The city of Nanjing was filled with shouts of killing and chaos broke out.
In fact, a day ago, rumors spread to Nanjing that Japanese pirates had invaded.
The rumors spread so fast that the people in the whole city fell into panic and didn't know what to do.
The only thing I can do now is to hide at home and don’t come out.
After daybreak, things should come to an end.
In fact, for most people, no matter what kind of changes occur, even if the dynasty changes, it will not have much impact on them. Whoever becomes the emperor or not has nothing to do with us assholes...
In the middle of the night, a courtyard with three entrances is still brightly lit.
The two characters "Mei Zhai" are hung on the gate, which is the residence of Mei Linrong, the right minister of Nanjing Ministry of Industry.
"Reporting to the leader, the Japanese pirates' vanguard force of 300 people has entered the city!"
Mei Linrong raised his head, looked at Yang Xiong, and asked: "Didn't Shen Lang say that there are still more than 20,000 people in the main force? When will they arrive?"
"According to the plan, it will be done before dawn!"
Mei Linrong nodded. Since the three hundred people in front had already arrived, it meant that the journey went smoothly and there were no problems.
"Is there no movement over at Xiaoling Guard?"
"Please rest assured, Master, without the imperial edict, Xiaoling Guard will never dare to act rashly!"
Mei Linrong's face finally showed a long-lost smile, and the time to see Tu Qiong Dagger was about to come.
"It's a pity that the emperor is hiding somewhere, and Song Guxi has not found it yet."
Yang Xiong asked: "Leader, what should we do if we capture the emperor?"
A chill flashed in Mei Linrong's eyes, and he said coldly: "Of course I will kill him!"
"Regicide..."
Even though Yang Xiong was a desperado who killed without blinking an eye, he couldn't help but shudder.
"Is there... no other way?"
Mei Linrong said coldly: "If we keep this foolish king, we will die without a burial place. If we don't kill him, he will kill us."
Yang Xiong asked again: "What happens next?"
"Then he supported the crown prince Zhu Wenkui to the throne and ordered the world to attack Yan Ni. Yan Ni's lineage has been on the throne for fifty years, and it's time to come back!"
"The Point Guard Is Here"
Yang Xiong frowned slightly and asked: "Leader, if someone from the Jianwen lineage ascends the throne and proclaims himself emperor, will he be controlled by us?"
Of course Mei Linrong understood what Yang Xiong meant. What would happen if Zhu Wenkui tried his best to ascend the throne and become the emperor?
Just like Huo Guang, he deposed the current emperor and supported the new emperor to ascend the throne. Although the new emperor benefited from Huo Guang, this was the merit of following the dragon, but was he really not afraid in his heart?
You can kill Zhu Qizhen today, but there is no guarantee that you won’t kill another Zhu Wenkui tomorrow.
Mei Linrong sighed and said: You are right, today has reached this point, if there is any mistake, it will be doomed!"
"But if this new king crosses the river and burns the bridge, how should we deal with it? Why don't the leader place his subordinates in the palace. If the new king has such intention, the subordinates will get rid of him!"
"Can't be removed!"
Mei Linrong shook his head and said: "If we are removed, the world will be in chaos."
"Then the leader..."
"Forging iron requires hard work. We have lost too many followers for today. When the new king ascends the throne, he must first designate the White Lotus Sect as the national protector's divine sect, so as to recruit followers on a large scale. In the name of protecting the country, we must recruit troops.
, at least keep Jiangnan in our hands, no matter which emperor ascends the throne in the future, we can be invincible!"
Mei Linrong smiled and continued: "This is something that will happen in the future..."
"It's not good, it's not good..."
Just as he was talking, someone stumbled over.
Mei Linrong's expression changed. When he saw Wang Qinghai panicking and crawling in, his tone of voice was filled with tears.
"It's not good, sir, it's not good..."
Mei Linrong felt something bad in his heart, his face became solemn, and he asked: "What happened?"
Wang Qinghai looked sad and wailed: "It's... it's Japanese pirates who have invaded!"
As soon as these words came out, Mei Linrong and Yang Xiong looked at each other, and their expressions changed drastically.
What's going on?
Why did the call come to your home?
Before he could react, he saw a group of strong men charging in with shining steel knives.
Yang Xiong immediately went up to him and shouted: "Are you from the three-headed dragon?"
The other party replied: "Exactly!"
Yang Xiong hurriedly said: "Misunderstanding, one of our own!"
Unexpectedly, a man from the other side walked over and kicked him to the ground.
"Who the hell is your friend?"
Mei Linrong suddenly realized, no, this bastard Shen Lang is planning to take advantage of others!
For a long time, I have been wary of Zhu Wenkui, but I have forgotten that Shen Lang is also a ruthless man who licks blood with his sword. There are more than 20,000 main force behind these Japanese pirates. Seeing this, they are preparing to destroy themselves and monopolize power.
The White Lotus Sect invested a lot of manpower and material resources in the early stage, and even brought in many individuals. Unexpectedly, the Japanese pirates took advantage of it in the end!
In the darkness, a dozen people swooped out. These were the masters of the White Lotus Sect. They were fighting with the opponent. However, the opponent was so outnumbered that these people could not withstand it at all, and died miserably on the opponent one after another.
Under the knife.
"Sir, run quickly!"
In a critical situation, Wang Qinghai pulled Mei Linrong and left.
Yang Xiong held a steel knife, stood behind Mei Linrong, and said in a deep voice: "Leader, you go first, and the subordinates will stop behind!"
Before Mei Linrong had time to think, he quickly followed Wang Qinghai and fled through the back door.
Behind him, the shouts of killing were getting louder and louder, and it seemed that... Yang Xiong couldn't hold on much longer.
However, what surprised him was that Wang Qinghai was so loyal, and even at this time, he still knew how to protect himself.
You must know that Wang Qinghai is not a member of the White Lotus Sect, but is just a steward of his family.
On weekdays, this person is responsible for sending some ice and charcoal to the capital.
"Sir, where are we going?"
Mei Linrong is also thinking about this problem. His hometown has been attacked. It seems that Shen Lang is determined to kill himself.
Now, there is only one place to go!
"Let's go, follow me!"
Mei Linrong looked at the direction and took Wang Qinghai to the north, then east, and entered a small alley.
An imperceptible smile appeared on Wang Qinghai's face, and he secretly drew a few marks on the wall along the way.
When he arrived at a house, he pressed the door knocker and knocked three times. After waiting for a while, he knocked four times and then three times again. Then, the door opened with a creak.
The concierge looked at the two of them warily, and Mei Linrong explained: "Don't worry, they are one of our own!"
Wang Qinghai smiled awkwardly, but didn't know what to say.
The other party looked outside again, and then said: "The master is waiting for you!"
After finishing speaking, he walked ahead holding a lantern.
Mei Linrong whispered to Wang Qinghai: "I will meet this gentleman later and I want to bow down. Don't ask why yet. I will explain to you later."
Wang Qinghai nodded quickly, and the two of them followed the concierge, walked through the front yard, and came to the living room.
At this time, the oil lamp was still on in the living room, and a person was sitting upright, drinking tea slowly.
Mei Linrong knelt down and saluted: "I, Mei Linrong, have met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Wang Qinghai didn't know what to say, so he knelt behind him.
Of course he doesn't know that the person who is kneeling down now is Zhu Wenkui, the son of Emperor Jianwen.
In the fourth year of Jianwen's reign, King Zhu Di of Yan invaded Nanjing, and Zhu Yunwen disappeared.
Also missing with Zhu Yunwen at that time was the crown prince Zhu Wenkui, who was less than three years old.
"Mei Qing's family please get up!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Since Zhu Wenkui was the Crown Prince when he disappeared, people who know his identity over the years will address him as His Royal Highness.
"I saw that the Qing family looked a little ugly. What happened?"
Mei Linrong hurriedly replied: "Back to Your Highness, the Japanese pirate Shen Lang did not keep his promise and turned against me with swords and weapons. If I had not escaped in time, I am afraid... I would never see Your Highness again..."
Zhu Wenkui looked solemn and asked: "Didn't we agree that they would send troops to help Gu Gu take Nanjing? What happened?"
"Your Highness is unaware that Shen Lang, a thief with great ambitions, may have... more plans than that. Now that the Japanese pirates have entered the city, Your Highness please be prepared in advance!"
"How many Japanese pirates are there in the city?"
"About three hundred!"
Zhu Wenkui waved, and a man came over immediately. He was a deputy general from the Nanjing Dongcheng Bingma Division.
"You go out of the city now and inform the Xiaoling Guards. The Japanese pirates' sneak attack on Nanjing will definitely pass through Zhongshan. Order the Xiaoling Guards to make plans early."
"Yes!"
After this person left, Mei Linrong asked: "Your Highness, will the Xiaoling Guards send troops if they don't see the imperial edict from the imperial court?"
"This is not a matter of sending troops!"
Zhu Wenkui waved his hand and said: "Xiaolingwei is originally a military town. It is backed by mountains. One man is in charge of the pass and ten thousand people cannot open it. It is the barrier of Nanjing City. And the commander Mei Yongzhen is alone.
I also understand that this person has always been steady and has the air of a general. If he heard that Japanese pirates were raiding Nanjing, why not send troops to intercept them? As for the Japanese pirates, they landed from Hai'an and arrived at Zhongshan. They were exhausted, no matter how powerful they were.
, and he is definitely no match for Xiaolingwei."
Mei Linrong nodded repeatedly and said: "Your Highness is so clever that you can let Xiaoling Guard intercept and kill the Japanese pirates. It would be great, but the situation in the city..."
Zhu Wenkui asked again: "How many people do you have in your hands?"
Mei Linrong replied: "Your Highness, there are not many people in the city. Most of my men are outside the city, mainly responsible for spreading some opinions. There is also a main force, about 20,000 people, assembled in the south of the city to prevent the Nanjing soldiers."
The horse can turn back at any time."
Wei Guogong Xu Chengzong brought Nanjing troops to escort Prince Jing'an to Annan as an envoy. However, if he heard any news, it was not impossible to run back early.
"There are only three hundred Japanese pirates, and we can't deal with them alone. Mei Qing's family, you go and inform the people in the south of the city to enter the city as soon as possible!"
"Yes!"
Suddenly, there was a sound of fighting outside, and it seemed like someone had broken in.
Zhu Wenkui frowned, this is his secret base, how could it be discovered?
The concierge just now ran in and gasped: "The Japanese pirates...are coming!"
"What?"
Zhu Wenkui was shocked and asked: "How did they find this place?"
"I don't know, Your Highness... you'd better leave first!"
The sound of fighting outside is gradually approaching, and it can be seen that the opponent is moving very quickly and is obviously well prepared.
When the concierge saw this, he rushed out with a knife.
However, the body flew back upside down.
He struggled and staggered to get up, but he saw someone stepping forward, raising his hand and stabbing his chest with a knife. Blood spattered everywhere, and he immediately lost his breath.
The man pulled the knife out of the body, then raised his head, looked at the panicked Zhu Wenkui and Mei Linrong, grinned widely, and laughed.
"This... hero..."
Zhu Wenkui hurriedly squeezed out a smile and said: "My family is not rich either. Whatever you like, just take it. I'll just make friends with you..."
"Okay, stop pretending!"
The man waved his hand and said: "Now that the matter has come to this, let's make it clear. My general's surname is Shi Mingheng, and he is General Pingwa appointed by the current emperor!"
Zhu Wenkui smiled awkwardly and said, "It turns out to be General Shi."
"Although I don't know who you are, I know that you are responsible for all of this, right?"
"I'm just a small businessman. I don't know what General Shi is talking about..."
"Still pretending?"
Shi Heng looked at Mei Linrong and said, "Master Mei, what do you think?"
Mei Linrong's expression changed drastically, his face turned livid, and he said nothing.
Shi Heng sneered: "You don't admit it, and you don't think about it. How can I, Shi, find this place?"
Zhu Wenkui seemed to realize something and looked at Mei Linrong in disbelief.
Mei Linrong hurriedly explained: "Your Highness, if you believe his lies, I have definitely not betrayed Your Highness!"
"Then how did they find this place?"
"I... don't know..."
"Haha!"
Shi Heng laughed and said, "You brought us here yourself, but you said you didn't know, hahaha!"
Mei Linrong said angrily: "Shi, don't talk nonsense. I, Mei Linrong, am definitely not a duplicitous villain!"
Shi Heng smiled even happier and said: "You are an official of the imperial court, but you are plotting to rebel. This is not called double-dealing. Lord Mei, please save your face!"
Mei Linrong's face was dark, but he was speechless.
Suddenly, he thought of something and turned around to look for it, but there was no trace of Wang Qinghai anywhere.
"It turns out it's him!"
At this time, Mei Linrong already knew what happened, and was very upset!
It is difficult to guard against domestic thieves during the day and at night. Unexpectedly, Wang Qinghai, who has been with me for more than ten years, turned to the imperial court!
Zhu Wenkui also reacted and asked: "Is it that person just now?"
Mei Linrong sighed and said: "I was negligent. I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it... Oh!"
Shi Heng continued: "Now that the matter is over, you two should stop resisting and come with me!"
Zhu Wenkui's face was ashen, and he sighed deeply and said: "I will be destroyed by God!"
Shi Heng ordered: "Come here, tie these two up, tie them tightly, don't run away!"
Immediately afterwards, four people came forward and tied up Zhu Wenkui and Mei Linrong with ropes.
Zhu Wenkui sneered and said: "Don't think it's over. Your emperor is not much better. Who between me and him will have the last laugh is still unknown!"
Shi Heng frowned and asked, "What did you say?"
Zhu Wenkui's expression became relaxed and he said: "I know that boy Zhu Qizhen is in Nanjing. He is really brave, but...how long does he think he can hide?"