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

Chapter 537: Who Decides Loyalty, Treachery, Benevolence, and Righteousness?

At about the same time, a misty drizzle had begun to fall in Lin'an.

Liu Huai stood in an inn near the west city, staring at the dense rain in a daze.

Behind him, Lu You had just understood Liu Huai's overall plan and was sweating profusely in the early summer breeze, unable to speak.

After a long while, Lu You finally said, "Da Lang, you've gone too far this time. How is this different from rebellion?"

Liu Huai didn't even turn his head, but asked in surprise: "Mr. Lu, don't you know that I want to let Wan Yan Liang go? Why are you so surprised?"

Lu You shook his head and replied, "I only thought you were going to steal Wanyan Liang out, or replace him. How could I have imagined that you would resort to such cruel means?"

"Mr. Lu, do you think I'm some kind of god? Can I replace one thing with another in public? Even if the Jingnan Army and the Dongping Army are still in Lianghuai, there are still other troops stationed there. How can it be so easy?" Liu Huai laughed and said, "Mr. Lu, just hope everything goes well. Otherwise, my tricks will be even more brutal."

"You have a backup plan?!" Lu You was so shocked that his voice was a little distorted.

Liu Huai finally turned around and looked at Lu You: "I have four alternative plans. The other plans will result in more casualties. By then, the Song Dynasty might declare our Jingnan Army traitors. We will have no choice but to secede from Shandong and raise the flag of rebellion."

Lu You gritted his teeth and said, "Duke Wei will not approve of your outrageous behavior."

Liu Huai shook his head: "Mr. Lu, you still don't understand my father. He was willing to sacrifice everything for the Northern Expedition. How could he give up the opportunity to reclaim his homeland because of such a small matter?"

Lu You turned around and said, "Da Lang, I think you don't understand Duke Wei. He can risk everything, but he is a minister of the Song Dynasty and will never do anything that violates his loyalty."

Liu Huai never thought that Lu You would know so much about Wei Sheng's actions, and the facts were just as Lu You said.

In real history, even though Wei Sheng was extremely determined to fight a northern expedition, he was still unable to resist the Song Dynasty's peace proposal of ceding territory in exchange for peace. He had to give up Haizhou with hatred and return to the Song Dynasty.

"What about you, Mr. Lu?" Liu Huai asked the crucial question again: "In your eyes, which is more important, the Northern Expedition or the Song Dynasty? Which is more important, the Han Dynasty or this small, isolated Song Dynasty court?!"

Lu You was unable to answer again and could only walk quickly into the drizzle.

"Mr. Lu, have you figured out this problem and want to report it to the Song court?" Liu Huai raised his head and asked from a distance.

Lu You's voice came through the drizzle: "I will go find Mr. Ye and tell him what you have instructed me to do. I will ask him to submit the petition through official channels!"

Liu Huai laughed, then continued to look at Xiyu. Behind him, two hundred personal guards were polishing their weapons and arranging their armor, as if they were about to go into battle.

Even though it was drizzling, Lu You was soaked when he arrived at the Council Hall. However, he did not delay and went straight to the Southern Court where the prime minister was. He took out a handful of copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them into the guard's hand, asking him to inform Prime Minister Ye Yi that Lu You came to visit and discuss important matters.

The guards did not dare to delay and reported to the higher authorities immediately. Soon, Ye Yiwen came in person with an oil-paper umbrella and welcomed Lu You into his own yamen.

"My dear nephew, why are you in such a hurry?" Ye Yiwen handed a cup of hot tea to Lu You personally and said with a pleasant face.

He thought that Lu You agreed with his suggestion and came to join him. He was surprised and happy, but he couldn't help but feel a little reserved.

After Lu You took the teacup, he first looked around and found that there was no one else around before he whispered, "Sir, something big is going to happen in Lianghuai."

Ye Yiwen's hands trembled slightly, and then he looked up in surprise, his beard trembling a little: "What's going to happen again?"

"Zhang Guang, the commander of the Jiankang navy, appears to have suffered a defeat, allowing the Jin thieves' navy to escape."

"What?" Ye Yiwen immediately stood up and asked in surprise, "Is the news accurate?"

The Yangtze River not only has military functions, but is also a golden waterway for merchants to travel. How could the Jin navy be allowed to run wild?

If the Jiankang navy were defeated, there would be major problems in the transportation of food and fodder to various places.

Lu You shook his head, “It’s not certain, but some soldiers of the Jingnan Army saw fire on the river near Wuwei Army, and several warships went downstream. It’s hard to tell who won or lost.

But I think if Zhang Guang had won, there would be no reason for him to keep it secret. Wouldn't he have come to report the victory long ago? Therefore, I have some speculation that Zhang Guang must have been defeated. "Ye Yiwen stood up and paced back and forth a few times. Suddenly, he realized that he was not the Privy Councilor, but the Jianghuai Envoy, and he calmed down.

If this matter is said to be related to him, it is indeed related to him, but theoretically it is not Ye Yiwen's turn to be in charge of matters on the Yangtze River. After all, his authority is more in Lianghuai.

"In that case, I will also submit a petition to ask Mr. Chen to make some preparations early."

After Ye Yiwen finished speaking, he immediately started writing on the desk.

Lu You said, "After all, this is just hearsay, and it's from the Jingnan army. It seems to be an attempt to frame our allies. I hope Mr. Ye can cover it up."

Ye Yiwen paused his brush on the memorial, thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Very good, very good. The sincere heart of the Jingnan Army is very touching!"

As he said this, the rumored memorial was already written. Ye Yiwen called the clerk and asked him to hand it in quickly.

He did not dare to delay and quickly copied the memorial in full according to the procedure. And because it was a memorial from the Minister of Public Security, it was delivered to Chen Kangbo as soon as possible.

When Chen Kangbo saw Ye Yiwen so anxious, he originally thought that something big had happened, but after reading the memorial carefully, he felt speechless.

Unexpectedly, Ye Yiwen actually started to do the work of the censor and began to report on the matter.

Did he think that the "Jiang" in Jianghuai Xuanfushi refers to the Yangtze River?

However, Chen Kangbo could not ignore the serious memorial from the envoy, so he just threw it to the Privy Council for further discussion, and then turned his attention to the abdication ceremony.

This is the important matter that should concern him as the prime minister.

At the same time, in a nearly deserted ferry crossing north of the Yangtze River, under a gloomy sky, Li Tong and Zhang Baiyu stood side by side at the port, looking at the five warships in front of them, both silent.

These are large ships belonging to the Dongping Army, but they were all captured from the Jin Army in the Battle of Chenjia Island, so they are probably of the style of the Jin Navy, with only slight changes to the bow and flag.

Now the military craftsmen are reversing the original changes, and the captured Jin army flags have been prepared, waiting to be raised when necessary.

Zhang Baiyu watched the scene in silence, put on the Jin army's iconic gourd helmet, and said to Dianlun and Xiemao Zhanggu behind him: "Let's go!"

More than 300 Liao cavalry responded loudly, each leading their war horses and boarding the ship in an orderly manner.

Just as Zhang Baiyu was about to board the boat, Li Tong grabbed his arm and said, "Manager Zhang, this matter is of great importance. It could change the world's situation. If we fail..."

Zhang Baiyu said coldly: "Don't worry, I will definitely not implicate the commander-in-chief!"

Li Tong shook his head and said, "No, no, no. The Commander-in-Chief asked me to tell Zhang Zongguan that if you fail, you must prioritize saving your own life. He will find a way to save you."

Zhang Baiyu's face softened slightly, and then he nodded and said, "There's no need for the Commander-in-Chief to come to his rescue. If I ruin his entire plan, I'll be dead."

Li Tong said sternly, "This time, we must move quickly! So fast that no one can react! We also have reinforcements along the way, enough to quickly escape. With the speed of the Song State's reaction, this is almost certain!"

Zhang Baiyu didn't say anything more. He didn't have a good impression of this former Jin Dynasty prime minister. He just nodded repeatedly, then boarded the ship and headed south of the Yangtze River.

Li Tong stared blankly at the shadow of the sailboat gradually disappearing into the distance.

Mr. Li, who had never believed in Buddha, could not help but pray secretly in his heart.

Everything has to go well.

Your Majesty, I am here to rescue you now!

(End of this chapter)