Song Xiu

Chapter 109 First Boost Morale, Then Deploy Surprise Attacks
The word "rise" was so powerful and resonant that it shook Zhao Guangyi to his core.

Looking at Zhao Dexiu standing in front of him, Zhao Guangyi, who was usually good at using his tongue, was speechless at this moment.

Zhao Dexiu came on the emperor's orders.

The emperor's authority is stern and profound. It is the emperor's authority that makes him rise up. No matter how sharp his tongue is, how can he dare to resist?
Despite his resentment, Zhao Guangyi had no choice but to slowly rise under the watchful eyes of his generals.

If Zhao Guangyi didn't want to get up, there were plenty of strongmen among the generals who could help him.

The slow movements reflected Zhao Guangyi's reluctance to part.

The generals inside the tent all showed satisfied expressions after hearing Zhao Dexiu's disgruntled "Get up!"

At this moment, in their eyes, Zhao Dexiu had become the embodiment of Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Kuangyin, who was thousands of miles away, was expressing his dissatisfaction with Zhao Guangyi through Zhao Dexiu.

Upon realizing this, expressions of gratitude appeared on the faces of all the generals.
Your Majesty is wise!

But that wasn't all that moved the generals.

No matter how slow Zhao Guangyi's actions were, he could not change the fact that he lost his position.

After Zhao Guangyi stood up, Zhao Dexiu walked right past him and stood confidently in the position of the commander-in-chief.

Then Lü Duan unfolded the imperial edict and began to read it aloud inside the tent.

The imperial edict mainly contains two points:

The first point is to confirm Zhao Dexiu's identity as the commander-in-chief of the army and give him the authority to make decisions on the spot.

The second point is Zhao Kuangyin's rebuke of Zhao Guangyi.

Zhao Kuangyin knew that given Tian Chongjin's personality, the fact that even he couldn't help but submit a memorial indicated that there were quite a few people in the army who harbored resentment towards Zhao Guangyi.

The army is like a beast, and when a beast has grievances, trouble is likely to occur.

To quell the resentment in the army, reprimanding Zhao Guangyi was a necessary step.

Lü Duan's stern tone made the rebuke in the imperial edict even more severe.

Hearing the rebuke in the imperial edict, Zhao Guangyi's face turned pale and then red.

After rising from his seat, Zhao Guangyi slunk away to the seats of the generals.

As Lü Duan's reprimanding voice rang out from inside the tent, Zhao Guangyi, surrounded by his generals, quietly moved his seat further away.

Zhao Dexiu kept a close eye on Zhao Guangyi's expression.

Zhao Guangyi looked ashamed after being publicly reprimanded.

To be honest, it was fortunate that Zhao Kuangyin was unaware of the "donkey cart" incident, otherwise the imperial edict would have contained far more than just a reprimand.

Zhao Dexiu had seen it before, and Zhao Kuangyin was furious, brandishing his jade axe and cursing.

After Lü Duan's rebukes subsided, the resentment in the generals' hearts dissipated considerably.

After sitting down, Zhao Dexiu turned his gaze away from Zhao Guangyi and looked at the generals, asking a crucial question:
"Since I entered Huainan, I have heard that our army has won several victories. Have all the merits been recorded?"

The Song army's previous victories now seem to have been feigned defeats by Li Chongjin.

However, ordinary soldiers do not understand military strategy; in their eyes, victory is victory.

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu inquire about this matter, Tian Chongjin quickly replied:
"The military commanders all keep records."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhao Dexiu nodded.

"Chuzhou is in sight, why not attack?"

"Order the entire army that upon capturing Chuzhou, I will distribute rewards according to merit."

Zhao Dexiu issued his second military order to come to Huainan.

The first military order was to punish Cui Yanjin with caning.

The second military order was to distribute rewards.

By combining rewards and punishments, Zhao Dexiu's intention was clear: he wanted to stabilize the morale of the Song army as quickly as possible.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu finished speaking, the generals in the tent showed joy on their faces.

"Wang Yingming of Taiyuan!"

Clear distinction between rewards and punishments is the mark of a great general.

Seeing the generals' joyful faces, Zhao Dexiu continued:
"After the defeat at Lai'an, there may be talk of retreating in the army."

Some generals believed that it was not impossible for Li Chongjin to be trapped in Huainan, and for our army to retreat back to the capital to rest and regroup before fighting again.

However, the fate of Huainan is crucial to the safety of the southeastern half of the country.

In my opinion, Li Chongjin's plot to rebel must involve sending envoys to collude with the Southern Tang.

If our army retreats, the Southern Tang will think that our army is cowardly, and Li Chongjin can be relied upon.

Once the Southern Tang army joins forces with Li Chongjin, the fertile land of Huainan will no longer belong to the state.

From the moment we entered Huainan, our army had no way to retreat.

"We will not turn back until the rebels are defeated!"

Despite being new to the army, it was common for talk of retreat to arise whenever the army suffered a defeat.

Zhao Dexiu explained the advantages and disadvantages in order to dispel this idea in the army.

All the generals could hear the determination in Zhao Dexiu's words.

After carefully considering Zhao Dexiu's analysis, all the generals were convinced by his words.

Unbeknownst to them, the difference between Zhao Dexiu and Zhao Guangyi was becoming increasingly apparent to the generals.

Faced with differing opinions within the military, Zhao Guangyi's approach was, "I don't care what you think, I care what I think."

Zhao Dexiu first expressed understanding for different opinions, and then presented her own views in a reasoned and well-founded manner.

With these two drastically different approaches, it was obvious which approach would garner more support from the generals.

Led by Tian Chongjin and Wang Quanbin, all the generals in the tent rose and bowed to Zhao Dexiu:

"As the King of Taiyuan commands!"

The generals' voices were loud and clear, which made Zhao Dexiu smile.

With morale high, there is great potential in this battle.

After all the generals bowed, Zhao Dexiu kept Tian Chongjin, Pan Mei, and others behind, and gestured for the rest of them to leave first.

After the other generals left, Zhao Guangyi became restless.

Zhao Guangyi's shamelessness was unparalleled.

No matter how strong the shame I felt just now, it has completely vanished.

"Dexiu"

Before he could say anything, Zhao Guangyi, in his haste, habitually called out Zhao Dexiu's name.

This displeased Lü Duan.

Lu Duan straightened up and stared at Zhao Guangyi, saying:

"The distinction between lord and king, between inferior and superior, is clear in the army. How can one overstep this distinction?"

"My lord, you should address my lord as King!"

At royal family banquets, the distinction between uncles and nephews is not made; that is a private matter for the imperial family.

In the outside world, the boundaries between superiors and inferiors must be clearly defined.

After Lü Duan finished speaking, he stared intently at Zhao Guangyi, waiting for Zhao Guangyi to change the way he addressed him.

Under Lü Duan's gaze, Zhao Guangyi had no choice but to change his words and call out:
"The King of Taiyuan".

Upon hearing this address, Lü Duan finally relaxed his upright posture.

If Zhao Guangyi insists on not changing, he's prepared to start criticizing him.

After Lü Duan looked away, Zhao Guangyi hurriedly said:

"In the Battle of Lai'an, the soldiers who scattered and fled, does the King of Taiyuan intend to punish them?"

Wang Quanbin was almost numb when Zhao Guangyi said that.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Before Zhao Dexiu arrived, Wang Quanbin's understanding of Zhao Dexiu was mostly limited to rumors.

The rumors were mostly exaggerated, so Wang Quanbin didn't really believe them.

Having witnessed Zhao Dexiu's actions firsthand, Wang Quanbin felt a deep respect for her.

A combination of rewards and punishments is used to strengthen resolve.

Zhao Dexiu's two initial measures upon arrival successfully revived the increasingly demoralized army. The situation within the army was showing signs of improvement.

At this critical juncture, Zhao Guangyi caused trouble again.

Normally, desertion in the face of battle is a capital offense.

However, even in the Five Dynasties period, military law, no matter how strict, sometimes had to be judged based on the actual circumstances.

In the Battle of Lai'an, Zhao Guangyi, the commander-in-chief, fled first. Without his command, what else could the Song army do but flee?
Zhao Guangyi was not unaware of this principle.

His reason for suggesting punishment for the defeated soldiers outside Lai'an County was that he wanted to shift most of the blame for the defeat onto the soldiers.

If Zhao Dexiu had not yet arrived, then as the commander-in-chief, he would have personally handled this matter.

Zhao Guangyi's proposal was met with disdain by Tian Chongjin and others, not to mention Zhao Dexiu.

"Rewards and punishments in the army are all decided by the commanding general."

Now that power has been transferred, the prefectural magistrate may simply observe, but there is no need for him to offer advice.

After Zhao Dexiu finished speaking, he turned his head away and stopped looking at Zhao Guangyi.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Kuangyin had instructed Zhao Dexiu before coming to Huainan to give Zhao Guangyi some pointers, he would have been different.

Earlier, Zhao Dexiu had already found a pretext to send Zhao Guangyi back to Bianjing.

Since we can't simply ignore it, let's keep Zhao Guangyi silent.

Zhao Dexiu's words made Zhao Guangyi lower his head in disappointment.

Zhao Guangyi's dejected state secretly pleased Pan Mei and Tian Chongjin.

After the person stopped nagging, Tian Chongjin asked:
"After our army captures Chuzhou, should we directly advance on Yangzhou?"

If Zhao Guangyi hadn't intervened earlier, Chuzhou would have been captured by the Song army long ago.

Upon hearing Tian Chongjin's suggestion, Zhao Dexiu waved his hand and said:

"Times have changed, and our army's top priority right now is to take Chuzhou and regroup."

Although the art of war is ever-changing, there are a few fundamental principles that remain unchanged.

One of these principles is that stable morale and high morale are the foundation for victory.

When the Song army first entered Huainan, they were in high spirits after winning the Battle of Luzhou.

In contrast, the morale of the rebels was not high.

Otherwise, Li Chongjin, who commanded tens of thousands of troops, would not have brought only a few thousand elite soldiers to the battle of Lai'an County.

However, after the battle of Lai'an County, the situation on the battlefield had changed.

The rebels were in high spirits and their desire to rebel against the imperial court was growing stronger.

If the Song army were to rashly engage the rebels in open battle at this time, they would not have much of a chance of winning.

Zhao Dexiu's words made Pan Mei and Wang Quanbin nod in agreement.

After nodding, Pan Mei began to speak:
“What the King of Taiyuan said makes sense; rest and recuperation are the most urgent tasks.”

However, after the rebels won their first victory, Li Chongjin gained considerable prestige in Huainan.

If our army delays engaging in battle and the confrontation drags on, our situation may further deteriorate.

This humble general fears that, given enough time, other prefectures in Huainan will also follow Li Chongjin's lead.

The entire Huainan region has more than a dozen prefectures.

After Huainan was first established, Li Chongjin, as the military governor of Huainan, had jurisdiction over more than a dozen prefectures within the Huainan region.

Later, Emperor Shizong of Zhou felt that Li Chongjin's power was too great, so he assigned several prefectures within Huainan to other military governors.

This move effectively weakened Li Chongjin's power, but many of the officials in the newly divided prefectures were appointed during Li Chongjin's reign.

If those officials see that the government troops are "helpless" against the rebels, it is hard to guarantee that they will not rise up in response.

If the entire Huainan region were to respond to Li Chongjin, just as Zhao Dexiu had worried, would the Southern Tang and Nanping kingdoms remain indifferent?
Pan Mei's insightful observation drew admiration from Zhao Dexiu.

It's no wonder Zhao Dexiu falls in love with every woman he meets; Pan Mei is handsome and talented, who wouldn't like someone like that?

“What Zhongxun said is indeed the biggest problem facing our army at present.”

"However, there is a way to break the deadlock."

Zhao Dexiu's words drew astonishment from everyone in the tent.

This included Zhao Guangyi, who had been listening in the background the whole time.

Despite being silenced, Zhao Guangyi kept thinking about Pan Mei's words.

From Pan Mei's words, Zhao Guangyi realized that the current battle situation might become increasingly unfavorable for the Song army.

As the instigator, he wouldn't blame himself, but he would inevitably devise a plan to break the deadlock.

After much deliberation, Zhao Guangyi could only sigh in resignation.

At the same time, Zhao Guangyi did not believe that Zhao Dexiu, who had just arrived in Huainan, could have any solutions to break the deadlock in a short time.

As soon as this deduction was made, Zhao Dexiu confidently declared, "He has a way to break the deadlock."

How could this not shock Zhao Guangyi—was the difference really that big?

Under the astonished gazes of Pan Mei and the others, Zhao Dexiu smiled and said:

"I have a surprise force that can attack the rebels from behind!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guangyi's mind nearly went blank.

A surprise attack?

Our army has no surprise forces!

Jiangning Prefecture, Southern Tang Dynasty.

The delegation led by Cao Bin has been residing in Jinling City for some time.

During this period, Cao Bin successfully obtained the letter from the Southern Tang Dynasty stating that it was willing to acknowledge the Song Dynasty as its suzerain state.

After receiving the official letter, Cao Bin did not leave immediately—he was waiting for Zhao Dexiu's secret letter.

As September quietly arrived, Zhao Dexiu's secret letter finally reached him.

After reading the contents of the secret letter, Cao Bin sent someone to inform Li Congjia that he would be setting off to return to China in two days.

Upon hearing this news, Li Congjia was overjoyed.

Although during this period, apart from attending banquets, the Song Dynasty delegation kept to their duties and rarely left the embassy.

However, the presence of an envoy from the suzerain state in the heart of the country still made Li Congjia feel uneasy.

Li Congjia did indeed receive a letter from Li Chongjin.

Li Congjia maintained a wait-and-see attitude throughout the matter of providing assistance to Li Chongjin.

This matter was known to many people in Jinling City.

Li Congjia was worried that some court officials might be secretly colluding with the Song Dynasty, so he revealed this matter to Cao Bin and others.

Before deciding to break ties with the Song Dynasty, Li Congjia naturally did not want to become enemies with it.

The fact that Cao Bin and the others took the initiative to leave was a great relief to Li Congjia.

Overjoyed, Li Congjia held a grand banquet in the palace the day before Cao Bin and the others left.

During the banquet, Li Congjia, who was drunk, said that he would personally see Lu Duoxun off the next day after being flattered.

As the crown prince of a country, one cannot break one's word in public.

The next morning, Li Congjia indeed led a group of ministers to escort Cao Bin and his entourage all the way to the port.

Li Congjia's actions were also an apology for his previous neglect.

After being delivered to the port, Li Congjia, who intended to return to the city, was grabbed by the wrist by Cao Bin.

The force from his wrist caused Li Congjia's expression to change slightly.

"Your Excellency, what is the meaning of this?"

In response to Li Congjia's slightly trembling question, Cao Bin smiled and said:

"Since it has already been delivered to the port, why not deliver it to the ship as well?"

Your Highness's generous hospitality will be appreciated; I will certainly speak highly of you to His Majesty upon my return to court.

Deep down, Li Congjia did not want to obey Cao Bin.

But at that moment, Lu Duoxun, seemingly unintentionally, revealed a dagger at his waist, which startled Li Congjia, who repeatedly said:

"Yes, definitely!"

(End of this chapter)