Thang Long Prefecture, the capital of the Dai Viet Empire, is quite large, slightly larger than Yongzhou City in Guangnan West Road of the Song Dynasty. It is considered the number one city in the remote southwest.

But compared with Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty, the difference is like heaven and earth and cannot be compared.

At this moment, there are countless fields in the wilderness outside the city, banana trees grow between the roads, dense paddy fields are everywhere, and lush rice sways in the wind.

Unlike most places in the Song Dynasty where only two crops could be harvested a year at most, Vietnam's unique climate allows them to achieve three harvests a year.

You should know that during the same period, the Liao Dynasty had an area of ​​nearly 5 million square kilometers and a population of only 9 million. The Western Xia Dynasty had an area of ​​800,000 square kilometers and a population of just over 1.8 million.

The northern part of Vietnam occupied by the Ly Dynasty had an area of ​​only over 100,000 square kilometers, but a population of two to three million. By the Southern Song Dynasty, the population had reached five million. The number of troops mobilized just to fight against the Mongol invasion exceeded 500,000.

This shows how abundant the grain production here is.

So the problem that has plagued Vietnam has never been food, but plague and disease.

If quinine is available, malaria, the most serious plague, can be solved, and the grain, rubber, wood and spices produced will become the main source of raw materials for the Song Dynasty.

In the fertile Red River Delta, on both sides of the wide river, there are countless villages standing at a glance, and many people are gazing at them from afar.

The Song army outside the city had cut down trees and built a camp. On the wall, Di Qing was observing the city.

He did not order the bombardment of Thang Long.

The Song Dynasty will need to station troops here in the future, so Di Qing does not want to destroy this city unless it is absolutely necessary.

He just waited quietly, giving Li Chao a deadline in his heart.

If you continue to resist stubbornly.

It's a dead end.

But the scene in the city was completely different.

Even after the Song army defeated the Yue army on the south bank and began to cross the river, the city was already in chaos.

Those who needed to run away ran away, and those who stayed were trapped in the city and couldn't leave.

Every household closed its doors, shops and stores were closed, and there was almost no one on the streets except the soldiers coming and going.

At this time, the new emperor Li Rizun was organizing the mobilization of troops on the city wall, guarding against the Song army day and night.

Vietnam was a small country with a small population, and could not be compared to the Song Dynasty. Therefore, once a war broke out, the emperor would often lead the army himself, especially since Vietnam had a tradition of powerful ministers usurping the throne and had a deep control over military power.

At the moment when Song and Yue were confronting each other inside and outside Thang Long City, Feng Zhineng, the minister of the Right Jinwu Guard, had just come down from the east city wall and returned to his mansion to take a short rest.

He had guarded the city wall all night last night. He had previously suggested that they could launch a surprise attack on the Song army at night, but was reprimanded by Li Rizun. Now he was extremely exhausted both physically and mentally.

After returning to the mansion, two trusted generals asked to see him. Feng Zhineng let them in and talked with them in the small hall in the backyard.

The three of them sat and complained to each other.

"Tao Chuzhong and Li Zhengxian will only ask Your Majesty to send envoys to ask for peace, but the Song Dynasty is clearly here to destroy Dai Viet. How could they possibly agree to this?"

"They've surrounded the city. Even though they haven't launched the black ball yet, what should we do if this continues?"

"Alas, I don't know what to do. The Song army is powerful. I told the late emperor not to harass the Song border so repeatedly. Now that they have repelled the Western Xia and Liao, they are free to destroy Dai Viet."

Several people sighed and were extremely pessimistic about the current predicament faced by the Kingdom of Yue.

In fact, there are more than them.

The same was true for the other princes and nobles in the city.

The Song army was unstoppable, and the Dai Viet army of more than 100,000 had almost no ability to fight back.

Many princes and nobles are already worried about the future of Yue State.

If this continues, I'm afraid there will only be four words left for them.

Dai Viet is finished!

"General, I heard something."

At this moment, Feng Zhineng's trusted general Ruan Dan spoke.

"What's up?"

Feng Zhineng asked.

Ruan Dan said, "I heard that the Song Kingdom had no intention of annexing Dai Viet. It was only because the late emperor and Taizu repeatedly harassed the Song border that they became furious."

"Yes, I have also heard about this matter. Now the Song army is publicizing this matter outside the city every day."

Another general also said.

"Um."

Feng Zhineng narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly: "I have heard about this matter before. What do you mean?"

Ruan Dan said in a deep voice: "This matter was originally caused by Taizu and the late emperor, and your majesty sent an envoy and they refused to agree. Judging from the current situation, the Song army will definitely not be able to do anything unless we destroy Dai Viet. If it is the general..."

Feng Zhineng remained silent, squinting his eyes.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Nguyen Dan continued to persuade him: "General, think about it. After the Song Dynasty destroyed the Ly Dynasty, it withdrew its troops. Then who will be in charge of Dai Viet? If you take this opportunity to raise an army, perhaps..."

Another general also advised: "General, do not hesitate any longer. When His Majesty inspects the East City, we will rush over, capture him, and send him outside the city. With such a great achievement, the Song army will surely treat us well."

"Even if we don't capture Li Rizun, we can still open the East Gate and let the Song army in. Our Dai Viet is remote, and the Song Dynasty may not really want to swallow us up. Wouldn't the future of Dai Viet be the general's?"

Ruan Dan lobbied again.

"Hmm"

Feng Zhineng pondered for a moment, he was actually hesitant.

Logically speaking, at this point, with such an opportunity, you might as well give it a try.

But after all, it's a matter of life and death, so I'll definitely give it some thought.

But I didn't think about it for too long.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!