White-robed Minister

Chapter 175-0173 [Zhong E Recaptures Suizhou]

The young emperor has a big appetite. Xu Lai had only been out of the capital for a few days when Zhao Xu was already secretly plotting something.

The story begins in June.

The Western Xia ruler Li Liangzuo waged war year after year, causing immense suffering to the border tribes and leading to widespread disunity.

To prevent rebellion, Li Liangzuo wanted to relocate all the tribes in the Hengshan area to Xingzhou for easier control. This move only made the border tribes more disloyal.

Gao Zunyu and Yang Ding, who were on missions to Western Xia, Xue Xiang, the transport commissioner of Shaanxi, as well as Wang Zhong, the prefect, and Zhong E, the garrison commander, all heard the news.

All five wanted to expand their territory and make contributions, so they discussed trying to persuade Weiming Mountain to surrender.

Before anything was even confirmed, Zhong E reported to the court, falsely claiming that Weiming Mountain had requested to surrender. When the news reached the central government, the prime ministers refused, and the Privy Council issued a strict order against any rash action.

At the same time, Zhong E reported to Lu Shen, the military commissioner.

Lu Shen said to Zhong E, "If Weiming Mountain can bring Hengshan territory to submit, then accept them. If they only bring people, then refuse them."

But Zhong E was just fooling around; he hadn't actually contacted Wei Mingshan at all, he had only bribed the clerks around Wei Mingshan.

Six days after Xu Lai left Beijing, Gao Zunyu returned to Beijing to meet the emperor.

Gao Zunyu was Empress Dowager Gao Taotao's cousin, and he was a military general who was greedy for merit.

The young emperor was tempted by the prospect of expanding the territory, but helplessly said, "I'm afraid the prime minister and the privy councilor will not agree."

Gao Zunyu urged, "Why doesn't Your Majesty issue a secret decree and handle the matter quietly? Then no one will have anything to say."

Therefore, Zhao Xu issued a secret edict to Zhong E, ordering him to accept the surrender of Weiming Mountain.

This shady move quickly leaked out. Sima Guang rushed to advise the emperor, but the emperor firmly denied that such a thing had happened.

Meanwhile, Zhong E received a secret imperial edict and, without informing the military commissioner Lu Shen, secretly led his troops, including Zhe Jishi, with the support of transport commissioner Xue Xiang and prefect Wang Zhong.

Weimingshan's younger brother had long since submitted to the Song Dynasty, and this time he was responsible for luring Weimingshan out.

Zhong E and Zhe Jishi led their troops in a surprise attack, completely surrounding Weiming Mountain.

Just as Weiming Mountain was greatly alarmed, the civil official Li Wenxi took out several treasures and claimed that he had already surrendered on his behalf.

Feeling utterly helpless after being swindled by his younger brother and confidant, Wei Mingshan had no choice but to surrender.

Zhong E continued his advance and subdued the remaining forces at Weiming Mountain.

The Western Xia quickly dispatched 40,000 troops in retaliation. Zhong E used wood to build a framework and wrapped blankets to resemble a city gate and watchtower. Then, he launched a hot air balloon and took the initiative to "leave the city" to meet the enemy.

When the Western Xia army saw the suddenly appearing "city wall" and the hot air balloons floating in the sky, they thought that the Song army was protected by gods.

In a panic, the Western Xia army was pursued by the Song army for more than 20 li.

In this battle, the Song army beheaded nearly a thousand and captured tens of thousands of camels, horses, and weapons. Zhong E then took the opportunity to build Suizhou City (Suide).

When the news reached the capital, it caused a huge uproar.

Privy Councilor Wen Yanbo believed that Western Xia would definitely retaliate with a major attack, and that Suizhou City was isolated and indefensible. He requested that the newly recovered territory be returned to Western Xia to quell the war.

Teng Fu, who had just been appointed Vice Censor-in-Chief, along with remonstrating officials Chen Jian and Yang Hui, were making a fuss about removing Zhong E, Xue Xiang, and others from their posts.

They were all punished to appease Li Liangzuo's anger.

Public opinion was in an uproar.

Some ministers even requested that Zhong E be executed as an apology to the Western Xia!

This time, Sima Guang surprisingly didn't say anything more.

The situation in Suizhou was not yet over when Weizhou started fighting with the Western Xia.

Cai Ting, the prefect of Weizhou and deputy transport commissioner of Shaanxi, fought a battle with the Western Xia last year. This year, Cai Ting personally trained tens of thousands of troops, and when provoked by the Western Xia, he decisively ordered Zhao Ming (a barbarian general) to retaliate.

Guo Kui, who failed to become the Privy Councilor, is now frantically building fortified villages in preparation for the Western Xia's retaliation.

And so, a comical scene unfolded.

The Secretariat issued an order to commend Zhao Ming and Guo Kui, but the Privy Council reprimanded them for acting rashly. The highest administrative and military institutions of the Song Dynasty were now at odds with each other!

This was because Han Qi left the court, and Zeng Gongliang became the chief prime minister.

Zeng Gongliang became increasingly assertive in his dealings with the Western Xia, supporting border officials in their active resistance.

On the contrary, the Privy Council, represented by Wen Yanbo, maintained a passive attitude and tried to compromise in order to avoid the escalation of the war.

With Han Qi absent, neither Zeng Gongliang nor Wen Yanbo would submit to the other.

"Your Majesty, please rename Guwei Village to Tongyuan Army and promote Xu Lai to Tongyuan Commander!" Zeng Gongliang approached Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu asked in surprise, "Why has Prime Minister Zeng's attitude changed so drastically?"

Zeng Gongliang said, "Times have changed. Before the war broke out, I naturally wanted to stop anyone from starting a border conflict."

Now that Zhong E has seized Suizhou, the Western Xia will surely launch a large-scale invasion next year, and Xu Lai can act freely!

It was as if Zhao Xiang was meeting Zeng Gongliang for the first time.

Is this still the same Zeng Xianggong who only knew how to listen to Han Qi?

When Han Qi left the Secretariat, Zeng Gongliang surprisingly stood up at this crucial moment.

Zhao Xu tentatively asked, "All the officials want to punish Zhong E. What does Chancellor Zeng think?"

Zeng Gongliang said, "Zhong E acted on secret orders and also made contributions in expanding territory. If we punish him, who will follow suit—"

"You still dare to obey imperial orders? However, I beg Your Majesty not to write secret edicts again in the future."

"That makes sense." Zhao Xu was quite pleased.

Zeng Gongliang then said, "There will surely be a great battle next year. I request Your Majesty to recall Han Qi and appoint him as the Pacification Commissioner of Shaanxi."

Apart from Han Xiangong, no one could control the civil and military officials of Shaanxi.

Zhao Xu readily accepted and ordered Han Qi to be recalled.

It is located several dozen miles west of Baoji County.

"The area ahead is full of steep canyons, which are impassable for large ships," Yang Shu said. He was quite familiar with Baoji. "Merchants mainly traveled by land, using sheepskin rafts to transport goods across the river."

Xu Lai led Dou Niang off the boat, while Yu'er helped Pian Pian.

They traveled westward along the Wei River valley, occasionally seeing timber floating down the river. The banks were lush and verdant, covered with forests, a stark contrast to the typical scenery of Northwest China.

The group borrowed donkeys and horses from the post station, which were used not only to carry luggage but also for the women and children to ride.

Xu Lai personally led Pianpian's horse, with Dou Niang sitting in Pianpian's lap, both of them curiously looking around. Yu'er, on the other hand, rode—

A donkey.

"Are we almost at Qinzhou? There are quite a few trees here; it doesn't seem like a desolate place," Pianpian said.

Wang Shao, who was leading the way, chimed in, "Once we leave the valley, the trees become fewer."

Dou Niang suddenly asked, "Is it the same on Shen Boyi's side?"

Shen Kuo and his family parted ways with everyone in Xianyang.

Wang Shao said, "We traveled along the Wei River, while they traveled along the Jing River. The terrain along the way is different."

"I know, I know, it's clear!" the damselfly cried out.

"Hahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Several days later, they finally emerged from the valley and boarded a carriage provided by the post station to continue their journey.

The area along the Wei River from here to Qinzhou City, not being on the front lines, had been extensively developed and was densely populated. At this time, the millet and sorghum had been harvested, and farmers were sowing winter wheat.

In the afternoon, the group arrived at Qinzhou City.

This city was mainly built by Han Qi when he was young, so it is also called "Han Gong City".

城墙周长11里，城高10.8米，墙基厚10.8米。护城河深3.8米、宽17.6米。

The city was well-fortified and its walls were high; as long as the defending general wasn't stupid, the Western Xia would never be able to conquer it.

Xu Lai settled his family in the post station and then took Wang Shao and Yang Shu to the Military Commissioner's Office to pay their respects to Cai Kang.

Cai Kang's son received them and led the three directly to the bedroom.

Cai Kang fell ill due to the change in environment and is now lying in a hospital bed.

After paying his respects, Xu Lai presented Ouyang Xiu's letter.

After reading the letter, Cai Kang suddenly perked up: "Tell me, how exactly do we plan to recover the Hehuang region?"

Xu Lai immediately elaborated on the matter.

The key to this plan lies in whether Wang Shao can persuade the Qiang tribe to surrender.

After listening, Cai Kang looked at Wang Shao.

Wang Shao carefully analyzed the situation of the Qiang people, and then said that they should trade in Guwei Village, and confidently said that they would definitely succeed.

Cai Kang added to their plan: "When persuading the Qiang people, promise them that the Great Song Dynasty will take over the salt wells."

"Excellent! That's exactly what I was thinking!" Wang Shao said with a smile.

Salt is important, especially in the Northwest.

Mu Zheng monopolized several important salt wells, and the surrounding Qiang tribes, large and small, were all under his control. Moreover, he set the price of salt extremely high, and the various Qiang tribes dared not speak out against him.

Xu Lai then said, "Please ask Cai Jinglue to allocate more salt and transport it to the ancient Weizhai trade market. If we lower the price of salt slightly, we can entice the Qiang people to submit."

"I will try my best to allocate resources." Cai Kang seemed to have taken a magic pill, and his condition improved significantly in an instant.

He saw hope in recovering the Hehuang region, and suddenly he no longer wanted to die.

Cai Kang said, "I will give you some more cloth as a gift to make friends with the leaders of the various Qiang tribes."

Then he instructed his son to invite Liang Shi, the military commander, over.

Liang Shi was neither a civil official nor a military general, but rather—a eunuch.

In the entire Qinfeng Road, if we only consider military affairs, Cai Kang is naturally the top leader, while the eunuch Liang is actually the second-in-command.

Cai Kang said to the three men, "Although Liang Shi is a eunuch, he is very methodical in his work. He is able to pacify the Qiang people and is also quite knowledgeable in military affairs. It's just a pity that his term is about to expire, and I don't know what his successor will be."

Xu Lai listened with some concern. It was rare to find a capable eunuch, but unfortunately, this eunuch was about to be transferred away.

Hopefully the emperor won't make any rash decisions; what if he sends an idiot?

"Hahaha, I heard the people who opened up the border have arrived." Liang Shi was quickly invited over, his voice preceding his arrival.

Xu Lai glanced at the other person's appearance and thought: Is this the kind of dress that's fashionable for eunuchs in the Song Dynasty?

Liang Shi even had a beard and a loud voice, making him look like a martial artist at first glance.

During the early and middle period of the Northern Song Dynasty, the number of eunuchs was extremely limited, and the system followed an elite approach.

Every eunuch received education from a young age, and literacy and numeracy were considered basic skills. Their cultural level was certainly sufficient, but their military prowess was another matter.

The Liang Shi in front of me doesn't actually understand warfare.

Qin Prefecture was almost half Han Chinese and half Qiang people, and Liang Shi's main responsibility was to win over the Qiang tribes.

To be honest, he did a decent job; at least he didn't drive the Qiang people into rebellion.

Since Xu Lai transmigrated, his expectations of Song Dynasty officials have dropped to a very low level—Liang Shi, as the military commander of Qin Feng Road, is considered qualified in Xu Lai's eyes as long as he doesn't drive the Qiang people into rebellion.

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