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Chapter 144: A thousand miles



Thousands of miles away!

No one expected that a battle between the two sides invested nearly 300,000 troops would be decided in one battle!

The Southern Army was defeated too quickly, and the people who were about to reach Yangzhou City had not yet reacted.

After Zhao Gou went south, Han Qing never paid attention to Zhao Gou, but just focused on reorganizing the army and developing.

And this just gave Zhao Gou the illusion of "peace in the world".

For more than a year, Zhao Gou has been wandering and witnessing the desolation of the pastoral countryside and the devastation of the people. Now that he has arrived in the prosperous and beautiful land of Jiangnan, a gentle and rich village, Zhao Gou feels that he can finally take a break.

So Zhao Gou settled here with Yangzhou as his temporary capital.

But Yangzhou is north of the Yangtze River and is not far from the Central Army. The Central Army can attack Yangzhou by killing the Huai River.

Therefore, Zhao Gou also knew that it would be a matter of time before the Central Army attacked Yangzhou.

So, Zhao Gou sent ministers to escort his concubines and his son Zhao Yan to Hangzhou south of the Yangtze River, where there was a natural barrier of the Yangtze River as a barrier, which was relatively safer.

Zhao Gou himself stayed in Yangzhou and put on an air of not forgetting to advance to the Central Plains. In fact, he wanted to be at peace here.

Zhao Gou appointed Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan as prime ministers, allowing the pair of treacherous ministers with similar taste to preside over the government. He also proudly said to the left and right: Wang Boyan and Qianshan are prime ministers, and they will have no worries from now on.

Zhao Gou lamented that he had been wandering for so many years and thought that he could finally settle down and enjoy it, so he started a life of debauchery in Yangzhou.

The central army was about to attack Yangzhou City, and Zhao Gou was still looking for fun in his bedroom, riding a horse and whipping a new concubine, which was very scent of "a horse-riding path, and a life-long life."

But at the most critical moment, the eunuch, the provincial governor Ban Kanglu hurriedly reported: "The king is not good, the cavalry of the central army is only a few dozen miles away from us!"

Hearing this, Zhao Gou felt impotence in an instant!

(Some people say that it was because of this incident that Zhao Gou might have been over-shocked and lost his fertility.)

Zhao Gou's sprinting talent immediately awakens!

When Zhao Gou heard the central army coming, he said nothing and ignored nothing. He even left the concubine who had just arrived. He put on his clothes and ran away after getting on the horse.

Compared with the past, Zhao Gou's escape this time was obviously even more in a hurry.

Following him were only a dozen guards and eunuch Kang Lu and five or six eunuchs. Everyone ran desperately on horseback.

Because he ran too hastily, Zhao Gou's seal and the confidential documents of the state were all thrown in Yangzhou, and even the throne of Emperor Taizong whom he asked to make was not enough to take care of.

Zhao Gou escaped the Yangtze River in a mess.

Zhao Gou fled in a hurry, not even bringing his own seal and his ancestors' tablets, and of course he didn't care about the civil and military ministers.

Therefore, when Zhao Gou escaped, his ministers didn't know.

Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan did not hear the news that the central army was approaching Yangzhou in time. Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan had just returned from the temple and were holding a banquet and drinking happily.

During the meal, Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan also said to the people who came to investigate the war: "Don't worry, we have already deployed seventeen generals, and a 200,000-300,000 troops to meet the enemy will be able to stop the thief from moving south!"

But as everyone ate and drank, someone came to report: "Report to the two grandpas that the thief in the middle is coming, and King Kang has already been lucky!"

When Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan were drinking, they immediately put down their wine glasses and got on the horse and ran away.

Before getting on the horse, Huang Qianshan hesitated for a moment and asked someone to inform Liu Guangshi of Tianchang and quickly lead his troops to resist.

It must be said here that Huang Qianshan is actually not without troops just in case. He arranged the elite Liu Guangshi troops in the Southern Army in Yangzhou to protect the sky, just in case.

As soon as the two prime ministers ran away, all the civil and military officials in Yangzhou City scattered like birds and beasts.

Some officials are quite loyal to their duties and know how to run away with their official seals.

Those irresponsible officials were just concerned about running for their lives.

Some officials saw that Zhao Gou, a small court, were so ridiculous, and finally were extremely disappointed with the Zhao family, and then began to prepare to welcome the arrival of the central army.

but--

War is often accompanied by blood and killing, which will not be avoided just because they are all Han troops.

Many people who have experienced the war understand this simple truth.

The actions of residents in Yangzhou were only followed by Zhao Gou. When they learned that Zhao Gou and the officials had fled in a hurry, the whole city immediately fell into chaos. Many people rushed out of the city to escape, and people were overturned, and the streets were covered with trampled dead bodies.

Some families don’t care about carrying any goods, money and silk, while others are separated from their parents, brothers and wives, and they don’t meet each other, causing crying and shouting to fill the road.

There were also some defeated soldiers who took advantage of the situation and acted in danger everywhere, robbed the treasures and soft things, and abandoned the rice and salt in the streets and alleys, and most of the houses were set on fire.

Many people ran to the ferry smoothly, crowded on the north bank of the river, fighting to cross south but couldn't find the boat.

But after finally coming a few ships, many people died of rushing and trampling, and fought to cross and fall from the river, and died of thousands of people.

actually--

Most of the documents and documents of Xiao Chaoyan who were in exile, the gold, silver, silk and silk accumulated in the treasury, the gold, silver, treasures and fine and soft items of officials, gentry, wealthy households and wealthy businessmen, had been properly enclosed and loaded into thousands of ships, and were moored in the canal from Yangzhou to Guazhou, forty or fifty miles, ready to go downstream in an emergency.

However, when the operation was urgently needed, the water volume was very small and the tide was not suitable. The public and private ships were in a stalemate. Except for the turbulence that were turned into ashes due to wars, they all turned into trophy of the central army.

Of course, more people were still hiding at home, tremblingly waiting for the central army to take over Yangzhou City.

However, Liu Guangshi, who was blocked by Huang Qianshan's order, had no courage to kill the enemy and did not dare to take the lead. This greatly affected the morale of his entire army. As a result, before he could see the shadow of the army, the troops were completely disintegrated.

The personal cavalry led by Yang Yizhong was able to successfully cross the Huai River and conquer Tianchang.

The leading Yang Zaixing and Yao Xing are both brave and virtuous people, especially the former, who dare to take the heads of enemy generals among the troops.

Seeing that the Southern Army was defeated without fighting, Yang Zaixing did not hesitate and led his troops to the Changzhou.

Yao Xing was unwilling to accept the situation and followed Yang Zaixing and led his troops to Yangzhou.

But when Yang Zaixing and Yao Xing came to Yangzhou City, they saw that the gates of Yangzhou City were wide open, and a large number of officials from Zhao Gou's regime had already lined up to greet them...
Chapter completed!
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