Li Xuanshang was also startled after hearing Sun Kaiyang's words, and then said to him:
"You want me to establish a separatist regime in Jiangnan?"
Sun Kaiyang lowered his head even further and said to Li Xuanshang in front of him:
"Yes, General. If you return to King Li now, you will definitely be suspected in the future."
Even if King Li trusts you, what will happen after King Li passes away?
The successor does not have the prestige of King Li. The general's prestige is so great that he will surely be suspected.
Because the general has extremely high prestige, he has the status of a subject, yet he has the merit to threaten the emperor.
In addition to his merits as a subject, the general was also a member of the Li imperial clan.
How could this not make the successor wary?
Forgive my words, but the general's chances of survival are slim.
The general led his troops deep into enemy territory, conquering several cities in succession, capturing Nanjing, destroying the false dynasty, and becoming a powerful force in Jiangnan. Now, all the officials in Jiangnan have submitted to the general.
As for officials in Zhejiang and other places, such as Chu Kesheng, they were all personally appointed by the general.
Both Jiangnan and Zhejiang were under the general's control.
At the same time, the general was also one of the two major military groups in this campaign against Jiangnan, and the supreme commander of the Southern Army Group.
Whether it was Jin Hufu, Liu Sixiu, or Li Hongji, they were all under the general's control.
Moreover, the army's provisions were controlled and supplied by the general.
The areas in Huguang were the starting point of the general's eastern expedition and were also under his jurisdiction.
Moreover, the former puppet regime's troops in Anqing and Jiujiang have already surrendered.
If the general can incorporate these troops into his own forces, treat them with great kindness, and control their families, they will naturally not dare to disobey him.
Once they are incorporated into the army, along with the general's trusted troops, and those officers and soldiers who disobey the general are eliminated, then...
The general will have complete control of the southern army, and then he can imitate what King Li did in the north.
With a large army as leverage and supplies cut off, we can surely subdue the feudal lords such as Jin Hufu, Li Hongji, and Liu Xiusi.
They will be there to help us then.
I also have a past relationship with Zheng Chenggong, the commander of the navy, and I can personally go and persuade him.
Then his navy will be able to blockade it.
The regions of Jiangnan, Zhejiang, and Huguang fell into the hands of the general.
A general can not only avoid future suspicions, but also rule as the sole ruler of the south.
If we advance, we can contend for the world; if we retreat, we will not lose our position as the ruler of Jiangnan.
"You can certainly build a great enterprise from there."
Sun Kaiyang offered his sincere and excited advice to Li Xuanshang in front of him.
After hearing Sun Kaiyang's words, Li Xuanshang leaned back in his seat.
At this moment, he closed his eyes and crossed his arms, seemingly lost in thought.
Sun Kaiyang, who was kneeling on the ground, saw Li Xuanshang in his current state.
He knew then that the other person was interested.
In fact, after he uttered his first words, Li Xuanshang did not interrupt him, but listened to him finish speaking.
He then realized that the matter was already halfway done.
What he feared most was that if he opened his mouth, Li Xuanshang would have him arrested immediately.
That would be the end of it.
He had no chance at all.
If Li Xuanshang can listen to him finish speaking, he will have succeeded halfway.
This proves that Li Xuanshang also had some concerns about the future.
This is his chance.
If we can successfully exploit Li Xuanshang's anxieties about the future, we can successfully persuade him to defect from Li Qin.
This caused Li Qin's power to split.
If Li Qin's power is weakened, the court will still have a chance to be restored.
Although some people privately questioned the identity of the charred corpse.
But he knew perfectly well that the charred corpse was most likely the body of Emperor Zhu Jianshen.
Because he was the minister who met with Emperor Zhu Jianshen the most in the final period.
He was very clear about Emperor Zhu Jianshen's attitude at the last moment.
He would never run away; he would never leave the palace.
If he really wanted to run away, he would have done so long ago.
Since Jiangxi surrendered, the defense line has collapsed.
He had countless opportunities to escape, even when Li Xuanshang entered the city.
He could still escape the palace.
However, he did not leave the palace with them in the end, but instead gave them his final political testament.
He stayed in the palace; he would never be like his father.
They became Li Qin's prisoners and suffered humiliation.
Therefore, it is highly likely that he committed suicide.
Li Jinglong's army ransacked the palace but could not find the body of Emperor Zhu Jianshen.
So his final fate will most likely be self-immolation, and that charred corpse will be his body.
He had received the emperor's favor for generations, but when the emperor died, the country collapsed.
He should have died for his country. On the day Li Xuanshang entered the city, some of his colleagues also committed suicide.
He also wanted to die for his country.
But then they remembered the political will that Emperor Zhu Jianshen had left them.
He knew he couldn't die yet.
With the nation on the verge of collapse, he prepared to fight one last desperate effort.
As long as Li Qin's power is divided.
If Li Qin and Li Xuanshang were to turn against each other, then the state of Wu would still have a chance to be restored.
If Li Xuanshang were to establish his own independent regime, and Li Qinnan were to come down to attack him, it would be best if they fought to a standstill.
He knew that the chances of success in doing so were extremely low, even negligible.
But even if it's low, it's still there, but if you don't do anything...
That would be impossible to succeed at all.
Just as Sun Kaiyang was struggling to kneel on the ground, Li Xuanshang finally opened his eyes and made his own decision.
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