The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 410 That’s Not a Reason

Above the ruins of the Huangji Palace, it was as quiet as night, with black dust filling the air. Liu Zongzhou and his staff and personal soldiers were coughing violently as they held a simple and solemn funeral for the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youjian.

Several loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty knelt at the spot where the late emperor died for his country. Shi Kefa, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, wrote a eulogy for the late emperor on the spot while coughing violently:
On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the first year of the Hongguang reign of the Ming Dynasty, the year was Bingshen and the month was Renchen. Liu Xie, the Grand Secretary of the Dongke, the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, the Minister of War, and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, gazed at the capital from afar, bowed to the late emperor, and offered a sacrificial rite:

In the past, our Great Ming Dynasty was as virtuous as the sun and the moon. Its achievements in civil and military endeavors surpass those of the ancients and the moderns. When Emperor Taizu raised his rebellion, he was like the North Star. He drove out the invaders and plundered the land. During the reigns of Emperors Renzong and Xuanzong, and the reign of Emperor Hongzhi, the nation prospered. The people lived in peace and prosperity, and the world was at peace. In the last years of Emperor Shenzong, national fortunes declined. The traitor Liu Bei seized the opportunity to disrupt our order. The late Emperor succeeded to the throne, a ruler like Emperor Shun. He expelled the rebels and restored order.

Woohoo!

The great traitor Liu, a traitor, colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. He destroyed the pillars of the country and occupied Liaodong. The external troubles continued, and the internal invaders rose again, and the battle was launched...

Shi Kefa's rhythmic reading suddenly stopped because Liu Zongzhou and others standing nearby were looking back.

Shi Kefa turned around following the crowd's gaze and saw a tall and burly general riding a horse slowly approaching and arriving at the ruins of the Huangji Palace.

Behind the general was a group of soldiers. Shi Kefa was surprised to find that these soldiers were actually the Liaoxi soldiers brought by Wu Sangui.

"Liu Zhaosun!"

Some of Liu Zongzhou's staff had seen Emperor Wuding before, and the general before them was clearly Liu Zhaosun. The crowd immediately cried out in surprise:
"Liu... Liu thief!"

Emperor Wuding waved his hand, and Zhang Dong led three hundred Liaoxi soldiers to immediately surround the Southern Ming civil officials.

"Wu Sangui is dead, why don't you surrender?"

Liu Zongzhou was strong and calm, striding towards Emperor Wuding. Just after he took two steps, the Grand Secretary of the Dongke was held down by the Emperor Wuding's guards and ordered him to kneel down and kowtow.

"Why don't you kneel down when you see Emperor Wuding?"

Liu Zongzhou was quite stubborn and refused to kneel down. The guard raised his scabbard and was about to hit the old man's knee. Emperor Wu Ding raised his hand and the guard quickly retreated.

Emperor Wuding looked Liu Zongzhou up and down and asked:
"Who are you? What are you doing here? I am the only emperor in the world! Who are you worshipping?!"

On the way to the ruins of the imperial palace, Wu Sangui's servants had already told Emperor Wu Ding the details of Liu Zongzhou and others. Compared with Liu Zongzhou, his relative, the emperor was more familiar with Shi Kefa who followed him.

"Hmph! Liu Zhaosun, you traitor! You usurped the throne and defiled the imperial harem. Your wicked ambitions are the wrath of both humans and gods! You slaughtered countless people in the capital, causing countless suffering. It's a pity that I couldn't kill this traitor for my country! I'm so sorry that you're still alive!"

Emperor Wu Ding looked solemn and listened patiently to his relative's words, then said word by word:

"Submit to me and become the new Prime Minister of the Great Qi Cabinet, replacing Prime Minister Yang, or..."

Liu Zhaosun turned around and looked at Zhang Mazi who was holding a long knife.

"I will never be with a traitor like you..."

Emperor Wuding waved his hand, and Zhang Mazi, whose body was covered with blood scars, walked up to Liu Zongzhou with a long sword.

Shi Kefa witnessed this horrific scene, and without caring whether the tyrant would kill him or not, and without caring about the difference between good and evil, he rushed forward and shouted to Liu Zhaosun:

"General Liu is a great scholar of our time, with students and friends all over the world. This time, he is carrying out the emperor's order and leading the army north, just to bury the remains of the late emperor. You must not kill him. If you kill him, the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River will surely become enemies of Qi..."

Emperor Wuding's cold gaze fell on Shi Kefa. Shi Kefa was not afraid at all and continued, "Don't you want to be a Yao or Shun, a benevolent and righteous ruler?"

Liu Zhaosun said coldly: "No, I don't want to think about it now."

"Commander Liu has always been honest and loves the people. He is supported by the people. You can't kill a good official by mistake. You..." "That's not a reason!"

Zhang Dong raised his sword and brought it down. Shi Kefa howled miserably and punched the air. He stared at his mentor's severed head and body before he realized what was happening. He pointed at Emperor Wu Ding and cried angrily, "You, you killed innocent people indiscriminately! You traitor! You shall not die a good death!"

Liu Zhaosun looked indifferent and waved at Zhang Dong.

Zhang Mazi hacked and killed two more Southern Ming civil servants in front of the Minister of War. Screams were heard all around. Emperor Wuding, riding on his horse, looked down at Shi Kefa, whose face was covered in blood, raised his whip and said to the Minister of War:
"The first rule of being a tyrant is to kill innocent people. Kill the wicked and the good too. Do you remember this?"

"You, you..." Shi Kefa looked up at Liu Zhaosun and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, "You tyrant, you even want to kill Commander Liu. You and your Great Qi will soon perish violently, just like Gao Zhan of Northern Qi..."

Liu Zhaosun reined in his horse and walked up to Shi Kefa. He drew his goose-feather knife, placed the sharp blade against the neck of the Minister of War, and said word by word:

"You say Northern Qi was brutal, but that's because they were destroyed so quickly. Don't worry, my Great Qi will last for thousands of years and will never be destroyed. History books will write about me as the greatest emperor of all time, a benevolent and righteous ruler. Centuries from now, countless people will mention me, commemorate me, and write about my achievements in civil and military affairs!"

"History is written by the victors, and this time, I will win."

"Pooh!"

Shi Kefa's lungs were filled with too much black dust, and he spat a mouthful of thick phlegm at Emperor Wuding. The phlegm drew a parabola, but before it hit the target, it fell softly under the horse's hooves.

He ignored the madman and knelt beside the body of his mentor Liu Zongzhou, crying loudly. The few surviving staff members around him stayed away from him and did not dare to look at the ground.

That terrifying voice rang out again above everyone's heads.

"Now, I give you one last chance. Will you surrender to the Great Qi, or will you be beheaded like Liu Zongzhou?"

After Emperor Wu Ding finished speaking, he stared at everyone with a cold expression. After a moment, everyone knelt down.

Only Shi Kefa and guard Li Sheng were still standing there, standing out like a crane among chickens, and looking particularly conspicuous.

Guard Li Sheng quickly took out a long bow from his back, drew the bow and put an arrow on it, and suddenly shot at the tyrant in front of him. Zhang Dong and others did not expect that there was an archer among this group of staff, and they could not imagine that he was a sharpshooter. No one reacted in time, and the heavy arrow shot towards Liu Zhaosun like a meteor.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Under Emperor Wu Ding's gaze, the heavy arrow flew through the air like slowed-down willow catkins, drifting slowly. He stretched out his left hand, gently grasped the arrow's feathers, and with a slight force, the thumb-thick, armor-piercing arrow was crushed into pieces.

"Tyrant, I won't let you go even if I become a ghost!"

Li Sheng roared, dropped the bow in his hand, picked up a knife from the ground, and rushed towards Liu Zhaosun.

"That's not a reason."

Emperor Wu Ding said lightly, he turned to look at Zhang Dong, Zhang Mazi nodded, faced the rushing enemy, drew his sword and chopped off Li Sheng's head with a wave of his hand.

He did not stop, taking two steps at a time, and chopped again, killing Shi Kefa who was still cursing.

Emperor Wu Ding looked around. The dozen or so surviving Southern Ming officials were submissive and didn't dare to look up at the tyrant. Liu Zhaosun glanced at Zhang Mazi, who was red-eyed with killing intent. Zhang Dong stepped forward, holding up the bloody butcher knife and said to the crowd:

"The emperor didn't kill you, not out of pity, but because you are still useful. Whoever reveals Zuo Liangyu's true identity first will be spared!"

(End of this chapter)