Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 754 Returning in Triumph
No fewer than five hundred javelins flew towards them. The three at the forefront, Tai Zhen Xu Qing, Qiong Yao Na Yan, and Wu Yan Yan Shou, were unharmed thanks to their martial arts skills and the protection of their armor.

The soldiers behind him, having been constantly on the move, were no longer fully armored.

A javelin flew, and nearly a hundred people were hit and fell from their horses.

The charge of over a thousand cavalrymen was abruptly halted.

As they drew nearer, Zhang Qing had already taken out a pebble and threw it at Wuyan Yanshou, who was dressed in silver armor and wielding a halberd.

With a scream of pain, the pebble struck Wuyan Yanshou right in the corner of his eyebrow, causing blood to gush from his face.

Zhang Qing raised his spear and stabbed Wuyan Yanshou off his horse.

Tai Zhen Xu Qing and Qiong Yao Na Yan rushed to their rescue, only to be met by Su Ding, Gong Wang, and Ding De Sun.

Zhang Qing took another pebble and threw it at Tai Zhen Xu Qing.

Tai Zhen Xu Qing dodged hastily, and with a clang, the pebble grazed past Tai Zhen Xu Qing's protective mirror.

Tai Zhen Xu Qing was startled and hurriedly turned to leave, but Gong Wang threw a spear and shot Tai Zhen Xu Qing off his horse.

Upon seeing this, Qiong Yao Nayan hurriedly tried to leave, but Su Ding held two long swords in his hands, firmly binding the silver bamboo-jointed steel whip in Qiong Yao Nayan's hand.

One wanted to achieve great things, the other wanted to escape.

Zhang Qing rode his horse to join the battle, but Qiong Yao Nayan slowed down upon seeing this. Su Ding unleashed his divine power and with one sword, cut Qiong Yao Nayan off his horse.

The Liao troops behind them were also scattered by the elite Imperial Guards Cavalry. Zhang Qing led his troops and charged forward, and the Liao army, which was already exhausted from running for their lives, mostly dropped their weapons and collapsed to the ground when they heard the Liang army's shouts of "surrender and you will not be killed".

Meanwhile, Shi Wengong pursued the Khitans who had fled from Youzhou. He left Su Yi, the Peach Blossom Gentleman, to take in the prisoners. Shi Wengong then led his men, spurring their horses towards the fleeing Liao army.

With the Liang soldiers from the north and south joining forces, all the surviving Liao soldiers surrendered.

Zhao Zhen, who was stationed in Youzhou, also received a notification.

World Log
Conquer the world of the ten prefectures of Liao and Song, and take all the lands of Hejian Prefecture, Mozhou, Xiongzhou, Cangzhou, Qingzhou, Baoding Army, Jizhou, Tanzhou, Bazhou, and Youzhou.

A resounding victory.

Liang Kingdom's reputation +1, politics +1, economy +10, military +1, culture +2.

Luck +10000.

Zhao Zhen was overjoyed after reading it.

Zhang Qing, Shi Wengong, and others escorted the prisoners back to Youzhou City.

The entire Liao-Song Ten Prefectures were incorporated into the Liang Kingdom.

Next, it was time to take stock of the gains, record the achievements, and reward the entire army.

Emperor Zhao Zhen ordered the mobilization of officials from across the country to be stationed in various prefectures and counties.

Among Tong Guan's men, Bi Sheng, Xin Xingzhong, and Wang Huan died in battle, and Chen Zhu, who had been captured, was also killed. Only Liu Guangshi, Wang Weizhong, Feng Mei, and Wang Bing survived. In addition, Duan Pengju, who had long since defected to the Liang Kingdom, also survived.

Of the 100,000 Song soldiers, fewer than 60,000 remained.

Apart from Kangli Anding, Jin Fu, and Ye Qing, as well as Junior Commander Wuyan Yanshou and Deputy Commander He Zhongbao, all the generals commanding the Liao army were killed.

Of the 100,000 Liao soldiers, half were killed, and more than 40,000 were captured, excluding those who fled to their villages.

The Liao army captured countless weapons, armor, and provisions from the four prefectures, along with no fewer than 30,000 warhorses. The pastures outside the city, belonging to the commanding officers, teemed with cattle and sheep. In the campaign against the ten prefectures of Liao and Song, besides the elite Song imperial guards, these warhorses and oxen were of utmost importance to Emperor Zhao Zhen.

Zhang Qing was left behind to command the Imperial Guard Cavalry and the Song army under Tong Guan, to guard the ten prefectures of Hebei East Road.

The captured Liao soldiers were all returned to Liangshan Prefecture with the main army for resettlement. The soldiers' families were all dispersed and sent to Shicheng Prefecture, Dongchuan Prefecture, Zuining Prefecture, Huichuan Prefecture, and Jianchang Prefecture to replenish the population.

Then, people were transferred from the six prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Song state in the Jingji region and sent to the Hebei East region.

In this way, by mixing the Khitans, the tribes, and the Han people, Dali Prefecture would no longer be the domain of any one party.

The number of Khitans in the four prefectures of Youzhou, which belonged to the Liao Dynasty, was correspondingly reduced.

Hebei East Road and Dali Prefecture are both secure.

With subsequent reassignments, Zhao Zhen stayed in Hebei East Road for a month and a half. Once the situation was stable, he led his troops back to Liangshan Prefecture.

As Zhao Zhen's achievements in expanding the territory became widely known, the morale of the Liang Kingdom's soldiers and civilians soared. Their recognition of the Liang Kingdom grew daily, and the people's spirits rose.

During this period, the Liang Kingdom was not without other wars.

In the world of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, although only Huainan West Circuit bordered the Jiangnan region, the navy managed to prevent the puppet Qi regime from invading. However, within Emperor Gaozong's world, numerous internal rebellions kept the Song emperor and his ministers busy dealing with them.

Unable to resist the puppet state of Qi under Liu Yu, Zhao Gou launched another invasion.

The purpose was to allow the Liang army to continue to wipe out Liu Yu's forces that occupied the Huainan West Road.

Because of his northern expedition against the ten prefectures of Liao and Song, Emperor Zhao Zhen issued an order to all the generals guarding the territory: "Do not seek merit, but seek no fault."

Although during this period, the country bordered the Southern Song Dynasty under Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Zhen). The military commanders of various prefectures, following Zhao Zhen's instructions, rarely launched attacks.

Although they share a border, the Liang Kingdom did not send troops here. Furthermore, Liu Yu, the puppet Qi ruler, had lost the Huainan East Road, and his general Kong Yanzhou had been killed by Liang. Therefore, neither side initiated any provocation. The tacit agreement between the two sides to refrain from sending troops created a harmonious atmosphere.

Aside from launching invasions and causing trouble for the puppet state of Qi under Liu Yu, Zhao Gou and his ministers mostly focused on domestic affairs, engaging in daily dramas of suppressing bandits and offering amnesty.

Putting aside other matters, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, the number of imperial guards did increase significantly.

Although these people were of questionable fighting ability, the benefits were immediate. Without the bandits, the local area was much better off.

Zhao Gou employed various tactics, bestowing official titles and rewards upon some people, and then selecting a few to cross the river and head north to cause trouble for the "pseudo-Qi" regime.

Upon returning to Liangshan Prefecture, Zhao Zhen, without even resting, summoned Yang Shi, Li Qingzhao, Bao Shuya, Hu Anguo, and others who had remained behind to the palace.

Through the accumulated official documents and the oral accounts of these individuals, Zhao Zhen gained a clear understanding of what had happened.

Furthermore, the agreement with the Dali Kingdom should be finalized as soon as possible. Once Xiushan County, Shanshan Prefecture, and Weichu Prefecture are captured, along with the five prefectures already occupied, a unified territory can be formed.

Besides the soldiers led by Guan Sheng, the able-bodied men of the Liao Kingdom who were transferred to the five prefectures were also the main force of the expedition.

Zhao Zhen arranged a matchmaking event between the women he rescued from Kong Yanzhou's troops in Huainan East Road and the Song Dynasty imperial guards who returned with him, allowing them to form new families.

Those willing to serve in the army, as long as they pass the test, will be transferred to various units. Those unwilling to serve will be sent to Dali Prefecture or Hebei East Road, where they will either farm or engage in business.

Once the issue of settling down for these imperial guards was resolved, other matters were not a major concern.

They registered and made records, and each unit also replenished its ranks with soldiers who had been lost in battle.

(End of this chapter)