Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1332: Vow to Guard the Ancestral Tomb

Before the rules for supporting the king were drawn up in Wuxing, the imperial court had already issued a proclamation of war against Hou Andu.

Before this, Chen Qian had concealed the news that the Tang army had crossed the river and stationed in Jingkou, but the court's proclamation of war was delivered by express and posted on bridges, houses, and dams along the way. Naturally, the relevant situation spread in an instant.

At this time, the people of Wuxing realized that the Tang army had not only crossed the river in large numbers, but would also send troops directly to Kuaiji, located at the southernmost tip of the Three Wus, and that this move had also been recognized and supported by the imperial court!

This series of news suddenly exploded among the people like thunder, and the people were in a panic. At the same time, there was no shortage of false exaggerations in the process of dissemination, so that in the end, the people of Wuxing knew that the million-strong Tang army had crossed the river and was on its way to the Three Wus, vowing to kill all the people of the Three Wus without leaving a single survivor.

"Excuse me, my king, have the Tang army already breached the river defenses and are they about to attack the Three Wus?"

The Linchuan Palace in Changcheng County had attracted many local people in recent days, so naturally, such explosive news reached here at the first time. All the local people could not hold back, and left their temporary camps one after another, rushing to the Linchuan Palace.

"Everyone, calm down. The king is discussing things with his confidants and will give an explanation to the people of Jiangdong later!"

The incident happened suddenly, and all of Chen Qian's personnel plans were disrupted by this manifesto. Now everyone from top to bottom is in a panic, including Prince Linchuan, who is also confused and doesn't know how to respond to the people's inquiries. He can only temporarily avoid the palace, and the Chief Secretary Shen Ke comes forward to appease the people gathered outside the palace.

Although Shen Ke was quite prestigious in the county, he was now facing a moment when his life and property were under serious threat. In addition, King Linchuan was usually keen on gathering the villagers, so the villagers naturally gathered here subconsciously. They were unwilling to leave before getting a definite response and guarantee.

There was a lot of noise outside the palace, and there were constant disputes and even quarrels inside the palace. Chen Qian obviously had not yet recovered from this blow. He just sat at the table with a gloomy expression, watching his subordinates talking and arguing without saying a word.

"The court is writing this letter now because it is under pressure from the Tang army and has no other choice. Your Majesty is the backbone of the clan. At this time, you must rise up to fight against the invaders and must not stay out of it and hope for success or failure!"

Someone spoke loudly, but few people in the hall responded.

Although everyone had been discussing plans to support the king before, it would be a joke to say that we should immediately raise an army and march to Jiankang. Especially now that the imperial court has issued this manifesto, no one knows the specific situation in the court, and whether the king Chen Chang and the ministers in the court have completely turned to the Tang Dynasty. Leading the people to Jiankang to rescue the king at this time is undoubtedly tantamount to suicide!

Therefore, in the view of some cool-headed people, instead of rushing to rescue the emperor, they should firmly hold on to Wuzhong, repair the city defenses, and build fortifications. Otherwise, if the Tang army comes south, all will be over!

"What about the troops of Wujun? The Tang army has marched south in force and has teamed up with the imperial court to issue an order to attack Kuaiji. If our soldiers only defend Wuxing, Wujun will be isolated and trapped. The enemy's so-called attack on Kuaiji is just a trick to confuse the enemy. When they see that Wujun has no help, they will capture it first. If Wujun is lost, can Wuxing be saved?"

Someone else said that Wuxing and Wujun were both located in the Taihu Plain, and there was no barrier between them in terms of topography. It could be said that in summer and autumn, they could still rely on the extensive network of rivers and canals to provide some resistance. But now it was the dry season of winter. Once the Northern Dynasty war horses broke into Wuzhong, they would be like a group of unmanned troops, galloping around and making it difficult to resist.

Therefore, even if they wanted to defend Wuxing, it would be unrealistic to just build fortifications in Wuxing to resist the enemy's attack. The best way was to defend Wujun and try to keep the war outside the country.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked worried and the atmosphere was silent for a moment, but soon someone said, "If the court sends troops from the capital to accompany the Tang army into the country, what should we do? Should we also include the Jiankang division to fight back?" After this question was raised, it immediately triggered a series of discussions. Everyone expressed their opinions again, but those who held opposite opinions could not convince each other, so they could only put it aside for the time being and continue discussing other issues.

The meetings in the palace remained in this state. No issue could be discussed to a clear conclusion, and no issue could attract people to continue discussing. Because of the current situation, there were too many issues, each of which was very important and required serious discussion and quick decision-making, but they were all controversial and difficult to reach a conclusion.

The people in the palace were arguing endlessly and had no plan. The people outside the palace had not received any response, so they became more and more agitated. Even Shen Ke was about to lose control of the situation. He could only bring some of the most noisy tyrants into the palace and let them join the discussion. After these people arrived, they raised new questions, which made the situation even more complicated.

Chen Qian, who was supposed to preside over the meeting and make decisions, just watched everyone discuss without saying a word. His gloomy and gloomy face made people dare not interrupt him. The discussion went on like this, and before they knew it, it went from day to night and from night to day.

Although there was endless discussion in the hall, no effective consensus was reached, and everyone present was naturally exhausted and yawning from fatigue.

At dawn, Chen Qian, who had been sitting silently at the table, stood up, holding his sword and looking down at everyone in the hall. He said in a deep voice: "This time the Tang army crossed the river to threaten, and the court issued chaotic orders one after another. The situation is really critical. At this critical moment of life and death, you all have your own thoughts and opinions, and your intention to save your country is very sincere. Who has a good plan that has not been said yet?"

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. They had been arguing for most of the day and the entire night, and they were now exhausted. They had even forgotten what topic they had discussed and what opinions they held.

"Since you have nothing to say, it's my turn. When the country is in danger, even if you have thousands of plans, you can only follow one plan. Even if you have millions of people, you still have to obey one person. Once the plan is decided, it will never be changed. Once the order is issued, those who violate it will be punished! Now in this hall, I warn you all, if anyone is unwilling to obey my orders, leave here immediately and make a living, and I will not blame you. But if you miss this time and disobey my orders again, I will test my sword and kill you without mercy!"

Chen Qian looked at everyone again and spoke in a deep voice. He was silent for such a long time, of course, because he was in turmoil and had no plan in mind, but at the same time he also wanted to see what the situation was like for his subordinates. Sure enough, everyone was frightened by such a drastic change, and for a while they were confused and distracted.

Therefore, before making various contingency strategies, he must first establish his absolute authority. Since the imperial court and the Tang army have spoken together, and his status as a prince is no longer enough to intimidate and command the powerful people in Wu, only by establishing a consensus and tacit understanding between each other can he command the masses and arrange a counterattack.

Everyone was already tired of arguing in vain. After waiting for Chen Qian to speak, they all stood up and bowed, and said, "We are willing to obey the king's orders, resist foreign enemies, and defend our country. If anyone disobeys, we will kill him together!"

Hearing the response from everyone, Chen Qiancai nodded slightly again, and then continued: "The most urgent task is to prevent the enemy and prepare for war! All the men in Wuzhong, single men should stay at home, and those with more men should leave their youngest sons at home, and the rest should go in and wait! If the Tang army arrives, we will die if we scatter, and survive if we gather together. I warn the villagers not to make foolish plans that will lead to their own destruction! Wu County must also be rescued, and we should select the best soldiers to arm the brigade and wait for the time to come to help.

I will also tell the court whether Hou Andu is truly guilty of an unforgivable crime. I will investigate and report to the court. If he is indeed guilty, I will personally execute him and send him to the court, and there is no need for the Tang army to come to the south! If the Lord still cares about his country, he should not allow the enemy to harm him. If this plan is not clear, how can he command the world? Now I am in my hometown, in the ancestral tomb. If the Tang army enters Wuxiang without permission and disturbs my ancestors, I will mobilize all the villagers to fight to the death and resist them! "

When everyone heard that Prince Linchuan was planning to fight the Tang army to the death, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. However, they had already stated that they would obey Prince Linchuan's orders. Now thinking of the Tang Kingdom's relentless pressure and aggressiveness and the court's weakness, they were all filled with indignation and responded one after another.

Chen Qian also knew that if the Tang army really attacked in large numbers, it would be difficult to resist Wuxing with its personnel strength alone. In addition, the Tang army was originally targeting Hou Andu in Kuaiji, so after announcing the preparations for war and responding to the court, he immediately sent an envoy to Kuaiji to inform Hou Andu. Of course, he did not go there to question him, but to order Hou Andu to reinforce Wuxing as soon as possible. Once Wuxing was not defended, his people would not be able to escape.