Chapter 179 Breaking Yongqiu

Li Yang did not miss any of the Liu family’s battle records and reported them all.

He is definitely the most deserving hero. Not only is he the general who conquered the most cities, but he also used a strategy to defeat the main force of Wen Qi, which directly laid the foundation for victory. No matter how he rewarded him, it would not be an exaggeration for his contribution.

What’s more, he was a relative of the Han Dynasty! With his family and great ability, he quickly won Liu Xiang’s favor.

He is a person who is somewhat partial to some people and a surname is enough to tip the scales in his heart.

“This Liu Xiu Liu Wenshu has made great contributions. Just the fact that he conquered more than 30 counties in a row is enough for me to promote him to the governor of Runan. I don’t need General Li to recommend it. I will make the decision!”

Liu Xiang thought for a moment, then said, “Not only will I appoint him as the governor of Runan, but I will also confer him a title of nobility!”

“Your Majesty is wise.” Everyone said in unison.

This person was obviously Li Yang’s man. Now that Li Yang’s status had risen, it would be unwise to offend him. Moreover, Liu Xiu was a relative of the Han Dynasty! Liu Xiang’s attitude was very firm.

It was much easier to confer a title of nobility on the Liu family than on people with other surnames. Sometimes one did not even need to have military merits. As long as the emperor liked someone, he could confer the title legitimately!

Now that he has made great contributions, it would be inappropriate if he is not granted a title of nobility.

The only person who could stop the emperor was Xu Hua, but the prime minister also favored the Liu family! How could he possibly object if he wanted more outstanding talents to appear?
“Your Majesty, I think that Liu Xiu can be conferred the title of Marquis of Yichengting. It is neither too high nor too low.” Xu Hua, who had remained silent, offered a suggestion.

Upon hearing this, the ministers were obviously shocked. They didn’t expect that the prime minister would be so willing to do so.

Don’t underestimate him as a marquis, but this is also a real marquis! The highest level, Liu Xiu is still a rookie, even if his last name is Liu, he can’t be given this title.

Being Marquis of Guannei is already a great favor.

“I second the proposal!”

But no one objected. The Xu Party led by Xu Hua had deep-rooted power in the court, and all major factions were related to the Xu family.

The forces of Xu Zhong and Xu Min were privately opposed to each other, which was also the result of Liu Xiang’s efforts over many years.

But no one dared to offend Xu Hua, the current head of the Xu family.

Liu Xiang also agreed: “That’s what I think. For so long, my Liu family has produced only good-for-nothings, and finally a pretty good young man has come.”

“How can I not offer a generous reward? I originally thought that the Prime Minister would object, but this is fine.”

Then, he cleared his throat and said, “Draft an imperial decree. The Yuzhou army has made great contributions. Li Yang will be promoted to the position of Right General and Yuzhou Governor, and continue to supervise all affairs in Yuzhou. He will be granted the title of Marquis of Yangcheng. The vanguard general Liu Xiu will be appointed as the governor of Runan, and be granted the title of Marquis of Yichengting, and serve as a deputy to assist Li Yang in handling Yuzhou affairs.”

“The rest can be rewarded as appropriate, and stay where they are, preparing their troops and preparing to receive the general’s orders at any time to march north to defeat Mang!”

“I look forward to him giving me more surprises.”

Liu Xiang was very thoughtful. When he conferred a title of nobility on Liu Xiu, he also did not forget to confer a title on Li Yang. Otherwise, the relationship between the two would have been very awkward. After all, he was Liu Xiu’s superior in official position, but his title was lower than Li Yang’s.

So they simply took advantage of the situation and gave him a title, thus making up for the regret that Li Yang’s ancestor, General Li Guang, could not be granted a title of nobility in his lifetime.

Guangzong Yaozu.

“Your Majesty is wise.” Everyone agreed in unison.

Liu Xiang thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: “Spread the news of Yuzhou’s great victory. I want it to spread all over the world! Let Wang Mang see that the Xin Dynasty has already stepped half a foot into the coffin! It will perish sooner or later!”

He didn’t intend to keep this victory known only to insiders.

The main forces of the two armies have been in a stalemate for a long time, and this sudden victory is bound to produce a very wonderful chemical reaction.

The specific manifestation is that the morale of the Han army in Chenliu was high, while the morale of the Xinmang army was just the opposite.

………

Chenliu, the main camp of the Han army.

Xu Yuan walked in holding a bamboo slip with a complicated expression on his face.

The other commander, Xu Min, had been waiting for a long time. He had seen such information and had the same thought.

Both happy and sad.

The Han army’s great victory and the capture of Yuzhou were of course good things, and the soldiers who were originally depressed were also cheered up.

However, as a famous general with a long reputation, he has not achieved any valuable results. Under the sharp contrast, he can’t help but feel a little impatient. If he fails to capture Chenliu, it will be unacceptable.

“I wonder what you think about the war in Yuzhou?” Xu Yuan put down his things and asked in a deep voice.

Xu Min replied: “Of course it is a happy event. This is a victory for our Han Dynasty. How can I not be happy?”

Xu Yuan nodded, “It is indeed a happy event, but you and I will be busy. If we don’t make some achievements, how can we explain to His Majesty?”

Now the army has been stopped in Chenliu for several months. The defending general Wang Xun has stayed indoors and implemented the tortoise tactics, only defending and not attacking, no matter what strategy you use.

It was just to delay time! To buy time for Wang Mang in Guanzhong to react.

After being advised by Zhen Feng and others, this new ancestor who had given up on himself regained his spirits, began to mobilize the Guanzhong army, suppressed peasant uprisings in various places, and finally managed to survive.

Large-scale rebellions were put down within a few months, and the remaining small-scale bandits were insignificant. Except for the rebels in Hanzhong, the internal situation of the Xinmang Dynasty had been quelled.

The Xin Dynasty was not completely hopeless. As long as he could repel the invasion of the Han army, he could concentrate his attention on the Chimei Army and the Hanzhong Army. Even if he couldn’t restore their prosperity, at least they could survive for a dozen years.

In order to quickly pacify the world, this battle is particularly important! The Xinmang court is recruiting and training troops on a large scale, and is ready to fight the Han army with all their might.

It is precisely because of this that Wang Xun has always adopted a defensive strategy, defending without attacking, and he has a more clear view of the situation.

He knew that his army of less than 100,000 was powerless to turn the tide. The men he was facing, Xu Yuan and Xu Min, had both been famous for a long time and were unlikely to make mistakes. If he saw hope, it was undoubtedly a trap!

This is much better than Wen Qi, of course, the opponents are different.

The two Xus were veterans who had fought in many battles, while Liu Xiu was a rookie and his military achievements were overshadowed, so no one knew his worth.

Coupled with his hard work in disguising himself, Wen Qi made a wrong judgement. If it were Li Yang, he would never act rashly. It was the combination of the right time, the right place, and the right people.

Xu Min was silent for a long time before he spoke: “Alas… Wang Xun sent troops to build a large number of defensive offensives. Although our troops completely crushed him, it is still not enough to attack by force.”

“Wang Xun is a general who is good at defending. He can’t find a breakthrough point at all.”

Xu Yuan also interjected: “Yes, we still have to start from the inside.”

“what do you mean?”

“To instigate enemy generals to rebel, this Xin Mang is no longer the same as it was a few years ago. Everyone is deserted, and all the ministers and generals have their own agenda. As long as we offer enough money and find the right target, this matter will be very successful.”

“This is the only way to break through at the moment. If that doesn’t work, we can only lay siege to the city and wait until they run out of ammunition and food before doing anything else.”

If the outside is indestructible, then we can only break through it from the inside! This is the only way. If we can persuade some of the Xinmang generals to rebel, we can cooperate inside and outside to trick the city gate open!

Once this line of defense is torn open, defeat will not be far away. “You should have a candidate.” Xu Min said.

He knew this cousin very well. Since he could say it, it meant that he had it all figured out, or at least had steps that could be implemented. If he had no clue at all, he would not even mention it.

“Brother, you still understand me. Indeed, I have found someone.” Xu Yuan smiled.

“Oh? Who.”

“Chenliu Governor, Zhao Jun.”

………

In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Jun, the prefect of Chenliu, was instigated by the Han army to rebel. He led 3,000 soldiers to launch a rebellion and opened the most critical city gate. The Han army took advantage of the victory to pursue and occupy Yongqiu.

There was a gap in the line constructed by Wang Xun, and it was broken step by step. Several counties were captured by the Han army in succession.

In March, the cities of Ningling and Cheng’an were captured, and the Han army approached Chenliu County, the capital of Chenliu Prefecture.

The prefectural palace in the city.

Wang Xun sat in the main seat with a gloomy look, and glanced coldly at the generals on both sides. According to his own plan, Chenliu could have held out for at least a few months. Once His Majesty completed the reorganization of the army, everything could still be saved.

But Zhao Jun’s rebellion directly shattered this hope. As the prefect of Chenliu, he was highly respected and was in charge of the important Yongqiu City.

But who would have thought that he, the main general, would lead the rebellion, and the other soldiers would definitely not have the determination to defend to the death.

Now there are only a few counties left, and the Han army has reached the gates, morale is low, and the situation is precarious! Moreover, there are many rebellious generals within the army.

These are all unstable factors!

At this time, someone broke the deadlock, “General, Zhao Jun really deserves to be killed! As the governor of a county, he holds a high position and is deeply favored by the emperor, but he still chose to surrender to the enemy and cause chaos! He is simply a traitor.”

“We are ashamed to be associated with them!”

Everyone agreed, but they were also aware of his rebellion.

It was nothing more than that Zhao Jun’s father and brother had advised against the new policy before, and His Majesty killed the chicken to scare the monkey. Like Zhang Cong, he appeared to be sacrificing his relatives for the sake of justice, but in fact he was keeping a low profile.

This just makes him wait for the opportunity. Your Majesty is also confused. The revenge for killing his father is not so easy to get over.

Before the reform, Wang Mang offended too many people. If there was any opposition, he would be demoted or executed! He left no room for maneuver. This move was indeed simple and efficient to intimidate the officials, but it also planted the seeds of disaster.

It would have been good if the reform had achieved significant results. Didn’t the nobles who opposed Shang Yang’s reforms at the time have no choice but to vent their anger on Shang Yang?

But they failed, and the Han Dynasty took the opportunity to attack them. It would have been strange if they didn’t rebel.

There are many ministers and generals like this whose families were destroyed because of obstructing the new policies. They are all time bombs.

But we cannot move. After all, the other party has not done anything. If we deal with them like this, it will dishearten the soldiers. The morale of the army will completely collapse and there will be no need to fight any more.

Wang Xun felt helpless, sighed, and said: “Your Majesty offended many people when he implemented the new policy. I believe that those who were affected here cannot be without resentment.”

“This is normal, absolutely normal. If it were me, I wouldn’t let it go.”

He said with great sorrow: “But remember, we are all new ministers, and everything can be put aside for later. His Majesty has already issued an edict of repentance not long ago, and I believe he will make up for it.”

“We should unite as one and face the Han army together!”

Wang Xun knew that a hard approach would only force him to rebel, so he played the emotional card.

Although it is useless, can the hatred of killing father and brother be forgiven by just apologizing? How is it possible? In fact, such words may even have the opposite effect.

But after all, not everyone was sentenced to death. There were always some people who were only demoted to lower positions and titles. These words were spoken to them, and Wang Xun also knew that he could not change the hatred.

We can only take some precautions against those who might surrender to the enemy.

“We are willing to die for you, General!” the generals shouted in unison. They all seemed to be loyal subjects of Daxin and they couldn’t wait to rush down and fight to the death with the Han army.

But it’s hard to say how many of them are sincere.

Wang Xun was filled with melancholy. How did the situation become like this? There used to be so much intrigue and no need to let go of one’s own people. Perhaps this was the consequence of the new policy.

Your Majesty only saw that Duke Xiao of Qin implemented Shang Yang’s Reforms, and Qin State embarked on the road to prosperity and strength, and Wei State appointed Li Kui to implement reforms and became the first hegemon of the Warring States Period, but you did not expect what would happen if it failed.

Perhaps this is a negative example. He has offended all the powerful people and ministers that he could.

Who is still willing to be loyal?

………

Outside the city, a hundred thousand Han troops marched out together and surrounded Chenliu County. Together with the hundred thousand troops in the rear, it can be said that they had the advantage.

In fact, Xu Yuan did not come up with this idea on a whim. He had been planning it for a long time. It took him two months, from instigating Zhao Jun to rebel to cooperating with him to contact other new ministers who were dissatisfied with Wang Mang.

It is only through systematic planning that the plan can be implemented perfectly without any accidents.

With Zhao Jun’s surrender to Han, other people in Chenliu would surely be unable to hold back. As long as there is someone taking the lead, they will become bolder.

What’s more, Xu Yuan had agreed that at least Zhao Jun’s position as the prefect of Chenliu would be retained and would not be deprived of it.

This is even more exciting.

Inside the commander’s tent, Xu Yuan and Zhao Jun were arm in arm and drinking from their cups.

He was not putting on a show and he had no ill feelings towards this person. It was understandable that Zhao Jun rebelled. The hatred for killing his father was irreconcilable. If the king wanted the minister to rebel, the minister had to do so and was forced to do so.

“Brother, you are the first to achieve this! Without you, how could our army reach the city of Chenliu? I will report the truth to His Majesty. This achievement is enough to keep your position as governor.”

“Don’t worry. Xu is a man of his words and will never go back on his word.”

Xu Yuan was also very happy. This strategy was indeed useful. Soon after Li Yang conquered Yuzhou, he would also take over Yanzhou!

At least I managed to save some face.

Zhao Jun also blushed and said, “General, it’s not that I want to be an inconsistent minister, it’s mainly because Wang Mang has gone too far.”

“When the Emperor of Chang’an was still surnamed Liu, I was the governor of Chenliu. Now, more than ten years have passed and I am still in this position. Could it be that he still has a favor to do me?”

“There is no favor, but there is a lot of hatred. You know it, so I won’t go into details.”

Perhaps because he drank too much, he spoke more casually.

Xu Yuan also nodded: “This time, I am going to chop off Wang Mang’s head! It will also comfort the spirits of your father and brother in heaven.”

“But this still requires your cooperation. There are many people in the city who have similar experiences.”

(End of this chapter)