Two years later.

Xiang Nan successively defeated Chen Youliang, king of the Southern Han Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng, king of Suzhou, Fang Guozhen, king of Taiming, Zuojunbi, king of Huizhou, Han Lin'er, king of Xiaoming, etc., and basically unified the southern region.

The reason why it has developed so rapidly is mainly due to three major advantages.

First, as the leader of the martial arts alliance, he received the most support from the Central Plains martial arts community. Various sects, sects, and gangs took the initiative to assist him in his rebellion, sending food, grass, money, and talents.

Almost all famous people, gangs and sects in the world are poor. Watching "The Swordsman" will tell you that in order to please the major sects, the Fuwei Escort Agency has to give gifts to each sect every year.

There is more than one Fuwei escort agency in the world, so the income of the sect is naturally very considerable. For example, the Songshan sect took out four thousand taels of gold in one breath without even frowning, which shows how deep their background is.

However, people like Xiao Ming Wang Han Lin'er, Song Dynasty King Xu Shouhui, Huizhou King Zuo Junbi, etc. were mostly members of the Ming Cult and were despised by the martial arts community in the Central Plains. Not only did they refuse to help them, but they also caused harm to them.

Such as assassinating their people, burning their grain and fodder, stealing their treasury... Under the ebb and flow, Xiang Nan's power naturally became stronger and stronger, while those who opposed the king became weaker and weaker.

…

Second, Xiang Nan inherited Li Chengyin's governance experience, as well as the management experience of Shi Xiaomeng, Ye Jinyan and others, so he had very strong opinions on how to lead his subordinates.

Under his management, the civil servants, military commanders, and talented people can all make full use of their resources, the development of the base area can be in an orderly manner, and the people have always supported him.

In comparison, Zhang Shicheng and Fang Guozhen were salt traders before the uprising; Xu Shouhui was a cloth dealer before the uprising; Zhu Yuanzhang was a monk before the uprising...

They all lack governance experience and management experience, and have gradually grown up through years of brutal military and political struggles.

Therefore, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made during this period, such as employing people poorly, engaging in malpractice for personal gain, indulging subordinates, fighting for power and profit, coveting enjoyment, etc.

For example, Xu Shouhui, the king of the Song Dynasty, quickly occupied Ganzhou, Anhui, Minzhou and other places after the uprising, and his army numbered up to one million. He founded the country and named it the Song Dynasty, proclaimed himself emperor, and granted many ministers titles.

However, he was not good at political struggle and was soon ousted by Prime Minister Ni Wenjun and became a puppet emperor. When Ni Wenjun wanted to kill him and establish himself, he was killed by Chen Youliang.

Chen Youliang annexed Ni Wenjun's troops, continued to evade Xu Shouhui, and finally annexed all his territory. The majestic king of the Song Dynasty was finally ordered by Chen Youliang to smash his head with an iron tool and throw his body into the river. It was miserable.

…

Third, Xiang Nan is familiar with history.

Although "Eternal Dragon Sword" is very different from real history, and the timeline is almost all messed up, it still has great reference value.

Unlike other anti-kings and even Yuan Ting, they are basically in a state of darkness. They can't see clearly what will happen in the future, just like a blind man.

Although Xiang Nan is nearsighted, farsighted and astigmatistic, he can finally see a little vaguely, which is already a great advantage. Therefore, he can be targeted and get twice the result with half the effort, unlike other anti-kings who rush around and get twice the result with half the effort.

Therefore, in just two years, Xiang Nan has unified the southern region and become a well-deserved leader.

But Zhu Yuanzhang, who had already emerged at this time, has not yet emerged.

The reason is very sad.

Zhu Yuanzhang was originally a subordinate of Han Shantong. Han Shantong died in the battle last year. After his death, Han Lin'er succeeded him and was called King Xiao Ming.

Because they were members of the Ming sect, they were constrained by people in the world. In addition, because their territory was close to the north, they were the first targets of suppression by the Yuan court.

In addition, anti-kings such as Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, Chen Youliang, etc. also always competed with Han Lin'er for territory, making King Xiao Ming's power smaller and smaller.

This also led to Zhu Yuanzhang being submerged by the rolling tide of history before he started to rise to prominence.

This made Xiang Nan very emotional.

It is said that times make heroes. No matter how powerful a hero is, he still needs times and a platform.

Otherwise, even if you have great abilities, you won't be able to display them, and you will be useless.

…

After unifying the south, Xiang Nan immediately sent his troops northward.

The Zhenwu Army was divided into three armies: one army attacked Qilu; one army attacked Yanzhao; and one army attacked Tongguan to block the Yuan soldiers in the west.

At this time, the Mongolian army, which could have penetrated Europe and Asia, was as weak as tofu and could not even provide effective defense.

This is related to the corruption of the Yuan Dynasty and the struggle for power.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Yuan Shun was debauched and immoral, greedy for pleasure, and had excessive needs, which made the people miserable and miserable, and it was difficult for the people to survive.

For example, after the rise of the Southern Rebels, the canal was blocked, resulting in insufficient food being transported to Dadu, causing hundreds of thousands of people to starve to death in Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty.

However, Aluhui Timur, the king of Yangzhai in Mobei, raised an army and rebelled, approaching Xanadu and forcing Emperor Yuan Shun to abdicate. Emperor Yuan Shun's empress Qi and the crown prince also forced him to abdicate, gradually turning him into a puppet.

Outside the palace, Ruyang King Chahan Timur (Zhao Min's father) and Right Prime Minister Polo Timur competed for power. Polo Timur even led troops to attack Dadu twice, forcing Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty to enter the palace. Dong Zhuo was a powerful official in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Later, Polo Timur was assassinated by Emperor Yuan Shun for causing chaos in the palace and ignoring the king's laws. At the same time, Polo Timur's Sichuan army was also massacred.

This civil strife greatly weakened the power of the Yuan Dynasty and greatly damaged the image of the court.

Many powerful officials saw the weakness of the imperial court and the incompetence of Emperor Yuan Shun, which gradually made them turn against him.

It is said that in troubled times, heroes come from all over the world, and those with guns are the grass-headed kings. The death of Boluo Timur only aroused more rebels.

Chahan Timur, the king of Ruyang, had a scuffle with Li Siqi, Zhang Liangbi and other warlords in order to fight for power and profit.

Their melee did not end until Xiang Nan announced the Northern Expedition.

Therefore, the Zhenwu Army was able to march straight in without encountering any strong resistance at all.

Even after the army crossed the Yellow River, many city defenders opened their doors and surrendered without waiting for an attack.

Therefore, in March, Xiang Nan vowed to launch the Northern Expedition in Xiangyang. In June, the advance army had already attacked Tongzhou and was approaching the capital of the Yuan Dynasty. Seeing that the situation was over, Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty hurriedly fled with all his civil and military officials, and the three palaces and six courtyards.

Along the way, I was as anxious as a frightened bird. Even the mountain collapse mistakenly thought it was the rebel army, so I didn't dare to stop all the way.

The advance army wanted to capture him alive, but they couldn't catch up and finally had to give up.

After Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty arrived in Shangdu, he finally stopped and established the Northern Yuan regime north of the Great Wall.

At this time, Beiyuan also actually controlled southern Yunnan, Bingzhou, Ganzhou, Liangzhou, Liaodong, Monan, Mobei and other areas. Among them, Ruyang King Chahan Timur was stationed in Bingzhou.

In August, the armies of Qi, Lu, and Yan and Zhao joined forces in Yuan Dadu, and Yuan Dadu was successfully captured. The sixteen states of Yanyun, which had been ruled by the northern nomadic regime for more than 400 years, finally returned to the rule of the Han government.
Chapter completed!