Chapter 12: The Boundary Ditch

In the winter of the first year of the Jianyan era, with the Yellow River as the dividing line, people everywhere on both sides of the great river were heading south, as if trying to follow the tracks of migratory birds.

Only, among them some were active, some passive, some were initiators, some were followers, and some were the driven; and then some were elated, some were utterly disgraced, some were dejected, and some were numb.

On that day in mid-October, just as Zhang Xian, who had cried himself into a drenched mess, was tied onto a horse by Tang Huai and then personally pressed onto a ferry, almost on the same day, hundreds of li away, our Zhao Lord had also begun a numb migration like a Psyduck that could only think.

Zhao Jiu and the entire Song imperial court-in-transit truly were not scared away by the Jin army.

In fact, at this time, the Jin army—at the very least, Jin Wushu and Wanyan Talan's eastern route army—was still in Hebei, and their first-stage attack targets were also the Song's two Jingdong circuits (the Shandong region) and the as-yet-unfallen isolated city of Great Ming Prefecture in Hebei; correspondingly, Zhao Lord and his people truly had not yet seen a shadow of the Jin eastern route army.

The only sign was from the Tokyo Headquarters, where the Privy Councilor and Tokyo Commissioner Zong Ze sent a document, saying the situation in Tokyo was severe, especially that there were more and more Jin troops on Tokyo's western flank, which should mean the Jin western route army was about to launch a new offensive. But at this time, apart from Zhao Jiu, even Li Gang no longer believed his words.

That's right, Li Gang had finally returned.

This standard-bearer of the war faction, counting from the first year of the Jingkang era, had experienced a textbook three rises and three falls in a year and a half, spending a small half of that time on the road between being demoted and being summoned as Chancellor, truly a weathervane for the court's war-or-peace stance.

And with such a figure arriving, and with a Zhao Lord who no longer deliberately vied for power with him, then with his prestige and ability, as well as that stubborn character—or that "aura that overshadows the ruler"—that had even worn calluses into Zhao Lord's ears, as soon as he arrived at the imperial court-in-transit, he naturally immediately seized the initiative in major policies.

This move was presided over by him—enough said, since we're to use the minister, then we must head to Nanyang!

There were certainly many opponents; the Yangzhou faction had too many supporters here in the court-in-transit, and Yangzhou was too attractive... but it couldn't withstand the fact that Vice Chancellor Lü Haowen was an easygoing gentleman; the Co-knower of the Privy Council Wang Boyan now wished Li Gang couldn't see him; the new Censor-in-Chief, though he rather disliked Li Gang, happened to coincide with Li Gang on the plan of selecting an alternate capital... because going to Nanyang was not the final goal, but to observe the situation in Nanyang, see if they could contact the Western Army, and ultimately enter Luoyang or Chang'an.

Even Zhao Jiu understood in his heart that, rationally speaking, this plan and going to Yangzhou were both feasible transitional plans, only one sought the financial resources of Jiangnan as a foundation, while the other sought the military potential of the northwest as a foundation.

Thus, the move began without any resistance, and Zhao Jiu set off with the main force without a word. This Zhao Lord, with a complex mix of feelings almost like shame, fear, bewilderment, curiosity, and excitement, left the Mingdao Palace and Bozhou for the first time.

But the large group had only traveled a little over a hundred li southwest from Bozhou, just entering the border of the Jingxi North Circuit, somewhere between Xiangcheng and Wanshou, when they stopped again by the Ying River, because rebel troops blocked the way ahead.

Nowadays, the Central Plains were full of rebel troops, so such an incident was not surprising, and Zhao Jiu and the others were well aware of this rebel band, whose leader was called Ding Jin and who was known as the Huainanxi Bandits, because it had developed almost right under the noses of Zhao Lord and Li Gang, having just risen not long ago, and was already in the plans for suppression.

Only, this rebel band had developed rapidly, controlling a large number of towns along the upper reaches of the Huai River's tributaries in just over a month, and now they were pressing towards the Ying River, blocking the route to Nanyang, forcing the court-in-transit here to adjust its original military plans, conscript troops, and suppress them first.

In a word, there was going to be a battle; the Lord should rest for a while!

"We must defeat Ding Jin before we can proceed! You must understand, this bandit not only blocks the road to Nanyang, but also blocks the passage from the various prefectures and armies of Huainan to the court-in-transit. I heard that previously, the four commanderies of Luzhou, Chuzhou, Wuwei Army, and Hezhou, hearing of the court-in-transit's difficulties, pooled together a sum of money, grain, cloth, and silk, and sent them with able-bodied escorts. They had already reached Bagong Mountain when they were blocked by this bandit!"

"A mere bunch of bandits, taking advantage of the chaos to rise, only about two months in total. They seem to have many troops and high morale, but in truth, they have no popular support. As long as we gather elite troops, seek an opportunity to defeat them in one battle, we can easily subdue them and take them into our service."

"Correct. The court-in-transit here still has four to five thousand elite troops and many veteran generals, enough to handle this."

"These are all words of experience. Wang Yuan, you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp. I ask you, who specifically can be made general?"

"The Vice Commander of the Right Camp, Liu Zhengyan, is in camp. Miao Fu, Yang Yizhong, Liu Yan—some come from military families, some are long-serving veteran generals—all can assist and follow."

"But if so, wouldn't the court-in-transit be without troops?"

"Correct. A man of great worth does not sit where danger threatens. In the current chaos, if the elite troops of the court-in-transit are all sent out, I fear a few hundred river bandits or wild outlaws could destroy the Song dynasty's altars of state! A threat at one's elbow must be guarded against!"

"This is also a mature view. But then what should be done?"

"Previously, to ensure the two flanks were secure, the Imperial Camp Commissioner Liu Guangshi, the Rear Army Commander Zhang Jun, and the Left Army Commander Han Shizhong were all suppressing bandits in the two Jingdong circuits, not far from here, and they have had many captures and submissions. Thus, why not have the court-in-transit stop here for a while, then summon one or two of them to come here for protection. First, it can strengthen the Imperial Camp; second, we can use their captures to settle and encourage the accompanying civil and military officials; third, we should also give more generous rewards to the various generals... And when their troops arrive, then we can send the elite troops from here to suppress the bandits, which is also a way to share the benefits evenly."

"This too is a mature view."

The Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Vice Director of the Chancellery, that is, the Chancellor Li Gang as commonly called, stood apart before the various officials. Upon hearing this, he only pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily. "But Jingdong is an important place and cannot be left undefended. I have already urgently summoned Zhang Suo to set up a headquarters in Shandong, but he was previously demoted to Guangnan, so he is probably still on his way back... Academician Yuwen, you came from Qingzhou, do you know who there can be made general?"

The person asked was the Grand Academician of the Hall for the Propagation of Governance, Yuwen Xuzhong. During the Jingkang era, he was responsible for peace negotiations with the Jin, so when Li Gang first took power, he was demoted to Qingzhou. Only later, when Huang Qianshan fell from power and Zhao Jiu urgently needed to establish a secretarial team with political prestige, he was brought back to the court-in-transit due to Zhang Jun's recommendation.

And this man, upon hearing Li Gang's question, first thought for a moment, then smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"Chancellor Li is overthinking. Among the generals at this time, only Liu Guangshi has the seniority, official rank, and prestige for this. Moreover, although Liu Guangshi is not good at fighting, he is good at pacifying and nurturing troops. At this time, to stabilize the situation while awaiting Commissioner Zhang, he is the only choice."

Li Gang, in his forties and four or five years younger than Yuwen Xuzhong, was slightly plump but vigorous. At this moment, holding his belt, he appeared exceptionally imposing, and when he spoke, his voice was loud and clear, shaking the beams of the small temple hall that was being used as a council chamber:

"Correct. I also think Liu Guangshi can temporarily garrison Jingdong and assist Zhang Suo!"

Having said this, he did not ask the Co-knower of the Privy Council Wang Boyan, but instead turned his head directly to look at the other person who had been as if invisible: "What does the Lord think?"

Zhao Lord, sitting below the statue of the Tathagata Buddha and pretending to be a wooden carving alongside the Tathagata, finally moved upon hearing this. He immediately nodded repeatedly and then spoke the words he had said most often during this period:

"Let it be as Chancellor Li says!"

Li Gang was extremely satisfied. This time back, the Lord's performance truly left him with nothing to criticize.

However, unlike before, Zhao Lord, who should have continued to be a wooden carving, took the opportunity to ask a follow-up question: "So then, are we to summon Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun here?"

Li Gang was slightly startled, then shook his head: "No need for both to come here... Huainan East is also not peaceful now. Why not send one unit to the Shouzhou area as a flank? Even those coming to the court-in-transit are only for temporary protection. Once the Imperial Right Army has achieved merit and grown a bit with some captures, veteran generals like Zhang and Han will all be sent out again, either to suppress rebellions or to garrison key frontline positions."

"Then let Zhang Jun go to Shouchun!" Zhao Jiu suddenly spoke again. "Let Han Shizhong come here."

Li Gang found it utterly inexplicable, but such a trivial matter was not worth creating opposition with such an obedient Lord, so he directly nodded and agreed, and this council meeting—in the Buddha hall—came to a successful conclusion.

Suffice it to say, since Li Gang arrived, the Lord's life had been so uneventful and ordinary.

Now, with the major matters settled and Chancellor Li busy with minor affairs, the now-idle Zhao Lord, under the escort of Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, strolled out of the Buddha hall and wandered around.

And when Zhao Jiu found a high spot beside the temple and looked into the distance, intending to enjoy the scenery of the Ying River, he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a small market town seven or eight li away.

"That is..."

"It is Jiegou Town." Yang Yizhong seemed to know everything. "It gets its name because it lies on the border between Chenzhou and Shunchang Prefecture (formerly Yingzhou, later Fuyang)... It's next to the Ying River and has a ferry, so it's quite prosperous."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly. Although he was extremely curious in his heart, he only stood on tiptoe to look and had no intention of going there... No reason other than that the court-in-transit had previously stopped at Mingdao Palace and now stopped at a temple in the wilderness, all to avoid disturbing the people, and also to prevent the people from hearing rumors and causing unrest or rushing the court-in-transit.

Suffice it to say, the several thousand troops, hundreds of officials, and their families here in the court-in-transit inevitably caused disturbance to the locality, but being farther away was better than nothing.

And so, Zhao Lord stood on tiptoe on the small slope for a long time, only roughly feeling that the place was indeed bustling with people coming and going, quite lively, but in the end, it was all blurry, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

"The Lord need not doubt," Yang Yizhong said with a smile beside him. "If not for the Jin matter, the realm would still be in its prime, and this place hasn't been hit by bandits, so it is naturally truly prosperous and lively... Even the market towns we passed on the road, though the Lord was in the carriage and hard to see closely, the buildings along the way and the clothing of the passersby are certainly not fake."

Zhao Lord gave a dry laugh, then nodded and was about to turn and go down. But just as he descended the small slope, this Zhao Lord suddenly turned back:

"Zhengfu (Yang Yizhong), Pingfu (Liu Yan), do you know how many people the Great Song has?"

Yang and Liu exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously blurted out:

"One hundred and twenty million!"

"That many?" Zhao Jiu was stunned.

"Lord, this is what was recorded in the household registers of our dynasty three years ago," Yang Yizhong bowed his head and replied cautiously. "Anyone with a mind for it would know."

"And now?" Zhao Jiu asked dazedly.

Yang and Liu looked at each other again, but neither had a definite answer.

"When the realm is settled, how many will there be then?" Zhao Jiu asked again.

And Yang and Liu could only lower their heads in silence.

"Let's go out for a walk. We won't cause any trouble for Li Xianggong, so we won't go to Jiegou Town—just look around the nearby countryside." Zhao Jiu sighed, then adjusted his mood again, forcing a faint smile, as if he could no longer restrain his curiosity and was about to emulate the wise rulers of antiquity by inquiring about local customs.