Chapter 198: Chapter Thirty: Talking and Laughing

"Your Majesty... I, your subject..."

Facing the suddenly arrived Emperor Zhao, even though Chief Zhang was a fisherman for generations and had firm revolutionary beliefs, the limitations of the era still left him momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to bow, how to bow, or what form of address to use.

"This is my fault," Zhao Jiu immediately changed his tune, taking the other's hands. "Today's visit is a private one. I won't say 'We,' and Chief Zhang need not call himself 'subject,' nor perform any rites. We can save those formalities for tomorrow at court."

Zhang Rong then relented.

And so, with the two of them and Academician Lin seated together, the Emperor first gestured for Qu Duan to remove the stinking severed head, then asked the great masters from Xiangguo Temple to bring over some iced sour soup, and then began speaking in rapid succession:

"How large is Liangshan Marsh?"

"Is there an island in the marsh called Liangshan?"

"Is it to the south, north, or right in the middle?"

"Did you ever have dealings with that Song Jiang from back then?"

"Is there a Hall of Assembly?"

"Did the chieftains ever arrange a seating order?"

"What a pity—when we were at Heyin that day, Chief Zhang didn't come. Otherwise, I would have definitely brought the Central Army, Rear Army, and those fellows from the Western Army, and somehow managed to scrape together a grand assembly of seventy-two..."

It was a hot summer day, the afternoon cicadas chirping without pause. The Emperor spoke with great animation, letting himself go completely, not noticing Chief Zhang's unease or Qu Duan's indignation behind him.

There was no helping it—as a time-traveler, how could he not be interested in the true master of Liangshan Marsh?

What's more, the Emperor had been a time-traveler for a solid two years now, and had made detailed inquiries about this Chief Zhang. He knew that unlike that Song Jiang, who had briefly flashed across the stage of true history and then vanished, this Chief Zhang was a genuine regional power—tens of thousands of fishermen in the marsh as his foundation, imperial troops unable to suppress him even in times of peace and prosperity, and after the Jianyan era began, he had fought the Jin without faltering, a true rebel leader and anti-Jin hero.

Not to mention the Battle of Suotou Beach back then, and the recent great victory at Dongping Prefecture—this man had coordinated brilliantly with Yue Fei and achieved outstanding results.

To be frank, in the Battle of Suotou Beach, which had nearly saved the Emperor and his small court on the Huai River, this man's contribution was even greater than Yue Fei's!

Of course, most importantly, the Emperor was committed to resisting the Jin. He had been Emperor for two years, and for those two years he had also been engaged in an ideological struggle with the traditional Zhao Song central government—breaking without breaking—and an important manifestation of this struggle was the need to shatter the previous military doctrine of guarding the interior and neglecting the exterior... He truly felt no discomfort with this Chief Zhang's history of rebellion.

On the contrary, for some reason, based on the other's background and experience, Zhao Jiu actually harbored an inexplicable sense of expectation and respect for this Chief Zhang.

Moreover, even if he had to consider the precarious throne beneath him, there seemed no need to make a fuss about it now... After all, hadn't the man come? And he had brought Kong Yanzhou's head and the living Liu Lin with him.

His past merits and today's meeting had already proven the reliability, practicality, and fundamental stance of this military organization and this man.

So, of course, the two sides could temporarily set aside those political niceties and first shake hands in friendship.

After talking for a long while, Zhang Rong saw that this Emperor, whom he had heard of for so long, acted freely and without pretense. And since he was no ordinary rustic outlaw after all, he gradually came to understand that if the Emperor wanted to win him over deliberately, he wouldn't need to go this far. So he slowly relaxed, and his speech became smoother... Following the other's lead, he told many tales of the martial world.

Not only that, but the Emperor also recounted, as if reciting from a family treasure, many stories of martial heroes that Zhang Rong didn't know—some of which even startled him. Things like how Wu Song, the Pilgrim from Song Jiang's band, had killed a tiger with his bare hands in Yanggu County, or how Lu Tishu from west of the Pass had beaten the Lord of the West to death and been forced to become a monk... It wasn't until that Lu Tishu came to Xiangguo Temple and uprooted a weeping willow tree that Zhang Rong realized that this so-called Emperor could spin a yarn just like any ordinary man.

But the more relaxed they became, and the more they talked, the more likely they were to slip up.

"Speaking of which, Chief Zhang, are you a native of Liangshan?" the Emperor asked with his usual curiosity.

"No," Zhang Rong answered immediately. "I'm originally from Jizhou, southwest of Liangshan Marsh, quite far from Liangshan itself, which is at the northernmost end of the marsh..."

"Then why did you go up to Liangshan and become the master of the stronghold?" The Emperor blurted out, seemingly without thinking, causing Academician Lin beside him to pause slightly, but he remained silent.

Zhang Rong also fell silent, his mouth open.

"Is there something you'd rather not talk about?" the Emperor asked, unconcerned.

"It was because of the Flower and Rock Network that I went up the mountain." Zhang Rong knew he couldn't avoid the question, and since he had always harbored a layer of caution in his heart, he gritted his teeth and answered, to gauge the Emperor's reaction. "There was this huge rock. The canal couldn't carry it, so they diverted it from the Si River to the Ji River, but it still moved slowly. Along the way, they tore down many bridges and ruined many families. On top of that, the local fishing bosses took advantage of the situation to throw their weight around, forbidding us from ferrying or fishing. Since I had always been the fishing head on the southwestern side of the marsh, and because our Yuncheng County Magistrate, Shi Wenbin, had a good reputation, I was chosen by public acclaim to go see him... But before I could see Magistrate Shi, those fishing bosses found the county constable, and they had me arrested right in the city, beaten with boards, and thrown into prison. As for what happened after that, even if I don't say it, Your Majesty should know the general gist."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, lost in thought: "Shi Wenbin died in the battle at Xiacai that day. Did Chief Zhang know that?"

Zhang Rong was momentarily stunned. Assuming Shi Wenbin had died for the country, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I actually know that Magistrate Shi was a good man. It's just that the times were like this, and he couldn't control everything below him."

Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly: "If everything is the fault of those below, then what use are those above? If you ask me, everything in the world should be laid at the feet of those at the top."

Not only did Zhang Rong, shrewd despite his dark face, feel a stir in his heart, but even Qu Duan behind the Emperor breathed heavily upon hearing this.

And it seemed only then that the Emperor remembered the dignified Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp at his side. He turned around on the stone stool and pointed behind him: "Chief Zhang, please take a look. This Vice Commander-in-Chief Qu, back then, because he couldn't control his subordinates, was publicly whipped twenty times right in the capital as a dignified Vice Commander-in-Chief."

Zhang Rong was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to offer a greeting. But seeing the man's face turn from red to white, then back to red, without uttering a single word, the great chieftain of Liangshan Marsh ultimately suppressed the thought.

At the same time, the Emperor continued to speak freely, rambling on: "Take the Retired Emperor, the Daoist Sovereign, for example. Back then, for the sake of some Genyue pleasure park, he brought misery to the people from the southeast all along the banks of the canal, and even around the Ji and Si Rivers. Fang La's rebellion in the south, Song Jiang running rampant in Hebei and on the sea in the north, and even you, Chief Zhang, were forced up Liangshan. The entire country's core was hollowed out. So when the Jin came, he went on a northern hunt... You see, those at the top can never escape responsibility."

This logic was muddled and unclear.

But Qu Duan, who had been indignant, was so shocked by these words that he didn't even dare to be indignant anymore. And Zhang Rong, hearing this, although he knew there were many nuances to it, couldn't help but feel a moment of relief, as if he had finally let out a lifetime of pent-up frustration, while also releasing some nameless tension he had been holding in his chest all day.

Only Academician Lin remained silent, his composure truly admirable.

"Of course, it's the same principle," Zhao Jiu continued casually. "When the Jin forced me to the Huai River back then, and I had to fight, I was full of resentment at first. I felt that heaven was unfair—why did my father and elder brother make such a mess of things, and I had to clean it up? It's only recently that I've gradually come to understand. Before I ascended the throne, it was one thing. But after I ascended, I couldn't shift the blame to others anymore. If I hadn't been so dejected before, abandoning the deployment of the Two Rivers, and hesitated for so long at Mingdao Palace, how could I have been trapped on the Huai? And last year, if I hadn't grown too comfortable in Nanyang and failed to make proper arrangements, would I have needed to risk my life to seize military power at Yanyling? Past events are a guide for the future. For those of us who are great chieftains, we always have to take responsibility for those below us. Don't you agree, Chief Zhang?"

Zhang Rong finally stood up, clasped his hands, and made a deep bow to the Emperor: "Your Majesty speaks very truly."

Zhao Jiu couldn't help but laugh. He reached out from his seat and pulled the other man back down: "Just speaking off the cuff. I only said a few more words because I was afraid you might misunderstand... Let's stop here. We'll discuss the important matters at court tomorrow."

Zhang Rong then sat back down.

And just then, the Emperor laughed again: "Actually, that last sentence from Liu Lin almost moved me. I barely held back from responding..."

Zhang Rong couldn't immediately recall which sentence, and looked a bit confused. Qu Duan behind him, however, grew even paler, feeling that accompanying this Emperor out today had been an eye-opening experience... In terms of arrogance, when had he ever been as arrogant as this Emperor?

So, moving back to the stone table, the Emperor and Zhang Rong continued their conversation. But by now it was late, and the monks had already brought the sour soup three times. After just a few more words, the sun began to sink in the west. It was clearly no longer appropriate to stay, and the Emperor could only shake hands in farewell, truly unable to share a bed for the night. He formally rose, agreeing to meet again tomorrow.

However, it was at this moment that Zhao Jiu noticed that, at some point, Zhang Rong's attendant followers had all gathered under the eaves to watch. Now, seeing him rise, they craned their necks eagerly, trying to get a better look, which alerted the accompanying Imperial Guards.

The Emperor's heart stirred. Recalling a classic scene from history books, he actually walked over with a smile, stopping about seven or eight paces from those men. Then, standing in the courtyard, he rested one hand on his belt and pointed at his own face with the other, introducing himself:

"Fellow heroes of Liangshan, do you want to see what the Emperor really looks like? Take a good, long look. I'm just one nose and two eyes, nothing more."

The Liangshan men under the eaves erupted in a hubbub, all surging out from beneath it. The Imperial Guards didn't panic first, but Zhang Rong did... What if there was some blockhead among them, like Old Fifth, who harbored ill intentions? What would he do then?

So Zhang Rong stepped forward, placing himself in front of the Emperor to block him, and then personally escorted the Emperor out of the courtyard gate.

At their parting, Chief Zhang couldn't help but complain: "Why did Your Majesty bother with those damned fools?"

Zhao Jiu was caught between laughter and tears, and could only shake his head: "They're all heroes!"

Zhang Rong, recalling what he had seen at the South Xun Gate that day, couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The ones who become the top scholar at court and parade through the streets wearing red flowers—those are the true heroes."

Zhao Jiu's heart stirred, but he said nothing, simply taking his leave.

Nothing more was said that night. The next morning, an imperial decree was issued to the Department of State Affairs and the Bureau of Military Affairs, formally summoning Zhang Rong, the Pacification Commissioner of Dongping Prefecture, and ordering the councilors to receive him together at court.

This was only to be expected... The Dongping Prefecture campaign had concluded very swiftly. Although golden tablets forbidding the expansion of the war had already been sent to the front, and Zhang Rong had come of his own accord, that didn't mean there were no matters to be dealt with.

How to verify the identity of the false Crown Prince Liu Lin before executing him in public, and how to display the severed head of the false Marshal Kong Yanzhou at the city gate?

How should Yue Fei and Zhang Rong be rewarded?

How should Zhang Rong's forces at Mount Shuipoliang be handled, and under what designation should they be maintained and reorganized?

And should Dongping Prefecture and Yanzhou be incorporated into which Military Governor's defense zone?

The Imperial Censor Mo Qixie and the Imperial Guard Commander Yang Yizhong performed poorly in battle and actually let the puppet Chancellor Hong Ya escape—how should the merits and faults of this battle be assessed?

Matters vary in importance; in principle, contingency plans should have existed, but this battle was fought hastily and ended swiftly, catching the central councilors somewhat off guard.

Especially in recent days, in stark contrast to the brief, fierce, and rapidly shifting situation of the war at Dongping, as Lord Lu persuaded His Majesty to open the special imperial examination and permit wealthy households to redeem northern refugees from the Hebei region to establish prefectural and imperial academy students, the capital gradually saw a gathering of literary scholars and wealthy families, more and more of them, causing the senior ministers to be somewhat distracted.

Therefore, it seemed very necessary to have the councilors assemble before His Majesty to directly handle these matters.

Regardless, on the morning of that day, Zhang Rong, still dazed, first had someone deliver an official robe, and then someone specially came from the palace to instruct him on etiquette... Although he had gained some confidence from His Majesty's personal visit the day before, he still ended up in a flustered state.

Especially upon entering the palace, seeing that although the halls were desolate and sparsely populated, they still retained the scale and layout of the former imperial city, he was even more astonished and became extremely cautious.

However, once inside the hall, after performing the grand ceremony and raising his head, he saw with his own eyes that the person on the throne was the same man from yesterday. Knowing that he hadn't encountered a fraud, the Great Chieftain Zhang finally felt relieved.

Indeed, His Majesty was as honorable as before, repeatedly protecting him during the court session, and no unnecessary trouble arose.

Finally, with His Majesty's vigorous push and clear discussion in the hall, Zhang Rong, who had come to the capital in person to show his sincerity, was formally appointed as Military Governor, still stationed at Dongping Prefecture, concurrently serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Navy. This largely maintained Mount Shuipoliang's original size while keeping this force independently organized.

This formally incorporated the Mount Shuipoliang forces into the Imperial Camp system, and Zhang Rong officially became the eleventh person to formally establish a military command since the Jingkang Incident (Li Gang, Zong Ze, Yuwen Xuzhong, Lü Yihao, Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Li Yanxian, Yue Fei, Wang Yan)... From now on, this man would be a figure of note both in the realm and at court.

Regarding this, although the several councilors had their own thoughts, they tacitly accepted this arrangement.

However, it is worth noting that this acceptance was not merely recognition of Zhang Rong's actions this time, nor simply obedience to His Majesty's military authority; there was also an unspoken element, something tacitly understood and even commonplace among the central councilors.

The problem and the answer both lay with Yue Fei.

Or rather, with Yue Fei and his Imperial Camp Forward Army.

It must be known that before Zhang Rong was made Military Governor this time, the councilors in the hall had roughly discussed with His Majesty that Yue Fei would simultaneously be given the title of Junior Guardian and concurrently take charge of military affairs in Yanzhou. Through this matter, Yue Fei, at only twenty-seven years old, formally stood alongside the forty-four-year-old Zhang Jun and the thirty-six-year-old Li Yanxian, second only to Han Shizhong.

Moreover, his Imperial Camp Forward Army was currently the largest army in terms of establishment (a quota of fifty-five thousand), and its defense zone, which actually inherited the previous defenses led by Zhang Suo and part of the Eastern Capital Garrison Command's defenses, was also the largest (Guangji Army, Jizhou, Yanzhou, Xingren Prefecture, Danzhou, Yingtian Prefecture, while also coordinating the defense of Huazhou and Kaifeng Prefecture).

In fact, as early as the Heyin reorganization, some had been uneasy about His Majesty entrusting Yue Fei, this young man, with the enormous legacy of the Eastern Capital Garrison Command... This was not jealousy or resentment, nor distrust of anyone, but truly out of public concern, because at that time, the number of troops from the Eastern Capital Garrison Command, combined with Yue Fei's own Jizhou army, accounted for nearly half of the entire Central Plains forces. Yet Yue Fei was so young, not to mention the precedent of Kong Yanzhou.

Therefore, anyone would have some misgivings, let alone the central officials, for whom maintaining a balance among the regional commands was almost an instinct.

The only reason was that His Majesty's prestige was at its peak at the time, making it difficult to argue.

Later, as the central government gradually stabilized in the Eastern Capital and the relationship between ruler and ministers settled, with the political situation steady, it turned out that Yue Fei again stood out alone, repeatedly achieving merits—suppressing rebellions in the southeast and this great battle at Dongping Prefecture were both executed brilliantly.

Moreover, as this young general formally ranked among the military commanders, other advantages of his character became fully apparent: he enjoyed reading and could compose poetry; he even had certain political insights, able to produce the "Discussion on Good Horses"; crucially, his military discipline was clear and his personal conduct was outstanding, far surpassing other commanders.

Not only that, when the troop quotas for each army were being discussed, he did not use his troops to hold leverage but directly acknowledged the criticism that the Eastern Capital Garrison Command's troops were a mixed bag and agreed to the plan to reduce the Imperial Camp Forward Army's forces by more than half.

All these actions were virtually flawless... almost making one feel he was like a Zhuge Liang among military officials.

But the more this was the case, the more vigilant some people became... This truly could not be blamed on them, because a Zhuge Liang among civil officials had indeed appeared once, leading His Majesty to frequently use Zhuge Liang to inspire his civil ministers, but a Zhuge Liang among military officials had never appeared.

In fact, for the central government in the Eastern Capital, they had maintained considerable restraint in dealing with Yue Fei this time and shown considerable respect for the overall situation of resisting the Jin. For one thing, as Yue Fei rendered further merits, his status rose and his jurisdiction expanded accordingly, and no one truly obstructed him without reason.

However, this did not mean they could not use other methods to impose corresponding restrictions and arrangements.

For example, keeping the veteran Lü Qing stationed at Yingtian Prefecture's Nanjing City was one such method.

Another example was this extraordinary promotion of Zhang Rong. The reason it went so smoothly was also subtly akin to "Xiang Zhuang performing the sword dance, but his target was the Duke of Pei"—having Zhang Rong at Dongping Prefecture leading a force independent of the Imperial Camp Forward Army always made people feel more at ease.

As for Zhang Rong, even though he was shrewd despite his dark face, he could not immediately detect the hidden trick. He only felt that His Majesty in the Eastern Capital was truly honorable, and the councilors were all fair in their dealings, even somewhat generous, completely unlike the worries he had harbored before, let alone any talk of five hundred axe-wielding soldiers... His anxieties upon arrival now seemed like a joke.

If he had to point out something improper, it was that young Academician Lin, who was supposedly his guarantor and should have been on his side, remained silent like a gourd the entire time.

Regardless, Zhang Rong's visit to the capital was handled smoothly and splendidly. Before his departure, His Majesty personally took him to hunt at the ruins of Genyue and invited him to come to the Eastern Capital again before the Mid-Autumn Festival to see those "true heroes who wear flowers."

Zhang Rong naturally agreed wholeheartedly.