Volume 1 Chapter 55: Guarantee
"You are all in good spirits!"
Under the wooden shed in front of the imperial tent on the northern ridge of Bagua Mountain, Zhao Jiu, who was summoning two officials, was surrounded by Prime Minister Wang Boyan, Imperial Camp Commander Wang Yuan and several secretaries. Before he turned around, he heard hurried footsteps behind him and the unavoidable smell of alcohol, and he shook his head and laughed.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my misbehavior."
Lu Haowen and others were originally frightened by the noise all over the mountains and rivers. When they saw that Emperor Zhao did not go into battle himself and was so calm, they suddenly felt weak all over. With the support of Zhang Jun and others behind them, they tried their best to plead guilty.
"What's the big deal?" Zhao Jiu turned around and still didn't take it seriously. "We've been worried for so many days. Today, the reinforcements have arrived. After all, we have isolated the oppression of the Jin people on the north bank. We have also won a small victory. In addition, you old colleagues are gathering together, so it's natural to have a drink."
After all, Lu Haowen and the others had been drinking, and in their daze, they had no idea whether the emperor was in a bad mood and was deliberately being sarcastic, or was in a calm mood and was truly magnanimous, so they could only collectively apologize again, and then prepared to push Prime Minister Lu and Zhang Zhongcheng out to ask about military intelligence.
However, before these people could speak, Zhao Jiu calmly stepped aside, pointed at the two people behind him and said, "Imperial Censor Ma has just returned from his inspection of Jinghu and has something important to report. Zhang Longtu has also just returned, and I want to hear what he has to say. You have come at the right time, so let's listen together..."
Lu Haowen and others were confused, but after taking a look at the two elderly officials with long beards standing behind the emperor in the light of the fire, almost all of them broke out in a cold sweat instantly... It turned out that the Censor Ma was actually the Palace Attendant Censor Ma Shen who had gone to inspect Jinghu a long time ago; and the Zhang Longtu was none other than Zhang Suo, the former Hebei West Route Recruiting Envoy, who had experienced ups and downs with Li Gang before!
Let's talk about this Censor Ma. First of all, he was the one with the highest seniority among all the censors. Secondly, he was a senior in Taoism under Lu Hao (a direct disciple of Cheng Yi, who gave up his official position to become his disciple when the government banned Cheng Yi's school of thought). Thirdly, he was highly regarded by Prime Minister Li Gang, and had close relations with Xu Jingheng, the former Chief Censor and current Vice Prime Minister, as well as Zong Ze, the Privy Councilor and Governor of Tokyo. Finally, one can guess from his interpersonal relationships that he was already a staunch advocate of war long before Zhang Jun jumped out!
In fact, if not for this, Censor Ma would not have been sent to Jinghu by the previous emperor.
As for Zhang Suo, there is no need to say more. He was basically Li Gang's right-hand man. He did not have the super qualifications of Deputy Marshal Zong Ze, but he was capable of becoming a general or a prime minister. He was previously demoted and was recalled to the Jinghu area. He was just coming back at this time and happened to arrive at Bagua Mountain.
In short, although these two people have not been involved with the imperial court because of the trip to Jinghu and the trip of exile, and have not encountered many troubles, their status, qualifications and reputation are there and cannot be questioned.
To put it bluntly, Ma Shen can replace Zhang Jun at any time, and Zhang Suo can also make Prime Minister Lu, who only has a little respect left, lose all his respect at any time. How can Lu Haowen, Zhang Jun and others not be afraid?
Back to the present, Zhang Suo was fine, and even bowed to Lu Haowen to say hello, but Ma Shen glanced at the group of drunkards with a little disgust, and then continued to report seriously:
"Your Majesty, before I came here, the rebellion in Xiangyang and Nanyang had been quelled. As for the rebel leader Li Xiaozhong, he is not the Li Xiaozhong who was wanted for impeaching Prime Minister Li for not knowing how to use troops during the Jingkang period. The latter has changed his name to Li Yanxian to avoid being wanted, and has joined the army in Hedong again. He is now fighting against the Jin army in Shanzhou and is very effective. I just don't know if Xing has passed on the news here..."
"The Tokyo Governor Zong Ze submitted a memorial as early as October last year, and I have already pardoned him. In addition, I also issued an edict a few days ago that anyone who is determined to resist the Jin army can be recruited and resettled locally. I believe that Governor Zong must have made arrangements there." The commotion at the foot of the mountain was getting louder and louder, but Zhao Jiu remained calm and just continued to stand there and talk with Ma Shen.
When Lu Haowen and the others heard the noises coming from up and down the mountain, and with the alcohol getting to them, they felt as if they were in a dream and did not dare to make a sound.
"Yes." Ma Shen also paused for a moment before continuing to play with Emperor Zhao. "So, the Li Xiaozhong in Xiangyang and Nanyang was just a defeated soldier in the Jingkang Campaign. Because they knew Li Xiaozhong's reputation, but didn't know that Li Xiaozhong changed his name after being wanted, they thought he was dead, so they impersonated him. The two brothers, one named Li Xiaozhong and the other named Li Xiaoyi, used the other's name to lead a defeated army to cause chaos in Jinghu..."
At this point, Ma Shen could not help but look solemn: "Your Majesty, I impeach Huang Shuao, the former governor of Xiangyang and current Hubei Transport Commissioner, for fleeing without a fight and abandoning the famous city to the chaotic army, which led to the war lasting for several months! Afterwards, he also falsely reported military intelligence and deceived the central government!"
"Dismiss him!" Zhao Jiu nodded in agreement. "Go on... have the rebellious troops of Li Xiaozhong been dealt with? Has Xiangyang been recovered?"
"The rebels were dealt with naturally," Ma Shen replied sternly. "The rebels had no system and lost their strength after a few battles. They were easily driven away by Fan Qiong, the commander of the imperial camp. Now they have fled to southern Jing... However, I don't think Xiangyang can be considered recovered!"
"Is it Fan Qiong?" Zhao Jiu was no longer as ignorant as he was when he first arrived, and he also sighed. "Because I killed Liu Guangshi?"
"It's not just Liu Guangshi..."
Ma Shen hurriedly responded, but he didn't expect that just when he said half of his words, a fire suddenly broke out at the water fort at the end of the passage on the west side of Baguan Mountain, followed by a roar like a tsunami... You must know that Emperor Zhao's imperial tent was set up in the north mountain of Linhuai Mountain. Although there was no direct passage connecting to the water fort, the straight-line distance was very close, so when the fire broke out, half of the mountain was illuminated red, and coupled with the noise so close, not to mention Lu Haowen and others who were dizzy before, even Ma Shen and Zhang Suo were stunned for a moment.
"It's alright, Ma Qing, continue." Zhao Jiu also glanced back, but continued to urge. "Will Fan Qiong definitely rebel?"
"They may not rebel openly, but they will most likely raise their own troops and refuse to obey orders." Ma Shen came back to his senses, and looked at Emperor Zhao with a different meaning, but he couldn't help but raise his voice. "Not only did the emperor kill Liu Guangshi, but more importantly, the emperor just issued a lot of orders, clearly stating the righteousness of resisting the Jin... Fan Qiong was assigned by the Jin people in Tokyo in the past, forcing the two emperors to leave the city, killing the anti-Jin righteous people, and supporting Zhang Bangchang. He is aware of all his crimes. How can he not be afraid when he gets the news?"
"So, am I still too impatient?" Zhao Jiu sighed slightly , but simply turned around and sat down on his broken chair. "Everyone, please sit down..."
Everyone thanked him for his grace, and Ma Shen continued to play his reply: "Your Majesty, I think that although there are some debatable points in the many orders issued by your majesty before, they are ultimately matters of justice. And when people's hearts are in turmoil, such behavior is more good than bad... If Fan Qiong really rebels, it will be a disaster for himself!"
Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly: "We must clearly distinguish who is the enemy and who is me... I was a little nervous when I first issued those orders, but after today, I will never regret it again!"
Ma Shen quickly said yes.
Just like that, Ma Shen and Zhang Suo each reported some information about the Jinghu area, but most of them were within Zhao Jiu's expectations. It was nothing more than a situation of chaos in the world, with soldiers and bandits rising up... The only piece of information that piqued Zhao Jiu's interest again was what Zhang Suo mentioned about the Great Sage Zhong Xiang of Dongting Lake.
According to Zhang Suo, Zhong Xiang had not yet officially raised his army at that time, and even sent a 200-man force to defend the king during the Jing Kang period. But in fact, Zhong Xiang had organized a village community and established an army in Dongting Lake a long time ago, and actually controlled the lake.
By this time, Zhong Xiang became even more unscrupulous, and began to spread slogans such as equalizing the rich and the poor, as well as rumors that he should be the King of Chu... In Zhang Suo's words, this man's ambition has been realized, and the counties around Dongting Lake have actually gone out of control. It is unlikely that they can be brought back under control by means of appeasement. There will be chaos in Jinghu in the future!
After roughly describing the numerous holes in various places, Zhao Jiu was just about to make some response when suddenly, there was an earth-shaking movement on the other side of the Huai River - the Jin army had gone crazy for some unknown reason, and actually mobilized its entire army at night, attacking Cai from both the northeast and north directions!
Looking around, there were flames everywhere in Henan and Hebei, illuminating the Huai River, Bagua Mountain, Xiacai City, and the Jin army camp as bright as day; listening carefully, there were shouts of killing and the sound of weapons from all directions, east, south, west, north, and north... The momentum of this battle was far more spectacular than the battle in the daytime!
After this commotion, few people in front of the imperial tent on the mountain could hold back any longer. Even Zhang Suo and Ma Shen stopped reporting. Lu Haowen, Zhang Jun and others, who had already sobered up from the fright, could no longer endure it, and they all stood up to observe the situation... But after observing for half a day, they couldn't figure out anything, so they could only turn back to ask people.
Interestingly, Zhang Jun and Zhang Deyuan, who were leading the way, turned around but did not dare to ask Emperor Zhao who was sitting there motionless. Instead, they pointed at Wang Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Camp, who was also flustered and confused, and asked:
"General Wang, you are the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Camp. Tell us what the current situation is like!"
Wang Yuan was speechless. If he knew, how could he just stand there? He could only spread his hands.
Lu Haowen came to his senses instantly and quickly asked the Prime Minister Wang Boyan: "Prime Minister Wang, you are the only Prime Minister of the Western Palace in the world. What happened now?"
Wang Boyan maintained the dignity of an important official of the Song Dynasty. He just shook his head slightly and continued to look around... God knows whether he will be replaced by Zhang Suo in the next moment, and the current situation combined with the attitude of the emperor seems to be strange. How could he be in the mood to be a stepping stone for Lu Haowen?
"Your Majesty!" Lu Haowen finally had no choice but to ask the right person. "What is going on? Why did the western water fort catch fire? Why did they say that the Jin soldiers were coming? What's going on on the other side of the river? Why did a war suddenly break out?"
"Mr. Lu, please be patient." Zhao Jiu finally spoke slowly. "According to what Han Liangchen said, both sides are just fishing. The current situation is not different from what we expected. Just wait a while..."
"Sir, don't joke around!" In this situation, even if Lu Haowen didn't want to cause trouble, he was still anxious. "How can we wait in such a mess? Our army is afraid of fighting. What if we fail to do something right and blow up the camp?"
Zhao Jiu also shook his head repeatedly after hearing this: "If the commanders and generals above him knew the outcome and could still blow up the camp, then when the Jin army really came to attack, how could they not blow up the camp?"
"Are there really Jin troops?" Lu Hao asked in surprise.
"There should be." Zhao Jiu, who was sitting upright, touched his golden belt, and then calmly answered frankly. "The Jin army's military tactics all come from hunting, and they have always been accustomed to dividing the army into two wings. Since there are a thousand sneaking soldiers in the east, there must be a Meng'an in the west who has crossed the river. Therefore, Han Liangchen sent military intelligence before he landed, talking about this matter, asking me to be careful; just after I landed, I asked about this matter again, and he proposed a strategy of luring the enemy at night, and I agreed to his strategy of luring the enemy... and judging from the movement on the other side, Han Liangchen's guess should be correct, the Jin army should have indeed sent a troop! Otherwise, they would not have attacked the city immediately after seeing the movement!"
"This is ridiculous!"
Lu Haowen was speechless and didn't know what to say for a moment, but at this moment, Ma Shen, the palace attendant imperial censor who had remained calm before, suddenly spoke.
"What's ridiculous about that?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly.
"I don't think that the emperor can't implement this strategy." Ma Shen stood up from his seat and faced him proudly. "After all, the country is in turmoil and it's wartime . The emperor is both the emperor and the marshal. At this time in the front-line military camp, any strategy can be implemented... However, the emperor should not abandon the two ministers of the East and West Palaces and directly implement this strategy just because of Han Shizhong's words! Han Shizhong is a military man and cannot bear this responsibility!"
Zhao Jiu looked at Ma Shen, then looked at Zhang Suo who remained silent, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Why is the emperor laughing?" In the firelight shining in the sky, Ma Shen looked serious and his beard kept shaking.
"I am happy that I have found a talent who can be entrusted with an important task today." Zhao Jiu continued to chuckle. "Just now, I said that Jinghu will definitely continue to be in chaos, and that Huang Shuao, the former governor of Xiangyang and the Hubei Transport Commissioner, is incompetent... I was thinking about who can go to Hubei to help me sort things out and hold back Fan Qiong behind Xiangyang? Now it seems that Censor Ma is not afraid of violence, and knows how to abide by the rules, which can be said to be doing his job properly! How about Ma Qing, are you willing to go to Hubei for me again and be a transport commissioner... or a governor? I don't ask to control Fan Qiong and Zhong Xiang, but I ask to temporarily stabilize the place and prevent chaos there?"
Ma Shen was stunned when he heard half of it... He was the commander of a route. As for whether it was chaotic or not, where was not chaotic right now? Li Gang had just recovered from his illness in Yangzhou, and he immediately dealt with the military chaos in Hangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. And no matter how chaotic it was, it was still more stable than the anti-Jin front, right?
Therefore, this arrangement is clearly a promotion to the super level!
Moreover, Hubei does need a qualified civil servant to stabilize the situation. That is the place where things get done, so it cannot be said that he was sent away intentionally!
Thinking of this, even though Ma Shen had been so tough just now, he couldn't help but bow his head to thank the emperor: "I am willing to share your worries and appease Hubei!"
"Okay!" Zhao Jiu nodded with satisfaction.
but……
"However," Ma Shen thanked Zhao Jiu for his kindness, but felt something was wrong, so he quickly talked about the previous events again. "Before I took office and received the imperial edict, I was still the Imperial Censor in the Palace, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I think that Han Shizhong's move is inappropriate. Not only did he bypass the two eastern and western governments to privately encourage the government to implement this strategy, but he also ignored the friendly troops in Xiacai City on the other side of the river..."
"I, the Imperial Censor Zhang Jun, am willing to vouch for Han Shizhong!" Suddenly, a drunken man stepped out. "The battle was fierce and happened suddenly, so I had to take emergency measures. Moreover, I believe that we will win a great victory in this battle. How can we investigate the meritorious officials before the battle?"
Ma Shen was speechless for a moment, and Zhao Jiu looked at Zhang Jun who suddenly appeared with interest. The shouting and killing in the distance were still fierce, but the wooden shed in front of the imperial tent fell into a strange silence.
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to guarantee Han Shizhong!" After an unknown amount of time, suddenly, another person hurriedly stepped out and broke the silence. It was Lin Jingmo, a scholar from the Yutang.
Emperor Zhao glanced at everyone present and suddenly laughed again… He didn’t know why, but after the crying in the evening, although he was angry for a while, after he recovered, he always felt that everyone in front of him was much more real and lovely.
