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

Chapter 524 The mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole follows behind
The Jingnan Army's operation to recruit people to Shandong was in full swing.

The banquet on the top floor of Beigu Tower was also in full swing.

I don’t know if it was because Zhao Mi had never attended such a high-level banquet, or because he knew that he was being manipulated by Yang Yi Zhong and had no choice but to give up.

He brought several generals from the Palace Front Department and other people in charge of affairs to the banquet, and they drank every glass of wine, behaved wildly and enthusiastically.

Of course, for the scholars who advocated war, although the war against the Jin Dynasty was inevitable, most of them did not want to associate with these soldiers.

If Xin Qiji had not produced poems of the same level as "Lantern Festival" right from the start, it would have been difficult for him to break into the circle of scholars and officials.

Therefore, there were relatively few scholars participating in this banquet.

However, although the number of people is small, the standards are not low at all.

The host was Zhang Xiaoxiang, and the attendees were Zhu Xi, Lu You, Xin Qiji, Chen Liang and Yang Tan.

To be honest, this lineup would be shocking in the history of the Song Dynasty. What else could Zhao Mi, a mere commander of the infantry, want?
Therefore, Zhao Mi did not feel any humiliation, but rather felt proud of it. He even prepared a few poems in advance, ready to sing in response to these famous scholars.

I hope it's not too embarrassing.

Zhang Xiaoxiang also knew that Zhao Mi's cultural level was not good, so he did not mean to make things difficult for him and just played a drinking game.

But people at different levels play drinking games differently.

When Zhao Mi played with the warriors, he used jargon and cursed non-stop, but the literati were all elegant people, so how could they play like that?

Therefore, even the simplest flying flower order was still difficult for Zhao Mi to resist, and he only relied on his drinking ability to hold on.

After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, even the dancers and singers came twice. When everyone was slightly tipsy, the topic naturally started to open up.

"We in the Palace Guards are the best at identifying a good man!" Zhao Mi raised his glass to Xin Qiji, "Your Liu Dalangjun is a first-class hero. I'm here to toast him."

Xin Qiji and Lu You raised their glasses at the same time and drank them all in one gulp.

Zhao Mi laughed heartily and drank his drink as well. Then he sighed, "I just don't know why Liu Dalang didn't come today. Does he look down on me?"

That's a bit harsh.

Before Xin Qiji could say anything, Lu You waved his hand and said with a smile, "If we, the scholars in the army, want to make friends with General Zhao, we still need Mr. Zhang to find an opportunity. It is really taboo for General Liu to come. He can't come, he can't come..."

Zhao Mi slapped his forehead and said, "Indeed, I was drunk. Don't take what you say seriously. I'll drink another glass as punishment."

Although this fellow was already over sixty, his stomach seemed to have a bottomless pit. He drank another glass of wine, burped, and then sighed: "Ah, to be honest, I really want to make friends with Liu Dalang, so that I can have someone to look after me when I am sent out in the future."

Xin Qiji was slightly taken aback, and asked tentatively, "Where will the general be exiled?"

Zhao Mi held up his wine glass and said with a wide grin, "Where else can I go? Of course, I should go to Lianghuai. The prince will soon be appointed as an envoy, and when the time comes, I will have to follow him out of the town."

As he spoke, Zhao Mi raised his glass to Yang Tan.

The others just thought that Zhao Mi mentioned Yang Yi Zhong during the banquet, so he naturally had to express something to his son.

But Yang Tan knew that this was an act of anger because Zhao Mi had to leave the town and could not vent his resentment.

Does Zhao Mi want to attend this banquet?
How can it be?

He's already over sixty, and has been in the central government for decades. How could he not have this level of political sensitivity? How could he not know that this was a taboo?

However, this was a direct order from Yang Yi Zhong. Zhao Mi, who had just offended this bearded yamen official, did not dare to disobey and could only come with gritted teeth.

Originally, Zhao Mi still had a lucky mentality and thought he could get away with it.

When he saw Yang Dian, everything became clear to him.

Yang Yi Zhong wanted to tie Zhao Mi to the Jingnan Army, creating a situation where the generals of the imperial guards had communication with the governors of foreign armies.

Zhao Gou would not kill Zhao Mi for this matter, but alienation and exile were inevitable.

By then, it is not certain whether Yang Yi Zhong will go out to govern Lianghuai, but he, Zhao Mi, will definitely be driven out of the center!
People have different ideas. If Yu Yunwen had such an opportunity, he would definitely be overjoyed.

But Zhao Mi felt that if he were twenty years younger, he would not have lost his composure like this. But now he was over sixty years old, and he was forced to go to Lianghuai and fight the Jin army. It was really too tragic.

But he didn't dare resist.

Because this was both Yang Yizhong's punishment for him and a way of letting him go.

After this incident, Zhao Mi's betrayal of Yang Yi Zhong was settled and would not bring disaster to his descendants.

If he manages to escape this time, who knows what will happen next!
Do you really think that Hu Ziyaben is someone easy to get along with?

That's why Zhao Mi was drunk today, and he seemed to be drinking to drown his sorrows.

After scheming and plotting, he finally got the position of the leader of the guards, but was brought down to dust in one day. How can one not feel sad?
"In that case, we are neighbors." Xin Qiji didn't care and raised his glass directly: "From now on, we should take good care of each other. I just don't know when General Zhao will leave the town."

Zhao Mi said with a thick tongue, "I don't know, I don't know. I must accompany the emperor back to Lin'an, and I must also send the gold owner back to Lin'an safely before I can lead the troops to Lianghuai."

Zhao Mi said with blurry eyes: "Let me calculate, it will take at least a month."

Xin Qiji laughed and said, "It's still early then. We warriors should take advantage of these few days to get closer to each other."

"It's easy to talk about."

The two drank another cup, and Zhao Mi continued, "Brother Xin, you were able to capture the Jin emperor. It's truly a great feat, and I have to admire it. But you made a big mistake."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

"I didn't break Wanyan Liang's legs in the chaos." Zhao Mi seemed to be really drunk, and he spoke some treasonous words with a big tongue: "It's one thing to vent the emperor's anger, but the key is that after we capture this guy and bring him back to the court, we can't do such things again. After all, the court also has to maintain its reputation.

But this will make things difficult for me. I am responsible for escorting the financier to Lin'an, and if anything goes wrong, I will be the one to take the blame."

Lu You was slightly startled, but he didn't show it on his face. He just pretended to be curious and asked, "Could it be that there are still Jin thieves in Jiangnan who can kidnap Wan Yanliang?"

Zhao Mi waved his hand and said, "Mr. Lu, you're joking. What I meant is that if the financier breaks free from the ropes and runs away, I can't chop him with a knife or an axe, so it will be difficult to catch him back."

Xin Qiji smiled and continued, "It was indeed our fault for neglecting the matter. If we had known earlier, we should have broken his legs instead of whipping him, and put an end to it once and for all."

Zhao Mi laughed heartily: "That's just as it should be, that's just as it should be!"

As he spoke, Zhao Mi gulped down another pot of wine, then slumped over the table and passed out drunk.

Zhang Xiaoxiang, who was sitting in the main seat, was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but he was also really afraid that this old man would get drunk to death at his own banquet, so he ended the banquet and asked his subordinates and servants who came with Zhao Mi to help him to the guest room to rest.

It can be said that both the host and the guests were happy.

Zhao Mi was carried to the guest room by the old servant, mumbling all the way. He staggered onto the bed and began to snore.

The old servant sent the rest of the people away and was about to take off Zhao Mi's coat when he saw that Zhao Mi had sat up with clear eyes. Apart from the smell of alcohol and the flush on his face, he did not look drunk at all.

"Alang." Although the old servant was startled, he knew that his master must have instructions, so he called out softly and then came forward.

Zhao Mi leaned close to the old servant's ear and whispered, "When you go out later, take a look around to see if there are any outsiders in the adjacent houses.

If there is, that's fine. If there is no outsider, go call Tian Zhuo over and tell him that I have taken all the hangover medicine and ask him if he has any more."

The old servant nodded repeatedly, and soon, a middle-aged man in his forties was brought in.

Seeing Zhao Mi's attitude, he instantly understood that he had something important to discuss. He paused and said loudly, "Alas, General, how come you are so drunk? I have some hangover medicine here. Take some first, and don't sweat or catch a cold at night."

As he spoke, Tian Zhuo pointed to the teapot on the table to the old servant, and then came to Zhao Mi.

Zhao Mi looked at Tian Zhuo with a smile and patted his arm: "Azhuo, how have I treated you these years?"

Tian Zhuoyi bowed, his voice soft but the firmness in his tone undeniable: "The general has been so kind to me, like a second parent. I will go through fire and water for you, without hesitation!"

Zhao Mi nodded with satisfaction.

It is said that Qin Hui has three friends. Zhao Mi has been in the army for a long time and has developed many confidants, but the first person who can truly share honor and disgrace with him and discuss important matters is Tian Zhuo, the commander of the Dragon God Guard in front of him.

This is not to say that Zhao Mi is not a good person and can only win over one confidant, but what he is about to say is too important, and not even his own son can listen to it unless he is a loyal confidant.

Tian Zhuo was once about to be executed by Yang Yi Zhong, but was saved by Zhao Mi himself. This man's honor, wealth and status all depended on Zhao Mi, so it was absolutely impossible for him to betray him.

"Azhuo, something bad is going to happen. Something big is happening." Zhao Mi first defined the incident, and then whispered, "Someone wants to kidnap Wanyan Liang! There are both external thieves and internal traitors!" Tian Zhuo was stunned.

What the fuck is going on?!
"At first I was wondering why a man like Mr. Zhang would associate with a tough guy like me. But when I met the Jingnan Army at the banquet, I felt even more awkward."

"Why would a bunch of them, a bunch of foreign troops, befriend the Imperial Guards just because of something as insignificant as Yang Yizhong's trip to Lianghuai? Aren't they afraid of violating taboos?"

"Besides, the Jingnan Army is so powerful, what else do they need me for? No matter how good I am at fighting, I can never be better than that guy Yang Yizhong. But Yang Yizhong was just a coward in front of the Jin thieves. The Jingnan Army defeated several Wanhu of the Jin thieves head-on and captured their emperor!"

"At the banquet, I pondered over and over what they were all up to, until they talked about their financial sponsor, Wanyan Liang."

"Did you notice that when I said I was worried something might go wrong when transporting the gold owner to Lin'an, Lu You's first reaction wasn't that he'd gotten sick and escaped or committed suicide. He was worried he'd be kidnapped by the Jin thieves."

"This is Jiangnan, this is fucking Jiangnan! How could anyone react like that?"

Zhao Mi's expression was relatively bright at first, but it became darker and darker towards the end, and his voice became lower and lower, until he was almost speaking into Tian Zhuo's ear.

“Only people with this kind of mind would have this kind of reaction.”

"They befriended me just to rob their financial sponsor!"

Tian Zhuo just found it a little unbelievable and thought that Zhao Mi had drunk too much and had damaged his brain.

However, seeing the other party's solemn face and clear eyes, Tian Zhuo finally asked: "General, they captured the person, why did they kidnap the financial sponsor? Isn't that like taking off your pants to fart?"

Zhao Mi shook his head: "Who made the internal strife in our court so intense that even the important matters were delayed?

This group of Shandong people originally wanted to rely on the strength of the Song Dynasty to launch a northern expedition, and at that time the gold sponsor would be a trump card in the hands of the Song Dynasty.

But it's been several months, and we still haven't figured out who will be in charge of Lianghuai, and chaos has broken out in Huaibei. If I were from Shandong, I'd be worried too. I might as well kidnap Wanyan Liang and take charge myself! What's more, the government..."

Having said this, Zhao Mi immediately shut up.

After all, Zhao Mi was rich and powerful. No matter how unreasonable Zhao Gou was, he did not treat Zhao Mi badly. He would not criticize the emperor in the dark room.

Although it was not stated explicitly, they were all officers in the Imperial Guard. How could Tian Zhuo not know the character of Emperor Zhao?
However, Tian Zhuo still shook his head: "General, based on this alone, how can we be sure that the Jingnan Army would commit such a rebellious act? They are meritorious officials, and their contributions are enormous, no less than rebuilding the country.

"You have also contributed land. If you can't hold on, the backlash will come back, and the general will not be able to withstand it."

Zhao Mi sighed deeply, "If that's all, then I'm just judging others by my own standards and drinking too much to make up my mind. But with Yang Lao Er here today, everything is back to normal."

Zhao Mi grabbed Tian Zhuo's hands and said with gritted teeth, "It was Yang Yizhong! That guy Yang Yizhong wanted to kill me! I originally thought that being kicked out of the central government would be the end of it, but who would have thought that this guy would be so petty? I just impeached him, but he not only wants to kill me, but also my whole family!"

The voice was very low, but it sounded like thunder in Tian Zhuo's ears.

Yang Yi Zhong is different from the Jingnan Army.

Not only did he control the imperial guards and was deeply trusted by Zhao Gou, but he also controlled intelligence agencies like the Imperial City Bureau. He had too many ways to kill people.

For example, now, Yang Yi Zhong only sent his second son Yang Dan out to mingle with the Jingnan Army. He seemed to have done nothing else. But there was some tacit understanding, which was enough to make Zhao Mi tremble with fear.

And Tian Zhuo thought about it carefully.

From Yang Yizhong's perspective, secretly cooperating with the Jingnan Army to kidnap Wanyan Liang would be a choice with only benefits and no disadvantages.

From the perspective of the country and the people, if Liu Dalang of the Jingnan Army was not a fool, he would never have allowed Wanyan Liang to become the emperor of the Jin Dynasty in peace. He must have had some means.

By then, Shandong and the Jin Kingdom would be fighting to the death, and the Song Kingdom could calmly make a choice whether to send troops or sit on the sidelines and watch the fight.

Personally speaking, Yang Yizhong had the experience of deceiving Yue Fei and relying on Qin Hui. It is hard to say whether he was a pro-war or pro-peace person, but his father and grandfather both died at the hands of the Jin people, so he definitely had no good feelings towards the Jin Kingdom.

Yang Yizhong would definitely applaud if he could cause chaos in the Jin Kingdom.

From a personal grudge perspective, Zhao Mi, as Yang Yi Zhong's confidant, had followed him since the Jianyan period, but he wrote a letter to impeach Yang Yi Zhong for betrayal for the sake of a small official position. If he wasn't killed, how would he lead the team in the future?
However, in this way, Yang Yi Zhong would be happy, but wouldn’t Zhao Mi be in trouble?

The captured enemy emperor was abducted during the transfer process, which is a huge joke of historical level.

Thinking of this, Tian Zhuo also panicked. He solemnly said to Zhao Mi: "General, if that's the case, how about resigning now? Just say that I drank too much tonight and fell ill."

Zhao Mi was originally filled with grief and indignation, but upon hearing Tian Zhuo's proposal, he was immediately speechless: "Do you think Yang Yizhong is going to kill me? I can escape by simply retiring?"

"Then...then go ask the government for help?"

"How can such a thing be just empty talk without any evidence? If the government asks me to produce evidence, will I just be able to say that it was all my guess?"

Hearing this, Tian Zhuo finally lost his temper.

"General, you tell me what to do. I will die for you!"

After hearing this promise, Zhao Mi nodded, clenched his teeth, and his wine-stained gray beard trembled. "Here's what I think. We might as well take advantage of their strategy. The Jingnan Army will definitely send people to rob or deceive the financier. If we can capture one or two people alive, we can pin the blame on Yang Yizhong... Then, hehe..."

After hearing this, Tian Zhuo understood everything.

It seems that Zhao Mi is old but not old at heart. Even after failing once, he still wants to get rid of Yang Yi Zhong and thus completely control the guards.

Tian Zhuo nodded and said through gritted teeth, "In that case, I'll go back and gather some people, find a few sworn brothers, and make some preparations first."

Zhao Mi said with relief: "With Azhuo here, this matter will surely succeed. I will then report to the emperor and let you be the commander!"

Tian Zhuo didn't know whether he was excited or moved, his hands were shaking violently: "General, please don't be so polite. Ever since you saved me twelve years ago, my life has belonged to you!"

The two of them encouraged each other for a while before Tian Zhuo left.

Zhao Mi lay on the bed with his eyes closed, thinking for a long time, then he felt drunk and fell into a deep sleep.

Tian Zhuo lay awake on his bed in his room for half the night. It was not until the second half of the night that he quietly went out. Relying on the flexible physique he had trained in the army, he reached the outside of Yang Tan's yard.

After climbing over the wall and pushing open the door, Tian Zhuo knelt down in the dimly lit candlelight room: "Yang Erlang, save me."

Zhao Mi was already over sixty years old, half of his body was buried in the ground. There was nothing wrong with giving it a try. Even if he failed, he would only die a few years earlier.

I have enjoyed a lot of wealth and glory over the years, and it’s more than enough.

But Tian Zhuo thought he was still young, so why should he be buried with a madman?
Is Yang Yizhong so easy to mess with?

The real yamen runners have been replaced several times, but this bearded yamen runner is still standing. Doesn't this prove something?

Yang Dian's guards were sleeping in the outer room, and when the door of the house was forced open, they held the knife in their hands.

However, when the guards saw Tian Zhuo's attitude, they could only go and inform Yang Dian first.

"Get up." Yang Dan, clad only in his undergarments, said sleepily, "General Tian, this is not the time to be a guest. Besides, I'm just a lowly official. How can I save your life?"

Tian Zhuo kowtowed heavily: "I... I am the prince's secret agent..."

Yang Dan suddenly became alert and said to the two guards, "You two go out and keep watch. Stay away and don't listen."

After the two guards left, Yang Dan said, "General Tian, my father's affairs have their own rules and regulations. I cannot interfere. If you want to find my father, you can talk to him after returning to Jiankang."

Tian Zhuo continued to kowtow: "It's too late. If I don't tell you tonight, I'm afraid I'll be trapped tomorrow, and there won't be any words to escape. Even if I were a secret agent planted by the prince to Zhao Mi more than ten years ago, I would be killed by then."

Yang Dan was helpless and sat back in his chair: "Then just tell me."

Tian Zhuo did not stand up, but knelt on the ground and told the whole story.

Yang Neng didn't care at first, but as the conversation went deeper, his expression became serious.

After Tian Zhuo finished telling Zhao Mi about his guess, a complicated look finally appeared on Yang Neng's face.

Yang Yizhong has always been a quiet and sinister person. He keeps his daily thoughts to himself and even treats his children like a strict father.

Even though he sent his son to Shandong, Yang Yi Zhong never revealed any emotion. However, at this moment, Yang Tan suddenly understood what kind of gift his father had prepared for Liu Huai, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"Okay, I understand. Now let's write down everything we said today and put our fingerprints on it."

Seeing Tian Zhuo's stunned expression, Yang Dian waved his hand and explained, "This isn't for my father to see. You can come to me directly in the future. I don't need you to do anything, just let me know."

After Yang Dan finished speaking, he looked at Tian Zhuo meaningfully and said, "You are a smart person, and I like smart people. Be careful with your words and actions, and you will have more wealth and honor in the future."

Tian Zhuo seemed to have taken a reassurance pill and kowtowed again: "The prince has been so kind to me, like a second parent. I will go through fire and water for him without hesitation!"

(End of this chapter)