Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 482: National Name and System

In the Forbidden City, under the guidance of the guards, Yang En came to Meng Jun, who was enjoying the cool in the garden at that time.

In early June, Jinling was already scorching hot, while the weather in the north was still relatively cool.

At this time, Meng Jun was standing in front of the pond, surrounded by weeping willows that swayed slightly in the breeze. The green vegetation was refreshing.

Yang En came to Meng Jun and bowed. When he was about to speak, he hesitated. After a pause, Yang En said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

Meng Jun waved his hand to signal the guards around to retreat, then smiled at Yang En and said, "Mu De, the king has not yet ascended the throne, your majesty's words are too hasty."

"Your Majesty, I understand." Yang En bowed and saluted.

Meng Jun walked to the stone table nearby, sat on the stone pier, motioned Yang En to sit down as well, poured a cup of tea for Yang En, and then said to Yang En in a gentle voice: "Mu De, there is no need to be so rigid about formalities. Recalling the past, when the uprising took place on Henggang Mountain, everyone was united in purpose. It is still vivid in my mind. Mu De, have you ever imagined the grand occasion today?"

Hearing this, Yang En was also somewhat emotional and replied, "When I started the rebellion, I only joined the army because of my braided hair and clothes. I never expected the prosperity today."

After hearing this, Meng Jun said slowly, "Mu De, when I started my rebellion, I never thought that one day, I would be able to conquer the world. In the past, the Qing court was so powerful that the world was afraid to move. I was filled with righteous indignation and drew my sword, determined to defeat the enemy. Now I have finally accomplished my great cause, which is enough to comfort me in my life."

Yang En said solemnly: "Your Majesty is a rare hero who has established a legacy that will last for generations. I am honored to follow you. I have no regrets even if I die a thousand times!"

Meng Jun laughed, knowing that Yang En was flattering him. However, others could say so, but Meng Jun could not really believe it. To accomplish great things, one needs ability and opportunity, but the most important thing is luck, or you could say it is destiny!

After chatting for a while, the two finally got down to business. Meng Jun asked, "Mu De, what brings you here today?"

Yang En took a sip of tea and then said, "Your Majesty, Zhu Youlang is unwilling to abdicate and has fled to Burma. I wonder if Your Majesty has ordered Marshal Lin to send troops to pursue him?"

Meng Jun shook his head and said, "Forget it, let him be. The Qing army is still outside the Great Wall. Li Chengdong and Zheng Sen are still not pacified. As long as he doesn't make trouble, he can stay in Burma!"

Meng Jun showed that he wanted to become emperor, but now Zhu Youlang refused to cooperate and ran away. Meng Jun wanted Zhu Youlang to abdicate personally to prove that the Ming Dynasty was over. Meng Jun's drama of being the popular choice was completely over.

This is all because of the emperors who abdicated in history. They were not good at eating and did things too much, especially the last emperors of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Almost every emperor who abdicated died. Even with Meng Jun's reputation, Emperor Yongli was afraid that he would fall into the water for no reason after abdicating, so he was scared and ran to Myanmar in a hurry.

Yang En nodded in response, and Meng Jun drank a sip of tea, then changed the subject: "The new dynasty is about to replace the old one, and there are a few things that Mu De needs to prepare for early!"

Upon hearing this, Yang En stood up and saluted, saying, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty!"

Meng Jun also stood up and took a walk in the garden, with Yang En following closely behind him.

As they walked, Meng Jun said, "The first thing, and the most important one, is the name of the new dynasty and the reign title. What do you think, Mu De?"

In history, the establishment of each new dynasty usually derived its country name from the fiefdom or title. Meng Jun was the King of Zhou, so he could actually just use Zhou as the country's name and call it the Zhou Dynasty.

But now that Meng Jun asked this, Yang En knew that Meng Jun was not very satisfied with the name Zhou. Therefore, after Yang En pondered for a moment, he slowly said: "Your Majesty, in all dynasties, newly established countries were either named after the place where they were founded or the title they were given, such as Qin, Sui, and Tang. However, there are also special cases, such as Yuan, which originated from the Book of Changes, and the great Qian Yuan, the origin of all things, is connected to the sky. Another example is Ming Taizu, who was first called King of Wu and later established the country as Daming."

Meng Jun hummed and said, "In the past, I used Zhou Zhuo as my title, even though some people say that Qing belongs to water and Zhou belongs to earth, and they are mutually exclusive according to the five elements. But now it seems a little inappropriate. I want to label Nurhaci as a traitor. The new dynasty will replace the Ming dynasty, and the title of Ji Zhou is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Re-establishing the Zhou dynasty does not seem to be enough to prove the sharpness of the new dynasty!"

Yang En pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then I will discuss this with my colleagues and report back to the king."

Meng Jun nodded and continued, "The second thing is the official system of the new dynasty. The six ministries and the cabinet system of the previous Ming Dynasty, with the addition of the Silijian system, although it has its merits, it still has great drawbacks. The ministers of the shogunate also need to discuss it in detail."

Meng Jun stopped at this time, turned around and looked at Yang En, and then said: "I have some suggestions. The former Ministry of War was in charge of the navy and the army. It should be subdivided into a navy office and a land army office. The Ministry of Commerce should also be an independent department. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites should also refine their government functions, but they should also be careful not to make them too bloated. This is a big deal. Mu De, you and the officials of the shogunate should discuss it in detail."

Yang En nodded repeatedly. He knew that this matter was related to the foundation of the new dynasty.

Meng Jun went on to say, "There is one more thing. The interior of the country will soon be unified. The titles and rewards of the military commanders of each town and the salary arrangements of the local officials are related to money and food. We must be extremely careful. The shogunate also needs to make careful arrangements. I have only one request. We must not let the money and food expenditures be too high, and we must not let the military commanders and officials complain."

This was a troublesome matter. Yang En hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, the salaries of officials are easy to discuss, but for the military titles, do you want them to be passed down from generation to generation, or should they be reduced from generation to generation?"

Meng Jun said softly, "The world has just been settled, and the military men have made great contributions. Those who have made extraordinary achievements will inherit the throne without replacement, and the rest will be replaced by each generation."

In Meng Jun's plan, the number of people who could inherit the throne without interruption would not exceed ten, which was an easy undertaking for a huge empire.

At this time, Yang En suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, the evils of the previous Ming Dynasty, from what I have seen, are the affairs of the vassal kings, which are deeply rooted in the bones. There are millions of royal family members, and the country cannot bear the burden. I hope Your Majesty will think about it carefully!"

Yang En said this after mustering up the courage in his heart. Although Meng Jun does not have many descendants now, if he were as generous as Zhu Yuanzhang, he would become a heavy burden that would bring down a country within two hundred years.

Meng Jun laughed and said, "The evils of the previous Ming Dynasty are still before our eyes. How could I not know that the royal family of the new dynasty will not rule over the people, and each generation will be demoted and divided. As for the other details, I will make them public after I have carefully considered them."

After saying this, Meng Jun looked at the gently swaying willows and fell into deep thought. After all, he was changed by this world and turned into a feudal emperor!