Raise an army after autumn

In the ninth month of the fourteenth year of Taichu, the autumn air was crisp and refreshing; it should have been a year of harvest.

Yet at this time, the Central Plains were far from peaceful, as an earthquake in Guanzhong caused countless casualties.

In the Hexi Corridor, the Tuyuhun invasion destroyed numerous crops, leaving the common people starving and desperate.

The Imperial Court ordered the opening of the Aocang Granary to provide relief to the disaster-stricken people of Guanzhong and Hexi.

A plague broke out in Hebei, killing over a hundred thousand people in just one month.

Worse yet, in the Jiangnan region, the flooding of the Yangtze River during the spring floods had already reduced the area available for cultivation.

By the time of the autumn floods, the dikes in places like Jingzhou burst again, turning thousands of miles into a watery wasteland and leading to a total crop failure.

The common people from all over flocked toward Luoyang like a tide, hoping to find a way to survive for themselves and their families.

In a feudal dynasty with low productivity, encountering consecutive natural disasters easily leads to a state of being overwhelmed and stretched thin.

Following a year of such disasters, Great Qian—already drained of its reserves by the northern expeditions—suddenly fell into a dire predicament.

At such a time, officials everywhere conspired with powerful local families to intensify the exploitation of the people, causing public resentment to reach a boiling point.

Inside the Luoyang Imperial Palace, Emperor Zhao Che lay on the dragon bed. His face was pale, devoid of any color, his lips were parched and cracked, and his eyes were hollow.

Due to days of overwork combined with old injuries and hidden ailments, Zhao Che had completely collapsed from illness.

The Imperial Physician General hurried over, but after just one look, he was so terrified that he did not dare to speak.

As a physician, he had seen countless instances of life and death, but the person before him was the Emperor.

This Emperor, who had once reached the pinnacle of military glory at Victory Celebration at Mount Langjuxu, no longer radiated a majestic or domineering aura; instead, he was shrouded in a thick air of death.

After taking the pulse, the Imperial Physician General confirmed his deduction, stepped back, and knelt on the ground.

Seeing the Imperial Physician General kneeling there in silence and trembling, everyone present understood.

Suddenly, waves of weeping echoed throughout the great hall.

It was impossible to know how much of this crying was sincere, but at the very least, it was appropriate for the occasion.

Zhao Che let out a long breath and asked in a shaky voice,

"Is there a medicine that can make me lucid? I only need one day."

"There is, but Your Majesty..."

"I know. Go and prepare it."

After a dose of medicinal soup, the Emperor's face regained some color, and his breathing gained a hint of strength.

Sitting up on the dragon bed, Zhao Che took a deep breath.

"Since all of you are here today, I shall take this opportunity to announce the successor to the throne."

The ministers, princes, Grand Princess, and imperial relatives all lifted their heads, their eyes fixed intently on the Emperor.

"I know my time is short, but a state cannot be without a ruler for a single day. To prevent any upheaval to the dynasty, I shall announce the successor before everyone today."

Zhao Che waved his hand, and Chief Eunuch Wu She, who had been prepared for some time, brought out an exquisite wooden box.

He opened it and confirmed it with Zhao Che before unfolding the decree to read it aloud to the assembly.

"Former Crown Prince Zhao Wufang is of mediocre talent and poor character. He is hereby demoted to Prince of Yuzhang and must leave the capital today to observe mourning."

"The Third Prince, The Emperor, possesses a majestic bearing and commendable filial piety, which greatly pleases me. He is hereby appointed Crown Prince to succeed to the throne..."

What followed was naturally a series of arrangements, demoting the followers of the Former Crown Prince Zhao Wufang and stripping them of their actual power.

As for the concubines in his harem, regardless of whether he had favored them or never touched them, all were to be sent to Taoist convents.

Some were joyful while others were despondent. Halfway through the reading, Zhao Wufang could no longer bear to listen. He slumped on the ground like a pile of mud, a single phrase echoing in his mind:

"It's over. It's all over. It's all over!"

Once the final edict was read, Zhao Che could no longer hold on. He waved his hand.

"Everyone leave. All of you leave. Only the Crown Prince shall stay to accompany me."

After that, aside from the new Crown Prince The Emperor, Chief Eunuch Wu She, the Imperial Physician General, and the maids, no one else saw Emperor Zhao Che again.

It was only known that the next day, the deposed Prince Zhao Wufang was escorted out of the capital to be confined in Yuzhang Commandery.

The various vassal kings also received orders from the Crown Prince, strictly forbidding them from leaving their fiefs to enter the capital.

Only one person, Emperor Zhao Che's youngest brother—the most unambitious and most favored Prince of Xiangyang, Zhao Jing—ignored the strict orders and insisted on entering the capital to see his brother.

Only a few days after becoming Crown Prince, The Emperor was presented with a major dilemma by this fifteenth uncle of his, who was even younger than himself.

Returning to the Southwest, after the autumn harvest ended, troops from various locations began their movements.

The First Division had already been stationed in Luang Namtha for a long time, which served as a distraction.

Provisions and military supplies had also long since begun to be quietly transported, and most were now stockpiled in the military camp south of Menge.

A small portion had already begun shipping and was being transferred to Hung Hoa and Son La.

Inside a military camp at the border of Hung Hoa and Son La, the place was currently bustling with activity.

A full six brigades—three thousand men of the City Defense Forces—had already been stationed here for half a month.

Counting the City Defense Forces from Son La and Hung Hoa, as well as the First Division, Gao Yuan had dispatched a massive army of seven thousand men for this operation.

A general stood up and reported the intelligence just gathered.

"Commander Liu, it has been clarified. Cao Bang still has two thousand garrison troops, but most are concentrated on the southern line."

"The northern line of East Pass has two thousand garrison troops, the southern line has fifteen hundred, and the prefectural city has fewer than eight hundred."

Another man with a scholarly air stood up.

"The County Duke reports that since the war between Toungoo and Ayutthaya broke out in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, Lan Xang has withdrawn troops from the southern line to reinforce Thanh Hoa."

"It looks like the decisive battle between the two sides will take place within these next two weeks. I ask the Commander to be prepared."

Having summarized the intelligence from all parties, Liu Rengui already had a plan in mind. He reconfirmed it against the map.

"Based on my judgment, the Cao Bang garrison being stationed on the southern line is to be ready to retreat south at any time."

"Since that's the case, we must not let them have their way; otherwise, the future consequences will be endless."

As Liu Rengui beckoned, everyone gathered around to listen to his arrangements.

On the third day of the tenth month of the fourteenth year of Taichu, the First Division of the Nanzhou Army suddenly appeared at Cao Bang Prefecture, putting on a posture as if they were about to launch a full-scale assault.

The Cao Bang garrison offered almost no resistance; after a token effort, they immediately began to retreat.

By the time Xia Luqi occupied the various parts of Cao Bang, he found that more than half of the commoners had been moved away, and the granaries were so empty that a mouse would starve to death.

"Order the City Defense Forces to take over the defense. The people's houses must not be destroyed; they will be returning soon."

"Send someone by fast horse to report the situation here to the Lord and Commander Liu."

"Understood!"

On the other side, the recently appointed garrison commander of Cao Bang was currently on horseback, drinking wine and smiling triumphantly.

"The Great General is truly brilliant. These Han people really did come. Fortunately, we were prepared long ago."

Since the last time they suffered heavy losses, Third Brother Yang had made up his mind to abandon Cao Bang.

That wretched place had few people and little fertile land; it was truly like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.

As this Dong Kinh army marched openly along the road, they were certain the Han people were still searching for them everywhere.

However, things did not go as planned. As they passed through a valley, a sudden change occurred.

A large number of boulders rolled down from both ends of the valley, blocking the road completely. Then, numerous banners appeared on both sides of the valley.

"That is the 'Gao' banner!"

"Look, that is the military flag of Great Qian."

"It's over, it's over! We've fallen into an ambush."

"What do we do? What do we do, General..."

Their commander had long since become drunk. At this moment, he was riding his horse, sleeping soundly with thunderous snores.

"Drop your weapons! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The shouts of the Nanzhou Army soldiers echoed through the valley, striking the hearts of the Dong Kinh soldiers over and over again.

With no way to heaven and no door to the earth, stubborn resistance would surely mean death.

Clang...

As one Dong Kinh officer threw down his weapon, more and more soldiers began to follow suit.

Two hours later, the Dong Kinh commander woke up from his deep slumber, shivering from the cold, only to find himself stripped of his clothes, tied up tightly, and tossed on the ground.

And all around him were Han people with faces full of mockery.