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

He couldn't even take Beijiang Road, so he had no intention of accompanying Shen Li to attack Shenglong Prefecture.

Moreover, I've heard that Ming troops are stationed in Thang Long Prefecture.

The defeated soldiers of King Zhiming, whom they captured a few days ago, have been scattered and incorporated into their ranks.

This resulted in chaos and disarray within the army!

While the defeated soldiers were chatting, they spread rumors about the Ming army's strength.

It is said that a thousand Ming soldiers fought against 100,000 Annamese soldiers, and only a few of them died.

Each Ming soldier could summon a meteorite from the gods, which threw Du Yingwu's 100,000-strong army into chaos. A thousand Ming soldiers seized the opportunity to charge and achieved a great victory.

Shenli's rebels were skeptical, but since everyone said so, they gradually came to believe it.

Now, the rebel soldiers only dare to attack Beijiang Road City, and are unwilling to follow their leader to Thang Long Prefecture.

Dong Yicheng left with several hundred Dali soldiers; he made a fortune from this military expedition.

The soldiers suffered only a few dozen casualties, but they looted countless valuables and forcibly took Annamese laborers to help them transport goods.

Only three days after the Dali troops left, Shen Li received news that the Ming army was coming.

He was so frightened that he hurriedly led his troops to withdraw from the siege and retreat back to Tiande Prefecture City on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The plan was for the main force to defend the city to the death, while the rear flanking forces continued to attack and seize territory.

Without wasting words, Han Jing immediately led the artillery to attack the city.

He also ordered King Zhiming, Li Yangzhen, to lead his few thousand remaining soldiers across the river to cooperate.

"Boom boom boom!"

After two rounds of shelling, the routed soldiers who had been incorporated into the city were the first to panic.

They had been defeated by the Ming army in a direct confrontation just over a month ago, and had already developed a psychological trauma from the defeat.

The rebel generals could not control the situation, and the soldiers fled the city walls in panic, causing the other rebels to flee in confusion.

Tens of thousands of rebel soldiers fled in panic within the city upon hearing the cannon fire.

One clever kid even shouted in the chaos, "The Ming soldiers are breaking in!"

After shouting several times, more and more people joined in, and then some people ran to storm the north gate.

These were troops that Shen Li had brought from the north. They were originally farming peacefully at home, but were inexplicably captured and forced to become rebels.

Initially, their morale soared after a series of victories, and they even began to resemble veterans. However, after several failed attacks on Beijiang Road, they started thinking about going home.

The rebels' north gate suddenly opened, and countless rebels fled in panic.

This situation was completely unexpected by Han Jing.

He only used twenty cannons and bombarded the city twice in a row. How did tens of thousands of rebels abandon the city and flee?

"Seize the city!"

Han Kyung seized the opportunity to issue an order.

King Zhiming was terrified by the rebels, so he didn't dare lead his troops to capture the city. Instead, he ran around the city to chase and kill the fleeing soldiers.

Soon, the western city gate was also opened by the rebels, and countless defeated soldiers poured out, rushing to their hometowns in the north.

"Come back! All of you, come back! Anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be beheaded!"

Shenli, who has already ascended the throne, still hasn't realized what's going on.

He had an easy time in the early stages, and with the help of several hundred soldiers borrowed from the Dong family of Dali, he successfully recruited more than a thousand barbarian soldiers on the border of Annam.

With just these two thousand men, they were invincible in conquering cities and seizing territories, and their strength grew as they took in the people along the way.

Then he defeated King Zhiming and expanded his army to more than 30,000 by incorporating prisoners.

Shenli has become completely inflated.

His ambitions escalated to the point of declaring himself emperor, establishing a system of government, and appointing officials!

Chapter 3708 A Little Bit of a Show

He felt that the Ming army was nothing special, and even if they couldn't win in the open field, they could definitely defend the city.

Why did your tens of thousands of troops collapse as soon as you started defending the city?

Shen Li has absolutely no self-awareness; the reason he had such a smooth start was because...

They were mainly soldiers from Annam in the northwest, who were largely drawn by Du Yingwu to fight against Zhao Kang.

This left the local garrison forces vulnerable, allowing Shen Li to exploit the situation and advance his army.

Let alone the Ming army's combat strength, Du Yingwu could easily defeat them.

"Your Majesty, the barbarian soldiers have also fled!"

Shen Li turned his head and saw that all the barbarian soldiers he had recruited had indeed fled towards the city gate.

The thousand or so barbarian soldiers fled quickly; they had heard of the Ming army's formidable reputation.

The neighboring tribes had been soundly defeated by Yang Zaixing and dared not cross the border to plunder again.

Shen Li realized there was no way to turn the tide, so he led his personal guards to rush towards the Tiande government office, intending to escape with his empress and crown prince.

I could vaguely hear someone shouting, "The traitor Shen Li is over there! There's a huge reward for catching him!"

Shen Li turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see that Yang Lian, whom he had appointed as Grand Commandant, was leading his soldiers to attack from the side street.

Yang Lian was the deputy head cook of the ten circuits of Annam, similar to the deputy commander of the Song Dynasty's Xiang Army. He was forced to surrender because he was outnumbered.

This was the first regular military officer to defect to the rebels, so Shen Li trusted him greatly and appointed him as Grand Commandant when he ascended the throne.

The Grand Commandant led troops to kill the Emperor—where is justice?!

Yang Lian led his troops closer and closer, and Shen Li's personal guards were so frightened that they scattered in all directions.

A moment later, Han Jing led his troops into the city.

Yang Lian, holding Shen Li's head, knelt at the city gate to greet them: "This humble general has killed the false emperor Shen Li, and the false empress and false crown prince have been captured!"

King Zhiming Li Yangzhen was also particularly powerful at this time. He divided his several thousand remaining soldiers into several groups and sent them to the north and west of the city to pursue and kill the fleeing soldiers.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yangzhen had captured thousands of people and finally enjoyed the taste of being an "ever-victorious general".

……

Thang Long Prefecture was officially renamed Da Luo Prefecture.

The two counties attached to Daluo Prefecture were renamed Songping County and Jinghai County, respectively.

These names all originated from the Tang Dynasty.

It was the seat of the Jiaozhi General Administration Office in the early Tang Dynasty, known as Daluo City.

It was Songping County, under the jurisdiction of the Annam Protectorate during the mid-Tang Dynasty.

It was also the residence of the Jinghai Army Governor during the late Tang Dynasty.

Now, all three names have been restored: Daluo Prefecture, Songping County, and Jinghai County!

Many Annamese officials did not understand the meaning because they were unaware of history.

However, some scholars were greatly alarmed by this, vaguely guessing that the Ming Dynasty intended to annex Annam.

"A great victory! A great victory! The Regent's heavenly army has achieved a great victory!"

"A hundred cannons fired simultaneously, and the 100,000 rebel troops were routed!"

"The Regent is invincible!"

"..."

Five or six messengers, carrying banners, ran around inside and outside the city, shouting messages.

Upon hearing the news, Annamese officials breathed a sigh of relief; the rebels had finally been wiped out.

Those guys have captured Tiande Prefecture, and they're less than a hundred miles away. It's really making everyone very anxious.

The truly insightful people of Annam, however, looked ashen-faced.

First eliminate the traitors, then remove the rebel army; who would dare to oppose the Regent then?

The first person to stand up in opposition, Grand Tutor Su Xiancheng, had his entire family executed for conspiring with Du Yingwu to murder the late king.

Chapter 3709 Loyal Lackey

The third censor to stand up in opposition, Guo Ying, was also executed along with his entire family for allegedly currying favor with the traitor Du and betraying loyal officials.

The second one... well, that Prince Zhiming is now the Regent's loyal lackey!

Several of Su Xiancheng's confidants were arrested and imprisoned as remnants of Du's traitorous gang.

Two of them, before even being subjected to torture or forced confessions, accused Su Xiancheng of colluding with Du Yingwu.

They were immediately released, and all of them were promoted one rank for their meritorious service.

Su Xiancheng's other confidants were all executed along with their entire families!

……

Lady Li has been under house arrest in the palace for more than a month and has not been able to contact the outside world. She has not even been able to see her own son, the young king.

She didn't even know that she had remarried to the Prince of Yu of the Ming Dynasty.

"The Regent, my father, has arrived!"

Li was led to greet him in a daze, and saw a handsome young man striding towards him.

"Your Majesty, this is His Highness Prince Yu of the Great Ming Dynasty and his father, the Prince of Annam, the Regent Prince," a palace maid reminded her.

Lady Li immediately knelt down to greet him: "This humble servant greets Your Highness!"

Zhao Kang did not help him up, but said, "Du Siwu, who came back with you, was executed along with his entire family for plotting against the king."

"Out of respect for Empress Dowager Du, the Du family has retained one branch."

Lady Li trembled with fear and hurriedly kowtowed, begging for forgiveness: "Your Highness, please forgive me! Your Highness, please forgive me!"

She was so terrified that she even forgot to analyze the meaning of "the regent father".

This woman is both smart and stupid, and sometimes her IQ is even negative.

Historically, Du Yingwu was initially imprisoned, and the ministers clamored for his execution.

Fearing that her lover would go hungry in prison, Lady Li sent someone to deliver food to him, tricking her son into releasing him and only punishing him with dismissal from office.

Then he tricked his son into giving his lover a minor official position. The young king was only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time and agreed without thinking, despite all the officials' advice.

For the sake of her lover, she ultimately caused her son to be a puppet for life.

Du Yingwu even sent his principal wife to the palace to accompany Lady Li, and the couple stayed at the palace together for a long time.

Empress Dowager Li was surprisingly as close as sisters with her lover's wife...

Zhao Kang said, "The auspicious day is approaching, and I will formally take you as the concubine of the Prince of Yu of the Great Ming Dynasty."

Startled, Mrs. Li looked up abruptly, thinking she had misheard.

Zhao Kang asked, "Do I need to say it again?"

Li was a person who valued appearances, and her first reaction was to compare the looks of Zhao Kang and Du Yingwu.

Du Yingwu has fair skin that is as clear and translucent as jade.

Zhao Kang spent a long time in military school, and his skin was tanned a bit dark, which seemed to be a disadvantage.

They are equally handsome.

In terms of height, Zhao Kang is far superior, and having undergone extensive training at the military academy, he is extremely robust and muscular.

Perhaps it was a psychological factor, but Li felt that Zhao Kang had an air of nobility and was awe-inspiring in his power of life and death, which made her subconsciously want to submit and kneel down.

After comparing them repeatedly, Li found them more and more pleasing to the eye. The thought of her impending remarriage made her heart pound.

"Prepare well for the wedding." Zhao Kang said, then turned and left.

Lady Li hurriedly asked, "Is Your Highness not staying here tonight?"