Chapter 1068: The Prince of Tang's Guard
Nanyang, Henan Province, just outside the northeastern suburbs.
This was the area of Henan hit hardest by the drought. Days earlier, the Prince of Tang had even submitted a memorial to the imperial court, reporting instances of mothers eating their own daughters here. In response, the Chongzhen Emperor allocated three taels and five mace of silver for disaster relief and exempted the region from taxes.
However, three taels and five mace did absolutely nothing, and tax exemptions couldn't save the starving populace.
The common folk of Nanyang lived in dire straits...
Thankfully, Gao Family Village was there to help.
Bai Yuan, leading a militia unit and a transport team, was scouring the villages outside Nanyang for refugees.
By this point, many refugees had already made their way to Luoyang and joined the factories there.
But some, having been deceived too many times by local officials and harassed repeatedly by bandits, were now unwilling to trust outsiders. Whether it was the government, bandits, gentry, or aristocrats—they simply didn't believe a word anyone said.
They preferred to hide in their small villages, scraping bark and eating grass roots, rather than venture out into the world.
"Instructor Bai, there's a family in this dilapidated house," a militia soldier called out, running over.
Bai Yuan nodded and personally led a squad of soldiers towards the dwelling.
Soldiers, no matter how well-meaning, could be a bit rough and easily frighten the common folk. Bai Yuan, however, was different. A gracefully refined middle-aged man, he clearly possessed an air of erudition. Standing at the entrance of the humble home, he spoke with impeccable manners.
The impoverished family cautiously opened their door. "Esteemed sir, what brings you here?"
Bai Yuan motioned, and a nearby soldier presented a wooden tray with four white steamed buns. "Take these and eat. If it's not enough, come out for more."
With that, he led his team back to the center of the village.
This simple gesture worked wonders. In moments, the villagers, who had been hiding in their homes, began to emerge.
After all, four steamed buns wouldn't be enough for a starving family. With several hungry mouths, each person got one, devouring it before they could even taste it. Mustering their courage, they cautiously approached.
They then discovered that a grand feast had been laid out in the village center. Numerous soldiers were cooking and distributing food relentlessly to the brave villagers who had left their homes.
Only then did the villagers truly believe that this Esteemed Bai was a good man.
The village buzzed with excitement...
Just then, a scout suddenly rushed over, speaking rapidly. "Instructor Bai, an army has emerged from the direction of Nanyang city and is marching towards us."
Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The Nanyang garrison?"
"No... not the Nanyang garrison." The scout's expression was peculiar. "Nanyang doesn't really have a garrison to speak of."
Bai Yuan pondered this, realizing it was true. Nanyang city had recently been overrun by bandits, and what little local garrison remained had long been routed.
Bai Yuan was puzzled. "Then what other army could be coming out?"
The scout replied, "I can't be certain, but they don't look like a conventional force. They're flying a 'Tang' banner in the center, and another large banner proclaiming 'Coming to the Capital to Serve the King.' It's utterly bizarre."
"Tang?"
Bai Yuan quickly connected the dots. "Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian!"
Understanding this only deepened his surprise. "The Prince of Tang's Guard coming to the capital to serve the king? How many of them are there?"
The scout answered, "Around a thousand men."
Bai Yuan sighed. "Alas! The Prince of Tang has lost his mind."
As Bai Yuan uttered this sentiment, the strange army was swiftly marching northeast.
Bai Yuan's guess was correct; the leader of this army was indeed the Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian.
Zhu Yujian was thirty-four years old, in the prime of his life.
As a member of the imperial clan, he was expected to live a life of pampered idleness, but he refused to conform.
He was a driven man, often clashing with court officials over issues such as hereditary succession within the imperial lineage, making enemies and offending many high-ranking ministers. Just this past July, he had even beaten two of his uncles with a stick: Prince Fushan, Zhu Qishuang (who died), and Prince Anyang, Zhu Qijun (who survived).
Such a combative man, hearing of the nation's peril, naturally couldn't stand idly by. He petitioned the emperor to allow him to raise an army and march to the capital, but Zhu Youjian refused.
Most princes would have dropped the matter after being told "no."
But Zhu Yujian would not accept it. This wasn't just Zhu Youjian's Ming Dynasty; it was his, Zhu Yujian's, too!
If the emperor himself was incompetent, why wouldn't he allow others to help? If he forbade him from serving the king, what if the Great Ming Dynasty fell? How could they face their ancestors? In the afterlife, the founding emperor would surely hang and beat any descendants who let the dynasty perish.
Therefore, Zhu Yujian disregarded the imperial decree. He funded an army of over a thousand men out of his own pocket, personally leading them to the capital to serve the king.
The Prefect of Nanyang, trailing behind his army, pleaded desperately, "Your Highness, please go back, stop this commotion. Marching to the capital like this is a dead end!"
Zhu Yujian declared, "This king will not retreat! I am going to serve the king, not to rebel. My intentions are most sincere; how could I be blamed for this?"
The Prefect of Nanyang wailed, "While that may be true, the principle itself is not. If every prince in the realm were to raise an army, how could the world not descend into chaos?"
Zhu Yujian confidently stated, "The Emperor isn't that foolish; he will surely see my sincere intentions."
The Prefect cried, "Please don't!"
Zhu Yujian waved him off, "Get lost! Stop pestering this king."
The Prefect responded, "This official doesn't wish to pester you, Your Highness, but this matter has grown too large, and I cannot escape responsibility!"
As they spoke, an army suddenly burst out from the forest ahead. This army was raggedly dressed, haphazardly armed, and flew two large banners: one inscribed with "Meng Hu" and the other with "Du Hu."
The Prefect of Nanyang gasped in alarm. "Ah! It's the notorious bandit brothers, Meng Hu and Du Hu! This is terrible, these two command tens of thousands of men!"
Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian, burst into laughter. "Haha, Heaven helps me! To think I'd run into bandits right here!"
Without a word, he pointed forward with a decisive sweep of his hand. "Charge! Wipe out the bandits!"
His army of over a thousand men consisted of two parts: the core was his personal Prince's Guard, numbering only about two hundred. The other thousand-plus men were drawn from martial artists, vagrants, or strong young men from the countryside.
They were much like the unruly rabble the Prince of Fu had hired in the past.
This group did possess some fighting capability; they weren't entirely useless.
Besides, the Prince of Tang wouldn't bother with mere useless rabble anyway.
With a thunderous roar, the Prince's army charged towards Meng Hu and Du Hu's forces.
Meng Hu was momentarily stunned. "What the heck? What's going on? Shouldn't the Prince's Guard be stationed *inside* Nanyang city? Why are they out here?"
Du Hu was equally bewildered. "Are you kidding me? This is the first time I've seen the Prince's Guard outside the city!"
They were stunned for only a brief moment before the Prince of Tang's Guard was upon them. The front two hundred men of the Prince's Guard were armed to the teeth and quite formidable. With just one charge, they sent Meng Hu and Du Hu's forces scattering in disarray.
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