Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 355 Destroying Later Shu and Conquering Southern Tang (Part 1)

Xingwang Mansion.

When Duncan returned to the capital, he immediately sealed away the Imperial Seal of the State, knowing he would find it very useful.

An imperial seal itself cannot change anything. It was only after Qin Shi Huang unified China and Emperor Gaozu of Han adopted the He Shi Bi jade that the Imperial Seal of the State became a symbol of royal power and the first national treasure under the Nine Tripods. Without these, it would just be a priceless treasure.

"His Majesty."

Lu Qiongxian rushed over, her expression excited, and said, "Li Fengji led three thousand men in a surprise attack on Gu Luo and has already pacified Jiaozhi."

A rebellion broke out in Jiaozhi a few years ago, and Yang Sange seized power, which was then taken back by Wu Quan's son, Wu Changwen. Such a small local power was actually not difficult to conquer. It's just that the Southern Han Dynasty was too weak, so much so that Liu Bei lost a son when he attacked Jiaozhi.

In 954 AD, Wu Changwen sent an envoy to the Southern Han Dynasty and was appointed as the military governor and protector-general of Jinghai.

Even warlords who controlled Jiaozhou in this era had to seek official recognition from the Central Plains.

Upon hearing this, Duncan showed a hint of joy, reached out and took the battle report, glanced at it, and nodded, saying, "This Li Fengji is indeed a talent."

The granaries for the rear area are now in place.

Putting aside other factors, the grain production in Jiaozhi was quite high.

Li Fengji recruited Zhou Tai, a man from Taojiang County. Zhou Tai was not convinced by Wu Wenchang and favored the orthodoxy of the Chinese civilization. He did not recognize the Wu dynasty's separatist regime. After Zhou Tai led his people to submit, Li Fengji adopted a policy of division and gathered the rebels from Taiping, Tang, and Ruan villages. With the help of the local people, he quickly pacified Jiaozhi.

Historically, Wu Changwen led his army to attack the villages of Tang and Ruan in Taiping, while he himself watched the battle from a boat and was shot and killed by a hidden crossbow.

Subsequently, twelve rulers rose up, each ruling their own prefectures and counties, leading to the demise of the Wu Dynasty.

In such a small place, they even put in twelve princes. Duncan could slap them all to pieces.

"Bring the map."

Duncan put down the battle report in his hand and went straight into the main hall to summon Xu Hao and others for a meeting. Li Fengji intended to recommend Zhou Tai for merit, saying that he was a local hero who was loyal to the Central Plains Dynasty. Duncan liked the name quite a bit and said that if there were no problems with the person, he could be appointed as the Protector-General of Annam.

Soon, more than ten people hurriedly entered the imperial city. Xu Hao and others were castrated scholars, while the others were talents who had just been recruited this year.

"His Majesty."

"Now that Jiaozhi has been pacified, we can plan our march north."

Xu Hao was excited, his face flushed with excitement. Duncan only hired people based on their talents. As long as you have talent, whether you are a eunuch or a normal person, you can get the opportunity to show your talents.

Of course, if you don't do it well, the consequences will be very heavy.

Duncan sat on the dragon's wing and gestured to Lu Qiongxian, who was serving beside him. Soon, she ordered someone to bring over the drawn map.

He didn't speak, but gestured for Xu Hao and the others to come to the map so that they could give their opinions first.

Duncan had already made his plans; now he was just testing their military knowledge.

He could not possibly allow a scholar who knew nothing about military affairs to command the army, but during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it was also not feasible to completely let the military act freely, because their bottom line was that there was no bottom line.

"His Majesty."

"After the pacification of Jiaozhi, we should first take Hunan."

Xu Hao had clearly made some preparations beforehand. Li Fengji had the merit of pacifying Jiaozhi, and might become the Grand Secretary in the future. Xu Hao was not to be outdone and was eager to show his skills. Sometimes, the talent of pacifying a county in the country is enough, not to mention that Duncan had the talent of the entire Guangdong and Guangxi region under his command.

His voice was slightly high-pitched as he pointed to the map and said, "Hunan is occupied by the Wuping Army, and the current military governor is Zhou Xingfeng."

"This person is quite talented. If we can win him over, he will be of great use in the future."

"Our army's occupation of the Xiangjiang River basin can serve as a springboard for marching north to the Central Plains."

Weak at first, then strong.

Xu Hao's proposed strategy was conventional. The Wuping Army was originally a separatist force and a relatively easy local armed force to subdue. Duncan had already made arrangements for Zhou Xingfeng's side, which coincided with his own.

Then, the man pointed to the locations of the Southern Tang and Later Shu, and said in a deep voice, "Our army must first stabilize Jingnan and Hunan, and then advance eastward along the Yangtze River to attack the Southern Tang."

"The Southern Tang is economically prosperous and militarily strong; it is advisable to divide and weaken it."

"Then we can go west from Hunan, pass through the Three Gorges and enter Sichuan."

"However, the roads to Shu are treacherous, so it is not advisable to mobilize a large army. We should use elite troops to overcome them."

Duncan looked at the man with approval, sizing him up and down, and nodded inwardly. It was indeed not suitable to mobilize a large army to attack Shu, otherwise the logistics alone would be a huge headache.

Wu and Yue don't need to worry too much. This is a surrender faction. As long as the decisive battle in the Central Plains ends, Wu and Yue will surrender on their own.

"First destroy the Southern Tang, then take Ba and Shu."

"Finally, it will be a decisive battle with the Northern Song Dynasty."

The strategy in the early Northern Song Dynasty was to conquer the south first and then the north, and to tackle the easy tasks first and then the difficult ones. After Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, he originally planned to attack the Northern Han first, but he was opposed by many important ministers, and thus missed the opportunity to conquer the north.

Wuping was a crucial juncture. The original historical plan of the Northern Song Dynasty was to first take Wuping, then conquer Jingnan, then attack Later Shu, destroy Meng Chang, then conquer Northern Han, then destroy Southern Han, and finally destroy Li Yu of Southern Tang. This was the grand strategic direction of the Song Dynasty.

However, Zhao Kuangyin had only recently seized power in the Chenqiao Mutiny and donned the yellow robe, and he was still in the process of consolidating power and quelling the rebellion. The current time difference was very advantageous for Duncan.

Night falls.

Guided by an eunuch, several weary descendants of farmers entered the imperial city. Leading them was Yuan Zhiping, who, despite Duncan's generous rewards, still looked like an old farmer.

"Your Majesty." The group of peasant disciples bowed respectfully.

Duncan dislikes kneeling and doesn't follow many formalities.

He stared at Yuan Zhiping before him and said in a deep voice, "I want to take Wuping and I want to send you as my deputy to persuade Zhou Xingfeng to surrender."

The Great Ming Sect has already infiltrated places like Jingnan in Hunan.

Duncan even secretly sent people to eliminate those who wanted Zhou Xingfeng dead, but in the face of the overwhelming situation, there was no room for sentimentality. If Zhou Xingfeng was unwilling to surrender, even if he was a talented person, Duncan would still take his head.

He had a close relationship with the farming family, as it was because he encouraged agriculture and sericulture that he attracted the disciples of the farming family.

Yuan Zhiping and the others replied without the slightest hesitation, "We are willing to go."

They wanted to save Zhou Xingfeng's life.

Only when they actually arrived in the Guangdong and Guangxi region did they realize just how strong the forces there were. Not to mention the army personally trained by Duncan, even a group of experts at the Dao Realm level were not something a small Wuping Army could contend with.

However, Wuping Army is caught between many forces. Such a separatist force that survives in the cracks will have a chain reaction once it turns against them.

The 38th day after the pacification of Jiaozhi.

In 961 AD, Li Jing died, and Li Yu succeeded him. He continued to respect the Song Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty and paid annual tribute to ensure peace.

Li Yu was initially enfeoffed as Duke of Anding, and was successively promoted to General of the Guards and Deputy Marshal, then enfeoffed as Prince of Zheng, and later enfeoffed as Prince of Wu. He moved into the Eastern Palace and was ordered to oversee the country.

This person is quite famous in history, but as an emperor, he was incompetent.

Langzhou.

During Chai Rong's reign, he appointed Zhou Xingfeng as the Grand General of Langzhou and Military Governor of Wuping Army.

In 960 AD, the Later Zhou Dynasty was replaced by the Northern Song Dynasty. Zhou Xingfeng continued to submit to the Song Dynasty and remained the military governor of Wuping, while also serving as the Grand Chancellor.

Inside a rather simple mansion.

The servants hurried about, and everyone's face was solemn, not daring to speak. Faint cries of sorrow came from inside the room. Before long, several military officers entered from outside the door.

"doctor."

"How is my husband's illness?" The speaker was a woman with a gentle appearance, but her expression was quite fierce.

The man dressed as a doctor shook his head slightly and sighed helplessly.

According to historical records, Zhou Xingfeng died of illness in the third year of Jianlong, which is next year, at the age of only 46. After his death, his 12-year-old son Zhou Baoquan took over the throne and then submitted to the Northern Song Dynasty.

Just then, a servant came in a hurry.

He whispered a few words in Madam Zhou's ear, and soon Madam Zhou stood up excitedly, saying hurriedly, "Quick! Go and invite the divine doctor in."

It didn't take long.

Escorted by a group of peasant disciples, a beautiful woman, her face veiled and carrying a medicine box, entered the mansion. After only a brief examination of the pulse, she said in a low voice, "The poisoning is not severe; there is still hope."

Upon hearing her words, Madam Zhou immediately knelt down and pleaded, "Please, divine physician, save my husband. I will never forget your great kindness."

Miss Sun didn't speak, but gestured for the others to leave.

Then, she had a servant help the critically ill Zhou Xingfeng up, took off his shirt, took out twelve silver needles, and sealed his major acupoints. After an unknown amount of time, strands of black blood were forced out, and a bead of sweat appeared on Miss Sun's forehead.

She whispered to someone beside her, "It's the work of the witchcraft cult."

"Has Lord Zhou made enemies with the barbarians?"

Zhou Xingfeng's illness was caused by witchcraft, with both Gu worms entering his body and evil curses inflicting upon him. If she hadn't personally intervened, he probably wouldn't have lived for more than a few months.

Madam Zhou seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this, and said in a low voice, "My husband recently killed a sorcerer from Jingnan."

Zhou Xingfeng's efforts to eradicate the licentious cult, coupled with his lack of Duncan's strength, make him vulnerable to backlash.

"The Gu worms have been eliminated."

"After a year or two of rest, he should be able to move around again."

Miss Sun put away the silver needles and, ignoring Madam Zhou's attempts to persuade her to stay, took her leave. Her original intention was to go to the Five Immortals Sect in Yunnan to contact Jade Waist Slave. However, she had received a message from Elder Yuan that Zhou Xingfeng was critically ill, so she rushed to Langzhou to save his life.

Yuan Zhiping believed that asking a doctor to intervene at this time, regardless of success or failure, would definitely increase the chances of persuading Wu Ping's army to surrender.

I do not know how long it has been.

Zhou Xingfeng slowly opened his eyes. He had recovered some of his strength. After learning what had happened from his wife, he remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Go and send someone to invite the envoy over."

Although he was unconscious, he could sense that Miss Sun's true energy was abundant, and that the person who treated him was no ordinary person.

Those who know the current affairs are handsome.

Having narrowly escaped death, Zhou Xingfeng was physically and mentally exhausted. To put it simply, he wanted to cling to a powerful figure.

On the 38th day after the pacification of Jiaozhi, Wuping's army surrendered.

Chengdu.

Sichuan and Chongqing are considered relatively stable places.

Because there had been no major wars or disturbances for over thirty years, the emperor and his officials competed in extravagance, to the point that even the emperor's chamber pot was decorated with seven kinds of precious materials.

Meng Chang indulged in pleasure and gradually became obese. When he went out, he could no longer ride a horse, but instead rode in a palanquin with heavy curtains and sachets wrapped around it. The fragrance could be smelled for miles, and people could not recognize his face.

In a place south of Chengdu.

A pretty young girl dressed in Miao attire was gazing idly into the distance, followed by an old man and two aunties—the chieftain of the Miao village. The Five Immortals Sect's influence was spread throughout southern Xinjiang; wherever the Miao people lived, they had spies and informants, and the Holy Maiden's influence could interfere with the decisions of the Miao villages.

"Sister Sun."

Upon seeing the gentle figure in the distance, Yu Yaonu's expression immediately brightened with joy. Suddenly, she froze, her face filled with disbelief, and exclaimed, "Sister has broken through to the Dao Realm?"

Miss Sun possesses an ethereal and otherworldly air, already exuding a touch of fairy-like beauty.

She nodded slowly and said, "Yes. I was lucky to figure it out."

Doesn't this mean that Sister Sun's strength is already no weaker than that of the Holy Maiden?

Yu Yaonu clearly sensed something was amiss. Miss Sun's strength had increased so rapidly; there must be something else going on.

The group traveled together to the Miao village.

At Yu Yaonu's prompting, the Five Immortals Sect experts handed the man before them a map showing the distribution of military towns and troop deployments throughout the Later Shu. They had been operating in the Southern Frontier for a long time and even knew the contents of the Crystal Palace that Meng Chang had built for his favorite concubine, Lady Huarui.

Meng Chang was known in history for his "licentiousness." He once ordered palace maids to wear brocade robes with mandarin ducks to serve at banquets and wrote erotic poems such as "ice-like skin and jade-like bones, clear and sweatless."

However, under his rule, Later Shu was actually quite wealthy.

They disguised themselves and entered Chengdu.

For ten years, there has been no war or fighting in the land of Shu. The harvests are plentiful, and rice costs only three coins a bushel. The ladies of the capital cannot distinguish between beans and wheat.

As soon as Miss Sun arrived, she felt the unique tranquility of Chengdu.

"This place is actually so wealthy?" Miss Sun was secretly surprised.

This doesn't feel like a chaotic world.

Whether someone is rich or poor in chaotic times can be determined simply by looking at the price of rice.

In Chengdu, people gathered orchids to exchange for gifts, bought laughter and sought pleasure. In the palace, there was singing and dancing every day and fine wine every night. Court musicians, court officials and their patrons created an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.

Meng Chang was a man who knew how to enjoy life.

He recruited many beautiful women from Sichuan to fill his harem. In addition to the concubines, there were twelve other ranks, among which the most favored was "Lady Huarui".

He spent his days surrounded by palace maids. Whenever he had a spare moment after a banquet or song, he would summon the palace beauties to the emperor's presence with Lady Huarui. He would personally select those with graceful figures and beautiful appearances, bestow titles upon them, and have them take turns serving the emperor. Their rank was comparable to that of dukes and officials.

This guy also has thousands of women in his harem.

Inside the city, the jade-waisted maid dressed up, concealing her face, and pointed to a group of luxurious palaces in the distance, saying, "That's the Maha Pool over there."

Meng Chang was obese and extremely sensitive to heat. Whenever the weather was hot, he found it difficult to sleep. So he built a crystal palace on the shore of Maha Pond as a place to escape the summer heat. The three main halls were built with nanmu wood pillars, agarwood beams, coral-inlaid windows, and jade doors. The walls were not made of brick or stone, but were entirely inlaid with several large slabs of glazed tiles, making the interior and exterior transparent and without any barriers.

"Truly extravagant and unrestrained."

"After such a comparison, even His Majesty seems to have been wronged."

Miss Sun had excellent eyesight. Gazing at the luxurious palace in the distance, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

After seeing Meng Chang's Crystal Palace, she suddenly felt that Duncan's daily life was too simple. Even the pearls and jade in the imperial city were dismantled and exchanged for money and food to help the people.

This place will be His Majesty's temporary palace in the future.

The fear of comparing oneself to others is what caused Miss Sun to suddenly have such an absurd thought for some reason.

What virtues or abilities did Meng Chang possess?

Do they even deserve to live in this Crystal Palace?
Lady Flower Bud then resided in the Crystal Palace.

After the fall of Later Shu, Lady Huarui was favored by Zhao Kuangyin. Later, during an archery banquet in the rear garden, she was shot and killed by Zhao Guangyi. As for why the chariot god wanted to kill Lady Huarui, that remains unknown.

Most people have only heard of one of Lady Huarui's poems.

"The king raised the surrender flag on the city wall, how could I, a concubine in the deep palace, know? One hundred and forty thousand men laid down their arms, not one of them a true man."

The night was slightly cool.

Miss Sun gazed wistfully at the distant, glittering lights, thinking to herself, "The Southern Tang and Later Shu dynasties were both known for their extravagance."

"This place has a strong sense of complacency between the civil and military."

Her purpose in this trip was to gather intelligence on Sichuan and Chongqing and to befriend the Five Immortals Sect of Miao territory. There was still some debate in the court about which one to destroy first, but in her opinion, Later Shu would probably be easier to destroy than Southern Tang.

Although it wasn't as exaggerated as the later poem's line, "One hundred and forty thousand men laid down their arms, and not one of them was a true man."

But Miss Sun already sensed that this place was even more desolate and vulnerable than she had anticipated.

The 96th day after the pacification of Jiaozhi.

Duncan led an army of 50,000 men westward from Hunan, through the Three Gorges into Sichuan, using his navy to pave the way, and attacked Later Shu with unstoppable momentum.

same year.

A few months after Li Yu ascended the throne, he established the Longxiang Army to train the navy and sent Han Xizai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and Tian Lin, the Minister of the Imperial Treasury, to Xingwangfu to pay tribute.

This guy paid tribute to both sides, offering it to Zhao Kuangyin in the first half of the year and to Duncan in the second half.

………………

(End of this chapter)