Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Chapter 1467 The Youngest Head of Ten Thousand Households

Guo Zixing hesitated for a moment: "Brother Zhu, this is too dangerous. You should stay here."

Zhu Yuanzhang said firmly, "General Guo, now is not the time to hesitate. Only by breaking out of the encirclement and bringing reinforcements can we hope to defeat the Yuan army. Please rest assured and let me go."

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was determined, Guo Zixing nodded in agreement: "Alright! Brother Zhu, you must be careful. I will do my best to guard the camp and wait for your return."

Zhu Yuanzhang selected some elite soldiers to prepare for a breakout. Just then, Zhu Qiwu suddenly arrived with a group of men. It turned out that Zhu Qiwu, seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang had not returned for a long time, was worried that he was in danger, so he brought his men to meet him.

Upon seeing Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Qiwu quickly said, "Fourth Brother, are you alright? I heard that the Yuan army was attacking and was worried that you were in danger, so I rushed over."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a warmth in his heart: "Seventh Five, I'm fine. You've come at the right time. I was just about to break out to get reinforcements. Come with me."

Zhu Qi nodded and said, "Alright! Fourth Brother, let's fight our way out!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Qiwu led their elite troops, taking advantage of the Yuan army's focus on the camp, and quietly rushed out of the camp from the side. The Yuan army quickly discovered them and surrounded them.

Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "Brothers, charge! Fight your way out!"

The rebel soldiers charged forward bravely, engaging in fierce combat with the Yuan army. Zhu Qiwu wielded his spear, thrusting and parrying, and wherever he went, Yuan soldiers fell to the ground. Zhu Yuanzhang was not to be outdone; he wielded a large sword, hacking and slashing at the Yuan soldiers around him.

After a fierce battle, they finally broke through the Yuan army's encirclement. But the Yuan army did not give up and pursued them closely. Zhu Qiwu said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Fourth Brother, running like this is not a solution. We have to find a way to shake them off."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and said, "Seven-five, look, there's a valley ahead. Let's lure the Yuan army into the valley and then use the terrain to our advantage to annihilate them."

Zhu Qiwu's eyes lit up: "Great idea! Fourth Brother, let's do it this way!"

The two men led their soldiers into the valley, with the Yuan army in hot pursuit. Once inside, Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order: "Brothers, hide!"

The rebel soldiers quickly hid on the hillsides on both sides of the valley. When the Yuan army pursued them into the valley, they found no trace of the rebels and became somewhat flustered.

Just then, Zhu Yuanzhang shouted, "Fire the arrows!"

The rebel soldiers on both sides of the valley unleashed a barrage of arrows, causing chaos and defeat for the Yuan army. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Qiwu then led their soldiers down the hillside and engaged the Yuan army in close combat.

The Yuan army suffered heavy losses and was forced into a retreat. Seeing the dire situation, the remaining Yuan soldiers turned and fled. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Qiwu did not pursue them; they knew that the most important thing now was to contact other rebel armies and bring reinforcements.

They continued their journey, encountering numerous difficulties and dangers along the way, but they overcame them all. Finally, they made contact with several other rebel groups and informed them that Guo Zixing was surrounded by the Yuan army.

The leaders of these rebel armies all expressed their willingness to send troops to help. So Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Qiwu led these rebel armies back to Guo Zixing's camp without stopping.

When they arrived, they found Guo Zixing's camp had already been breached by the Yuan army, the camp in ruins, with countless dead and wounded. Zhu Yuanzhang felt a pang of grief, and he shouted, "Brothers, avenge our fallen brothers! Charge!"

The rebel army surged towards the Yuan army like a tidal wave, engaging in a final battle. After a fierce struggle, the Yuan army was finally defeated and fled in disarray.

Guo Zixing looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with eyes full of gratitude: "Brother Zhu, thanks to you for bringing reinforcements in time, otherwise I would be dead. From now on, we are brothers who will share life and death, good fortune and misfortune!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "General Guo, you are too kind. We are all family, and this is what I should do. After this battle, our strength has been somewhat weakened. We must recover our strength as soon as possible and continue to fight against the Yuan army."

Guo Zixing nodded in agreement: "Brother Zhu is right. We need to learn from the experience of this battle, strengthen our defenses, and improve our combat effectiveness. Moreover, we should continue to contact other rebel armies and get more people to join our ranks."

In the spring of the twelfth year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty, yellow dust swirled outside Haozhou City. Zhu Yuanzhang stood on a hillside, gazing at the distant Yuan army camp, the hilt of his sword soaked with sweat. Xu Da squatted beside him, drawing tactical diagrams on the ground with a twig, while Tang He rubbed his long sword against a whetstone, producing a harsh scraping sound.

"Fourth Brother!" Zhu Qiwu came running from the direction of the city gate, carrying a wooden box, his hair ribbon flapping wildly in the wind. "The secret envoy sent by Liu Futong has arrived!"

Zhu Yuanzhang whirled around, his scabbard slamming into Xu Da's shoulder: "Explain yourself!"

"A secret letter has arrived from the Red Turban Army headquarters." Zhu Qiwu, panting, opened the wooden box and took out a parchment wrapped in sealing wax. "It says the Yuan army has reinforced its troops by 30,000 along the Huai River, and Haozhou City can only hold out for half a month at most."

Tang He's knife froze in mid-air: "Damn it, why are these Tartars like wolves that have smelled blood?"

Zhou Dexing poked his head out from the arrow tower: "Old Tang, no matter how sharp your knife is, you can't cut down 30,000 men!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snatched the parchment and traced the characters for "half-moon" heavily with his finger: "Seven-five, you immediately take men to inventory the granaries. Xu Da, go fill in that dry well in the west of the city—that's the easiest point for the Yuan army to breach when they attack."

"Fourth Brother!" Zhu Qiwu suddenly grabbed Zhu Yuanzhang's armor. "I got a good item last night from the system check-in." He mysteriously opened the bottom of the wooden box, revealing a dark iron pipe. "This is called a three-barreled gun. It can hold three bullets at a time and has a range of up to a hundred paces!"

Xu Da leaned closer for a closer look: "This iron pipe is more powerful than a bow and arrow?"

“Try it and you’ll see.” Zhu Qiwu took out a tinderbox from his pocket, lit the fuse, and placed the iron pipe on the earthen slope. With a loud “boom,” three streaks of fire tore through the air, and a wooden stake thirty paces away cracked in response.

Tang He's knife clattered to the ground: "Good heavens! This is even more powerful than the muskets of the Divine Machine Battalion!"

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a piece of gravel and smashed it against a wooden stake: "Send word to gather all the blacksmiths at the drill ground. Qi Wu, you're in charge of teaching them how to make this." As he turned, the scales of his armor clanged together with a crisp sound. "Xu Da, take some men to cut down pine trees—the straight kind, for making gun barrels."

The blacksmith's shop on the training ground was lit from dawn till dusk. Zhu Qiwu squatted in front of the furnace, watching the molten iron flow in the mold: "Old Wang, raise the heat by half a degree, that'll make the gun barrel even stronger."

“Young master, this iron is extremely valuable,” the fifty-something-year-old blacksmith said, wiping his sweat. “We only have half a cartload left from the Yuan army we stole last time.”

Zhu Qiwu pulled a silver ingot from his pocket: "This is a deposit from Fourth Brother. He'll give you another ten taels for making ten three-barreled muskets." He lowered his voice, "After we defeat the Yuan army, I'll teach you how to make even more powerful weapons—muskets that can fire twenty rounds in succession!"

Old Wang's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"When have I ever lied to anyone?" Before Zhu Qiwu could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly arose outside the training ground. He peeked out and saw Tang He carrying a thin figure into the training ground. The man was wearing tattered Yuan army leather armor and his hair was a mess, like a bird's nest.

"Caught a spy!" Tang He threw the man to the ground. "He was lurking around in the woods east of the city." Zhu Qiwu squatted down and used fire tongs to lift the man's chin: "Young man, how much did the Yuan army pay you? I'll pay double."

The boy suddenly opened his eyes wide: "You...you're Zhu Qiwu?"

"Oh, you recognize me?" Zhu Qiwu became interested. "Tell me, who sent you?"

“My name is Arughtai.” The boy struggled to sit up. “I am a personal guard of Lord Chaghan Temur. But I am not here to gather information, I am here to deliver a message!” He pulled out an oil paper package from his pocket, inside which was a letter written in Mongolian.

Zhu Yuanzhang's fingers trembled slightly as he received the letter. The letter stated that the Yuan army commander-in-chief, Chaghan Temur, admired his bravery and was willing to appoint him as a commander of a thousand, provided he surrendered the city. The edges of the letter were stained with dark red blood, indicating it had changed hands several times.

"Fourth Brother, don't believe them!" Xu Da slammed his fist on the table. "These Tartars are the best at deceiving people!"

Tang He spat: "Exactly! Last month, Liu Futong believed their lies and ended up being captured alive!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared blankly at the letter, lost in thought. "I've heard that Chaghan Temur is extremely strict in his military discipline and never kills indiscriminately." He suddenly looked up. "Seventh Five, what do you think?"

Zhu Qiwu stroked his chin: "The system just unlocked a new feature—the Eye of Truth, which can see through lies." He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his pupils shone with a pale gold hue. "This letter... is real."

The training ground suddenly fell silent. Xu Da pressed the tip of his blade against Arutai's neck: "You little brat, you dared to lie to us? We'll kill you right now!"

"I didn't lie!" Arughtai's voice trembled. "Lord Chaghan said there are heroes among the Han people, and they shouldn't all be killed."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Well done, Chaghan Temur!" He turned to Xu Da and said, "Go and open the city gates. I want to see this Yuan commander-in-chief in person."

"Fourth Brother!" Tang He stamped his feet anxiously, "This is too dangerous!"

"Don't worry," Zhu Yuanzhang patted Tang He on the shoulder, "The 7.5mm three-barreled musket wasn't made for nothing." He looked at Arutai, "Young brother, lead the way."

Three miles outside Haozhou City, banners fluttered in the Yuan army camp. Zhu Yuanzhang, accompanied by Xu Da, Zhu Qiwu, and twenty personal guards, slowly approached on horseback. Suddenly, the camp gates swung open, and a troop of heavily armored cavalry charged out, reining in their horses thirty paces away.

"Halt!" The leading centurion brandished his spear. "Lord Chahan only permits Zhu Yuanzhang to enter the camp!"

Zhu Yuanzhang dismounted: "Tell Chaghan Temur that I, Zhu Chongba, have come as promised." He unfastened his sword and threw it on the ground, "But my brothers must remain outside the camp—they are my brothers, whom I risked my life for, and none of them can be harmed."

The centurion hesitated for a moment, then sent a soldier back to camp to report. Taking advantage of the moment, Zhu Qiwu whispered in Zhu Yuanzhang's ear, "Fourth Brother, the system shows there are five hundred archers lying in ambush within the camp, but Chaghan Temur himself is in the main tent and unarmed."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the camp. Suddenly, he noticed that the Yuan army's warhorses had their hooves wrapped in hemp cloth—a common practice to prevent the sound of their hooves from being too loud and revealing their ambush.

"Please invite General Zhu into the tent." The soldier who delivered the message ran back and gestured for him to enter.

Inside the main tent, a burly middle-aged man sat behind a table, polishing his sword. He wore a magnificent Mongolian robe with a jewel-encrusted belt around his waist, but a scar running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth made him look particularly fierce.

“Zhu Chongba?” Chaghan Temur raised his head, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s. “Indeed, a man of great stature.”

Zhu Yuanzhang gave a military salute: "Since Lord Chaghan has deigned to invite me, I dare not refuse."

"Sit." Chaghan Temur gestured to the meditation cushion opposite him. "I heard you were originally a monk?"

"Yes." Zhu Yuanzhang sat down calmly. "The Yuan army killed my parents and burned my village. I had no choice but to go to Huangjue Temple to beg for food."

Chaghan Temur paused, his hand still. "So you rebelled?"

“This is not a rebellion,” Zhu Yuanzhang said, looking directly into his eyes. “It is to reclaim what belongs to us. The land of the Han people should not be ruled by the Tartars.”

The tent suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Xu Da's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and Zhu Qiwu's fingertips began to turn white—the system indicated that Chaghan Temur's anger level was soaring.

"Hahaha!" Chaghan Timur suddenly burst into laughter, shaking the dust off the tent ceiling. "Good! Good for taking back what belongs to you!" He abruptly stood up, his sword flashing as it was drawn. "Zhu Chongba, do you dare to fight me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang also stood up, took off his outer robe, and said, "Please enlighten me."

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the tent. Zhu Qiwu turned his head and saw Arughtai riding towards them at breakneck speed, followed by a troop of Yuan cavalry. The boy shouted, "My lord! We can't fight! This is a trap!"

Chaghan Temur's sword stopped in mid-air: "What trap?"

"General Wang Baobao said, 'Arutai was stopped by the cavalry, his voice trembling with tears, "He said that if you take Zhu Yuanzhang as your adoptive father, he will disown you!'"

Zhu Yuanzhang's pupils contracted. Wang Baobao was Chaghan Temur's adopted son and the youngest commander of ten thousand households in the Yuan army, known for his cruelty.

Chaghan Temur's face turned ashen. "Get out! Get out of here!" He kicked over a table, spilling wine everywhere. "That bastard dares to question my decision?"

Zhu Qiwu suddenly spoke up: "Lord Chahan, do you know why the Yuan army couldn't defeat the Red Turban Army?"

Chaghan Temur's sword tip was pointed at his throat: "What did you say?"

"Because your internal strife is too intense," Zhu Qiwu said fearlessly. "Wang Baobao is afraid that your power will grow even stronger after you take Fourth Brother in, so he's eager to sabotage you. But think about it, if you had a fierce general like Fourth Brother, what would prevent you from achieving your great cause?"

Chaghan Temur slowly lowered his sword. He stared at Zhu Qiwu for a long time, then suddenly turned to his personal guards and said, "Chop off those useless fools Wang Baobao sent, and hang their heads on the camp gate!" He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, "Zhu Chongba, I've changed my mind."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow: "Oh?" (End of Chapter)