Song Xiu

Chapter 129 Li Jing's Shock and Re-emergence Lead to the Destruction of the Kingdom
Inside the water fortress, Li Guanxiang was focused on handling government affairs.

Before leaving, Zhou Xingfeng confidently told Li Guanxiang that good news would arrive near dusk.

Li Guanxiang always believed Zhou Xingfeng's words without question.

If Zhou Xingfeng were not exceptionally talented, how could he have devised the "iron chain" strategy to suppress the arrogance of the Song army?
Because of his trust in Zhou Xingfeng, when the time of Shenshi (3-5 PM) arrived, Li Guanxiang put on his official robes and went outside the water fortress to prepare a grand welcome for his master's return.

Li Guanxiang's ability to gain Zhou Xingfeng's favor was not only due to his own outstanding talent, but also to his skill in flattery.

As time passed, Li Guanxiang could see a fleet emerging on the water in the distance.

Upon witnessing this scene, Li Guanxiang excitedly ordered the oarsmen to urge the warship forward.

However, the closer Li Guanxiang got to the fleet, the more he sensed that something was wrong.

Upon seeing the flags flying over that fleet, Li Guanxiang was greatly alarmed and immediately ordered the oarsmen to steer the warships back.

But it was still too late.

The vanguard of the Song army fleet spotted Li Guanxiang's warship.

Taking advantage of the mobility of the boats, the Song scouts quickly surrounded Li Guanxiang.

Surrounded by Song scouts, Li Guanxiang was so shocked that he fell to the ground on the deck.

The troops inside the water fortress were mostly led out by Zhou Xingfeng to fight, leaving Li Guanxiang with very few guards.

Li Guanxiang was captured alive by Song army scouts.

Subsequently, the water fortress, which was basically defenseless, was directly breached by the Song army led by Cui Han.

After occupying the Wuping Army's water fortress, Cui Han ordered his men to send Li Guanxiang to the Hui Song Army's water fortress.

When Zhao Dexiu learned that Cui Han had caught a big fish, he ordered someone to bring Li Guanxiang over.

As soon as Li Guanxiang arrived, Zhao Dexiu pointed to the group of Wuping army generals kneeling in the tent and said:

"In today's battle of Dongting, our army has won a great victory. One hundred thousand Wuping soldiers have either died or surrendered."

Your colleagues are all here.

Zhao Dexiu's words startled Li Guanxiang so much that he trembled violently.

"Where is the Jiedushi (military governor)?"

Li Guanxiang subconsciously asked about Zhou Xingfeng's whereabouts.

Zhao Dexiu was also unaware of this.

"Zhou Xingfeng is missing."

Many surrendered in today's battle.

The presence of numerous large shipwrecks floating on the water further hampered the Song army's efforts to clean up the battlefield.

Seeing that Zhou Xingfeng had not been captured, Li Guanxiang breathed a sigh of relief, but then covered his face and wept bitterly.

Logically speaking, it would have been very difficult for Zhou Xingfeng to escape from such a massive fire.

The thought of Zhou Xingfeng possibly dying in battle filled Li Guanxiang with sorrow for Wuping and his own future.

Zhou Xingfeng's confident voice from that morning was still ringing in my ears, but before a day had passed, Wu Pingguo's fate took a sharp turn.

When Li Guanxiang cried, the surrendered generals from Wuping inside the tent also began to weep bitterly.

This phenomenon is enough to prove that Zhou Xingfeng was quite popular in Wuping.

Having suffered a crushing defeat, Zhao Dexiu could understand the grief in the hearts of Li Guanxiang and others.

But Zhao Dexiu did not meet Li Guanxiang to hear him cry.

At Zhao Dexiu's signal, the Song soldiers inside the tent used their weapons to silence the noisy crying.

After the blades met, Li Guanxiang immediately forgot his grief and bowed to Zhao Dexiu, saying:

What are your orders, Your Majesty?

In today's battle, apart from Yang Shifan's troops in Hengzhou, the main force of Wuping was basically wiped out.

Li Guanxiang knew that even if Zhou Xingfeng was not dead, the Wuping Kingdom was doomed.

Loyalty during the Five Dynasties period was mostly based on certain principles.

Seeing that Li Guanxiang expressed his willingness to serve, Zhao Dexiu was finally satisfied.

Today, we captured many Wuping generals, but most of them are just people who follow orders and have little influence over Wuping.

Only Li Guanxiang was truly the prime minister of Wuping State, and he would be of great use in the future.

Looking at Li Guanxiang, Zhao Dexiu asked:

Where is Zhou Baoquan?

Zhou Baoquan was Zhou Xingfeng's only son.

Although Zhou Xingfeng is likely to die in battle, Wuping is not Nanping. Given Zhou Xingfeng's influence in Wuping, it is hard to guarantee that some generals will not consider supporting Zhou Baoquan to continue the stubborn resistance.

For example, Yang Shifan.

When Zhao Dexiu asked about Zhou Baoquan, Li Guanxiang looked reluctant.

But with his life in danger, Li Guanxiang was too grateful for Zhou Xingfeng's kindness to care about anything else.

"Zhou Baoquan is in Tanzhou."

After learning of Zhou Baoquan's whereabouts, Zhao Dexiu ordered his men to take Li Guanxiang and the others away.

Once everyone was out of the tent, Zhao Dexiu was about to have Huyan Zan summon Pan Mei when he discovered that Huyan Zan was intently staring at his body.

This scene piqued Zhao Dexiu's curiosity:
"What are you looking at?"

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu's question, Huyan Zan shifted his gaze away from his body:

"I am pondering where to tattoo the image of the god Zhurong."

Huyan Zan's words puzzled Zhao Dexiu even more.

"Your ancestors were from the Zhurong clan?"

Zhao Dexiu knew that Hu Yanzan had a personal hobby of tattooing.

However, Huyan Zan used to prefer getting characters tattooed, and rarely patterns.

Regarding Huyan Zan's change, Zhao Dexiu offered a reasonable guess.

Seeing that Zhao Dexiu had misunderstood, Huyan Zan quickly said:
"No and no."

"It was General Liang who said that the king's fire could pacify the north and the south, showing the spirit of Zhurong."

"As a close attendant of the king, how could I not carry an image of the god Zhurong?"

Hu Yanzan's answer stunned Zhao Dexiu.

At this moment, he finally understood why Liang Yansi had been able to serve several generations of Gao family emperors and enjoy undiminished favor.

The military situation surrounding the Battle of Dongting Lake spread rapidly throughout Wuping like wild grass.

But those in Wuping's country are not the only ones paying attention to this battle.

Changchun Palace, Nanchang Prefecture.

Li Jing looked at Li Yu kneeling at the foot of the bed and immediately began to reprimand him:

"Lin Renzhao is the general I am leaving for you."

How could you drive him out of the palace in front of all the ministers?
"I have never feared the Central Plains, how can you show not even a shred of my will to carry on my legacy!"

A few days ago, Li Jing issued an edict to change Li Congjia's name to Li Yu.

For some time now, Li Jing's condition has been fluctuating, and he has been recuperating.

After his condition improved slightly, Li Jing heard about what had happened in Hanguang Palace that day.

Li Jing was dissatisfied with Li Yu's actions that day.

Li Jing believed that as the ruler of a country, he should not so obviously expose his fear of the Central Plains regime in front of his ministers.

This will directly affect the morale of the officials in the country to resist the central government.

Before his "capture in the north," Li Yu was wary of the central government, but not afraid of it.

After the "Northern Hunt," Li Jing sensed that Li Yu's mentality had changed a lot.

After reprimanding Li Yu, Li Jing took the medicine from a nearby eunuch and drank it all in one gulp.

His health has been deteriorating lately, and he is taking medication more and more frequently.

It was precisely because Li Jing realized this that he wanted to dispel Li Yu's feelings that it was of no benefit to the country as soon as possible.

Li Yu was filial by nature, and he accepted Li Jing's reprimand with a respectful expression.

Seeing Li Yu's good attitude, Li Jing nodded in satisfaction. "Lin Renzhao, though of a fierce character, is a man of military strategy."

You have just returned to the country and have not yet held a banquet to entertain your ministers.

Why not take this opportunity to reconcile with Lin Renzhao?

After putting down the medicine bowl, Li Jing gave Li Yu a suggestion.

Li Yu would not refuse Li Jing's request.

"My son, take your orders."

After Li Yu agreed, Li Jing wanted Li Yu to step down.

Just then, a palace attendant hurriedly entered carrying a military report.

Li Jing immediately realized that the military report on the Battle of Dongting Lake had arrived.

Previously, despite Li Yu's strong opposition, Li Jing abandoned the idea of ​​sending troops into Wuping, but he did not relax his investigation into the military situation in Wuping.

If the Song army wanted to defeat Zhou Xingfeng, the battle of Dongting Lake was a major hurdle for Zhao Dexiu.

This is what Li Jing is concerned about.

The advantage of naval warfare was key to the Southern Tang's ability to maintain its precarious existence.

Having fought against the Wuping army many times, Li Jing knew that the Wuping navy's combat strength was not much inferior to that of the Southern Tang.

Although Li Jing did not believe beforehand that the Song army, which was not skilled in naval warfare, could defeat the Wuping army on Dongting Lake.

However, out of a desire to know himself and his enemy, Li Jing wanted to see if the naval warfare capabilities of the Central Plains infantry had improved over the years.

Li Jing took the military report from the eunuch and began to read it carefully.

Because Li Jing had given prior instructions, the Southern Tang scouts recorded the details of the Battle of Dongting Lake in great detail.

Upon witnessing the fierce battle on the day of the first engagement between the two armies, with shouts shaking the heavens and earth and arrows raining down, Li Jing's face showed apprehension.

Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, the Song army managed to fight the Wuping army to a draw, demonstrating that the Song army's bravery was as strong as ever.

After reviewing the military intelligence from the day of the first battle, Li Jing's gaze continued to wander.

This movement led to a major incident.

"The flying fire illuminated the lake, turning the waters of Dongting Lake completely red!"

"Tens of thousands died from burning and drowning, their corpses flowing like ants, stretching as far as the eye could see!"
As Li Jing read the vivid account, he felt as if he were there, witnessing the Battle of Dongting Lake that day.

Upon witnessing tens of thousands of Wuping soldiers either dying or surrendering amidst the flames, Li Jing clutched his chest.

The military report fell from Li Jing's hands like a kite with a broken string.

In the Battle of Dongting Lake, the main force of the Wuping Army was wiped out!
When this fact filled Li Jing's mind, his face turned ashen.

The body, already nearing exhaustion, is now undergoing a violent impact.

With the main force of the Wuping army wiped out, it was inevitable that the Song army would occupy the entire territory of Wuping.

However, once Wuping was incorporated into the Song Dynasty's territory, it meant something that Li Jing could not face:

Thus, the benefits of the Yangtze River were shared by the Song and Tang dynasties, with the Song dynasty still residing in the upper reaches of the Yangtze!

More importantly, although most of the warships of the Wuping army were destroyed in the Battle of Dongting, the skilled shipbuilding craftsmen in Wuping were still there.

In a few years, the Song army could build a large number of multi-storied ships.

As the above judgments churned in his mind, Li Jing felt a metallic sweetness rise in his throat.

Gradually, a terrifying scene flashed through Li Jing's mind:
Tens of thousands of elite Song troops, sailing in hundreds of warships, marched in a mighty, overwhelming force from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River toward Jinling.
As the scene became clearer in his mind, Li Jing could no longer control himself, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.

Thoughts are in turmoil, but in the outside world, it's only a fleeting moment.

Li Yu, kneeling at the foot of the bed, saw Li Jing's face change drastically after reading the military report. Before he could ask what had happened, Li Jing spat blood onto him.

After vomiting blood, Li Jing collapsed onto the couch.

The sudden change shocked Li Yu.

"Send to the imperial doctor! Send to the imperial doctor quickly!"

After a cry of alarm rang out,

Li Yu quickly got up and picked up Li Jing from the bed:
"Father, Father!"

Li Yu called out helplessly.

Li Yu's call brought Li Jing, who was on the verge of falling into a coma, back to some clarity.

Before losing consciousness, Li Jing held Li Yu's hand tightly.

Even though he was barely breathing and exhaling more than he was taking in air, he kept shouting:

"Harmony, marriage alliance. Virtue, virtue."

Before he could even call out a specific name, Li Jing completely lost consciousness.

Li Jing's fainting spell caused Li Yu to burst into tears.

"Father!"

December of the first year of the Jianlong era of the Great Song Dynasty.

When news of the Battle of Dongting Lake spread, it caused a stir throughout the Hunan province.

Within half a month, Yuezhou, Lizhou, Langzhou, Shaozhou and other places surrendered without a fight.

As for Tanzhou, although it was willing to resist the Song army, there were no regular troops stationed in Tanzhou. As soon as the local army of Tanzhou engaged in battle with the Song army, it collapsed at the first contact.

Tanzhou also fell.

By December, of the ten prefectures in Wuping, only a few in the south had not sent a letter of surrender.

After leading his troops into Tanzhou, Zhao Dexiu ordered his men to search for Zhou Baoquan, but after several searches, they found nothing.

Later, Zhao Dexiu learned from a knowledgeable person that Zhou Baoquan had fled south to Hengzhou under the protection of some generals before the Song army entered Tanzhou.

Zhao Dexiu would be tolerant of the royal family members of a fallen kingdom, but this was on the premise that the royal family members of a fallen kingdom were under his control.

After Zhou Xingfeng's defeat and death, some generals in the Wuping army still had the idea of ​​supporting the young emperor. This made Zhao Dexiu realize that if Zhou Baoquan was not captured, Wuping would never truly submit to the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Dexiu believed that the generals of Wuping escorted Zhou Baoquan southward in order to find Yang Shifan and thus seize control of southern Wuping.

Having deduced this, Zhao Dexiu ordered Pan Mei to lead 10,000 troops south quickly.

Before Pan Mei went south, Zhao Dexiu gave him some instructions in private:
"After the great defeat at Dongting, the morale of the Wuping army was low, and it will not be difficult for our army to defeat Yang Shifan."

However, after Yang Shifan's defeat, he would likely take Zhou Baoquan and continue south to escape into the Southern Han.

Zhou Xingfeng is deeply popular in Wuping. If we cannot capture Zhou Baoquan alive, our army will not have achieved a complete victory.

Furthermore, Wu Yanrou has stationed troops in Hengzhou, intending to snatch food from the tiger's mouth; this is something we must guard against.

The key points of the southward campaign are clear; you should consider the nation's interests.

After receiving Zhao Dexiu's instructions, Pan Mei bid farewell to Zhao Dexiu that same day and led his troops toward Hengzhou.

When he first led his army out, Pan Mei wrote a letter in his own hand and ordered someone to send it to Wu Yanrou, a general of the Southern Han Dynasty.

Because of its distance from Dongting Lake, Wu Yanrou has not yet received specific information about the Battle of Dongting Lake.

Wu Yanrou only knew that the Wuping army in the north had been defeated.

Upon learning this news, Wu Yanrou sent people to the northern border for further detailed investigation while simultaneously leading her army toward Hengyang.

Wu Yanrou always kept Gong Chengshu's instructions in mind. After the defeat of the Wuping Army, it directly swept through the southern prefectures.

When Wu Yanrou was still two days away from Hengyang, Pan Mei's letter was delivered to him first.

Wu Yanrou curiously opened the letter and was immediately furious.

Pan Mei wrote in his letter:

"The Chinese troops are arriving; do not move, or the country will perish!"

Pan Mei's arrogant tone in the letter infuriated Wu Yanrou.

"Our great Han Dynasty has dominated Lingnan for many years. When have we ever feared China?"

If he were to command 20,000 elite troops today, yet hesitate to advance because of a letter from Pan Mei, wouldn't the world laugh at the Han Dynasty once the news spread?

Driven by anger, Wu Yanrou ordered the entire army to continue marching.

When the Southern Han army was only a day's journey from Hengyang, Wu Yanrou received detailed military intelligence about the Battle of Dongting Lake.

After repeatedly reviewing the detailed account of the Battle of Dongting Lake, Wu Yanrou issued a military order that spread throughout the army:
"All troops, halt!"

If we don't move, we don't move.

(End of this chapter)