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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 203: Submission
In Jiangdu City, after burying Yang Guang, Li Shimin, under the title of Duke of Zhao, began to rally support from all directions. The nearby prefectures responded eagerly, and the situation quickly stabilized.
However, Shen Faxing occupied more than a dozen counties south of the Yangtze River and proclaimed himself the Jiangnan Circuit Governor. Not only did he show no intention of submitting, but he also dared to muster troops to attack Jiangdu.
Li Shimin rejected Wang Gui's proposal to send envoys for peace talks with Shen Faxing. Fueled by excitement, he began recruiting soldiers. With a foundation of thirty thousand Valiant Fruit Army troops, how could he possibly retreat before Shen Faxing?
Wang Gui believed that it might be wise to make some concessions at this moment, perhaps granting the Shen family a duke title. He thought that once Tang Wang ascended the throne, they could slowly deal with these local aristocrats.
Yet, since he was there to assist, he complied with Duke of Zhao's wishes. After two months of recruitment, five thousand new soldiers were gathered, from which Li Shimin selected twenty thousand as auxiliary troops before leading the Heroic Fruit Army into battle.
With thirty thousand elite troops and twenty thousand auxiliaries, Duke of Zhao set out to confront the nearly one hundred thousand soldiers under Shen Faxing. Wang Gui watched with concern as the troops departed and continued to recruit able-bodied commoners to strengthen Jiangdu City's defenses.
As Sunzi once said, a general must first consider defeat before victory; thus, one can emerge unscathed from a hundred battles. Duke of Zhao was young and impetuous, but he had to take responsibility for Tang Wang and prepare for the possibility that even if Duke of Zhao were to fail in battle, he could still hold Jiangdu.
However, he was soon overwhelmed by a continuous stream of good news. Initially, he thought it was a ploy by Shen Faxing's arrogant troops to lure Duke of Zhao deeper into enemy territory for an ambush and hurriedly sent messengers to warn him.
But just two months later, Shen Faxing had been reduced to merely ten thousand remnants holed up in his hometown of Wuxing. The other prefectures had all been conquered, revealing that his worries had been unfounded.
Heaven bless the Li Clan! Wang Gui continually followed Duke of Zhao to reassure the surrendering prefectures. Fortunately, being the grandson of Southern Liang Minister of Personnel Wang Sengbian, he had connections and roots in Jiangnan.
He rapidly recruited capable scholars from the local area to serve as officials and implemented Tang Wang's policies of leniency to pacify the people of Jiangnan and alleviate their burdens.
However, Shen Faxing contacted Hailing Li Zitong and Liyang Du Fuwei to discuss their mutual interests. They concluded that only by repelling the Tang army could they continue to dominate Jianghuai. If the Tang army established a foothold in Jiangdu, their only option would be to enter Chang'an as vassals.
Li Zitong and Du Fuwei put aside their grievances and launched an attack on Li Shimin from the flanks in an attempt to relieve Wuxing's siege. Li Shimin chose to temporarily avoid confrontation and allowed them to unite their forces.
After retreating from two counties, Wang Gui led thirty thousand troops to provide support. Seeing that Duke of Zhao chose not to engage directly eased his worries; although the Valiant Fruit Army was formidable, their numbers were limited.
If they suffered too many losses, they would have no choice but to abandon those counties and hold out in Jiangdu while waiting for reinforcements.
Li Shimin did not show any surprise at Wang Gui's arrival; however, Wang Gui was taken aback. Duke of Zhao's noble demeanor had been overshadowed by an aura of sharpness that made him seem like a divine weapon unsheathed—too fierce for anyone to gaze upon directly.
Li Shimin studied the terrain map and decided to cede two counties deliberately so that the three factions would fight among themselves. This land originally belonged to Shen Faxing; now that his strength was greatly diminished, what right did he have to reclaim it?
Li Zitong and Du Fuwei came to protect their own interests. Faced with the incredibly wealthy two prefectures, could they really suppress their greed and still return to Shen Faxing?
As Li Shimin expected, the enemy forces did not advance for several days. After waiting a bit longer, news finally arrived that Shen Faxing was dead and the Wu Xing Shen family had been slaughtered, with only a few dozen out of thousands managing to escape.
Li Shimin boldly mobilized his troops. At this time, news also reached him that Li Jing had taken control of Luoyang. More than half of the world had already fallen into the hands of the Li Family, causing unrest among Li Du's followers, with officials and soldiers alike contemplating surrender.
Li Shimin's offensive was fierce; he led his soldiers into battle himself. When the Valiant Fruit Army learned that even Luoyang had fallen into the hands of Tang Wang, their morale soared. Everyone fought bravely, eager to achieve merit.
…………
Xiao Xian once again hosted a banquet for his uncle Xiao Jing. This time, his attitude was much more humble. Xiao Jing did not particularly like his nephew because he was too reckless and failed to consider the bigger picture, putting personal desires above family honor.
"Hmph, from arrogance to humility. What is it? Did Tang Wang take Luoyang or Jiangdu?"
Xiao Xian sighed helplessly, "Both have been taken."
Xiao Jing wanted to maintain a serious demeanor but couldn't help but laugh: "So fast! Tang Wang truly is destined for greatness."
After saying this, he straightened his face and scolded, "What are you waiting for? A mere ten or so prefectures cannot withstand the tide of destiny. I advised you earlier, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on holding me back. Now that you know destiny favors the Li Clan, why not quickly submit a petition to meet Tang Wang?"
Xiao Xian slumped down in despair. "Does my Xiao Family really have no chance of restoring our state? Has Daliang's fortune already run out? Why can't I have a few more years?"
When it came to the Liang Kingdom, Xiao Jing's expression also lost much of its joy. Under someone else's rule, no matter how glorious one might be, it was never as good as being in control of one's own fate.
"Alas, Xian'er, the trend of history cannot be defied. Think about how many families have risen and fallen over the past century. It is already fortunate that our Lanling Xiao Clan can preserve its wealth and status."
"Consort Tang will be the future Queen; she is a noblewoman from our family and is already with child..."
Xiao Xian slammed his hand on the table in anger, his eyes filled with resentment. "It is precisely because of his daughter that my Xiao Family has suffered!"
"If it weren't for my uncle helping the Li Family secure Chang'an, how could Li Jian Cheng have so quickly occupied more than half of the world? If not for this, I would still have time to swallow up states and counties; there might still be a chance to rebuild our State!"
Xiao Jing frowned and said, "Do you really think that Tang Wang's rise to power completely relies on my family? You are mistaken. Even without the Xiao Family, Tang Wang's time to dominate the world would not be much later than it is now.
You can still claim to be strong and powerful, but your generals each command their own troops and have their own plans. Although they nominally acknowledge you as their leader, they are merely trying to leverage the reputation of the Xiao Family. The troops you can truly command probably do not even number a hundred thousand."
Xiao Xian did not refute this. Back in the day, when Yuezhou's City Gate Captain Dong Jingzhen, Lei Shimen, and the traveling commander Zheng Wenxiu rose against the Sui Dynasty, they all came from humble beginnings and found it difficult to rally local support. Therefore, they specifically invited him to lead, which led to the foundation they have today.
Although he had gradually eliminated some people, there were still factions under his command that would generally not disobey his orders. However, when it came to their fundamental interests, they would not be obedient.
"Tang Wang has quickly unified the world; could it be that he commands his subordinates like an extension of his own arm?"
Xiao Jing replied, "Of course not. But Tang Wang is young and vigorous. Once he secures his rule over the world, he will have plenty of time to manage internal affairs. Sooner or later, he will be able to issue commands that all will follow. In times of peace, no hero or tyrant can go against the State Protector."
Xiao Xian was silent for a moment. "Uncle, I have a daughter; Tang Wang..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Jing waved his hand and said, "If the princess cannot conceive, then so be it. But now that she is pregnant, with so many Xiao Ladies in Tang Wang's harem, it could easily lead to jealousy. How about this: I have heard that Tang Wang's younger brother, Duke of Jin, is still unmarried. What do you think?"
"Then I will submit a formal proposal for allegiance right away."
…………
(End of Chapter)
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