Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 577: The Army Enters Qufu

Faced with a righteous cause, a generous reward from his family, and threats, Kong Fangyou burst into tears and had no choice but to accept it, taking all the blame on himself.

In short, opposing the equalization of land tax and besieging the imperial envoy, all these evil deeds were done by Kong Fangyou alone, and the other members of the Kong family were deceived by Kong Fangyou.

After Kong Fangyou wrote the confession, he hanged himself in his house that night, committing suicide out of fear of punishment. Tao then hurriedly sent someone to write three copies of the confession, one to be sent to Bai Yongfu, one to be sent to the court, and the other to be sent to Wu Jinkun.

At the end of the confession, the Kong family also expressed their willingness to accept the court's system of dividing the land tax according to the amount of land, but they remained opposed to the court's reclaiming of the land granted by successive dynasties.

Although the Kong family admitted defeat, they could not accept Meng Jun's plan to take away all their land and leave them only a mountain area. Therefore, they still held on to the last glimmer of hope, hoping that the court would consider the saint's appearance and not take away all the land of the Holy Palace.

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Bai Yongfu's army traveled day and night and arrived forty miles away from Qufu in just two days.

Seeing that the army was approaching Qufu, Bai Yongfu immediately ordered the army to camp and rest for a night to regain their strength in order to quell the rebellion.

Not long after they set up camp, a letter from the Kong family was delivered to Bai Yongfu. Inside the letter was a confession and a letter to Bai Yongfu. The confession stated that there was only one bad guy, and that was Kong Fangyou. There was nothing to say about it.

The other letter is a little more interesting. On the one hand, this secret letter says that if the sage's direct line died in war, then this crime would probably not be something Bai Yongfu could bear. On the other hand, it suggests that Bai Yongfu should keep his troops in place and wait for the court's next order. No matter what, Bai Yongfu has made merits and no faults.

Bai Yongfu looked at the letter, thought about it again and again, and suddenly felt that what the Kong family said made a lot of sense.

People are indeed different. If Qian Biao was the commander, the letter from the Confucius Mansion would be like playing the lute to a cow. Once Qian Biao entered Qufu, he would definitely start a massacre. But Bai Yongfu was different. He thought more. Therefore, when faced with the letter from the Confucius Mansion, Bai Yongfu was hesitant, not knowing whether to continue to move south or keep his troops in place.

Bai Yongfu then summoned two of his trusted subordinates, Wu Shunchang and Xiao Mingzuo.

As for Bai Yongfu's hesitation, his two subordinates unanimously agreed that they should immediately head south to take control of the Kong family first. As for the final outcome of the Kong family, they would have to wait for the imperial court's order.

Bai Yongfu was in a high position, and sometimes his perspective on issues was not as good as his subordinates. Wu Shunchang was worried that Bai Yongfu would be scolded by scholars all over the world. Wu Shunchang said, "General, we are the emperor's subordinates, and you have followed the emperor for a long time. Now is the critical moment. If you don't move, what will the emperor think? Does it mean that the emperor can no longer command the army?"

Xiao Mingzuo also echoed, "Yes, Marshal, if we don't take action, after this incident, we will definitely be kicked to some remote place, maybe even farther away than Wu Sangui. As for the scholars scolding us, that's bullshit. Marshal, you are a noble, why bother playing with scholars!"

Hearing this, Bai Yongfu slapped his head fiercely and said, "Oh, these scholars are so evil-minded. They almost got into trouble!"

Then Bai Yongfu stood up and paced back and forth. Suddenly, he asked the two of them, "Where is the messenger?"

Wu Shunchang replied: "He is still in the camp and should be eating."

Bai Yongfu waved his fist fiercely and said, "Take this man out of the camp and find a place to make him disappear. I have no knowledge of this confession or letter!"

Xiao Mingzuo nodded quickly and said, "The Marshal is indeed wise. I will do it right away and make sure it is foolproof!"

Bai Yongfu looked at the backs of his two subordinates as they left and sighed. What a crappy job this was. If he had known earlier, he would have recommended Qian Biao to come to Shandong. He might as well go under Zhao Yongping and play with those Russians.

The messenger was deceived by Xiao Mingzuo without knowing it. The messenger from the Confucius Mansion thought that Marshal Bai wanted to reward him, so he had no doubt about his leaving the camp.

Until his death, he still didn't know why he died, and Xiao Mingzuo naturally didn't want to explain anything to the messenger. Xiao Mingzuo looked at the buried messenger and whispered, "Don't blame anyone in the underworld, you can only blame your own bad luck!"

After Bai Yongfu figured out the relationship, he felt relieved. He then issued a strict order that he would not see anyone except those from the imperial court. He would not see or receive any messengers or letters.

On the second day, at Bai Yongfu's command, the army marched towards Qufu in a mighty manner. When the Kong family saw that Bai Yongfu did not stop but instead sped up his march, they all looked at each other in surprise.

Tao thought that Bai Yongfu did not receive the letter, so he sent more than ten waves of messengers. However, what Tao did not expect was that all these messengers were blocked outside.

The scouts shouted sternly, saying that anyone who dared to approach the army would be treated as a spy. There was a stubborn man who thought that since he was carrying the name of the Holy Palace, these warriors would not dare to attack him. However, he did not expect that the scouts were merciless and shot him to the ground with a few arrows.

The city of Qufu shrouded in night was filled with a tense and depressing atmosphere. The people in the Confucius Mansion had been in a state of panic since the siege of the Imperial Envoy's Inn. Until the imperial army arrived outside the city of Qufu, everyone was waiting for their final judgment.

Because Bai Yongfu refused to meet with the Kong family, everyone was like a frightened bird, with fear of the unknown in their hearts.

As soon as Bai Yongfu arrived in Qufu, he ordered his men to control and seal all four gates. Both the county magistrate and the yamen runners were controlled by Bai Yongfu's subordinates.

The army entered the city like autumn wind sweeping away leaves, and there was no resistance at all. Bai Yongfu rode on his horse, scanning the surroundings. His stern gaze made the Kong family members dare not look directly at him. Several old men from the Kong Mansion, relying on their seniority, wanted to come forward and make friends, but were kicked down by Bai Yongfu's personal guards.

Bai Yongfu didn't even raise his eyes, dismounted, and strode into the Kong Mansion. Seeing this, the Kong family members all showed horror on their faces, but no one dared to resist at all, even though Bai Yongfu's behavior was extremely rude, and it seemed that he didn't take the saint seriously.

Bai Yongfu stepped into the Confucius Mansion, looked around, and said coldly: "The emperor has ordered a thorough investigation of the treason in the Confucius Mansion in Qufu. To prevent accidents, no one in the Confucius Mansion is allowed to move around at will." After saying that, he waved his hand.

The guards beside him received the order and quickly dispersed, rushing towards every corner of the Kong Mansion like wolves and tigers. For a moment, the Kong Mansion was in chaos. The Kong family members either stood there in panic or were forcibly taken to designated places by the guards. Tao's face was pale and her lips trembled. She wanted to say something, but was scolded and taken away by the guards.

Bai Yongfu gave an order, ordering Wu Shunchang to strictly enforce military discipline and not to harass the Kong family. He then sent a fast horse to report to the court that the rebellion in Qufu had been quelled, and that the punishment for the Kong family would be decided by the emperor!