Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 387 The Conquest

If Baidi City could be captured, it proves that Yong'an can also be taken.

Baidi City had always been a bridgehead for Qiao Shu, and a great deal of effort had been put into its development. Yong'an was not as well-defended as Baidi, and the control of the Yangtze River was also controlled by the Jin army.

Wang Zhongde, Fu Hongzhi, and Liu Zhong advanced by land and water, and a mutiny broke out in Yong'an.

Shu general Wang Zhi suddenly raised an army, opened the city gates, and welcomed the Tiger Guard Army into the city.

Qiao Daofu's resistance was even weaker than Huan Zhen's. In the critical moment, he actually abandoned Yong'an and led his troops back to Shu. From then on, the gateway to Shu fell into the hands of Liu Daogui.

Although Qiao Zong won the hearts of the people of Shu, there were also many former officials of the Western Prefecture in Shu who had taken root in Shu since the time of Huan Wen.

Mao Qu had been operating in Shu for more than a decade. Although his entire family was wiped out, his generals and officials remained active in Shu, their hearts set on the Jin dynasty.

It's not a problem that Qiao Zong betrayed Mao Qu and established his own independent regime, but after occupying Shu, he immediately established a kingdom and declared himself king before he could even settle in. He also submitted to Yao Xing and was wholeheartedly hostile to the Jin dynasty, which naturally made many people disapprove.

There are many Liao people in Sichuan, but there are also quite a few Jin people.

The legitimacy of the Jin dynasty had long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

"With the gateway to Sichuan wide open, we can march in unimpeded and attack Chengdu!" Yin Zhongwen exclaimed excitedly.

Liu Daogui also felt that the time was right. This time, the attack on Baidi City only used 8,000 elite Tiger Guards and Jingzhou garrison troops, and the goal was achieved in three months.

The surrender of Yong'an City without a fight further exposed the weakness of Qiao Shu.

Feng Kai said, "The General has already destroyed Southern Yan and is now destroying Qiao Shu. This is an unparalleled achievement. However, such a major matter still needs to be reported to the court."

The reason why we were able to destroy Southern Yan last time was inseparable from the support of Jiankang. The grain and fodder supplied were no less than 300,000 shi, and the weapons were tens of thousands.

Qiao Zong was a member of a prominent family in Shu, and with the support of the people of Shu, he would surely fight desperately.

Of course, given Liu Daogui's current strength, Qiao Shu's resistance would be futile, but if Jiankang were to become a hindrance, that would be a different story.

Gao Xun said, "The opportunity to fight is fleeting. Now that we have captured Brazil, our gates are wide open, and the people of Shu are terrified. It would be better to fight a quick battle and order Wang Zhen'e, Wang Zhongde, Liu Zhong and other armies to join forces, drive straight in, and capture Chengdu. We can execute them first and report later."

The generals shared Gao Xun's idea: just attack directly, regardless of whether there was an imperial edict or not.

"We still need to submit a memorial to the court to inform them that it is deep winter and we must prepare sufficient winter clothing and provisions. A war to destroy a country is no small matter."

Another major reason why Liu Daogui was being cautious was the issue of food supplies.

The Jingxiang campaign was successful, but there was little to show for it. This attack on Baidi required the mobilization of tens of thousands of troops, further depleting the treasury. After the war, there will be rewards and compensation, all of which will be substantial.

Qiao Shu, this piece of fat meat, is right beside us; we can't escape it.

Conversely, if he didn't report such a major event as attacking Qiao Shu to the court, it would make him appear too arrogant as a general.

Whether the court agrees or not is their business, but they cannot fail to submit a memorial.

Liu Daogui then submitted a memorial to the court while actively making preparations.

When Tuoba Si succeeded to the throne of Wei, he was much more trustworthy than Tuoba Gui. In the past year or so, there had not been a single incident of the Hu people raiding southwards. Both sides kept to themselves and the Yellow River as the boundary.

The pressure on the Central Plains has been greatly reduced.

After capturing 100,000 demon bandits, large-scale land reclamation began around Xuchang and Luoyang.

In the west, after Wang Zhongde captured Yong'an, he also tried to advance westward, but was met with fierce resistance from the Shu and Liao people. In every county he passed, there were people who rebelled and launched night attacks on grain ships crossing the river on wooden rafts and bamboo rafts.

Although it did not cause much damage, it increased the risk of transporting grain and supplies.

Wang Zhongde sent troops to pursue and kill them, but the thieves disappeared into the deep mountains and forests.

Already facing a shortage of provisions, Liu Daogui simply ordered Wang Zhongde to garrison Yong'an, Fu Hongzhi to defend Baidi, and the troops to return to their respective regions, awaiting the offensive the following year. Wang Zhen'e also left his brothers Wang Hong, Wang Zun, and Wang Yuan to guard Fuling, while he himself returned to Jiangling.

A few days later, the imperial edict was issued.

Liu Jingxuan was appointed General Who Conquers Shu, holding the imperial insignia and overseeing all military affairs related to the conquest of Shu. He led the armies of Liu Yi, Governor of Yuzhou, Sima Rongqi, Governor of Yizhou, Liu Fan, Prefect of Wuchang, and Sima Xiuzhi, Prefect of Wuling, to attack Shu.

"What does this mean? Is the imperial court trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth?" Gao Xun asked, his face full of resentment.

The other generals were also filled with righteous indignation.

Just as the meat of Qiao Shu was about to be cooked, the imperial court reached out with chopsticks first.

Liu Daogui read it several times, but it didn't mention him at all. Moreover, the selection of generals to conquer Shu was also quite meaningful. Liu Jingxuan and Sima Xiuzhi were people who had escaped from Southern Yan.

Sima Rongqi was the newly appointed governor of Yizhou.

As for Liu Yi and Liu Fan, they were staunch supporters of the Jin dynasty.

Liu Daogui was puzzled by the appointment of Liu Jingxuan as general, after all, he was also a member of the Liu clan of Pengcheng.

But if this group of people from different places unite to attack Shu, they might end up with nothing.

Those who share the same desire will win.

Each of these people has different intentions.

Liu Daogui glanced at Yin Zhongwen, "Could it be that elder brother intends to promote Liu Jingxuan?"

Liu Yu's actions in recent years have been increasingly perplexing and difficult to understand.

Yin Zhongwen said, "The Prime Minister is a man of great talent and ambition, but a man of great talent and ambition is bound to be cunning and suspicious. Liu Jingxuan has a very high reputation in the Northern Army. Back in the Southern Yan, he wanted to support Sima Xiuzhi as the leader. I think that the Prime Minister's move is to wipe out all those who support the court!"

Feng Kai said, "That's the first reason. The second reason is that I don't want the General to achieve the feat of destroying a country again."

Liu Daogui had already destroyed the Southern Yan and eliminated the rebels, while Liu Yu had preserved Jiankang, recovered Guangjiang and other prefectures, and implemented local policies, which could be considered comparable.

However, if he were to destroy Qiao Shu as well, Liu Daogui's power would surpass that of Liu Yu in every aspect.

Even if Liu Daogui was unwilling to move forward, his officers and generals would push him forward, and the situation of fighting without breaking apart would be difficult to maintain.

Of course, it would be easy for Liu Daogui to stop it if he wanted to. These troops would have to pass through Jingxiang to attack Shu. He could just find a reason to submit a memorial, and the war against Shu would not be able to proceed.

"Since the imperial court has given the order, let them go. Qiao Shu is not so easy to conquer. We can just watch from the sidelines and enjoy the show." Liu Daogui was not in a hurry.

Liu Yi and the Sima family's influence should have been dealt with long ago.

These people were suppressed, and Liu Daogui was one of the beneficiaries.

"General, you are wise! I predicted that Liu Jingxuan and Liu Yi would be defeated!" Yin Zhongwen said with a gloating expression.

"Qiao Zong has the support of the Shu people and cannot be defeated in ten days. Liu Jingxuan is brave and skilled, but he is not a great general." Feng Kai served in the same court as Liu Jingxuan and Sima Xiuzhi in the Southern Yan, so they were old acquaintances.

This group of people never accomplished anything.

Back then, Liu Laozhi and Liu Jingxuan held military power in the Northern Army, sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, but they lost miserably and fled to Southern Yan. They plotted a rebellion, but their plot was not kept secret and was discovered by Murong De.

He fled back to Huai and Si, and without even saying goodbye, went to Pengcheng, Liu Daogui's stronghold, to recruit followers.

It's a miracle that Liu Jingxuan is still alive...

(End of this chapter)