Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 188 Become the King

The next morning, Meng Jun heard footsteps outside the tent in his sleep, but it seemed that the sound was just his illusion. He turned over and tried to go back to sleep, but the strange feeling kept lingering in his mind.

Finally, Meng Jun sat up, put on his outer robe, and shouted outside the tent: "Yu An!"

However, Yu An did not respond, which surprised Meng Jun, because Yu An was always available upon call and was almost inseparable from him, and the personal soldiers outside the tent did not respond either.

This made Meng Jun feel a little uneasy. Did something big happen? He stood up, put on his shoes, walked to the entrance of the tent, and opened the curtain. The morning sun shone directly in, and it was a little dazzling.

Meng Jun blocked the sunlight with his hands, but at this moment, he suddenly discovered that a large number of generals were kneeling outside the tent, including Lin Shiqi, Qian Biao, Zhao Yongping, Wang Fugui, Bai Yongfu, Gao Yi, Huang Cheng, Guo Hu, Du Yonghe, Chen Lei, Wu Shunchang, Wu Zhifan, Xiao Mingzuo, as well as Gu Yanwu, Xia Wanchun, Meng Hong and a large number of generals and clerks of the Governor's Office were kneeling on the ground, and the scene was silent.

Meng Jun was shocked and asked anxiously, "Why are you all like this?"

All the generals knelt before the Grand Commander's tent. Gu Yanwu said loudly, "The country is in crisis and the people are concerned. Please let the Grand Commander be crowned king to stabilize the army and recover our territory!"

Lin Shiqi said loudly: "Grand Commander, you have defeated the Tartars many times and conquered strong cities many times. Who else can be responsible for the revival of the country except you?"

Qian Biao's expression was exaggerated, and he cried out with tears in his voice: "Grand Commander, your prestige is at its peak, and the whole world is loyal to you. Why don't you declare yourself king and establish your position?"

Bai Yongfu echoed, "The land of Jiangnan has been without a master for a long time. The governor proclaiming himself king is a move that complies with the will of the people. All the soldiers are thinking about it."

A group of generals and civil officials tried to persuade Meng Jun to become king with earnest words.

Meng Jun had not expected this at all. After thinking for a moment, he said, "But the matter of becoming king is of great importance, so we need to think carefully."

Seeing this, the generals and civil officials of the Governor's Office continued to advise: "Governor, the time has come, don't miss it."

"Please think twice, Commander!" Everyone said in unison, and the soldiers in the camp shouted, "Please declare yourself king, Commander!"

"Not appropriate, not appropriate." Meng Jun always felt that it was too hasty, but seeing the magnitude of the situation, it was difficult to refute it with just one person's words, so he simply turned around and went back to the tent.

Li Wendao stood not far away, looking at this grand scene, a smile appeared on his face. The monk in black, I, the Taoist priest in white, am no less capable than him.

Lin Shiqi and other generals rushed into the tent and continued to persuade him: "General, the soldiers in all the towns know that you are about to be crowned king, and their morale is high. If you do not agree, it will hurt the soldiers' hearts."

"Yes, Grand Commander, now is the time for a decisive battle. If the Commander declares himself king and all the troops are determined and work together, we will surely be able to defeat the enemy army." Gu Yanwu advised again.

At this moment, outside the camp, the generals had already arranged their personal guards in each town, and they were guiding the soldiers to shout out their inner voices. Just as Gu Yanwu finished speaking, a sparse shout came: "Please let the Grand Commander be king!"

Although the voice was not loud, it spread quickly like a spark. Then, more and more people joined in, and they shouted the same slogan in unison: "Please make the Grand Commander king!" The voice was like a torrent, gathering into a deafening wave of sound, resounding through the sky.

Meng Jun stood there, quietly listening to the roaring voices. A complex expression appeared on his face, and he sighed, "You are acting rashly, but how can I easily reject the voices of the generals and soldiers?"

The generals in the tent were all excited when they heard Meng Jun's words. They knew that the Grand Commander had tacitly agreed to the title of king, and now it was time to fight the enemy.

In the camp, the expressions of the former officials of the Southern Ming Dynasty were different. Some looked ahead with worry, as if they could see the future situation of the court through the tent, while others were angry, thinking that Meng Jun was ambitious.

Some people secretly thought that the behavior of the Meng army generals was too inappropriate. They didn't even inform them in advance. Wouldn't this make the Meng general misunderstand that they were not of the same mind? These ministers had a lot of thoughts in their minds, each of them was thinking about how to deal with the current complex situation and what choice they should make next.

Zeng Daowei, the commander sent by Emperor Shaowu, was startled when he heard the roaring voices outside the tent and hurried out of the tent. He stood there, looking at the scene in front of him, shaking with anger, his lips trembling, and he couldn't help shouting: "You are such an ambitious and reckless person, how dare you claim to be king without permission? You are totally unfilial!"

Zeng Daowei turned around angrily and shouted to the Jinyiwei outside the tent: "Such traitors should be executed! You should follow me to the central army immediately."

However, these Jinyiweis all lowered their heads and dared not speak. They knew that going to the central army at this time would be like walking into a trap. If they went now, their heads would be hung on the flagpole in a moment.

One of the Jinyiwei muttered in a low voice: "Sir, is it inappropriate to go to the central army at this time? It is better to think about it in the long run..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Zeng Daowei: "Shut up! I am indebted to the emperor, how can I allow this official to be so rampant? I will make Meng Jun give up the idea of becoming king, even if it means death. I want to see if he really dares to kill loyal ministers and righteous men." After saying this, he widened his eyes and glanced at everyone.

However, although Zeng Daowei was indignant, these Jinyiwei remained indifferent. After all, they were not fools. A group of Jinyiwei stood there silently, and no one responded to Zeng Daowei's orders.

Seeing this, Zeng Daowei felt sad. He sighed helplessly and returned to his tent. He wanted to submit a memorial immediately to let the court know Meng Jun's ambition.

Just as Zeng Daowei was shouting loudly outside the tent, not far away, a large group of soldiers were holding weapons and staring at Zeng Daowei's tent nervously.

Seeing Zeng Daowei lose his temper and finally return to the military tent, Yu Youtian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The old man was the commander-in-chief sent by the emperor. He really didn't want to kill him unless it was absolutely necessary. Seeing him return to the tent, Yu Youtian curled his lips and said, "What's wrong with the commander-in-chief being crowned king? In my opinion, the court should have crowned him king earlier."

After Yu Youtian finished speaking, he glanced at the clerk beside him and said, "Did you write down what the old man said just now?"

"Reporting to Captain Qian, I have written it all down, word for word," the clerk said confidently.

Yu Youtian nodded and said, "Well, that's it. Leave someone in the team to keep a close watch. I'll take the letter back to the commander."