knife

Chapter 609 Surrender
A small boat sails upstream.

There were only two people on the boat.

One person stands with their hands behind their back at the bow of the boat, while another stands at the stern, rowing with oars.

The rowing frequency didn't seem very fast, but the small boat sped towards the dock from a distance like an arrow.

"The Protector-General has arrived!" Zhang Qingyun said with a smile to Yue Qi beside him, "The one rowing the boat at the back is General Fang Xiaomao."

Yue Qi nodded repeatedly, took a few steps forward, and became even more respectful.

Zhang Qingyun personally planned and executed the persuasion of Yue Qi, the prefect of Anlu, to join Li Dachui.

To outsiders, this was an extremely risky operation.

But for Zhang Qingyun, there was actually no danger at all.

Because Yue Qi has some connection with the Zhang family.

Going back two generations, the two families are relatives, albeit indirectly.

In terms of seniority, Zhang Qingyun should call Yue Qi "Uncle".

Whether Zhang Qingyun's attempt to subdue Yue Qi will succeed is another matter, but to say that Yue Qi will do anything to Zhang Qingyun is completely an overreaction.

Even when the Zhang family was down on their luck, Yue Qi never came out to trample on them.

Now that the Zhang family has risen again under the auspices of the Beiting Protectorate, they are a powerful ally and helper for Yue Qi.

In addition, Li Dachui currently appears to be the one with the most momentum.
Once Zhang Qingyun proposed surrender, both sides naturally reached an agreement immediately.
Hello, hello, hello everyone
It not only strengthens family ties but can also be a great help in one's career.

Having connections in the court makes it easier to become an official.
This is an irrefutable truth at all times.

To put it another way, or to put it more subtly, it's like saying "a hero needs three helpers."

No matter how powerful Li Dachui was, without figures like Xiao Changche, Zhou Zhi, and Mao Daxian, he could not have risen to prominence so quickly.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Yue Qi stepped forward, slightly bending one knee as if to kneel down.

This caught those behind him off guard.

Li Dachui's current official identity is the governor of the Beiting Protectorate of the Great Qin Empire. Although the court conferred the title of Prince Zhenbei on Li Dachui at the end of Wei Zhengdao's reign, neither Li Dachui nor the Beiting Protectorate reacted to this title.

The announcement from the Northern Protectorate still referred to Li Dachui as Protector-General.

At first, no one understood the crux of the matter, until Beiting revealed Li Dachui's true identity, and everyone suddenly realized.

However, Li Dachui's identity as the posthumous son of the former crown prince has not yet been officially recognized.

Especially groups like Linghuye Group, they are even less likely to admit it.

Because once they acknowledge it, Li Dachui would be the most qualified to become the current emperor of Qin, based on his status.

What is Linghu Ye doing?
Naturally, I won't.

As long as Li Dachui's identity is not acknowledged, the Li clan member he randomly picked in Chang'an has legitimacy, unlike Li Ping, whom Wei Zhengdao established, who is still a child, while Linghu Ye established a promising young adult of seventeen or eighteen.

Who dares to say that Linghu Ye manipulates the emperor?
It was clearly the emperor who made all the decisions.

Everyone knows these things perfectly well.

Yue Qi's deep bow and address of Li Dachui as "Your Highness" directly acknowledged Li Dachui's status as a prince, and formally and publicly severed ties with Linghu Ye. "I do not recognize the emperor you installed in Chang'an."

Because the legal system is illegitimate.

None of the people following Yue Qi were fools. As soon as they saw Yue Qi's behavior, they immediately understood the underlying reasons.

Yue Qi did not kneel down, because Li Dachui reached out and helped him up.

But the people behind Yue Qi knelt down in droves.

Throughout history, what has been the greatest contribution?
Of course, the one who made the greatest contribution was the one who supported him.

They can't compare to the Beiting gang, which is equivalent to Li Dachui's old team when he was in hiding, but why can't they compete in other places?
If Li Dachui wins the world in the future, who knows, this kneeling and shouting today might bring his family immense wealth and prosperity, and protect several generations of his descendants.

This time, Li Dachui personally came to Huai'an to meet Yue Qi and the others, naturally wanting to completely stabilize their hearts. Ever since He Zudao returned to the Eight Towns of Jiangnan, whether it was Wei Zhengdao in the past, Linghu Ye later, or Chu Guo, they have all put their efforts into the Eight Towns of Jiangnan.

They all want to take over the power here.

Now, with He Zudao's death, the eight towns of Jiangnan have completely split apart.

Judging from the current situation, Li Dachui has reaped the greatest benefits.

Xiangyang has been completely controlled by Li Dachui. Other counties such as Huai'an, Jingling, Anlu, and Chunling have basically followed Yue Qi and defected to Li Dachui during Zhang Qingyun's defection operation. Zhong Xuexin from Huainan County and a part of Nanyang County are preparing to defect to Li Guohua in Dongdu.

As news of Li Guohua's large-scale mobilization of troops reached Yong'an County, Li Dachui understood the other side's intentions: they were determined to take Nanyang.

Right now, Li Dachui and Jiang Qian's priority is to first defeat Xiang Ying and Na Weibing's two-pronged attack on Yong'an and Ruyin. As for Nanyang, they simply cannot spare any troops.

Li Xiu's five thousand elite troops have no chance of holding Nanyang. As for Xiao Zhongren, who was turned against the regime earlier, it's hard to say whether he can be relied on under these circumstances. The demonic cult's experts who were supposed to be sent to Nanyang to carry out a mass movement have not yet set off!

Therefore, after repeated discussions, Li Dachui and Jiang Qian decided to temporarily abandon Nanyang County and retreat all of Li Xiu's troops to Xiangyang.

For Yong'an and Ruyin, Xiangyang is the true strategic choke point.

As for Xiao Zhongren and the others, let them choose as they see fit. If they are still willing to work for this side, then they will naturally be generous with rewards in the future. If they defect to Linghuye's side, that is only natural. Anyway, having one more enemy is no big deal for Li Dachui.

With control of six of the eight towns in Jiangnan, plus Yong'an and Ruyin counties, and if they could control the Yangtze River and connect with Shu County by water, their strength would be far greater than that of He Zudao before.

Once we get through this most difficult period, the road ahead will become wider and wider.

Jiang Qian did not come, precisely because Li Dachui wanted to quickly seize control of the six towns and form a usable force.

After all, these people from the six towns of Jiangnan had fought against the Chu people their whole lives. Now, they had suddenly become allies with Jiang Qian, their former number one enemy, and even her subordinates. They must have some resentment in their hearts.

It will take some time to digest this.

"No need for formalities, everyone!" Li Dachui said with a smile, holding Yue Qi's hand. "I come from humble beginnings and was a bandit for many years. I'm really not very patient with those formalities. If you respect me, you can call me Protector-General. If you want to sound more friendly, you can call me Dachui, that's fine too! I grew up with my adoptive father, and he gave me a very casual name, so please just call me whatever you like!"

A burst of laughter came from below. It was their first meeting, and Li Dachui's easygoing nature made everyone feel much more relaxed.

Of course, etiquette is essential.

He said you could shout "Big Hammer," but you can't actually shout it, can you?

You'd be a fool to believe that!

(End of this chapter)