Chapter 498: Chapter 245: The Fall of Yue Country_3

Just as the clan officials had recommended, Emperor Chengyou was indeed intelligent, studious, merciful, and well-mannered.

On his first day on the throne, the first decree he issued was not to hold a state funeral for Emperor Hongdao.

Instead, it was sent directly to Grand General Shen Qiu.

In the decree, Emperor Chengyou praised Shen Qiu for his contributions to defending the country, commanding the armies of the world, and successively quelling the rebellions of Jianan, Dongting, and Xichuan counties, thus restoring peace to the local areas.

Furthermore, Shen Qiu defeated Jinghai Country and Zhou Country, expanding Da Yue by establishing three new counties: Jiuzhen, Hanzhong, and Xiangyang.

In theory, Grand General Shen Qiu, who served under the Emperor of Yue, held the highest military command. The achievements of Bai Mengyang, Lu Yuan, and others in the country should also be partly attributed to him.

Shen Qiu, as the leader, should take greater credit.

Although people like Lu Yuan, Yan Wangqiu, and Qiao Kangquan each built their own countries, they were all nobles of Da Yue in name and jointly honored the Emperor of Yue as the Heavenly Son.

Therefore, from the surface, counting the five countries such as Changsha, Hanzhong, and Southsea as part of Yue Country did not pose any problem.

The territories reclaimed and expanded by these five countries could naturally be regarded as part of Yue Country’s territory.

So, in this respect, there was nothing wrong with the decree.

Of course, all these reasons and formalities were just pretext. The real focus of the decree lay in what followed.

In order to reward him for his great achievements in maintaining domestic harmony and exerting influence abroad, Emperor Chengyou upgraded Shen Qiu from the Duke of Shen to the King of Ning, granting him Guangling and Yuzhang as his territories.

At the same time, Shen Qiu continued to hold the position of Grand General while a noble king, commanding all military affairs at home and abroad, serving as the Grand Marshal, and Secretary of State, in charge of all government affairs.

With this, a sixth king of a different surname emerged in Da Yue, occupying the rich and core regions of Guangling and Yuzhang.

By separating these two counties and only considering their strength, the newly-established Ning Country had already surpassed the Yue State court and become the strongest noble king under the Yue Country system.

After Shen Qiu was conferred the title of king, the Liang Country turned its sights to Shen Qiu’s imminent usurpation and realized that its schemes from the emperor’s side could no longer hold.

When they approached Shen Qiu, the newly-enthroned King Ning refused even to meet them, leaving them frustrated and embarrassed.

In their anger, the 300,000 Liang troops stationed in Pengcheng County began to make tentative attempts to cross the river and attack Guangling County.

They hoped that the military pressure would force the King Ning, who was about to usurp power, to compromise.

But could Shen Qiu, an Inborn Realm Second Realm Grandmaster and the commander of the world’s armies, be so easily defeated and compromised?

Upon receiving news of the attack on Guangling County by Liang troops, Shen Qiu immediately summoned the officials to meet with Emperor Chengyou and requested permission for a northern expedition to resist the Liang army.

During the court meeting, Emperor Chengyou happily granted Shen Qiu’s request to wage war.

Not only did he entrust all domestic military power to Shen Qiu, but also, in order to add prestige to the Grand General, he bestowed upon him nine precious gifts and great honor to support and strengthen his mission.

After accepting these honors, Shen Qiu held a grand review of the troops in the capital and boosted morale.

On the same day, he set up the Northern Expedition Camp.

Shen Qiu personally took command of the camp, appointed Wucheng Marquis Shangguan Ming as the deputy camp commander, and led 100,000 Imperial Guards from the capital to reinforce Guangling County against the Liang forces.

In addition to leading the army on the Northern Expedition himself, Shen Qiu also ordered Martial Proclamation Marquis Yang Jing to supervise the naval forces, commanding 100,000 court naval forces to blockade the river, and guard Yuzhang and Linhai Counties, keeping the 200,000 Liang forces in Jiangxia County at bay.

Two months later, Shen Qiu gathered 150,000 local border troops from Guangling County and faced off against Liang forces on the other side of the river with a total force of 250,000 troops.

During this time, the two armies fought several hundred battles, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides.

Eventually, the Liang forces on the opposite side saw no opportunity to seize and gained no advantage, and suffered a loss of 40,000 to 50,000 troops. They reluctantly agreed to a temporary ceasefire.

In Jiangxia County, their waterways were completely blocked. Unable to cross the river, they posed no threat to Jiangnan.

Meanwhile, Zhou Country, after observing the situation for nearly half a year, finally responded. In the tenth month of Emperor Chengyou’s reign, they sent an envoy to Guangling to congratulate Shen Qiu on establishing Ning Country.

Obviously, unlike Liang Country’s unsuccessful attempt to take advantage of the situation, Zhou Country opted for stability, not wishing to engage in military action hastily.

Zhou Country chose to support and acknowledge Shen Qiu’s takeover of the Xiao Family and the establishment of Ning Country.

As soon as Zhou Country took a stand, the alliance between Zhou and Yue was immediately reestablished.

Facing a coordinated defense of both countries against their own, Liang Country’s southward campaign, which had cost a fortune in both money and provisions, gained nothing. Realizing that further hostilities would be futile and costly, Liang Country begrudgingly withdrew its troops and recalled the 300,000 soldiers who had headed south.

So it was.

This war between Liang and Yue, triggered by Shen Qiu’s appointment as king, ended with the withdrawal of Liang’s forces and a great victory for Yue Country.

Emboldened by this victory, Shen Qiu returned to court with his army.

Emperor Chengyou personally led the officials on a 10-mile journey out of the city to welcome them. At the same time, he issued a decree granting special honor and privilege to the Grand General, allowing him to ascend the palace hall with his sword and walk freely within the court, yet his name would not be called out during rituals.

With the completion of the “Three-Piece Set” and the prestige of the Northern Expedition, the timing for Shen Qiu to usurp power was perfect.

Three days later, following the advice of his ministers, the Heavenly Son issued a decree in favor of abdication to King Ning.

Shen Qiu refused, expressing fear and unease.

Another three days passed, and the ministers advised again, with the Heavenly Son issuing a second decree of abdication.

Shen Qiu still declined, citing his own shallow virtue as the reason.

Three days later, on the fourth day of the eleventh month in the first year of Emperor Chengyou’s reign, the ministers offered their advice for the third time, and the Heavenly Son issued the third decree of abdication.

Shen Qiu finally lamented his inability to preserve his reputation and reluctantly accepted the decree of abdication.

On the same day, he led the officials into the palace and officially took over the throne of Yue Country from Emperor Chengyou in the presence of everyone.

On the fourth day of the eleventh month in the first year of Emperor Chengyou’s reign, Emperor Xiao Yuanyi, who had just ascended the throne for a hundred days, abdicated in favor of King Ning Shen Qiu at the Jianji Hall.

With this, the end of Yue Country was officially announced, having enjoyed 213 years of existence.

On the same day, King Ning Shen Qiu ascended the throne, changed the era to the Jianwu era, and established Ning Country.

The Grand General, now Emperor, inherited Yue Country and became the ruler of the five counties and five countries in Jiangnan.

As for Yue Country, the retired Emperor Xiao Yuanyi continued to serve as the Duke of Yue, honoring the ancestral temple and offering sacrifices to previous generations of monarchs.

With this, the power transfer within the aristocratic families of Linhai County was finally completed, after weathering countless storms and tribulations.

As the news of the fall of Yue Country and the establishment of Ning Country spread at an incredibly fast speed, it reached the surrounding countries.