Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 156: A show of force

General Zeng's fleet soon arrived in Suzhou, but Meng Jun did not want to meet this man. No matter how the bureaucrats who had surrendered to him tried to persuade him, Meng Jun remained unmoved. He had gone through life and death many times, and his life was on the verge of death, so how could he accept the anger of a bureaucrat who was seeking fame.

Although Meng Jun did not go, he still sent Lin Shiqi, Yang En, Gu Yanwu and others to greet them, while Lu Zhenfei, Liu Zhongzao, Zhang Kentang and others went to greet them spontaneously.

The crowd was crowded. Commander Zeng was wearing a gorgeous official uniform with a serious expression on his face. In front of him was the commander's guard of honor, looking majestic. Behind him were two staff members and more than a hundred Jinyiwei sent by Emperor Shaowu. These Jinyiwei were dressed in Feiyu uniforms. Their clothes were uniform. The black brocade shone with a cool light in the sun. It was embroidered with exquisite silver patterns, highlighting the special status of the Jinyiwei. Everyone wore a helmet embroidered with a flying tiger and a sharp embroidered spring sword on his waist. They were tall and straight, and looked heroic.

Just by looking at these Jinyiwei, one can tell that the ruler and his ministers of Shaowu have put a lot of effort into this inspection of Suzhou. Even the Jinyiwei who accompanied the people must have been carefully selected. Zeng Daowei wanted to show the people of Suzhou that the imperial court is still the imperial court. Even if it has fallen on despise, it is not something that a military man who has won a few battles can despise.

Meng Jun sent several people to greet him, but Zeng Daowei went straight to Lu Zhenfei and said, "Jian Bai, I haven't seen you for a long time. I hope you are well."

Lu Zhenfei shook his head and smiled bitterly: "With the state affairs like this, how can we be safe?"

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Lu Zhenfei introduced Lin Shiqi, Yang En, Gu Yanwu and others to Zeng Daowei. When Zeng Daowei came to Suzhou, he had already learned about the generals under Meng Jun in detail. He knew that Lin Shiqi was the person who had followed Meng Jun the longest and was definitely not someone he could easily win over. Zeng Daowei just nodded and didn't say much.

But when it came to introducing Gu Yanwu, Zeng Daowei's face changed and he said coldly: "A man without father or king" and then strode towards the Governor's Mansion.

Yang En's expression changed, and he sighed in his heart: "This person is not kind, I hope he doesn't cause any trouble."

Lu Zhenfei and others also tried to persuade Zeng Daowei, and only then did Zeng Daowei look normal again.

Governor's Mansion.

Xia Wanchun said nervously: "Commander-in-chief, Commander Zeng is almost here, do you want to greet him?"

Meng Jun rolled his eyes at Xia Wanchun, thinking that the young man was impatient. Then he thought, forget it, after all, we are the host. Even if this is an unkind guest, we still have to be a little more polite. Then he shouted to Yu An outside the door: "Tell the kitchen to prepare a banquet as a welcome dinner for Commander Zeng."

Upon hearing this, Yu An replied, "Yes, Governor," and then quickly ran to the kitchen.

About half an hour later, there was a commotion outside the Governor's Mansion. The guards rushed in and said to Meng Jun, "Grand Governor, a group of Jinyiwei came outside the Governor's Mansion. Some said they were the commander-in-chief."

Meng Jun nodded and said, "Yes, I understand."

When Meng Jun arrived at the door, there was an old man at the main entrance. Although his temples were gray, he still stood straight and looked energetic.

Meng Jun looked at this person and casually bowed and said, "Mr. Zeng, please..."

Zeng Daowei's face looked a little ugly for a moment, but he still held back and said coldly: "Duke Meng, please..."

As the welcoming banquet began, Zeng Daowei took a sip of wine and did not communicate much with Meng Jun. Instead, he chatted enthusiastically with those old ministers.

Until Gu Yanwu could not help but said: "Meng Jun has been fighting alone for years, and the court has not paid a penny of salary or a load of food, and only sent a commander-in-chief. What's the benefit?" As early as when he greeted him, Gu Yanwu was accused of being disloyal to his king and father, and he was already full of anger. Seeing that Zeng Daowei was not polite to the governor, he said in a bad tone.

Zeng Daowei angrily slammed the table and cursed, "Gu Yanwu, you are talking nonsense in that official report. The paper is full of nonsense. I have already done this for the sake of Duke Meng. If you dare to talk nonsense again and say something disrespectful to the court and His Majesty, I will definitely kill you here."

Meng Jun's face remained normal, and he continued to drink a glass of wine. He knew Zeng Daowei's purpose of coming. No matter whether he could accomplish the task in Suzhou or not, he would win. If he failed, he would die in Suzhou and exchange his life for a posthumous reputation in history books. If he succeeded, that would be a pleasant surprise.

The reaction at the dinner table was just a test for Meng Jun. Thinking of this, although Meng Jun looked calm, he was already very annoyed in his heart. The army was about to approach the Southern Capital, and he had no time to entertain these bureaucrats in guessing riddles. If they made him angry, he would really kill them with a single blow and be done with it.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanwu was furious. He stood up and was about to speak when Yang En beside him tugged at his sleeve, motioning him to sit down. Gu Yanwu snorted angrily, then sat down angrily.

Seeing that Meng Jun did not say anything, but was drinking and eating as usual, Lin Shiqi was certain in his heart, and said coldly to Zeng Daowei: "Master Commander, I wonder if the court has allocated military pay for this visit?"

"The imperial court has just been established. I came to Suzhou to supervise the army. On the one hand, I want to restore the imperial system to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. On the other hand, I want to transport the taxes that have been in arrears for the past few years to the imperial court. Of course, the Prime Minister also knows that Jiangsu and Zhejiang have suffered from wars, so appropriate reductions may be made as appropriate," Zeng Daowei stroked his beard and said slowly.

As soon as these words came out, no matter who it was, even Lu Zhenfei, Zhang Kentang and others, their faces changed. Lu Zhenfei hurriedly said: "General, it is not enough to support the army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Moreover, the Tartar army still has a large number of troops on the side, so we can't change them easily."

Zhang Kentang felt bitter. How could these people in the court be so careless about the overall situation? Why can't they take it slow now? Isn't this forcing Meng Jun into a corner? Thinking of this, Zhang Kentang looked at Meng Jun. Meng Jun, who had been calm before, now frowned.

Meng Jun did not expect Zeng Daowei to say such words. You know, according to Zhang Zhe's news, Su Guansheng was not so confident and even wanted Meng Jun to give him money. Su Guansheng just wanted Meng Jun to surrender and obey Su Guansheng's orders.

Meng Jun then slowly said: "The areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been repeatedly ravaged by wars, and the military pensions, military pay, and supplies are still insufficient. This governor is preparing to ask the emperor to allocate tens of millions of silver for military supplies."

"Duke Meng, please do not call yourself the governor. This is a privately established official system, which is not tolerated by the dynasty. As for the tens of millions of silver for military supplies, Duke, you are joking. Think about it, our dynasty has military households as its ancestral system, how could we need such astonishing military expenses? Duke, please do not mislead yourself. You should know that the pen of history is as sharp as a knife. What Mang Cao did angered both God and man," Zeng Daowei said in a bad tone and cold voice.

"Hmph!" Meng Jun was furious. He snorted coldly and left immediately. The welcoming banquet ended in a bad mood.