Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Richard led ten thousand remaining soldiers and fled."

"The rest were all captured by the Ming army."

"In these three battles, countless supplies and provisions were captured."

"And, General Yao Gu of Xihe,"

"He took his son Yao Pingzhong and led his army to capture Zhenwu City."

The proclamation was written specifically for ordinary people.

Records are often exaggerated.

This proclamation is written in a very true manner.

After the courier finished reading,

The merchants could not believe it.

"real or fake?"

How many soldiers did the Western Xia have in total?

"I did the math, and this alone resulted in the capture and killing of 160,000,"

"Is the Western Xia out of soldiers?"

"Hundreds of thousands of Western Xia troops,"

"How could we be without soldiers?"

"But losing over a hundred thousand at once,"

"It must be a major blow."

"It's estimated that Lubu exaggerated the results of the battle."

"Who cares if it's exaggerated or not,"

"The capture of Zhenwu City and the Southern Army Command are definitely true."

"These two places have fallen to the imperial court,"

"From the Hehuang region to Lanzhou, we will no longer have to fear the raids of the Western Xia,"

"We will be safer doing business in the future."

"We still need Mr. Zhong to step in,"

"A brilliant strategy."

"That Marquis Liang, named Yang Zhi,"

"He was also a general of the new dynasty."

"More than 100,000 Western Xia soldiers were killed or captured,"

"He commanded troops in all three battles,"

"He's even better at fighting than Liu Jinglue (Liu Fa) was back then."

"But I do know that the Ming emperor has ascended the throne,"

"They only granted five marquises,"

"One of them was Marquis Liang, Yang Zhi."

"The soldiers of the Great Ming Dynasty are so capable in battle!"

"I'm afraid the south can be pacified within three to five years."

"When you have time, you'll be able to free up your hands,"

"Take Liangzhou, Guazhou, and Ganzhou as well,"

"People like us can go to the Western Regions to do business."

"You're always dreaming of the best,"

"How could Liangzhou be so easily taken?"

"We've captured both the Southern Army Commandery and Zhenwu City,"

Why can't we take Liangzhou?

“…”

The merchants chatted enthusiastically.

Go to the tavern for food and drinks together.

Fueled by the alcohol, they chatted more and more fluently.

The postmaster, however, dispatched a different ship.

The proclamation was delivered to Prefect Gongqin.

The express ship traveled along the Wei River to Tongguan.

They switched to a fast horse and rode to Biankou Town.

They then took a fast boat straight to Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo.

Lubu reports good news.

It spread rapidly in cities along the route.

Countless people cheered with joy upon hearing this.

Especially in the prefectures and counties of Shaanxi,

In most places, the pacification was achieved by issuing proclamations.

Many gentry still yearn for the Song Dynasty.

With this great victory, they finally accepted the new dynasty from the bottom of their hearts.

Because if the new dynasty keeps winning battles...

Their future war burden will be greatly reduced.

.....

Outside Kaifeng city, a passenger ship stopped.

Pan Liangui and Shen Yuqiu,

Each of them disembarked with their servants.

"After being away from Beijing for many years, I'm finally back," Shen Yuqiu said with emotion.

In the imperial examination that year, He Su was the top scholar.

Zhao Yuan was the third-ranked scholar.

Pan Liangui was the runner-up.

Shen Yuqiu's ranking in the imperial examinations was also very high.

He was a second-ranked scholar in that imperial examination.

When Zhao Yuan captured Kaifeng,

They both served as officials in the south.

Emperor Huizong of Song was restored to the throne in Hangzhou.

Pretending to promote talented individuals

Both of them were promoted and entered the imperial court.

Pan Lianggui impeached the eunuch Liang Shicheng.

He was accused of seizing countless tracts of land along Jiangnan East Road.

At the same time, he advised Emperor Huizong of Song to treat the people kindly.

Liang Shicheng quickly retaliated.

It is claimed that Pan Liangui and Zhao Yuan were both Jinshi graduates in the same year.

Moreover, they came in second and third place respectively.

They have maintained a close personal relationship for many years.

Therefore, Pan Liangui must be Zhao Yuan's spy.

They were sent by Zhao Yuan to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty.

After a lot of spitting,

Pan Liangui was demoted by Emperor Huizong of Song to collect wine taxes.

Shen Yuqiu's hometown is Huzhou.

He thought Emperor Huizong of Song truly intended to revitalize the country.

Therefore, he impeached Zhu Mian for acquiring numerous plots of land in Huzhou.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Huizong of Song still had to rely on Zhu Mian to collect taxes.

It's not time to slaughter the fat pig yet.

He then casually demoted Shen Yuqiu to the position of county magistrate.

When the two left Hangzhou,

They got together to drink and chat, and the more they talked, the angrier they became.

They felt that the Song Dynasty was completely beyond saving.

He himself was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the same year as Zhao Yuan.

He might as well resign from his official post in the southeastern court.

They secretly traveled together to Kaifeng to seek official positions.

Pan Liangui gazed at the city walls and sighed.

"We were both graduates of the same imperial examination, and now we're both officials. Who could have predicted that back then?"

"Zhao Yuan actually managed to change dynasties."

Chapter 1740 Cabinet Ministers

"All those past events are vividly before my eyes,"

“I even remember it clearly,”

"The poem that Zhao Yuan responded to at the Wenxi Banquet."

Shen Yuqiu said, "The new dynasty has just been established, and it is surrounded by enemies on all sides."

"The Southeast needs no further explanation,"

"The Prime Minister of Jinghu should not be underestimated."

"I heard that several matches have been played since the beginning of summer."

"To the north was the Jin Dynasty, and to the west was the Western Xia Dynasty,"

"They are all fierce barbarians; I wonder if the new dynasty can handle them with ease."

The two entered the city with their servants.

They also did not rent donkey carts.

Strolling through the streets of Bianliang,

Enjoy the local scenery along the way.

They chatted and reminisced about old times.

We were tired from walking.

They then stopped at a shop on the street to rest and eat.