Chapter 239: Of Course, Choose the Western Army

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Cai Jing's decision to sever his tail like a gecko to survive was no surprise to Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others.

After all, as long as Cai Jing retained his power, his control over the Zhao Song dynasty's economy meant he could easily recoup twenty thousand mu of prime farmland.

But Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others never imagined Cai Jing had already accepted the Two New Policies in advance—not only had he not concealed his family's landholdings, he had paid the land tax under the new system, clearly having prepared his escape route long ago.

Upon reflection, Cai Jing's decisiveness was entirely understandable.

These chancellors were the closest ministers to Zhao Yu; how could they not know Zhao Yu's unwavering determination to implement the Two New Policies? One could say Zhao Yu was utterly resolved to resolve the Zhao Song dynasty's hidden crisis: "Scholar-gentry own vast tracts of land yet pay no taxes, while commoners have no place to stand yet bear crushing levies."

If Zhao Yu were a weak emperor like Song Renzong, they could have united to suppress him, forcing him to uphold ancestral laws, watch passively as scholar-gentry seized land without paying taxes, and merely lead by frugality while waiting for the Zhao Song dynasty to collapse.

But the problem was, Zhao Yu possessed both grand talent and the resolve to break with tradition and innovate boldly.

Zhao Yu was unlike other Zhao Song emperors, raised in the palace under the influence of women—short-sighted, blinded by the scholar-gentry's protective power, and indecisive. He understood clearly: if the old system continued, allowing the scholar-gentry to endlessly seize land and evade taxes, the people's lives would grow ever harder, the state's finances would dry up, and collapse would be inevitable.

Crucially, Zhao Yu did not act blindly in targeting the scholar-gentry—he had prepared thoroughly.

As chancellors, Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others had long noticed that Zhao Yu had promoted countless landless commoner sons over the years, placing them in key departments.

Moreover, when the New Faction and Old Faction were consumed by internal strife, Zhao Yu had established the Eastern Factory on the foundation of the Imperial City Surveillance Bureau; later, after errors by the Imperial City Surveillance Bureau and Eastern Factory led to his assassination attempt, he created the Brocade Guard. Since then, Zhao Yu had continuously strengthened the authority of these three secret police agencies—Imperial City Surveillance Bureau, Eastern Factory, and Brocade Guard—none of which were under their control, and which now threatened their very safety.

—Some among them, whether through meticulousness, coincidence, or betrayal, had already discovered they were under surveillance; they knew every action and thought was under Zhao Yu's control, that Zhao Yu could not only kill them but also destroy their reputations and make them wish for death.

This was why Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others believed Cai Jing had certainly surrendered all his family's land—he knew Cai Jing dared not lie to Zhao Yu; no, they all dared not lie to Zhao Yu, unless they wished to test how much dirt the Imperial City Surveillance Bureau, Eastern Factory, and Brocade Guard held on them.

Without exaggeration, before acting against the southern scholar-gentry, Zhao Yu had made perfect preparations.

Cai Jing's acuity and decisiveness emerged precisely against this backdrop—he saw through Zhao Yu's resolve and foresaw the inevitable implementation of the Two New Policies. Rather than be forced to accept them later, he chose to embrace them proactively to preserve himself.

Thus, Cai Jing willingly sacrificed immediate interests, actively supported the reforms, and signaled to Zhao Yu his loyalty and adaptability to the times.

Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others looked at Cai Jing, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

Before this, Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others had all assumed: Fang La's rebel army, under the banner of "Clear the Emperor's Side," sought to execute Cai Jing—this time, Cai Jing was surely doomed. After all, Fang La's forces were massive, sweeping forward like a bamboo stalk split open, with commoners across the land rising in support, proving deep public resentment against Cai Jing and others; Cai Jing would surely be overwhelmed, even sacrificed by Zhao Yu to appease popular fury. Yet they never imagined Cai Jing could adjust his strategy so swiftly—retreating to advance, preserving himself, severing ties completely with the southern scholar-gentry, submitting his letter of allegiance to Zhao Yu, and assuming the posture of a vanguard ready to implement the Two New Policies in the south.

'Cruel enough!'

This was the shared sentiment of Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and the others.

After hearing Cai Jing's stance, Zhao Yu said coolly: "Moving north is fine. The south has lately been foul and corrupt, unfit for residence. When the miasma clears and heaven and earth are restored, your family may return and live in peace."

With these words, heavy with implication, every chancellor tightened inside. They understood: Zhao Yu was truly about to strike the southern scholar-gentry, and nothing could stop him.

Indeed!

Zhao Yu's tone shifted: "Minister Cai's act of relocating your clan and abandoning land is excellent—it sets an example for southern aristocratic families."

These chancellors were all seasoned foxes; how could they not understand? This was Zhao Yu leaving a lifeline for their relatives, friends, students, and former subordinates?

Zhao Yu was practically saying: surrender your land, relocate your entire clan northward, and I'll spare these southern scholar-gentry. Otherwise, those stubborn southern gentry may as well prepare to die.

The Water Margin depicts a wealth of talent among the scholar-gentry landlord class: among the Liang Shan rebels alone, Song Jiang, Chao Gai, Lu Junyi, Shi Jin, Chai Jin, Kong Ming, Kong Liang, Song Qing, Mu Hong, Mu Chun, Hu San Niang, and Li Ying were all born into the scholar-gentry landlord class, and Song Jiang, Chao Gai, and Lu Junyi were top leaders of Liang Shan.

The villains' Zhu Family Village and Zeng Family Village were also exceptionally formidable—Liang Shan heroes found it harder to defeat them than to capture state capitals defended by imperial troops.

Though the Water Margin is fictional, it truthfully reflects the power of the scholar-gentry landlord class during this era.

During this period, landlords owning tens of thousands of mu of land with hundreds of tenants were common, especially in the south.

Nearly two centuries of land consolidation under the Zhao Song dynasty had caused severe land scarcity and a surge in displaced peasants, thrusting society into an era of displaced populations.

It was easy for displaced peasants to become outlaws.

Once displaced peasants turned to outlawry, they naturally required powerful patrons for protection.

On the other hand, Zhao Song dynasty scholar-gentry landlords also needed private armed forces to protect their property.

The two sides found perfect alignment, giving rise to the lord-tenant system.

Thus, collusion between scholar-gentry landlords and outlaws was rampant in the Zhao Song dynasty—they even formed organizations with criminal syndicate characteristics.

Such matters were more common in the south, primarily because the Zhao Song dynasty's military strength in the south was extremely weak, forcing southern landlords to rely more heavily on tenants for protection of life and property.

Historical records state: "In Jinxī County, Fuzhou, the prominent Deng and Fu clans each commanded thousands of village militia, wearing red lacquered leather hats, called the Red Heads—far and near feared them, calling them the Deng and Fu Societies." Local magistrates in Jiangxi lacked the strength to oppose them and could only turn a blind eye.

Zhao Song dynasty scholar-gentry landlords not only had the habit of forming societies but also stockpiled military equipment in their estates, and most landlords and their families practiced martial arts. The early Song general Wang Jing himself formed a society, stockpiled military gear, trained his entire family in martial arts, and rose to the rank of military governor through these means. Some scholar-gentry landlords even achieved battlefield victories surpassing those of imperial troops—for instance, the Ma clan of Linzi in Qingzhou once held off Liao cavalry invading Shandong before the Treaty of Chanyuan.

Among the tenants of scholar-gentry landlords, skilled warriors were numerous.

Had history not changed, in a few years Yue Fei would enter the Zhòujǐntáng of Han Zhongyan's grandson and become a tenant of the Han family.

But then again, no matter how powerful the scholar-gentry landlords, no matter how many capable men they commanded, they were merely a rabble—unless Zhao Yu sent regular troops to aid them in suppressing bandits, they were lambs awaiting slaughter.

In other words, if Zhao Yu chose to sit back and watch the tigers fight, Fang La's and Song Jiang's rebel armies would surely exterminate the southern scholar-gentry.

Most importantly, if Zhao Yu made this choice, the world would not condemn him.

The current public appearance is clear: Zhao Yu long foresaw that excessive exploitation by the scholar-gentry would drive the people to revolt, so he wisely introduced the Two New Policies to ease tensions between landlord and peasant—but the scholar-gentry were too greedy, refused to accept Zhao Yu's goodwill, fiercely resisted reform, and finally drove the people to revolt. Now the people seek to exterminate the scholar-gentry—it is entirely their own fault.

Of course, the scholar-gentry did not see it this way. They believed: had Zhao Yu not insisted on introducing the Two New Policies and loudly promoting their benefits, how would ignorant commoners know? They would have continued accepting their exploitation generation after generation, while the scholar-gentry lived in luxury and superiority. In their eyes, Zhao Yu's reforms were like thunder from a clear sky, shattering the privileges and comfort they had enjoyed for generations. They stubbornly believed Zhao Yu himself had incited this storm, stoking the people's resentment and rage.

This was the core of their conflict.

After two years of probing, Zhao Yu saw the conflict as irreconcilable.

The scholar-gentry had also not failed to consider opportunities to replace—or even eliminate—Zhao Yu.

If so, is it wrong for Zhao Yu to kick them while they're down?

Though Zhao Yu's stance was already clear, as chancellor, Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun still had to warn him: "Your Majesty, if Song Jiang and Fang La are not swiftly crushed, and they ravage Jiangnan unchecked, Jiangnan may become a wasteland of corpses, its economy ruined, unable to recover for a decade—such a collapse could shake the very foundation of the state, a grave danger indeed."

Zhao Yu looked at Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun and asked calmly: "What does the chancellor suggest?"

Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun knew Zhao Yu had long desired to kill the scholar-gentry; now that he held the upper hand, he would never let them escape.

With a quiet sigh, Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun weakly said: "Troops must still be sent—otherwise… the consequences may be unimaginable."

Upon hearing Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun's words, all other chancellors sank inward. They understood: Seeing Seeing Seeing Zhang Dun had realized no one could stop Zhao Yu from striking the southern scholar-gentry—he was merely urging Zhao Yu to control the damage, ensuring Song Jiang's and Fang La's rebels did not grow too powerful to contain.

Zhao Yu nodded: "Correct. Chancellor's warning is most timely. Hmm… have Accompanying Tong Guan bring the Western Army back."

Upon hearing Zhao Yu intended to send the Western Army south to suppress the rebellion, all chancellors abandoned any hope of persuading Zhao Yu to spare the southern scholar-gentry.

Why?

The Western Army was formidable—it had reclaimed Qingtang Tubo and the Western Xia.

Letting the Western Army go wipe out the Song Jiang rebels and Fang La rebels would certainly get the job done.

But the problem is, the Western Army's discipline is notoriously bad—calling them bandits in official uniforms wouldn't be wrong. If you let them out to fight, they'd absolutely loot everywhere they went, treating lives like dirt and dust. Wherever they passed, the flames of war would rage and the people would have no way to survive.

If the Western Army were sent to Jiangnan, and Accompanying Tong Guan, whom Zhao Yu dispatched to command them, gave them a few hints, then the southern gentry wouldn't just face slaughter at the hands of the Song Jiang rebels and Fang La rebels.

Ceng Bu, whose old home was in Jiangxi, truly didn't want his homeland to be ravaged, so he proposed: "The Western Army is far, the Four Auxiliary Armies are close. Why does Your Majesty go far when near is at hand? Why not send the Four Auxiliary Armies on this errand?"

The Divine Engine Army and the Four Auxiliary Armies were both new armies, built by Li Lin according to the standards of later-era armies, and Li Lin had been keeping a close eye on political education, so their discipline was excellent.

What Ceng Bu meant was: this is a civil war—could Zhao Yu show some mercy and give those stubbornly obstinate southern gentry a way out?

Zhao Yu didn't say that if those southern gentry were stubbornly obstinate, valued their wealth over their lives, and refused to take the way out he'd given them, why would he still show womanish benevolence? Instead he said blandly: "If the Four Auxiliary Armies go south to suppress the rebellion, and the Liao army comes south, how will our Great Song defend itself?"

Ceng Bu wanted to say that the Liao kingdom had been beaten into fear by Your Majesty himself—where would they find the courage to come south for revenge?

But Ceng Bu didn't dare say such a thing.

For one, he couldn't guarantee the Liao army wouldn't take the chance to come south.

Anyone with eyes could see it: once Zhao Yu resolved the greatest hidden danger of the Zhao Song dynasty, the next step would surely be recovering Yan Di Wuzhou and Ping Luan Yingsanzhou along with all the mountain passes, completing true great unification.

If someone in the Liao kingdom could see this step, they would surely know that for the Liao kingdom, this was very likely their only chance to avoid national destruction.

In that case, if Yelu Yanxi had decisiveness and boldness, who was to say he wouldn't stake everything on a single throw?

For two, Zhao Yu had already made his attitude clear, and had already given the southern gentry a way out—that was already giving them face, and he hadn't gone to the extreme of wiping them all out.

Isn't this Zhao Yu's mercy?

So Ceng Bu could only heave a helpless sigh and shut his mouth.

If even Ceng Bu backed off, what could the other chancellors say?

The key was, which of them didn't understand that this might be the only chance to resolve the hidden danger of the Zhao Song dynasty? If at this point they still urged Zhao Yu to show leniency toward those southern gentry who had opposed him all along and wouldn't take the way out even when given one—wouldn't that be tantamount to telling Zhao Yu that these men in high positions cared about nothing but colluding with the gentry and sharing in wealth and honor, rather than truly considering the country and the people? How could a monarch determined to sweep away accumulated ills and forge a prosperous age tolerate such selfish and self-serving men?

"Losing the land is better than losing your life; as long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood…"

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(End of chapter)