Volume 3 Chapter 12: Sending the Sun and Moon Away with Elegance (Part 2)
In times of war, things often change unexpectedly fast.
Wanqi Xie and his companions were only on a journey to Guanxi, and the round trip took only thirty or forty days. When they returned, what they saw along the way had changed a lot... For example, Luoyang, which was lifeless when they came, could be clearly noticed when they passed by again that the old site of Luoyang City had been slightly renovated. Although it was still desolate, it at least had a little bit of life.
Not only that, it is said that the ancestral hall of the imperial mausoleum has also been repaired to a certain extent, and Zhao Shiyi, the chief ancestor of the imperial mausoleum who came from Yangzhou, is currently offering sacrifices and mourning at the mausoleum.
Once we reached Zhengzhou, this situation became even more obvious, because the amount and density of the smoke from cooking fires could not be faked.
Wanqi Xie knew this very well. This must be because the military rebellion in the southeast was quelled, and the financial and material supplies from the southeast that had been blocked before were able to reach Tokyo along the canal... The total income of financial and material supplies from Liangzhe Route plus Fujian Route in the year before Jingkang was more than 20 million strings of cash. Even if the turmoil since Jingkang and the military rebellion that had just been quelled consumed a lot, the minimum annual income should be 10 million strings of cash, which is the same as Bashu... And this wave of financial and material supplies, which were delayed for more than half a year, is estimated to be worth more than 6 million strings of cash.
With money, food and fodder, everything is possible.
However, in addition to this hard condition, with Wanqi Yuanzhong's intelligence and current level, he also vaguely sensed another layer from this phenomenon that he could not quite explain, but which did exist.
And this kind of thing affects the current situation all the time.
You have to know that when they were in Nanyang before, Wanqi Xie, as the person involved, could see it... The situation was so bad at that time, but once the emperor after ascending the throne determined the location of the secondary capital, a large number of displaced officials, scholars, and merchants immediately poured into Nanyang, and the situations in Jingxiang, Bashu, and the southeast were instantly affected by Nanyang and gradually became stable.
The unrest in the southeast was pacified, the belligerent Zhong Xiang of Dongting Lake was silenced, and Fan Qiong, who was so powerful, had no choice but to surrender and was then buried alive in a coffin as a warning to others.
The same is true now.
Although the Song Dynasty was still at an undoubted disadvantage in military strength due to the loss of northern Shaanxi, the emergence of the Pseudo-Qi, and internal rebellions, coupled with the awkward location of Tokyo City, all of which led to a lot of uncertainty in the future, after Emperor Zhao had sat firmly in the old capital for several months, the overall situation quickly moved towards a stable direction.
It has a bit of a calming feeling.
However, Wanqi Yuanzhong, who was already considered a useful figure in the imperial court, was not happy about it, because he always felt that the so-called stability of people's minds might not be a good thing, because people's minds might turn into complacency... and the official sitting in Tokyo City at this moment would never accept complacency.
Of course, these were all Wanqi Xie's random thoughts along the way. They were just thoughts, and there was not even a shadow of them. Moreover, previous events had already proved that the Jin people were in front, and you could not be stable just because you wanted to.
Back to the past, on the last day of mid-May, Wanqi Xie, who had been traveling with someone hard, was finally able to return to Tokyo. And as if in line with his thoughts, an incredible thing was that he was stuck in a traffic jam in Tokyo.
There was really a traffic jam. It was fine when Wanqi Xie and his men entered the outer city from the Xinzheng Gate in the west, but after entering the inner city, they encountered a series of long convoys at the intersection of West Street and Chongming Gate and were stuck on the spot.
To be fair, this kind of thing was absolutely common six or seven years ago. At that time, Tokyo was crowded with millions of permanent residents, and dignitaries were countless. Naturally, carriages and ceremonial guards filled the streets and alleys. Moreover, an incredible number of freight vehicles were needed to feed a million people.
But now it's unusual.
"Whose display is this?"
Wanqi Xie just led the horse and casually called the servants who came out from the roadside inn to watch the excitement and asked them.
"Have you just arrived in Tokyo?" The waiter in front of the store was quite knowledgeable. He could tell at a glance that Wanqi Xie and his group were serious officials coming to the capital, so he told them everything he knew. "Of course I don't know the reason. After General Yue quelled the military rebellion in the southeast, several wealthy families in Yangzhou heard that the official had returned to Tokyo, so they also wanted to return home, so they followed the army here... The leaders were the family of the Grand Master Xun Kangxiao, the family of Consort Pan, the family of Meihua Han in Xiangzhou, and the family of Empress Xing who passed away before... And the ones blocking the road here were the family of Madam Pan and the family of Meihua Han. Their old houses are close to each other. The Han family went there first, and the Pan family couldn't wait, so they went straight up, which made them look more imposing. They didn't expect that there would be many people coming from West Street today, and no one dared to block the progress of these two families, so they blocked the road here."
Wanqi Yuanzhong twirled his beard and smiled.
"When a country declines, there must be evil!"
But before Wanqi Yuanzhong could laugh, a red-faced man in brocade clothes who had not dismounted from his horse shouted angrily in the street, and his voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of people on the street. "From what I saw along the way, the imperial mausoleum in Xijing could not be protected, but they only bothered to send a large army to pick up a concubine from Yangzhou? Come if you want, you should have a small group to show your virtue, but you are here to bully others and block the road, and let the ministers of the country and the generals on the front line wait here? How can this be justified?!"
When the servant heard this, he ran back to his own building, while the people on the street stared at the red-faced man in amazement.
But a moment later, unexpectedly, the convoy that had been moving non-stop split into two. The convoy that had reached the intersection naturally hurried to cross the street, while the convoy that had not reached the intersection obediently stopped by the roadside... Not only that, a moment later, another young man and an elderly butler-like figure came out in person, introduced themselves, and said they were ashamed.
The red-faced man, who had come to Beijing to take up his post, untied Qu Duanle only after he arrived in Xijing. Naturally, he snorted coldly and ignored him . Meanwhile, Wanqi Xie, who was standing next to him, just casually gave his name and then laughed without saying anything.
Wanqi Yuanzhong knew clearly in his heart that it was not that the noble and influential family suddenly changed their nature after seeing the national crisis, but it was due to the circumstances.
You must know that during the Jing Kang period, the two emperors were hunted in the north, and Queen Xing was also abducted. Concubine Pan was not only one of the few legitimate female relatives left by the emperor's side, but she was also pregnant with the royal heir, so it was once discussed that she could be made queen directly. However, the situation of Queen Xing was unclear after all, so under the dissuasion of the ministers at the time, it did not happen.
But now, Empress Xing has been confirmed to have been murdered, and it is said that even the coffin will be returned soon. Although Concubine Pan has lost an heir to the emperor, it is very common for a woman to fail to raise a child these days. On the contrary, because she has lost her child, she is loved by the emperor and is specially allowed to come back to serve him... Therefore, things become very delicate, because Concubine Pan's rank is far higher than that of everyone in the harem!
In other words, as the emperor repeatedly dismissed palace servants and rejected female relatives, there was only one Madam Wu and Concubine Pan who could be considered to have a formal status in the palace. Madam Wu was young and of low rank, so she was clearly no match for Concubine Pan. So once the position of empress was discussed, it would almost be in Concubine Pan's pocket.
As for why it is almost and not definitely, it is because apart from the emperor's favor and the seemingly non-threatening Madam Wu, Concubine Pan must first face a truly powerful old enemy - the person who urged the newly enthroned emperor in Nanjing that day not to make Concubine Pan the queen is precisely the prime minister of the capital province, Lu Haowen, who has the most stable position now.
In other words, Pan knew that the timing was sensitive, so he pretended to be so. Wanqi Xie also knew that Pan would not offend any ministers at this time, so he was fearless.
As for Qu Duan... To be honest, General Qu has figured it out after all his journey. He is sure to keep his life and official position this time, but it is a bit unrealistic to want him to go to the front line to lead a region. It is very likely that he will be kept idle to give an explanation to his old subordinates in Guanxi... So, General Qu is just acting like that and he is determined to do whatever he wants!
Be it your family of the queen, or your family of the most famous family in the world, what the hell does it have to do with me? !
Without further ado, let's get back to the present. Wanqi Yuanzhong had some other thoughts in mind, but the most important thing was that he had obviously made great contributions in this journey to the west, so he had something to rely on; and Qu Da was determined not to give face to anyone, so the two of them really looked down on Concubine Pan's family. They complained in front of Pan's children and the housekeeper, but only Wanqi Xie responded by slightly bowing. Then the two of them led their subordinates and really walked through Pan's convoy, heading towards the old Shangshu Province and the imperial city.
After the two men left, the Pan family members who were half angry saw that no one dared to cross the Pan family's carriage, so they continued to cross West Street. Only countless idle people on the roadside looked at the receding backs of Wanqi Xie and Qu Duan, secretly sighing... Tokyo has only been bustling for a few days, but unexpectedly it has already produced such extravagant people.
Without mentioning the little episode, it is said that Wanqi Xie and Qu Duan came to the south of the Imperial Street and entered the former territory of the Ministry of Shangshu shared by the Capital Province and the Privy Council. However, they did not see the Deputy Privy Councilor Wang Boyan and the two governors of the Capital Province. Only the Privy Councilor Liu Ziyu was here to manage military affairs... Since the Heyin incident that day, the two sides have become increasingly estranged, and there are only polite official business between them... However, this matter is of great importance. Although the central government had received the express report sent by Yuwen Xuzhong from Guanzhong, the arrival of the real master must be reported in person to the emperor, and Liu Ziyu did not dare to neglect it, and immediately passed the news to the palace.
Soon, an oral order came from Xuande Gate, saying that several ministers and generals were discussing matters in front of the emperor, so Wanqi, the military officer, was allowed to go directly to the palace with Qu Dutong to discuss military affairs.
Naturally, everyone was speechless except Qu Duan, who was really brave. Although it was his first time in the palace and his first time to meet the emperor, he kept his head held high and his chest puffed out with a dignified demeanor from the front of Xuande Tower to the back of Xuande Tower... With this look, there was no doubt that he would be able to continue to cause trouble even if he met the emperor and several ministers and generals in person.
All I can say is that he was worthy of being the man who publicly wrote poems to mock the entire Nanyang court and then bullied the entire Guanxi.
Entering the Forbidden City, turn west from the Daqing Hall and there is a large courtyard with a bell tower and drum tower protecting the Wende Hall. This is where courts usually hold business and it is also the first place to be cleaned up. Only two people are allowed to enter the Wende Hall, and they have to be searched to remove their weapons and armor.
After the body search was completed, Wanqi Xie was summoned to go in first, while Qu Duan stayed at the steps of the Drum Tower to wait.
Of course, Qu Da was mentally prepared for this. With the things happening in Guanxi at hand, he would never be considered one of the Central Government's own after all... Thinking back on it now, Qu Duan felt a little regretful, but it did not show on his face at all. Instead, he felt that since he was here and would meet the Emperor later, he should be tough to the end and show his style, otherwise he would become a joke.
But just as Qu Duan was daydreaming about the chirping of summer insects, suddenly, the sound of flapping armor broke the chirping of insects in front of the Wende Hall, and also interrupted Qu Duan's thoughts.
Could it be that he really wants to kill himself?
Qu Da was alert in his heart, and then he lamented again... Death is death, he has been on the edge of a knife for twenty years, is he really afraid of death? It's a pity that the iron elephant was not sent out to Guanxi, and followed him all the way here, but he didn't know if it would be coveted by Wanqi Yuanzhong?
"Qu Da!"
Dozens of soldiers rushed out of the hall and came to the steps in front of Qu Duan. The leader had a huge frame, but he was wearing a brocade robe and a jade belt. He shouted Qu Duan's nickname from afar. "Do you still recognize me?"
Qu Duan was stunned for a long time... When he first saw the jade belt, his first reaction was that it was the emperor who came out to see him in person, but as soon as the other party opened his mouth and he heard the familiar accent, Qu Duan suddenly realized that this must be his old acquaintance from the Western Army, Han Wu, the current number one military man, the Grand Tutor and the Jiedushi of the two towns, Han Shizhong, the Grand Commandant.
However, this doesn't seem like an attempt to kill people, right?
"General Han." Facing such a figure, Qu Duan hesitated for a moment and bowed properly, which was rare.
"You still remember to throw Han Wu's salute at me?" Han Shizhong stood on the steps, sneering. "I heard that hundreds of thousands of our Western Army soldiers died, some fled, and some escaped, but you became the number one general in Guanxi. Isn't it a joke? What's the saying of the government? When there is no tiger in the mountain, the wild cat will be king?"
Yang Yizhong, who was standing by, wanted to remind him to correct it, but he was too lazy to say anything more. Qu Duan, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, opened his mouth to speak, but in front of this person, he really didn't know where to start to refute.
"Today I will not mention the deceased Liu Guangshi, the old Taiwei Yang who is living in Yangzhou, or the villain Zhang Jun who is flattering the emperor in the palace." Han Shizhong continued to sneer. "The few squad leaders who came out with me today are all senior figures selected by the Western Army. In front of everyone, I ask you, between you and me, Han Shizhong... who is one year older?"
Qu Duan pursed his lips and said nothing.
"I'm asking you a question!" Han Shizhong sneered, holding his belt. "Don't you know the size?"
"It's the general." Under the gaze of dozens of people on the steps, Qu Duan finally bowed helplessly. "The general is one year older than me."
“Who joined the army earlier ?”
"It's the commander."
“Who has more experience?”
“……”Qu Duan finally stopped talking.
"Who made the greater contribution?" Han Shizhong no longer cared and just kept asking.
“…”
"Am I from the Western Army? Or is it that you in Jingyuan Road are from the Western Army, but we in Yanfu Road are not?"
“…”
"Well, I am the Grand Commandant now, and you are not. Why do you refuse to accept it?"
"I have no intention of disobeying the commander..." Qu Duan was inexplicably depressed ... Firing cannons from a distance was one thing, but encountering such a situation face to face was another. From a military perspective, he really couldn't think of any way in which Han Shizhong was worse than him.
"That's good." Han Shizhong suddenly pursed his lips. "Xiao Yang... this is Yang Yizhong, the grandson of your old boss, General Manager Yang... Xiao Yang, go down and take off his brocade robe!"
Yang Yizhong had been listening for a long time, just waiting for this sentence. He rushed forward with several squad leaders, and held Qu Da down under the drum tower in front of the Wende Hall. Then he tore off his clothes, revealing his white back that was full of muscles and scars.
At this time, another person handed a horsewhip to Han Shizhong with both hands.
"I don't accept it... I am a general of the imperial court. A soldier can be killed but not humiliated!" Qu Duan saw this and understood that Han Shizhong was going to use the whip to kill him, but he struggled even more. "Han Wu, even though you are better than me in every way, you can't humiliate me like this for no reason!"
"I am here to give you these twenty whips!" Han Shizhong calmly held his belt with one hand and the whip with the other hand, and walked around behind him, then raised his voice. "The emperor asked me to tell you that the Chief Censor is a minister of state, and Hu Mingzhong is his messenger. He was whipped in your defense area. No matter whether you knew about it or not, and whether you participated in it or not, you should pay it back in person today! Because among all the generals in the palace, only I, Han Wu, can cover all your qualifications and merits, so I was given this opportunity to make you look good!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Han Shizhong shook his wrist and hit Qu Duan on the back.
The whip hit his body, the pain was excruciating to the bone. Qu Duan gritted his teeth and swallowed his words... It can be seen that Po Han Wu is an expert in this field. It can be said that he is worthy of being a direct descendant of the Western Army.
And that was not all. Han Shizhong continued to scold and swear as he beat the man:
"I just don't understand. What are you so proud of? Why are you so domineering? Even I, Han Wu, have never been domineering. How can you be domineering in front of me?
"A commander dares to arbitrarily annex his colleagues?
"A prefect of Yan'an actually wants to kill the governor who is above him?
"A commander-in-chief who has only been appointed for less than three months actually dares to ignore the Chief Censor?
"Hu Zhongcheng said you have no intention of rebelling, but according to me, you deserve to be killed even if you have no intention of rebelling! Okay?
"You are the only one who is suffering? Are others enjoying themselves? The emperor is in Huaishang, and he is reluctant to light a candle. He lives in the palace and shoots rabbits to eat every day!
"I, Han, have only just learned to read, and you are still writing poetry? And you are still writing poetry to mock the government and the ministers?
"How did the emperor and ministers whom you mocked drive away the Jin army?
"Do you know that the scars on your back are not even one inch as many as mine, Han Wu?
"And Hu Zhongcheng, such a good man, how could he get beaten in your defense zone? He is an angel!
Han Shizhong kept yelling and scolding, and whipping him, but Qu Duan just gritted his teeth and said nothing the whole time, just like when Hu Yin was beaten that day.
After the beating was over, Han Shizhong put away the whip, turned to the other man, and said coldly, "How is it, do you have anything to say? Let me tell you in advance, if you dare to have any intention of complaining to the emperor, I will kill you with my own hands today, even if I have the two military governors on my body, in front of this Wende Hall!"
"have!"
Qu Duan's teeth were trembling slightly, and his back was covered in blood, but he struggled on the ground. "The government ordered that I be beaten with twenty whips... but you, Han Wu, abused the power of private punishment and beat me twenty-one times!"
"It was twenty-two, and the last two were given by me in private, because Hu Zhongcheng must be my brother, and I just wanted to avenge my personal grudge..." Having said this, Han Shizhong whipped him again on the face, and then continued to grin at him. "Or did you only know that I am Han Wu today? If you don't accept it, we will get along better in the future, and you can come to me anytime, I will be waiting for you!"
There were blood marks on the curved surface, but he finally gritted his teeth and said nothing.
"Give him some clothes and bring him in." Han Shizhong ignored the man, threw down his whip, and went back to the palace, holding his belt. "The emperor is discussing military affairs. According to the rules, he, the deputy commander of the imperial camp, should be listening in and participating in the discussion!"
Qu Duan was slightly startled, still gritting his teeth and saying nothing, but suddenly a tear fell from his eyes, and he quickly wiped it away.
