Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

In the third battle, the Shan Liao invaded, and all the generals returned empty-handed, except for Du Yingwu, who decisively defeated the Shan Liao.

These three wars took place within a few short years, and Du Yingwu quickly accumulated extremely high prestige within the military.

Moreover, his father was Li Changjie's nephew.

Li Changjie was the previous Annamite war god who crushed all the surrounding states and even led his troops to invade Guangxi.

In addition, Annam's policy of emphasizing civil administration over military affairs, reducing the army, and cutting military pay over the past two or three decades has led to resentment among soldiers across the country.

After Du Yingwu's coup, although he did not order an expansion of the army, he restored military pay and benefits, which immediately won over the hearts of the army.

"Why did you participate in the conspiracy?" Du Yingwu questioned.

Su Xiancheng was not killed because he was the Grand Tutor, a high-ranking official whose position even the Imperial Guards dared not touch.

Chapter 3690 Luring with Profit

Su Xiancheng sighed, "If I don't go, they will try to turn the Imperial Guards against us."

Du Yingwu sneered: "How could the Imperial Guards be turned against us with mere words?"

"By luring them with money, coercing them with the Ming army, and rebuking them with righteous indignation, it's certain that some Imperial Guard generals will be turned against them,"

Su Xiancheng said,

“These people are not discreet in their actions, and they will inevitably leak information.”

"At that time, the Imperial Guards will fight amongst themselves, leaving the Ming army to slaughter them like fish."

“A few years ago, nearly 100,000 people were abducted from Thang Long Prefecture. Although the late emperor ordered the relocation of people to the capital, the population has only recovered to 40,000 to 50,000.”

"Do you want to see Thang Long Palace plundered by the Ming army again?"

Su Xiancheng did not want to get rid of Du Yingwu, because he was afraid of pushing the other party to the brink of desperation.

Su Xiancheng's strategy was very clear: to prevent Du Yingwu from directly usurping the throne, while at the same time governing the country well and waiting for the young emperor to grow up and take over the reins of government.

Historically, it was thanks to this gentleman's mediation that Du Yingwu never overturned the table.

Even after the young emperor came of age, the ministers managed to get Du Yingwu dismissed from his post, and it was only after Empress Dowager Li repeatedly pleaded for him that he was reinstated.

Of course, Du Yingwu, who was reinstated, would not let the matter rest.

He fabricated a series of charges, killing eight people, maiming five, exiling more than thirty, and dismissing more than sixty officials, including a prince, two marquises, and a prince consort.

Furthermore, a repressive rule was implemented: eunuchs were not allowed to enter the palace without permission, and the King of Annam needed his consent to see any eunuch.

"Court officials are forbidden from associating with members of the imperial family and nobles."

"Within the palace, officials are not allowed to gather or talk in groups of more than three or ten people when they attend or leave court... That's what a powerful minister should be like. Du Yingwu has been driven crazy by the civil officials."

Now, before the young emperor can grow up, the Ming army suddenly attacks, shattering the delicate balance.

The Annamese civil officials wanted to use the Ming army to eliminate the powerful minister, which naturally forced the powerful minister to strike first!

Du Yingwu said, "We've already killed them, so what do you suggest we do now?"

Su Xiancheng said, "Release the families of the killed officials, and then send someone to negotiate with the Ming army."

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Du Yingwu sneered. "If I release the families of those traitors, they will surely lead the Ming army into the city!"

Not all the families of the murdered were in Thang Long Palace, but several key figures were, including the prince consort Yang Siming.

In addition, the conspiracy was carried out at Wu Dai's home.

The officer in charge of the military belt was the infantry commander of the Imperial Guard, the third most powerful figure in the Annam Imperial Guard.

He was dissatisfied with Du Yingwu's sole command of the Imperial Guards, as he had not benefited from the coup and had instead had his military power stripped by Du Yingwu.

How can we not eliminate these people completely?

Su Xiancheng questioned, "Having killed so many officials' families, how do you plan to clean up this mess?"

"I'm caught in a dilemma, I have no choice but to do this," Du Yingwu said. "Go home and rest. No one in your family is allowed to go out without permission. After the Ming army withdraws, I will invite you back to serve as Grand Tutor."

Disheartened, Su Xiancheng was escorted home by imperial guards and placed under house arrest.

Du Yingwu sat alone in the quiet room, a mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He's only twenty-five years old!

Rushing into things is inevitable, and the coup was handled too hastily.

Moreover, he became arrogant and recklessly spent the night in the palace, giving others too much ammunition and grounds for criticism.

He served as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty twice and knew how powerful the Ming Dynasty was.

He believed that as long as he did not usurp power, but instead installed a minor emperor and sent someone to Luoyang to request the title of king, the Ming emperor should be able to back down gracefully.

Unexpectedly, the Ming Dynasty directly sent troops, and even used the name of the Empress Dowager Du!

Not only did the Ming Dynasty send troops, but Dali was also drawn in.

Shen Li, a powerful local figure, launched a rebellion to purge the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials. After being easily defeated by Du Yingwu, he actually fled all the way to Dali.

Shen Li borrowed several hundred elite soldiers from Dali and recruited barbarian soldiers on the northwestern border of Annam. He captured Jidong (Cao Bang Province) and marched straight to Taiyuan.

At this moment, Shen Li had already captured Taiyuan City.

He then changed his name to Zhao Zhizhi, claimed to be the illegitimate son of the former King Li Renzong, and proclaimed himself "King Ping" and "General of Pingyuan," calling on the gentry of Annam to jointly raise an army to punish the traitor Du.

In other words, Du Yingwu was now facing enemies on two fronts: the Ming army to his east and Shen Li's rebel army to his northwest.

Suddenly, Du Yingwu opened his eyes and summoned several trusted confidants, saying, "The families of those traitors executed yesterday who lived in the capital region have all been exterminated."

"The men were made slaves, and the women were given to the soldiers."

"Their property and land will all be distributed to the Imperial Guards!"

Not only did the Annamite Imperial Guards receive land, but even the generals of the local troops who were urgently dispatched received substantial rewards.

Furthermore, Du Yingwu promised that more soldiers would be allocated land after the war ended.

For a time, the morale of the Annamese army was high.

At the young age of twenty-five, Du Yingwu left his cousin to lead troops to guard the palace and the capital, while he himself led an army of 40,000 to fight a decisive battle against the Ming army.

He had already received word that only two or three thousand Ming troops had arrived; the rest were local garrison soldiers recruited in Annam.

Chapter 3691 Heavily Garrisoned

Even if they couldn't achieve a great victory by fighting ten against one, they could still stop the Ming army from conquering cities and territories.

Running away and avoiding battle is useless. The Ming army has the righteousness of Empress Dowager Du. If Du Yingwu abandons Thang Long Prefecture, he will truly become a traitor.

Even if the Ming army withdraws, a new emperor will be established in Thang Long Prefecture, and a new court will be re-established.

……

"Your Highness, the enemy forces that were harassing us ahead have been defeated by us."

"Both Beijiang Road City and Tiande Prefecture City are heavily guarded!"

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Kang was not worried but rather pleased.

Beijiang Road City and Tiande Prefecture City are located on the north and south banks of the Longjiang River, respectively, and are less than 100 li away from Shenglong Prefecture.

The two cities guard the Long River and are the eastern gateway to Thang Long Prefecture.

After defeating the defenders of the two cities, you can advance rapidly and trample on Thang Long Prefecture.

“Your Highness, I am willing to lead the attack!” said an Annamese military officer named Zeng Huai.

"We are willing to fight to the death!"

Many Annamese officials cried out.

They were all officials whom Zhao Kang had recruited along the way, and they believed that Du Yingwu was doomed to defeat.

Civil officials remained in their posts to procure provisions, while military officers led troops to fight alongside Zhao Kang.

Zhao Kang's Annamese army now numbers over five thousand.

Of course, they all belong to a mob.

Zhao Kang offered some words of encouragement and then dismissed the Annamese generals.

After the locals had all left, Xie Hongcai said, "We're deep in enemy territory alone. What if our supply lines are cut off?"

Han Jing laughed and said, "If Du Yingwu weren't stupid, he would definitely send troops to cut off the supply lines, and might even capture our rear cities."

"We have a small army, only three thousand elite troops, and it is impossible for us to take care of the rear."

"We have no choice but to take down Thang Long in one fell swoop!"

"Is General Han confident?" Xie Hong asked.

Han Jing said, "When I left Guangxi, General Yang Zaixing gave me several maps."

"Among them are city wall maps of Beijiang Road City and Tiande Prefecture City."

"We also borrowed twenty naval cannons from the navy, so it won't be a problem to fight our way to Thang Long."

"If we fail to capture the city after a prolonged siege and run out of supplies, we will have no choice but to requisition food locally."

Xie Hong said, "This time is different from last time, when General Yang could just take it and leave. We are here to govern Annam."

“Requisitioning grain locally will inevitably lead to widespread public resentment, which will be detrimental to future governance.”

"Utterly outdated! If we can't even conquer Thang Long, how can we talk about future rule?" Han Jing retorted.

Han Jing also had a personality flaw; he didn't know how to get along with civil officials.

This man was originally from a self-taught background. He had some education, but he would have had a hard time even passing the imperial examination for the lowest degree.

He developed a bandit-like spirit while fighting as a guerrilla against the Jin soldiers.

He plundered many wealthy households in Shanxi; otherwise, his troops would have starved to death long ago.

Moreover, he disliked civil officials and spoke without any restraint.

Of course, Han Jing's values ​​are still very sound.

Historically, he quelled the chaos in Fujian and Guangdong, areas that had long been ravaged and riddled with problems.

Han Jing was able to restore production in Lingnan and even crack down on corrupt officials and protect the people.

As a result, he offended all the local officials and was dismissed from office. The people then built a shrine in his honor.

Xie Hong smiled and remained silent after being rebuffed by Han Jing, but he felt somewhat uncomfortable inside.

Zhao Kang was not yet adept at reading between the lines and did not realize that there might be discord between his civil and military subordinates.

He believed that Han Jing had persuaded Xie Hong, so he made the decision: "Continue the advance tomorrow!"

The next day, noon.

Zhao Kang led his army to the outskirts of Beijiang Road, where they set up camp several miles from the city, waiting to launch an attack the next day.

Du Yingwu personally oversaw the defense of the city, remaining inactive and awaiting news.

Just as the Ming army was about to launch an attack on the city with cannons, several fast boats arrived from behind, and a few Annamese civil and military officials hurriedly reported the news:

"Your Highness, the traitor Du has sent his elite troops in a surprise attack, and the city... the city has fallen."

"The grain and fodder stockpiled in the city have also been seized by that traitor Du!"

Zhao Kang said, "Don't worry, we'll have grain soon."

"Moreover, the rations we carried with us were enough to last for twenty days, and if we were careful, they could last for more than a month."

Despite this, Annam's civil and military officials and soldiers were gripped by fear of running out of food.

"Boom boom boom!"

Twenty cannons salvaged from naval ships unleashed a barrage of fire on Beijiang Road.

The terrifying momentum restored the morale of the Annamese troops following the Ming army, who believed that this thing could bombard them all the way to Thang Long.

Meanwhile, the Annamese garrison inside the city was thrown into panic by the bombardment.

After three days of continuous bombardment, some cracks began to appear in the city wall, and it was estimated that it would collapse in a few more days.

Du Yingwu felt that morale had plummeted, so he summoned his generals and said, "I have just received news that our detachment has successfully captured the city."