Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 553: Advancement

After Fang Guangchen finished speaking, he looked carefully at Wu Sangui's reaction, and saw a hint of excitement on Wu Sangui's face.

Fang Guangchen saw this and said, "My Lord, when we went to war in the past, the emperor promised to station a general or a minister in Burma. It was all possible. Now that we have won a great victory, why not submit a petition and say that Burma has just been conquered, and I would like to request to be the general in Burma. I am sure the emperor will agree!"

Wu Sangui sighed and said, "I'm afraid the emperor will suspect that I have ulterior motives."

Fang Guangchen laughed and said, "My Lord, why worry about nothing? Burma is so wild and barbaric, how could the emperor be suspicious?"

Wu Sangui thought about it carefully and felt that what Fang Guangchen said was indeed reasonable. If someone had ulterior motives, he would have to choose a place. It could be either a place that could be sealed off and closed off at any time, or a city with abundant money and grain. The emperor should not be suspicious of anything in Myanmar.

Wu Sangui then sent a messenger to Meng Jun, saying: "Myanmar has been settled, but there are still many places that refuse to obey the king's rule. I would like to recommend myself and be willing to guard the southern border for your majesty!"

For Wu Sangui himself, although Ava is, to be frank, as far as the capital is concerned, a world of difference, if he had not sat on the bench in the capital for more than a year and practiced silent meditation during court sessions, Wu Sangui would not have wanted to stay in this shabby place, Ava. But there is nothing good about this place except for one advantage, which is that he can be free and call the shots.

Soon after, Wu Tai and other ministers of the Qian Dynasty rushed to Ava City. After a period of screening, they selected a Burmese man with a clean family background and handsome appearance, named Wenda.

The eight people who had defected to the Qian Dynasty and were later reorganized into the Eight Banners of Burma by Wu Sangui all became generals of the country and nominally controlled all the military forces of Burma.

Many powerful people in Myanmar were dissatisfied with this move. Fortunately, the Burmese king was a Burmese, not a Shan or Mon. Therefore, although the situation in Myanmar was turbulent, on the surface, local forces were still loyal to the newly established Burmese king in Ava.

While Wu Tai and his men were setting up the government in Burma, they wrote to the imperial court, asking them to arrange for a general and a minister to be stationed in Burma as soon as possible.

It was already mid-March of the fourth year of Zhaowu when Meng Jun received Wu Sangui's memorial requesting him to pacify Burma.

As for the arrangements for Wu Sangui, Meng Jun felt that it was fine if he wanted to come back, or stay in Ava as a general stationed in Burma, that was also fine. As a general stationed in Burma, only 5,000 of Wu Sangui's old subordinates would be retained, and the rest would be transferred back to the country.

Since Wu Sangui asked to guard Burma, Meng Jun went with the flow and agreed to his request.

The court also discussed how to reward the army that invaded Burma based on its merits. As for the commander-in-chief Wu Sangui, the ministers decided not to promote him, but to give him an honorary title, the rank of General Guardian of the Country, and to give him 500 taels of gold, 2,000 silver men, a new mansion in the capital, and the right to give his son a son's inheritance.

Sun Wenhuan, who made great contributions in the war against Burma, was promoted directly from a viscount without a title and officially entered the ranks of nobles.

After reading the rewards given by court officials to the army that invaded Burma, Meng Jun was generally satisfied. However, as for the rewards given to Wu Sangui himself, Meng Jun felt that this war was the first serious expedition against an enemy country since the founding of the Qian Dynasty, and the reward for the commander-in-chief who destroyed the enemy country in one battle would definitely serve as a reference for future monarchs.

Therefore, although Meng Jun did not like Wu Sangui in his heart, he still changed the title with his imperial decree, crossing out the two items of "giving birth to a son" and "building a house in the capital", and promoted Wu Sangui to the rank of Duke.

Afterwards, Meng Jun appointed Wu Sangui as the general in Burma and Minister Xu Younian as the minister in Burma. Wu Sangui had no term limit, while the term of office of the minister in Burma was ten years. These two positions were both second-rank officials in the official rank of the Qian Dynasty. Of course, the general in Burma was the lowest rank among Wu Sangui's titles, but it was his most powerful official position.

Following the issuance of the reward edict, the Ministry of War recalled the army that had invaded Burma. Except for 5,000 men, the rest were all recalled.

At this point, the affairs of Myanmar had come to an end in the imperial court. In fact, the changes in Myanmar were not merely changes in the official system and administration. For example, in the border areas, the Burmese army no longer set up defenses in the direction of the Qian Dynasty.

In the imperial city.

Meng Bian was respectfully reporting to Meng Jun how he arranged matters after arriving in Yunnan, as well as all the secrets of the attempt to assassinate Zhu Youlang.

Meng Jun looked at Meng Bian, who had been running around for him since he started his army, and sighed in his heart, but still coldly threw the document on the table and said in a deep voice: "Such an important matter, you actually hid it from me!"

Meng Bian's forehead was sweating when he heard this. He immediately knelt down, touched his head to the ground, and said, "I know my crime. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Today, Qingluan Guard has become an important organization in the Qian Dynasty. To Emperor Meng Jun, this sword is too easy to use. It is so easy to use that Meng Jun even worries that one day, this sword will hurt its master.

But after becoming emperor, the phrase "alone and helpless" really describes Meng Jun's current state, and Meng Jun couldn't bear to punish Meng Bian too harshly.

After a long while, Meng Jun said calmly, "Get up. If you do it again, you will be severely punished. The Qingluan Guard is the emperor's weapon. This weapon must not have its own ideas. Otherwise, I would rather dismiss the Qingluan Guard."

Seeing Meng Jun say this, Meng Bian finally breathed a sigh of relief, so he replied respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Looking at Meng Bian's aggrieved face, Meng Jun knew in his heart that Meng Bian listened to Li Wendao's advice for his own good. At that time, if Wu Sangui did not surrender but controlled Zhu Youlang and then joined forces with Li Chengdong, then it would not be as easy for the Qian Dynasty to unify the world as it is now.

But even so, Meng Bian decided to take action privately, which was a taboo for Meng Jun. Therefore, Meng Jun decided to tighten the control over Qingluan Guard.

Meng Jun ordered that the commander of Qingluan Guard was not allowed to leave the capital without the emperor's order. At the same time, all military actions of Qingluan Guard must be carried out with the seal of the emperor.

As for Meng Bian, Meng Jun decided to give him a light punishment and a severe warning. He ordered Meng Bian to reflect on his mistakes at home for a month and deduct his salary for half a year. During this period, he was not allowed to go out or see guests.

Meng Bian returned to the mansion in a depressed mood. Even the child coming forward to hug him could not make his face look better. Gu Qingmei looked at Meng Bian's face and asked him what happened.

Meng Bian said dully, "This is a court secret that must not be leaked. Don't ask any more questions. Also, send an order to the palace. From today on, the door will be closed to visitors. Except for going out to purchase supplies, no one is allowed to go out for no reason."

Since Gu Qingmei married Meng Bian and gave birth to a son and a daughter for him, she has been at home taking care of her husband and children. She has also resigned from her position in Qingluan Guard, but Gu Qingmei still heard a hint of danger in Meng Bian's tone.

After a little thought, Gu Qingmei guessed that her husband must have done something wrong and angered the emperor.

Gu Qingmei served Meng Bian some tea, then stood behind him, pinching his forehead. Seeing Meng Bian's relaxed expression, Gu Qingmei said softly, "Husband, you and His Majesty are as close as brothers. If you hadn't violated a taboo, His Majesty would never have punished you. From now on, think twice before you act!"