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

Chapter 912 The Petty Man is Always Fearful

Li Tong swaggered into the Hall of State Affairs, only to be met with Zhang Hao's corpse lying in the hall, after which he quickly fell silent.

Although the Han army's entry into the city today was relatively orderly, it was, after all, a large city of 100,000 households that was being taken back into control. With so many things to deal with, some chaos was inevitable.

This is why Li Tong, who was the first to come to the Hall of State Affairs to take over the account books, had no idea that Zhang Hao was dead.

For a moment, Li Tong didn't even know what expression to make.

As former colleagues who served in the same court, Zhang Hao was always Li Tong's superior. When Li Tong became the Left Chancellor, Zhang Hao had already risen to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, which was above the Left and Right Chancellors and the pinnacle of civil officials.

Li Tong was a true opportunist who seized a high position by flattering the emperor.
Zhang Hao, however, has always maintained a humble and gentlemanly demeanor, the kind of person who works tirelessly like an ox.

It would be a miracle if these two people could hit it off!

In fact, Li Tong's eagerness to come to the Hall of State Affairs was partly motivated by a desire to show off his discerning eye to Zhang Hao.

This can hardly be considered an insult; it simply means that Li Tong is utterly hopeless and has the despicable nature of a villain.

However, to everyone's surprise, Zhang Hao committed suicide!

Moreover, he committed suicide just before the Han army entered the city.

What does he want to do?
Was it really to remain chaste for Wanyan Liang?
Why doesn't he leave?
"Lord Li." A military envoy rushed over, bypassed several clerks, and came to Li Tong: "The King of Han asked me to give you this letter, saying it is Zhang Hao's last will and testament."

Li Tong quickly opened the letter and began to read it carefully.

Most of these were the locations where account books, government treasuries, household registers and other documents were kept, and more than a dozen suitable local officials were recommended to Liu Huai.

It wasn't until the very end that Zhang Haofang revealed why he wanted to commit suicide.

The reason is so simple and direct that anyone can understand it.

In this chaotic world, everyone is scrambling to cross the river, and Zhang Hao is already exhausted and has no strength left to continue the struggle.

Now that I'm going to die, I can repay Wanyan Liang's kindness in recognizing my talent, so it can be considered a worthy death.

Zhang Hao's actions can be described as worthy of the emperor's favor and the people's trust, while also embodying the core values ​​of feudalism. Even if recorded in history books, he would be praised for it.

However, Li Tong was a petty person at heart. He held the letter, looking at it from left to right, up to down, and was somewhat unsure of what to do.

Logically speaking, today is a good day for Liu Huai to recover the former capital of the previous dynasty, so Zhang Hao's actions are tantamount to openly insulting him.

Any ruler with a temper would probably have chopped Zhang Hao's corpse into pieces by now.

But Li Tong had followed Liu Huai for a long time and probably knew that his lord might not really care about such things.

After thinking it over, Li Tong grabbed the military envoy's arm and asked, "How is the eldest son feeling? Is there anything else you would like to say?"

The military envoy scratched his head and said, "It's probably all good. There's no real explanation. He just told the Jin general who surrendered not to betray Lord Zhang's good intentions."

Li Tong instantly understood.

As a capable but treacherous official, Li Tong quickly sent people to return Zhang Hao's body to the Zhang residence and personally offered condolences to prevent others from making a misjudgment.

Ignoring the darkness of night, Li Tong plunged into piles of documents, starting with the household registration system to sort out the civil affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture.

By the second day, Li Tong had already found a way to use his influence, using the pretext of checking the government treasury to extend his reach from top to bottom.

This inevitably involved numerous executions and demotions, making it a job that would offend many people. However, given Li Tong's years of experience in officialdom, how could he not know that only by doing the dirty work could one truly grasp power?

Why was Liu Huai chosen as the future ruler of the Han people, not Zhao Shen? Isn't it because it was Liu Huai who toiled and endured hardship, working the dirty work, rather than Zhao Shen who sat comfortably in the palace?

The principle is that one who bears the shame of the nation becomes the king of the world.

Of course, Li Tong had no intention of becoming the king of the world, so after making a preliminary plan, he immediately went to the Daxiangguo Temple to report.

At this time, the Daxiangguo Temple was naturally not as prosperous as it was during the Song Dynasty. This was because the Daxiangguo Temple was more like the Zhao family's ancestral temple, and relying on this relationship, it became a huge financial entity that integrated large-scale commodity trading, employment of people, savings and lending.

After the Jingkang Incident, with the Song Dynasty settling in the south, the Daxiangguo Temple naturally lost its former glory. However, because the upper class of the Jin Dynasty was very devout Buddhists, no one confiscated its property. Nevertheless, its decline was to be expected, leaving only the huge temple struggling to survive in Bianliang City.

After the Han army entered the city, they immediately took a liking to this place. After a brief negotiation and paying some money through the military accounts, Daxiangguo Temple naturally became the Han army's camp.

Originally, the temple abbot dared not accept money, but he couldn't resist Liu Huai personally stepping in and forcibly stuffing the money and goods into the abbot's hands.

The reasoning behind it is also quite plausible.

If I cannot set a good example, what will happen if ordinary soldiers follow suit?
Having said all that, the abbot naturally dared not refuse any longer. However, what surprised him even more was that Liu Huai did not enter the magnificent palace, but continued to live with his troops. Everyone knew that the King of Han was expressing his ambition to the world; there was no time for peace until the world was unified.

However, many people also believe that Liu Huai is being too harsh on himself. Now that he calls himself the ruler of the Central Plains, it is only natural. What's wrong with living in a palace? Does he have to be subservient to the minor officials of the Southern Dynasty?

"Don't overthink it, Lord Li." Liu Huai was shooting arrows by a deserted vegetable garden, with several court officials and attendants beside him. "I don't live in the palace, and it's not because I care about what others think."

"But how can one move in if the Jin Kingdom's inner court isn't thoroughly cleaned up? And cleaning up the inner court is A-Jun's responsibility; I shouldn't overstep my bounds."

Upon hearing this, Li Tong was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Young Master, please don't joke. The people below will not hold a grudge over such a trivial matter."

Liu Huai released the bowstring, and an arrow struck the bullseye: "Really not?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tong paused slightly, then shook his head and said, "Of course there are, but they are all good-for-nothings who will never amount to anything."

Whenever the Han army achieved a major victory, there would always be a group of people who felt that they had passed the stage of enduring hardship and could start to enjoy life.

The key point is that these people are not a fixed group, but rather people who have always been very competent, but suddenly lost their spirit.

This cannot even be described as a decline in morale; it is simply a matter of human nature.

This is also why Liu Huai kept convening rectification meetings and used the military staff system to explain strategies and systems to the grassroots soldiers.

However, Liu Huai still had some confidence. Those who were greedy for comfort were only a small part of the group. As long as the channels for advancement and retreat were normal, the military and political group he had built would not fall apart so easily and could be maintained for several decades.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Liu Huai took the initiative to change the subject and smiled at Li Tong, whose eyes were obviously bloodshot, "Has Prime Minister Li come here this time because he has thought of how to govern Kaifeng Prefecture?"

Li Tong immediately explained his plan, and then said hesitantly, "I am determined to kill a group of people this time, and I hope that Your Highness will grant me permission."

Liu Huai shot another arrow, then shook his head and chuckled, "What's this about approval? As long as it's a just and lawful punishment, just do it without worry. But now that we have Kaifeng Prefecture, and I've given Prime Minister Li more power, if Henan still can't be restored, I'll definitely blame Prime Minister Li."

Li Tong straightened his back, adopting the confident demeanor of a renowned minister: "My lord, if Henan cannot restore the people's livelihood within three years, and if Henan's treasury cannot be full and the people's families cannot have surplus grain within five years, please cut off my head to appease the world."

After saying that, Li Tongfu added, "Except for the Yellow River."

Liu Huai chuckled again, then sighed, "Yes, except for the Yellow River."

The work to manage the Yellow River had already begun long ago. Luo Guzi and Liang Qiu had already conducted several on-site investigations of the Yellow River channel before Kaifeng Prefecture was even recovered.

As the Han army's sphere of influence expanded and the study of natural phenomena rose, more and more scholars and technical officials participated in the great cause of river management.

After numerous discussions and calculations, Luo Guzi reached a conclusion.

Most of the veteran officials, including him, probably won't live to see the day when the Yellow River is completely tamed.

The good news is that Liu Huai is still young and can consistently adhere to the policies, and one day he will be able to bring the Yellow River to a near-complete state of control.

While these words were filled with the revolutionary optimism of the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains, they also revealed a fact to Liu Huai.

Even without considering the canal transport, controlling the Yellow River cannot be accomplished overnight; it requires many people to dedicate their entire lives to it.

"Mr. Luo will take charge of the overall management of the Yellow River, while Minister Li will continue to work on restoring the livelihood of the people in Henan." Liu Huai thought for a moment and then added, "However, Minister Li should work together with Mr. Luo on the work-for-relief program."

Li Tong quickly agreed: "Besides that, does the eldest son intend to personally go to offer condolences?"

Liu Huai put down his bow and arrow, turned back to look at Li Tong in surprise: "What does this mean?"

Li Tong spoke with righteous indignation, appearing every inch the gentleman: "Although Zhang Hao is ignorant of destiny, he has done great service to the people of Henan. If we treat Zhang Hao well, we can probably win back some of the people's hearts."

Liu Huai suddenly laughed out loud, then sighed: "Has Minister Li ever considered that Zhang Hao is, after all, loyal to the Jin invaders? If I were to promote his loyalty and righteousness, wouldn't that be disregarding the distinction between Chinese and barbarians?"

As a former prime minister who had served in the Jin Dynasty, Li Tong hadn't subconsciously thought that far ahead, and was immediately taken aback upon hearing this.

Liu Huai then added, "Moreover, if we want to win over the hearts of the people of Henan, why would we need a mere Zhang Hao?"

Li Tong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately became quite excited: "Young Master, could it be that we're about to hold a formal imperial examination?"

"That's right. In addition to the classics and policy advice, there will also be content on the investigation of things. I plan to take this opportunity to officially recognize the 'Investigation of Things'."

Li Tong felt somewhat surprised, yet not entirely. Whether it was opening the imperial examination system or elevating the status of "The Theory of Investigation of Things," it was all the same: "It seems it's time to open the imperial examination system, but if that happens, we'll probably become irreconcilable enemies with the Song state."

Liu Huai put his index finger to his lips: "So we have to do it secretly. And we have to give Prime Minister Yu a good talking-to, so he doesn't ruin our plans."

Faced with these obviously mocking words, Li Tong laughed out loud: "That's right, what does it matter to us what the Song Kingdom thinks? As long as we act with integrity, why should we care about what others say?"

(End of this chapter)