Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 242 I suspect you of treason, you better actually do it!
"This is impossible!"

Meng Gong did not accept the imperial edict, but solemnly shook his head and said, "Back then, Shandong was the front line, and all the families of officers above the rank of commander were sent to Lin'an. With His Majesty issuing an edict, who would dare to disobey?"

"This battle of Xiangyang lasted for more than three months, from the time Zhao Shuo entered the Jinghu region to the time the Han River was cut off. If His Majesty had intended to, he would have issued an imperial edict long ago, ordering all the generals of Xiangyang, including myself, to send their families to Lin'an by water. Why did you, Chancellor Wei, only now imprison my family?"

Wei Liaoweng sneered, "Meng Gong, do you think His Majesty is stupid? When the generals of Henan surrendered to Zhao Shuo, did the court confiscate their property and exterminate their families?"
"If you surrender Xiangyang, even if your family is in Lin'an, what can His Majesty really do to them? Here, however, I will handle everything myself. What does it have to do with His Majesty?"

Snapped!
As he spoke, Wei Liaoweng threw the imperial edict directly in front of Meng Gong.

This imperial edict was, of course, not a proper one. A proper imperial edict in the Song Dynasty required the emperor to issue the decree, the Secretariat to draft it, the prime minister to sign it, the emperor to affix his seal, the Chancellery to review it, the Ministry of Personnel to issue it… and so on—a whole series of procedures that made secrecy impossible.

This imperial edict was a secret edict handwritten and sealed by Emperor Zhao Yun of the Song Dynasty.

When applied to civil officials, a simple "This is a chaotic order, I dare not obey it" would suffice.

However, when applied to military officers, they have no choice but to comply.

Now that Prime Minister Wei Liaoweng is carrying out this decree, it is equivalent to the prime minister signing and affixing his seal on the decree, making it even more effective.

"The siege of Xiangyang concerns the safety of the entire nation. I urge Prime Minister Wei to consider the country's interests and disregard his own safety, acting expediently as he sees fit. Meng Gong is a military man, lacking a sense of the bigger picture. If necessary, Prime Minister Wei can imprison his family to solidify his resolve to defend the city. If Meng Gong insists on surrendering, Prime Minister Wei may act decisively!"

The imperial edict contained only a little over a hundred characters, yet each character carried immense weight, striking Meng Gong's head and leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

"For the sake of the country, Prime Minister Wei disregarded his own safety and acted expediently!"

"Meng Gong is a military man; he lacks a sense of the bigger picture!"

"If Meng Gong insists on surrendering, then Prime Minister Wei should act decisively!"

"I understand! I understand!"

"So this is how the court views Chancellor Wei, and how it views me, Ruo Menggong! I have overestimated us military men, and overestimated myself!"

"Haha! Hahaha!"

Holding the imperial edict handwritten by the Song emperor, Meng Gong burst into laughter, appearing almost manic!
Wei Liaoweng frowned, stood up abruptly, and said, "Meng Gong, stop pretending to be crazy! The imperial edict is here. Will you obey it or not?"

"Then I have a question for Prime Minister Wei: what does 'acting decisively' mean? Does it mean killing my entire family, including my infant grandson?"

"You could think so."

"I have one last question. After the city falls, I, Meng Gong, will naturally refuse to surrender. If Zhao Shuo wants to kill my entire family, then naturally my whole family will have served the Song Dynasty loyally and will die without regret. But it is also possible that Zhao Shuo will show mercy and not kill my family. At that time, I wonder if my family will still be alive?"

Wei Liaoweng replied without hesitation: "If General Meng is truly righteous and chooses to perish with the city, your family will naturally not tarnish your reputation."

He paused, softened his tone, and said, "General Meng, given the state of the nation, you cannot blame the court and me for being so harsh on you. According to the court's plan, my Lianghuai army, the elite troops of Sichuan, and the Imperial Guards will all do their utmost to aid Xiangyang. This city must not be lost."

"If you defend Xiangyang well, I will not only ensure the safety of your family, but also promote you to a higher rank after the war. I will also personally apologize to you and your mother."

"But if you can't hold Xiangyang, or if you surrender to Zhao Shuo, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"understood."

Meng Gong was so angry that he trembled all over, his face turned ashen, and he turned and retreated.

"Wait! Leave the imperial edict behind!" Wei Liaoweng shouted.

The eight Imperial Guards in the hall also blocked Meng Gong's way.

"So Prime Minister Wei also knew that this imperial edict was something that couldn't be made public!"

Meng Gong grew increasingly disdainful, and without hesitation handed the imperial edict to the imperial guards in front of him before leaving the hall.

Wei Liaoweng watched his departing figure and snorted, "You ungrateful wretch! What I and the court did was to ensure that your Meng family would be remembered as loyal martyrs for all time, not as traitors and villains, forever infamous!"

"Well...that's true."

The Song Dynasty court dispatched Feng Yi, a palace guard, to protect Wei Liaoweng. He led five hundred elite imperial guards with him to Xiangyang.
Controlling Meng Gong's family was naturally done by Feng Yi, who led 500 imperial guards on Wei Liaoweng's orders.

Although he was carrying out this task under orders, Feng Yi, being a military man, couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow seeing Meng Gong, who had already risen to the position of Commissioner of Jinghu, treated in this way.

He said, "In my humble opinion, General Meng is utterly loyal to the court and shows no signs of rebellion. Are we being too hasty in our actions?"

"rash?"

Wei Liaoweng glared at Feng Yi and said, "It's too late to start a rebellion once you see signs of it. We must take precautions!"

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Prime Minister Wei."

Feng Yi dared not argue with the current prime minister and nodded in agreement.

Of course, Wei Liaoweng needed Feng Yi to do things for him, but he was unwilling to put too much pressure on him.

He waved his hand, ordering the other armored soldiers in the hall to leave, leaving only Feng Yi behind.

He said, "Actually, His Majesty has another secret decree with me. In a few days, we will act in accordance with this secret decree."

"There's also a secret edict? What does that secret edict say?"

"look."

As they were talking, Wei Liaoweng took out another secret edict.

"Ah! How...how could this be?"

When Feng Yi saw it, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head in the dead of winter, chilling him to the bone. He exclaimed in surprise.

It turned out that the imperial edict instructed Wei Liaoweng to use his persuasive tongue to convince Meng Gong's over seventy-year-old mother to understand the greater good and to sacrifice herself so that Meng Gong would not worry about his mother's life and death, but instead be loyal to the country.

If Meng Gong were to surrender to Zhao Shuo at that time, he would be considered disloyal and unfilial.

Isn’t this too much?
Meng Gong showed no sign of rebellion, yet the court wanted his mother dead!

"Keep your voice down!"

Wei Liaoweng quickly put away the imperial edict, saying, "This matter should only be known to you and me; we must not let a third person know about it."

"But...but...what if you can't persuade Meng Gong's mother? Are you suggesting we should..."

The Song emperor's moral bottom line was too low, and Feng Yi had already considered that terrifying possibility.

Wei Liaoweng, however, saw nothing wrong with it and nodded, saying, "For the sake of the country, why should we care about an old woman? I'll practice imitating the old lady's handwriting these days, and I guarantee that it will be indistinguishable from the real thing!"

"Chancellor Wei is a man of great talent; he is truly a blessing to the nation!"

Feng Yi was speechless and could only casually flatter Wei Liaoweng.

……

……

That night, at the second watch.

Inside the city of Xiangyang, in the office of the Governor of Jinghu, the lights in Meng Gong's room still shone brightly.

"Hey!"

After a long sigh, Meng Gong swallowed a cup of sorrowful wine.

Now that things have come to this, he really doesn't know what to do.

Meng Gong was certainly aware that in the Song Dynasty, civil officials were valued more than military officials.

Meng Gong, of course, personally experienced all sorts of injustices suffered by military men in the Song Dynasty.

Whenever the court acted unjustly, he had to act on the orders of the court while trying his best to appease the soldiers and keep them loyal to the emperor and patriotic. He was truly caught in the middle.

Sometimes, Meng Gong would envy the generals under Zhao Shuo. They didn't have to worry about all sorts of messy things; as long as they fought bravely, they could rise to prominence. They were all under the Zhao Emperor's command, so why was there such a huge difference between the Northern and Southern Emperors?
But it was only for a fleeting moment. What kind of loyal subject serves a second lord? What kind of good woman remarries because she finds another man attractive?
Whenever this thought arose, Meng Gong would quickly shake his head and erase it from his mind.

However, the Song Dynasty court has gone too far!

They actually wanted his entire family to perish with Xiangyang!

Indeed, Meng Gong was willing to die for the Song Dynasty. His brothers, who were paid by the court, were also willing to die for it, so there was nothing wrong with that.

But what about his two sons and one grandson?

What about his elderly mother with her white hair?

What about the women and children of the Meng family?

These people didn't take a single penny from the Song Dynasty court!

If they were killed by the enemy in a fit of rage after the city fell, that would be one thing—it was just bad luck. But what about being killed by the Song Dynasty court?

As for whether the Song Dynasty could hold Xiangyang?
Meng Gong would never believe it, not even if you beat him to death!

"I'm willing to be Zhang Xun of the Song Dynasty, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to have my whole family buried with the Song Dynasty!"

It must be noted that, according to the moral values ​​of the time, it was perfectly acceptable for someone who received a salary from the imperial court to die for the country out of loyalty.

However, that doesn't mean their entire family was sold to the imperial court.

Take Wen Tianxiang, a famous figure in history, for example. He himself wrote, "Since ancient times, who has ever escaped death? Let my loyal heart shine in history."

However, he did not object to his brother's loyalty to the Yuan Dynasty.

The actions of Wei Liaoweng and the Song Emperor today have truly crossed Meng Gong's bottom line!
How to do?
To oppose or not to oppose?
Meng Gong became increasingly depressed as he thought about it, and downed another glass of wine.

Just then, someone came to report that Feng Yi, a guard of the Imperial Guard, was requesting an audience.

With his entire family under the control of the Imperial Guards, Meng Gong dared not be negligent and quickly ordered someone to invite Feng Yi in.

"General Meng, don't hesitate any longer! Rebel! The Song Dynasty is beyond saving!"

Feng Yi's first words to Meng Gong were earth-shattering.

"What? You're advising me to rebel?" Meng Gong looked at Feng Yi with suspicion.

"Yes, this day I led men to detain your family, forcing you to serve your country. Tonight, however, I have come personally to urge you to rebel. Because the court has gone too far! It's not that you have wronged the court, but that the court has wronged you..."

Feng Yi then explained the matter of the other secret decree to Meng Gong in detail.

"Is this true?" Meng Gong stared intently into Feng Yi's eyes and asked, "Did you bring that secret edict?"

"How is that possible?"

Feng Yi smiled bitterly, "Wei Liaoweng is meticulous in his actions. How could he possibly let that secret edict fall into my hands? But think about it carefully, what benefit would it bring me if I tricked you into rebelling? My family is still in Lin'an!"

"That's right."

With the previous imperial edict as a precedent, Meng Gong didn't have much doubt about the authenticity of this one.

This imperial edict suddenly became the last straw that broke the camel's back!
The Song court's decision to kill Meng Gong's mother had truly touched a raw nerve with Meng Gong!

Meng Gong gritted his teeth slightly and said, "As the ancient saying goes, if a ruler treats his subjects like his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the ruler like their own heart and soul; if a ruler treats his subjects like dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the ruler like a fellow countryman; if a ruler treats his subjects like dirt and weeds, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy. Today, Zhao Yun has been unkind to me, so don't blame me for being unjust to him!"

"When will General Meng make his move? That way I can go back and prepare to ensure the safety of your family," Feng Yi said.

"There's no time to lose, let's do it tonight."

Since deciding to take action, Meng Gong felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, and his mind became exceptionally sharp.

He said, "I know about the Imperial Guard system. Although you are a member of the Imperial Guard, Feng Yi, it is difficult for you to command your subordinates as you see fit. Go back and prepare quickly, and do your best to ensure the safety of my family."

"Yes!"

Feng Yi accepted the order and hurriedly left.

Then, Meng Gong shouted loudly, "Guards!"

"exist!"

"Summon all generals of command rank and above to my central command for a meeting! Keep it quiet and maintain secrecy!"

"Yes."

To take action against Wei Liaoweng, Meng Gong didn't need to mobilize a large force; sending his brother Meng Ying with his personal guards would have been enough to get the job done.

Meng Gong's main task now is to appease the generals and prevent any unnecessary trouble.

Before long, Meng Zhang, Meng Zhu, Zhang Jun, Liu Quan, Liu Zheng... forty-seven generals gathered in Meng Gong's central army.

At the same time, shouts of killing could be heard near Wei Liaoweng's residence.

Meng Gong said, "Everyone has heard about Prime Minister Wei's detention of my family, right? Now, I have just received a tip from Feng Yi that there is another secret imperial edict..."

After explaining the secret edict, he slowly looked at the faces of his generals and said, "The Southern Zhao Emperor has fallen so lowly that he is unworthy to be a ruler. The Northern Zhao Emperor is wise and mighty and deserves to rule the world. Today, my mind is made up. I will rebel against this Great Song Dynasty and submit to the Northern Zhao Emperor. I will lead my brothers to seek a better future! Who agrees? Who disagrees?!"

"The commander-in-chief should have rebelled long ago!"

"It's time to rebel ever since Cao Shixiong was forced to his death by the treacherous minister!"

"When we returned from the Northern Expedition, the imperial court withheld our rewards!"

"The day has finally come! Commander, you've finally come to your senses!"

"Both the officials in the north and south are surnamed Zhao, but the Zhao officials in the south are not even worthy to carry the shoes of the Zhao officials in the north! We are willing to submit to the Zhao officials in the north!"

"The warriors of the Song Dynasty will also display their might in foreign lands and expand our territory! Haha!"

……

The generals all loudly agreed.

Liu Zheng shouted the loudest: "If everyone follows the four generals to surrender to the Zhao emperor in the north, we will no longer have to suffer the wrath of the corrupt emperor and treacherous ministers of the Song state, and we will be promoted and make a fortune!"

Meng Gong had originally thought that several military generals would voice their opposition, and he was prepared to let Meng Zhang take drastic measures.

Unexpectedly, he had worried unnecessarily. The generals had long felt that the State of Song had no future and were fed up with the humiliation of the civil officials; they had long wanted to defect to Zhao Shuo. They were just a little embarrassed because Meng Gong had treated them so well.

With Meng Gong leading the way, what is there to worry about?
Moreover, Zhao Shuo's high regard for Meng Gong was obvious to even a blind man. If everyone followed Meng Gong to serve the Zhao emperor in the north, why worry about not achieving great success?

They also wanted to experience the status and position of the Han Chinese Eight Banners, and even more so, they wanted to expand the country's territory and leave their mark on history!

Why should only northerners enjoy such auspicious occasions as sealing the wolf's lair and inscribing the Yanran Mountain? We are all Han Chinese; southern Han Chinese should also go to foreign lands to show their prowess!
However, at this moment—

Deng Deng Deng~~
With a series of hurried footsteps, Meng Ying rushed into the central command tent.

"Fourth Brother! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's the matter?"

"Although we rescued our families, our mother... she has already..."

"how?"

"He has passed away!"

(End of this chapter)