Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 529 The whole army attacks
Jiangling.

After driving away Prince Wuling, Xiao Ji, Xiao Yi set his sights on expansion in other directions.

Prince Xiao Xu of Luling occupied Jiujiang, Nanchang and other places, and was in fierce competition with Xiao Gang. Xiao Yi did not regard him as an enemy, at least not yet.

Xiao Yi's current target is Xiao Lun, the Prince of Shaoling, who occupies Xiangyang and possesses a large number of elite troops.

By defeating Xiao Lun and acquiring the two important cities of Xiangyang and Jiangling, Xiao Yi could become the most powerful warlord in Southern Liang. He could then issue a proclamation to Lingnan, lead his troops to Jiankang, and within a few years, he could once again consolidate the power within Southern Liang, establish an imperial dynasty, and resist the north.

The room was filled with maps and intelligence.

Xiao Yi had a strong desire for fame and fortune, and he also had enough energy and motivation to do things that matched his ambition.

"This Chen Baxian under the Crown Prince is truly a valiant general!"

According to intelligence received by Xiao Yi from Lingnan, after Chen Baxian arrived in Guangzhou, he quelled several rebellions and gathered a large number of soldiers and generals.

Because he was sent by Xiao Gang, Xiao Ying, who was stationed in Guangzhou, was very cooperative.

At this moment, Xiao Yi felt some regret. He should have recruited such a brave general into his ranks back then, instead of letting him go to Jiankang.

However, it was too late to regret it at this point, and Xiao Yi was not worried.

The situation in Lingnan was chaotic. After the Jiankang incident, Li Ben of Jiaozhou rebelled, and Lu Zixiong, the governor of Xinzhou, and Sun Jionghuo, the governor of Gaozhou, held military power. Chen Baxian only had three thousand elite troops, which was too few bargaining chips.

Xiao Gang's desire to quickly subdue the various forces in Lingnan to Jiankang was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Since Lingnan could not be used by Xiao Gang, it posed no threat to Xiao Yi.

"Your Majesty!"

Xiao Yi's advisor, Zhou Hongzheng, walked in, panting heavily.

"How could this be?"

"Military intelligence from Xiangzhou indicates that Prince Xiao Yu of Hedong is stockpiling grain, manufacturing weapons, and procuring warships, suggesting some unusual activity."

The Zhou family of Ancheng, Runan, is also a prominent clan with many talented individuals.

Zhou Hongzheng started his career as a professor at the Imperial Academy, and later served as the registrar of Danyang and the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Before the events in Jiankang, Zhou Hongzheng sensed something was amiss and left Jiankang with his brothers to seek refuge with Xiao Yi, who then took him as a trusted confidant.

Upon hearing Zhou Hongzheng's words, Xiao Yi smiled.

“My nephew is also getting the idea.”

In the Jingxiang region, Xiao Yi was the most powerful, followed by Xiao Lun. Other warlords like Xiao Yu only commanded a few thousand soldiers, and their military equipment and warships could not compare with those of Xiao Yi and Xiao Lun, who were stationed in important cities like Jiangling and Xiangyang. Therefore, Xiao Yi did not take them seriously.

Seeing this, Zhou Hongzheng reminded him:
“Your Majesty, Xiao Yu is not a threat, but his brother Xiao Cha is in Beiying Prefecture and has close ties with Guanzhong.”

Xiao Yi's initial contempt changed because of the words "Guanzhong".

"With Ohno Sou in the north, do you think I have a chance to achieve great things?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hongzheng cupped his hands and said:
"Have!"

Zhou Hongzheng's words gave Xiao Yi confidence, and he asked:
"Why?"

"After conquering Liaodong, Ōno Sō did not immediately head south. This was because Henan, Huainan, and Bashu had been ravaged by war for a long time, and the people's livelihood was impoverished. If a major war were to break out, it would inevitably lead to instability among the people, and the Yuan clan would certainly not be willing to let them seize their foundation, which might cause chaos. Now that we have established a base in Chang'an, we will not raise a large army for several years."

As he spoke, Zhou Hongzheng bowed respectfully.

"If Your Majesty can pacify Jing and Xiang and capture Jiankang within three years, then the state can be restored."

Xiao Yi nodded and said:

"Wang Sengbian led eight thousand elite troops north to take Yicheng, but was blocked by Lan Qin. I want to temporarily cease hostilities. What do you think?"

Zhou Hongzheng remained silent for a moment.

Currently, there are no major threats outside of Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

Whether from the direction of Nanyang or from the direction of Bashu, Li Shuang lacked sufficient manpower and resources to wage a protracted local war and attack important towns such as Xiangyang and Jiangling.

Even if they couldn't win in open battle, the troops in Xiangyang and Jiangling could rely on the terrain and city defenses to delay the enemy and exhaust their logistical supplies.

Moreover, Xiangyang and Jiangling both possess a large number of naval warships, so in a real battle, they might not necessarily be defeated by the Nanyang Army or the Bashu Army.

This is also why Xiao Yi immediately deployed his troops in other directions after driving away Xiao Ji.

There were no external threats, but there were internal ones. Zhou Hongzheng knew that for the Southern Liang Dynasty at present, the best situation was undoubtedly for the princes of the Xiao clan to unite and fight against the Northern Dynasty, rather than getting bogged down in internal strife.

However, he also knew that this was only an ideal situation. If it were really like that, Li Shuang would not have been able to conquer Jiankang and take Emperor Liang away.

Therefore, choosing the person most likely to end the chaos and unify Southern Liang is the best course of action.

Zhou Hongzheng chose to join Xiao Yi, but Xiao Yi had obvious flaws, being very suspicious.

The eight thousand elite soldiers that Wang Sengbian took away accounted for half of Xiao Yi's resources. With such a large army hanging in the air for so long, Xiao Yi is probably feeling uneasy now.

Seeing that Zhou Hongzheng did not answer, Xiao Yi looked at him and asked:

"how?"

"I believe we can wait a little longer!"

"Why?"

Just as Xiao Yi finished asking his question, a report came from outside.

"Your Majesty, Wang Sengbian has captured Yicheng!"

Xiao Yi's expression changed, and he asked:

Where is Lanqin?

“Wang Sengbian used a divisive tactic, causing the Prince of Shaoling to transfer Lan Qin away, which led to chaos among the Jingzhou barbarians under Lan Qin’s command, and they took the opportunity to capture Yicheng.”

At this moment, Xiao Yi was overjoyed; the desire to seize Xiangyang overwhelmed everything else.

"Order the entire army to march north to Xiangyang."

Zhou Hong was about to say something, but seeing Xiao Yi's excited expression, he ultimately didn't say anything.

……

Changan.

In Chang Le Palace, Xiao Ji hurriedly found Li Shuang.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Lun has sent another messenger."

Li Shuang laughed and said:

"Is he willing to cede those three counties now?"

Xiao Ji listened and nodded.

"Xiao Yi raised an army of 50,000 and marched north to attack Xiangyang. Xiao Lun was afraid and ceded three counties. He also wanted the Jiangzhou navy to attack Yidu and harass Jiangling."

Li Shuang placed the documents in her hand on the table, picked up another one, and began to read.

Xiao Ji waited, and only after Li Shuang finished reading did he slowly speak.

“Tell his messenger that in addition to the three counties, I also want the land north of Fancheng.”

Xiao Ji hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Xiao Lun won't give it to you."

The land north of Xiangfan to Xinye was the result of Xiao Gang's northern expedition during the internal strife of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

This is one of the reasons why Xiao Gang was able to be made crown prince after being captured in Bashu.

Therefore, Jiankang attaches great importance to the management of this land.

Over the years, the Southern Liang Dynasty invested a great deal of manpower and resources in this area, expanding farmland and building water conservancy projects, resulting in a full treasury and a dense population.

Xiao Lun was unwilling to transfer the northern army because a significant portion of Xiangyang's tax revenue came from this land in northern Yongzhou.

He feared that if he made this transfer, Dugu Xin would lead his army south and seize this vast fertile land.

Li Shuang didn't take it seriously and said:

"If he doesn't give it to me, does that mean I can't get it?"

……

(End of this chapter)