History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 942: Southern Tang 5
This battle was a showdown between the Tang and Song dynasties, and its success or failure would directly determine the political landscape of the Yangtze River Basin. The Song army surrounded Shengzhou but did not attack it, and even considered withdrawing. This was not because Li Yu's delaying tactics had worked, but because Zhao Kuangyin was really afraid of the navy in Hukou, which made the crossing of the river full of variables; and this navy was also the last elite of the Southern Tang and Li Yu's last bargaining chip.

The area around the lake mouth was already full of Song army spies. When they learned that the army was dispatched, the Song army immediately took countermeasures. They erected many large wooden stakes on the shore and in the dense forests on the river bank in the river. From a distance, they looked like ship masts, in order to confuse the enemy.

At that time, thick fog rose on the surface of the river. Due to the sudden drop in the river water, the water level was very low and there were many shallows, making it very easy for large ships to run aground. Zhu Lingyun's navy was mostly composed of large ships and huge warships, which made it extremely inconvenient to move. In addition, he saw dense masts of Song Dynasty ships in the thick fog in the distance, and believed that there were ambushes of the Song army in the rear, so he ordered his troops to stay where they were.

Zhu Lingyun planned to use infantry to launch a surprise attack on the Song army's pontoon bridge, but was defeated; he then recruited a death squad to burn down the Song army's pontoon bridge at night, but was also wiped out.

A few days later, the main forces of the two armies finally met at Hudun Island, only ten miles away from the Caishi Floating Bridge.

The flagship where Zhu Lingyun was located was a large ship more than ten stories high, with a command flag flying high. As soon as it appeared, it became the target of concentrated fire from the Song army.

The Southern Tang navy was mainly composed of large ships, while the Song army was mainly composed of small ships, so the Song army was not at an advantage. After the battle started, the Song army's small ships rushed towards Zhu Lingyun's flagship like crazy, while the Southern Tang navy showed its secret weapon - kerosene engines, and dragons of fire engulfed the Song army's small ships. Seeing that the Song army was in danger of being wiped out, a strong north wind suddenly blew, and the fire ignited the Southern Tang ships. The Song navy took advantage of the situation to counterattack, and the Southern Tang navy was defeated.

Zhu Lingyun's eyes were filled with tears. He looked up to the sky and sighed, "Is the heaven going to destroy our Tang Dynasty too?" Then he jumped into the fire and died.

In this battle, the last 15 elite naval forces of the Southern Tang Dynasty were wiped out. Li Yu's last hope was shattered, and the country was doomed. But he still wanted to save it.

In November, Li Yu sent Xu Xuan to visit Bianzhou again to make a final struggle. Zhao Kuangyin met him in the side hall. Xu Xuan tried his best to present facts and reason. Zhao Kuangyin argued with him repeatedly, but he was always at a disadvantage. Xu Xuan made Zhao Kuangyin speechless. Zhao Kuangyin was so angry that he put his hand on the sword and said a famous saying that has been passed down through the ages:

"No need to say more. What crime has Jiangnan committed? But the world is one family. How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

Xu Xuan was frightened and retreated in panic.

Zhao Kuangyin turned and glared at Zhou Weijian, "What about you?"

Zhou Weijian was also greatly shocked and said hurriedly: "I am a commoner and do not seek fame and fortune among the princes... Li Yu insisted on sending me here, and I had no choice but to obey his orders (I originally lived in the mountains and had no intention of becoming an official, but Li Yu forced me to come here). I heard that there are many magical herbs in Zhongnan Mountain, and I only hope to retire to Zhongnan Mountain in the future."

Zhao Kuangyin's anger subsided immediately, and he gave them generous gifts, and then sent the two men back to his country with courtesy (he felt pity for them and agreed to it, and still gave them generous gifts when they were sent back).

Shengzhou had been under siege for nearly a year. The city was almost out of food and grass. The price of rice rose to an incredible "10,000 coins for a dou of rice". People starved to death filled the streets. Cao Bin and others set up three camps outside Shengzhou to surround it, with Pan Mei stationed in the northern camp. After the positions were built, the drawings were sent back to Bianzhou to report to Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Kuangyin took only one look and pointed to the northern camp and said, "We should dig deep trenches here to strengthen the defense. The soldiers from the south of the Yangtze River will definitely attack this camp! Go to the front line quickly and order Cao Bin and others to strengthen the vigilance!"

Cao Bin did not dare to delay and immediately supervised the defensive fortifications in person. Just after they were repaired, Li Yu indeed sent out 5,000 death squads to launch a surprise attack at night. They were wiped out by the prepared Song army and more than a dozen officers were killed.

Li Yu had lost the reinforcements from Hukou and failed to break out. The food and grass in the city were on the verge of being cut off, and the Southern Tang was already on the verge of collapse.

Cao Bin then continued to send envoys to lobby Li Yu, urging him to surrender as soon as possible for the sake of the people in the city.

Li Yu replied that he was willing to send his son Li Zhongyu to Bianzhou for negotiations, but he delayed sending Li Zhongyu out of the city on the pretext of packing luggage and preparing gifts.

Obviously, this was another delaying tactic of Li Yu.

Cao Bin told Li Yu that there was no need to trouble him to go to Bianzhou, he just needed to leave the city and come to my camp to discuss matters.

Li Yu still made excuses.

Before Cao Bin and his men marched south, Zhao Kuangyin announced an iron rule: no one in the city should be killed at will; even if Li Yu fought desperately, he would be shown mercy to ensure the safety of the Li family.

It's not that Cao Bin didn't want to attack, but he was afraid of the consequences. This iron rule bound his hands and feet. Li Yu seemed to have seen through the weakness of the Song army, so he was fearless and played tricks.

One day, Cao Bin suddenly claimed to be ill and did not attend to the affairs of state. When the generals came to visit him, they saw that Cao Bin had a ruddy complexion and was full of confidence. He did not look like a seriously ill person at all. He just looked worried and sighed. The generals were puzzled. What was he doing in the midst of a war?
Cao Bin sighed and said, "My illness is a mental illness, and no medicine can cure it. However, as long as you can swear to heaven that you will not kill anyone after the city is captured, my illness will naturally heal." So the generals bathed, changed clothes, burned incense and swore a poisonous oath. The next day, Cao Bin was resurrected on the spot with full health and full buffs, and immediately issued an order for a general attack.

Thanks to my old friend “江湖刘白” for the monthly ticket support!

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(End of this chapter)