At dawn.
The Longcheng naval fleet was less than twenty li away by water from the Jinling City Lower Pass Wharf.
The mighty naval fleet, especially the super warship "Destroy the Japanese" (灭倭) was undoubtedly a behemoth on the Yangtze River, attracting countless fishermen along the river who were fishing early in the morning.
Some daring young fishermen even rowed their small sampans, following the course of the Dragon City naval fleet, trying to figure out where these giant ships were headed.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin was in high spirits after discovering the three treasure ships of the Prime Minister's residence and seizing countless gold and silver treasures. He didn't even bother to catch up on sleep and simply lay down on the deck chair at the bow of the ship, enjoying the scenery along the Yangtze River in the early morning.
As dawn broke in the east, Chen Huai'an, on the deck at the bow of the ship, saw through his monocular telescope a small boat flying a white flag sailing down the river toward the Longcheng naval fleet.
The person standing at the bow of the small boat was dressed in a bright armor and had a ring-pommel sword at his waist.
It was immediately obvious that this person was a soldier.
Heh, that's interesting!
Chen Huai'an grinned, seemingly having already guessed the identity of the newcomer.
Before long, the general on the small boat, with the assistance of the officers and soldiers of the Longcheng Navy, boarded the warship "Destroy the Japanese Pirates" and was escorted by Xiao Po, the commander of the Golden Guard, to meet His Highness Prince Jin.
This man was Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army and the top general under Su Chen, the governor of Liangjiang.
"Report—"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, Lu Jiang, the deputy commander of the Liangjiang New Army, requests an audience!"
At this moment, Chen Huai'an, who was standing proudly on the deck of the Exterminate Japanese Pirates with his back to everyone, heard the report from Xiao Po, the commander of the Golden Guard, behind him.
Without turning his head, Chen Huai'an said, "Let him come over!"
Soon, a weary traveler, Lu Jiang arrived before Chen Huai'an and knelt before Prince Jin, saying, "This humble general, Lu Jiang, greets Your Highness, Prince Jin."
"Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin!"
"No need for formalities, stand up and speak!"
"This humble general dares not!"
Lu Jiang was very perceptive, so he naturally did not dare to stand up and speak to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin as an equal. He remained kneeling on one knee and presented the "Memorial to Prince Chen Huai'an" in his arms, which still smelled of ink, with both hands.
Lu Jiang said respectfully, "Your Highness Prince Jin, I have come here on the orders of Governor-General Su Chen of Liangjiang, to express my loyalty to Your Highness."
"Lord Su is preoccupied with trivial matters and cannot leave, so he has specially ordered me to convey Lord Su's apologies to His Highness Prince Jin. Lord Su said that he, his 50,000-strong Liangjiang New Army, and the 18 million people of the Liangjiang region are all willing to pledge their loyalty to His Highness Prince Jin."
"The 50,000 Liangjiang New Army troops stationed outside Jinling City, from Xiaguan to Shitoucheng, are willing to join the Longcheng Jingnan Army under the command of Prince Jin and obey His Highness Prince Jin's orders at any time!"
After speaking, Lu Jiang raised both hands above his head again and said, "Your Highness, this is the memorial to the Prince of Jin written by Lord Su himself. Please take a look!"
Um?
Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow, took the "Memorial to the Prince of Jin" from Lu Jiang's hand, and casually began to read it:
Your humble servant, Su Chen, Governor-General of Liangjiang, submits this memorial to Your Highness, Prince Jin...
The letter contained an explanation from Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, in the tone of a subject, of the causes and consequences of why he led his troops to participate in the Lingwu coup.
Of course, there was also the part where Su Chen pledged his loyalty to Prince Jin.
Furthermore, Su Chen also expressed his willingness to become an inside agent for the Longcheng naval fleet, allowing it to bypass the Tiger Army on the north bank of the Yangtze River and directly attack Nanjing.
Finally, Su Chen sincerely expressed that he was a guilty man and that he did not expect to be forgiven by expressing his loyalty to Prince Jin. He only hoped that after Prince Jin succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, he would treat the 50,000 soldiers of the Liangjiang New Army under his command well.
As for Su Chen himself, he is willing to accept any punishment from Emperor Lingwu without the slightest complaint.
After reading the contents of the memorial to the Prince of Jin, Chen Huai'an couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "The Governor-General of Liangjiang, Su Chen, is truly a shrewd man!"
He adopted an extremely humble posture, unlike other powerful generals of the Great Xin Dynasty who attempted to use this as leverage to negotiate with him in exchange for corresponding political capital.
They even said they were willing to accept any punishment from Emperor Lingwu. Isn't that just bullshit?
Is it possible for Emperor Lingwu to return?
However, while we may think this way, we cannot handle this matter in such a simplistic and crude manner.
Regardless of Su Chen's motives, for Chen Huai'an, who urgently needed to cross the river and capture the capital city of Jinling, Su Chen's willingness to bring 50,000 Liangjiang New Army troops to surrender was ultimately a good thing.
In this way, once the Dragon City naval fleet he led arrived in the waters outside Jinling City, he would at least not have to worry about being attacked from both sides.
They were able to wait patiently until the two armies from Jinan and Kaifeng, who had marched south to fight, arrived at the north bank of the Yangtze River and merged into one before crossing the river to capture Nanjing.
At this moment, Chen Huai'an, after carefully putting away the letter, said to Lu Jiang with an approving tone, "General Lu, I am very pleased with your Governor's willingness to abandon the darkness and join the Longcheng Jingnan army."
"This treacherous minister, Qin Ruhui, has seized power, wreaked havoc on the court, and orchestrated a series of absurd events, including the Lingwu Coup and the co-rule of two emperors. He deserves to be executed by everyone."
"My purpose in raising an army to quell the rebellion is to eliminate treacherous officials and consolidate the foundation of the country."
"Your Highness is wise!"
Lu Jiang immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and echoed his sentiments.
Just as Chen Huai'an was about to say something more, another soldier from the Imperial Guard rushed in to report:
"Report—"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, Tang Ziyi, the deputy commander of the Tiger Warriors, requests an audience!"
brush!
These words shocked everyone present.
Clearly, no one present, including Chen Huai'an, expected that Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Warriors, would dare to come and meet the Prince of Jin in person.
Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army who was still kneeling on one knee, visibly froze when he heard that Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Army, had come to pay his respects to the Prince of Jin.
These two men had quite a few interactions during the period when the Liangjiang New Army and the Huben New Army were facing off across the river.
In particular, the fact that his own governor was secretly colluding with Wu Sanjia in order to welcome back Emperor Lingwu and Empress Dowager Su was a major concern for Lu Jiang.
Anyone with eyes can see that after Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin conquers Jinling, his next step is to ascend the throne and establish a new dynasty.
Although, at this time, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin had already accepted the surrender of the Liangjiang New Army.
But who can guarantee that he won't harbor resentment towards Lord Su's intention to help Wu Sanjia welcome back Emperor Lingwu?
This is going to be difficult!
After a brief moment of surprise, Chen Huai'an immediately ordered, "Bring up Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Legion!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
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