Chapter 796: Shizu Integration

Latest website: Yiyang City.

The capital of Yizhou, currently the Capital City of Southern Liang.

Since the retreat from Xiangcheng, the troops of the Dou Family and the Xiao Family had withdrawn here.

Due to the loss of Jingzhou, the entire Southern Liang was initially in a state of panic.

It was not until the Northern Di conquered Tibet, becoming neighbors with Southern Liang, and the Northern Di became a "nephew state," that Southern Liang gradually stabilized.

Some within the Xiao Family who wanted to seize power at the opportunity also ceased their activities, having no choice but to continue submitting to the Dou Family.

At this moment, in the Imperial Palace sleeping quarters.

A burst of cursing rang out, and two palace maids and three eunuchs retreated in a disheveled state.

Dou Wei happened to arrive in front of the study; he frowned and sighed softly.

Entering the sleeping quarters, he smelled a strong stench of Wine; Dou Mu was lying on the floor.

"I told you to get out, didn't you hear me?" Dou Mu, thinking it was the palace maids and eunuchs coming to disturb him again, shouted angrily.

"It's me." Dou Wei said in a stern voice.

Although he loved this son very much, ever since arriving in Yizhou, Dou Mu had become increasingly outrageous.

He had completely lost the appearance of the wise monarch he once was.

He was drunk as mud all day long, muddled and confused.

"Father." Dou Mu opened his drunken eyes, looked at Dou Wei, then lay back on the floor and laughed sorrowfully, "You must be very disappointed in me now. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have needed to rebel, and you wouldn't have ended up losing Jingzhou and living under someone else's roof."

Dou Wei shook his head, "No, I have never regretted it. From the day of the rebellion, I knew that the victor is the king and the loser is the bandit. Since I chose this path, I, Dou Wei, will walk it to the end. As long as I can win, I am even willing to be a nephew or a grandson to the Northern Di, rather than being like you, a common drunkard."

He paused and said: "Have you forgotten the great ambition you set? Didn't you say you wanted to defeat Yan Wang and sit upon the throne of the Great Song? Are you giving up now?"

Upon hearing this, Dou Mu felt as if his heart were being stabbed.

When Southern Liang was founded,

his ambition was burning, thinking the world could be his.

But Yan Wang had defeated him with ease.

Now, Yan Wang occupied the entire Jiangbei, and it was said he had also conquered Gaoli and besieged Dongying.

Such a great achievement was something he had never even dared to dream of.

Because in the history of the Central Plains, even the most brilliant emperors and generals of the past had never conquered Dongying.

This gave him a deep sense of frustration.

By comparison, he was such a failure.

Moreover, since coming to Yizhou from Jingzhou, his authority had been constrained by the Xiao Family.

Although his father had preserved the Dou Family army, the Xiao Family was, after all, the local power in Yizhou.

There were Xiao Family members who did not submit to him as Emperor.

Privately, they even mocked him for being a eunuch.

Beset by troubles from within and without, he had become this decadent.

"How could I ever forget, but I fear there is no way to turn the tide." Dou Mu sighed deeply.

Dou Wei also felt a wave of lament in his heart; he naturally knew how dire the current situation facing Southern Liang was.

If not for relying on the Northern Di, his Dou Family would have been suppressed by the Xiao Family.

Just as he was about to speak to persuade him, a eunuch hurried over, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, King Tiemuta and the British delegation have arrived outside Yiyang City."

"What?" Dou Wei was startled.

He could understand Tiemuta coming to Yizhou, but the arrival of a British delegation caught him by surprise.

These British had always supported Wu.

After thinking for a moment, he said: "Mu'er, pull yourself together quickly; I fear the situation in the Great Song is changing."

Dou Mu was also a shrewd person; once the eunuch finished speaking, he sensed that something was unusual.

As soon as Dou Wei finished speaking, he climbed up and straightened his clothes. He said to the eunuch guarding the door: "Bring me a bowl of tea to rinse my mouth."

He was afraid that the smell of Wine in his mouth would be unpleasant and cause him to lose face, leading Tiemuta and the British to look down on him.

Subsequently, he and Dou Wei personally went outside the city gate to welcome Tiemuta and the British.

From the city gate to the Imperial Palace, the two also learned the general situation and felt a burst of joy.

It was noon, and Dou Mu ordered a banquet to be held in the Imperial Palace to entertain Tiemuta and the British envoys.

After three rounds of Wine, Dou Mu said: "Many thanks to King Tiemuta and Lord Brook for your guidance. This time, our Southern Liang will never fail your expectations and will certainly cooperate sincerely with Wu and Nanping."

"I hope so. This may be the last chance for your Shizu; Yan Wang will not give you a second chance," said Brook.

Tiemuta nodded; the threat of Yan Wang was like a sword pressed against his throat, making it impossible to sleep or eat in peace.

It was rare for the British to reach an agreement with the Ross to deal with Yan Wang.

Not only Southern Liang, but they, the Northern Di, must also seize this opportunity.

So he said: "In addition to integrating your three Shizu, my uncle Ashuer will also cooperate with you in battle. Brook is not just an envoy; he is also a British Colonel. This time, he will command the Shizu Army and the Northern Di army in Jiangnan to resist Yan Wang."

He paused and continued: "Within half a month, a Ross Major will also arrive in Jiangnan to serve as Brook's deputy. So, are you willing to hand over military command?"

"Since the Northern Di are all taking orders from Lord Brook, how could we be difficult?" Dou Wei said.

Now, as long as Southern Liang could survive, they were willing to pay any price.

Moreover, he also felt he owed the other Shizu and could only rely on the British to bring them back together.

Tiemuta and Brook looked at each other and nodded slowly.

This was the strategy they had formulated back in Bula City.

The Shizu of the Great Song were locked in internal strife and could not be twisted into a single rope; this was a major problem.

If they chose a leader from among them, the others might not necessarily submit.

It would be better for them, Britain and the Ross nation, and perhaps even the Frank to join in, to have unified command.

Furthermore, many of the generals appointed by these powerful clans cannot read a single word, and they fight purely on impulse, even worse than their own common soldiers.

They believe themselves to understand war better than the powerful clan generals, and they can also cause more trouble for the Yan King Army.

After giving these instructions, Brook and his party set off again the next day, heading toward the territory of Wu.

Time was tight, and he had to unite the powerful clans as quickly as possible.

After seeing Brook off, Dou Wei and Dou Mu were both in high spirits.

With the Yan Wang moving south, they were not only worried for Wu, but were also inexplicably terrified themselves.

Now, it was as if they had taken a calming pill.

Most importantly, the alliance they were joining this time was far more powerful than the Anti-Yan Alliance.

The Yan Wang was truly going to be done for.

……

Baima Xian.

Adjacent to Jiujiang, standing on the city wall, one could gaze at the surging river water flowing east.

While the father and son of the Dou Family were ecstatic, Chang Wei and a group of generals were at the Nanmen ferry crossing to welcome Zhao Xu into the city.

Since moving south from Yanzhou, they had stockpiled a large amount of military force in Baima Xian.

Because directly opposite this Baima Xian was Jinling City.

Although Yang Cheng was a large city, it was ultimately too far from Jinling.

The group waited for a while and saw Steamships appearing in the distance, emitting columns of smoke.

This Jiujiang was very wide; from Jinling to the river mouth, the narrowest point was still about two kilometers across.

With the Forts the powerful clans had on the opposite side, it was impossible for them to fire a Cannonball to the center of the Jiujiang.

Precisely because of this, their fleet could sail swaggeringly along the north bank of the Jiujiang, while the other side had no way to stop them.