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

Chapter 513: It’s easier to fish in muddy waters

Ugun Yuanzhong's location is easy to find.

In order to prevent anyone from escaping the city, and also to escape immediately if anything happened, this guy simply stayed on the city wall of the north gate, and sent his confidants to recruit people to station guards at the other gates.

Wugun Yuanzhong had known about Liang Qiu's entry into the city for a long time, and was a little nervous at first. However, when he saw that the other party went straight to the government hall, he no longer had any extra thoughts. He just waited for Liang Qiu to come out of the government hall, and then he went to visit him in person and asked him detailed questions.

Even if we don't give Liang Qiu face, we should at least give some face to the 200 armored cavalrymen he brought with him.

But who would have thought that Liang Qiu would come to him before he even went to see him?

"Minister Liang, please drink." After Wugulun Yuanzhong led Liang Qiu to the city wall, he picked up the teacup and winked at the soldiers at the door.

The soldiers immediately understood and blocked the door tightly.

Liang Qiu seemed oblivious and waved his hand, saying, "General, there's no need to be so polite. I just had a drink in the government hall. I came here to ask you something important."

Wugu Lun Yuanzhong put the teacup back on the table and said, "What a coincidence! I also have something to ask Minister Liang."

Liang Qiu nodded. "I know what the general wants to ask. I will tell you everything in detail later. But I only have one question."

Wugu Lun Yuanzhong said seriously, "Minister Liang, please ask."

"General, have you received Duke Cao's order to exterminate all the officials in the court?"

Under Liang Qiu's gaze, Wugun Yuanzhong sighed, then smiled wryly and said, "Not to mention that this place is so far away from Liaodong that fast communication is impossible. Even if there were cavalry to deliver a letter, why would Duke Cao issue such an order? Wouldn't that be cutting himself off from the Great Jin?"

Liang Qiu nodded again: "In other words, the prince is really not dead?"

Wugu Lun Yuanzhong narrowed his eyes and said, "Minister Liang, are you going to lobby for Prime Minister Zhang?"

Liang Qiu laughed out loud, "I'm not trying to be a lobbyist for Minister Liang, but after the great defeat in Chao County, I saw the current situation in the court and wanted to do something practical to calm the chaos.

Besides, I have just entered the city, and it will not benefit or harm anyone, so it is precisely me who should do this."

Wugun Yuanzhong did not give a direct answer, but just looked at Liang Qiu without saying a word.

Liang Qiu could only repeat what he said in the government hall, but Wugun Yuanzhong asked very carefully, almost asking about the whole process of his running around.

Half an hour later, Liang Qiu, who was thirsty, picked up the teacup again and gulped down a bellyful of cold tea.

Wugu Lun Yuanzhong pondered for a moment before saying, "If that's the case, Song will not go to war with the Great Jin for the time being."

"With the Lianghuai region in such a state, and the turmoil within the Song court, they're temporarily unable to launch a northern expedition," Liang Qiu said sternly, "but it's only temporary. The southerners still have capable ministers and generals. They'll attack us in two years at the latest."

Wugu Lun Yuanzhong nodded thoughtfully, then murmured, "We still have to send envoys to ask for peace. At the very least, we have to buy some time."

Liang Qiu finally lost his patience and began to question, "Yuanzhong, is the Crown Prince dead or alive? Do you have any reliable information?"

Wugun Yuanzhong sighed and shook his head: "I don't know."

"do not know?"

Liang Qiu was shocked. Is there anything he doesn’t know about this?
Wugu Lun Yuanzhong looked into Liang Qiu's eyes and said sincerely, "Minister Liang, if I say that the fire in the East Palace was not set by me, would you believe it?"

I don't fucking believe it!

While thinking this in his heart, Liang Qiu showed hesitation on his face.

Upon seeing this, Wugu Lun Yuanzhong explained, "That is exactly the case. If I really wanted to take the Crown Prince's life, I would have imprisoned him in the Eastern Palace.

Afterwards, we must immediately appease and win over the nobles, officials and common people in the city.

The prince is just a young boy. When the time comes, just pull the bowstring and the matter will be settled. There's no need to make such a big fuss."

"However, the current situation is that I haven't yet appeased the nobles, haven't even prepared food and fodder, and haven't consulted with Prime Minister Zhang and his men. I just met with the Crown Prince and surrounded the Eastern Palace, and then the Eastern Palace caught fire."

Liang Qiu was silent.

But Ugun Yuanzhong continued, "After much difficulty putting out the fire, we found several charred bodies. Although there were some who were of similar size to the prince, the number was not right."

"Including the palace maids and eunuchs, there should have been seventeen people in the East Palace who didn't escape that day, but there were only twelve charred corpses."

It was not until this moment that Liang Qiu finally understood what he meant by "I don't know".

God knows what happened at that time.

Wugun Yuanzhong admitted that he wanted to kill the prince, but he just didn't have time to do it.

In this case, is there any need for him to lie?
Liang Qiu pondered, "According to what the General said, someone, seeing the situation was dire, secretly rescued the Crown Prince and set fire to the East Palace, in order to pass themselves off as the Crown Prince?"

Ugun Yuanzhong still said: "I don't know."

"There's also a possibility that there really was a fire in the East Palace, and the Crown Prince was burned to ashes, but I wouldn't dare bet on that."

"It's not about being loyal to someone."

“But if someone in Bianliang really transported the prince out to the Pushan Loyal Army, and that stubborn person supported the prince to become emperor, the country would immediately split.

You must know that Pushan Zhongyi's Central Army has a force of over 100,000! If you add Tushan Zhen and Zhang Zhongyan, that's 200,000 troops. After a civil war, the Great Jin will be completely destroyed."

"I declared martial law because of this incident. The situation is confusing and someone is secretly stirring up trouble. Even if I can't control the situation by then, I will kill the first treacherous minister who jumps out and is loyal to Wanyan Liang!"

At the end of his speech, Ugun Yuanzhong showed a fierce attitude, and his eyes were almost full of fire.

Liang Qiu took a deep breath and said, "General Yuanzhong, you did something wrong."

"Oh?"

"That's not the way to do things," Liang Qiu said sternly. "I know you suspect someone is causing trouble, but is it possible that all the nobles and officials in the city are causing trouble together? If that's the case, you can't even enter Bianliang City. But if that's not the case, why do you regard everyone as an enemy?"

Wugu Lun Yuanzhong seemed to understand this as well. He didn't show any sudden enlightenment at all when he heard this. He just said, "Then I hope Minister Liang can mediate between us."

Liang Qiu bowed and said, "That's what I wish for, but I dare not ask for it."

Having said that, Liang Qiu turned and left.

Wugun Yuanzhong maintained this posture until Liang Qiu went down from the top of the city wall and went far away. Only then did he restrain his smile, twirled his beard, and narrowed his eyes.

Under the protection of several armored cavalrymen, Liang Qiu finally had time to return home. As soon as he arrived at his living room, he broke out in sweat and his back was almost soaked.

Seeing this, his wives, concubines, and son were horrified, thinking he had some sort of acute illness and were about to go find a doctor. However, Liang Qiu stopped his son, Liang Bohai, and said, "Ah Da, I'm fine. I'm just worried about the situation. Don't make a fuss. Just carry on as usual. Go and quickly call your uncle Meng Rong."

Liang Bohai did not dare to delay and quickly called a middle-aged scholar over.

"Meng Rong, I feel relieved now that you're here." Liang Qiu grabbed the middle-aged scholar's hands and sighed repeatedly. He felt refreshed after sweating and relieved a lot of pressure.

The reason was simple. Liang Qiu thought he was just an average person and being a prime minister was his limit. He had no ability to clean up such a large-scale chaos, and it was even difficult for him to make accurate judgments in the chaos.

And his cousin is the real talent for being a prime minister.

In fact, Liang Qiu was not wrong about the person, because this cousin who had resigned from his official position due to his mother's death was called Liang Su. In history, he became the prime minister of the Jin Dynasty. He was proficient in government affairs and water conservancy, especially in economics, where he had unique insights and methods, laying an economic foundation for Wanyan Yong to quell internal conflicts.

Of course, he also has another identity, that is, he is Shi Gao's apprentice and the junior brother of the current Minister of Personnel Shi Ju.

The Liang family is a wealthy family in Fengshengzhou, and countless of their members have become officials. Liang Su is no ordinary person at this time because he is valued by a figure like Liang Qiu, who even considers himself inferior to him.

Liang Su first became famous when he served as Shaoyin in Daming Prefecture. Within a month, he cleared up twelve years of unjust cases, and everyone was convinced and no one appealed.

After telling his cousin every detail of the Southern Expedition, Liang Su said sternly, "Brother, do you really want to join Liu Dalang?"

Liang Qiu didn't lie to his cousin. "In the beginning, there was. Because a figure like Li Tong, the Li Xianggong, would surrender to him, there must be some explanation. I have also seen Liu Dalang's methods on the battlefield. They are indeed extraordinary.

The Battle of Chao County was a really tough battle, with no tricks at all. Not only the generals, but also His Majesty tried their best, but was still defeated. Liu Dalang is truly a hero of the world.

After I pretended to be an envoy and stayed in the central government of Song State for a while, I began to look down on Song State and felt that they could not accomplish anything great, so I just wanted to come back and follow Duke Cao.

However, seeing the chaos in Bianliang City, and feeling that the Great Jin was not very stable, I was really confused and didn't know where to go next.

Only a few people are willing to sacrifice their own lives or even the lives of their relatives for the country. Most people who are loyal to the country still want to make the country prosperous while also having high positions and generous salaries and a bright future for their families.

The advantage of joining Liu Huai is that the regime there is just being established, so you can show your strength and do the big things that would hinder you in other places, and you can realize your ambitions there.

But compared to the Song and Jin factions, Liu Huai's strength was too weak, so small that Shandong was crowded with several factions. How could it be so easy to conquer the world from scratch?
It is very normal to die in the middle of life. At that time, not only your own life will be in danger, but even your family members will be in danger.

Liang Su released his brother's hands and paced around for a few times before coming to a serious conclusion: "The current situation requires us all to go to Liu Dalang to survive."

Liang Qiu's expression brightened, knowing that Liang Su had sorted out the joints: "What's the explanation for this?"

Liang Su frowned. "Brother, the current situation in the Great Jin is just like the situation in Bianliang City. It's a struggle between Your Majesty and Duke Cao. Even though Your Majesty is...hunting in the south, there are still people who want to protect his crown prince and oppose Duke Cao. This shows that Duke Cao will not be able to control the world for a while."

"I suspect the Song State is waiting for an opportunity. After Duke Cao officially proclaims himself emperor, but before he can control the various armies... especially before he can convince Pushan Zhongyi to surrender, the Song State will release Your Majesty. At that time, the Jin Dynasty's Bianliang City, and even Hebei, will become the front line."

"No matter which side we come from, we will inevitably end up with our families scattered and suffering heavy casualties."

Liang Qiu shook his head and laughed: "I thought it was something else. Anyone with a smart mind can see it, just like the three ministers who stayed in the government hall. But as Minister Zhang Hao said, with Zhao Gou's ability, it is impossible for him to accomplish this cleanly and efficiently.

Furthermore, Duke Cao also has capable men on his side, and they will also send envoys to Song State to appease the situation. If they hesitate even a little, allowing Duke Cao to control several armies, then even if Your Majesty returns, the outcome will be nothing but a loss of life."

Liang Su had been sipping his tea when he finally looked up in surprise after hearing the last part: "These three gentlemen, and that bastard Wugulun Yuanzhong, don't they know about Liu Dalang and Yu Yunwen, the Yu Xiang?"

Liang Qiu nodded, but his expression suddenly changed.

Of course, it was impossible for him to tell all three ministers everything he knew, even not telling them that the national seal had once passed through his hands, so he skipped these two people.

But when discussing it privately with his cousin, he couldn't possibly hide such important information, so he spilled the beans clearly.

"what do you mean……"

Liang Su nodded, counting on his fingers, and said, "This Liu Dalang is methodical in his actions. He is ruthless in military affairs and benevolent in civil affairs. He also has a loyal army, Shandong as his base, and important officials in the court as his support. He already has the foundation to accomplish something great.

Even if Zhao Gou is unable to accomplish this, Liu Dalang will do it...

wrong!!!"

Having said this, the two of them looked up at the same time, staring at each other with astonishment in their eyes.

"Could it be that Li Tong, the Prime Minister, defected to Liu Dalang just to rescue His Majesty?"

Liang Su hesitated and expressed his guess.

Because Li Tong was promoted by Wanyan Liang, although he is often regarded as a lucky villain, he is still a good friend of Wanyan Liang. It is really possible that he will endure humiliation for his master and fight for Liu Huai.

The most important thing is that it is entirely a matter of mutual benefit.

Doesn’t Liu Huai want civil strife to occur in the Jin Kingdom?
However, Li Tong entrusted Liang Qiu to take his family to Shandong, which seemed to indicate that this guy had really defected to Liu Huai.

All the information was gathered in Liang Su's mind. After a moment, he said, "No matter what Li Xianggong does, it won't work. It really won't work. No one can stop it. His Majesty is really coming back. The Great Jin is going to be in chaos!"

As he spoke, even Liang Su began to tremble violently.

The current situation of the Jin Dynasty has nothing to do with whether the Song Dynasty launches a northern expedition. The Jin Dynasty itself is about to start a large-scale civil war, and the soldiers, civilians, and even the nobles will be crushed into powder in this big millstone.

The Jin Kingdom is about to become a Shura battlefield!
Liang Su drank a cup of tea, managed to calm himself down, and then said, "Brother, I heard that you are in charge of sorting out the situation in Shandong. Please tell me everything about Wei Sheng of the Loyal Army and Liu Huai, Liu Dalang, in detail."

Liang Qiu was a little anxious: "At this point, do we still care about these things? Where else can we go except to seek refuge there?"

Liang Su said sternly, "This is about whether a man should entrust himself to others or serve others. If he serves others, to what extent he should do so. I dare not fail to investigate!"

Seeing Liang Su's serious face, Liang Qiu temporarily suppressed his anxiety and told him the information he had collected before, including the equal distribution of land in Shandong, the policy of registering the Jurchen Meng'an and Mouke households as equal citizens, etc.

The more Liang Su listened, the quieter he became. In the end, he even put the teacup on the table and sat there, lost in thought.

Liang Qiu drank a cup of tea with a dry mouth and asked, "How is it?"

Liang Su narrowed his eyes and muttered, "This Liu Dalang really looks like someone who can accomplish great things. Could it be that he can really bring peace to the world?"

Liang Qiu was anxious again: "Then what should we do?"

Liang Su seemed to have finally made up his mind: "What we need to do is not only to escape from here, but also to push the situation forward and lend a hand to Liu Dalang. Otherwise, if the civil unrest in the Jin Dynasty is quelled, we will not have a good ending in Shandong. It is also a good opportunity for us to make meritorious deeds to survive."

"Brother, do you still have the national seal with you?" As the sky gradually darkened, Liang Su's face flickered in the candlelight, and he asked his elder brother in a low voice.

Liang Qiu shook his head. "They were all left behind by Liu Dalang and Li Xianggong. However, before they left, I stamped each seal with many different kinds of cloth and documents. They are now in the packages carried by my servants."

Liang Su breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good. Now this matter still has to fall on the head of the prince who has disappeared alive and dead."

(End of this chapter)