Southern Ming Rebel Army

For example, the people of Jiangnan went through fire and water and suffered countless deaths for the sake of their clothing and honor. Li Dayuan, as a Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty, enjoyed generous treatment from the state. Not to mention being loyal to the country, he actually took the lead in shaving his head and surrendering to the Qing Dynasty. Not to mention that so much wealth must have been obtained through corruption and bribery, which just happened to fall into his hands. So it was natural and reasonable for him to cause trouble for Mr. Li.

When Meng Jun thought about this, his mood suddenly became better. If he got rid of Li Dayuan, he could intimidate the gentry who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and let them know that surrendering to the Tartars was risky.

In the afternoon, the rain gradually stopped. Seeing that the weather was getting better, Meng Jun led more than 500 cavalrymen and rushed towards Lijiazhuang.

Outside Lijiazhuang, Meng Jun led five hundred cavalrymen and appeared at the entrance of the village. The wall of Lijiazhuang was not high. Meng Jun took out the telescope from his waist and saw that it was about two meters high. Such a low wall could not stop Meng Jun at all.

As soon as the large group of cavalry appeared, there was a commotion on the wall of the village, and the sound of gongs continued. After a while, a man holding a white flag walked out tremblingly. As soon as he came out, the gate behind him slammed shut. The sound of the door closing made the man tremble. However, he had just taken a few steps when he saw the ferocious war horses and the cavalrymen with helmets and guns in front of him. He was so scared that he let out a strange cry, threw down the white flag and turned to run into the village. Unfortunately, the door was already closed. He kept banging on the door and crying, but no one paid attention to him, and the door was silent.

“Uh…” Perhaps because he was too frightened, the man cried out a few words, then suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious.

Meng Jun looked at the farce in front of him, feeling a little amused and helpless. Before he could say a word, one person was frightened unconscious. Meng Jun rode his horse forward.

A middle-aged man's head appeared on the village wall. He shouted to Meng Jun, "My fellow heroes, the village is too small to accommodate you. Please step back. I have prepared 500 dan of grain and 1,000 taels of silver for you. Please take the grain and silver and leave quickly. I will not keep you for a drink."

Meng Jun looked at the village wall. There were shadowy figures on the wall. It seemed that there were quite a few people guarding the wall. He was scratching his head. They came in a hurry and were all cavalrymen. Although the wall was not high or thick, it was not something that could be easily breached by the cavalrymen at hand.

Of course, if they were determined to take over the village, it would be easy to do. They could turn around and mobilize the infantry and pull over the artillery. A round of bombardment would cause the wall to collapse. However, this round trip would take at least two or three days. It would take him two or three days to reach the city of Songjiang. This really made Meng Jun hesitant.

"Li Quan, are all the money, food and supplies of Mr. Li's family in this farm?" Meng Jun turned around and asked.

Li Quan shook his head and said, "That's not the case. I don't know where the silver is hidden. Only the Li family knows. But I know there are two places where the grain is hidden. One is in the granary in the village, and the other is in Chen Village northwest of Songjiang City. That's where the wife of Li Shuo, the second son of Mr. Li, lives."

The most important silver was not found, and the Li family did not have much grain, which was hidden in several places. Meng Jun felt that the term "chicken ribs" was very suitable for him now. It was tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

Meng Jun thought about it and decided to give Li Dayuan a chance. If he wanted to cut his braids, he could just ask for some food to supplement the military supplies.

"Yu An, go forward and tell the village to send someone who can speak for them."

"Yes, the governor." Yu An quickly rode forward, and when he was within an arrow's distance of the village, he pulled the reins tight, stopped the horse, and shouted towards the wall, "Listen up, people up there. We are the righteous army of the Ming Dynasty, not bandits. Find someone who can speak for us."

There was a commotion in the village. After a while, a man sitting in a hanging basket slowly descended. Yu An brought the man to Meng Jun.

"Greetings to the Grand Commander. I am Li De, the steward of Lijiazhuang. If the Grand Commander has any words for me, I will definitely bring them back to the master." As soon as Li De saw Meng Jun, he immediately knelt down, lowered his head to the ground, and said respectfully.

"Let Li Dayuan cut off his braids and surrender. Otherwise, no one in the Li family will be spared. Remember my words and repeat them to Li Dayuan without missing a word. I will give you half an hour." After Meng Jun finished speaking, he waved his hand and asked Yu An to take Li De away.

A quarter of an hour later, in the Li family's house, the two Li family members gathered together. Li Dayuan listened to Li De's words with a grim face. For so many years, no one dared to be so domineering and actually said that he wanted to kill his whole family. After all, he was an old minister who had retired from the Ming Dynasty.

The dynasty has changed, so many people have surrendered, and you, the damn governor, have to target me. Li Dayuan is old, but his heart is as clear as a mirror. He has been in the Ming court for so many years, and he knows the situation of the court very well. He knows that his colleagues in the Southern Ming will never be able to defeat the Eight Banners. It is not a wise move for him to cut his braids and return to the Ming at this time, but if he doesn't, he will feel difficult to pass the current hurdle.

"Li De, those people are cavalry, right? Have you seen the infantry?" Li Dayuan asked with a hesitant look.

"My lord, I have seen that they are all cavalry, no infantry," Li Dexin said solemnly.

"Li De, you go down first."

"Yes, master." After hearing Li Dayuan's words, Li De quickly responded and left the room.

Li Dayuan paced back and forth continuously. After a while, he turned around and asked his two sons, "What do you two think? Tell us now. The family's wealth and life depend on this day."

The eldest brother spoke first, "Father, in my opinion, this group of people may not be the Ming army. They may be a group of bandits who deliberately tricked us into opening the gate of the village."

The second brother shook his head and raised an objection, "The bandits don't have so many horses. Those people said they were Ming army, so they probably weren't lying to us."

"What should we do? Cut off the braids?" the eldest brother asked in surprise.

The second son, Li Shuo, said firmly, "No, we can't cut our braids. The Qing Dynasty will surely conquer the world in the future. If we don't stand firm now, how can we gain a foothold in the new dynasty? These are cavalrymen. It is absolutely impossible for them to attack the village. There are more than 2,000 able-bodied men in the village. With a heavy reward, there must be brave men. Everyone heard what the cavalryman shouted just now, the righteous army, which means that they are just a group of rabble. The two or three hundred people outside the village are probably all the elite. Father, at the critical moment, we must not stand on the wrong side."

Li Dayuan stood with his hands behind his back, crossing his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists from time to time. Yes, at the critical moment, he couldn't stand on the wrong side, but everything is uncertain, so he had to make preparations for both situations and never put all his eggs in one basket.

Thinking of this, Li Dayuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Li Hua, Li Shuo, you two hide the three grandchildren in the secret passage. Once the manor cannot be defended, you take the grandchildren and escape from the manor. Don't go to Songjiang, go directly to Jiangning. Prepare for the worst in everything. As long as people return to Nanjing alive, my Li family will continue to be rich and prosperous in the new dynasty."