Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1360 Linchuan surrenders
"Your Majesty, you must not go to Jin'an in person! Chen Baoying has been occupying his hometown for a long time and is arrogant. It is hard to predict what he is up to. If you go there rashly, you may be arrested!"

When they heard that Chen Qian said he would go to Jin'an in person to meet Chen Baoying, all the generals under his command spoke up to persuade him.

However, Chen Qian waved his hand and said, "No matter how cunning and unpredictable this man's schemes are, they are all about benefits and disadvantages. Now the Tang army has already occupied Jian'an and has repeatedly tried to attack Jin'an. Thanks to our troops and the Kuaiji army, we have built camps and fences to resist the Tang army, so that Jin'an has not been exposed to the enemy's weapons for the time being.

The court was abducted to the north by the Tang army a few days ago. It is known that the Tang army is determined to invade Jiangdong and will never stop here. Only by joining forces with strong forces can the territory be safe. I will go to see them now, and even explain the benefits and risks. They will definitely not dare to harm me. Besides, the situation is now at a dead end. Where can I find a situation that is completely safe? "

They had been evacuating southward for more than a month, and the situation had continued to deteriorate during this period. After the Tang army pacified the entire territory of Kuaiji, it continued to advance southward, and the counties such as Jian'an in the north also fell one after another, failing to stop the Tang army's march southward.

Some of the Kuaiji soldiers who followed Chen Qian southward also fled, but many remained. They were unable to enter the core area of ​​central Fujian and could only build camps and temporarily live in the mountains. They did repel several tentative attacks by Tang scouts, but their various daily necessities were also being consumed rapidly. If they could not get enough supplies, they would run out of food and collapse.

Chen Baoying was very cautious and did not allow Chen Qian to lead most of the troops into Jin'an. Chen Qian simply did not go to meet him. However, as time went by and the situation became worse, he had to think about going to Jin'an to have a deep talk with Chen Baoying and ask him to provide the necessary supplies to sustain the consumption of the soldiers here. After all, once the people here were dispersed, Jin'an would be directly exposed to the iron hoof of the Tang army.

Fortunately, Chen Baoying was not a short-sighted person. Although he was somewhat disgusted with Chen Qian for luring the Tang army to the south, and was worried that Chen Qian would play the same trick on him that he had used against Hou Andu after entering the country, so he was very cautious. However, he was able to judge the general situation and the pros and cons. So when Chen Qian proposed to go into the city to meet him, he readily agreed and prepared a grand welcoming ceremony outside the city.

"I should have welcomed my brother personally upon his arrival, but unfortunately I was too busy with county affairs to go and see him. Now that my brother has come to my house, I will accept whatever instructions you give me and will not dare to refute!"

Chen Baoying was short and stocky, with a cunning gleam in his eyes. When he saw Chen Qian, he came forward enthusiastically, bowed his head and saluted, showing a respectful attitude of accepting the punishment.

Seeing the man like this, Chen Qian still had some resentment in his heart, but he could not vent it at this moment. He just sighed and said, "I came here uninvited, and I am an unwelcome guest. I was forced by the powerful enemy and had no choice but to retreat here. I hope to unite with the heroes of Jiangdong to resist the powerful enemy and save my country."

"I am just a local scholar, and I only care about the gains and losses of local affairs. I don't have such great ambitions as you, but I also know that no egg can survive when the nest is overturned. If the country is about to fall, how can the family survive? In order to protect the safety of our hometown, I must unite with you wholeheartedly and fight against the powerful enemy together. You can tell me what you have planned. As long as it is within my ability, I will do my best to fulfill my duty!"

After hearing this, Chen Baoying also said seriously that although he did not have the whole Jiangdong in his heart like Chen Qian, he was also reluctant to give up Jin'an County where his family had been based for generations. He hoped that it could be passed down as an eternal foundation and did not want the arrival of the Tang army to interrupt the inheritance.

Chen Baoying's statement also made Chen Qian feel slightly relieved, and he immediately expressed his hope that Chen Baoying could increase the supply of supplies to his troops so that they could continue to fight against the Tang army.

During this period of time, the soldiers brought by Chen Qian have demonstrated their value in the process of resisting the Tang army. Therefore, after a little hesitation, Chen Baoying readily expressed that he could allocate 20,000 shi of grain to them, and could continue to allocate more if needed in the future.

Both sides got what they needed, and the exchange was very pleasant. Chen Baoying not only provided Chen Qian with sufficient supplies, but also sent his son Chen Qinqin to lead a group of elite Jin'an soldiers to obey Chen Qian's orders and go to resist the invasion of the Tang army. Chen Qian also reciprocated by entrusting his wife and children to Chen Baoying, which could be regarded as a hostage exchange.

Huge external pressure can temporarily suppress internal conflicts, allowing people to give up suspicion and cooperate sincerely. However, once the pressure continues to increase, even close cooperation between the parties will be difficult to reverse the decline, and the originally suppressed thoughts will grow again, and even explode more violently.

The mountainous and hilly terrain of Central Fujian did hinder the Tang army's offensive to a certain extent, but it was not an insurmountable and dangerous place. After all, even Jinyang, which was located in the Taiyuan Basin, was conquered by the Tang army. The military strength of Central Fujian was obviously far inferior to that of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

After suffering a minor setback in the initial offensive due to insufficient preparation, the front divisions of the Tang army temporarily retreated to Jian'an County to rest, waiting for the arrival of the rear army before continuing to advance southward.

This time, it was no longer a test like before, but a real attack and full-scale advancement. When the Tang army showed its true strength, it was naturally not something that the hastily formed camps of the Kuaiji soldiers could stop, and soon these strongholds were eliminated one by one.

At the same time, the Tang army also learned the lesson of being blocked on the north bank of the Qiantang River. This time they chose to advance simultaneously by land and sea. While the land division was moving south, the navy, led by generals from the Southern Dynasty such as Xu Du and Yang Kun, moved south from Kuaiji to the sea and successfully landed near Jin'an.

When Chen Baoying learned of this, he was shocked and immediately led his troops to the seaside to set up fences to resist the Tang army. While the Jin'an army was busy dealing with the Tang army's attacks from both land and sea, people in the territory were inevitably uneasy.

Yu Ji, a native of Kuaiji, was stranded in Fujian in his early years because of Hou Jing's Rebellion. He was repeatedly detained by Chen Baoying and was unable to return home. He was unwilling to be employed by Chen Baoying, so he lived in seclusion in Dongshan, Jin'an. It was not until the Tang army came south and Kuaiji fell that Yu Ji accepted Chen Baoying's invitation to serve as his assistant and assist him in handling county affairs.

Chen Baoying went east to the seaside to meet the Tang army, and his son Chen Qinqin followed Chen Qian to resist the enemy in the mountains and fields of central Fujian. Yu Ji was ordered to stay in Jin'an city in a critical moment.

On this day, someone suddenly came into the mansion with a visiting card asking for a meeting. Yu Ji saw that the card was signed by his nephew Yu Shiji who stayed in the village, so he hurriedly asked his staff to bring the person into the mansion to meet him.

Although Yu Shiji was still young, he was already quite calm. However, after entering the hall and seeing his uncle Yu Ji, he could not help but be moved. He knelt on the ground and cried, "Misfortune has come. I almost thought I would say goodbye to my uncle forever..."

Yu Ji quickly stood up and helped his nephew up, then asked in a hurry: "I heard that my hometown had been occupied, but I haven't heard any news from my family. I was very worried. I didn't expect Bo Lang to come here to see me. Now that you are here, where is A'nu? Could she have been killed in the war..."

Yu Ji was weak and sickly, and had no son. After drifting to Fujian, he was always worried and deeply regretted not having a son. His brother Yu Li had two sons, Yu Shiji and the youngest son Yu Shinan. Knowing that Yu Ji deeply regretted not having an heir, Yu Li adopted the second son Yu Shinan to Yu Ji.

However, Yu Ji had been wandering here for many years, and was shocked to hear that his hometown was in trouble before he returned home to see his hometown. At this time, he only saw Yu Shiji but not his adopted son Yu Shinan, so he was naturally very panicked.

"Don't worry, uncle. My brother is fine now and will stay in Kuaiji."

Yu Shiji first comforted Yu Ji, and then said sadly: "After my father passed away, I lived in the village with my younger brother. After the mourning period, I went to Tinglin to study under Master Tinglin. Recently, there was a riot in the countryside, and the King of Linchuan even instigated the powerful tribes in the country to loot the village, and my family was not spared.

Fortunately, the evildoers were afraid of Mr. Tinglin's reputation and did not dare to act rashly, so my son and my younger brother were able to escape disaster. The royal army crossed the river to pacify the territory, and Mr. Tinglin was also recruited. I was in the army, and this time the royal army landed in Jin'an, and I followed the army into the country. I heard that my uncle was employed by the Chen family, so I came to visit..."

"Wait a minute! You, you mean you are being sent to the Tang army? Gu Tinglin has also surrendered to the Tang?"

When Yu Ji heard his nephew's words, his eyes widened in astonishment. After he came to his senses, he raised his hand and signaled Yu Shiji to stop talking. He hurriedly walked out of the hall and waved his hand to drive the waiters outside the corridor away. Then he returned and glared at Yu Shiji and said, "There are many twists and turns in this matter. Please tell me in detail!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shiji nodded quickly and recounted his experiences over the past period of time in detail.

The Yu family of Kuaiji was a famous family that had lived in Yuyao for generations. It also had many branches. The brothers Yu Li and Yu Ji were both famous for their virtues, but the family was not prosperous. Yu Ji was taken away by the rebels and drifted to the central Fujian. Yu Li also died of illness a few years ago, leaving only the brothers Yu Shiji and Yu Shinan living in the village.

Gu Yewang of Wu County lived in Tinglin, Yuyao, so Yu Shiji and his brother studied under him. Before that, Hou Andu was recruiting able-bodied men in Kuaiji, and Yu Shiji was spared because of Gu Yewang's protection. However, when Chen Qian instigated the scholars of Kuaiji to flee, all his family's property was taken away by the bandits, which naturally made Yu Shiji very angry.

It happened that Xu Du recommended Gu Yewang to Shi Ning, the chief general of the Tang army, saying that he was a wise man in Wu. Yu Shiji then simply followed Gu Yewang and joined the Tang army. So he came here to see his uncle Yu Ji again.

"Uncle, the general trend of the world is clear today. God hates the Chen family, and the four seas are moving towards unification. Anyone who intends to resist will find it difficult to succeed. What the King of Linchuan has done is not a sign of benefiting Jiangdong or prospering the country. He is nothing but greed for power and chaos, and his bad nature is hard to get rid of! Uncle, if you still follow the thief, even if you don't consider the damage to your family's reputation, I am worried that you will be drowned in this disaster!"

Yu Shiji looked at his uncle and said earnestly, "Some people say that the country folks are seeking safety and survival, but who has ever experienced the brutality of the Tang army? They are just repeating what others say and spreading rumors. Although I have been in the army for a short time, I have seen that the Tang army is disciplined and measured in their actions. They never abuse the people and show off their power. Instead, they divide the villages and distribute land to the people. Linchuan is foolish to think of rebellion because of the rabble left over from the robbery. If he returns to Wuzhong, the Tang army will not even need to attack, and the country folks who have received the land will attack him!"

"It's just that General Chen treated me very well and entrusted me with the affairs of the county..."

When Yu Ji heard his nephew's persuasion, he couldn't help but frowned and said.

"There are big and small righteousness, long and short integrity, how could your uncle not know the difference? I am here now, and I am determined to die. If you do not accept my advice and kill me and hand me over to the enemy, I will have no complaints. However, this will not help the cause or yourself, and will only leave a bad reputation and make people laugh. But if you are generous and return to justice and participate in the casting of the golden bowl, this wise move of judging the situation will surely be recorded in history books!" Seeing that his uncle was still hesitant, Yu Shiji hurriedly said in a deep voice: "It is not necessary for me to come here now. The royal army is powerful and it is not difficult to defeat the enemy. But because I think of you, your uncle, trapped among the enemy, I took the risk to come here to talk to you. Please make a decision as soon as possible!"

"My children are courageous and have a bright future ahead of them. It is I who have been blinded by my own blindness and have made mistakes."

After hearing this, Yu Ji sighed with relief, and then he pondered: "I am in this position now. If I return to the throne hastily without any tribute, it will not be enough to show my sincerity. If I take the Prince of Linchuan and offer him to the king's army, it can also stop the war in Jiangdong early and bring peace to the people!"

Yu Shiben came here just to persuade his uncle Yu Ji to surrender to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible, and not to be trapped in the bandits and unable to extricate himself. Hearing Yu Ji's words, he was naturally very moved for a moment, and nodded quickly and said: "If this matter is successful, it will be great, but what else do you have in mind, uncle?"

"Looking at what the King of Linchuan has done, he has made national interests his own, acting arbitrarily and recklessly, and all those who conspire with him will eventually be betrayed by him. Now General Chen has taken him in, and I believe he will also have the intention of plotting against Jin'an. Now I tell General Chen that he has already left the city to fight the enemy, and I am willing to be his internal support to welcome him to Jin'an. If he falls into the trap, we will kidnap him and surrender to the king's army! This plan only targets villains and will not harm gentlemen. If he goes for this, he will deserve to die!"

Yu Ji spoke again in a deep voice, and Yu Shiji nodded in agreement after hearing it. So the uncle and nephew hurriedly began to implement this plan, hoping to gain more merits as soon as possible before the Tang army attacked Jin'an.

Soon Yu Ji's letter was delivered to Chen Qian at the front line in the mountains of Jin'an. The successive setbacks had made Chen Qian doubt his own judgment, so after receiving the letter, he discussed it with his confidants.

"This is absolutely unacceptable. Chen Baoying and I have formed an alliance to fight against the enemy and have never broken our promise. If we rashly seize his foundation, we will only disrupt our own formation and will not be able to help our fight against the enemy! Moreover, his family has been rich and powerful for generations in Fujian and has a deep understanding of personnel management. How can we expect a mere guest official to be able to predict their fate?"

When Chen Qian told this story, Qian Daojie simply shook his head and denied it.

However, Han Zigao on the side had a different view: "The current situation is critical and changing rapidly. Opportunities are fleeting, so we need to be flexible and not stubborn. Chen Baoying is just a local tyrant who has no big plans. Although he has the power of the village, he does not know how to make good use of it.

If the king can take possession of it now, and if he can defeat the enemy with it, then there is hope for recovery. After the matter is settled, he will naturally return his property and be rewarded with more grace. He will never cling to a corner. If it is still difficult to defeat the enemy with it, then we will not have to worry about it. Fujian will return to the Tang Dynasty, so why bother to care about who it belonged to before?"

After listening to Han Zigao's story, Chen Qian nodded and said, "What Zigao said is exactly what I think. If we delay, there may be changes. We should act quickly."

So when they fought with the Tang army, Chen Qian pretended to be wounded by a stray arrow, slowly led his troops to retreat, and then led Han Zigao and other confidants to Jin'an City in the rear. Before entering the city, he was also a little cautious and did not bring all his troops into the city, but left a few hundred people outside as support.

At this time in Jin'an City, Yu Ji's uncle and nephew also secretly gathered a group of soldiers to prepare to capture Chen Qian later.

After Chen Qian entered the city, Yu Ji first led him back to the mansion that Chen Baoying had prepared for him in the city, and agreed to gather all the Chen family members in the city to visit him the next morning, and take the opportunity to capture all the confidants of Chen Baoying's family in the city in one fell swoop.

However, that night, Yu Ji arranged for his soldiers to attack Chen Qian's mansion. Because the mansion was provided by the county government, Yu Ji was very familiar with the layout. He personally led the soldiers to attack the master bedroom in the back of the inner house. However, when he entered, he only saw Chen Qian's wife, children and family members, but no trace of Chen Qian himself.

Chen Qian was staying in the front yard room that night, sleeping in the same quilt with Han Zigao. Suddenly, the house was attacked. He was terrified and hurriedly climbed over the wall with Han Zigao to escape, luckily escaping a murder.

After he calmed down, he mistakenly thought that Chen Baoying was setting a trap to kill him, so he was extremely angry and fled out of the city at night. He gathered his troops and waited until the city gate opened in the morning, then suddenly led his troops to kill in the city. At this time, there were not many soldiers stationed in the city, and Chen Qian and his entourage were angry and suddenly attacked, and they actually broke into the city lord's mansion and started killing people.

Yu Ji led his men to search last night but could not find any trace of Chen Qian. He thought that he had already fled far out of the city. He did not dare to stay in this troubled place any longer. After all, as Qian Daojie said, there were many relatives of Chen Baoying in the city. It was not a place where he could act recklessly. It was better to leave as soon as possible. Although it was disappointing that Chen Qian was not captured, it was better to capture his wife, children and family members.

But he did not expect Chen Qian to come back so quickly. Before he and his party could evacuate, they were blocked in the county government.

"Yu Ji, you bastard, I respected you as a wise man from Kuaiji and trusted you without any doubt, but I didn't expect that you would obey the orders of the thieves and harm me. Prepare to die!"

When enemies meet, their eyes are filled with jealousy. After seeing Yu Ji, Chen Qian took a knife and killed him on the spot without saying a word. Soon his nephew Yu Shiji was searched out from an idle house near the county government and was also beheaded on the spot.

Next, Chen Qian searched the entire city and arrested all of Chen Baoying's clansmen in the city. However, his hundreds of soldiers could not control the entire city, and the news of the chaos in the city inevitably spread to the outside.

The first person to receive the news was Chen Baoying, who was resisting the Tang army more than ten miles east of Jin'an City. When he learned that the King of Linchuan had invaded the county city, he subconsciously suspected that he might follow in the footsteps of Hou Andu. So he no longer cared about resisting the Tang army and immediately led his confidants to flee to Jin'an, hoping to recapture his old nest.

But the Tang army on the opposite side was not stupid. When they saw Chen Baoying's troops moving backwards, they immediately launched a fierce attack. They quickly crossed the front line, broke through the obstructing fortifications, and chased them all the way.

At this time, the chaos in Jin'an City had not yet subsided. Many people were fleeing outside the city. Outside the city, Chen Baoying's defeated army and the Tang army's pursuing division appeared one after another. The people from all sides were thrown together, and the scene was extremely chaotic for a while.

Of course Chen Qian still wanted to stabilize the situation, but the situation had already deteriorated to such an extent that he had no ability to control it anymore. He could only rush left and right in the crowd under the protection of his trusted men. He finally reached the outskirts of the crowd, but suddenly a group of Tang cavalry appeared nearby.

"The enemy in front is the King of Linchuan, Chen Qian. Chase him quickly and don't let him get away!"

Yang Kun was leading his troops patrolling outside the chaotic crowd, trying to get into the battlefield to control the situation. However, before he found the right opportunity, he unexpectedly discovered such a big target. He was very happy and hurriedly led his men on horseback to chase after him.

Chen Qian and his companions were shocked when they saw this, and they quickly left the crowd and fled far away. However, the Tang army behind them was chasing them relentlessly, and the quality of the Tang army's horses was far superior to those ridden by Chen Qian and his party, and the distance between the two sides was rapidly closing.

Suddenly, Chen Qian's horse was hit by an arrow and he fell off the horse. His confidants exclaimed and reined in their horses to rescue him. However, at this time, the Tang army knights had already caught up and surrounded the group: "Quickly drop your weapons and you can avoid death!"

"Zigao, kill me! I have been stubborn for half my life, don't let myself be humiliated by the hands of a captive at the end of my life!"

Seeing that it was difficult to escape, Chen Qian's sword was lost when he fell off his horse. At this time, he shouted to Han Zi who was closest to him.

"Your Majesty, please go now. I will follow you!"

After hearing this, Han Zigao's tears immediately burst out. He roared and stabbed Chen Qian's abdomen with his sword.

"How dare you, thief!"

Yang Kun was about to capture Chen Qian alive, but when he saw this he became furious and drew his bow to shoot at Han Zigao.

However, the sword in Han Zi's hand had already pierced into Chen Qian's abdomen. When he was about to draw the sword back to commit suicide, he was shot in the shoulder blade on the back and fell to the ground in pain.

Seeing Chen Qian's corpse lying before him, all the past events flashed through his mind like a passing scene. His determination to die was gone in an instant, and a desire to survive surged into his heart. Turning around, he saw the Tang army knights surrounding him. He quickly shouted, "I have killed the thief king Chen Qian. Please spare my life, General!"

However, the surrounding Tang army soldiers had not yet reacted. Han Zigao's words angered Chen Qian's confidants. They chopped Han Zigao's neck with their swords and shouted angrily: "Your Majesty has failed the people, but not Han. The people can live, but Han must die!"