Volume 3 Chapter 2 Hate to leave the bird startled
In late spring, the city of Tokyo was hit by an earthquake.
But to be honest, it is difficult for Zhao Jiu to empathize with these people, especially the incident in Hebei.
If you talk about it from a personal perspective, Zhao Jiu has never met many of these people, so it 's a bit unreasonable for you to ask him to do this or that. If you talk about it from a sense of justice, you may have some sympathy, but later he went to the battlefield, from Bozhou to Lianghuai, then to Nanyang, and then to Tokyo. He saw too many families broken up and people killed along the way, and that little bit of sympathy had been almost worn away by the even more miserable situation...
So this leads to a question: if you traveled through time and space and became the emperor of the Zhao Song Dynasty, would you immediately put yourself on the throne? Would you treat hundreds of millions of people as toys for your personal strategic game?
Or if you have a more advanced ideology, do you think this country is an appendage of the Zhao Song royal family, or do you think the Zhao Song royal family is an appendage of this country?
For Zhao Jiu, the answer was self-evident, and for most civil and military officials, the answer seemed self-evident as well.
The only problem is that there is no way to communicate about it, so it's very annoying.
Back to the past, the whole city of Tokyo was in shock that day, as if they had lost their parents. There were rumors that Queen Xing and several princesses did not die before, but were killed by the Jin generals who lost their family members when the Jin army retreated this year to vent their anger. Later, they were found by Talai, Wuzhu, Nianhan and others, who discovered that only two children were left. They felt it was a loss, so they made up a story and sent the two children back.
This is very possible, but it is meaningless, especially for Zhao Jiu. He couldn't understand why he couldn't just kill Zhao Ji and his son to vent his hatred, but instead killed innocent women, and even kept those two people to disgust him from a distance?
Comparatively speaking, as for the Yangzhou incident, to be honest, people in Tokyo were just lamenting Li Gang's bad luck, and the so-called shock only remained at the official level...and the reason for this was very simple, because the death of young children was a very normal thing in those days, and the Zhao Song royal family could not escape it, and they even had a tradition of dead babies.
However, for Zhao Jiu, it was the other way around... If he had to say which of the two things he cared about more, it would be the one in the south.
There are two reasons:
First of all, from a public perspective, just like Emperor Zhao’s reaction after hearing the news that day, he was really angry that this incident had shaken the court structure and shaken the stability of the court that he had worked so hard to maintain!
You have to know that he has been avoiding internal friction and party struggles, and trying his best to maintain the stability of the overall structure of the court, because he knows that he is incompetent in governing the country, and when he is unable to truly handle various state affairs, he needs a stable civil service system to manage the country for him... But who could have imagined that such an accident would happen?
Zong Ze is dead, and if Li Gang leaves office again, it means that the court will have to carry out a new round of large-scale personnel reshuffle from the top down...but where is the time to waste on personnel development?
Secondly, from a personal perspective, as the person who had been by his side since he first crossed over, if Zhao Jiu really had any feelings for any of the high and mighty Zhao Song royal family figures, it would definitely be Concubine Pan, whom he had always felt a little sorry for...
This kind of emotion, coupled with certain male instincts that cannot be concealed, whether good or bad, has resulted in Princess Pan and her son always being a stone weighing on his heart.
Now that the stone has loosened, the fragile side of the heart below, which cannot be described as a wound, can no longer be concealed.
However, even so, he still has to make arrangements and respond.
" Mrs. Wu is young and has no experience in raising children. May God and Buddha bless them..." In the deserted Chongzheng Palace, facing dozens of important officials who were currently in Tokyo, Zhao Guanjia paused in the middle of his words. "The two children are only four or five years old. Send them to the Wu family first and find an older woman to take good care of them and raise them... whatever is necessary."
Lu Haowen, the head of all officials who was standing alone at the imperial steps, immediately bowed in response. Although this incident caused a shock to the whole city and indeed made everyone feel uneasy, from the surface, if it really wanted to deal with it, it would only take this one sentence.
The only thing worth mentioning is that although Emperor Zhao returned to the old capital of Tokyo, the officials of the court could not say a word of leaving even for the sake of a righteous cause. However, this place is adjacent to the front line after all. When the weather is clear, the Jin flag can be seen across the Yellow River. In addition, the production in Henan was severely damaged, so it is impossible for this city to recover to its former size.
In fact, among the so-called top officials, wealthy businessmen and wealthy people, only one family, the former Pearl Wu family, moved back with their entire family... It was Mrs. Wu's family.
The rest are Empress Xing’s maiden family, the Xing family, and Concubine Pan’s maiden family, all of whom are now following the Empress Dowager in Yangzhou in the southeast.
Even most of the royal family of Zhao Song, including Zhao Shiyi, the chief of the Zhao Song clan, and an old princess or princess with the most prominent status who was over 80 years old, were currently wandering in the southeast.
When the court talked about the relatives of the royal family in Dongjing City, they usually referred to Wu and Zhao Shi's relatives Wang. Wang was not bad, after all, she was a roundabout way to get to know him, but Wu was deliberately avoided by everyone, and only the emperor's close confidants like Wanqi Xie and Yang Yizhong would deliberately get close to her.
so……
"Of course Wu is appropriate..."
I don't know if it's an illusion, but since these two pieces of news came on the same day, the atmosphere in the imperial court has become much more harmonious. Prime Minister Lu Haowen nodded slowly at this time, and the people around him didn't even show an expression.
However, after these words were spoken, the deserted Chongzheng Hall could not help but remain deserted... because even though the court meetings were not resumed until a day later, everyone was still caught off guard by the next few things to be discussed.
"What happened in Yangzhou has nothing to do with Prime Minister Li..." Zhao Jiu paused for a moment before making a formal statement. "It's a pity that a child has convulsions, but it's also a common thing. It's not worth shaking up the overall situation."
"I don't agree with that."
The voice of opposition came from Lu Haowen, who had not expressed opposition to others for a long time, and this made Zhao Jiu, who was sitting on the throne, almost helpless.
"That's right." Xu Jingheng also stepped out of the line and faced him seriously. "Your Majesty, this matter is not about whether you are magnanimous or not, and whether you are willing to let Li Gongxiang go; nor is it about how much the matter itself is related to Li Gongxiang... Li Gongxiang is a super-ranking Pingzhang Xianggong, who is in charge of military and political affairs in Yangzhou and controls the southeast. To put it bluntly, it is the emperor who entrusted the southeast land, the southeast people, as well as the empress dowager, the virtuous concubine, and the royal heir to him... Under such a premise, let alone the death of the royal heir is related to the mutiny, the mutiny was caused by him, even if it has nothing to do with him, he will still be responsible for it!"
"Your Majesty." Wang Boyan also stepped forward and followed with a serious expression. "Although the heir to the throne does not have the title of crown prince, he has the status of crown prince in reality. To Li Gongxiang, he is half the crown prince in name... If you do not punish Li Gongxiang, you will put him in the position of a traitor. In fact, Your Majesty might as well think about it. If a crown prince is lost outside your body, someone has to be held responsible. If you do not punish Li Gongxiang, do you have to punish the Queen Mother or Concubine Pan?"
"Your Majesty." Lu Yihao stood up helplessly at this time. "I have always thought that Li Gang was rude and incompetent, and I have always been at odds with him, but I used to be the governor of the southeast, and I know a thing or two about Yangzhou... When Tokyo fell, the emperor settled the empress dowager, the virtuous concubines, the royal heirs, and even the royal family in Yangzhou and the southeast. The dignitaries heard the news and moved there. There were countless wealthy families and nobles, and many of them brought gold and silver treasures... Therefore, once they heard about the war, they lost control, which was also a reasonable thing. So the chaos in Yangzhou this time really can't be blamed on Li Gong."
The four ministers expressed their opinions one by one, and there was complete silence… The only one who had previously criticized Li Gang is now the only one protecting Li Gang. Those who previously wanted to maintain the stability of the court have now all expressed their intention to punish Li Gang… This is politics, reasonable politics.
"Then forget it." Zhao Jiu was helpless. "He has been dismissed from his post, so he doesn't have to travel all the way to Tokyo, and he doesn't have to be promoted to the imperial court. He can find a small state near his hometown and ask Li Xianggong to settle him down for a while, so that he can take care of the people's livelihood and make use of his remaining energy."
The four ministers breathed a sigh of relief together, but they did not dare to be negligent. The Shangshu Yushi, Bachelor's Degree and other officials around them were also as quiet as before, because everyone knew that there were too many troubles today.
"Now that Li Gang is gone, may I ask the emperor, who will replace him as the governor of the southeast? Or will there be no more envoys to the southeast after Yue Fei puts down the rebellion? Will there only be ordinary transport envoys, pacification envoys, and military governors?" Lu Haowen did not dare to delay because this matter could not be delayed.
"I think we should appoint a prime minister to be in charge of the southeast," Zhao Jiu said bluntly. "It should not be dismissed lightly."
"Please give me clear instructions, Your Majesty." Lu Haowen also became serious.
"Because Dongjing is located on the front line, if the Jin army comes again and gathers a large army here, it may not be safe." Zhao Jiu answered frankly. "And if it cannot be saved, we still have to retreat to Nanyang. At that time, Bashu, Jingxiang, and the southeast were naturally divided. If there were no envoys and ministers stationed here, there would be chaos. For the same reason, the Queen Mother and the royal family are in Yangzhou, and it is not easy to recall Dongjing."
"So, Your Majesty, are you not going to negotiate peace with the Jin people?" Lu Haowen suddenly changed the subject. "Your Majesty, this peace negotiation was initiated by the Jin people, and they sent envoys with the two princesses. It was not initiated by us, and it does not violate the opinion of Huai Shang...Everyone in Tokyo City is looking forward to it."
"Of course I know that the Jin people took the initiative to negotiate peace this time, and they did not violate the words of Huai Shang." Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhao sneered. "Besides, they also sent back two princesses, so I can't chase them away... But if we want to negotiate peace, I also have expectations, but the Jin people must first return Taiyuan and northern Shaanxi, and hand over Zhe Keqiu and Liu Yu as a sign of sincerity, and then we can make specific discussions!"
This was just forced hooliganism, so there was finally a buzz below, and this time the ministers below the prime minister finally took the initiative to step forward.
"Your Majesty!" Liu Ziyu raised his voice. "The victory in early spring did not change the overall situation between Song and Jin. Now the Jin are still strong and Song is weak, and the offensive and defensive momentum has not wavered. Even the emperor himself said that the Jin will come again next time, and Tokyo may not be saved next time... In this case, why not postpone it for a while and discuss with them to delay it? If we can delay it for one or two years, two or three years, gather 200,000 elite soldiers, 100,000 soldiers, save three years of food and fodder, and hang a million gold and silver, we can go out of Taiyuan and fight the Jin army in the mountains, and then there is no need to worry about the overall situation being uncertain."
"Who else thinks peace can be negotiated?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly.
"I think it's okay." Hanlin scholar Li Ruopu also stepped out solemnly.
"I also think it is feasible." Li Guang, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, took a deep breath, then mustered up the courage to step out.
"I second the motion." Zhongshu Sheren Fan Zongyin followed suit.
"I think it's okay." Suddenly, Xu Jingheng also stepped out. "Your Majesty, it is good for us to negotiate peace at this time, and we..."
"I know!" Seeing that even the prime minister had come forward, Zhao Jiuqing knew that he could not bear it any longer, but he immediately interrupted the other party. "I know that you are all public-spirited. I know that Liu Canjun's father died in the Jingkang War, and only one person was left in his brother's family. I also know that Li Ruopu is Li Ruoshui's younger brother, and his brother is the most fierce and loyal person among the ministers who died in the Jingkang War. I also know that you, Prime Minister Xu, have always protected Li Boxi and Zong Zhongwu during the most difficult time in the court, and your heart is firm and loyal. I also know that Li Guang, the Imperial Censor, is a close friend of Prime Minister Li. He has made a statement at this time. If he is not careful, he will be doomed... I know that each of you is really selfless and really cares about the country. You don't want to surrender or kneel... But I just don't want to negotiate peace! If you want to negotiate peace, first deal with the matter of abolishing and enthroning, and then talk about this matter!"
After these words were spoken, the hall fell into complete silence, with everyone from top to bottom expressing their anger...
"Your Majesty, you are too kind." After a pause, Wang Boyan raised his hands and spoke. "In fact, Minister Chen (Chen Gui) has said before that as long as the materials and manpower are sufficient, Dongjing City can be defended according to the laws of Nanyang. If this is the case, when the Jin army comes again, it may not be able to gain an advantage..."
"Well said." Zhao Jiu replied casually.
"In fact, in my opinion, the Jin people's request for peace this time may be because they are scared by the previous battle, feel guilty, or are in civil strife... How can we negotiate with them at this time? Instead, we should prepare for the Northern Expedition!" Lu Yihao also expressed his opinion.
But Zhao Jiu couldn't help but frowned at this time.
"Your Majesty!" After waiting for the two prime ministers to finish speaking, Xu Jingheng, who had been waiting for a while, let out a long sigh, but ignored the two prime ministers and went straight to Zhao Jiu in a serious tone, continuing the previous topic. "Your Majesty once made a promise with the prime ministers in Nanyang that they were not allowed to take off their hats without permission. So, Your Majesty, if you are angry, can you dethrone and enthrone?"
Zhao Jiu was slightly startled, then embarrassed for a moment, but quickly nodded: "It was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you guys, but I have made up my mind about war and peace."
"Then we still have to ask the government for an explanation and reason..." Xu Jingheng said in a deep voice.
"There are many explanations." Seeing that the other party was relentless, Zhao Jiu became angry again and pointed at the person below. "Minister of the Imperial Censorate, why can't we negotiate peace?"
"The king and father were captured by others, and millions of people became barbarians and cattle. This is an irreconcilable hatred. How can we negotiate peace?" Hu Yin couldn't help it, but the atmosphere was not right just now, so he couldn't speak. When he heard this, he immediately turned his sleeves and said to the crowd. "Have you all forgotten the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period?"
"It is because you always talk about the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period that people with insight dare not speak easily. Only we, who are known to the world for our blood feud with the Jin people, can speak here..." Seeing that it was Hu Yin, Liu Ziyu immediately scolded him. "If you, Hu Mingzhong, followed your righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period, the government would have gone to the North in the first year of Jianyan, and the country would have perished long ago! Are we saying that we will not resist the Jin people and not fight? We just want to seek a safe and sure victory!"
Hu Yin was about to debate with him.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Li Ruopu suddenly interrupted angrily: "In the past, during the Jingkang period, when our entire family was fighting the Jin people to the death, I wonder what the righteous Hu Zhongcheng was doing at that time? Was he hiding in the Imperial College and watching his father go out of the city to die? Not only did he send his father away twice, but today he is also using the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period to send a third one?"
Hu Yin was filled with shame and indignation, unable to conceal his anger, but he did not know how to argue for a moment.
"Enough!" At this time, Zhao Jiu, who was sitting on the throne, finally calmed down, but his face was expressionless, and he stopped this unreasonable dispute in time. "Who knew that the Jin people would be so cruel? And it was because they knew that the Jin people were cruel, cunning and untrustworthy that Zhang Jun, Zhao Ding, Hu Yin and others in the Imperial College had the idea of war... Don't confuse cause and effect and time for no reason and make personal attacks."
Hu Yin, Li Ruopu and Liu Ziyu looked at each other, all feeling bored, and all turned away in silence.
At this point, Zhao Jiufu, who was sitting on the throne, looked at Xu Jingheng seriously again: "Mr. Xu, do you still remember that I asked you to give the Red Cliff Fu to Prime Minister Zhang Que?"
"I remember." Xu Jingheng bowed in response.
"Where are the words I wrote at the back?"
"I remember, it was Wang Shu's "A Record of a Journey to Mount Baochan"..."
"Which words?"
"But if one has the strength to achieve it, others may criticize him, and he will regret it. If one has done his best but cannot achieve it, he will have no regrets, and who can criticize him? This is what I have learned." Xu Jingheng repeated with gritted teeth. "I will keep it in mind."
"I have also kept it in mind." Zhao Jiu said slowly. "I know that your peace talks are not real peace talks, nor are you going to surrender, but you are advocating war with a conservative and cautious mindset..."
Xu Jingheng hesitated to speak.
"Mr. Xu." Zhao Jiu responded coldly. "I know what you want to say, and I haven't forgotten... Outside Nanyang City that day, although we didn't say it explicitly, we actually had a gentleman's agreement. Facing a powerful enemy, we shouldn't stir up disputes between the old and new parties, let alone talk about whether the ancestral family rules are right or wrong... So today's matter, we shouldn't discuss it from here! But in fact, the reason why you want to negotiate peace is that you still have a conservative mentality. It's not me who is provoking trouble today!"
"If the emperor says so, I have nothing to say." Xu Jingheng sighed. "I will not give up my duties, and I would like to be the envoy to the southeast..."
"No." Zhao Jiu sighed. "Henan is in a mess, and you are indispensable."
Xu Jingheng finally said helplessly: "But the emperor can't stop me from speaking. I am the governor of the capital!"
"I allow you to speak, but the problem with this matter lies in the speech itself." Zhao Jiu also seemed helpless. "If we agree to negotiate peace today, and it's settled tomorrow, and we want to fight again, do you believe that someone will come out and say that we shouldn't fight for the people's livelihood? No matter whether the Jin people are sincere or false, testing or deceiving, this anger cannot be released! And my meaning is in those few sentences in the "Baoceng Mountain Records"... I think that at this time, since the general plan has been decided long ago, and we must fight the Jin people to the end, then the debate itself is not worth starting again. It's not a question of right or wrong, but a question that there should be no debate in the beginning of the national war!"
"I understand." Just as Xu Jingheng was silent for a moment, Lu Haowen suddenly bowed. "Just like the old party struggle in the past, it's not about the new or the old, but the word party struggle hurts the foundation... Today, let's not talk about war or peace, nor about being cautious or radical, but just fighting will lead to internal consumption, just now Hu Zhongcheng and Li Xueshi and Liu Canjun are clear evidence... So we shouldn't have shaken the original plan at the beginning!"
After Lu Haowen said this, Xu Jingheng and several others who advocated temporary peace talks to catch their breath, as well as Hu Yin and several others who advocated war and looked angry, naturally restrained their expressions.
Lu Haowen also continued to bow and said, "But Your Majesty, since we are talking about this matter today, please give me a clear answer in public... How can there be a result between Song and Jin?"
"The Jin Dynasty is destroyed." Zhao Jiu answered simply. "We still need to plow their yards and sweep their graves, nothing more."
"I understand, your servants." Lu Haowen took the lead in bowing.
"I understand!" Wang Boyan hurriedly followed.
"I understand." Lu Yihao withdrew his gaze from Lu Haowen in surprise and quickly bowed.
"I understand. The country is in a difficult situation. We should tolerate each other and unite for the country. There should be no unnecessary internal friction." Xu Jingheng sighed and finally bowed.
As for the rest, some hurriedly followed, while others reluctantly expressed their opinions under the influence of Emperor Zhao and the Prime Minister's influence... The matter came to a temporary end.
But it was only temporary, because Zhao Jiu had already seen clearly... This was not a question of character, nor was it a question of whether or not one remembered previous words, but rather the family law system passed down by ancestors during the Song Dynasty for hundreds of years, which had fostered a naturally conservative mentality among the scholar-officials and bureaucratic groups.
This kind of conservative trend has always existed throughout history, and it is hard to say whether it is right or wrong, but it is particularly prominent and powerful in the Song Dynasty.
Today, as we have managed to save Henan, some people want to negotiate peace. In the future, as the war continues, the Jin people will inevitably be the one that cannot be exhausted, and the conditions they offer will become more pragmatic and generous. Then, there will inevitably be people who will try to overturn the "inappropriate" established national policy with the same mentality of "I am doing this for the good of the country."
However, Zhao Jiu would never give in... It was not because he was so determined or far-sighted, but because he knew the outcome!
Once this atmosphere has been deflated, the real capitulationists will take the opportunity to sneak in through the gap. Then, those who originally advocated war will become those who advocated defense, those who advocated defense will become those who advocated peace, and those who advocated peace will become those who advocated surrender. Finally, people like Qin Hui will appear on the scene.
Therefore, Emperor Zhao had a long and arduous journey ahead as he had to deal with hundreds of thousands of Jin troops externally and the famous Song Dynasty literati and generals throughout the five thousand years internally.
"Since the matter of the Jin envoy's coming has been discussed, it is clear that in the face of danger, the southeast should still have an envoy and a minister to take charge..." Lu Haowen continued to preside over the previous court meeting. "Your Majesty, although this position is an external position, it is still a position like a prime minister. There should also be an additional military governor to control the military and protect the queen mother. It should be decided by your majesty, but I don't know who you want to send? Or should you promote a suitable important official?"
"I already have a good candidate."
Zhao Jiu sighed, suddenly stood up and walked down the throne, came to the steps, and swept his eyes from the four ministers in front of him, and finally fell on one of them, but he didn't wait for the other party to speak, and bowed directly in public, bowing to the end. "Prime Minister Lu, you know the situation in the southeast best, and you are even more resolute. Today, I will entrust the land and people of the southeast, as well as the Queen Mother of Yangzhou and the royal family of the southeast to you... I also hope that you will consider the loyalty between us monarchs and ministers, and take good care of it when you arrive in the southeast, and be my support."
All the officials including Lu Haowen were stunned, and the person involved, Lu Yihao, was silent for a long time. After a long time, he bowed in return with mixed emotions and said "I wish you would die!"
