Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 639 The aftermath of Yang Zhongliang

Capital.

Ever since Meng Junnan returned to Beijing on tour, the atmosphere in the capital has become somewhat weird. The reason for this is the case of Yang En's uncle, Yang Zhongliang.

Yang Zhongliang and the 48 people sentenced to death were all transferred to the capital. Under Meng Jun's strict order, officials from all departments were required to witness the execution.

In the secret report from Qingluan Guard, it was said that Yang En had been sick for three consecutive days after witnessing his uncle being beheaded. The secret report also stated that Yang En was becoming increasingly haggard in the mansion.

Meng Jun sat in the study, holding the secret report in his hand, his expression calm yet revealing a hint of nostalgia.

Meng Bian, who was standing aside, said softly, "Your Majesty, Yang En is Yang Zhongliang's nephew after all. Although his uncle has violated the law, it is only natural for him to feel sad!"

Meng Jun placed the secret report on the table, sighed, and then slowly said: "Sometimes, I really want to be like a tyrant and appoint people based on personal connections. Thinking back to the past, how close Mu De and I were, I never thought that one day I would order him to personally watch the execution and behead his uncle."

Meng Jun suddenly felt a little worried at this moment. The emperor ruled the world alone. If a minister was deeply loved by the emperor, then perhaps the minister's family would commit a serious crime. Meng Jun even doubted whether the monarchs of future generations would be as ruthless as himself.

Just thinking about this, Meng Jun felt a little emotional. This kind of thing was beyond his ability to solve. The emperor was also a human being and had emotions and desires.

Meng Jun couldn't help but sigh. He could not see or control what would happen in the future. Zhu Yuanzhang established a lot of systems, but how many of them were actually implemented by the time the Ming Dynasty fell?

After hearing what Meng Jun said, Meng Bian was slightly startled. In recent years, the emperor's power has grown, and he rarely mentioned the old friendship between him and his subjects. Today he was so emotional, which showed that the emperor still cherished the old friendship.

Hearing this, Meng Bian said softly, "Your Majesty cares about the world and values the law of the country. It is true that Lord Yang and Your Majesty have a deep friendship in the past, but the crime committed by Yang Zhongliang cannot be tolerated. Your Majesty ordered the ministers to watch the execution, which is also a warning to the ministers not to commit the same crime again."

Meng Jun stood up and walked outside the palace. He looked toward the palace in the distance and murmured, "I am not a heartless person!"

A few days later, Yang En submitted a letter of apology to Meng Jun.

The memorial said: "Your Majesty, Yang En, bows his head and kowtows. I recall the past when Your Majesty drew his sword and rose up in the midst of chaos, leading the exhausted soldiers to cut through the thorns and fight bravely.

In the past, the world was in turmoil and the four seas were in turmoil. Your Majesty remained calm in the face of danger, fought hundreds of battles, both large and small, and fought for the rest of your life. You turned the tide and supported the collapsing building, and finally achieved the great achievements of today.

In this era of a sage monarch, I have been honored by Your Majesty's grace and have been entrusted with important tasks. I should have devoted all my energy to the work. However, my family has suffered misfortune. My uncle Yang Zhongliang has disobeyed the state law and caused chaos in the local area, causing Your Majesty to worry and unrest in the court and the country.

I am disgraced to be his nephew and have indeed committed the crime of negligence. Since the incident happened, I have been reflecting on myself day and night and feeling filled with remorse. Whenever I think of this, I feel ashamed to stand in the court, let alone face Your Majesty.

Your Majesty is benevolent and magnanimous, and your grace is bestowed upon the whole world. I, the humble servant, boldly implore Your Majesty to consider the past, dismiss me from my post, resign and return home to reassure the people of the world.

I hope Your Majesty will have pity on me. I am waiting for your orders with great trepidation."

Along with the petition of apology, there was also the ring. Meng Jun looked at the words in the petition, then looked at the ring beside him, sighed, and then ordered someone to summon Yang En.

Not long after, Yang En walked into the hall. As soon as they met, Yang En bowed to Meng Jun before he even opened his mouth. Meng Jun looked a little complicated when he saw this. Meng Jun sighed again and then said, "Mu De, has the suspicion between you and me, the king and his subject, reached such a level?"

Yang En still did not raise his head, but his voice was trembling. He slowly said, "Your Majesty, I have an unshirkable responsibility for Yang Zhongliang's affairs. The officials in Songjiang Prefecture are corrupt, and it is all because Yang Zhongliang used my name to cause chaos. If Your Majesty does not punish him, how can you deter corrupt officials in the future!"

Meng Jun stared at Yang En, shook his head and said, "Mu De, you are blaming me for forcing you to watch the execution."

Yang En did not respond to Meng Jun's words, but said: "Your Majesty, I have committed a crime and dare not ask for anything else. I only hope that Your Majesty can fulfill my request to resign and return home."

Meng Jun shook his head slightly and said, "Mu De, you and I have known each other for more than ten years. Since I unified the country, I have never indulged myself. I am afraid of making mistakes in governing the country, which will lead to unrest in the people's livelihood. If I don't take drastic measures in the Songjiang case, how can I change the trend?"

After hearing this, Yang En nodded and said, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler. How could I not know that my uncle deserved the punishment for his crime? It was just that he really relied on my power over you to do this. If you don't punish me, it will hurt your majesty's virtue."

Meng Jun stood up, walked to Yang En, bent down to pick up the ring, rubbed it in his hand, and then handed it to Yang En, saying: "This ring is just an object. Get up. Both I and the court still need you. I have found out that you have nothing to do with the Yang Zhongliang case. If I really let you go, I am afraid that the world will say that I am heartless and ungrateful."

Yang En's eyes were red, and he choked up and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not have such an idea."

Meng Jun patted Yang En on the shoulder, put the ring in his hand, and said, "I have made up my mind. You don't need to mention resigning and returning home. Yang Zhongliang's crime is his alone. However, for the sake of influence, I will temporarily remove you from the cabinet and relieve you of your position as Minister of Personnel."

At this point, Meng Jun helped Yang En up and said, "The Junggar tribe of the Western Mongolian Empire has captured Yarkand. Their power has greatly increased and they are threatening the northwest defense line of the imperial court. You should prepare yourself. I intend to send you to inspect Guanzhong and coordinate food and fodder to provide backup for the army."

Yang En was stunned. Years of inertia made him ask unconsciously: "Your Majesty is going to use troops?"

Meng Jun nodded and said, "Yes, the Western Regions have been lost to the Central Plains Dynasty for hundreds of years since the Tang Dynasty. If possible, I would naturally like to take it back."

Yang En didn't dwell on the fact that he was leaving the cabinet for a moment. He frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the Western Regions are not like Annan. The Western Regions are vast and sparsely populated. If we send troops to the Western Regions, it will be difficult to supply them, and the losses will probably be several times greater than Annan!"

Meng Jun turned around at this time, rummaged through the table, found the military report that Lin Shiqi had just delivered the day before, and then handed it to Yang En.

Yang En took it, unfolded it and looked at it. After a while, Yang En shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, what General Lin said was all from the perspective of the army. If we send troops to the Western Regions, starting from Jiayuguan, by the time we reach Shache, it will be very difficult to transport one out of ten loads of food to the army. If we send out 10,000 troops, I'm afraid 30,000 civilians will be needed to transport the baggage. Your Majesty, I'm afraid that if the court conquers the Western Regions, the treasury will be empty and the people's wealth will be exhausted!"