Swords into Plowshares Episode 43 Recap
> Swords into Plowshares Recaps
Sun Chengyou and Zhang Ji signed the handover documents in Chongming Town, and Sun Chengyou promised him that everything from food, clothing, and caps to armor and bows could be secretly supplied. Zhang Ji believed him without a doubt. Afterward, Sun Chengyou sought out Du Zhen, the Tiande Duduyu of Southern Tang, for a drink.
Observing his words, Sun Chengyou noticed Du Zhen harbored much resentment towards Li Yuanqing, and he seized the opportunity to reveal that Li Yuanqing possessed immense wealth, which indeed provoked internal strife in Southern Tang. In contrast, veteran generals Zheng Yanhua and Li Yuanqing regarded this as a national humiliation, lamenting that the Later Lord was still engrossed in poetry and prose, unaware that the perilous wall had already collapsed and the Southern Tang's fortunes were about to end.
Inside Hangzhou City of Wuyue, King Qian Hongchu of Wuyue and his officials decided on a strategy to assist the Song in their southern campaign. They designated Chongming Town as the northern expedition's grain and fodder hub and dispatched Shen Wenqi and Qian Weizhi to Bianliang to report the details to Zhao Kuangyin. Shen Wenqi accompanied Qian Weizhi north to Bianliang and entered the palace for an audience with the Emperor.
Zhao Kuangyin, seeing Qian Weizhi's magnificent bearing, praised him, saying he had the demeanor of Qian Hongchu in his younger days. " "" In contrast, Li Yuanqing, unwilling to accept the fall of Later Tang, secretly initiated a plan. He personally went to Boyi Office to secretly meet with Sun Chengyou and feigned secret allegiance to Qian Weijun, expressing his willingness to serve him wholeheartedly. Sun Chengyou advised Qian Weijun to accept this man to increase their strength.
This would not only enrich their military funds but also widely spread their informants. By then, Li Yuanqing's assets would become his own. Shen Wenqi presented a map to Zhao Kuangyin, on which all river defense strongholds and grain route passes were marked. Cao Bin and others also had deployments. In September 974 AD, Zhao Kuangyin appointed Cao Bin as the overall commander, with Pan Mei as his deputy, and dispatched an army of 100,000 soldiers directly towards Southern Tang.
Before their departure, Zhao Kuangyin specially bestowed a precious sword, strictly ordering that any subordinate general who failed to carry out orders should be executed. On the eve of Qian Hongchu's personal expedition, he ordered his heir apparent, Qian Weijun, to oversee the state, and veteran official Shen Yin to assist in governance.
Li Yuanqing took advantage of the night to visit Qian Weijun, calmly analyzing the current situation: Qian Hongchu needed an heir who could dominate the southeast like Sun Zhongmou, not a Liu Shan who was confined to the palace. However, as it stood, Qian Jun commanded the various armies, Qian Weizhi managed provisions, and Shen Yin controlled civil administration, while he, as the heir apparent, though having a title, was in reality a puppet.
Indeed, as soon as these words were uttered, Qian Weijun developed a grudge against the three, believing that they had seized rights that originally belonged to him. The next day, with Shen Yin's assistance, Qian Weijun handled state affairs seemingly in an orderly manner. Qian Hongchu, who was far away with the army, was somewhat relieved to hear the news. The Song army achieved initial victory, breaking through Jiangzhou's water fortress.
However, fearing the Southern Tang Longxiang Army, they did not take Jiangzhou, instead capturing Caishiji and building pontoon bridges to transport grain. Ding Deyu, the Song army supervisor, seeing the Wuyue army remain inactive, came to question them but was rebuked and sent away by Qian Hongchu. Qian Jun worried that Ding Deyu would return to court and slander them, but Qian Hongchu was unconcerned. He was waiting for the main forces of Cao Bin and Pan Mei to rendezvous.
In the winter of 974 AD, the grand Song navy, with thousands of sails competing, sailed eastward down the river. Cao Bin avoided strong points and targeted weaknesses, bypassing Jiangzhou and ordering Pan Mei to launch a surprise attack on Caishiji. That night, the main Song forces launched a general assault on the Southern Tang water fortress. Southern Tang's last line of defense collapsed in flames.
In this battle, over two hundred ships were burned, and more than ten thousand enemies were annihilated. The gateway to Jinling was thus opened. News reached the inner palace of Jinling, but Li Yu still made a deathbed struggle, intending to deploy the Zhenhai Army for western reinforcement to block the Song army. Xu Xuan advised guarding against Wuyue and attempted to seek an audience with Qian Hongchu to ascertain the situation.
However, he was refused entry by Qian Hongchu, who angrily denounced Wuyue for betraying Southern Tang and for its perfidy. As a result, Li Yu urgently enfeoffed Zheng Yanhua, ordering him to lead the Zhenhai Army and Jiangyin Army to reinforce Caishiji, but the opportune moment for battle had already been lost. Qian Weizhi led Wuyue's elite troops quietly eastward, capturing Jiangdu Prefecture's water fortress in one fell swoop, controlling the canal's throat.
This severed all of Southern Tang's waterway lifelines, turning Jinling into an isolated city. Li Yuanqing seized the opportunity to suggest to Qian Weijun to preemptively act. As long as he drafted a royal edict on behalf of Qian Hongchu, the six prefectures could change their allegiance in an instant, and their lands would belong to Wuyue.
Qian Weijun still hesitated, believing that the Song army's vanguard had already reached Caishiji, and the six prefectures east of the river were already within the Song Emperor's grasp. If Wuyue were to reach out and seize the six prefectures, it would be like snatching food from a tiger's mouth.
