Great Song Pirate

Chapter 444
This chapter is to revise the chapter "Chapter 465 Accounting for People's Visits". Please bear with me for such mistakes!
The news that Dazhanhaikou was once again captured by the Fubo army spread. It is really joyful and sad for several families!Annan's army, which had just been attacked by occupying people on its flanks, had to stop again, put on a defensive posture, and was unable to continue to advance south. After hearing the news, the whole army was excited. The bad feeling was greatly relieved immediately, and even Li Yuanfeng laughed and said, "Fubo's allies really did not fail me! After this battle, we will have no more worries!"

At the same time, Abu Alan, the King of Zhan, who got the news, was stunned immediately, and fell down on the couch without saying a word for a long time. The courtiers in the hospital were so frightened that they were out of their wits, and they stepped forward to rescue him one after another.

If Xu Yi knew the news, he would laugh three times. No matter what he gained in this expedition to Annan, the feat of stunning the two kings would be enough to shine through the world.

King Zhan woke up slowly under the treatment of everyone who was rubbing his chest, beating his back and pinching people. When he opened his eyes, he let out a violent coughing sound and spit out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. The direction of Zhanhaikou said sadly: "Skeleton Army! I Zhanren and you have any grievances or enmity, but you deceive me like this, I will swear against you!"

Abu Alan's heart was about to bleed. After two battles, he lost several generals and nearly [-] elite soldiers under the Skeleton Army alone, including all the elite naval forces he could mobilize. The proud water army was almost completely lost at the hands of the skeleton army. How could he not feel angry and bloody because of the blow?
But this time he didn't yell and yell to send troops to find the skeleton army for a decisive battle, because he has no more soldiers and horses to use now. The elephant formation was broken in the first few days. Nearly [-] soldiers and horses were lost. Although the Annan army's offensive was finally curbed after gathering the remnants and mobilizing troops from the rear in the past two days, he also knew that his Champo country was at the end of its strength and could no longer launch any large-scale attacks. The scale of the offensive, he knows this better than anyone else.

Recall that this time he used all the national strength of the Champa Kingdom, pinched the disorganized Champa Kingdom together, and made all the subordinate countries to show their best. After fighting with the Annan people for so long, in the end, it was only because of this skeleton army. Let him fall short, and the desire to regain his homeland that he had planned for many years has come to naught. Abu Alan even has the heart to kill himself at this moment.

Looking at the shocked ministers standing below, Abu Alan didn't know what to do next. For the first time in his life, he felt so hesitant and useless. If he continued to fight, he would no longer have the ability. If they retreat, all the efforts they have made during this time will be in vain, and the loss will be even more severe. This situation is something he never expected before, and he was not prepared for it, so he sighed Ask these ministers below;

"What should we do now? What can you do? Tell me quickly!" This was the first time he had asked his ministers for their opinions like this since he dispatched troops.

Seeing Abu Alan's pale face, these ministers looked at each other. No one came out to speak for a long time, and Abu Alan didn't urge them. Anyone with a little brain can see the difficult situation facing the mother country, and the instigator of all this is Abu Alan sitting on it. In the case of the skeleton army, things may not have developed to such a point. They originally held the absolute initiative, but they caused such a disastrous defeat just because they annoyed the terrifying skeleton army. Now they all know that their elephant formation Who did it, and the loss of Dazhan Haikou pushed them into a desperate situation. Now the skeleton army is using the centipede boat that captured them to cruise the Hoi An River, firmly controlling them. The Dazhanhaikou south of the Hoi An River made it impossible for them to see each other. A large number of Champo soldiers stayed in the north of the river to confront the Annan army. The crisis of the situation made everyone feel chilled. After Alan asked the question, everyone began to think quickly.

Finally someone came out to break the dull atmosphere in the big tent, and said to Abu Alan, "I have something to say to your majesty, but please don't take your anger out on me no matter whether you accept it or not!"

Abu Alan looked at this minister. This person is also an old minister who has followed him for many years. He is known as a man of wisdom. After hearing what he said, he nodded weakly and said, "Just say what you have to say. I won't." It's your fault!"

The minister then cleared his throat and said to him: "Based on my analysis of the current situation, it is now time for our Champo country to make a life-and-death decision. After the last big defeat, we are now stretched out. I am unable to continue the northern expedition, I am afraid that everyone here is very clear about this, and now the skeleton army has suddenly captured Dazhanhaikou, sent warships up the river, firmly controlled the Hoi An River, and blocked our large number of soldiers and horses In Jiangbei, we are in a dilemma. If we let this happen, our Jiangbei soldiers, horses, food and fodder may not last long. Once the Jiangbei soldiers, horses, food and fodder run out, I am afraid that our army stationed in Jiangbei will be completely wiped out. By then We can no longer stop the Annan people from invading our Champa country!" At this point, he paused, secretly observed Abu Alan's face, and then looked at the faces of the ministers around him. As dead ashes, it is obvious that he agrees with his opinion.

So he went on to say: "As far as I can see, we have to withdraw all the Jiangbei army back to the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible to deploy defenses, and stop the war with the Annan people to recuperate. When the time is right, we will consider the northern expropriation and restoration of the old land. Only in this way can we keep this group of elite soldiers and prevent the Annan people from invading the south again. Otherwise, once we lose the Jiangbei army, we will no longer be able to fight the Annan people! At that time, we will open the door to the country and can only let it go. Annan's slaughter, I'm afraid..." He stopped here and continued.

Abu Alan nodded in frustration and said: "You are right, the current situation is indeed like this! Let's talk about how we can now withdraw the Jiangbei army back to the south of the Yangtze River. The pontoon bridge on the An River was burned down by the Skeleton Army, and our connection with the Jiangbei army has been cut off, so it will be easier said than done to withdraw them!"

The minister was waiting for his words, so he coughed twice, and said cautiously: "The minister also knows that the king's hatred for the skeleton army is no less than his hatred for the Annan people. If they hadn't intervened, I'm afraid Annan's army has been completely defeated by us and regained the lost ground! But now we can't look at each other head to tail, all because of this skeleton army!"

"This damned skeleton army, if it weren't for them, how could we have fallen into this situation? I can't wait to eat their meat now!" Abu Alan became furious when he heard the mention of the skeleton army, and cursed angrily.

"Your Majesty, please calm down and listen to the minister!" The minister hurried to comfort him.

Abu Alan suppressed his anger, nodded and signaled him to continue, and the minister continued: "I will risk my life to impeach you, the king. The sending of troops to attack Toulon completely enraged this skeleton army, which led to their revenge on us, and also made them fall to the Annan people, so that they dealt with our Champa country together, which led to today's predicament!"

"Bold! You...you...bold! Did I do something wrong? Toulon was originally occupied by us. Is it wrong for me to send troops to take back the lost land?" Abu Alan was annoyed when he heard his words. Trembling all over, he pointed at him and shouted.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty has said just now that you will not punish me. That's why I dare to speak so bluntly. I'm not trying to blame you, Your Majesty, but to say that your timing is really wrong, and we have greatly underestimated it." This skeleton army is terrible, and this matter is not your fault alone, the king, but all of us are also at fault! The reason why I say this is to tell the king that not only can we not trouble the skeleton army anymore And we need to negotiate a peace with them, in case they continue to send troops to attack our coastal states, and ask them to open the banks of the Hoi An River and release them to our Jiangbei army, otherwise, our country of Champo will be in danger!" the minister said. Stopped Abu Alan who was on the verge of erupting and said.

Abu Alan listened to his words at this time, looked at many people below and nodded slightly, and knew that most of them agreed with him, and wanted to get angry again, but suddenly he didn't have the courage. It is clear that he is indeed to blame for the cause of this matter. He got angry just now because he really couldn't bear face, but seeing so many ministers nodding, he has nothing to do. Even if he feels embarrassing, he can't kill all of them. Minister!So I sighed and stopped entangled in this topic, otherwise the more I said it, the more embarrassing it would be!
"But now with our situation with the Skeleton Army, do you think they will agree?" Abu Alan asked dryly.

"No! They will never agree!" the minister shook his head.

As a result, Abu Alan almost fell off the couch, and a group of ministers around him also fell down on the spot, glaring at the guy who spoke!Talking for a long time is equivalent to not saying anything!Abu Alan felt that he was no longer interested in cursing others!
"You...you...you go down!" Abu Alan waved his hand, and he felt a surge of energy again.

"I still have something to say!" Unexpectedly, this person refused to go down, and then said to Abu Alan.

"If you have anything to say, just say it all at once! Don't you know I'm annoying now?" Abu Alan waved his hand depressed.

"Although it is impossible for them to agree to our request based on the relationship between our country and the Skeleton Army, it is not impossible. Does Your Majesty still remember why the Skeleton Army stopped harassing Annan?" The minister continued.

"Huh? It is said that the king of Annan Li Dynasty and the Skeleton Army reached an agreement, compensated the Skeleton Army with 50 taels of silver, and leased Toulon to them, so the Skeleton Army turned to let the Annan people go. What do you mean? ...? Could it be that we are also...?" Abu Alan replied, and then he suddenly smelled something.

"Exactly! Your Majesty is indeed wise! This is exactly what I mean! The reason why the Skeleton Army and the Annan people ceased fighting is because their demands have been met. They are asking for money rather than anger. It is said that their true identity is a The pirates from the Great Song Dynasty came here to attack the Annan people because the officials of the Annan people in Dazhanhaikou seized their cargo ship, killed their brothers, and arrested their people, so they sent troops They came to take revenge, but what the Annan people and we didn't expect was that this group of pirates would be so fierce and powerful. Seize the opportunity and defeat them in one fell swoop. The crux of the problem lies in these skeleton troops. If they hadn't reached a deal with the Annan people, they would only need to burn Annan's army rations in the Aizhou of the Annan people. , I am afraid that the Annan army has already collapsed, and we have already regained the lost ground. After all, these skeleton troops are looking for a profit!
But now our situation is very close to the predicament of the Annan people, neither can we fight nor defend!Now we can only temporarily bow our heads to them and follow the example of the Annan people and make peace with them. As long as we meet their requirements, we still have a chance to withdraw our army on the north bank, but this matter must be done quickly. If it is too late, I am afraid... ..." He stopped talking at this point, and looked at Abu Alan.

Immediately, Abu Alan felt angry again, and was about to explode, when he suddenly saw his uncle coming out, and saluted him: "Tubkin's words are right, your majesty must think carefully, don't act on your will now." At that time, we had no other better choice. Even if the king wants to fight, I am afraid that we will not be able to mobilize more fleets and sailors to fight the skeleton army now. With the horror of the skeleton army, even if we fight again, we will not be able to fight. It may not be possible to defeat them, and at that time, our army on the north bank has already been wiped out, and what is waiting for us is the revenge of the Annan people! Please think twice before acting!"

Abu Alan immediately felt like a ball that had been pulled out of the valve, and he was discouraged on the spot. After a while, he said: "The skeleton army killed more than [-] soldiers in a row, destroyed hundreds of our warships, and caused us heavy losses. Do we really want to fight?" Do you want to bow down to them and beg them to let us go? Do you want us to compensate them? This is not fair! This is not fair! Wouldn’t I become the laughing stock of the world by doing this?”

His uncle shook his head and said: "There is no absolute fairness in this world. In this world, the strong will always have the final say. There is a saying in the Song Dynasty that a real husband is a man who can bend and stretch, and endures what others cannot bear! Now the situation is changing. Your Majesty, please let go of your preconceived notions, the current plan is to contact the Skeleton Army as soon as possible to see if they have any demands, and satisfying them as soon as possible is the best policy!"

At this time, the opinions of the ministers in the tent were unexpectedly unanimous, and they all knelt down and said to Abu Alan, "Please think twice, Your Majesty!"

Abu Alan really has nothing to say now, all the ministers are asking for this, he himself objected for nothing, besides, the current situation is really forced, if you want face, you may perish the country, face is worthless at this time, so I have no choice face!So he said helplessly: "Then it's up to you, and I'll leave this matter to Tobkin to take care of it. Find out what the Skeleton Army wants as soon as possible!"

"I obey!" Tuobu Jin, who came up with the idea, bowed to accept the order, and then immediately left the king's tent, ordered some attendants outside, not daring to delay for a moment, braved the strong wind and heavy rain, and rushed towards Dazhanhaikou.

After capturing Dazhanhaikou, Xu Yi originally planned to burn it down and return to Toulon Port, but God failed. They had just cleaned up the remaining soldiers and horses on the north bank. Going upstream along the Hoi An River, clearing out those occupied boats on the river, but what he didn't expect was that the tropical ghost weather and storm came just as soon as he said it, and there were huge waves on the sea, which made his plan have to be forced. It has changed, and they can only temporarily lead the fleet to station in Dazhanhaikou to shelter from the wind. If the storm does not stop, they will not be able to return to Toulon Port for the time being.

But it also saves a lot of trouble. At least because of the storm, it is impossible for Zhanren to go into the water and attack here from the other side of the river. He simply took stock of the harvest when he was free. This time they entered Dazhanhaikou After that, quite a lot of Zhan boats were captured. When they went upstream along the Hoi An River to clean up the Zhan boats, they found some Zhan boats that fled to the upper reaches. Many boats didn’t even see people. The occupied people just abandoned it in the middle of the river, let them get a lot of money, dragged it back, and became a trophy. He admired this kind of centipede boat very much. Such boats are more suitable for use in inland rivers than in outer seas. , the speed of the ship is very fast, some are like dragon boats, and the shape is quite good, so he ordered people to collect a lot, and planned to drag it back to the port of Toulon. It would be good to be a traffic boat and patrol boat in the harbor. Just selling it to the Annan people can make a lot of money, so Xu Yi started to think about it again.

This storm lasted for five days, making them unable to do anything here, and they felt a little bored, so a group of people started to get together again to play poker, which was already their reserved item. The more they played, the more addicted they became. Anyway, they were too busy during this time, and they didn't have time to take a break. Finally, they caught this opportunity, so they relaxed a lot.

"My lord! The brothers patrolling the river came to report that a group of occupants came from the other side of the river and asked to see you, my lord. Shall we take them over?" Cui Yan came in from the outside and said to Xu Yi.

"Huh? Why did Zhanren come to me?" Xu Yi really didn't understand it.

(From this chapter to 460 have been revised, sorry sorry!

(End of this chapter)