Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1318: Chinese Origin

Shannan can be said to be the undisputed birthplace of the current supreme ruler. When the emperor first arrived at the state, it only occupied a corner of the north of Mianyang, where the land was narrow and the people were poor, all industries were in decline, the treasury was empty, and the state was in chaos.

But in the following few years, under the governance of the current supreme ruler, the people's livelihood and all industries in Jingzhou flourished, military and political affairs were in order, and power grew rapidly. It successively recovered Guanzhong, annexed Bashu, and seized a large area of ​​Jingxiang in one fell swoop, expanding its territory to the south of the Yangtze River.

After the external expansion came to an end, the current supreme ruler had acquired the strength to compete with the Guanzhong overlord, and later successfully took control of Guanzhong. This led to a series of events that led to the unification of the north and the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.

However, after the Supreme Emperor left Shannan and returned to Guanzhong, Shannan's series of external development activities gradually came to a halt, and the court concentrated more military operations in the north, especially in a series of wars against Northern Qi. Many Guanzhong soldiers also made great achievements and became famous. The soldiers who stayed in Shannan missed many opportunities and failed to make achievements and become famous.

So when the imperial court finally wanted to call up the soldiers from Shannan again, the soldiers stationed in Shannan suddenly became excited. The imperial court's order to conscript had not yet been issued, but petitions for war had already floated to Chang'an like snowflakes. All the generals who had the power to submit petitions to the court again and again, striving for the opportunity to fight for themselves and their soldiers.

Some generals were afraid that simply requesting war would not be enough to demonstrate their sincerity and determination, so they sent messages to their relatives and friends in Chang'an, mobilizing them to come and see the emperor to fight for their chance.

For a time, this warlike atmosphere spread from Shannan to Chang'an, and all kinds of earnest words and speeches were piled in front of Li Tai's eyes and ears.

The soldiers are eager to fight, ashamed to stay idle, and eager to make achievements. It is true that the military morale can be used, but the court also has its own considerations and rhythm when formulating military plans. It cannot fight for the sake of fighting. It still needs to have clear strategic ideas and interests. Otherwise, it will inevitably fall into a state of warmongering.

Therefore, Li Tai did not blindly expand the war concept and the scale of the army. He could only try his best to take into account the public sentiment and ensure that the soldiers had the opportunity to perform well under the premise of having elite soldiers and strong generals.

The Tang Dynasty today is indeed not short of military talents. Although the older generation of generals have gradually been eliminated, the middle-aged and young generations have already grown up and played a main role in the war to destroy Qi.

Nowadays, there are indeed some people in Shannan who have great military talents, but they have not been promoted or reused because they lack an opportunity to show their talents. Therefore, the court also tends to favor these people when selecting generals to go on the expedition.

But to be honest, this war was not a large-scale war, but a routine external expansion based on Shannan's current development status. Therefore, the opportunities and space it could provide were not too great.

Even if we further include the tentative infiltration against Lingnan into the combat objectives this time, under the premise of normal performance, sending 50,000 troops is already the limit of this dispatch.

At present, Shannan is divided into three major general administrations, namely Xiangzhou, Jingzhou and Yingzhou. As for the personnel organization of the divisions and brigades for this expedition, the court appointed Jiangxia King Li Xun as the commander-in-chief of the army, Jingzhou General Tian Hong and Yingzhou General Shi Ning were in charge of the left and right divisions respectively, and Xiangzhou Governor Li Qianzhe was the vanguard in the center.

However, because Shi Ning had to take into account the matter of handing over Jiangzhou and Nanchuan to Southern Chen, he did not need to lead his troops south to Lingbiao, but instead moved his troops to Pengcheng downstream to handle related handover matters.

After all, Li Tai did not believe in Chen Chang's control over the Southern Chen. Although some Fengs went south to Guangling, he still arranged for Shi Ning to lead the army and station it upstream. This added a double insurance to ensure that no matter what personnel changes occurred in the Southern Chen, the Tang army would have enough strength to respond.

This is a little troublesome, but it is safe after all. On the other hand, if Chen Chang is really smart and capable enough to control all the forces in his country without relying on the power of the Tang Dynasty, then Li Tai will be even more uneasy.

He needed a Southern Chen that was in appearance but not in spirit, but Chen Chang's ability was not up to standard, which made the Southern Chen situation both in spirit and in appearance. Even the Tang Dynasty, which was its backer, might be looked down upon by some Southern Dynasty people because of Chen Chang's weak performance. But this was not a big deal. If these people really wanted to measure how strong the Tang Dynasty was, they would always have the opportunity!

When the imperial court's conscription list reached Shannan, some were happy and some were sad. However, those generals who were not sent to fight were comforted by the fact that the imperial court did not turn a blind eye to their previous requests for war. The Supreme Emperor even wrote them a letter in person, praising their ambition to serve the country and making contributions. At the same time, he stated that although they were unable to go to the battle this time, they would definitely be given priority when there were preparations for war in the future.

As for the generals who were sent to the battle, they had nothing to say. They were all happily reorganizing their troops and preparing for the battle.

In the preparation for this war, in addition to the garrison soldiers who enthusiastically requested to fight, there was another person who was also very active. He was Wei Shou, who had just fled from Chang'an to Xiangyang to join his nephew not long ago.

When Wei Shou was in Hebei, he was once a great literary figure and historian. However, after arriving in Chang'an, not only did his former glory disappear, but he was also forced by public opinion to become as panic-stricken as a stray dog, and he even dared not stay in Chang'an.

Naturally, he could not bear this huge gap in his heart, and still hoped to return to the current situation in glory. So when he learned that his nephew Li Xun was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the expedition by the court, he also requested to go with the army, hoping to share some of the military merits.

Although he did not have the brave physique to fight in the battlefield, he had a powerful writing style with words as sharp as swords. Even before the army set out, he had already written several anti-enemy manifestos, so he was not a completely idle old man.

"The world is all of one origin; the people of Jiangzuo all come from China! The stubborn bandits deceived the heavens, occupied the land and disobeyed orders, dragged the masses and became part of the barbarians. Their crimes are so heinous that they cannot be redeemed by death! The Emperor of Tang swears to the army, to teach our soldiers that we will defeat the bandits and return home, and achieve the honor of Emperor Yao!"

People in different environments and different positions will have different ideas and ambitions. For example, there are many powerful people in Wu who believe that the division between the north and the south is determined by heaven and cannot be changed by human power. But in today's Tang Dynasty, from the emperor and ministers to ordinary people, everyone has regarded unifying the north and the south and ending the division of the world as a task that can be achieved through hard work.

Although the imperial court had not yet clearly declared to conquer the Southern Dynasty and annex Jiangdong, when they swore in their troops for the expedition, they had openly shouted the slogan that the North and South had the same origin and were both from China, instead of using derogatory terms such as island barbarians and barbarians to belittle each other. With the magnificent and inspiring slogans, the 50,000-strong army crossed the river and marched towards the target in a mighty manner. The first to bear the brunt was naturally Wang Lin, who was currently leading his troops in Luling.

However, just as the army was about to enter Luling, something unexpected happened. That is, Wang Lin, the target of their expedition, actually sent an envoy to surrender to the Tang army.

  When Wang Lin's envoy came to the Tang army camp to surrender, Tang army commander Li Xun and other generals were all surprised. In their impression, Wang Lin was cunning and fierce. He had finally escaped from the control of the Tang Dynasty and had also joined forces with Lingbiao Chunyu Liang, looking like he was going to fight a big battle. How could he surrender so easily?

Now that the army is in high spirits and the soldiers are eager to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, Li Xun also regards this as a deliberate deception by Wang Lin to delay the war. He is even too lazy to meet with the envoy and listen to his bewitching words. He directly orders his men to retreat outside the camp and then orders the army to continue advancing.

However, this move did not anger Wang Lin. He even sent envoys to ask for surrender. This time, in addition to the envoys carrying the letter of surrender, even Wang Lin's son was sent to demonstrate his sincerity in surrendering.

"The rebellious King Lin of Shannan has written to ask the King to slow down his army and listen to your words! Although I am the remnant of a fallen country and have refused to be a slave, I have always had a desire to seek justice. I knew that it would be difficult to restore my country, so I had the intention to serve the Holy Lord. I regret that this ugly body cannot be accepted by the holy hall, and I have been wandering around the world to make a living. Now that I have heard that the northern country has been unified, I know that the Holy Lord has chosen me. If you accept the order, I will be very happy.

When a sage ruler takes power, he must be good at governing. All the people in the land are his subjects. Although I am a bandit, I am fortunate to be a subject of the sage's rule! I have heard that benevolence and righteousness are the foundation of governance, and laws and regulations are the end of governance. Without the foundation, there is no foundation, and without the end, there is no success. Although I am like the bandit Zhi, I have been wandering in the night before, and I did not know the ugly days. Now I have seen the morning sun, and I feel ashamed of myself. Therefore, I dare to ask for the grace of the sage ruler again.

I have more than 5,000 followers under my command, and their relatives, a total of tens of thousands of people. In the past, there were still dangerous places in the rivers and lakes where they could escape, but now the world has returned to the Tang family. If the Holy Lord blesses them, they can live, but if the Holy Lord abandons them, they will die. The followers are worried and uneasy, and I can only stay and supervise them. It is not because I am arrogant and unwilling to go out to meet them, so I sent my flesh and blood to the king. The king will cook them alive and I will only respectfully accept it..."

Wang Lin's letter of surrender was sincere in words and extremely respectful in attitude. For a moment, Li Xun couldn't tell whether he was really sincere in surrendering or was still being cunning.

He was hesitant, but his generals all said that he didn't need to pay attention to him. At present, Wang Lin was weak and desperate. As long as the army entered the country, they could directly attack and kill him. There was no need to accept his surrender. Besides, he had asked for surrender before, but was rejected by the Supreme. If he surrendered again now, it would be nothing but a wishful thinking.

However, Wei Shou, who had come with the army, had a different opinion. He suggested to Li Xun, "Your Majesty's previous refusal of Wang Lin's surrender is different from the current situation. At that time, the newly conquered Shannan still needed to be pacified. Wang Lin was not a good person, and refusing him could show the strictness of the law. Now the north has been unified, and Jiangdong is waiting to be reconciled. This place has been outside the king's rule for a long time, and there are many stubborn and evil people. Maybe they are afraid of the different customs and teachings between the north and the south, so they hesitate to join. If you surrender this stubborn bandit without bloodshed, you can show the power of the country and promote benevolence and forgiveness. Your Majesty should not be misled by these greedy generals. You should report this situation to the country as soon as possible and wait for the king's decision!"

Li Xun didn't want to lose face for his uncle, and he also felt that what Wei Shou said made sense. After weighing the pros and cons, he ordered his men to tell Wang Lin that if he really intended to surrender, he should lead his troops back to Bashan and wait for the court to make a decision.

As the army moved south, Bashan was again included in the encirclement of the Tang army. After Wang Lin returned to Bashan, he was able to cut off its connection with Chunyu Liang of Guizhou. Even if Chunyu Liang cheated and defected again, he would still be stuck in Nanchuan and would not cause any serious consequences.

In this way, Li Xun could lead his army to temporarily stay in Nanchuan and wait calmly for the court to make a decision.

When Li Xun's order was passed back to Wang Lin's army, Wang Lin couldn't help but frown. He had finally managed to lead his troops to escape the blockade of the Tang army. If he led his troops back to Bashan, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

He sent envoys to the Tang army to surrender repeatedly, but it was not a delaying tactic. He had the ambition to start a business before, but he had been trapped in Nanchuan for the past few years. He could neither get rid of the control of the Tang army nor cause any major damage to the Southern Chen. He just had a lot of fun fighting with the local tyrants in Nanchuan, and his ambition was greatly worn down.

The reason why he jumped out of Nanchuan and headed straight for Lingbiao this time was because of Chunyu Liang's lobbying. Seeing that the Tang Kingdom had invested more and more manpower and business in Xiangzhou, Chunyu Liang was filled with a sense of crisis, so he wanted to connect with Wang Lin to protect himself.

From Wang Lin's perspective, he certainly hoped to be in a safer situation, but he was unwilling to be an enemy of the Tang army. After several years, even if he was a rebellious falcon, he was still worried about fighting the Tang army. Especially after seeing the unification of the north, he felt that the Tang Dynasty was unstoppable.

Wang Lin's decision to break out of the encirclement at Chunyu Liang's request was not so much to find a way out as to show the Tang Dynasty that he still had courage. After all, in his opinion, since the north had been unified, the next step for the Tang Emperor would be to plot against Jiangdong. Wang Lin hoped to make the Tang Emperor realize his value and accept him to participate in the offensive against the Southern Chen.

So when the Tang army marched south, before the two sides fought, Wang Lin immediately submitted a letter of surrender. If the Tang Dynasty still refused to accept it, then he planned to lead his troops directly to Lingnan, and would no longer stay in Lingbiao to fight against the Tang army with Chunyu Liang. Chunyu Liang had been in Lingbiao for a long time, but his power had not developed much. It was a foolish dream for him to want to compete with the Tang army, which was now in full swing.

Facing Li Xun's request, Wang Lin hesitated for a moment. He gathered his generals and asked, "We did all these things in order to serve the Emperor of Tang and seek a future for our soldiers. If we return to Bashan now, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape if Tang refuses to accept us. What are you going to do?"

"We swear to follow you, lord. We can go anywhere, north of the Yangtze River or south of the Lingnan River. The life and death in the future is up to you!"

When the generals heard Wang Lin's question, they all spoke up to express their opinions.

After hearing this, Wang Lin's eyes, which had been somewhat hesitant, became firm, and he said in a deep voice: "In this case, let's go to Bashan together. Even if we flee to Lingnan, looking at the current situation, Chen's son will not be able to stop Tang's order from Jiangbei for long. Lingnan will soon belong to the Tang emperor, and there will be nowhere to go. If you don't die now, you can have a promising future. If you flee now, you will be wandering and have no place to stay for the rest of your life."

  　I wish our motherland prosperity and the Chinese nation everlasting self-improvement!!!

　　(End of this chapter)