Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 534 Taicheng
The "Heba" military flag outside the Suzaku Gate left everyone puzzled.

Does our Southern Liang have such an army?

Even if he is a traitor, I have never heard of him?
Whose general is this?

The rulers and ministers of Southern Liang were all in great confusion.

Zhu Yi hurried to the palace and asked to see Xiao Yan who was practicing.

At this time, the palace servant was still unaware of the outside movement, so he stopped Zhu Yi and said:

"Your Majesty is worshipping Buddha, Mr. Zhu, please go back."

Zhu Yi's face flushed and he said:
"The military situation is urgent, please inform His Majesty!"

The palace maids still did not dare to disturb Xiao Yan's meditation. At this time, Bian Ji came out. He already knew what was going on outside the city, and said to Zhu Yi:

"Mr. Zhu, please follow me."

Seeing someone taking responsibility, the palace servants breathed a sigh of relief and made way.

Bian Ji led Zhu Yi to the Buddhist temple where Xiao Yan was practicing Buddhism. He whispered:

"I already know that Lord Zhu is here to see Your Majesty, but Your Majesty has been worried about the death of the crown prince these days. Please don't let Your Majesty worry too much."

Zhu Yi understood now, and he quickly said:

"Of course I understand that."

When they arrived at the Buddhist temple, Zhu Yi saw Xiao Yan sitting on a cushion, looking like a great monk. He hurried forward to pay his respects.

Xiao Yan was also very surprised. For a long time, Zhu Yi rarely asked to see him, and all the affairs of the outer court were handled very well.

Xiao Yan said:

"My dear, why do you want to see me today?"

Zhu Yi thought about it and said:

"Your Majesty, there are rebels near Jiankang. Please appoint a general and grant the tiger talisman to suppress them."

Xiao Yan smiled slightly when he heard this, and said:
"Jiankang is impregnable. Where did the rebels come from to make you lose your composure like this?"

Xiao Yan asked again:
"How many rebels are there?"

Zhu Yi immediately said:

"Probably a few hundred people, less than a thousand."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan was somewhat puzzled. Could a rebel army of less than a thousand people make Zhu Yi come to see him regardless of everything?

Xiao Yan picked up the wooden hammer beside him, sat upright on the mat and asked:
"Who is the leader of the rebellion?"

Zhu Yi was also in a difficult situation. The Secretariat had already sent its men to investigate where the "Heba" army came from, but they found nothing.

He could only say honestly:

"I don't know who the rebels are, I only know they are fighting under the banner of 'Heba'."

"Heba?"

Xiao Yan began to think.

In fact, Xiao Yan did not completely ignore the affairs of state. Although Zhu Yi controlled the government, all major matters would be submitted to Xiao Yan for review, and he did not dare to abuse power on his own.

So although Xiao Yan was lazy in his duties, he was still very clear about the important affairs of the court.

This is actually the same as the old Taoist emperor a thousand years later.

Therefore, later historians still attributed the chaos in the government in the late Southern Liang Dynasty to Xiao Yan himself.

Xiao Yan was indeed a very smart man.

He was well-versed in classics, history, and literature, and was also well-versed in Buddhism and Taoism, and had profound insights into literature and calligraphy.

Being able to achieve success in so many areas, Xiao Yan's talent was also his extensive knowledge and strong memory.

After a brief thought, Xiao Yan said to Bian Ji beside him:
"Go, bring me the third volume of the second pile of memorials on my desk." Although Bian Ji was a little confused, he still did as he was told and brought the memorials.

Xiao Yan flipped open the memorial and found what he was looking for at a glance. He threw the memorial to Zhu Yi and said:
"This Heba is Heba Sheng, the general who surrendered from Beinu. It was the rebellious son who rebelled."

Zhu Yi hurriedly picked up the memorial. It turned out to be a memorial written by Xiao Gang to Xiao Yan requesting merit. It described the process of his taking over Qizhou, and specifically asked for an official position for Heba Sheng, the governor of Qizhou in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

After seeing this memorial, Zhu Yi instantly constructed a whole conspiracy in his mind.

After the death of Crown Prince Hong, the third son Xiao Gang was not made Crown Prince. He was dissatisfied with Xiao Yan and, at the instigation of Heba Sheng, a surrendered general from the Northern Dynasty, he raised an army from Yangzhou to attack Jiankang.

This makes sense!

Only by starting the army from Yangzhou could we reach Jiankang so quickly.

Only the northern soldiers who surrendered with Heba Sheng had such fighting power!

Everything is connected!

But this time Zhu Yi's face became even uglier.

If the rebellion was due to other reasons, Zhu Yi could still lure him with benefits.

But he has clearly stood on the side of King Xiao Yi of Chu. So Heba Sheng, who is under the pretext of clearing the court of corrupt officials, is in a situation of life and death with him. Isn't it him, the traitor, who needs to be eliminated?

But Heba Sheng's advance was so fierce that Jiankang City was empty. Could it be defended?

However, Xiao Yan did not know that Shitou City had been captured by Heba Sheng at this time, and he thought that only rebels appeared near Jiankang.

He said calmly:

"So they are the rebel's men. I can capture them with just my hands behind my back. Go get my tiger talisman for mobilizing troops."

Xiao Yan thanked him calmly. He shook his monk robe and said:

"First, order the defenders of Shitou City to hold on until the reinforcements arrive in Jiankang. Then we can deal with that rebellious son!"

Governor Xiao Yan was full of murderous intent, and even had the same momentum as when he had just started the rebellion against Qi.

Zhu Yi couldn't help it at this time, he said:
"Your Majesty, Stone City has been lost."

When Xiao Yan was about to continue his performance, he was suddenly struck by lightning. He asked in horror:

"Stone City has been lost? Didn't you say that the rebels only had a few hundred people?"

Zhu Yi said bitterly:
"The rebels only had a few hundred people. I don't know if the defenders of Stone City colluded with the rebels, but they were able to capture Stone City in a short time."

Xiao Yan sat down on the futon, his eyes dull as he said:

"Yes, that rebellious son once guarded Stone City. He must have colluded with the garrison! Traitor!"

Xiao Yan vented for a while, not looking like a great monk at all. After he calmed down, he said:
"Where has Heba Sheng gone?"

Zhu Yi lowered his head and said:
"We have reached the Suzaku Gate. General Chen Qingzhi has led the troops in Jiankang City to resist, but the situation is not going well."

Yes, I also have Chen Qianzhi!
Xiao Yan said:

"Give all the military power in Jiankang to Chen Qingzhi! Isn't it Heba Sheng? Wasn't he defeated by Chen Qingzhi back then?"

Zhu Yi's face didn't look good either.

After Chen Qingzhi returned to the court, he wrote many letters requesting the reconstruction of the White Robe Army.

However, Zhu Yidu blocked it by saying that the state had financial difficulties.

In the Northern Expedition, all the soldiers trained by Chen Qianzhi were destroyed. Even if he was a good fighter, could he stop the ferocious northern army with the imperial guards in Jiankang who couldn't even climb a horse?
It’s really hard to say.

Moreover, Heba Sheng's slogan of "clearing the court of corrupt officials" still received support from many people in Jiankang. After all, people's lives had become increasingly difficult in recent years, and their dissatisfaction with the court was growing day by day.

When Heba Sheng attacked Zhuque Gate, the defenders fled without a fight. If Chen Qianzhi had not stepped forward in time, they would have already reached the palace gate.

Zhu Yi said quickly:

"Your Majesty, would you like to retreat to Taicheng?"

(End of this chapter)