Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 141: Shocking

In the Jiangnan region, Xin'an County is located south of Liyang County, the headquarters of the Jianghuai Army, and west of Piling County, the territory of the Shangliang Army.

At this moment, a mighty army, clad in fine helmets and armor, was advancing swiftly and silently along the official road. A dark cloud loomed overhead, and a giant python loomed. Their speed, discipline, and momentum clearly indicated they were elite troops.

This elite force numbered over 100,000, but nearly half of them had foreign faces and clothing.

Flags stood in rows, spears pointed like a forest, and countless flags were embroidered with large ancient seal characters... Liang.

It was in the Nanman region that Xiao Xian, the King of Daliang, whose prestige and power were second only to the King of Lingnan, the Song family, marched quickly many times and made his way from his base camp, Baling City, through Jiujiang County, Poyang County, to Xin'an County, and was not far from Hailing County!

"King Daliang has issued an order for the entire army to rest for three days!"

As the Daliang army was marching, they were surprised and confused when a command was given. Some of them whispered to each other, but no one protested. They quickly chose a place to set up camp.

"Your Highness! This matter has spread throughout the world, and has been verified many times by our spies. It is confirmed beyond a doubt!"

On the hill near the Daliang army, King Xiao Xin of Daliang held the secret report and read it over and over again countless times. A scholar whispered affirmatively.

"Incredible! Incredible! My cousins ​​are incredible! Perhaps they can truly recreate the Sui Dynasty... or restore Daliang?!"

Xiao Xin looked back and forth at the secret report, as if trying to figure it out. He shook his head and exclaimed in praise, seeming to be quite proud and complacent.

From the perspective of the Western Liang Xiao clan, Xiao Xian was the great-grandson of Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, Xiao Zhao, the grandson of Xiao Yan, the Prince of Anping Zhonglie, and the son of Xiao Xuan, the Prince of Anping Wenxian. He was indeed the cousin of Empress Xiao and the brother of Xiao Ying, the Prince of Jingwu, but they were several generations apart and had no contact at all, never even meeting each other.

Xiao Xian was orphaned and impoverished in his youth, selling books for a living and serving his mother with a reputation for filial piety. He later joined the outlaws, amassing considerable wealth. His family background, inspired by his foresight, led him to enter the civil service. Thanks to his close relationship with his maternal relatives, he was promoted by the Sui Emperor, Yang Guang, to the position of magistrate of Luochuan County.

As a mere county magistrate and a distant relative at that, it was natural that he could not see Empress Xiao.

Later, the Yingchuan bandit Shen Liusheng invaded Luochuan County. Fearing accountability from the imperial court, Xiao Xian rebelled against the Sui Dynasty, proclaiming himself Duke of Liang and adopting Liang Dynasty customs for his banners and clothing. He recruited Shen Liusheng, took over Baling, and proclaimed himself King of Daliang. He appointed Shen Liusheng as General of Chariots and Cavalry, and seized power. Seizing the opportunity, he rose to become the overlord of the south, second only to the King of Lingnan.
"Your Highness... then our army..." Shen Liusheng, the first general of the Daliang Army, asked in confusion.

Shen Liusheng admired and supported Xiao Xing very much and did not question him, but he was a little confused!
I heard that there was a chaotic war in Jiangnan, and the four major forces were about to decide who would be the overlord of Jiangnan.

Far away in Baling, Xiao Xian immediately decided to lead his army north, waiting for an opportunity, perhaps even hoping to profit from the situation and ultimately seize the throne of Jiangnan. Therefore, he even colluded with the Nanman, gaining their strong support. Half of the 100,000 elite Daliang troops before him were Nanman warriors... elite!
On this point, both Shen Liusheng and famous generals and celebrities such as Dong Jingzhen and Guo Hua are quite supportive!
Now, hearing that Prince Jingwu ambushed and defeated Marquis Nanyang and destroyed the Nanyang Iron Cavalry, Xiao Xin decisively ordered the troops to stop. The information was scary, and the fear was understandable, but how to explain it to the Daliang army and the Nanman tribes?
"What do you think?" Xiao Xin answered the question irrelevantly and asked back to everyone.

"Our army is currently... the closest is Licheng, followed by Piling..."

Everyone was lost in thought. Dong Jingzhen flicked his sleeves and spoke first, then quickly continued:
"Now the King of Wu and the King of Chu have marched together to Hailing. Liyang County is empty, and Licheng is within sight. However, the Jianghuai Army is the leader of Jiangnan, and should not be lightly attacked."

After he finished speaking, he let everyone digest the information for a while, and then continued confidently: "Shangliang is now in trouble. First, the entire army on the south bank of the Tianjiang River was annihilated, and now the King of Shangliang is trapped in Hailing. Our army is now entering Piling, looking towards Wujun, seizing the territory of Shangliang, and then looking towards Hailing, waiting for an opportunity to act!"

"That's right!"

"This is a great plan!"

Shen Liusheng, Guo Hua and others' eyes lit up and they all praised.

"..."

Xiao Xin raised his hand, and everyone fell silent. He frowned and said, "Don't forget, Lin Shihong, the Nanyue King of Yuzhang, has also led his troops north. The Nanyue army is nothing to be feared, and they can't even get involved in the overall situation in Jiangnan. Judging from their route, they're clearly heading for Shangliang!"

Yuzhang County also belongs to the Nanman area. King Lin Shihong of Nanyue is one of the Nanman rebel kings, but his power is far inferior to that of the Daliang army.

Throughout the vast Southern Barbarian region, the King of Lingnan stands alone as the uncrowned king, the undisputed overlord of the Southern Barbarians. Next in line is the King of Daliang, Xiao Xian, followed by rebel kings like Lin Shihong of Yuzhang, Ning Changzhen of Cangwu, and Feng Ang of Gaoliang, and finally, the powerful Xinzhou bandit Gao Facheng and other forces.

This is a time of war and chaos!
Nowadays, the world is indeed full of rebellions against the king, with bandits running rampant and thieves everywhere!

"A mere Southern Barbarian puppet, do you dare to confront our army?"

Shen Liusheng spat with disdain and arrogance, then grinned and said, "If the South Vietnamese army dares to fight for Shangliang's territory, our army will turn around and occupy Yuzhang. Let's see what they choose!"

"That's it..."

Xiao Xian thought for a moment, nodded in response, and then ordered, "Our army will temporarily stay in Piling. In the meantime, inform my cousins, both of whom are members of the Xiao family, that if they need our help, I will lead my troops north to provide assistance!"

"Yes!"

……

To the south of Xin'an County, it borders Su'an County.

The King of Nanyue was leading his army directly towards Piling Commandery. Though he was shocked to hear of the defeat at Nanyang, he didn't react much. After all, he had no intention of participating in the Battle of Hailing and vying for supremacy in the south of the Yangtze River. He simply wanted to seize the opportunity to expand his territory, ideally to receive the "legacy" of the King of Shangliang, and then plunder and depart.

Until the information came that the Daliang army turned to Piling County, Lin Shihong was a little dumbfounded. He didn't dare to fight for Piling, nor was he willing to return to Yuzhang. He had no choice but to order the army to stop nearby and wait for the situation to change!
……

Qining County is located in the southeast of Hongze County and northwest of Hailing County, between the two counties!

King Fu Gongyou of Chu was indeed decisive and energetic.

After consulting Du Fuwei, Fu Gongyou didn't think much about it and selected 30,000 elite Jianghuai troops, mainly from the lineage of the King of Chu... They could be called the elite of the King of Chu, and rushed to Hailing City at full speed.

Who knew that just after leaving Hongze County and crossing most of Qining County, they would enter Hailing County at night and reach Hailing City the next day. Suddenly, they heard about the disastrous defeat in Nanyang. It was like being struck by lightning. The generals were shocked and the morale of the army was in chaos, forcing Fu Gongyou to order a halt!

As night falls, the sky and the earth become dark.

Looking at the towering mountains and lush forests in the distance, Fu Gongyou and the Chu army generals felt a little uneasy...

Since King Jingwu dared to lead his army to attack Marquis Nanyang, he would naturally not let go of the "weaker" Chu army. Fu Gongyou and others had no doubt about this!
Xu Shaozong, a trusted general, hesitantly advised, "Your Highness! The Sui army is powerful, and Prince Jingwu is fierce. How about...our army retreat temporarily..."

Everyone was silent, some of them nodded silently, agreeing deeply.

"Retreat?! You can't retreat! Then... where will this king's face be?"

Let me explain this here, just in case some people aren't familiar with geography! Based on a Sui Dynasty map, the Jiangnan region refers to the southeast, including the area near the end of the Yangtze River; the Nanman region refers to the south! Shadow is the person in charge who was confused and thought it was simple and clear, so I didn't explain it in detail. Sorry, haha...

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(End of this chapter)