Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 505 Great Merit
Bazhou water camp.

Many warships were anchored around, and the soldiers were resting and reorganizing in the camp.

After experiencing several previous major battles, the soldiers needed supplies.

Chen Jun's morale was quite low.

The warships they encountered were their own, and the enemies they met were their own generals who had fled. Moreover, bad news kept coming from all around, and there were fugitives every day. The situation was really not optimistic.

In the makeshift tent, Lu Guangda sighed and looked dejectedly at Xu Jingcheng who was lying on the bed.

Xu Jingcheng was shot by Ren Zhong when he was in Jiangbei, and he went to the battlefield again without rest, causing his injuries to become more and more serious and his old injuries to relapse. Not to mention fighting in the battlefield, even getting up became a problem.

He had a high fever and was unconscious. The doctors were helpless. After many days of treatment, he was still unconscious and became increasingly weak.

The military doctor poured the medicine into Xu Jingcheng's mouth.

Xu Jingcheng still had no reaction.

The doctor observed for a moment and took the patient's pulse again.

Then, he looked up at Lu Guangda beside him and shook his head gently.

The light in Lu Guangda's eyes became dimmer.

"General Lu, General Xu's injuries were serious, and they were not healed, and new injuries were added. Now, there is really no way to cure it."

"I'm afraid it is"

"I see."

"Go out."

After the military doctor saluted and walked out quickly, Lu Guangda looked at Xu Jingcheng. Xu Jingcheng's breathing was gradually weakening.

After the war in Jiangbei ended, Lu Guangda persuaded Xu Jingcheng to stay at home and recuperate, but he did not listen. He left Jiankang the next day and went to the front line to train the army.

In the battles against Gao Changgong, Xu Jingcheng always rushed to the front and fought to the death.

Lu Guangda could more or less understand Xu Jingcheng's thoughts.

He was probably atonement for past actions?
But Xu Jingcheng was no longer able to answer him. His breathing continued to weaken until it gradually stopped. His face became calm and his frown relaxed.

Lu Guangda just looked at him, with an indescribable envy in his eyes.

It's not bad to lie down like this and not have to worry about anything.

Lu Guangda pondered for a long time, then called several of Xu Jingcheng's personal soldiers and told them the news of Xu Jingcheng's death in person.

The confidants cried loudly.

Lu Guangda said, "The water fort here is not suitable for burying General Xu. You can take his body away from here, and I will give you a small boat."

"I don't think the Han Kingdom will make things difficult for you because of this matter."

These confidants thanked Lu Guangda and then secretly moved Xu Jingcheng's body away.

Afterwards, Lu Guangda was the only commander left in the camp.

He had no time to mourn Xu Jingcheng because Gao Changgong's fierce attack soon began.

After the land ferry crossings were captured one by one, the logistics suffered great damage. It was useless for Lu Guangda to motivate the soldiers. He could not expect the soldiers to fight on an empty stomach.

Although Gao Changgong seemed to be attacking frequently, he was actually not in a hurry to destroy this navy at all.

He was just using a small group of troops to fight back, and then continued to capture the ferry, which put increasing pressure on Lu Guangda.

When Gao Changgong thought the situation was almost ready, Xiao Mohe, as the vanguard, launched the final attack on the water fort.

Many tall warships appeared outside the water fort.

These warships were completely warships of the State of Chen, but now they were flying the flag of the State of Han, becoming weapons against their own people.

Lu Guangda took the water fort as the center, led the warships out of the gate, and deployed them on three sides of the water fort.

This is to prevent the enemy from blocking the gate and beating them.

Both sides formed their battle formations. In terms of numbers, the warships of the State of Chen still had the advantage. However, the sound of war drums from the State of Han continued to sound, and the momentum was high. On the other hand, the soldiers on the State of Chen had stern faces, looked decadent, and said nothing.

Xiao Mohe took the lead in launching the attack, and several warships took the lead in rushing towards the gate of the water fort.

When the warships of both sides encountered each other, the soldiers of the Han army gathered their strength, pulled up the baton poles, and dropped them suddenly. The baton poles landed heavily on the warships on both sides, and a cracking sound was heard. The warships on both sides began to shake violently. Morale is particularly important in water combat.

The main reason is that many of the warships' attack methods require cooperation from multiple people and joint efforts. In this case, if someone falls behind, does not make an effort, or there is a failure in coordination, it will cause very serious consequences.

The Han army's warships had already hit the target twice in a row, while the Chen army's warships had just raised their battering rams.

But before the opponent landed, the Han ship was out of the opponent's attack range.

Xiao Mohe took the lead in the charge, and the warships rushed left and right, blasting away one warship after another, and rushed straight towards the enemy's main ship.

Lu Guangda commanded the troops diligently, ordering the warships to intercept and the fire ships to attack and block the road.

The flags here were waving back and forth, and the soldiers' hands were about to break, but the warships everywhere were moving slowly, forming a great contrast with the tension here.

This is not because the commanders of the warships ignored military orders. The movement and attack of the warships depended on the soldiers, but the soldiers had no fighting spirit and were unable to cooperate, so it became difficult for the warships to even move, let alone fight.

Especially those vehicles and ships, because the soldiers did not cooperate well, they just stopped where they were, motionless, and drifted with the current.

The Han army would obviously not miss such a good opportunity.

The Han army's warships continued to advance, cutting the enemy's formation into a mess, and they actually surrounded the Chen ships that far outnumbered their own with a small number of troops.

The officers on the ships, looking at the enemies approaching from both sides, had no intention of resisting and directly ordered the soldiers to surrender with them.

They have been able to resist until now, which shows their loyalty. As for those who died for the country, a lot of their food and wages have been withheld. Let's make up for the withholdings first.

The two sides only had a brief encounter, and the Chen State began to surrender in large numbers.

Lu Guangda looked confused.

At this time, he still wanted to retreat and guard the gate of the water fort.

But even the deputy generals around him couldn't stand it anymore.

"General, surrender."

“There’s no way you can win.”

"Han is more than ten times stronger than us. Even if we defeat Gao Changgong, we still have no chance. Southern Xuzhou has already fallen. What else can we resist?"

Lu Guangda looked at the deputy general beside him in disbelief.

This deputy general was also the descendant of a famous general, but he had obviously lost confidence in the country.

Lu Guangda wanted to say something, but the deputy general's proposal was recognized by everyone.

"We have no logistics and no reinforcements, so what's the point of fighting? Even if we defeat Gao Changgong, I'm afraid we'll starve to death in the water. Do we have to catch fish every day to eat?"

"We have resisted Gao Changgong for so long, and we have done our duty to Dachen."

Lu Guangda said nothing, and Chen Jun formally surrendered.

Wuxing County.

"Surrender? How can you say that?!"

"Someone is coming!!"

Chen Xu, who was sitting in the upper seat, was furious. He pointed at the minister Jiang Zong below him and said, "I know that you are friendly with Ouyang He and have close contacts with him on weekdays. Do you want to capture him and show your merit to me today? Take this thief out and behead him!!"

Mr. Jiang was so frightened that he kowtowed immediately.

"Your Majesty! I dare not! I dare not! I say this for Your Majesty!"

"Bold traitor!"

Chen Xu's face turned red with anger.

When they arrived in Wuxing, took a short rest and prepared to find a way to escape, Minister Jiang Zong suddenly came to see the emperor with other ministers and presented a memorial requesting surrender to the Han Kingdom.

Chen Xu was almost angry to death.

Looking at the group of bastards in front of him, Chen Xu almost bit his teeth.

However, Mr. Jiang was indeed very scared at this moment.

This guy is not a bad person, he is just a confused person with no talent. Several ministers found him and discussed together that if he fled, he might be murdered by villains. For the safety of the emperor and everyone, it is better to surrender to the Han Kingdom. He could also be granted a title like Yuwen Yun, which would not be disgraceful.

When President Jiang heard this, he thought what they said made sense, and he took the lead in submitting a report.

Hearing that the emperor wanted to kill him, Jiang Zong was so scared that he looked at his allies, hoping that they could speak for him. However, his allies were the bad ones.

They did not rush to plead for Jiang Zong until the soldiers began to drag Jiang Zong out and Jiang Zong himself began to scream. Only then did they start to explain: "Your Majesty, the generals in the south have sent a letter."

"Chun Yuliang and Ouyang He led their troops to capture East Yangzhou. Chun Yuliang's troops had already reached Qiantang City, while Gao Yanzong's troops had already captured Chenliu County."

"Our way to the south has been blocked by the two of them, and to the north, Wang Lin and his bandits have occupied many cities."

"We are surrounded and there is nowhere to go."

They did not plead for Mr. Jiang, but instead described the current situation.

There was no need for them to explain the situation. Chen Xu certainly knew about it. Everyone knew about it, so they stopped here and did not dare to move forward.

Chen Xu looked at the soldiers and waved his hand, signaling them to let go of General Jiang.

Mr. Jiang was so frightened at this moment that he turned pale and knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Chen Xu, begging for his life.

Chen Xu looked at the ministers and asked, "So, you all want to persuade me to surrender to the enemy?"

Everyone frowned and dared not speak. Kong Fan stood up at this moment and said seriously: "Your Majesty, all we want is to protect the country and be loyal to Your Majesty."

"If there is anyone in the court who can solve the current predicament and come up with a solution, we will certainly give our full support."

"We came here this time because we were persuaded by Lord Jiang."

"Mr. Jiang said: We are surrounded by bandits on three sides. If we hold on here, Wang Lin will soon catch up with us with his army, which will be disadvantageous to Your Majesty. If we try to break out, given the number of our troops, we will probably be defeated by the enemy and fall into the hands of those rebel generals, which will be even more disadvantageous to Your Majesty."

"Therefore, the most beneficial thing for Your Majesty at the moment is to submit to the Han Kingdom."

"With the precedent of Yuwen Yun, the Han army will never be rude to Your Majesty. At that time, Your Majesty will still be able to live a decent life, and the people in the harem and the royal family will be protected."

Kong Fan said seriously, "We followed Jiang Gong here because we thought what he said made sense."

"If Your Majesty wants to punish us for this, we have no excuse."

After looking at this righteous saint, Chen Xu suddenly sneered.

"Don't think about winning but say you lose first?"

"You all are truly talented generals."

Faced with the emperor's sarcasm, everyone pretended not to know.

Another minister stood up and said sadly: "Your Majesty, since ancient times, few kings who fled have had a good ending. Some even died at the hands of villains and were laughed at by future generations."

"We are not afraid of death. Everything we said is for your majesty."

Chen Xu looked at them coldly.

"I would rather die than surrender."

"How can a ruler of a country surrender to the barbarians?"

"I will personally lead the army south and break through the defense line. Even if I die at the hands of those traitors, I will never bow my head to the north!"

"From today on, anyone who talks about surrender will be killed without mercy!!"

Chen Xu looked at General Jiang and said, "Considering your past merits, I will spare your life today, dismiss you from your official position, and demote you to a commoner. In the future, continue to write those shitty articles of yours, and stop talking about national affairs!"

Mr. Jiang didn't dare to say much, he just nodded and said yes.

Chen Xu forcefully drove these ministers away.

Everyone left the temporary palace one by one, and asked someone to see General Jiang off. Then, the looks they gave each other became a little strange.

Before arriving, they had already thought about how to persuade and how to make the emperor accept their proposal step by step.

But they didn't expect that the emperor would be so strong and would not give them any chance to speak.

This was not a place to discuss important matters, so everyone said a few words to each other and left.

Not long after, these people who left separately strangely appeared in the same mansion again.

Many ministers of the country were on the list, and even a few generals.

They sat together without a clear leader.

These big clans or important officials in the south rarely collectively recognize someone, as there are too many conflicts between them.

Therefore, when discussing some important matters, although they unite, no one can make a final decision. Everyone says his own thing and does his own thing. They always fail, but they never learn their lessons.

At this moment, the ministers of the State of Chen were more or less unwilling to continue following Chen Xu in trying to break out.

If they really come into conflict with the Han army, will the army protect them or the emperor?
The Han army is so brutal and cruel. How can we take our families with us to fight against them?

Besides, what would happen if we broke out?
Do we have to live in the barren land further south? Is that a place to live?

"Your Majesty is determined not to surrender. What should we do now?"

A minister asked.

The others groaned for a moment. "Your Majesty is so persistent. I'm afraid you will be humiliated by the villain in the end. Since ancient times, if the king humiliates his subjects, they will die. How can we watch Your Majesty being humiliated?"

"But the accompanying army is composed of generals promoted by His Majesty, so we can't say much."

"Your Majesty is unwilling to surrender at the moment, but he is just hoping for the best. If he loses a battle and recognizes the situation clearly, he may not have such thoughts."

"Oh?"

"Do you remember Qian Miao?"

"You are talking about General Qian's son."

Qiantang City.

The Han army occupied the city and guarded the city walls, gazing into the distance. The city gates on three sides were closed, except for the gate to the east which was open. On the official road, one could vaguely see a large number of soldiers advancing in this direction.

Two brand new parade grounds were built outside the city, where the incoming troops gathered.

The people in the city were so frightened that they dared not go out.

Chunyu Liang stood on the top of the city wall, looking into the distance, and then looked at the people around him.

Standing next to him was Qian Miao, whom he had let go not long ago.

Chun Yuliang frowned, "Didn't I tell you to stay at home and not go out? Why did you take the initiative to look for me?"

Qian Miao lowered his head and said, "General, I can't go home."

"Oh? Why?"

"Master Chen is in my home, Wuxing, right now."

"I am a defeated general. If I return to him, won't I be arrested and charged?"

Chun Yuliang's eyes sparkled, "Chen Xu is in Wuxing?"

"really?"

"How dare you deceive the general?"

Qian Miao hurriedly said, "I was planning to return to Wuxing, but there were so many troops outside the city and the defense was tight. I didn't know what happened and didn't dare to enter the city. I just sent someone to ask my friend. After asking, I learned that it was Lord Chen who was in Wuxing!"

"My friends in the city secretly told me not to enter the city. The villains in the city told Lord Chen that I was colluding with the enemy and opened the ferry to let the enemy in. Lord Chen actually believed these words and wanted to capture and kill me."

"I also learned from their words that Lord Chen has gone mad and imprisoned several capable and virtuous ministers. He has also decided to personally lead his army to attack you and force his way south through Qiantang."

Qian Miao narrated what he saw and heard bit by bit.

Chunyu Liang's eyes became brighter and brighter.

They all knew that Chen Xu fled south, but there were many different opinions about where Chen Xu was, at least four versions.

But now with the information provided by Qian Miao, Chen Xu's exact location has been confirmed. Even if Qian Miao continues to contact his friends, perhaps he can even know something about the deployment of troops.

If Chen Xu could be captured alive.

Chunyu Liang pursed his lips. Isn't this the great achievement he has always longed for?

He immediately looked at Qian Miao who was standing beside him.

"Mr. Qian, there is a great opportunity to make great achievements right now. Are you willing to compete with me for this achievement?!"

Qian Miao hesitated for a moment, and then gritted his teeth. He had already been labeled a traitor by Chen Xu, so there was nothing to worry about!
"I am willing to obey the general's orders!!"

(End of this chapter)