Chapter 1360 Linchuan surrenders

Chapter 1360 Linchuan surrenders

"Your Majesty, you must not go to Jin'an in person! Chen Baoying has been occupying his hometown for a long time and is arrogant. It is hard to predict what he is thinking. If you go there rashly, you may be arrested!"

When Chen Qian said that he would go to Jin'an in person to meet Chen Baoying, all his generals spoke out to persuade him.

However, Chen Qian waved his hand and said, "No matter how cunning and unpredictable this man's scheme is, it's nothing more than the two words of benefit and harm. Now the Tang army has occupied Jian'an and has repeatedly tried to advance to Jin'an. Thanks to my troops and the Kuaiji army, we have built camps and fences to resist the Tang army, so that Jin'an has not been exposed to the enemy's sword and weapon for the time being.

The court was abducted to the north by the Tang army a few days ago. It can be seen that the Tang army is determined to swallow up Jiangdong and will never stop beyond this territory. Only by joining forces with strong forces can their territory be safe. I will go to see it now, and even talk about the benefits and harms, and it will definitely not dare to harm me. Besides, now that the situation is at a dead end, where can there be any situation that is completely safe?"

They have been evacuating to the south for more than a month, and the situation has continued to deteriorate during this period. After the Tang army pacified the entire Kuaiji area, the army continued to advance southward, and the counties such as Jian'an in the north also fell one after another, failing to stop the Tang army's pace to the south.

Some of the Kuaiji soldiers who followed Chen Qian to the south also fled, but many stayed. They failed to enter the core area of ​​Fujian and could only live in the mountains. They did repel several attempts by Tang scouts, but all kinds of daily necessities were also consumed rapidly. If they could not get enough supplies, they would be out of food and collapse.

Chen Baoying was very cautious and did not allow Chen Qian to lead most of the troops into Jin'an. Chen Qian simply did not go to meet him. However, as time went by and the situation became worse, he had to think about going to Jin'an to have a deep talk with Chen Baoying and let him provide the necessary supplies to maintain the consumption of the soldiers here. After all, once the people here were scattered, Jin'an would be directly exposed to the iron hoof of the Tang army.

Fortunately, Chen Baoying was not a short-sighted person. Although he was somewhat disgusted with Chen Qian for attracting the Tang army to the south, and was worried that he would play the same trick on Hou Andu after entering the city, he was still cautious, but he also had a good judgement of the general situation. So when Chen Qian proposed to meet him in the city, he readily agreed and prepared a grand welcoming ceremony outside the city.

"Brother, I should have personally welcomed you when you entered the city, but I was too busy with county affairs to meet you. Now that you have come to my house, no matter what you say, I will accept it and dare not refute it!"

Chen Baoying was short and sturdy, with a cunning light in his eyes. When he saw Chen Qian, he greeted him enthusiastically, bowed his head and saluted, and put on a respectful attitude of accepting the punishment.

Seeing the man like this, even though Chen Qian still had some resentment towards him, he could not vent it at this moment. He just sighed and said, "I came here uninvited, and I am an irritating guest. I was forced by the powerful enemy and had no choice but to retreat here. I hope to unite with the heroes of Jiangdong to resist the powerful enemy and preserve my country."

"I am just a local countryman, and I only care about the gains and losses of local affairs. I don't have such a grand ambition as you, but I also know that no egg can be left intact under an overturned nest. If the country is about to fall, how can the family survive? In order to protect the safety of my hometown, I must unite with you wholeheartedly to fight against the powerful enemy. You can tell me what you have. As long as it is within my ability, I will do my best!"

After hearing this, Chen Baoying also said seriously. Although he did not care about the whole Jiangdong like Chen Qian, he was also reluctant to give up Jin'an County, which his family had occupied for generations. He hoped to pass it on as a permanent foundation and did not want the inheritance to be interrupted by the arrival of the Tang army.

Chen Baoying's statement also made Chen Qian feel a little relieved, and he immediately proposed that Chen Baoying could increase the supply of his troops so that they could continue to fight against the Tang army.

During this period of time, the soldiers brought by Chen Qian have also demonstrated their own value in the process of resisting the Tang army. Therefore, after a little hesitation, Chen Baoying immediately said that he could allocate 20,000 stones of food and grass to them, and he could continue to allocate them if needed later.

Both sides got what they needed, and this exchange was also very pleasant. Chen Baoying not only provided Chen Qian with enough supplies, but also sent his son Chen Qinqin to lead a group of Jin'an elite soldiers to obey Chen Qian's orders and go to resist the invasion of the Tang army together. And Chen Qian also reciprocated by entrusting his wife and children to Chen Baoying, which can be regarded as exchanging hostages.

Huge external pressure can temporarily suppress internal contradictions, allowing people to give up mutual suspicion and cooperate sincerely. However, once the pressure continues to increase, even if they cooperate closely with each other, it is difficult to reverse the decline, then the originally suppressed thoughts will grow again, and even erupt more violently.

The mountainous and hilly terrain in central Fujian did cause some obstruction to the Tang army's offensive, but it was not an insurmountable and dangerous place. After all, even Jinyang in the Taiyuan Basin, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers, was conquered by the Tang army. The military strength of central Fujian was obviously far inferior to that of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

After the initial offensive was slightly frustrated due to insufficient preparation, the front division of the Tang army temporarily retreated to Jian'an County to rest, waiting for the arrival of the rear army and then continuing to advance to the south.

This time, it was no longer a test of reality like before, but a real attack and full-scale advancement. When the Tang army showed its true strength, it was naturally not the camps hastily formed by the Kuaiji soldiers that could intercept it, and soon these strongholds were removed one by one.

At the same time, the Tang army also learned the lesson of being blocked on the north bank of the Qiantang River. This time it chose to advance simultaneously by land and water. When the land division and brigade came south, the navy of the boat division also followed Xu Du, Yang Kun and other generals from the Southern Dynasties. He led his troops from Kuaiji to Hainan and successfully landed near Jin'an.

After Chen Baoying learned of this situation, he was naturally shocked and immediately led his troops to the seaside to build a fence to resist the Tang army. While the Jin'an army was busy dealing with the Tang army's land and water attacks, it was inevitable that people within its borders would be in doubt.

Yu Ji, a native of Kuaiji, fled to central Fujian due to Hou Jing's rebellion in his early years. He was repeatedly kept by Chen Baoying and could not return home, and he did not want to be used by Chen Baoying, so he lived in seclusion in Dongshan, Jin'an, until the Tang army came south and Kuaiji fell. Accept Chen Baoying's invitation as his assistant and assist him in handling county affairs.

Chen Baoying went east to the seaside to attack the Tang army. His son Chen Hanqin followed Chen Qian to resist the enemy in the mountains of central Fujian. Yu Ji was ordered to stay in Jin'an city in the face of danger.

On this day, someone suddenly came to the mansion with a greeting card to ask for an audience. Yu Ji saw that the signature on the greeting card was actually his nephew Yu Shiji who stayed in the village. He was so busy that the officials introduced the person to the mansion to meet him.

Yu Shiji was still young, but he was already quite calm. However, after he saw his uncle Yu Ji in the hall, he couldn't help but look moved and cried before saying: "Disaster is approaching, and I almost thought that I would never see my uncle again..."

Yu Ji quickly stood up and helped his nephew up, and then asked quickly: "I heard that my hometown was occupied, but I haven't heard about my family for a long time. I am very worried. I didn't expect Bo Lang to come here to see you. Where is Anu now that you are here?" ? Could it be that there has been a military disaster..."

Yu Ji was frail and sick, and had no sons. After living in central Fujian, he was constantly worried and deeply regretted that he had no sons. His brother Yuli had two sons in his family, namely Yu Shiji and his youngest son Yu Shinan. Knowing that Yu Ji deeply regretted having no heirs, Yu Li adopted his second son Yu Shinan to Yu Ji.

It's just that Yu Ji has been living here for many years. He was shocked to hear about the disaster in his hometown before he could see him back home. At this time, he only saw Yu Shiji but not his heir Yu Shinan, so he was naturally panicked.

"Uncle, don't worry. Brother, he is fine now and is still staying in Kuaiji."

Yu Shiji first comforted Yu Ji, and then said sadly: "After my father passed away, my son and his brother lived in the countryside to guard the cottage. After he was discharged, he went to Tinglin to study under Mr. Tinglin. There was a riot in the countryside a few days ago, and the king of Linchuan unexpectedly Instigating powerful tribes within the territory to loot the countryside, my family is not immune.

Fortunately, the villains were afraid of Mr. Tinglin's virtuous reputation and did not dare to make mistakes, so my son and his brother were saved from disaster. Wang's division crossed the river to pacify the territory, and Mr. Tinglin was also recruited. Because his son was in the army, Wang's division landed in Jin'an, and his son followed the division's brigade into the country. He heard that his uncle was actually used by the Chen family, so he came to visit... …”

"Wait a minute! You, you mean you are being sent to the Tang army now? Gu Tinglin also surrendered to the Tang Dynasty?"

When Yu Ji heard what his nephew said, his eyes widened in shock. When he reacted, he hurriedly raised his hand to signal Yu Shiji to shut up. He hurried out of the hall and waved the waiters away from the corridor before returning. When he came back, he stared at Yu Shiji and said, "There are twists and turns in the matter. Please tell me in detail!"

After hearing this, Yu Shiji quickly nodded in agreement, and immediately recounted his experiences in the past period of time in detail.

The Yu family of Kuaiji is a famous family that has lived in Yuyao for a long time. It has many branches. Brothers Yuli and Yuji are both famous, but the family is not prosperous. Yu Ji was kidnapped by the rebels and fled to central Fujian. Yu Li also died of illness a few years ago, leaving only two brothers, Yu Shiji and Yu Shinan, living together in the countryside.

King Gu Ye of Wu County lived in Tinglin, Yuyao, so Yu Shiji and his younger brother studied under him. Previously, Hou An was in Kuaiji seeking young men, and Yu Shiji was spared because he was protected by King Gu Ye. However, when Chen Qian instigated the Kuaiji scholars to flee, his family's property was robbed by gangsters, so Yu Shiji naturally Very angry.

It happened that Xu Du recommended King Gu Ye to the Tang Army General Shi Ning, saying that he was a wise man in Wuzhong. Yu Shiji simply joined the Tang Army along with King Gu Ye, so he came here to see his uncle Yu Ji.

"Uncle, the general trend of the world is clear today. Heaven hates the Chen family and the world is trending towards unification. Anyone who intends to resist will find it difficult to achieve success. Does what King Linchuan does be beneficial to Jiangdong and a sign of prosperity for the country? It is nothing but greed. It’s just that the power is chaotic and the evil nature is hard to get rid of! If you still agree to be a thief, even if you don’t consider the damage to the family reputation, I am afraid that you will not be in trouble! "

Yu Shiji looked at his uncle and said with sincerity: "It may be said that the countrymen seek perfection and survival, but who has personally experienced all those who say that the Tang army was cruel and unkind? It's just what others say and spreading rumors. Although my work is short now, I have seen the Tang army's orders and prohibitions and movements. He did not abuse the people to show off his power. Instead, he planned to divide the countryside and equalize the land among the people. The gangsters in Linchuan had repeated thoughts of robbing the remaining people. If they returned to Wuzhong, they would not even need to attack by the Tang army. The Shou Tian Xiang disciples will attack in groups!"

"It's just that General Chen treats me very kindly and trusts me with the county affairs..."

Yu Ji couldn't help frowning when he heard his nephew's persuasion.

"There are great and small righteousnesses, and there are lengths of moral integrity. How can uncle not know the difference? Now that I have entered this place, I am also determined to die. If uncle does not accept my words and kills me as a thief, I will have no complaints. However, this is useless. It will not help the cause, nor will it help oneself. It will only leave a bad name to make the world laugh. But if my uncle generously returns to justice and participates in the casting of Jin Ou, this wise move of judging the situation will be recorded in history!" Yu Shiji saw that his uncle was still hesitant. Then he quickly said in a deep voice: "It is not necessary for me to come here now. The king's army is powerful, so it is not difficult to defeat the thief. But I missed my uncle and fell into the thief, so I took the risk here. Please do it early." Decide!"

"My sons are brave and have a good chance of building a family. But I was blinded by my blindness and made a mistake by being obsessed with it."

After Yu Ji heard this, he first sighed with relief, and then said in deep thought: "I am in this position now. If I have nothing to offer and return to my righteousness in a hurry, it is really not enough to show my sincerity. If the King of Linchuan takes it Dedicating it to the King’s Master can also help the military disaster in Jiangdong be resolved early and the people be safe quickly!”

Yu Shi basically came here just to persuade his uncle Yu Ji to surrender to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible, and not to be trapped among thieves and unable to extricate himself. When he heard what Yu Ji said, he was naturally very moved for a while. He nodded quickly and said, "If this happens, Of course it’s great, but what can uncle do?”

"Looking at what King Linchuan has done, he has directly used the country's affairs for his own purposes, acted arbitrarily and unscrupulously, and everyone who conspired with him will eventually suffer the consequences. Now that General Chen has taken him into the territory, he must have kept his plans. Thoughts on Jin'an. Now I tell General Chen that he has left the city to fight against the enemy. I am willing to welcome him to Jin'an. If he comes in, I will rob him and surrender to the king's army. This plan is only for villains and does not harm gentlemen. If he goes here, he deserves to die!"

Yu Ji said in a deep voice again, and Yu Shiji nodded in agreement after hearing the words, so the uncle and nephew quickly started to implement this plan, hoping to get more credit as soon as possible before the Tang army invaded Jin'an.

Soon the letter from Yu was delivered to Chen Qian at the Jin'an Mountain Field Front. The repeated setbacks had made Chen Qian doubt her own judgment, so after getting the letter, she started discussing it with her confidants. .

"This is really not possible. Chen Bao should be an ally with me to fight against the enemy. He has never betrayed his trust and betrayed his alliance. If he rashly seizes his foundation now, he will mess up his position and will be useless in resisting the enemy! Besides, his family is a rich man in central Fujian for generations. , Human resources management is profound, how can a mere guest predict it!"

When Chen Qian revealed the matter, Qian Daoji shook his head and denied it.

However, Han Zigao on the side had a different view: "The current situation is critical, changing rapidly, and opportunities are fleeting. It is especially necessary to adapt to changes and must not be stubborn. Chen Baoying is no match for Fang Yu's tyranny and has no big plan. Although he is determined according to the local situation, But I don’t know how to make good use of it.

The king is supporting him now. If he can rely on this to defeat the enemy, there is hope for recovery. After the matter is settled, he will naturally return his property and reward him even more. He will never stay in a corner. And if it is still difficult to defeat the enemy with this, then there is no such difficulty. If central Fujian returns to the Tang Dynasty, why bother about who belonged to it before? "

After listening to Han Zigao's story, Chen Qian nodded and said, "What Zigao said is deeply in my heart. I am afraid that things may change later, so it is better to act quickly."

So in the next battle with the Tang army, Chen Qian pretended to be injured by a stray arrow, slowly led her troops to retreat slightly, and then led Han Zigao and other confidants to Jin'an City in the rear. Before entering the city, he was a little cautious and did not bring all his troops into the city, but left a few hundred people outside as support.

At this time, in Jin'an City, Yu Ji's uncle and nephew also secretly gathered a group of soldiers to prepare to capture Chen Qian later.

After Chen Qian entered the city, Yu Ji first led her back to the mansion that Chen Baoying had prepared for her in the city, and agreed to gather all the Chen family members in the city to visit her in the morning. Capture them together.

However, that night Yu Ji arranged for his soldiers to attack Chen Qian's mansion. Since the mansion was provided by the county government, Yu Ji was also very familiar with the layout. He personally led his soldiers to attack the master's bedroom in the back of the house. However, when he entered, he saw only Chen Qian's wife, children, and family members, but no trace of Chen Qian herself.

Chen Qian was sleeping in the wing room in the front yard that night, and she and Han Zigao were sleeping together. Suddenly someone attacked and killed him in the house. He was frightened, and he hurriedly escaped over the wall with Han Zigao, and luckily escaped the murder.

After the shock subsided, he mistakenly thought that Chen Baoying was trying to kill him, and he was extremely angry. He fled out of the city overnight, gathered his troops, and after the city gate opened in the early morning, he suddenly led his troops to kill into the city. At this time, there were not many troops stationed in the city, but Chen Qian and her party suddenly launched an attack out of anger. They even stormed into the city lord's palace and immediately went on a killing spree.

Yu Ji led his men to conduct a search last night but found no trace of Chen Qian. He also said that she had fled out of the city. He did not dare to stay in this place of right and wrong anymore. After all, as Qian Daoji said, there were still many Chen Qian in the city. The Baoying clan belongs to a clan, and it is not a place where he can be arrogant. It is better to stay away as soon as possible. Although it was disappointing that Chen Qian was not captured, capturing his wife, children, and family members was better than nothing.

But he didn't expect that Chen Qian would come back so quickly. Before he and his party could evacuate, they were directly blocked in the county mansion.

"Yu sent a dog thief. I respect you and trust the wise men of Kuaiji. I don't want the dog thief to obey the orders of the thief and harm me. Please die!"

The enemy was extremely jealous when they met. After seeing Yu Ji, Chen Qian couldn't help but kill him on the spot with a knife. Soon his nephew Yu Shiji was also searched out from an idle house near the county government and collected on the spot. cut.

Next, Chen Qian searched the whole city and arrested and controlled all Chen Baoying's clan members in the city. However, it was naturally difficult for the hundreds of soldiers to control the whole city, and it was inevitable to ask questions about the chaos in the city. Pass it out.

The first person to be believed was Chen Baoying, who was resisting the Tang army more than ten miles east of Jin'an City. When he learned that King Linchuan had invaded the county, he subconsciously suspected that he might follow in the footsteps of Hou Andu. . So he no longer cared about resisting the Tang army, and immediately led his cronies to flee to Jin'an, hoping to regain his home base.

But the Tang army on the opposite side was not a fool. When he saw Chen Baoying's troops moving backward, Dangjie took advantage of the situation and launched a fierce attack. He quickly climbed over the front, broke through the blocking fortifications, and chased them all the way.

At this time, the chaos in Jin'an City had not calmed down. Many people were fleeing outside the city. Chen Baoying's defeated army and the Tang Army's pursuing division and brigade appeared outside the city. People from all sides were all confused together, and the scene was suddenly The confusion was at its peak.

Of course Chen Qian still wanted to stabilize the situation, but the situation had collapsed to this point, and he had no ability to control the situation anymore. He could only fight left and right in the crowd under the protection of his close friends, and finally reached the crowd. On the outskirts, however, a Tang Army ranger suddenly appeared nearby.

"The enemy's Linchuan King Chen Qian is in front of us, pursue him quickly, don't let him get away!"

Yang Kun was leading his troops to patrol outside the chaotic crowd, trying to break into the battlefield and control the situation. However, he had not found the right time yet, but unexpectedly found such a big target. He was overjoyed and was busy attracting the crowd. He rode his horse forward to give chase.

When Chen Qian and others saw this, they were naturally shocked. They hurriedly escaped from the crowd and ran away. However, the Tang army in the rear was chasing after them, and the quality of the Tang army's horses was far superior to that of Chen Qian and her party. , the distance between the two sides is also rapidly closing.

Suddenly, the horse Chen Qian was riding on was hit by a first-class arrow, and she fell directly from the horse. Her close followers around her exclaimed and reined in their horses to prepare for rescue. However, at this time, the knights of the Tang Army had also chased closer and surrounded the group: "If you abandon your weapons quickly, you can avoid death!"

"Kill me, Zigao! You have been stubborn for half your life, don't let yourself be humiliated and captured at the end of your life!"

Seeing that it was impossible to escape, Chen Qian lost her saber when she fell off her horse. At this time, she shouted to Han Zi who was nearest.

"Go away, my lord, and your servants will follow!"

After Han Zigao heard this, tears suddenly came out of his eyes. He yelled and immediately pierced Chen Qian's belly with his sword.

"How dare you, thief!"

Yang Kun was about to give birth to Chen Qian. When he saw this scene, he was furious and drew his bow and shot at Han Zigao.

However, the sword in Master Han Zi's hand had already pierced Chen Qian's abdomen. When he was about to draw the knife back and kill himself, he was shot in the back shoulder blade and fell to the ground in pain.

Seeing Chen Qian's body lying in front of her eyes, all the past events suddenly flashed through her mind. All her will to die disappeared in this moment. A greed for life came to her heart. She turned around and saw that the knights of the Tang Army were surrounding her. When he came up, he quickly shouted: "The king of thieves, Chen Qian, was killed by someone. Please beg the general for his life!"

However, before the soldiers of the Tang Army around him could react, Han Zigao's words angered Chen Qian's confidants. He stabbed Han Zigao's neck with his sword and roared angrily: "The king has failed all the people, but he has not failed the Han slaves. All the people can live, Han Zigao." The slave must die!"