Chapter 297: 【Song Dynasty: I Destroyed Five Kingdoms】 (4.4k)

On screen.

The Northern Han cavalry surged forward like a tide.

The warhorses neighed as they charged, and the formation of the Later Zhou army was already in chaos.

Even the personal guard unit around Later Zhou Emperor Chai Rong could not control the chaos at this time and began to collapse.

If even the emperor's personal guards were like this, there was no need to mention the other Later Zhou soldiers.

The dragon banner representing Chai Rong was teetering in the charge of the Northern Han cavalry, and the commander of the personal guard was pierced through the skull by an arrow shot from who knows where.

He fell beside Chai Rong.

The surroundings became even more chaotic, and the routed soldiers were swallowed by the Northern Han cavalry like a receding tide.

It looked like the defeat was set.

In fact.

Looking from the high-altitude perspective.

The Blue Star players in the livestream all shook their heads; this situation... was basically over.

You have to know this was not the Republic's army.

On the entire "Earth," only the Republic's army could still fight with a casualty rate of 99%; most other armies from ancient times to the present would begin to collapse once the casualty ratio reached 30%.

The Later Zhou troops on the screen at this time were in such a situation.

Even though more than 60% of the personnel still had combat capability, their morale had already collapsed.

There should be no way to handle this, right?

The Blue Star netizens in the livestream thought; after all, substituting themselves into the perspective of the commanders, they couldn't even issue orders in such a situation, so how could they fight?

However.

Just at this moment.

The high-altitude perspective suddenly locked onto a certain spot.

Then it zoomed in.

They saw Zhao Kuangyin leading a unit of black-armored cavalry charging into the battlefield from the side, stabbing directly into the center of the Northern Han cavalry that was like a tide.

This scene.

Had a great impact when viewed from high altitude.

The Northern Han cavalry that was chasing the Later Zhou army was suddenly pierced and divided from the middle by a unit.

Zhao Kuangyin held a long spear and thrust it with force.

The Northern Han cavalryman opposite was lifted off his horse, his chest pierced, and he was carried forward by Zhao Kuangyin's spear, with the black-armored cavalry behind him following closely.

The cavalry led by Zhao Kuangyin was like a sharp knife, fiercely chiseling into the enemy's hinterland.

The Northern Han cavalry commander opposite roared and met the challenge, thrusting his long spear.

*Puchi—*

Zhao Kuangyin's long spear arrived later but struck first; as the warhorses crossed.

That Northern Han commander had already been pierced through the throat by Zhao Kuangyin and knocked off his horse, his corpse trampled like a rag by the black-armored cavalry behind.

At this time.

The surrounding Northern Han cavalry had already stopped their charge, and instead, because of their fear of Zhao Kuangyin, began to retreat.

Because a large area of open ground had been cleared.

Arrows rained down from the Northern Han side, shooting toward Zhao Kuangyin's side.

Zhao Kuangyin flicked his spear tip, lifting a Northern Han cavalryman's corpse to block in front of him, and continued the charge, with the black-armored cavalry behind following closely; Zhao Kuangyin's shoulder armor was covered in white feathers, and he was even hit by an arrow in the arm.

His robe was dyed red with blood.

But he did not stop for even a moment; this charge, which was like a god descending to earth, directly shattered the military morale of the Northern Han cavalry.

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin charging over, many cavalrymen actually began to turn around and retreat, fearing they would be caught by this monster.

This scene.

Made the Blue Star netizens in the livestream open their mouths wide.

Holy crap?

They knew Zhao Kuangyin would be fierce, but this was a bit too fierce, right?

This was several times fiercer than Xin Qiji.

When Xin Qiji led people to raid the camp, it was at night, when Zhang Anguo was throwing a big banquet.

What time was this for Zhao Kuangyin?

This was a battle between two armies, the Northern Han cavalry's morale was at its peak, chasing and hacking at the Later Zhou soldiers, yet Zhao Kuangyin led the cavalry charge and hard-chiseled through the Northern Han cavalry's formation.

And with an unknown number of arrows stuck in his armor, he still charged toward the rear of the Northern Han cavalry.

He hard-scattered the Northern Han cavalry's morale, turning it into chasing and killing the Northern Han cavalry.

With this kind of impact.

The Blue Star netizens in the livestream could intuitively feel why he was called the most capable emperor.

Reasonably speaking...

This was truly capable, literally capable.

Reversing the war situation with personal martial prowess.

This was not a war where both sides went back and forth, evenly matched.

But a situation where the Later Zhou army's morale had collapsed, the Northern Han cavalry was sweeping and swallowing them up, and Zhao Kuangyin, with his own elite cavalry, in such a situation.

Led a charge against the Northern Han's main cavalry force, which was at its peak morale and had the fiercest offensive.

It was in such a desperate situation.

That he hard-collapsed the morale of the Northern Han cavalry opposite.

The Blue Star netizens in the livestream already doubted if there was anyone in 【Huaxia】 during this period who could beat Zhao Kuangyin.

Too fierce...

This was not the same thing as the later 【Song Dynasty】 at all.

Such a fierce Taizu.

How could there be such a weak 【Song Dynasty】?

Blue Star netizens who didn't know much about Zhao Kuangyin naturally didn't understand the ins and outs.

But they would understand pretty much everything after finishing watching.

At this time, they were still concentrating on watching the plot.

On screen.

After Zhao Kuangyin reversed the war situation.

Chai Rong also personally commanded the army to counterattack; under the personal command of Zhao Kuangyin and the emperor Chai Rong, the Later Zhou army, which had originally been routed, actually reversed the war situation.

They repelled the allied forces of Northern Han and Khitan.

This battle.

It was no exaggeration to say that Zhao Kuangyin saved the Later Zhou.

Because in that situation, Chai Rong had personally gone into battle but was carried away by the routed soldiers, and the Northern Han cavalry was charging non-stop; if Zhao Kuangyin hadn't suddenly killed his way out.

Then this Later Zhou emperor, Chai Rong, would likely have remained on this battlefield forever.

After all, the dragon banner representing the emperor was clearly visible there.

He couldn't run.

And with the end of the Battle of Gaoping.

Zhao Kuangyin's reputation for "courage crowning the three armies" was known to everyone, and because of Zhao Kuangyin's bravery and his turning of the tide, he was heavily reused by Chai Rong.

It was only then that the Blue Star netizens in the livestream learned from the plot.

That the general Zhao Kuangyin had beheaded was actually the Northern Han general Zhang Yuanhui.

His status was Commander of the Imperial Guard.

In terms of current Blue Star positions, it was roughly the commander of the Northern Han's capital garrison area.

A quite large position.

It was no wonder Chai Rong reused him so much.

Subsequently.

Zhao Kuangyin's life was like a cheat code.

The following year.

Later Zhou conquered Southern Tang.

Southern Tang occupied the prosperous land of Jianghuai and was the primary obstacle to Later Zhou's unification of the south.

Capturing Huainan could cut off the connection between Southern Tang and Khitan.

Zhao Kuangyin served as the vanguard commander, repeatedly breaking through Southern Tang's defense lines, and even personally disguised himself several times to scout Southern Tang's military intelligence; he was always the first to climb in every battle, charging with people amidst the crossfire of arrows, without any fear.

【Battle of Liuhe】

Liuhe was the throat of the Southern Tang reinforcements moving north.

Zhao Kuangyin led 2,000 guards to garrison Liuhe, while a Southern Tang army of 20,000 pressed on the border; Zhao Kuangyin led the 2,000 guards to secretly set up dams, luring the Southern Tang army into a trap.

Waiting until they were near the dam, he dug open the water dam.

At the same time, he set up an ambush at the ferry.

Under the impact of the rushing flood, countless of the 20,000 Southern Tang troops drowned, and more than 5,000 Southern Tang soldiers were ambushed and killed at the ferry; the captured armor and weapons were piled up like mountains.

The same year.

【Battle of Qingliuguan】

Qingliuguan was located in the western suburbs of Chuzhou; the mountain road was narrow, making it easy to defend and hard to attack.

Southern Tang occupied this place.

One man could hold the pass, and ten thousand could not get through.

Zhao Kuangyin used heavy money to bribe local woodcutters to learn of a small path and sent scouts to figure out the enemy's guard rotation time.

Then on a snowy night.

He had his cavalry wrap their horses' hooves in cloth and hold wooden pieces in their mouths to keep quiet.

Each person carried only three days of dry rations and traveled light and fast.

They launched a surprise attack before dawn when the enemy was most relaxed, and at the same time burned the connected camps, creating panic.

A complete victory.

They captured the famous Southern Tang generals Huangfuhui and Yao Feng alive.

The 【Huainan Campaign】 lasted for four years; Zhao Kuangyin led his troops to capture a total of eight prefectures and captured more than thirty Southern Tang generals.

This kind of merit was already beyond what could be rewarded.

But a sudden change disrupted the Later Zhou, which was rising steadily.

The sixth year of Xiande (959).

Chai Rong suddenly fell ill on the way to lead the army north to attack the Khitan and was forced to retreat and return to Bianjing.

After returning to Bianjing.

Chai Rong's condition did not improve but worsened, and he passed away shortly after.

And before Chai Rong died.

He promoted Zhao Kuangyin to Commander of the Palace (the highest position in the Imperial Guard).

Chai Rong had his own considerations in doing this; one was that Zhao Kuangyin was brave and good at fighting, and the other was that he had shown exceptional loyalty, having charged while struck by several arrows when attacking the Northern Han cavalry years ago.

He turned the tide and reversed the overall situation.

Otherwise, whether the Later Zhou existed today was a question, after all, Chai Rong had almost been caught by the Northern Han cavalry back then.

So in Chai Rong's heart, Zhao Kuangyin was a loyal official he could trust.

And.

The various vassal towns also needed a powerful military general to deter them.

Looking at the Later Zhou.

Only Zhao Kuangyin could reach this level.

So Chai Rong honored Zhao Kuangyin as Commander of the Palace before he died, and then passed the throne to his 7-year-old son, Chai Zongxun, before his condition worsened and he passed away.

Seeing this.

The Blue Star netizens in the livestream were still sighing that although the Later Zhou emperors were all good.

They were truly short-lived.

Whether it was Guo Wei or Chai Rong, they both passed away after reigning for only four or five years.

At the same time, the Blue Star netizens who hadn't understood before were also curious about how Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty.

After all, he was still an Imperial Guard commander under someone else.

It's just that.

What all the Blue Star netizens in the livestream didn't expect was.

Zhao Kuangyin's speed of starting a business was too fast.

So fast that they didn't even react.

The previous scene was 【959】 Chai Rong passing the throne to Chai Zongxun.

The next scene.

Became the first day of the first lunar month of 【960】.

Zhao Kuangyin led his troops in a hurry to defend against the invasion of the Khitan and Northern Han allied forces.

Two days later.

On the third day of the first lunar month, Zhao Kuangyin led his troops north to "defend against the enemy," staying overnight at Chenqiao.

The next day.

Before the sky was bright.

Many soldiers and generals gathered outside Zhao Kuangyin's tent.

The soldiers held long spears and wore armor, each with an excited expression, while Zhao Kuangyin's subordinates Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi stood at the very front, followed by generals like Shi Shouxin and Gao Huaide.

They seemed to hear the movement of Zhao Kuangyin getting up inside the tent.

Zhao Pu stood outside the tent and shouted loudly: "General, the soldiers have something to say to you!"

A moment later.

Zhao Kuangyin lifted the tent curtain, looking at the dense crowd of soldiers and generals in front of him, his expression changing drastically: "What are you trying to do?!"

"Are you trying to rebel?!"

Hearing this.

The surrounding soldiers said in unison: "General! The Khitan are invading, the court is incompetent, we are willing to support you as emperor!"

Zhao Kuangyin frowned: "I received the heavy trust of Emperor Shizong, how can I betray him?"

"You are putting me in an unrighteous position."

The general beside him stepped forward, holding a yellow robe: "If the general is unwilling, we will all disperse and never fight again!"

The soldiers also followed and shouted: "That's right! If the general doesn't agree, we won't go to fight!"

Zhao Kuangyin looked at the surrounding soldiers, was silent for a long time, and finally sighed: "If you are really willing to support me as emperor, you must listen to my orders."

The soldiers shouted excitedly: "We are willing! We are willing!"

Zhao Kuangyin took a deep breath: "Good, then let's return to Bianjing first."

"But you must never harm the Empress Dowager and the little emperor."

"Do not plunder the common people."

"Do not harass the court officials."

"Can you comply?"

The soldiers' faces were flushed, and they shouted excitedly: "We obey!"

Seeing this.

Zhao Kuangyin could no longer refuse, was surrounded by the surrounding generals, draped in the yellow robe, mounted a black horse, and led the army to retreat to Bianjing.

The "Long live" shouted by the soldiers behind him.

Did not stop for a long time, echoing through the sky.

This scene.

Made the Blue Star netizens in the livestream dumbfounded; the danmu was silent for a moment, and then exploded overwhelmingly:

【？？？？ What happened, I'm a bit confused?】

【Didn't they say they were going north to defend against the enemy? What about the Khitan? What about the Northern Han? Forget it???】

【Good fellow, two days after sending out troops, they haven't even seen a hair of the enemy, and he's already draped in a yellow robe.】

【Holy crap, dare to act a bit more, this script is too fake, right?!】

【The yellow robe was prepared in advance? This is a spur-of-the-moment decision?】

【Zhao Kuangyin: I refuse! I refuse! Hey?! You guys!!!】

【Soldiers: If the general doesn't agree, we won't fight! Zhao Kuangyin: Fine, fine, I really can't do anything about you guys (sigh. jpg)】

【Outrageous, too outrageous, this is strangely fake!!!】

The Blue Star netizens in the livestream looked dumbfoundedly at the start of the troop deployment, the screen cut, and Zhao Kuangyin was draped in a yellow robe; this guy had only been out for three days, and he hadn't even seen the enemy.

And he was already returning to the capital to ascend the throne?

Fang Ming also had a strange expression, looking at the complaints in the danmu, and said: "Hmm... how should I put it."

"If you look at it from the perspective of a refreshing story, then this yellow robe being draped on him has no problems at all."

"What a refreshing plot."

This was not wrong.

Originally, the Blue Star netizens in the livestream were unable to get over how stifling 【Xin Qiji】's life was, which was why they asked Fang Ming to play a historical celebrity with a refreshing life.

And this Zhao Kuangyin's life... was definitely a protagonist.

Regardless of whether it was fake or not.

If you substitute yourself into it, then this yellow robe being draped on him was simply too refreshing.

The screen continued to flow.

Zhao Kuangyin returned to Bianjing, and the Later Zhou Emperor Gong abdicated.

【960 AD】

Zhao Kuangyin officially ascended the throne and established the Song Dynasty.

Subsequently.

He quickly launched a personal expedition, successively suppressing the rebellions of Li Yun and Li Chongjin.

He suppressed the remnants of the Later Zhou, consolidated the Song Dynasty's regime, and immediately prepared the horses and troops.

【961 AD】

Zhao Kuangyin released military power with a cup of wine.

Through a banquet, he relieved major high-ranking Imperial Guard generals like Shi Shouxin and Gao Huaide of their military power, strengthened centralized power, and laid a stable rear foundation for the unification war.

【963 AD】

Zhao Kuangyin commanded the army to destroy Jingnan and pacify the Wuping (Hunan) region.

In one fell swoop, he controlled the key areas of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, cutting off the connections between Later Shu, Southern Tang, and Southern Han.

He obtained a strategic passage and an important base for attacking the southern kingdoms.

【965 AD】

Zhao Kuangyin divided his troops into two routes and sent troops to attack Shu.

The Northern Route Song Army broke through Jianmen Pass, and the Eastern Route Song Army moved up the river.

The following month.

Later Shu Emperor Meng Chang surrendered in Chengdu.

Later Shu perished (forty-five prefectures).

【971 AD】

Zhao Kuangyin sent Pan Mei as commander and Yin Chongke as deputy to lead the army to crusade against Southern Han.

February.

They broke the main force of Southern Han under Lotus Peak and pressed toward the capital, Xingwang Prefecture.

March.

Southern Han Emperor Liu Yin surrendered.

Southern Han perished (sixty prefectures).

【975 AD】

Zhao Kuangyin sent troops to Southern Tang.

With Cao Bin as commander and Pan Mei as supervisor, they led the water and land army to attack Southern Tang.

The Song army successfully built a pontoon bridge at Caishiji to cross the river, broke through the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, and then completed the encirclement of the Southern Tang capital, Jinling (modern-day Nanjing), in Jinling.

After suffering a siege for more than half a year.

Southern Tang Last Ruler Li Yu opened the city and surrendered.

Southern Tang perished (nineteen prefectures).

Thus, the south of the Huaxia land was basically pacified.

And the Blue Star netizens in the livestream, watching the successive destruction of Jingnan, Wuping, Later Shu, Southern Han, and Southern Tang, couldn't help but sigh that Zhao Kuangyin was truly capable of fighting.

In just 15 years, under Zhao Kuangyin's leadership, the Song Dynasty destroyed five kingdoms in a row.

Such a Song Dynasty.

Formed a huge contrast with the Song Dynasty in the impression of the Blue Star netizens.

The later Song Dynasty would pay tribute and seek peace at every turn.

The current Song Dynasty would send troops to destroy kingdoms at every turn.

1> ===== CHAPTER 298 =====