The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 688

Soon, Mang Rui and his companion arrived at the enthronement ceremony site amidst the greetings of the officials. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites officials, the enthronement ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner, beginning with a sacrifice to Heaven and followed by the enthronement.

Just as Mang Ruiti was about to ascend the throne, the sounds of horses neighing and fighting came from afar.

"what happened?"

Mang Rui looked at the eunuch beside him and asked.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Troops have invaded the capital. Judging from their attire, they seem to be Champa troops, but they also seem to be from the Ming Dynasty."

An official said with a look of horror.

Upon hearing this, Mang Rui Ti, who had just sat on the throne, could no longer remain seated and stood up abruptly.

"Quickly, go to the imperial prison and bring Wen Zhengming and the others here."

Mang Rui realized that these soldiers must have come to rescue Wen Zhengming. Only by capturing Wen Zhengming as soon as possible could he ensure his own safety.

Upon hearing this, the guards hurriedly went to the imperial prison to fetch the man.

Mang Rui Ti's reaction was undeniably swift, but Hu Zongxian and his troops marched even faster. To put it bluntly, the Toungoo Dynasty was just a small country with a military force of only a few tens of thousands at most. Most of them were currently stationed in Champa, with a small number stationed on the western border. There were also some troops in the capital, but only a few hundred men.

With the help of the Mang family members inside the city, Hu Zongxian and his men didn't even need to attack; the city gate guards simply opened the gates for them.

Then, Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji, led by members of the Mang family, headed straight for the enthronement ceremony.

Before Mang Ruiti's guards returned, Hu Zongxian had already led his troops to the site of the coronation ceremony. Seeing the more than 1,000 cavalrymen charging towards them, Mang Ruiti and Wang Mingyue, who had been feeling smug, were dumbfounded.

......

In the capital, Jiajing was both shocked and furious after reading the memorial from the Annamite governor. If the envoy had been anyone else, Jiajing would have been pleased, as this would have provided a reason to take action against the Toungoo Dynasty and even the surrounding small countries.

But this person was Wen Zhengming, who was Zhou Chu's teacher. If something were to happen to Wen Zhengming, he really wouldn't know how to explain it to Zhou Chu, since he had personally selected Wen Zhengming to go on this mission.

"Go quickly and fetch a weighing instrument."

Jiajing looked at Huang Jin and said.

Soon, Zhou Chu arrived at the Imperial Study. On the way, Huang Jin told Zhou Chu about Wen Zhengming's arrest, which was also at Jiajing's behest.

"Hengqi, I shouldn't have sent Minister Wen as an envoy to Champa."

When Jiajing saw Zhou Chu, he looked full of regret.

"Your Majesty need not worry. Before my teacher went on his mission, I made sure that Hu Ruzhen and Zhao Mengjing were included in the delegation. At that time, Your Majesty also gave Zhao Zhenji a secret edict to act expediently."

Zhou Chu said.

After Zhou Chu said that, Jiajing realized what was going on.

"You mean, with these two around, Minister Wen will be safe?"

Jiajing asked.

Zhou Chu nodded.

"The teacher would not have been in any danger. No matter how audacious Mang Ruiti was, he wouldn't dare to lay a hand on the teacher. At most, he would just capture the teacher. But I can't understand why Mang Ruiti would do such a thing. Isn't he afraid of the wrath of our Great Ming?"

Zhou Chu asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhou Chu was unaware that Wang Mingyue was in the Dongyu Dynasty, which created an information gap. If he had known this, Zhou Chu would have made several more preparations.

"Minister Wen is of a strong character. I'm afraid he might do something rash. We must send troops as soon as possible to rescue him."

Jiajing said somewhat anxiously.

Wen Zhengming's character was known not only to Emperor Jiajing, but also to almost everyone in the court. Many officials both respected and feared Wen Zhengming, partly because of his relationship with Zhou Chu, and partly because of his upright and incorruptible nature, which deterred them from having any wicked thoughts.

"Your Majesty need not worry. With Hu Ruzhen and the others here, the teacher will be safe. Before they set off, I made full preparations for them. When two countries are on friendly terms, all possibilities must be taken into account. Although the possibility of Mang Rui Ti taking action is extremely small, I still made preparations."

Zhou Chu said.

"Tell me quickly, otherwise I really won't be at ease."

"Jiajing said anxiously."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu recounted all the contingency plans he had prepared to Jiajing in detail.

When Jiajing heard that Zhou Chu had made so many contingency plans, so comprehensive that they basically took into account all possible events, especially when he heard about Hu Zongxian and Zhao Zhenji borrowing troops on the spot and then cooperating with people inside the Toungoo Dynasty, Jiajing couldn't help but slam his fist on the table.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! This plan for weighing instruments is remarkably similar to Wang Xuance's conquest of Central India back then."

Emperor Jiajing praised it.

Zhou Chu smiled when he heard this.

"If Hu Ruzhen and his men succeed, it will be enough to demonstrate the might and strength of our Great Ming. Even if they fail, Your Majesty can send troops again later."

When Jiajing heard this, he nodded.

"We still need to gather some troops from Lingnan and send them to Annam, just in case."

"Your Majesty's considerations are indeed comprehensive."

Zhou Chu subtly flattered her.

Zhou Chu had actually thought of this long ago, but as a subject, he couldn't possibly calculate everything without leaving any room for maneuver. Otherwise, Jiajing would have no chance to show his abilities, and over time, he would become increasingly wary of Zhou Chu.

In fact, Zhou Chu deliberately pointed out many flaws in the many contingency plans he had told Jiajing, so that they wouldn't be perfect. After all, if he really included everything in his plans, the emperor would be afraid that he would have no means to retaliate if he had other ideas.

By deliberately pointing out some flaws, he could make Jiajing understand Zhou Chu's talent without making Jiajing too wary of Zhou Chu.

Emperor Jiajing immediately wrote a memorial and sent a messenger by train to Lingnan to mobilize troops.

Now that we have trains, an empty train can travel 80 li in an hour, and can travel nearly 1,000 li in a day. Even in some places with complex terrain, where it is slower, it is still faster than a fast horse.

And so, Jiajing waited for the memorial from Annam. Four days later, another memorial was delivered to Jiajing.

The memorial contained the latest battle report.

"The Toungoo Dynasty has been destroyed by Lord Wen. The Toungoo army outside Champa was defeated in one fell swoop, with more than half of its troops killed or wounded."

When Jiajing saw this news, he immediately perked up.