New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

"Is defending Guangling City the Emperor's will?"

In the silence, someone asked a question that rekindled the hopes of the Qiu family.

If the new emperor Zhao Gou had been able to lead the imperial guards to resist the foreign invaders, perhaps Guangling City might have actually been able to hold out.

Unfortunately, Tang Qian's next words shattered the hopes of his three uncles and five cousins: "The Emperor will soon be heading south to Hangzhou, and the Imperial Guards accompanying him will also set off to defend Guangling City. It will be up to us to do that."

Given the dire situation, Qiu Lingshan, the head of the family, felt he had to make a decision for the sake of the entire clan: "This matter concerns the safety of the entire clan. If the Emperor is not prepared to stay in Guangling, should my Qiu family also move to Hangzhou with him?"

As the saying goes, even ants try to survive. No matter how deep the Qiu family’s roots were in Guangling, they had to give up temporarily in the face of the invading Jin army. After all, money is just an external thing. Only by living can they rebuild their home after the Jin army retreats.

“The Qiu family can leave, but my nephew has made a solemn pledge before the officials that I will live and die with Guangling. I cannot leave.”

"Tang Qian, have you gone mad? The Jin army are ruthless barbarians from beyond the Great Wall. The imperial court had hundreds of thousands of troops defending Tokyo, but in the end, the city fell and the country perished. How can you, a weak scholar, possibly defend the city?"

"That's right, as long as the green hills remain, there's always hope. You're the only son of the Tang family. If something were to happen to you, have you thought about what would happen to your mother?"

Although the two elders' words were tinged with reprimand, Tang Qian could still detect a hint of concern in them. It seemed that the Qiu family's marriage alliance with the Tang family was not due to his father Tang Huan's official status. This made Tang Qian feel a long-lost sense of kinship.

Since the other party had given him a peach, he naturally needed to return the favor. Tang Qian cupped his hands towards his uncle Qiu Lingshan and said, "Uncle, there is no need to worry. I was able to return safely from Youzhou, which means I have some means. I made arrangements a year ago. As long as we defend Guangling City according to my plan, we will surely make the Jin army suffer a crushing defeat."

Tang Qian wasn't wrong. This kid was indeed quite capable to escape Youzhou City, which was controlled by the Jin people. However, escaping is easy, but defending a city is not something a three-year-old can do. Even if Zhuge Liang were reborn, he probably wouldn't have any good strategies to repel the enemy in such a predicament.

The three Qiu brothers looked at each other, truly unable to imagine what kind of brilliant plan this young man could devise to make the Jin army retreat.

"To complete the plan, we will need some methods. My three uncles need not worry. Since I dare to speak so boldly, I am confident of victory."

Tang Qian originally intended not to reveal any information, as he also planned to take this opportunity to reorganize Guangling City.

When the Jin army invaded, the wealthy households in the city would naturally choose to leave in order to preserve their wealth. At that time, Guangling would be the former Youzhou, and those who remained in the city would be all poor people, making it easier for him to implement his administration.

"But you are ultimately without official position and have no way to command the entire city. When the officials leave with the local militia and the city's garrison, won't the people in the city fall apart?"

Tang Qian smiled faintly and once again said something that shocked everyone on the spot: "The Emperor has handed over all affairs in Yangzhou to his nephew. From now on, I am the supreme commander of Guangling. I naturally have a way to unite the people and fight the enemy together."

Tang Qian knew that it was not difficult to do this. One way was to follow Li Gang's example and win over the people, but the most effective way was to offer incentives.

With limited time, it was impossible for Tang Qian to build an invincible modern army before the Jin army invaded. Loyalty alone could not be guaranteed, let alone fighting for one's beliefs.

The simplest way to get the people in the city to obey orders in a short time is to give them enough benefits.

Farmers could be allocated land, artisans could open workshops, children from every household could learn to read and write, and the elderly, weak, women and children could be properly resettled.

"These promises give everyone hope for survival. If the city falls, everything will be for naught. I believe everyone will fight to the death. At that time, why should we worry about not being able to defend Guangling?"

Qiu Lingshan pondered for a moment, seemingly considering the feasibility of Tang Qian's plan. If he were truly the highest-ranking official in Guangling City, he might actually be able to accomplish it.

"Qian'er, if you intend to implement this decree, you must have the support of influential families in the city. Then my Qiu family will give our full support. Only in this way will the people believe that what the government says is not empty talk."

"However, just in case, it would be best for the women in the family to go to Hangzhou with the Emperor for temporary refuge."

"No."

Tang Qian firmly opposed the suggestion made by his third uncle, saying, "If the Jin army cannot capture Guangling, they will definitely try to bypass the city and continue south. After all, their target is the Song emperor, and Hangzhou is definitely not safe."

After whispering among themselves for a moment, the crowd agreed that Tang Qian's words made sense. The terrain around Guangling City was flat and the view was wide open, making it easy to bypass. The Jin army's goal was to destroy the Song Dynasty, so they would naturally pursue and kill Zhao Gou. Therefore, following the emperor was not a wise choice.

When disaster strikes, it's not necessarily a bad thing for the whole family to stay together; at least then there's no need to worry about the safety of the clan.

Tang Qian discussed important matters concerning the entire clan with the elders of the family, while Qiu Linghua led her two daughters-in-law back to the backyard. She first looked at the bright-eyed and white-toothed Zhao Yingluo, then at the radiant Yan Xier, and suddenly smiled: "Both of you are of noble birth, so I shouldn't put on airs as a mother-in-law. Since you can enter into the same family, it must be a predestined fate from a previous life. The Tang family is small, so the heavy responsibility of continuing the family line will have to be placed on your shoulders."

Seeing that the two people sitting opposite her had both blushed, Qiu Linghua felt a little suspicious. She lowered her voice and tentatively asked, "You two don't actually have...?"

Although there were no outsiders in the room, both women were still virgins, and how could they possibly speak of such a shameful matter? Seeing that Zhao Yingluo and Yan Xier had both lowered their heads, Qiu Linghua frowned: "Xier is one thing, after all, you haven't had your wedding ceremony yet, but Yingluo, you're also a virgin, that's a bit much, isn't it...?"

Could it be true, as those former playboys in Tokyo said, that his son is indeed a good-for-nothing? If the Tang family line ends because of this, wouldn't that be terrible?

"No, that's not it." Seeing that her mother-in-law had already misunderstood, Zhao Yingluo, whose cheeks were already flushed, hurriedly explained, "My husband said that Yingluo's body is not yet fully developed, and it is not suitable for us to have sex..."

"Nonsense!" Qiu Linghua glared at him. "He's seventeen and he's not an adult? When I was seventeen, Tang Qian was already two years old."