Southern Ming Rebel Army

When Gu Yanwu heard this, he stood up in shock, not even bothering to care about the newspaper that had fallen to the ground beside him. Li Wendao was still looking at Gu Yanwu with a smile on his face.

"This, this..." Gu Yanwu was so shocked when he heard this that he didn't know what to say.

Li Wendao continued, "Mr. Gu, although I don't know much about military affairs, I do have a slight understanding of human nature. If the morale of the army is low, the outcome of the battle between the two armies is unpredictable. If the commander-in-chief is defeated, the world will be irreversible. If we can increase our army's chances of victory, we should do our best!"

Gu Yanwu sat down slowly and said to Li Wendao: "Master, please let me think for a moment."

Li Wenda nodded and said, "Mr. Gu, please consider it, but you must do it as soon as possible. You should know that the war is imminent and cannot be delayed for long." After that, Li Wenda bowed and then left the tent, leaving Gu Yanwu alone to meditate at the desk.

Gu Yanwu pondered for a long time, sighed, and said: "This Taoist really gave me a difficult problem."

Afterwards, Gu Yanwu hurriedly asked to see Lin Tongzhen. The first person Gu Yanwu wanted to see was Lin Shiqi. Lin Shiqi had followed Meng Jun the longest and had the highest prestige in the army.

When Lin Shiqi saw Gu Yanwu, he said helplessly: "Mr. Gu, in Ningwu Town, you can see anyone you want and ask anyone you want, but don't ask me to write for the newspaper."

Gu Yanwu shook his head and said to Lin Shiqi: "Lin Tongzhen, I am not here for the newspaper this time. I have an important matter that I want to discuss with Lin Tongzhen."

"Big news? Please tell me, Mr. Gu," Lin Shiqi asked with some confusion.

"In my opinion, although the army withdrew from Jiangning City without much damage, the morale of the army has dropped. There is a plan that may boost the morale of the army."

"Well, well, Mr. Gu, please continue."

Gu Yanwu hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and said: "Please ask the governor to be crowned king and establish a system, and reward the troops generously."

Lin Shiqi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he praised: "What a good plan, Mr. Gu is indeed a talented person, not bad, not bad"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yanwu asked in a low voice: "Doesn't Lin Tongzhen think this is too hasty? Moreover, declaring oneself king without authorization may affect the reputation of the governor."

"Influence? What impact does it have? Zhang Xianzhong was a traitor, but his four adopted sons were all made kings as soon as they surrendered to him. The commander-in-chief did such a great thing, doesn't he deserve the title of king?" Lin Shiqi asked with a frown.

This question made Gu Yanwu stunned. Yes, it seemed that Lin Shiqi was not wrong. Then Gu Yanwu asked: "Since Lin Tongzhen thinks this strategy is feasible, then let's consult the generals and discuss this matter."

"Okay," Lin Shiqi nodded in agreement.

At night, Lin Shiqi was in his tent.

There were only eight or nine people in the tent, including Lin Shiqi, Gu Yanwu, Bai Yongfu, Qian Biao, Wang Fugui, Zhao Yongping, Huang Cheng, Gao Yi, and Shen Tingyang who had just arrived at the army today.

Seeing that the invited people had all arrived in the tent, Lin Shiqi spoke: "I invited you all tonight because I have something I want to discuss with you."

Bai Yongfu stroked his beard and asked in a strange tone: "What's the matter, Lin Tongzhen? You actually invited so many people. This is comparable to the meeting of the Grand Commander-in-Chief."

Lin Shiqi was too lazy to argue with Bai Yongfu, so he went straight to the point and said, "I want to invite the Grand Commander to be king, right at the foot of Jilong Mountain."

This statement shocked everyone. Everyone was so shocked that they stopped what they were doing. Qian Biao was the first to speak. He slapped his thigh and said with great sorrow: "This is what I wanted to say. This is what I thought."

Bai Yongfu's eyes lit up and he praised her endlessly, saying, "Lin Tongzhen, I never expected you to be so wise. I have to admit that you are better than me."

Wang Fugui also agreed: "That makes sense. The Grand Commander is the king, and everyone wants him to be the king."

Gao Yi and Huang Cheng all agreed and said that becoming king would win the support of the people and no one in the army would object.

Zhao Yongping hesitated, but nodded under the gaze of everyone. However, he still said: "I don't object, but I am a little anxious."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Everything is too slow," Qian Biao retorted, shaking his head like a wave drum.

Everyone agreed, only Shen Tingyang did not speak. Shen Tingyang felt bitter. He did not expect that he would have to express his opinion on such matters as soon as he arrived at the camp. He had devoted half his life to the Ming Dynasty, but Governor Meng only claimed to be the king, which did not mean that he was going to raise the banner of rebellion. Now that they should unite against the outside world, claiming to be the king was also to boost the morale of the army. Thinking of this, Shen Tingyang nodded and said, "Shen also agrees with this proposal."

Gu Yanwu was stunned. How could this group of warriors agree so quickly and no one had any objections?

Seeing that everyone agreed, Lin Shiqi showed a bright smile on his face, but the scar on his face made the smile not so good. He said happily: "Since everyone agrees, what should we call the king? Lin suggests that we call him the King of Qin."

"No, no, Hello, King of Han"

"No, this title of king is not chosen randomly. After all, Old Wang has studied in a private school for half a year. The title of king depends on the place. We are in Jiangnan, so we should be called King of Wu." Wang Fugui thought to himself that it was a pity that he was not fully prepared. He should hold a feather fan at this time to match his temperament.

"He is uneducated, but he has read books. The King of Wu is the title used by Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. Believe it or not, if the Grand Commander is called the King of Wu, the two small courts will be in chaos." Bai Yongfu said disdainfully. Finally, he added: "Bai thinks that in the south, he should be called the King of Chu."

Zhao Yongping sighed. These people were illiterate. He knocked on the table and said, "I am a scholar after all. What they said is wrong. The governor's surname is Meng, which is derived from the Ji surname. It comes from the son of the 28th king of Wei during the Spring and Autumn Period. Since there is a source, he should be called the King of Wei."

"King Wei, that doesn't sound good. Listen to me and call me King Han."

"King of Qin... King of Chu... King of Zhao... King of Wu..." There was a quarrel in the tent and no one could convince anyone else.

Just as the generals were arguing, Lekedehun finally arrived in Jiangning.

At this time, in Jiangning City, at the Governor's Mansion.

Hong Chengchou and Lekedehun sat opposite each other.

Hong Chengchou said to Lekedehun: "Prince, the Meng bandits retreated to Jilong Mountain to set up defenses, hoping to fight a decisive battle with our army. However, once the battle is underway, the outcome is unpredictable. If the bandits want to fight, I will not go. We cannot fight in vain."

Lekedehun laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "Don't fight recklessly? My Great Qing Dynasty drank from the Yangtze River, hundreds of thousands of troops surrendered, thousands of my troops came to Jingzhou and defeated more than 100,000 Shun bandits. He Tengjiao claimed to have 200,000 troops stationed in Hunan, but I wiped them out without any effort. This is called not fighting recklessly. When there are no heroes, the young ones become famous. Meng Jun is just a local bandit, why is Governor Hong so afraid?"

Hong Chengchou was stunned when he heard this, thinking: "The Regent really shouldn't have made him a king at this time. Haven't you heard that arrogant soldiers are defeated?" Then he advised: "Prince, Meng the thief once defeated Bolo Beile in a field battle. His troops are not comparable to ordinary ants and bandits. They should not be underestimated."

Hearing this, Lekedehun's face was filled with anger. He resisted the urge to scold Hong Chengchou, snorted coldly, and then said: "Bolo was dispersed by the defeated soldiers of the Green Camp, otherwise how could he be taken advantage of by the Meng thief?"

Seeing that he was determined, Hong Chengchou was about to persuade him again, but Lekedehun interrupted him and said coldly: "Governor Hong, please do not slander the bravery of the Eight Banners of our dynasty. The Eight Banners warriors are rampant in the world and no one can stop them."

Upon hearing this, Hong Chengchou had to stop talking and could not say anything more. If he continued, he would be suspected of slandering the Eight Banners, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.