Zuo Mengeng never thought that something like this would happen to him.
He had always thought that the so-called persuasion was just a show by careerists.
Obviously he really wants to be king and emperor, but he still pretends to be reluctant. He waits for the people below to make three concessions and show the virtue that everyone expects him to do.
When he saw Wanmin Shu at this time, he had to say that the shocking feeling was something he would never forget.
Do you really want to go further?
He couldn't help but hesitate.
At this time, everyone's eyes were focused on him, and any change in his expression would be seen.
Zhang Zongheng hurriedly said: "We have always called ourselves Shandong, Shandong. But now our territory is not only Shandong, but also covers the Huaihe River, Jiangnan, and as far as Nuergandusi. It does not fit our purpose to call ourselves Shandong again.
.”
Fu Yusun talked about another practical issue.
"With Huang Taiji establishing the country and proclaiming himself emperor, all parties have already raised their flags, and their ambitions are clear. If we don't establish our country, we will be content to be second to others, and our momentum will be weakened, which will also make all the people in the world turn to others."
This piece of advice spoke to Zuo Mengeng’s heart.
Of course he knows that in a situation where heroes are fighting, he cannot be too weak.
Although Shandong is very strong politically and militarily, once Huang Taiji proclaims himself emperor, Shandong will not have a banner to compete with him, which will inevitably make people in this camp angry.
But he also has concerns.
"If we also gain the title of Jianguo, will the Ming Dynasty attack with all its strength?"
Although Huang Taiji was establishing the country and proclaiming himself emperor, the consequences were far less than those in Shandong.
Although the Hou Jin Dynasty was a formidable enemy and caused heartache to everyone in the Ming Dynasty, in the final analysis, Liaodong was still too far away.
No matter what happens there, the reaction on the people of the Central Plains will be greatly weakened.
This is like ordinary people in later generations talking about the Russia-Ukraine war, but in fact they don't really feel it.
Although the people of the Ming Dynasty in this era hated Hou Jin deeply, they did not think that Hou Jin had the ability to take over the Central Plains.
But Shandong is different.
It is located on the homeland of the Han family, adjacent to the center of the Ming Dynasty and the Central Plains.
If Shandong were to divide its borders and establish a country, it would almost be equivalent to declaring that the Ming Dynasty had lost its orthodoxy.
The worry of national subjugation is imminent. Even if Chongzhen and the civil and military forces of the Ming Dynasty knew that Shandong was powerful and irresistible, they would still choose to fight to the death.
Either you die or I die.
However, in Shandong's established plan, it was not yet time to replace the Ming Dynasty.
Hou Xun was quite flexible and immediately thought of a solution.
"We can absolutely take a step back and not declare ourselves emperor for the time being."
Dang Huanchuan reacted, stroking his beard and smiling.
"Liu Bang used the King of Han as the basis for advancement and established a strong Han Dynasty; Li Yuan took the title of King of Tang and took over the land of Longxing in Guanzhong; Zhu Yuanzhang first called the King of Wu and established the south of the Yangtze River, and then went on to conquer the Yuan Dynasty in the north. The commander-in-chief should be called the king and take the title of Zhao.
Tell the world."
This approach was unanimously approved by everyone.
Proclaiming himself emperor would be tantamount to a complete break with the Ming Dynasty, and the outcome would have to be decided. However, proclaiming himself king might seem like a low step, but he already had the capital to seal the territory and split the country.
Throughout the ages, all the heroes who have competed for the world have never succeeded in achieving the goal of becoming emperor in one step.
Not only that, if you become king first, you can also hide your strength, focus on development, and accumulate strength. When the time is right, it will be a matter of course to become the world leader.
Zhu Yuanzhang used his common people's capital to finally eliminate the heroes, drive out the Tartars, achieve great achievements as an emperor, and set an example for all people with lofty ideals.
At the very least, the strategy of "build walls high, accumulate food widely, and slowly become king" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Today's chaotic times in the late Ming Dynasty are actually similar to those in the late Yuan Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty was in the orthodox position and its strength still existed; the Later Jin Dynasty dominated Liaodong and was aggressive; the rebel armies in the northwest were rising and falling, and they were still in the ascendant.
At first glance, it seems that anyone has a chance to conquer the world.
At such a time, you must not be the first to take the lead. Otherwise, you will be targeted by the public and be besieged. No matter how powerful you are, you will probably be unable to defeat four hands with just one fist.
If you take a step back and just claim the title of king, although the intention is clear, it will not irritate the Ming Dynasty too much.
When people are faced with the temptation to push themselves too far, their endurance is very strong. As long as the intensity is not too much, they will slowly accept it.
You may listen to it in your ears for a while and not go in, but if you listen to it a lot, you won’t resist too much when you really go in.
For the dynasty, this is actually the case sometimes.
If Shandong directly proclaims itself emperor and establishes a country, it is guaranteed that the Ming Dynasty will become completely crazy and will use all its strength to attack regardless.
But as long as Shandong slows down its efforts and increases its pressure bit by bit, Ming Dynasty will be slowly boiled in warm water if it can't go all out.
After all, when Shandong became independent, Daming chose to be patient; when Shandong occupied Songjiang Prefecture, Daming chose to be patient; when Shandong conquered the Huaihe River, Daming still chose to be patient.
I endured this, but now that Shandong is king, it seems that there is nothing wrong with it.
"The title of Jianji can be used, but the principle of equality for all cannot be changed. This king is not that king, it is only the name of the country and the people. He can never dominate and dominate the country and the people like the feudal emperors did.
"
It was hard to go against public opinion, Zuo Mengeng wisely chose to follow the good path, but he also put forward restrictions.
We have worked hard for so long to spread advanced political ideas. If we go back to the decadent and declining old era, wouldn't it be worth the loss?
"That's what I mean."
Hou Xun quickly turned the corner and made the matter clear.
In fact, they have been working in Shandong for a long time and are used to the atmosphere where everyone is equal. They are no longer willing to kneel before the king like slaves like in the past.
Even if Zuo Mengeng didn't mention it, they would put an end to this.
Zuo Mengeng did not forget his original intention and made everyone feel comfortable.
If you follow such a leader, why worry about accomplishing great things?
However, new problems emerged.
Zhou You asked: "If it is necessary to establish a title as a king, how should the name be chosen?"
Everyone was stunned and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Of course, being king requires a name.
For example, Liu Bang was the King of Han, Li Yuan was the King of Tang, and Zhu Yuanzhang was the King of Wu.
So when we get to Zuo Mengeng, what should we call him?
The most difficult point of persuading Zuo Menggeng to become king has been solved, and the rest is much easier.
Hou Xun decided to brainstorm ideas.
"It's better to publish it in various places and adopt the public's opinions. Only in this way can we convince the public."
The matter of proclaiming the king and establishing the title of Shandong will definitely take a long time to prepare, and will definitely fall after Huang Taiji proclaims himself the emperor and establishes the country.
Since we have plenty of time, why not take this opportunity to initiate a broad discussion and unite people's hearts.
After so many years, it’s finally time to take a step further.
Everyone was in an eager mood and had already begun to think about what the name should be.