A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 989: Xia army's expedition to Shu is disbanded, Tang army enters the pass and Shu lord surrenders
September 25, the third year of Xia Chengqian

Emperor Baijian of Xia appointed Prince Bai Chao of Liang as the chief commander and granted him the title of commander-in-chief of the southwestern camp.

Zhu Jian, the Governor of Xiangyang (Governor's Office), General of the Cavalry (Marshal's Office), Inspector of the Sikong (official position), and King of Jing (title), was appointed as the first deputy commander and was granted the title of Left Recruiting Envoy of the Southwest Camp.

Kang Yanxiao, the Left Commander-in-Chief, General of the Cavalry, and the founding Duke of Yongxing County, was appointed as the second deputy commander and was granted the title of Right Recruiting Envoy of the Southwest Camp.

In addition, Guo Zilu, the Assistant Secretary of the Privy Council, General Dingyuan, and Senior Cavalry Commandant, and Su Xiaohui, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Grand Secretary, and Assistant Minister of Administration, were appointed as the left and right military officers of the field camp.

"The ruler of Shu was dissolute, arrogant and extravagant, and entrusted government affairs to eunuchs. The power fell into the hands of the female ruler, who sold official positions and titles, causing the government to become corrupt and rampant."

"He traveled without restraint, forcing the counties and cities along the way to provide food and lodging, causing great suffering to officials and civilians. He committed all kinds of evil deeds, and everyone hated him when they heard about them."

"I am upholding the will of heaven, and I am punishing the criminals to relieve the suffering of the people in Shu. The county officials along the way should open their cities and present maps. Those who obey me will prosper, and those who disobey me will perish. Don't say I didn't warn you."

A letter of proclamation from the Emperor of Great Xia to attack Wang Yan, the ruler of Shu, once again shocked the officials and people of Shu, following the document of persuasion issued by the Tang Dynasty during its invasion of Shu.

This made the military and civilians in Shu all worried about their future.

The 50,000-strong army of Daxia, led by chief commander Bai Chao and deputy chief commanders Zhu Jian and Kang Yanxiao, marched from Xiangzhou to Jinzhou in a mighty force.

As for the original defense of Xiangzhou, after Zhu Jian came to Beijing to report on his work and discuss, Bai Jian appointed the right general Bai Shijin as the governor of Xiangyang, and his official titles of right general, senior pillar of the country, and Duke of Kaocheng County remained the same.

He also ordered the fifth prince Bai Haiyao to serve as the governor of Xiangzhou, and appointed the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel Lian Shiqing as the acting governor of Xiangzhou.

On the other hand, since the Tang army entered Dasan Pass from Fengxiang, all the prefectures and counties along the way surrendered.

When they learned that the Tang army was short of food and fodder, the soldiers and civilians of the prefectures and counties sent them food and fodder. The Shu general Cheng Fenglian surrendered to the Tang with 500 cavalry and personally led his troops to repair the Ge Road.

Therefore, by the time the Xia army entered Jinzhou, the Tang army had already captured Xingzhou.

Wang Yan, the ruler of Shu, who had hastily dispatched his troops, stationed only 10,000 men in Lizhou, and personally arrived in Lizhou to boost the morale of his troops, hoping to rely on the natural barriers of Shu to prevent the Tang army from entering the pass.

September 28
Wang Yan divided 5,000 men into general Liao Zi's charge to counterattack the Tang army's camp in Sanquan, hoping to seize the food and fodder stored there.

As a result, he was defeated by Wen Fu of the Tang army. Wang Yan was afraid, so he crossed the Jibai River overnight, ordered the ferry bridge to be cut down, and fled back to Chengdu.

Seeing that the crossing of the Jibai River had failed, the Tang army took a detour and entered from the Wenzhou road west of Lizhou.

October 25
The Tang army had bypassed Jianzhou and arrived in Mianzhou, only two hundred miles away from the Shu capital Chengde.

Moreover, because the Tang army was swift and powerful, and the Xia army had already captured Liangzhou, the various vassal states in Shu surrendered one after another in order to save their lives.

Faced with internal and external difficulties, Wang began to think about surrendering.

However, before Wang Yan could take any action, Wang Zongbi, the Secretary of Shu, launched a coup, imprisoned Wang Yan, his concubines and other kings, and proclaimed himself the Governor of the Western Sichuan Army.

He also invited Tang envoy Li Yan to Chengdu in the name of Wang Yan to negotiate surrender.

November 3rd

Li Yan, following the emperor's order, rushed to Chengdu overnight to comfort the officials and people of Shu, and ordered the Shu army to withdraw its military defenses in Chengdu.

November 5th

Li Jiji led a large army to Chengdu.

Wang Yan, with his chest and abdomen exposed, the Shu emperor's jade seal hung around his neck with a rope, his hands tied behind his back, led the civil and military officials out of the city with a coffin, and surrendered to Li Jiji, the King of Wei of the Tang Dynasty, in the northern suburbs of Chengdu.

At this point, Shu was officially declared extinct. It had only been seventy-five days since Tang sent out its troops.

November 15th
Tang Army Deputy Commander Guo Chongtao was processing the surrender letters submitted by officials from all over Shu. When he was about to finish, he suddenly found that a few places were missing. He frowned and asked:

"Why didn't the governors and military governors of Liang, Yang, Jin and Tong submit their surrender?" Because before the expedition, in order to prevent Li Jiji from giving blind orders that would lead to failure in the war, Li Cunxu basically planned and commanded the destruction of Shu alone under the command of Guo Chongtao.

Not to mention the military strategy, even after the rebellion was pacified, all political affairs were managed by Guo Chongtao.

The recruitment of old generals, the appointment of officials, and the reporting and communication between the army and the court all went through his hands.

Li Jiji did not fight for power or gain, but just stayed in the Shu Palace, enjoying Wang Yan's rare treasures, and was very happy.

Wang Zongbi, the former Shuzhongshuling who was temporarily staying in Chengdu to assist Guo Chongtao in recruiting surrendered officials, said with a little flattery:

"General, it's not that they don't want to come, but they can't come anymore. Just five days ago, the Xia army invaded Tongzhou from Daba Mountain and occupied Tongchuan."

"From the looks of it, they are going to continue moving south and occupy the entire Dongchuan."

Guo Chongtao snorted coldly, slammed the table and said angrily:

"Emperor Xia is a very good planner. Our Tang army is fighting desperately in the front, but the Xia army wants to seize half of Shu without losing a single soldier. How can it be so easy?"

"Come on, gather your troops. I want to fight the Xia people. Let's see if they have the teeth to snatch food from my hands."

Just as Guo Chongtao picked up his helmet and sword and was about to go out to fight, Wang Zongbi, sweating profusely, stopped him:

"General, calm down. Even if you want to send troops, you should get the order from the King of Wei. After all, the King of Wei is the commander-in-chief of the army."

"You are now in charge of the military and political affairs of the entire Shu region, and you are already envied by others. You should not give others any handles that would cause Your Majesty to suspect you."

Guo Chongtao paused, thought about it, and felt that Wang Zongbi was right.

So he cancelled the military order and headed towards the Shu Palace.

After arriving at the Shu Palace, Guo Chongtao went straight to Li Jiji and told him about his idea of ​​sending troops to retake Tongzhou.

Li Jiji was also dissatisfied with the Xia army's behavior of snatching the fruits of the Tang army's victory, but he was still a little rational and persuaded:
"I know the general is dissatisfied, but the army has just conquered Shu, and the people in various places have not yet completely settled down. If we rashly send troops, there may be unexpected changes. For now, we should not do anything and should not cause any more trouble."

"Besides, the main mission of our army is to attack Shu. As for Xia, His Majesty has not given us clear instructions to start a war with another country without authorization. This is a serious crime."

"Let's wait until I write to His Majesty and ask for His Majesty's opinion before making a decision."

Guo Chongtao thought that Li Jiji's caution was justified, so he gave up and prepared to return to his temporary office to prepare for the expedition. He also instructed the newly surrendered troops from Quzhou and Pengzhou to prepare defensive measures.

After all, Shu Kingdom has now completely belonged to Tang. If Xia Kingdom sends troops forward, it would be regarded as declaring war on Tang.

By then, he could send troops with justification.

However, Guo Chongtao, whose mind was full of military affairs at this time, did not notice that the moment he stepped out of the Shu Palace, several pairs of vicious eyes were staring at his back.

"What the hell? Just because you've won a few battles and received the grace of a saint, you can ignore the king?"

"That's right. Yesterday we were out on business and passed by his office. You didn't see it. There was a lot of traffic and people coming and going to give him gifts and curry favor. Unlike us, we couldn't see a single hair."

"According to us, we have heard that Shu has been rich since ancient times, but all the money went into Guo Chongtao's pocket."

"Now the military and political power of the entire Shu area is in his hands. Those soldiers only listen to Guo Chongtao's orders and ignore the king's orders. The more we see him, the more he wants to rebel."

"No, we can't just stand there and watch. The king is merciful. As his confidants, we can't let this scourge force the king like this. We must eliminate this threat in advance, otherwise we will not end up well."

"Yes, the first to strike is the strongest, the last to strike will suffer. It's just right, let these warriors see that we are also brave, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and we are called eunuchs all day long."

(End of this chapter)