Southern Ming Rebel Army

Meng Jun watched from a high place as the soldiers collected the box. Wu Tai wrote the prostitute's name and the amount of the donation on a newspaper, then raised his arms and shouted "Great, great!"

This pushed the atmosphere to a climax, and onlookers paid money one after another just to not be inferior to this prostitute.

Meng Jun was so happy that he clapped his hands, turned his head and smiled at Yang En, "Mu De, look at how enthusiastically the people are donating, I wonder how much silver we can get."

Yang En thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Governor, Suzhou City is so vast, it would be good if a collection point could have 10,000 taels. Moreover, there are few wealthy businessmen in Suzhou City who stroll around on this street. Governor, if you want to donate more, you have to work hard on these gentry."

Meng Jun pondered for a moment, and suddenly an idea came to him. He thought of a crooked idea and quickly asked Yu An to call Meng Bian over. There was a way to solve this problem.

While waiting for Meng Bian, Meng Jun sat in the restaurant and ordered a table full of delicious dishes, including shredded eel in fried oil, Suzhou braised duck, crab meat tofu, pickled pork with preserved vegetables, braised pork with bean curd sheets, gingko choy sum, and shrimp with green snails. It was the first time for Meng Jun to eat the local specialties of Suzhou after having been in Suzhou for so long. Even though he was a governor, he usually lived and ate with the soldiers, and today was the perfect time to satisfy his appetite.

Meng Jun ate with relish, enjoying the meal to the fullest, and even drank a pot of wine with Yang En. His tense nerves of recent days finally relaxed a little.

"Master, I'm here"

Meng Jun looked up and saw that Meng Bian looked much more haggard after not seeing him for a few days, and the bags under his eyes were bulging.

"Why are you like this? Didn't you sleep yesterday?" Meng Jun asked curiously.

"Master, it's not just yesterday that I didn't sleep. I haven't slept much for three days." Meng Bian sat down on the chair and said to Meng Jun with a tired face.

"I have been busy investigating Si's affairs these days and have not been able to sleep well. By the way, young master, is there anything wrong?" Meng Bian added, and then asked.

"Yes, then you can find a group of spies to keep an eye on the wealthy businessmen and tycoons. If anyone doesn't donate money, you should ridicule them. In particular, you should spread the news of the prostitute's donation throughout Suzhou City. I don't think anyone would be able to do that."

Yang En and Meng Bian were stunned when they heard this trick. After a moment, Meng Bian smiled and said, "Master, this trick is amazing. It will definitely work."

Yang En frowned and advised, "General, since ancient times, those who have accomplished great things not only have extraordinary talents, but also have unyielding determination. They should sweep away evil spirits with great spirit. This plan is full of conspiracy and has no grand intention. General, I dare to speak frankly. General, you must not indulge in small ways."

Hearing this, Meng Jun also stood up, bowed to Yang En and said seriously, "Yuan Zhi will remember Mu De's words in his heart. This is something he had no choice but to do."

Yang En hurriedly lowered his body and bowed to Meng Jun, saying, "The governor is a hero, there is no need to do this."

At some point, some idle people appeared in Suzhou City, pointing fingers at the wealthy families in Suzhou. Some people were forced to donate money, but many righteous businessmen and common people were moved by the atmosphere and donated money on their own initiative.

In just three or four days, Meng Jun had received donations of 360,000 taels from the gentry and common people in Suzhou City. Meng Jun also had people rush to make honorary certificates and distribute them to those gentry and merchants who donated more.

Yang and Wu did not expect the effect to be so good. Yang En felt a little ashamed. He had righteously advised the governor that day and even said shamelessly that this was a small trick. He never thought that so much money would be raised.

With food in hand, there is no need to panic. The same goes for silver. With money, there are more things you can do. In the Battle of Yangcheng Lake, Meng's army suffered heavy losses, but after a period of rest, its combat effectiveness increased instead of decreased. The soldiers of the three towns had experienced bloody battles and exuded a hint of bloodthirsty aura. With sufficient food and pay, the morale of the soldiers was high, and the integration of surrendered prisoners was also carried out in an orderly manner.

The next day, Meng Jun summoned all his generals and decided to strike while the iron was hot. The morale of the army was high and Songjiang Prefecture was empty, so Meng Jun decided to take Songjiang.

Everyone walked into the big tent one after another. Except for the injured who had not yet recovered, everyone else had arrived. When Meng Jun saw that everyone was there, he said, "We can't stay in one place. We must fight our way out. I have decided to take over Songjiang Prefecture. If you have any opinions, please feel free to speak up."

Lin Shiqi was the first to speak, "Governor, I wonder how many troops should be sent to attack Songjiang Prefecture and how many should be left behind. Although Bai Yongfu was defeated for a while, he is still stationed in Wuxi, watching closely. The Qing army will reinforce at any time. If more troops are sent to Songjiang, will Suzhou City be in danger? If fewer people are sent, Li Chengdong's defense of Songjiang City will probably take a long time, and changes will occur over time."

Han Xiong also said, "The towns have just experienced a bloody battle. Isn't it a bit hasty to send troops so soon?"

Meng Jun said in a deep voice, "This period of time is our most precious time. Jiangyin has delayed the main force of the Qing army in Jiangnan, and rebel armies have risen up in various places. The Qing army is unable to take care of itself. Now is the best time to attack Songjiang. We have to fight in a hurry. If we don't fight, we will be trapped here. Of course, Suzhou City must be defended. This governor has decided to lead the troops of Kewu Town under Commander Han and 10,000 auxiliary troops, a total of 20,000 people. Commander Lin will stay in Suzhou. This battle will take one month at the fastest and two months at the slowest. Regardless of whether Songjiang is conquered or not, we must withdraw our troops." Meng Jun then stood up and said, "Commander Han, all preparations must be completed in three days. Kewu Town will send troops to Songjiang in five days."

Seeing that Meng Jun had made up his mind, the generals all stood up and said, "Yes, Governor."

The shortage of equipment in the Kewu Town army was given priority in supply by the other two towns. Food, fodder, and various supplies were gathered together, and the tense atmosphere of war began to spread in the camp.

Having said that, Meng Jun felt very confident in this battle. Li Chengdong was left alone after the defeat, so beating him would be as easy as robbing grass and killing rabbits.

Just as Meng Jun was making emergency preparations for battle, Yang En suddenly entered the camp.

"Mu De, food and supplies are all ready," Meng Jun asked with some doubt.

"Commander-in-chief, the grain and fodder have been counted and have already started to move. However, I am not here for this matter today. Commander-in-chief, the Prince of Lu in Zhejiang has sent someone to come."

Meng Jun was not surprised. It was certain that the Prince of Lu had sent someone to contact him. It was a little surprising that they had taken so long to arrive and were so slow to respond. He then asked, "Who did the Prince of Lu send?"

Yang En said somewhat depressedly, "There are only three Jinyiwei."

"Nothing else, just three Jinyiwei. What did they bring here?" Meng Jun said with some surprise.

"I didn't bring anything with me, just an imperial edict to promote you, the governor," Yang En shook his head.

Meng Jun was a little disappointed when he heard this, but fortunately, a promotion is fine. With the size of his army, the capture of Suzhou, the defeat of Li Chengdong, and the great victory at Yangcheng Lake, His Royal Highness the Prince of Lu would definitely make him a Duke. Thinking of this, Meng Jun asked with some pride, "My rebellion against the Qing Dynasty is a great cause, and I don't want to be made a marquis. Hmm, I wonder what official position Your Highness the Regent has given me?"

"Your Highness Prince Lu, confer the title of General Yingyang on the governor, a third-rank title."

When Meng Jun heard this, his joyful expression slowly disappeared, but he still asked unwillingly, "General Yingyang? A third-rank title. According to the Ming Dynasty system, is he the same level as a general?"

"It's one level higher, but usually a general title is given only when he is ordered to do so. I really don't understand what Prince Lu, the regent, meant. He gave you the title of general, the governor, but didn't give you the order of a general," Yang En touched his chin and said with some doubt.

"It doesn't matter. The most important thing now is to take Songjiang. What's the point of you guessing what they mean? If they don't give you any of these important things like money, food, weapons, and equipment, what's the point of just giving you a title?" Meng Jun waved his hand and said, "We should do it the same way as before. Mu De, go and send those Jinyiwei away. We can talk about other things after this battle is over."