The bell came from the Tiefo Temple in the west of Xiangyang City.伜
Although the temple is outside the moat, the surrounding area is not desolate.
Xiangyang City is small to begin with, and many people live outside the city. When war breaks out, they take refuge in temples or inkstone mountains.
"Boom!"
When the soldiers of the Tang Army worked together and rang the bell again while holding the big wooden beam, the common people poked their heads out from behind the tree trunks to watch.
They all heard that this was the time limit for Lu Wenhuan to surrender. If Lu Wenhuan did not surrender, the battle would have to continue.
Then one after another looked towards the direction of Xiangyang City.
If you carefully observe the eyes of these people, you cannot actually see emotions such as expectation and worry in them. Too much suffering and long years of hunger are a waste of time, leaving people with nothing but numbness.
Finally, a Song flag hanging high on the top of the city shook and fell down.
"Down?"
"No more fighting, no more fighting!"
People put their hands together, some ran to worship the big Buddha in the temple, and some knelt down to thank Lu Wenhuan.
Regardless, the war is finally coming to an end.
"Linhanmen is open!"
"The Gongchen Gate is open."
The city gates were opened one after another, and "Iron-Forged Xiangyang" finally lowered its defenses.
"Commander, Yang Qianpan wrote another poem, saying that with three bells ringing at Tanxi Iron Buddha Temple, Jiangbei will be at peace, and it will become a good story in the future."
Gao Changshou entered the city from the Wenchang Gate in the south. This time he was a little impatient when he listened to the generals' explanation, and said: "These Song people are very literate."
"The general thinks it's good. If anyone passes by this big bell in the future, they will be reminded of our achievements in the world. Yang Qianpan said that a monument can be erected to let the villagers know who they should really thank for their good lives in the future.
"
"Then erect a monument."
Gao Changshou felt good in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He said solemnly: "Let all the generals in Xiangyang come to see me."
"Yes, Lu Wenhuan is waiting to meet you in front of Shannan East Road Building."
Shannan East Road Building is located in the middle of Xiangyang City. It was built to commemorate Xiao Tong, the prince of Liang Zhaoming in the Southern Dynasty. It is a majestic and majestic green brick platform.
At this time, there were dozens of people standing on the bluestone road in front of the building, all dressed in white, standing with hands hanging down. They were the descendants of the Lu family and the generals in the city.
"Lu Wenhuan, the pacifying envoy of Xihu in Jinghu and Xiangfu in Song Dynasty, also knew Xiangyang Prefecture. He believed in the universal family and was willing to lead Xiangyang's army and people to obey the destiny and submit to the Tang Dynasty..."
Gao Changshou reined in the reins and looked at Lu Wenhuan warily, and saw that although his hair was disheveled, his aura was not weak.
Although he surrendered, Lu Wenhuan did not show any groveling attitude, and his demeanor revealed more of a sense of righteousness.
Gao Changshou was inevitably displeased. He stood in front of these demoted generals and did not say a word to appease them. He just raised his head arrogantly, took the list of those who had been demoted, and counted their names against them.
Before he named a few names, he suddenly frowned and shouted: "Where is Fan Tianshun, the commander of Jinghu City?!"
Following these words, the surrounding Tang soldiers pressed their swords one after another, preparing to fight.
If there are Song generals who have not surrendered, there is a possibility of resistance.
Perhaps Fan Tianshun was ambushing Gao Changshou at this time, preparing to attack Gao Changshou.
Lu Wenhuan glanced back, quickly handed over his hand, and said: "Commander, don't worry, the soldiers in the city all obey my orders, and none of the soldiers are willing to fight against the king's army. Fan Tianshun cannot mobilize men to resist."
Gao Changshou did not trust Lu Wenhuan, so he only waited for the results of his subordinates' investigation while continuing to name names.
Except for some generals who had died in battle, among the few people who had not arrived, the identity of Lu Shiyi, the envoy of Hubei Province, was the most noteworthy.
"Where is Lu Shiyi? But he didn't want to join him so he ran away?" 伜
"Don't dare. He is so timid that he fainted from fright."
At this time, a general came back and reported to Gao Changshou: "Commander, Fan Tianshun committed suicide..."
~~
Gao Changshou personally visited Fan Tianshun's residence and found that the house was small and poorly furnished.
An old pair of armor was placed on the ground. Fan Tianshun hanged himself on the beam while wearing official robes.
Niu Fu stepped forward and hugged the body. He called twice but got no response, so he burst into tears.
Fan Tianshun told him, "When you are born, you will be a minister of the Song Dynasty, and when you die, you will be a ghost of the Song Dynasty." At least Fan Tianshun did it himself.
Lu Wenhuan stood outside the door without going in, silently watching this scene with a look of shame on his face.
Fan Tianshun only received a salary from the Song court, but the Lu family relied heavily on the Song court to become extremely wealthy. If Xiangyang City really needed someone to die to repay the country's kindness, at least it should not be Fan Tianshun.
"Bury him richly."
Gao Changshou also sighed, not daring to be so arrogant anymore.
He believed that if the Meng Yuan invaded, some of the soldiers in Xiangyang City would risk their lives and fight to the death to resist.
He led the king's army to march south, and he was not an enemy of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. He could not easily decide in his mind which of those who surrendered were doing so for the sake of the country and which were greedy for life and afraid of death.
"Commander, Lu Wenyi is here."
Gao Changshou turned his head and glanced at Fan Tianshun's body, which had not yet been moved out. Before he could speak, he heard loud crying coming from outside.
"The sinner Lu Wenyi, pays homage to the commander... The sinner surrenders sincerely and asks the commander to spare his life..."
I saw a young man wearing a silk coat who had squeezed through the procession of surrendering ministers, knelt down, put his forehead on the ground with his hands, and raised only his buttocks high, looking very pious.
"Get up." Gao Changshou said: "How will you be appointed an official after you surrender? You still need to wait for the imperial examination. But I remind you to wait. If there are still corpses who eat nothing, or even bully the people, don't blame the king for being ruthless."
"Don't dare, sinners must not dare." Lu Shiyi stood up and quickly apologized, showing a groveling attitude.
At this time, another soldier hurriedly came and handed a letter into Gao Changshou's hand.
"Commander, we found a boatman trying to punt secretly out of Xiangyang. We found this letter on his body."
Gao Changshou took the letter and saw that it was addressed to Jiujiang. On the cover was written "My second brother Wen Kui personally expresses his gratitude". The handwriting was not good but not too ugly.
Looking at the content of the letter again, it was a bitter reminder of Li Xia's harshness, his desire to confiscate the Lu family's property, and to investigate the past misdeeds of the Lu family's children. It reminded Lu Wenkui that whether he surrendered or resisted, he must first find a way to hide the family property.
At the end, he also mentioned a family near Xunyang Bridge and asked Lu Wenkui to deal with it clearly and not to let the other party "make trouble".
After reading the letter, Gao Changshou glanced at Lu Wenhuan first, and saw that Lu Wenhuan had no expression on his face, as if he didn't understand the content of the letter.
Looking at Lu Shiyi again, he was shaking like a sieve.
Gao Changshou stepped forward, put his hand on Lu Shiyi's back, and pushed him in front of Lu Wenhuan.
"When you wrote this letter, you never thought that I might intercept it?"
Lu Shiyi was so frightened that he peed his pants and was trembling and speechless.
Since he was a child, he could reach out for clothes and open his mouth for food. Everything he wanted could be easily obtained. How could he have thought about this?
Gao Changshou asked again: "To make such an omission, is someone framing you?"
Lu Shiyi was stunned, but he didn't expect to be able to explain it like this. He quickly said: "I was wronged..."
When Lu Wenhuan heard this, he shook his head secretly, thinking that Lu Shiyi was so flustered and unscrupulous that he would bite at random whenever something happened. He was afraid that he might not be able to save his life.
Gao Changshou patted Lu Shiyi on the back and said, "I understand you. Your family is rich and your life is good. Naturally, you can't bear to lose it. But the world has changed. Otherwise, why would I go south?"
"I..."伜
Lu Wenyi was so confused that he didn't even know how to argue. He could only cry loudly and said: "Commander, I was wronged!"
"Take him down for investigation!"
"Commander, spare your life, spare my life." Lu Shiyi knelt down again and cried: "Uncle, save me, save me..."
At this time, Niu Fu and Wang Fu were carrying Fan Tianshun's body out, and they happened to encounter two soldiers dragging Lu Shiyi out.
Niu Fu lowered his head and glanced at Fan Tianshun's face that was still resolute until death, and then looked at Lu Shiyi's helpless look with tears streaming down his face, and felt that the contrast was too strong.
He suddenly understood that right and wrong did not depend on surrendering or not, but on whether there was "righteousness" in one's heart.
The righteousness in Fan Tianshun's heart was loyalty and honor, so he died in the state of Zhao and Song.
As for those who have no righteousness in their hearts, the imperial court will have its own way to screen them out one by one. Even if Lu Shiyi did not reveal his flaws today, he would not be able to escape sooner or later.
Those who finally get together are often like-minded people.
The world has been divided for too long. When someone raises their arms and shouts, giving hope to those who are determined to regain the rivers and mountains, it is natural that the rivers will flow into the sea and converge into one place.
…
A handful of loess on Yanshan Mountain covered Fan Tianshun's body.
Lu Shiyi's head was hung on a long pole by the Han River.
The Song army in Xiangfan will be reorganized, and a large part of it will be demobilized and returned to the field. Only the young and strong will be reorganized into the navy.
Because Lu Wenhuan recruited too many civilians to defend Xiangfan. For the subsequent southern expedition, Gao Changshou did not provide much money, food, or ships for the troops.
After decades of war, the world needs more rest and recuperation.
On the third day of March, when Lu Wenhuan and his subordinates set foot on the road to Shangjun in the north, there were no more beacons and wars on the Han River.
Stepping onto the north bank of the Han River, I looked up and saw that the fields in the distance were full of farmers busy with their work.
"Set the boat!"
Suddenly I heard singing coming from a distance.
Lu Wenhuan turned around and saw only a few fishing boats on the Han River.伜
"Set the boat!"
"The water of Han River is white and the moon is setting and the mountains are dark. If the rocks at the head of the embankment are uneven, who can escape?"
"I live in the west of Xiangmen, but in the north of Han River. The pontoon bridge has no cables, so I know you..."
This is a long-lost fishing song. Lu Wenhuan has been guarding Xiangyang for many years, but he has never heard it a few times.
After listening to it today, he felt that no matter what the world thought of his choice, at least he had a clear conscience.