Volume 5 Chapter 4: Playing the Piano
There was a reason why Zhao Jiu asked Wang Yan to pick up Ma Kuo, because the place where Ma Kuo and his subordinates were currently active was basically the place controlled by Wang Yan's old subordinate, the Eight Character Army, before crossing the river, so he was familiar with the place.
In addition, it also means expressing importance and conveying specific information.
After all, Wang Yan was more or less a general and a prime minister. He was not the highest official in the country, but he was at least that high. And if Wang Yan could get to this point by bringing back an army of 30,000 people from Taihang Mountain... even if he soon lost control of the army... then there was no reason why Ma Kuo was worse than Wang Yan.
Of course, these are just details and side issues. The key point is that after Emperor Zhao had just gained a slight advantage in the Guanxi direction, he could not wait to recruit more horses. His determination to recover the two rivers was enough to silence everyone.
It is hard to imagine that after this official had been in power for five or six years and had experienced so many resolute political purges, there were still people who dared to advise this official to suspend or slow down the Northern Expedition in person.
Aren’t you afraid of being labeled as a capitulationist by the court bulletin, and having three generations of your family idled or even exiled?
"I heard that the emperor had just returned from the northwest, and when he passed by Shanzhou, he couldn't wait to send Wang Taiwei across the river to talk to me. I am grateful to you, and I do have a thousand words to report to you about the situation in the two rivers. But before reporting, I have something to say, and I can't say it unless I say it..."
On the riverbank, facing Emperor Zhao who came to greet him in person, under the watchful eyes of Wang Yan, Liu Hongdao, Fan Zongyin, Lu Benzhong, Ren Baozhong, Liu Yan and other civil and military officials, Ma Kuoguang paid his respects and, without waiting for Emperor Zhao to step forward and shake hands, he bowed his head directly, showing his impatience and even a little rude.
"Ma Qing, please speak." Zhao Jiu was well-trained and simply raised his arm to urge the other party to speak.
"Your Majesty, you must not underestimate the Jurchens just because the Song Dynasty won at Yaoshan and the northern barbarians retreated outside the river. If we cross the river to attack the north now, I'm afraid we will be defeated in nine out of ten cases." Ma Kuo raised his head and said earnestly. "We should conserve our energy and wait for the right time..."
On the river bank in the afternoon, Emperor Zhao heard these words and immediately burst out laughing.
Ma Kuo became more and more anxious when he saw this, and hurriedly said: "I have no intention of making empty threats! Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition is of great importance. Once the Northern Expedition crosses the river but cannot occupy a large town in Hebei for a long time, the people's morale will be depressed. Moreover, Hebei is in ruins and the people are in turmoil. If the Song Dynasty crosses the river but cannot comfort the people, it will also be a problem."
Zhao Jiu was completely solemn: "Of course I will act with caution. I summoned you here to hear the truth about Hebei before making a decision."
Only then did Ma Kuo calm down a little.
However, at the same time, the civil and military officials around could not help but look at each other in confusion. Even Wang Yan, who had accompanied Ma Kuo all the way south, felt a little embarrassed.
By the way, everyone noticed that there was something wrong with Ma Kuo from the very beginning.
Of course, this question is not to say that there is something wrong with Ma Kuo's position. If this person's position is problematic, then there will be no one in the world with a reliable position. Nor is it to say that there is something wrong with the content of his suggestions. As the only military leader who stayed behind enemy lines in the two rivers to fight against the Jin Dynasty, he himself is the only expert on this issue. He is the only one who can refute others, and no one else has the right to refute him.
This problem actually refers to Ma Kuo's inappropriate mentality.
He spoke hurriedly and in a hurried tone, as if he still regarded Emperor Zhao and all the civil and military officials in the court as they were during the Jing Kang period - grand on the outside but miserable on the inside, unable to listen to advice and unable to do anything, only caring about appearance and appearance, without caring about the actual situation ahead... Therefore, the governor of the Northern Road seemed to be afraid that if he revealed the slightest weakness, it would cause misjudgment by the emperor and the civil and military officials accompanying him, leading to disastrous consequences.
This mentality is of course very wrong, but it is understandable.
Because the betrayal and difficulties that Ma Kuo had experienced were far beyond the understanding of the rulers and ministers of Henan. Moreover, he was isolated in the north, surrounded by enemies, so it was natural that he had the wrong mentality and was even a little narrow-minded.
The best example is Wang Yan who was also present. Wang Yan had been in Taihang Mountains for two years and his mentality was almost broken. He thought everyone he saw was a traitor. He changed three or four beds in one night and finally forced his subordinates to tattoo themselves to show their loyalty.
After he came back, he was still narrow-minded, and had a vague resistance to any dispatches, disposals, and military arrangements from his superiors. He also found it difficult to open up to his subordinates. Even his former confidant, Military Advisor Xiao Fan, could not tolerate him after he was promoted and shared military power.
To put it bluntly, it's already a bit pathological.
Therefore, although there were reasons for this, and it could even be said that the reasons behind this pathology were worthy of respect, Zhao Jiu still transferred him from his position of independent military command to become a local official.
Compared with this, Ma Kuo's inappropriate behavior is actually nothing.
In fact, Emperor Zhao understood the other party's mentality, showed some flattery, dragged the other party to the military camp behind him, and after Zhang Rong sat down in the lobby, he asked the other party to sit down again, and the other civil and military officials stood by. After the attitude was made clear and the posture was adjusted, they talked for a few more words, and the response soon became appropriate.
"How many people are there in the Taihang Volunteer Army now?"
"So that the emperor knows, the Taihang righteous army is of course countless. I roughly estimate that there are hundreds of thousands of young and strong men hiding in the mountains. But that is the total number, and I cannot control and dispatch them. As for me... I assisted Prince Xin in raising the flag in the northern Taihang Mountains, and the total number in front of me is only 30,000 to 40,000, of which about 20,000 are young and strong enough to fight."
"Not bad." Zhao Jiu nodded his head in praise. "The area of Southern Taihang is limited. The Eight Character Army marched south with 30,000 men that day. I estimate that Ma Qing's army has about the same number. Moreover, the Jurchens have stationed their main forces in Taiyuan, Longde Prefecture, and Hezhong Prefecture in the past two years. It is inevitable that the base in the mountains will be divided, suppressed, and restricted... 20,000 is not bad."
"Your Majesty is very clear-sighted... Just as you said, at the beginning we had 50,000 to 60,000 people, 30,000 of whom were young and strong. But in the past two years, we have been severely squeezed by the Jurchens, so our number has decreased. But to be honest with you, even if there are 20,000 young and strong people, when the time comes to use their lives, I may not be able to dispatch them properly." Ma Kuo was honest.
"What do you mean?" Zhao Jiu was surprised for a moment, but then he realized. "Is it because you came from the North Taihang Mountains, and the locals in the South Taihang Mountains are dissatisfied?"
This time it was Ma Kuo's turn to be slightly startled, but he soon recovered: "As the emperor said, the two main families... one is from Taiyuan in Hedong Road, northwest of South Taihang; the other is from Weizhou in Hebei West Road, southeast of South Taihang, which is directly opposite here. They are all from the Tuanjie Society... Some of them have always been disobedient, and I may not be able to mobilize them when the time comes."
"Be more careful."
"Let the emperor know that the leader of the previous family is called Zhang Heng. His army is said to have 10,000 people, but they are all family members who have gone up the mountain. According to my estimation, he has only 2,000 people. However, although this man has a small number of soldiers and horses, he has a strong foundation around Taiyuan. Those in Taihang Mountain who want to trade with the people of Taiyuan and inquire about the military situation of Taiyuan all rely on him. Even last year, when the Jurchens oppressed the southern Taihang the most, this man led 2,000 people from Fenzhou across the Fen River to Guji Mountain for food, and the Jurchens didn't even notice it along the way... I dare not easily annex such a person."
Zhao Jiu understood what he said and nodded repeatedly.
Not only him, but also several close ministers around him who had some knowledge of military affairs became serious... It must be understood that Gu Ji Mountain was the Luliang Mountain, the main mountain range in the northwest of Shanxi Province in later generations. Zhang Heng's move from Taihang to Luliang was equivalent to crossing the entire Shanxi Province unscathed during the Jurchen sweep. Although he crossed from the southernmost narrow mouth of the Taiyuan Plain, it was enough to illustrate the problem.
At the very least, this person does have deep roots in the Taiyuan Plain, and no one dares to tell on him. More importantly, he knows the Jurchens' arrangements very well, so he can seize the opportunity and pass through with a swagger.
The role of this super local tyrant can have miraculous effects if used well. Ma Kuo would have to be crazy to risk annexing this person.
"When you leave, I will write him a solemn edict, promising him a future as a commander-in-chief. If he doesn't understand the value of the position, I can promise him any other future at will." Zhao Jiu thought about it for a moment and immediately made a political commitment.
"Your Majesty has made a wise decision. Zhang Heng was born into a wealthy family in Taiyuan and is certainly willing to serve the country. But the problem is that we are far away from each other, and an empty decree may not convince him." Ma Kuo was a little doubtful.
"Then let him go to Guji Mountain, to the upper reaches of the Yellow River to contact Yan'an Prefecture, and take over some military equipment from there... By the way, it can also be regarded as a test of his goods for me to see if he is just pretending!"
"So wonderful!"
"What about the other one?"
"The other is because of the strong army and horses." Ma Kuo came back to his senses, but was helpless. "This man is called Liang Xing, also known as Brother Liang, he is only 27 or 28 years old this year. He was an old subordinate of Yue Jiedu who got separated in Hebei. Later, during the Battle of Yaoshan, Yue Jiedu crossed the river and met him. It is said that he occupied a mountain stronghold in the mountains and led hundreds of people. Instead of taking him away, he let him work well in Taihang Mountain and wait for the government army to march north. He gave him the title of commander and left many weapons and armor..."
"Isn't this a good thing?" Zhao Jiu smiled awkwardly when he heard this, but he had already guessed what was going on in his heart.
"This should be a good thing." Ma Kuo was really angry. "But this man is young and full of energy. On the one hand, he relied on the weapons and armor left for him by Yue Jiedu to train soldiers and expand his strength; on the other hand, he refused to obey my orders, saying that I was just a figurehead. He was a real general in the front army of the imperial camp, so how could he listen to my words? He contradicted me in person many times, attacked the county town at the foot of the mountain without authorization many times, secretly colluded with the mountain strongholds many times, and even sent leaders to the mountain strongholds under my control to start a fight. For the sake of the overall situation, I couldn't control him! Even if I got the military order from Li Jiedu of Shanzhou, he turned a deaf ear to it, saying that he only recognized Yue Jiedu and not Li Jiedu."
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a long time before he continued with a dry laugh: "Let me try and let Yue Pengju give you an explanation... How many soldiers does this little brother Liang have?"
"There are a total of 4,000 strong men, and their weapons are the best in the southern Taihang Mountains." Ma Kuo looked increasingly helpless. "At least 300 sets of iron armor, more than a thousand sets of leather armor, and more than a hundred crossbows... The key is that he is a local who was born and raised at the junction of Weizhou and Huaizhou, and he was summoned by Yue Jiedu, and he has such strength, so the righteous men in Xiangzhou, Cizhou, Weizhou, and Huaizhou on the southern Taihang side all listen to him."
Ma Kuo's complaints were evident in his words. What this young man Liang did was indeed not in line with the overall situation, but Zhao Jiu could only smile bitterly.
It wasn't just Zhao Jiu. Everyone in the army, civil and military, knew about it. Even Ma Kuo had to go through so much trouble to cross the river to see the emperor. Even if Yue Fei cooperated, how could he deliver the military order to Liang Xing? And how could Liang Xing trust a piece of empty paper?
Unlike Zhang Heng, this Liang Xing’s matter is likely to end up in a mess.
"How about I give you a Jiedu?" After thinking for a while, Emperor Zhao felt embarrassed and tried to answer again. "Wait a few days and come back with the Jiedu ceremonial weapon."
“I thank the emperor for his kindness, but times have changed. There are heavy troops on three sides of South Taihang Mountain, and I can only take small paths to cross the mountains. It would be too conspicuous to bring something like the military guards. And if I only bring the seal and the decree, those mountain stronghold leaders will not believe it…” Ma Kuo responded with difficulty.
"Why don't you believe it?" Lu Benzhong couldn't help but interrupt and ask out of curiosity.
"Of course it's because of Prince Xin." Zhao Jiu sneered before Ma Kuo could look embarrassed. "After the two saints returned, the Jurchens must have spread rumors in the mountains, saying that Prince Xin was a fake and had really gone back a long time ago... Little did they know that my brother still had some integrity."
Lu Benzhong suddenly realized that it must be because of the passage of time. Nan Taihang could hear news from Henan to some extent, so the matter of the fake Prince Xin was gradually exposed, and Ma Kuo's credibility in this regard was gradually ruined.
"Whether you bring it or not, you have to report it!" Zhao Jiu thought about it and responded seriously. "After Ma Qing leaves, I will have the details of your visit to me published in the official newspaper, from Brother Liang to Zhang Heng, and then to the matter of the conferment of the imperial seal, all published together... It's better to have it than not to have it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ma Kuo felt relieved.
"The most reliable route to Taihang Mountain now should still be the one to Jiezhou (north of Shanzhou), right?"
"yes."
"I will ask Li Yanxian to send some military equipment to you. It will be best to have a strong army and powerful horses."
"Forgive me for speaking frankly," Ma Kuo quickly became serious again. "It would be best if the emperor did not send any good weapons, not even a crossbow, a big axe, or iron armor. Used leather armor and ordinary swords would be the best..."
"Are you afraid of being intercepted by the Jurchens?"
"yes."
"Thank you for your hard work." Zhao Jiu was full of emotion. "It's really difficult behind enemy lines."
Ma Kuo did not try to be modest or anything, he just sighed among the people present.
So far, he had asked about Ma Kuo's condition. After a while, Zhao Jiu regained his spirits, but did not speak directly. He just glanced at his accompanying ministers. At one time, at least three or four people understood, but Ren Baozhong, who was white-haired, was the fastest.
The man took a step forward and immediately bowed to Ma Kuo, "General Manager Ma, I am Ren Baozhong, the doorman of the cabinet, and I am here to assist the emperor in military affairs. I have something to ask you, General Manager. As soon as you landed, you told the emperor that it is not appropriate to march north at this time... Then, General Manager, when can we march north? You should have a plan in mind."
"That's right." Direct Scholar Lu Benzhong also looked serious. "Ma Zongguan has a hard time in the north, but he may not know that the government is also in a very difficult situation in the south. There are always people who want to abandon the two rivers in order to live in peace. Every now and then, they force the government to get rid of many people. These people gather in the south, rely on the Taoist Academy, and respond to things. There is a tendency to form a party. We must guard against it... If we can't fight north for a long time, I'm afraid it will be difficult to unite the people in the south."
Ma Kuo frowned slightly, obviously unable to digest it properly for a while.
At this time, Liu Hongdao, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War and the chief water conservancy officer, suddenly stepped forward for some reason and said seriously, "In fact, the South often discusses military affairs because they have their own difficulties. In order to recover the Central Plains , pacify Guanxi, and support 200,000 imperial troops, the taxes in the South have been extremely heavy, and the people have many complaints..."
"But the people of the two rivers are in dire straits?" Ma Kuo was shocked when he heard this and hurriedly stood up to protest. "Do I need to say more about the cruelty of the Jurchens? When the Eight Character Army left, we were defeated from the northern Taihang Mountains, but in just half a year, we restored the previous 30,000 regulations. It can be seen that the people of the two rivers have been tortured. The Meng'an and Mouke were settled in the two rivers, forcibly occupying the land and forcing the Han people to be slaves. These have been said thousands of times. If I say it again, I'm afraid everyone in the central government will be tired of it... But Minister Liu, do you know that the Jurchens still have a hair-cutting order? It is to force the people to shave their hair like them."
Liu Hongdao was caught off guard.
"Although this order has been gradually relaxed, it is because the people have been resisting every day, and it is only because the government won the victory in Yaoshan that it has gradually become so! If you meet someone with a violent nature, you still have to do this... Last year in Shizhou, there was a Han official who passed the imperial examination in the Marshal's Office of Nianhan and became a county magistrate. He first shaved his head, and then stood in the street, demanding that the people on the street must not let their hair touch his hair, otherwise they would be beheaded... Minister Liu, no matter how hard the people in the south of the Yangtze River have it, how can they compare to the people in the two rivers? How can you use these words to prevaricate the Northern Expedition?!" Ma Kuo scolded continuously, and he was very emotional, as if he was a little irritated again.
When the man was angry, not to mention Emperor Zhao was a little furious, Ren Baozhong and Lu Benzhong also felt disgusted with Liu Hongdao for ruining the situation... Especially Ren Baozhong, although he didn't say it, he was secretly worried about the hair issue, fearing that Emperor Zhao would notice it and then dislike him... He hated Liu Hongdao's talkativeness.
As for Liu Hongdao, after a moment of surprise, he also became a little angry: "General Manager Ma! Where did I say a word that the Northern Expedition is not allowed? Instead, why did you persuade the emperor not to go on the Northern Expedition as soon as you landed?"
Ma Kuo lost his composure when he heard this, and his eyes turned red in an instant: "It is because I am worried every day, looking forward to the royal army going north, that I am worried about gains and losses, fearing that if I make a mistake one day, the Yanyun incident will happen again! Minister Liu, is it appropriate for me to flatter you and many other senior officials, but not speak for the people of Lianghe?"
Liu Hongdao was so embarrassed that he lost his voice.
"Ma Qing, don't pay attention to them." Zhao Jiu saw that the situation was out of control, so he had to speak again. "I will take care of everything... They originally wanted to ask you about the strength of the north! For example, how many ?!"
Ma Kuo forced himself to calm down, turned around and saluted, "Your Majesty, I really don't know the total number of Jurchens' troops at the moment... but I can roughly calculate it."
"How do you calculate it?"
"During the Jingkang period, when the Jurchens were at their peak, the total number of soldiers and horses was very simple." Ma Kuo replied seriously. "The East and West armies each had 10 Wanhu and 100 Meng'an, but each Meng'an had no reinforcements at that time. There were about 5-6 Mouke and 500-600 cavalry for each Meng'an. In other words, the East and West armies each had 60,000 soldiers! This was the foundation of the Jurchens' nation!"
Zhao Jiu nodded slowly.
"At the same time, there was also the Ever-Victorious Army that was captured during the annihilation of Liao." Ma Kuo continued to explain. "It didn't matter how many soldiers the Ever-Victorious Army had at the beginning, but when Guo Yaoshi was fickle and rebelled against the Song Dynasty, he took away a group of 50,000 people. I estimate that he actually had more than 40,000 people... However, the Ever-Victorious Army had a lot of contact with the Jurchens, and most of them were from Liaodong. They were not afraid of the Jurchens in their hearts, and they were also fickle, so they attracted fear. So after Guo Yaoshi surrendered, the Jurchens worked together to imprison the generals and kill the officers for several years. Basically, they cleared out all the generals of the Ever-Victorious Army. Because some of the generals resisted, they simply killed 7,000 to 8,000 people with their soldiers. In the end, there were about 20,000 to 30,000 left, as if they had been completely drained of their bones. They were directly dispersed, and most of them served as reinforcements for the various Meng'an."
At this point, Ma Kuo paused for a moment and concluded, "In other words, the 30,000-strong Ever-Victorious Army was completely taken by the Jurchens. However, this army was completely swallowed up by the Jurchens long ago, and it no longer had an independent army."
When Zhao Jiu heard this, he nodded and couldn't help but glance at Liu Yan who was standing solemnly on the side. Liu Yan also looked obviously gloomy.
"In addition to the Changsheng Army, there are also 50,000 Yisheng Army." Ma Kuo did not notice the little trick of Emperor Zhao, but continued to explain seriously. "Yisheng Army was recruited from the Han people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun before the Jingkang Incident. After the Song Dynasty obtained the Changsheng Army, in order to contain Guo Yaoshi, they were treated better than the Imperial Army... But the Han people of Yanyun have always been dissatisfied with the Song Dynasty. As a result, after the troops were equipped, the Jurchens went south, and the 50,000 Yisheng Army surrendered, and the Jurchens also properly accepted them and used them directly."
This time, Zhao Jiu didn't react at all.
"Besides the Ever-Victorious Army and the Righteous-Victorious Army, there are also the surrendered soldiers from Taiyuan and Hebei. Adding all these together, I dare to say that the Jurchens had 200,000 Wanhu, although there were only 120,000 men if we count Meng'an and Mouke. But in fact, with the Han surrendered soldiers who assisted in the battle, the number would definitely be much higher than the full 200,000! In addition, the surrendered soldiers from the Liao Kingdom outside the Great Wall at that time could not have disappeared for nothing. When Wanyan Wuqimai released Nianhan and Wuliebu and led the eastern and western armies to the south, it is impossible that there were no countries outside the Great Wall. Therefore, I dare to say that when the Jurchens were in their heyday, there must have been at least 300,000 men." Ma Kuo paused here and looked up at Emperor Zhao.
Before Emperor Zhao could say anything, Lü Benzhong beside him was a little puzzled: "But 300,000 was only when the Jurchens were at their peak. In the six or seven years since then, whenever the Jurchens mobilized troops, they only used 200,000 households in the east and west routes south of Yanyun... Even if there were troops in the rear, they should have been abandoned long ago, right?"
Ma Kuo was furious for a moment.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Jiu finally nodded and said, "General Manager Ma is afraid of people like you. He wants to warn the court not to only focus on the 200 thousand households in the east and west, but to be clear about one thing. Once we cross the river to attack the north, the offensive and defensive positions will change. We will no longer be facing the 20 thousand households we are familiar with. We can still summon the surrendered soldiers and old soldiers of the Marching Division who have not fought for five or six years outside the pass... We should be lenient with the enemy."
"That's exactly what I meant." Ma Kuo let out a long sigh.
"But Lord Ma, I understand what you mean..." Zhao Jiu replied solemnly. "But raising 300,000 soldiers is not the same as raising 200,000 soldiers, right?! Moreover, when crossing the river, do we have to cross it all at once? Without leaving a rear guard? Moreover, for a 300,000-man army to march north, not to mention post-war appeasement, not to mention rewards, how much money and food should be prepared for 300,000 people for half a year?"
The civil and military officials around were all horrified when they heard this.
"Your Majesty! To cross the river and attack the north, we must have 300,000 soldiers!" Ma Kuo gritted his teeth and said, "However, Your Majesty does not have to support all 300,000 soldiers in the imperial camp. It is also feasible to count 20,000 of us in the Taihang Mountains. Besides..."
The more Ma Kuo spoke, the more excited he became, but the more excited he became, the more difficult it became for him to speak. In the end, he was unable to speak for a while.
"We can also invite the Khitans and Mongols to help... As long as they can hold back one or two of us, it will work?" Zhao Jiu seemed to see through the other party's thoughts and asked tentatively.
"Yes." Ma Kuo's words seemed to lack some strength. It was obvious that the stimulation given to him by the Sea Alliance that day was still there.
"Your Majesty." Ren Baozhong mustered up his courage and stood up at the right time. "I'm sorry, but if that's the case, the Tangut soldiers are also good at fighting... Your Majesty doesn't have to recruit them all the time. You can just wait until you need them and temporarily recruit tens of thousands of them from Ningxia Road. If anyone sends a man, you can exempt the family from taxes for ten years! Once these Tangut soldiers cross the Yellow River, they will have no way to retreat. They also have to consider their tribe, so they will definitely fight to the death."
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then actually nodded slightly, apparently moved.
"But sir!" Ma Kuo said again. "Even so, we still have to make sure the troops are real."
Zhao Jiu was stunned again, then nodded again.
Then, just as the tent was silent, Zhao Jiu, who was the first to come to his senses, asked again: "Before, you said that we should conserve our strength and wait for the right time... Conserve our strength means to keep 300,000 soldiers and store the logistical needs of 300,000 soldiers... When is that time? When is it? Is it when Wanyan Wushu's reforms triggered civil unrest?"
Ma Kuo once again carefully sized up the official, then bowed his head and answered earnestly: "Official, when great powers are fighting, it is not right to pin our hopes on the enemy's internal strife... However, the Jurchens themselves are tribal barbarians, and they were lucky enough to destroy a country and swallow up the two rivers in 20 years. They can be said to have expanded to the extreme. No matter how Wanyan Wushu changes, he can't get away from abolishing the old Jurchen barbaric system from top to bottom and implementing the Han royal law... This kind of reform is easy for civil officials but difficult for military officials, and it is easy for the upper officials to change but difficult for the lower officials to change. If the Bogile system is abolished, Nianhan will be killed and the king will be imprisoned. What about Wanhu? If you don't change Wanhu, can you directly change Meng'an Mouke? Therefore, if the official can really conserve his energy, then the so-called time has already begun when Wushu began to touch Wanhu, and there is no need to wait for it!"
Zhao Jiu nodded slowly.
So far, the two of them had spoken properly. Next, of course, Emperor Zhao would say some polite words and perform some kind of monarch-subject attitude.
But unexpectedly, just when Emperor Zhao was about to say something, Ma Kuo suddenly stepped back a few steps, knelt down in the naval hall which was actually a bit messy, and then paid homage with great ceremony.
This caught Zhao Jiu and others off guard.
"Whatever you request, I will agree to it." Zhao Jiu stood up immediately.
"I have nothing to ask for. I will return to Hebei soon, and I don't know when we will meet again. This is the proper etiquette." Ma Kuo bowed his head in response, without any of his previous eagerness and anxiety.
But Zhao Jiu was panicked: "We have been apart for several years and have worked hard for more than a month to get here. How can you return in one day? I have already prepared a house for you in Tokyo as a reward."
Ma Kuo raised his head, feeling relieved. "Your Majesty is very kind to me. But I came here in a hurry because I was worried about you... I was worried that the people in power in the central government were frivolous, didn't know how difficult things are, and would throw the overall situation aside. I finally met you today, but I didn't expect that your Majesty already knew the overall situation. Since your Majesty is in charge of the overall situation and knows how difficult things are, why should I stay any longer? It's better for me to return to Hebei early to win the hearts of the people."
After saying this, Ma Kuo bowed again and actually walked out directly.
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment. He wanted to stay and chase after him several times, but in the end he just waved his hand and asked Wang Yan to follow and see off the governor of the Northern Road of the Song Dynasty.
