On October 23rd, Xiao Ruxun led the army to Nanjing, the southern capital of the Daming dynasty. Jiang Dahai and Chai Guozhu organized a ceremony to welcome Xiao Ruxun and his army into Nanjing.
Later, Xiao Ruxun led the civil and military officials to worship Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in the Xiaoling Mausoleum. They presented the funeral oration, saying that the Daming crusade against the rebel Shen Yicheng and restore the dynasty's style. They had no choice but to mobilize the army and disturb the emperor's sleep. They hoped that the emperor would forgive them.
After that, Xiao Ruxun hosted a banquet to entertain the civil and military officials who gathered in Nanjing. He conveyed a beautiful vision for the future to everyone. He welcomed all those who supported the crusade against the rebel Shen Yicheng to join the crusade against the rebel team. He absolutely welcomed them.
Ye Mengxiong personally went out and persuaded more than a hundred Nanjing officials who had been detained in the prison to come out. When they saw this and saw Ye Mengxiong's endorsement, they no longer hesitated and were willing to join Xiao Ruxun's team. Some of the officials who were captured along the way who were not willing to follow Xiao Ruxun were also persuaded by Ye Mengxiong.
Only a small number of diehards were left. They held the idea that there was no reason for them to attack Xiao Ruxun. Since Ye Mengxiong couldn't persuade them, then forget it. He continued to lock them up and gave them food and water. He didn't care about other things.
In fact, most of these people were fishing for fame. Most of them were just watching. How could people who really wanted to die and never wanted to surrender eat and drink?
Even if they deliberately cut off his rations, he would still complain in prison. If he was not given water to wash his body, he would still complain. This kind of person didn't look like someone who would seek death.
Let's lock him up for a while!
At the banquet in Nanjing, Xu Hongji represented the House of Duke Wei in supporting Xiao Ruxun's northern expedition. He said that Shen Yicheng was a rebel who conspired to depose the emperor. Xiao Ruxun was a loyal minister who acted righteously. Xu Hongji was also willing to help Xiao Ruxun in the crusade against the rebel.
Ye Mengxiong also expressed his opinion. He praised Xiao Ruxun's pure heart and called on everyone to help him fight against the rebel. He called on everyone to help him. Shen Yicheng must be punished for his shameful deeds. Otherwise, the Daming world would no longer be the Daming world.
Moreover, they also jointly sent letters to the many prefectures that still obeyed the orders of the imperial court in the north. They stated their hopes and warned the officials of these prefectures not to continue to be stubborn and not to be loyal to Shen Yicheng. They should recognize the current situation, recognize the loyalty and traitors, and contribute to the great cause of the northern expedition together.
The civil and military leaders of Nanjing had spoken out in support of Xiao Ruxun. Then, no matter what other people thought, Xiao Ruxun's reputation as a rebel was firmly established. At least in Nanjing, no one would continue to say that Xiao Ruxun was a rebel.
And when the officials of other places saw the joint letter of these two Jiangnan bigwigs, it was really unknown whether they would continue to listen to the orders of the imperial court in the north.
If Shen Yicheng issued an edict to suppress the rebellion again, it would not have much of a market. Xiao Ruxun directly regarded the little Emperor of Taichang as a puppet of Shen Yicheng. He directly compared him to Emperor Xian of Han, a plaything that everyone could manipulate. To be loyal to the little Emperor was to be loyal to Shen Yicheng.
They were all men with their own ideals. It was necessary to be loyal to the Emperor, but what was the meaning of being loyal to Shen Yicheng?
They could not do this. They must resolutely not recognize the edict that Shen Yicheng passed in the name of the little Emperor. It was all Shen Yicheng's selfishness, not the will of the Emperor or the imperial court.
To issue such a declaration was to attack the legitimacy of Shen Yicheng's government. They refused to recognize the legitimacy of Shen Yicheng's government and the little Emperor. Moreover, they issued such a declaration in Nanjing, a city of great political significance. Thus, a confrontation between the north and the south was formed.
On the 25th, Xiao Ruxun announced the official start of the second round of the northern expedition. He issued another northern expedition declaration in front of Zhu Yuanzhang's mausoleum in Xiaoling, pointing out that the goal was the capital. They would attack the capital, kill the traitor Shen Yicheng, and welcome the Emperor Retired to the throne.
At this time, no one doubted that Xiao Ruxun would not be able to destroy Shen Yicheng. After all, the strength of both sides had been displayed in front of them. The leaders of the crusade army sent by Shen Yicheng's government had all been captured, and none of the civil officials led by Li Hualong had escaped, except for the unlucky magistrate of Yangzhou who had been killed.
Li Hualong himself and those officials who had been imprisoned until now were still dragged by Xiao Ruxun to the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's tombstone, Xiao Ruxun loudly reprimanded him, saying that he was heartless and unscrupulous, and that he had eyes but could not see, and that he had actually worked for a traitor.
Li Hualong did not admit it at all, and scolded Xiao Ruxun wildly. Xiao Ruxun retorted that he had worked for a traitor, disregarded the safety of the Emperor Retired, and only cared about his own power and status. How could he still have the face to bark in front of Emperor Taizu's tombstone?
Li Hualong still did not admit it, and angrily scolded Xiao Ruxun for slandering him. He wanted to prove his innocence to Emperor Taizu, but at this time, it was already meaningless. Li Hualong was taken away, locked up, and strictly guarded.
The remaining twelve officials that Xiao Ruxun considered useless were beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag, on the grounds that they were rebellious and unrepentant.
Ignoring their cries, Xiao Ruxun still ordered them to be beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag, so that the army could march forward.
The overall situation had been decided, and everyone could already predict the direction of the future.
As a result, the officials in Nanjing were excited. One by one, they found Xiao Ruxun, hoping to contribute to the army and hold some important positions. The desire in their eyes was not concealed at all.
Obviously, they had set their sights on the future upstart, Xiao Ruxun, who could wield power.
Xiao Ruxun said that he wanted them to stay in Nanjing to work, but they all shook their heads and said that they were willing to follow the army north. No one was willing to stay.
This was normal.
Nanjing had a set of political teams that was almost a copy of the northern capital, but because of historical reasons, the officials in Nanjing were also jokingly called the officials' retirement home. Nominally, there were six ministers and official positions, but except for the Nanjing Minister of War and the Nanjing Garrison Commander, the other official positions were just for show.
The officials who came here were either old and really here to retire, or they were small shrimps who had been defeated in the political struggle. Every one of them was a political failure, and a considerable number of them had the idea of returning to the capital to start a new political career.
At this moment, the Imperial Court of the capital was under the control of Shen Yicheng, and the officials who held real power could be said to be Shen Yicheng's accomplices. Whether they were active or passive, as long as Xiao Ruxun won and captured the capital, it was clear that these people would not have a good ending.
This was an opportunity for the Nanjing officials. If they overturned the court in the north, they could fill the vacant power vacuum. This was obviously a very good opportunity, and it was the only one. There would not be a second chance.
Many of the Nanjing officials had grudges with the current officials in the capital, and they were overjoyed to see them fall. How could they not participate in such a good thing?
The winner was king and the loser was a bandit. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, Xiao Ruxun's northern expedition to the capital was certain to succeed, and Shen Yicheng was certain to fall. As long as they followed Xiao Ruxun, they would definitely be able to achieve a magnificent reversal from the loser to the victor!
And it had to be fast, fast, accurate, and ruthless!
First come, first served!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
