After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

In the past, such a memorial would not have needed the Empress and high-ranking officials to refute it; it would have been silenced by the criticism of other officials long ago.

But this time, the Northern Dynasty's navy and the Rakshasa navy actually joined forces to break through the river defenses of Songjiang Prefecture?

This is no ordinary matter; it's a matter of national collapse and family destruction... it's imminent.

The same knife, when held ten feet away, is fundamentally different from one held to the neck.

This short message is like a knife to someone's throat, and it contains so many terrifying things that it leaves people speechless and pale.

"Northern Dynasty... Rakshasa?"

Many people had previously held onto the hope that the war would not last long because there were Rakshasa tribes to the north of the Northern Dynasty.

"It's still because the alliance between the North and South hasn't been agreed upon," someone whispered. "It must be because the delegation made exorbitant demands, angering the Northern Dynasty, which then decided to simply send troops south to fight..."

Someone sighed and added, "So this is how they compensated the Southern Zhao."

"The Northern Dynasties had enough spirit... But what about south of the Huai River... I wonder what the officials in the court are thinking..."

"Heh, I've heard that the Northern Dynasty even ceded Chuzhou, a real surrender. Yet the court isn't providing them with provisions and weapons to fight the Rakshasa..."

"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; you gentlemen probably want to get a city for nothing."

"What a pity... such a missed opportunity..."

"Trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead"—this saying is indeed true.

"It's alright. After a battle, the officials in the court might stop taking advantage of the situation and thinking about taking over the entire area south of the Huai River. Instead, they might be willing to make concessions, and a north-south alliance might actually be formed."

"Brother, your insight is brilliant..."

There are quite a few such comments.

But when they heard that the Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa's naval forces had broken through Songjiang Prefecture together, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

The illusion shattered in an instant.

On that very day, the imperial court issued a proclamation.

He angrily denounced the Rakshasa for their lack of integrity and for waging war without declaration, saying they were truly barbaric beyond compare!

At this point, the truth that the Northern Dynasty not only did not form an alliance with the Rakshasa, but instead allied with them and launched a joint attack on Nanjing City, suddenly came crashing down on everyone's heads!

What alarmed everyone even more was that the Dutch and the Portuguese also sent ships to attack from upstream.

The Dutch even dispatched a full twelve of their sailing warships to blockade the mouth of the Yangtze River, but... the people of Nanjing wouldn't learn of this until the Battle of Zhenjiang...

Abandon Jiangpu City?

To bring back Jiangpu Army?

Such a memorial was not rejected immediately, but instead underwent a heated discussion within the cabinet and the six ministries.

Li Xiangsong's eyes were bloodshot as he slammed his fist on the table and said:

"The most urgent task is to ensure that Nanjing does not fall! If Nanjing falls, even if we protect His Majesty during his southern exile, the Great Liang will inevitably repeat the same mistakes! The calamity of national subjugation is imminent!"

"The Rakshasa people are few in number, only five or six thousand, but they, along with the Northern Dynasties and the Dutch, have broken through the river defenses and are attacking Zhenjiang!"

The cabinet minister waved his hand and shouted in a stern voice:

"The Northern Dynasty still has naval forces in Yangzhou! If both armies attack Zhenjiang together, how can Zhenjiang be defended?! How can it be defended?!"

Minister of Revenue Fang Xiaofan, with a solemn expression, agreed with Li Xiangsong:

"With Liuhe City fallen, Jiangpu City is doomed! Why disregard the lives of tens of thousands within the city?!"

Gao Congzhe retorted:

"Bring back the Jiangpu army? Jiangpu is currently north of the river, tying down at least 70,000 to 80,000 of Yue Zhongqi's troops! If Jiangpu is lost, Yue Zhongqi will have hundreds of thousands of troops crossing the river together!"

Li Xiangsong's eyes widened: "How long can you keep him occupied? Gao Muxian, tell me, how long can Shangguan Yun keep him occupied?"

Even amidst the perilous chaos of war, this debate continued for an entire day.

The Empress handed a note to the cabinet, ordering them to send a detailed account of the situation, large and small, to Jiangpu City by warship, so as to hear the opinions of Shangguan Yun and other generals.

At the beginning of the war, Nanjing sent five warships to the Yangtze River to contain the Northern Dynasty. At the same time, the warships transported food and weapons to the south bank, and the Jiangpu Army organized thousands of people to leave the city at night to quickly take them over.

However, in early June, the 60,000-strong army of the Northern Dynasty stationed in Jiangpu City dug trenches, piled up mounds of earth, and set up dozens of cannons.

From then on, warships could only secretly travel to Jiangpu City at night to deliver messages, which was no longer effective in containing the enemy. Otherwise, with better lighting, they would be easily sunk by the Northern Dynasty's artillery.

The next day.

Shangguan Yun sent a reply.

"Jiangpu City must not be lost! This city was personally recaptured and forged by our ancestor. With this city standing, the Great Liang Dynasty has a chance to breathe. If this city falls, we will have no way to defend the thousand-mile-long river defense!"

Shangguan Yun also said that such a major battle could only be launched once every five or even ten years in the Northern Dynasty. As long as we hold this position, the Great Liang will have the opportunity to launch a northern expedition!

The Marquis of Zhenguo, who had effectively inherited the title, solemnly assured His Majesty that he could defend the city for at least another month and requested that His Majesty quickly dispatch elite troops from the Yunhu Camp, Jiujiang Camp, and Chizhou Camp to Nanjing to defend the emperor.

"The elite troops of the Northern Dynasty are all in Huainan. We can order the Yunhu, Jiujiang, and Chizhou battalions to feign crossing the river to contain the Green Standard Army along the Hefei line and alleviate the crisis in Huguang. We can also transfer three elite units to guard Nanjing..."

After Shangguan Yun's reply reached the cabinet, the Empress and Chief Minister Qin made a decision.

Shangguan Yun was instructed to continue guarding Jiangpu City.

Following Shangguan Yun's suggestion, the cabinet submitted a memorial, the Empress affixed her imperial seal, and the court issued military orders to the three battalions of Yunhu, Jiujiang, and Chizhou.

He ordered the three battalions to feign crossing the river while simultaneously drawing 15,000 elite soldiers from the battalions to march north.

The Empress then appointed Gongsun Mao, the Zhejiang Provincial Governor, as the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Jiangxi. As the Governor-General of the two provinces, he was tasked with allocating funds and provisions from the two provinces to Nanjing and organizing garrison troops to strengthen the defenses of the three battalions along the Yangtze River.

At the same time, the Empress also granted Gongsun Mao the authority to recruit soldiers and procure provisions, allowing him to act as he saw fit.

From then on, the defense of the thousand-mile-long Yangtze River in the Great Liang Dynasty was fully managed by three people: Ming Zhonghou, the governor of Sichuan; Gu Xichuan, the governor-general of Huguang; and Gongsun Mao, the governor-general of Zhejiang.

In addition to dealing with the rebellion of the Shui'an clan, the chieftains of Guizhou, they also had to contend with the situation in Huguang and Sichuan.

However, the imperial court issued an order to prioritize defense, meaning that the An family could remain in their own territory without any problems.

pity……

Things never go as planned.

The An family was ambitious and did not only want to control a region. According to the latest battle report from the Guizhou governor received by Nanjing, the An family made great promises to the chieftains in the Dafang County area. The chieftains in the surrounding area surrendered one after another and joined the An family in attacking Gulin.

The allied forces of the chieftains are now locked in a stalemate with the large army dispatched by Marquis Mingzhong.

The news that arrived at the same time as this battle report was...

The movements of Nian Gengyao, the Northwest King of the Northern Dynasties.

Xiang Qi, one of the four generals of the Heavenly Principle Sect, started an uprising in the Tianshui area in mid-March, attracting many refugees and claiming to number 30,000. He also repeatedly defeated several generals under Nian Gengyao.

The Heavenly Principles Sect expanded its territory even to the Pingliang and Qingyang areas, becoming incredibly powerful for a time.

In early April, Nian Gengyao officially set out on his campaign, and twenty days later, he decisively defeated Xiang Qi in Qingyang.

They then continued to pursue and kill Xiang Qi's remaining forces. In mid-May, they defeated Xiang Qi in the Guyuan area, leaving him barely alive.

With Xiang Qi gone, Nian Gengyao's army suddenly marched south, heading straight for Hanzhong and heading towards Guangyuan!

This news shocked everyone in the cabinet.

"Nian Gengyao..."

Gao Congzhe's expression changed drastically upon receiving the message.

"They've arrived!"

Luan Zongyuan said with a wry smile, "Sichuan can only rely on Marquis Mingzhong. Jianmen Pass is a natural barrier, and Nian Gengyao will definitely take the Yinping Ancient Road."

now,

The Liang dynasty had no spare troops left.

In the Suzhou, Songjiang, and Changzhou prefectures, Zhang Gu, the Right Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions, personally led the formation of a loyalist army.

However, they only stationed troops in Changzhou to coordinate with the Yongwei Camp and Shenji Camp in the capital. If the Northern Dynasty raided southwards, the Yongwei Camp would go east.

As for the fall of Zhenjiang, that happened half a month ago.