Chapter 449: The Dog Emperor Sends Away the Country's Destiny

The capital of the dynasty, the imperial palace.

Emperor Zhu Qi was still wearing a Taoist robe, but he looked very sad. He did not have the calmness of a Taoist monk. There was another person following him named Wang Zhen, a high-ranking eunuch who grew up with Zhu Qi and was his confidant.

Wang Zhen and Yan Fan and Yan Xiang, the heads of all officials in the hall below the steps, were Zhu Qi's two close friends. When he was devoted to practicing Taoism, these two people would help him handle domestic affairs. Zhu Qi only needed to go through them once and make his comments with a red brush.

"My dear ministers, spies from various places have reported that a group of hidden cavalry from the Mongol tribe is heading towards us. If their whereabouts had not been accidentally revealed, I am afraid I would still be kept in the dark!"

Zhu Qi clapped his hands and looked furious. Secret reports came from various places that the enemy had penetrated deep into the hinterland. He was not angry that someone dared to defy the majesty of heaven, but he could not believe that such a huge dynasty could not even stop a Menggu cavalry. Some military formations and cities along the way had surrendered to the Menggu. It was only because he was afraid of death and loved to practice Taoism. Because he loved power, he was unwilling to give up his empire and escape into the mountains. Moreover, because he sought pleasure, he handed over all affairs to his subordinates to handle on his behalf.

Now that he got angry, all the ministers looked terrified, but in fact they did not take it to heart. They did not care at all. They all had their own channels, and even the royal secret agents were infiltrated like a sieve. Not only did they know what Zhu Qi said earlier than him, but they also knew it more comprehensively.

There was more to the world than just the Mongol cavalry invading the hinterland. There was also the Jurchen army invading. People in various places were revolting, bandits were rampant, and the country was in chaos. However, all the ministers regarded these as minor disasters and did not take them to heart. How could the evil soldiers far away in the sky harm the nobles in the hinterland?

Yan Fan and Wang Zhen beside Zhu Qi exchanged a glance and stepped out to salute: "Your Majesty, our dynasty is so powerful that we cannot be attacked by a few barbaric soldiers from the grassland. Now, the four schools, three camps and seven strong armies in Shengjing are fully equipped with troops and horses. We only need to wait for Your Majesty's order to defeat them. We don't need to worry about such a small foreign race."

Zhu Qi was overjoyed when he heard this and stood up: "Well, you are worthy of being the strict prime minister. You responded so early. You are the backbone of our country and a first-class loyal minister."

Yan Fan was bent on eliminating dissidents and suppressing ministers outside the party, and he had long managed the court into a whole. Naturally, no one dared to stand up and refute what he said now. As for the fact that the four schools and three camps were eating empty salaries and withholding military rations, no one dared to mention it. What's more, they were all vested interests, parasites of the country, and their mouths were full of fat.

Zhu Qi paced back and forth for a few steps: "Now that I have achieved success in my cultivation, I have prolonged my life. This is a great feat that no emperor in the past has ever achieved. It is God's grace that has given me the power to be an emperor for generations. I am not afraid of a small foreign race."

He actually became very proud of himself. Thanks to a golden elixir from Taoist Shen, Zhu Qi achieved the foundation of Taoism and had the root of immortality. He fainted that day and found that Taoist Shen was missing when he woke up, but he didn't care.

"That Shen Gongbao is just a layman who can be controlled by some gold, silver and other rare treasures. It seems that he does not have much cultivation. I have been helped by the golden elixir, my talent is revealed, and I have the power of a country to help me. In the future, I will definitely be able to have a higher cultivation than Shen Daoren. Then he will have to respectfully call me Immortal Venerable."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but get even more excited. He didn't even care about the foreign troops rushing to attack him. Zhu Qi looked at Wang Zhen and said, "Eunuch, I have already attained the Tao. Naturally, I must announce it to the world and let the people of the world know that I have the mandate of heaven. How about we follow the example of the previous dynasty and hold a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the heavens, the earth and our ancestors?"

"The emperor has made great achievements, including expanding the territory and unifying the country. You have never led troops to defeat the foreign tribes and conquered the Wolf's Lair. What achievements can you boast about?" Wang Zhen thought so in his heart, but he would not say so on the surface. The emperor had done enough absurd things since he ascended the throne, and this one was not a big deal. "Your Majesty is right. The emperor's achievements are comparable to those of his ancestors. I will prepare the ceremonial guards for the ceremony."

Yan Fan frowned after hearing these words. Although he was called a treacherous prime minister, the common people did not know that. He himself always regarded himself as a capable minister and a famous scholar. He said, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, the emperors who offered sacrifices to the heavens have always been first in civil and military affairs. Although you have become an immortal, you still lack civil and military achievements. I have a plan, but I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Zhu Qi frowned. He was ambitious but he also knew what kind of person he was. He waved his hand without much interest and said, "Since Prime Minister Yan has such a profound opinion, why not share it with us?"

"Your Majesty, I have received intelligence that the foreign tribes on the grassland have not only sent a cavalry deep into the hinterland, but also a large army of the Jurchens have invaded the border. It would be better for Your Majesty to lead the army in person, with the power of heaven and earth. This will boost morale and rally the people's hearts. We will surely defeat them in one blow. If we can counterattack and expand our territory, the sacrifice to heaven will be justified, and it will also highlight Your Majesty's military achievements and silence the world's gossip." Yan Fan said.

Zhu Qi was delighted when he heard this: "Okay, okay, what Prime Minister Yan said makes sense. Let those immortals see that I am not a tyrant. Eunuch, draft an order to order the three camps to prepare their troops and horses. Select two from the four schools to follow me to the army. Order my younger brother Zhu Yu to stay in the capital and temporarily serve as regent. Prime Minister Yan will assist him. If we go out to fight in two days, we will be punished. When the army returns to the court, we will reward them according to their merits!"

No matter how absurd the decree was, and no matter how urgent the preparations were with only two days left, at least the two small courts headed by Wang Zhen and Yan Fan worked together, and everything went very smoothly. In a short period of time, they had gathered 200,000 troops, claiming to be an army of 600,000, and they all set out.

A few days later, Zhu Qi was thinking hard in the camp. What he was worried about was not how the army would defeat the enemy, but he thought that since he had achieved enlightenment, he would naturally have a title that was not inferior to that of his predecessors when offering sacrifices to heaven. As for winning or losing, how could Feilong Qi's face lose?
He was like an old general on the stage, planting flags frantically, and was just about to pop the champagne at halftime. Suddenly, an inspiration came to him, and he ground some ink and wrote a line of large characters on the fragrant white paper.

"The Supreme Daluo Celestial Immortal Purple Extreme Immortal Saintly Wisdom Brilliant Spiritual Leader Three Elements Proven Jade Void General Manager Five Thunders Great Immortal Xuandu Realm Longevity Emperor"

So, more than half a month later, the army fought against the Mongol cavalry, lost three battles and only drove them away with the advantage in numbers. Then, the dynasty army encountered the Jurchen army, which was ready for battle and well-equipped. The Jurchen Khan Wanyan Shu, who had lost his brother and his vanguard army, led his troops personally and defeated the Han army despite the disadvantage in numbers.

In this battle alone, more than half of the elite troops of the three major battalions that were sent to the North to demonstrate the emperor's majesty and style suffered casualties, one third of them were killed, and the rest were scattered, with all their armor, weapons and supplies lost, and the entire army was almost wiped out.

Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo, Left Vice Minister of Personnel Cao Nai, Right Vice Minister of Punishment Ding Xuan, Right Vice Minister of Works Zhang Fu, Duke of Yonghe Yingguo, Marquis of Taining Chen Ying, Duke of Chengguo Zhu Yong and other important officials and generals were all killed in the battle. The only good thing to mention is that Wang Zhen also died in this battle.

Emperor Zhu Qi and the remaining important ministers were captured by Wanyan Shu, causing an uproar throughout the country.

(End of this chapter)