Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 229 Blood and Soil

In the hall, everyone's eyes fell on the small jade box beside the table.

Lu Jianguo stretched out his hand to open the jade box and lifted the lid. There was no precious gold or jade in the jade box, but only a handful of dark red soil.

Lu Jianguo and others looked at the bloody mud in the jade box with astonishment. Xiong Rulin and others looked again and found that there was indeed only a pile of mud in the box.
All the officials of the Lu clan in the hall looked at His Royal Highness Gui, who was standing opposite them. Zhu Lang's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the people opposite him and spoke directly.

"Does the King of Lu still remember Zhu Dadian, the commander-in-chief you appointed when you were in Zhejiang Province?"

"I remember that it has been some time since I went to the sea to recruit soldiers, and I haven't heard any news from Mr. Zhu."

Zhu Yihai looked at the blood and soil in the jade box, and a trace of fear rose in his heart. He had already made a bad guess, but he still managed to keep calm on his face and replied softly:

Zhu Lang ignored Lu Jianguo's expression and continued speaking.

"Last year, you and your army in Zhejiang were defeated and fled to the sea. The Qing invaders marched south and surrounded Jinhua. Zhu Dadian defended the city and vowed not to surrender, but he was ultimately powerless."

"In March, Jinhua City was captured and the whole city was massacred. In order to prevent the gunpowder in the city from being seized by the Qing invaders, Zhu Datian led more than ten members of his family into the gunpowder depot, resolutely ignited the gunpowder, and died for his country."

"After my army conquered Quzhou, they advanced to Jinhua Prefecture. Unfortunately, the Qing invaders in Jinhua Prefecture were also well prepared, so we were unable to enter the city. This handful of bloody soil was taken from under the city of Jinhua."

"Today I have brought this bloody soil to King Lu as a gift to comfort the lonely soul of a loyal minister."

The deep voice slowly echoed in the hall. Xiong Rulin, Qian Sule and other officials of Lu Fan looked at the blood and soil in the jade box, but their faces were pale.

They supported Zhu Dadian as the King of Lu in Zhejiang Province, and often interacted with Zhu Dadian. Xiong Ruolin and others even argued with Zhu Dadian over whether to accept Longwu's amnesty.
But at this moment, Xiong Rulin and the others looked at the blood and soil in the box with a miserable expression.
The scene of the quarrel last year was still fresh in my mind, but in the blink of an eye, the other party had already returned to the underworld, and he died in such a tragic way.
Burning gunpowder, the whole family will die. This is easy to say in a few words, but how tragic it would be if you were really in it.

At this time, all the ministers in the hall, whether Gui or Lu, all looked at the blood on the table, silent, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

Some ministers on the Lu vassal side, thinking of the years of wandering and separation, thinking of those relatives, friends and teachers who resolutely died for their country, could not help but sob softly. The destruction of the country and the ruin of the family, for these people in the hall, how could these few light words summarize it?
Zhu Lang looked at the silent crowd in the hall and said in a low voice:
"This time the imperial army invaded Zhejiang Province, and I also learned some news about the officials of Zhejiang Province."

"The Minister of Rites Wang Siren, who was appointed by you, starved to death, the Minister of War Yu Huang drowned himself in his official attire, the Vice Minister of Rites Chen Hanhui, the Minister of the Supreme Court Chen Qianfu, the Minister of Public Administration Wu Conglu, the Chief Official Ye Ruheng, Gao Dai, the former Assistant Official of Shanxi Zheng Zhiyin, all died."

"The former Taichang Doctor Li Shan starved to death in Wuzhong, the Imperial Censor He Hongren chased him to Guanshanling and threw himself off a cliff, the Chief Official Xie Zhenlong was arrested and died for resisting, and the Tantou Defender Liu Mu died unyielding."

"Yiwu was destroyed, Grand Secretary Zhang Guowei died, Wuning Marquis Wang Zhiren went to sea, and sank his wife and children. He then went from Songjiang to Nanjing to protest and die. Then, when Zhu Dadian failed to take Jinhua, he set himself on fire with gunpowder, and his entire family died with him."

"As for the officials in Fujian, the chief minister Huang Daozhou was defeated in the Northern Expedition and died unyieldingly. Fujian Province fell. Civil officials such as the Minister of Revenue Jiang Yihong, the Minister of Rites Cao Xuequan, the editor Xu Fuyi, the censor Wang Guohan, Ai Nanying, the doctor Lai Gai, and military officials such as the general Hu Shangchen, the governor-general Zhang Guoji, and the centurion Min Shi all died. There are countless other officials who died for their loyalty upon hearing the news. It is difficult to count them all."

Every time Zhu Lang spoke, the atmosphere in the hall became more silent. In the end, even the sobbing sound disappeared and it became completely silent. Everyone listened to the names that were either familiar or unfamiliar with a sad look on their faces.

Zhu Lang glanced at the silent ministers in the hall and said in a deep voice:

"Since the Jiashen Incident, our Ming Dynasty has suffered defeat after defeat. Now only this half of our country remains. But you must know that even this half of the ruins was gained by countless loyal and righteous people who fought and shed blood."

"We are also relying on the countless loyal and righteous men who sacrificed their lives in the battles across the country. Only then can we sit here in this hall today. I brought this handful of blood and soil to make you think carefully about what we should do first now."

"We are here today, with the blood and soil of these loyal souls as a mirror, to discuss today's affairs."

Zhu Lang turned around and sat down after he finished speaking. After hearing what Zhu Lang said, everyone in the hall was silent for a long time. No one spoke.
Qian Sule and others had prepared countless speeches before coming, but now, hearing the names of those who died for their loyalty, they were speechless.

How could they say that they came here today not to unify their country, but to continue to establish themselves and claim the throne? How could they say this now?
Although Lu Jianguo was the most respected, his side was far from being comparable to Gui Jianguo's side in terms of both name and strength. This was why Lu Jianguo's side lowered its posture from the beginning.
The officials of Lu Fan looked at Zhu Yihai, who was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and fox fur, and looked elegant and noble. However, when they looked at the heroic young man in black and gold armor opposite them, they felt that their own regent was more than a head shorter than him.

Xiong Ruolin also found that everyone on his side was in low morale. Gui Jianguo's preemptive move, coupled with the previous victory of Fujian Province, had already suppressed the officials of Lu Fan and made them unable to raise their heads. Even he himself felt that if he still wanted to split the court at this time, it would be a heinous act.

But this thought was quickly cut off by Xiong Ruolin. Xiong Ruolin had experienced many ups and downs in his career, so his mind was naturally not easily shaken by others.
But at this moment he also knew that he could not remain silent any longer. If he remained silent, he was afraid that before he could even start discussing matters, the people on his side would lose their support.

Xiong Ruolin looked up at Lu Jianguo, and was about to signal him to propose the alliance, but he found that although Lu Jianguo was still trying to maintain his composure, he was already distracted.

Zhu Yihai stared at the handful of blood and soil on the table, his face dazed. He never thought that the cunning and treacherous old minister in his memory would die in such a heroic way.

Xiong Ruolin looked at the stunned Lu Jianguo, and his heart sank. At this time, Lu Jianguo's mind was already distracted by the news thrown out by Gui Jianguo, so he had to propose the alliance.
Xiong Rulin looked at the Gui Fan people who were staring at him coldly, and suddenly spoke in a deep voice

"Last year, the Qing invaders were rampant and took advantage of the Ming Dynasty's lack of preparedness to attack our Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. But now, they have been defeated by the combined efforts of our two vassal states of Guizhou and Shandong. Tens of thousands of Qing invaders have been killed in one day."

"From this we can see that the reason why the Qing army was able to defeat the Ming Dynasty repeatedly was not because the Ming army was weak, but because the internal strife among the various parties in the Ming Dynasty continued, and the various armies were unable to work together, which allowed the Qing army to take advantage of the opportunity to win."

"As His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo said, our Ming Dynasty is in danger and countless people with lofty ideals have sacrificed their lives for justice. At this time, those of us who are still alive should not fight for fame and position or engage in internal strife."

"For the sake of our Ming Dynasty, please ask His Royal Highness Gui and His Royal Highness Lu to sign an alliance. We will work together to fight the enemy, drive out the Qing invaders, and jointly restore our Ming Dynasty."

Xiong Ruolin was indeed a senior official with a long history and reacted very quickly. Zhu Lang used the righteousness of a group of martyred ministers to force Lu Jianguo to return to his position, but Xiong Ruolin immediately used the righteousness to persuade Gui Jianguo to put the overall situation first and sign an alliance as soon as possible.

If Gui Jianguo still insisted on asking Lu Jianguo to abdicate at this time, it would be regarded as Gui Jianguo's side fighting for fame and position and actively provoking internal strife.

When the officials of the Gui clan heard this, they were also furious. The two sides joined forces to defeat the enemy. This Xiong Ruolin was really shameless. In the entire battle of Fujian Province, except for sending ships to transport troops, there was no sight of Lu Jianguo's troops in the entire Fujian Province.

Zhao'an, Changtai, all the Qing troops were conquered by them alone. Now, Xiong Ruolin just talked about it and it turned out that both sides were working together to defeat the enemy.

The officials of Gui Fan were furious, but Lu Daqi had a cold expression and did not fall into Xiong Ruolin's trap. Lu Daqi looked at Xiong Ruolin opposite him and shouted coldly:

"Xiong Yuyin, you are still stubborn and still claiming to be the Regent of Lu. Where in the world is there such a thing as the Regent of Lu?"

"Your Highness Gui, the Regent of the State, is the direct descendant of the Divine Clan and the only remaining blood of the Emperor. He is the orthodox royal family and a distant vassal of the Prince of Lu. He has been an emperor for dozens of generations. How can the Prince of Lu be so qualified as to usurp the throne and dare to call himself the Regent?"

"Xiong Yuyin, you are also a third-place Jinshi, a descendant of a saint. For the sake of your own power and selfish desires, you have disregarded the moral order. Xiong Yuyin, are you really going to be a traitor?"

"You are still dreaming of signing a treaty with the imperial court. Have you ever seen a king of the imperial court sign a treaty with his subjects? This is simply absurd!"

The cold voice continued to echo in the hall, and the officials of Gui Fan also reacted. The most fundamental problem now was not how much credit Lu Fan had made in the battle of Fujian Province, but that Lu Fan should not exist at all. As for the so-called treaty, it was absolutely unacceptable.
Qian Sule, Zhang Huangyan and others on the opposite side also turned their heads slightly when they heard this, not daring to look at the opposite side. They were also scholars of orthodox origin, so how could they not know that if it really came down to it, the King of Lu would not be able to compete with the King of Gui for the throne, but they also had no way out now.

They have already been appointed to the court of Lu Jianguo. In order to assist Lu Jianguo in resisting the Qing invaders in Zhejiang Province, some of them donated all their wealth, some were labeled as supporting the Ming Dynasty, and their relatives were captured and killed by the Qing invaders. They have already paid such a heavy price. If Lu Jianguo suddenly died at this time, what would they do?

At this time, Lu Jianguo still had tens of thousands of troops. If they surrounded Lu Jianguo, they might still be able to make a comeback, but if Lu Jianguo was gone, they would have nothing left. They were definitely not willing to be an excluded marginal minister in someone else's court.

The officials of Lu Fan were silent, but Xiong Ruolin listened to what Lu Daqi said, but his expression remained unchanged, and he spoke directly

"Brother Yanru, what you said is wrong. The country needs a big change. All descendants of Emperor Gaozu should work together to restore it. After success, the one who enters the pass will be the king. It is not time to talk about the ups and downs at this time."

Lu Daqi was also furious when he heard this, and was about to refute, but Xiong Rulin did not give him a chance and continued to speak.

"The successor to the throne should be the eldest son in a peaceful era, and the one who has made contributions in a chaotic era. The one who has made contributions will be crowned king. This is an indisputable fact. In the past, when the Qing invaders attacked Zhejiang, all the royal families in Zhejiang surrendered. Only His Highness the Regent Lu raised his sleeves and called on all the officials to resist the Qing invaders and protect the people of Zhejiang. That is why he was given the title of great leader. The Regent Gui led his army to Fujian and Guangdong, defeated the Qing invaders, and protected the gentry and people of Fujian and Guangdong. That is why he inherited the title and led the people's hearts. This is also the reason."

"The two vassal states both hold the position of regent because of the current situation. It is also a clear proof that the two vassal states have made great contributions to the country. Now that the two vassal states have been established, each has its own subordinates and military commanders. If they are suddenly forced to unite, conflicts will inevitably arise again."

"For now, the only way is for the two vassal states to sign an alliance and not attack each other. Only in this way can we unite the strength of the two vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, fight against the Qing invaders together, and restore our ancestors' foundation. Please, His Royal Highness Gui, put the country first and do not start a military conflict again."

When Lu Daqi heard this, his expression became even colder, and he immediately saw through Xiong Ruolin's intention.
Xiong Ruolin obviously knew that Prince Lu could not compete with Prince Gui in terms of legal succession, so he tried to change the concept by sophistry, changing the standard of succession from eldest son to meritorious service. Only in this way could the Regent of Lu barely have a chance to join forces with the Regent of Gui.

However, the throne of the world should be inherited by the eldest son. This is the consensus of the people of the world. How can Xiong Ruolin change it with a few sophistry?
Moreover, even if we talk about achievements, how can the Lu vassal state compare with the Gui vassal state? The Lu vassal state said that they had made contributions to the country by defending Zhejiang Province, but where is Zhejiang Province now?

Lu Daqi sneered and was about to speak, but was suddenly stopped by the Regent.

Zhu Lang glanced at Xiong Ruolin, who looked calm, but he did not feel much surprise or anger in his heart. The attitude of Xiong Ruolin and others was not beyond his expectations. He had already guessed the attitude of Lu Jianguo and others before coming.
After the fall of Zhejiang Province, even though only a few thousand remnants of Lu Jianguo and others fled to the sea, they were still unwilling to submit to Longwu. How could they give up their power just for a few empty words?

Zhu Lang also realized that Lu Jianguo's party would never surrender at this time, so he gave up the idea of ​​surrendering.

Zhu Langxin's eyes turned, and his expression suddenly changed. He ignored Xiong Rulin and looked directly at Lu Jianguo opposite him, saying in a cold voice:

"Prince Lu invited me here today just to discuss these matters?"

As Zhu Lang spoke, everyone in the hall, whether Gui or Lu, suddenly became quiet.

Seeing the cold look on the face of the Gui King, Lu Jianguo was slightly flustered, but after a little hesitation, Lu Jianguo still spoke.

"What Mr. Xiong said is what I said"

Upon hearing this, His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo on the other side turned completely cold, and suddenly shouted in a cold voice:
"This is simply ridiculous. Before I came here, I thought you had seen the Qing invaders retreat and were ready to discuss with me how to gather troops to attack and recover our homeland. I never thought that you invited me here just to claim to be the king and the hegemon. It's really a waste of my time!"

Qian Sule, Zhang Huangyan and others on the opposite side were also frightened when they saw Gui Jianguo suddenly get angry, and they looked even more embarrassed after hearing what Gui Jianguo said.
Although Gui Jianguo's words were harsh, the main purpose of inviting Gui Jianguo here today was to make Gui Jianguo recognize Lu Jianguo's status.

The officials of the Lu clan avoided their gazes, but the face of Gui Jianguo opposite them became increasingly cold. He looked directly at Lu Jianguo opposite them and said in a cold voice:
"Since the Jiashen year, the Qing invaders have invaded the Central Plains, ravaging the country. Countless people from north to south have fallen into the hands of the invaders, crying day and night. Instead of thinking about recovering the old land and saving the people from the dire situation, you have been hiding on this island, thinking about being the only one who can do what you want, and talking nonsense about your great unification and achievements."

"Supervise the country?"

"My Ming Dynasty has two capitals, one in Northern Zhili and the other in Southern Zhili. Where is the capital now? Where is the southern capital? The barbarians broke through the border and half of the country fell. Now there are only these few pieces of land left. You are still talking about regents? Where is the country for you to regent?"

"You said you raised troops to Zhejiang Province to protect the people of eastern Zhejiang, but where is Zhejiang Province now?"

"You have been fighting for power with the previous emperor, but you have been defeated again and again in Zhejiang Province. After your defeat, you can just run away and flee to the sea, but how can the people of Zhejiang Province who followed you escape?"

"Zhu Dadian, Zhang Guowei, how many loyal officials and righteous men have lost their lives because of your stupidity. If you still have some sense of shame and righteousness, you should return to the government. Only in this way can you make up for your sins."

In the hall, the cold voice kept echoing, and the faces of the officials of Lu Fan were also ashamed, turning their heads away, not daring to speak.

(End of this chapter)