Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 347 Surrender

After receiving Lin Shiqi's affirmative answer, Zheng Siwei's confidant left the Zhou army camp happily.

After the confidant left the tent, Liu Tichun came out with a unhappy look on his face and said to Lin Shiqi: "Zheng Siwei killed Meng Changgeng, the defense envoy of Jingzhou, and led his army to capture Yiling, Zhijiang, and Yidu, and captured our Shun army officers and soldiers, all of whom were beheaded. Such a villain, the commander actually wants to accept him!"

In Liu Tichun's opinion, if Lin Shiqi wanted to accept Zheng Siwei, such an erratic villain who had a grudge against all the generals of the Loyal Camp, it meant that the Zhou army did not attach importance to the Loyal Camp at all, so there was no need to surrender to Meng Jun. If it really didn't work, Liu Tichun still had a second choice, which was to completely turn to Sun Kewang, who was once a fellow righteous man.

Meng Hong never thought that a good thing that seemed to have seen the light of day would encounter complications. He glanced at Lin Shiqi and said hesitantly: "Although Zheng Siwei wants to surrender, this person..."

Meng Hong was interrupted by Lin Shiqi as soon as he opened his mouth. He said, "You two, please be patient. The defense of Jingzhou is very strong. Besides, our army does not carry red cannons. If we attack the city by force, it will be like climbing like ants. Soldiers will surely suffer casualties. Since Zheng Siwei is willing to surrender, why not do it?"

After hearing this, Liu Tichun said angrily: "If that's the case, I have nothing to say. I will withdraw my camp and return tomorrow morning!"

Seeing this, Lin Shiqi stood up, stepped forward and grabbed Liu Tichun, and said helplessly: "General Liu, why did you ask me to speak so bluntly?"

Liu Tichun was a little puzzled, so Lin Shiqi explained, "Zheng Siwei is now in Jingzhou City. As a guest, we should follow the host's wishes. Naturally, we have to follow his words. But once he leaves the city, he no longer has the final say."

Liu Tichun's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement, praising him: "The Marshal is indeed smart. Oh, it's my fault, it's my fault. I was so angry just now that I didn't react to such a simple truth."

Meng Hong frowned and objected, "Lin Tongzhen, if Zheng Siwei surrenders outside the city, and we go back on our word, who will dare to surrender in the future? Your Majesty's reputation will be like ink in clear water, and it cannot be reversed!"

Lin Shiqi waved his hand and said, "Yunfeng, you worry too much. How could I be so crude in my work? It's not like Zheng Siwei started to act as soon as he left the city. Didn't he ask me to use the navy to transport the treasures for him? The Yangtze River is rough and the money is too heavy, so it is normal for it to sink."

Meng Hong was speechless. Although he was a scholar, he always felt that acting like this was too dark and not what a gentleman should do.

Liu Tichun stroked his chin and said with a somewhat unwilling tone: "This way, this villain gets a bargain. Anyway, feeding the fish in the river is also retribution!"

At this time, Lin Shiqi solemnly warned Liu Tichun: "General Liu, after returning to the camp, remember not to make this matter public. If it is leaked, the king will surely be furious."

Liu Tichun nodded, indicating that he knew the seriousness of the matter. However, after leaving the Zhou army camp, Liu Tichun scratched his head. How should he appease those rough people in the army? When these rough people heard that Zheng Siwei, a villain, could actually go to Jinling, a place of luxury, to be a rich man, they would be furious!

…………

The confidant who returned to Jingzhou City told Zheng Siwei everything that happened after he met Lin Shiqi, and Zheng Siwei had no doubt about Lin Shiqi's attitude of agreeing.

He was using Jingzhou City as a bargaining chip and did not ask for too much. All he wanted was a mere house in Jinling City. Even this fool would know what to agree to. But Zheng Siwei was still cautious and demanded that the house in Jinling must be granted by King Zhou Mengjun. He was offering a city with hundreds of thousands of people, five thousand soldiers and perfect city defenses to King Zhou. How could King Zhou not grant him an official position or a title?

Even if King Meng Jun of Zhou is as stingy as an ordinary man and never gives a penny, that's fine. King Zhou has personally given me a mansion in Jinling City, so there will be no problem keeping me safe there. It would be nice to be a rich man in the future.

However, Zheng Siwei had planned everything well, but he never imagined that the Loyal Camp would betray the Ming and join the Zhou, which doomed Zheng Siwei to tragedy.

The next morning.

Zheng Siwei gathered all the generals in the army, and more than a hundred personal guards guarded the place. When everyone gathered, Zheng Siwei told them about Bai Yintu's escape and the court's decision to abandon Jingzhou. When everyone was in an uproar, Zheng Siwei said straight to the point: "Now outside Jingzhou, hundreds of thousands of troops are surrounding the city, and Jingzhou has no reinforcements. It is trapped both internally and externally. The only option now is to open the gates and surrender."

Everyone was silent, not knowing whether Zheng Siwei was serious or testing the waters. Speaking might lead to mistakes, but not saying anything would definitely not be wrong.

Seeing this, Zheng Siwei said, "Now the King of Zhou is at the peak of his power, sitting on the land of Jiangnan with riches and riches, with well-trained soldiers and sufficient food. No one in the world can rival him. I have decided to surrender to Zhou. If you have different opinions, you can speak freely. I will never blame you, and I will never do anything like throwing cups as a signal!"

This last explanation made everyone feel even more dazed. After a while, someone finally spoke up, "I am willing to follow the general and have no second thoughts!" Then everyone echoed him one after another.

"Okay, then we'll open the city tomorrow and surrender!"

Jingzhou has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Its strategic location connects Bashu in the west and Jiangnan in the east, making it a central place leading to the south. During the Three Kingdoms period, Wei, Shu and Wu all attached great importance to Jingzhou. After Liu Bei established his regime in Sichuan, he sent Guan Yu to guard Jingzhou. However, Guan Yu was defeated and killed in Maicheng. Since then, there has been a saying that "Jingzhou was lost because of carelessness".

In the late Ming Dynasty, the political situation was turbulent and all social classes were plagued by ills. The upper class, civil officials loved money, and military generals cherished their lives. For the lower class people, these people were all meat-eaters and despicable. No matter who became emperor, they would always have to pay taxes to survive.

When Li Zicheng arrived in Jingzhou, the people and officials in the city opened the city gates to welcome Li Zicheng's army into the city. Jingzhou was very peaceful. When the Qing army came, Zheng Siwei killed the defending officials, opened the city gates and surrendered. Jingzhou was still very peaceful.

It was not until the order to shave the hair was issued that Jingzhou showed signs of resistance. Someone at that time said: "When the order to shave the hair was issued, everyone looked at each other in grief." But the resistance of Jingzhou City was weak. Compared with Jiangnan in the same period, it did not seem to have the tragic grandeur of "The Three Wus were in turmoil at the same time, and one after another rose up in rebellion."

But it is something that is engraved in their bones. Jingzhou may not have the same self-sacrificing spirit as Jiangyin when they resisted shaving their heads, or they may have shaved their heads for survival, but when they can grow their hair again, the people in the city are also happy from the bottom of their hearts.

March 6th, cloudy.

The gates of Jingzhou were wide open and flags were lowered on the city walls. As soon as the gates opened, Zheng Siwei, under the protection of a team of personal guards, ran straight to the Zhou army camp to seek refuge.