Chapter 144: Signs of Chaos

The war continued, and even as it entered a phase of stalemate and siege, Nanyang, where the frontline commanders of both sides were concentrated, could not possibly remain quiet.

For instance, the Zhao Emperor quickly decided on a strategy: appoint Du Chong as commander, Yue Fei as general, to integrate the troops of the Eastern Capital Rear Area Command and rescue Han Shizhong.

In fact, this matter was so important that Zhao Jiu, after a day, only felt at ease when he found Du Chong's name on a memorial urging him to return to the Eastern Capital… From this, it was clear that this man was undoubtedly a war advocate, and at the very least, he had gotten along well with Zong Ze in the Eastern Capital.

That was correct. Du Chong, as a member of the Eastern Capital Rear Area Command, had submitted a memorial requesting the Zhao Emperor to return to the old capital—this was clearly recorded in history.

However, by this point, Zhao Jiu could only take some comfort in that, because the decision had been made, and things seemed impossible to change.

Moreover, Nanyang was destined not to be peaceful.

On the last day of the first ten days of the twelfth lunar month, when the situation in the Eastern Capital was unclear, Xu Jingheng, Wang Boyan, and Liu Ji in Xiangyang were the first to become restless—after Nanyang repeatedly gave no reply, only saying "Nanyang is still stable," Xiangyang executed its planned course of action. The Imperial Guard Central Army Commander Zhang Jing crossed the Han River, followed the frozen Baihe River north along the eastern bank, and approached Nanyang city.

This made the situation delicate once more, because the Jin Army had not attacked but instead watched this force advance along the Baihe River to a point on the opposite bank, a mere fifteen li in a straight line from the southeast corner of Nanyang city.

Now, the civil officials in Nanyang always rose and fell with the situation, sometimes joyful, sometimes worried:

At first, when the Jin Army abandoned the siege, although knowledgeable people clearly stated that there must be a Jin conspiracy—for instance, the frontline situation was dire, so the Jin Army deliberately opened a path to let Nanyang city know, hoping to cause internal chaos, a "strategy to attack the mind"—this still couldn't suppress the relief and relaxation most people felt, as if this battle had already been won.

Then, as expected, news came from the north, saying there was a great defeat in Guanxi, Han Shizhong was in critical condition in the Wuhe region, and the Eastern Capital had done nothing, etc. The city fell into chaos again, the Xiangyang faction seemed to be reviving, and many seasoned ministers agreed that the Zhao Emperor should find an opportunity to leave.

Now, Zhang Jing had arrived with four or five thousand troops and set up camp on the eastern bank of the Baihe River. The Jin Army did not attack, and some people actually thought the Jin Army had lost its nerve, suggesting the Zhao Emperor send Wang De and Fu Qing out of the city to raid the camp?!

Of course, there were still clear-headed people.

"This must be the Jin Army deliberately indulging us, luring our army out of the city to respond, seeking to annihilate us at the city walls." The one who stepped forward to speak was Liu Ziyu. In recent days, even the laborers could relax a bit due to the lull in fighting, and the soldiers could rotate off the walls, but he had been busy with city defenses earlier and later helping plan strategies for other areas, so he appeared somewhat tired. However, he still responded quickly.

"Can't we have some courage?" Censor-in-Chief Hu Yin frowned slightly in response. He wasn't one to go with the wind; he had always believed in using offense as defense. As early as in Nanjing, he thought the Zhao Emperor should personally lead an expedition and cross the river to campaign north. But when it came to military matters, everyone, including the Zhao Emperor, generally ignored him.

Therefore, when Liu Ziyu saw it was Hu Yin speaking, his head instinctively ached. Whether it was due to recent fatigue or the belief that talking to this man was useless, he didn't immediately argue with him in court.

However, having been in the Bureau of Military Affairs for a long time, he had some prestige and connections, and a subordinate quickly stepped forward to respond.

"I venture to speak." Hu Hongxiu, hearing such absurd words and seeing that the Liu Counselor who had taken care of him the most remained silent, immediately stepped forward. He addressed the Zhao Emperor directly, pretending not to have heard Hu Yin. "The Jin Army might have even greater intentions!"

"What do you mean?" The Zhao Emperor, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to attention, looking somewhat curious.

"I believe the Jin Army, seeing this force coming from Xiangyang, guessed that Commander Zhang had come to escort Your Majesty. They deliberately feigned relaxation, waiting only for Your Majesty to leave the city, to settle the matter once and for all." Hu Hongxiu's words were shocking.

The hall erupted in noise, and Zhao Jiu was momentarily stunned. Then, for once, he grinned but did not respond.

"The situation is excellent. Why would Your Majesty leave Nanyang for Xiangyang?" Hu Yin continued to frown. "How could the Jin Army be so foolish?"

"Is the Jin Army truly foolish?" Hu Hongxiu couldn't help but confront the Censor-in-Chief, whose political status was vastly different from his own. "Censor-in-Chief Hu! The Jin Army isn't specifically targeting this. They are simply relying on their cavalry, which is invincible in field battles, so they allow Commander Zhang to come and go. Once they make up their minds, they can swallow these four or five thousand troops at any time. How is that foolish?"

"According to you, Commander Zhang and his four or five thousand troops are already dead men no matter what?" Hu Yin found it increasingly absurd. "Are we to just hole up in the city and let the Jin people ravage us? No matter what, at this moment, Commander Zhang coming to aid the throne is also wrong?"

"Commander Zhang's arrival for aid is indeed inappropriate, like a lamb walking into a tiger's den." Hu Hongxiu, unaware of the other's emotions, continued on his own.

"Absurd!" Hu Yin flew into a rage. "According to you, should we just not fight the Jin Army? Should we just let the Jin people run rampant and do nothing? Do you know what it means to honor the king and repel the barbarians? The barbarians are only temporarily in power. If the Central Plains can unite as one, dare to fight and can fight, what difficulty is there in restoring the realm? If others don't understand this, how can you, a former Imperial Academy student turned counselor, not understand it either?"

Hu Hongxiu was momentarily speechless… It wasn't that he had nothing to say, but that he was frightened by Hu Yin.

"Censor-in-Chief Hu." Liu Ziyu, seeing his subordinate being suppressed, could no longer bear it and gritted his teeth to respond. "Are you trying to emulate Grand Councilor Li?"

"What do you mean?" Hu Yin was suddenly taken aback.

"First, emulate Grand Councilor Li during the Jingkang era by driving away Li Yanxian, the Pacification Commissioner, forcing him to change his name and flee, to resist the Jin as a criminal!" Liu Ziyu responded sternly. "Then, emulate Grand Councilor Li during the early Jianyan era by driving away Yue Fei, the Pacification Commissioner, forcing him to enlist as a common soldier on the banks of the Yellow River!"

Hu Yin's face flushed red, but he was momentarily unable to respond.

"How can Yue Fei's flight be blamed on Grand Councilor Li?" Palace Censor Li Guang quickly stepped out to explain but got stuck midway. "Yue Fei's flight was due to Huang Qianshan being in power at the time, who arbitrarily drove him away…"

Now, as a Palace Censor, Li Guang initially intended to impeach Liu Ziyu for his harsh words, but doing so would clearly mirror the scene of Li Gang's intolerance in the past. So, as soon as he opened his mouth, he quickly suppressed that thought. But even after avoiding that, he got stuck mid-sentence because he suddenly realized—his hasty response not only tacitly admitted that Li Yanxian's expulsion was the fault of his benefactor, Grand Councilor Li, but also tacitly acknowledged that Yue Fei's impeachment back then was correct.

But correct, my foot?

Yue Fei's impeachment of Li Gang back then was for "not resisting the Jin," demanding that the court cross the river northward. How could that be correct? Just because Yue Fei later won a battle and is now in favor, doesn't mean everything this young man did from childhood to adulthood was right, right?

But regardless, with Li Guang stuck, Liu Ziyu took the opportunity to fold his hands and sneer:

"Both of you, righteousness is righteousness, and action is action. In a great war, one must first talk about action, then about righteousness… And how do you know that we don't understand righteousness? When Counselor Hu and I faced the Jin with drawn blades during the Jingkang era, where were you two discussing this righteousness? And after two years, you're still talking about righteousness?!"

Hu Yin, after being scolded, instinctively looked at the Zhao Emperor. He now realized a problem—this quarrel shouldn't have happened in the first place, because the Zhao Emperor and the two Grand Councilors Lu at least had the ability to control the court. But these three had remained silent all along, each lost in thought.

"How about this." Zhao Jiu, feeling uncomfortable under Hu Yin's gaze, finally stopped his random thoughts and spoke immediately. "For now, let's stay put in Nanyang… Send a small force across the river to meet Zhang Jing, as a probe, and tell him to be careful."

Liu Ziyu, who had recently also taken on the role of Deputy Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs, dared not be negligent and immediately responded.

But just then, another key figure in the Bureau of Military Affairs, Mo Qixie, suddenly gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have a matter that I truly cannot bear to keep to myself. I request a private audience with Your Majesty…"

Zhao Jiu was momentarily stunned, and those around him were also taken aback.

However, as Zhao Jiu waved his hand, the people in the hall watched this rising star of the Bureau of Military Affairs quickly follow the Emperor into the rear hall.

"Speak!" Stepping into the open space behind the hall, Zhao Jiu stood on the snow-covered ground and asked seriously… He couldn't help but be somewhat wary of this man.

"I should not speak of this matter, but I must." Mo Qixie gritted his teeth and cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, do you remember, before summer turned to autumn, when the Jin Army massed but was held back by the Hebei volunteer forces?"

"Of course I remember." Zhao Jiu had thought the other was going to impeach someone, but hearing him talk about official business, he relaxed instead.

"At that time, neither the Bureau of Military Affairs nor the various organs of the Nanyang central government had anticipated this. I also thought it was something Commander Ma of Mount Wuma had done privately without reporting in time." Mo Qixie gathered his courage to respond. "But a few days ago, when I was reviewing past memorials in the Bureau of Military Affairs, I discovered that as early as midsummer this year, Commander Ma had mentioned this matter in a memorial, saying that if the Jin Army made any unusual moves in autumn or winter, he would do his utmost to delay them…"

Zhao Jiu grew more confused… What was this?

Ma Kuo was only stating a hypothesis and possibility. It was normal that the Bureau of Military Affairs and the central government hadn't thought of it.

"I initially thought it was an oversight by the entire Bureau of Military Affairs, that they hadn't considered this matter." Mo Qixie stole a glance at the Zhao Emperor and finally got to the point. "But a few days ago, when Your Majesty said you wanted to rescue Grand Commandant Han and asked about available troops, I spoke with Counselor Liu, asking if we could transfer the Hebei volunteer forces across the river to aid us. He sternly rebuked me… and greatly disparaged the combat effectiveness of the Hebei volunteer forces."

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then finally caught on… So this was still about tattling.

"Just tell me what's really going on!" With this thought, the Zhao Emperor naturally felt a bit bored.

"Your Majesty, I only found out yesterday that Counselor Liu and Commander Ma have a personal grudge!" Mo Qixie stared at Zhao Jiu and replied seriously. "Back when Commander Ma was imprisoned in Zhending, it was because Counselor Liu and his father slandered him… What Counselor Liu and his father did back then is exactly like what Counselor Liu now says Grand Councilor Li did to Pacification Commissioner Li! It was because of this that I couldn't contain my righteous indignation and requested a private audience. But these are all old matters, not worth mentioning during this national crisis, lest I be seen as petty! However, the key point is, I worry that Counselor Liu, because of this relationship, has repeatedly ignored the Hebei volunteer forces when formulating strategies! Your Majesty, the Hebei volunteer forces might be usable! I beg Your Majesty to keep this in mind!"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a long time before nodding slightly: "I understand. You may go back now."