I transmigrated to ancient times and became a king with a title equal to mine.

The battlefield pigeons trained by the Gu family were also peculiar, managing to deliver a message to Gu Bufan through artillery fire.

Of course, this carrier pigeon also received honors.

Gu Bufan held the blood-stained cloth in his hands, tears streaming down his face. The thunderous cannon fire was deafening, something he had personally witnessed.

With tears streaming down his face, Gu Bufan looked towards the southeast, where smoke filled the air and sparks flew. He knew that his two sons and son-in-law were probably dead.

"Pass it down: the rear guard becomes the front guard, and the front guard becomes the rear guard. Throw away all heavy items and retreat lightly!"

……

Song Zhonglin stood on a mound and used binoculars to observe the battle formation. He laughed so hard he almost fell over: "The King of the South is a god!"

"Reporting to the general, Gu Bufan is preparing to escape with his men."

Song Zhonglin laughed and said, "Shoot him in the butt a few times, let the old bastard taste the power of the divine cannon. Remember: the people of Great Xia do not fight against each other. Two or three shots are enough."

After saying that he would stop firing, he picked up a megaphone and started shouting.

“Listen up, Southern Army! The Southern King is a benevolent ruler. Even though you have come from afar to invade, he has warned us, the people of Great Xia, not to fight against other people of Great Xia.”

"As long as you lay down your weapons, strip off your armor, and promise not to work for Lung Ying-kun anymore, we will let you go home."

As the magical loudspeaker repeatedly shouted and a few artillery shells occasionally bombarded the area, the Henan-Southern Army was completely terrified.

"My goodness, this King of the South is truly a god. Not only can he create cannons that are even more powerful than thunderbolts, but he also possesses martial arts masters with such profound internal strength. This shout could only be uttered by someone with the cultivation of a Martial Emperor." Bao Zuoqing, the deputy general of the Yu Nan Army, was so frightened that he trembled.

They originally thought the loudspeaker sound was produced by martial arts masters through their practice.

As Bao Bufan fled, he was filled with worry: This kid is full of tricks. If he sends someone to fire a few shots at my warships, tens of thousands of soldiers from southern Henan will not be able to cross the Huai River. If he is even more ruthless and blows up the Huai River dike, we will all be drowned.

Just as the old man was feeling uneasy, the scout reported: "Reporting to my lord, the warships on the river are intact, and the King of the South has even sent the county government to organize the people to deliver food and tea to us."

"Huh?" Gu Bufan was stunned: The Southern King has such a kind heart?

Half an hour later, when hundreds and thousands of people on both sides of the road brought tea and food to the soldiers of the Southern Henan Army, Gu Bufan was shocked.

When the deputy general told him that there was a banner more than ten feet long in front of him, he dismounted and went forward to see it.

"The people of Great Xia should not fight against each other; they should absolutely not act as lackeys in royal infighting."

Gu Bufan was startled by the contents of the banner. He remembered that he had been a veteran minister of two generations of kings of the Great Xia Dynasty and a meritorious official with many military achievements, but he had actually become a tool for Empress Xiao to fight for power. The old man was filled with shame and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing three times to the big red banner: "Your Majesty, I thank you for sparing my life!"

The defeated generals behind him all knelt down: "We, the generals, swear to die for our country and will never be accomplices in internal strife."

As Gu Bufan knelt down, a bold decision flashed through his mind.

He summoned his nephew, Fang Yiming: "Ming'er, the Southern Henan Army is gone, and your uncle is old and senile. Now there is a bright future waiting for you. Ming'er, would you like to join us?"

Fang Yiming replied, "Please enlighten me, Uncle."

"I'm telling you to gather your troops and join the Southern King, do you dare?"

“Uncle, to tell you the truth, all the soldiers below want to follow the Prince of the South.” Fang Yiming raised his head and replied, “For the sake of these hot meals and tea, I also want to turn around and join him.”

"Good!" Gu Bufan called over several loyal and trusted generals and told them his thoughts. Except for a few who did not want to leave their homes and hometowns, they were all willing to submit to the King of the South.

Song Zhonglin arrived at the south bank of the Huai River, but it was already late.

In Dazhao Village, the Zhao Family Ancestral Hall is brightly lit.

Song Zhonglin is hosting a banquet tonight for the hundred officers who have surrendered.

After an hour of banquet, Song Zhonglin raised a large bowl of wine and roared, "Brothers, after drinking this last bowl of wine, we'll cross the Huai River and march straight to the south bank of the Yellow River!"

"Cross the Huai River, and march straight to the Yellow River!"

"Long live the King of the South! Long live the King of the South!"

Long Bin, who was far away in Lishui planning major economic and livelihood development projects, had no idea that his only childhood friend, Monkey, had expanded the territory of Lishui County to the Yellow River overnight, taking over the entire southern Henan plain and eastern Henan and western Shandong regions.

Seeing that everyone under the Southern King was capable, Gu Bufan felt somewhat at ease.

However, with such a sudden expansion into so many areas, the South lacked sufficient talent, and these places could not be left unattended.

He summoned his eldest son and son-in-law, instructing them to lead the officials of southern Henan to submit to the King of the South.

Nanwang Longbin rushed to Daliang City on the south bank of the Yellow River, where he hosted a banquet and met with all the officials of the Southern Henan Army who had surrendered, as well as local officials.

Subsequently, he had private conversations with Gu Dingping, Hua Rushan, Fang Yiming, and others one by one.

In three days, Long Bin found eighteen county magistrates, six prefects, and one military commander of southern Henan.

Southern Henan, eastern Henan, and western Shandong finally came under the control of the Southern King. The territory stretched 2000 li from the Jiupai River near Lishui City to the south bank of the Yellow River, and the Southern King's territory increased several times over.

With so much land and population, Long Bin no longer had to worry about supporting his army.

Lan Tianpeng and his men, who were hiding in the mountains north of Wujiang County, were amazed to learn that the Southern King had achieved a great victory and had marched all the way to the Yellow River.

At this moment, panic had spread throughout the Kyoto Royal Palace.

Gu Bufan risked his life to return to the capital, barged into the Golden Hall, and gave a detailed account of the fierce and brutal battle he had experienced in front of all the civil and military officials.

His description revealed the conspiracy behind the two memorials submitted three months earlier, causing all the officials in the hall to gasp in shock.

The second prince and others tried to stop Gu Bufan on several occasions, but were stopped by the king.

Long Yingshen asked sternly, "Gu Bufan, did you defect to Long Bin, or were you bribed by Long Bin?"

Gu Bufan brandished the Fish Gut Sword, a gift from the old king, and knelt down, saying, "Your honesty is as clear as heaven and earth, as witnessed by the sun and moon. If I have any selfish motives or have uttered any falsehoods, may I be struck by lightning!"

With a soft thud, the Fish Intestine Sword pierced the abdomen, leaving everyone in the Golden Hall dumbfounded.

The old man, sprawled in a pool of blood, refused the imperial physician's treatment. Spitting blood, he stammered, "Long live the Emperor! The Southern King is charging! Two, two, armies are shouting: 'The people of Great Xia will not fight against Great Xia! The Xia people must unite against external threats to protect our Great Xia…'"

As he spoke, he took out a strip of cloth and closed his eyes.

"Minister Gu..." Long Yunfu disregarded his image and jumped off the dragon throne, heading straight for Gu Bufan's side.

The third prince, being closer, swung his hand first and reached for the strip of cloth, but Long Yunfu shouted, "Stop!"

The Imperial Guards immediately surrounded him, scaring the Third Prince so much that he collapsed to the ground.

Long Yingfu picked up the strip of cloth, walked to Gu Bufan's side, and choked up, saying, "Your Gu family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, I can bear witness to that."

He unfurled a white cloth strip, revealing words written in blood-red ink: "A tragic injustice throughout the ages, a single leaf of the Long family, fratricide, why such haste to kill each other?" Bin wept blood. "If people are destined to be together, even water tastes sweet. If people have feelings, anything is acceptable. Family members held in our hearts are priceless; friends remembered in our hearts are sincere. Thank you for your support!"