Volume 3 Chapter 41: Grace
The suggestion suddenly put forward by Yu Yunwen was extremely risky and unfeasible in itself, and could be described as wishful thinking.
For example, if the weather suddenly turns cold, and it doesn't need the Yellow River to freeze, but only the Bian River and the Guangji River freeze, the matter will become a joke.
For another example, asking Liangshanpo, a bandit force that had just surrendered to the imperial court, to entrust its inland fleet, which was like its lifeblood, to such a seemingly risky plan was itself a huge practical obstacle...because it was not just a question of whether Liangshanpo was willing or not. The key was that it would only be possible if they made a decision and took action in a very short period of time.
This was a huge test for the military group of Zhang Rong, Liangshanpo and Dongping Prefecture.
In addition, now that Tokyo City is half open, how to dig through the Guangji River and the Bian River without arousing the vigilance of people with bad intentions, how to let the ships from Liangshanpo find an excuse to go to Bianliang, and how to allow the ships to pass through the densely built Tokyo unimpeded, all of these are problems.
These things are basically connected in series rather than in parallel. Once one of them goes wrong, the matter will be as ridiculous as a castle in the air.
But having said that... everyone has to admit that Yu Yunwen's suggestion or plan did point out a military plan that could theoretically be implemented in the current difficult situation.
After all, even the planners themselves found it extremely difficult. On the other hand, once the plan was successful, that is to say, once the Liangshanpo navy appeared in the Yellow River, the subsequent surprise attack could almost be said to be a sure thing.
Even more than that, even if the subsequent raid failed, even if the Jin army fleet of Xiaowusha discovered something and fled directly along the old course of the Yellow River, as long as the Liangshanpo navy entered the Yellow River, it would completely reverse the strategic situation between the Song and Jin in the middle reaches of the Yellow River - because for a long time, the power of Liangshanpo was objectively existing but confined to that huge body of water. The appearance of such a military force like a divine soldier sent from heaven on the Yellow River could almost immediately liberate the Henan area outside the Yellow River coast from the military pressure of the Jin people.
What is optimized force allocation? This is a typical example of optimized force allocation, where good steel is used on the blade.
Therefore, the significance of this matter was so extraordinary that Zhao Jiu hurried back to Tokyo on the third day of the twelfth lunar month to talk to the four prime ministers in person. Although the four prime ministers knew that this matter was extremely risky, they still unanimously agreed to take a gamble.
However, that's all. This matter is top secret and no one knows about it except the Prime Minister.
On this day, Emperor Zhao was sitting in the palace. When Yu Yunwen and Yang Yi Zhong should have arrived at Liangshanpo, he originally wanted to write another sincere private letter to Zhang Rong in person, but after picking up the pen several times, he just practiced calligraphy.
He asked himself if he had done his best for these generals, giving them all the official positions, honors, money, even moral encouragement and personal friendship that he could give them... In this situation, there was no need for this letter.
If I send it over, it would seem like I am timid.
On the next morning, the capital province and the Privy Council issued an official order, which was passed to Liangshanpo through public channels, asking Liangshanpo to send a fleet along the Guangji River (Wuzhang River) to Tokyo to collect the next year's military pay, weapons, and food fodder for the Imperial Navy, and requiring the prefectures and counties along the way to carefully assist in logistics and to help dredge the river to remove debris.
At the same time, Chen Gui, the Shumi who was in charge of the defense of Bianliang, finally announced his new city defense plan after several months. The plan was to open up the Wuzhang River, Jinshui River, Bian River and Cai River in Dongjing City to form an internal moat system around the imperial city and the palace city.
This kind of thing sounds reliable as soon as you hear it, at least it is more reliable than "returning to the river".
Once the plan was issued, the Privy Council, Kaifeng Prefecture, and the capital province all set out in unison. At noon, they remobilized tens of thousands of civilians in the city according to the military divisions and started work immediately... One can only say that it was fortunate that Emperor Zhao and the ministers did not remove the control over the officers and military stations.
It is worth mentioning that the work started at noon, and in the afternoon a local Tokyo native found several Tai students to write the petition on his behalf... The old man meant that the terrain of Tokyo city was uneven from north to south, and the riverbeds of the Bian River and the Wuzhang River were also at different heights. Even if the moat was dug, it could only be used for a while. When the summer rains came, it would be easy to cause floods!
According to my father-in-law, in the early years during the reign of Emperor Renzong, some people had already thought about connecting several rivers, but they failed.
The Privy Council took the petition very seriously and invited the students and the old man to the Chongwen Courtyard in the palace where the Dutang is located today, in the name of city defense. Then, Chen Gui, the project designer, the Minister of War, the prefect of Kaifeng, and the secretary of the Privy Council, personally came down the stairs to greet them. He set up a desk in the public room in Chongwen Courtyard and listened carefully to the old man's explanation. At the same time, he asked several students who participated to help organize their suggestions.
The Prime Minister, the chief minister of the court, was so courteous to the wise and humble. The students were shocked and thought that the matter of "stealing books" must be a false accusation, let alone the current project.
So, a few of them contacted other students of the Imperial College and assisted Chen Shumi and the old man in the discussion on the project in the west of the city. They measured heights, studied waterways, and explored the possibility of sluices.
For several days, several students and the old man were busy inside and outside the palace.
While the leaders here were listening carefully to the suggestions of the people, just three days later, tens of thousands of able-bodied men in the city, under the strong stimulation of the government's distribution of 60,000 kilograms of fresh pork during the New Year, had dug a qualified ditch more than two miles long along the former prosperous area of Tokyo on the east side of the inner city and across Niuxing Street.
This speed is actually a bit slow, but it is enough... After Emperor Zhao returned to the capital and consulted Chen Gui, he calculated clearly that if he chose to connect the two rivers in the most prosperous Niuxing Street area regardless of the cost, it would actually be equivalent to building a ditch that is more than three miles long, fifty or six feet wide, and thirty or four feet deep.
The construction of this ditch actually only required six or seven cubic meters of soil per person, out of the 40,000 to 50,000 able-bodied men registered in Tokyo.
Obviously, due to the hasty construction, there must be a lot of waste of labor and duplication of work.
But it really doesn't matter.
After another two or three days of hard work, on the morning of the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the ditch was successfully filled with water, and the Wuzhang River and the Bian River were really temporarily connected!
That evening, Emperor Zhao hurriedly got up from Concubine Pan's couch, and then went to Chongwenyuan to learn an accurate news - three days ago, Zhang Rong had already led thirty ships and more than one hundred flat-bottomed ferries to set off from Liangshan Lake.
Facts have proved that Zhang Rong did not live up to Zhao Jiu's long-standing tolerance and trust. After Yang Yi Zhong and Yu Yunwen came to Zhang Rong through Xiao En with the secret decree and the marriage document, the Liangshanpo leader only heard the secret decree conveyed by Yang Yi Zhong and had not yet heard about the marriage. He did not hesitate and directly promised to fight.
However, due to the short time and the need to keep the secret, it was not convenient to reveal the whole story to everyone. So after returning to Liangshan Water Stronghold, Zhang Rong simply selected his most core subordinates and the most reliable leaders, and hurried out of Guangji River with about three quarters of the ships in Liangshan Lake and only half of the flat-bottomed ferries.
At this point, Zhao Jiu and the prime minister on duty, Xu Jingheng, were no longer in the mood to sleep... Of course, Emperor Zhao still pretended to go back to sleep, but he was not actually asleep.
On the next morning, as it was winter, the sky got bright very late. When it was clear, Zhao Jiu, who had been suffering on the couch for a long time, did not hesitate any longer and immediately returned to Chongwenyuan. In front of the four ministers who had gathered together, he ordered the demolition of the northeast Shanli Water Gate (the one leading directly to Liangshan Lake), the Zhengxi Water Gate (the exit of the Bian River from the outer city), the southeast Jiaozi Gate of the inner city (the gate where the Bian River enters the inner city), the west Jiaozi Gate of the inner city (the gate where the Bian River exits the inner city), and all the bridges on the Bian River inside and outside the Tokyo city in the dual name of the imperial edict and the order of the capital hall, as well as the demolition of all the bridges on the Bian River inside and outside the Tokyo city!
Shangtu Bridge, Xiatu Bridge, Zuoyoubian Bridge, Jinliang Bridge, including the grand and magnificent Yujiezhou Bridge, these well-known bridges that have accompanied the city of Tokyo for decades or even hundreds of years... were all demolished!
That's right.
In order to prepare for this sneak attack, Emperor Zhao completely destroyed the magnificent scene in the Qingming Festival Along the River... Of course, he was not the only one who destroyed it. During the Jingkang Incident, the two saints who chose to surrender had already destroyed 80% of the living people in the picture, while Zhao Jiu only destroyed the bridge in the picture.
Moreover, Emperor Zhao's move to demolish the city gate was not unprecedented. Long before this, the Emperor Taishang Daojun, one of the two saints, had actually demolished the northeast Shanli Water Gate once in order to allow a huge rockery stone to enter the city from the Guangji River and be placed in Genyue.
So today, Zhao Jiu just dismantled it again.
I would like to add here that Zhao Jiu had seen that huge rockery stone more than once in Genyue... When Yuansheng (Song Qinzong) tried to smash all the scenic rocks of Genyue during the siege, he obviously encountered difficulties in front of this big stone, so he only smashed half of it and then pushed down the main part.
But I really have to thank Emperor Taishang Daojun. If such a majestic rockery had not collapsed there, Zhao Jiu, as a time traveler, would never have been able to realize the feasibility of Yu Yunwen's plan in the first place... If such a rockery can be transported into Tokyo City, there is no reason why the big ships of Liangshanpo cannot come in!
All I can say is that in terms of frivolity and the courage to put his fantastic ideas into practice, Emperor Taishang Daojun is worthy of being Emperor Taishang Daojun, and he is always at the forefront of the times.
Back to the present, when this order is issued, Emperor Zhao and the four ministers in the capital know that the whole city will be shaken. The previous words, notices, and false projects that were used to deceive people can no longer be covered up. It seems that there is no turning back.
But how to say it?
Zhao Jiu didn't care anymore...he even felt a sense of relief and anticipation.
But it must be emphasized that although they were all sitting in Chongwenyuan, the relief and expectation of Emperor Zhao was destined to be different from the relief and expectation of several ministers.
The relief and expectation of the ministers were that they were hoping that the Liangshanpo navy would make a great move and appear on the Yellow River, then destroy the Jin army's inland ships and completely move the defense line to the natural barrier of the Yellow River, thus making the rear completely stable; while Zhao Jiu's relief and expectation was that he was hoping that this one stab would give him a little advantage in the great battle that would come sooner or later.
Emperor Zhao still firmly believed that the war was approaching and unstoppable.
Just like that, a few days later, on the morning of the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, the city of Tokyo, which had closed its gates for two days and caused panic among the people, finally received the fleet it had been looking forward to...but only a dozen ships arrived in the early stage.
There was no way out. Something went wrong on the way and the two ships got stuck in the river. Yang Yi Zhong, holding the gold medal, arrested the county magistrate who did not follow the order from the provincial government to clear the river on the spot. Then, after a lot of effort, he towed the two ships to the branch port ahead and continued sailing.
This was an accident, but an expected one... a whole day was wasted.
However, by evening, the remaining ships finally entered the city one after another. The flat-bottomed ferries and fishing boats did not care and waited directly outside the city. However, the following dozen or so ships, under the bright lights and continuous illumination of the fire basins on both sides, followed the previous dozen ships and carefully passed through the newly dug ditches and entered the wide Bianhe River.
At Daxiangguo Temple, the small counterweight catapult and gunpowder bags had already been transported to the Bian River overnight.
Just wait until the next day dawn and then load the ship and set off.
It was the first time for Zhang Rong to use a small artillery carriage on a ship, so he went to Xiangguo Temple with Chen Gui and Chen Shumi to observe and learn early. However, Emperor Zhao stood on the north bank of the Bian River, looking at the dozens of black ships stretching in front of him, and was distracted for a moment.
"Is this the ship?"
Zhao Jiu looked at them for a long time with his hands behind his back in the light of the brazier before he spoke... He actually felt that these boats, which were only two or three feet wide and ten feet long, were too small. It was conceivable that this kind of boat could only carry a smallest counterweight gun carriage on the bow, which would be considered a big deal... Of course, he was looking at it from the perspective of future generations. In essence, he also understood that this was the top weapon in the inland rivers in those days.
"Good instructor, I know," the one who answered Zhao Jiu was Yang Yizhong, who came back with the follow-up fleet. "This kind of boat got its name because of the water wheel on the bottom of the cabin. It can turn and move forward and backward freely by pedaling. The lower deck is used for steering, and the upper deck is used for combat. It is far superior to ordinary inland river boats... The only thing is that it needs a wide water area to be useful. So this time when entering the Guangji River, we have to be very careful along the way... But don't worry, the Bian River is wide, so it will be more appropriate. It will be like a fish in water when entering the Yellow River. And it will go downstream from now on. The Jin army will definitely be caught off guard."
Zhao Jiu shook his head, obviously not thinking about the nonsense he had heard Chen Gui say a long time ago: "How did Liangshan Lake get so many ships... Can they build them themselves?"
"They are all the ones left behind during the encirclement and suppression campaign by government troops that day... It is said that there were originally fifty or sixty ships, but after the defeat, only forty or so were left. This time, thirty ships were sent out." Yang Yizhong seemed a little embarrassed.
"It's a good thing I did." Zhao Jiu sighed softly.
“…”
"I remember you captured a county magistrate on the way?" Zhao Jiu suddenly turned around and asked again.
"Yes." Yang Yizhong answered quickly. "It's a temporary measure. I have no choice but to do this in order to open the shipping lanes as soon as possible."
"I know what's going on... The newly-appointed Jinshi only cared about being an official and forgot about doing his job... I'm asking you, where is he?"
"He is still under escort and is about to be handed over to the governor for questioning."
"Behead him." Zhao Jiu suddenly said bluntly.
Yang Yizhong was stunned for a moment: "...officials?"
"Behead him." Zhao Jiu repeated. "Whether it's true or not, this is a serious military matter, not a civil matter. We can't pamper them, and there's no need to hand them over to the capital. I'm the commander-in-chief of the army, and beheading him today is a military act! It doesn't violate the rules!"
Yang Yizhong was still a little hesitant: "Sir, this is a newly-appointed Jinshi..."
"That should be executed too." Zhao Jiu repeated. "Why can we execute the captain, the general, and the commander for corruption when we inspected the fortress defense line before, but we can't execute a county magistrate who actually made mistakes in military intelligence? The one who should be executed is the newly-appointed Jinshi!"
Yang Yizhong nodded slowly, turned around and called Zhai Biao, the tough guy, to pass on the order. After giving clear instructions, he turned back, but hesitated to speak.
"Just say whatever you want to say..." Zhao Jiu was impatient for a moment.
"Your Majesty, I heard you talking to General Zhang at the Daxiangguo Temple before, and I wanted to advise you, but I was embarrassed and hesitated..." Yang Yizhong took the initiative to remain silent for a moment, and then he spoke frankly. "Your Majesty, I think you are too lenient to the generals."
"Is it not good to spare you?" Zhao Jiu said after a moment of silence. "During the war, we need people to sacrifice their lives..."
"Of course it's a good thing, but too much is as bad as too little." Yang Yizhong said earnestly. "Besides, the government is being a little harsh on the civil officials..."
"Is this what you wanted to say?"
"Your Majesty... I think it's a good thing that the emperor wants to give equal weight to civil officials and military officials, but the tradition of more than a hundred years is that even military officials have become accustomed to the difference between civil officials and military officials. So in some cases, the emperor thinks that he is fair, but people all think that the emperor is deliberately harsh on one side." Yang Yizhong became more earnest. "Your Majesty is lenient to military officials and generals because you have to fight in wartime, which is fine, but in wartime, don't civil officials have to work hard? Moreover, the court has its own system for rewards and punishments. When rewarding, the emperor is particularly lenient to military officials, which will naturally make them convinced, but when punishing, he should not arbitrarily increase the severity of one side to cause misunderstandings... This is my humble opinion, and I hope the emperor will not be angry."
"You must have thought about these words in your mind, right? Are you, Yang Yizhong, going to be a famous official?" Zhao Jiu finally laughed. "But why did you choose to say it in the middle of the night?"
"I can only be a treacherous minister in my life, how can I become a famous minister?" Yang Yizhong finally said helplessly. "These words are not my turn to say, but today I am being presumptuous. I think the emperor's attitude must be a sign of great achievements, and it is time to use people in the future, so I said it."
Zhao Jiu nodded: "I will listen to your words. For the sake of the country, I will be patient for a moment...Send the county magistrate to the capital for punishment!"
Yang Yizhong immediately responded and left.
In response, Zhao Jiu just shook his head... In other words, Emperor Zhao didn't think Yang Yi's words made sense at all. Compared with the period before Jing Kang, he was indeed not very lenient towards civil officials. But the problem was that compared with the Jin people on the opposite side, the treatment of civil officials in the Song Dynasty was always heavenly no matter what, and he was not afraid of anyone's resentment.
What's more, he believed that he was also tolerant towards his collaborators among the civil officials.
As for why he still followed Yang Yi Zhong's ridiculous advice, it still comes down to the same old saying: in wartime, generals and officers are needed to fight for their lives, so they should be shown mercy - the one Zhao Jiu showed mercy to was not the magistrate, but Yang Yi Zhong, the number one figure in his imperial armed forces.
Not only was Yang Yi Zhong a military general, he was also the head of a secret service and naturally held a third kind of power. It was true that he was often attacked by the outside court and that he had taken the blame for Emperor Zhao many times. However, after killing the magistrate tonight, the one who felt the greatest pressure was not Zhao Jiu, but Yang Zhengfu, who had arrested him from the very beginning.
That's all.
On the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, at noon, upon hearing that more than thirty small artillery vehicles had been successfully loaded onto the ship, Emperor Zhao, who had pretended to go back to sleep last night , returned to the bank of the Bian River. He led the ministers in the capital to bid farewell to Zhang Rong, who had worked hard all night, and several Liangshanpo naval leaders who had participated in this battle.
"The outcome of this battle is not a big deal, so I will not go to the front to cheer for General Zhang." Zhao Jiu shook Zhang Rong's hand and said with a smile. "Let the newly-appointed Jinshi Yu Yunwen accompany us to the river to see the outcome. I will wait for news in Beijing, and you just need to fight hard."
Zhang Rong did not put his hands on his hips or smile, but responded seriously: "Let alone stopping the Jin army at the Yellow River, which is a better way, the emperor is so loyal to us, we should also stand up for the emperor and fight for him."
When many ministers and officials on the river bank heard this, many of them could not help but look at each other and laugh.
But Zhao Jiu just nodded repeatedly, let go of the other person's hands, and said nothing.
Zhang Rongben did not want to say much, but turned around and jumped onto the first large ship flying his flag, and ordered the ship to start the water wheel. When the ship slowly started and the speed increased, he suddenly thought of something, and bowed directly on the deck towards the river bank: "Sir, I see that the people of Tokyo are in great inconvenience. After we pass by, we will repair the sluice gates, bridges, and ditches!"
Before Zhao Jiu could respond, the ship was unstoppable and had already sailed away. Then dozens of ships started one after another in front, and more than a hundred small boats followed behind, and they went downstream in the river in front of them and went straight out of the city.
After the fleet passed the city wall and entered the Jinming Lake outside the city, even the flags could not be seen.
"Make a flag of the same shape as Li Yanxian's 'Mainstay' flag, 'Carrying out Justice on Behalf of Heaven'." Zhao Jiu did not hesitate to turn around and ordered. "After this battle, no matter what the result is, send it to General Zhang."
