Southern Ming, my destiny is too abstract

Chapter 18 Be Dong Zhuo, Don’t Be Cao Cao

"Eat seven first, then kill seven."

Zhu Cixuan slaughtered pigs and cattle to reward the soldiers and welcome the remnants of the Southern Ming army, and invited Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan and others to take a seat.

Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan looked at each other, clasped their fists and apologized to Emperor Yongli.

"Our incompetence has led to the Emperor and the Crown Prince being imprisoned by the thieves. We are unable to assist the King, and the Crown Prince has therefore put himself in danger."

Zhu Cixuan looked at Deng Shilian, the current Prime Minister of the Southern Ming Dynasty, who had been demoted by him to the position of Minister of Revenue and Works and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion after Ma Jixiang was executed.

Deng Shilian understood and said, "Prince Jin, Prince Gongchang, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been appointed as regent in times of crisis. He has eliminated the treacherous officials in the court and worked with the other ministers to overcome the crisis and execute the rebellious King Hongsha."

"Every day at court, they talk about the success of this mission and the recovery of the old office, all because the two kings rushed to support and protect the imperial court."

Deng Shilian was from Guang'an, Shu Province.

Ok.

It was the Deng family of Shunqing Prefecture at a historical turning point.

He became a Jinshi in the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign and served as a county magistrate in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. When Emperor Yongli proclaimed himself emperor in Zhaoqing, eastern Guangdong, and Li Chengdong conquered Guangdong Province, he followed the emperor to Wuzhou and later wandered with Emperor Yongli for 14 years.

His cousin Deng Shichang, a Jinshi in the Wanli period, also held the position of Deputy Envoy of the Huguang Censorate, a fourth-rank official.

He has such a good family background and is the chief minister according to the Ming Dynasty's tradition of valuing civil officials over military officials.

Li Dingguo could not ignore it: "Lord Deng, serving the king and saving the emperor is what a minister must do."

"The prince's bravery has spread throughout Hongshawadi."

"The Crown Prince sent me a message, informing me that the four thieves, Ma Jixiang, deceived the Emperor and falsely issued an imperial edict, only to let us know the true situation in the court."

"They also conspired with the enemy to send the Queen and the Prince away to preserve the imperial lineage, all for the sake of our isolated foreign army."

Li Dingguo turned his head to look into the prince's innocent eyes and sighed.

"How could a minister who has misled the country and the emperor deserve such trust from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"But can we discuss this further with the Crown Prince as regent? Wouldn't having two rulers in one country be a problem for the Longwu Lu King and the Guangfu Tang King?"

"When Duke Guang arrived, he had already learned about the Eight Passes of Tengyue. Wu Sangui had already gathered a large number of troops in western Yunnan and might march south soon."

"Although Hongsavadi has conquered Ava, Pyin Oo and Toungoo still have over 100,000 troops. Internal and external affairs are still unsettled. The court is not suitable for two rulers at this time."

"Once we have resisted the Eastern Tartars, pacified the Hongsha, and ensured the safety of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, we can discuss this matter further."

Li Dingguo had dry mouth and tongue.

Of course, he hoped to have a heroic leader like his adoptive father Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng to lead the remaining Ming Dynasty.

But it is indeed not appropriate to let the crown prince succeed to the throne as regent at the moment.

His prestige had already been greatly damaged by his hunting expeditions to the south against foreign invaders.

If Emperor Yongli abdicated, the Thirteen Families of Kuidong, Zheng Yanping on the coast of Fujian and Guangdong, and even the Ming army still resisting in southwestern Yunnan might all think that he, Li Dingguo, was imitating Sun Kewang.

Just like Dong Zhuo in the Three Kingdoms period, he deposed the emperor and made himself powerful.

The prince is wise and brave, but only the remaining Hongsha soldiers know about it.

During the fourteen years that Yongli was emperor, although he suffered repeated defeats and escaped many times, he had already become the common leader deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in various parts of the remnant Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty is on its last breath and cannot afford to engage in internal strife any more.

Zhu Cixuan cut off a piece of pig skin and roasted it until it was golden and crackling.

"Prince Jin is worried about the safety of the Emperor, and I am also concerned about the orders of my father, mother, empress, and younger brother."

"I have appointed the Marquis of Pagan, captured by the King of Jin, as the successor to the King of Toungoo. I will be the one guarding Ava City. I will move the imperial court to Menggen. If the Eastern Tartars approach, I will contact Siam, with whom we have an alliance, and have them send a ship to take my father to Zheng Yanping."

"As for the other things that King Jin is worried about."

Zhu Cixuan swallowed the last bite of pork.

Looking at Li Dingguo's broad eyebrows and Bai Wenxuan's sallow face.

Wang Qilong had already informed him in advance that the two kings of Jin and Gong were worried about the unexpected events that might happen after he became regent.

"Does the King of Jin know about Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty?"

Li Dingguo and other members of the Dashi Army were all peasants and had low political attributes, but they had been marching and fighting for half their lives, and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which contained strategies and tactics, was almost always read to them.

Zhu Cixuan said softly while Zhu Youlang was stunned.

"The emperor warned me the other day that I must be careful of Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang, who are like Cao Cao, who are trying to usurp power and seize the throne."

Li Dingguo was stunned for a moment, his eyes fell on the horrified Emperor Yongli.

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say.

The emperor is suspicious of me to this extent.

Jin Tongwu and his second son Li Sixing, who were already sitting next to him and enjoying their meal, immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks, held their knives and glared at Zhu Youlang.

Bai Wenxuan was also at a loss, but when he saw the two men's actions, he quietly grasped the hilt of the knife with his right hand and faced the two men sideways.

The civil and military officials around him could not have expected such a sudden change, and they all looked towards the emperor.

The prince is crazy again?
This is not good. The prince killed King Hongsha at the banquet. No wonder he asked us to make good preparations and reward the army.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and just as Zhu Youlang was about to speak up to try to persuade and defend himself, Zhu Cixuan spoke first.

"But seeing the troops that the Prince of Jin brought to support the emperor, I ask my father, would Cao Cao rescue Emperor Xian of Han in this way?"

"Prince Jin, do you know the difference between Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao? Why did Cao Cao remain a Han official and never usurp the Han throne until his death?"

Li Dingguo, whose defenses had been broken by Emperor Yongli's suspicion, shook his head in confusion.

"The Three Kingdoms says that Dong Zhuo dared to usurp the Han Dynasty and covet the throne only because he established Emperor Xian of Han."

"His authority comes from the emperor he established, from himself."

"Cao Cao never dared to let Emperor Xian of Han abdicate, because the prestige of using the emperor to control the princes was given to him by Emperor Xian of Han."

"He cannot undermine his claim to authority."

"Father said you were Cao Cao, but in my opinion, you'd be better off being Dong Zhuo."

After Zhu Cixuan finished speaking, he ate another piece of pork skin.

Li Dingguo just came to his senses.

Like everyone else, he looked at Zhu Cixuan who was eating roasted pork with complicated eyes.

Is this something a king or a son can say?
Besides, Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor and enthroned another. Is this something the Ming Dynasty could do?
Emperor Sejong ascended the throne at a young age, and he easily dealt with the court officials through the Grand Ceremony Debate and firmly grasped the imperial power.

After three thousand years of institutional exploration, the Ming Dynasty had already established an autocratic imperial system with centralized power.

No matter what the prime minister or relatives of the emperor are, after the emperor ascends the throne, power will gradually be concentrated in the hands of the emperor.

Yu Shaobao was a mixture of praise and criticism.

Sun Kewang had an army of over 100,000 men, but once he set his sights on the throne, he was instantly deserted by his friends and relatives and abandoned by the world.

Li Dingguo knelt on one knee and pleaded guilty: "I would never dare to do such a rebellious act. I hope Your Majesty will give me the military power and return it to the Prince of Gongchang."

Zhu Cixuan helped Li Dingguo up, and looked into Li Dingguo's tired eyes with innocent eyes.

"You are the pillar of our nation. The world is in turmoil and China is in decline. If you continue to speak, how can we restore our nation's former unity?"

"Rely on civil officials and military commanders who only know how to fight for power and profit, or rely on the emperor who abandoned the country."

Zhu Youlang shrank his head when he was inexplicably mentioned by his rebellious son.

He understands.

The rebellious son is using him as a stepping stone to win over the army and consolidate his regency.

"I can only rely on me, on you, on you, on you all."

Zhu Cixuan pointed at Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan, He Jiuyi, Jin Tongwu and others in turn.

Finally pointing north.

"The Thirteen Families who fought against the Eastern Tartars in Kuidong, Guo Zhiqi who lived in the mountains of Nanyue, Zhang Huangyan who lived on the coast of eastern Zhejiang, and Zheng Yanping who lived on the islands of Minyue."

"To reclaim our homeland and drive out the Eastern Tartars, I must raise the banner, unite the loyal and patriotic people from all sides, and work together."

Zhu Cixuan looked around at the Dashi Army soldiers who seemed to be in deep thought, and spoke loudly.

"I'm not afraid to tell you about these petty schemes. Why? Because we are open-minded."

“Why are we open? Because our hearts are pure.”

"We have no desire for power or profit in our hearts, only the great cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty."

Li Dingguo avoided the prince's innocent gaze with some guilt.

He used to have some personal interests in Yunnan Province.

It's far less pure than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Bai Wenxuan's sallow face had turned red. He bent down on one knee and clenched his right fist.

"I am ashamed. The Ming Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, yet I still have concerns. Your Highness is open-hearted and sincere. I am willing to follow Your Highness to fight against the invaders and restore the Han Dynasty."

Li Dingguo gritted his teeth and continued, "Your Highness is valiant and heroic, just like our Second Ancestor. Our country was devastated and ruined, but Your Highness has revived the nation. Your subjects love you and it is God's will. I am willing to serve Your Highness as regent, follow you, and fight the Qing until death."

Zhu Cixuan glanced at the kneeling civil and military officials and helped Li Dingguo up again.

The eight-foot-tall body was a little too tall for Zhu Cixuan, who was not yet an adult.

He reached out and patted Li Dingguo's arm.

Zhu Cixuan said, "You are not Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao."

"I don't want you to be like Zhuge Wuhou, who died of illness at Wuzhangyuan."

"I am not Liu Chan, who was content with his life and did not miss Shu, and you are not Jiang Boyue or Zhuge Zhan."

"I shall be the Grand Ancestor, driving out the bandits who have usurped China, and you shall be the six dukes and twenty-eight marquises who founded the Ming Dynasty."

Your pure eyes and sincere words moved Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan.

[You become the official regent of the Ming Dynasty, and you gain access to 20,000 Ming troops and the six chieftains of the Ming Dynasty.]

(End of this chapter)