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

Chapter 914: Leaving room for further turmoil

Gao Yu traveled a long way through Sichuan and Chongqing, and by the time he returned to Jinan Prefecture, it was already June.

He was naturally granted the privilege of meeting the King of Han.

"Mr. Lu is still as sharp-tongued as ever." Liu Huai didn't hold back, holding his several-month-old chubby son, and sighed in front of Gao Yu: "But Mr. Lu's ability is undeniable. He actually managed to turn the tide with the Song army. He's truly amazing."

Gao Yu nodded solemnly: "Moreover, I have observed that the generals of the Song army are very impressed with Mr. Lu. When they start to make a fuss, they are silenced by a single rebuke from Mr. Lu and dare not utter another word."

Liu Huai laughed and said, "Of course, Mr. Lu is a first-rate smart man. Having been in the military for so long, how could he be completely ignorant of military affairs?"
Now, having gained experience, he is certainly qualified to be a commander-in-chief.

Gao Yu nodded, then took out a box from his bosom, opened it and took out a golden longevity lock: "Young Master Han, this is what Mr. Lu asked me to give to the Crown Prince. He said he only wishes the Crown Prince to live a long and healthy life, free from disasters and harm."

Liu Huai took the longevity lock, looked at it in his palm, shook his head and laughed: "Mr. Lu is really stingy. He tried to fool my eldest son with something like this, without even writing a poem that will be remembered in history. It's really outrageous."

Gao Yu didn't know what to say, so he could only chuckle sheepishly.

However, when Liu Huai received the longevity lock, he already knew the meaning Lu You was conveying.

This is actually a promise.

If Liu Huai were to be defeated and killed in the future, Lu You would risk his life to preserve Liu Huai's bloodline, ensuring that his son would grow up healthy and live a life free from illness and disaster.

Although Liu Huai felt he didn't need it, Lu You's scholarly manner in conveying his feelings moved Liu Huai deeply, making him cherish it all the more.

“You’ve done a good job on this task. Go and find Commander Shen to give you a commendation.” Liu Huai continued, “Don’t forget to record everything you saw and heard in detail and submit it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for filing.”

As soon as Liu Huai finished speaking, the chubby boy in his arms seemed to be startled awake and burst into tears.

"go quickly."

After giving Gao Yu another instruction, Liu Huai immediately ran towards the backyard: "Honey! Ah Da is crying again!"

Gao Yu was both amused and exasperated by the scene, but also found it rather novel.

It's truly astonishing that the once invincible and unparalleled Han King Langjun could be in such a sorry state.

This is probably the mix of excitement and anxiety one feels when becoming a father for the first time.

Gao Yu had found a wife long ago, and his eldest son was already running around everywhere. Thinking back to the feeling when the midwife took his son out of the delivery room, it was an unforgettable memory.

Lost in thought, Gao Yu strolled out of the governor's mansion.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also a military garrison, it was, after all, a personal guard and also shouldered the responsibility of secret agents. Therefore, its headquarters were located on the north side of the military governor's office.

Before Gao Yu had even left the governor's mansion, he saw Wei Chang storm out of a side room and stride away.

Then, Gao Yu saw Xin Qiji slowly walk out from the other side, his face gloomy, and he also left the Jiedushi Mansion.

The atmosphere was a bit strange, but since these were important figures, Gao Yu didn't ask any further questions.

After all, the Jiedushi Mansion at this time functioned like the imperial palace, and important military and national affairs were discussed and decided there. Who knows if the two had a conflict of political views?

Gao Yu arrived at the Jinyiwei headquarters and met with Shen Longzi, the commander of the Jinyiwei. Following Liu Huai's instructions, he recounted the events in Xichuan in detail and recorded them completely. However, he still couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"I just saw Brother Xin Wu and Brother Wei Erlang at the Jiedushi's residence. Did they have some kind of conflict?"

Shen Longzi instinctively wanted to reprimand him, but then he thought that Gao Yu was, after all, his confidant, so he could only sigh and say, "Brother Xin Wu is the Commander-in-Chief of the Henan Army, you know that, right?"

Gao Yu nodded.

"A few days ago, the Prince of Han gave Xin Wuge an additional official title: Prefect of Xuzhou, Grand General of Henan, and Acting Military Governor of the Jingnan Army."

"what?"

This time, Gao Yu was completely shocked.

These three positions are all incredibly absurd.

First and foremost is the simplest and most straightforward position: the Prefect of Xuzhou.

Xuzhou is located at the junction of the Central Plains and Shandong, and at the same time it tightly controls the Huai River region, making it a well-connected and strategically important location in the Central Plains.

The last person to govern Xuzhou was Wei Sheng, which is enough to show the importance of Xuzhou.

Secondly, there was the Grand Governor of Henan.

This is clearly another newly created position, similar to that of He Boqiu, the Grand General of Hebei. It is a functional position, and once a war breaks out, Xin Qiji can take command of the military and political affairs of Henan as the Grand General.

The most outrageous one is the acting governor of the Jingnan Army. Don't forget, although Liu Huai is now called the King of Han, his official identity and all official documents are that of the military governor of the Jingnan Army, and even his residence is the military governor's mansion.

The acting governor of a military governor's office is essentially the deputy governor. According to custom, if the governor is in trouble, the acting governor will naturally take over the military and political affairs.

To put it bluntly, this was during the Song-Jin period. If it had been during the Five Dynasties period, the mere announcement of the appointment of the acting governor would have been enough for Xin Qiji to prepare to summon his troops to rebel.

None of these three appointments actually have an impact that is so enormous as to be intolerable.

With Liu Huai and Xin Qiji's prestige, suppressing all the discussions would have been a piece of cake.

But the three items combined are utterly outrageous. If we also consider the previous appointment as the commander-in-chief of the various armies in Henan, Xin Qiji almost had the political foundation to rule Shandong and Henan.

Especially the prefect of Xuzhou. Although he was the lowest-ranking official, Xin Qiji had the power to summon the most powerful Shandong garrison troops at crucial moments.

If the armies in Henan are included, Xin Qiji could immediately control more than half of the Han army if he wanted to!

This is practically Liu Huai finding himself a successor!
It's no wonder that many Han military officials and civil servants were angry with Xin Qiji.

Whether the emperor gives it to you or not is one thing, but you actually dare to ask for it!
Gao Yu was a quick-witted man, and he soon figured out the key point. He asked with some doubt, "These positions, even if they are to be given, should be given to the heir apparent. Or, to put it another way, they should be given to Wei Dalang."

Shen Longzi became inexplicably irritable and paced back and forth: "That's right. I've thought about it for a long time. Why did the eldest son do this?"

The only final conclusion was that neither the Crown Prince nor Wei Dalang could survive in such chaotic times. Therefore, Dalangjun chose the most resilient and steadfast person as his successor.

Gao Yu was slightly taken aback, then his eyes widened and he jumped up from his chair: "King of Han... King of Han is in the prime of his life! How could he be thinking about the future?!"
Who is it? Is it from inside or outside? Kill him now!

Shen Longzi glanced at Gao Yu and scolded, "Sit down! What are you shouting about? If there really was someone who threatened the King of Han, would you need to tell me? I would have dealt with them immediately!"
To tell you the truth, I've even consulted seven or eight renowned doctors these past few days, ostensibly to examine my wife, but also to give the Prince of Han a check-up. The result was that the Prince of Han was perfectly healthy.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu sat back down in his seat, finally showing his anger towards his superior: "Boss Shen, you're really enjoying being the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You don't know this or that. I'd be better off in this position. Even if I'm not capable enough to find out the results, I could at least make some guesses!"

Shen Longzi was already exhausted from fear and suspicion these days, and now when he heard his subordinates making sarcastic remarks, he flew into a rage and kicked over the table in front of him.

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were scattered all over the floor.

After venting his anger, Shen Longzi quickly calmed down, turned around, and pulled a document from the bookshelf.

"This is the only major event that has happened recently."

After Gao Yu took it and quickly flipped through it, his expression turned strange.

Xin Qiji also had a copy of the same document, which he carried as he slowly walked to the mansion.

Xin Wenyuan, who had just been transferred back from Daming Prefecture, had been waiting in the mansion for a long time. When he saw his cousin return, he immediately shook off the dust on his body, bowed and said, "Congratulations, Fifth Brother, on your high position. You can now realize your great ambitions."

Xin Qiji glanced at his cousin, who wasn't very politically astute, sat down in the main seat, unfolded the document in his hand and read it through before looking up and asking, "Do you think I should be happy?"

Xin Wenyuan's expression froze, and he stammered, "The King of Han has entrusted my elder brother with such an important task... Could it be... that this is not a good thing?"

Even the most obtuse person, if pointed out to their face, would realize that this appointment could cause political turmoil.

Xin Wenyuan thought about it carefully for a moment before his face showed horror: "Could it be that someone wants to... uh, Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan?"

Xin Qiji gave his cousin a disappointed look: "I always ask you to read more books, but you always refuse."

If you dare to use such inappropriate metaphors again, don't even think about pursuing fame or fortune. First, study under Master Zhu for two years!"

Xin Wenyuan was somewhat embarrassed, but he didn't want to give up his official career, so he quickly steered the conversation back on track: "Since it wasn't the eldest son who offended his elder brother, what is there to worry about?"

Xin Qiji remained silent for a moment before sincerely saying, "I really don't know whether I should be happy or sad, which is why I'm asking you to consider my options."

"I have been entrusted with this important task. Firstly, it will allow me to demonstrate my abilities, and secondly, in the event of any unforeseen circumstances, it will enable me to hold back the entire northern region, restore the Han Dynasty, and prevent the great cause from being lost. I should be happy."

"But if it really comes to that, it means that my eldest brother is already dead. How can I not be heartbroken and devastated?"

Xin Wenyuan thought about that scene and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Then he shook his head with a wry smile: "Brother... I don't know whether to be happy or sad."

However, the King of Han is in the prime of his life; why would he want to prepare for the afterlife?

Xin Qiji closed the open document and handed it to Xin Wenyuan: "It can only be this military intelligence."

Xin Wenyuan quickly took it and first looked at the title.

When the Mongol tribe entered Linhuang Prefecture, it seemed that Emperor Wanyan Yong of the Jin Dynasty wanted to form an alliance with the Mongol Khan Yesugei.

(End of this chapter)