Wuzhou City, Earl's Mansion.
Today marks the seventeenth day since Liu Ziyu, the Earl of Wuzhou, refused to comply with the Ministry of War's order to transfer troops from Wuzhou to Liaodong to participate in the war. It is also the thirteenth day of the Battle of Talas between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire.
By this time, news of the Battle of Talas had already been intercepted by Liu Ziyu.
After learning that Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, had suffered a crushing defeat at Talas and nearly died on the battlefield, Liu Ziyu finally began to take Batel, the son of the Great Khan of the fallen Turkic Khaganate, seriously.
At the same time, it further strengthened his determination to defy the imperial edict and raise an army against Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an and the imperial court.
He even went so far as to break ties with his adoptive father, Liu Xinwu.
Prior to this, the Ministry of War had issued three troop mobilization orders to Liu Ziyu in accordance with the decree of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, including an imperial edict issued by the emperor himself, urging Liu Ziyu to send troops to Liaodong as soon as possible.
However, Liu Ziyu rejected all offers on the grounds that the war in the northern desert had resumed and that the remnants of the Turks were about to attack.
Even when his adoptive father, Liu Xinwu, personally accompanied the imperial eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial to Wuzhou City to deliver the imperial decree, Liu Ziyu refused to leave his house, showing no respect to Liu Xinwu whatsoever.
Moreover, at Liu Ziyu's instigation, the garrison commanders of eight neighboring cities, including Weizhou, Youzhou, and Zhuozhou, also refused to obey the Ministry of War's orders and formed an alliance with Liu Ziyu, who was close to the northern desert, to jointly resist the imperial court.
In this process, Liu Ziyu used both coercion and enticement.
He first used the "Tea Horse Case" as leverage to force the generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun who had participated in it to obey him. Then he lured these generals with the promise that if the uprising succeeded, they would share the spoils of the world equally.
As a result, the Youyun generals who were bound to Liu Ziyu's warship had no choice but to follow him to the bitter end.
For some time now, these generals from Youyun, including Liu Ziyu, have been in a state of tension and anxiety, waiting for the day when the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army will bypass the northern desert and directly seize the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
However, before Liu Ziyu and his proud and fierce generals could wait for Batel, the son of the Khan of the fallen Turkic Khaganate, to bring the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army that had "brutally beaten" Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty, at Talas, they instead received news that Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an had issued an edict to move the capital and personally lead the expedition!
On this day, inside the Earl's mansion in Wuzhou City.
Generals from Liu Ziyu's faction across Youyun gathered at the Earl's Mansion to discuss Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's personal expedition against the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
Luo Ping'an, the general from Youzhou, was a loud-voiced and impatient man. Before Liu Ziyu even entered the council hall, he loudly and boisterously announced, "Generals—"
"I've heard that the Emperor has ordered the Ministry of War to mobilize 260,000 troops from various regions to come to Youyun to punish those who wronged him. It is said that this includes the elite cavalry force of the Emperor when he raised his army in Longcheng—the Iron Pagoda!"
hiss--
Upon hearing this, all the generals of Youyun in the council hall gasped in shock.
General Zhao Xiaofei, the garrison commander of Zhuozhou, immediately stood up from his chair and asked with a solemn expression, "General Luo, is this news true?"
Um!
"Absolutely true!"
Luo Ping'an nodded and said, "This news was delivered to me by a sworn brother of mine in the Ministry of War, who risked his life to bring it from Jinling City overnight."
"That's why, as soon as I learned of this news, I reported it to the deputy general, which is why I summoned everyone here today to discuss this matter!"
"It's over!"
After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhao Xiaofei, the garrison commander of Zhuozhou, was utterly despondent.
The other generals present were in no better shape; they all had long faces, looking as if their fathers had died!
It's no wonder that the generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were in low spirits. Most of them had experienced the last time the tyrant Zhao Gan of the previous dynasty personally led an expedition and was defeated by Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's Longcheng Iron Pagoda at Tumu Fortress.
Some even experienced the fierce battle they fought against another Iron Pagoda heavy cavalry of the Great Xin Dynasty outside Zhuozhou City under the command of General Chang Yuchun, who led the southern expedition in Longcheng.
That was the first defeat for the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army on its southern expedition. They were defeated by Wu Sanjia, the newly appointed martial arts champion of the Great Xin Dynasty, and even more so by the Iron Pagoda under Wu Sanjia's command.
Even the mighty General Chang Yuchun, the Duke of Wei of the Tang Dynasty and the former Grand General of the Southern Expedition of Longcheng, could not withstand the charge of the Iron Pagoda, let alone these generals.
Perhaps some might say, couldn't they just defend the city? No matter how brave the Iron Pagoda heavy cavalry are, can't they still attack the city on horseback?
yes!
It's impossible for the Ironclad Cavalry of Longcheng to attack the city on horseback, but the Divine Machine Battalion of the Tang Dynasty is no pushover.
The powerful red-coated cannon was born for conquering cities and fortresses. Due to the production capacity issues of the Ministry of Works' Firearms Bureau, only the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet and the Shenji Battalion are currently equipped with red-coated cannons and three-eyed guns. Border cities such as the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are not equipped with red-coated cannons.
Once Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an personally leads the expedition, the imperial army will attack with cannons, and the generals of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun will have no choice but to hide on the city walls and be bombarded.
Breaking out of the city was completely impossible; there was no way they could break through the defensive line formed by the Ironclad Heavy Cavalry!
Therefore, at this moment, many generals in the Earl's Mansion Council Hall had begun to back down, and were even considering whether to seize the opportunity to persuade Deputy General Liu Ziyu to give up the fight against the court after they met him later.
Perhaps if they take the initiative to apologize to the emperor now, the emperor might forgive them and their entire families, considering their past merits.
Otherwise, if the emperor were to personally lead his troops to the Youyun region, then we would be completely doomed!
"The deputy general has arrived—"
Just as everyone in the Earl's mansion was in a state of panic, a messenger's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, announcing that Vice General Liu Ziyu had arrived.
Whoosh!
Inside the council hall, all the generals from the Youyun region stood up and glanced towards the door.
Accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps, Liu Ziyu, the Marquis of Wuyi and Deputy General of the Southern Expedition of the Tang Dynasty, strode in.
Under the scorching June sun of Wuzhou City, Liu Ziyu, clad in heavy bright armor and with a ring-pommel sword at his waist, walked straight into the council hall and then swaggered into the main seat.
Liu Ziyu remained expressionless and shouted sharply, "Sit!"
Wow!
Upon hearing this, the generals all took their seats.
Liu Ziyu said, "Gentlemen, as you have all probably heard, His Majesty issued an edict at the court assembly a few days ago, decreeing that the Tang Dynasty will move its capital northward."
"Furthermore, the Emperor intends to use the pretext of inspecting suitable cities in the north before moving the capital to personally lead a large army north before launching a western expedition;"
"Our first stop is the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun!"
Um!
Upon hearing this, all the generals in the council hall nodded in agreement.
Liu Ziyu paused, then continued, "As you all know, the Ministry of War recently issued three orders to mobilize troops from the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, including myself and all of you present, to assemble in the Liaodong region before entering Goguryeo to fight."
"However, despite my insistence, you all, like the troops of Wuzhou City, have refused to leave the city and disobey the Ministry of War's orders and the Emperor's decree."
"Therefore, in my opinion, the Emperor's proposal to move north is a pretense; his true intention is to use this opportunity to lead troops to my Youyun prefectures to demand justice!"
As Liu Ziyu spoke, he swept his sharp eyes over each of the Youyun generals present, saying each word clearly: "Gentlemen, the reason I have summoned you all here today is to hear your opinions on this matter. Please speak freely without any reservations!"
"Reporting to the Vice General, esteemed generals present—"
At this moment, Luo Ping'an, the garrison commander of Youzhou, was the first to step forward. He cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd and said, "In my humble opinion, the only way forward now is to raise an army in rebellion."
"From the moment we refused to obey the Ministry of War's order and then defied the imperial decree, it was already destined that we had no choice but to raise an army against the imperial court."
"Back then, didn't Chen Huai'an also raise an army under the banner of 'purging the emperor's corrupt advisors' and successfully ascend the throne?"
"Why can't we follow suit?"
Luo Ping'an continued with a fierce expression, "If you ask me, we could also issue a 'Proclamation,' comparing that treacherous Li Jingyu, who has served three masters, to a treacherous minister serving the emperor. Then, imitating Chen Huai'an's strategy when he raised an army in Longcheng, we could call upon all those with ambition to cleanse the court of corrupt officials and eliminate the treacherous ministers."
snort!
Luo Ping'an sneered: "I refuse to believe that all the civil and military officials under heaven are Chen Huai'an's die-hard lackeys?"
"As long as our Youyun region raises its troops, the civil and military officials of the former dynasty in the Jiangnan region will surely follow suit. At that time, it will be hard to say who will emerge victorious!"
Luo Ping'an was originally a commander of a thousand households in Youzhou City. He was promoted to the new Youzhou garrison commander by Liu Ziyu after the previous garrison commander, Xiong Kai, was beheaded for breaking into the palace gates at night to stand up for Liu Ziyu, who was only granted the title of earl at the conferment ceremony.
Therefore, Luo Ping'an was grateful for Liu Ziyu's kindness in helping him, which is why he was so devoted to him and was an absolute "rebel".
However, after Luo Ping'an finished speaking, the other generals in the council hall lowered their heads and remained silent.
Until, the deputy general Liu Ziyu, who was sitting in the main seat and whose face was no longer so kind, called out by name: "Zhao Xiaofei, the Guizhou you are guarding is adjacent to the Wuzhou I am guarding, and they are mutually supportive. Tell me your opinion!"
Forehead--
Now that things have come to this, Zhao Xiaofei, the garrison commander of Guizhou, had no choice but to stand up, even if it meant facing a difficult situation.
However, Zhao Xiaofei did not directly answer Liu Ziyu's question. Instead, he raised his own doubts, saying, "Vice General, I just heard that His Majesty has assembled 260,000 troops to march north first, and then west."
"It is said that the Emperor has even conscripted the most elite Iron Pagoda troops of the Tang Dynasty and the newly formed Divine Machine Battalion. What I want to ask is, if we were to raise an army against the court, would we have any reinforcements?"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Liu Ziyu, who was in the main seat, first raised an eyebrow, and then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, I didn't realize you guys were so well-informed!"
"I have only just received a secret report from the capital, and you already know how many troops the court has dispatched this time, and which types of troops and generals they have led;"
"Excellent, excellent!"
Liu Ziyu glanced at Zhao Xiaofei with a hint of approval before addressing the generals in the council hall: "Gentlemen, General Zhao's words are true. Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, has indeed amassed 260,000 troops to march north in this quest for justice."
"The heavily cavalry force of approximately six thousand men, the Iron Pagoda, and the Divine Machine Battalion equipped with red-coated cannons and three-eyed muskets, were also included in this army that marched north first and then west."
"In other words, if you decide to follow me in raising an army against the imperial court, you will be facing an army twice your size, as well as the Iron Pagoda and the Divine Machine Battalion!"
Wow!
Upon hearing Liu Ziyu's words, the generals of the Youyun region in the council hall exchanged glances, their expressions varied.
Although, no one spoke;
However, the expressions on their faces betrayed their inner thoughts, which is only natural.
The generals present were all seasoned soldiers who had long been involved in military affairs, and they naturally understood what it meant to have an enemy force twice their size, along with the support of the Iron Pagoda and the Divine Machine Battalion.
This means that the Youyun army, with a total of only 100,000 troops, could be completely annihilated by the imperial army at any time without strong external support.
"What, scared?"
Looking at his subordinates with solemn expressions in the council hall, Liu Ziyu revealed a playful smile.
"Reporting to the Vice General, we are not afraid!"
At this moment, another of Liu Ziyu's staunch confidants stepped forward, declaring with a smug grin, "When a man dies, he flies to the sky; if he doesn't die, he lives for ten thousand years!"
"Since things have come to this, whether we stick our necks out or not, we'll all be killed anyway. We might as well mount our horses and risk our lives to make a bright future, and become nobles and prime ministers!"
"Does this mean that if we back down now, Chen Huai'an won't pursue the crime of disobeying imperial orders?"
"We're all going to die sooner or later, might as well fight the bastard!"
"Let's do it!"
Whether influenced by this general or by Liu Ziyu's prior arrangements, several other generals stepped forward to declare their determination to fight the imperial court to the end.
In a short time, the number of pro-war figures in the council hall had reached more than half of the generals who came to the council.
Seeing this, Zhao Xiaofei, the garrison commander of Guizhou who had been hesitant, had no choice but to express his willingness to follow the deputy general in raising an army to quell the rebellion in order to seek a bright future.
"Good, very good, excellent!"
Liu Ziyu, sitting in the main seat, watched the performance of his generals and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row.
Liu Ziyu said, "These words are inspiring. As soldiers, we should have this kind of integrity!"
"I will not hide anything from you, a large number of reinforcements are on their way. These reinforcements are none other than the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army, which just defeated the Tang army of the Anxi Protectorate in Talas in the Western Regions!"
After a pause, Liu Ziyu roared with unparalleled arrogance: "Chen Huai'an's personal command of the expedition is a golden opportunity for us to raise an army and start a rebellion. If the man surnamed Chen can sit on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace, then you and I can sit on it too!"
"All soldiers, listen to my command—"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Follow this general in raising an army to quell the rebellion and seize the world!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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