Chapter 59: Above the Northern Frontier, Ten Thousand Horses Charge!

Looking at Zhu Yuncheng crying before her, Yunyu's tears could not be stopped. Having accompanied and cared for Zhu Yuncheng for many years, how could she not understand his grievances?

His father did not love him. His mother did not cherish him.

The current mistress of the Eastern Palace maintained a superficial appearance of maternal grace, but in reality, she targeted Zhu Yuncheng relentlessly. Because he was the legitimate son, because he was a competitor to her own son—in political terms, he was a political enemy.

And with political enemies, it was a fight to the death.

Even if Zhu Yuncheng did not strive for power, he naturally had many supporters behind him. If he were not eliminated, he would inevitably become a threat in the future.

More importantly, Zhu Yuncheng was the legitimate son, born of the legal wife.

Even though Lady Lyu now managed the internal affairs of the Eastern Palace—having spent years systematically replacing the former Crown Princess's people with her own among the servants—and even though Zhu Biao trusted her completely with the palace's management, she still harbored great apprehension regarding Zhu Yuncheng's status as the legitimate heir.

"Young Master," Yunyu stepped forward and gently embraced him. "Please, grow up quickly. Only when you are grown can you leave the Eastern Palace. Only when you are grown can you escape her control."

"I know why Father hates me so much. The reason Mother died was because of complications during my birth. Perhaps in Father's eyes, I should never have been born. Even Imperial Grandfather doesn't like me at all. When Grandmother was here, she protected me. When Eldest Brother was here, he protected me too; no one dared to bully me. But... but they are all gone. Perhaps I really am a jinx. I caused Mother's death, and now the Grandmother and Eldest Brother who loved me are gone. I caused their deaths. I truly should never have been born."

Zhu Yuncheng spoke through endless tears, his voice filled with sorrow.

Hearing this, Yunyu gently patted his back, comforting him, "Young Master, do not overthink it. You are not a jinx, nor did you cause the deaths of the Empress and the Eldest Young Master. Perhaps it was all just fate. Although they are gone, they will be watching over you from heaven. You must live well."

***

The Side Consort's Hall of the Eastern Palace!

"Rong Lan," Lady Lyu asked, sitting in the primary seat and looking at the maid before her. "Is that bastard behaving himself?"

Her demeanor was entirely different from how she appeared before Zhu Biao.

"Please rest assured, Madam. That bastard is very well-behaved and dares not say much. Moreover, our people are watching his hall from every angle; he has no chance to act recklessly," the maid, Rong Lan, replied with a smile.

"Mhm." Lady Lyu nodded with satisfaction, but her eyes were cold. "Even though he no longer poses a threat, we cannot afford any negligence. Keep a death grip on him. You must personally oversee everything he does. If you find him difficult to handle, tell me immediately."

"Please rest assured, Madam. I know what to do. He is merely a child; I can handle him. The only person by Zhu Yuncheng's side is that Yunyu. But she is just one person; she is not worth mentioning," Rong Lan said with a cold sneer.

"Yunyu... that bitch's maid," Lady Lyu's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "If she behaves, fine. If she does not, find an opportunity to dispose of her."

"Please rest assured, Madam. I understand," Rong Lan replied respectfully.

***

Liaodong! Jin City Territory!

In Liaodong, there were two cities painstakingly constructed by Na Ha Chu, featuring strong fortifications and powerful defenses. One was Kaiyuan City, and the other was this Jin City. These had been reinforced by Na Ha Chu to counter the Ming Dynasty.

Since Na Ha Chu intended to move south to attack the Ming, he naturally used Liaodong as his base, making defense critical. Currently, Lan Yu was leading troops to attack Kaiyuan City, while Fu Youde was leading an assault on Jinzhou City. As long as these two cities fell, the lands of Liaodong would become part of the Ming territory.

At this moment, Fu Youde was leading his grand army in a fierce assault on Jinzhou City, while the generals under Na Ha Chu were resisting with all their might.

After ten days of intense fighting, the Yuan army remained exceptionally stubborn.

"Fire the cannons!"

In front of Jinzhou City, Fu Youde stood at the center of the army, commanding the attack.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

A series of earth-shaking roars erupted. Two hundred cannons bombarded Jin City. Under the suppression of the artillery, the Ming vanguard began another round of assault. However, the Yuan army inside the city was extremely resilient; countless arrows rained down from the walls amidst the cannon fire. Large numbers of Ming soldiers fell dead outside the city under the barrage of arrows.

Of course, despite being on the defensive, the Ming troops outside were incredibly brave, firing arrows into the city and maintaining the artillery bombardment. They attacked wave after wave.

As time passed, a war of attrition began. Fu Youde watched the battlefront with a furrowed brow.

"I underestimated Na Ha Chu's abilities," Fu Youde said slowly. "To defend against our Great Ming, he has truly turned Jinzhou City into an iron fortress. The Yuan army is fighting to the death to hold it."

"General," Zhao Yong requested, "let me lead the troops in a charge."

"The Yuan army is resisting so fiercely; charging blindly will achieve nothing but increasing our casualties. Withdraw," Fu Youde said deeply. "We need to find a way to break through the gates of Jinzhou City. Only then can we take it."

"But we have been attacking continuously for many days, and we have already lost many soldiers," Zhao Yong said, somewhat unwillingly.

"Blindly rushing in will only increase the casualties. Withdraw," Fu Youde repeated firmly.

"Yes," Zhao Yong could only nod.

As the sound of the retreating drums rang out, Fu Youde stared at Jinzhou City. "Na Ha Chu, you have stationed heavy troops in both Kaiyuan and Jinzhou—perhaps eighty or ninety percent of your total force. Do you truly believe that with such numbers, you can stop the momentum of the Great Ming?"

To the west of Jinzhou City, a Ming Thousand-Man Battalion was patrolling the area.

*Tramp, tramp, tramp.* *Tramp, tramp, tramp.*

A series of rapid footsteps approached from the west. This caused the patrolling Ming soldiers to look toward the west in great alarm.

"Alert! Form formations!" "The enemy is attacking!" "Shield-bearers and spearmen in front!" "Archers in the rear!" "Quickly report to the Commander! Quickly mobilize reinforcements!"

The Thousand-Man Commander in charge of the patrol immediately barked the orders.

"Understood!" the Deputy Commander replied and stepped back to execute the orders.

At that moment, a thousand Ming soldiers had already formed their lines. The shield-bearers were in front, their shields interspersed with long spears for defense, with archers positioned behind them.

Suddenly, the earth shook. Thousands of warhorses came charging forth. A massive tide of troops surged forward like a sea of iron cavalry.

Seeing this, the faces of the Ming soldiers in formation turned grim.

"Why are there Yuan troops in the western border?" "That shouldn't be possible..."

The patrolling commander felt a sense of confusion and dread deep in his heart.