Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 476: 1 Unification (7)

At the beginning of the new year, Wu Sangui surrendered to Meng. This became the first major event since the beginning of the fifth year of the Yongli reign. Now, not only people of insight knew that the unification of the Zhou Dynasty was unstoppable, but even old men in the village knew that King Zhou had received the Mandate of Heaven and that a change of dynasty was imminent.

Lu Zhenfei had been planning for a long time for Meng Jun to become emperor. He searched for auspicious signs in the two capitals of the north and the south, countless cities, and rural areas. After the news of Wu Sangui's surrender came, Lu Zhenfei and more than 600 city officials wrote to Meng Jun, asking him to ascend the throne and become emperor in order to correct people's hearts.

Among the civil officials, there were some who had different opinions on the process of becoming emperor. Wu Tai, Chen Zilong, Liu Zhongzao and a group of other civil officials wanted to control Emperor Yongli and force him to abdicate, in order to make Meng Jun have a more legitimate position.

Meng Jun actually knew that now he no longer had any psychological pressure about becoming emperor.

The Qing army withdrew from the Great Wall and Wu Sangui surrendered. Only Li Chengdong and Zheng Chenggong were still under the banner of the Ming Dynasty, while people like Li Dingguo and the Yongli court had retreated to the southwestern border.

To be honest, if Meng Jun had not attacked Wu Sangui in the back, according to the situation at the time, Zhu Youlang would definitely have fled to Burma again. As for whether the final outcome would be better than in history, Meng Jun didn't know.

In other words, if Meng Jun became emperor, the internal situation would be extremely stable. As for external situation, Meng Jun believed that even if Li Chengdong had three times the courage, he would not dare to say anything. The Zheng family, a corner of Fujian, could be pacified overnight. Moreover, the Zheng family was unlikely to fight to the death for Yongli. Therefore, at this time, the conditions for becoming emperor were ripe.

The world had been in turmoil for decades, and the Ming court had long lost the support of the people. Under the rule of Meng Jun, it no longer had any appeal. The people of the world needed a new dynasty, a new empire, to bring peace to the world.

But before that, the small Yongli court could not let things go on their own, so Meng Jun ordered Meng Hong to go to Yongchang, Yunnan, to persuade Emperor Yongli to abdicate.

It's not that Meng Jun has no way to get Emperor Yongli back now, but Meng Jun believes that if Emperor Yongli abdicates in the territory controlled by him, there will always be some bored people who will make irresponsible remarks, such as threatening the emperor and plotting to usurp the throne.

Emperor Yongli was in Yongchang and had the protection of Li Dingguo outside. Under such circumstances, wouldn't it be more realistic for him to abdicate?

Of course, if Yongli was unwilling and refused to cooperate, then this abdication drama would be a bit awkward. Of course, Meng Jun could directly proclaim himself emperor now and destroy the small court. But if Yongli was more sensible, he could live a peaceful and stable life.

After receiving the order, Meng Hong, under the urging of his ministers, did not even go home. He took a group of officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, got on a carriage, and rushed south without stopping.

…………

Wu Sangui surrendered, the Yongli court panicked, and Li Chengdong also panicked. He used to think that the world would be unified, so why would they have to fight for a few more years? A figure like Wu Sangui, who had been famous since the Chongzhen period, would at least be able to hold out for a while under Meng Jun's rule.

However, Li Chengdong had not expected that Zhou's army would enter Guanzhong so easily, and Wu Sangui looked so majestic. He had envied his title of King of Pingxi before, but now his tens of thousands of troops had to surrender. It was simply a shame.

Li Chengdong summoned his generals Luo Chengyao, Zhang Daoying and Wu Wenxian to discuss the current situation.

At this moment, Luo Chengyao said to Li Chengdong: "Your Majesty, we have fought so many battles with Meng Jun in the past. If we surrender to him now, I am afraid we will not have a good future."

Li Chengdong nodded, indicating that it made sense. Zhang Daoying next to him asked, "Your Highness, what are the conditions for Wu Sangui's surrender? Is it to a vassal state? If it is a vassal state, then we can accept this condition."

Hearing this, Li Chengdong said angrily: "What is Meng Jun? He is a sinister villain. Even if he is a vassal, he will try to weaken the vassal state whenever he has time. Besides, when I was leading the army to fight, Meng Jun was still a young boy. You want me to surrender to him? Dream on!"

Seeing that Li Chengdong was unwilling to accept even the conditions of the vassal state, Zhang Daoying changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty, if Wu Sangui surrenders, what should we do with the emperor?"

Li Chengdong sneered and said, "These days, it's really funny. The emperor hides in the border, and the ministers occupy the two capitals. And the ministers haven't said they want to rebel, and the emperor hasn't said they want to rebel. Both sides pretend not to know. This is really an anecdote for the ages, hahaha!"

Luo Chengyao was extremely disdainful of the imperial court and said, "Now it depends on how Meng Jun wants to be the emperor. If he is hypocritical, he can invite Yongli back and then stage a drama of abdication. Otherwise, he can directly become the emperor. Your Majesty, don't you see the civil servants under Meng Jun? They are simply sick. There is even a fool who comes to us to seek auspicious signs."

After they chatted for a while, Li Chengdong saw that Wu Wenxian was frowning, so he asked, "Wenxian, do you have any ideas?"

But Wu Wenxian said hesitantly: "Your Highness, Meng Zhou has already occupied most of the world. If we fight Meng Jun head-on, they will lose eight or ten times. We can't stand losing once!"

After hearing this, Li Chengdong also put away his smile and sighed, "Alas, I made a mistake that will bring eternal regret. Otherwise, I would have chopped off Meng Jun's head in Suzhou long ago. If it weren't for that idiot Jin Shenghuan three years ago, I would have rushed into Nanjing long ago. Maybe I would be sitting in Beijing now!"

Several people looked at each other at Li Chengdong's fantasy words, and Wu Wenxian pulled Li Chengdong back from the fantasy world with just one sentence.

Wu Wenxian said: "Your Majesty, once Wu Sangui surrenders, Lin Shiqi and Zhao Yongping will lead hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Nanning. Whether to fight or make peace, Your Majesty, you must make a decision early!"

Li Chengdong said bitterly: "I will never bow to Meng Jun. I would rather be a bandit than kowtow to Meng Jun!"

At this time, Luo Chengyao said to Li Chengdong proudly: "Old Yan has already invaded Annan. If it doesn't work out, we can go to Annan and become the local landlord. It will be better than having to face other people's faces in the future."

Li Chengdong nodded and said, "Yes, Cheng Yao is right. We can't stay in the Central Plains any longer. It would be nice to go to Annan and become the ruler of a small country. It would be free and happy. I think Yan Keyi's troops are still a little too few. Annan is also a country, and 20,000 troops are indeed a bit difficult."

At this point, Li Chengdong immediately ordered Luo Chengyao to lead another 23,000 troops to rush to the aid of Annan. Then he sent a team of troops to the small court in Yongchang and ordered them to bring his adopted son Li Yuanyin back as soon as possible. That damn Jinyiwei commander should stop doing this job. If he continues, he will surely lose his life.

After discussing with the generals for a long time, Li Chengdong ordered the garrison in Guangdong to begin collecting money and food and recruiting able-bodied men. He had already made preparations for the irreversible consequences and led his people to flee to Annan.