The news spread quickly in the shortest time possible.
During this period, Liu Chu's luck took a turn for the worse, and he faced extraordinary treatment.
Wherever he went, there were people glaring at him, seeing him as a traitor and a sinner.
Even his former friends dared not associate with him openly.
What else could Liu Chu say?
He could only force a bitter smile.
He had become a typical scapegoat.
Actually, there were many smart people around who naturally understood what was going on.
But even if they knew, what could they do?
Would they dare to confront Chen An?
In these two years, Chen An had not been idle.
While holding his ground, he was also cultivating the land and reorganizing internal affairs. In these two years, countless unruly generals and colonels had been killed.
Even if they were not killed, they were all demoted to farming at the back.
At the beginning, there were some who dared to dissent. They sought help from various connections, petitioning the emperor to punish Chen An.
According to most people's beliefs, privately cutting down military generals, and arranging close associates to take their place is clearly interfering with military power, which is a taboo. If the emperor were to find out, he would surely punish you.
Even if not punished, at the very least, he would remove you and replace you with another commander. That would be quite reasonable, right?
However, that did not happen.
Regardless of how extreme Chen An's actions were, it seemed like the capital of Shengjing had turned a blind eye to everything. At most, there were occasional envoys who came to gently push for progress.
And then?
Nothing.
In such circumstances, who would dare to disobey the commander's orders?
They didn't even dare to advise against it.
Liu Chu dared to advise Chen An because their relationship was extraordinary, so he could speak up a little.
But for others who were not related, would they dare to provoke Chen An? Who knows if their heads would roll the next day?
In such a situation, even though they knew Liu Chu was just a scapegoat, they could only direct their anger towards him.
"When will this end?"
Generals and colonels everywhere sighed in frustration. Each of them seemed eager to charge out and fight the Song people.
But soon, that sound of frustration completely disappeared.
Because Chen An appeared.
Chen An was dressed in ordinary clothing, with a kind and gentle appearance, as he began to inspect various locations.
His appearance was very affable, but it was only superficial.
Outside the camp, rows of heads were hanging there.
And so, everyone fell silent.
Chen An continued to focus on defense, practicing internal skills diligently.
He seemed completely unhurried.
But even though he was not in a rush, there were plenty of people who were anxious on his behalf.
In a distant location, within the Mingzhou County.
In a spacious camp, a young man was seated there, discussing with an elder.
If Chen An were here, he would definitely recognize the faces of these two individuals.
One was the Thai King, and the other was Liu Sheng, who had previously visited Dahua.
In the room, the two of them were discussing, but they did not seem very pleased, as their expressions were filled with worry.
"The king has sent people again to urge us to advance."
Liu Sheng sighed and said, "There have been major disasters in the country this year, with reports of calamities in many places. The food crops are failing, and it's becoming difficult to sustain our forces."
"I heard that some ministers have already proposed withdrawing the troops and halting the northern expedition, but for now, the king has temporarily suppressed it."
"The rumors from the king's court are also worrisome."
The Thai King had a conflicted expression, just as full of helplessness, "They are asking when I will launch."
"The Duke of Chen is too strict in military affairs. If they do not act soon, they may miss their chance."
"Ah."
The two men glanced at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Two years of stalemate had been tough, not only for Chen An but also for them.
Thinking back to two years ago when they had just launched the attack, they were full of vigor and spirit.
The Song Dynasty sent out three hundred thousand troops, all of them well-trained elite soldiers with extraordinary combat capabilities.
And the Thai King himself was a prince of Dahua, with great righteousness and all sorts of connections.
At the beginning, everything went smoothly. Wherever the army went, the local forces surrendered without resistance.
The Thai King even personally persuaded many generals from Dahua to surrender, so within a short period, everything went smoothly.
The great families of Dahua welcomed them warmly, celebrating the arrival of the king's forces.
Under the administration of Cheng Zheng, these families had been somewhat suppressed and were not well-received. In the past, it was bearable, but under Cheng Zheng's rule, many of their privileges were revoked, and their interests were suppressed, causing discontent among them.
On one hand, they were already dissatisfied, and on the other hand, the Thai King was actively winning them over.
So in the early stages, there was a considerable number of people leaning towards them, actively seeking to join their ranks.
At that time, everything went smoothly.
So much so that Cheng Ming and Liu Sheng were particularly optimistic, believing that they could achieve their goals within a year and a half.
Especially after the Northern State of Lu officially attacked, the situation seemed even more favorable.
It could be boldly stated that before Chen An arrived, everything went very smoothly for them.
But when Chen An arrived, everything changed.
When Chen An first arrived, they did not take him seriously.
After all, he was just a young boy who knew nothing about leading troops into battle.
The Thai King already had significant influence in the south, with many followers who could easily influence many generals within Dahua.
Furthermore, even though the soldiers of the Song Dynasty were elite, they also enjoyed the support of local families and clans, so they had nothing to fear in a 30,000 vs 40,000 battle.
At that time, they were even looking forward to it, having already contacted many individuals, waiting for the right moment to betray Chen An.
But then nothing happened.
Two years had passed, and those they had contacted had not yet had the chance to betray Chen An.
Because Chen An never came out.
He was like a turtle hiding in his shell, ignoring everything outside.
No matter what tricks they tried, nothing worked. They were stuck.
They tried all their best plans, but nothing worked. The problem was that Chen An not only had stronger forces, but he was also overly cautious.
Relying on Chen An's mistakes seemed almost impossible.
The situation before them was severe.
If they continued down this path, they would inevitably be defeated sooner or later.
They had to think of another way.
Indeed.
But what other options were there?
They had already tried all the main ideas, but none had any effect.
Chen An not only had a stronger hand, but he was also excessively cautious.
Relying on him to make a mistake was nearly impossible.
As the time passed, the bad news kept piling up.
"Mr. Liu, there's no need to be too worried."
The Thai King forced a smile and reassured him, "There are also good news."
"According to the spies, in the past six months, that Chen Chang'an has been causing trouble in Meizhou, reportedly killing many local landlords, and already has a bad reputation."
"Why do I feel like this is bad news?"
Liu Sheng looked at the Thai King helplessly, "Those Meizhou families originally had good feelings towards Your Highness, but now they have all been killed by this Fang Chengou. How is this good news for us?"
"This is a huge piece of bad news."
Hearing this, the Thai King was stunned for a moment, then realized, showing a wry smile on his face.
He had been slow to understand.
Massacring local landlords was normally good news.
After all, the worse Chen An's reputation, the more unhappy locals would be, increasing the likelihood of some wanting to join them.
But the problem was that Chen An had been too thorough.
He didn't kill just a portion of the locals; he killed all of them.
Most people were killed, and others, even though still alive, had their properties confiscated and were relocated, as good as being wiped out.
At this point, even if they were unhappy, they had no means to resist.
By killing everyone, Chen An ensured there was no one left to threaten him.
"Not only that."
Liu Sheng continued with a bitter smile, "These families are gone, but their properties are all still there and have been distributed to the generals and soldiers under Chen Gong."
"So, even though he has lost the loyalty of the noble families, he now has the support of the generals."
After all, why do soldiers fight?
Isn't it for the benefits?
Common soldiers only wanted land and property, while the generals, in addition to those, sought martial arts secrets and pathways to advancement.
And Chen An could fulfill all these desires.
To be blunt, even those who wanted to join the Thai King only did so out of ambition.
If the Thai King were to become the emperor, they would be favored courtiers and receive many benefits they couldn't get otherwise.
But if they could get those benefits without joining the Thai King, what motivation would they have to join him?
The realization made the Thai King let out a long sigh.
"It's really tough."
He sighed, then said, "If we continue like this, we will surely be defeated sooner or later."
"We must think of another way."
"Yes."
Liu Sheng nodded, agreeing with the Thai King, "But how easy is that?"
Every idea they had tried had failed, and they were at a loss.
Their enemy, Chen An, not only had a stronger force, but he was also too cautious throughout.
Hoping for him to make a mistake was next to impossible.
Moreover, the situation before them was dire.
In harsh tones, if they kept going like this, they might not even need the enemy to do anything more. Simply wearing them down in place could eventually lead to their own demise.
"Shall we try to sow discord?"
The Thai King pondered for a moment, then seemed to have an idea, with a smile spreading across his face as if he knew what to do.
Liu Sheng's eyes sparkled instantly.
The news spread quickly in the shortest time possible.
During this period, Liu Chu's luck took a turn for the worse, and he faced extraordinary treatment.
Wherever he went, there were people glaring at him, seeing him as a traitor and a sinner.
Even his former friends dared not associate with him openly.
What else could Liu Chu say?
He could only force a bitter smile.
He had become a typical scapegoat.
Actually, there were many smart people around who naturally understood what was going on.
But even if they knew, what could they do?
Would they dare to confront Chen An?
In these two years, Chen An had not been idle.
While holding his ground, he was also cultivating the land and reorganizing internal affairs. In these two years, countless unruly generals and colonels had been killed.
Even if they were not killed, they were all demoted to farming at the back.
At the beginning, there were some who dared to dissent. They sought help from various connections, petitioning the emperor to punish Chen An.
According to most people's beliefs, privately cutting down military generals, and arranging close associates to take their place is clearly interfering with military power, which is a taboo. If the emperor were to find out, he would surely punish you.
Even if not punished, at the very least, he would remove you and replace you with another commander. That would be quite reasonable, right?
However, that did not happen.
Regardless of how extreme Chen An's actions were, it seemed like the capital of Shengjing had turned a blind eye to everything. At most, there were occasional envoys who came to gently push for progress.
And then?
Nothing.
In such circumstances, who would dare to disobey the commander's orders?
They didn't even dare to advise against it.
Liu Chu dared to advise Chen An because their relationship was extraordinary, so he could speak up a little.
But for others who were not related, would they dare to provoke Chen An? Who knows if their heads would roll the next day?
In such a situation, even though they knew Liu Chu was just a scapegoat, they could only direct their anger towards him.
"When will this end?"
Generals and colonels everywhere sighed in frustration. Each of them seemed eager to charge out and fight the Song people.
But soon, that sound of frustration completely disappeared.
Because Chen An appeared.
Chen An was dressed in ordinary clothing, with a kind and gentle appearance, as he began to inspect various locations.
His appearance was very affable, but it was only superficial.
Outside the camp, rows of heads were hanging there.
And so, everyone fell silent.
Chen An continued to focus on defense, practicing internal skills diligently.
He seemed completely unhurried.
But even though he was not in a rush, there were plenty of people who were anxious on his behalf.
In a distant location, within the Mingzhou County.
In a spacious camp, a young man was seated there, discussing with an elder.
If Chen An were here, he would definitely recognize the faces of these two individuals.
One was the Thai King, and the other was Liu Sheng, who had previously visited Dahua.
In the room, the two of them were discussing, but they did not seem very pleased, as their expressions were filled with worry.
"The king has sent people again to urge us to advance."
Liu Sheng sighed and said, "There have been major disasters in the country this year, with reports of calamities in many places. The food crops are failing, and it's becoming difficult to sustain our forces."
"I heard that some ministers have already proposed withdrawing the troops and halting the northern expedition, but for now, the king has temporarily suppressed it."
"The rumors from the king's court are also worrisome."
The Thai King had a conflicted expression, just as full of helplessness, "They are asking when I will launch."
"The Duke of Chen is too strict in military affairs. If they do not act soon, they may miss their chance."
"Ah."
The two men glanced at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Two years of stalemate had been tough, not only for Chen An but also for them.
Thinking back to two years ago when they had just launched the attack, they were full of vigor and spirit.
The Song Dynasty sent out three hundred thousand troops, all of them well-trained elite soldiers with extraordinary combat capabilities.
And the Thai King himself was a prince of Dahua, with great righteousness and all sorts of connections.
At the beginning, everything went smoothly. Wherever the army went, the local forces surrendered without resistance.
The Thai King even personally persuaded many generals from Dahua to surrender, so within a short period, everything went smoothly.
The great families of Dahua welcomed them warmly, celebrating the arrival of the king's forces.
Under the administration of Cheng Zheng, these families had been somewhat suppressed and were not well-received. In the past, it was bearable, but under Cheng Zheng's rule, many of their privileges were revoked, and their interests were suppressed, causing discontent among them.
On one hand, they were already dissatisfied, and on the other hand, the Thai King was actively winning them over.
So in the early stages, there was a considerable number of people leaning towards them, actively seeking to join their ranks.
At that time, everything went smoothly.
So much so that Cheng Ming and Liu Sheng were particularly optimistic, believing that they could achieve their goals within a year and a half.
Especially after the Northern State of Lu officially attacked, the situation seemed even more favorable.
It could be boldly stated that before Chen An arrived, everything went very smoothly for them.
But when Chen An arrived, everything changed.
When Chen An first arrived, they did not take him seriously.
After all, he was just a young boy who knew nothing about leading troops into battle.
The Thai King already had significant influence in the south, with many followers who could easily influence many generals within Dahua.
Furthermore, even though the soldiers of the Song Dynasty were elite, they also enjoyed the support of local families and clans, so they had nothing to fear in a 30,000 vs 40,000 battle.
At that time, they were even looking forward to it, having already contacted many individuals, waiting for the right moment to betray Chen An.
But then nothing happened.
Two years had passed, and those they had contacted had not yet had the chance to betray Chen An.
Because Chen An never came out.
He was like a turtle hiding in his shell, ignoring everything outside.
No matter what tricks they tried, nothing worked. They were stuck.
They tried all their best plans, but nothing worked. The problem was that Chen An not only had stronger forces, but he was also overly cautious.
Relying on Chen An's mistakes seemed almost impossible.
The situation before them was severe.
If they continued down this path, they would inevitably be defeated sooner or later.
They had to think of another way.
Indeed.
But what other options were there?
They had already tried all the main ideas, but none had any effect.
Chen An not only had a stronger hand, but he was also excessively cautious.
Relying on him to make a mistake was nearly impossible.
As the time passed, the bad news kept piling up.
"Mr. Liu, there's no need to be too worried."
The Thai King forced a smile and reassured him, "There are also good news."
"According to the spies, in the past six months, that Chen Chang'an has been causing trouble in Meizhou, reportedly killing many local landlords, and already has a bad reputation."
"Why do I feel like this is bad news?"
Liu Sheng looked at the Thai King helplessly, "Those Meizhou families originally had good feelings towards Your Highness, but now they have all been killed by this Fang Chengou. How is this good news for us?"
"This is a huge piece of bad news."
Hearing this, the Thai King was stunned for a moment, then realized, showing a wry smile on his face.
He had been slow to understand.
Massacring local landlords was normally good news.
After all, the worse Chen An's reputation, the more unhappy locals would be, increasing the likelihood of some wanting to join them.
But the problem was that Chen An had been too thorough.
He didn't kill just a portion of the locals; he killed all of them.
Most people were killed, and others, even though still alive, had their properties confiscated and were relocated, as good as being wiped out.
At this point, even if they were unhappy, they had no means to resist.
By killing everyone, Chen An ensured there was no one left to threaten him.
"Not only that."
Liu Sheng continued with a bitter smile, "These families are gone, but their properties are all still there and have been distributed to the generals and soldiers under Chen Gong."
"So, even though he has lost the loyalty of the noble families, he now has the support of the generals."
After all, why do soldiers fight?
Isn't it for the benefits?
Common soldiers only wanted land and property, while the generals, in addition to those, sought martial arts secrets and pathways to advancement.
And Chen An could fulfill all these desires.
To be blunt, even those who wanted to join the Thai King only did so out of ambition.
If the Thai King were to become the emperor, they would be favored courtiers and receive many benefits they couldn't get otherwise.
But if they could get those benefits without joining the Thai King, what motivation would they have to join him?
The realization made the Thai King let out a long sigh.
"It's really tough."
He sighed, then said, "If we continue like this, we will surely be defeated sooner or later."
"We must think of another way."
"Yes."
Liu Sheng nodded, agreeing with the Thai King, "But how easy is that?"
Every idea they had tried had failed, and they were at a loss.
Their enemy, Chen An, not only had a stronger force, but he was also too cautious throughout.
Hoping for him to make a mistake was next to impossible.
Moreover, the situation before them was dire.
In harsh tones, if they kept going like this, they might not even need the enemy to do anything more. Simply wearing them down in place could eventually lead to their own demise.
"Shall we try to sow discord?"
The Thai King pondered for a moment, then seemed to have an idea, with a smile spreading across his face as if he knew what to do.
Liu Sheng's eyes sparkled instantly.
