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

Chapter 814 The End of the Feast of the Han Emperor and His Ministers

Politics has always been cold-blooded and dirty.

But what was that saying?

History has always been a victory of ruthlessness over idiocy. Therefore, as a military and political leader, Liu Huai was forced to become even more cold-blooded.

But as a human being, Liu Huai sometimes wondered if he was being too cold-blooded.

Even though his adoptive father had breathed his last right before his eyes, Liu Huai only grieved for one night before putting all his emotions aside and began to weigh the pros and cons. With a very calm attitude, he launched a dual offensive in politics and military.

This mindset instilled in Liu Huai a deep-seated fear in the quiet of the night.

He feared that he too would become a cold-blooded political machine.

However, looking at the Huaibei prefectures ravaged by war, Liu Huai had to admit that now was the time for a political machine to step forward and take responsibility.

As for sadness and anger, those are for others to bear. As a military and political leader, Liu Huai has effectively lost his power of weakness.

To put it bluntly, is it better for one family to cry than for the whole family to cry?

In the Huaibei region today, the tears shed by the people who have lost their brothers, husbands, and fathers are enough to fill the entire Fei River.

On July 21, Shi Ju personally led 12,000 Chenzhou soldiers to Mengcheng.

Liu Huai naturally wanted to maintain a respectful and courteous demeanor, so despite wearing mourning clothes, he led all the generals and officials of the Han army to the camp gate to greet him.

Shi Ju also dismounted at a distance and led the generals of Chenzhou Army on foot. He bowed and saluted from five steps away, addressing them as "My Lord".

The generals behind him, such as Xie Fuyao and Du Wuji, dared not merely bow, but instead kowtowed to show their submission.

Liu Huai quickly stepped forward, helped Shi Ju up, and then encouraged the Chenzhou military generals and officials.

Then, Liu Huai simply took Shi Ju's hand and introduced him to the Han army generals in the area.

Shi Ju, of course, also adopted a friendly demeanor, his face full of a warm, spring-like smile as he exchanged pleasantries with the Han army generals.

After the introductions were completed, Liu Huai made his promise right there at the camp gate, in full view of everyone.

Of course, the promises made at this time were only general, nothing more than that everyone would be a family from now on, and that they had made great contributions in this battle, and would be rewarded and promoted after the war.

In an instant, everyone in Chenzhou Army was invigorated.

Even within the besieged city, such a grand occasion would not be complete without a banquet. Although no alcohol could be consumed, the guests and hosts still enjoyed themselves immensely.

After the initial adjustment period, Liu Huai ordered Xin Qiji to assign siege camp locations to the Chenzhou army and to assign supply officers. He then went to the rear tent with Shi Ju to discuss business.

Liu Huai poured Shi Ju a cup of cold tea, and the two casually sat down behind the table.

Shi Ju, holding a cup of cold tea, sighed and said, "I already know about the matter concerning Duke Wei... It is also my fault for not noticing that so many cavalrymen are missing from the other side of the Fei River."

Liu Huai remained silent for a moment before saying, "It's not your fault. The Song army was engaged in direct combat with Pusan ​​Zhongyi, and they didn't even notice it, did they?"
Ultimately, it was Heshi Lieliangbi's ruthless and vicious methods that deceived everyone.

I hate the Song Dynasty to the core, not because they were unaware of the Jin invaders' actions, but because after receiving my father's plea for help, they remained inactive, which was tantamount to betrayal!

Shi Ju remained silent for a moment before asking, "Now, what does the eldest son intend to do with the Song Kingdom? Does he intend to start a war?"

"That depends on what the Song state does." Liu Huai had already prepared his answer and quickly replied, "If Prime Minister Yu wants to start a war immediately, then I have nothing to say and will naturally accompany him to the end."

Shi Ju looked intently at Liu Huai and said, "I want to know what the eldest son is really thinking. Does he want to go to war with the Song Kingdom?"

For these military and political leaders, it was far too easy to provoke trouble and get the Song army to make the first move.

With a quick thought, Shi Ju could come up with seven or eight methods.

For example, by giving a hint, the next day more than a hundred elite Han cavalry would sneak up next to the Song camp and set fires to harass them. Once the level of friction increased, the Song army would have no choice but to fight, even if they didn't want to.

At that time, the Han army would naturally be acting in self-defense.

Liu Huai remained silent for a moment before replying, "Lord Shi, I will not speak falsely in private. I will settle accounts with the State of Song sooner or later, but not now."

"Our army is exhausted, the war in Hebei has not stopped, and Henan is also devastated. If we start a war with the Song Dynasty immediately, it will only give the two Jin states an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. At that time, the war in the north may even relapse."

Shi Ju drank a cup of cold tea before slowly nodding: "Young Master, do you intend to first pacify the northern lands and then launch a southern campaign against the Song Kingdom?"

Liu Huai nodded firmly but with difficulty: "That's exactly right."

Unlike Liu Huai, Shi Ju breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.

He was afraid that Liu Huai, being young and impulsive, would disregard everything and fight to the death for revenge.

Don't say it's impossible; the Liu family has that kind of chivalrous blood flowing in their veins.

Is it true that Liu Bei risked his life and fortune to avenge Guan Yu?
But the key point is that even after Guan Yu was killed, Liu Bei still needed a year and a half to rest and recuperate for the Hanzhong campaign that had just ended.
The current situation is that the Song army is right in front of them, and Shi Ju is genuinely afraid that Liu Huai will attack immediately.

This is not because Shi Ju is afraid of war, but because the people of Henan are in dire straits. If the autumn harvest is not handled properly, there is a possibility of large-scale civil unrest in the winter.

However, he was truly unable to continue fighting in the several prefectures of Henan under his command, and he had not yet fully gathered the conscripted soldiers who had been forcibly recruited by the Jin army!

After receiving Liu Huai's private assurance, Shi Ju relaxed considerably. After pouring himself a cup of tea, he continued to ask, "I wonder how the eldest son intends to arrange things for us?" Liu Huai had already prepared a plan: "I will transfer Minister Li Tong, along with some officials and soldiers from Hebei and Shandong, to Henan to manage the people's livelihood."

I will promote the Henan generals and officials under your command and send them to Hebei or northern Henan.

Of course, this is just a rough outline and requires careful consideration. However, in any case, to thoroughly reorganize local civil affairs, those truly capable people who are hesitant to act due to concerns about the feelings of their fellow villagers must be transferred away.

Serving as an official in a different place is an old tradition, so Shi Ju didn't care.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Li Tong is indeed a good man in domestic affairs. Although he is greedy and despicable, he is also a sycophant. As long as the eldest son can maintain his integrity, Li Tong will naturally become an honest and capable official."

Liu Huai nodded: "In any case, these things can only be done after autumn. It is better to remain still than to act now. I would like to ask Lord Shi to help me compile a document on governing Henan, which can also serve as a protective charm for Lord Li."

That's obviously a joke.

Li Tong, the Jin Dynasty's prime minister who had been deeply involved in Henan for several years during Wanyan Liang's reign, returned to Henan with troops and officials from Hebei and Shandong. Backed by Liu Huai, who had almost become a god of war, he was virtually invincible in Henan.

Do I still need a protective charm for officials?

This was clearly Liu Huai's way of having Shi Ju leave behind trustworthy locals so that Li Tong could immediately recruit them as confidants upon arrival.

Shi Ju nodded in agreement, but then he remembered something else: "What about Prime Minister Lu? If Li Tong hadn't been involved, wouldn't Prime Minister Lu have completely seized power in Shandong?"

Liu Huai calmly replied, "Naturally, we should take advantage of the opportunity to reshuffle and appoint officials to send Mr. Lu to Hebei as the Hebei Military Commissioner."

Not only Mr. Lu, but also Zhang Xiaoxiang, Chen Liang, Master Zhu, and others, all went to Hebei. They wanted them to be as far away from Jiangnan as possible, since Hebei was in dire need of reconstruction at that time, and it would finally be a place for them to put their knowledge to use.

Shi Ju sighed, put down his teacup, cupped his hands, and said, "May the eldest son be kind and compassionate."

In Shi Ju's view, it was time to turn against the State of Song. Even if he didn't purge those within the State of Song who were loyal to Song, he should at least expel them or marginalize them so that they would no longer hold any power.

However, Liu Huai chose to protect them to the greatest extent possible, transferring them away from the Central Plains and Shandong, keeping them far away from the Song Dynasty, so that he could focus his main attention on dealing with the Jin Dynasty and restoring the livelihood of the people in Hebei.

In other words, Liu Huai gave Lu You and others the power to bury their heads in the sand. As long as they could focus on their work and persevere until the day the country was unified, they could still continue to serve as prime ministers in the central government or as regional officials.

Of course, if one or two die-hard loyalists really want to cause trouble, Liu Huai will ultimately not hold back.

Shi Ju naturally wholeheartedly agreed with Liu Huai's arrangement.

As a politician, he desperately wanted political struggles to be bloodless, with the victors taking power and the losers landing safely as wealthy men—how wonderful that would be!

Who could stand the Jin Dynasty, where people were killed so easily that blood flowed like rivers?

However, Shi Ju's questions were still not over: "The eldest son has said a lot, but he hasn't mentioned my arrangements. Is he going to put me in charge of Hebei's internal affairs?"

Liu Huai shook his head firmly: "I have the Embroidered Uniform Guard here, which is a kind of secret agent team. However, as the situation has become larger, we can't govern the country with spies. We need something open and aboveboard."

I implore Lord Shi to organize the Censorate for me, appointing him as the first Vice Censor-in-Chief, to swiftly investigate all illegal activities in Shandong, Hebei, and the Central Plains.

Shi Ju shook his head with a wry smile: "It really is a tough job."

The Censorate, also known as the Imperial Censorate, was a central administrative and supervisory body, as well as one of the central judicial organs, responsible for investigating and impeaching officials and upholding discipline.

During the Song Dynasty, the power of the Censorate expanded significantly. It not only had the power to monitor and impeach officials, but also the power to supervise and advise the emperor.

In theory, if the Censor-in-Chief impeaches the prime minister, the prime minister must immediately resign, leaving the decision of whether to stay or leave to the emperor.

When the Censor-in-Chief remonstrates with the emperor through formal channels, the emperor must either correct his mistake or demote the Censor-in-Chief.

Therefore, the position of Imperial Censor was sometimes referred to as "half a prime minister".

This is indeed a cushy job. If you are tactful, you will not only avoid offending people, but you can also get along well with your superiors and subordinates and quickly thrive in the central government.

But at this time, Liu Huai appointed Shi Ju, an outsider, as the Imperial Censor. How could he possibly have let him slack off?

They will definitely use his advantage of not being involved with any faction after his new allegiance to conduct internal oversight and rectification, and he may very well be used as a scapegoat.

Liu Huai continued, "Master Shi, although Shandong seems to be thriving and prosperous, there are already some parasites starting to emerge."

My Imperial Guards have reported that local officials are embezzling land, falsifying population figures, engaging in corruption, and even committing murder and stealing wives. This is something I absolutely cannot tolerate.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard has begun preparing its garrisons, but local civil administration still needs to be sorted out. If Minister Shi is unwilling to take on this important task, then we will have to redeploy manpower.

Shi Ju knew that this was both an opportunity and a test. After thinking for a moment, he changed the subject: "Young Master, I've always wondered why I feel so relaxed and not at all wary when we've just met and I've had my first face-to-face conversation with you."

"After corresponding with me for two years, how can we still be considered strangers?" Liu Huai chuckled, stretched out his hand, pointed to Shi Ju, and then to his own chest: "Because you and I are comrades working together to stabilize the Han land, that's why we immediately opened our hearts to each other."

Throughout history, comrades have always been the most reliable partners. You and I, like Emperor Zhaolie of Han and Zhuge Liang, are of one mind and purpose; our bond can be forged by metal.

Even though he already knew that Liu Huai had a habit of comparing civil officials to Zhuge Liang, Shi Ju still felt refreshed after experiencing it firsthand, as if he were drinking ice water on a hot summer day.

He immediately stood up, bowed to Liu Huai, and said, "Then I will devote myself to this cause until my dying breath."

Liu Huai knew that what had happened before in front of the camp gate was a political performance, and that this was the real establishment of the relationship between ruler and subject, so he accepted the salute without any hesitation.

(End of this chapter)