Volume 5 Chapter 29: Beginning
At the grand court meeting on the first day of June, the court discussed about three major issues. One was the arrangement for expanding the army; another was the plan to launch a second round of war in Hezhong Prefecture, the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and Bohai Sea regardless of the hot summer; the third was the establishment of six departments to supervise the discussions of the six ministries...Finally, the court also vaguely released the rumor that the emperor would tour the south.
Among these, the first thing is still not optimistic.
Military generals from all over the country still felt the same as last time, they all thought that it was their own troops that should expand their forces. Local civil officials also said that they should not send any more troops. The senior officials in the court still insisted on opposing the further strengthening of the three towns in Guanxi, namely Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, and Wu Jie... If any more were added, the military power of Guanxi would be enough to overthrow the world.
But this would be contrary to the military plan that the court had been discussing - even if Zhao Jiu believed that Yue Fei was more reliable, everyone, including Yue Fei himself, would say that if Hedong was taken, Hebei would be conquered, and if Hebei was taken, Hebei would not be able to protect itself.
The geographical conditions in northern China are there. In later generations, Shanxi Province really had a geographical advantage over Hebei Province and was able to take whatever it wanted. No one could go against the laws of nature.
In this regard, Zhao Jiu even considered for a time whether to let Yue Fei move his garrison westward. However, the problem was that most of Yue Fei's imperial camp's vanguard troops were exiles from Hebei. It was not impossible to let them fight in Hedong, but who would take on the combat mission in the Hebei direction?
The most important thing is, where should the Hedong and Shanluo troops under Li Yanxian be placed? Should these people abandon Li Yanxian and obey Yue Fei?
Li Yanxian is not the same as Zhang Jun, and his subordinates are not the same as the subordinates of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp.
Under the current circumstances, forcibly breaking the territorial attributes of the army group may have a far greater impact on the army's combat effectiveness than a major purge.
Of course, what Zhao Jiu didn't know was that in history, even when Yue Fei himself led the Northern Expedition, he first gathered the Shaanxi-Luoyi Army and then tried to move towards the Taihang Mountains. Dong Xian, Niu Gao and other generals under Li Yanxian who were active in the Shaanxi-Luoyi area were the "outsiders" under Yue Fei who enjoyed a special status at that time.
But the problem is, at that time and space, among these officers and soldiers from Shaanxi, Luo and Hedong, not only was there no Li Yanxian, but even leaders like the Zhai brothers had died for their country early. Moreover, because of the evil deeds done by Qu Duan and the Battle of Fuping, the Western Army had nothing to do with it... So, in that situation, the heroes and righteous men who still insisted on resisting the Jin army seemed to have nowhere to go unless they surrendered to Yue Fei, who had established a base in Hubei.
This is the situation. The geographical characteristics of the north cannot be shaken by human power, and the group of generals in the army that was naturally formed based on the region and the military and political situation after Jingkang is basically unshakable:
The Imperial Camp Vanguard was an army composed of the Hebei exiled military group and the Tokyo Garrison. It had the strongest desire for the Northern Expedition, and Yue Fei, the commander-in-chief of the Vanguard, was the leader of the Hebei exiled military officers and the successor of the Tokyo Garrison.
Li Qiong, who did not become a Jiedushi, was the second-in-command of this group. He was also an exiled military officer from Hebei and one of the legitimate successors of Zong Ze. His rise to power was the result of a tacit understanding between the imperial court and Yue Fei. However, his army was not directly divided from the Tokyo Liaison Office or Yue Fei, but from the Hebei Eight Character Army under Wang Yan, who had a grudge against Yue Fei… This army itself could not belong to Yue Fei, otherwise there would be a big chaos.
In fact, there were many explanations on the surface about the fact that Wang Yan was cleansed up in the local area and then transferred to the central government, but some people privately said that it was the result of the court and Emperor Zhao making a choice between this person and Yue Fei.
Li Yanxian was the leader of the Shanluo Hedong Volunteer Army, and the uncle and nephew of the Zhai family were semi-independent members of this group. But it is worth mentioning that the basic army that Li Yanxian used to recapture Shanzhou that day was the remnant of the Western Army after its earlier defeat.
The brothers Wu Jie and Wu Lin were the most orthodox successors of the remnants of the Western Army, and the Imperial Camp Rear Army was also a force reorganized from the traditional structure of the Western Army.
Qu Duan and the Imperial Camp Cavalry were newly established troops, but due to the problem of manpower, they were closely connected with the Western Army.
Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Wang De and the Imperial Camp Left Army, Right Army and Central Army led by them... although they all had characteristics of the Western Army, they had another prominent commonality, that is, they were the troops that followed Emperor Zhao in exile and escape from the very beginning.
Not to mention Han and Zhang, Wang De and his subordinates were basically Liu Guangshi's old subordinates, and these three together just formed the foundation of the imperial camp at the beginning.
Things in this world are so troublesome. There are military factions, the personal reputation of generals, the regional characteristics of the army's composition, and the interest groups formed in the current garrison areas...all aspects, right and wrong, you always have to make some choices and make some decisions, and then make some people happy and some people angry.
It’s just that this time things are particularly troublesome.
The issue of military expansion is still pending... Of course, this is also related to the fact that there is no urgency for this matter. After all, up to this point, the first round of military expansion plans at the beginning of last year have not been fully implemented. Even if a new plan is to be implemented, it must at least wait until the end of this round of war.
As for the rotation battles, there is nothing much to say.
Firstly, Emperor Zhao had never delegated the decision-making power for military operations to the lower levels, and naturally lacked a voice in the court. Secondly, ever since the bizarre yet legitimate trade between Song and Jin had unfolded in various bizarre ways, the financial room for the Song Dynasty had actually far exceeded the imagination of court officials, including Emperor Zhao.
This is a financial category that no one had thought of before, but in fact it is extremely consistent with economic laws and the amount is huge.
In fact, looking back at the past year or so of Jiancai's great undertakings, and counting the profits, we will find that the Song-Jin luxury goods trade, the Sino-Japanese precious metals trade, the Guangyue per foot of cloth and a bucket of rice trade, the Dali mineral trade, the Western Region Silk Road trade... Compared with the benefits brought by these trade agreements, the things that Emperor Zhao and his court officials racked their brains to come up with, which appeared to be financial innovations but were actually fishing in troubled waters, are not good enough at all!
How do you say that sentence to the visitor?
Globalization and free trade are the only way out for the 12th century; financial innovation is a dead end.
As for the current situation, when money and food gradually become less of a problem, military action will become a matter of course. This matter was quickly approved, almost by default.
There is also the establishment of six departments. To be honest, the key point of the discussion on this matter was a little beyond Zhao Jiu's expectations.
Originally, Zhao Jiu thought that although the matter was proposed by the Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo, the other ministers might not agree with it, because this kind of thing, in addition to playing a supervisory role, is obviously beneficial for the prime minister to control the six ministries... However, unexpectedly, the six ministries did not have much objection, but a fierce dispute broke out over the issue of who would control this new supervisory department.
The provincial capital, the Privy Council, and the Censorate all cited classics and believed that they should be in control.
The stalemate lasted for a while.
Of course, this is another case of Zhao Jiu's ignorance... Historically, the six departments and related evaluation and supervision systems were established for central government officials in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the prime minister was a position in name only, and the cabinet was nominally just the emperor's secretariat, the same as the Hanlin academicians, while the six ministries were long-term departments with real power, so there has always been a dispute between the cabinet and the ministries.
But in the Song Dynasty, it was just the opposite. From the perspective of the political tradition of the Song Dynasty, the political status of the prime minister was unquestionable, but it took only a few years for the six ministries to gain real power.
Therefore, the current situation has arisen - the six ministries themselves have no objection, but in fact the two ministries of the East and the West, which have prime ministers in charge, and the Censorate, which has almost half a prime minister, are arguing fiercely.
This is something that must be resolved before the southern tour.
But compared to expanding the army, it should be very simple... Once it's sorted out, Emperor Zhao can just say one word.
Finally, there is the Southern Tour. There is not much to say about this matter. At the grand court meeting, the proposal made by Hanlin scholar Lu Benzhong in the memorial slightly gave everyone a low profile... and there was no fierce opposition.
Just like that, after all the calculations and chaos, when the court was dismissed, all the officials could not help but have their own thoughts and returned to their respective departments.
At this time, Gou Longruyuan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works who had just returned to his official residence, was shocked to find the documents of transfer from the capital province on his desk, as well as the order from Emperor Zhao asking him to investigate the mastermind behind Hu Yin's unfilial trend.
The edict was written in strong language, and at the end it was signed with the imperial handwriting of Emperor Zhao, "Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou", plus the authentic seal of the emperor, and the outer layer to which the edict and documents were attached were all exactly the same without the need for stickers.
Gou Longruyuan certainly knew what this meant - it meant that this decree represented the will of the highest power in the empire.
The imperial power, and the only highest representatives of the bureaucratic system that could nominally impose some restrictions on it, have reached a consensus on this issue.
The afternoon in June during the hottest season may be the hottest time of the year, and the wind in the air is hot.
Gou Longruyuan, former Left Vice Minister of Works and current Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, sat in his own public housing, first he was so frightened that he was sweating all over, then he paced back and forth in hesitation and fear, and finally he was motionless after his whole body turned cold... As smart as he was, how could he not know that his actions had been exposed?
However, even so, the new Chief Justice of the Dali Temple still spent a whole afternoon forcing himself to face reality, because he did not dare to admit that Emperor Zhao wanted to kill him.
This conclusion is too sensational.
The sun gradually set. Deep in the street across the street, a bell suddenly rang in the Daxiangguo Temple, announcing the end of the duty for the officials on both sides of the Imperial Street. It also made Gou Longruyuan, who had been pondering in the public house for a long time, react. He threw down the order and forced himself to walk out of the public house with reason. He first came to a public house under the opposite corridor and called out He Zhu, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Works. Then, under the watchful eyes of the officials on duty, they went into the public house in the middle of the Ministry of Works courtyard.
The door of this public housing unit has always been open to anyone because it was the public housing unit of the Minister of Works, Hu Yin.
Hu Mingzhong had no intention of leaving his shift and going home immediately after hearing the bell. He raised his head from the table full of documents and first glanced at Gou Longruyuan, who looked pale and motionless. He then lowered his head to look at the documents on the table, signed his name, and then looked up again.
This time, he saw He Zhu, who was following behind Gou Longruyuan with an obviously confused look on his face, so he bowed slightly as a courtesy.
In the public housing, several clerks who had packed up their things swiftly placed two chairs opposite Hu Shang's desk, and then tactfully left their shift and went home. For a moment, there were only three senior officials sitting around a table in the public housing.
Hu Yin's expression did not change, he just sat upright and looked at the two people in front of him; He Zhu was puzzled for a moment, so he looked at Gou Long Ruyuan who had called him.
Gou Longruyuan, who looked pale, hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, "Minister Hu, the emperor has ordered me to transfer to the position of Dali Temple Minister to investigate the case of your false accusation... The emperor's meaning is that there must be someone like Wang Ciweng behind this case, and I must find him out and punish him severely."
Minister He was stunned for a moment, and he finally understood why Gou Longruyuan called him over, but for a moment he didn't know whether he should congratulate Gou Longruyuan, express sympathy to Hu Yin, or express his opinions on the case.
Finally, the Right Vice Minister of Works simply looked at Minister Hu Yin without saying a word.
Unexpectedly, Hu Yin's expression did not change at all, he just nodded slightly... It was obvious that just as He Zhu thought, this trusted minister of the emperor, who was willing to protect his life at the cost of his own life, must have known about this matter a long time ago.
But the next moment, Gou Longruyuan stopped Minister He from thinking completely: "There is no need to investigate this case, because the one who told those Fujian scholars that Minister Hu and Liu Mianzhi had a grudge was none other than me, and I really wanted to drive Minister Hu out to see if I could make further progress."
He Zhu was completely stunned on the spot, but Hu Yin did not have any extra reaction, just nodded slightly: "I know."
Gou Longruyuan hesitated for a moment, then sighed and replied, "Has Minister Hu ever read the Book of Rites?"
Minister He just came to his senses, and then became confused again... What is this?
Hu Yin, on the other hand, remained calm and said, "I read it when I was six years old."
"It is said in the Book of Rites: 'Lu has its beginning.' Also, your father once quoted the words in Liezi when he was teaching, saying: 'The beginning is the beginning of qi'... Minister Hu should know the meaning of this 'beginning', right?" Gou Longruyuan continued to ask seriously.
"I know. It means that everything has a cause and a beginning." Hu Mingzhong remained calm.
It was from this point on that the completely confused He Zhu wisely gave up the intention of interrupting and just sat there quietly listening to the conversation between the two.
"Minister Hu, before I knew the truth that 'everything has a beginning', I had been in the state for more than ten years..." Gou Longruyuan replied with a sigh. "I worked hard and tried hard to figure out the intentions of my superiors, but I was always unable to get ahead because of this and that, and I kept sinking to the bottom. Later, as I grew older, I gradually figured out this truth. Although I was trapped by the overall situation due to the Jingkang Incident and could not rise to prominence for a while, I was able to get a glimpse of the true meaning of the court and was no longer muddle-headed."
Hu Yin looked at the other person and asked seriously, "Is this Chu so powerful?"
“Everything has a beginning. If you can act according to the ‘beginning’ of things, then things will always be simple. On the other hand, if you don’t understand where and what the true ‘beginning’ of things is, you will definitely fall into difficulties.”
Gou Longruyuan ignored the other party's ridicule, but became more and more emotional. "From a small matter, the beginning of the Quanzhou Foreign Temple case was that the emperor had long been vigilant against foreign merchants and was unwilling to give them royal documents and flags. It was ridiculous that other officials thought that the court would tolerate evil for a little business tax, but they never thought that the emperor's temper remained the same. From a big picture perspective, the beginning of the court was the Jingkang Incident... With this 'beginning', it is natural to understand why the new and old parties no longer exist in the court's personnel, but a dispute over war and peace, attack and defense, and urgency; it is also natural to wake up why the emperor and the two emperors have such a conflict; I also understand why the court's major policies are all on the war between Song and Jin."
"That's right." Hu Yin nodded immediately. "What you said makes sense... Since the Jianyan period, the country's politics, customs, and personnel have changed, and the root cause is Jingkang. Even the Quanzhou Foreign Temple case was the source of your glimpse from thousands of miles away."
"Also, why is war between war and peace? Attack between attack and defense? Urgency between urgency and slowness? In fact, there are also 'beginnings'." Gou Longruyuan raised his left hand, and with his right hand, he stretched out his left hand fingers, and spoke seriously one by one, and he did not relax at all because of the other party's recognition. "If your majesty succeeded to the throne, this is the first 'beginning'. He came to the throne unexpectedly, and he had to talk about war to justify his name, and he encountered unexpected changes, so he often took extraordinary measures..."
"The defense of Huai River is the second 'first'. Once we stop the exhausted Jurchens, we know that they are also exhausted. It shows that China is big and may not be undefendable..."
"Moving the imperial court to Nanyang is the third 'first', to show everyone inside and outside the Zhao family that they will never live in complacency..."
"Returning to Tokyo is the fourth 'beginning', Ming Dynasty is still alive in the country..."
"Yao Shan's desperate death was the fifth 'beginning', letting the world know that China still has potential..."
"After reaching Yaoshan, the Northern Expedition was irreversible. It's ridiculous that some people still wanted to surrender, make peace, defend, or slow down, but they didn't know that things had already been decided." Gou Longruyuan put away his palms that he used to count and shook his head. "From then on, I had no more scruples, so that everything I did could follow the central government's plan... So, my transition to officialdom went smoothly... However, I knew this 'first and last', and knew where the 'first' of the government's employment was, but I was still obsessed and did such a thing, which is also ridiculous!"
"What exactly do you want to say?" Hu Mingzhong finally became impatient.
"I would like Minister Hu to tell you a few things..."
"Tell me."
"First, I know the state's policies. I did something so filthy. It's because I was blinded by power. I hope you can keep me in office for a while."
Hu Yin said nothing, but just looked at the other person coldly. Even Minister He, who had been silent next to him, couldn't help but glance at his colleague.
"Secondly, the establishment of the six departments is necessary, but the focus should be on the supervision , rather than monitoring and spying on people's hearts... Because I, Gou Longruyuan, am just a small man who has only been in the capital for more than a month. It is normal for the court to fail to notice me. Please don't doubt that the central government officials have degenerated so quickly."
Hu Yin finally nodded, but his expression didn't change at all: "I will definitely report this matter to the emperor."
"Third." Gou Longruyuan continued to talk seriously. "The six departments were established as a continuation of the censorate. They were in the censorate at the beginning of the system, and should be under the censorate."
Hu Yin's expression finally eased a little.
"Fourthly, it is right for the government to go to the south of the Yangtze River, because the people's hearts are the real origin. However, since they have gone to the south of the Yangtze River, it is better to hold the power of thunder rather than the heart of rain and dew; it is better to ask about the customs and morale rather than the heart of scholars and officials; it is better to peek at the countryside and fields rather than the famous cities and counties; it is better to investigate the land tax and labor service rather than the commercial taxes and mineral resources..."
"Is the following part also about the knowledge of 'Chu'?" Hu Yin finally spoke.
"Yes." Gou Longruyuan bowed slightly in response. "The former is the end, the latter is the beginning... If you can follow the beginning, you don't have to worry about the end!"
"So the 'first' in your words is actually one of them?" Hu Mingzhong asked frankly. "Since you realized the truth of 'first', your own 'first' is to rise to prominence?"
Gou Longruyuan was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes... But as far as the emperor is concerned, as far as the court is concerned, my beginning is just the end. My end may become your beginning... Please, Minister Hu, convey my words to you."
"I will go to see the emperor with Minister He." Hu Mingzhong was silent for a moment, then stood up and replied. "I have a photographic memory and an auditory memory since I was a child. I will not change a single word of your words. Minister He will bear witness as you wish... Are you going to wait here or go home and wait?"
He Zhu understood everything and stood up quickly.
Gou Longruyuan thought about it, then stood up and bowed earnestly: "I will wait for you here."
Hu Yin nodded, then left the public housing with He Zhu without saying a word and walked away.
After about half an hour, He Zhu and Hu Yin did not come back, but the chief guard Lan Gui led several imperial guards to the Ministry of Works. As soon as the latter entered the Shangshu's public room, they spoke to the trembling Gou Longruyuan:
"The Emperor's oral instruction: Since Lord Gou Long knows my beginning, he should also know that I always like to be unbridled and ignore the beginning and keep the end."
After saying this, the chief escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs turned around and left without looking back, leaving Gou Longruyuan completely speechless in the room... How could he not know that his last struggle was in vain?
However, Gou Longruyuan still had a glimmer of desire to survive. That day, he waited in the public housing until dark, hoping that there would be a turn for the better in front of the emperor, and that Hu Yin and He Zhu would come back to say a few words to him.
However, until it couldn't get any darker, no one returned, and Gou Longruyuan could only return home in despair under the stare of the two imperial guards in front of the door.
After returning to the new house issued by the court, the new Chief Justice of the Dali Temple summoned his wives, concubines, and children, and bluntly stated that he would not live long. He divided the national debts, gold and silver stored in the house, and asked these people to leave early the next morning and return to their hometown in Sichuan... But when it was dawn the next day, his wives, concubines, and children were driven out of the house by the servants, and they covered their faces and walked away. Gou Longruyuan wanted to die several times in order to save his dignity, but he was unable to do it several times.
In the end, he could only be trapped at home, waiting to die.
He was really just sitting there waiting to die...On this day, He Zhu, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, went to the capital, the Privy Council, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice in turn to give evidence in public, saying that the Minister of the Supreme Court Gou Longruyuan had framed his colleagues, alienated the emperor and his ministers, and even put the blame on the Emperor Taishang Daojun, thus dividing the royal family and deceiving the emperor, and his crime was unforgivable.
There was an uproar in the court.
Because the crime was committed by the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, it was directly transferred to the Ministry of Justice for handling. In the afternoon of that day, two minor officials from the Ministry of Justice brought two jailers to Gou Long's mansion, directly dragged Gou Long Ruyuan out of the mansion, and sent him to the Ministry of Justice prison.
It is said that arresting a minister of the Secret Council is as easy as arresting a chicken or a dog.
This time, there was an uproar in the court and the country.
The matter was of great importance and no one dared to neglect it. Only one day later, the Minister of Punishments Ma Shen, with the Chief Censor as a witness and three censors as assistants, personally opened the court for questioning. He summoned the Minister Hu Yin, the Vice Minister He Zhu, and the detained Fujian villagers on the spot for a comparative "investigation and interrogation".
After the confession was confirmed to be correct, before noon, three copies were made directly to the Censorate, the capital, and the Privy Council to be presented to the emperor.
Emperor Zhao did not stop for a moment and immediately replied:
"Gou Longruyuan harbors evil intentions, deceives the emperor and his superiors with selfish motives, frames his colleagues, and brings chaos to the country. He has no integrity as a minister, friendship as a colleague, or integrity as an official. There has never been such a person! During this war, military law should be enforced, all his writings should be destroyed, and he should be executed immediately!"
The reply was quickly transferred back from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Capital Province and the Privy Council directly added the seals of the East and West Ministries to the reply documents, as if it were some ordinary imperial decree.
At the same time, after learning the news of the emperor's approval, the Censorate, who were unaware of the reaction from Chongwenyuan, obviously hesitated and held an internal meeting in Wutai. It was not until the evening that they reached a unanimous opinion, which was to suggest that Emperor Zhao bring the matter to the next court meeting for open discussion.
Immediately, Li Guang personally brought the document into Chongwenyuan and went to the Privy Council, asking the officials on duty to transfer the document to the Ministry of Internal Affairs early the next morning.
However, unexpectedly, on the morning of the next day, when this only document that publicly refuted the emperor's will was still in the process, a team of imperial guards went directly into the prison of the Ministry of Justice. They first produced all the legal documents, dragged out Gou Longruyuan, who was paralyzed into a ball of meat paste, and brought him to the front of Xuande Tower. Then they announced his crimes in public, and then one person held him down while the other swung a knife, and just like they had killed the imperial horse before, they directly beheaded this man who was a senior official of the Secret Council the day before and displayed his head to the public.
When the Minister of Justice Ma Shen and the Chief Censor Li Guang learned the news, they hurried to the scene hand in hand, but were shocked to find that even the bloodstains on the ground had been washed away. Only the horse head, which had long since rotted away to the point of leaving only bones, was hanging on the Xuande Tower, making a humming sound when blown by the breeze.
The two people who were just discussing whether to exile Gou Longruyuan to a distant place and not pardon him were completely silent.
A few days later, the court announced the conclusions reached by the emperor and the ministers through internal documents and court bulletins, establishing six departments for the purpose of assessment rather than supervision, and placing them under the Censorate.
A few days later, when the battle was about to start again, the imperial gazette published another decree of Emperor Zhao, which said, "Everything must have a beginning. The beginning of the court's revival was not in the Central Plains, not in weapons, but in the south of the Yangtze River, and in the people." The emperor will set out in July, leading 1,500 imperial guards and 2,000 imperial cavalry to inspect Jingxiang and the southeast, and entrust the affairs of state to the prime ministers and the secret council.
