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

Chapter 846: Life is full of crossroads

Although they had long known that their lord was an unconventional person, Liu Huai's unconventional thinking still surprised most people.

You haven't even become king yet, let alone unified the world, and you already want to seal off Goryeo, Japan, Dali, and Western Liao. Isn't that a bit too outrageous?

But on second thought, these subjects felt it was somewhat natural.

Now that things have come to this, is there anyone else besides Liu Huai who can seize the world?

Or the two Jin dynasties that were barely clinging to life? Or the Song dynasty that was reduced to such a sorry state in Huaibei?

If that's the case, then isn't it only natural to discuss what will happen after unifying the world?

Of course, if Liu Huai had just spoken words, the impact wouldn't have been that great, but when paired with this world map, the persuasiveness was extraordinary.

The north is all bitterly cold land, so let's leave that aside for now.

The South Seas to the south are so vast; those islands combined are almost the size of the Central Plains.

Due to the prosperity of Shandong's maritime trade, most of the civil and military officials in the Han army also had shares in the maritime trade between the north and south, so they were not unfamiliar with Southeast Asia, but they never imagined that it would be so large.

Besides, what about that land further south called Jambudvipa?

This is no longer considered an island; it's the size of the entire Middle-earth.

Ever since the Tang Dynasty pushed its expansion to its limits and nearly burst the country, Chinese scholars have become confused about whether to continue expanding. Even figures like Yu Yunwen wanted to restore the former territories of the Han and Tang dynasties, but had no other ideas.

Liu Huai's words ignited the enthusiasm of the assembled officials.

Yes, although China has already expanded to its limit on land, surrounded by barren land, there is still much potential overseas.

With so many large islands in Southeast Asia, even if one person occupies one, or even if several people share one, it would still be the foundation for establishing a business!

Of course, this is just a preliminary idea. Liu Huai only wants to appease officers at all levels through this method.

As for whether overseas is a wild and untamed land, that's obvious at a glance.

It's not like no one has ever been to the Western Liao or gone to Southeast Asia; how could they not know the local situation?
Even though the environment is very different from that of the Central Plains, it is still a duchy or marquisate that was actually granted by the Han emperor. It is a family property that can benefit future generations. What more could you ask for?

This military council, which was originally mainly discussing the major case in Haizhou, ended in such a heated atmosphere.

Moreover, it is conceivable that as the miniature world map was printed and distributed along with the official gazette, Liu Huai's words would also spread, and the entire northern region would be in an uproar.

Lu You returned to his residence in a daze. He didn't even know how he ended up sitting at his desk. He just sat there blankly until night fell before he came to his senses.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Lu You's gaze involuntarily fell upon the offering table directly opposite him, where the small memorial tablet shone brightly in the golden sunlight.

The memorial tablet of Duke Wei, whose personal name was Sheng.

Lu You got up, took three incense sticks from the offering table, lit them, and placed them in the incense burner. When he looked up again, his eyes were already filled with tears.

Lu You wanted to confide in his old friend, but he didn't know where to begin. He could only stand there, sighing repeatedly, as the dark night swallowed him up.

The next day, Lu You, who had not slept all night and had dark circles under his eyes, wrapped the memorial tablet in a bundle, carried it on his back, and then led his confidants to Daming Prefecture at high speed.

As the Hebei Military Commissioner, he still had much to do.

Three or four days later, after all his work had been arranged and all the letters he needed to write had been sent out, Lu You went to the prison in Daming Prefecture.

Although Lu You's title of Hebei Military Commissioner was somewhat undeserved, with no real military power and his personnel and financial authority largely eroded, he still held complete control over the judiciary.

Therefore, when Lu You personally came to the prison to take away prisoners, no one dared to stop him.

Wugulun Yuanzhong had been in prison for nearly two months, and by then he was disheveled, with sunken cheeks and a thin body.

It wasn't that the prison wouldn't feed him, but rather that Wugu Lun Yuanzhong was trapped in prison, his life hanging by a thread, and with Liu Huai personally deciding his fate as beheading, it would be quite strange if he had any appetite at all.

Upon seeing Lu You, dressed in a blue cloth robe, standing at the prison gate, Wugulun Yuanzhong gave a bitter laugh. He thought today was the day he would depart, and he collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly powerless.

Lu You was too lazy to say anything, he simply tucked his hands in his sleeves and directed his men to drag him out.

Wugulun Yuanzhong had not seen the sun for two months. Now that he was suddenly exposed to the light of day, he could not even open his eyes. He could only close his eyes and weep, saying, "Lord Lu, which way is north? My lord is in the north. I cannot die facing south."

Lu You remained silent, but instructed his attendants to change Wugulun Yuanzhong's clothes and wash him with clean water. He then tied Wugulun Yuanzhong to a horse and left the city with a caravan.

It wasn't until the afternoon, when the sunlight softened, that Wugulun Yuanzhong was able to open his eyes and observe his surroundings.

This place is a small hillside. Several horse-drawn carriages are arranged in a circle around it. A few people are gathering firewood and cooking, while several soldiers are on guard around the area.

Lu You, on the other hand, stood on his horse at the very top of the hillside, gazing silently northward.

Wugulun Yuanzhong's heart skipped a beat. Ignoring the fact that his hands were still bound behind his back, he staggered to Lu You's side under the watchful eye of an armored soldier. "Lord Lu, are you going to release me?"

Lu You's gaze remained unwavering as he calmly said, "If it doesn't work today, I'll release you tomorrow."

Wugulun Yuanzhong was overjoyed, then asked seriously, "Does Minister Lu have something to convey to His Majesty?"

Lu You, however, was too lazy to pay attention to Wu Gulun Yuanzhong. He waved his hand and told Cao Dache to take him away and not disturb him.

When Wugulun Yuanzhong was dragged away, he did not resist. His mind was racing. He was thinking about why Lu You would bring several followers to the desolate wilderness, and why Lu You would let him go.

It couldn't possibly be Liu Huai's military order, could it?

Why bother with all this secrecy? Just put them on horseback and send them to the other side of the Hutuo River, wouldn't that solve the problem?
On the second day, when they set off, Wugulun Yuanzhong determined from the direction of the sun that Lu You was heading south.

At noon, Cao Dache untied Wugulun Yuanzhong and stuffed the reins of a bad horse into Wugulun Yuanzhong's hand, grinning maliciously: "Golden Dog, you are really lucky."

"You'll soon have food and water bags, and a few coins, enough for your return north. Now, while Grandpa doesn't want to kill anyone, get out of here."

Wugulun Yuanzhong pulled on the horse's reins and called out loudly to Lu You's retreating figure, "Lord Lu! Lord Lu! I have something to say!"

Cao Dache immediately placed his hand on the hilt of his knife and sneered, "Jin Gou, you really don't know what's good for you..."

"Cao Dalang, let him come over."

"Here!"

Perhaps because they were getting closer to the control zone of Xijin, Lu You changed out of his scholar's robe and put on a short, tight-fitting outfit. Although he wasn't wearing heavy armor, he was wearing a suit of iron trousers and had a sword slung over his shoulder.

Seeing Wugulun Yuanzhong approaching, Lu You said calmly, "Say what you want to say."

Wu Gulun Yuanzhong bowed deeply and said, "I am only able to escape from prison thanks to Lord Lu's great kindness. I will never forget it."

Lu You gripped the hilt of his sword, tilted his head slightly, and looked at Wugulun Yuanzhong: "How did you know that I released you without permission?"

Wu Gulun Yuanzhong replied solemnly, "This matter is easy to understand. It's simply that Prime Minister Lu didn't have a proper warrant or a signed document. At the time, I was so confused that I didn't notice. But now that I've regained my freedom, how could I not understand?"

"And I also know why Lord Lu released me."

Lu You finally showed some interest: "Oh?"

Wu Gulun Yuanzhong said, "Because Lord Lu is heading south to return to the Song Dynasty."

The reason why Lu Xianggong gave up serving as the Hebei Military Commissioner under Liu Bei was simply because he felt that Liu Bei's power could no longer be shaken from within, yet he did not want to be seen as a traitor, nor did he want to betray his lifelong ambition to restore the Song Dynasty. Caught in this dilemma, he had no choice but to return to the Song.

As he spoke, Wugulun Yuanzhong pointed to himself: "And I am also a loyal minister of the Great Jin who is caught in a dilemma. Minister Lu inevitably felt a sense of shared fate, which is why he released me."

Lu You nodded slowly, but his expression remained noncommittal.

Seeing this, Wugulun Yuanzhong became somewhat flustered. He said sincerely, "Lord Lu, although I did try to incite Liu's ambitions, this was just a trigger, not a cause, much less an effect."

Since Liu the traitor has committed such acts, he can no longer be loyal to the Song Dynasty. I hope Prime Minister Lu will see this clearly.

Lu You scoffed: "Do you really think that Liu Dalang being called the King of Han is my reason for surrendering to the Song Dynasty?"

Wugulun Yuanzhong was somewhat surprised: "Isn't that so?"

Lu You sneered a few times: "Go back to your Jin Kingdom."

I'm letting you go, not for any other reason than because you're a good-for-nothing who's neither good at academics nor martial arts; your life or death is irrelevant to the bigger picture.

Even though he was humiliated to his face, Wugulun Yuanzhong remained unperturbed. He suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Lu, I will go to the Great Song with you. I will definitely explain the advantages and disadvantages to the Song emperor and form an alliance with the Great Song to be brothers forever."

At that time, the Jin and Song dynasties will attack Liu Bei from the south and north respectively, dividing the world in two along the Yellow River!

Lu You listened quietly as Wugulun Yuanzhong finished speaking, then sighed deeply: "Wugulun Yuanzhong, is that right? You truly are a loyal minister and filial son of the Jin Kingdom."

Wu Gulun Yuanzhong hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting: "I cannot compare to Lord Lu... uh..."

After exchanging only half a polite remark, Wugulun Yuanzhong felt a chill in his chest, followed by excruciating pain, and his whole body became weak, causing him to collapse to the ground.

In the last instant before his consciousness faded, Wu Gulun Yuanzhong only saw Lu You shake the blood off his sword and sheath it again.

"Why...is this..."

Wu Gulun Yuanzhong was destined not to understand why Lu You would suddenly turn against him.

This high-ranking Jurchen official, who in real history rose to the position of Right Chancellor of the Jin Dynasty, died in a muddled way on an unnamed hill on the north bank of the Yellow River.

(End of this chapter)