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

Chapter 541: Digging Deep to Find the Traitor

Wanyan Liang boarded the ship, changed his clothes, and quickly crossed the Yangtze River.

There were troops on the north bank of the river to meet them. They were all from Hejiazhuang and were He Boqiu's confidants. After receiving instructions, they took Wanyan Liang all the way north at a very fast speed and had no danger along the way.

On the morning of the second day, the five Jin-style ships showed off their might again under the city of Jiankang, and then made preparations to sail downstream into the sea. Afterwards, they replaced the flags and bows of the Dongping Army at a wild ferry, and appeared on the canal led by Zhang Baiyu himself.

By the afternoon of the second day, the news that Zhao Mi had failed and all the nobles of the Jin Dynasty were lost had spread around Jiankang. Tang Shitui, who had been watching in the surrounding towns all night, saw that there was no major battle in Jiankang. He finally plucked up the courage, returned to Jiankang to take command, and quickly spread this fatal news to all directions through official means.

It's too late now.

The disastrous consequences of Tang Shitui's escape from the battlefield were now fully revealed.

For example, Zhenjiang Prefecture, where the Song State had stockpiled a large number of troops, actually received vague news at night. However, without the specific military order from Tang Situi, the garrison commander of Jiankang, neither Zhang Zigai nor Liu Bao could mobilize troops to conduct a large-scale search in the south of the Yangtze River.

This is not a military issue, but a very serious political issue.

At this time, news came that the Song cavalry from all over the country were dispatched and Mao could not be caught.

The next person to take action was Li Bao, who was stationed in Jiangyin and guarded the mouth of the Yangtze River.

He immediately mobilized his navy to search upstream along the river, but found nothing.

On the third day, the Jingnan Army and the Dongping Army, which were located in the northernmost part of the Huai River, were also mobilized and set up checkpoints on the Huai River to stop Wanyan Liang.

It was not until the third day, at midnight on April 13th, that the news finally reached Zhao Gou.

The government was furious.

The cooked duck actually flew away! And it flew over the south of the Yangtze River. How could this be tolerated?

Capturing the enemy chief alive and bringing him to justice was a great achievement that had never been achieved since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Now Zhao Gou had achieved it, but he died before he could even offer sacrifices to the Taimiao. How could he not be extremely angry?
Moreover, Wanyan Liang was also an important bargaining chip in negotiations with the Jin Dynasty. Whether he was killed or released, political benefits could be gained from the Jin Dynasty. Now it has all become empty talk.

"Zhengfu, Zhao Mi is truly a piece of crap!" Zhao Gou's bedroom in Lin'an was already a mess. Zhao Gou, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, held up a document, his hands trembling constantly. "I only asked him to do this one thing! Such a small thing! Send that financial sponsor safely to Lin'an from Jiangnan. Can't he even do this little thing?! This is deceiving the heavens!"

Yang Yizhong, wearing armor and helmet, knelt on one knee. "Sir, the key now is to find Zhao Mi and Tian Zhuo's men. This matter is not that simple. Where did the Jin thieves come from? How did they pass through the Lianghuai defense line so easily?"

The corner of Zhao Gou's eye twitched. "Zhengfu, are you talking about that Liu Dalang?"

Yang Yizhong pondered for a moment and shook his head. "I think if Liu Dalang really did this, he would definitely find an excuse to return to the army. He would not follow the emperor to Lin'an without any precautions."

Zhao Gou also thought for a moment before nodding: "That's indeed the truth, but since it's not him... then..."

Yang Yizhong interrupted Zhao Gou rudely, "Your Majesty, we must not panic and make random suspicions at this moment. I will report to you after I have gathered the intelligence gathered by the Imperial City Bureau and captured Zhao Mi and the others."

Zhao Gou gasped and said, "In that case, Zhang Quwei!"

An eunuch stepped out and knelt on the ground: "Yes!"

"You go and follow Zhengfu, and you two will have the power to act as you see fit." Zhao Gou was already furious at this point, and didn't care about the old rule that eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in politics.

"Here!"

The two of them agreed at the same time and immediately came to the Imperial City Office.

Scouts and military envoys were sent out in all directions, and all the spies in Jiangnan were mobilized. Carrier pigeons kept flying back and forth, and soon information was continuously transmitted to Yang Yizhong.

"Report! General Liu of the Jingnan Army has been training his muscles and bones at the post station all day, honing his martial arts skills with his personal guards. Since arriving in Lin'an, no one has visited him except Prime Minister Yu."

"Report! Li Bao, the chief steward, has sent word that no Jin warships have been found in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River."

"Report! All the reports of victory from Zhang Guangzhang, General Zhang, over the past ten days have been compiled. They mention many beheadings, but no mention of any defeats."

"Report! Ye Yiwen asked about a memorial submitted by Ye Xianggong a few days ago, stating that the Jiankang navy seemed to have been defeated on the Yangtze River. This is the original document, which has been reviewed by Chen Xianggong."

"Report! The Jin thieves' navy that attacked Jiankang only had three ships. Tang Si retreated, and Tang Liushou abandoned the city and fled, only returning to the city the next afternoon."

"Report! When the Jin bandit navy appeared on the Yangtze River, both the Jingnan Army and the Dongping Army actively sought battle, but were stopped by Minister Chen."

"Report! All the troops in Huaibei have gained nothing!"

"Report! Zhao Mi and twelve other Infantry officers have been captured and are being sent to Lin'an!"

Zhang Quwei knew that he was only playing a surveillance role, so he did not get involved from beginning to end, just providing a pair of eyes and a pair of ears.

However, the more he listened, the more he felt something was amiss. In the end, he even grabbed Yang Yizhong and whispered, "Prince, that's it. Don't investigate further, or else the government will be in trouble."

Yang Yizhong was silent for a moment before speaking seriously, "Captain, the emperor's order is to conduct a thorough investigation, and it must also be a secret investigation. Once it's out of our hands, it will reach the emperor's ears. The rest of us will know nothing. When the time comes, the emperor will have the final say, so why would there be any difficulty?"

Seeing Zhang Quwei still hesitant, Yang Yizhong continued to persuade him, "If we follow what the chief guard said, who will we cover up for? And who will be grateful for our kindness when the time comes? Can the two of us really bear such a favor?"

Zhang Quwei's forehead instantly broke out in sweat, and he quickly bowed respectfully: "If it weren't for the prince, I would have almost made a big mistake."

There are too many people involved, not just the pro-war and pro-peace factions, but even the relatively neutral pro-defense faction has been dragged into it. It would be a huge risk to cover up any one of them, and neither Tang Shitui nor Chen Kangbo would accept their favor.

As the saying goes, grace comes from above, and forgiveness is Zhao Gou's power. You two, one a favored minister and the other a eunuch, want to show grace to an official of your rank. What do you want to do?
It is not known whether Zhang Quwei's secret prayers worked, but the following news was just some trivial stuff. On the evening of April 13, Zhao Mi was escorted to Lin'an and then brought before Zhao Gou.

Before speaking again, Zhao Gou first read through the information Yang Yizhong had compiled. The more he read, the more he frowned. "Zhengfu, in other words, it seems that Chen Kangbo and Tang Situi are colluding?"

Yang Yizhong first glanced at Zhang Quwei, who was already sweating profusely beside him, then bowed and said, "I am stupid and don't know."

Zhao Gou smiled and shook his head: "You are not stupid, you are too smart."

When all this miscellaneous information is put together, it paints a picture like this.

An elite Jin army arrived in Lianghuai at some point and contacted the remnants of the defeated Jin army in Lianghuai.

During this period, many people from the pro-war faction, from Ye Yiwen to the Jingnan Army, had been giving reminders and even volunteered to fight to resist the enemy, but they were all suppressed by Prime Minister Chen Kangbo.

Then, this elite Jin army suddenly found the right time. Like a fierce assassin, they accurately seized the moment when Wanyan Liang was being escorted and decisively launched a surprise attack.

At the same time, Zhao Mi inexplicably divided his troops, letting a large group of troops act as decoys, while he only led a small group of troops, plus some yamen runners and archers, to escort Wanyan Liang on the road.

Tang Shitui was frightened by the three Jin ships and fled the city, giving up the important task of guarding Jiankang City.

The matter is now obvious.

What do Chen Kangbo and Tang Situi want to do?
Why did they let Wanyan Liang go?
Did the peace faction and the defense faction merge and secretly reach some kind of agreement with Wanyan Liang?
Why are they involved with Zhao Mi?
Why would Zhao Mi, a general of the Palace Guard, obey orders from an outer garrison?
Seeing Zhao Gou looking at him thoughtfully, Yang Yizhong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Mi will be exiled to Chuzhou after this, on the front lines..." Yang Yizhong had only said half of the sentence when Zhao Gou flew into a rage: "In other words, this fellow dared to offend me for his own selfish gain?! It's not like we're not negotiating peace, but can't he even hold out for a few months?! Bring this fellow up!"

Soon, Zhao Mi, dressed in a dishevel, was tied up and pushed in front of Zhao Gou.

It was actually not in accordance with the procedure for the emperor to try the case personally, but Zhao Mi was a general of the imperial guards, and his status was between the inner court and the outer court. It made sense that he was punished by Zhao Gou for committing a crime.

"Zhao Mi, do you have anything else to say?"

Zhao Mi kowtowed heavily and pounded his head on the ground: "I have failed the grace of the Emperor and I deserve death!"

Zhao Gou looked at Zhao Mi coldly: "Just because I have failed to live up to His Majesty's grace?"

He knew in his heart that there was still a major flaw in this inference.

Theoretically, Zhao Mi did this to survive, but there are too many ways to survive, such as pretending to be sick or retiring to his hometown. As long as he stays away from politics, no one will kill him.

But since he made the move of releasing Wanyan Liang privately, it means that he will not only be guilty, but will also inevitably gain greater benefits.

"I am incompetent. As a general of the Palace Front Department, I cannot defeat Liu Huai in battle, and I cannot defeat the prince and Yang Yi Zhong in internal fighting. I deserve to die!" Zhao Mi kowtowed heavily again, which made Zhao Gou and Yang Yi Zhong stunned for a moment.

After Yang Yizhong realized what was happening, he knelt down on one knee and apologized without any further ado.

Zhao Gou was stunned for a moment, then laughed in anger: "So, this time, the most meritorious and loyal foreign general, along with my crown prince and my favorite general, have all come together to deal with you and embarrass me, right?"

Zhao Mi had already thrown his weight around. He was already doomed, so he might as well muddy the waters and try to survive. "Your Majesty, if Liu Huai hadn't opened up a loophole in Lianghuai, how could the Jin army have reached the Yangtze River? Yang Yizhong is in charge of the Imperial City Office. He neither detected the Jin army's arrival nor reported the Crown Prince's collusion with Liu Huai. How could this not be collusion? Your Majesty, if these three are colluding with each other, not only me, but even you are in danger of being overthrown!"

Zhao Mi's words gave Zhao Gou another idea.

In order to disrupt the Jin Dynasty, the war faction might really risk the world's condemnation and do this.

Although Zhao Gou thought this possibility was extremely small, he still asked Yang Yizhong: "Zhengfu, do you have anything to refute?"

Yang Yizhong shook his head directly: "It's full of absurd words, not worth refuting."

Zhao Mi turned around and yelled, "Yang Yizhong, you asked your second son to broker a deal for me to befriend the Jingnan Army. How dare you say this wasn't your doing?"

After hearing this, Yang Yizhong hadn't said anything yet, but Zhao Gou felt a little bored. He waved his sleeves and said, "Zhao Mi, is this your evidence? I have watched Yang Er grow up. With his dissolute personality, how could he be able to do such a secret?"

Zhao Mi, you and I were once king and subject. If you still regard me, the Son of Heaven, as your king, you must confess immediately!"

Zhao Mi saw that Zhao Gou had already sided with Yang Yizhong and immediately became anxious: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and Liu Huai are colluding. This is absolutely true. I witnessed it with my own eyes when they were visiting the troops in Jiankang that day."

Zhao Gou flew into a rage, glaring at Zhao Mi and shouting, "Why didn't you tell me that day?!"

Zhao Mi kowtowed and said, "I was foolish and worried about alienating the royal family, but I never imagined that this would have such consequences."

After Zhao Gou took a few deep breaths, he saw that Yang Yi Zhong was still as frank as before, but the suspicion in his heart still did not disappear. However, he did not want to make a big deal out of it when the abdication ceremony was about to begin, so he hesitated.

What if Crown Prince Zhao Shen was summoned and questioned in a high-profile manner, making the already unstable court even more agitated?
The scene was somewhat quiet, but Yang Yizhong, who was originally responsible for smoothing things over, was also one of the suspects at this time. He knelt on the spot without saying a word, causing the situation to come to a standstill.

Seeing this, Zhang Quwei stepped forward and whispered something into Zhao Gou's ear.

Zhao Gou nodded, then shouted at Zhao Mi, "You just said that we saw the Crown Prince and Liu Huai having a secret meeting. Who are these people?!"

Zhao Mi immediately said, "Tian Zhuo, the deputy commander of the Infantry Division!"

Zhao Gou nodded again: "Bring Tian Zhuo up!"

As a senior officer of the Palace Front Division who had messed up his job, Tian Zhuo was naturally tied up and imprisoned. When he was brought into the palace, he immediately felt a little panicked.

Especially after seeing Zhao Gou, and Yang Yi Zhong and Zhao Mi kneeling in front of Zhao Gou, Tian Zhuo kowtowed repeatedly and did not even dare to say a word.

"Tian Zhuo, you are also considered an old minister of mine." Zhao Gou looked at Tian Zhuo and said slowly: "But do you know whose minister you are?"

Tian Zhuo kowtowed again and said, "I am a subject of the emperor, and whatever the emperor says is what I will do."

Zhao Gou nodded, his voice becoming stern: "Then why didn't you report it when you saw the Crown Prince secretly meeting with a foreign general?"

Zhao Mi struggled to move and turned around, looking at Tian Zhuo with hopeful eyes.

Since ancient times, the relationship between the emperor, the crown prince, and the foreign generals has been a very complicated one. If the crown prince colluded with the foreign generals, there would be a huge political turmoil. Zhao Mi could also take the opportunity to push all the blame on the Jingnan Army or even Yang Yi Zhong, and get away with it.

However, Tian Zhuo looked up blankly: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince... I am not from the Eastern Palace... I don't know the Crown Prince's whereabouts."

Zhao Gou's eyes narrowed, then he looked at Zhao Mi, and then he said to Tian Zhuo with a pleasant expression, "This matter is not your fault, because it was Zhao Mi who reported it that day, and you are not guilty."

Tian Zhuo's expression became even more panicked and confused: "Ah? Where should I see it?"

When Zhao Mi saw this, he felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground. Suddenly, he understood why Tian Zhuo led his army away and never returned that day.

It turned out that this person, whom he considered to be his confidant, had betrayed him a long time ago.

Zhao Gou glanced at the distraught Zhao Mi and asked again, "Even on the day when the Crown Prince was visiting the troops in Jiankang, didn't he meet with the foreign generals?"

Tian Zhuo flinched a little: "That day, it was the emperor's decree that asked the prince to meet with the generals of the Palace Front Division..."

Zhao Gou shook his head upon hearing this, but he could no longer even feel angry. He simply said, "Zhengfu, please settle this matter for me."

After saying this, Zhao Gou stood up and left.

Yang Yi Zhong bowed in agreement, then stood up and looked at Zhao Mi.

"The emperor wanted to execute you in secret, but he gave you an intact body. Why don't you thank him?"

This is because of past merits, and the family will not be implicated. There will also be a pension, and the official figures in the family will also be protected.

Zhao Mi opened his mouth, wanting to yell at him, but was also worried that Yang Yi Zhong would retaliate again, so he could only kowtow heavily in the direction of Zhao Gou as he left, and then let the bowstring wrap around his neck and drag him out of the palace.

Tian Zhuo, however, still maintained that confused expression, looking around in panic, his acting skills were exquisite.

The next day, just as Yu Yunwen hurried back to Lin'an, an imperial edict demoting Tang Situi to the position of supervisor of a Taoist temple was sent to Jiankang through the Southern Court, which forced the matter to be settled.

The abdication ceremony went on as planned.

(End of this chapter)