Southern Ming Rebel Army

The scholar repeated his words. Meng Jun looked at everyone. Lin Shiqi, Song Jianping and Meng Bizhi had different expressions. Bizhi and Bian were both servants of the Meng family and always followed Meng Jun's lead. Song Jianping lowered his head and said nothing, his expression could not be seen clearly, but Lin Shiqi was slightly moved. When Meng Jun turned to look at Lin Shiqi, Lin Shiqi also looked back at Meng Jun intentionally, and the two seemed to be communicating silently with their eyes.

"Pass the order, leave here first." Meng Jun gave the order lightly. Song Jianping seemed to be relieved. He thought to himself that if this Qian Zong did not swallow his anger and rebelled, if he followed him in the rebellion, not only would there be little hope, but he had a rich family and was just following him to make a living. How could he do such a business that could get him killed? If he didn't follow him, he was afraid that he would not see the sun tomorrow. So it was better to stay safe.

The scholar looked at Meng Jun disappointedly. Meng Jun did not explain to the scholar that now was indeed not the best time. He should find a safe place to slowly accumulate strength after transporting this batch of supplies with the Meng family's connections, land and wealth and wait for the opportunity. This would be a safe approach.

The scholar looked at Meng Jun and then looked back at the village, listening to the painful wailing, and slowly took out a dagger from his arms. Meng Jun was confused at the moment and did not notice the scholar's actions for a while.

It was not until a cry of surprise was heard, "Scholar, are you crazy? Hurry up and bring the golden medicine over. This scholar stabbed himself." It was Meng Bian who discovered the scholar's abnormality.

Meng Jun's heart skipped a beat when he heard the exclamation. He looked at the scholar lying on the ground, holding a dagger in his hand, and blood from his abdomen had seeped through his clothes. Meng Jun took two steps at a time and ran forward, checking the scholar's breath.

At this time Lin Shiqi said, "Let me take a look." He tore open the clothes on the scholar's abdomen, and blood continued to flow out from the wound. Lin Shiqi took out a bottle of medicine powder from his arms, sprinkled it on the scholar's wound, and took a piece of clean-looking cloth to wrap it around the wound. Under Lin Shiqi's treatment, the scholar's face looked a little calmer.

Meng Jun looked at the people gathered in a circle and said, "Spread out and don't gather together."

Meng Jun felt a little self-blame and helpless. Meng Jun understood the scholar's thoughts, but the scholar could not understand him. Meng Jun sat on a stone beside him, feeling somewhat desolate, and looked at the setting sun for a long time without saying a word.

"He's awake, the scholar is awake, sir." Although everyone did not understand the scholar's behavior, they still admired his courage. Since ancient times, the only way to survive is death. Seeing that the scholar woke up again, everyone felt relieved.

Meng Jun walked over, patted the scholar's shoulder gently and said, "You sour scholar..." Meng Jun couldn't say anything more. The scene at the entrance of the village was still vivid in their minds. Everyone was depressed, and a strong sense of anger was rising in their hearts.

"Sir, please help me cut off this braid." The scholar said in a dying voice. "Sir Meng, you always say that there is hope as long as we are alive, but I... have lost hope. What I see is different from what I... expected. I am tired and I really don't want to meet my ancestors with a braid." The scholar's face had just turned slightly rosy, but now it has returned to gray. The previous improvement was just a flash in the pan.

Meng Jun nodded slightly, drew out the sword from his waist, grabbed the scholar's braid behind his head, and cut it off with a "hiss". The moment the braid left his body, a faint smile appeared on the scholar's face, "Sir, I want to... start from the beginning." After saying that, he stared straight at Meng Jun.

Meng Jun was deeply shocked, with tears in his eyes, and whispered, "I am also a Han Chinese." After that, in front of everyone's astonished gaze, he cut off his braid with a knife.

The scholar looked at Meng Jun's broken braid and smiled with relief, but his smile gradually froze there.

"Who else?" Meng Jun raised his braid high, looking around at the soldiers in the camp and the two nearby Lin Shiqi and Song Jianping, and asked in a deep voice. Wherever he looked, some soldiers were filled with righteous indignation and ready to take action, while others avoided his gaze and stared at the ground.

Meng Jun said angrily: "Among so many men, am I the only Han Chinese alive? The Qing Dynasty has only a few hundred thousand people, but it rides on the heads of tens of millions of Han people. They are like sitting on the crater of a volcano. They will definitely use cruel means to suppress us and imprison our thoughts. This is not a change of dynasty, this is the destruction of the world. They massacred people in Liaodong and occupied our capital, and now they want to deprive us of our clothes. Do we still want to live in disgrace? Do you still want to live like the fourth-class people of the Mongols? Look at that village, the women and children are so innocent, and they are raped like this. Do you also want to live that kind of life?" Meng Jun shouted to the soldiers in the surrounding camps.

"Emperor Taizu of more than two hundred years ago was born in poverty, but he was a man of great talent and strategy. He led the Han people to expel the Mongols and restored a bright and peaceful world to the Han people. How can we watch the Manchus seize our Han country now? Don't think that the world belongs to the Zhu family. The coming of the Qing Dynasty was just a change of emperor in the capital. Think about which dynasty in history forced us to change our clothes and our hair? Think about the glory we had during the Han and Tang dynasties. We must emulate the Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, expel the Tartars, and restore our clothes and hats." Meng Jun almost shouted the last sentence, and his throat even began to become hoarse.

After Meng Jun finished speaking, the scene was dead silent. However, if there is no death in silence, then there will be an outbreak of death in silence. At this time, Meng Jun looked at Meng Bian and Meng Bizhi. The two looked at each other, drew their swords, cut off their braids and threw them on the ground, and shouted, "Drive out the Tartars and restore the clothes."

For a moment, the crowd was excited and cut off their braids one after another, saying, "I am a Han Chinese, how can I wear this pig's tail to my ancestral tomb?"

"The Tartars are not good people. They kill people everywhere. Let's fight them." "Rebellion, rebellion" "Die if you want to" and other mixed voices were heard from time to time.

Hearing these words, Meng Jun felt relieved. What he feared most was that no one was willing to follow him, and then he would really have to run away.

Although the northerners around Lin Shiqi were excited by what Meng Jun said, they all regarded Lin Shiqi as their leader and were waiting for his decision. Meng Jun knew that the northerners under Lin Shiqi were the most combat-capable people in the entire camp. If they were willing to follow him, then his subordinates would not be just a group of militiamen.

Lin Shiqi slowly raised his head and said to Meng Jun with a firm look in his eyes: "Sir, the Eastern Tartars are brave and fierce, how can we defeat them?"

"Although the Tartars have conquered the Southern Capital, their troops are scattered everywhere and there are countless people rising up in rebellion in various parts of the country. Moreover, the Tartars are not invincible. As long as we can unite as one and work together, we will definitely win," Meng Jun vowed.

Lin Shiqi was silent for a moment, then he said slowly, "Sir, if there comes a day when there is a dangerous battle, will you abandon your comrades?"

Meng Jun walked up to Lin Shiqi, his eyes were like torches, and he said sternly, "No! As long as I am still alive, I will lead the charge and rush to the front. As long as I have a little strength left, I will fight to the last man and will never abandon anyone in the Mengzi Camp!"

"Okay, Meng Ziying, I believe you, sir." Lin Shiqi also drew out his sword and raised his head, and a braid fell off.

Although most of the soldiers cut off their braids in excitement, more than a hundred people did not dare to abandon their families and careers to follow Meng Jun. However, Meng Jun saw that more than half of the people were willing to follow him, which exceeded his expectations. Meng Jun did not have much desire to keep the remaining people who were indecisive and two-faced. Song Jianping, the general, did not cut his braids either, and murmured to Meng Jun, "I have an old mother and young children at home. Although I want to start a business with you, you are great, but there is really no one to take care of my family, so I dare not follow you."

Meng Jun looked at Song Jianping and smiled, "Everyone has their own aspirations. I cannot force you, but I hope you can remember that you are Han Chinese and don't become an accomplice of the Tartars. If we meet on the battlefield, we will be enemies to the death."

"Of course, of course, sir, we have always been in Cao's camp but our hearts are with Han. We will definitely not be enemies with you, sir. We are just trying to make a living. You know us, sir, right?" Song Jianping said hurriedly, nodding his head.

"Since you have decided not to follow us, you can leave now," Meng Jun waved his hand and said to Song Jianping.

"Yes, yes, sir, we will go back then." After saying that, Song Jianping led more than 100 people who did not want to cut their braids to the direction of Changshu.

The sky was gradually getting dark. Although Meng Jun had decided to rebel and had nearly 600 people following him, what should he do next?