Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 940 0935 [The Mad Queen Mother]

Although King Zhiming Li Yangzhen was not good at field battles, he was able to defend the city with a few thousand remaining soldiers.

After capturing Tiande Prefecture City, Shen Li ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, lavishly rewarding his meritorious officials. He then crossed the river to attack Beijiang Road City for more than 20 days, but was unable to defeat tens of thousands of troops.

It would be strange if you could chew it.

The absolute elite among the rebels were the several hundred borrowed Dali soldiers. They were neither the imperial troops of Duan Yu nor the troops of the powerful official Gao, but the troops of the Dong family of Xiushan County in Dali.

The second group was more than a thousand barbarian soldiers who came from the mountainous area on the border between Annan and Dali.

The remaining troops were either temporarily recruited peasant armies or defeated soldiers who were gathered when King Zhiming was defeated.

This kind of mixed and ragtag army can charge forward with valor in field combat, but it is absolutely impossible for them to charge first in a siege.

Seeing that the siege had been going on for a long time without success, the Dali general Dong Yicheng found the rebel leader Shen Li and said, "Yesterday I received a letter from the prefect (the hereditary prefect of Xiushan County in Dali, Dong's family) urging me to lead the troops back as soon as possible. The thirty-seven barbarians are ready to move again."

Shen Li was shocked and said, "General, how can you withdraw your troops at this time? We should attack Thang Long Prefecture in one go!"

"I dare not disobey the order of the county magistrate." Dong Yicheng said.

Shen Li tried to persuade him to stay, but Dong Yicheng insisted on leaving.

The next day, Dong Yicheng fled with Dali's elite troops. He was unwilling to accompany Shen Li to attack Thang Long Prefecture because he could not even capture a city in Beijiang Road.

What's more, I heard that there were Ming troops stationed in Thang Long Prefecture.

The defeated soldiers of King Zhiming who were captured a few days ago have been dispersed and incorporated by them.

The result was great chaos in the army!

When the defeated soldiers were chatting, they spread the word about the strength of the Ming army. They said that one thousand Ming soldiers fought against one hundred thousand Annan soldiers, and only a few of them died. Each Ming soldier could ask the gods to send down meteorites, which caused chaos in Du Yingwu's army of one hundred thousand. The one thousand Ming soldiers took the opportunity to charge and won a great victory.

The Shenli rebels were skeptical, but since everyone said so, they gradually believed it.

Now, the rebel soldiers only dared to attack Bac Giang Road City, and were unwilling to follow their leader to attack Thang Long Prefecture.

Dong Yicheng left with several hundred Dali soldiers. He had made a fortune on this expedition. Only a few dozen soldiers were killed or wounded, but he robbed countless treasures and even forced Annan people to help him transport them.

Only three days after the Dali troops left, Shen Li received news that the Ming army was coming.

He was so frightened that he immediately led his army to withdraw the siege and retreated to Tiandefu City in Jiangbei, planning to keep the main force here to defend the city and let the rear troops continue to attack the city.

Han Jing didn't waste any time and directly pulled the artillery to attack the city.

He also asked King Zhiming Li Yangzhen to lead the several thousand remaining soldiers across the river to cooperate.

"Boom boom boom!"

After two consecutive rounds of artillery bombardment, the defeated soldiers who were incorporated into the city were the first to become panic-stricken.

They were defeated head-on by the Ming army more than a month ago, and had already suffered psychological trauma.

The rebel generals were unable to control the soldiers, who fled from the city walls in a panic, causing the other rebels to flee in confusion.

Tens of thousands of rebels heard the sound of artillery fire and ran around in the city in fear.

Some clever people even took advantage of the chaos to shout: "Ming soldiers are coming in!"

After shouting a few times, more and more people followed suit, and then some people ran to attack the north gate.

These were the troops that Shen Li had brought from the north. They had been farming at home, but were captured and became rebels for no apparent reason. At first, their morale was boosted by their successive victories, and they really had the flavor of veterans. However, after failing to capture Beijianglu City many times, these people began to think about going home.

The rebels' north gate suddenly opened, and countless rebels fled.

This situation was far beyond Han Jing's expectations.

He only used twenty cannons and fired two rounds in succession. Why did tens of thousands of rebels abandon the city and flee?

"Capture the city!"

Han Jing took the opportunity to give orders.

King Zhiming was frightened by the rebels, so he did not dare to lead his troops to capture the city. Instead, he ran around the city to hunt down the defeated soldiers.

Soon, the western city gate was also opened by the rebels, and countless defeated soldiers swarmed out, scrambling to flee towards their hometown in the north.

"Come back, everyone, anyone who deserts the battlefield will be beheaded!"

Shen Li, who had already ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, still hadn't figured out what was going on.

He fought too smoothly in the early stage. Relying on the hundreds of soldiers borrowed from the Dong family of Dali, he successfully recruited more than a thousand barbarian soldiers on the border of Annan. With these two thousand people, he was invincible in attacking cities and conquering territories, and he became stronger by enlisting the people along the way. Then he defeated King Zhiming and recruited prisoners to expand his army to more than 30,000.

Schenley has completely expanded.

He became so inflated that he proclaimed himself emperor, established an institution, and conferred titles on hundreds of officials!
He felt that the Ming army was nothing special. Even if they couldn't win in the wild, they could definitely defend the city.

How come his tens of thousands of troops collapsed just as they started defending the city?

Shen Li had no idea at all. The reason why he developed smoothly in the early stage was that Du Yingwu had transferred a large number of Annan Road soldiers in the northwest to fight Zhu Kang. This led to the emptiness of the local city defense troops, which was taken advantage of by Shen Li to kill all the way.

Never mind the Ming army's combat effectiveness, Du Yingwu could beat them into a pulp.

"Your Majesty, the barbarians have also fled!"

Shen Li turned his head and saw that all the barbarians he had recruited were fleeing towards the city gate.

The thousand or so barbarians fled quickly, as they had heard of the reputation of the Ming army. The tribes next to them had been beaten up by Yang Zaixing and no longer dared to cross the border to plunder.

Shen Li realized that he could not turn the situation around, so he led his personal soldiers to rush to the Tiande Mansion, wanting to escape with his queen and prince.

I could vaguely hear someone shouting, "The traitor Shen Li is over there. There will be a huge reward for his capture!"

Shen Li turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Yang Lian, the Grand Marshal he had appointed, leading his soldiers to attack from the side street.

Yang Lian was the deputy commander of the Annan Ten-Road Army, similar to the deputy commander of the Song Dynasty's Xiang Army. He was outnumbered and forced to surrender. This was the first regular military officer to defect to the rebels, so Shen Li trusted him very much and appointed him as the Grand Commandant when he ascended the throne.

The general led his troops to kill the emperor, where is justice!

Yang Lian led his troops closer and closer, and Shen Li's personal soldiers were frightened and fled in panic.

A moment later, Han Jing led his troops into the city.

Yang Lian held up Shen Li's head and knelt at the city gate to greet him: "I have killed the fake emperor Shen Li, and the fake queen and fake prince have been captured!" King Zhiming Li Yangzhen was also very powerful at this time. He divided thousands of remaining soldiers into several groups and scattered them to the north and west of the city to chase and kill the defeated soldiers.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yangzhen had captured thousands of people and finally enjoyed the taste of being a "victorious general."

……

Thang Long Prefecture was officially renamed Daluo Prefecture.

The two counties affiliated to Daluo Prefecture were renamed Songping County and Jinghai County respectively.

All these names come from the Tang Dynasty.

It was Daluo City, the seat of the Jiaozhi General Administration in the early Tang Dynasty.

It was Songping County under the jurisdiction of Annan Protectorate in the middle Tang Dynasty.

It was also the station of the Jinghaijun Jiedushi in the late Tang Dynasty.

Now, all three names have been restored: Daluo Prefecture, Songping County, and Jinghai County!

Many Annan officials did not understand what this meant because they did not know the history.

But there were also some scholars who were greatly alarmed by this and vaguely guessed that the Ming Dynasty intended to annex Annan.

"Great victory, great victory, great victory of the Regent's heavenly army!"

"Hundreds of artillery fire simultaneously, and a hundred thousand rebels are routed!"

"The Regent is invincible!"

"..."

Five or six messengers were holding blouses and running around the city, shouting.

The Annan officials who heard the news instantly breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally wiped out the rebels. Those guys had captured Tiande Prefecture, which was less than a hundred miles away, which really made everyone panic.

The real knowledgeable people in Annan, however, looked ashen.

First eliminate the traitors, then get rid of the rebels. Who would dare to oppose the regent again?
The first person to stand up against it, the Grand Tutor Su Xiancheng, had his entire family executed, on the charge of colluding with Du Yingwu to murder the previous king.

The third censor who stood up to oppose, Guo Ying, was also executed along with his entire family, on the charge of clinging to the traitor Du and betraying loyal officials.

The second one... well, that His Royal Highness King Jimyeong, is now the Regent's loyal lackey!

Su Xiancheng had several confidants who were arrested and imprisoned as remnants of the Du bandit gang.

Two of them reported Su Xiancheng's collusion with Du Yingwu before they were tortured and interrogated. They were immediately released, and because they had made meritorious contributions while serving their sentences, they were all promoted to a higher rank.

All of Su Xiancheng's other confidants were executed along with their entire families!
……

Li has been under house arrest in the palace for more than a month and has not been able to contact the outside world. She cannot even see her own son, the young king.

She didn't even know that she had remarried to Prince Yu of the Ming Dynasty.

"The King's father, the Regent, has arrived!"

Li was taken to greet the guests in a daze, and saw a handsome young man striding towards her.

"Empress Dowager, this is His Royal Highness Prince Regent, Prince Yu of the Ming Dynasty and father of the King of Annan," the palace maid reminded.

Li immediately knelt down to greet him: "I pay my respects to Your Highness!"

Zhu Kang did not help him up, but said: "Du Siwu, who came back with you, was executed along with his entire family for plotting to murder the king. For the sake of Queen Mother Du, the Du family has retained a branch."

Li was so frightened that she trembled all over and kowtowed to beg for mercy: "Your Highness, please forgive me, Your Highness, please forgive me!"

She was so frightened that she even forgot to analyze the meaning of "King Father Regent".

This woman is both smart and stupid, and sometimes her IQ is even negative.

Historically, Du Yingwu was initially imprisoned, and the ministers wanted to execute him.

Li was afraid that her lover would starve in prison, so she sent someone to deliver food to her son and tricked him into releasing him. She only gave him a dismissal from office. Then she tricked her son into giving her lover a minor official position. The young king was only 15 or 16 years old at the time, and he agreed without thinking. No matter how the officials advised him, it was useless. For the sake of her lover, she ended up making her son a puppet.

Du Yingwu even sent his own wife to the palace to accompany Li, and the couple stayed together in the palace for a long time.

As the queen mother, Li was as close to her lover's wife as a sister...

Zhu Kang said: "The auspicious day is approaching, I will formally accept you as the concubine of the Prince of Yu of the Ming Dynasty."

In horror, Li looked up suddenly, thinking she had heard it wrong.

Zhu Kang asked: "Do you want me to say it again?"

Li was a face-obsessed person, and her first reaction at this moment was to compare the appearances of Zhu Kang and Du Yingwu.

Du Yingwu has skin that is fair and crystal clear like jade.

Zhu Kang had been in the military academy for a long time, and his skin was a little tanned, which seemed to be a sign of his loss.

They are equally handsome in appearance.

In terms of height, Zhu Kang is far superior, and he has received long-term training in the military academy and has a very strong and sturdy physique.

Perhaps it was a psychological factor. Li felt that Zhu Kang had a kind of nobility and that he had the power of life and death, which made her subconsciously want to surrender and kneel down.

After repeated comparisons, Li liked the man more and more. When she thought about her upcoming remarriage, her heart began to beat fast.

"Prepare for the wedding well." Zhu Kang said and turned to leave.

Li asked hurriedly, "Your Highness, are you not staying here today?"

Zhu Kang didn't bother to pay attention and left the palace directly.

Li looked at his back and murmured to herself, "What a majestic man, worthy of being a noble of the Ming Dynasty. Marrying him would be considered marrying above my station."

This woman is a nymphomaniac, stupid, and selfish. As long as she is well-dressed and well-fed, and is coaxed into obedience, she can completely ignore the country and her son. If the Ming Dynasty annexes Annan one day, if she is given a way out of poverty, Li Shi will probably agree with it.

(In the previous chapter, the little king was beaten to be six years old, but he was actually only two years old.)
(End of this chapter)