"They're waiting at Deshengmen..."
Alas...
"This servant deserves death..."
With a thud,
Lü Fang was truly distraught. If he had paid more attention, ideally handled things personally, they would have the necessary resources, and the capital would be safe. But his mind was elsewhere, constantly preoccupied with court politics, with matters that were not his concern.
"I've already sent Lao Shi and the others to inventory. We have about seventy to eighty usable cannons, and around three hundred muskets... Lü Fang, do you think that's enough?"
Hiss!
Lü Fang's heart turned to ash.
This meant Yan Song had acted even earlier, likely stirring up trouble when Zhu Mo went to Yunnan and Guizhou. Later, when Prince Yu assumed regency and the Emperor withdrew, the Yan family schemed behind the scenes, and the gunpowder bureau had practically ground to a halt.
Wuu wuu...
Lü Fang burst into tears.
Jiajing was also speechless with sadness—
The speed of events had indeed exceeded his expectations. He could grasp every detail of court affairs, even details no one else could, but he had indeed overlooked the gunpowder bureau... It was only two hours ago, as he considered the capital's imminent encirclement tonight, that he suddenly remembered the gunpowder bureau. And sending Zhao Shi to inventory confirmed his premonition: the gunpowder bureau had been idle for over a year, the equipment unusable, and firearms could not be produced...
"Issue an edict for the imperial guards to come to our aid..."
Jiajing's voice was filled with endless despair and sorrow.
Just then,
Huang Jin suddenly shouted from outside the hall:
"Minister Zhang, make do with what we have for now..."
This?
Alas...
Zhang Juzheng's mood turned somber, but then he recalled the formidable power of Zhu Mo's cannons in Jiangnan. Even if there weren't many now, a sudden strike at a critical moment would surely have a surprising effect. He immediately said,
"Duke Lü, it's better to have something than nothing! Shall we go and get them now?"
Mmm,
Lü Fang also mustered his spirits and strode out.
Just then,
Ahead, a eunuch ran towards them as if he had lost his soul and gone mad. Seeing Lü Fang from afar, he shouted loudly:
"Old Ancestor, something terrible has happened! Li Chunfang has been killed!"
What?
Both were astonished.
And the eunuch's voice carried further:
"Li Chunfang has been killed!"
"Many people in his home were burned to death!"
Hoo...
Hiss!
Zhang Juzheng thought of something and blurted out,
"How can this be? Who did it?"
The eunuch finally ran up, knelt with a thud, and cried,
"It was Yan Shifan!"
"Yan Shifan led his retainers and did it!"
Hiss!
Hiss!
Not only were the two stunned on the spot, but even Jiajing inside the hall was immensely surprised—
This Yan Shifan actually possessed a demonic nature!
This was clearly a move to throw the world into chaos.
"Scoundrel! Yan Shifan is insane!"
Zhang Juzheng cursed loudly, an uncharacteristic vulgarity escaping his lips.
Lü Fang became even more anxious. The situation was a tangled mess. The gunpowder bureau was the first thing that came to mind. He immediately said, "Minister Zhang, let's go. Getting the firearms is urgent! This is my token..."
He unbuckled the seal token from his waist and handed it to him, then hurried back into the hall. Zhang Juzheng sighed and practically ran out.
...
Inside the hall,
Before Lü Fang could even approach, Jiajing spoke:
"Yan Shifan has gone mad... Hurry and take the Imperial Guards to protect Xu Jie... and Chen Yiqin, and those few old ones who are still alive, protect them all..."
Lü Fang had calmed down by now, and he clearly saw—
The Yan family was likely facing some extremely critical situation, causing them to suddenly go mad. This action was tantamount to inciting rebellion, and the next step would be to usurp the throne... At this moment, any slight misstep could lead to an irrecoverable crisis. The most important thing was naturally to protect the innocent ministers, and the next step was to prevent the Yan family from setting fire to the city, poisoning the wells, or massacring civilians... With Yan Shifan's malevolent nature, he was truly capable of such acts.
He immediately accepted the decree, instructed Huang Jin to dispatch the Embroidered Uniform Guard, each accompanied by palace guards and Imperial Guards, to set out separately, and ordered Chen Sheng of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to directly command the Imperial Guards. Chen Sheng was an old subordinate of Jiajing from Anlu, naturally very reliable, and currently ranked twelfth.
After making the arrangements, he returned to Yuxi Palace. With his forty years of experience, he guessed that Jiajing might be preparing for the worst. Along the way, he also considered that Yan Shifan's madness was likely driven by something, and that something was probably King Jing's attempt to seize troops and march out of the passes...
This, of course, was an accident, a very significant accident. Jiajing had probably already made preparations, and certainly knew about it earlier than himself. Perhaps Ge Jing mentioned this when he came?
Who knew what King Jing was planning? Or what was wrong with this person? Was he instigated by someone, or had his madness truly manifested? Since all this was difficult to clarify, given Jiajing's character, he would likely make contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances...
As expected,
This time Jiajing was very agreeable, no longer speaking in riddles, and directly said:
"Lü Fang, since Yan Shifan has gone mad, we must keep our distance... Even the Son of Heaven must avoid a drunkard... Issuing an edict for loyal subjects to come to the capital is unavoidable. Also, issue another public decree, ordering all officials and wealthy families in the capital, and all their retainers, to be conscripted to defend the city..."
Mmm,
Seeing his calm demeanor, Lü Fang felt reassured. Hearing him speak without panic now, his heart finally relaxed. This way, Yan Shifan would have no opportunity to kill people. As long as someone was a retainer, they would have to guard the city. No matter how bold Yan Shifan was, he wouldn't dare let his soldiers run rampant.
However, he couldn't quite understand: Why hadn't Yan Shifan been arrested, given all this?
He pondered for a moment and finally couldn't help but ask:
"Your Majesty, Yan Shifan is so ferocious, why not just arrest him?"
"Hmph,"
Jiajing snorted,
"Who knows why he's gone mad? Let's wait a bit longer, it's all like this anyway..."
But?
Alas...
Lü Fang could no longer hold back and blurted out:
"Your Majesty, that King Jing..."
"Don't you worry about it... Just do your own job..."
Jiajing, as usual, was as steady as ever.
"This servant means, Yan Shifan is so mad, was he forced into it by something? Did King Jing encounter some trouble..."
He felt it was necessary to remind him.
Jiajing said calmly:
"What trouble could there be? Isn't it just seizing troops and marching out? It's some people with guilty consciences, isn't it..."
Mmm,
Yes, yes,
Some people with guilty consciences...
That meant that King Jing's case from years ago had not actually been thoroughly investigated, and there were still unknown and very secretive matters.
At this point, he dared not ask further, only uttering a sentence that trusted ministers would say:
"Your Majesty, Tumur Khan has brought many Frankish cannons from Goryeo, and the capital is probably still... Uh, this servant feels that perhaps Your Majesty should not leave the capital; why not simply go to Nanjing to sweep the Imperial Mausoleum..."
Unexpectedly,
Jiajing's expression suddenly changed, and he angrily said:
"If you want to go, you go yourself!"
"Who said the capital cannot be defended?"
"Are you frightened by a few Frankish cannons?"
He scolded for a while, then quickly quieted down, muttering:
"You're saying useless things... Can a single Tumur Khan force us to this point? Have you even thought about it, is that really the case?"
Hmph!
He paced a few steps, then suddenly said:
"Come with me to Chaotian Temple..."
Lü Fang knew he wasn't truly angry, so he immediately gathered the medicinal pills and followed him out of the hall.
...
At this time,
Outside Deshengmen,
Tumur Khan had made his final preparations. Now, he led the way, his hawk-like gaze fixed on the capital city shrouded in night, feeling that the efforts of the past several years were finally about to bear fruit.
He was the eldest son of Kuden Khan's dallai jüür, thirty-five years old this year, and had been on the throne for only five years. Previously, Kuden Khan had fallen out with Altan Khan at Deshengbao. Afterward, although Altan Khan did not pursue the matter, dallai jüür knew that since the Tümed were already unshakeable, and Altan Khan had established tributary relations with the Ming Dynasty, the Chahar had no way to survive. Given Altan Khan's personality, the more he downplayed it, the heavier his revenge would be...
Therefore,
He voluntarily led his tribe eastward in his twilight years, establishing his royal tent in the Greater Khingan mountain range, and appointed his eldest son, Tumur, as Khan, instructing him to endure and accumulate strength, riding the wave of the eastward migration to become a great nation.