knife

Chapter 607 The tree fell and the hozens scattered
For the eight towns south of the Yangtze River, the sky had fallen!

If Yang Lixin had been defeated and killed earlier, people could have said that this bandit was unfamiliar with warfare and had poor military discipline, which made him vulnerable to the enemy and led to his downfall.

Feng Kuan's defeat can be attributed to his arrogance, recklessness, and rashness, which led to his being surrounded and his entire army being wiped out by the enemy.

In the eyes of the loyal subordinates of the Eight Towns of Jiangnan, as long as He Zudao was still alive, they could turn the tables and win.

But He Zudao also lost.

Moreover, it was a direct confrontation with the enemy, which led to a blatant frontal breakthrough and ultimately, defeat.

What everyone finds most shameful is that, at the most critical moment of the war,
While all the soldiers were fighting desperately,
Their commander,
Their respected General He Zudao
He abandoned his men who were still fighting for him.
One person ran away.

He Zudao's escape marked the beginning of the entire army's defeat and demise.

The general is the courage of the army.
The gallbladder is ruptured.
Where can we still fight this war?

The first person to escape and say this was immediately denounced as spreading rumors and tarnishing the reputation of the general, and was sentenced to death without mercy.

The second, third, and even the tenth people all said the same thing, and everyone was already panicked and uneasy. But in order to maintain morale, these people were still locked up, and they were to be dealt with personally when General Shun arrived.

But when the hundredth person said the same thing, everyone fell silent.

The final shoe dropped without keeping everyone waiting long.

He Zudao is dead.

He was killed and beheaded by Li Dachui, the Protector-General of the Beiting Protectorate, in a direct confrontation.

This was the worst news for the direct subordinates of the Eight Towns of Jiangnan, but also relatively good news.

The reason it is considered relatively good news is that He Zudao died in battle.

This way, people can also use this as a reason to gather a group of people who are determined to avenge He Zudao and stick together for mutual support.

If there is strength in numbers, perhaps we can still find a space to survive.

Of course, if they knew that He Zudao was caught and killed while fleeing,
That would be a double blow.

It's just that people tend to believe things that are more advantageous to them.

Therefore, everyone simply ignored the worst-case scenario.

Chen Jianren sat there silently, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly, his veins bulging. He had been in this position for a long time ever since the news came.

The hall became increasingly noisy.

More and more officials from the eight towns south of the Yangtze River gathered here.

The dust has settled.

Next, we'll discuss how to survive.

Chen Jianren was very clear that

People's hearts have scattered.

Naturally, the team becomes more difficult to manage.

He Zudao is dead, none of his children are capable of managing the situation, and he himself does not have enough prestige to keep these people in check.

Now, everyone has their own aspirations and goals, and they are bound to disagree, so disbanding is inevitable. Just think back to a few years ago when the General marched south from Chang'an, returned to the eight towns of Jiangnan, and gathered five thousand of his old troops to march north to Hedong. How spirited and hopeful they were!

They all died out in just a few years.

"The best course of action now is to find another way out immediately, otherwise none of us will have a good ending!" Someone finally couldn't help but speak first. Chen Jianren glanced at Zhong Xuexin, the prefect of Runan County.

"What does Prefect Zhong think we should do?" Immediately, someone chimed in, clearly indicating that the two had communicated beforehand, and were now working together in unison.

No one asked Chen Chien-jen first, even though Chen Chien-jen held a higher position among everyone present at that moment.

Unlike Yang Lixin and Feng Kuan, who each had their own loyal troops and spheres of influence, Chen Jianren usually appeared more as He Zudao's chief steward.

With He Zudao around, he was undoubtedly the number two.

He Zudao is gone, and more importantly, his core troops are almost all gone as well.
Chen Chien-jen's influence naturally disappeared.

"Do we have any other way now?" Zhong Xuexin said, "Being self-reliant is no longer an option, so we can only seek refuge with those who can protect us. Right now, the only ones who can protect us are Chang'an and Luoyang!"

"Does Prefect Zhong mean that we should seek refuge with Linghu Ye?"

"What do you say?"

"I think Prefect Zhong is right!"

Chen Jianren suddenly wanted to laugh. Zhong Xuexin had always had contact with Luoyang, and their collusion didn't just start today.

Ever since He Zudao led everyone back to the eight towns of Jiangnan, both Chang'an and Danyang have been working hard there. Not only them, but even the General is wavering back and forth, hoping to gain more.

Now that the general is gone, everyone simply needs to choose a new master.

He turned his gaze to Yue Qi, who was the governor of Anlu County and had always maintained close ties with the Chu region.

Sure enough, Yue Qi spoke up directly: "I think it would be better for us to go and join Jiang Qian!"

"Are you crazy? Li Dachui and Jiang Qian just killed the General. They are our enemies. You want us to go and serve our enemies?" Zhong Xuexin jumped up and cursed, "Yue Qi, the General treated you well when he was alive. It's fine if you don't avenge him, but you actually want to go and serve the enemy!"

Yue Qi looked at him coldly and said, "The General has treated all of us here very well. If we are grateful, then we should gather our troops now, swear to serve the Eldest Young Master, and then send troops to Ruyin and Yong'an to avenge the General, instead of discussing here who to join! Zhong Xuexin, as long as you nod, we can invite the Eldest Young Master out now, how about it?"

Zhong Xuexin looked at Yue Qi with a grim expression, but remained silent.

Yue Qi snorted and said, "The conflict between the General and Li Dachui and Jiang Qian was fair and square. If we lost, we lost. Since we have no intention of revenge, we should naturally take a longer-term view. If we go to Linghu Ye, what resources do we have now? How much importance can we be given? I'm afraid that as soon as we go there, Li Guohua will immediately drive us to attack Yong'an and Ruyin. How much better will our situation be than it is now? We might as well raise an army immediately, so that the world will remember our loyalty and righteousness."

Some people in the hall nodded slightly, as if that made sense!

“It’s better than surrendering to the enemy!” the man who had previously spoken up for Zhong Xuexin chimed in.

"In the struggle for power, the victor is king and the loser is a bandit. Today's enemy can be tomorrow's friend!" Yue Qi said, "Gentlemen, my suggestion to join forces with Li Dachui and Jiang Qian is not only for our future, but also for our present!"

“Prefect Yue, tell us in detail!” A group of people who had been silent until now spoke up from one side of the living room. They were led by Prefect Chunling and included many local powerful families.

“The reasoning is simple!” Yue Qi said, “Jiang Qian and Li Dachui are currently weak in this area, facing attacks from the Chu Kingdom and pressure from Linghu Ye. If they want to survive and grow stronger, relying solely on the support of Shu County is far from enough. Therefore, they will inevitably try every means to strengthen themselves and unite all forces that can help them. If we go there now, we will not be treated as expendable pawns or insignificant soldiers, but will be given sufficient attention.”

"We'll still have to fight a war!"

“There’s a huge difference here, Prefect Zhong, don’t tell me you don’t understand!” Yue Qi said, “If we go to Jiang Qian, we won’t be sacrificed easily, because every bit of strength is precious to them. But if we go to Linghu Ye, it’s a completely different story. Does Linghu Ye, who controls the Central Plains, really care about us defeated soldiers?”

(End of this chapter)