Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 606: Mo's Submission

After Meng Jun's instructions came down, the messenger immediately rode on a fast horse to Guangnan, raising dust as he galloped all the way. Not long after that, Mo's envoy finally arrived and stepped into the capital.

The envoys had been traveling day and night and did not dare to delay for even a moment. After the Mo envoys entered the capital, the officials of the Ministry of Rites of the Qian Dynasty did not show much enthusiasm in receiving the Mo envoys.

After the Mo family's envoy entered the capital, he could not wait to ask for an audience with the emperor, but the officials of the Ministry of Rites refused on the grounds that there was no imperial edict.

The envoy was at a loss, like a headless fly. He sought help everywhere and ran around the residences of important officials of various departments, hoping to explain Mo's situation in detail. However, most of the officials said it was inconvenient and refused to see him. Only the Minister of Rites Meng Hong agreed to meet him because of his duty.

The envoy entered the palace, hurriedly bowed, and said in a sad tone: "Sir, my master admires the Heavenly Dynasty with all his heart and has never been disrespectful. However, the Duke of Han wants my master to abandon the ancestral temple and surrender. My master is very worried and has sent me to the capital to plead with the emperor. Unfortunately, I am blocked and cannot enter. I hope you can help me."

Meng Hong extended his hand to support him and said slowly, "Please stand up, envoy. This is not in accordance with etiquette. You should know that our dynasty's prestige has spread far and wide, and the world is convinced. Gaoping is just a tiny place. Even if we defend it with all our strength, how long can we last? It's like trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm, which will only increase casualties."

The envoy was embarrassed when he heard this, and stammered, "Your Excellency is right, but my master has guarded this land for generations, and I cannot bear to abandon it. Moreover, my master has submitted a letter to the emperor to declare himself a vassal. If the Celestial Empire accepts him, it may hurt people's expectations!"

Meng Hong waved his sleeves and said sternly: "If Mo Yuanqing can judge the situation and submit to our dynasty, the grace of heaven will be great and he will not be treated unfairly. He can be allowed to enter the capital and worship his ancestors according to the old system to continue his family line. This is not a perfect solution, but if he is unwilling, how can the court not set a rule?"

The messenger lowered his head in deep thought and remained silent for a long time. Seeing this, Meng Hong advised him, "If you hesitate, once the heavenly soldiers come, it will be too late to regret. You should return quickly and persuade your master to make a decision as soon as possible. This is the best policy."

The messenger sighed, bowed again and said: "I will keep your words in mind and convey them to my lord truthfully." After saying this, he left sadly.

Although Meng Hong's persuasion had already chilled the envoy's heart, he still tried to meet with the important officials of the Qian Dynasty, but almost no one was willing to meet him.

It was a tiny place, and many ministers did not know where the Gaoping Mo family was. They only knew that the Mo family had been surrounded by the territory directly under the court, and there was a vague message from the palace that the emperor wanted to annex the Mo family. Therefore, the ministers had no intention of going against the emperor because of a small Mo family.

The Mo envoy stayed in the capital for half a month and became disheartened. He packed his luggage and left the capital in tears. When he left, only an official from the Ministry of Rites saw him off.

Time passed, and in the first month of the seventh year of Zhaowu, Meng Jun had been emperor for seven years without realizing it. At the beginning of the new year, the Cao Ping Mo clan submitted a letter of surrender, and the Nguyen clan in the south of Guangnan Province also sent envoys to pay tribute to the Qian Dynasty.

After the Mo family's envoy returned to Gaoping, he told Mo Yuanqing in detail about his situation in the capital. After hearing this, Mo Yuanqing was sad. The country was weak and the people were exhausted, so how could they resist the will of the Celestial Empire?

Uncle Mo Yuanqing, Mo Jingwen was at a loss. No matter how many ideas or strategies he had, he could not stop the emperor's decision. Since things could not be changed, if he disobeyed the emperor's will, the Mo family would no longer be able to follow the old system and worship their ancestors.

Mo Yuanqing cried bitterly in front of the spirit tablets of his father and grandfather, and then wrote a petition to the Heavenly Dynasty, in which he said: "I have heard that the Emperor of Heaven has favored the Holy Lord, and that the Holy Lord has fulfilled his promise. From ancient times to the present, his great virtues have been shining like the sun at its zenith, and his majesty is as majestic as a mountain that controls the earth. I live in a remote place, and I have long admired the great grace and kindness of the Heavenly Dynasty. My admiration for the Holy Lord has accumulated over the years and has never ceased.

Gaoping is a tiny place located between big countries, susceptible to wind and rain. My ancestors have guarded this land for generations and have been favored by the Celestial Empire, enabling them to protect the territory and the people and continue the ancestral worship. Whenever I think of this, I feel grateful and it is engraved in my heart.

Today, times have changed and situations have shifted. The sign of the world being united is obvious. Your Majesty is wise and powerful. You have taken it as your responsibility to pacify the four seas and to bring harmony to all nations. I, your servant, look up to your face, and my heart is like a sunflower leaning towards the sun.

I am willing to take over the land of Gaoping and all its people and bring them under the control of the Celestial Empire. I humbly hope that Your Majesty will have pity on my sincerity and my loyalty and approve my request for submission. I will strictly abide by the King's laws and the Court's orders and will always be Your Majesty's subject and loyal to Him for eternity without any doubt.

As for my ancestors, they have received the grace of the Heavenly Dynasty for generations. I earnestly ask Your Majesty to show mercy and allow me to follow the old system of offering sacrifices to my ancestors so that they will not be destitute. Even if I die, I will have no regrets. I respectfully submit this memorial to you and await your decree."

Mo Yuanqing knew that now that things had come to this, he might as well be more respectful, which might even win the emperor's sympathy. All of the Mo family's ministers sighed, but they could do nothing about it.

In the seventh year of Zhaowu, at the beginning of March, Xu Fan led an army of more than 6,000 people and entered Gaoping, reorganized the Mo family's army, and sent Mo Yuanqing and his clansmen onto the carriages. Although the Mo family had occupied and retreated to Gaoping for less than a hundred years, Mo Yuanqing couldn't help but shed tears as he watched his homeland getting farther and farther away.

In response to the Nguyen family's submission, Meng Jun issued an edict to establish a general stationed in Tây Sơn with 5,000 soldiers in the Nguyen Dynasty, and also to establish a minister stationed in Tây Sơn to participate in state affairs.

However, the civil and military positions established by the Qian Dynasty in the Nguyen family are still different from those in Myanmar. In Myanmar, the national affairs and military affairs are all in the hands of the Qian Dynasty. The King of Burma is just a puppet with no real power. Among the Nguyen family, the Tây Sơn General and the Tây Sơn Minister are just equivalent to adding a powerful force to the Nguyen family's political situation.

Among the vassal states today, the best treated is the Lee family of Korea. The Qian Dynasty neither stationed generals nor ministers in Korea, while most of the other vassal states began to implement this policy, which gradually evolved into a special system of the Qian Dynasty.

The post of general stationed in vassal states was only to intimidate the local people, while the post of ministers stationed in vassal states was more important. Their task was to subtly promote Confucianism and use the Han system.

Soon after the Nguyen surrendered, Cambodia, Laos, and even Siam all submitted petitions to the Qian Dynasty and paid tribute. Cambodia and Laos agreed to the Qian Dynasty establishing the positions of general and minister in their countries. However, Siam was only willing to follow the example of the former Ming Dynasty and pay tribute in name only, but not in reality.

However, Siam’s opinion was rejected by Meng Jun, who clearly told the Siamese envoy: “The Qian Dynasty borders the sea in the east, the Pamir Mountains in the west, the miasma forest in the south, and the desert in the north. The vastness of the territory and the number of people are beyond your imagination.

What I seek is not an empty name. If you only pay tribute in name but not in reality, what good will it do to me? What good will it do to the country? Now you, Siam, want to evade your duty with empty words. This is disrespectful to the Celestial Empire and you have no respect for it. If I agree to it, how can I subdue the four barbarians and show it to the world?

I will never tolerate such deceit. If you really want to be civilized, you should pay tribute like Chenla and Laos and obey our rules. Otherwise, don't blame me for sending troops to punish you!"

When the messenger heard this, he fell to the ground in fear and dared not say another word.