Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 538 The Strange Adventure of Liu Zi

During this period, the person who experienced the most wonderful adventure was not Xiao Yan who was trapped in Taicheng, nor was it Xiao Gang who suddenly became the leader of the army to defend the king, nor was it Xiao Yi who missed the position of crown prince and fled back to Jingzhou.

At this time, Xiao Xu, the sixth son of Xiao Yan, was leading his army to Jiankang and was experiencing a fantastic journey.

The sixth son, Xiao Xu, immediately raised an army in Guangzhou after the death of Crown Prince Zhaoming.

He was the younger brother of Prince Zhaoming and the son of Concubine Ding.

Unlike his two literary brothers, Xiao Xu loved wielding swords since he was a child, which was disliked by Xiao Yan, who loved civil governance, so he was arranged to be a fief in the farthest Guangzhou.

When he heard the news that his brother was dead and his mother was imprisoned, Xiao Xu was different from the timid Xiao Gang. He immediately summoned his confidants and announced an uprising in Guangzhou.

The sixth son, Xiao Xu, went all the way south from Guangzhou and did not encounter too many obstacles.

This is not to say that Xiao Xu is powerful in military force, but because in this era, the Guangzhou area is like an isolated island of civilization.

Several areas around Guangzhou, including present-day Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and even southern Zhejiang, were civilized frontiers in that era, and there were not even many government offices.

Guangzhou, also known as the Lingnan region, became the largest Han Chinese gathering area in the south thanks to the development of Zhao Tuo in the late Qin Dynasty.

So Xiao Xu fought all the way to Qiantang, where he encountered some obstacles. However, the combat effectiveness of the Southern Liang army was poor, and they were not as good at fighting as the Li army that Xiao Xu had recruited, so they were quickly defeated.

When Xiao Xu arrived in Qiantang, the situation had changed again.

He heard the news that his half-brother Xiao Gang, who had raised an army in Yangzhou in the name of clearing the court of corrupt officials, had already captured Shitou City and Jiankang City, and that his father and other royal palace ministers had retreated to Taicheng.

Upon hearing the news, Xiao Xu's general, his palace secretary Liu Zhongli, advised Xiao Xu:
"Your Highness, although you and the Third Prince are brothers from the same mother, you started your army in Guangzhou this time. When the Third Prince ascends the throne in the future, will he still allow you to serve as a vassal outside the capital?"

This sentence seemed to wake Xiao Xu up.

Yes, if I could rebel when my father was in power, then wouldn’t I be able to rebel when my brother was in power as well?

If the love between father and son is unreliable, how can the love between brothers be reliable?

When Xiao Gang comes to power, he will definitely be suspicious of me. Wouldn't I be at the mercy of others then?

Xiao Xu started his army in Guangzhou, and he had his own ambitions. He immediately asked Liu Zhongli:

"What's your plan?"

Liu Zhongli is the son of Liu Jin, the commander of the prince's garrison. Now his father is guarding Xiao Xu's father, Xiao Yan, in Taicheng.

Liu Zhongli said:
"Your Highness, although the Third Prince conquered Jiankang City, it was because Yangzhou was too close to Jiankang, and the Third Prince had served as a garrison commander in Shitou City, so he was able to capture it by surprise."

"The city is strong, and the Third Prince has few soldiers. He may not be able to capture it."

"As long as the various armies arrive in Jiankang, the Third Prince will surely be defeated given his prestige and military strength."

"So, Your Highness, why don't you put on the banner of serving the king and head to Jiankang to serve the king? By then, the troops along the way will definitely not resist us and will join our team."

"If we reach Jiankang and the Third Prince really captures Taicheng, we will attack the Third Prince again under the pretext of killing the usurper."

"If we reach Jiankang and defeat the Third Prince and lift the siege of Jiankang, then His Majesty will definitely appoint you as the Crown Prince and even pass the throne to you."

"Isn't this the perfect solution?"

After hearing Liu Zhongli's plan, Xiao Xu immediately changed his slogan in Qiantang from "clearing the emperor's side" to "serving the king". As expected, after he raised the banner of serving the king, he encountered fewer obstacles along the way.

Hearing that they were going to Jiankang to support the king, the government troops from the prefectures and counties along the way would even join Xiao Xu's team. By the time Xiao Xu arrived not far from Jiankang, the number of soldiers under his command had reached 50,000.

In this way, because Xiao Xu had raised his army in Guangzhou in advance to prepare for the purge of the emperor's court, he arrived at the city of Jiankang faster than any other prince, and naturally became the leader of all the armies that came to support the king.

Xiao Xu sent his men to find out the news in Jiankang City.

When Xiao Gang, who had raised an army in Yangzhou, joined forces with Heba Sheng, Heba Sheng led all his troops and began to attack Taicheng fiercely.

However, Taicheng was too strong, and Chen Qingzhi was personally commanding the battle on the city wall. Heba Sheng fought for more than a month but was unable to capture it.

Moreover, there are sufficient reserves in Taicheng, and it seems that it will take a while to capture it.

At this time, the city entered into tense negotiations.

Xiao Gang proposed that Xiao Yan should purge the emperor's side and kill favorite ministers such as Zhu Yi, regarding them as the culprits who brought disaster to the country and the people.

In addition, Xiao Gang also asked Xiao Yan to enthrone him as the crown prince and abdicate to him.

Naturally, Xiao Yan would not agree to this condition. After the negotiations broke down, the two sides fought several more battles, but Heba Sheng still failed to capture Taicheng.

Among them, Wei Rui's grandson Wei Can and Liu Zhongli's father Liu Jin fought very bravely and repelled Heba Sheng's attacks several times in a row.

In addition, Wei Can's father, Wei Fang, the eldest son of Wei Rui, had also led his troops from Shouyang to Jiankang to support the king. He ran into Xiao Xu's troops outside Jiankang City and joined Xiao Xu's army to support the king.

Now the generals under Xiao Xu's command all demanded to attack Jiankang immediately and rescue Xiao Yan.

Xiao Xu still found his confidant Liu Zhongli to discuss it first.

Liu Zhongli quickly said:

"Your Highness, we can't save him now."

"Why?"

Liu Zhongli said:
"Most of the people under your highness' command are soldiers from all over the country who are here to protect your majesty. They are still loyal to your majesty. If you can help the Third Prince, your majesty will still have to rule the country."

Xiao Xu nodded repeatedly. Yes, although it looked like a huge force, most of them were troops coming to support the king.

It was just like the eighteen princes fighting against Dong Zhuo back then. Xiao Xu was just a leader in name only.

Liu Zhongli said:
"Shitou City is difficult to attack, so why not let Wei Fang and his men attack Shitou City first? Our army will stay behind to gather strength. Your Highness can then win over those generals who are willing to support you. This way, after saving Taicheng, His Majesty can pass the throne to you."

Xiao Xu nodded repeatedly.

He immediately sent Wei Fang and others who clamored most for help to lead the troops to attack Shitou City first, but he did not give them many soldiers and supplies. He himself set up camp outside Jiankang City with his confidants, pretending to be prepared for a long-term battle.

Wei Fang advised Xiao Xu to take advantage of the small number of enemy troops and attack Shitou City with the entire army, but Xiao Xu still refused. In desperation, he could only lead his own troops to fight.

As expected, the Stone City was strong and Wei Fang had no chance of taking it down. He was even attacked by Heba Sheng and suffered heavy losses.

(End of this chapter)