After dawn, the Liao army did not attack in a big way, and in the afternoon, the river appeared calm, and Deng Su crossed the river from Hanyang Wharf to report to Zhao Qiqi about the situation of the army.

Yesterday, Zhao Qi also heard the sound of cannons on the river, and sat restless all day and night, and now after listening to Deng Su's reply, he couldn't help but worry: "The Huns are a clan of cavalry and archery, and now they have the power of the sailors, and they are menacing, and the heart of the Great Song Dynasty will not die." How difficult it is to protect the shrine of the temple! ”

Deng Su heard that His Majesty was cowardly, and secretly regretted that he had truthfully reported the strength of the Liao State. He pondered for a moment and lamented, "The Northern Captives are so strong that they can't be ignored. After the fall of Bianliang, hundreds of clans, relatives of the emperor and the country, were imprisoned like slaves. I heard that Yelu Dashi also heard that Qin Hui and others still provided food and clothing day and night, but the guards and generals below made things difficult, and every time they entered the fine noodles and meat several buckets, the clans had to get a few liters of brown bran rice, otherwise they would not be able to eat. This is still the clan and the officials who were taken captive, and the men had to shepherd sheep for a living, and they had to give birth to women and noblewomen, and they had to spin threads. Alas—"

When Zhao Qi heard this, he actually wept and said, "This emperor's throne, I have no choice but to accept it." If my brother hadn't been captured by the Northern Captives, or if he had been a wise brother on the side, I would rather be a prince of peace than an emperor. He walked back and forth a few steps, hesitating in distress, "If Ezhou is not protected, where will I retreat?" Yelu Bijie, the general of the northern captives, occupies the two prefectures of Jiangning and Hangzhou, and the southeast Zhulu, and Cai Taishi and others are still uncertain. The climate on the Quang Nam side is extremely hot, and the northern captives are not tolerant of the scorching heat, so they must not be able to fight. After Guangnan Road has a firm foothold, Xu Tu will recover, Deng Qing, what do you think? Do you want to discuss with Chen Dong and others and take precautions? ”

"Your Majesty, don't worry," Deng Su comforted: "With Your Majesty's permission, regardless of previous suspicions, Ezhou is dependent, and there are no less than 200,000 troops inside and outside the city." And the northern captives came from afar, there were Khitan, Jurchen, and Han armies in the army, and the tribes were mixed, and the Jurchens had a deep blood feud with the Liao Dynasty, and the ministers thought that as long as the city of Ezhou could be defended, the Liao army would not last, and it would change later. Moreover, Xia Guo has been fighting hard in Hangu Guanxi for a long time, and he will definitely not let go of this opportunity to get involved in the Central Plains. Moreover, there are many rivers in the south of the Yangtze River, which is not as flat as Hebei and Henan, which is conducive to the north. The minister observed yesterday that the armies fought hard to kill the enemy, and they did not have the strength to fight with the northern captives. ”

"Really?" Zhao Qi was a little distracted and muttered.

"Exactly." Deng Su cheered up and encouraged, "The minister has announced the decree twice, and I have seen it with my own eyes, only in terms of the southeast camp, after Zhao Xingde took over, it has taken on a new look overnight. Zhao Xingde was deployed to be strong and prosperous, and his sharpness was still better than Liu Yanqing, and he said to his ministers yesterday that he would fight to the death with the Liao thieves to the end, and he would never go to the river. The armies of Jiangbei are exhausted in the twilight, competing to motivate, and they are thinking of killing the enemy and serving the country. Deng Su said as he spoke, feeling emotional, and secretly thought: "Yuan Zhizhi is strong, if he assists His Majesty, I am afraid it will be better than me." The words of last night rang in his ears. ...... Xian is known as a wise man and a virtuous minister, who usually cultivates himself and cultivates his character, and protects himself wisely in case of trouble. The head of the discussion is the way, and the words must be called Yao Shun, and it is easy to make a foolproof plan. If you retire from the camp, you will worry about good and bad from far and near. In this way, it is rarely called a township, and the country has been heard for a long time, and the world thinks that it is still good, and the court thinks that it is old and practiced. However, there are such wise men in a country, and there is no one who is willing to sacrifice his life for righteousness, block the car with his mantis arm, and hit the stone with an egg, so the people of the whole country act forward-looking and backward. Everyone is a virtuous man, and the morality of the whole country cannot exist. Beiyu ridiculed me for the cowardice of the Great Song people, all because of this. If the northern captives invade our Central Plains and plunder my children's wealth, Zhao is willing to be a fool and stubborn, regardless of strength or weakness, regardless of victory or defeat, regardless of success or failure, he would rather be broken into powder, and he should never look back, go forward and rest until death. ......”

Zhao Qi listened and listened, but his face was a little complicated, he was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked: "After the soldiers in the camp received the reward, did they thank Junen?" Or are you thinking of Zhao Xingde's feelings? ”

Deng Su immediately replied: "The soldiers are very happy, and most of them shout long live Your Majesty." The royal gift of silver is different from the reward next to it. ”

A sense of foreboding rose in his heart, and he looked at Zhao Qi with some apprehension.

Sure enough, Zhao Qi sighed and said slowly: "Zhao Xingde Yunwen Yunwu, honest and selfless, won the hearts of the people, and won the hearts of the army." When the case was first revealed, there was also incriminating evidence that he had impersonated the clan. He coughed and said, "Of course, this pretentious thing is evidenced by Zongzheng Temple's own pedigree, and I don't believe that he would do such an unwise thing." However," Zhao Qi coughed, "The ancestral family law, the civil and military paths, is not a fiction. Only the generals, singing and dancing girls, can be preserved. Deng Aiqing, you and Zhao Xingde have known each other since Taixue, and they have been getting along day and night for the past two days, what do you think of this person? ”

When Zhao Xingde took over the southeast camp of Tianzi Point, he remembered that although Deng Su did not object, he did not agree with it. It is linked to the background that Deng Su and Zhao Xingde are classmates of Taixue, and they are both colleagues in the former society. Deng Su's attitude is a little ambiguous. Zhao Qi grew up in the deep palace, not only to compete with the princes for his father's favor, but also to accumulate popularity, and his insight into human feelings was also thorough, and he noticed this at that time. As for how to balance the ministers, his father had a lot of hands-free orders for Zhao Qi. Thinking of the moral difference between Deng Su and Chen Dong and others, Zhao Qi was relieved, as long as there was a gap, it would be easy to do. When he had doubts about Zhao Xingde, he asked Deng Su's opinion.

The sun shone into the room, and the mottled shadows fell on Zhao Qi's face, and his gaze was very complicated, as if with countless doubts and great expectations. Deng Su was silent for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Zhao Xingde is a loyal and upright person, who can possess the people and threaten the enemy with martial arts. His Majesty entrusted him with the power of the southeast marching battalion, which is really discerning. In the minister's humble opinion, if it is a preservation measure, after the situation is consolidated, the imperial court must collect the military power of the generals, and all the current camping army will be organized into the imperial forbidden army, and at that time, depending on Zhao Xingde's merits, or entrust the title of the three dukes and the general of sanitation, or Jiaqi moral articles, so that the right to know Taixue or the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites, or ......"

Deng Su has insight into the holy will, and to put it simply, it is all the intention of the bird to hide the bow and collect the military power of Zhao Xingde, which is also the tendency in His Majesty's heart. In the past, when they were too studied, all beings would inevitably dismiss it as "softness" and "welcome", but after a long time in the court, speculating on the holy will has become the most important thing. Not only are the ministers not ashamed, but they are also deeply hidden, and if they are not proud protégés, they will never easily teach this way. If some of the juniors disagreed, the ministers laughed at him for being naïve.

Zhao Qi nodded after hearing this, his face was a little pale, but he smiled and said: "Deng Qing is a theory of seeking the country. But now is the time to hire people. Since Zhao Xingde has both civil and military qualifications, and has the intention of serving the country with fists, I should be humble and honest, as long as he does not have different intentions and serves the court with loyalty and integrity, I will naturally make good use of it. His face was slightly gloomy, "I heard that Zhao Xingde gave a banquet in the army, taught without class, and preached the way of loyalty and righteousness to the soldiers, which is much better than those generals who only know how to buy people's hearts with grace and make ignorant soldiers serve their private families." ”

"Your Majesty said yes. The country has a clear monarch, and there are loyal ministers. Zhao Xingde has been in retirement for ten years, if he can assist His Majesty," Deng Su nodded with a smile, "The righteousness of the whole monarch and the minister is also a good story." ”

............

In the middle of the river, a small boat was attached to a tall and sturdy gunboat, and a rattan basket hung down from the cable, and an officer sat in the basket and got on board, and he was brought before a one-legged general, who did not dare to answer, but bowed his head in awe, and only peeked at the unkind looking soldiers beside him. The officer felt that although the soldiers on this mysterious gunboat were wearing Central Plains clothes, their faces and demeanors were different from those of the Central Plains, but they were more like Khitans, Jurchens, and even barbarians from the southwest.

"Do you want us to cooperate in attacking the Liao army upstream?" Tong Yunjie waved his hand impatiently and said, "You are not qualified enough." ”

"Under the orders of the Prime Minister's Mansion." The officer's face flushed, and he stammered, "If the villain is not qualified, which adult is qualified?" ”

"The matter of entering the army," Tong Yunjie looked at him condescendingly, and spit out a sentence: "You go and discuss with Lord Zhao." He turned his head to look at Hanyang City and affirmed, "If Lord Zhao agrees, let's continue to talk." He waved his hand and said, "Send off!" Two Han sailors caught up on the left and the right, squeezed the messenger from Ezhou in the middle, and sent them off the ship. From beginning to end, let the messenger say only one word.

Yesterday there was a fierce battle, the Liao army attacked with all its might, and did not break through the Hengjiang iron cable. Therefore, the privy envoy Cao Di believed that although the Liao naval division was fierce, it was still the weakness of the Liao army compared with the soldiers and horses on the shore. Therefore, Cao Di proposed to take the initiative to attack on the river, as long as the Liao army's sailors were defeated, the Liao army on the shore would also retreat without a fight. Therefore, Cao Di sent a letter to Chen Dong in Ezhou, asking the two families to join forces to attack. The Han army converted three gunboats and two merchant ships into warships. The sailor was outside the western wall of Ezhou. In the artillery battle with the Liao Army's naval division a day ago, these three gunboats were so fierce that they were also called Xiangyang. The sailor was an eye-opener. When Cao Di formulated the attack strategy, he naturally counted the three gunboats of the Han army and used them as the backbone. After receiving Cao Di's letter, Chen Dong was very interested in this plan to turn defense into offense, so he sent people to discuss the matter with the Han generals.

"Fourth Brother Tong, how can Lord Hanyang Zhao talk to them on our behalf?" Someone at the bottom wondered. Zhao Xingde repeatedly defeated the Liao army in the southeast, but in the eyes of these Han troops, they may not have enough weight to represent the Han army. Someone even interrupted with a smile: "Could it be that Fourth Brother Chengtong can't get used to those scholars in Ezhou, so he deliberately singled out this surnamed Zhao and sent them away." Haha, if they complain about the surname Zhao, it won't be any wonder to us. "Although there are many rude and uncivilized people in the Han army, they are not good in the cottage, there are many intrigues, everyone laughs and laughs, and they also think about sinister paths.

"Phew! Bah! Tong Yunjie spit in the river and scolded, "Be careful to speak, the marshal blamed you and pulled out your tongues one by one." ”