Emperor Wu is missing.
It was not until Concubine Shu was shouting everywhere in the palace that Emperor Wu had dismissed the palace maids in the Imperial Garden and knocked her unconscious that everyone knew that Emperor Wu was missing.
At this crucial moment, Emperor Wu disappeared.
In the eyes of almost everyone, he seemed to have escaped.
After all, if the Wu Kingdom was really defeated, others might still have a chance to survive, but the former emperor of Wu would definitely die. No wonder he simply abandoned his country and fled.
In the court without a monarch, the ministers of Wu State quarreled endlessly.
"Surrender, we must surrender. The emperor has already escaped. Do we still have to wait here to die?"
"It is better to die in battle than to surrender without a fight. Have you all forgotten that you all clamored for war before?"
"Things are different now. There are only a few cities left in Wu State, and the emperor has also fled. Do you think we can still turn the tables?"
"No, we cannot surrender. A new emperor appoints new ministers. After Song becomes the ruler, we will no longer be able to enjoy the good life we have now. We cannot surrender."
"But… "
"no… "
The two groups each held their own views and argued endlessly.
The former prime minister closed his eyes and rested calmly, letting all these words go in one ear and out the other. After all, he had already made the best choice and did not need to worry about anything else.
On the other side, Master Guan looked at his face, thoughtfully.
Before the ministers had finished their argument and adjourned the court session, a eunuch from the palace came to the front court holding the imperial edict.
"Your Majesty has issued an order. I feel that I have lost my moral integrity and am no longer worthy of being the emperor of Wu. I also feel that the Emperor of Song... I am willing to submit Wu to Song and become its vassal from now on. To show my sincerity, all cities in Wu will open their gates to welcome the Song army and not treat them with disrespect... Please obey Your Majesty's order."
As the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, surprise and disbelief flashed in the eyes of the ministers in the court, and their expressions were different.
They all knew Emperor Yong'an very well. He was not someone who would willingly submit to others. He escaped in order to make a comeback. It was impossible for him to admit defeat so easily.
It's just that this imperial edict came at the right time. The emperor had already said that he surrendered, so it had nothing to do with them, the ministers. It seemed like it was just giving everyone a way out.
The former prime minister was the first to kneel on the ground and shouted, "Your humble servant receives the order."
When the ministers who belonged to the former prime minister's party saw this, they all knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise."
Master Guan hesitated for a moment and finally knelt down as well.
In an instant, more than half of the court was kneeling again.
However, the group of guys from the royal family stood there with their necks stiffened, refusing to admit that the imperial edict was written by Emperor Wu. After all, the change of ownership of the Wu Kingdom had the greatest impact on them.
But no matter who looked at it, the handwriting on the imperial edict was undoubtedly written by Emperor Wu himself.
Coupled with the approval of the former prime minister and others, these royal family members could only watch them issue orders in the name of Emperor Wu.
When the imperial edict of the Emperor of Wu was announced in the streets and alleys and spread to all parts of the Wu Kingdom, the Song army marched all the way to the capital of the Wu Kingdom without any hindrance.
As for those members of the Wu royal family who were reluctant to give up their current status and position and still dreamed of becoming the next emperor of Wu, they were all captured and thrown into prison by the Song army who arrived immediately after they had just returned to their fiefdoms to gather their troops.
The Wu Kingdom was also officially taken over by the Song Army, waiting for Tan Xingye's follow-up arrangements. Mingyue led a group of bandits to drag the Emperor Wu to the slums in the northwest alley of Kyoto and threw him into the pile of refugees.
Before leaving, Mingyue told the refugees: "This man has hysteria and his mind is not clear. He always thinks he is the emperor of Wu. It is really ridiculous."
Then, when the refugees were denouncing Emperor Wu for being a bad guy and a useless waste who had lost his ancestral foundation, Mingyue and others left.
Whether Emperor Wu lives or dies in the future depends entirely on his own luck.
Of course, it would be even more cruel if he returned to the palace. The Wu Kingdom did not need a living emperor.
Moreover, the minister sent by Qin Xingye is already on the way. I heard that he is the extremely powerful young prime minister.
As for Mingyue and others, it is time for them to return to the court and be rewarded according to their merits.
The more than 200 bandits who followed Mingyue were extremely excited when they learned about this.
However, Commander Zhou would not go with Mingyue because he still had some follow-up work to do, and his face showed great disappointment.
"Military advisor, I feel uneasy without you. Why don't you wait for some time, and then we can go to the capital together." Because of the difference between men and women, Commander Zhou did not dare to pull Mingyue and could only look at her eagerly.
Mingyue felt amused when she saw this, but thinking about the letter from Qin Xingye that said, "Flowers are blooming on the roadside, you can take your time to return," she shook her head and said, "Your Majesty is urging me to leave now. I'll be waiting for you in Kyoto, and we'll go to the best restaurant and have a few drinks."
How could General Zhou compete with Your Majesty for people
So even if he was not happy in his heart, he could only nod and say: "Military Advisor, have a safe journey!"
Mingyue smiled at him: "General Zhou, I hope everything goes well for you too!"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Mingyue and others' return journey was not fast, mainly because they were slowed down by the refugees.
Now that the war has ended and Wu and Song have become one, the refugees from Wu are also the people of Song. Of course, she will rescue them and help them if she can.
As she walked, she contacted the county government to make arrangements for relief for the refugees. Those who were willing to return to their hometowns were allowed to do so, while those who were unwilling to do so were registered as residents in small counties and became ordinary citizens again.
Half of the expenses incurred came from the national treasury, and the other half came from IOUs signed by the refugees, who had to repay a certain amount on time every month, similar to modern loans for buying identity cards and land for oneself.
In addition to refugees, there were still many people who had become bandits on the roads of Wu State. This really hit the heart of the bandits. They were once mountain bandits and robbers, and they became what they are today only after they met the boss.
Therefore, the bandits knew best how to deal with these bandits, and when they saw these bandits attacking innocent civilians, they realized what their boss thought of them.
It turned out that they had really done something wrong, and it was no wonder that the boss lied to them.
The bandits were not fools. It would be fine if it happened once or twice. Every time they made great contributions, those ordinary soldiers with different identities from them had been promoted, but they were still a group of bandits without numbers and status.
Gradually they came to understand that, in fact, they were not valued by His Majesty. They were just the boss's subordinates and a knife in the boss's hand.
But the eldest sister was so amazing. She had brought them to see so many gorgeous scenery and let them experience a proud and exciting life. She had turned them into such outstanding people that they could not blame her at all.
So, even if it's a lie, it's fine.
They enjoyed it.
In fact, every bandit soldier knows that being conferred a title of nobility or general is the most common lie told by the boss.
(End of this chapter)