Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 444 Notice to the Four Parties

Morning, July 28, the fourth year of the Yongli reign.

The Zhou army entered Beijing. Six years after Li Zicheng withdrew from Beijing, the Han army arrived at the northern capital again.

Meng Jun stood in front of the battle line and looked at the Yongding Gate in front of him. He saw the towering gate and majestic city walls, which were far superior to those of ordinary small cities.

Meng Jun was full of vigor and pointed at the city gate, saying: "I am entering the capital today, not to sit on the throne, but to take the imperial examination!"

Gu Yanwu, who was standing nearby, was stunned when he heard this, and asked in confusion, "What does your Majesty mean by this?"

Meng Jun laughed and said, "When Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he left the capital in a short time. Today, our army is entering Beijing, and we must not follow Li Zicheng's example."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanwu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if you have this thought, you have surpassed King Chuang. These days, I am sorting out the various malpractices of the former Ming Dynasty in detail and summarizing the lessons."

Meng Jun nodded and praised, "What you said is exactly what I think. The former Ming Dynasty had many problems. Officials were corrupt, taxes were heavy, the royal family was vassal, eunuchs, and bad gentry were all these. The people were living in misery. Only then did Li Zicheng and Zhang Xian raise their arms and shout loudly, and the people followed them. In the end, the country's fortune declined and disappeared. Therefore, if I want to revive the country, I must first eliminate the old problems, reform politics, reduce taxes, care for people's livelihood, and let the world recuperate, so that we can have long-term peace and stability."

After he finished speaking, Meng Jun gave an order and the army entered the city in an orderly manner. It was Meng Jun's first time entering the city of Beijing, and he saw that many shops along the way were closed, and most of the shops had a sticker with Zhou's words on it to show their respect.

Then, Meng Jun led several hundred riders to the Forbidden City. Walking along the Imperial Road, he saw palaces on both sides, with carved beams and painted buildings. This was very different from what Meng Jun had seen in his previous life. In the past, the Forbidden City always had a kind of old-fashioned flavor, but what he saw now was completely different.

The Forbidden City was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign, and it has been only over 200 years since then. Moreover, people have always lived in it during all these years. Therefore, when Meng Jun first saw the imperial city, he felt it was quite magnificent.

When they reached the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Meng Jun dismounted, entered the hall, climbed the nine steps, and saw the throne sitting quietly in the center. Meng Jun walked forward slowly and looked around. The hall was empty, with only Meng Jun's personal guards stationed nearby.

The dragon throne was high up, painted golden and decorated with auspicious dragons circling the pillars. A jade screen was embedded behind the throne. Meng Jun pondered for a long time, then turned around and faced outside the palace. He slowly sat down. This was not just a chair, but its meaning represented the world and the supreme power of this era.

In fact, the dragon chair was not comfortable to sit on. It was too wide, and the armrests on both sides were difficult to hold on to, so one could only sit upright. However, the moment he sat down, Meng Jun felt an inexplicable surge of pride in his heart. After a long while, Meng Jun laughed at himself and whispered, "The dragon chair is not easy to sit on!"

On the day of entering the city, Meng Jun issued various decrees to stabilize the capital. He then sent letters quickly to cities and towns to clarify the rules and regulations.

Meng Jun ordered the whole country to cut off their braids and eliminate the evil policies of the imperial court. He also ordered the army not to disturb the people and set up inspectors to investigate illegal activities. Secondly, he reduced corvée labor, stopped collecting Liao tribute, reduced the burden, and encouraged farming and sericulture.

At the same time, Gulbuha was sent to monitor the movements of the Qing army and reward the Northern Expedition Army. In Hebei, there were a large number of banners and villages left after the Qing court left. Meng Jun ordered the Qingluan Guard to investigate these places carefully. If the original owners could be found, they would be returned in full. If there were no owners, they would be taken back by the shogunate.

The reward for the soldiers this time was more land than gold and silver. Overall, the order of rewards was dividing land, promoting military ranks, awarding medals, and granting gold and silver.

In Henan, Hebei and the nine border areas, there were still cities where the Qing flag was raised. Therefore, Meng Jun decided to pacify them first, and then attack those who refused to comply.

Afterwards, Meng Jun issued an edict in the Forbidden City and announced it to all quarters. It read:

"I have received the will of Heaven and will of Man, and have taken charge of the two capitals, and have raised the king's army in the Central Plains, sweeping away the evils of the world and clearing up the interior of the country. Today, the barbarians are in panic and have fled to Liaodong. The country is now secure, and the barbarian dust has been cleared.

Therefore, I have consulted various strategies, pacified the four directions, and wished to win the hearts of the people. I will rule the country with ease, and all the land inside and outside the Great Wall is under my jurisdiction.

You, the common people, have suffered from war for a long time and experienced many hardships. Now you can rest with the people, engage in farming and sericulture, accumulate wealth, multiply your descendants, and enjoy the blessing of peace.

Wherever our army goes, we must implement benevolent policies, not disturb the people, prohibit violence and chaos, and issue decrees to all who are near and far, including Henan, Hebei, and the nine border areas, to submit. Anyone who disobeys will be regarded as a traitor and will be punished.

Those who follow the will prosper, those who go against it perish. You should seize the opportunity to change, abandon darkness and join light, share the peaceful world, and create a brilliant cause with a clear mind. "

In the autumn of the fourth year of the Yongli reign, the news of Meng Jun's occupation of the two capitals spread to all directions, shocking the whole country. When the news reached the small court in Kunming, the Yongli emperor and his ministers felt as if the sky had fallen and were at a loss.

…………

The emperor can save the world. In this world, the Zhu family cannot save it, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong cannot save it. So, Meng Jun came to save the world, so he should naturally be the emperor.

In the capital city, four generals of Zhou were having dinner in a restaurant. They were Qian Biao, Bai Yongfu, Zhao Yongping, and Hao Yongzhong.

At this time, three rounds of wine had passed. At this time, Zhao Yongping, who was a little tipsy, said: "Your Majesty has now occupied the two capitals, but the title is occupied by the small court in Kunming. People like Xiong Ruolin and Lu Zhenfei can't stay in Jinling City anymore. They keep writing to Your Majesty, either asking to come to Beijing or advising Your Majesty not to try to claim the throne."

Qian Biao drunkenly said: "What can't be done? His Zhu family can do it, the Aixin family can do it, and if you count the people before them, those with the surname Zhao and the surname Li, who hasn't been an emperor? Why can't the king be one?"

Bai Yongfu poured half a bowl of wine into his mouth in one breath, picked up a piece of fat meat with chopsticks, put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, nodding as he chewed, "Well, what Qian Biao said is reasonable this time. We have fought hard to conquer this world, and we can't just give it up like this."

Hao Yongzhong asked a few people with some doubt: "In this world, everyone with a discerning eye can see that it is only a matter of time before the king ascends the throne. What are these sour scholars doing?"

Zhao Yongping took a sip of wine and said calmly, "They are not making trouble for nothing. They want civil officials to make the decision on the king's ascension to the throne."

Zhao Yongping was originally a scholar, but after so many years of military career, in the eyes of many old scholars, he was no longer a scholar, but a member of the noble class.

Qian Biao was furious when he heard this and cursed, "Why? We conquered the world, and in the end, how can those old bookworms decide the matter of the king ascending the throne? No, I'm going to find the king. We can do it ourselves as far as becoming emperor!"

After saying that, Qian Biao, under the influence of alcohol, was ready to go straight to Meng Jun. The three people beside him couldn't stop him. Bai Yongfu said anxiously: "You don't know how to drink, but you insist on drinking. If you drink too much, you will cause trouble!"