The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 602: Southern Ming Tragedy
"The envoy from Qi has arrived!"

When the chief clerk of Jiujiang Prefecture heard some noise outside, he quickly signaled his guards to put away their swords.

Yuan Jixian barely escaped a disaster, but he was still unaware of it. He stood up and walked quickly to the door, shouting to the guards standing outside:

"Emissaries from Qi? Who let them into the city? When will I negotiate peace with the Qi invaders?"

Only one soldier replied, "Sir, it was Captain Duan from the Yue Sect who brought them here. They brought soldiers with them, so we can't stop them."

Commander Yuan waved his sleeves, and the peacock patch on the chest of his robe trembled violently with anger.

"...Duan Tianxing is rebelling! Someone come!"

Four or five servants immediately came in. Yuan Jixian pointed at them and said, "Go, kill all the people from Qi State for me, immediately!"

These servants, all trusted aides to Yuan Jixian, immediately headed for the door, swords drawn. A moment later, they returned and whispered something in Commander Yuan's ear.

"Ah? Qian Muzhai is here in person? Let him in."

The servant led Qian Qianyi and his party into the living room. The chief clerk and the personal guards stood at the door, looking ready to escape at any time.

Wei Zhao protected Qian Qianyi and Zhang Pu and walked in front, entering through the door one after another. Xu Jing, Wan Shao and the Jiangxi soldiers followed closely behind, and Li Zicheng was responsible for the rear guard.

Seeing that everyone was still carrying weapons, Yuan Jixian's servants quickly stood in front and shouted at Wei Zhao to take off his sword. Li Zicheng rushed towards the servant without saying a word. The servant was hit by the hammer and retreated five or six steps before hitting the wall.

The remaining servants drew their weapons, and Wei Zhao and others also took out their short crossbows and flintlock rifles.

The two sides pointed at each other in the living room of the Jiujiang Governor's Mansion.

The atmosphere was awkward and tense.

Zhang Pu immediately hid at the door and quickly started chatting with the chief clerk.

Qian Qianyi shouted sternly, "Wei Zhao, Li Zicheng, put down your weapons! I've said we're here to negotiate peace, not to fight!"

Wei Zhao stared at the servant opposite him and waved his hand suddenly. Several people behind him put down their crossbows at the same time. Yuan Jixian waved at the servants, and the servants also put away their weapons.

Yuan Linhou sat back on the armchair dejectedly. The sudden arrival of these uninvited guests showed that the Ming army in Jiujiang had long been disunited. Except for the servants in the house, few people were willing to be enemies with the Qi army.

Qian Qianyi looked up at Governor Yuan and said amiably, "Brother Linhou, it's been nearly fifteen or sixteen years since we last met in Nanjing!"

Yuan Jixian nodded slightly, as if he was agreeing, but also seemed to be immersed in his own world.

"Thinking back to those days, when you and I both passed the imperial examinations and traveled the Qinhuai River, we were so romantic. Time flies, and more than ten years have passed. I never thought we would meet here today. What a twist of fate!"

"Fate plays tricks on us. You and I each serve our own masters. Brother Mu Zhai went to the capital, and I stayed in Nanzhili. Now you are the butcher and I am the meat. A slight mistake can lead to a huge error."

Yuan Jixian laughed bitterly, and seeing Li Zicheng and the others were full of murderous intent, he said helplessly:

"You have been able to travel here unimpeded today, which shows that Jiangzhou is already wide open and powerless. Now, my Ming Dynasty is in trouble both internally and externally, and the soldiers are disunited. A group of treacherous villains in the court have not forgotten to impeach me. Now that things have come to this, I can no longer handle it alone. I only ask Brother Mu Zhai to consider our friendship and preserve my reputation as a righteous man and spare the lives of these servants of mine."

As he said this, he stood up and knelt before Qian Qianyi.

The five servants standing by saw this and shouted:

"We are willing to die with the Governor!"

Qian Qianyi quickly stepped forward, helped Yuan Jixian up, and said in surprise, "Brother Linhou, why do you have to do this? Why do you have to do this?"

He personally held the tea and handed it to Yuan Jixian. Yuan's face turned pale and he waved his hand to block the teacup. Suddenly, he reached for the scabbard, intending to draw the sword and commit suicide.

"Why is this necessary? The people of Jiangnan are very respectful to the Marquis of Lin. Our emperor is eager to seek talented people. If you can surrender to the Great Qi..."

A servant came up to help and snatched the sword from Yuan Jixian's hand. Qian Qianyi sat back in his chair, breathing heavily. He winked, and Wei Zhao took out an envelope from his pocket.

"This is the handwriting of the Supreme Emperor. Brother Linhou, why don't you take a look at it first?" Seeing that Yuan Linhou did not respond, Qian Qianyi tore up the envelope and handed over a few sheets of rice paper covered with handwriting. Yuan Jixian slumped in the chair and did not take it.

The chief clerk standing at the door finished talking to Zhang Pu, then strode forward, snatched the letter, unfolded it in front of everyone, and read aloud:

"Since the founding of our dynasty, we have eradicated tyranny, pacified bandits, annihilated the Eastern Tartars, exterminated the White Lotus, conquered Japan, and defeated the Rakshasas... Our magnificent military achievements have resonated throughout the ages, and the people are grateful for our kindness. This is the destiny of heaven! I wish to make peace with you and enjoy eternal peace, so I signed the Xuzhou Alliance to protect the people. How could you betray this alliance, kill the people of Xuzhou, and hurt my desire for peace?

Therefore, we raise an army to punish the evildoers.

The world does not belong to one person; those with virtue should rule it. The military and the people do not belong to one person; those with virtue should rule them.

Since the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, those who came from the northern deserts to rule China, though they used justice to suppress the unjust, invariably abandoned treachery and provoked provocations, demanding punishment and launching military action. Has any of them ever raised an army to suppress the enemy, to rescue and uphold justice, to drive out the sworn enemy of China, to avenge the vengeance of our late emperor (referring to the assassination of Zhu Youjian by Zhang Chun), to avenge the humiliation and eliminate the evil, and surpass the ages in the greatness of the Qi Dynasty?

Zheng Sen, the descendant of Zheng the traitor Zhilong, occupied the southeast and secretly assassinated Emperor Ming; he was also the descendant of the traitor Liang Yu, whose crimes are beyond description.

The former was just a small test. With a small force, he destroyed the Zheng rebels in Dengzhou and annihilated the Zuo bandits in Jiangxia, which shocked the whole world.

Today I lead a total of 810,000 ships, chariots, troops and horses, with the Yangtze and Han rivers as a moat, the Huaihai River as a belt, pointing my sword to the south of the Yangtze River, drinking water for my horses in Minyue, and directly attacking the enemy's lair to annihilate the pirates. To avenge your king and father, I will burn my boats and cross the river and will not retreat until the enemy is destroyed!

In every prefecture, county, and county he passed through, if anyone was able to abandon the Ming and surrender to the Qi, and show sincerity in paying tribute, he would be given titles and salaries, and his wealth and honor would remain for generations.

If there is resistance or disobedience, when the army arrives, both the good and the bad will be destroyed and everyone will be slaughtered. If you are determined to do this, it is the time for you to achieve fame and success. If you break your promise, how can you win over the world?

The righteous army comes to avenge your king and to fight against the common people.

Those executed today are only Zheng Sen, Zuo Liangyu, and Zhu Changying. Officials who return will have their posts restored, and civilians who return will have their jobs restored. There will be no harm done.

I have long heard that the Governor-General of Jiujiang, Yuan Linhou, is a man of self-discipline and integrity, and a man of integrity in his dealings with others. He possesses the talent of Fang Shu and Zhao Ruhu, and the determination of Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, and has achieved remarkable success in suppressing and sweeping the country when its situation was irreparable. As a minister, even if it means death, I am committed to my duties. Why should I fear?
However, the Ming court is now weak, and Lin Hou is trapped in Jiangzhou, using his remaining troops to hold back the royal army. He is like an ant trying to stop a tree, or an egg trying to stop a rock. Although he has the ambition of Zhang Xun and Tian Dan, he lacks the leadership of Emperor Wu of the Ming Dynasty.

Now we are trapped both internally and externally. Nanjing destroyed the Great Wall to avenge the enemy and to satisfy the one-day whim of the villains, and even killed them all. It even falsely accused Jiujiang of treason. Although there have been many unjust imprisonments in ancient and modern times, none is as serious as that of General Yuan... I feel sorry for Mr. Yuan.

In the past, Guan Zhong shot a hook at Duke Huan, who appointed him his father-in-law, helping him achieve his hegemony. If the Marquis of Lin leads the people of Jiangyou to surrender and protect the people, the vengeance of the late emperor can be avenged, your family and property can be protected, and your descendants can enjoy wealth and honor for generations to come. But the Marquis of Lin should think twice."

After reading the eloquent manifesto, Yuan Jixian's face was covered with tears.

Qian Qianyi struck while the iron was hot, leaned forward and whispered:

"Brother Lin Hou, this is filled with heartfelt words. You should know the depth of our emperor's intentions. To be honest, the Great Qi has undergone a complete transformation. With the Yangtze River as the dividing line, the north and south have different systems and laws. The south of the Yangtze River still follows the Ming system, while the north follows the Qi Dynasty's land system... In short, it's 'one country, two systems.' If you surrender, it's just a change of name. It won't hinder Brother Lin Hou from bringing peace to the world!"

Seeing that Yuan Jixian was hesitant, Qian Qianyi continued:

"Brother Linhou, do you know about the Xuzhou Alliance?"

Yuan Jixian nodded in confusion.

"Da Qi hasn't received any annual tribute from the Southern Ming for two years! That's all the money of the retired emperor! You say you eat the emperor's salary and die for the emperor, but let me ask you, where does your salary come from? Can you think of it this way, the salary given to you by those treacherous ministers actually belonged to our retired emperor..."

Yuan Jixian was speechless.

Having said that, he and Jiujiang, the city he defended, no longer had any reason or possibility to continue resisting.

The chief clerk and his personal guards knelt down and begged:

"General, surrender! What's so worth defending against in this Ming Dynasty? We're bleeding on the front lines, while Ruan Dacheng and Song Yingxing are enjoying themselves in Nanjing. Not only did the imperial court refuse to save Jiujiang, but they're also trying to put us to death. Surrender to the Great Qi and give the people of Jiujiang a chance to live!"

Yuan Jixian closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, knelt down and took the letter from Liu Zhaosun.

"I, the guilty minister Yuan Jixian, am willing to lead the army and people of Jiujiang to submit to the Great Qi and serve as the king's vanguard to recapture Jiangyou (Jiangxi). I beg the Supreme Emperor to forgive me and not harm the people of Jiangyou!"

Qian Qianyi was overjoyed and quickly helped his old friend up, laughing loudly and saying:

"Hahaha! With the Marquis Lin, Jiangyou can be conquered!"

(End of this chapter)