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

Chapter 901 The Song Court's Busy Struggles (Part 2)
"Everyone get out! Anyone who dares to utter a word about what happened today will have their entire male clan executed!"

At the critical moment, Yu Yunwen remained calm and first chased all the imperial guards out of the Chuigong Hall.

Only after only two chief ministers, an emperor, and Zeng Di remained in the Chui Gong Hall did Yu Yunwen speak: "How badly did the defeat in Guanzhong go? How many troops are left? Have the Jin invaders already entered Sichuan and Chongqing? Has Prime Minister Lu learned of the military situation?"

Tell me everything, in detail!

Zeng Di dared not be negligent. He took off the leather bag he had been carrying on his back, took out several books from it, and then began to talk about going to deliver the imperial edict.

Only then did Zhao Shen and Shi Hao, who had been standing like stone statues, finally react. Zhao Shen sat in his chair, his face deathly pale; while Shi Hao, disregarding his prime ministerial demeanor, collapsed to the ground, his whole body trembling violently.

Zeng Di, however, disregarded all of this. His immediate priority was to clear himself of all blame as much as possible. Therefore, he described the perilous journey as extremely dangerous and precarious, so as to highlight his achievement in killing Wanyan Lucheng.

Only after Zeng Di recounted how Lu You personally led his troops to annihilate the Jin army that had invaded Chencang Road did Zhao Shen finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness Lord Lu had such a timely act, otherwise if the Jurchen invaders had entered Sichuan... then..."

Zhao Shen had just caught his breath when he thought of the 60,000 Song soldiers who had been wiped out and Wu Lin who had died for his country. He felt a sharp pain in his heart and his mind became muddled. After taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down and avoid fainting.

This is the literal meaning of heartbreak.

Shi Hao never expected the Song army in Xichuan to suffer such a crushing defeat, and his fighting spirit vanished instantly.

The outcome of his struggle with Yu Yunwen has been decided.

The outcome is truly decided.

The country followed your strategies to carry out major military and national affairs, and now it's a complete mess. What else could that be but your incompetence?
What right do incompetent people have to argue about national policies?
Shi Hao was utterly devastated, muttering to himself, "Why...why did this happen...why..."

Although Yu Yunwen wanted to subdue the court, he never thought of using this method to achieve victory.

Thinking that his years of planning were about to go to waste, Yu Yunwen could no longer contain himself and pointed at Shi Hao's nose, shouting: "You old fool! Let me tell you why this is happening! Because you don't know anything about war!"

"The advance or retreat of an army cannot be decided with a single word. An army is made up of individuals. The country has been telling them to reclaim their homeland. Now, they are suddenly retreating. How can the morale of the army be maintained? Don't you know the dangers of changing orders frequently?!"
Are the Jurchen invaders fools? Would they just stand by and watch our army retreat safely? And if the Jurchen invaders suddenly attack, with our morale low, how will we be able to defend ourselves?!

"You, Shi Hao, are to blame for the fate of the Xichuan army!"

In the end, Yu Yunwen truly harbored murderous intent.

Just then, Zhao Shen slowly spoke up: "Prime Minister Yu... this... this is not the fault of the head chef. It was I who forcibly issued the imperial decree, ordering Grand Commandant Wu to return."

"A thousand faults, ten thousand faults, it's all my fault. I...I will issue an edict of self-reproach..."

Yu Yunwen rudely interrupted Zhao Shen, saying, "His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and it is precisely the time for us, the regents, to serve him faithfully. His Majesty has entrusted us with the affairs of the state, so how can we not repay him as pillars of the nation?!"

"Lord Shi! Do you really want His Majesty to bear this enormous responsibility for you?"

Shi Hao rose shakily, then removed his stiff-winged turban, revealing his gray hair: "Your Majesty, I am incompetent, I beg for forgiveness."

"Master Chef." Zhao Shen also stood up, trying to stop him.

However, he suddenly realized that the news of the great defeat in Kansai had not yet spread, and that the two ministers and he, the emperor, could still control the situation.

If we don't set the tone now, it's hard to say what the final outcome will be if it really becomes a political upheaval.

At that time, Shi Hao might be exiled to Yazhou to eat sugarcane.

If Zhao Shenqiang tries to protect Shi Hao, then a political storm will surge toward him.

The previously suppressed pro-peace faction will surely make a comeback.

Don't forget, the peace faction isn't fighting alone; they have an emperor emeritus fishing at Deoksugung Palace above them!

"Your Majesty! We cannot hesitate any longer. Envoy Lu has now blocked the Dasan Pass and maintained the situation in Xichuan. Meanwhile, the Xiangfan army is already poised to attack in Nanyang. Although the Song Dynasty has suffered a major defeat, the outcome of this great battle is still uncertain!"

"If Your Majesty can hold on, there is still a 50% chance of victory; but if Your Majesty cannot hold on, then all is lost!"

As Yu Yunwen spoke, he also took off his hard-winged turban and bowed.

Zhao Shen's breathing became rapid, and after a moment he said, "The imperial edict removes Shi Hao from his position as Right Chancellor, and transfers him to the position of Vice Chancellor, Grand Academician of the Zizheng Hall, and appoints him as Prefect of Jiankang."

"An imperial edict was issued ordering Chen Junqing, the acting Privy Councilor, to be promoted to Left Chancellor."

Yu Yunwen was slightly taken aback, but could only sigh.

As the current Left Chancellor and one of the initiators of the relocation of the capital, Yu Yunwen knew that Zhao Shen's move was intended to leave Shi Hao with a loophole. As long as Shi Hao could make contributions to the relocation of the capital, he would definitely be appointed Chancellor again.

Normally, Yu Yunwen would have been in the mood to fight with Shi Hao, but at this critical moment, he could only let it go.

However, Yu Yunwen was still determined that as long as he was alive, he would never tolerate Shi Hao returning to the court!
Subsequently, Yu Yunwen and Zhao Shen discussed and agreed on the next strategic policy on the spot, and determined a way to deal with the situation in the court. Finally, Yu Yunwen promised that he would definitely win a great victory to quell the situation in the court...

But all of this was no longer relevant to Shi Hao.

Ever since Zhao Shen announced his dismissal as prime minister, his mind has been in a daze.

A hundred emotions surged within Shi Hao at once: the sorrow of losing his official position, the shame of the crushing defeat in Guanzhong, the anger towards Yu Yunwen, and the dissatisfaction with Zhao Shen's ruthlessness. It wasn't until he arrived at the mansion that Shi Hao came to his senses. "Go and tell Madam to pack her bags and prepare to go to Jiankang to take up her post."

Shi Hao only gave the old servant one instruction before returning to his study.

As he expected, someone was already waiting in the study.

Shi Hao put down his official hat and said calmly, "Zhao Huaide, are you really that leisurely as a supervisor of the Imperial City Guard? How can you wait for me at my residence every day?"

Zhao Huaide cupped his hands and said, "Lord Shi..."

Shi Hao waved his hand: "Tell Yang Yizhong that I am no longer the Prime Minister. Now I am just a Vice Minister of State Affairs and Prefect of Jiankang. In the future, don't consult me ​​on anything."

Zhao Huaide looked astonished: "This... why is this happening?"

Shi Hao stared at Zhao Huaide for a long time before suppressing his anger and saying, "Yang Yizhong's idea led to the near annihilation of the Guanzhong army, and Wu Lin, the Grand Commandant, has also died for his country."

Before Zhao Huaide could even process this bombshell news, he heard Shi Hao continue, "Today, Prime Minister Yu said that my suggestion to withdraw troops from Guanzhong was a foolish act of ignorance about military affairs."

"Ha, I truly know nothing about military affairs, but does Yang Yizhong also know nothing about them? If he had foreseen this beforehand, and still came up with this idea, is he really just using me as a rag?!"

Zhao Huaide was speechless, unsure how to respond.

Seeing this, Shi Hao knew that this was also a useless person who knew nothing about military affairs, so he simply waved his hand and chased him out.

He also has his own faction, and the turmoil in the court caused by the great defeat in Guanzhong will definitely spread to other places. He needs to make some preparations before the news leaks out.

Shi Hao believed that sooner or later, he would make a comeback.

Soon, news of the great defeat in Guanzhong reached Deshou Palace. Although the specific causes and consequences were not known, Yang Yizhong quickly informed Zhao Gou of this "good" news.

Zhao Gou remained silent for a long time in the warm and elegant room, his face somber.

Yang Yizhong thought the retired emperor was worried about the situation in Sichuan and even grieving over Wu Lin's death, so he whispered and advised, "Your Majesty, Shi Hao has only been demoted to the position of prefect of Jiankang, but he still holds the title of Vice Minister of State Affairs. This shows that even if Sichuan suffers a great defeat, the court can still stabilize the situation in Sichuan."

As for Wu Er, alas, even earthenware pots break by the well, and great generals die on the battlefield. He died a worthy death; Your Majesty, please do not grieve too much and harm your health.”

Zhao Gou was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, before looking at Yang Yizhong with a strange gaze.

"Zhengfu, why should I worry about these things? The country has already been ceded; do you expect me to live in fear and anxiety?"

This time it was Yang Yizhong's turn to be stunned, but he was only stunned for a moment before his expression returned to normal: "Your Majesty's words are reasonable, and I was just being superficial. But I wonder what Your Majesty is worried about?"

Facing his trusted confidant, Zhao Gou made no attempt to conceal his feelings: "I was just thinking that this has thoroughly offended Shi Hao, and I wonder if he can still be of use to me in the future."

Yang Yizhong thought for a moment before saying with certainty, "It will definitely happen."

"Oh?"

"It's normal that the Emperor, being the Son of Heaven, doesn't know the thoughts of us, his subjects."

Now that Shi Hao has done something foolish, Prime Minister Yu will definitely seize the opportunity to completely suppress this fellow and prevent him from returning to the court. At this point, what other path does Shi Hao have besides siding with the Emperor and serving him?
Unless Shi Hao is truly indifferent to fame and fortune and doesn't want to come back, but he's definitely not that kind of person.

Zhao Gou nodded emphatically: "Zhengfu, the weather is cold today, so you shouldn't stay in the palace any longer. Go home and rest for a few days... Heh... the days ahead will probably be much more relaxed."

After bowing respectfully, Yang Yizhong strode away.

Only after leaving Deshou Palace and boarding the carriage did Yang Yizhong's feigned relaxed expression finally crumble. He covered his forehead in the carriage, and in the cold winter wind, sweat poured down his body like a torrent.

In a daze, Yang Yizhong felt as if there were people around him, but when he looked up, he found that there was nothing around him.

"Tenth Brother, why did it have to come to this..."

He vaguely heard Yue Pengju's voice and immediately shouted, "Guard! Don't go to Dali Temple!"

The carriage stopped, and a guard approached and whispered, "General, are we going to the Dali Temple?"

Yang Yizhong seemed to have heard the most terrifying thing in his life, and shook his head repeatedly in the carriage: "Don't go to Dali Temple, go back to the mansion immediately!"

Although the guards were surprised, they said nothing more.

After the carriage continued to move, Yang Yizhong trembled and stood there stunned for a long time before finally realizing what was happening.

I am not trapped on the day I betrayed Yue Fei.

Instead, they kept repeating the same act of framing loyal and virtuous people.

Now that Wu Lin is dead, who will be next to die?

The carriage moved slowly along the cobblestone road and soon disappeared into the winter mist.

(End of this chapter)