The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 48 Gouchen, Commander of the Six Divine Guards of Apocalypse

"Okay! Go get ready!" Yuan Keli waved his hand and said.

"Yes!" The soldier received the order and withdrew.

"Old Yuan, is some important person coming?" Shen Yourong asked, leaning closer with interest.

"Yes..." Yuan Keli looked at Shen Yourong's old face and immediately had an interesting idea, "It's the Six Divine Guards of Apocalypse that you just mentioned."

"Oh? Which one? It can't be that bear barbarian, can it?" Shen Yourong's interest piqued even more. "Then I'll have to give him a good talking to. He dared to drive away my online army; I'll give him a good scare!"

"You'll recognize it when you get there," Yuan Keli smiled and glanced back at him.

"We're like family! Why are you being so mysterious?" Shen Yourong said, somewhat displeased.

"Let's go!" Yuan Keli's lips twitched slightly as he picked up a bamboo hat from the table.

"Where to?"

"The dock," Yuan Keli said calmly as he put on his outer robe, walked to the door, and spoke.

"Old Yuan, you have to tell me which bastard among the Six Guardians of Tianqi is it, so I can figure out how to trick him!" Shen Yourong hurriedly followed him out.

brat?

Yuan Keli shook his head inwardly.

Shen Yourong, having spent a long time at sea, has developed a strong sailor's habit.

They probably don't know who's coming.

Fine, let that person come and keep this old general in check, so he won't keep coming over and making a fuss every few days.

"If it's not Xiong Manzi, then it must be one of the other commanders of the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi?" Shen Yourong asked as they walked, chattering on and on. "But it seems His Majesty already sent them to Shanxi for disaster relief a few days ago, didn't he?"

"Do you know who the others are?" Yuan Keli asked.

"Of course!!" Shen Yourong said with a proud expression, "The commander of the White Tiger Guard is Ma Xianglin, the one known as 'Zhao Zilong' among the White-Spear Soldiers!"

"Anything else?"

"As for the rest..." Shen Yourong lowered her voice, speaking mysteriously, "I'm afraid it will scare you if I tell you."

"Oh! It seems the other commanders are no ordinary people?" Yuan Keli raised an eyebrow in agreement.

"Of course!" Shen Yourong leaned closer and whispered, "Do you know about the Mu Prince's Mansion in Yunnan?"

"Of course I know. How so?"

"The commander of the Tengshe Guard is none other than Mu Qiyuan, who inherited the title of Duke of Qian last year!"

"Mu Qiyuan?"

"That's right! Have you heard of his deeds?"

"I've heard a little about what's happening in Yunnan. It seems His Majesty isn't only targeting Liaodong, but also Yunnan!" Yuan Keli paused for a moment before replying.

"Hahaha! You're quick-witted! I only found out after Zhisheng told me!" Shen Yourong said with a laugh. "His Majesty is trying to keep this lawless little tyrant from Yunnan tied up in the capital to prevent him from harming the people of Yunnan!"

"Indeed, His Majesty's strategy goes further than we imagined!" Yuan Keli said calmly, as if he had known all along.

"I bet this is the one who's come back this time?" Shen Yourong blinked. "That's why you're taking it so seriously?"

"We'll know when we get there," Yuan Keli said, still unwilling to budge.

"Oh! Then it's not!" Shen Yourong said with a look of disappointment.

If it really is Mu Qiyuan, he really wants to meet this top noble of the Ming Dynasty.

He paused, then leaned closer. "Don't you want to know who the other six Divine Guard commanders are?"

"If you want to know, you will know," Yuan Keli said calmly.

He knew clearly that Zhu Ming's establishment of the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi was for a profound purpose.

The six commanders all used divine beasts as their titles, and their names were not officially recognized; they were only known by their orders.

Shen Yourong's eagerness was clearly an attempt to use other people's background information to exchange for the identity of the person at the dock.

Undeterred, Shen Yourong lowered her voice and said again, "Did you know that the commander of the Vermilion Bird Guard is actually an unknown clerk in the Ministry of Personnel's Verification and Sealing Department!"

"Oh?" Yuan Keli stopped and glanced at him. "Old Sun told you everything?"

"Hehe!" Seeing his interest, Shen Yourong became even more enthusiastic. "Do you want to know who it is?"

"Never mind. We'll find out when the time comes," Yuan Keli said, seeing his smug look. He didn't press the matter further and walked straight toward the dock.

"Hey! You just said you'd die if you wanted to know?" Shen Yourong quickly caught up with him.

"Old Shen! You're using these top secrets to test us old generals? You're going to get yourself killed!" Yuan Keli said without turning his head.

"It's Sun Chuanting, the chief clerk of the Verification and Sealing Department of the Ministry of Personnel, a refined scholar!" Shen Yourong simply told him everything.

What one person knows is called a secret; what two people know is called communication.

"Old Shen, you really know how to do it!" Yuan Keli shook his head helplessly.

He had no idea what kind of person Sun Chuanting would become in the future, but now that Emperor Tianqi Zhu Ming was on the throne, no matter how unexpected the Six Divine Guards' lineup was, he could only accept it.

Fortunately, Xiong Tingbi and Ma Xianglin were there to support the business.

The other commanders are merely code names for divine beasts. As long as they are easy to use, there's no harm in replacing them.

"And there's another one, who's even more important," Shen Yourong added.

"Tell me about it," Yuan Keli said, genuinely curious this time.

"The commander of the Azure Dragon Guard is Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian!" Shen Yourong said solemnly, her smile fading.

"Prince Xin?" Yuan Keli was slightly taken aback.

"Surprised, aren't you!" Shen Yourong said, even more smugly seeing him stunned. "You don't know, that sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy is almost as tall as Xiong Manzi!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Yuan Keli suddenly laughed and strode towards the dock. "You two brothers really know how to have fun."

"Oh! So, is it Prince Xin who's coming back this time?" Shen Yourong quickened her pace.

"Then, what about Gou Chen?" Yuan Keli asked in return.

"I don't know," Shen Yourong said helplessly, spreading his hands. "That old fellow Zhisheng is very tight-lipped; he absolutely refuses to say anything." He paused, then added, "Could it be that the one who came this time is Commander Gouchen?"

"That's right," Yuan Keli nodded. "To correct you, it should be Commander Gouchen."

"That's interesting." A glint flashed in Shen Yourong's eyes, and she smiled. "I want to see just who this Commander Gouchen really is."

The Azure Dragon is Prince Zhu Youjian, the Black Tortoise is Xiong Tingbi, the White Tiger is Ma Xianglin, the Vermilion Bird is Sun Chuanting, and the Soaring Serpent is Mu Qiyuan.

These are the five commanders of the Six Divine Guards of Apocalypse who have already appeared.

Shen Yourong had met some of them, but she never knew who Gou Chen was.

At that imperial banquet, Gouchen's seat was empty.

Yuan Keli knew that, besides Xiong Tingbi of the Xuanwu Guard, it was also the commander of the Gouchen Guard.

Yuan Keli was neither a member of the eunuch faction nor the Donglin faction, and the Ming dynasty trusted him no less than Sun Chengzong.

Laugh.

You'll see how to laugh in a moment.

"We've arrived." Yuan Keli stopped at the dock, straightened his clothes, and glanced back at his old friend who was about to "go down in trouble."

On the canal, a large passenger ship slowly approached.

Yuan Keli stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the ship.

Shen Yourong craned her neck and stood beside him, peering out.

Soon after, the boat docked and the gangplank was set up.

Two men came down first, one burly and the other lean and capable, and stood to the left and right.

Another handsome young man came down.

Finally, one person walked out.

He wore a dark blue flying fish robe, an embroidered spring knife at his waist, and a bronze mask with a qilin on his face.

He was robust and his steps were steady as a mountain.

The man stepped onto the dock, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on Yuan Keli, where he nodded slightly.

Shen Yourong stared at the mask for three breaths, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she abruptly turned to look at Yuan Keli, "This is Commander Gouchen?"

Such a strong presence.

Who exactly is this person with such an aura?

Before he could think further, Yuan Keli had already straightened his clothes, stepped forward to greet him, and bowed respectfully.

"This old minister greets the Commander-in-Chief."