Xie Ming

The northern enemy forces suffered a setback and, realizing their defeat, dared not wage war against them again before the winter chill arrived.

In contrast, Xiao Jingchuan's intentions after capturing Fengyang were quite clear.

He then quickly dispatched troops and generals, and hurried westward.

Without much effort or trouble, the cities of Shouchun, Shucheng, and Huoqiu were pacified and returned to Xiao's control.

In addition, heading further north, in mid-November, Xiao's army made further advances, opening up the line between Huaiyuan, Mengcheng, and Haozhou.

It is believed that the two sides have reconnected with Pei Zhong's troops in Guide Prefecture, and the east-west road has been opened to ensure their cooperation.

Having described the scenery of Fengyang, he glanced eastward and looked back at Yangzhou City.

As mentioned earlier, Liu Zeqing is a man of two minds, but this time he has become much bolder.

The man investigated the matter and first beheaded more than a dozen Jurchen military supervisors who had been planted in the army.

He disregarded the later orders, clearly indicating that he had rekindled his ambitions and was preparing to hold onto a small corner of southeastern Yangzhou, thus establishing a separatist regime.

His son, after recovering Yangzhou, was deeply saddened and decided he never wanted to leave again.

They dominated a region and acted arrogantly and domineeringly.

Facing the armies from both the north and south, no matter who is capable of taking action, his troops are no match for them.

But this time, the traitor was truly determined to stay in the city and enjoy himself day by day.

Therefore, after Liu Zeqing returned to Yangzhou to garrison troops, he had little to do with his base of operations, which he had cultivated for many years.

Not only that, it is difficult to devise a way to protect the territory and ensure the safety of the people, but also to safeguard the local populace and allow them to rest.

And so we took advantage of the time when the north and south were locked in a fierce struggle for supremacy, and the north and south were too busy fighting to look eastward.

He hid in his room, lost in a delirious dream.

They spend their days in a drunken stupor, completely indifferent to everything.

His subordinate generals and soldiers were even more unrestrained and indulged.

And so, he remained drunk for several days.

Later, his trusted advisors, one by one, figured out what he was thinking and hurriedly came up with some terrible ideas.

They eagerly flatter and incite, eager to step on you and climb up to you.

It was only because of the clamor from his subordinates that Liu Yan began to consider declaring himself king.

We acted immediately.

By mid-November, this child had become even more muddle-headed.

They have reached a point where they no longer care about the actual circumstances.

In a drunken stupor, life seems like a dream, yet one gains a profound understanding of the world and a sense of transcendence.

As the saying goes, "Seize the day, drink today's wine and be merry, who cares if tomorrow brings a deluge?"

What can you do to me if I insist on going my own way?

Well, Liu Zeqing, after performing the grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven in Yangzhou, sent a letter requesting an imperial edict to the Southern Court.

Which is absurd, and who is truly clear-headed?
Never mind all that nonsense, just ignore it!
Liu Zeqing, without waiting for a reply, orchestrated and performed his own ceremony in Yangzhou, registering himself as the King of Yangzhou.

It's a complete mess, utterly ridiculous.

And so, very quickly, this "King of Yangzhou" will find his life's brevity gone.

Once he thought he had secured his position in Yangzhou, his behavior became unrestrained, revealing him to be even more insane and mad.

He neglected all other matters, indulging only in wine, meat, women, and pleasure every day.

If he, as the commander, is so incompetent, how can the soldiers under him possibly be any better?
As expected, the soldiers and officers under his command began to act recklessly, becoming even more unruly and unrestrained.

Yangzhou's business was truly unlucky.

Unexpectedly, it happened in less than half a year.

The city had just been plundered and slaughtered by the Jurchen barbarians, leaving nine out of ten houses empty and the people impoverished. It was already a scene of utter devastation.

Now, it has fallen into the hands of this thief once again.

The situation seemed even more hopeless.

Liu Zeqing, the King of Yangzhou, was corrupt above all others, so it's no surprise that his subordinates were also extremely wicked.

Soldiers are more dangerous than bandits.

Thus, the state of the world seemed to descend into a scene of purgatory.

This phenomenon quickly spread outwards.

The nearby areas of Gaoyou, Tongzhou, and Haimen were also affected.

As the folk saying goes, these bandit soldiers are truly destitute, leaving nothing behind as soon as they pass by.

The men were forced into prostitution, and the women became prostitutes.

An old man's neck is stabbed, a young child picks up a sharp spear.

Such a horrific and heinous army, deserving the utmost condemnation from both gods and men, committed countless atrocities, the countless bones scattered across the land serving as irrefutable evidence.

Such an absurd thing is bound to be difficult to maintain for long.

Justice will prevail, and evil will be punished.

Because Suiye allowed his troops to run rampant, soon many military commanders in Yangzhou, driven by their own selfish desires, engaged in numerous mutinies and internal strife.

The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Li Youcai, a deputy general under Liu Zeqing, finally made a big move and launched a mutiny. He led a group of bandits into the palace and beheaded Liu Zeqing, who was deep in a drunken stupor, in the crotch of a group of entertainers and singers.

He took the throne and wanted to take his place.

Fourteen days later, on the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

His subordinates, including Sun, Liu, and Bian, followed suit and rebelled.

Using the same tactics in Yangzhou, they chopped up Li Youcai again.

Soon after, chaos broke out in the Yangzhou area.

Several forces are vying for power.

Yangzhou, Gaoyou, Tongzhou, Haimen and other places were quickly divided and occupied by a few people.

They attacked and annihilated each other, engaging in numerous fierce battles.

In just over ten days during the New Year holiday, more than ten fights, both large and small, broke out.

All of Liu Zeqing's hard-earned 20,000-plus elite troops were wiped out in one fell swoop.

The person's head was pinched so badly it resembled a dog's head.

They act independently and do not support each other.

Thus, they are no longer capable of fighting against external forces.

A chaotic scene unfolds, with one act ending and another beginning, leading people to mistake a foreign land for their hometown.

How absurd! In the end, it's all for the benefit of others.

The world is endless, and the days are endless.

Those who sought to establish their own empires and gain fame ultimately failed, leaving only complaints from later generations in their idle reminiscences.

Stop rambling on, stop rambling on.

Yangzhou is absurd, so let's leave it at that for now.

Turning my gaze, I looked north towards the Taihang Mountains.

This is a bleak autumn, while the southeast is scorching hot. In the northwest, in the lands of Shaanxi and Shanxi, things are also bustling.

This statement can be traced back to the time when Ajige received an imperial edict from the capital and led his troops eastward.

Less than a month later, Li Zicheng, the former rebel leader of the Great Shun Dynasty, resurfaced in various prefectures in southern Shaanxi.

By August, Hanzhong had returned to the hands of the Shun army.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Zicheng issued an edict to gather his old troops and remnants in southern and northern Shaanxi.

In mid-August, they raised an army and marched north, recapturing Ningqiang and Fengxiang.

The supplies of provisions and provisions have been gathered, and the army has assembled more than 80,000 to 90,000 men.

It's not that complicated, actually.

After all, Li Zicheng had been cultivating this territory for a long time.

The previous defeat and retreat were only temporary.

Given the current situation in the southeast and the slight easing of restrictions in the northwest, it is only natural that they will regroup and spread like wildfire.

Then, in September, the Jurchen troops stationed in Xi'an could not resist.

Li Zicheng led his troops to capture Xi'an.

With Tongguan Pass as the gateway, the entire Shaanxi province returned to the Great Shun dynasty.

In addition, since October, heavy snow has blanketed the roads.

The rebel army hastily marched into Shanxi.

First, conquer Yongning, then the sword's edge will point directly at Taiyuan.

Later, they suffered several defeats in Wenshui, Jiaocheng and other places.

Ambushed and trapped, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

At the same time, there was continuous overcast skies and heavy snow. As the army marched eastward, logistics became extremely strained.

Li Zicheng was filled with resentment. His advisors, including Niu Jinxing and Song Xianze, also urged him to withdraw his troops. They were of one mind and felt that if they rushed out to fight, their rear would be unstable and they would only be able to regain their former strength. They believed that it would be better to slow down and make things more complicated.

Left with no other choice, and having failed to achieve his previous goals, Li Zicheng had no choice but to leave a detachment to guard Yongning while the majority of his troops rushed back to Shaanxi in the snow.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Liangzhou, Ganzhou, Lanzhou and other places also rose up in response to the rebel leader Chuang Wang's self-establishment, and most of them returned to the banner of the Great Shun Dynasty. (End of this chapter)