Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 209 Jinling City (1)

Jinling City.

In a house in the inner city, several Jinyiwei dressed in Feiyu uniforms stood outside the door. Occasionally, there were black-armored soldiers passing by the door, and there were also Jinling people with braids. The three kinds of costumes appeared at the same time, which seemed so out of place.

In the silent room, Commander Zeng Daowei knelt in front of the table. In front of him was the spirit tablet of Emperor Shaowu. A few incense sticks were lit on the table, and smoke was rising.

Zeng Daowei was dressed in plain clothes, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, with tears in his eyes. The staff beside him was also dressed in white, standing quietly by the side without making a sound.

As time passed, Zeng Daowei slowly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, wiped away his tears, and tried to stand up, but his legs were numb after kneeling for so long. The aide hurried forward to support him, but Zeng Daowei stretched out his hand to stop him and stood up by himself.

When the two returned to the hall, Zeng Daowei said in a low voice: "It was the misfortune of the country that caused the mountains to collapse. The emperor ruled the country, but unfortunately he was captured by the enemy when the war came. In the end, he committed suicide to save the country. How sad! The sky collapsed and the earth split, the sun and the moon lost their light, I wept blood and pierced my heart, how dare I not mourn."

"Boss, don't be sad, please take care of yourself," the aide hurriedly comforted.

"The emperor died for his country, and now only the line of King Gui can inherit the throne. The country is in a precarious situation and we must not allow any more disputes. I have decided to meet Meng Jun again and make him withdraw from the Southern Capital and welcome the emperor." Zeng Daowei said in a firm tone.

"Alas, Lord Dong, Meng Jun will never withdraw from Nandu. He has put in so much effort, how could he give it up for nothing? You see, he proclaimed himself king without any imperial decree, his intention is clear. Lord Dong, as a minister of the emperor, now in the city of Jinling..." The aide looked at Zeng Daowei's white-haired appearance and couldn't bear to continue.

Zeng Daowei sighed and said, "Go on, I can still hold on."

"In Jinling City, it's not just Meng. The generals and officials at all levels in the army treat the commander-in-chief as nothing. They don't follow his orders and they don't stop. Although the commander-in-chief has the tiger talisman and the power in his hands, he is like a puppet. Although he has the title of commander-in-chief, he actually has no power at all. For now, I have three strategies to offer you. If the Lord is willing to do one of them, please implement it."

"Say it"

"These three strategies are equally good. First, the commander has served as an official for decades and has served several emperors. If he follows Meng Jun, he will be treated as a distinguished guest. Even if he has no power, he can still enjoy his old age. Second, he can leave this place where there is no place to go and go to Guangxi by sea to surrender to Emperor Yongli. However, if he does so, the boat will be exhausted and Guangxi will be in chaos. Even if the Western bandits surrender, their power will be great. I am afraid they will become the second Zheng family."

The staff paused for a moment and then said, "Third, the Lord of the East can pretend to obey Meng Jun and stay by his side, secretly contacting the ministers who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and wait for the right time. If Emperor Yongli wants to do something, then contact him. If Yongli is incapable of ruling, Meng's army is now unstoppable, so we can rule across the river. When the time is right, we can take advantage of Meng's unpreparedness, kill him or imprison him, and then establish a new emperor to restore the country!"

Zeng Daowei narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and said, "I have received the emperor's grace, how can I surrender to the bandits and go to Guangxi? I am old and in my twilight years, I can't carry anything, I can't lift anything with my hands, I am useless to the country, so I will use the third strategy, endure the humiliation and hide in the bandit camp, I hope that the heavens will have mercy on me and help me fulfill my long-cherished wish!"

……

In the city, Liu Guquan looked at Meng Bian with tears in his eyes, which made Meng Bian a little scared. He said hurriedly: "Alright, alright, I haven't even started to scold you yet, but you're already crying."

Liu Guquan said aggrievedly: "Lord Meng, I am not guilty of anything. I finally found an opportunity to sneak attack the city gate, and this was approved by the king. I also opened the gate, but who knew that Qian Biao didn't rush in. It's a waste of such a big guy."

"I went to check Dinghuai Gate the other day. The gate was too small and was blocked by the Qing army and bombarded with artillery. Forget it. Where have you been hiding these days? I heard that Hong Chengchou searched the entire city but couldn't find you."

"Sir, I am hiding in Qian Qianyi's mansion and am taken in by Madam Liu." Liu Guquan replied.

"That Qian Qianyi bastard" Meng Bian curled his lips and did not comment.

At this time, Liu Guquan asked hesitantly: "Sir, Qian Qianyi made some contributions when the army entered the city, so he should be fine, right?"

"How should I know? Anyway, the king hates this man, so don't ask me to plead for him," Meng Bian said unhappily.

"Isn't it because Madam Liu saved my life?" Liu Guquan said, touching his head.

"Okay, I just arrived in Jinling not long ago, and you have been here for so long, you should find a good place for our intelligence agency. It should be big, bright, and majestic." Meng Bian instructed Liu Guquan.

"Okay, I'll go right away. It's just Madam Liu's business..."

"Let me ask, get out of here," Meng Bian waved his hands and cursed.

"Yes, I'll get out of here right away," Liu Guquan said, and ran away.

Meng Bian looked at Liu Guquan's fast figure, a smile appeared on his face, he shook his head and returned to the Governor's Mansion.

"Young Master," Meng Bian called out respectfully.

"came back"

"I just met with Liu Guquan and explained some things to him."

Meng Jun nodded, and then said seriously: "The internal monitoring agencies of the Investigation Department must take action, especially in Nanjing. Nanjing has just been restored, and undercurrents are surging. There must be people with ulterior motives. The Investigation Department is our eyes and ears. Send out all the spies. Now that the Governor's Office is moving to Nanjing, it is a good time, understand."

"Yes, your Majesty," Meng Bian said straightly.

"In private, call me Young Master," Meng Jun said with a smile. Meng Bian was the person he trusted the most.

Meng Bian, this name is now heard by all forces in the world. The spy department he is in charge of has gradually become a huge dark force in the development over the years. Meng Jun knows that this kind of force cannot be maintained by personal affection alone, and must be split and balanced in the future, but definitely not now.

"Yes, young master, I will listen to you." Meng Bian showed a bright smile on his face.

"By the way, young master, I have two small things I want to ask you," Meng Bian said in a low voice.

"Say it, but it doesn't hurt to say it"

"First of all, Master promised me that you would change the name of the Investigation Department. Is this still possible?"

"Change the name again. Is it not okay for me to name you, young master? Then what name do you want to come up with?" Meng Jun frowned and said unhappily.

Meng Bian said confidently: "The name of the Tingting Division sounds like a spy, which is not grand enough. How about the name of the Young Master Tingfeng Pavilion?"

"Tingfeng Pavilion? It has too much of a martial arts atmosphere, it won't work." Meng Jun rejected the name as soon as he heard it.

"There are alternatives. Young master, please choose one. Qingluan Guard or Plum Blossom Guard." Meng Bian immediately responded.

"Qing? Mei?" Meng Jun felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't remember it. Seeing Meng Bian's expectant expression, he picked one at random and said, "Then let's call it Qingluan Guard. It sounds more elegant."

"Thank you, young master," Meng Bian thanked him happily.

"Young Master, there is one more thing. Although Qian Qianyi is guilty, he secretly sheltered Liu Guquan, the deputy commander of the Intelligence Department, and planned to start the Yifeng Gate. Can he be given a lighter sentence?" Meng Bian asked cautiously.

"The list of rewards for the generals in the army and the meritorious men in various places has not been prepared yet, and the names of those to be punished have not been decided either. As for Qian Qianyi, humph, even if we don't kill him, we don't want to see him again."