Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 472 Annihilation of the Northern Kong
In late October, as Lu Jin's order to kill Bei Kong reached Shandong, and with the northern front in Shandong secured, Zhu Liangzu, upon receiving the news, cunningly dispatched Wang Shicheng's 124th Division to carry out the mission.

Wang Shicheng was one of the same group as Tian Feng. They had previously followed Tuotuo in attacking the Yuan army in Xuzhou. After Hama ordered the disbandment of the front-line troops, the two of them led 30,000 soldiers to join the Shengwu Army.

Why was he specifically sent? Because he was there to take the blame. The veteran generals of Huaixi, like Feng Sheng and Zhao Zhongzhong, weren't stupid. They knew this wasn't a good job and didn't want to get their hands dirty, so they sent this unlucky guy.
After receiving the order, Wang Shicheng reluctantly led a regiment south along the Grand Canal to Jining. There, he encountered Yang Puxiong, an envoy sent by Lu Jin to carry out a mission. Upon seeing that Yang Puxiong was dressed in plain clothes and accompanied by a squad of imperial guards, Wang Shicheng asked in confusion, "Is this Mr. Yang sent by His Highness?"

"I am Yang Puxiong. I have been entrusted by Your Highness to carry out a mission in Qubu. This is the document Your Highness gave me."

Wang Shicheng took it and examined it. The inspection was correct, but this only made him more curious. "Why isn't the gentleman wearing official robes?"

"Uh," Yang Puxiong said somewhat awkwardly, but still explained, "I am new here and His Highness has not yet assigned me a formal official position, so I am not wearing official robes."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shicheng blinked, immediately understanding what was going on, and then asked, "May I ask where you come from, sir?"

"Well, I used to be a subject of the Xu-Song rebel army in Huguang. But this year, the Xu-Song army was defeated and its country was destroyed, and Your Highness's army went to Huguang, so..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Shicheng suddenly realized and said, "So you also just surrendered?"

Yang Puxiong quickly corrected, "Eh? How can this be called surrender? Xu Song is also a righteous army, not His Highness's enemy. At most, it can be considered as joining or submitting."

Wang Shicheng waved his hand, "It's all the same, it's all the same. I guessed it would be like this. Alas, we are all in the same boat."

Yang Puxiong wanted to correct him again, but upon hearing what he said, he immediately asked curiously, "Could it be that the general is also like that?"

Wang Shicheng wasn't so coy. He said bluntly, "I used to be a government soldier, no, a Yuan soldier. I went with Prime Minister Tuotuo to suppress the rebel army in Xuzhou. Who knew that there were treacherous officials in the court messing things up, and that Tartar emperor was out of his mind. He not only dismissed Prime Minister Tuotuo, but also forced us frontline soldiers to disband on the spot. Anyone who didn't disband their troops would be killed."

"Let them disband if they want. It's one thing if they don't pay their soldiers, but they don't even give them any rewards or compensation. Why should we risk our lives for the Tartars? At that time, His Highness's army was recruiting us, so I joined His Highness Prince Chu."

“I knew killing Confucius was no good thing. None of the generals from Huaixi went, so they dumped this task on us surrendered people.”

"Well, you can't say it like that."

To everyone's surprise, Yang Puxiong, after listening to his complaints, not only did not join in, but also comforted Wang Shicheng. In fact, he had come to terms with things on his way from Jiankang, and he was also worried that Wang Shicheng would not work properly and would cause trouble, so he immediately offered his advice.

"Since we have pledged allegiance to His Highness the King of Chu, we are now his weapons. Whoever His Highness commands us to kill, we must be able to kill. General, you must know that the most useful weapon is the one that obeys orders."

"Furthermore, His Highness has already determined that the Southern Confucianism in Quzhou is the legitimate lineage, while the Northern Confucianism is of impure blood and is descended from the Tartars. Regardless of whether this is true or false, we must make it true this time to prevent future troubles. This is the best outcome for His Highness, as well as for you and me."

At this point, Yang Puxiong leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Even if we bear some infamy a hundred years from now, it will be a great thing for the general!"

Wang Shicheng looked at him with some confusion, and Yang Puxiong lowered his voice again.

"The general said, what is the greatest fear of a commander? Of course, it is when his achievements overshadow his own. If he were a smart man, he would be eager to take the blame himself at this time. What a great opportunity to tarnish his own reputation! If I were the commander, I would be eager to take the blame for myself. But they gave this great opportunity to the general. This is extremely unwise."

After saying this, Yang Puxiong spread his hands and made a regretful face, while Wang Shicheng looked as if he had just realized something, and his eyes lit up.

Yang Puxiong then said, “If you succeed in this matter today, General, are you afraid that His Highness will forget you? If you handle this matter flawlessly, then you will be highly regarded by the Emperor. In the future, when His Majesty thinks of you, he will say, ‘Wang Shicheng is a useful and reliable person.’ Will you be afraid that you will not have the opportunity to make contributions in the future?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shicheng stared wide-eyed and exclaimed, "You scholars are so quick-witted! I don't think as clearly as Mr. Yang. According to Mr. Yang, this is indeed a good thing for us. So let's not delay any longer and set off now?"

"Walk."

Wang Shicheng immediately rushed off to mobilize troops, while Yang Puxiong watched his retreating figure and sighed, "Alas, what a mess he's made of."
On the day the two met, they led a regiment of field troops toward Yanzhou. At that time, Qubu was just a town under Yanzhou County, only about 80 miles away from Jining.

Two days later, the army arrived in Yanzhou City. Before they could even reach Qubu, they were discovered by the spies left in the city by the Kong family, who immediately rushed back to the Kong family to report the news.

At this time, Kong Kejian, the contemporary Duke Yansheng of the Northern Kong family, was hiding at home, hoping that Lu Jin would let him go as if he were invisible. This guy not only refused to surrender, but had also actively followed the Yuan army to suppress the rebel army. When the Shengwu Army marched north from Xuzhou, Kong Kejian even brought a militia from his hometown and ran to Jining to help the Yuan army fight. However, after the Yuan army was defeated, this old guy hurriedly led his troops back home.

Afterwards, as the Holy Martial Army swept across Shandong, Kong Kejian became increasingly afraid. These days, he has been hiding in the Confucius Temple to offer sacrifices. To put it bluntly, he was still feeling guilty and worried about being retaliated against by Lu Jin. He hoped to use the name of his ancestors to save his life, which is why he has been hiding in the Confucius Temple and not coming out.

But what you fear most is what happens. Just then, Kong Kejian's son, Kong Xixue, suddenly ran over in a hurry, shouting as he ran, "Dad, something bad has happened! The Red Scarves are attacking!"

Kong Kejian's heart skipped a beat, but he still pretended to be calm and scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered? Where did this Red Scarf come from? How could the Red Scarf possibly be in Qubu?"

"Oh dear, Father, it's that Chu army led by the Gongshu clan, they're coming towards our house!" Kong Xixue emphasized again.

Kong Kejian was panicking, but he retorted again, "Don't talk nonsense. Our family is descended from a sage. The Chu army may not be coming to Yanzhou just to take us. Go do what you need to do. Our family are all law-abiding citizens."

"Oh dear, Father! They've occupied Yanzhou City, closed all four gates, arrested the officials we had in the county government, sealed off our shops in the city, and then brought people to our house. They're definitely up to no good! Father, you have to think of something!" Upon hearing this, Kong Kejian's heart sank to the bottom. He lost all hope and hurriedly said, trembling, "Go, go, hide all the women in the family. Call all the men in the clan to the temple, have them grab their weapons, and get plenty of wine and meat to reward the army. When the Chu army arrives, we'll reward them first. If we still can't get through, then we'll talk about it later."

"I'm going right now!"

Kong Xixue agreed and immediately ran home to call for help. Before long, the Kong family was in chaos. All the members of the Kong clan and their soldiers and servants rushed to the Confucius Temple with their weapons. Including the servants and the 'volunteer soldiers' recruited earlier, there were more than a thousand people. Of course, plenty of pork, beef, mutton, wine and meat were also prepared.

When Wang Shicheng and Yang Puxiong arrived at the Confucius Temple, they saw thousands of people armed with knives, spears, clubs, darts, and even hoes, all standing in front of the temple, ready for battle. Wang Shicheng, riding on his horse, laughed upon seeing this.

"Wow, the news spreads pretty fast. We sealed the city gates immediately, but the news still leaked out. It seems the Kong family has a lot of connections in Yanzhou."

"That's fine too, this makes things easier. It saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one. Pass on my orders: the third and fourth battalions will flank them from the left and right, the auxiliary battalion will go around to the rear, and the scouts will keep watch on the outer perimeter. Don't let a single one of them escape!"

"Yes!"

Rumbling--

Thousands of armored soldiers immediately began to run wildly around the Confucius Mansion, quickly surrounding the family. Seeing this, the members of the Confucius clan were also afraid, and many of them stood in front of the temple trembling.

Just then, Kong Xixue helped his father, Kong Kejian, out of the crowd. The man wasn't old, only in his forties, but if his son hadn't been supporting him, he probably wouldn't have been able to stand up now.

Kong Kejian, still feigning ignorance, walked to the front of the battle and asked Wang Shicheng and Yang Puxiong, "I am the 55th generation descendant of Confucius and the Duke Yansheng of the current dynasty. May I ask what you two generals mean by this? My Kong family are good people of Yanzhou. If you are passing through here and lack provisions, the Kong family is willing to provide wine, meat and grain to support your army. Please do not disturb the sage in the temple, otherwise you may have difficulty explaining to His Highness the Prince of Chu."

Wang Shicheng completely ignored him, glanced at Yang Puxiong beside him, and immediately said, "Mr. Yang, I'm here to do the work, so you can handle the talking."

Yang Puxiong did not refuse and immediately dismounted and stepped forward. He then asked Kong Kejian, "Oh? You are the Duke Yansheng of this dynasty? Then I wonder which dynasty you are referring to? I don't remember our court ever bestowing the title of Duke Yansheng? General Wang, have you ever heard of it?"

"Of course not." Wang Shicheng immediately shook his head like a rattle drum.

Yang Puxiong then stared coldly at Kong Kejian and asked, "Then which dynasty's Duke Yansheng are you? Are you perhaps impersonating a court official?"

Kong Kejian was momentarily flustered and did not expect the other party to pick on this issue. The Duke Yansheng is the Duke Yansheng. It doesn't matter which dynasty it is. Even if Your Highness Prince Chu has not granted me the title now, won't you grant it to me in the future?

But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he dared not say them. Instead, he swallowed and said, "General, why ask such a question when you already know the answer? No matter which dynasty the Kong family is in, they will always be the Duke Yansheng. The reason why His Highness the Prince of Chu did not have time to confer a title upon the Kong family is simply because of the chaos of war during this period. The Kong family has not yet had time to go to Jiankang to pay homage. Does the General have some misunderstanding about the Kong family?"

"No matter which dynasty it is, he will be the Duke Yansheng? That's not necessarily true. His Highness told me personally that the Southern Confucius of Quzhou is the true lineage of Confucius. The Northern Confucius lineage has been interrupted for decades. This one is probably a barbarian bastard that the Tartars found somewhere. How can he be worthy of the title of Duke Yansheng? Isn't this an insult to Confucius?" Yang Puxiong said sarcastically in a serious tone.

When Kong Kejian heard the words "Southern Kong of Quzhou" and Lu Jin's words about the Northern Kong dynasty being discontinued for decades and the "bastards of the Tartars," he felt a pang of desolation. It was indeed coming to his home.

But he still pretended to be tough and said, "Absurd! This must be some villain who has come before Your Highness to slander the descendants of Confucius. The lineage of Confucius is pure and innocent. What you said are just rumors spread by petty people. I am not convinced. I demand to go to Jiankang to personally meet Your Highness and explain this matter clearly. I urge you two not to do anything unwise, lest you have difficulty explaining to His Highness the Prince of Chu."

Upon hearing this, Yang Puxiong replied indifferently, "No need, His Highness does not wish to see you."

"father!"

Upon hearing this, Kong Kejian's vision went black, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. His son quickly caught him, and after Kong Kejian recovered slightly, he asked again, "Then what are your plans in surrounding the Kong family with your troops today, Generals?"

Yang Puxiong took out an official document, cupped his hands in the direction of Jiankang, and said, "By order of His Highness, I have come to Qubu to arrest the Yuan imperial family."

Before Kong Kejian could speak, Kong Xixue hurriedly retorted, "This is the Kong residence. What Yuan dynasty royal family is this? You must have come to the wrong place. I advise you not to cause any trouble."

"Oh? Then how come we heard that this temple enshrines a Manchu prince who was bestowed the title of Wenxuan King? Isn't a Manchu prince a member of the Yuan imperial family?" Yang Puxiong asked, feigning confusion.

At this point, Kong Kejian could no longer hold back. He immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing as he said, "The Kong family is willing to revoke the title of King Wenxuan. As for the so-called barbarian bastards, they are all baseless rumors. I beg the envoy to be lenient and allow the Kong family to go to Jiankang to meet His Highness the King of Chu and explain things to him in person."

"No need. I've already said His Highness doesn't want to see a traitor like you."

Yang Puxiong immediately unfolded the document and read aloud, “The King of Chu’s decree: The Northern Branch of the Kong Clan, as descendants of Confucius, has forgotten their ancestors, betrayed their country for personal gain, and willingly served the barbarian chieftain as the Grand Master of Confucianism, thus encouraging the arrogance of the barbarians, which has led to our ancestral lands falling into the hands of barbarians for hundreds of years, and the land of China being filled with the stench of savagery.”

"The Confucius family is shameless and unrepentant. They even dare to defy the heavenly army. Even if Confucius were to be resurrected, he would never forgive you wicked beasts. Today, we must cleanse the family of Confucius and wipe out these barbarians who are impersonating his descendants."

"The entire Northern Kong clan was wiped out, including women, children, and the elderly. The Duke Yansheng, appointed by the barbarian chieftain, was executed by slow slicing for aiding and abetting the tyrant. The ancestral temple of the barbarian prince was razed to the ground!"
"Men, seize this Tartar who has been granted the title of Duke Yansheng!"

Thump—

Upon hearing this, Kong Kejian immediately fainted and fell to the ground.
(End of this chapter)