Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 921 Using the Prince to Command the Lords

Pan Mei glanced at the generals and smiled, “General Cao, General Zhang, and all the generals, welcome to the Kingdom of Wu. Marshal Su Chen will certainly not treat you unfairly. I believe that soon we will be able to unify the North and South, and the Kingdom of Wu will surely surpass the prosperity and strength of the Tang Dynasty. We are fortunate to witness the rise of a wise ruler, which is not only the luck of this era, but also our honor.”

Cao Bin and the others remained silent, thinking to themselves that Pan Mei had always been such an upright person and not one to flatter others so much. How could he have started praising Su Chen so much after joining the Wu Kingdom? Even if Su Chen had become emperor, let alone before he ascended the throne, could he really build the Wu Kingdom into a nation that surpassed the Tang Dynasty in terms of the number of people from all directions paying tribute?
In fact, these people did not know that Pan Mei was just speaking from the heart, because Pan Mei saw not only Su Chen's ability to lead troops into battle, but also his talent in governing the country and doing business, which was even more legendary than that of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

Having completed his mission, Zhao Dezhao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Please, General Cao, issue an order to lift the military order for the garrison of Chenliu City to resist. Under the pretext of peace talks, announce that there will be no more fighting in Chenliu City. The Song army will leave the city in batches to garrison there. Chenliu City will be handed over to General Pan Mei. All of you generals, you will also follow us out of the city to see Marshal Su Chen."

Cao Bin nodded, not saying much more. Since he had decided to surrender, he had assumed the identity of a Wu general. These actions were perfectly acceptable. In fact, he was thinking even further about how to appease the Song soldiers and not cause trouble for Marshal Su, so as to leave a good impression.

Therefore, Cao Bin began to issue orders, arranging for the various deputy generals, guards, and commanders to lead their troops out of the city one after another to be supervised by the Wu army, and requiring the soldiers of each army and garrison not to fight against the Wu army.

After giving the military orders, Cao Bin instructed the military commanders and clerks to begin compiling the household registration records, granaries, and supplies of Chenliu City, which were all to be handed over to the Wu army.

"Let's go, let's leave the city and see Marshal Su!" Cao Bin stood up, deciding to leave the city as soon as possible to see Su Chen, to make the handover earlier, and to get to know Su Chen and forge a good relationship.

Although the other Song generals looked somewhat dejected and felt bad about surrendering, they were able to endure it because they knew they wouldn't die on the battlefield, and they could keep their lives, official positions, and titles by thinking about their wives, children, and elderly mothers at home.

Pan Mei stayed in Chenliu City and began to command the 20,000 Wu troops who had entered the city to take over the city's defenses and patrol the streets to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to disturb the people or for individual Song army squads to rebel and cause trouble.

After these matters were arranged, Zhao Dezhao, along with Cao Bin and others, went to the Wu army camp to report back.

Outside the Wu army camp, 30,000 Wu soldiers stood in formation, waiting. Su Chen sat in a marshal's chair, with a simple wooden table beside him. Tea sets were laid out on the table, and Su Chen was drinking tea while gazing at the majestic Chenliu city in front of him, awaiting the mission results.

Since 20,000 to 30,000 Wu troops entered the city without any fighting taking place, Su Chen knew that the operation had been successful and that Zhao Dezhao had persuaded Cao Bin and others to surrender.

Sure enough, at this moment, Zhao Dezhao, Cao Bin, Zhang Yongde and others rode over.

Before Wu Jun's formation, Zhao Dezhao and others dismounted, removed their swords and helmets, and then walked step by step toward the commander's position in the formation.

"Look, the generals of the Great Song Dynasty have all come to surrender."

"General Pan has successfully captured the city." Generals Lin Renzhao, Pan Renche, Taishi Zhao, Jing Hong, Bian Zhanyu, Li Saidong, Chai Songyun, and others were also present and showed their delight upon seeing Cao Bin and the others arrive.

At this moment, Zhao Dezhao and the others had already walked up to Su Chen.

Zhao Dezhao cupped his hands and said, "Marshal Su, I have not failed in my mission. The garrison of Chenliu City has surrendered. All the generals of the Great Song have come to pay their respects to Marshal Su."

While Zhao Dezhao was giving his report, Cao Bin and the others were observing Su Chen. They found that although he was only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, he was as steady as Mount Tai, with an imposing aura like a deep pool and a towering mountain. He was majestic without being angry, like a king walking in the world.

"So this is Su Lang of Jiangzuo? He is indeed extraordinary!" The surrendered generals of the Song Dynasty all had some respect for Su Chen. They had only heard of his name before and were shocked by his legendary stories. However, they had been suppressed and beaten all the way in battle. Today, they finally met.

"Cao Bin, a surrendered general of the Great Song Dynasty, led fifty-three of his subordinate generals and commanders to pay homage to Marshal Su!"

Cao Bin spoke first, then knelt on one knee to pay his respects, and the other generals followed suit.

Su Chen smiled, stood up, took two steps forward to help Cao Bin up, and said in a gentle tone, "Generals, please rise! General Cao was a commander who was renowned in both the Later Zhou and the Song dynasties. He was a talented commander. Although we have been fighting against the Wu army in recent years, we still admire General Cao very much. Today, you generals are able to put aside the differences between the two countries, submit to the Wu Kingdom, and end the war. This is a blessing for the Wu Kingdom and also a blessing for the people of the world."

"Marshal Su, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise," Cao Bin replied modestly. He was quite pleased with Su Chen's compliment, as he had not been met with ridicule but rather with courtesy. This made him feel better and he couldn't help but feel some admiration for Su Chen.

Su Chen's gaze swept over the dozens of surrendered Song generals before him, and he continued, "From this day forward, all of you Song generals are Wu army commanders. I will petition the court to re-grant you your titles. We are currently a hundred li from Bianjing. The capital has 150,000 troops, and with the conscription of civilians to defend the city, we can reach 200,000. This is the last strength of the Song Dynasty. I hope to achieve a swift victory, minimize casualties, and avoid disturbing the people. Therefore, I hope that General Cao can also lead his troops to contribute to the siege and complete the unification."

"I, Cao, will certainly live up to the Marshal's expectations."

Su Chen nodded and looked at Zhao Dezhao, saying, "Your Highness Zhao has completed this mission very well. You can accompany me on the next march. After all, the new emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, Zhao Guangyi, has ascended the throne illegitimately and murdered your father, Emperor Taizu. The world should know this, and all the lords should understand that he is not a good emperor!"

This was another of Su Chen's plans. He intended to use the prince to command the other princes and wage a propaganda war, pointing out that Zhao Guangyi's ascension to the throne was illegitimate and that he was of bad character. As a result, fewer governors and troops would come to the aid of the emperor, and the people would lose their support for Zhao Guangyi. When the people's hearts collapsed, the Song Dynasty would be unable to hold on, and it would be easier to launch an attack.

Zhao Dezhao was already on the wrong path, with no way back. Although he understood Su Chen's true intentions, he could only cup his hands and reply, "I will follow Marshal Su's orders."

Marshal Su smiled and said, "Today is a good day. Chenliu City was captured without bloodshed, and all the generals have abandoned the darkness and embraced the light. This is something to celebrate. Men, prepare a luncheon in the army camp. I wish to entertain all the generals who have come from the Great Song Dynasty."