Chapter 858
Swear
"I would like to ask you to go to Xuanfu and ask Yang Hong how the Xuanfu defense line was defended." The Duke of Yingguo said in a deep voice, "But no matter what the actual situation is, it is true that Yang Jun missed the opportunity and failed to defend well. Now is the time when we need manpower, so we can spare his life for now. After this battle is over and His Majesty returns to the capital, we can discuss his merits and demerits."
Cao Nai pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "Yang Jun allowed the Oirat army to infiltrate our rear, and we have had no reinforcements since. He deserves to die a hundred times over for his crime. We should kill one to warn a hundred."
The Duke of England sighed and demanded directly: "He must not be killed, at least not until the war has ended!"
Fearing Cao Nai's recklessness, the Duke of Ying looked at Chen Huai, Liang Cheng, Wang Xi, and others, and said, "They may not know, but you military generals should know that Xuanfu cannot do without Yang Hong for the time being."
The generals remained silent.
This is the truth. Yang Hong had been managing things in Xuanfu for many years, and the soldiers followed him. He himself had not made any major mistakes. Changing generals during wartime is a taboo and would be very detrimental to the Ming Dynasty.
In peacetime, this wouldn't be a big problem, but taking action against Yang Hong during this period would bring serious trouble to the Ming Dynasty.
Seeing the angry yet restrained expressions on the faces of the military officers, Cao Nai and the others knew that the Duke of Ying's caution was correct.
Cao Nai immediately agreed and said in a deep voice, "I will definitely give the soldiers an explanation for this matter in the future. But where is His Majesty now?"
The Duke of England swayed, unable to hold on any longer, and fell straight backward, the chair tipping over under his full weight.
Cao Nai and Liang Cheng caught him quickly and laid him on the ground.
I checked his breathing; it was almost nonexistent.
Pan Yun and the other two stood there, motionless. Cao Nai looked at them with bloodshot eyes and asked loudly, "Why didn't you save him?"
Miaohe said, "He is already dead."
Even though the Duke of England could barely open his eyes, his ears were still very sharp. Upon hearing this, he smiled and, through his blurred vision, patted Cao Nai's hand, indicating that he knew everything.
Cao Nai pulled off his armor and saw that there was a horizontal wound across his chest from the upper left to the lower right, but it had not been noticed for a while because he was covered in blood.
"It's this wound..."
Miaohe shook her head, stepped forward, took his hand, gently rubbed it, and said, "It's exhaustion, exhaustion leading to heart failure. As soon as he appeared, we knew there was no cure."
She turned to look at Pan Yun, whose face was pale, and said, "However, considering that he still had things to settle down before his death, my junior uncle transferred his Yuan energy to him, allowing him to live until now."
He died from exhaustion. Cao Nai's tears fell incessantly, and the other civil and military officials also looked at the Duke of Ying with grief.
The Duke of England, however, seemed to have known his fate all along, his face calm; he was only worried about the young emperor.
At the last moment, the blur before his eyes vanished instantly, and he grabbed Pan Yun's sleeve.
Pan Yun paused for a moment, then knelt on one knee and offered him her hand.
The Duke of England, his eyes filled with sorrow yet sharp with determination, said: "If I had known you were coming, I wouldn't have let His Majesty escape on another journey."
Pan Jun said expressionlessly, "If you hadn't let him escape, he would probably be dead by now. The emperor doesn't have Xia Zheng's martial arts skills or ability to cooperate."
The British Duke thought about it and felt a little better.
He stared at Pan Yun and said softly, "So His Majesty is still alive..."
This is not a question, but a statement.
Pan Jun remained silent.
The Duke of England looked at her intently: "You are the famous Pan Yun."
Pan Yun: "Yes, Your Excellency actually knows me." The Duke of Yingguo smiled gently: "We military generals have spent half our lives in the martial world, so we are more familiar with it than others. You are different from other cultivators."
I've always known that there's a group of extraordinary people in this world who are almost completely detached from worldly affairs, focusing solely on cultivation. I dislike them very much.
The British judge said, “How can a person live in this world with only himself in mind? You are very good, better than anyone else. You will seek justice for your father, avenge the people, fight for the king’s silver mountains, and now you will defend the Ming Dynasty. You are loyal and righteous, more humane than anyone I have ever met.”
The Duke of England grasped her hand tightly, showering her with praise: "Good girl, I know you are capable. Please find His Majesty and bring him back to the capital. The future of the Ming Dynasty rests on your shoulders."
Pan Yun lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and replied softly, "I will find His Majesty and will do my best to prevent the Ming Dynasty from being threatened by foreign powers and thus facing annihilation."
Duke of England: "This is your oath."
Pan Yun opened her eyes and stared at him intently: "This is my vow."
The Duke of Ying breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Cao Nai and the others, leaving them with only one sentence: "Take care, everyone!"
Seeing the Duke of England's face turn as white as paper and his breath cease, the ministers and soldiers could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Pan Yun gently tried to remove the Duke of Yingguo's hand, but found that he was holding her tightly and could not let go for a moment.
After Cao Nai and the others finished crying, they realized what was happening and tried to help, but he held on tightly and showed no intention of letting go.
Pan Yun seemed to be deep in thought, but in the end, she held his hand and whispered, "Duke of Yingguo, I, Pan Yun, swear that I will protect the Ming Dynasty."
The British Duke loosened his grip slightly, but did not completely let go.
Pan Yun added in a low voice: "To ensure the stability of the Zhu family's imperial dynasty."
He then released his grip on Pan Yun's large hand.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and when they looked at Pan Yun again, their gazes were different.
In the past few days, the civil and military officials had become accustomed to life and death. Although they were in pain, they quickly regained their spirits and gathered around Cao Nai and Chen Huai to discuss and wait for them to make a decision.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, they surrounded Pan Yun, making it impossible for her to leave.
Pan Yun: ...When civil and military officials get shameless, they can be quite shameless.
Pan Yun simply sat cross-legged on the ground, waiting for them to reach a conclusion while meditating to recover her energy.
Cao Nai couldn't bear to see her so relaxed, so he asked her, "Master Pan, where do you think we should go to find His Majesty?"
Pan Jun: "I think you should listen to the Duke of Ying and Chen Huai. The grasslands are so vast, it's incredibly difficult to find someone. It would be better to meet up in Xuanfu and Datong, set up a defense line, and drive back the Oirat army. Then we can trap them and beat them. As long as the emperor doesn't leave the pass, we'll eventually find him."
Cao Nai's eyes widened: "How could this be..."
But upon reflection, he realized that this was indeed the best way to minimize the loss of soldiers. Cao Nai fell silent after saying this, as he always accepted correct advice.
He looked at the others.
The others remained silent. From the moment the emperor personally led the expedition until today, the army has suffered losses every day. Especially in the last few days, familiar people around them, former political enemies, allies, acquaintances and strangers alike, have all died because of the emperor.
They knew in their hearts that the Ming Dynasty was only safe if the emperor was safe, but when the sword was about to be chopped off their necks, they couldn't help but ask themselves, did they really need this emperor?
The late emperor had more than one son, and Emperor Renzong had even more than one son.
The group exchanged glances, their eyes flickering, and unanimously agreed to Pan Yun's suggestion. (End of Chapter)