novelSusiti Chapter 73 Luzhou Changes Hands, But the Banner Remains Unchanged
Chapter 73 Luzhou Changes Hands, But the Banner Remains Unchanged
On the tense and exciting battlefield of Zezhou, a cavalry force of only three hundred men suddenly headed north, not taking the mountain paths, but taking the main road, and came directly to Gaoping Pass, which was still in the hands of the Zhaoyi Army.
Gaoping Pass is a crucial pass between Luzhou and Zezhou, currently guarded by two thousand elite troops led by Wang Jingren, a trusted general of Li Jun.
After Shi Shouxin's great victory in the Battle of Changping, Zhao Kuangyin was too hasty in his attack and ignored the two thousand men, going directly to the city of Zezhou to join forces with Zhao Kuangyin.
For this reason, communication between Luzhou and Zezhou remained uninterrupted, and the Song army chose to launch a rapid attack on Zezhou, temporarily neglecting them.
"Who goes there?!" the guard at the gate shouted.
"We were ordered by the Grand Commandant to deliver a message to the young master."
"The Song army has already surrounded Zezhou. How did so many of you manage to break through?"
"Brother Wang! Brother Wang, are you closing the door? It's me, it's Xiao Tao." Xiao Tao, who was always dressed as a man and was following Wang Lu, suddenly stepped forward and called out.
"Xiao Tao?"
Seeing that they only had a few hundred riders, Wang Jingren opened the gate and went out to check on them himself.
"It really is you, Xiao Tao! Are you with the Grand Commandant?"
"Yes, the Grand Commandant has a secret order for the young master. Please do me the favor, Brother Wang. Do you need to see the seal?"
"Then what's the point of checking? What kind of seal can possibly pass you? Hurry up and get through. But I heard that Zezhou is under siege? How did so many of your cavalry manage to break through?"
Xiao Tao was Li Shoujie's head maid, and she wasn't really only responsible for his food and daily life. Most of the major generals in the Zhaoyi Army knew her, so they had no suspicions.
Xiao Tao smiled and said, "Brother Wang, just wait for the good news. We're about to win this battle."
"You won? Are you going back to report the victory?"
"Hehe, anyway, we're about to win. I can't go into the details, Brother Wang, just keep it to yourself. Don't let those who took advantage of the situation in the Northern Han find out."
Wang Jingren nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Yes, yes, we can't let those bastards from Northern Han take advantage of us."
The Zhaoyi Army was originally set up to fight the Northern Han, and the two sides had a blood feud. Although this cooperation was temporary, Liu Jun only brought 15,000 men in total, and another 12,000 were just watching. The Zhaoyi Army had been unhappy with them for a long time.
"How exactly did they win? What exactly happened?" Wang Jingren couldn't help but ask again in a low voice.
"Zhao Kuangyin may already be dead," Xiao Tao whispered.
"What?"
"When the Song army attacked the city, Zhao Kuangyin personally commanded the attack to boost morale, and was shot in the leg by a ballista on the city wall."
"Shot through the leg by a ballista? This... this... can that person still be alive?"
"I don't know, their fate is currently unknown."
Wang Jingren nodded: "His fate is unknown, so he's dead. With Zhao Kuangyin dead, who can take charge of the remaining affairs in Kaifeng? This... this... is my elder brother going to become Liu Zhiyuan?"
Xiao Tao quickly said, "The matter is not yet settled, and we cannot be sure whether Zhao Kuangyin is really dead. Brother Wang, please don't make a fuss, especially let's not let the people of Northern Han know."
"Okay, okay, I understand, I understand."
That's what they say, but in reality everyone knows that it's impossible to keep it completely a secret; at most, they just won't make a big fuss about it.
Because the morale of the Zhaoyi Army was already extremely low, Zhao Kuangyin's military tactics were swift and decisive, allowing his troops to achieve a series of great victories before they could even react.
At this point, even if you don't make a big fuss, you should at least give your subordinates a heads-up.
"Little Peach Girl, you should go over there quickly."
"Okay, Brother Wang, take care."
After saying this, Xiao Tao mounted her horse, and the three hundred elite cavalry passed through Gaoping Pass without any hindrance. In less than a day, they arrived at the city of Luzhou. Once again, Xiao Tao stepped forward to open the city gate, and Li Shoujie personally welcomed them into the mansion.
Wang Lu then stepped forward from the crowd, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Shoujie, and said, "Brother Shoujie, I have missed you dearly. Now that I have brought here with a secret edict from the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, I wonder if you still intend to obey it?"
Without saying a word, Li Shoujie knelt down and bowed deeply: "Your subject Li Shoujie begs for an imperial edict."
"Alright, by imperial decree, I will assist you in capturing Luzhou City, and then try to lure Liu Jun here. The Emperor will personally lead a large army to the city of Zezhou, and Wang Quanbin, Shi Shouxin, and others will also cooperate. The secret decree is here; take a look for yourself."
"I obey the imperial edict."
Li Shoujie received the imperial edict and saw that it was written very briefly, but it was actually telling him to act according to circumstances. He then asked Wang Lu, "Young master, what should I do now?"
"Can you control Luzhou?"
"It's hard to say. Although I am the garrison commander of Luzhou, I am still young and inexperienced. The one who truly helps me command the troops in the city is my father's confidant, Wang Quande, the commander of the Luzhou cavalry and infantry. I don't know what he will do."
In addition, there is my father's advisor, Lü Qiu Zhongqing. Within Luzhou City, I do not have my own personal guards, but I have orders, and I mostly rely on this strategist and military commander.
"I've brought these three hundred men here to be your personal guards. Summon them to a meeting, say we have something important to discuss, then capture them and seize power."
"it is good."
Li Shoujie acted immediately, ordering a meeting right away.
Wang Quande and Lü Qiu Zhongqing had no doubts. They knew that three hundred cavalrymen had broken out of Zezhou, and they knew that something big must have happened. Even if they hadn't been summoned, they would have come on their own.
At Wang Lu's command, the three hundred elite troops that Zhao Kuangyin had assigned to him rushed forward and captured the two men and their personal guards alive in no time.
Wang Quande was still somewhat bewildered and shouted, "What are you doing, young master? I have always been loyal to you and the Grand Commandant!"
Luqiu Zhongqing suddenly shouted, "I am willing to surrender! I am willing to surrender! There is no need for this! There is no need for this! Are you going to surrender the city directly or are you going to deceive Liu Jun? I can help you with either! I can help you with either!"
Wang Quande looked at Lü Qiu Zhongqing with a blank expression, only to see that Wang Luchong's personal guard nodded and actually released him.
"Young master, you...you betrayed the Zhaoyi Army?"
"My father betrayed the Zhaoyi Army, Uncle Wang. Do you want to live or die?"
"We must live, of course we must live. If you want to lead us to abandon darkness and embrace light, just say so directly. Why go through all this trouble?"
News of the defeats at Changping and Zezhou has already reached us. Even if the Grand Commandant manages to hold Zezhou, there's no way he can become emperor. How many of our brothers in the army are still willing to follow him to the bitter end? We've wanted to surrender for a long time, but we've been worried about you, young master!"
Wang Lu: "Alright, I'll release you then, but from now on, all the guards around you must be replaced with my men. Is that acceptable?"
"Is the visitor an envoy from the Great Song Dynasty? This humble general, Wang Quande, is willing to submit. You may order Luzhou to change its flag now."
"No, Luzhou has changed hands but not its flag, in order to deceive Liu Jun, Brother Li, and Master Wang. I would like to ask you to personally make a trip to meet the official, explain the situation to him, and ask him to cooperate in this charade."