And... my father—"
Zhu Zhanhe looked at the corpses of the young soldiers and clenched his fists. "Ji Gang colluded with my father and even broke into the prison to release the Japanese pirates, causing heavy losses to our young soldiers. It was originally a great victory, but now it has become a narrow victory. He almost killed my eldest cousin. This is an unforgivable crime."
Zhu Zhanhe tore off the general badge, half-knelt, and handed it to Zhu Zhanji. "I have no face to these dead young soldiers. I am not worthy to be the leader of the young soldiers. They were all my comrades-in-arms, but my father killed them. It is only natural for a son to pay for his father's debt. I beg my eldest cousin to kidnap me and take me to the capital to atone for my father's sin. As a son, I cannot watch my father die. I am willing to exchange my life for another's."
What is honey to one may be poison to another. No matter how bad the King of Han was, for Zhu Zhanhe, the King of Han loved him, and he also loved his father. The father and son always quarreled, but their relationship was as solid as a rock.
He has tried his best to persuade the King of Han to curb his ambitions, but the King of Han was determined to make trouble and now he has even gone to the point of murdering the crown prince. Zhu Zhanhe has tried his best to save the situation, but it is still a drop in the bucket.
The damage had been done. Zhu Zhanhe was not the kind of despicable person who would force the crown prince to "forgive" his father at the expense of others.
So Zhu Zhanhe could only ask for death.
A Lei had not yet recovered from the shock of Ji Gang being a traitor, and was shocked by Zhu Zhanhe's actions. She dragged her injured foot over and said, "It's not your fault."
A Lei understood Zhu Zhanhe's pain because of Ji Gang's death.
Zhu Zhanji knew his cousin's temper. He took the military badge, helped Zhu Zhanhe up, and poured a glass of water for him. "Don't always be desperate when encountering things. Calm down first, and I will find a solution."
Zhu Zhanhe drank the water. "My father did such a wicked thing that even the emperor couldn't forgive him. I—"
Zhu Zhanhe’s eyes went dark and he collapsed to the ground.
Are was about to call for help, but Zhu Zhanhe had not slept for two nights and had fought several battles, so he was exhausted.
"I put something in the water and made him fall asleep." Zhu Zhanji covered her mouth. "Do you want Zhu Zhanhe to get out of this and stop suffering?"
Are's eyes were full of confusion, but he still nodded.
Zhu Zhanji said: "I need you to cooperate in a play..."
Half an hour later, Pingjiang Earl Chen Xuan wiped out all the Japanese pirates and ended the battle. When he came to pay a visit to the Crown Prince, he was led to a beach.
There were many strange rocks and sharp reefs sticking out from the sea water, with black mussels parasitizing on the reefs.
A group of young soldiers were floating on the sea, and there were also a number of small boats, with fishing nets cast on them, as if they were trying to salvage something.
A person was crying on the beach. When Chen Xuan got closer, he was almost scared to death: Isn't this the precious daughter of Lord Mu and Lady Hu? Why is she in this pirate's lair
A Lei cried, "Uncle Chen, Brother Shuikeng is gone."
In order to maintain his composure, the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji held back his tears, his eyes were red, "Pingjiang Bo, the Prince of Han... fought with the assassin to save me, was accidentally shot, fell off the cliff, and landed in the sea. He has not been found until now."
Zhu Zhanji's plan to fake his death in order to escape and pursue freedom was cruelly shattered by reality.
Looking at the painful and troubled Zhu Zhanhe, Zhu Zhanji decided to leave the chance of relief to his younger brother.
The royal family is the biggest place of fame and fortune in the Ming Dynasty. In the cage of fame and fortune, everyone is controlled by power and has no choice but to do what they want. Some are even blinded by ambition and take risks to fight for imperial power.
No one can stay out of it and is forced to participate.
Only "death" can bring relief.
Young soldiers and the Ming navy searched for three days, but they only found a boot and a jade belt, but no one or any body.
In the middle of summer, after being soaked in water for three days, the corpse is basically deformed and unrecognizable. If it is pushed to the shore by the waves and exposed to the scorching sun, the intestines will be ripped and rotten after three days. Even if it is placed in front of you, you will not be able to recognize it if you see it.
Due to limited food and grass, the Crown Prince had no choice but to take his young army back to Dacang Port in Yunjian County on the mainland. The Earl of Pingjiang left behind a thousand Ming naval forces to continue searching near the isolated island.
Everyone knew there was no hope, but who would dare to stop the search and rescue unless the emperor ordered it to stop
Taicang Port.
When they came, they selected 50,000 young army elites. When they returned and counted the number of people, they found that over 10,000 were dead and over 2,000 were seriously injured with missing limbs. These people were forced to retire and their lives were in danger. The weather was hot in the summer and the wounds were easy to rot. There were wounded soldiers dying almost every hour. There were also over 8,000 slightly injured people who were treated by military doctors.
Judging from the results of the battle, the young army was victorious.
But no one cheered for the victory because the young army suffered heavy losses. Even the deputy commander Zhu Zhanhe was killed in the battle and his body was never found.
After recovering some mental and physical strength, Arei and Ping Jiangbo recounted her experiences and the story of "Zhu Zhanhe's heroic sacrifice" that they and Zhu Zhanji had made up.
Pingjiang Bo, a veteran official of three dynasties, sighed, "It's a pity for His Royal Highness. The son has to bear the consequences of his father's sin. The Emperor has ordered the Han Palace to be confined overnight, and the Han King has been escorted to the capital. Miss Hu, the situation is so tense, you are a woman, don't get involved. Tomorrow I will send someone to secretly send you to Liujiagang. With the protection of Eunuch Zheng He, you will be safe."
After all, Chen Xuan was discovered and promoted by Mu Chun, and he was willing to help A Lei get rid of the trouble of the royal succession.
Alei bowed his head, "Thank you, Uncle Chen."
Arei's foot had gone down in swelling, but her tendon was still sprained. She rode to a warehouse in Ocang Port, which was full of various spices such as peppercorns and cardamoms. These spices would be loaded onto a ship and sail into the Yangtze River the next day for sale in Suzhou.
Zhu Zhanji opened a box and inside was lying Zhu Zhanhe, who was fast asleep.
A Lei tried to feel his breath, "It's been three days, and he hasn't woken up yet. Did you give him too much medicine?"
Zhu Zhanji shook his head, "He is too tired and his body can't bear the burden."
Zhu Zhanji took out a bottle of snuff and put it into the nostrils of the sleeping beauty Zhu Zhanhe.
After fifteen seconds, Zhu Zhanhe sneezed suddenly, sat up straight and woke up.
He looked around. He had arranged all of this in advance for his eldest cousin, including the warehouse goods and caravan. "You faked your death without my help?"
Zhu Zhanji shook his head. "It's not me who is dying now, it's you. Brother, from now on, you are free."
Zhu Zhanhe was not stupid and immediately understood Zhu Zhanji's intention. He had slept for three days, and the situation outside had changed.
"My father, the Han Palace... No, there should no longer be a Han Palace. How are my mother and brother?"
Zhu Zhanhe also has a younger brother with the same father and mother.
Now, Zhu Zhanhe no longer has any illusions about his father's life or death.
Zhu Zhanji said: "The emperor was very sad because of your death. After all, the emperor is a grandfather and a father. He has already lost his favorite grandson, and he cannot lose another son. The emperor did not kill the second uncle, but only demoted him to a commoner and confined his family to Fengyang. But the prince knelt down and begged for mercy for the second uncle. The prince fainted several times from crying. After waking up, he went to cry in front of the tablet of Empress Renxiao. His sick feet were sore from kneeling that he fainted from the pain. This is the case now. The emperor has not yet issued an order to abolish your father..."
A great ethical drama between father and son and brother is being played out in the Ming Dynasty palace.
When Emperor Yongle learned that Ji Gang and Prince of Han had conspired to rebel and attempted to kill the crown prince, and that Prince of Han's son Zhu Zhanhe was injured and fell into the sea while trying to save the crown prince, and his body was never found, he was suddenly filled with grief and anger.
The King of Han was immediately abducted from Qingzhou to the capital, "his dozens of illegal deeds were recorded, his clothes were stripped off, and he was imprisoned inside Xihua Gate."
Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi knelt down and begged Emperor Yongle to release his brother and not to strip him of his title.
Emperor Yongle was furious and said, "I got rid of the traitor for you, but you want to raise a tiger to cause trouble for yourself?" I got rid of the traitor for you, but you want to raise a tiger to cause trouble for yourself.
The prince cried, "He is my biological brother. It was my fault as the eldest brother. I did not communicate well with him and did not care about him enough, so he resented his son. My brother was obviously not like this before. Although he was a bit strong-willed, my son was always respectful to him. It was because he was bewitched by the treacherous minister Ji Gang and deceived by those staff members who wanted to fight for the "merit of following the dragon", that my brother took risks and went astray."
"No matter what, we are brothers from the same mother. If the younger brother makes a mistake, the older brother will be willing to educate him, enlighten him, and even atone for his sins."
"Father, if my mother were still alive, she would be heartbroken to see her second son stripped of his title, his descendants demoted to commoners, imprisoned in a small world, confined for life, without freedom!"
The author has something to say: Zhou's novels have basically the same style, all of which are about sending out the most boxed lunches and writing about the most sincere and precious emotions. Whether it is family, friendship, or love, they are all about finding light in the darkness and recording those who are trying to shine. Being in the darkness, pursuing light.
The prince is a very powerful person. There are only two Shura scenes left in this book, so you can start counting down to the end. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast [bazooka]: Qiu Shui 1;
Thanks to the little angel who threw [grenade]: 34596557 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: 34596557 2; mmmm, wwayi 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Cat King 28 bottles; Langligelang 13 bottles; pearlla_yy, Moshangsaki, Qiantong 10 bottles; Ajiu 5 bottles; Jiuwo 4 bottles; Yijianxieyue, Zaishuidexixi 3 bottles; Qiongju 2 bottles; Pandora, Xuanwu, Duole, Yunqi 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!