Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Instead, they took the opportunity to recruit able-bodied men from among the refugees as soldiers.

In fact, the Southern Song Dynasty was also forced into this situation.

Although Jiangnan is prosperous,

However, Fang La had previously swept through Jiangnan.

Many wealthy people followed Zhu Mian to Tokyo.

The Southern Song Dynasty could only directly govern a dozen or so prefectures.

A good cook cannot cook without rice.

They also lacked the ability to build a large beam to provide relief to the people.

The Southern Song Dynasty appointed Zong Ze, Jiang You, and others.

What attracted them even more were the scholars from Jiangnan.

People still need to eat,

Especially in years of famine,

It was also referring to the imperial court's relief efforts.

The imperial court's relief efforts were inadequate.

Even the highest level of popularity can be completely lost.

The entire army did not enter the city.

Qin Ming simply led 10,000 troops into the city to take over its defenses.

The army outside the city now numbers only 80,000.

Luan Tingyu stationed 10,000 veterans on Huainan Road, on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The plan is to rename the east and west roads of Huainan as Jiangsu Road and Anhui Road.

They began to reorganize the two armies.

As the whole city welcomed the arrival of peace...

Inside the Zongfu residence, near the Southern Song imperial palace,

Three carriages were parked in the backyard.

A dozen or so people, men, women, and children, were waiting in the courtyard.

He looked like he was about to embark on a long journey.

Hearing the thunderous cheers from the street, Zong Ze nodded and said...

"The Prince of Liang has entered the city,"

"Butler, go and call the soldiers guarding the gate in."

"Ying'er, go easy on me,"

"Don't kill them."

"Yes, Dad."

The four guards sent by Tong Guan at the gate heard the thunderous noise from the street.

"I didn't know that Lord Tong had submitted to the Great Liang,"

"Can he still serve as an official?"

"If he can't be an official,"

"I'm afraid our lives won't be easy either."

"Without Lord Tong's support,"

"Even if the emperor of Huzhou wanted to surrender, he couldn't."

"It will take the Great Liang a long time to conquer Jiangnan."

"Lord Tong has certainly rendered meritorious service,"

"The Great Liang wouldn't refuse to reward us, would it?"

"It's hard to say. I've heard that none of the eunuchs in the Liang palace are allowed to hold official positions,"

"If Lord Tong weren't of that status,"

"Perhaps he could continue serving as an official."

"It's hard to say now."

"Lord Tong only wants to save his life,"

Whether or not one becomes an official is secondary.

"General Zhong, the old strategist, has led the Western Army to surrender to Daliang."

"Without the Western Army,"

"How could Lord Tong dare to fight against the Great Liang?"

"We were all from the Western Army,"

"I wonder if the King of Liang will continue to use us,"

"All the soldiers at the front have been discharged and returned to their fields."

"What if they stop letting us receive our pay?"

"We don't know what else we can do."

"Sigh, that's just fate."

"We want to risk our lives for the Great Liang,"

"Da Liang might not even need us."

"These people from the Zong family are the ones that King Liang wants to appoint to official positions,"

"They got away."

"You need to have the abilities of Lord Zong,"

"You don't need to stand here anymore."

The four men were actually Tong Guan's personal guards selected from the Western Army.

On that day, the Manichaeans spread news of the fall of the northwest within the city.

Most of Tong Guan's 20,000 personal guards immediately dispersed.

Only about five thousand people remained.

Later, the Northwest submitted to the Liang Dynasty.

News of the Great Liang's annihilation of the Western Xia arrived.

Only then did everyone realize that the initial news was false.

But those ten thousand-plus people have all returned to the Northwest.

He returned to Daliang.

The north is stronger than the south.

They will naturally never come back.

The remaining five thousand or so men, upon hearing that the Western Army had destroyed the Western Xia,

Many people also fled to the northwest.

Chapter 1772 Understanding People's Hearts

When the Liang army marched south,

Tong Guan's personal guards were reduced to just over three thousand men.

Zong Ze was defeated.

After the news of the surrender of Runzhou arrived,

Tong Guan then ordered his men to keep an eye on Zong Ze's family.

We must wait for the King of Liang to decide what to do.

The person who could stand out from thousands of eunuchs

They are all adept at understanding people's hearts.

After Zong Ze entered officialdom,

To demonstrate their determination to live and die with the Southern Song Dynasty,

He then moved his family to Huzhou as well.

Previously, Zong Ze led troops into battle.

However, he did not bring his family.

My wife at home,

The youngest grandchildren are all in Huzhou.

Tong Guan did not believe that Zong Ze would neglect his family.

As long as he keeps an eye on Zong Ze's family.

Zong Ze will show up sooner or later.

Then he can send Zong Ze back to the King of Liang.

As for whether the King of Liang of Daliang will use Zong Ze later...

Is Zong Ze willing to pledge allegiance?

That's none of his business.

All he had to do was curry favor with the King of Liang.

After Zong Ze and his son left Runzhou,

They headed south towards Huzhou.

They want to move the elderly and children.

Huzhou is not big.

Many officials and civilians in Huzhou knew Zong Ze and his son.

Therefore, the two had no choice but to disguise themselves and sneak into the clan's residence.

However, there are quite a few elderly and young people in the family.

Leaving the city unnoticed is not an easy task.

Just as Zong Ze was about to send his family out of the city in batches,

Tong Guan has already sent soldiers to guard the Guanzong residence.

The people in the government office were notified not to leave the city.

It turns out that Tong Guan wanted to know the situation at the front as soon as possible.

He sent some trusted confidants to act as spies in Beigu Mountain and Runzhou City.

Zong Ze had just ordered Zong Ying to surrender the troops in the city.

Tong Guan's trusted confidants in the city quickly rode to Huzhou.

He and Zong Ze arrived in the city one after the other.

The steward of the Zong family came out and said to the four of them,

"The old lady has prepared some things to reward the soldiers of Liang,"

"Please have four sergeants help me move this."