[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-215":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558381,2024,"Chapter 215: Pinglu","shao-song-chapter-215",215,"\u003Cp>On the afternoon of the last day of the third year of the Jianyan era, Li Yanxian, Military Governor of the Xingning Army and Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Central Army, received the New Year's rewards sent by the court in Pinglu City, Shanzhou, along with the latest issue of the Capital Gazette delivered by military express courier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, this Capital Gazette in Li Yanxian's hands was a genuine gazette in the proper sense, because the word \"capital\" in Capital Gazette originally referred to the lodges established in the capital by commanderies and kingdoms in the Han Dynasty and by military governors in the Tang Dynasty, and the original meaning of Capital Gazette referred to the process by which the court posted relevant major news, which was then copied by personnel in those lodges and reported back to local commanderies, kingdoms, and military governors… Used for a regional military commander like Li Yanxian, wasn't this a return to the original essence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough digression. Li Yanxian, Military Governor of the Xingning Army, who was supervising the southward evacuation of military and civilians from the Hebei part of Shanzhou in Pinglu, first formally received the rewards and had people properly entertain the envoy. After everything was settled, ignoring the presence of the general Shao Yun beside him and the endless stream of soldiers and baggage below, he sat directly on the city wall of Pinglu, opened this Capital Gazette in the sunlight overhead…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it. This freshly delivered Capital Gazette was much thicker than those received over the previous half year, and the paper was exceptionally wide and sturdy. Combined with the \"Thank You List\" he had seen last time in Shanzhou City north of the river, he thought some earth-shattering event had occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after reading it from beginning to end, Li Yanxian grew more and more puzzled, because there really weren't any major events beyond imagination—it was just recorded in extraordinary detail, with a neat and orderly layout—yet he couldn't help but read it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the first full sheet was about relevant personnel transfers. Besides the reassignment of court officials, it unexpectedly also included commendations for combat heroes from Zhang Rong's unit in the Battle of Xiaowusao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such as: So-and-so took seven heads in one breath; So-and-so took an anonymous head wearing a gourd helmet lined with silk, looking every bit a general; a certain Company Commander piloted a small boat loaded with gunpowder charges to charge the port first, meriting the same honor as the first to scale the walls… Anyway, it made Li Yanxian feel somewhat uncomfortable, because his own achievements were greater than Zhang Rong's, his Shanzhou troops fought more bravely and more bitterly than the waterborne forces of Mount Liang, yet their names couldn't even be recorded in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Jingkang Incident, the realm collapsed entirely. Even Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun only fled to seek the \"new Emperor.\" Only Li Yanxian, repeatedly suppressed, sidelined, and abandoned by his superiors, sought life amidst death, leading a band of routed soldiers to wrench Shanzhou, this crucial point of the realm, back from the Jin army by sheer force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Shanzhou, this place, divided Shan [Shaanxi] left and right, sandwiched the river north and south—it was itself a vital point of the realm. Not to mention that the Song army's main field forces were effectively divided into the Imperial Camp and the Guanzhong troops, while the Jin were effectively divided into the Eastern and Western Routes. This made Shanzhou, stuck at the intersection of four major army groups, as important as could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, if Li Yanxian hadn't recovered Shanzhou back then, forcing Wanyan Yinshu to prematurely end his rampage in Jingxi, it would be hard to say whether Zhao Jiu and the small court could have established themselves in Nanyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it without the slightest exaggeration, even if Li Yanxian did nothing from now on but persist in holding Shanzhou, he would inevitably be counted among the top-tier meritorious officials of the realm in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, to some extent, this Military Governor of the Xingning Army was absolutely qualified to maintain his arrogant posture before all other Song troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After clucking his tongue over the promotions and commendations of Zhang Rong's subordinates, Li Yanxian barely composed himself and went back to look at the records of administrative affairs. He stared at several pieces of information that occupied a large amount of space, shaking his head repeatedly. Then, turning to the last two sheets, he was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that from this point on, the Capital Gazette was entirely filled with things unrelated to current politics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, on the second-to-last sheet, there was an essay on \"Qi Theory\" by the great Confucian Hu Anguo; an explanation of the new Capital Gazette regulations written by a certain Compiler Hu; a New Year's message issued in the tone of Lord Lu Xiang on behalf of the Emperor; and a discussion by Chen Shumi [Chen Gui] on why Dongjing City was as impregnable as a fortress…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the last sheet was even more absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half of this sheet was filled with doggerel poetry and prose… that was tolerable—the other half was a story, like a vernacular novel, but unsigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It told of how the Huai River Water God Zhang Yongzhen, many lifetimes ago, was a figure from the primeval flood era, of legitimate origin within the Yanhuang tribes; how he encountered an immortal, received immortal arts, and then in battle, how easily he could manifest a dharma body twenty zhang tall; how he slew countless demons and monsters, to the point of gathering the weapons of destroyed demons to forge a fourteen-zhang great blade. Finally, on the day the blade was completed, how he followed the Yellow Emperor in the battle against Chiyou of the Jiuli at Zhuolu, slaying five of Chiyou's eighty-one brothers in formation, a great merit, and was thus enfeoffed as the Huai River god after the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such an absurd and ridiculous story, actually placed in the Capital Gazette—Li Yanxian, a man of both civil and military talent, naturally dismissed it with contempt, but he still couldn't help reading it two or three times in a row, and mentally measuring against the city wall just how long a fourteen-zhang great blade really was. Only then did he put away the Capital Gazette with lingering interest, handing it to the staff officers beside him to have several copies made and distributed to subordinate civil and military officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, by this point, the troops, baggage, and commoners pouring into the city below were still endless, so Li Yanxian had no choice but to continue sitting on the city wall and resume his conversation with Shao Yun, the defender of Pinglu, who had been standing dryly beside him for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commandant, does the gazette have anything to say?\" Shao Yun naturally couldn't help asking this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing much of importance. Just that the Emperor has been continuously inspecting the Imperial Academy and the military workshops at Xiangguo Temple these past few days, comforting the elders of Dongjing.\" Li Yanxian remained seated, speaking lightly with a smile to his trusted general beside him. \"Besides that, they commended the achievements of those Mount Liang bandits again… which connects to last time when they thanked those nobles for lending money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Yun nodded repeatedly: \"The Emperor works hard… but I still find that borrowing money business absurd. I had to ask my staff officers several times before I believed it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanxian shook his head and asked back casually: \"Do you find it absurd that the Emperor borrowed money from people, or that those nobles actually lent money to the Emperor for military expenses?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Both.\" Shao Yun replied earnestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't find either absurd.\" Li Yanxian smiled frankly. \"Although the Emperor is young and somewhat frivolous in his actions, his determination to resist the Jin is firm and resolute. He often shows the attitude of one sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall. To raise military funds, he has almost cut off all income to the palace… I have entered and left the palace several times and seen it clearly; I know it cannot be faked… And now that Dongjing is gradually recovering, and wealthy families are returning with their money, how could he not swallow his pride and borrow?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Emperor is indeed a good Emperor.\" Hearing this, Shao Yun sighed, resting his hand on his sword. \"I often think that the Emperor and you, Grand Commandant, are actually quite alike…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of talk is that?\" Li Yanxian was rarely startled. \"Not to mention that a ruler and his subject should not be compared casually, even setting aside such formalities, the Emperor and I differ in age, experience, and habits…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not what I meant.\" Shao Yun immediately explained seriously. \"I just feel that you, Grand Commandant, and the Emperor are alike—neither of you is ever ambiguous about resisting the Jin, and you are both extremely good to your subordinates. After the alliance at Heyin, the Emperor allowed the Commander's official documents to be sent directly into the palace. My elder brother [Shaolong] and I discussed it, and even though we can barely write a few characters, we should still send the Emperor a monthly greeting. The Emperor's every reply was extremely detailed, asking if the army lacked money or weapons, if the soldiers' families had been settled, how my family was doing, whether my children were married, and whether I had any worries, public or private… All of this is exactly the same as you, Grand Commandant, usually do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanxian nodded slightly, then smiled again: \"Since you know the Emperor is a good Emperor, why do you still find it absurd for him to borrow money?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I've always thought of the Emperor as very similar to you, Grand Commandant, and I know that if it were you, Grand Commandant, you would rather starve to death than go borrow money from those high officials and nobles. Because you, Grand Commandant, are proud and disdainful toward superiors—the higher the official, the more you'd give them the cold shoulder…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Li Yanxian fell silent, Shao Yun assumed he had said something wrong and dared not speak further. For a moment, the city tower was quiet, with only a slight breeze stirring from the south and the noise below continuing as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, the Military Governor laughed several times: \"I have to say, you, Commander Shao, have sharper eyes… The Emperor and I are indeed somewhat alike. But to me, those nobles are nobles; in the Emperor's eyes, they are merely idle people. So the Emperor doesn't care at all and borrows freely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Yun didn't quite understand at first, just nodding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Li Yanxian continued to sigh: \"As for why those nobles were willing to serve the state, it still comes down to the Emperor. After all, the Emperor is the Emperor, and everyone below watches him… If the Emperor wants to resist the Jin, even those who don't want to resist the Jin will gradually come to resist the Jin; if the Emperor values military affairs, those who look down on officers and soldiers will gradually come to respect them… This time, contributing money is also within reason.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Yun nodded even more frantically: \"I understand this principle… It's like marrying a wife. When a wife enters the family, she has one temperament, but slowly, her final temperament is determined by the temper of her mother-in-law and husband who run the household.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanxian was momentarily bewildered, but after a moment's thought, he nodded repeatedly, because Shao Yun's analogy actually made some sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People change. Whether through osmosis or insincere flattery, they change unconsciously. Moreover, they were talking about the Emperor, the Son of Heaven… If the King of Chu loved slender waists, many would starve to death in the palace. If the Emperor wanted to resist the Jin, naturally the entire court would become \"righteous men\"!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, they sighed and talked for a while, setting aside the matter of the Capital Gazette for the moment, but eventually returned to military affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commandant, I wanted to ask before: if the Mount Liang people have truly settled on the Yellow River, and the achievements at Xiaowusao are not faked, then won't the river be worry-free from now on?\" Shao Yun asked first. \"Can our Shanzhou side also be a bit more peaceful?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanxian snapped back to reality and shook his head repeatedly: \"A mere thirty steamships and a hundred or so small boats—how much of the river can they control? At most, they can secure the river section directly in front of Dongjing. Even if they wanted to support us, it would be difficult to get past the Sanmen Gorge… And don't forget, the Pujin Pontoon Bridge in Hezhong Prefecture has always been in Jin hands. Support would be useless even if it came.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Yun looked somewhat disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not just that.\" Li Yanxian stared at the tail of the column already visible in the distance and sighed again. \"Have you considered that if Zhang Rong controls the great river in front of Dongjing, the Jin army will lose that avenue of advance. Instead, they will strike from both flanks. Our side might actually face a heavy frontal assault from the Jin… And if they do attack, if it were someone else, fine, but Wanyan Loushi is not so easy to deal with.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Yun was slightly startled, then turned his gaze to the column below the city, and spoke quietly: \"So that's why you, Grand Commandant, disregarded the New Year, didn't hesitate to abandon many towns north of the river, and issued urgent orders for everyone to withdraw as far as possible?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct. I have always believed that the Jin will still come south, and Wanyan Loushi will definitely come.\" Li Yanxian finally rose from the city wall, clasping his hands behind his back, facing north against the wind. \"Today is New Year's, so we'll pause for a day. But only today. Tomorrow, I will personally lead the old, weak, women, children, and some troops directly back to Henan… Here, I'll leave you with five thousand men and sufficient grain. When the Jin army attacks, you'll be in Pinglu, and I'll be in Shanzhou city. We'll stand facing each other across the river—that's best. But if the Jin army is too strong, don't hesitate. If you can hold, hold; if you can't, cross the river to Henan, or retreat into the Zhongtiao Mountains—either way is a path!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shao Yun was silent for a moment, then solemnly saluted on the city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, because it was New Year's Day, as the only Military Governor in the Imperial Camp without organizational restrictions and with free control over the fixed quota of thirty thousand troops' pay and provisions, Li Yanxian took the initiative to order the distribution of rewards and grain to comfort the many withdrawing troops and civilians inside and outside the city. The area around Pinglu was rarely lively and joyous, allowing them to spend a relatively stable New Year amidst the turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, at the fourth watch that night, Li Yanxian, who was staying up for the New Year in the prefectural office, suddenly received an urgent report from scouts—the main Jin army, tens of thousands strong, had divided into multiple columns and suddenly launched a major southward raid from last evening into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, Wanyan Saba, with a detached force of five thousand, attacked and captured Jijin, the key town on the eastern side of the Hebei part of Shanzhou. Meanwhile, Wanyan Loushi's banner suddenly appeared at Tongguan, the westernmost point of the Henan part of Shanzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Loushi capturing Tongguan was no military miracle. After all, it wasn't the first time he had broken through Tongguan, and Tongguan itself had been damaged and destroyed several times in previous Song-Jin battles. It was no longer the impregnable fortress that could hold off ten times its number, but merely a key defensive point with some defensive functions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Li Yanxian could even imagine Wanyan Loushi's specific route of advance this time—nothing more than crossing the river at Pujin and then striking rapidly south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only, this true military commander of the Jin Western Route Army had been so painstakingly calculating, waiting specifically for New Year's to personally lead cavalry in this surprise attack… It seemed he had come prepared, and would be hard to deal with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the sky wants to rain and a mother wants to marry off her daughter, what could the Song army, lacking strategic initiative, do about the Jin coming? Besides, Li Yanxian had long guessed this man would come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one had to sigh, it could only be said that, regardless, the great war had begun again. And the Jin, launching such a surprise attack one day before the fourth year of the Jianyan era, had maintained their military tradition of invading southward every year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the news spread, in the first month of the fourth year of the Jianyan era, the entire Henan and Guanzhong regions were shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to the 76th sponsor, classmate Beef Jerky~!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that last part a cow's tail?\u003C\u002Fp>",2898,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","d4f66949d81caa82641e726e46952a4e3c804dfca9e7f80a23db41f5cb9b03d6","shao-song-chapter-216","shao-song-chapter-214",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]