Capital City, Imperial Study.
If it had only been Zhu Cunji shouting about fighting for "no cavities," Zhu Youjian would not even have bothered to blink, because that kind of nonsense barely qualified as a joke, let alone a rebellion, but once Prince Rui Zhu Changhao, Hong Chengchou, and the frontier armies from Guyuan, Yinchuan, and Yansui all jumped in together, the situation instantly stopped being funny and turned into something that could shake the foundations of the realm.
This was no longer something you could casually press down with a flick of the hand.
Zhu Youjian felt his whole body go cold as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water down his back, and his voice came out strained and tight.
"How did it come to this? Why does it feel like the entire world suddenly decided to rebel against me?"
Chen Xinjia stood nearby with his head lowered, and although his face remained respectful, his thoughts were far less polite.
Because you brought this upon yourself.
History had never been kind to emperors labeled as foolish rulers, and once that label stuck, rebellion followed as naturally as shadows followed light, especially when a powerful external enemy loomed at the borders, because fear of the throne would begin to crack, and once that fear cracked, ambition would leak out from every corner like floodwater breaking a dam.
It had happened at the end of the Zhou, at the end of the Han, at the end of the Sui and Tang, and at the end of the Yuan, and if one looked closely enough, the pattern never really changed.
When authority weakened, the land fractured.
When fear disappeared, blades appeared.
By this point, the truth was painfully simple.
Zhu Youjian's personal authority had already been ground into dust, and anyone with even a spark of ambition would see this moment as a golden opportunity, because if they did not rise now, then when would they ever dare?
After Chen Xinjia withdrew, Cao Huachun finally leaned in and spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, have you noticed something strange lately?"
Zhu Youjian frowned. "What is it?"
"The ministers who used to shout the loudest for war have all gone quiet. Not a single one of them is pushing for battle anymore."
Zhu Youjian blinked, clearly startled. "That is true. Why is that?"
Cao Huachun's tone turned even softer.
"Because it is no longer a question of war or peace."
Zhu Youjian stiffened.
Cao Huachun continued, each word landing like a stone.
"They are no longer thinking about the empire. They are thinking about themselves."
Silence filled the room, thick and suffocating.
Far away, at Shanhai Pass.
Wu Sangui stood atop the towering walls, gazing southward at the vast land stretching into the distance, his eyes deep and calculating as if measuring the weight of fate itself.
His son, Wu Yingxiong, approached cautiously.
"Father, what are you thinking about?"
Wu Sangui did not turn his head, and his voice came out low and steady.
"I am thinking that when rebellion rises everywhere, it becomes the perfect moment for a man to ask whether kings and nobles are born that way, or whether they seize it with their own hands."
Wu Yingxiong's face went pale. "Father… you mean to rebel?"
Wu Sangui let out a short laugh, sharp and cold.
"Of course. This is an excellent opportunity."
Wu Yingxiong hesitated, clearly shaken. "But that is a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan."
Wu Sangui finally turned, and there was a strange light in his eyes.
"You only get exterminated if you fail. If you succeed, it is you who exterminates others."
He gestured vaguely toward the south.
"Zhu Youjian has already lost his prestige. The entire realm calls him a foolish ruler. Even now, Prince Tang, Zhu Yujian, the heir of Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, the heir of Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji, and even some random thousand household commander from Shanxi have all raised their banners. Tell me, when else will you find a better chance?"
Wu Yingxiong swallowed hard, his thoughts clearly wavering.
"…Do we even have enough strength?"
Wu Sangui answered without hesitation, his tone confident and grounded.
"I have over two thousand elite troops capable of armored charges, more than twelve thousand soldiers who can truly fight, and another fifteen thousand irregulars. Add to that the forces under Gao Di at Shanhai Pass, and we are looking at close to fifty thousand men."
That number was no joke.
In those days, most regional commanders barely had a few thousand reliable troops under their command, and even someone as formidable as Lu Xiangsheng only commanded three thousand Tianxiong soldiers.
The best troops of the Ming had long been concentrated in the Guanning region, all under Wu Sangui's influence.
If he rebelled, his strength would far surpass that of any idle prince or upstart warlord.
Wu Yingxiong nodded slowly, then asked the question that truly mattered.
"What reason will we use?"
Wu Sangui laughed.
"What kind of question is that? Of course we use the same one everyone else is using. A foolish ruler ruining the country, missing the chance at victory, and the claim that collective governance is better than rule by one."
Wu Yingxiong frowned slightly. "And after we succeed, will we actually share power?"
Wu Sangui's smile turned sharp.
"Of course not. We only pretend at the beginning. Borrow their slogans, ride their momentum, and once we take the throne, we clean them out. Every last one."
Wu Yingxiong could not help but admire the ruthlessness.
"Father is truly brilliant."
Wu Sangui waved his hand casually.
"Then it is settled. The sooner we rebel, the sooner we establish our name. Let the others fight and exhaust themselves. When the time is right, we march from Shanhai Pass straight into the capital, wipe them all out, and take everything in one clean sweep."
He was not the kind of man who merely talked.
Once he decided, he acted.
Within moments, banners were raised, and the slogan spread like wildfire.
"A foolish ruler ruins the country. Collective governance surpasses autocracy."
Meanwhile, at Daling River City.
The atmosphere here felt strangely peaceful.
Lu Xiangsheng was drilling his Tianxiong Army, pushing them harder with each passing day, because ever since Li Daoxuan had taken over their supplies, the soldiers had been eating well, dressing warmly, and regaining strength at a visible pace.
As long as it did not involve firearms, Li Daoxuan seemed willing to provide anything.
Better food led to stronger bodies, and stronger bodies led to harsher training, and for the first time in a long while, Lu Xiangsheng felt a sense of steady progress.
As for those mysterious firearms, he had not even dared to think about them, because in his mind, he was still an outsider, and expecting such weapons would be nothing short of wishful thinking.
Just as he was lost in thought, Li Daoxuan walked over with a calm smile.
"Lord Lu, your soldiers are finally starting to keep up physically, and their training has reached a decent level. It is about time we addressed something else."
Lu Xiangsheng's expression turned cautious. "What do you mean?"
"Education," Li Daoxuan replied.
Lu Xiangsheng narrowed his eyes. "If you mean your ideas about collective governance, I am not ready to accept that."
Li Daoxuan shook his head gently.
"I am not forcing that on them. What I want them to learn is discipline and character. The more powerful the weapon a soldier holds, the more upright his character must be. If a man with great power falls into darkness, he becomes a disaster."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"I have high standards for my soldiers. Only those with integrity, only those with a sound sense of right and wrong, will ever be entrusted with advanced weapons."
Lu Xiangsheng froze for a moment, genuinely surprised.
Was he saying that if the Tianxiong Army proved their discipline and character, they would actually receive firearms?
Even though they were not his own troops?
Before he could process this fully, a messenger came rushing in, breathless and urgent.
"Urgent report! The heir of Prince Qin, Zhu Cunji, has rebelled. Imperial orders have been issued. Generals Zhao Guangyuan of Hanzhong and Shi Jian of Yansui are to return immediately to Shaanxi to suppress the rebellion."