Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 806 Furious

That afternoon, the sun shone on the river. Pan Chongche led an army of 50,000 people on warships and marched towards Qingyuan City, 200 miles away. The river was densely covered with warships, like a giant dragon winding through the water. Only a few thousand cavalrymen ran along the shore, keeping pace with the warships, forming a spectacular picture.

There was a waterway connecting Qingyuan City and the mouth of the Hejiang River, which saved the soldiers the hardship of a long journey. Two days later, the army successfully arrived outside Qingyuan City and landed at the riverside ferry.

Su Chen had received the news in advance, and he personally led people to the riverside ferry to welcome them. This was not only a respect for Pan Chongche and these surrendered soldiers, but also a reflection of his thirst for talent.

When Pan Chongche led dozens of generals, du yuhou and others to come in front of Su Chen, they all knelt on one knee and saluted Su Chen.

"The surrendered general Pan Chongche pays his respects to Commander Su!" Pan Chongche's voice was loud and full of respect.

Seeing this, Su Chen hurried forward to help Pan Chongche up, smiling and saying, "General Pan, please stand up quickly. When I was in Tang State, I heard about your fame and deeds, and I have long wanted to meet you. Today, I finally got my wish to meet you, which is really a pleasure."

  Pan Chongche stood up and looked carefully at Su Chen in front of him. He saw that Su Chen was only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a delicate face, bright eyes, and a calm expression. Coupled with his talent for writing poetry and the power of the regent, one can't help but sigh: Heroes are born young!

From Su Chen, Pan Chongche seemed to see Li Shimin, the founder of the Tang Dynasty. He was also young, but he could lead the three armies and conquer the world for his father. In the end, he was named King of Qin, pacified Hebei, unified the world, and finally ascended the throne as emperor and became the common ruler of the world. Thinking of this, Pan Chongche couldn't help but be full of respect and expectations for Su Chen.

He said modestly: "Master Su, you are too kind. I am not talented, but when I join the Wu Kingdom in the future, I will do my best to serve the country."

Su Chen heard this and said with a smile: "Of course! General Pan is both civil and military, and Wu is in need of talents. We are eager to find talented people. If we can get General Pan's help, it will definitely be helpful in pacifying the world in the future."

Su Chen's praise for Pan Chongche made the surrendered generals feel very comfortable. They knew that Su Chen's respect for Pan Chongche was also his respect for them. They were now in a relationship where they would suffer together and prosper together.

"General Pan has been exhausted from leading the troops on a long journey. Let the soldiers set up camp first and have a good rest. In order to welcome everyone today, I have ordered the three armies to reward them by slaughtering cattle and sheep so that everyone can have a good meal." Su Chen said considerately, with a sincere smile on his face.

"I'll follow Commander Su's arrangements!" Pan Chongche agreed tactfully and accepted Su Chen's arrangements in full.

He knew that at this time, he would not be stupid enough to raise objections in person. After surrendering, he would be Su Chen's subordinate, and everything would be subject to the arrangements of Su Chen, the commander.

.........

The news of Pan Chongche's surrender to the Wu army spread back to Prince Xing's Palace. The whole court was shocked, and Liu Xiong was furious.

"This traitor sold out his country for personal gain. I have misjudged Pan Chongche!"

Liu Xiong lost his composure in the Golden Palace, became furious and started cursing.

Some of the civil and military officials in the hall joined in the cursing, but more people remained silent, with a dead heart.

The last trump card was Pan Chongche, the war god of the Southern Han Dynasty, who was like a life-saving straw. Even he surrendered to the Wu army, and the fate of the Southern Han Dynasty was almost doomed. The Xingwang Palace had only 30,000 imperial guards, and they were the kind of embroidered pillows that had not fought for a long time. They usually guarded the palace gates and the city gates and dealt with the people in the city. Although they were fully armed and the most luxurious of all the troops, they had no actual combat experience and might not be very useful in defending the city.

Many civil officials and military generals knew that the Southern Han Dynasty was about to end, and the furious emperor in front of them was about to become a prisoner. What awaited him was either to end his own life or to be captured and beheaded.

Perhaps like other kings of fallen countries, he would have a good end and not be killed immediately, but Liu Xiong was different. He was too incompetent and cruel, and it was hard to say whether the State of Wu would spare his life.

Because Liu Xiong's stupidity and tyranny were absolutely unprecedented in the history of Southern Han Dynasty. This guy was plump, handsome, and quite clever and eloquent. If he had not been an emperor, he would have had a future as a craftsman.

However, after he ascended the throne of the Southern Han Dynasty as the eldest son of Liu Sheng, he first inherited his grandfather Liu's gene for killing. In order to reach new heights in killing, he used his intelligence and ingenuity to come up with a lot of new punishments, such as burning, boiling, walking on a mountain of knives, walking down a forest of swords, etc. He even threw the criminals into the elephant herds unique to Lingnan in accordance with local conditions, and enjoyed watching the criminals being trampled to death by the elephants.

He was suspicious and murderous, neglected state affairs, and imposed heavy taxes that were more ferocious than those of tigers and wolves, bringing too much disaster to the people of Southern Han. This man had committed many sins and brought the destruction of his country upon himself, and he did not deserve sympathy.

Some ministers were very smart and even thought that the fall of the Southern Han was not a bad thing. They no longer had to accompany the tyrant emperor and live in fear. If they surrendered to the Wu Kingdom, they could continue to serve as officials if they could, or retire to their hometowns and enjoy their old age. As long as they did not have a bad reputation, they would not end up being beheaded in public to appease the people.

"Now, what good strategy can we adopt?" Liu Xiong roared, then turned to look at the eunuch Gong Chengshu. Currently, the power of the government was managed by this eunuch.

Gong Chengshu was sweating profusely and was terrified. The critical situation before him made him realize that the defeat of Southern Han was irreversible. He replied with a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, we still have 30,000 imperial guards in the city, and enough food and grass for a year. If we can hold on to the city, we may be able to survive for a year and wait for the Wu army to retreat on its own. But if you are not confident about the imperial guards and find it difficult to hold on, then I suggest moving the capital immediately. Move to the land of Baiyue or the southwest border. As long as the green mountains are there, there will be no worries about firewood!"

After hearing this, Liu Xiong frowned. The idea of ​​moving the capital might be his only way to save his life.

However, before Liu Xiong could think deeply, General Zhi Tingxiao stood up resolutely and said in a loud voice: "No! The ancestral temple and the altar of the country are all in the Xingwang Mansion. This is the foundation of our Southern Han. If we flee in a hurry, it is very easy for a mutiny to occur on the way. Your Majesty, do you know about the Mawei Slope Incident of the Tang Dynasty? Once we leave the Xingwang Mansion, the road to escape will be full of variables and unpredictable. Moreover, if we go far away, we will lose our foundation and it will be difficult to establish a country again!"

Liu Xuan was shocked when he heard this, and his thoughts drifted back to the distant Tang Dynasty. During the An-Shi Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang hastily moved the capital, but encountered a mutiny by soldiers at Mawei Slope. Yang Guozhong, Yang Guifei and others suffered misfortunes, and Emperor Xuanzong's own throne was also shaky. Moving the capital and fleeing was indeed a terrifying risk.

Gong Chengshu was also terrified after hearing this. He knew very well that if a mutiny really happened during his escape, his fate would be even more miserable than Yang Guozhong's, and he would become the target of public criticism and be slaughtered at will.

"I also think what General Zhi said makes sense. We should not move the capital lightly."

Gong Chengshu immediately changed his words and stayed in Prince Xing's Mansion. As long as the imperial power was there, his power would be there. As long as the imperial power was unstable and he had no backing, his end would be miserable.

Guo Chongyue, the envoy of the Southern Han Dynasty, stepped forward at this time, stood in the ranks, and spoke passionately: "Your Majesty, I have a plan. We might as well mobilize the able-bodied men in the city, conscript them into the army, and at the same time strengthen the training of the imperial guards. In this way, we may be able to organize 50,000 soldiers and horses to defend the imperial city and wait for the troops from all over the country to come to support the king. If we can hold on for a year, we will be able to save the court and force the Wu army to retreat!"

After hearing this, Liu Xiong nodded helplessly and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. General Zhi, Lord Guo, I'll leave the important task of protecting the capital to you two. I hope you can do your best and live up to my expectations!"

"As ordered!" Zhi Tingxiao and Guo Chongyue responded in unison. They felt a great sense of responsibility when they were ordered to do so. They knew that the fate of Southern Han was in their hands. If they could successfully defend the capital, they might be able to gain a glimmer of hope for Southern Han.