A Divine Wind Descends from the Sky!

Chapter 49 A Divine Wind Descends from the Sky!

During the Yongle era, Zhu Di was lost in memories. He recalled that when he raised an army to quell the rebellion, his family worked together. The eldest son guarded the old home and managed the logistics, while the second and third sons followed him into battle. Now, however, they were fighting tooth and nail for their own positions.

He felt a pang of sadness. Could it be that he had set a precedent, and that the throne would be stained with the blood of the Zhu family from now on?

After Li Jinglong's defeat, Zhu Di's prolonged siege of Jinan failed, forcing him to retreat to Beiping, and the Jingnan Campaign entered a stalemate.

After Li Jinglong's major defeat, Zhu Yun dismissed Li Jinglong from his post as Grand General and appointed Sheng Yong as General Who Pacifies Yan to replace Li Jinglong in commanding the troops.

Sheng Yong lived up to Zhu Yunwen's expectations, employing a strategy to lure the enemy into a trap during the Battle of Dongchang, where he killed Zhu Di's general Zhang Yu, marking the first time the Southern army had decisively defeated Zhu Di in a direct confrontation.

In truth, every time Zhu Di personally charged into the enemy lines amidst arrows, the Southern army archers had countless opportunities to kill him, but they did not fire their arrows.

Before the Jingnan Campaign began, Zhu Yunwen issued this edict on the eve of Geng Bingwen's expedition against Zhu Di: "You may capture Zhu Di in battle, but you must never kill him. Do not let me bear the guilt of killing my uncle."

This order spread throughout the army and across the land, and the soldiers dared not draw their swords or fire their arrows. Zhu Di was repeatedly surrounded, and the Southern army had countless opportunities to kill him, but because of this edict, they dared not act.

Some emperors from various dynasties couldn't keep up with Zhu Yunwen's train of thought and looked on with confusion.

Li Shimin asked in bewilderment, "I don't understand. Zhu Di has clearly rebelled, so why does Zhu Yunwen still care about Zhu Di's life?"

"If he truly wanted to preserve his reputation and avoid the infamy of killing his uncle, what about his previous uncles? Especially the Prince of Xiang who committed suicide by self-immolation."

Li Shimin was always decisive and would not let family ties affect his military campaigns.

For an emperor to issue such an order, is he out of his mind, or has he been misled by those civil officials?

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, Zhu Yunwen is a very contradictory person. He is hesitant and indecisive, bullies the weak and fears the strong, and is too idealistic, completely lacking the magnanimity that a ruler should have."

"Perhaps he was genuinely afraid of being accused of murdering his uncle. After all, he had only deposed the previous princes, while the Prince of Xiang had committed suicide by burning himself. Perhaps Zhu Yunwen felt that this was already a lenient treatment for them."

In March, Sheng Yong and Zhu Di clashed at Jiahe. The two armies were locked in a stalemate, and suddenly a northeast wind arose. Taking advantage of the wind, the Yan army launched a fierce attack on Sheng Yong's forces, and the Southern army suffered a major defeat.

In the scene, two armies are fighting each other, swords clashing, warhorses neighing, and the whole land is filled with the smoke and blood of war. One side is carrying a flag with the character "燕" (Yan), and is obviously weaker than the other side. Although their bravery is visible to the naked eye, the situation is gradually tilting in favor of the side with more people.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, turning from clear to a hazy yellow. A gust of wind blew in, carrying billowing dust and sand, heading towards the Southern army, which held the advantage.

With the evil wind rising, the Southern army's vision was all dim and yellow. Sand and gravel flew straight at the faces of the Southern army, and the Yan army took the opportunity to attack. The wind rose behind them, making the Yan flags flutter and have the momentum to sweep the sky.

This was not the first time Zhu Di had received divine wind assistance. Historical records show that Zhu Di received divine wind assistance three times. The first time was in the Battle of Baigou River against Li Jinglong's 600,000-strong army. The second time was in the Battle of Jiahe against Sheng Yong. The third time was in the Battle of Gaocheng.

[The three instances of divine winds all occurred when the battle was at a stalemate or when Zhu Di was at a disadvantage. Moreover, each time the wind was against the Southern army and with the Yan army, which makes people wonder if Zhu Di was truly blessed by Heaven.]

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, was very interested.

"Could it be that Zhu Di truly possessed a divine mandate, having been aided by divine winds three times? It's truly enviable."

Inside the hall, the officials bowed their heads, trying their best not to let Liu Xiu see their eyes rolling upwards.

All emperors of later generations could say this, but you, Liu Xiu, were not qualified to say it.

What emperor would dare to challenge fate? During the Battle of Kunyang, a meteorite fell from the sky. Wasn't that even more absurd than Zhu Di's divine intervention? Why didn't that meteorite hit someone else, but instead landed right in Wang Mang's army?

You can summon meteorites, Zhu Di can summon divine winds, but can anyone summon a great fire? [Although Zhu Di won many battles, his military strength was depleted, and he was never able to control a large amount of land. Zhu Di suddenly changed his thinking. He did not want to completely rebel, and he did not need to start a war like Zhu Yuanzhang. He only needed to oust Zhu Yunwen from the throne.]

Zhu Di made a decision: he led his elite cavalry straight to Nanjing (Yingtianfu) and marched south to capture the emperor.

"That's right, that's the way to fight!" Huo Qubing slapped his thigh. "That's the kind of cavalry attack that goes straight to the heart of the enemy's territory. He's best at long-distance cavalry raids. What's the point of getting entangled with those other troops? Just steal your home directly!"

It must be said that Zhu Di's strategic decision was absolutely correct. After all, this was a war between Zhu Chongwen and Zhu Di, and their Zhu family. In the end, who became emperor would not have a significant impact on them.

[Zhu Di marched straight in, completely crushing the main force of the Southern army after the Battle of Lingbi. After defeating Sheng Yong at Puzikou, he began to cross the Yangtze River and headed straight for the capital, Nanjing.]

In the Battle of Puzikou, Zhu Di also created a famous scene for later generations. He said to his second son, Zhu Gaoxu, who was leading the army to his aid: "The Crown Prince is often ill. You should encourage him."

These words certainly motivated Zhu Gaochi to fight to the death, but they also sowed the seeds of future trouble in the struggle for the throne.

Is this something that can be said?

Zhu Di didn't need to use this to motivate Zhu Gaochi unless Zhu Gaochi himself was truly incompetent. But Zhu Gaochi's abilities weren't bad either; he stayed in Beiping and held off an army of 500,000. Could it be that Zhu Gaochi really had some unspeakable secret?

Wouldn't this just inadvertently ignite Zhu Gaoxu's ambition?

Many noble families with titles shook their heads. Even their own children fought tooth and nail for their titles, let alone the throne, which was personally encouraged by the future emperor. Who wouldn't be ambitious?

It is foreseeable that during the Yongle reign of later generations, many troubles would arise because of Zhu Di's words.

In June, Zhu Di led his army to the walls of Nanjing. Prince Gu, Zhu Sui, and Duke Cao, Li Jinglong, opened the Jin Chuan Gate and surrendered to Zhu Di.

[Emperor Jianwen disappeared in the fire. Some say he burned himself, but more people believe he escaped in the chaos. Thus began Zhu Di's search for his family, which lasted for more than a decade.]

The supreme Zhu Di arrived in Nanjing, the city he was utterly loyal to.

The four-year-long Jingnan Campaign ended in victory for Zhu Di, who ascended the throne and began the magnificent reign of the Yongle Emperor.

The scene shifts, and Zhu Di, clad in full armor, rides his horse into the city gate. His face, besides bearing the lingering murderous intent of battle, exudes a sense of triumph over the loss of humiliation. Fires rage throughout Nanjing, filling the air with smoke. The flames have burned away the decaying remnants of the old era, and the new ruler will lead the Ming Dynasty into a new golden age.