On the 23rd of September, when Li Hualong received accurate information and began to urgently prepare a response strategy, Xiao Ruxun also received a somewhat special letter. The letter was signed off by Ye Mengxiong.
The letter was sent by a personal guard, saying that there was a messenger. They were worried that the messenger was an assassin, so they locked him up.
Xiao Ruxun hesitated for a moment, then opened the letter.
In the letter, Ye Mengxiong greeted Xiao Ruxun, asking him how he was doing recently, asking him if he was well, if he was eating well, wearing well, and if his family was doing well. It felt like an ordinary letter asking about his well-being.
But it was these words that made Xiao Ruxun feel a little warm in his heart.
After the battle of Ningxia ended, when he went to Korea, Xiao Ruxun and Ye Mengxiong kept exchanging letters. During the war, even though they were separated by thousands of miles, Ye Mengxiong still wrote three or four letters asking about Xiao Ruxun's recent situation.
This made Xiao Ruxun feel the warmth of being cared for, like a family member.
Ye Mengxiong was indeed a generous elder, and he was one of the first civil officials to acknowledge Xiao Ruxun. In the beginning, Xiao Ruxun was able to get a lot of care in the court, thanks to Ye Mengxiong asking his old friend to speak for him.
It could be said that in the process of Xiao Ruxun's rise, Ye Mengxiong contributed a lot. Until he arrived in Myanmar, Xiao Ruxun was still able to get a lot of convenience in Jiangnan through his relationship with Ye Mengxiong. It was very convenient for him to buy many things. The first batch of poor scholars to come to Myanmar was completed with the help of Ye Mengxiong.
When Xiao Ruxun fled to the south, he passed through Nanjing but did not dare to find Ye Mengxiong. Time was urgent, so he saved his third brother Xiao Ruzhi and left. Later, when he sent Jiang Dahai to the north to cut off the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, Xiao Ruxun specially told Jiang Dahai to protect Ye Mengxiong's safety.
However, although Nanjing was taken, there was no trace of Ye Mengxiong, which made Xiao Ruxun a little worried. But he believed that an old official like Ye Mengxiong, who had been through ups and downs for many years, would not die so easily. Sure enough, now, he took the initiative to write a letter.
Asking about Xiao Ruxun's well-being meant that Ye Mengxiong did not see Xiao Ruxun as a rebel, and after asking about his well-being, he got to the business.
In the letter, Ye Mengxiong said –
Shen Yicheng said that you, Hsiao Jixin, are plotting a rebellion, but I don't believe it. You have no reason to do so. I don't believe that a loyal general who has just made a great contribution would suddenly rebel. I also don't believe that you are dead. You, Hsiao Jixin, are a person that I have high hopes for, it is impossible for you to die so easily.
At that time, I was very confused and worried. It was not until I suddenly found out that Xiao Ruzhi was missing that I realized that you are not dead. You have already been to Nanjing, and you took Xiao Ruzhi away, but why didn't you come to find me?
I suppressed this matter and did not make it public. But later, suddenly, an army came to attack Nanjing. I was shocked, and just as I was about to resist, I was knocked out and taken away by my subordinates. On the way, I thought about this matter and found that it might be related to you.
I ran all the way to Anqing Prefecture, but I felt that Anqing Prefecture was also not safe, so I ran to Wuchang Prefecture to settle down. In Wuchang Prefecture, I was shocked to hear that you have led an army to attack Huguang, so I am writing to you now to ask you about the whole story.
I don't believe that you are rebelling, but the commotion caused by your northern expedition was too big. What happened between you and Shen Yicheng? Why did Shen Yicheng have to use such a method to get rid of you, and also forced you to lead an army to the north? I want to know the whole story.
If you cannot convince me, I will see you as a rebel and defend Wuchang Prefecture to the death. I know you will definitely come to Wuchang Prefecture, so I will wait for you here. When the time comes, will we meet on the battlefield, or will we work together? Ji Xin, I want you to give me an explanation.
Ye Mengxiong's meaning was very simple. Give him an explanation, make him believe that Xiao Ruxun was not rebelling and was wholeheartedly serving the country. Otherwise, he would lead the army to defend Wuchang Prefecture to the death, and definitely not allow Xiao Ruxun's strategic plan to succeed.
After reading the letter, Xiao Ruxun sighed and put down the letter in his hand.
If there was a list of civil officials that Xiao Ruxun truly respected, Ye Mengxiong ranked second. No one could be ranked first.
Along the way, it was all thanks to Ye Mengxiong's support and assistance at crucial moments that Xiao Ruxun avoided many detours.
If he were to meet Ye Mengxiong on the battlefield, he could not guarantee that he would be able to do it.
But this matter, this matter that he used to convince Ye Mengxiong, Xiao Ruxun had a clear conscience.
Was it wrong to serve the Emperor loyally?
Was it right for Shen Yicheng to plot a coup to abolish the monarchy?
If he told the truth, would Ye Mengxiong object to Xiao Ruxun's northern expedition for His Majesty?
Everything was in line with the principle of righteousness.
Thus, Xiao Ruxun wrote a reply to Ye Mengxiong, determined to persuade Ye Mengxiong to join his northern expedition. Ye Mengxiong was the Minister of War in Nanjing and had great prestige and connections in the south. With his participation, it would be a greater blow to Shen Yicheng's government in the north.
At this time, Xiao Ruxun's vanguard, General Ma Chong, had already led 10,000 troops to occupy Pingjiang by the Miluo River, opening up the road to the north. The vanguard was directed at Wuchang Prefecture. There was no one left to stop Xiao Ruxun from advancing north.
As the recruitment of soldiers became smoother and smoother, Xiao Ruxun also gained the allegiance of many impoverished scholars and scholars who were barely fed and clothed. They were all recommended by those who had joined earlier. You recommend me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise me, I recommend you, you praise each other, Xiao Ruxun's group of scholars also gradually expanded.
Perhaps the cultural quality of this team of scholars was not as good as the scholars in the north, but in terms of handling affairs, the strength of their ability to handle affairs had little to do with whether or not they knew how to write eight-legged essays.
Xiao Ruxun treated these people in the same way he treated those poor scholars in Myanmar. First, he selected scholars who had suffered and been educated by society and placed them by his side to listen to him. These people had experienced the fickleness of human nature and had their own skills that could be used directly.
As for those who were relatively poor but had not yet suffered the hardships of society, they were arranged to learn statistics and logistics. The people who taught them were the veterans.
Of course, these bookworms were dissatisfied with being treated as their superior by a group of veterans. After a period of uproar, a few stubborn ones were chased away by Xiao Ruxun, and a few who were willing to accept further education were set as role models and given higher pay and better treatment. With this comparison, those who were wavering in the middle immediately became well-behaved.
As for this group of scholars, Xiao Ruxun did not expect them to be very loyal. However, there were some who could be put in an important position and some who could not. There was a distinction to be made. The crueler the treatment and the more hardships they had suffered, the more money and treatment they could be bought over to join the Northern Expedition team. For example, Xie He.
On the other hand, those who had maintained a state of adequate food and clothing and had not suffered much were not so easy to buy over. These people were like Chen Longzheng. Their minds were a little more simple and romantic. Their minds were filled with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust.
These people could not be put in an important position and could not be placed in the decision-making circle. However, they had one advantage. These people were stubborn and did not know how to be flexible. They were good at managing accounts and warehouses.
The more the Northern Expedition and the more victories they won, the more manpower Xiao Ruxun would have. The situation was constantly tilting in his favor.
He also knew that as long as he successfully conquered Wuchang, the situation would be set.
This was not a chaotic world. This was not a world of great strife. There were not that many warlords and ambitious people who yearned for a separatist regime. The Daming Dynasty suppressed the military generals and suppressed the possibility of a separatist regime to the greatest extent. This made it convenient for Xiao Ruxun.
There was almost no obstruction along the way.
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