In mid-April of the fifth year of Jianxing, Chen Hengchang took Jiangnan in less than two months.
The speed of it exceeded everyone's expectations, and it was also something no one had thought of.
Jiangnan was Da Rong's richest region, and also the place in Jiangnan with the most martial artists.
Yet Chen Hengchang took it so easily.
He truly took it, not conquered it by force.
Almost no battles occurred throughout the entire process. Wherever the rebel army passed, neither the government offices nor the powerful clans made any move to resist.
And when the rebel army entered the cities, they maintained an attitude of not taking so much as a needle or thread from the people, as if they were the government troops and not rebels.
No, that was not right. Even government troops would stir up trouble after entering a city, but they caused no disturbance at all.
While Chen Hengchang took Jiangnan, Prince of Great Liang was not idle either, swallowing up all of Longnan one county and one prefecture at a time.
Not only that, Prince of Great Liang's power was also expanding rapidly in Shanhe Province.
If Chen Hengchang relied on his status as a member of the imperial clan, then Prince of Great Liang relied on his reputation as a rebel.
As Prince of Great Liang's power continued to grow, many bandits who had originally been roaming through Shanhe Province came one after another to seek refuge with him.
In just two short months, eight bands of bandits sought refuge with Prince of Great Liang, bringing along two prefecture cities and more than a dozen county towns.
And as time passed, Prince of Great Liang's forces became more and more numerous. In name, Prince of Great Liang's rebel army had already reached five