Volume 4 Chapter 6: Correspondence (Part 2)
In the winter of the fourth year of Jianyan, Emperor Zhao got a new princess and was so happy that he issued a general amnesty. With Emperor Zhao's joy and amnesty, many people finally let out the breath of caution that had been in their hearts, and many things began to return to their original track.
However, this track may not necessarily be a speed-up track, nor may it be the right path.
For example, at the end of October, after Yue Fei, the commander-in-chief of the front army of the imperial camp, crossed the river from Jiangling, he successively recovered Gong'an, Ou Chi and Shishou which were captured by Zhong Xiang's army, and defeated the main force of Marshal Yang Yao under the command of "Great Sage" and "King of Chu" Zhong Xiang in Huarong, and approached Dongting Lake. Yang Yao also gave up the attempt to stop the government army on land and retreated into the lake.
At this time, Yue Fei was preparing for a naval battle while formally reporting to Tokyo, proposing a strategy of "recruiting amnesty".
Yue Pengju explained his reasons in detail in his long memorial... He believed that "Yang Yao's followers were originally villagers. They were first deceived by Zhong Xiang and his son with monsters, and then they were sent to the north and the court made excessive demands," which led to the chaos.
The so-called "rebellion in name only, but in reality just to save lives and gather people to beg for survival".
Therefore, he hoped to divide Zhong Xiang and his son, core bandit leaders such as Yang Yao, the rebel soldiers, and the civilians who were abducted into four groups, and except for Zhong Xiang and his son, all of them should "not be killed". As for the soldiers and the abducted fishermen, they should be pardoned, appeased and relieved.
In other words, he believed that the military victory had played a certain deterrent role, and that it was time to slow down and not advance in a violent manner for the time being. Instead, he took the initiative to adopt a strategy of appeasement to lure and trap the rebels in the Jingxiang Rebellion to surrender.
When the memorial was sent to the capital, Zhao Ding immediately raised an objection. His reason was simple, that is, 'to resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the country', and to stabilize the country, one should cut the Gordian knot quickly... Since the military progress is going well, there is no need to waste time on appeasement, and the correct thing to do is to defeat the enemy quickly and end the war.
After all, even if we don't consider the economy, there will still be the Miao rebellion in the Wuling area, northern Shaanxi and Jingdong, as well as a bunch of things in the "Plan for Pacificating the Jin Dynasty" that Yue Fei personally submitted!
At the same time, perhaps because the word "excessive demands" seriously stimulated Liu Ji, Liu Xianggong, the main person in charge of Jingxiang, also chose to support Zhao Ding without hesitation.
But relatively speaking, Privy Councilor Zhang Jun also took a clear stand and chose to support Yue Fei.
This is not to say that Zhang Jun wanted to oppose Zhao Ding just for the sake of opposing Zhao Ding... The reason was actually very simple. According to Zhang Deyuan's experience of following Emperor Zhao and his ability to guess the Emperor's mind, and considering that the Emperor had specifically chosen Yue Fei for the two rebellions to the south and had directly given orders to send troops, and considering Yue Fei's style and some rumors about his subordinates, he had already realized Emperor Zhao's basic attitude towards this matter.
As expected, Zhang Jun stubbornly started arguing with the governor again, insisting on doing things according to Yue Fei's memorial. Zhao Ding and Liu Ji had no choice but to request to discuss politics in front of the emperor and let Emperor Zhao make the decision.
However, Zhao Jiu, who went to the Military Equipment Bureau with another Prime Minister, had no intention of showing up. He just wrote a reply on the note - "This is why Yue Fei was employed."
Zhao Ding and Liu Ji were silent immediately. Zhang Jun took on two opponents at once and unexpectedly won!
However, let's not talk about how Zhang Jun gained power and terrorized Tokyo, and how Yue Fei changed his strategy to recruit people and deal with the Dongting Rebellion, let's just talk about another small matter... The loyal servant who came back with Zheng Yinian left Zheng's mansion early when he saw the bad situation, but he didn't rush to Jinan. Instead, he worked odd jobs in the water gate area northeast of Tokyo... After Yaoshan, Tokyo became more and more lively, with more and more merchants, officials, and students gathering here. Although it is certainly impossible to compare with the period before Jingkang, it is still easy for a person to hide.
Especially since this person did not make any inquiries or reports.
However, as Emperor Zhao issued a general amnesty that day, this man no longer hesitated, and disguised himself as a refugee from Hebei to work as a delivery boy, following a merchant from Dongping Prefecture to Jingdong... These were legitimate merchants, and the court also encouraged wealthy people to employ more refugees, and this servant had no flaws at all, so he actually allowed him to arrive safely in Dongping Prefecture.
After arriving here, this person continued to work steadily. He prepared enough drinking water and dry food before leaving without saying goodbye. Finally, he took advantage of the frozen Yellow River and successfully crossed the river to Liaocheng, Bozhou, and entered the area occupied by the Jin army.
However, this man from Yan named Gao Yigong did not go to look for his master Qin Hui, but came here directly to look for another person who had been waiting for a long time according to the previous agreement. It turned out to be the Prime Minister of Da Qi, Hong Ya.
Moreover, although Hong Ya was called the Prime Minister of Qi, he actually lived in Liaocheng, which was located between Damingfu and Jinan, so that he could receive instructions from the nobles of Jin in Damingfu and then go to the other side of the Yellow River to give instructions to the people in the pseudo-Qi. Even for this job, in the past, he could occasionally go to Jingdong to fool around with Liu Yu, Li Cheng, Li Qi and others, but after Yaoshan, he was unwilling to move to Jingdong, the deadly place, and even his family and clan in Jinan were brought to Hebei early.
Of course, this move was undoubtedly a loyal act in the eyes of Talan, who was still the top figure in Daming Prefecture at that time.
However, just as Yang Yizhong and Wanqi Xie joked when they let this man return to the north, people like Hong Ya, since they have become treacherous and have no stance, are basically just drifting with the wind.
This time, the Zhao Song government won a great victory over Wanyan Loushi at Yaoshan, which shocked the whole country. Even the top leaders of the Jin Dynasty had some ideas, let alone these people?
Therefore, Zheng Yinian's trip to the south was strongly encouraged by Hong Ya, Qin Hui and others. Although the Jin Dynasty's top leaders may not have reached a unified understanding, some of them tacitly agreed to it and it was a test of the waters... But for the Jin Dynasty's top leaders, this throw was just a small stone, which did not matter at all. But for Hong Ya, Qin Hui and others, it was a move that they had great expectations for.
To put it bluntly, who would want to hang around in the north when you can be a rich and powerful official in the south?
As for this Han Chinese from Yan, Gao Yigong, Hong and Qin were meticulous and had already thought of the possibility that Zheng Yinian would never come back after reaching the south, so they made some arrangements in advance.
And now, this arrangement is actually of little use except to confirm Zheng Yinian's cowardice and giving up... Gao Yigong didn't need to communicate carefully and report in detail. Hong Ya and Qin Hui knew about the "false accusation" through the court reports a long time ago, and now they have already learned that "those who serve the Jin people and are traitors to the Song Dynasty are not included".
But then again, even though he had known the result a long time ago, after hearing the servant's personal report, Hong Ya, who was sitting in Liaocheng, could not help but sigh to the sky and became restless.
After waiting for another two days, despite the cold winter weather, the prime minister of the Great Qi State, because of the torment in his heart, could not help but personally bring the servant named Gao and went to Daming Prefecture again.
At this moment, the real tiger, Nianhan, was hiding in Daming Prefecture. The former master, Talai, was like a wild dog that had invaded the nest, and he did not say a word. The other generals also bowed their heads in obedience. This situation made Hong Ya feel helpless... Eight out of ten of his authority and ability were maintained by his personal relationship with Talai. As long as Nianhan did not leave, he would be like a spider with its hands and feet tied, unable to stretch at all.
Therefore, after drinking some wine with Talai and trying to flatter and comfort him with a few words, Hong Ya immediately turned around to look for Qin Huizhi, who was in Daming Mansion at that time, and then asked Gao's servant to repeat what he had seen and heard in person.
"Is it really useless?"
In the most secluded bedroom, after the servants left, even a figure like Qin Hui could not help but feel sad for a moment, and then he leaned on the newly built kang with his hands clasped together. "Why is the one in the south so determined? I still don't want to believe it..."
Hong Ya, who was a little drunk, sat cross-legged on the heated kang brought from Liaodong by the Jurchens. He held a bowl of hangover tea and shook his head repeatedly, "Brother Huizhi, I advise you not to think like that... You must not learn from Zheng Yinian to become a rich man. After all, Zheng Yinian was innocent before, but there are countless Jin generals in the north who know that you and Talan are doing clerkship. Even Zheng Yinian knows a thing or two. If you insist on going south, you will only seek your own death!"
"You don't even give me a chance?" Qin Hui couldn't help but curl up his feet and sit cross-legged, as if he was forcibly suppressing the injustice in his chest. "I just wrote a few documents for the Jin people, and you want to not pardon me? Are all my contributions and hard work in the past during the Jingkang period also wiped out?"
Hong Ya sneered, with obvious sarcasm in his voice: "Brother Huizhi... your words are meaningless. If you and I feel wronged, so many people have died in Hebei, Henan, Jingdong, and Guanxi. Who should we complain to? Haven't you read the reports from the south? Even now, Dongting Lake in the south is also fighting a rebellion, and there are countless people starving and freezing in and outside Daming City. We can lie on the kang, drink wine and eat tea, why should we feel wronged?"
Qin Huizhi, who was sitting opposite, had a blank expression on his face. He just clasped his hands together and said nothing.
"Don't pretend." Seeing this, Hong Ya continued to mock him under the influence of alcohol. "Do you dare to say that you didn't understand when you gave advice and wrote documents for Marshal Talan? You are a successful Jinshi, the grandson-in-law of the prime minister, the chief censor, and the prime minister's student... The Wang Xianggong who burned himself in Luoyang was your mentor, right? Your background and knowledge are much better than mine. Even people like me know what I am doing when I surrender, so how can you not understand?!"
Qin Hui finally let go and sighed: "Mr. Hong, it's not that I don't understand, but there are three things I didn't expect..."
Hong Ya picked up the soup and took a sip, obviously not taking it seriously.
"The first thing is that I really didn't expect the Jin people to be so difficult to deal with. They forced me to do things again and again. From verbal suggestions at the beginning to handwritten documents, it was difficult to pull them out... Looking back, I didn't realize that I had already left so many excuses."
Hong Ya sneered in his heart… When others were freezing and starving in Wuguo City, you, Qin Huizhi, were living in a big house and having a heated kang in Yanjing and Damingfu. You didn't think of any excuse, right?
Qin Hui knew what the other party was thinking just by looking at his expression, but he just continued to sigh: "The second thing is that I really didn't expect the southern official to be so stubborn and unwilling to give in even a little bit."
Hong Ya lowered his head and drank the soup without any reaction at all... With the national hatred and family hatred of the southern officials, what's wrong with being so tough? Shouldn't he?
"The third thing..." Qin Huizhi looked up at him and spoke earnestly. "Mr. Hong, tell me, when we were so nervous, how could we have thought that the South would win, and how could we have thought that we would be in this situation today?"
Hong Ya finally stopped drinking the soup and was silent for a moment, but just a moment later, he threw the bowl of soup in his hand to the ground.
After all, they were all traitors of the Song Dynasty. How could he not know that Qin Hui was a successful Jinshi, the grandson-in-law of the prime minister, and that he had hit the nail on the head... Looking at the devastating impact of the Jin army in the Jing Kang and early Jianyan periods, who would have thought that the South could win?
For scholars like them, isn't it just that emptiness and trembling in their hearts, and then they just let it go until now? But it is that emptiness and trembling that distinguish the most fundamental things.
In a flash, even though he theoretically had one more trump card and one more way out than the other party, Hong Ya still felt unprecedented empathy with Qin Hui, and then couldn't help but feel resentful towards the official in the south... Why do you want to win? How good would it be to lose? How good would it be to die? !
Outside the house, snow began to fall without anyone noticing. The two looked at each other, staring at the snow for a long time, but remained silent.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Qin Hui was the first to come out of his emotions. He then spoke seriously and got to the point: "It is useless to think too much now. Mr. Hong, we have to make a plan."
Hong Ya also returned to normal, but sneered again: "If it weren't for this matter, why would I come here? Brother Huizhi, you are a truly resourceful and knowledgeable person. You speak today, and I will listen to you."
Qin Hui looked up at the other person, with no expression on his fair face. He just spoke to himself, "For us, the best outcome is to be a wealthy official in the south..."
“It’s natural.”
"The second is that it is really useful in the north."
"That's true..."
"The next step is to go south and become a rich man."
Hong Ya nodded repeatedly.
"If we continue to stay in the north like this, we will be left hanging there..." Qin Huizhi sighed. "But how to choose depends on the situation of the two countries. The current situation behind Yaoshan is forcing us not to continue like this. We must make some preparations in advance."
"That's right..."
"As the saying goes, if you seek the best, you will get the middle, and if you seek the middle, you will get the worst." Qin Hui said slowly. "Although our results still depend on the overall situation, we should try our best to achieve the best result from the beginning."
"But what can we do in the current situation?" This time, it was Hong Ya's turn to put his hands together and frown. "Not to mention the south is not tolerated, even the situation in the north is deadlocked."
"Then we should start from now, starting with the deadlock in the north, and resolve the situation!" Qin Hui responded immediately, and his words gradually became calm. "Then we will try to truly seize power in the Jin Kingdom while the situation is resolved, and then we will see how the situation develops and promote peace talks... Finally, we will include us in the peace talks as a clause, and see what the official in the south says."
"What exactly do you want to say?" Hong Ya was actually somewhat infected by the other party's emotions and then became excited.
"The Jin people's government is in chaos, and they are fighting against each other in an unsystematic way. They seem to be tyrannical, but in fact they are absurd and ridiculous. If we can grasp the key figures, we can promote the solution..."
"We can only instigate Talan, but Talan is useless now. The key now must be on Nianhan."
"It is useless now, but it may be useless in the future. As for the current key, it certainly lies in Nianhan, but starting with the fourth prince Wuzhu, it may not be impossible to succeed." Qin Hui responded solemnly.
"Wuzhu? So what if it's Wuzhu?" Hong Ya was puzzled for a moment.
"I have some contacts with Wushu, so we can still talk..."
“…”
"I will go and persuade Wuzhu to resolve the situation." Qin Hui gritted his teeth and made the decision.
"Then what?"
"Then I will follow Wuzhu, and you will follow Talan... let's fight for power! Do you know how to fight for power?"
"It's just a clique for personal gain." Hong Ya suddenly felt relieved and laughed. "Who doesn't know?"
"That's exactly what I said."
"But even if the power struggle is successful, how can we negotiate peace so that the south and the north will agree? Can we still go south and live in peace?" At this point in the topic, Hong Ya already had some confidence in Qin Hui, but he still couldn't help asking more.
"Return Jingdong and northern Shaanxi to the south, and the northerners to the north!"
"Great!" Hong Ya was stunned for a moment, then he became excited.
"In fact, this matter has too many variables, and there will inevitably be many problems... It is possible that neither the North nor the South will respond." Qin Hui sighed again. "We can only do our best."
"Even one point is good." Hong Ya laughed and shook his head. "It's good to have a way out now... No matter how difficult it is for us, can it be more difficult than when the official in the south was in Huaishang?"
Qin Hui was slightly startled, then smiled bitterly.
"But, Brother Huizhi," Hong Ya suddenly asked with a smile. "Your plan is so organized and clear, when did you start to have this idea? Weren't you just saying that you were wronged?"
"Who knows?" Qin Hui was slightly moved, and sighed. "Perhaps it's just like what Mr. Hong said, there are some things that I don't want to admit on the surface, but I have already admitted them in my heart, so these thoughts have already come into my mind unconsciously..."
Hong Ya nodded slightly, feeling more and more that he and the other party were colleagues who shared weal and woe. He hesitated for a moment, perhaps because he had drunk too much, or perhaps because he felt that the other party's level was much higher than his own and he was afraid of being left behind. This Hong Xianggong suddenly clasped his hands and said, "Brother Huizhi, Gao Yigong is an extremely reliable person. After Dongting Lake is stabilized, why not let him go to Henan again?"
Qin Hui was slightly startled , then narrowed his eyes.
"Brother Huizhi is so sincere, I can't hide anything." Hong Ya continued to hold his hands and looked at him proudly. "I had some words with the military commander of the Imperial Camp Front Army, and I followed the path of Wanqi Xie, the military supervisor of the Imperial Camp Front Army at that time."
Qin Huizhi looked at him and thought for a long time before nodding his head: "If you have an appointment with Zhang Jun's Imperial Camp Right Army, I may not care, but Yue Fei, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Camp Front Army, is a truly capable general, so it may not be a bad idea... I am willing to believe you."
