Volume 1 Chapter 84: Flowing Light (Part 1)
After months of suffering, the great victory made almost everyone relax. And the significance of this battle to Zhao Jiu seemed to have some other meaning.
Therefore, on the day of the battle, just as he had endured on the city wall for a whole morning but lost his composure in public in the end, Emperor Zhao was quite similar after the battle... He forced himself to inspect the battlefield, trying his best to play the role of a wise emperor to win people's hearts, but in the evening after summoning the heroes who had fought during the day, he lost his composure due to drinking and got drunk.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already noon the next day.
"I...I..."
Zhao Jiu turned over and sat up, looking at the people in the room with some caution. There were two eunuchs, one eunuch Lan Gui, and one Yang Yizhong. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words were incoherent for a moment. "Do you have anything to say to me?"
"Reporting to the emperor." Yang Yizhong bowed his head and reported quickly. "General Han just reported this morning that the scouts following the Jin army found that the remnants of the Jin army had already arrived in Mengcheng last night. The two groups that disappeared before were just as General Han expected. They were preparing to cross the river from Kantuan Town upstream of the Beifei River. Upon hearing the news, they hurried back to Mengcheng... As for the next move, we have to wait for the scouts to report again, but in any case, the siege of Guangzhou and Shouzhou has been lifted."
Zhao Guanjia nodded repeatedly, but seemed a little confused. After a while, he picked up the hot towel that Lan Gui personally brought to him and wiped his face casually before continuing to ask, "Anything else?"
"Yes..." Yang Yizhong quickly answered again. "The former... military candidate, Ma Kuo from Didao, came from Hebei. He was originally blocked by the Jin army in the Feishui area. After the Jin army turned to Woshui and joined Jin Wushu last night, he crossed the river overnight and rushed here. He brought with him a handwritten letter from Zong Liushou and Yang Lao Taiwei, saying that he had important matters to attend to. Since the emperor did not leave, it was Prime Minister Lu who summoned him at this time."
Zhao Jiu obviously had some reaction to the name Ma Kuo, because he seemed to have heard it somewhere before, and he seemed to be a celebrity, but after he couldn't remember it for a moment, he continued to shake his head blankly: "Anything else?"
"have."
Yang Yizhong bowed his head again, causing Lan Gui to frown slightly. He seemed to be extremely dissatisfied with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs being taken away by a military official. However, he could not get angry because of Kang Lu's previous experience and the fact that he was isolated and helpless. "Prime Minister Lu and General Zhang both said that the north of the Huai River is not peaceful. To be on the safe side, please cross the river immediately after you get up and go to the Bagongshan camp to rest. You can also join forces with Prime Minister Wang and gather the two eastern and western governments to discuss major issues together!"
Emperor Zhao nodded slightly on the couch and handed the hot towel back to Lan Gui. He seemed to have found his state a little, but continued to ask: "Anything else?"
Yang Yizhong was startled for a moment, thinking for a moment, then he lowered his head and reported carefully: "The wounded and dead soldiers have all been transported across the river since yesterday. As the weather is getting hotter, according to the emperor's order, the excavation and construction of the Bagongshan Tomb are being accelerated, and it is connected to the tomb of Zhang Yongzhen, the assistant doctor. In addition, when the emperor inspected the wounded and distributed the captured items yesterday, he asked for a list of the actual number of troops, weapons, horses, etc. Because the generals of various departments are reluctant, it is really difficult to make progress. Even if you wait for many more days with me, I am afraid there will only be a rough outline..."
"That's not what I'm asking." Zhao Jiu suddenly interrupted the other party.
"Your Majesty..." Yang Yizhong hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and then became more cautious. "Your Majesty, of course, has many other things to do, such as whether to stay or go, the use of troops in various places to deal with rebellions, the transportation of troops in the southeast, Jingxiang, and Shuzhong, the promotion and placement of officials, and some additional military judgments, but these must be discussed in front of the emperor by the ministers of the two eastern and western prefectures, and are not something that a humble person like me can discuss."
Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment. He actually wanted to ask the other party directly whether he had behaved inappropriately after drinking yesterday, and whether he had "leaked the secret", but seeing that the other party was so cautious, he felt a little bored... To put it bluntly, at this point, even if he drank too much and said something he shouldn't have said, and the rumors about the civet cat spirit were flying everywhere, is there ?
You must know that at this moment, putting aside the military threat from the Jin people, the only person capable of posing a real threat to Emperor Zhao was only Prime Minister Li Gang.
However, the only threat, not to mention that Li Gang was somewhat sentimental and concerned about the overall situation. Even if Li Boji suddenly went crazy with the Queen Mother, Concubine Pan, the heir, and Zhang Que, Xu Jingheng, and Yuwen Xuzhong outside, after this battle, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and the many soldiers and civilians in the Shouzhou camp would probably only recognize him, the Bagongshan version of Emperor Zhao? !
Li Gang is just a theoretical threat.
So, after thinking for a long time, Zhao Jiu laughed - since he had already passed the period of self-abandonment, instead of being suspicious here, he might as well think seriously about the main thing. Since Jin Wushu left, he would come back sooner or later, so some things could not be delayed. Fortunately, he had a plan in mind.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhao calmed down and replied, "What Zhengfu said is very true. Although it is a rare victory, the situation is still urgent. Half a day of leisure is enough. Since there are so many things to do, let's not delay the important things. Why not cross the river early and discuss with the two gentlemen?"
Yang Yizhong naturally accepted his fate.
So Zhao Jiu simply got up, washed up, and then went to eat.
But just before the meal, Emperor Zhao asked Yang Dalang to go out for a while. He was to find Wang Yuan to gather the troops of Huyan Tong, Zhang Jing and Qiao Zhongfu, and prepare to return together with the imperial guards.
As for when Zhao Jiu ate a few bites and filled his stomach, and saw Yang Yi Zhong coming back to report, he asked Lan Gui, the chief escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and others to go out for a walk... He asked Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun and others to continue to guard Xia Cai and Huaishang, and to notify Lu Haowen and other important officials, including Zhao Ding, the governor of Shouzhou, to take a boat to Huainan for discussions.
As soon as Lan Gui left, Zhao Jiu also followed out of the mansion originally occupied by Zhang Jun. Without saying goodbye to anyone or waiting for anyone, he directly jumped on his horse, took Yang Yi Zhong and led the imperial guards, went through the water gate to meet up with Hu Yantong and the other two generals, and then boarded the boat to Bagua Mountain.
On the other hand, Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun knew that their real reward would come today, so they were extremely anxious. The civil officials from Lu Haowen onwards who had received the notice also understood how important the matter to be discussed today was, so they all had their own concerns and were eager to get there as soon as possible... Only Prime Minister Lu was here, and it was not convenient for everyone to cross the river first, so they could only wait for a long time at the inner ferry, and only after everyone had gathered and they had been humble and polite, they were able to cross the river in a hurry.
When Lü Haowen and his civil officials returned to Huainan, they had just arrived at the water fort wharf at the foot of Bagong Mountain, but they felt that something was wrong. When they reached the mountainside, they saw the officers and soldiers along the way, all in full armor, marching in strict formation from the mountainside all the way to the small fort on the top of the mountain, and they were even more confused.
But because the official was waiting, it was not easy to stop and ask questions in broad daylight. And there was no time to think about anything. You must know that after going up the mountain and passing the small village on the top of the mountain, it would not take long before the imperial tent was in front of us.
Lu Haowen and others walked in and saw the emperor in a red robe and a crooked fu hat sitting there with an expressionless face. The Prime Minister Wang Boyan, the commander-in-chief of the imperial camp Wang Yuan, the new official of the Ministry of Personnel Lin Qi, and Zhang Suo and Zhang Longtu, who should have hurried over from Shouchun not far behind them today, all looked solemn. Even the countless imperial guards who had fought in the battlefield yesterday and surrounded the wooden shed with swords in their hands, could not help but feel a sense of grievance.
"minister……"
"No need to be so polite." Emperor Zhao simply waved his hand. "There are too many things to do. Sit down and stand up when I talk. Let's get straight to business!"
"Yes..." After Lu Haowen, everyone was startled, as if they were infected by the surrounding atmosphere.
"Have the rewards for the generals been decided?" Emperor Zhao asked directly without stopping as soon as everyone sat down.
Fortunately, the first thing discussed was not out of the ordinary and everyone was prepared.
Therefore, Lü Haowen and Wang Boyan, whose buttocks had just touched the stool, looked at each other and stood up together, even showing some humility. In the end, Wang Boyan took the title of Prime Minister without hesitation:
"Reporting to the emperor, from the top down, we should start with Han and Zhang. I think the two generals are either brave and wise, or calm and capable. They have made great contributions. They should each be promoted to a military governor of a town to show their honor and favor!"
"I second the motion." Lu Haowen also immediately expressed his agreement, and no one around him objected.
Zhao Jiu also nodded slightly.
You must know that he is no longer a fool about the official system. Although he still can't tell the difference between Chengxuanshi, Guanchashi and so on, he knows that Jiedushi is the highest status of military men in Song Dynasty, the so-called true military men who establish their own authority...After that, there are nothing more than Jiedushi of two towns, Jiedushi of three towns, and even Taibao, Shaobao, and even dukes and princes.
All in all, Han Shizhong, after thinking over and over again, finally got the prize with peace of mind, and this time it will definitely be cooked.
As for the transfer classes of other generals after Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, such as Wang De, Liu Bao, Wang Sheng, and Jie Yuan and below, Wang Boyan, as the prime minister, was also very familiar with them. He basically discussed them one by one, and there were occasional arguments, but they were just superficial matters... so they were all decided in a short while.
At the same time, Scholar Kobayashi, who had never been involved in such debates, was sitting under a wooden shed nearby. With the assistance of several secretaries, he had already started writing very quickly, completing the imperial edicts one by one according to the emperor's requirements.
But after talking about official ranks and assignments, everyone couldn't help but become nervous.
"As for the dispatches of Zhang and Han, I have already made suggestions before. I hope the emperor will understand." Wang Boyan bowed his head.
"I understand what Prime Minister Wang meant." Zhao Jiu, who was sitting there, nodded casually upon hearing this, and actually revealed the truth very straightforwardly. "Before, we had to fight a war, so I didn't discuss these matters too much, so as not to affect the morale of the army. But now that the war is almost over, some things can't be delayed... You gentlemen, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and even the arrangements for the other generals and the reorganization of the army, I know that you all have various plans in mind, but if you want to discuss this matter, you must first discuss another fundamental matter, that is, if Wanyan Wushu really leaves for the north, where should we go? Should we go to Yangzhou, Tokyo, or continue to Nanyang? Or should we just stay in Shouzhou as Prime Minister Wang said recently? In any case, the two eastern and western governments must quickly discuss this matter in front of me today!"
Wang Boyan and Lu Haowen looked at each other and did not dare to hesitate any longer. The former was in the middle of answering, so he bowed his head and said, "I still agree with what I said before. Your Majesty might as well stay in Shouzhou and live in Shouchun! If Shouzhou is the secondary capital, the military will be logical, the economy will be continuous, and manpower can be relied on from the Central Plains. In the future, even if there is a major war, we can still control the Huai River... This place is far better than the remote Yangzhou, the flat Nanyang, and the empty Tokyo."
After hearing this, Zhao Ding and Lin Jingmo, who had direct interests in Shouzhou, almost wanted to agree, but for some reason, they both held back... Therefore, when this statement was made, few people responded, and among the so-called important ministers and close ministers, the only one who was qualified to speak in front of the emperor was Wang Yuan.
"I still suggest going to Yangzhou, Yangzhou is safe." At this point, Lu Haowen knew that it was inevitable, but he also took a half step forward, and under the calm gaze of Emperor Zhao, he insisted on his consistent argument since Nanjing (Shangqiu). "Moving to Yangzhou, first, the southeastern revenue does not need to be transported for another 500 miles; second, if there is an emergency, we can cross the Yangtze River at any time and rely on the natural barrier to defend; third, I want to speak frankly, today after the war, no one doubts your intention to resist the war, and Yangzhou is not across the Yangtze River after all, it belongs to Huainan, and it can't be called a partial peace... Your Majesty is determined to restore the country, so you should find a proper place."
Unexpectedly, this destination, which had almost been publicly denied by Emperor Zhao on the road, now had quite a lot of supporters. It seemed that the times had changed and things had changed.
"Shouzhou and Yangzhou have already been taken care of, what about the others?" After several people finished speaking, Zhao Jiu did not comment. "Today in front of the imperial tent, everyone can speak freely."
"Your servant Hu Yin thinks that we can return to Tokyo to rectify people's hearts!" As expected, Hu Mingzhong could no longer hold back.
“…”
“…”
Zhao Jiu had no choice but to look at another key figure in silence: "Mr. Lin, you came from the southeast. Does Minister Li have any relevant instructions?"
The so-called Lin Qing is naturally the Minister of Personnel Lin Qi, who has the same name as Xiao Lin Xueshi's father. This person is Li Gang's spokesperson in the imperial court, and he is frank when he hears this:
"Reporting to the emperor, I did not expect such a great victory when I came here, so Li Xianggong only said a few words at that time, hoping that no matter where you go, you must not hesitate and decide immediately, so that he can also leave and meet up with you conveniently."
Zhao Jiu still did not comment, but continued to ask loudly: "Does anyone else have anything to say?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Chief Censor Zhang Jun, Jade Palace Scholar Lin Jingmo, and Shouzhou Prefect Zhao Ding, three men of different ages but generally recognized as the backbone of the newly rising Baguashan Sect, were all shocked at the same time... and then immediately realized something!
