At the same time.
Outside Nanjing, on the south bank of the Yangtze River, lies the Liangjiang New Army camp.
Inside the central command tent, Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, tossed and turned on his simple bed, unable to sleep all night.
The attitude of Prime Minister Qin Ruhui towards himself during today's "evening court" and the subsequent appearance of rattan armor soldiers from the Nanzhao Kingdom on the south bank of Chang'an;
Su Chen had already keenly noticed the series of unusual behaviors of setting up camp right next to the Liangjiang New Army's camp, completely surrounding the Liangjiang New Army.
He, the former number one contributor to the "Lingwu Coup," who personally drove Emperor Lingwu out of the palace and promoted Emperor Hongxi and the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui to high positions, is being abandoned little by little by the current prime minister.
Recalling his current predicament, Su Chen couldn't help but think back to the promises Qin Ruhui made when he tried to persuade him to send troops to Nanjing to help him establish the Hongxi regime: what a load of bull, what a load of bull, to sit together under one roof, it was all rubbish.
I'm like a chamber pot; I take it out when I need it and throw it under the bed when I don't.
It makes sense, considering how many high-ranking officials who participated in coups throughout history have ultimately met a peaceful end?
It's true, one wrong step leads to another!
At this time, Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, had begun to miss the days before he participated in the Lingwu Coup, the happy days of being a powerful official in the rich Liangjiang region. Wasn't that better than the days he was living in fear and walking on thin ice now?
Why listen to Qin Ruhui's slander and insist on getting involved in this mess in Jinling City?
I wonder if the mighty General Wu Sanjia will be able to successfully welcome Emperor Lingwu and Empress Dowager Su back from Fang Tianyao's naval camp?
It'll give me a chance to turn over a new leaf!
Su Chen lay on the bed lost in thought until she was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping and she finally drifted off to sleep.
But before he could even finish drinking a cup of tea with his eyes closed, his lieutenant rushed out of the central command tent, shouting in alarm:
"Report—"
"Your Excellency, this is a terrible situation! The rebel navy of Longcheng has sailed to within fifty li of our river defenses!"
"What?"
Upon hearing the announcement from outside the tent, Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, who had just closed his eyes, was suddenly jolted awake as if struck by lightning.
The next moment, he sprang up from the bed with a swift movement, and without even bothering to put on his clothes, rushed over and lifted the curtain of the central command tent.
Outside the tent, Deputy General Lu Jiang was pale and looked tense.
Suppressing the turmoil within him, Su Chen calmly pulled his deputy, Lu Jiang, into the tent and said in a low voice, "Come in and let's talk!"
Afterwards, the two talked late into the night in the main tent by candlelight, and the deputy general Lu Jiang recounted in detail the news that the Longcheng naval fleet was heading straight for Jinling City along the river.
It turns out that the Liangjiang New Army, which was in charge of the river defense fortifications outside Nanjing, already had hundreds of warships used to block the river channels, and hundreds of small boats used for maneuvering on the river and reconnaissance of enemy positions.
It was quite a coincidence.
The incident of the rattan armor troops surrounding the camp caused dissatisfaction among Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army under his command.
The latter, under Su Chen's instruction, planned to personally go to the north bank of the Yangtze River under the cover of night to meet Wu Sanjia, the commander of the Tiger Army.
Unfortunately, Lu Jiang's trip to the north bank ended in failure.
He then boarded a small boat and sailed down the river to scout out the situation downstream in advance, preparing for the Liangjiang New Army's future breakthrough against the rattan armor army's encirclement.
This journey was unexpected, and in the darkness of night, they witnessed the Longcheng naval fleet sailing north along the river, forcing the Prime Minister's ship to stop in the waterway.
Given the gravity of the matter, Lu Jiang dared not make a decision on his own. He could only order his soldiers, disguised as fishermen, to continue monitoring the movements of the Longcheng naval fleet while desperately returning to the Liangjiang New Army camp to report this important news to Governor Su Chen.
After listening to the report from Deputy General Lu Jiang, Su Chen's thick eyebrows furrowed even more deeply.
On the one hand, he was amazed at how the Longcheng naval fleet could sail north along the river to Nanjing without anyone noticing;
On the other hand, he was also lamenting that the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui had long planned to abandon Jinling City, and had loaded his mansion's gold, silver, valuables, and family members into three large boats and left Jinling City by waterway.
This old fox, during the court assembly, solemnly demanded that all the troops sent to defend the emperor swear to surround Nanjing City at all costs.
But he himself turned around and transported all the family members of the Prime Minister's residence and the wealth he had amassed from the people over the years out of Nanjing.
snort!
Su Chen snorted coldly and said, "That treacherous Qin Ruhui actually thinks he can get me and the soldiers of the Liangjiang New Army to risk our lives for him? Dream on!"
Lieutenant Lu Jiang chimed in, "Yes, I only found out later that Qin Ruhui carried over a hundred carriages full of gold and silver jewels onto the ship from the Stone City dock!"
"That old scoundrel, he's reaped all the benefits, but when it's our turn to risk our lives, he makes us do it all. How can he get all the good things in the world by himself!"
Lieutenant General Lu Jiang said sullenly, "Governor-General, just tell us what to do next. We soldiers of the Liangjiang New Army will follow your orders!"
Um!
Su Chen nodded, then began to analyze with a frown, saying, "General Lu, according to the intelligence you have, the Dragon City naval fleet is heading north along the river."
"This means that they are very likely to be able to travel by water from the mouth of the Yangtze River or from somewhere in Jiangyin to reach Nanjing!"
With that, Su Chen said sternly, "Military map!"
"My lord, the map has arrived!"
Soon, Lu Jiang placed the marching map in front of Su Chen.
After making some rustling gestures on the map, the latter's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed.
Then, he said confidently, "I understand. This Dragon City naval fleet must have set off from somewhere in the Bohai Bay of Yingzhou, passed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea, entered the Yangtze River channel at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and then headed north along the river to Jinling City!"
"Otherwise, the Dragon City naval fleet could not have appeared on the Yangtze River waterway without anyone noticing!"
"but--"
Suddenly, Su Chen slapped his forehead and said, "Oh no! If this is the case, then the Longcheng naval fleet must have captured the Jiangyin naval camp, which is why they were able to sail north along the river without any obstacles!"
"This means that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager..."
Upon hearing this, Deputy General Lu Jiang added with a grave expression, "Governor-General, do you mean that the Emperor and Empress Dowager may have met with some misfortune?"
call--
Su Chen exhaled heavily, his expression shifting between light and dark, and said, "Even I am not sure!"
"but--"
Then, he changed the subject and said, "There is one thing I am certain of: our Liangjiang New Army can no longer follow the Hongxi regime and Qin Ruhui down the same dark path!"
"To defect in the face of battle is an urgent matter!"
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