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

Chapter 834 Loyal Ministers of the Great Song Dynasty Suffer in Vain

Liang Su had no reason to hide his true thoughts from Shi Ju; he genuinely felt somewhat helpless and disappointed.

It wasn't because of Liu Huai's marriage to Wei Rujun, but rather because Liu Huai didn't allow the central government to interfere with the garrison affairs.

This is essentially equivalent to taking military power back to the palace, where it is held by the monarch personally, without allowing the household to interfere.

If six ministries were established after the founding of the nation, the Ministry of War would also find it difficult to effectively command the army.

This was somewhat difficult for Liang Su, who came from a traditional scholar-official background, to accept.

This is not merely a question of whether the monarch trusts his ministers, but also a question of balancing the power of the prime minister with the power of the monarch.

If a prime minister cannot control a portion of the military power, then he can only become a lackey of the monarch, and is completely incapable of checking the monarch or supporting the country.

Was the emperor of the Han dynasty truly a man of perfect judgment, able to make decisions from afar in every matter?
What about Emperors Huan and Ling, who were specifically mentioned and scolded by Zhuge Liang in his "Memorial on Dispatching the Troops"?

Even if Liu Huai was wise and decisive throughout his life, could his children and grandchildren be the same? If a monarch with unchecked power does whatever he wants, it is not impossible for a new dynasty to perish after only two generations.

All of this made it impossible for Liang Su, who was destined to become prime minister, not to worry.

However, Shi Ju took it all in stride.

Given Liu Huai's prestige, even if he were given military power as prime minister, could he possibly defeat the founding emperor? He wouldn't just be Liu Huai's appendage.

As for whether Liu Huai will become old and senile, that's none of your business.

Liang Su was already over forty, and Shi Ju was over fifty. By the time Liu Huai grew old, they would have long since passed away.

Besides, Shi Ju simply did not believe that there was any eternally unchanging method in the world.

For example, the Grand General, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and General of Flying Cavalry in the Han Dynasty were all officials of the inner court during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. They were on par with the prime minister of the outer court, which was a means for Emperor Wu of Han to control military power.

But Huo Guang took this position to a whole new level, ruling directly in the name of Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief, his power surpassing that of the prime minister.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, this position was exclusively held by the leaders of the imperial relatives. Whether it was the domineering general Liang Ji or the pig-slaughtering Song Yu and He Jin, they were all household names.

Later, with the arrival of chaotic times, the title of Grand General became worthless, and all sorts of titles such as Pillar of the State Grand General, Garrison General, Twelve Guards Grand General, and Universe Grand General suddenly appeared.

If even the position of a Grand General is so elaborate, imagine how much more complicated it is when it comes to matters of military power. It would be a miracle if later generations didn't come up with a hundred different variations.

Therefore, Shi Ju did not hesitate at all, and immediately took his men to the governor's mansion to take up his post, and immediately handed over the reins to Shen Longzi, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"I wonder where you intend to begin, Master Shi."

In response to Shen Longzi's question, Shi Ju smiled faintly and said, "Naturally, it's Haizhou."

Shen Longzi frowned: "Haizhou?"

Haizhou was the first stop of the Northern Expedition and could be considered the place where the dragon rose to power. This was not just feudal superstition, but also had practical significance.

Here, the Northern Expeditionary Army underwent its first expansion, accepting its first batch of surrendered soldiers and promoting its first batch of officials. Those still within the system today are all highly experienced individuals, having contributed significantly even if they haven't achieved great merit.

Among them, which of the outstanding figures—Luo Guzi, the Commissioner of Water Conservancy and River Management; Luo Shenyan, the Commander of the Left Army of the Jingnan Army; Li Xiu, the Commander of the Eastern Navy; Luo Huaiyan, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; Xu Erya, the Director of Surgery at the Medical College; and Gao Chang, the Prefect of Yanzhou—was not someone to be trifled with?
If we start from Haizhou now, we'll likely end up confronting these people.

Even the Imperial Guards were sweating bullets.

Shen Longzi tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Lord Shi is new here and is unaware of the situation in my army..."

Shi Ju interrupted Shen Longzi directly: "What do I not know? Your Commander-in-Chief is all about doing things openly and honestly. How could you not find out about these things?"

After a moment of silence, Shen Longzi smiled somewhat sickly: "Since Master Shi knows the extent of the matter, do you still want to probe it first?"

"Commander Shen." Shi Ju held up three fingers: "If you want to get things done, you just need to grasp three things: people, money, and land."

As Commander Shen said, I am a newcomer, so I cannot use 'people' as a starting point.

The 'land' mostly involves military and civilian settlements, many of which are under the jurisdiction of garrisons, which is exactly where Commander Shen should be on duty.

Therefore, I could only start my investigation with the money, specifically the Haizhou Saltworks, which was a veritable gold mine.

The soft tapping on the table stopped. Shen Longzi stared intently at Shi Ju for a moment before saying, "I have long heard of Master Shi's great talent, and today I have witnessed it for myself."

But the eldest son specifically asked me to tell Minister Shi one thing: this is not the army, nor is it a chaotic era; Minister Shi needs to govern using the methods of peaceful times.

Shi Ju stroked his chin and said with a smile, "It seems this is a test of teaching. I wonder if Commander Shen has one or two people in Haizhou who can be absolutely trusted?"

Shen Longzi was also prepared. He took out an envelope from his pocket, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it over: "In that case, I will go to Haizhou with Minister Shi to clean up the mess."

Just as Shi Ju and Shen Longzi were finalizing the specific tasks for combating corruption, Lu You, the Hebei Military Commissioner, also became very busy.

Lu You's role as the military commissioner was quite fulfilling.

Even though Hebei was only half of the country at that time, it was still a vast and fertile land, enough to make a difference.

Following Liu Huai's series of personnel appointments and dismissals, Zhang Xiaoxiang and others were sent to Hebei to manage local civil affairs. As a result, Lu You was not left without capable people. His position in the north was still rather awkward. Because he held the title of Pingzhang Zhengshi, which was equivalent to a prime minister of the Song Dynasty, the old guard of the Loyal Army and the Jingnan Army were fine with him, but the newly surrendered people in Henan and Hebei kept their distance.

However, how can we not appoint people from Hebei to govern Hebei?
Naturally, since Liu Huai genuinely wanted Lu You to be the military commissioner, he would have to relinquish some of his power over personnel and finances.

Otherwise, it would be tantamount to humiliation.

Even more naturally, the scholars and military men of Hebei who were won over by Lu You felt disgusted, as if they had swallowed a fly.

What the higher-ups are thinking is the strategic vision of the big shots, but these ordinary people also have their own plans.

Even a fool would know that it's impossible to have any dealings with the State of Song under these circumstances!
This is a matter of life and death, a matter of great importance.

“Dharma-idiot, I’m asking you plainly, can you send a message to Mount Wutai and win them over?”

Faced with Lu You's sincere inquiry, Fa Chi, dressed in military uniform and with a shaved head, put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha, although I lived on Mount Wutai for a few years, I did not practice martial arts. Later, I even broke the precepts and entered the world, becoming a disgraced disciple. I was expelled from Mount Wutai long ago."

"Lord Lu, although I am a disgraced monk from Mount Wutai, I still wish to vindicate the temple. The Buddhist sanctuary is a place where blood is not stained."

Lu You rolled his eyes as he listened, inwardly cursing the monk in front of him.

This guy Fa Chi is clearly a disciple of Wutai Mountain who came to the world. His generals are all fellow disciples from the temple, and they are all quite capable in both personal bravery and commanding troops. They are obviously professionals.

It should be noted that Fa Chi had about two thousand men under his command, and before the reorganization, he had as many as three hundred monk soldiers!

Moreover, it is a tradition for monks from Mount Wutai to join the army.

During the Jingkang Incident, the Venerable Master Zhenbao of Mount Wutai led his monks in resisting the Jin dynasty. After the fall of Daizhou, Venerable Master Zhenbao was captured and ultimately died a martyr.

Later, whether it was Wang Yan resisting the Jin in the Taihang Mountains, Ma Kuo resisting the Jin in the Wuma Mountains, or Liang Xiaoge and Zhang Heng, these leaders of the righteous army who established bases in the Taihang Mountains to resist the Jin, they all had inextricable connections with the Wutai Mountains.

Even though Wutai Mountain was a sacred Buddhist site, and later had to compromise due to the peace negotiations between the Song and Jin dynasties and being trapped behind enemy lines, Lu You did not believe that Wutai Mountain would not have made any moves when the Han army was about to sweep across Hebei.

However, after half an hour of conversation, the topic had already veered into Buddhist philosophy twice. Fa Chi was just pretending to be stupid and not responding to Lu You's words at all.

After Lu You made his point clear, Fa Chi remained completely calm and composed, adopting the non-violent and non-cooperative demeanor of Maitreya Buddha, and directly brushed Lu You's topic aside.

Lu You felt somewhat helpless. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he could only wave the monk away and sit in the main seat, sulking.

Chen Liang, who was working in a side room, slowly walked out, spread out the documents in his hand, shook his head and chuckled: "This legal fanatic is really as slippery as an eel, making him impossible to control."

Lu You sighed: "It's not that I want to control him, but the location of Mount Wutai is just too good, and monks can hide among the masses. There are many high-ranking officials and nobles in the Jin Kingdom who are devout Buddhists."

It can uncover a lot of information that we don't know, but unfortunately..."

Chen Liang scoffed: "Master Lu, do you believe it or not, the eldest son doesn't even need to ask in person. He can just send someone with the token to inquire, and that person will tell you everything clearly, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube?"

Lu You sighed upon hearing this and looked up at Chen Liang: "Did you get the information you were asked?"

Chen Liang nodded: "I asked, but Mr. Zhang remained silent. However, Master Zhu scolded me with the theory of severing the lineage, which was completely disregarding our past kindness."

Even someone as lazy as Brother Yang was now only advising me to focus on my work and not to overthink things.”

Lu You seemed surprised by this complete defeat, and looked up at Chen Liang: "Chen Dalang, what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Liang fell silent, then a look of confusion appeared in his eyes: "I don't know, I really don't know."

Lu You never expected that even a hot-blooded young man like Chen Liang would face such helplessness, and could only say dejectedly, "Could it be... could it be that we can only sit idly by and watch the situation of the Song Dynasty deteriorate day by day?"

Chen Liang shook his head: "This is not because the Song Dynasty is collapsing, nor because the Jin Dynasty is rising, but because the eldest son's place is thriving, making the Song Dynasty appear to be declining."

As he spoke, Chen Liang said sincerely, "Lord Lu, to tell you the truth, the eldest son has already done more than enough for us."

Regardless of our origins, we are ultimately used according to our talents, and many of us are in key positions.

Most of them have now been transferred to Hebei, firstly to fulfill their long-cherished wish of launching a northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty, and secondly to escape the troubles of Jiangnan. What more do you want the eldest son to do?

"If that day really comes... well, let's just take it one step at a time."

After offering his advice in a low voice, Chen Liang also felt somewhat bored, sighed deeply, and remained silent.

Lu You sat in the main seat, his face pale and uncertain.

He wanted to let go of this matter completely and wholeheartedly assist Liu Huai in achieving great things, but in the end, he still couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.

The Lu family has received the country's favor for generations; Lu Dian, the grandfather, was a prime minister. How could they commit treason?
The fact that one cannot have both the Northern Expedition against the Jin Dynasty and loyalty to the Song Dynasty is simply too heart-wrenching.

Lu You sighed again, gently rubbing his leg, and said, "We can only wait until that day really comes before making a decision."

At this moment, neither Lu You nor Chen Liang expected that the day of the decision would come so soon.

(End of this chapter)