Zhou postérieurs
In summer 956, however, with his forces bogged down and running into food supply issues, and counterattacks by the Southern Tang general Zhu Yuan successful in capturing some of the prefectures that Later Zhou had previously captured, Emperor Shizong changed his strategy of capturing as much territory as possible, and withdrew most of the Later Zhou forces, concentrating instead on capturing the besieged Shou Prefecture. As Later Zhou forces were withdrawing, many Southern Tang officials were advocating attacking them as they were retreating. Song, however, argued that doing so would create enmity between the two states, and instead advocated letting them leave without trouble. This, however, made the Shou Prefecture garrison's position even more desperate. By 957, Zhu, who had disagreements with Chen before, was convinced that Chen was going to have him killed, and therefore surrendered to Later Zhou. In the aftermath, the relief forces commanded by Li Jingda and Chen sent to try to lift the siege on Shou were crushed by Later Zhou, and Shou subsequently fell. Later Zhou forces then used the momentum to capture nearly all of Southern Tang's territory north of the Yangtze. By spring 958, Emperor Shizong himself was approaching the Yangtze, forcing Emperor Yuanzong to sue for peace — including formally submitting as a Later Zhou vassal, referring to himself as the King of Tang rather than emperor in correspondences with Later Zhou (although he still referred to himself as emperor internally), and ceding the four prefectures that Southern Tang forces still held north of the Yangtze to Later Zhou.