Song Xiu

Chapter 97 Another ingenious plan, Tongye is crowned king (Humble request for subscription!)

Zhao Kuangyin quickly took the Luzhou military report from Shi Shouxin.

After opening the military report, Zhao Kuangyin read it quickly, skimming through it.

The more he looked, the more he couldn't suppress the smirk on Zhao Kuangyin's face.

After reading the main contents of the military report, Zhao Kuangyin's loud laughter echoed uncontrollably outside the imperial tent.

"Good! Well done!"

"One battle to secure Taihang, and this is my son!"

At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin's joy was like the Yellow River bursting its banks, unstoppable.

His tone was also filled with a strong sense of pride.

Previously, after learning that the Northern Han army had occupied Luzhou, Zhao Kuangyin did not believe that Zhao Dexiu could take Shangdang.

At that time, Zhao Kuangyin thought that Zhao Dexiu's ability to defend Huguan Pass was a great achievement.

To his utter surprise, when he had given up hope for the North, his son did not disappoint him and gave him a wonderful surprise.

As a monarch, Zhao Kuangyin was delighted that the rebellion of Li Jun was about to be quelled.

As a father, Zhao Kuangyin was overjoyed that he finally had a successor!

The intense joy and pride within him made Zhao Kuangyin's laughter linger for a long time.

Zhao Kuangyin's loud laughter was also heard by the ministers who arrived one after another.

When Shi Shouxin passed by their camp, the ministers naturally knew where he was headed.

It's not hard for them to guess that Zhao Kuangyin would be overjoyed upon hearing this news.

When the emperor is happy, how can his ministers not rush to his side to share in the joy?

Seeing that his ministers were gradually gathering outside the tent, Zhao Kuangyin reluctantly stopped laughing.

After barely managing to calm his surging emotions, Zhao Kuangyin, his face flushed, addressed his ministers:
"Although Shangdang has been recovered, Li Jun's rebel army is still entrenched outside Gaoping City."

What strategies do you gentlemen have to defeat the enemy?

The recapture of Shangdang essentially sealed Li Jun's fate, making his defeat and demise a foregone conclusion.

Even if the military intelligence from Luzhou reached Li Jun's camp, given Li Jun's prestige in the army, he might still have to put up a desperate struggle.

Zhao Kuangyin wanted to see Zhao Dexiu as soon as possible and had no desire to waste any more time with him outside Gaoping City.

If someone could offer a plan to quickly defeat Li Jun within a day or two, that would be ideal.

As soon as Zhao Kuangyin finished speaking, and Chu Zhaofu was about to offer a suggestion to salvage his defeat, Lü Duan, who had just recovered from his shock, preemptively replied:
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Taiyuan has a plan to present."

Since the ministers all knew that Lü Duan was currently representing Zhao Dexiu, all their eyes turned to him as soon as Lü Duan finished speaking.

Upon hearing Lü Duan's words, Zhao Kuangyin almost burst out laughing again.

Fortunately, Zhao Kuangyin had strong self-control. After suppressing his smile, he looked at Lü Duan and said:
"Since you have a brilliant plan, present it to me immediately."

Before even hearing the details of the plan, Zhao Kuangyin had already labeled Zhao Dexiu's plan as a brilliant one.

None of the ministers disagreed with this certainty.

Zhao Dexiu's great victory this time directly established his new position in the hearts of the ministers - not a good general, but a famous general!
Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Lü Duan said solemnly:

"Before I left Shangdang, the Marquis entrusted me with a group of people to bring to Zezhou."

Those people were all family members of enemy generals.

The magistrate thought it would be better to send the family members to the front lines and let them declare their righteousness to the enemy.

In this way, the enemy army will surely be routed!

As soon as Lü Duan finished speaking, Shen Yilun, one of the ministers, was the first to speak up in praise:
"To conquer a city is inferior; to conquer a mind is superior."

The magistrate's proposal, however, was a brilliant plan.

"The Marquis's actions will not only defeat the enemy, but also demonstrate the benevolence of our dynasty to the world."

That is indeed an excellent strategy.

As soon as Shen Yilun finished speaking, Chu Zhaofu "sincerely" echoed his praise.

Seeing that Shen Yilun and Chu Zhaofu, two of Zhao Kuangyin's advisors, had both expressed their agreement, the other ministers naturally had no objections.

Upon hearing the ministers' agreement, Zhao Kuangyin's eyes nearly burst with joy.

With his merit in pacifying Luzhou and his psychological warfare strategy today, Zhao Dexiu is undoubtedly the one who deserves the greatest credit in the battle to quell Li Jun.

As Zhao Kuangyin's confidant, Shen Yilun saw through his intentions.

Then Shen Yilun openly proposed:
“The Marquis of Taiyuan has made great contributions, but if these contributions are not rewarded, then the orders will not be carried out.”

We humbly request Your Majesty to bestow upon us a reward.

Shen Yilun's words were met with approval from most of the ministers.

After Zhao Dexiu captured Huguan last time, they were going to discuss rewarding him, but the matter was dropped because Zhao Kuangyin did not agree.

Zhao Dexiu's military achievements this time were too great, and it would indeed be inappropriate not to reward him.

As the emperor and father, how could Zhao Kuangyin not want to reward Zhao Dexiu?
He had previously refrained from bestowing lavish rewards in order to help Zhao Dexiu lay a solid foundation for each step of his promotion.

Now that the time has come, Zhao Kuangyin naturally wants to reward his son handsomely.

Looking at the sturdy paulownia tree outside the tent, which was used to provide shade, Zhao Kuangyin already had a plan in mind.

Amidst the clamor of the court officials to commend Zhao Dexiu, Zhao Kuangyin spoke up, saying, "What Marquis of Taiyuan?"

When Zhao Kuangyin said this, all the ministers were stunned.

Under the puzzled gazes of his ministers, Zhao Kuangyin walked to the paulownia tree and then reached out to pluck a leaf.

Facing the suspicious gazes of some ministers, Zhao Kuangyin took out his dagger and shaved the tung leaf in his hand into the shape of a jade tablet.

Jade tablets were ritual objects exclusively used by emperors and feudal lords!
Then Zhao Kuangyin went to Liu Wensou, the Vice Minister of Rites, and handed him the jade tablet, saying in front of everyone:

"From now on, only the Prince of Taiyuan will be here!"

The emperor's word is law!

What is said is recorded in history, ceremonies are performed, and songs are sung.

When Zhao Kuangyin said this, many of the ministers were shocked.

The first king of the Song Dynasty has appeared.

Although the kings of the Five Dynasties could not establish their own independent territories, they could still participate in government affairs and command troops.

If we were to draw a comparison, the power and status of the kings of the Five Dynasties were roughly the same as those of the kings of the early Tang Dynasty.

Most importantly, Zhao Dexiu was not from a collateral branch of the imperial clan; he was the eldest son of the emperor.

When the eldest son of the imperial family is associated with the prestigious title of king, the resulting political power is enormous.

Chu Zhaofu and Wang Renzhan felt their legs go weak after hearing Zhao Kuangyin's words.

As for Shen Yilun, Shi Shouxin, and the others, they all had smiles on their faces.

Although most of the officials knew that the "eldest son being enfeoffed as a king" had a very heavy political connotation, no one expressed any objection.

Even Chu Zhaofu and Wang Renzhan, who were extremely unwilling, felt the same way.

Zhao Dexiu was the eldest son of the emperor, and it was only natural that he would be granted the title of prince as he grew older.

As for being enfeoffed as a king at the age of sixteen, placing him above all the ministers, wouldn't that cause resentment among them?

Normally, yes.

However, Shi Shouxin's journey through the camp to report the victory, though lengthy, helped Zhao Dexiu deeply establish his reputation throughout the entire army.

The name of the Marquis of Taiyuan had already spread throughout the entire army.

With such prestige, being granted the title of a prince is truly well-deserved.

Daydreaming is fleeting.

Once he came to his senses, Liu Wensou respectfully accepted the paulownia leaf from Zhao Kuangyin's hand.

The paulownia leaf is very light, but it may represent the inheritance of the nation.

Since Lü Duan was able to reach Zezhou, Li Jun's camp outside Gaoping City also quickly learned about the military situation in Luzhou.

When they learned that Shangdang City had fallen into the hands of Zhao Dexiu, the generals in the military camp were all greatly shocked.

Shangdang was their granary.

If Shangdang is lost, wouldn't the army's food supplies be cut off in the future?

Amidst the unrest within the camp, Li Jun stepped forward to reassure the generals:
“If you join me in this uprising, the Zhao traitor will not let you off easily. We still have more than a month's worth of provisions in the camp. Within this month, I will lead you to break through the encirclement and join the Khitan.”

Li Yun had commanded troops for many years, and his prestige in the army was not low; otherwise, he would not have been able to rebel so easily.

Furthermore, what Li Jun said was also true.

In the past, in order to stop killing with killing, emperors of each generation would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free when it came to rebellion.

Because of this reality, in the past, few traitors surrendered after being defeated; most chose to take their followers and defect elsewhere.

The Khitans would be a great place to go.

The reason why the Khitans know how to attack and defend cities is because they were taught by the rebel generals from the Central Plains.

Li Jun's words, to some extent, calmed people's hearts.

And Li Jun was indeed not making empty promises.

After calming the army's morale, Li Jun was furious about Li Shoujie's filial impiety, and at the same time, he sent people to strengthen ties with the Khitan.

If the Khitans could send troops to their aid in a short time, this battle might not be impossible to continue.

What Li Jun didn't know was that Zhao Dexiu wouldn't give him that chance.

As the new day's sunlight shone outside Gaoping City, Li Jun's sentries discovered a group of unusual people arriving outside the camp.

Among that group were women, teenagers, and some robust elderly people.

This group of people doesn't look like soldiers at all; they're clearly just ordinary civilians.

Just when the sentries thought that the Song army wanted to use civilians as scapegoats to attack the camp, the civilians stopped in their tracks outside the effective range of the camp's archers.

Then, the Song army fired a large number of letters into the camp.

The distance between the two objects rendered the arrows ineffective, but they were more than enough to deliver messages.

After the letters were shot into the camp gate, the officer guarding the camp picked up one of the letters and began to read it.

After reading it, he turned pale with fright.

This letter is a family letter.

This letter was written to a high-ranking officer in the camp.

Realizing something was wrong, he picked up several more letters and began reading them.

After reading them, he realized that all the letters shot into the camp were likely family letters, and all were addressed to the officers in the camp.

How could there be family letters?

According to the military governor, weren't all the generals' families killed?
When generals went to war, there was a standard procedure for settling their families – the saying "a cunning rabbit has three burrows."

He took his beloved son with him and settled his elderly and weak family members in different counties as much as possible.

In this way, if something unexpected happens, the whole family won't be wiped out and the family line won't be cut off.

However, after the Battle of Funiu Mountain, Zhao Dexiu recovered the entire Luzhou.

After recapturing Luzhou, Zhao Dexiu, taking advantage of an insider's report, quickly wiped out almost all the families of Li Jun's generals.

Normally, after capturing the families of rebels, one would have to kill them one by one, but Zhao Dexiu did not do that.

This was something Li Jun hadn't expected.

Due to a lack of intelligence, the officers guarding the camp were unaware of the authenticity of the letters from home.

To prevent further unrest within the camp, he had no choice but to summon the generals based on the names on the covers of their letters home.

After receiving the report, many generals soon arrived at the camp gate.

After receiving the corresponding family letters and reading them, all the generals showed excitement.

How could they not recognize their family members' handwriting?

Then several generals looked out of the camp and saw those familiar figures outside.

After the letter was shot into Li Jun's camp, the Song army outside the camp withdrew.

Seeing that there were no Song soldiers around, many generals in the camp could not hide their excitement and rushed out of the camp.

If it were only one or two generals, the officers guarding the camp could still stop it.

But too many generals received letters from home, and if those generals joined forces, even Li Jun could be sidelined. How could he possibly stop them?

When many generals arrived outside the camp and reunited with their families, they heard a completely different version of events from Li Jun.

"After the Marquis of Taiyuan found us, he did not harm us, but instead treated us warmly."

“The Marquis of Taiyuan did not even kill Li Shoujie. All those who sincerely surrendered were retained in their original positions.”

"Our family property has been protected by the Marquis of Taiyuan, who has ordered people to protect it and not allow anyone to infringe upon it."

"The Song Emperor said that only the ringleaders would be executed, and those who surrendered would be pardoned."

Upon hearing these facts, the generals' expressions began to change.

Seeking refuge with the Khitan was indeed a viable option.

But if the Song Dynasty could spare them from punishment and protect their interests, why would they leave their homes?
Just because the Khitans were a different race doesn't mean they would be treated well.
With these two uncertainties in mind, the generals gradually made a decision.

Rather than continuing to serve the capricious and bloodthirsty Li Jun, it's better to go with the flow.

After a brief reunion with their families, the generals gestured for them to return to the Song camp first.

The next camp will no longer be safe.

The news that the generals were sending their families back to the Song camp quickly reached Li Jun's ears.

Upon hearing this, Li Jun couldn't help but let out a few bitter laughs.

That's too late.

Li Jun's heart was filled with bitterness.

Li Jun is not Li Shoujie. Having commanded troops for many years, he has accurate judgment on many matters.

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Realizing that defeat and death were inevitable, Li Jun displayed a certain amount of heroic spirit.

He first ordered his concubine to bring several jars of fine wine. After the wine was brought, he drew his sword and killed the concubine.

Then Li Jun sat down next to the corpse and opened the wine jar.

As he drank the first bowl of wine, shouts of battle began to rise outside the commander's tent.

After drinking several bowls of wine, as the shouts of battle drew ever closer, Li Jun poured one bowl of wine onto the ground:
"Your Majesty, I have done my best!"

As the wine rippled on the ground, its aroma filled the tent.

After pouring the first bowl of wine, Li Jun poured a second bowl of wine onto the ground:
"Your Majesty, I have done my best!"

After pouring himself two bowls of wine, Li Jun, slightly drunk, picked up the wine jar and wandered around inside the tent.

"But I am not willing to accept this."

It is not that I am no match for Zhao Kuangyin, but that my descendants are inferior!

Such is the will of Heaven; what can be done but cry out?

Li Jun became increasingly sorrowful as he spoke, and he continued to smash the wine jars inside the tent.

After this step was completed, the soldiers outside the tent had already stepped onto the steps.

As the menacing soldiers used their blades to lift the curtain, Li Jun had already drawn his longsword and held it to his neck.

Looking at the soldiers before him who were eager to use him to gain merit, Li Jun left behind his last words in this world:

"With beautiful women and fine wine to accompany me on the road to the underworld, what is there to regret!"

After saying this, a flash of cold light streaked across the sky, and Li Jun's body fell heavily to the ground.

　I have some things I want to say to the readers, so I'm releasing this chapter earlier than planned.

　　The previous chapter drew criticism from many readers, and I would like to offer an explanation here.

　　In the previous chapter, I didn't intend to pad my post. Of course, I like to earn more money, but I'm not stupid enough to deliberately pad my post at this time.

　　The content of the previous chapter was partly to set the stage for this chapter and partly to foreshadow later plot developments; this was my subjective intention.

　　Of course, I'm not a master writer, and my understanding of plot control is insufficient, which objectively caused a bad experience for many readers. For this, I apologize to everyone.

　　In addition, there were some comments in the previous chapter that insulted my family and made personal attacks. I have deleted those comments. I hope that in the future, readers can criticize, but they should not involve personal attacks or attacks on my family.

　　Thanks for your support! Sorry!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)