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

Chapter 496: The Situation in the Court is Unpredictable
Standing on the bow of the boat, Liu Huai looked at the Jiankang City getting closer and closer, feeling a lot of emotions in his heart.

It was already the 13th day of the first lunar month. All the generals of the Jingnan Army were on this ship, rushing to Jiankang to receive rewards. The army was divided into two parts, one stationed in Chao County for rest, and the other stationed in Zhongli, Haozhou, to confront the Jin army in Wokou.

However, at this time, the highest-ranking officers of the two armies of the Jingnan Army were deputy commanders, and all the commanders were recalled. Even Lu You, who was initially privately discussed by Yu Yunwen and Ye Yiwen to temporarily take charge of the Jingnan Army, was no exception.

The reason is simple: the Jingnan Army "abused the people."

Of course, Liu Huai's understanding of the people was different from that of the two prime ministers of the State of Song.

Ultimately, it comes down to Wen Yanbo's profound statement: "The government governs the country together with the literati, not with the people."

From a historical perspective, Wen Yanbo was not actually teaching the emperor what he should do, but was simply stating a fact.

The State of Song originally shared the world with the literati and officials. In other words, the lowest level of people that the regime could reach was the landlords and powerful people.

But no matter what, this did not prevent Liu Huai from regarding this sentence as a shameless declaration of victory by the vested interests.

The Jingnan Army, which inherited Liu Huai's will, naturally disdained this statement.

This is the reason why Xin Qiji killed all the male members of the Chen family in Dingyuan.

Initially, Yu Yunwen thought that only Xin Qiji was too murderous, so he recalled him. However, he did not expect that Lu You, who was in charge, was also cruel and immediately convened a public trial. Led by the Huaixi soldiers, they began to accuse local landlords and even minor officials.

Lu You was also not vague. After he had conclusive evidence, he killed people directly without caring whether the scholar-officials were punished or not. The county magistrate had already killed two of them.

But it just so happens that these officials are still alive. They either surrendered to the Jin people or deserted the battlefield, resulting in the loss of troops and humiliation of the country. Now it is still wartime. It is reasonable for Lu You to deal with them on the battlefield as a military adviser of Zhenjiang Prefecture.

Under Lu You's leadership, the commanders of the Jingnan Army also followed suit.

As a result, the Jingnan Army's strength expanded rapidly.

Many scholars and soldiers in Lianghuai who still had some ambition wanted to join the Jingnan Army in the hope of making great achievements and achieving unprecedented feats.

Many people who had no place to stand, after hearing that Shandong had a system similar to the equal distribution of land, also wanted to bring their families and follow the Jingnan Army back to Shandong.

According to the previous discussion between Liu Huai and Yu Yunwen, the quota of the Jingnan Army was 20,000 people, but it had never been fully replenished. Now was the right time to select and expand the troops to deal with the next major battle when they returned to Shandong.

Although Lu You felt that he had done nothing wrong, he was unable to stop the landlords and powerful people from mourning wherever the Jingnan Army passed. Many people with connections even reported their "grievances" to the imperial court.

Yu Yunwen was also a little overwhelmed, so he simply called back all the managers of the Jingnan Army in the name of offering prisoners and rewards.

Ancestors, please be at peace!

This bit of face had to be given. In addition, the Jingnan Army's route to the north was relatively comprehensive, and relief along the way was being carried out in an orderly manner. The troops also needed to rest. In the absence of a major war to fight, it was not a big deal for the senior officers to leave temporarily.

"My dear, Jiankang is a den of wolves and dragons." Li Tong, who used the alias Li Wentong, had shaved off his beard, trimmed his eyebrows, applied charcoal black on his face, slightly painted his nose red with rouge, and even starved himself for several days to make his cheeks slightly sunken.

Now, if you are not very familiar with him, no one would recognize this former prime minister of the Jin Dynasty at first glance.

Now that Li Tong considers himself Liu Huai's strategist, he naturally has to consider his master in everything.

In his opinion, Liu Huai must never leave the army, otherwise what would happen if the Song court detained him and then sent a general to take over the Jingnan Army?
"Don't worry, Mr. Li." Liu Huai waved his hand and said, "I have naturally kept a backup plan in the army. There are quite a few lawless people who are just waiting to cause trouble."

Shandong lacks everything except Han people who hate both the Song and Jin dynasties.

For example, He Bo asked He Sanye for help. This guy never thought about being canonized by the State of Song. He scoffed at the idea of going to Jiankang to meet the emperor. He bluntly said that even if he became a wild man in the mountains, he would never accept any official position in the State of Song.

Lu You only gave a few words of advice, but He Boqiu almost got angry on the spot.

Li Tong sighed, "This time when we go to Jiankang, that eunuch Zhao Gou will definitely make a stupid move, maybe even try to attack the eldest son. Even if he doesn't, those scholars and officials will definitely take action. This can't be completely blocked by just Lord Ye and Lord Yu. I hope the eldest son can endure the humiliation for a moment, as there's still a long way to go."

Liu Huai continued to wave his hands: "Political struggles have no bottom line and will do anything to achieve their goals. I understand this."

As he spoke, Liu Huai leaned against the side of the boat, his smile turning cold. "But if you expect me to swallow my anger, you're really overthinking it. Has my letter reached Pizhou?"

Li Tong nodded. "It should be around by now, but I'm not sure if the Duke of Wei, with his loyalty to Song, will agree."

"He will definitely agree. Although my father is loyal to the Song State, he is not a pedantic person." Liu Huai's face showed a trace of sadness again. "It's just that the news from north of the Huai River was intercepted by Tu Shan Zhen. I can't receive a reply from my father. It's really worrying."

The Loyal and Righteous Army faced Tu Shan Zhen's three thousand households with only a few thousand men. Even with the assistance of the Wucheng Army that had retreated to Shandong, this battle was impossible to win. No matter how strong Xia Pi was, it would not help because the Song State would not receive reinforcements in the short term.

Liu Huai was also very worried, but after the great war, the Jingnan Army also needed to rest.

It was one thing to march north to reclaim the lost territory, but it was another to fight a decisive battle with the 30,000 elite Jin troops.

The Jin army in Huaidong had their retreat route cut off before, and the hasty retreat was almost their only chance. The window of opportunity was only a few days. As long as they caught up with them, they could launch a pincer attack on the Jin army from the front and back.

But this opportunity has now been wasted.

Thinking of this, Liu Huai stroked the long sword at his waist, lost the desire to speak, and just stared at the Jiankang City that was getting closer and closer.

Although Jiankang City is no longer as strategically important as it was during the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties, it is still a magnificent city. With a population of 500,000 in the surrounding area, it is well-connected and bustling with people. Even after the war had just ended, it was still a prosperous scene, and one could hardly tell that the war had ever spread to the north bank of the river.

In Jiankang City, there was a scene of flourishing flowers and simmering oil, because the emperor and other ministers had arrived in Jiankang a few days ago, and Emperor Zhao even raised the banner of leading the army in person, which really excited the people.

When the news of the great victory in Chao County spread, the city of Jiankang was in an uproar. The market, which had been a little bleak before, became active again. Countless literati and poets wrote poems praising the victory, and various auspicious signs appeared frequently. No one knew whether they really happened or were fabricated by someone.

However, when the palace eunuchs brought a precious white deer to the inner city and gave a son to the old man who looked wealthy despite being dressed in tattered clothes, the atmosphere in Jiankang City became even more lively.

Those who have the means should quickly find or create auspicious signs.

Even those who had no means wanted to get this opportunity to cross the class barrier, and they wrote poems and essays to express the emperor's kindness. Even the acrobatic troupes roaming around in the rivers and lakes knew to show off by holding up flagpoles that read "Long Live the Great Song Dynasty, Long Live the Emperor."

To the west of Jiankang City, near the West Market, there is a vast courtyard with soldiers guarding the gate.

This place is where the special examinations for various levels of examinations are held, and it is called Beishiso.

A high-ranking civil servant dressed in red and purple walked slowly out of the examination room with square steps. Listening to the noisy West Market, he couldn't help but frowned.

A younger official following behind him quickly noticed his superior's displeasure and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, I will dispatch soldiers to expel those actors immediately."

This was originally an act of flattery, but it accidentally hit the horse's leg.

"Wei Qi!" The purple-robed official flew into a rage and shouted, "I am now the governor of Jiankang Prefecture, not your husband. If you continue to talk nonsense, you will lose your position as the chief clerk of the Imperial Household Department!"

After these words were spoken with great official authority, the green-robed officials behind Wei Qi were already sweating profusely and were about to kneel down and kowtow.

Wei Qi's expression remained unchanged, and he even spoke with a certain righteousness, "The reason for Lord Tang's exile is known to the world, and it is unjust. Even if he suffers a setback now, he will surely be reinstated in the future. Moreover, in the eyes of this humble official, of all the civil and military officials in the court, only Lord Tang is truly a righteous man. How can he not deserve the title?"

The official in the purple robe was Tang Shitui, who was able to defeat the pro-war leader Zhang Jun and become the sole prime minister after Qin Hui's death when Wanyan Liang's invasion of the south had become a foregone conclusion.

Of course, it was really unrealistic for this guy to still want to negotiate peace after Wanyan Liang had already gathered troops, and even wanted to prevent the war by abolishing armaments.

Therefore, as soon as the war broke out, Tang Shitui was hated by almost everyone and was quickly demoted to the position of the governor of Jiankang.

This was not a failure of Tang Shitui alone, but a loss of power for the entire peace faction.

The reason was not that the pro-war faction lost a pillar, but that the Jin Kingdom did not give them face.

But now the situation has changed a bit.

The Jin Dynasty was defeated. Doesn't this mean they have to give face even if they don't want to?!
And who is the biggest peace advocate in the court?
It’s Emperor Zhao Gou himself!

There is someone leading the peace faction!
Therefore, when the peace faction was only temporarily excluded, it was perfectly normal for someone to come and stir up trouble.

Faced with the compliment, Tang Situi simply snorted coldly and then changed the subject: "Even if the West Market is disturbing, it is praising the emperor's kindness. How can we drive them away? Wei Zhubu, if you have any intention, you might as well put it into the task I just assigned you."

Wei Qi bowed and said, "Please be at ease, Prime Minister. I will definitely make sure everything goes perfectly."

Tang Situi nodded, then turned around, leaving only one sentence to be heard faintly: "A bunch of soldiers, thinking they can do whatever they want after winning a battle. If we don't kill their fighting spirit, won't they cause chaos?!"

Wei Qi still maintained his saluting posture, as if he heard nothing. Only the increasingly loud sounds of gongs and drums and cheers from the West Market continued to come.

(End of this chapter)