The generals looked expectantly, Li Quan let out a long sigh and spoke with a wry smile.
"Brothers, thank you for looking up to me. My incompetence as the eldest brother has made my brothers' lives uncertain. Brother, I don't want you to die in Qingzhou City, I don't want you to!"
"Enfu, whatever you say, brothers will listen to you!"
Generals Zheng Yande and Liu Weicheng looked at each other, and Zheng Yande immediately said loudly.
"Listen to me? What skills do I have to make my brothers prosperous and wealthy?"
Li Quan gave a bitter smile, stood up suddenly, walked over quickly, took off the long sword from the wall, pulled out the sword, and shouted, pretending to kill himself.
"My mother and my eldest brother were both killed by the Tatar army. The Tatars and I are at odds with each other! Brothers, just let me commit suicide. With my head in hand, you can find a way out for the brothers in the city!"
The sadness is real, but the sword is more fancy than practical. Putting it on the neck and pulling hard, it only scratched the skin without cutting the wound.
"En Fu, please don't!"
"Enfu, you can't do this! Brothers are counting on you!"
All the generals were shocked and quickly stepped forward to hug Li Quan and snatched the sword tightly from his hand.
The reason why the Mongolian army surrounded Qingzhou City was firstly because they did not want to increase casualties, and secondly because they were following Li Quan, the leader of the Shandong Rebel Army who had great appeal. If Li Quan disappears, the value of these people will be greatly reduced.
"You bastard! Why are you stopping me? Give me the sword quickly and let me kill myself!"
Li Quan shouted angrily and wanted to take back the sword, but was hugged tightly by the generals.
"Enfu, don't commit suicide! The six or seven thousand brothers in the city are all relying on you!"
Tian Shirong knelt on the ground, hugged Li Quan's arm, and persuaded him hard.
"Enfu, for the sake of my sister-in-law and nephews in Chuzhou, you can't be confused!"
Zheng Yande also hugged Li Quan and shouted to dissuade him.
The sword was thrown to the ground with a clang, and several generals hugged Li Quan and sat him down on a chair.
"En Mansion, good birds choose trees to roost in, and gentlemen do not stand under dangerous walls. Surrender! You have to think about the six or seven thousand brothers in the city!"
General Liu Weicheng knelt on the ground, cupping his fists to persuade him.
"Brother Liu, brothers, you are forcing me to surrender to the Tatars and consider thieves as my father!"
Li Quan looked at the generals with shock and pain on his face, and then shook his head vigorously.
"No! The Tatars and I have a blood feud. If I do this, won't I make everyone in the world laugh at me? I..."
Li Quan said hesitantly, seeming to have regained some composure.
"Enfu, for the sake of the lives of the six or seven thousand brothers in the city, you must bear the humiliation and surrender!"
Zheng Yande also knelt down, cupped his fists and kowtowed, making a "bang bang" sound.
"En Mansion, a man can bend and stretch, but when you are under the eaves, you have to bow your head. Just surrender!"
Liu Weicheng, the general, knelt down and became impassioned.
"Tian Shirong, what do you think we should do?"
Li Quan looked at the stunned general Tian Shirong standing beside him, and seemed to regain his composure instantly.
"En Mansion, I, Tian Shirong, will only follow your lead! I will go through fire and water, even to the death!"
Tian Shirong knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and spoke impassionedly.
All the generals in the hall wanted to surrender. If he persisted, he would cut off everyone's escape route and they might not leave the hall alive.
Judging from Li Quan's intention, it seems that he wants to surrender. Since the Lord is about to surrender, he, as a general, has nothing to hold on to.
"Good brother! For the sake of the brothers in the city, and for the glory and wealth of all the soldiers, I have no choice but to surrender to the Tatar Kaicheng. One day, when the opportunity is ripe, I will lead my brothers to rebel against him!"
Li Quan's eyes suddenly became cold and stern, and he made a decisive decision.
"I will obey the military orders of Enfu!"
All the generals knelt down together, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"En Mansion, Qingzhou has surrendered to the Tatars. It's best not to leak the matter. Otherwise, once the news reaches the Song Dynasty and En Tang, life will be difficult."
Zheng Yande said loudly, frowning.
"Good brother, even if we want to surrender to the Tatars quietly, will they be willing? The reason they keep us is not because they want the rebels in Shandong to submit to the rule of the Great Mongolia."
Li Quan, who was calm and composed, shook his head, his face full of helplessness.
If it weren't for him, the leader of the Shandong Rebel Army, would the Mongolian army be so polite and not attack?
As for the remaining troops in Chuzhou, we can only send people to inform them early in the hope that they will not mess up their position.
"Bring me the sword. I want to keep it, make a comeback, lead my brothers to make great achievements, and strive for a better future!"
Li Quan pointed to the sword on the ground, his fighting spirit restored.
A real man can bend and stretch, but he must never be powerless. Once you lose power, you can only be at the mercy of others.
Li Quan, a powerful man, would naturally not make such a choice.
The next morning, the four gates of Qingzhou City, which had been closed for several months, were opened. Outside the east city gate, more than a dozen shirtless Zhongyi Army generals, carrying thorn sticks on their backs, knelt on the ground. Behind them, there was a place full of Zhongyi Army soldiers. .
Outside the moat, countless Mongolian infantry and cavalry were all over the mountains and plains, waiting for the return of the Qingzhou defenders.
"General, raising tigers is a danger. Li Quan is desperate and has come to surrender, but he is not convinced. Do you want to take the opportunity to kill these capricious bandits, once and for all?"
Chen Shike, a Han counselor, looked at the crowd of Qingzhou surrender troops kneeling outside the city gate, and whispered in the ear of the Mongolian army general Bolu.
"It's easy to kill him, so what's the benefit? Li Quan is somewhat famous in Shandong, and the various forces in Shandong still need them to appease him."
Bolu shook his head and watched the suspension bridge slowly lowering. He rode his horse forward, followed by the Mongolian cavalry like a dragon, crossing the moat.
Boru, the son of the famous Mongolian general Muhuali, knew various languages, was good at riding and shooting, and had made many military exploits. His father Muhuali died of illness, and he conquered the Central Plains on his father's behalf.
After getting off his horse, surrounded by a group of Mongolian generals, Bolu quickly stepped forward and held Li Quan's arms.
"You don't have to be like this, General! Get up!"
"The guilty general Li Quan has come all the way to surrender. Please ask the general to take him in!"
Li Quan ignored Bolu's persuasion and kowtowed three times before getting up respectfully.
"Brothers from the Zhongyi Army, please get up. From now on, we will be our own!"
Bolu grabbed Li Quan's arm, raised his voice and shouted to the Zhongyi Army soldiers who were kneeling on the ground:
"I, Polo, have heard of the reputation of General Li a long time ago. You are the warriors of my Great Mongolia who have surrendered to me, Great Mongol. I, Polo, will not treat you badly! I will report it to the Great Khan and let my brothers be safe. Serve our great Mongolian country with peace of mind!"
"Thank you, General! We will definitely live up to the General's expectations and are willing to do your best!"
"I'm willing to do the hard work of dogs and horses!"
Li Quan spoke first, and the whole army swore in unison.
"General, please mount your horse and enter the city!"
Li Quan went there in person and led Polo's horse.
"Then there's General Lao!"
Bolu signaled his soldiers to retreat, and Li Quan squatted down. Bolu stepped on Li Quan's shoulders and mounted his horse. Li Quan personally led the horse and walked into the city.
"You're welcome, General. It's an honor for me!"
Li Quan led the horse, and all the troops swarmed into the city, and the banner of the Mongolian army was erected on the top of the city.
It was still light in the night. In Qingzhou Prefecture, Li Quan, the leader of the Mongolian army, had a night banquet and surrendered his troops. Boru was the leader, Li Quan and his subordinates accompanied him. Boru comforted him with gentle words, Li Quan was respectful and respectful, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.
In the middle of drinking, the soldiers reported that Yang Miaozhen and Li Quan's eldest son Li Fen came in, and Li Quan, who was drunk and had a fever in his ears, was stunned.
"Mother, son-in-law, why are you here in Qingzhou?"
"Dad, second uncle and younger brother were all killed by the rebels!"
Li Quan was stunned, the family of three hugged each other and cried, and the viewers felt pity.
"General, please let the villain send his troops south to attack the Song Dynasty and avenge his family's blood!"
Li Quan prostrated himself, cried bitterly, and strongly complained to Bolu about the disaster of destroying his family. He was willing to take Shandong as a hostage, and asked him to be allowed to lead his army back south to avenge the destruction of his family.
"General, my condolences. It won't be too late until I report to the Great Khan and give the general the power to lead troops, and then send his troops south!"
Bolu felt relieved. For the time being, Li Quan can feel free to use the revenge of killing his wife and son.
In the spring of the third year of Xingqing, the Mongolian army chief Bolu came to the Mongolian army camp located in Liupan Mountain for summer vacation. Genghis Khan ordered Bolu to deal with Li Quan easily, and granted Li Quan the title of Chuzhou Province in Huainan, Shandong. Li Quan's generals Zheng Yande and Tian Shirong were appointed as the commander-in-chief. The deputy general, various rebels and government troops in Shandong surrendered after hearing the news. Dading, Shandong, and various places came under the rule of the Mongolian army one after another.
Li Quan led his army back to Chuzhou, and his old general Guo'an killed Zhang Lin and Xing De to atone for Li Quan's sins and returned to Li Quan's command. Li Quan reoccupied Chuzhou and recruited and trained troops, not limited to people from the north and south. He also made great efforts to control the boats, and confronted the Song army from the Huai River and the East China Sea, and regained his momentum.
Li Quan's break with Song Ting also meant that Song Ting's decision to recruit the Shandong Zhongyi Army was a complete failure.
For the first time, Song Ting and the Shandong Zhongyi Army stepped onto the stage of fighting to the death.
