Volume 2 Chapter 11: Fangcheng (Part 1)
In the next two days, Yelu Mawu never returned and Wanyan Yinshu was still nowhere to be seen.
Emperor Zhao sent a new officer, the so-called minor envoy, Zhai Biao, to cross the river to investigate on the other side of the Ru River by taking advantage of the local villagers. However, Zhai Biao came and went in a hurry, and simply brought back the messengers of Han Shizhong, Wang De and others.
Combined with the information brought by the latter, Xingzaisha came to a simple and direct conclusion:
Wanyan Yinshu had indeed marched to the foot of Zhongyang Mountain, less than a hundred miles away from Ruyang. But soon, probably because Yelu Mawu failed to hit the target, and knowing that many reinforcements had arrived in Ruyang City, he made a prompt decision and changed his route to the north with only the main force brought from Taiyuan. While Han Shizhong and Wang De were mobilizing their main forces to return cautiously, he took advantage of the cavalry and crossed Yingchang Prefecture from the gap on the east side of Fangcheng Mountain, and then conquered Ye County , heading north.
Judging from the route, Wanyan Yinshu should be planning to join forces with his younger brother Wanyan Balisu, and then withdraw to Hezhong Prefecture (Hedong area, later Linfen area) and return to his old nest in Taiyuan.
However, this inference was too easy and made people suspicious. The officials in Ruyang City had no intention of acting on their own.
But soon, as more and more messengers came from Han Shizhong, Wang De also returned to Ruyang in person, and the central government accepted the fact that Wanyan Yinshu could withdraw his troops. After Wang De quickly led the main force of the imperial camp to return, Emperor Zhao himself threw away all his confusion and directly ordered the emperor to continue westward.
On this day in mid-March, Xingzai arrived outside Fangcheng at the foot of Fangcheng Mountain, the northernmost part of Tangzhou. Since this place is located at the junction of five states, namely Dengzhou, Ruzhou, Caizhou, Yingchang Prefecture and Tangzhou, it is in an important location. So after Xingzai settled down at the foot of Fangcheng Mountain, he stayed here for a while and then immediately called on his subjects from all sides to gather together.
After receiving the summons, Han Shizhong, who had made arrangements in the north, hurried back with Liu Yan, Yang Yi Zhong, Hu Yin and others. Several important officials from Nanyang also came here to welcome them. With the convergence of information from all sides, Xingzai just extracted an incredible but completely awakening military situation from it - it turned out that just a few days ago, in early March, Li Yanxian almost single-handedly recaptured Shanzhou with the remnants of the troops abandoned by Fan Zhixu in Shanzhou.
Shanzhou is located between Xijing Luoyang and Jingzhao Chang'an, with an outstanding strategic location. If Wanyan Yinshu learned about this matter at the foot of Zhongyang Mountain at that time, then his return would be natural.
However, despite Li Yanxian's great contribution, Emperor Zhao did not give him a direct and proper explanation. Instead, he waited for another two days. After the Prime Minister Yuwen Xu Zhong reported the matter publicly, Zhao Jiu gave him the reward.
"Appoint Li Yanxian as the governor of Shanzhou!" Under the slanting sunlight of late spring, Emperor Zhao, dressed in a bright red robe, blurted out without even frowning. "The Privy Council and the Imperial Camp should immediately discuss the relevant official rank and rewards, and they must be delivered as soon as possible!"
Yuwen Xuzhong, dressed in purple robe, stood motionless in front of the emperor. Another senior official in purple robe, who was another prime minister, Wang Boyan, and the fully armed commander of the imperial camp, Wang Yuan, immediately appeared. They paused for a while, and seeing that no one opposed the appointment of the pacification envoy, they solemnly accepted the order, and then the three of them returned to their respective ranks together.
It is said that the meeting held at the foot of Fangcheng Mountain this time was not an ordinary government meeting, but a grand court meeting that brought together the entire civil and military officials in the imperial camp, generals in the imperial camp, and the remaining civil and military officials in the west of Beijing!
In fact, this kind of thing should have been done after the emperor arrived in Nanyang, which was only a hundred miles away, and it should have been held in the palace that Liu Ji (Jingxi Transport Commissioner) had worked so hard to build for the emperor. At that time, everyone would have washed away the dust and refreshed their spirits, and naturally they would be more efficient.
But for some reason, following the emperor's own suggestion, this long-awaited grand court meeting was finally held in the wilderness at the foot of Fangcheng Mountain, with only a curtain on both sides... The emperor even refused to climb the famous golden summit of Fangcheng Mountain and hold the meeting in the temples and Taoist temples in the city, and also declined the proposal to enter the city.
However, the number of armored soldiers in the imperial camp that accompanied the army accumulated to over ten thousand, showing off their might. According to the divisions among the different parts, they almost filled up half of the field under the Fangcheng Mountain. From the small hill on the side of the mountain where the meeting was held, they looked quite imposing.
In fact, there were discussions among the officials of the imperial court. Some idle people would only say that the emperor was willful and impatient again. But apart from that, the truly knowledgeable people all thought that the emperor wanted to use the wild land and weapons to remind the officials of the imperial court that although Nanyang was just around the corner, the country was still in danger and they should have a sense of crisis.
However, there are also a very small number of people who believe that the government has always attached great importance to the military, and may just feel that the front-line generals should be respected and there is no need to delay time, so the court meeting was held directly in this place with many connections, without any other considerations.
Back to the present, after Li Yanxian's great achievement was agreed upon, the two East Palace ministers, Lu Haowen and Xu Jingheng, came out one after another and took turns to report various matters.
"There are vacancies in various places west of the capital, including Ruzhou, Caizhou, Yingchang Prefecture, Henan Prefecture (where the Western Capital Luoyang is located), as well as Shaanxi Prefecture in Guanzhong and Jingzhao counties. I have been ordered to draw up the appointments for each place, and I hope the emperor will review them." Lu Haowen was naturally also wearing a purple robe and a stiff-winged fu hat, but he took out a document from his sleeve, and then walked out of the queue for the fourth time with a serious look.
"I trust you gentlemen."
Lan Gui, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, ran down to take the document. Zhao Jiu opened it and closed it again, then handed it back to Lan Gui, asking him to put it away carefully. "But there is one thing... For such appointments, we must consider the opinions of the garrisons, governors, and pacification envoys. They are facing the enemy in the front and have the right to make appointments. We cannot replace those who have power at will. And if there is indeed a conflict in the appointment, we must arrange a place for those who have been replaced and appease them... You must know that at this time, everything is done with the anti-Jin in mind, and the rear should not easily compete with those who are facing the battle in the front."
"I know the pros and cons of this." Lu Haowen also waited quietly for the official to finish speaking before he responded seriously and slowly withdrew to the queue.
When Lu Haowen withdrew this time, it was not another minister, Xu Jingheng, who followed him again, but Zhang Jun, the trial censor, who was wearing a scarlet robe, stepped out and said proudly: "Your Majesty, the Censorate has a theory... Before, the Jin people went south to the west of the capital, and many states fell. There were many cases of ministers being defeated, losing land, and abandoning people. More than a month ago, Your Majesty issued a clear decree at Bagong Mountain in Shouzhou, saying that Your Majesty and the imperial court would not retreat, and that your ministers were not allowed to retreat again. Now, what should be done? Please give your instructions!"
As soon as these words were spoken, several people in red robes who were standing at the same level as the censors behind the four prime ministers, including one official in purple robes, immediately changed color and became extremely nervous. However, the governor of Tangzhou, Yan Xiaozhong, who was definitely "lost territory and was captured", had a dark complexion, making it difficult to tell whether he "changed color" or not.
However, Emperor Zhao's expression did not change, and he blurted out, as if he had made a private agreement: "There are two limitations to my order. One is geography... Since I have not retreated, and my ministers cannot retreat, then where I am, I can tolerate it in my lifetime, but I cannot tolerate it after my death. Therefore, I pardoned the escapees from Jingdong and killed Ding Jin. Now, I have traveled west from the Huai River to here, so naturally I can pardon the northwestern route of Jing, but not the southwestern route of Jing. The other is time... I sent this document from Bagong Mountain, and I will naturally obey it when the order arrives. But I failed before the order arrives, so I can't blame you."
Hearing this, the officials who had been frightened almost all breathed a sigh of relief. However, seeing that the Imperial Censor Hu Yin stood still under Zhang Jun's empty seat without changing his expression, some people who had heard some rumors began to feel suspicious.
"But," Zhao Jiu paused for a moment, and continued with a straight face. "Apart from the imperial decree, when Li Xianggong was in power, he often said that those who were too disloyal and incompetent should be severely punished to correct the style of scholars; yesterday, the Imperial Censor Hu Yin also said that if a minister sentenced everyone to death for absurd things, he would never be pardoned... I quite agree with him! Where is Fan Zhixu, the Grand Secretary of the Council of State and the Governor of Dengzhou?"
A purple-robed official whose position was second only to the four ministers turned pale upon hearing this, trembling as he stepped out of the line, leaned forward to speak, but was speechless for a moment... He did not behave like a minister at all.
"Master Fan." Zhao Jiu frowned slightly when he saw this. "I heard that you were promoted to Shangshu Youcheng fifteen years ago, and you were actually a prime minister. Then you were in important positions and served in large counties. You were considered one of the most important officials in the world. How come you are so incompetent that you can't even say a word?"
"I...I am a civil official. Please judge me according to our ancestors' family rules, and don't judge me like Liu Guangshi. I hope to get the same result as Zhang Bangchang, which will be enough to show your kindness." Fan Zhixu, who was over 50 years old, lost the manners of a civil official in panic and knelt down without a hat, causing an uproar among the civil and military officials standing around him.
And from what he said, it seemed that he knew that the official dared to kill the minister, so he was afraid of death.
Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment. Two days before this incident, he had a fierce debate with several ministers and close officials... but except for Hu Yin, no one supported him to "Ningguo". And Emperor Zhao also understood that the capital was in the front, and people were at ease. But the front line was still struggling. If Fan Zhixu was really killed at this time, it would arouse the collective dissatisfaction of the civil officials, which might lead to serious consequences.
Especially now, the civil officials are showing signs of joining forces to oppose Emperor Zhao because of his radical actions, and there is a legal basis for not killing the top scholar-officials... After the fall of Tokyo, the three commandments engraved on stone by Emperor Taizu of Song in the Taimiao have gradually been circulated... Emperor Zhao certainly doesn't care about this, but he can't resist the civil officials using this as evidence to confront him.
It should be understood that no matter how high Liu Guangshi's position was, he was only a military official. Killing him was not a precedent and was against the system, but this matter was clearly restricted by written regulations.
Given the current situation, Zhao Jiu really needs civil officials to help him at this moment.
But then again, Emperor Zhao also felt that there was no need to rush into killing someone, and there was no need to use the classical punishment...especially since this person really could not be punished by the classical punishment.
While Emperor Zhao was silent and thinking, not only Fan Zhixu, but also several ministers, Chief Censor Zhang Deyuan who stood up, and other officials were already in a state of confusion. How could they not know that Emperor Zhao still had the intention to kill?
"Whatever!" Zhao Jiu suddenly sighed. "The writings of my family will be confiscated and I will be demoted to the Zunyi Army..."
Everyone below breathed a sigh of relief... Since they could save their lives, they naturally didn't care about the Emperor Zhao's temporary change to such a serious punishment. After all, the Emperor had really wanted to kill him. However, after Fan Zhixu hurriedly thanked him, and then his own team stepped forward to remove his clothes and drag him out in public, almost everyone was confused again... What kind of place is the Zunyi Army?
"Do you have anything else to report?" Zhao Jiu watched Fan Zhixu being dragged out of the tent before continuing to ask.
The only minister standing in the middle, Chief Censor Zhang Jun, was about to retreat upon hearing this, but he suddenly remembered something. It seemed that the debate about Fan Zhixu in the previous two days was too intense, and everyone had forgotten about it in a hurry.
However, just as Zhang Deyuan was about to make a speech, he was met with the expressionless face of Emperor Zhao as soon as he looked up. Then, his heart moved slightly, he avoided saying a word, and turned back... It can only be said that since being slapped in the face by his closest younger brother Hu Yin, the emperor's number one confidant has become much calmer, but he is still far better than others in guessing the emperor's thoughts.
It’s just that this person used to like to please others, but now he likes to deal with things in a roundabout and negative way.
However, as soon as Zhang Deyuan returned to the queue, Hu Yin beside him and Yan Xiaozhong, the governor of Tangzhou opposite him, came out together. At the same time, Liu Ji, the Jingxi Transport Commissioner who lived diagonally opposite him, was also ready to move, but did not come out immediately due to some subtle mentality.
In this regard, the Chief Censor became uneasy again - he understood very well that he had made a huge mistake. It should be noted that the civil and military officials were gathered here, and it was no longer the Bagua Mountain where he could deal with everything as long as he watched the energetic Zhao Ding and paid attention to the extremely cunning scholar Kobayashi!
This is Fangcheng Mountain!
There are only tombs and military camps on Bagong Mountain, while there are more than a dozen Buddhist temples and Taoist temples on Fangcheng Mountain!
Not to mention that Zhang Jun's cunning, which he had suppressed for only a month, was now in an uproar. Hu Yin and Yan Xiaozhong came out together, their eyes met, and they each paused for a moment, neither of them concealing their admiration for the other, and neither of them had any intention of giving in.
At this moment, Liu Ji, the purple-robed Jingxi Transport Commissioner, could no longer bear it. He walked past the two of them and bowed to the throne: "Your Majesty! I would like to ask you, since Fan Zhixu has left, who can be sent to Dengzhou? And since your Majesty has decided to make Nanyang the secondary capital, should Dengzhou be promoted to Nanyang Prefecture, following the old example of Kaifeng Prefecture?"
Zhao Jiu smiled slightly, then stood up from the throne, walked up to Liu Ji and held his hand.
Poor Liu Ji and Liu Zhifu, who were in their forties or fifties, met the emperor for the first time and did not know his temperament and habits. How could they bear this? Their faces immediately turned red.
When Lu Haowen and others saw this, they knew that Liu Ji would either be put to great use or suffer a great loss... However, despite saying this, they still felt a little jealous, because they had worked hard following Emperor Zhao around for more than half a year, and although they had made no contributions, they had worked hard, but it seemed that they had never been held by the hand of Emperor Zhao.
Not only that, each of these smart people was well-informed, and when they saw Liu Ji just being shaken by the emperor, their faces first turned red, and then tears came down, but they suddenly realized - it turned out that the emperor's handshake with Liu Ji at this time was not a simple and crude favor, but an extremely wise favor!
You should know that the story of shaking hands and talking merrily happened between Emperor Guangwu and his founding hero Li Tong, and the location was near Nanyang.
Among them, the Emperor Guangwu's revival of the country is naturally more appropriate than the Emperor Zhao who was in exile. And what was the opportunity for this incident? It happened when Liu Xiu was being hunted down and had no place to stand, and Li Tong went to find Guangwu and settled him in his home in Nanyang.
Therefore, Zhao Guanjia's performance was not impromptu. With just this handshake, he easily attributed the first credit for the preservation of Nanyang to Liu Ji. But Liu Zhifu had always been seeking fame. He almost committed suicide during the Jingkang period. A few days ago, when the army was defeated in Dengzhou and Nanyang was in the most critical situation, he also said that he wanted to die, "to show that there are also envoys in the Song Dynasty who are willing to die for the country."
This kind of person, if he gets such a handshake in such an occasion, he will probably lose his mind. It can only be said that the emperor has recently had a capable person by his side, otherwise, with Emperor Zhao's level of historical knowledge, he would never have thought of this method!
When they thought of this, although they understood that the emperor was putting on a show and winning people's hearts, the other important officials still became uneasy. The other civil officials who had not even been assigned the two tasks were almost jealous with red eyes... But people like Han Shizhong, who wore a jade belt and always looked down on scholars, were now holding their heads high and looking at the scenery everywhere, so they didn't understand what was going on.
It's no wonder that General Han thought that Liu Ji's crying was not a good thing.
"Nanyang was saved thanks to Mr. Liu," Zhao Jiu said slowly, holding his hand. "I had thought about Nanyang Prefecture before, and thought that I could just merge Dengzhou and Tangzhou into one, and restore the scale and old system of Nanyang during the Han Dynasty... And I thought at that time that the post of Nanyang Prefecture Governor could only be filled by Mr. Liu."
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister Wang Boyan who was standing next to him couldn't help but sigh regardless of the occasion... You have to know, back in Hebei, when the emperor was still the Grand Marshal, he, Wang Boyan, personally carried a bow and arrow and led the troops to serve as a guard. When it was generally believed that the capital should be moved to Chang'an, the emperor took his hand and said, 'When I see the emperor one day, I will definitely appoint you as the Prefect of Jingzhao'... In the blink of an eye, more than a year has passed.
At this point, I can only borrow the official’s witty words in the name of Yi An Jushi: things have changed and people have changed, and everything is over!
However, after sighing, based on this sentence, Wang Boyan instantly concluded that Liu Zhifu had a bright future, and might even enter the central government and replace himself as a prime minister in the future. But he would never be able to hold the extremely respected and important position of the Nanyang prefect.
"But I thought about it later. Liu Qing's ability in transportation and construction is really outstanding. There is a key point that is far more important than Nanyang. I must rely on Liu Qing, and I can only rely on Liu Qing." Zhao Jiu held Liu Ji's hand and continued to speak earnestly. "I hope that Liu Qing will serve as the governor of Xiangzhou in his capacity as the pacification envoy of the southwest road of Beijing, and stay in Xiangyang to take charge of the transportation of materials from the Yangtze River and Han River in Shuzhong, the southeast, and Jingxiang for me... You must know that Liu Qing is a person like Xiao He. I want you to take charge of my affairs, so how can I use you as a mere prefect?"
Liu Ji burst into tears and immediately agreed, almost swearing to serve the emperor until his death.
"Let Yan Qingquan, the governor of Tangzhou, take care of the Nanyang Prefecture's affairs!" Zhao Jiu saw that Liu Ji agreed, so he casually gave the order. However, Yan Xiaozhong, who had stepped out earlier to inquire about the matter, also blushed.
"Your Majesty," At this moment, Hu Yin, the Imperial Censor beside Yan Xiaozhong, could not help but remind him. "The governor of Xiangyang, Fan Qiong, has not arrived yet, and he has taken in the criminal Zong Yin. He deserves death!"
A few steps away, Scholar Kobayashi, who had been feeling uneasy recently, suddenly thought of something - in this way, wouldn't all the old ministers of Nanyang be cleared out in one day?
