Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 215: Qingluan Shocks Jinling (1)

Late at night, Jinling City.

Everything was silent. The moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the ancient city walls and roofs. The streets were deep and quiet, with only the occasional barking of dogs breaking the silence of the night sky.

The street was quiet until the clear sound of the night watchman broke the silence of the night sky.

At this time in Zeng Daowei's house, two people were sitting opposite each other. The man was wearing a cloak, and under the cloak was the Duke of Wei, Xu Yunjue.

Xu Yunjue, whose father was Xu Hongji, was the eleventh-generation grandson of Xu Da. Xu Yunjue inherited the title of Duke of Wei in the first year of Hongguang and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in the same year.

After Xu Yunjue surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he did nothing. Both Dorgon and Qian Qianyi of the Qing court turned a blind eye to him, which made Xu Yunjue very angry. However, the Qing court was powerful, and no matter how dissatisfied Xu Yunjue was, he dared not show it. Even when Qian Qianyi, Zhao Zhilong and others planned to open the city to welcome Meng, Xu Yunjue did not dare to agree. It was not until Meng Jun captured Nanjing that Xu Yunjue became proud again.

Xu Yunjue sat on a carved wooden chair, playing with a jade pendant in his hand, but his mind was not on it. A barely perceptible rage flashed in his eyes. In his opinion, Meng Jun's behavior was undoubtedly a great disrespect to him as the Duke of Wei. He thought that even if Meng Jun proclaimed himself king, changed the system, and granted the title privately, as long as he still recognized the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty, then as the Duke of Wei, he should be treated with courtesy.

However, after Meng Jun took over Jinling, he treated him very coldly, as if he did not exist. This neglect was undoubtedly a great insult to Xu Yunjue.

Until the secret contact with Zeng Daowei, Xu Yunjue and Zeng Daowei hit it off, and he and Zeng Daowei secretly planned a coup together. They wanted to give Meng Jun a fatal blow when he was most proud, so that he would taste the taste of failure.

At this time Zeng Daowei spoke up: "Duke Wei, as long as the thief Meng surrenders, I am confident that the situation will be stabilized. The three people that the thief Meng trusts the most are Lin Shiqi, Han Xiong, and Yang En. Now Lin Shiqi is leading troops outside, Han Xiong is also far away in Quzhou, Zhejiang, and Yang En is just a scholar, not worth mentioning."

Xu Yunjue nodded and said, "It just so happens that Meng the thief has left Jinling. We should make all preparations and wait for him to return to assassinate this official."

After Xu Yunjue finished speaking, he hesitated and asked, "But there is still that bumpkin Qian Biao in Jinling City. I wonder if that will cause trouble."

"Qian Biao is just a brave man, a fool. If it weren't for the kindness of the thief Meng, he would be no more than a captain. What's more, we are not going to kill him with open swords and guns. We should select ten elite soldiers, all armed with powerful crossbows and bows. If we succeed in one strike, we will quickly withdraw, without anyone knowing. As long as the Duke's men don't make any mistakes, I will still have the job of commander-in-chief to pacify his troops and reward the soldiers generously. The thief Meng has no offspring, so his troops will be scattered if he dies." Zeng Daowei stroked his beard and said confidently.

As soon as Zeng Daowei finished speaking, Xu Yunjue nodded, agreeing with Zeng Daowei's analysis. Indeed, most of Meng Jun's trusted generals were scattered outside at this time, and as for Qian Biao in the city, as Zeng Daowei said, he was just a reckless man and not worth worrying about.

"Well, Commander, that's a good idea. Now is a great opportunity. If we miss this opportunity, the thief Meng will be surrounded by a large army and we won't have any chance to attack him." Xu Yunjue nodded in agreement.

"In that case, let's proceed according to the plan. These ten warriors must be loyal, reliable, and skilled. We must ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Xu Yunjue smiled slightly and continued, "Master, please rest assured. I have made preparations. These people are all strictly trained warriors. They know their mission and the consequences of failure. Once they succeed, they will quickly evacuate the scene without leaving any trace. As for the follow-up, these people will also disappear and no one will know about it."

After hearing this, Zeng Daowei showed a smile on his face. He knew that although this operation was extremely risky, if it succeeded, it would completely change the world and he would definitely go down in history. If he failed, even if the secret was leaked, he would only die.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yunjue said, "General, how about I contact Yang Wulie, Gao Jinku, and Lin Guangyuan? These surrendered generals will never be loyal to Meng the thief."

"No, it has been said since ancient times that if a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers, and if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his body. You and I know this, and it must not be leaked! Those three are fence-sitters, and as long as the thief Meng dies, they will lean towards us without any contact. If we contact them now, I'm afraid something bad will happen." Zeng Daowei shook his head and warned seriously.

Xu Yunjue thought for a moment, nodded and agreed, "Okay, let's do it together."

"This time when the thief Meng goes to Ma'anshan, he will have at most 500 cavalry guards with him. It's not wartime, so he may not be wearing armor. Duke, you must select your men carefully and check the crossbows repeatedly. There must be no problems!" Zeng Daowei warned again and again.

"Haha, Commander-in-Chief, you underestimate the hundreds of years of heritage of the Duke's Mansion. How could I not be able to get just ten crossbows?" Xu Yunjue replied disdainfully.

Afterwards, the two had an in-depth discussion and deliberation, and studied in detail the route between Jinling and Ma'anshan. They repeatedly pondered the route that Meng Jun might choose, and planned where to ambush and wait in order to carry out the assassination.

The two carefully analyzed the terrain and considered many possibilities, including the different routes Meng Jun might take. However, it was impossible for Xu Yunjue to deploy assassins on every route as the risk of leakage would be too great. In the end, the two decided to deploy assassins along Meng Jun's most likely route.

Outside the door, a thin servant was moving cautiously. He was crouching on the ground. In the silent yard, any sound would put him in a desperate situation.

His eyes were bright and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the man who had disguised himself as a beggar and delivered the secret letter to Mao Xiang and his wife. This man was named Meng Zhong, and he was the orphan that Meng Bian had taken in when he was lurking in Jiangning.

Meng Zhong, an inconspicuous servant in daily life, has become a key role at this moment. His heart beats faster, and the sound of his heartbeat makes him worried that the two people in the room will hear it. He knows that this news of his will definitely make the commander very excited.

He crouched in the shadow outside the study, holding his breath to prevent himself from making any sound. His body pressed against the cold stone wall, and every heartbeat seemed to be beating against his chest, reminding him of the danger he was in.

The conversation in the study was like a sharp blade, piercing his eardrums. Xu Yunjue's voice was low, and every word revealed a hint of conspiracy.

He didn't dare to stay any longer, and slowly and cautiously moved backwards, his hands tightly gripping the ground, his fingertips turning white from the force, but he didn't dare to relax, fearing that the slightest slackness would bring about a catastrophic disaster.

Finally, he retreated to a safe distance, then stood up quietly, without making a sound, and returned to the house. Only when he lay on the bed did Meng Zhong dare to exhale deeply.

Meng Zhong had only one thought in his mind, and that was to pass on the news as soon as possible. When dawn finally came, Mr. Meng found an excuse, slipped out of the house, and ran away.