Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 1007 Living the Rest of My Life by the River

As it turned out, Zhao Gou, though old, was still a wise man.

He remained calm regarding Qian Duanli's matter and immediately gave Shi Hao a thorough dressing-down.

After wiping out the pro-war faction, they now want to kill the separatist faction. Is there anyone else in the court who can be used?
Shi Hao, what do you want to do? If you want to assassinate the king, kill the emperor, and usurp the throne, just say so!

The big boss was always insightful and made a decision quickly, dismissing Qian Duanli from his positions as Vice Chancellor and Acting Privy Councilor, and appointing him as the Director of Dongxiao Palace.

Although Yang Yizhong was somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome, he could only reluctantly agree since it was a decision made personally by Zhao Gou.

The matter seemed to end there.

However, the Qian family was deeply entrenched in Lin'an, so on the afternoon of the second day, which was the first day of the Lunar New Year, Qian Duanli, who was in Yangzhou and living in constant fear, learned that Shi Hao and Yang Yizhong wanted to kill him.

Although Zhao Gou rejected the proposal and only appointed him to oversee Dongxiao Palace, which was considered a respectable retirement, it was still too frightening.

And is this the end of the matter?
Yue Fei's death was related to Yang Yizhong.

Yu Yunwen's death was entirely orchestrated by Shi Hao and Yang Yizhong.

These two have thrown the blame for wiping out the entire Huai River army at my hands; how can I possibly expect anything good out of this?!
Qian Duanli, who was already restless because of the complete annihilation of the Lianghuai Army, was immediately terrified and made what he believed to be the right choice.

escape!
Of course, he didn't flee into the Han territory. He didn't even have anyone to meet him there, and he was one of the masterminds behind the surprise attack on the Central Plains. If he went to the north, he wouldn't even know how he died.

Instead, they fled south.

The Qian family's extensive influence in Jiangnan was no joke.

Just ten days later, on the thirteenth day of the first month of the second year of Hongwu (the thirty-seventh year of Shaoxing), Qian Duanli, with the help of relatives and friends, fled from Yangzhou to Fujian Road, covering a distance of a thousand miles in a single day.

It was only then that Shi Hao learned of the news, and he was stunned on the spot.

As the ancients said, "With ten thousand strings of cash around one's waist, one can ride a crane down to Yangzhou."

Qian Duanli's speed was so fast, did Fujian Road send Huang He to pick him up?
If the leaders of the separatist faction were treated this way under normal circumstances, although it would cause political turmoil, it would not cause any major chaos.

However, under the current circumstances, Qian Duanli's desertion quickly caused panic among officials in Jiangnan. The malicious rumors that had been somewhat contained resurfaced and were becoming increasingly outrageous. In the end, they directly began to affect the economy of Lin'an Prefecture.

The land prices in Lin'an Prefecture, which had soared due to the halt of the capital relocation, came to an abrupt stop and began to quietly decline.

As for prices, they soared in a short time, forcing Shi Hao to open the government granary to curb grain prices.

Meanwhile, the political turmoil caused by the coup and the annihilation of the Lianghuai Army finally spread to the local areas. Impeachment memorials poured in like snowflakes.

However, amidst this great intellectual turmoil, the officials and Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty were unable to even identify their enemy. Zhao Gou, Zhao Shen, Yu Yunwen, Shi Hao, Yang Yizhong, Lu You, and even Liu Huai all seemed to be wrong within the framework of the hierarchical relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, and each of them could be considered treasonous, yet each of them seemed to have some merit.

Even the most outrageous Zhao Gou still held the identity of a father.

Liu Huai, who was theoretically a traitor to the Song Dynasty, actually had the righteous cause of unifying the world.

Although no one rebelled, the entire bureaucratic system of the Song state quickly became sluggish. Some officials who were originally sincere and diligent became listless, spending their days drinking and singing, and indulging in debauchery.

It can only be said that the situation following the collapse of the Confucian worldview during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties was repeated in the Song Dynasty.

Of course, Qian Duanli, the Grand Master of the Western Prefecture, who is now far away from the Jianghu, is unaware of all this. He fled all the way to Quanzhou and found his friend Wang Shipeng.

This censor, a key member of the pro-war faction, had just been demoted to the position of prefect of Quanzhou by Zhao Gou a month earlier for impeaching Shi Haohuai for eight major crimes, including treason and misleading the country. Now, faced with this new situation, he immediately became somewhat dejected.

"Longevity!" Qian Duanli's body went weak at the sight. "We've known each other for many years, you absolutely cannot stand by and watch someone die!"

Wang Shipeng's eyes were somewhat unfocused as he stared at his hands, which were being held. After a long while, he murmured, "The Lianghuai... the Lianghuai army is really... all gone?"

Qian Duanli nodded with difficulty: "That's right. Including the laborers, of the 100,000 troops who crossed the Huai River, less than 10,000 returned... The entire army was wiped out..."

This guy naturally wouldn't talk about his outrageous actions, but just stared intently at Wang Shipeng, hoping that the man hadn't heard the news.

Wang Shipeng focused his gaze on Qian Duanli's eyes and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Chuhe! Is the death of Prime Minister Yu related to you?"

Qian Duanli knew he couldn't avoid it any longer, so he stood up, stamped his foot, and said, "Guiling, let me be frank with you. If you ask me whether I openly or secretly opposed the relocation of the capital, whether I wanted to push the retired emperor to fight for power with the emperor, or whether I provided convenience for Shi Hao, the answer is definitely yes!"
But I truly never expected that Shi Hao and Yang Yizhong would be so audacious as to drive the Emperor mad, depose him, and have Prime Minister Yu beaten to death… I…” Qian Duanli, seeing Wang Shipeng still staring intently into his eyes, felt his legs go weak: “Guiling, I am also a subject of the Emperor. The Emperor has been incredibly kind to me, and according to the established order of the Song Dynasty, I am also considered one of the prime ministers. How could I personally tear apart my own dignity?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shipeng's anger subsided somewhat, but tears streamed down his face: "How could the country have become like this?"

Qian Duanli felt somewhat embarrassed, but in the end he could only sigh repeatedly.

Wang Shipeng wiped away his tears, then shook his head and said, "I don't want to discuss these things with you today. Since you've done such a thing, whether you did it intentionally or unintentionally, the only thing we can do from now on is to sever all ties!"

Qian Duanli felt a chill run down his spine.

However, Wang Shipeng then said, "But since we used to be close friends, I have no choice but to find you a way to make a living."

"Given the ruthless nature of Yang Yizhong and Shi Hao, since they have placed the responsibility for the complete annihilation of the Lianghuai Army on you, they will not let you off the hook."

“The Qian family is a powerful clan. These two will not make a move, but you must leave the Song state immediately to seek refuge.”

Qian Duanli's heart sank even further: "The world is so vast now, where can we hide? Are we going to Liu Dalang's place? Guiling, you can even make contact with people in the north?"

Wang Shipeng was immediately speechless, his train of thought even getting stuck.

Lu Jiusi, the prefectural magistrate of Quanzhou who had just led Qian Duanli into the government office, finally spoke up impatiently: "Master Qian, do you know that the Prince of Han in the north has personally arranged the funeral for Master Yu?"

Since you are involved in this matter, how dare you go north? The King of Han, in order to win over the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, will also kill you to establish his authority.”

Qian Duanli trembled violently again, then looked at Lu Jiusi: "Brother Lu, since you've said that, you must have a brilliant plan, right?!"

Lu Jiusi and Wang Shipeng exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "The only way forward now is to seek refuge overseas for the time being."

Qian Duanli finally started trembling like a leaf: "You mean...South...South Seas?"

“Not Southeast Asia, but Taiwan…” Lu Jiusi paused for a moment, then corrected himself: “It’s Yizhou Island.”

Qian Duanli opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But Wang Shipeng interrupted, saying, "Chuhe, it's not a question of whether you want to or not, but that you have no other choice now."

The world is vast, and neither the North nor the South can accommodate you. If you don't go overseas, where can you go? Can you go to the Western Liao?
Since we're going overseas, Yizhou Island is the best place; it's much closer than Southeast Asia, Japan, or Korea.

Upon hearing this, Qian Duanli was overcome with grief and finally burst into tears.

Just a few months ago, he was a wealthy official in the Song Dynasty, living a life of luxury, living in a large house, and being served by beautiful maids. How did he end up as a fugitive in the martial arts world after being caught up in a political storm?
That's not all. He actually received a treatment even better than that of a wanderer. Wandering the seas is truly unpredictable!
Lu Jiusi finally grew impatient: "Alright, Mr. Qian, have some decency! The air route between Quanzhou and Taiwan has already been explored. A round trip takes only half a month. If you're really afraid, I'll have my younger brother go with you!"

Qian Duanli could only cry.

Lu Jiusi, impatient, bowed to Wang Shipeng and strode away to coordinate the merchant ships for Qian Duanli.

Having just finished dealing with the matter under the cool sea breeze, the Lu brothers, having received a notification from their elder brother, arrived at the dock.

"Big brother."

"Fifth brother, sixth brother, there's a troublesome matter today that requires one of you to make a trip to Taiwan..."

Lu Jiusi recounted the events to the two people in front of him, and then said solemnly, "Our Lu family and the Qian family have some ties. Although we should avoid getting involved in this mess if possible, since we have, we should handle it properly."

I wrote a letter and will give it to Master Lin after I arrive on the island. He will naturally take care of Master Qian. You can return immediately on the merchant ship.”

Goro, who was over thirty, was clearly hesitant, while Rokuro, who was not yet thirty, seemed eager to try.

"Brother, let me go. I'll take three trusted family members who are good swimmers with me. It's winter, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Lu Jiusi was a decisive person. He nodded immediately, then took out a wooden token from his pocket, picked up a brush that was already covered with vermilion ink from the table, and wrote his sixth brother's name on the flat surface of the back of the token.

Lu Jiuyuan.

(End of this chapter)