Chapter 160: The Sudden Report Ahead Has Yielded Victory

The atmosphere in the Daqing Hall is quite strange, the ministers are full of suspicion, from the faces of those chamberlains and guards, but with joy, while the Son of Heaven himself, his expression is extremely cold.

After completing the salute, Zhao and Ju finally spoke.

"Today, I summoned Qing and others again because Peng Yibin, the head of Jingdong of the Loyal and Righteous Army, sent an urgent performance."

Hearing the words "Loyal and Righteous Army", the hearts of the ministers jumped up, and everything related to the Loyal and Righteous Army was not a good thing nine times out of ten. If it weren't for the Jin Kingdom to invade the south again, it would be to ask for a reward, in short, it would have to cause some trouble to the imperial court.

Therefore, Wei Liaoweng immediately frowned and grimaced.

"A big win ahead." Zhao Heju pursed his lips and looked at the hundred officials, and the Daqing Hall was silent, and he felt that his appetite was already full, so he said slowly.

"A big victory?"

The ministers were stunned for a while, although the Jin State has repeatedly invaded the south in recent years, but since the new emperor of the Jin State has ascended the throne, the momentum of this southern invasion has been much smaller, and the new emperor of the Jin State also issued an edict, saying that it will no longer invade the south. Although Hu Lu has no faith, but they are now difficult to take care of, and it is almost impossible to take the initiative to invade the south, can it be said that the loyal and righteous army took the initiative to attack?

"I consulted with the important ministers of the court a few months ago, and I wanted to settle in Huainan Tuntian." Zhao Heju said slowly: "It's just that if you want to follow the Huai Tuntian, you must first govern the Huai, so I ordered the loyal army to dredge the river, but the Jin State deceived me, invaded the frontier, and burned my warship." The loyal and righteous army fought back angrily, and happened to beg the guards to escort the grain reward to Jingdong Road, and the two armies joined forces to break 60,000 gold soldiers in Xuzhou, and captured and killed the Jin general Shan Wudian, and now Xuzhou has been captured. ”

As soon as the words "captured Xuzhou" came out, the Manchu Dynasty immediately exploded.

The important ministers of the court all remembered that when Zhao and Ju discussed the policy of Tuntian with them a few months ago, they said that they would first seize Xuzhou and then Tuntian, but because of their opposition, Zhao and Ju could not transfer troops and had to give up. Now it sounds like the Son of Heaven said that although he said that he would give up on the surface, he actually secretly ordered the loyal army to attack Xuzhou!

Clear-sighted people know that the dredging of the river is clearly to force the people of Jin to send troops to attack first.

Xue Ji smiled slightly, but he was extremely complacent in his heart, when the Son of Heaven was so secret, he forgot that he could bypass the court and the military department, and he could also mobilize the army, which was completely the result of his reminder, so he felt quite honored.

The battle to recover Xuzhou actually began just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and after Li Ye arrived with the Liuqiu escort, he immediately began to dredge the canal, and only said to the Jin State that it was to prevent floods in the coming year. But secretly there was a rumor that the loyal army was preparing to cross the Yellow River and attack Xuzhou. Jin Guo really hit the plan, gathered the soldiers and horses around Xuzhou, and sent reconnaissance cavalry, and found that after the loyal army built a bridge on the Huai River to cross the river, he immediately launched a surprise attack, attacking the loyal and righteous army and the Liuqiu escort army advancing north along the river, but was defeated by Li Yebu's Qiyue array. The cavalry was still defeated in the field against the infantry, and he was terrified in vain, so he had to collect his troops and return to Xuzhou, trying to defend the fortified city of Xuzhou.

Then what awaits them is the artillery on the riverboats that are begging for remodeling.

The Liuqiu convoy dismantled the guns from the great battle ships and mounted them on suitable river boats, each with only one cannon on each ship, which was enough to gather dozens of ships.

On the ninth day of September in the first year of Baoqing, on the day of the Double Ninth Festival, this fleet sailed into the Yellow River under the guidance of the "Zhangyu". The reason why the "Zhangyu" was chosen as the flagship is because among all the sea vessels in Liuqiu, only this one is more suitable for inland river navigation. It has a shallow draft, which makes it less prone to stranding, and at the same time has the corresponding firepower.

However, it turned out that they underestimated the Yellow River after the seizure of Huai, and the large amount of sediment and trees, houses and rocks hidden under the water was a disaster for the fleet. Although there were preparations in the early stage, and experienced pilots were also sent to survey the channel, there were still accidents along the way. More than a quarter of the 80 ships that entered the mouth of the Yellow River sank, but fortunately there was little loss of personnel.

"Zhangyu" became a lucky star this time, and almost hit the tip of the dark stone tree under the water more than ten times, but it still stumbled outside Xuzhou.

However, its good fortune ended here, in the Yellow River outside Xuzhou, the Jin people who got the news, although they did not know what the loyal army was doing with these boats, but Tudan Wudian made the most correct choice in the whole battle, which was to set up various obstacles in the Yellow River. Ming's barrage iron lock did not go to mention, and sent people to light a fire from the upstream and lay down a large amount of driftwood. In the process of avoiding, the Zhangyu was unfortunately stuck by the rocks under the water, and although it did not sink, it could not advance or retreat. In order to prevent the ship's cannon from falling into the hands of the enemy, the escort had to choose to blow up and sink the Zhangyu, which also made the name "Zhangyu" a legend of the Liuqiu escort and even the later Great Song Dynasty naval army.

Under the bombardment of dozens of artillery pieces, Xuzhou's "fortified city" became a joke. The annihilation of the Jin defenders in Xuzhou also meant that the gate of the Central Plains was opened to the Great Song Dynasty, and the Jin State lost a wall.

After listening to the battle of Xuzhou, the ministers were silent, Xue Ji saw that the time had come, and the first to go out to worship and dance and cheered: "Your Majesty is the destiny of heaven, so the soldiers before the army served their orders, Kuang restored their homeland, and returned to the old capital, just around the corner!" ”

With him taking the lead, naturally some officials followed, Qiao Xingjian looked at Ge Hong, who was silent in front of him, sighed slightly in his heart, and also went out to pay respects.

Before Zheng Qingzhi bowed down, he secretly glanced at Zhao Heju, and only felt that this son of heaven didn't seem to feel happy. His expression was still indifferent, as if recovering Xuzhou was originally a matter of course. Zheng Qing sighed slightly in his heart, he was the teacher of the Son of Heaven for several years, but in the end he realized that the Son of Heaven was as deep as the sea, and it was really not something he could guess.

At the beginning, dealing with Shi Miyuan was like a thunderbolt blow, and later the Shi Party was reined in, and it was like a spring breeze and rain, and then avoiding the constraints of the ministers in the court and taking Xuzhou. It's just that even the ministers who oppose him can't find fault with these issues, even if the officials secretly use the power of Liuqiu, what if they allowed Liuqiu to still be allowed to pay only part of the taxes to the imperial court, but it is these ministers of the DPRK and China who are afraid of trouble, is it possible that now they want to Liuqiu to put the escort team under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War?

Even the most wishful thinking ministers would not think that this is possible.

Zhao Heju pursed his lips: "Zhu Qing has nothing to say except to congratulate?" ”

Zhen Dexiu moved, Wei Liaoweng was far away from him, and it was too late to stop him, and then he saw Zhen Dexiu worshipping on the ground: "Chen Zhen Dexiu, impeachment of Peng Yibin, the governor of Shandong, is provoking the border!" ”

Zhao Heju's voice was extremely gentle: "Zhenqing, when Zhu Han'an and Tang were at odds, they were angry with Yan Rui, and Zhenqing and I had different opinions, and they wanted to be angry with the governor of Shandong?" ”

Previously, Zhao and Ju criticized Zhu Xi, all of them were at the time of the small court meeting, and there were only a few people present. Now I heard the Son of Heaven mention Zhu Xi's troubles in public above the court, and Zhendexiu's blood gushed upward, and he couldn't wait to crash to death on the pillar. He stood up, raised his eyebrows and said, "Why do the officials insult the ministers too much?" The meaning of the minister, the military general without the court discussion and the military end, not the blessing of the national society, and the killing of good and meritorious, since ancient times, His Majesty treats the military generals how thick, and how thin the ministers and science are! ”

After he said this, the blood in his chest surged, his spirit was still calm, and he arched his hand and said: "The minister is not talented, he is hated by His Majesty, and the sin of this sincere minister is also ...... Minister......"

After speaking, he smiled miserably: "The minister is willing to die to relieve the hatred of the Son of Heaven!" ”

After finishing speaking, he covered his face with his sleeves and slammed into a pillar on the Daqing Palace. It's just that when he said this, the guards in front of the palace had already paid attention to him, and when they saw him rushing over, Long Twelve flew up without a snort and kicked him on the waist, and he fell to the ground with an "ah" sound, and knocked over the two ministers who were kneeling.

The guards came up and held him down, waiting for Zhao Heju to deal with it, Zheng Qingzhi quietly looked up again, and the Son of Heaven was still not angry or happy.

On the contrary, on the face of the Son of Heaven, there seemed to be a vague helplessness.

For Zhao and Ju, it was a simple matter to let Zhen Dexiu die, whether to let him commit suicide in the main hall or simply execute him. But as soon as Zhen Dexiu dies, his reputation as a lonely minister and a loyal minister will definitely spread far and wide, and Zhao Heju, the son of heaven, forced his loyal ministers to death, so he will naturally be a faint king.

Some people are dead, but their strength is greater than that of life, so not only can Zhen Deok-so not let him die, but also has to think of ways to make him admit his mistakes. To make him realize the error of science and admit this mistake, he can now be said to be a master of science, if he can do so, it will be of great significance to fundamentally solve the shackles of science on China in the future.

Moreover, today, with the power of the great victory ahead, he stabbed Zhen Dexiu on the temple in front of the ministers, forcing him to almost seek death - it has dealt a great blow to the science that Zhen Dexiu admires, and there is no need to kill them all for the time being.

"That's it, Zhenqing, I misunderstood you." Thinking of this, Zhao Youju waved his hand and motioned for the guards to let go of him: "I don't investigate you for the crime of misrespecting the king, and I don't blame you for the crime of trapping the king's injustice, you don't blame me for misunderstanding, how about it?" ”

Hearing that the Son of Heaven was like a small people bargaining with Zhen Dexiu, the ministers were stunned. It was Zhende who showed himself, and in the midst of anger, he was also stunned.

"Peng Yibin's recovery of Xuzhou is a great achievement, and the Jin State first launched a provocation and attacked my soldiers, why should he be defeated?" It was still Xue Ji, he stood up and said: "What Zhen Dexiu said is a policy for the long-term stability of the society, and Your Majesty should also consider Chana." ”

"Yes, yes, what Xue Qing and Zhenqing said is extremely true." Zhao Heju came down by the steps: "Peng Yibin's recovery of Xuzhou must not be rewarded, but Zhenqing's worries must not be ignored...... In this way, Yun Peng Yibin played, with Liu Quan as the envoy of Huaibei Tuntian, Li Ye as the governor of Huaibei, and Peng Yibin and the loyal army rewarded 100,000 yuan...... This money is allocated from my private treasury, so Wei Qing won't stare at me, how about it? ”

Hearing his last sentence, most of the ministers laughed dumbly, and the atmosphere that seemed extremely tense because of Zhendexiu was relieved.

"Your Majesty, I don't know why this Liu Quan and Li Ye are also Xu Ren?" Despite this, another minister asked: "In the loyal and righteous army, I don't hear the names of these two people, and I am afraid that it is not the blessing of the society to suddenly get a high position." ”

"I know these two people." Zhao Heju smiled faintly: "Li Ye's character Han Fan is the old man in the mansion when I was in Shanyin, and Liu Quan is the uncle of the virtuous concubine, and he has always been asking to preside over civil affairs. ”

Hearing that Li Ye was the old man of the Son of Heaven's Hidden Mansion, the ministers were stunned again, and then they remembered that the Son of Heaven could not only use the soldiers of the Tempora, but also the people of the Temporacle. This is a great threat to the courtiers, if the Son of Heaven rises, the people who are begging will be promoted one by one, and the gentlemen above the court are repelled one by one, then this Great Song Dynasty, shouldn't be renamed Liuqiu!

Moreover, since Liu Quan is a foreign relative, it is not appropriate to put it in other places, so as not to cause trouble.

However, at this time, the Son of Heaven took advantage of the great victory in front of him to make this appointment, which is the time when the whole country celebrates, they have previously opposed the Son of Heaven's attack on Xuzhou, which has been proved to be wrong, and this time they have to be wrong again, isn't it to touch their own heads?

Zhao and Ju didn't wait for the ministers to make a difficulty, and immediately threw out a big bone: "Since Xuzhou has been captured, the land of Huainan is no longer a frontier, I want to be in Huainan Tuntian, and I will have one person as the general leader of Huainan, and supervise the affairs of Huainan and Tuntian, I don't know who Zhuqing is?" ”

This is a more important matter than attacking the appointment of the Son of Heaven, in the court, the cough that immediately coughs, and the eyes that make the eyes color, whether it is Xuan Xuan, Xue Ji and his party, or Ge Hong and Wei Liaoweng's faction, they all hope to install one of their own people.

Zhao and Ju saw that all the officials were making small moves, and they sneered in their hearts, the ministers had their own selfish intentions, he didn't care, if people were selfless, they would be saints. However, if he mistakes a big thing because of selfishness, like Shi Miyuan, it is something he cannot tolerate.

"The stakes are very high, and in a hurry, the secretaries are afraid that they can't think of a good candidate." He paused, and then said with a smile, "Why don't you retreat from the court first, and the secretaries will write down the people they think are suitable, and send them tomorrow, and then I will choose the best one to discuss with the secretaries of government, how about it?" ”

Although the Son of Heaven asked "how", all the ministers knew that this was the meaning of the Son of Heaven. They were busy thinking about how to persuade the Son of Heaven to place this Huainan commander-in-chief position on their own faction.

Wei Liaoweng and Zhen Dexiu went down to the court, and Zhen Dexiu still looked angry because his mood had not yet calmed down, which made Wei Liaoweng want to discuss with him, but he had to shut up. When he arrived at the Hening Gate, a chamberlain suddenly ran from behind and said, "Zhenshe people, Zhenshe people!" ”

Zhen Dexiu was absent-minded, he hadn't heard it, but Wei Liweng pulled him, and he looked back in amazement.

Now on him, he only has the title of the scholar, and the inner servant must be him.

"The Son of Heaven told you to wait." The chamberlain approached and whispered.

Zhen Dexiu was surprised again, the Son of Heaven had a dispute with him in the court, even to the point that the two sides almost broke their faces, but now they want him to stay, could it be that the Son of Heaven has not lost his anger after going down to court, and he wants to find his own trouble?

Thinking of this, he sneered: "It's just right, I also have something to say to the official family!" ”

After the ministers dispersed, the chamberlain took Zhen Dexiu back to Ouchi, but instead of taking him to the place where he used to meet with the courtiers, he chose the Hall of Virtue. This hall was built by Emperor Xiaozong, and there is a royal screen in the hall, on which are written the names of the superintendent and the county guard. After Zhen Dexiu was introduced, he saw that only the Son of Heaven and Fang had just kicked him with the imperial weapon, and the guard was still staring at him, his eyes were cold and sharp.

"Chen Zhen Dexiu ......"

"No courtesy, no need for Zhenqing, it's not right for me today." Zhao Heju was originally facing away from him, looking at the name of the local supervisor on the imperial screen, but at this moment he turned around with a faint smile: "I asked the inner servant to keep you, that is, I have something bad to say to you in front of the ministers." ”

Although he had long been ready to die generously, hearing the words of the Son of Heaven so gently, Zhen Dexiu's heart was still relieved, and he unconsciously breathed a long sigh of relief. Immediately, he became vigilant again, this Son of Heaven can be described as a far-reaching resourceful and powerful man, what is the purpose of what he wants to say?

Note 1: The matter of choosing the Hall of Virtue can be seen in Zhou Mi's "Old Things of Wulin".

Note 2: With imperial equipment, it is the so-called imperial guard with a knife, which can be seen in the "Song Historical Official Chronicles", the number of people in this position for a long time does not exceed six, and at most no more than ten people, like a large number of imperial guards with knives in some books...... That's impossible.