Author: Potato Sweet Potato Pie

When the conquest of the Japanese country was finalized, Zhu Houzhao went to see Emperor Hongzhi several times. Needless to say, the purpose was to accompany the army to conquer the Japanese country.

At the beginning, Emperor Hongzhi still taught him earnestly and sincerely, telling him the pros and cons. You are the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty and the future emperor, and you will be the one expected by the world.

What followed was scolding and stern warnings, and then he got annoyed and issued an imperial edict to ground him.

Of course, talking about imperial edicts between father and son is too crude and hurts feelings.

What's more, the imperial edict of grounding was of no use to Zhu Houzhao, as there was no paper to wipe his butt with.

Emperor Hongzhi also took this into consideration, so instead of saying it was a grounding, it was better to say it was a confinement, or house arrest.

The Ciqing Palace in the East Palace was the prince's bedroom. Zhu Houzhao's head was closed there with a big lock, and three meals a day were brought in through a small window.

Xia Yuan visited the prison several times, and each time he visited the prison through the small window. Staying in Zhu Houzhao was basically the same as being in prison.

Now, even if he was a bird-man with every feather on his body shining with the light of freedom, he couldn't escape.

Although it was a bit pitiful, Xia Yuan felt that this method would work, otherwise he would not be able to be locked up. After all, this kid has a criminal record.

Now that the army has been on the march for many days, they arrived at Weihaiwei, but in the end they let him run away without locking him up.

This kind of behavior is simply a prison break, staged a redemption of Ci Qing Palace.

"The prince escaped from prison. Bah, how many days have you been missing?"

"She has been missing for five days."

Xia Yuan frowned, "Five days. Including the rest along the way, he shouldn't be able to run very far."

"It is said that His Royal Highness the Prince left by boat this time."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yuan's brows instantly furrowed even deeper, and he immediately asked: "The prince left by boat. What do you mean by coming here to ask me instead of looking for him along the waterway?"

"Lord Mou has already led people along the canal to search for him. But after all, Marquis Changde has a close relationship with the prince, so we wondered if the prince would come to see Marquis Changde, so we rushed here day and night to inquire.

"

As he spoke, Shi Wenyi raised his head and stared at his expression. Xia Yuan had no idea what he was looking at. He was just observing himself to see if he was lying.

He waved his hand and said, "Shi Tongzhi can just ask me if I am harboring the prince and that will be it."

"That's not what I meant." Shi Wenyi hurriedly clasped his fists and continued: "Since the Marquis of Changde has never met the prince, I will leave first."

"Oh, there is one more thing. This matter is of great importance. I hope Chang Dehou will not tell others about it."

After saying that, Shi Wenyi once again cupped his fists and saluted, then without stopping, he walked over and called his men, and rode away together with the dozens of cavalrymen outside.

Xia Yuan stared at the leaving figures of dozens of people, feeling uneasy in his heart.

Emperor Hongzhi was determined to keep Zhu Houzhao under his care this time. When the Imperial Guards of the capital went out to fight, Zhu Houzhao was still locked up inside, and Emperor Hongzhi planned to keep him locked up for at least another month.

It had only been about twenty days since the army set out for the expedition, and Zhu Houzhao had been missing for five more days. In other words, he had only been detained for more than ten days, which obviously did not serve his sentence.

Moreover, the big lock of Ciqing Palace is not an ordinary copper lock, but a big iron chain. It is as thick as a child's arm and very strong. Just in case, the key is still kept by Emperor Hongzhi. This dog prince is

How did you escape from jail?

——————————

In the evening, the 10,000 imperial troops who set out from the capital finally arrived at Weihaiwei.

Weihaiwei is a guard, a place, and a city.

According to the Ming Dynasty's garrison system, guards were set up at key military passes and at Guanjin Ferry. Regardless of the garrison, there were fixed barracks. And large-scale garrison was even equipped with city walls, just like a city.

Weihaiwei, which is near the sea, is a city.

This city is full of military households, with no civilians. Generals and soldiers all get married and have children in it. The sons inherit their father's status and serve in the army for generations.

At this time, the army was gathering in Weihaiwei, and tens of thousands of people suddenly increased, which brought considerable population pressure to the city. In addition to those brick and wood structure houses, countless temporary structures could also be seen.

's barracks.

Looking from a distance, the port near the sea is even more fluttering, with hundreds of naval warships moored there.

As the sun set, tens of thousands of soldiers entered the city. Xia Yuan asked Wang Shouren, the military counselor, to arrange for the soldiers to set up camp. He took his belt and documents and rode straight to the largest commander's palace in the city.

As soon as he stepped into the camp gate, Xia Yuan was greeted by a stagnant and tense atmosphere. Everyone in the commander's residence was in a hurry, and scouts kept coming and going.

When we entered the lobby, an old man wearing armor was sitting behind a desk, engrossed in writing something.

The old man had a gray beard and was about sixty years old. Although he was covered in armor, compared to ordinary generals, he lacked a sense of bravery, or in other words, did not have the temperament of a general.

He doesn't look like a military commander, at least he doesn't look like a military commander on a battlefield.

Temperament is a mysterious thing, but it can definitely be felt, and the old man does not have the temperament of a military commander on the battlefield.

After all, his name is Zhang Mao, and he is the current British Duke. He has never been on the battlefield in his life, let alone led an army to fight in a war.

Although he had no combat experience, he was the president-in-command of this Japanese expedition. In this expedition, troops from all over the country were available, and they were all led by their respective generals.

In today's world, if you ask who can suppress this group of arrogant and powerful generals, I am afraid that only the British Duke Zhang Mao, who has been in charge of the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army for 40 years, can do it.

"Assistant in the expedition against the Japanese invaders, Xia Yuan, met Zhang Shuai."

Xia Yuan cupped his hands in greeting, bowed his back, holding a waist badge and documents in his hand, and continued: "I have been ordered to command the elite of the 12th regiment of the capital, and escorted the firearms and baggage here. Now I have ordered the soldiers to camp in the city.

I am here to hand over military power to Zhang Shuai. These are documents and badges. Please check with Zhang Shuai."

Zhang Mao put down his pen and raised his head, his brows were furrowed tightly, and his slightly cloudy eyes looked him up and down a few times. Then his eyebrows quietly relaxed and he waved to him: "You are here just in time. Come, come to me."

Xia Yuan stepped forward without knowing why, "What are your orders from Zhang Shuai?"

"Although we have never met, I recognize you and have heard of your name for a long time. I also know that it was you who brought up the matter of conquering Japan this time to His Majesty. Thanks to you, I have wasted my whole life and finally got it.

You have a favor with me for the opportunity to lead the army."

"Uh, I don't dare."

Zhang Mao grimaced, "There's nothing to be afraid of. If you're kind, you're kind. I always speak frankly when I have something to say. Not only that, but now I want to tell you something directly."

"Zhang Shuai, please speak."

"I know that you are a civil servant or a scholar. Come here and give me a pen. You can write this memorial."
Chapter completed!