Chapter 182

As the saying goes, the mansions of the rich reek of wine and meat, while the roads are littered with the frozen dead.

No matter how impoverished the state, no matter how the common people are torn apart and scattered, there will always be those who can still hold a banquet. Besides, aside from the Zhao imperial clan, which has withered to a pitiful state, no one else has been reduced to a household of just four or five people, with all their savings plundered and nothing left but a single ancestral mansion.

Even if one were truly as destitute as the Zhao imperial clan currently is, they could still manage to produce and consume enough to afford a meal.

Returning to the present, after this court assembly, which had a distinctly rustic air due to the presence of several Grand Marshals, the attendees dispersed. The Zhao Emperor went to partake in the imperial banquet with Yue Fei and Moqi Xie. As for the others in the hall, aside from Qu Duan, who was ignored and would likely need to go to the Central Secretariat to handle some paperwork, then rent a house, order takeout, feed his horse, and so on, everyone else had their own destinations.

Han Shizhong took the initiative to grab Lu Haowen, Lord Lu, wanting to go to his home for drinks, and he also made sure to call out to Lü Qing. Wang Yan, on the other hand, voluntarily followed Xu Jingheng, Lord Xu, heading toward the Xu residence. Even Zhang Jun, Grand Marshal Zhang, managed to exchange a few heartfelt words with his long-unseen godfather, Wang Yuan, and then the two of them, a step behind, headed together to the residence of Wang Boyan, Lord Wang, the Privy Councilor.

After three rounds of wine, as the sun slanted westward, these Grand Marshals, with matters on their minds, naturally began to inquire directly, with their rustic bluntness.

"Lord Lu, has the state's finances truly reached such a state?"

At the imperial-bestowed chancellor's mansion, beneath the shade of trees, amidst red flowers and green leaves, Han Shizhong, still wearing his jade belt, assumed a rare cautious posture. "It's just that we've lost the two river regions and Jingdong, and then Guanzhong, Huaibei, and Jingxi have become a bit chaotic... Even so, shouldn't we still have half of what we once had, meaning an annual revenue of fifty or sixty million? How could it be only twenty or thirty million?"

"Can such a thing really be hidden from people?" Lu Haowen put down his chopsticks, utterly speechless.

"How can you calculate it that way?" Lü Qing, who had just set down his wine cup, was also speechless. "Let me say something you might not like to hear, Liangchen. If Grand Marshal Zhang were at Lord Wang's place right now, he would never ask such a question... He at least has some basic common sense about finance! The state's economy is interconnected, like a living person. If you suddenly cut off half of it, how can you possibly preserve the other half? If you break a leg, doesn't it bleed?"

Lü Qing was a veteran who had fought alongside Han Shizhong, and his words were direct, leaving Han Shizhong unavoidably embarrassed.

"What Grand Marshal Lü says makes sense." Lu Haowen, as always, was good-natured and readily explained to the other. "For instance, the state's revenue mostly comes from commercial taxes. But commerce—doesn't it require north-south trade? In the past, silk from Jiangnan was sold to Hebei. Can it still be sold now? To find new markets, doesn't that take time? Moreover, doing business relies heavily on safe transportation. Once war breaks out, it deals the greatest blow to people's confidence..."

Han Shizhong seemed lost in thought: "Indeed, in the two years since His Majesty ascended the throne, the southeast has only been peaceful for half a year..."

"Correct," Lu Haowen sighed softly, speaking directly to the rough man. "In the first year of Jianyan, after the Jingkang Incident, chaos erupted across the southeast. With fires of war everywhere, the Great Song was in danger of perishing. At that time, would anyone dare to go out and trade in bulk goods? Later, Lord Li Gongxiang pacified the region, but it was only peaceful for half a year. Last year, starting in autumn of the second year of Jianyan, the Jiangning military revolt began, dragging on until now. How could there be peace of mind or safe transport? And this year, it looks like it might be calm for a while, but who dares to say it will remain peaceful after autumn?"

"It's the Jin people." Han Shizhong finally understood completely.

"Exactly, the Jin people." Lu Haowen sighed slowly. "The Jin people come every year, and when they come, the situation worsens. Not only the areas directly ravaged, but even the rear cannot maintain stability... Weren't the several uprisings in the southeast all triggered by the Jin offensives?"

Han Shizhong continued to ponder.

Lu Haowen spoke bluntly: "Before the Jingkang Incident, the southeast contributed over twenty million in revenue. By the middle of Jianyan, even if it could be collected, it was only about ten million. This was due to the turmoil. Logically, as the situation stabilizes, this revenue should gradually recover to its former state, or even increase due to the influx of refugees and growing population... But one prerequisite is that the Jin people cannot attack there, and no new chaos can arise."

"So the central government would rather raise taxes to support the army?" Lü Qing asked cautiously from the side. "Once taxes are raised, Jiangnan will inevitably become unstable, and unrest may follow. But if taxes aren't raised, and the Jin people can't be stopped, instability will come anyway. Yet if the Jin are stopped, things can gradually ease over time?"

"Grand Marshal Lü has hit the nail on the head." Lu Haowen gave a bitter smile. "Raising taxes is certainly bad, but the key lies in whether the front lines can win after the tax increase... Not even win, just keep the Jin army from crossing the Huai River, maintaining a stalemate like last time. With the general trend of people desiring stability, the finances can gradually recover. And with His Majesty's frugality and restraint, any tax increases would surely be rolled back. But if we can't stop them, then not only the front lines but also the rear will inevitably fall into greater chaos... This is a gamble on victory or defeat."

Han Shizhong nodded slowly, then shook his head just as slowly: "So it seems His Majesty is also in an extremely difficult position, and he truly is somewhat annoyed with Zhang Jun and me... I hear that Yue Fei, though young, is as frugal as His Majesty himself. Is that why he has caught His Majesty's eye?"

"There's no helping it." Lu Haowen stroked his beard with emotion. "I just said His Majesty is frugal and restrained, and you say he lives a hard life, but that still doesn't fully capture His Majesty's current demeanor... In fact, these days, many former nobles have returned to Dongjing. Seeing His Majesty's situation, some have even said he is 'sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall'—enduring hardship to achieve a goal."

Han Shizhong, most concerned about this matter, asked carefully: "So, is His Majesty truly annoyed with me for the army's extravagance?"

"Not at all." Lu Haowen snapped back to reality and immediately shook his head. "Liangchen, you are a great general of the state, the foremost commander of our time. How could he truly be annoyed with you? The special war tax was also decided after long deliberation by the central government. It's just that today His Majesty was indeed in a bad mood over finances and military expenses... Besides, His Majesty is determined to resist the Jin. Even someone like Qu Duan, who merely maintained the situation in northern Shaanxi, was spared. How could he truly be annoyed with you, who has rendered great service to the state?"

"To be honest with you, my lord, whether truly annoyed or not, after His Majesty's outburst today, I can't help but feel... a bit fearful." Han Shizhong pointed to his chest.

"Isn't fear only natural?" Lu Haowen said dismissively. "He is, after all, His Majesty... Liangchen, if you truly mean well, I won't say much about military matters—you are a model of loyalty to the state. But you should also work on military discipline back in your camp. Otherwise, that Yue Pengju will soon surpass you... You asked earlier if Yue Pengju gained His Majesty's favor because of his frugality. I can answer you: no! His Majesty never cares about such trivial matters. It's because Yue Pengju's troops have exemplary discipline! Do you know? After suppressing the rebellion in the southeast, Yue Pengju escorted the southeastern tax revenues to the capital. His troops were extremely orderly. At first, when Lord Lu, the Privy Councilor, reported it from Yangzhou, no one in the court dared to believe it. But when the money and goods arrived in the capital, the accounts were clear, and not a single coin was missing. That shook the entire court and made everyone realize this man has the bearing of a famous general of old."

Lü Qing then interjected: "In fact, Pengju is also exceptionally skilled in using troops and recognizing talent, though he is not yet widely known. When he served under my command for over a month, I was deeply impressed."

Beneath the flowering trees, Han Shizhong sighed, then lowered his head again: "Lord Lu, Grand Marshal Lü, thank you for the reminder. When I return, I will do my best to rein in my men and save His Majesty some worry. But that's not all today. I also have a private matter concerning Yue Pengju. Originally, I planned to handle it discreetly, but after today's events, whether I bring it up or not, it makes me look like a petty, jealous man. It's truly awkward. So, I ask you both to advise me... To be honest, Yue Pengju's former wife somehow ended up as a refugee in my army and married one of my company commanders. This was discovered only last month, but she's been married for a year already. What should I do?"

Lu Haowen and Lü Qing didn't understand at first, and having talked for so long, they were parched, so they were busy eating and drinking. But after a moment, both of them froze in shock... Who had ever encountered such a situation?

Leaving aside Han Shizhong's awkward predicament, caught in a dilemma, on the other side, amidst the summer breeze that seemed to pull up endlessly and blow back again, inside a stone pavilion by a small lake in the vast Yanfu Palace, overgrown with weeds due to a lack of manpower, the increasingly irritable Zhao Emperor was still venting his anger and scowling at someone.

"You say that my Grand Marshal and Military Governor were once tenant farmers on your estate?" Inside the stone pavilion, everyone stood with their hands at their sides, while the only one seated, Zhao Jiu, glared coldly at a man standing before the pavilion, sneering without pause.

The man before the pavilion was the grandson of the famous chancellor Han Qi, the maternal grandson of Emperor Shenzong, and also a cousin of Zhao Jiu's in this body. He was Han Shu, the current head of the Meihua Han clan, who had just entered the capital that day and was summoned to the palace. Hit with these words upon arrival, he was now trembling like a sieve, unsure how to respond.

"Your Majesty..." Yue Fei, seeing this, had no choice but to clasp his hands and plead. "Your subject comes from a humble background. My father and I were indeed tenant farmers for the Han clan. Moreover, in my hometown, without the Han clan's patronage, I might not have been able to become an archer to support my family. The Han clan has indeed shown kindness to my family. There is not a shred of falsehood in this."

"I know there is no falsehood." Zhao Jiu continued to sneer, still staring at Han Shu. "But some things, though true, what's the point of telling everyone about them endlessly? From Yangzhou to Dongjing, you've been talking about it the whole way, as if afraid no one would know that my Grand Marshal was once your family's tenant farmer? The Zhao dynasty's realm was ceded by the Chai clan, yet I haven't heard the Chai clan going around telling everyone about it, have I? What are you plotting? Do you think your Han clan is the only noble lineage, the foremost family of the Great Song, with disciples and old subordinates filling the realm? Are you, Han Shu, trying to be Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu?"

Upon hearing the final remark, Han Shu could bear it no longer and knelt directly before his cousin, kowtowing frantically in front of everyone.