Volume 1 Chapter 85: Flowing Light (Part 2)
Let's not talk about the other two. Just take the quick-witted scholar Xiaolin as an example. On this critical issue, which is second only to whether to resist the Jin army or not, he had already thought about it carefully and even discussed it with his brothers. So there was no need to perform on the spot. He had already made up his mind to strongly support the Shouzhou plan today, because it would bring him personal benefits and interests...
I have to say one more thing here. Xiao Lin Xueshi's family is a legendary family in the late Northern Song Dynasty. It is said to be a legend. His father Lin Qi was actually just an ordinary Jinshi and became an ordinary prefect. Then Mr. Lin Qi's sons were also ordinary Jinshi and ordinary prefects. However, the key point is that Mr. Lin Qi had many sons in his life, eight of whom were ordinary Jinshi and became ordinary prefects. In his later years, the old man was nicknamed Lin Jiumu!
This title is much more high-end than Nine-Pattern Dragon or Zhao Damu! Even Mr. Lin might not be willing to change it!
The reason why Xiaolin Scholar is Xiaolin is not because of his age, but because he has an elder brother who once became a Yutang Scholar! That was Dalin, and he is Xiaolin.
Back to the present, due to the official appointment system of the Song Dynasty, it was important to be neither too far nor too close to the native place. The nine prefects in Lin Jiumu's family were neither too far nor too close in time, so it could not be said to be a taboo. Therefore, six or seven of them were in the two routes of Huainan, and two or three were in the west route of Jiangnan. It could not be said to be deeply rooted, but as long as they stayed in Huainan, they would never be bullied.
However, wasn't it rare for Xiao Lin, who had made up his mind, to be discouraged by Lu Haowen last night? As a result, the sharp-minded Yutang scholar soon wavered again, saying that in the current situation, it seemed important to maintain the unity of the political faction, especially since this political faction was already loose and at an absolute disadvantage. Since it had to face the invasion of the rising warriors and guard against the iron fist of Li Gongxiang's dictatorship, he hesitated again whether to agree with Lu Haowen's Yangzhou, after all, Yangzhou was also in Huainan.
However, when he returned to Bagua Mountain today and saw that the emperor had left his civil officials behind to go ahead alone and was arranging the troops, how could Scholar Kobayashi not understand that the emperor was also trying to warn certain people?
At the beginning, Scholar Kobayashi still had some hope, thinking that the emperor wanted to intimidate the two ministers, so he had not said anything before. But now that the two ministers have finished speaking and have not been affected by the soldiers and the atmosphere at all, he has no doubts anymore - the emperor is trying to warn people like him!
People like them are all newly promoted people who have just become prominent because of the appointment by the government. Of course, they have to consider the power of their family for the protection of their husband. But without the support of the government, in this chaotic world, nine prefects in the family plus one Mr. Lu can't protect him, right?
This official actually killed someone with his own hands!
As for the actual destination decided by the government, no one knew it at this moment.
As soon as he thought of this, Scholar Kobayashi hurried out... Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding were already waiting for him.
"The guilty minister Di Dao Ma Kuo risked his life to speak!"
At this moment, someone suddenly spoke up in the corner of the wooden shed behind them, causing everyone to turn their heads. "If the emperor stays in Lianghuai, it seems to be perfect, but what about Guanxi? There are still 200,000 Western troops in Guanxi, separated by Heluo. Are we going to abandon them all? If we don't take in the troops and horses in Guanxi and develop the strategic location of Guanxi, how can we talk about the peace of the Central Plains? If the Central Plains is not at peace, how can we talk about recovering the two rivers? I, a sinner, will die a thousand times. Please execute the traitors such as Lu Haowen and Wang Boyan to thank the world!"
There was a moment of silence before the imperial tent, because ever since Zhao Jiu had repeatedly simplified his administration, especially after arriving at Bagua Mountain, such extremely intense arguments had rarely been heard. After this victory, such words seemed even more abrupt.
Lu Haowen and Wang Boyan were embarrassed for a moment, Zhang Jun and others were also thinking in vain, even Emperor Zhao seemed a little dazed. After a long time, Lu and Wang were really helpless and could only take the initiative to take off their hats and apologize.
"Please put on your crowns, both of you." As expected, Emperor Zhao had no intention of pursuing the two ministers. "I said they were free to speak their minds, and the prime minister discussed politics and did not interfere in any matter. As long as they did not say anything like negotiating peace or surrendering the Jin Dynasty, how could I hold them accountable for these things?"
"I am terrified..." Before Lü and Wang could say they were terrified, Ma Kuo and Ma Zichong came to their senses and immediately bowed down to apologize. "I was anxious for a moment and said something absurd."
"No problem." Zhao Jiu's attitude once again made some people in the wooden shed realize something. "I remember that you participated in the battle of Liangshanpo with Yue Fei... You should have been an official by now, right? How can you call yourself a criminal?"
"Your Majesty, I have an important mission. After the battle of Liangshanpo, Commander Yue had to guard Jeju City carefully. I could not wait for an angel and rode south directly." Ma Kuo answered from a distance. "I was imprisoned in Zhending, Hebei Province for a crime before, and I was able to escape only after the Jin invaders broke into the city..."
"I see." Zhao Jiu looked calm and waved for the man to come forward and ask. "So, you are from Hebei?"
"Yes..." Ma Kuo hurried forward and bowed again.
"What's the matter?" Zhao Jiu asked while instinctively looking at Lu Haowen.
Seeing this, the latter explained helplessly: "Good instructor, you know, I just didn't have time to ask the reason, and Lan Yaban called me here, so Ma Zichong followed me here just now..."
"I have a letter that I must deliver to the emperor in person." Hearing Prime Minister Lu's rare angry tone, Ma Kuo felt regretful and resentful, knowing that his anger might have ruined things. He quickly took out a crumpled letter from his arms, bowed his head and held it up, and had Yang Yi Zhong pass it on.
Zhao Jiu took the letter and opened it right there. He only took a glance at it and was confused by the first four words "Royal Brother". After a while, he looked up and sized up the person in front of him: "What does this mean?"
"This is your official eighteenth brother, the military governor of Qingyang and Zhaohua, and later promoted to acting tutor. This is a letter from Prince Xin..." Ma Kuo answered with a bow, causing an uproar in front of the imperial tent.
"Where is he?" Zhao Jiu asked blankly.
"In Wuma Mountain in the northern Taihang Mountains!" Ma Kuo explained quickly. "I escaped from the prison in Zhending, and happened to hear that the emperor was calling for an army in Hebei at the time, so I raised an army in Wuma Mountain to fight against the Jin people... Later, the two emperors went north to hunt, and Prince Xin escaped on the way. I was cut off by the Jin army in Zhending at the time and could not hear the emperor's voice. I heard this rumor, so I went to find Prince Xin and took him up the mountain..."
"Ridiculous!" At this moment, Zhang Jun, the Imperial Censor who was interrupted by Ma Kuo, suddenly shouted. "How can a letter call him the prince?! I accuse Ma Kuo of acting recklessly, listening to one side and interfering in the affairs of the royal family."
After Zhang Jun, starting from Lü Haowen, including Wang Boyan, Zhang Suo, Lin Qi, and even Hu Yin, almost all the important officials no longer hesitated, but came out together to impeach Ma Kuo for his reckless behavior.
"I have come here specifically to ask the emperor for his interpretation..." Poor Ma Zichong was such a smart man. Although he had foreseen this, he was still completely panicked when faced with such an intense situation and could only nod in response.
"Don't delay!" Zhao Jiu knew what everyone was thinking, but he had already figured it out. He was not afraid at all, and he thought everyone's reaction was funny. "Ma Kuo, let me ask you a question ."
"yes."
"How many troops did you have at Wuma Mountain before Prince Xin went up the mountain? How many troops did you have after you went up the mountain?"
"Thirty thousand before, more than a hundred thousand after." Ma Kuo answered carefully, and then hurriedly explained. "But they were all gathered from other mountain strongholds... After Jingkang, the King of Jin issued an order to take Hebei as the territory, and let the Jin Meng'an and Mouke move to Hebei, and arbitrarily classified the people of Hebei as servants, slaves, and households. Hebei was in turmoil, and it became a situation of chaos, and there were people fleeing everywhere. Once the people of the two rivers escaped and resisted, nine out of ten would go to Taihang Mountain. At this time, the southern Taihang was led by Wang Yan, the Taiwei who was placed by Zhang Longtu in the past, and was called the Eight Character Army; the northern one was led by me... led by Wuma Mountain, and was called the Five Horse Army... There were a hundred thousand people in total."
"I have seen it clearly," Emperor Zhao listened carefully to this, then he put the letter away and calmly concluded, "This is the handwriting of my eighteenth brother, no doubt about it."
Zhang Jun and the others were naturally relieved to see that the emperor himself didn't care... The so-called anger came and went quickly, and they were impressed by the luck of "Prince Xin".
However, how could they know that this Emperor Zhao could recognize shitty handwriting? Zhao Jiu clearly only recognized the 100,000 Taihang Mountain guerrillas! The 100,000 guerrillas who came to surrender voluntarily, let alone whether this Prince Xin was real or fake, even if Ma Kuo found a dog to act, he would recognize it!
"I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words." Zhao Jiu was in a good mood, and handed the letter to Yang Yizhong, and then continued to speak calmly. "Prime Minister Lu, Prime Minister Wang, regardless of how impulsive Ma Kuo's words were just now, I just want to ask you, have you felt the turmoil of the people in the two rivers? What about Guanxi?"
Lu Haowen and Wang Boyan were both speechless.
"That's a hard question to answer," Zhao Jiu also laughed. "Because if you say you feel it, how can you hold on to Yangzhou and Shouzhou? If you say you don't feel it, wouldn't it prove that you two are heartless? As the rulers of the country, you have already forgotten the tens of millions of people ?"
"I am ashamed." Wang Boyan was the first to turn around.
"Don't be ashamed." Zhao Jiu laughed even more. "Because Ma Kuo has just made it clear, Shouzhou and Yangzhou are indeed very good, but they are not as good as Nanyang, which can connect to Guanxi and take charge of the overall situation."
There was silence again in front of the imperial tent.
Emperor Zhao took off his crooked hat and held it in his arms. He adjusted it while continuing, "I have thought it through since the naval battle that day. If we want to recover the two rivers, we must not let go of the remaining 200,000 or 100,000 soldiers and the remnants of the Western Army. However, Tokyo is really dangerous and there is no need to advance so recklessly. Therefore, I can only go to Nanyang... What do you think?"
"I agree!" Prime Minister Wang Boyan couldn't wait.
"I second the motion!" Chief Censor Zhang Jun also spoke up immediately.
Soon, Zhao Ding, Wang Yuan and others followed. Lin Qi and Zhang Suo just glanced at each other and nodded their heads. Even Hu Yin and Scholar Kobayashi hurriedly expressed their agreement... Only Lu Haowen was still hesitant.
"I have not forgotten Guanxi." Lü Haowen, who had become a lonely man in the blink of an eye, finally bowed his head helplessly. "But I mean that the financial resources of the southeast cannot be abandoned. I hope Your Majesty..."
"That's fine," Emperor Zhao said casually. "The southeast is so important, let Li Xianggong lead the heir and the queen mother to stay in Yangzhou... I will go to Nanyang with you to win the hearts of the people in Guanxi and the Central Plains!"
Lu Haowen was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head.
However, from Wang Boyan on down, countless people around him suddenly saw through the fog, and reacted faster than Lu Haowen:
"This proposal of the government is very appropriate!"
However, Zhang Suo, Zhang Longtu, and Lin Qi, Lin Tianguan, were facing each other, but they did not dare to speak easily in the crowd.
"Since we have decided to go to Nanyang," Zhao Jiu continued to hold his hat and spoke calmly. "There are some arrangements for you to listen to. If the two ministers have no objection, it will be considered that the two governments of the East and the West have agreed... I want to let Han Shizhong accompany me on the journey to the west, and also to use him to sweep Jingxiang and Jingxi."
"Majesty, please make a good decision!" Wang Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the imperial camp, could not wait.
"In this case, let Zhang Jun and Han Shizhong switch places. Zhang Jun will be the governor of Huaidong, and Han Shizhong will be the governor of Huaixi. Both will be commanders-in-chief. The water in the upper reaches of the Huai River is shallow, so the fleet will be handed over to Zhang Jun." Emperor Zhao continued to speak, and no one knew how long he had been thinking about it. "Among them, Zhang Jun will be in Huaidong, commanding Haizhou, Lianshui Army, Huaiyang Army, Suzhou, and Sizhou, guarding the passage to the east of Jingdong, and waiting for an opportunity to move north and try to recover the east of Jingdong."
"The emperor's move is very appropriate!" Wang Boyan nodded repeatedly.
"Han Shizhong is in Huaixi, and governs Shouzhou, Bozhou, Shunchangfu, and Caizhou. He will first wipe out the bandits in Huaixi and Jingxi, and then discuss other dispatches."
At this time, Wang Boyan, Wang Yuan and others had already realized that they had lost their composure, but no one spoke again.
"There is also Zhang Longtu. According to the previous discussion, he will be appointed as the governor of the two routes in Jingdong and stationed in Nanjing. I will give you all the supplies and civilians in Shouchun. When Jin Wushu leaves for the north, you will take the initiative to lead the troops there to replace Yang Weizhong... Yue Fei is your old subordinate. You know his abilities well and he is the most obedient to you. Zhang Rong is also a talent. I hope you will use them well. As for Vice Marshal Zong, he is to your west, so you should keep in touch with him."
"I obey your order."
"Zhao Ding was originally appointed as the governor of Shouzhou as a temporary official, but he has made great contributions in this plan to defend Cai's city. He is also very experienced and has done a good job. He should be transferred as an exception and appointed as the transport commissioner of Huainan and Huainan, to be the successor of Zhang Longtu and Zhang Jun... Especially Zhang Jun, we should persuade him to use his troops carefully."
"I am deeply grateful!" Zhao Damu really felt that everything was worth it.
"As for Wumashan, I understand your intentions... Appoint Prince Xin as the deputy commander of the Marshal's Office, and appoint Jia Ma Kuo as the general manager of the Northern Road, to take charge of the war in the north of Taihang... We don't require field battles, large battles, or random battles, but it would be great if we can preserve our strength to wait for a response in the future."
"I would rather die than decline!" Ma Kuo seemed to be in a dream.
"That's all." Zhao Jiu finished speaking in one breath, and then he was relieved. "If there is anything left out, we can discuss it later. As for the rest of the troops, prepare them properly. Once Jin Wushu leaves, we will set off immediately and head to Nanyang!"
Everyone bowed their heads.
"Oh," Emperor Zhao put on his futou again, and suddenly thought of something. "Let Xu Jingheng and Zhang Que come back... They have worked hard ."
