The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 561 The Beginning of the Struggle
At the end of August, one evening, a cargo ship sailed into the Jiangning inner city dock.

The cargo ship did not fly the flag of any trading company, nor did it have any markings on its hull. The water transportation in the inner city was busy that day, and there were countless ships coming and going. The officials in charge of water transportation did not even notice that such a strange cargo ship was docked at the dock.

At night, a group of Lifu who did not know where to find them moved hundreds of sacks from the cabin of the cargo ship and placed them neatly in the middle of the pier square.

Then, the group of warriors quietly left without leaving a trace.

At dawn the next day, the inner city dock ushered in a busy day.

The wharf square is the center for unloading goods and for merchants and boatmen to come and go. A large number of sacks are piled there, which really affects the traffic.

What's even more weird is that this hill-like pile of sacks emits a stench that is hard to get close to.

Soon, the water transportation officials came after hearing the news and sent people to check it. They didn't know which shipping company this pile of sacks belonged to, and where the group of laborers came from to move it ashore.

The water transportation officer noticed something was wrong and invited a nearby street patrolman to cut open a sack on the spot.

A shocking and horrifying scene appeared. There were actually human heads in the sacks!

The street patrolman was brave enough to cut open several sacks one after another, only to find that they were all filled with human heads!

This hill made of piles of sacks turned out to be a mountain of human heads!

The street patrolman was also a capital school who had experienced fighting on the battlefield. Seeing this scene before him, he couldn't help but feel frightened and his legs were trembling.

The water transportation officials, merchants and boatmen in Jiangning City had never seen such a sensational formation, and they were so frightened that they dispersed.

In half a day, news spread throughout the city that a mountain of human heads appeared out of thin air at the dock in Jiangning's inner city!
The Forbidden Army quickly sent troops to block the dock, found a cargo ship, and loaded the sacks of human heads onto the ship, preparing to transport them outside the city for burial.

When removing the sacks, the Jiangning Forbidden Army found another scroll.

When I unfolded it, I saw a banner with a bloody line of large characters:
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the deputy envoy recruited by the former army camp in Huainan, the deputy commander of the Dianqian Division, the Wude envoy, the Jiedu envoy of the Zhenhuai Army, the governor of Haozhou, and Zhu Xiu, the Duke of Pengcheng County, presented the lord of the south of the Yangtze River!
The Imperial Guards were all dumbfounded at first sight, looking at each other with a shuddering feeling.

Zhu Xiu's name is now known to everyone in Jiangnan.

At a young age, he served as the deputy commander-in-chief of Zhengnan in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He personally led 15 troops to break through Chuzhou, which was guarded by [-] troops. He commanded the Eastern Front Army to attack Sizhou, Chuzhou, Yangzhou, Chuzhou, and Taizhou. Under his command, the Zhou army In the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, there were consecutive battles and victories, and the troops were directed towards Jiangning!

When the people in Jiangnan heard Zhu Xiu's name, they were afraid and admired him.

In addition, the old story of Zhu Xiu's going south to find relatives a few years ago was also found out again and spread all over the streets and alleys.

There are also rumors that Zhu Xiu is the lyricist of several popular new songs in the south of the Yangtze River in the past few years, "Silkworm Woman", "Tao Zhe", and "Spring Silkworm"!

The reason why these three tunes spread throughout Jiangnan and are highly praised by the common people is because the lyrics of the tunes sing the true bitterness of the common people and arouse widespread resonance.

For a time, Zhu Xiu's image in the minds of the people south of the Yangtze River became more and more mysterious and complex. He was not only a great talent with a compassionate heart, but also the most outstanding young commander in the world. He led the Zhou army to defeat the Tang army in Jiangbei and defeated them step by step. The heads of Tang soldiers were sent to Jiangning as gifts and presented to the Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty by name.

The revelation of the Rentoushan incident at the wharf, under the covert guidance of Wude Division, Zangfeng Camp, Police Department and Changxing Shipping Company, instantly aroused public opinion in Jiangning.

The officials and people of Jiangning talked about the change of Zhu color.

Xingtang Palace, Jingfu Palace.

There was a sound of smashing porcelain and jade.

"Zhu Xiu, you bullied me too much!"

In the hall, Li Jing yelled furiously, and with a loud crash, he overturned all the memorials, paper, pen and ink, and Zhenshi books placed on the imperial case.

Li Jing still felt puzzled, even wanted to overthrow the large and heavy imperial case, but after trying it, his face flushed and he couldn't lift it at all.

Li Jing was completely annihilated by anger and reason. With a cry, he pulled out the sword placed on Lan Qi, held up the gleaming sword, and said viciously: "I will kill this person with my own hands!"

As she said that, Li Jing danced twice as if she was dancing.

In the hall, more than a dozen important officials smiled helplessly.

Shangshu Zuopushi Zhong Mo carefully stepped over the porcelain fragments on the ground, took a small step forward, saluted and said: "Your Majesty, the warships of the Zhou army entered the Yangtze River from Jiangyang, went up the river, and docked at Guabu Ferry and Baisha Ferry. Block the river.

An urgent report came from the Zijin Mountain Camp. A small group of Zhou army troops landed on the south bank and cruised near Zijin Mountain for many days, seemingly trying to find out intelligence about our army.

According to this calculation, the Zhou army will probably land in large numbers in the near future and attack the Zijin Mountain camp!
Purple Mountain is the land barrier of Jiangning, and there is absolutely no room for failure. I beg your Majesty to make arrangements as soon as possible to guard against a surprise attack by the Zhou army! "

"Alas~" Li Jing sat down dejectedly and threw the sword in his hand at the imperial case, feeling frustrated.

Prime Minister Song Qiqiu hurriedly said: "The old minister recommends Guo Tingwei, the former Haozhou regiment training envoy and Baoxin Jiedu envoy, to garrison the Zijin Mountain camp! Guo Tingwei has been leading the army all year round and is mature and prudent. With him in charge of Zijin Mountain, it will be difficult for the Zhou army to advance!" "

Han Xizai couldn't help but sarcastically said: "Previously when Prime Minister Song recommended Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng, he said the same thing."

Song Qiqiu was furious: "If you, Uncle Han, dare to issue a military order, I will recommend you to your Majesty to take charge of the Purple Mountain!"

Han Xizai said with a smile: "Han is self-aware, and marching formation is not Han's specialty. This is not as good as Song Xianggong, who is proficient in both civil and military affairs. Why not invite Song Xianggong to go to Zijin Mountain to take charge in person?"

"You~" Song Qiqiu's face turned green and red, and he glared at Han Xizai.

Li Jing glanced at the two of them with disgust. These prestigious courtiers knew that he had had enough of the quarrel.

"According to the words of Song Lao Aiqing, Guo Tingwei was ordered to rush to Zijin Mountain immediately and take over the defense."

Privy Councilor Chen Juedao said: "Our army cannot be led by the Zhou army. I propose to send an army to attack Changzhou and recover Changzhou to break the Zhou, Wu and Yue coalition forces."

Li Jing glanced at everyone, and her eyes fell on Xu Xuan at the end.

"Xu Xuan, what do you think?" Li Jing asked lukewarmly.

Xu Xuan took a step forward, cupped his hands and said, "I have no other suggestions. I just want to remind your majesty and everyone that there is not much left in the national treasury this year. If we recruit new troops, where will the cost come from?"

Li Jing was stunned and glared at Xu Xuan, this guy really knew how to pour cold water on him.

Song Qiqiu, Zhong Mo, Chen Jue and others were also silent.

Li Jing said impatiently: "The tax on salt, iron and tea will be raised by another [-]%, until the beginning of next summer, if you still can't make up the cost of recruiting new troops, we will include distiller's yeast, porcelain, jade, and silk in the tax collection! "

As soon as these words came out, everyone frowned.

This method is simple and crude. It will indeed collect a large amount of money in a short period of time, but it will seriously disrupt commercial trade and cause private prices to skyrocket. Part of the pressure will have to be transferred to the people at the bottom. Over time, I am afraid it will accumulate. Public resentment.

Xu Xuan couldn't help but wanted to dissuade him, but Li Jing waved his hand and shouted: "Do as I say, everyone, please stand down!"

After finishing speaking, Li Jing quickly stepped down the steps and left through the side door of the main hall.

Song Qiqiu glanced at Han Xizai coldly, snorted and walked away.

Chen Jue, Feng Yansi and others followed closely.

Zhong Mo sighed worriedly: "If we continue to fight, Jiangnan will probably be dragged down!~"

Han Xizai and Xu Xuan watched him leave with heavy hearts.

Han Xizai shook his head and sighed: "The Northern Dynasty is fierce, and the south of the Yangtze River is in danger!"

Xu Xuan only smiled bitterly and had nothing to say.

"By the way, what does Ding Chen think of the issue of the people's heads at the pier?" Han Xizai asked in a low voice.

Xu Xuan was silent for a moment and said with a wry smile: "Zhu Xiu and Zhu Wencai have already shown their fangs! It can be seen that Lord Zhou is determined to annex Jiangnan!"

Han Xizai said: "But Zhu Xiu should not have used the heads of Tang army soldiers to intimidate the people south of the Yangtze River. In this case, it will be difficult to wash away his evil reputation."

Xu Xuan smiled bitterly and said: "How could Zhu Xiu not be angry when Shi Kuangwei, the Jiedushi envoy of Xuzhou, was lost in Chuzhou? When I was in Jingzhou, I knew that the two of them had the same affection as father and son. Zhu Xiu's move was, first, to vent his anger, and second, to Demonstration.”

Han Xizai recalled what happened when Zhu Xiu asked him for advice when he was in Jiangning.

I never imagined that such a refined and handsome man would do such a cruel thing.

Han Xizai let out a long sigh, "The troops of the Northern Dynasty are pressing down on the border, but our dynasty is still fighting among itself. Even though you and I have the heart to save the country and the people, we are powerless to save the country!"

Shaking his head, Han Xizai handed over and left. It seemed that at this moment, the ideals and beliefs in his heart completely collapsed.

Xu Xuan silently watched the slightly hunched figure go away.

When he stepped out of Jingfu Hall, Xu Xuan turned back and glanced at the emperor's throne above the steps.

Perhaps, only if the chair changes its owner, Jiangnan's situation will take a new turn.

~~~
In the southern suburbs of Jiangning City, a man in ragged clothes and a gray face sat on a cart piled with straw.

He leaned against the haystack, watching Jiangning City getting further and further away from his sight, and his expression became more and more depressed and sad.

The man driving the donkey cart stopped, looked around warily, pressed his straw hat, and whispered: "Mr. Li, you can get off the car here. Walk two and a half miles west along this dirt road. There is a tea shop. Go there and someone will connect with you.”

Li Deming stood by the road, with his baggage on his shoulders, and saluted the coachman: "May I ask, little brother, are my family members okay?"

The man smiled and said: "Mr. Li's family members are all in the north of the Yangtze River now. I just need to wait for him to cross the river and the family can be reunited."

Li Deming quickly thanked him.

The man clasped his fists and said, "Sir, you don't have to be polite. Zhu Shi has personally given the order to escort your family across the river safely. Little people don't dare to neglect it!"

Take care, sir, and farewell, villain! "After that, the coachman jumped on the cart and drove the donkey back the same way.

Li Deming identified the direction, and finally looked at the head of Jiangning city from a distance, sighed deeply, and walked west along the dirt road with his burden on his shoulders.

More than a month ago, he rushed back to Jiangning from Haozhou to return his orders to Li Jing.

Unexpectedly, Song Qiqiu and others falsely accused him of advocating to cede territory and seek peace. In order to gather consensus to resist the Zhou army, Li Jing put all the blame on him and ordered him to be put on death row to await execution.

Under the mediation of Han Xizai, Zhong Mo, Xu Xuan and others, Li Jing reluctantly agreed to postpone his execution, but refused to release him from prison.

Two days ago, several jailers suddenly brought a half-dead death row prisoner, replaced him from the prison, hid him in the city for a day, and waited until today to send him out of the city.

Li Deming found out on the way that it was Zhu Xiu who ordered Da Zhou's men hidden in Jiangning to rescue him.

At the moment when Bai Guanmo was sent to death row, Li Deming was completely disappointed with Li Jing and the Jiangning court. The only thing that made him reluctant to leave was the prosperous Jiangning city.

He studied here and became an official. He originally thought that he would serve the Tang Dynasty for the rest of his life, but he did not expect that fate would play a trick on him. One day, in order to survive, he had to cross the Yangtze River and go north.

Li Deming didn't know what would happen after crossing the river, but no matter how bad it was, it wouldn't be worse than staying in Jiangning.

He had already died once. Apart from his family and relatives, nothing else could scare him.

~~~
At the same moment, Chuzhou City.

Zhu Xiu convened a massive army meeting.

Except for Han Lingkun who was based in Yangzhou, all the generals and deputy generals of the Zhou Army on the eastern front attended the meeting.

The purpose was to investigate the problems exposed by various departments of the Zhou army during the Chuzhou War, and to deal with those who were derelict in their duties in accordance with military regulations.

At the west gate of Chuzhou City, a temporary execution platform was built in the middle, surrounded by thousands of sergeants, arranged in a square formation according to different military affiliations.

Standing at the forefront were the deputy generals of each army.

Most of them were representatives of the various armies under the Dianqian Division, belonging to Zhu Xiu, Zhao Kuangyin, and Han Lingkun.

But on the eastern front, they were all under Zhu Xiu's command.

In the Xicheng Tower, Zhu Xiu was surrounded by Zhao Kuangyin and his military academy as soon as he appeared.

Shi Xiangwen and Mi Xin were like two gate gods, protecting Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu looked at Zhao Kuangyin, then at the generals such as Ma Renyu, Zhang Qiong, and Yang Xin behind him, and said calmly: "What does Zhao Yuhou mean by this?"

Zhao Kuangyin said in a deep voice: "Xian brother, can you take a step to speak?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "If brother Yuan Lang is still concerned about Han Chongyun, don't speak up!"

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes flashed with annoyance, "Han Chongyun is indeed guilty, but the crime does not lead to death. Why should you do this? Aren't you afraid that others will say that you are taking revenge for personal gain?"

Zhu Xiu nodded: "Yes, I am just taking revenge for personal gain!"

Zhao Kuangyin gritted his teeth, stared at him, suppressed his anger and said: "In terms of personal affairs, Han Chongyun is an old friend of mine. He has followed me for many years and has fought bravely and made numerous meritorious deeds. For the sake of Brother Yu, please spare his life!"

Zhu Xiu shook his head and said: "Brother Yuan Lang also knows that Marshal Shi Jie is as kind to me as a mountain, and I regard him as a father. But because of Han Chongyun's mistake, it directly caused the Tang army to cross the border to reinforce Chuzhou. Our army was attacked from a pincer attack, and thousands of men died. Mourning Baima Lake, Shi Jieshuai died in battle.

For both public and private matters, shouldn't Han Chongyun be killed?

I dare to ask Brother Yuen Long, if General Zhao died due to human error, how would you feel?Should I avenge the murder of my father?

What should you do if someone stops you? "

Zhu Xiuyue spoke louder, and Yin Hong's face was a little hideous because of being too angry.

Zhao Kuangyin's face trembled slightly and he was speechless.

Zhao Hongyin, who had just stepped into the hall of the entrance hall, heard Zhu Xiu making a comparison with him. He almost lost his breath and couldn't breathe. He beat his chest and coughed violently for a while.

Zhao Kuangyi supported his old father and patted his back gently.

Zhu Xiu cupped his hands and said, "My metaphor is not relevant to the person, so please don't take it to heart!"

Zhao Hongyin laughed dryly, forced himself to calm down and walked aside to sit down.

Zhao Kuangyi stood behind him, looking up at Zhu Xiu from time to time.

Ma Renyu, Zhang Qiong, Yang Xin and others behind Zhao Kuangyin also lowered their heads and remained silent.

Putting aside personal grudges, there is no problem in dealing with Han Chongyun in accordance with military regulations when the Zhou army suffered a huge defeat in Chuzhou and lost troops and generals.

If Han Chongyun sent people to investigate the origin of the troops, how could the Tang army easily bypass Liuhe and Tianchang and go straight to Chuzhou?
It was originally an avoidable defeat, but Han Chongyun neglected his duties, leading to tragedy.

Of course Zhao Kuangyin knew these truths, but he had to step forward to protect Han Chongyun.

Because Han Chongyun was his and one of the old brothers of the Righteous Society. As the leader of the Righteous Society and the chief minister in front of the palace, Yuhou, if Han Chongyun could not be saved, Zhao Kuangyin's personal reputation and prestige would be greatly damaged.

Losing Han Chongyun would also damage Zhao Kuangyin's power in the palace, so he would have to compete with Zhu Xiu no matter what.

Zhao Kuangyin gritted his teeth and said: "Han Chongyun is the fifth-rank Jingfu Palace envoy. Even according to military regulations, you know how to take him into custody and take him back to Kaifeng for trial when the war is over. You have no right to deal with it without authorization!"

Zhu Xiu said coldly: "The matter is urgent. After reorganizing the army, I want to march towards the Purple Mountain. I must ensure that everyone in the army is united and a similar situation will never happen again! I will go up to the table and explain to Your Majesty and the imperial court!"

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes were filled with sharp light. Zhu Xiu showed no signs of weakness and looked at him coldly.

"I will definitely write to Your Majesty about this matter and report the inside story in detail! You abused your military power and went too far, and you will not be able to escape punishment in the end!" Zhao Kuangyin said sternly.

Zhu Xiu pouted: "Whatever."

Zhao Kuangyin snorted heavily, turned around and walked away.

Zhang Qiong and Yang Xin clasped their fists together and hurriedly followed.

Ma Renyu had a wry smile on his face and whispered: "Deputy Commander Zhu, don't be upset. Brother Zhao is just saying angry words. I will chase him and try to persuade him~"

Zhu Xiu smiled and Ma Renyu bowed and left.

"What do you think, General Zhao, of my commander's treatment?"

Zhu Xiu suddenly turned around and asked Zhao Hongyin.

"This." Zhao Hongyin stroked his white beard and said haha: "I rushed to help Liuhe on the order of Commander Zhang. It's time to go back and resume my duties, so I won't participate in the affairs of your department."

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly, this old fox.

Glancing at Zhao Kuangyi, who had his head lowered, Zhu Xiuhu said: "I heard that Zhao Banzhi was also in Liuhe that day, assisting Han Chongyun in handling military affairs. Do you know about the Tang army crossing the border in disguise?"

Zhao Kuangyi was startled and looked up at Zhu Xiu. Unable to hide his panic, he quickly lowered his head.

Zhao Hongyin was also annoyed, as if he was protecting a calf: "What do Deputy Commander Zhu mean by these words?"

Zhu Xiu said calmly: "Nothing else, just a casual question."

Zhao Kuangyi suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and said, "The lower official is responsible for supervising the civilians to repair the city defenses and to inspect the horses for interrogation. I don't know about it, and I have no right to interfere!"

Zhu Xiu nodded without saying anything and led Shi Xiangwen and Mi Xin out of the foyer.

Zhao Hongyin watched Zhu Xiu walk away, his eyes instantly darkened.

Looking back at Zhao Kuangyi, Zhao Hongyin said in a deep voice: "Calm down, don't panic! What are you afraid of when your father and brother are here?"

Zhao Kuangyi's face turned green and red, as if he was ashamed and annoyed by his panic just now.

At noon, with the sun high in the sky, Mi Xin read out the decision at the top of his voice. A total of 11 people from Liuhe and Tianchang Shoujiangdudu, including Han Chongyun, were all taken to the execution platform. After the swordsman and axe-hand were in place, Zhu Xiu signaled that the execution could be carried out.

Han Chongyun's mouth was tightly gagged, his hands and feet were bound, and when he was escorted to the execution platform, he struggled desperately, but was firmly held down by two burly soldiers.

"Behead!" Mi Xin roared, waving the command flag, and the axe-hand swung down the sword!

In an instant, eleven heads rolled down the execution platform, and all the sergeants in the school stood in awe.

Zhu Xiu stood on the top of the west building and looked down coldly, only to see Zhao Kuangyin standing in a corner of the school yard, looking up at him.

Their eyes met, and there seemed to be the sound of silent fighting.

Zhao Kuangyin withdrew his gaze, followed Zhao Hongyin and left.

Zhu Xiu squinted her eyes with a stern expression.

Han Chongyun and Zhao Kuangyi were stationed in Liuhe at the same time. If Zhao Kuangyi didn't know about the news that the Tang army was crossing the border in disguise, he would never believe it.

Zhu Xiu took a deep breath, and her heart, which had been silent for a long time, was slightly excited.

The confrontation with the Zhao family has already begun.

(End of this chapter)