Volume 1 Chapter 21: The government finally got it!
"We really have to ask a warrior about national affairs..."
"Even if the war is critical and we have to ask the generals on the front line, why not let Han Shizhong come to the Political Affairs Hall and ask him openly in front of the prime ministers of the East and West Ministries, the scholars and censors, and the heads of the six ministries?"
"This Han Shizhong is unreliable! You may not know that his nickname is Po Han Wu. Apart from his first wife who has passed away, his current wife and concubine are both prostitutes... He is almost forty years old and doesn't even have a son. He can only take his wife to the army day and night to have a child..."
"Why talk about his personal morality? Han Shizhong is unreliable and untrustworthy. It's not about his personal morality. What kind of personal morality does a warrior need? The key is that incident at the beginning of the month... If the emperor hadn't been so wise and brave, and had used both kindness and power to personally intimidate Han Shizhong, I'm afraid we would have died in Shuizibu Town... In my opinion, Han Shizhong may not be as reliable as Liu Yu!"
"Don't say anything... The key point at this moment is what to do next. What's the point of saying all this?"
"Don't we know this truth? Isn't it because the emperor didn't listen to us and listened to a warrior that things have come to this? Don't you know how much the emperor favors this guy? He even tied the jade belt of the emperor himself, but the emperor only came back wearing a cowhide belt. How can this be? Not to mention the words of the prince!"
"It's fine to make him a prince, there are precedents in our dynasty. If Han Shizhong can really stop 200,000 Jin cavalry for the emperor in the Central Plains, he would be the reincarnation of Guo Ziyi. What's wrong with giving him the title of a prince? I'm afraid that the emperor is young and warlike, and he will be bewitched by Han Shizhong and actually plan to stay in the Central Plains to fight against the Jin. The Song Dynasty will really..."
"Be careful with your words!"
"You and I came from Tokyo. What have we experienced in the past two years? Is there anything to hide? If you ask me, it's destiny... What is the real Huaixi bandit Ding Jin? If he had come out two months earlier, the rebellion would have been quelled long ago; if he had come out two months later, he might have been able to delay the Jin army. How come it just happened that he became so powerful just when Li Xianggong started to make up his mind to go to Nanyang? First, he delayed Li Xianggong's way here, and now he delayed our way back!"
“…”
In the lobby of Shunchang Prefecture's government office, a group of important officials of the Song Dynasty, who had slightly restored the rituals, were talking in a flurry, anxiously and angry. It seemed that they had different opinions and positions, but in fact they could relate to me - it was obvious that all factions, whether they were pro-war or pro-peace, old and new, or from Yangzhou and Nanyang, had reached a consensus at this time, that is, they could not delay any longer, and they had to mobilize the officials to go to a safe place first!
Otherwise, once the Jin army broke through Liu Guangshi's defense line on the east and west roads of Beijing, they could really launch a surprise attack on Shunchang Prefecture with 500 soldiers in three days. Then the best outcome for the emperor at that time would be to learn from Han Zhaolie's defeat in Dangyang.
So what about the civil and military officials at that time?
"The emperor is back!" Lan Gui, the chief escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, hurriedly ran in from outside to tell the news.
"Silence!" Shang Shu You Cheng Lü Haowen, who had been keeping silent, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted. "Where is the Imperial Censor in the Palace? Get ready to correct the court rules!"
There is no need to correct the court rules. Upon hearing that the emperor has returned, all the ministers in the palace have already kept quiet and held their breath, waiting for the emperor to go to the "palace", and then they will risk their lives to make a remonstrance!
And a moment later, as Yang Yi Zhong led the imperial guards to stop in front of the hall door, Emperor Zhao, who had been away for a long time, finally came in from outside, and sat directly in the hall. The important ministers in the hall also came out one after another, led by Lu Haowen and Wang Boyan, and bowed their heads to pay their respects. After the emperor and his ministers finished the ceremony and faced each other, the ministers discovered that Emperor Zhao, who had just had a lively expression for a few days, had turned into the wooden sculpture of emperor again.
I don’t know whether it is a blessing or a curse?
Moreover, facing this expressionless official, one inexplicably misses the rough and warrior-like Li Xianggong... After all , Li Xianggong is a minister, right? And a minister who can suppress the official!
But no matter what, at this point, the safety of the Song Dynasty is hanging by a thread, and we can no longer hold back.
"His Majesty!"
After a strange silence, just as Lü Haowen, as the deputy minister of the East Palace, was about to preside over the meeting to explain the situation and present the opinions of all officials at this critical moment, the Imperial Censor Zhao Ding stepped out first and spoke with a serious face, and got straight to the point. "The situation is already very urgent. I request Your Majesty to visit Huaidian and temporarily transfer to Yangzhou!"
Seeing this, Lu Haowen immediately swallowed back what he was about to say... He was not the kind of person who sought power, and although Zhao Ding's statement to consolidate his favor was a bit hasty, it was ultimately the same as everyone else's intention.
Zhao Jiu sighed slightly when he heard this: "I remember Zhao Qing always said that we couldn't make peace with the Jin people and that we had to recover our lost territory..."
"Good instructor, you know my feelings. I said the same thing today." Zhao Ding's words became more and more earnest, even a little out of control. "I am from Hedong. When the Jin people arrived, my whole family was displaced. My old wife and children went from Hedong to Tokyo, and then followed me out of Tokyo and wandered here. I have never forgotten my hometown of Hedong, and my determination to resist the Jin has never wavered! But Your Majesty, to resist the Jin, you must first have the power to resist the Jin, and have the foundation to resist the Jin... I have the honor of accompanying Your Majesty these days, and I know that Your Majesty is worried about the people in the Central Plains, afraid that they will end up like the people in Hebei, and even more worried that if you retreat this time, you will lose the hearts of the people in Hebei and the Central Plains..."
"Isn't that so?" Zhao Jiu said in a flat tone.
"That's right." Zhao Ding responded immediately. "But if your majesty and the emperor make a mistake, and the world returns to the situation of the Five Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty, then I dare to ask your majesty, who can organize Jiangnan, Bashu, Jingxiang, and half of Guanzhong to deal with the 200,000 cavalry of the Jin people? Besides, the country has fallen to this point, the two rivers have fallen, and the Central Plains has no soldiers. Is it your majesty's fault?"
Zhao Jiu was slightly moved.
"His Majesty!"
Unexpectedly, just as Zhao Ding finished speaking, Wang Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the imperial camp who had been excluded from the core circle for several months and was theoretically the head of the military officials in the hall, suddenly stepped out and burst into tears on the spot. "I have received great favor from your majesty. From a military man to this position, I always remember your majesty's grace. Today, I risk my life to make a suggestion. Your majesty, please do not be lucky at this time! You must know that our army has been defeated in battles since the Jingkang period, and there are almost no troops available. At this time, it is just like a piece of rotten wood, and the Jin army is full of vigor and has just left Hebei. At this time, it is like an arrow shot from a bow... If you force yourself to meet it, you will only be pierced! But if you can retreat to the southeast and set up layers of defense, then the rotten wood can also resist the long arrows. When you are prepared in the future, you can turn around and meet it! By then, it will not be a lie to restore the Central Plains and even Hebei!"
Zhao Jiu stared at the other person for a while without saying a word, but suddenly looked up and glanced at the other civil and military officials in the hall.
Seeing the emperor in such a state, how could the important officials who were used to the court not know? This meant that the emperor was not going to wait for these people to come out one by one, but wanted everyone to express their opinions directly.
So, starting from the Right Prime Minister of the Eastern Palace Lü Haowen, the Co-Director of the Privy Council Wang Boyan, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Wang Yuan, they all immediately lined up according to their ranks. Even the young Chief Censor Zhang Jun, after a slight hesitation, carefully lowered his head and stepped out.
Now, the other ministers no longer hesitated, and under the leadership of Yuwen Xuzhong, the most senior minister of the Zizheng Palace, they all stepped out.
Then, Lu Haowen bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, just as Censor Zhao said, things have come to a point where they are divided up. Your Majesty must not hesitate any longer. You should take shelter for a while so that you can plan for the overall situation in the future... As for whether to go to Nanyang or Xiangyang after going to Yangzhou, we can discuss it later. I just hope that Your Majesty will make up his mind!"
"Your Majesty, please make up your mind!" After Lu Hao asked, Wang Boyan immediately gritted his teeth and followed.
"Your Majesty, please make up your mind!" After Wang Boyan, all the important officials in the hall followed his words.
"I understand your intentions." Zhao Jiu said with a straight face. "But I still have a question... Has Li Xianggong said anything? Although he is ill, he is still the prime minister, and he has not lost his mind. Have you asked him about this important matter?"
"I have just asked you this." Lu Haowen was prepared. "Li Xianggong said that if he could take office, he would have the leadership and insights. But now that he is bedridden and unable to get up, and your Majesty is brave and has the spirit to pacify the troubled times, if your Majesty has made up his mind, he is willing to submit to you temporarily!"
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, but then nodded slowly.
In fact, he could feel Li Gang's "self-humiliation", and he had noticed it as early as after meeting Li Gang in Mingdao Palace... Thinking that Prime Minister Li blocked the government affairs, and was in charge of personnel and military affairs, but did not touch the Taijian system, which was the biggest threat to him and was also the confidant of Emperor Zhao. This was equivalent to putting a knife in Emperor Zhao's hands. From then on, the two sides had some tacit understanding between the monarch and the minister.
However, even so, at this critical moment, the other party was able to "humble himself" again, and Zhao Jiu was very grateful.
"In fact, I just asked Commander Han if he could fight..." Zhao Jiu came to his senses and did not ask the ministers below to return to the line, but directly made a formal response. "In the end, even he said that the Central Plains is flat and it is difficult to fight. He advised me to protect myself first and go to Jianghuai for the time being."
There was a slight commotion in the hall at first, then everyone calmed down, and then after Lu Haowen coughed lightly, the whole hall fell silent again, and everyone waited for the official to speak next.
"I have also figured it out. Today's disaster was caused by my hesitation. As the saying goes, every failure makes you wiser ... I can no longer be so indecisive!"
Zhao Jiu sat upright, expressionless, and spoke calmly. His tone was so firm that even Yang Yizhong, who was standing in front of the hall, couldn't help but secretly glance at him. It seemed that he had really made up his mind. "I have made up my mind. I will send Li Xianggong, Concubine Pan, the heir, and the old and young to Yangzhou tomorrow to settle down and meet the Queen Mother (Queen Mother Meng)! The military situation is urgent. I have just sent Han Shizhong to the east of Huaihe River to make arrangements. I have asked him to work with Zhang Jun to deploy defenses along the Huai River, so that they can form a pincer attack with Liu Guangshi in the north to resist possible enemies from the north! Then I and you... why not gather the people, treasury, and military equipment in Shunchang first, and then visit Shouzhou and go to Huaidian to prepare for the enemy!"
Besides, Shouzhou is the most important town on the Huai River. Another veteran general, Zhang Jun, the commander of the Imperial Camp Army, who is more famous than Han Shizhong, should have gone there to deploy defenses. Although the emperor is still hiding his words, saying that he will go to Huaidian to fight against the Jin, didn't he also say that he would go to Huaidian to fight against the Jin a few months ago before he fell into the well? This statement is just a cover-up considering the concerns of the people between Huang and Huai.
Besides, the heir to the throne, the prime minister, the heir's mother, and all the family members were going to Yangzhou, so how could the emperor not go? At most, he would wait and see the situation on the Huai River. If the Jin army did not pursue him, he could turn back; if the Jin army attacked, he could retreat to Yangzhou calmly, or even to the southeast, relying on the big rivers for protection.
In short, after half a year of tossing and turning, the emperor finally came to his senses and decided to go to Yangzhou! And this time, even Li Gang was speechless!
When they thought of this, many old officials were so excited that they burst into tears. Even some of the war advocates felt relieved at this time, as if they had been emptied out of their bodies by the government.
