The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 552: Mixed joys and sorrows, Southern Tang counterattacks

Feishui North Camp.

The location of the imperial camp of the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin returned from Wokou with a great victory. Chai Rong was overjoyed and was convening a commendation meeting with all the generals to discuss the next direction of march.

During the dinner, the good news came from Chuzhou, a victory greater than that of Wokou, which greatly inspired Chai Rong and the generals.

"Haha~ Zhu Xiu lived up to my expectations. With only [-] soldiers and horses, he defeated Qingliuguan and Chuzhou City, killed the two Tang army generals Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng, and completely destroyed all the Tang army's defenses in Chuzhou!"

Chai Rong read the victory letter word for word, slapped the book hard, and laughed heartily.

All the generals in the imperial tent were surprised and delighted. They urged each other to circulate the victory reports. They all wanted to know how Zhu Xiu captured Chuzhou with only [-] troops.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng claimed that 15 troops were stationed in Chuzhou. After all the water was removed, there were still [-] to [-] fighting troops.

The enemy is several times larger than himself, how did Zhu Xiu manage to break through the city one after another?
Everyone present here is a well-versed military officer, both in civil and military affairs. After reading the victory book, they whispered to each other. As long as they are slightly familiar with the terrain of Chuzhou and Qingliuguan, they will know how exquisite and effective Zhu Xiu's series of surprise attack plans are.

Li Chongjin said sourly: "This guy led [-] troops and captured Chuzhou easily. Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng are really useless, they fell into Zhu Xiaozi's schemes one after another!
We, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses and 10,000+ civilians, fought around Shouchun City for several months, but we failed to pull out the nail. "

Li Gu Nianxu said with emotion: "Zhu Xiu is indeed a talented person for Wang Zuo. In time, he will definitely be the pillar of my imperial court!"

Although Li Gu was relieved of his post as commander of the army before marching and became a deputy commander in name only, he had no regrets at all.

In his opinion, Zhengyang's withdrawal of troops was really a helpless move and a necessary step.

His mission was to successfully build a pontoon bridge on the Huaihe River before the Tang army could react, ensure the safety of the pontoon bridge, and prepare for the arrival of subsequent large forces.

At that time, Liu Yanzhen led the Tang army to rescue Shouchun, but the Zhou army did not have the upper hand and reinforcements had not arrived. The only option was to retreat back to the north bank of the Huaihe River.

Chai Rong used Li Chongjin to replace him as commander of the battalion, more for the purpose of stabilizing the morale of the army than to really punish him.

After all, the war in Huainan was planned by Chai Rong. He had a clear goal before sending out troops and would not give up until he captured the fourteen states in Huainan.

What would the soldiers think if they retreated after encountering slight setbacks at the beginning of their advance?

Therefore, Li Gu just had some bad luck, not a mistake in his ability or decision-making.

Chai Rong seemed angry about this matter, but it was more of a gesture to tell the Zhou soldiers and officials that the emperor and the court were firm and unshakable in their determination to conquer Huainan, and everyone must be united as one.

No matter who it is, who dares to hold back will be in trouble.

After Chai Rong arrived in Shouzhou, he would discuss with Li Gu and seek his opinions every time he made a major military decision.

This also shows that in Chai Rong's mind, his favor and respect for Li Gu have not diminished at all.

Zhao Kuangyin was the last one to read the victory book. He held it in his hand and was reluctant to let go. He suddenly felt a sense of loss in his heart.

Compared with the Chuzhou victory led by Zhu Xiu, his Wukou victory seemed much inferior.

After all, Tushan was only a stronghold of the Tang Army, but Chuzhou was the strategic center of the entire Huainan, and its weight was no less than that of Shouzhou.

The entire territory of Shouzhou, except for Shouchun City, was basically cleared of Tang army forces.

But the nail in Shouchun is so hard and deep that there is no hope of pulling it out in a short time.

The entire Huainan war situation, and with the great victory of Chuzhou, the balance of victory completely tilted towards the Zhou side.

Zhao Kuangyin sighed imperceptibly, with admiration and jealousy flashing in his eyes.

No matter how outstanding his performance was, it was still a bit bleak compared to Zhu Xiu.

That guy seems to be born to be the protagonist, and he is so radiant that whenever you are around him, you will be overshadowed by his brilliance.

Zhao Kuangyin was a little distracted.

The atmosphere in the imperial tent was high and enthusiastic, and no one noticed anything strange about Zhao Kuangyin.

Chai Rong said with a smile: "After taking Chuzhou, only Shouchun, Haozhou, Chuzhou and the Tang army's stubborn resistance are left along the Huainan route. I have decided to set off for Haozhou in the near future to personally supervise the battle and strive to capture Haozhou before the end of May. The whole territory, and then continue to march into the hinterland of Huainan."

All the soldiers stood in awe and straightened their backs to listen to the emperor's next battle arrangements.

After pondering for a moment, Chai Rong said: "Li Chongjin and Li Gu continue to stay in Shouzhou and besiege Shouchun City. We must not relax and try to pull out this nail for me as soon as possible!
Si Chao was ordered to garrison troops at Huoshan to prevent the Tang army from going north from Shuzhou to rescue Shouchun.

Order Wang Yan to go beyond Bingyin Mountain Pass and march towards Huangzhou!
Shi Kuangwei, who was stationed in Shen County, was ordered to move to Chuzhou. Zhao Kuangyin led [-] soldiers and horses to take over the defense of Chuzhou. All the soldiers and horses on the eastern front were under the control of the deputy envoy Zhu Xiu. There must be no mistake! "

"I will obey your orders!"

All the generals solemnly accepted their orders.

Zhao Kuangyin felt a little unwilling. He was older than Zhu Xiu and thought that he was no weaker than Zhu Xiu in marching and fighting. He always regarded himself as his elder brother. He was really unhappy when he was asked to go to Chuzhou to obey Zhu Xiu's orders.

But there was nothing that could be done. Shouchun could not be defeated for a while. Wang Yanchao and Si Chao had divided their forces and marched towards Huangzhou and Shuzhou. Li Chongjin and Li Gu were in charge of Shouzhou, and His Majesty was personally supervising the battle in Haozhou. The remaining strategic points were It should be placed in the direction of Chuzhou and Yangzhou.

Zhao Kuangyin also wanted to lead the battle alone, but he knew that a single victory at the vortex was not enough to convince Chai Rong and the generals.

On the other hand, Zhu Xiu was in charge of the military affairs of the Zhangyi Army in Jingzhou when he was a boy. He successively served as the commander of the Tiger Wing Army and the governor of the Huai Army. He had rich experience in establishing the Forbidden Army and the Fan Zhen Army, and personally presided over the major reform of the Forbidden Army. This In the Huainan War, 15 soldiers and horses successfully captured Chuzhou, which was known to be garrisoned by [-] Tang troops.

Even the world-famous passes such as Qingliu Pass were captured by him effortlessly.

Now in the eyes of Chai Rong and the court officials, Zhu Xiu has grown into a trustworthy young commander.

Among the younger generation of the Zhou army, Li Chongjin, Zhu Xiu, and Zhang Yongde were the most dazzling, followed by Han Tong, Han Lingkun, Zhao Kuangyin and others.

After discussing for a while, the generals dispersed.

Chai Rong sat quietly in the imperial tent alone. After a while, Cao Han walked into the tent lightly.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from Kaifeng." Cao Han bowed and presented a secret report.

Chai Rong's heart thumped, and he hesitated for a moment, not even daring to take the secret report.

Seeing that he was stunned, Cao Han called out softly: "Your Majesty?"

Chai Rong nodded, took the secret report, tore up the paint, took out the letter and read it.

Even though he had a premonition in his heart, his heart was suddenly tightened after seeing the contents of the secret report.

"Queen." Chai Rong gripped the letter paper tightly, his eyes flushed.

The Wude Department urgently reported that Queen Fu Jinzhan's condition had worsened and the imperial doctors were helpless.

King Wei Fu Yanqing requested an order to return to Beijing for a visit.

In fact, Fu Jinzhan had serious health problems as early as Chai Rong's personal expedition. The symptoms left during childbirth eventually broke out, leaving the young Queen Zhou ill.

Chai Rong was worried and wanted to stay by the queen's side and take care of her personally, but Shouchun could not attack her for a long time, which also made him anxious.

Fu Jinzhan was lying on the sick bed and advised him to put military and national affairs first. Only then did Chai Rong decide to go to Huainan to supervise the war in person.

After a few months, Chai Rong misses and worries about Fu Jinzhan who is far away in Kaifeng all the time.

He absolutely did not want to see this secret report from the Department of Wude.Cao Han whispered: "Do you want me to make arrangements for my return to Beijing?"

Chai Rong hesitated for a while, then sighed: "You prepare secretly, don't make it public, wait until you take Haozhou!"

"I understand." Cao Han looked at the haggard and sorrowful emperor and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The great victory in Huainan made the Emperor of Zhou famous throughout the country, but his beloved queen became seriously ill day by day, and she was filled with great sorrow and joy, which was heartbreaking.

This may be God's way of giving and taking away.

~~~~
Jiangning, Xingtang Palace, Jingxing Palace.

Compared with the high morale scene of the Zhou army camp on the north bank of Feishui River, the Southern Tang court could be described as gloomy and gloomy.

Li Jing held the frontline military report in both hands and scanned it ten lines at a time. His bloodshot eyes were filled with fear and anger, and his whole body could not stop shaking.

"Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng! Their mediocrity harms the country! They are so angry with me!"

Li Jing slammed the military newspaper down the stairs, and his face was full of sullenness.

Li Jing was so angry that his voice was trembling: "Immediately capture the families of Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng and behead them in public! To atone. To atone for the two of them losing the pass and the city! Cough cough cough~~"

Li Jing was so excited that she couldn't breathe.

At the same time, he did not forget to glare fiercely at Song Qiqiu, Feng Yansi, Feng Yanlu and other courtiers who were standing under the steps, bowing their heads and saying nothing.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng were highly recommended by Song Qiqiu, so Li Jing placed high hopes on them and led the army to garrison Chuzhou.

Now that the second general was defeated and died, and Chuzhou fell, Li Jing naturally placed the blame on Song Qiqiu.

Li Jing was so angry that he wanted to kill the two generals and their families, which shocked all the ministers in the hall.

Sun Sheng, an old minister who had been prime minister for the second time, immediately stood up and said: "Your Majesty, you must not do this!
The two generals can be regarded as dying for their loyalty to the country. Although the wrong decision-making led to the fall of Chuzhou, the reason was that the Zhou army was too cunning and cunning, not because the two generals were not loyal to the emperor!
If Your Majesty kills the families of the two generals, it will definitely chill the morale of the Huainan soldiers. It is really unnecessary!
The veteran suggested that the two generals should be given a royal burial and their families should be appeased. Only in this way can the soldiers on the front line be comforted. "

Jin Wang Li Jingsui and Qi Wang Li Jingda also stood up to agree.

Important ministers such as Han Xizai, a scholar of Qinzheng Palace, and Chen Jue, the Privy Councilor, also expressed their support.

Song Qiqiu and others also had the courage to put in good words for the second general, and Li Jing said impatiently: "Just do what Xianggong Sun said!"

Li Jing gritted his teeth and said: "Zhu Xiu, you are so cunning and despicable, you used trickery to seize our important town of Chuzhou!
If I had known this, I should not have let him go back to the Northern Dynasty. "

The ministers were silent, lowering their heads and not daring to say a word.

Everyone knew in their hearts that when Zha Wenhui and Prince Li Hongji chased and killed Zhu Xiu, Li Jing acquiesced behind it.

Therefore, there is no such thing as Li Jing letting Zhu Xiu return to the Northern Dynasty.

The more Li Jing thought about it, the angrier he became, and he glared at Li Hongji who was standing on the side of the steps, bowing his head and saying nothing.

If he hadn't done something wrong back then and allowed Zhu Xiu to escape back to Huaibei, how could he have given the enemy a chance to lead his army south for revenge now?

If it were in private, Li Jing would have been unable to help but scold him as "trash"!
Li Hongji is getting older, but he no longer has the heroic spirit of his youth.

His figure became thinner, his face was pale, his eyes were empty, and he looked sickly.

In recent years, he and his two imperial uncles, Li Jingsui and Li Jingda, had been fighting openly and secretly, which made Li Jing very upset. She lost her favor and trust in him and even had the idea of ​​establishing another prince.

Li Hongji lowered his head and said nothing, but there was a bit of resentment and sternness in his eyes.

In his view, his father's ambiguous attitude on both sides in order to balance the power of the East Palace and that of the Jin and Qi Kings was the source of the unrest in the East Palace over the years.

Li Jing wanted to keep the East Palace, but he didn't want the East Palace to become a big threat to the imperial power.

Rumors would spread in the court from time to time that the emperor would be re-established as the crown prince.

Every time these gossips came up, Li Hongji was in a panic, and he felt aggrieved for a long time, making his mind a little confused.

Li Hongji hated his two imperial uncles who were far more loved by the courtiers than him, and even more hated Li Jing who played with imperial power.

Li Jing's gloomy gaze swept over the ministers and landed on a thin, middle-aged scribe at the end of the crowd.

Li Jing said coldly: "Xu Xuan, you have known Zhu Xiu for a long time, and you like to study the military and civil affairs of the Northern Dynasty. You often write letters praising the military reforms and political measures of the Northern Dynasty, and suggest that our country should follow suit. Please tell us about the current situation in Huainan. How should I respond?"

All the ministers looked back one after another, making way for them.

Xu Xuan raised his eyes and looked forward with calm eyes. He bowed slightly and came forward.

Li Congjia, who was standing behind the important ministers, cast a worried look at him.

Li Congjia was already 19 years old. At the beginning of the year, Li Jing made the decision and asked him to marry the granddaughter of Feng Yanlu, the Prime Minister and Zhongshu Minister. He also asked him to lead Zhenhai Jiedushi from afar and hold the title of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs to train in the Sixth Ministry.

When Li Congjia grew up, his figure was as stocky as when he was a boy. He liked poetry, music and theory more than government affairs, which made his temperament more gentle and elegant.

Coupled with the two major phenomena of being born with double eyes and side teeth, the courtiers became more and more fond of him and thought he had the style of his grandfather Li Min.

Li Jing also noticed this and began to pay more attention to Xiao Liuzi, who was not very eye-catching before.

After Zhu Xiu fled, Xu Xuan was implicated. Song Qiqiu and Li Hongji accused him of being disloyal to the Southern Tang court because of his close friendship with Zhu Xiu.

Over time, Li Jing no longer liked this famous talent, so she found an excuse to demote Xu Xuan to the rank of Hanlin bachelor and alienate him from the center of the court.

Xu Xuan stood still, bowed and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that for the current plan, we should negotiate peace with the Lord Zhou as soon as possible."

Li Jing said angrily: "I have sent Li Deming to Shouchun to meet the Lord of Zhou, and I am willing to use Jiangnan's wealth and silk to quell the war, but the Lord of Zhou covets my land in Huainan and refuses to give up his troops!"
Now that the Zhou army has won great victories one after another, Huainan has been occupied by the Zhou army in four states. When negotiating for peace at this time, the Lord of Zhou will definitely take the opportunity to blackmail him. This is absolutely not allowed! "

Xu Xuan sighed: "The Zhou army is hard to stop. If we continue to fight, it will be difficult for our government to gain the upper hand. It will only be a waste of troops and generals. We should try our best to stop the troops and make peace as soon as possible to gain a breathing space."

In the coming days, our army will regroup and launch its Northern Expedition, with the hope of recapturing Huainan! "

As soon as these words came out, the whole palace was in an uproar and there were endless discussions.

There are those who curse, there are those who agree, and there are endless arguments.

Song Qiqiu shouted: "Absurd! When negotiating for peace at this time, the Lord of Zhou will definitely open his mouth and demand the Huainan states from me. Is it possible that he will cede territory to ask for peace?"

Xu Xuan's words will increase the enemy's ambition and destroy his own prestige!

The veteran suggested that it would be better to delay the Zhou army in the name of suing for peace, secretly transfer Jingjiang Jiedu envoy Lin Renzhao to lead the army to rescue Shouchun, and then ask His Highness the Crown Prince to go on an expedition and lead the army to Yangzhou. In this way, temporary stability on the east and west fronts could be ensured. !

As long as Shouchun is not broken, Zhou Jun will not even think about taking an inch further in Huainan! "

Li Jing's eyes lit up, Song Qiqiu's method was exactly what he wanted.

At the moment, Li Jing asked Song Qiqiu to explain in detail how the plan should be implemented, and many courtiers agreed with this proposal.

Looking at this chaotic scene, Xu Xuan sighed in his heart and backed away silently.

(End of this chapter)