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

Chapter 243 Meng Gong: King Zhao Shuo, you've given far too much!
"What did you say?"

Meng Gong hurried a few steps to Meng Ying's side and asked in a trembling voice, "Mother... how is she?"

"He's gone! He was killed by Wei Liaoweng himself!"

Meng Ying said, "Feng Yi was distracted all afternoon, which was noticed by his deputy Li Jin. He secretly followed Feng Yi and saw him enter your residence, so he quickly went back to inform Wei Liaoweng."

"Wei Liaoweng felt that the Imperial Guards were unreliable, so he immediately ordered Li Jin to take control of them. As soon as Feng Yi returned, he was immediately arrested and interrogated. Then, Wei Liaoweng ordered his thirteen henchmen to take control of Mother and your family. The remaining Imperial Guards were to take control of the families of the other people."

The word "傔从" translates to "attendant" or "servant" in modern Chinese.

In other words, these people were Wei Liaoweng's personal men who came to Xiangyang this time.

After a pause, Meng Ying continued, "Afterwards, Wei Liaoweng sent seventeen attendants with his secret orders to contact the military commanders and guards, instructing them to control the army and guard against your rebellion."

"However, we acted too quickly. Before those seventeen guards even had a chance to leave, I arrived with my men. Most of the Imperial Guards were on our side and took the initiative to protect our families. So, we rescued most of our families without much effort."

"But Wei Liaoweng and his thirteen henchmen have taken control of Mother and your family. He ordered his henchmen to kill Mother and your family. Since the henchmen dared not lay a hand on her, he personally attacked Mother!"

Boom!
After saying this, Meng Ying kowtowed heavily to the ground and said, "I am incompetent and failed to protect Mother. Please punish me, Fourth Brother!"

"Get up. If you are guilty, then what crime am I guilty for letting my mother fall into Wei Liaoweng's hands without warning?" Meng Gong's tiger-like eyes were filled with tears as he gritted his teeth and asked, "Is Wei Liaoweng still alive?"

"Live him! Killing him with one blow is too easy for him!"

"Good! The hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable! This blood debt belongs to Wei Liaoweng, but even more so to that tyrannical emperor of the Song Dynasty! Let's first dismember Wei Liaoweng, then surrender to King Zhao Shuo, march on Lin'an, and settle accounts with that tyrannical emperor!"

"Okay!" Meng Xi, Meng Zhang, Meng Zhu, Meng Xuan, and Meng Ying agreed in unison.

"Let me also strike Wei Liaoweng! The old lady has been incredibly kind to us, and I want to avenge her!" Zhang Jun said with tears in his eyes.

Zhang Jun was not only Meng Gong's top general, but also Meng Gong's father Meng Zongzheng's top general.

Many of the generals in Jinghu had received favors from the old lady.

Now that Mencius' mother has died tragically, it's not just the brothers Meng Gong who are heartbroken; all the generals present are also filled with righteous indignation!

"And I!"

"And I!"

"Add me to the list! Not only will we avenge the old lady, but we'll also avenge Brother Cao!"

……

The generals all volunteered to take command.

Firstly, everyone hated Wei Liaoweng.

Secondly, wasn't he about to surrender to Zhao Shuo? Slicing the Song Dynasty's prime minister alive would be the best way to pledge allegiance!
Before long, Wei Liaoweng was brought to the scene.

"Meng Gong, you traitorous scoundrel, you have indeed rebelled!"

"I did absolutely nothing wrong! My only regret is that I didn't discover your wolfish ambitions sooner!"

"Though I die today, my name will be remembered for eternity! But you, Meng Gong, will be infamous for ten thousand years!"

……

Even on his deathbed, Wei Liaoweng remained stubbornly unrepentant.

In his view, if he, as the prime minister, was willing to die in Xiangyang, why wouldn't others? Meng Gong's status was far inferior to his own, let alone his mother's. Even if he intended to kill Meng's mother, what wrong had he done? For the sake of the country, why should he care about an old woman?

It's all Meng Gong's fault!

It's all Feng Yi's fault!

It's all the fault of these martial artists!

These military men are shameless and ignorant of the great principles of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, which is why they have made such a mistake today.

However, he didn't consider that military officers are also born of parents. You're about to kill their mothers, so why would they be subservient to you?
Meng Gong had made up his mind that not only would he skin Wei Liaoweng alive now, but he would also kill his entire family when he attacked Lin'an in the future!
It wasn't just about retaliating against Wei Liaoweng's family.

With the fall of the Song Dynasty, the good days for those literati and officials came to an end.

If you're quick to seize the opportunity and surrender to the new dynasty, you might save your life. But if you remain stubborn, you'll likely be slaughtered by King Zhao Shuo!
The literati of the Song Dynasty have always treated the military like dogs, and this has only gotten worse. Today is truly the time for retribution!

"Mother, I will avenge you!"

Swish!
Meng Gong stepped forward and cut off Wei Liaoweng's nose with a dagger.

Blood gushed out like a spring, and Wei Liaoweng let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

Swish!
Meng Zhang stepped forward and cut off Wei Liaoweng's left ear!
Swish!
Mengzhu stepped forward and cut off Wei Liaoweng's right ear!
……

They hated Wei Liaoweng so much that they didn't attack his vital points at first, but tried to keep him conscious and make him feel the pain of being skinned alive.

Even his teeth had to be knocked out one by one!
Wei Liaoweng screamed in agony, fainted from the pain, and was only woken up by being splashed with cold water, where he continued to be tortured!
He was no longer as tough as he had been at the beginning. He first begged Meng Gong to let him die quickly, then pleaded for mercy, claiming that he knew he was wrong.

"You don't know you're wrong, you just know what it means to be worse than dead!"

A kind heart cannot command an army. Meng Gong was able to rise to the position of Governor of Jinghu, which shows that he was not a soft-hearted person. He was just deeply influenced by the concept of blind loyalty and filial piety, and he was unwilling to betray the Song Dynasty.

He waved his hand and continued to execute Wei Liaoweng.

More than an hour later, Meng Gong finally stabbed Wei Liaoweng in the heart with his own hand!

Subsequently, Meng Gong sent his elder brother Meng Xi to Fancheng to tell Gao Da, the garrison commander of Fancheng, about what had happened that night, and to ask him to surrender to Zhao Shuo together.

Xiangyang and Fancheng are separated only by the Han River, and the two cities are connected by an iron chain bridge. If the enemy attacks either city, the other city will send reinforcements.

The Han River lies between the two cities, and large ships sailing here will be met with concentrated fire from the ranged weapons of both cities.

Even now, Zhao Shuo has failed to destroy the iron chain bridge and sever the connection between the two cities.

Upon receiving the news, Gao Da of Fancheng immediately agreed to surrender with Meng Gong.

Firstly, the Song emperor went too far.

Secondly, with Xiangyang surrendering, Fancheng would be left defenseless. Was Gao Da really going to risk his life for the sake of the Southern Zhao Emperor? A civil war in China was simply not worth it.

So, at daybreak the next day, Xiangyang and Fancheng both changed their flags and fell under Zhao Shuo's control.

Zhao Shuo is still in Dengzhou.

To reiterate, his objective was to besiege the city and lure in reinforcements; Xiangyang was merely bait. With the main Song force yet to arrive, Zhao Shuo's central army didn't need to be positioned too far forward.

However, since Xiangyang had already surrendered, Zhao Shuo could no longer stay in Dengzhou, and arrived in Xiangyang seven days later.

"Your Majesty, I, your guilty subject Meng Gong, pay my respects!" "Your guilty subject failed to recognize the opportune moment and resisted the heavenly army; this is my first crime! Because my mother was in distress, I surrendered Xiangyang to Your Majesty, causing Your Majesty to lose the opportunity to annihilate the main force of the Song army in one battle; this is my second crime! I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Meng Gong knelt respectfully before Zhao Shuo.

Zhao Shuo shook his head slightly and said, "What crime is the second one? If you, Meng Gong, can abandon even the revenge for your mother's death and still be loyal to the Song Dynasty, then you're not even human. No matter how many promises I made before, I will take your head!"

"Your Majesty...you know your subject!"

Boom!
Meng Gong slammed his head heavily on the ground, his voice choked with emotion.

Although he betrayed the Song Dynasty and surrendered to Zhao Shuo to avenge his mother, he believed he had a clear conscience. But who knew what the world thought?

In particular, what does his new emperor, Zhao Shuo, think?

Zhao Shuo's statement was a huge relief to Meng Gong.

Zhao Shuo continued, "As for resisting my army... they are indeed guilty. Originally, I have always been in charge of the court's military affairs, while the Ministry of War only manages finances and logistics. In the future, it will be formalized, and a Privy Council will be set up."

"I originally had two candidates for the position of Privy Councilor: you and Shi Tianni. You two are about the same age. If you surrender Xiangyang when my army enters Jinghu, I am really in a dilemma about who should take the position of Privy Councilor."

“You and Shi Tianni are about the same age. It seems that you have no hope of becoming a Privy Councilor for life; at most, you can only become a Deputy Privy Councilor.”

"I……"

dong dong dong~
Upon hearing this, Meng Gong kowtowed three times to Zhao Shuo and said, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty to the death, to devote myself wholeheartedly to the cause until my dying breath! Your Majesty has shown me the greatest kindness, and if I ever show the slightest disloyalty to Your Majesty, I am willing to die without a burial place!"

It's no wonder Meng Gong was so excited; Zhao Shuo had given him so much.

What does "Deputy Privy Councilor" even mean?

That's the position of the current prime minister!
Yue Fei's highest official position was "Deputy Privy Councilor," which was merely an honorary title without any actual power.

Judging from Zhao Shuo's intentions, he plans to appoint Meng Gong as the powerful Deputy Privy Councilor!

In the Song Dynasty, no military man could even dream of reaching this position and wielding real power! Just look at what happened to Di Qing!
Of course, Meng Gong understood that this was merely Zhao Shuo's promise for the future.

Now, he is a newly surrendered person. What makes him think he can rise above those veteran generals with outstanding achievements under Zhao Shuo?

You still need to make a contribution!

After standing up, Meng Gong said, "Xiangyang has now fallen into our hands, and Ezhou, Huangzhou, and other places north and south of the Yangtze River are all under my defense, commanded by my former subordinates. As long as Your Majesty issues an edict, and I personally persuade them to surrender, these cities should be pacified with a single proclamation. Next, Your Majesty's army will advance on Lin'an, and I am willing to be the vanguard!"

This is the value of Meng Gong.

He was not only an epoch-making military strategist, but also commanded 50,000 to 60,000 Song soldiers and controlled Xiangyang, a major city of the Song Dynasty.

His former subordinates can be found even in both the north and south of the Yangtze River.

Once Meng Gong surrendered, the Jinghu region almost immediately came under Zhao Shuo's control. There was no need to use the navy's red flag to cross the Yangtze River.

However, Zhao Shuo shook his head slightly and said, "No rush. Yang Weizhong!"

"exist!"

According to historical records, Yang Weizhong's parents died in the war between the Mongols and the Jin Dynasty when he was young. By chance, he was adopted by Ögedei Khan, the third son of Genghis Khan.

He was "well-read and courageous," and at the age of twenty, he was sent on a mission to more than thirty countries in the Western Regions to "promote national prestige and implement policies," which led these countries to submit to the Yuan Dynasty.

Yang Weizhong was not only the adopted son of the Great Khan, but also brave, resourceful, and accomplished, so he was naturally highly valued.

Later, he succeeded Yelü Chucai as Chancellor, exercising the powers of a prime minister. During his tenure, he was bold and decisive, and his achievements were remarkable. "The world feared his courage and cherished his benevolence."

Zhao Shuo changed history, but Yang Weizhong did not fall into the hands of Ögedei Khan.

He distinguished himself through the imperial examinations and is now a Hanlin Academician under Zhao Shuo, accompanying the army to draft various imperial edicts for Zhao Shuo.

Zhao Shuo said, "Draft an edict for me, uh... let's call it 'A Letter to the Soldiers and Civilians of Jiangnan.' After it's written, issue it to the whole country. Then have the Black Ice Guard post it all over the major cities of the Song Kingdom."

"How should the specific content be written?"

“Write down all the things that happened in Xiangyang. Tell those scholars and officials that if they still want to protect their privileges, they should immediately lead their troops to the aid of the king and fight me in Lin'an.”

"Furthermore, tell those military men how their loyalty compares to that of Yue Fei? And how does the current Song emperor compare to Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou in terms of military and political abilities and virtue? They should think carefully about whom they are going to help!"

"I, the King, have punished the wicked and brought peace to the people, unified China, and established a new dynasty. The tragedy of Yue Fei will never happen again in this new dynasty."

Yang Weizhong's eyes lit up, and he said, "Excellent! Your Majesty's 'Letter to the People and Soldiers of Jiangnan' is worth a million soldiers!"

This is what he thinks.

No matter how loyal these generals were, could they be as loyal as Yue Fei? Wasn't Yue Fei unjustly executed at Fengbo Pavilion because of a fabricated charge?
Even if Zhao Gou was a scoundrel, he still preserved half of the Southern Song Dynasty and didn't kill Yue Fei's mother!

What are you martial artists going to do?
Zhao Shuo wanted to see which general would come to his rescue when he marched into Lin'an!

……

……

Ten days later, in Lin'an City, at the Imperial Palace.

"Your Majesty, did you really do this? Did you really send a secret edict to Wei Liaoweng?"

Zheng Qingzhi held the "Letter to the People and Soldiers of Jiangnan" in his hand and looked at Emperor Zhao Yun with a face full of disappointment and frustration.

He was not only Zhao Yun's prime minister, but also Zhao Yun's teacher. He never dreamed that his lord, his student, would make such a foolish move, destroying the Jinghu defense line and putting the Song Dynasty in grave danger.

Zhao Yun was now completely dumbfounded.

This secret decree was a conspiracy between him and Wei Liaoweng, and it was not approved by Zheng Qingzhi and Shi Songzhi at all.

Now look what's happened! The Meng family has rebelled, the Jinghu defense line has been lost, and even Shi Songzhi is furious, claiming illness and refusing to attend court.

He dared not meet Zheng Qingzhi's gaze and muttered, "It's too late to say anything now. I can't very well issue an edict of self-reproach and admit to this, can I? Otherwise, wouldn't the morale of the army completely collapse?"

"Then what does Your Majesty intend to do?"

"How about moving...moving the capital? To Sichuan, or the Huai River region, or Ninghai in Zhejiang, to fight Zhao Shuo to the bitter end?"

"How is that possible?"

Zheng Qingzhi said bitterly, "If Your Majesty moves the capital, everyone knows that the Song Dynasty is doomed. I'm afraid that even the loyal ministers and righteous men who originally wanted to continue fighting Zhao Shuo to the end will not dare to be the first to take the lead. The Song Dynasty will perish even faster!"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Now that things have come to this, His Majesty has no choice but to issue an edict calling for the entire nation to come to his aid. The Song Dynasty has preserved the wealth and honor of its scholar-officials for over two hundred years. Now let's see just how far those scholar-officials will go for the Song Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)