Swords into Plowshares Episode 44 Recap
> Swords into Plowshares Recaps
Although Qian Weijun was the heir apparent, his elder brother Qian Weizhi was known for his wisdom, which made him jealous. Therefore, Li Yuanqing incited him, advising him to consolidate his power through military achievements, and then proposed a plan to seize the six prefectures of Jiangyou. He also claimed that he had 30,000 former naval troops in Poyang Lake, and only needed the Qian King's seal to recruit them.
Ultimately, Qian Weijun could not resist the temptation of "exchanging an empty seal for real troops." He personally took the seal and stamped the official document with cinnabar ink. This one stamp dragged the Wuyue Kingdom into the center of the North-South struggle. Meanwhile, Qian Hongchu was boosting morale at the oath-taking ceremony, announcing his determination to "protect the borders and secure the people" and "preserve the nation amidst war" to the public.
The soldiers below the stage cheered loudly, but no one knew that Li Yuanqing had already met with former Southern Tang subordinates with a forged document. Inside the Longxiang Navy camp, Li Yuanqing first demoralized the troops by saying "Southern Tang is about to fall," and then ignited their fighting spirit with the dying wish of Emperor Liezu Li Bian, "to see a peaceful and prosperous era."
His words deeply moved the generals present, who expressed their willingness to make a final stand. The entire camp was filled with declarations of fighting to the death. On the other hand, Xue Wen reported to Shen Yin about Li Yuanqing's infiltration into Wuyue. Shen Yin was deeply shocked, and angrily rebuked him for not reporting earlier, causing a major setback. Shen Yin immediately summoned Qian Weijun for questioning.
Faced with irrefutable evidence, Qian Weijun admitted that he had stamped the seal for Li Yuanqing. Because of this, Shen Yin had to devise alternative remedies. On one hand, he confiscated the seal, and on the other hand, he compelled Qian Weijun to write a letter of apology on behalf of Qian Hongchu.
On the other side, Li Yuanqing brought the document to Cao Bin and Pan Mei, falsely claiming to be an envoy of Wuyue and that he had already recruited the Longxiang army. Cao Bin and Pan Mei were both renowned generals of many battles. They carefully examined the document and the seal, finding them to be correct. However, they intuitively felt that something was amiss.
But because the two places were hundreds of miles apart, sending someone to Hangzhou to verify would take at least five or six days round trip, making it impossible to establish contact in a short period of time. They could not distinguish the truth from falsehood for a while. Inside the king's tent at the front line, Qian Hongchu, after reading the letter of apology, became furious. He ordered Sun Chengyou to clean up the mess.
Since this disaster was caused by him, he should be responsible for resolving it. If the mutiny had already taken shape, they should act decisively. If the Song army became suspicious, they should clarify their intentions. In short, this disaster must be nipped in the bud. Similarly, Sun Taizhen was disappointed with her son. Li Yuanqing's plan was crude, and Qian Weizhi saw through it immediately. Yet, he actually believed this nonsense about borrowing troops and land.
He had not learned any of Qian Weizhi's composure and wisdom, and foolishly put Wuyue in peril. Qian Weijun, realizing his mistake, knelt and offered to resign his position as heir apparent, pleading with his parents to heed public sentiment, both internal and external, and establish his elder brother Qian Weizhi as the successor. Hearing this, Sun Taizhen turned and wrote a letter, instructing him to deliver it to the monarch and apologize.
To ascertain the truth, Pan Mei sailed his ships close to the Longxiang Navy's water camp. Unexpectedly, smoke signals suddenly rose from the river, and the Longxiang army engaged in fierce battle with the Song army. Although the Longxiang army fought bravely, their forces were ultimately vastly outnumbered, and they gradually collapsed amidst the flames and arrows. Li Yuanqing, looking at this tragic scene from afar, was overcome with grief, and knew that all was lost.
Subsequently, Cao Bin and Pan Mei intended to accuse Qian Hongchu of "unauthorized initiation of war." However, they first received a letter of apology proactively sent by Qian Hongchu. Sun Chengyou explained the whole story on his behalf, dispelling the misunderstandings between both parties. Qian Weijun carried the letter to see his father, knelt on the ground, and apologized to Qian Hongchu. Qian Hongchu recounted his own past.
Looking at Sun Taizhen's letter, he ultimately could not bring himself to inflict a heavy punishment. He merely ordered forty strokes of the rod, which both preserved the life of a royal family member and demonstrated his stance to the Song court. Not long after, the two armies rendezvoused outside Jiangning City. Qian Hongchu voluntarily handed over command of his 30,000 naval and land troops to Cao Bin, to show his sincerity and willingness to cooperate.
In the past, vassal kings maintained their personal armies. However, Qian Hongchu broke this convention, precisely interpreting the attitude of "ceding territory to Song" with his actions. In this way, the Wuyue-Song allied army became a unified force, laying the foundation for conquering Jinling half a month later.
