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

.....

On the banks of the Canglang River,

Tens of thousands of Chu soldiers surrendered.

There were even more defeated Chu soldiers.

He jumped into the river and waded to the other side.

They fled into the wilderness and went home.

Why wade through?

Because the river water has dried up to chest depth.

The big battle just now,

Liu Heng, the garrison commander of Chenyang, was seriously wounded and captured.

Liu Heng's son, who was in charge of defending the city, opened the gates and surrendered.

Lin Chong, exhausted, was tasked with leading troops to defend the city.

Leave a portion of them here to guard the prisoners.

The remaining main force is chasing the routed soldiers toward Dingzhou.

Looking at the Canglang River, which had almost no water left,

Lin Chong muttered to himself as he rode on horseback:

"Wash the tassels with water, wash the feet with muddy water,"

"What should we wash in this shallow water?"

"Marshal, we've captured Zhong Quan!"

Gongyi rode back from the south on horseback.

He shouted loudly towards Lin Chong across the river.

Several cavalrymen were behind him.

They quickly dragged Zhong Quan to the shore.

Zhong Quan also waded across the Canglang River.

They were caught up by cavalry during their escape.

Both legs and feet were covered in mud.

The helmet is also missing.

His hair was disheveled and he looked utterly miserable.

Lin Chong's spirits lifted, and he gave the order:

"Send them to Dingzhou and force the Chu army there to surrender!"

"Yes!"

Gongyi immediately took the person away.

Lin Chong looked at the densely packed prisoners,

He summoned the general and gave him a few instructions.

They then took a boat from Yuanjiang to Dingzhou.

These prisoners must be released as soon as possible!

Killing is not an option.

At most, they'll kill those officers.

Because of Hunan at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty

The population was already small.

These prisoners were all Han Chinese from Dingzhou and Chenzhou.

If there is a large-scale killing,

This has led to a sharp decline in the Han Chinese population.

It will be difficult for the imperial court to control the Wuxi barbarians in the future.

Moreover, the faster the release speed, the better.

Firstly, Lin Chong didn't have enough food to feed himself.

Secondly, going home early allows for irrigation of drought-stricken farmland.

If the harvest fails,

The imperial court still had to transport grain for relief.

that night,

Lin Chong escorted Zhong Quan to the city of Dingzhou.

The people here are already in a state of panic.

Thousands of defeated soldiers fled back to the city.

It brought news of a major defeat at the front.

After dawdling for more than an hour,

The garrison commander finally opened the city gate.

Lin Chong left two thousand soldiers to garrison the area.

They took away all the armor and weapons of the surrendered soldiers and prisoners.

Disband all the Chu troops and send them home to farm.

And promised these Chu soldiers,

After the autumn harvest in Sichuan,

If Dingzhou is short of food

They will send grain from Sichuan to relieve the people.

If a rebellion breaks out in any village,

The entire village received no relief.

Taxes will be increased in this township next year!

Immediately afterwards, Lin Chong led his troops back to Dongting Lake.

Two days later, they arrived outside Yuanjiang City.

Chapter 1916 Trust

The defending general, Quan Cong, has already surrendered.

Several days later...

Lin Chong's army approached Yiyang.

At this time, Yiyang

It is only 20 miles away from Dongting Lake.

To the northeast lies a large lake.

They set up camps in both the south and north of the city.

Lin Chong led Zhong Quan and a group of captured officers,

He walked to the city walls to personally persuade them to surrender.

There is a wide official road south of the city.

The road is lined with tall pines and firs.

Outside the moat, beside the official road,

There is also a temple.

Lin Chong was somewhat surprised.

Because Zhong Xiang destroyed temples everywhere.

Temples dedicated to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were all destroyed.

It's amazing that this small temple has been preserved.

The temple was empty; everyone had run away.

But it's obvious that someone has been cleaning all along.

Moreover, the incense that hadn't burned out on the offering table...

It can be seen that a sacrifice was recently held.

Lin Chong sent his soldiers to "invite" a local resident and asked:

Whose temple is this?

"Why wasn't it destroyed?"

"They've come to offer sacrifices instead?"

The farmer replied, "This is Zhang Gong Temple; it's very effective for praying for rain."

"Four years ago, someone tried to destroy the temple but was stopped,"

"The people in the surrounding villages don't want it to be demolished."

"Pine and fir trees beside the official road,"

"It was also planted by Zhang Gong himself,"

"They had to cut back on construction when building warships last year,"

"They were stopped by the local people."

"Which Zhang Gong?" Lin Chong asked.

The farmer shook his head and said, "I don't know, it's been here since I can remember."

"Which deity has descended to earth?"

Lin Chong strolled around the small temple.

A stone tablet was soon discovered.

The writing is still legible after water is splashed on it.

This is actually the ancestral hall of Zhang Yong, Zhang Tang's ancestor.

It was only after Zhang Yong's death that the temple was renamed Zhang Gong Temple.

The inscription is very clear.

Zhang Yong first served as an official in Chongyang County.

Because it saved countless lives

The people of Chongyang donated money to build a shrine in his honor.

He was then transferred to Yiyang.

At that time, Yiyang had just experienced the Meishan barbarian rebellion.

The people's livelihood is impoverished and they are suffering.

Zhang Yong wanted to govern Yiyang well.

He actually gave up the opportunity to go to Beijing for a promotion.

They did not leave until people's livelihoods were restored.