Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 391 Integration of Yuyuan Army

Liang Min and Yang Sanwu looked at each other secretly, feeling somewhat confused. They wondered what King Zhou wanted to say by keeping them here.

Meng Jun motioned the two to sit down, and after a brief pause, he spoke: "Two generals, it has been said since ancient times that the quality of soldiers is more important than their numbers. The Yuyuan Army has 64,728 soldiers on its register. Although there are many soldiers, their weapons are often insufficient. Some even have wooden spears and iron forks, and there is almost no armor."

After Meng Jun finished speaking, he took a closer look at the two men's expressions and saw that they looked respectful. He then continued, "Therefore, I want to reorganize the Yuyuan Army, eliminate the old and weak, and select the best troops to form an army. What do you two generals think?"

Liang and Yang looked at each other, Liang Min used his eyes to signal Yang Sanwu to speak, Yang Sanwu coughed, then stood up, bowed to Meng Jun and said: "Your Majesty, my two brothers have already surrendered to you, then the military affairs will naturally be decided by you, and we have no objection!"

After hearing this, Meng Jun's expression of approval overflowed from his words: "General Yang is indeed sensible and has a general idea. In the past, Sun Bin reduced the number of stoves to lure the enemy, and Han Xin fought a battle with his back to the river. They all won because of elite troops, not just adding redundant personnel. If you want to accomplish great things, you must select the best troops to defeat the enemy. As for those who are laid off, I will not ignore them. The shogunate will surely place them properly and make them worry-free."

Liang Min immediately stood up and replied loudly: "Your Majesty, since we have surrendered, we will entrust our lives to you. We will do whatever you say!"

Yang Sanwu had studied for a few years and was a bit better at writing. He flattered Meng Jun, "Your Majesty, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty rose from a commoner and eventually achieved great success. It was not because of his wisdom and strategy, but because he knew how to appoint the right people and recruited talented people. Your Majesty could have made the decision today, but you are so attentive to us. I am so grateful!"

Meng Jun praised them a few more times, and then he personally wrote a transfer order in front of Yang Sanwu and Liang Min, ordering the Military Equipment Supervisor to transfer weapons and armor from the arsenal, and also ordering the shogunate to transport the weapons to the Jining front line as soon as possible.

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Any cause cannot be separated from the assistance of talents. If Meng Jun wants to create a great cause in this era, he must discover the talents of this era. No matter what era it is, what is lacking is never talents, but people who can discover talents. This is why there are many good horses, but few good horse trainers.

Take Gu Yanwu for example. For people of this era, before he followed Meng Jun, Gu Yanwu was just a scholar who had failed in many examinations. He did not have any halo that would attract attention. For scholars, if they really had the ability, since they had passed the examination for a scholar, they would have to pass the examination for a juren as well.

As Meng Jun's power grew, no one dared to talk about Gu Yanwu's achievements. Although Liang Min and Yang Sanwu of the Yuyuan Army were not well-known in history, who would have thought that they could not achieve great achievements.

For example, Lin Shiqi, Han Xiong, and Zhao Yongping, perhaps in history, Lin Shiqi was still a captain of the Changshu garrison camp, and the rebel army led by Han Xiong and Zhao Yongping might have been suppressed by Li Chengdong long ago, and they would not even leave their names in history, but only a short sentence "Chengdong suppressed several bandits in Wu".

After Liang Min and Yang Sanwu left, Gu Yanwu came closer and said to Meng Jun with some emotion: "Your Majesty had few soldiers and generals in the past, but now, in just five years, your prestige has shaken the world. Those who surrendered are like clouds, and those who joined are like fire. The Loyalty Camp and the Yuyuan Army are all willing to submit to Your Majesty. I have watched the Qing court rise and fall suddenly, from being arrogant to now begging for peace in a panic. It is really touching!"

Meng Jun showed a faint smile on his face, and he slowly said: "It's just people's hearts. If the Qing court is undefeated and wins every battle, although people's hearts cannot change the overall situation, they will still remain in the hearts of the world. When the day comes when they can change, people's hearts will naturally make a choice. Now that Duoduo has been defeated, the reputation of the Eight Banners' invincibility has been shattered like a dream bubble. Since the Ming court is a thing of the past, then what's wrong with good ministers choosing their masters to serve!"

Gu Yanwu asked: "Your Majesty, since the people in the north have changed their minds, can this battle drive out the Tartars in one fell swoop?"

Meng Jun shook his head and said, "I have not thought it through. Lin Shiqi's troops are very elite, and Zhao Yongping's troops are large in number. However, except for Zhao Yongping's Wu'an Town and Qian Biao's Wuning Town, which are already heavy armored troops and the Po Lu Army, the combat skills of the other towns are not very sophisticated. Moreover, Wu'an Town was left behind in Xuzhou. Even if the Yuyuan Army is added, there are still many soldiers and horses, but with the current strength alone, it is probably not enough to capture the capital!"

Gu Yanwu sighed upon hearing this: "Alas, what a pity."

Meng Jun laughed loudly: "What a pity! Now that we have conquered Jining, we can first conquer Jinan and take all of Shandong. Then, with the help of the navy, we can attack Liaodong or use Korea as a route to threaten the areas outside the Great Wall. I don't believe that Dorgon really doesn't want Shenyang and Liaoyang!"

After listening to Meng Jun's words, Gu Yanwu hesitated for a long time before asking, "Your Majesty, now there is the Kunming court in the south, and the lands of Fujian and Guangdong all serve their master. Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are also in the hands of the King of Jin. Have you thought about how to choose?"

In fact, as early as in Nanjing, this matter had been mentioned by some people, whether in political or military discussions, but it was never resolved. But in general, almost all the generals in the army thought it would be best to completely wipe out the south and then march north without any worries. As for the reputation, most of the generals in the army sneered and said, "The Ming court should have perished long ago. There is not much difference between perishing at the hands of others and at the hands of the king."

However, most of the officials in the shogunate believed that they should not take the lead in the southern expedition to Kunming. Even if they had to fight, they should first eliminate Li Chengdong. As for the Yongli court, it would be best to move it to Nanjing, and use a gentle act such as abdication to carry out the steps to change the dynasty.

Meng Jun was a little hesitant about this. People do change. Meng Jun asked himself, if he had just come to this world and faced such a choice, he would most likely lead his troops south to destroy Zhu Youlang and Li Chengdong first. As for Zheng Chenggong and Li Dingguo, those who obey will prosper, and those who resist will perish.

But after being in this era for so long, Meng Jun deeply understood the importance of reputation. It might not be obvious on a daily basis, but it could play a decisive role at a critical moment. The reason why he could annex and reorganize the Loyalty Camp and the Yuyuan Army so easily was also because he had never done anything to damage his reputation over the years.

Meng Jun just smiled at Gu Yanwu's words and said, "There is no rush for this matter. It won't be too late to consider it after we pacify Shandong."

Gu Yanwu pondered for a long time, then said to Meng Jun in a serious tone: "Your Majesty, since the Northern Expedition cannot be accomplished in one battle, then Your Majesty should immediately begin preparations for the Southern Expedition. Li Chengdong is a shameless man, Your Majesty can gather troops to pacify Guangdong first, then slow down the Zheng family and cut off Kunming's arm."