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

Chapter 888 Fox Tail, Zhu Han Goes to the Frontier Again

In Zhu Han's study, the candlelight flickered, illuminating his resolute face. He held a secret letter in his hand, frowning as he carefully read its contents. The letter came from the frontier, and it detailed Zhu Di's various illegal acts in the frontier, as well as evidence of his collusion with local tyrants.

"Zhu Di, ah Zhu Di, you really have revealed your true colors." Zhu Han sneered and slammed the secret letter on the table. "This time, I wonder where you can escape to!"

He turned to look at General Zhao who was standing beside him and said, "General Zhao, you should immediately make several copies of this secret letter. Present one to His Majesty and give one to the upright people. Let them publicize it in the court. Distribute the rest to those court officials who have bad words for Zhu Di, so that they know that Zhu Di is not invincible!"

Officer Zhao took the order and left. The study returned to peace. Zhu Han closed his eyes and thought about every move he would make.

At this time, Zhu Di was also discussing countermeasures with his advisers. When he learned that Zhu Han had already obtained evidence of his crimes on the border, his face turned pale, his fists clenched, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

"Your Highness, the situation is critical now. We must come up with a solution as soon as possible." A young strategist said anxiously.

Zhu Di took a deep breath and tried to calm his anger and panic. At this critical moment, any panic could lead to a complete loss.

"Pass the order down," he said in a deep voice, "Tell the spies on the border to be careful and not to reveal their tracks again. At the same time, strengthen the guards in the mansion to prevent Zhu Han's people from taking the opportunity to sneak in."

The old counselor nodded in agreement: "Your Highness is right. In addition, we can also take advantage of your majesty's suspicion of Zhu Han and spread some rumors that are unfavorable to Zhu Han, making him more isolated and helpless in the court."

Zhu Di nodded slightly, with a fierce look in his eyes: "Okay! Let's do as you say. However, we must be more careful and cautious, and must not reveal any flaws."

The old counselor stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Highness is right. I think the most important thing right now is to consolidate the defense of the palace and strengthen intelligence gathering to ensure that we have a complete understanding of Zhu Han's every move."

"Intelligence gathering is important, but we also need to find a way to dispel your majesty's doubts about Prince Han." The young strategist added, "Perhaps we can use the opportunity of investigating corruption to secretly manipulate and let your majesty see some 'wrong' aspects of Prince Han, thus diverting his attention from Zhu Di."

Zhu Di nodded slightly, with a hint of deep thought in his eyes: "Although this plan is risky, it is worth a try. But you must be careful and not leave any handles."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. We will handle this carefully." The intelligence strategist bowed and responded, then changed the subject, "However, the border issue must be resolved as soon as possible to avoid it becoming a handle in the hands of King Han."

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice: "I will arrange personnel to handle the border affairs. You need to closely monitor the movements of Prince Han, especially his contacts with the upright people and loyal officials in the court."

During the discussion, a servant hurried into the study and reported nervously: "Your Highness, there is news from the palace that His Majesty has ordered a thorough investigation of border affairs and ordered King Han to be fully responsible for this matter."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the study. Zhu Di frowned, but soon regained his composure: "Humph, Prince Han really lived up to your majesty's high expectations. However, this is also an opportunity for us to fight back."

He turned to the counselor who was in charge of contacting the court officials and said, "Send someone to contact those court officials who have complaints against King Han immediately, and try to get them to create some 'trouble' in border affairs so that King Han will have no time to take care of other things."

The counselor took the order and left. Zhu Di looked at the counselors again and said, "In addition, we need to spread some negative opinions about King Han among the people to shake their popular support."

"Your Highness is wise. I have arranged for people to spread rumors among the people that King Han is colluding with the border generals." A counselor in charge of propaganda came forward to report, "I believe that these rumors will spread among the court and the public soon."

Zhu Di nodded slightly, but there was still a trace of worry in his eyes: "Although rumors can temporarily shake the people's hearts, it is not a long-term solution. We need to find the King of Han's weak spot as soon as possible and hit it with one blow."

The old counselor pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, although King Han is both wise and brave, he also has his human weaknesses. As far as I know, King Han attaches great importance to his family. Perhaps we can start from this and try to alienate his relationship with his family."

Zhu Di heard this, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes: "This is a great plan! You should start to arrange it immediately and make sure it is perfect."

All the counselors took orders and left, and the study returned to peace. Zhu Di stood alone in front of the window, looking at the twinkling stars in the night sky, secretly calculating every move in his mind.

At the same time, Zhu Han's study was also brightly lit. Holding a secret letter from the frontier, he was discussing countermeasures with his staff with a frown.

"Your Highness, Zhu Di will not give up this time." A trusted aide said worriedly, "We need to strengthen the defense of the palace and find out the source of the rumors about Zhu Di among the people."

Zhu Han nodded in agreement: "Yes, rumors may be false, but they can hurt people invisibly. We must clarify the facts as soon as possible to set the record straight."

He turned to the staff in charge of intelligence and said, "Immediately send someone to thoroughly investigate the source of the rumor and try to spread the truth among the people to dispel their doubts."

The aide took the order and left. Zhu Han's eyes fell on the secret letter from the border again: "The border issue also needs to be resolved as soon as possible. I have made up my mind to go to the border to investigate this matter in person and make sure to find out Zhu Di's illegal behavior."

Upon hearing this, the staff members tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty is a precious person, how can you easily go to such a dangerous place? It is better to let others handle this matter."

Zhu Han smiled slightly, his eyes revealing determination and resoluteness: "Border affairs are related to the safety of the country. As a member of the royal family, how can I sit idly by? You don't need to say anything more, quickly prepare your luggage, and we will set off for the border tomorrow morning."

Zhu Han's decision suddenly made the atmosphere in the study tense. The staff looked at each other, and no one dared to speak. After a moment of silence, an older staff slowly spoke, with a bit of worry in his voice: "Your Highness, the situation on the border is complicated and changeable. It is too risky for you to go there in person. Why not send a capable person to investigate the truth and ensure your safety?"

Zhu Han shook his head slightly and looked at everyone with a firm gaze: "I appreciate your kindness. But the border affairs are of great importance. They are related to the safety of our Ming territory. How can I stay out of it? Moreover, only if I go to the front line in person can I boost morale and stabilize the people's hearts." He turned to the military staff and said with unquestionable determination: "Commander-in-chief Liu, you must make preparations immediately and select elite soldiers and generals to go to the border with me. At the same time, strengthen the defense of the capital to ensure that the capital is safe when I am away."

When Commander Liu heard this, although he still had some concerns in his heart, he also knew that the prince had made up his mind, so he could only bow and accept the order: "I will obey your order and will not let you down."

At this time, the staff in charge of intelligence interrupted and said, "For your Highness's trip, intelligence gathering is particularly critical. I suggest that in addition to sending scouts to investigate the enemy situation on the border, we should also strengthen contact with the generals on the border to ensure that information flows smoothly."

Zhu Han nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. You must immediately arrange for personnel to maintain close contact with the border generals to ensure that the king can keep abreast of the latest developments."

After the discussion, Zhu Han looked at everyone again, his tone full of firmness and determination: "Everyone, this trip is not only to investigate Zhu Di's illegal behavior on the border, but also for the peace and stability of our Ming territory. I hope that everyone here can work together to overcome the difficulties."

All the staff members stood up and responded in unison: "We are willing to serve you at your service!"

At the same time, in Zhu Di's mansion, after learning the news that Zhu Han was going to the border in person, a barely perceptible sneer flashed in Zhu Di's eyes.

"It seems that Prince Han is really impatient." Zhu Di stroked the jade ring in his hand, with a hint of amusement in his tone, "However, the border area is not as simple as he imagined."

He turned to the counselor in charge of border affairs and said, "Send a message to the border immediately and have those people give my brother Prince Han a good 'entertainment'. Remember, we must let him see our strength, but we must not really hurt his life."

The counselor took the order and left. Zhu Di's eyes became deep and cold again: "King Han, King Han, just enjoy the 'hospitality' of the frontier."

Zhu Han led his elite troops on a journey to the frontier, full of determination and resolve to face unknown challenges. In the capital, in Zhu Di's mansion, a conspiracy against Zhu Han was being prepared in full swing.

Zhu Di stood in front of the window of the study, staring into the distance, with a sneer on his face, and said to the old counselor beside him: "Prince Han is going to the border in person, this is a rare opportunity. Are our arrangements ready?"

The old counselor bowed and replied, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Everything has been arranged. We have secretly contacted several generals on the border, and they will "warmly entertain" King Han and his entourage. As for the court officials who are dissatisfied with King Han, they have also received our secret letters, and they will give King Han "help" at the critical moment."

Zhu Di nodded, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes: "Very good, but remember, don't leave any handle. We want to make sure that Prince Han has no chance of returning, but we can't let His Majesty and the court officials realize that it was us who did it."

At this time, a young strategist hurried into the study, looking a little nervous: "Your Highness, there is the latest news. King Han and his entourage are approaching the border, and several generals at the border have begun to act as planned."

Zhu Di smiled slightly, his eyes revealing a kind of confidence that he had won: "Okay, let's wait for good news. However, King Han is a cunning man, so we need to be prepared for any eventuality. You should immediately pass the order and let everyone stay alert and be ready to deal with any emergency at any time."

The young counselor took the order and left. The study returned to peace. Zhu Di turned around and said to the old counselor: "This action is not only to frustrate the King of Han, but also to take this opportunity to further consolidate our position in the court. You should start preparing immediately, take advantage of the difficulties that the King of Han may encounter on the border, publicize his incompetence, and shake his prestige in the court."

The old counselor nodded in response, a gleam in his eyes: "Your Highness is wise, I will make the arrangements right away. However, we still need to pay attention to those upright people and officials loyal to the prince in the court, as they may become stumbling blocks for us."

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, those upright people and loyal officials are indeed troublesome. But we cannot confront them head-on, we need to outsmart them. Send an order to the intelligence department to speed up the collection of evidence against them. If necessary, you can create some 'evidence' to make them too busy to take care of themselves."

The old counselor understood and bowed and left. Zhu Di stood alone in front of the window, looking at the distant sky, thinking about every move in his mind.

At the same time, Zhu Han and his party had arrived at the border. Facing numerous difficulties and challenges, he did not back down, but instead strengthened his faith. In the military camp, he called together the generals to discuss countermeasures, with an unquestionable firmness in his eyes.

"My fellow generals, we are on this trip with an important mission. We must not only investigate Zhu Di's illegal activities on the border, but also ensure the peace and stability of the border. Now, the enemy is eyeing us covetously, and we must work together to overcome the difficulties." Zhu Han's voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the military camp.

A general stood up, looking solemn: "Your Highness, Zhu Di's power in the border areas is deeply rooted, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to succeed this time. What's more, he has secretly colluded with some generals, so we need to be extra careful."

Zhu Han smiled slightly, his eyes revealing a kind of confidence: "Don't worry, everyone. Although Zhu Di is cunning, we are not fighting alone. I have secretly contacted some loyal generals on the border, and they will support us at the critical moment. Now, we need to formulate a detailed action plan to ensure that every step is foolproof."

"First," Zhu Han looked around and said in a steady and powerful voice, "We need to strengthen the camp's defenses to ensure that we can respond quickly to any emergency. General Li, you will be in charge of the reinforcement of the defenses. Make sure that nothing is leaking."

A burly general stood up and bowed his hands to receive the order: "I will do my best to ensure the safety of the camp."

"Okay," Zhu Han nodded in approval, and then turned to another general, "General Zhang, you need to lead the team to investigate the enemy situation and find out the enemy's movements. Remember, intelligence is the eyes of war, and any negligence may put us in a passive position."

General Zhang looked serious and said, "I understand. We will set out to investigate immediately."

"Also," Zhu Han's eyes fell on the general in charge of logistics, "General Wang, food and supplies are the lifeblood of the army. You need to ensure that the supply lines are unobstructed, and at the same time strengthen vigilance to prevent sneak attacks by the enemy."

General Wang bowed and replied, "I will be careful and prudent to ensure that the food and fodder are safe."

Zhu Han nodded slightly, satisfied with the generals' arrangements.