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

Chapter 892 Four Years of Effort Wasted in a Single Day
Surrounded by a group of generals, Zeng Di, who was in charge of the gatekeeping affairs, did not show it on his face, but he was extremely flustered inside.

As Zhao Shen's confidant and the one who delivered the imperial edict, he knew all too well what the edict contained.

This imperial edict essentially forced Wu Lin to hand over the territory he had recovered over several years of war, and the entire Sichuan army withdrew to Hanzhong, abandoning the people of Guanzhong in a resolute manner.

Wu Lin, whose health was already poor, fainted on the spot after seeing the imperial edict.

After several generals helped Wu Lin into the inner room, they all came to the main hall. They didn't speak or ask for the imperial decree to read on their own. They just stared coldly at Zeng Di, making him feel uneasy.

If this was a legitimate imperial edict drafted by the Secretariat scribes and countersigned by the chief ministers, then Zeng Di would have stood up straight and publicly rebuked him.

However, this was, after all, an imperial decree, and Wu Lin, as a general of the rank of Grand Commandant, was naturally qualified to reject it. This made Zeng Di somewhat speechless and unable to keep up with the flow.

If you were to be accused of falsely conveying an imperial edict under the pretext of "a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders," wouldn't that be incredibly upsetting?

Therefore, Zeng Di could only maintain a defiant attitude, drinking tea under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen menacing figures.

Upon receiving the news, Wu Ting returned from the military camp and, without even taking off his armor, went straight to the inner room: "Father, Father, what happened? Doctor Zhang, what's wrong with my father?"

Doctor Zhang shook his head and sighed repeatedly: "Since winter began, Wu Taiwei's health has not been very good. A month ago, he contracted typhoid fever, which aggravated some old injuries."

I instructed Grand Commandant Wu to let him rest, but he repeatedly used his busy military duties as an excuse. Alas… today he suffered some further shock, and for a moment the blood rushed to his head, and he fainted.”

Wu Ting was extremely anxious: "Doctor Zhang, now is the time when a great battle is about to begin. My father must not make any mistakes. Have you prescribed any medicine?"

Doctor Zhang nodded: "I have already ordered someone to prepare the medicine. But young Master Wu, as a doctor, I have something to say to you from the bottom of my heart."

Wu Taiwei's frailty was not due to illness, but rather because his lifespan was nearing its end, and there was nothing that could be done to help him.

If he can take good care of himself from now on, he might live another five or six years; but if he continues to devote himself to military affairs like this, then... alas..."

Wu Ting was somewhat frightened upon hearing this, but his fear turned into anger.

Just as he was about to throw a tantrum, an old voice came from the bed: "Fifth Brother, get over here!"

Wu Ting immediately stopped, cupped his hands in greeting to Doctor Zhang, saw him out of the house, and then came to the bedside: "Father."

Although Wu Lin still looked unwell, he had regained his senses: "Were you trying to throw a tantrum just now?"

Was Doctor Zhang wrong? At my age, what else could I be but someone whose lifespan has come to an end?!

Wu Ting shook his head repeatedly and immediately changed the subject: "Father, what decree did that man surnamed Zeng bring? Is he summoning you back?"

Wu Lin clutched his chest and slowly shook his head: "It's worse. The Emperor wants to recall all troops, abandon Guanzhong, and blockade Dasanguan."

Wu Ting immediately jumped up, but because he was wearing heavy armor and had just been kneeling, he was unsteady on his feet and stumbled and collapsed to the ground: "What? The Emperor? Has the Emperor gone mad? Or does this man surnamed Zeng dare to forge an imperial edict?!"

Wu Ting reacted quickly, immediately slapping a huge accusation on Zeng Di's head: "If this imperial edict is not fake, why hide it and not read it aloud in public?!"

Wu Lin shook his head again: "It's true, it's the Emperor's decree, and it was written by the Emperor himself. The seal and handwriting are exactly the same."

Moreover, Zeng Di is a man of substance, a legitimate official in charge of the imperial palace, and a trusted confidant of the emperor; this cannot be faked.

Upon hearing this, Wu Ting became even more disheartened and was unable to stand up for a moment: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, how could you do this... Your Majesty... We... fought for years to finally recover Longyou, and now you want to give it all to the Jin invaders?"

What will become of the people of Kansai? Will those Kansai lads who joined the army follow us? All the military and civilian settlements will be reduced to ashes. Father, what are we doing?!

After Wu Ting finished speaking, he was already sobbing and shedding tears. However, he was worried that his crying would affect the morale of the army, so he could only hold the edge of his armor and force himself to endure it.

Wu Lin, contrary to his usual behavior, did not scold his son. Instead, he lay on the bed, staring blankly at the curtains, his face showing a somber expression.

After a moment, Wu Ting finally stopped crying: "Father, this can't be kept secret for long. Father must tell me, is it true that the Emperor suspects you?"

Wu Lin remained silent for a moment before saying, "Perhaps they suspect me, but I suspect His Majesty suspects Minister Lu more."

Wu Ting frowned: "Lord Lu? Lord Lu, the newly appointed Sichuan Military Commissioner?"

"It is indeed Lord Lu. Some time ago, our provisions suddenly became plentiful. Do you know why?"

"I don't know."

"This matter could potentially undermine morale, so I didn't mention it."

It was this Lu Xiangong who secretly massacred the Wang family of Chengdu, using this as leverage to intimidate the powerful clans of Sichuan into providing money and manpower. As for the land and grain reserves in northern Sichuan, they were all confiscated to fund the military.

Wu Ting was stunned upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that the renowned Prime Minister Lu would be such a violent person. "Good riddance! They deserve to die! These worthless bastards, like wild dogs, are good at stealing and cheating, but they can't fight thieves properly."

This spring, a powerful family from Sichuan came to Longyou to buy land and even wanted to occupy it for military farming. I refused, but they still dared to pester me.

"Oh, no wonder they've been so well-behaved these past two months! It turns out Master Lu used some tricks!"

Wu Lin sighed: "Lord Lu is good in every way, but he made a mistake in this matter."

"Father, shouldn't those powerful families in Chengdu be killed?"

"Of course they deserve to die, but they can't! That's how some things are; even if you think it's right, you absolutely can't do it!"

Wu Lin's words were suddenly filled with boundless resentment. After catching his breath for a moment, he calmed down and looked calmly at his most promising son: "Once you do this kind of thing, you will not only put yourself in a hopeless situation, but you will also inexplicably ruin a great deal. This is the way of the world!"

"Father, Lord Lu's actions are to raise funds for our military..."

"So I don't blame Lord Lu, but I blame this damned world! Damn Heaven!"

Wu Lin raised his voice, then coughed repeatedly.

Wu Ting quickly got up and stepped forward to pat Wu Lin on the back.

After stopping his cough, Wu Lin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Fifth Brother, Sichuan is naturally isolated. We must let the powerful minister govern it, and we must not let the court completely lose control."

The reason why the retired emperor did not allow officials from Sichuan to take up official positions was because he was worried that after the southward migration, local officials in Sichuan would develop separatist intentions.

Therefore, Sichuan often appointed several civil and military officials to check and balance each other, and the scholar-officials of Sichuan were also involved in matters concerning the state.

This is the current situation. Lu Xiangong's radical actions in Sichuan demonstrate that he doesn't care about the scholars and officials in Sichuan.

Wang Yan, the transport commissioner who controlled the finances, had no choice but to submit to Lu Xianggong because he needed to raise military provisions for Guanzhong.

As the Pacification Commissioner, I have been fighting in Guanzhong for many years, and the logistics and supplies are in the hands of Minister Lu.

Therefore, in the eyes of the court, Prime Minister Lu already possessed the ability to establish a separatist regime in Sichuan and Chongqing; whether he wanted to or not was ultimately irrelevant.

After Wu Lin explained in detail, Wu Ting understood: "In other words, the Emperor wants to transfer Father back to Sichuan to suppress Prime Minister Lu?"

Although he had figured it out, Wu Ting still found it somewhat absurd: "Father, what we are doing is of great importance to the military and the country. How could the Emperor recall you just because of a little doubt? Why not just dismiss Prime Minister Lu directly?"

"Silly child, let's not even talk about the fact that Minister Lu was recommended by the Prime Minister and has some influence in the court. Just consider the Emperor's opinion: if Minister Lu really had rebellious intentions, he might rebel immediately. Putting aside whether it succeeds or not, Sichuan will definitely fall into war. Tell me, in the Emperor's heart, which is more important, Sichuan or Guanzhong?"

"Major national affairs, major national affairs, alas, wasn't what Yue Fei did also a major national affairs? And what was Yue Fei's fate?"

At this point, Wu Lin sighed heavily, looked up and said, "This world belongs to the Zhao family. If he wants to lose, then let him lose."

When Wu Ting heard that Wu Lin seemed to be giving up in despair, he immediately became anxious: "This is an imperial edict; Father can still refuse it!"

Wu Lin looked at Wu Ting with complicated eyes: "Wu Lang, from now on you will only be a steward. After I die, don't fight for it anymore."

Seeing Wu Ting's confused and fearful expression, Wu Lin continued to explain: "Right now, the Emperor only suspects Lu Xiangong. If I disobey the imperial decree, we will be implicated as well. Then your cousin will also be suspected, and he won't be able to explain himself."

Moreover, the Emperor wouldn't suspect something out of thin air; there must be some treacherous individuals involved, and their ultimate goal will be to implicate Prime Minister Yu. If we drag Prime Minister Yu into this because we disobeyed the imperial edict, we will be doomed.

After realizing this, Wu Ting muttered to himself, "Could it be... could it be that the only option is to withdraw the troops? Four years... four years of war! And all of it is wiped out in a single day..."

Wu Lin closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Spread the word, but don't let it damage the Emperor's wisdom. Just say it's me... I'm seriously ill and unable to continue, plus the rear supplies are running low, so the whole army needs to retreat to Bashu... Heh, four years, what's four years? Ten years of effort can be wiped out in a single day, it's not unheard of in this dynasty..."

Wu Ting dared not say another word and slowly left with heavy steps.

After closing the door, he heard his old father muttering to himself inside: "Ten years of hard work, wasted in a single day... All the counties gained, lost in an instant... The nation and its people, difficult to revive... The world, beyond repair..."

After repeating it a few times, Wu Ting heard extremely suppressed sobbing coming from inside the room.

Wu Ting's nose tingled with emotion, and he suppressed the urge to cry, slowly walking away.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Wu Ting looked at Zeng Di and said, "Prefect Zeng, my father is old and can no longer perform his duties. However, the Emperor's decree is here, and since my father is the Grand Commandant of the Great Song Dynasty, he must naturally obey it."

Zeng Di was overjoyed that his task was so simple, and he repeatedly praised Grand Commandant Wu for his great understanding and righteousness.

(End of this chapter)