xymnovel Chapter 74 Zhao Kuangyin's Fate Unknown? Fate Unknown means dead.
Chapter 74 Zhao Kuangyin's Fate Unknown? Fate Unknown means dead.
That evening, rumors began to circulate in Luzhou that Zhao Kuangyin had been shot by a crossbow bolt outside Zezhou and his fate was unknown.
The next day, the Luzhou scouts reported with great joy that Wang Quanbin's troops, who had been aggressively invading, had suddenly retreated to Huguan, for reasons unknown.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that the Song army outside Zezhou City had also ceased its offensive and was no longer attacking the city. At this point, even many ordinary soldiers believed that something must have happened to Zhao Kuangyin.
After all, it was still the Five Dynasties period, and the soldiers were not ignorant of military affairs. They all knew that the most important thing for Zhao Kuangyin in this battle was to seize the time. This battle was indeed fought swiftly and fiercely. In order to pass through the pass, Zhao Kuangyin did not hesitate to take off his dragon robe and personally carry stones. It was clear that the battle was fought in a very urgent manner.
Such an urgent military campaign, which has now come to a halt, is indeed abnormal, and the possibility that Zhao Kuangyin is dead is very high.
"Assemble! Assemble! Beat the drums to gather the generals! Issue my order: send two commanders to immediately cut off the road to Taiping Post Station! Do not let Liu Jun know the news! Thoroughly investigate any discord between the Northern Han forces within the city!"
Li Shoujie gave this order.
But actually, it would have been better if he hadn't given the order; giving the order in this way only alerted Liu Jun.
Wang Lu and three hundred personal guards were in the city, and Lu Qiu Zhongqing was supporting them. So, not many people knew that Li Shoujie and Wang Quande had both gone out once and met Zhao Kuangyin at the foot of Zezhou City.
When they returned, for three consecutive nights, a cavalry force of at least one or two thousand men secretly slipped into Luzhou City.
Wang Jingren, the garrison commander of Gaoping Pass, naturally wouldn't stop them, since Li Shoujie and Wang Quande were always the ones leading the troops.
And although no one said anything to him, it didn't stop him from imagining things: Zhao Kuangyin must be dead, and his brother-in-law is about to launch a counterattack.
After all, if so many troops can break through, doesn't that mean they're close to winning?
As for why they sent the troops back instead? It's obviously because they wanted to attack Xiangzhou. Who told Wang Quanbin to provoke them?
If Zhao Kuangyin is already dead, then there's little point in the Zhaoyi Army blocking the Yellow River canal. It would only further incite hatred among the people and soldiers of Kaifeng. It would be better to let them fight it out themselves.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, we should send troops to Hebei, first annex Wang Quanbin, then devour the 50,000 troops under Murong Yanzhao, and finally contact the five towns of Hebei, asking them to jointly honor our brother-in-law as their master. With this great victory, we can then coerce Fu Yanqing of the Tianxiong Army. In this way, the world will be at peace.
My brother-in-law is going to become Liu Zhiyuan! Does that mean I have a chance to become Guo Wei?
Whether it's reasonable or not, that's what Wang Jingren thinks, and influenced by him, everyone in Gaoping Pass is now in high spirits, with many people already discussing how to storm Kaifeng and plunder the city.
After all, with such a huge commotion, Wang Jingren couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. Moreover, the news that Zhao Kuangyin's fate was unknown had already spread among the middle-ranking officers, so how could it possibly be kept secret from the lower-ranking soldiers of the entire army?
Meanwhile, at Taiping Post Station, Liu Jun immediately sensed something was wrong the moment Li Shoujie blocked the road, and quickly sent people to investigate.
After all, what was he here for? The reason he brought more than 10,000 people to Taiping Post Station was simply to sit back and watch the tigers fight, to observe the outcome of the battle between Li Jun and Zhao Kuangyin, so that he could react as soon as possible.
It was thought that Zhao Kuangyin's military campaign was swift and decisive, and Li Jun was in grave danger, even considering retreating back to Taiyuan. But now it seems that the situation has changed.
Just a few days ago, didn't Li Jun send three letters a day asking for help, requesting that I lead troops to support him?
Why did they block the road instead of asking for help when they were supposed to be reinforcements for the Zhaoyi Army?
Taiping Post Station is only eighty li (approximately 40 kilometers) from Luzhou City, and the road is wide, making it the best section of road to travel in the entire Hedong region.
Liu Jun wished he could send out eighty waves of scouts every day to inquire about the situation. How could such an obvious change be kept secret from people, and how could the news be kept under wraps?
"Your Majesty, great news! Our scouts in Luzhou have sent word that Zhao Kuangyin personally led the attack on Zezhou City, but was wounded by a crossbow bolt and his fate is currently unknown."
"Wounded by a ballista? Dead?"
"They only said he was wounded by a ballista, and they don't know if he's dead or alive; his fate is unknown."
"His fate is unknown. Even if he's dead, how could someone hit by a ballista possibly survive?"
Is this true or false? Could it be a scam? Why would Li Shoujie block the roads?
"I sent a scout to Gaoping Pass. Although I don't know the exact situation under Zezhou City, the Zhaoyi Army on Gaoping Pass is indeed excited and cheering all night long. People below the pass can hear the shouts from above."
"So, it seems there's a high probability that this is indeed the case?"
Even Liu Jun couldn't help but nod, saying, "Zhao Kuangyin was indeed a fierce general, fond of leading from the front."
It is said that during the campaign against the Southern Tang, he once charged into the enemy ranks single-handedly, slaying the enemy commander and capturing the deputy commander amidst thousands of soldiers, before calmly returning home, displaying the bravery of Xiang Yu reborn.
"A brave man is bound to be reckless, and he is also used to leading from the front to boost morale. In the battle of Zezhou, it is entirely possible that he personally led the attack on the city to save time."
"Balloons are hardly accurate. If Zhao Kuangyin did indeed personally attack the city, it's quite reasonable that he was hit by a hail of arrows."
"If Zhao Kuangyin is really dead, then Li Shoujie is blocking the roads. He wants to eat the meat himself, but he won't even let us have the soup."
"Your Majesty!"
The minister behind him suddenly knelt down and said, "The Central Plains are without a ruler, it is right for Your Majesty to take it. This world should have belonged to Your Majesty."
"We can ask the Liao Kingdom for reinforcements, following the examples of Shi Jingtang and Du Chongwei. With the Central Plains without a ruler and Li Jun already rebelling, if we can invite the Liao army south, wouldn't the world be within our grasp?"
"Within Luzhou City, Li Shoujie has at most ten thousand troops. This is a golden opportunity. Li Jun has already submitted to the Emperor during the recent alliance meeting, and Li Shoujie is still a junior. Now is the perfect time to take Luzhou, join forces with the Zhaoyi Army, and seize the world together."
Liu Jun frowned and said, "What if that brat Li Shoujie refuses to let us into the city?"
"If they won't let us into the city, then we'll fight. The Emperor and Li Jun have a great bond of loyalty between ruler and subject. Li Shoujie is just a nobody. The Emperor can persuade him with righteousness and intimidate him with military might. Why should he refuse to comply?"
Li Jun has transferred all of Zhaoyi Army's elite troops to Zezhou. If we really fight, why should we worry about not being able to take it? Even if we can't take it, what we need now is time. Even if we can't capture it, just besieging Luzhou will be enough to ruin Zhaoyi Army's grand plan. Why should we worry about them not compromising?
"Yes, Your Majesty, although Li Jun is untrustworthy, he is still our ally at this time. Li Shoujie has no reason to hold the city at all costs. He will only discuss anything after we defeat the Song army. Did our army come here just to watch a show?!"
Liu Jun nodded in deep agreement.
He exclaimed, "It's fate! This is fate! Hahaha, this world will ultimately belong to the Liu family! Issue my order: the entire army will break camp and head to Luzhou! Duan Chang, you personally go to the Liao Kingdom and ask my father to send troops to help me restore my kingdom."
"I am willing to immediately cede the seven prefectures of Daizhou, Xinzhou, Lanzhou, Xianzhou, Fengzhou, Fuzhou, and Linzhou, as well as all the territory north of Yanmen Pass, to Liao. The annual tribute will be increased to 500 million strings of cash, 30,000 bolts of silk, and 30,000 taels of silver. After I take control of Kaifeng, I will immediately cede all the territory north of the Yellow River. I will never break my promise."
Duan Chang: "Yes, sir!"