Chapter 260: The Appointed Time

The Privy Council Director Zhang Jun, forced to leave the capital and head south to supervise the campaign, was universally regarded by court and country as a great victory for Zhao Ding, the Chief Councillor of the Secretariat-Chancellery. But Zhao Ding himself was extremely reticent on the matter, even sternly rebuking several people who tried to make political capital out of it or curry favor with him.

Regardless of Zhao Ding's attitude, however, Zhang Jun, compelled to leave the capital to oversee the campaign, headed south with a mood of dejection and bitter resentment. This young Privy Council Director, by nature fiercely intense, regarded the whole affair as a profound humiliation… Still, he knew well enough that he was heading south with a serious political mission, that matters of state and army lay ahead, and that if he wanted to turn the tables, his supervision would have to produce immediate results—which meant Yue Fei would have to succeed at a single stroke.

So, traveling south all the way to Nanyang, Zhang Deyuan managed to set aside the affairs of the Eastern Capital for a while and turned his attention to the war in the south.

Yet it was from Nanyang onward, the further south he went and the more he learned about the southern campaign, that Zhang Jun grew increasingly uneasy. Yue Fei's performance was simply hard to accept.

This alarm and wavering reached a peak when Zhang Jun arrived in Xiangyang and met Xi Yi, the new Fiscal Commissioner of Jingxi who had taken office after Liu Ji entered the capital, and Ma Shen, the Grand Coordinator of Hubei, who had come north to greet him.

"Does Director Zhang think I am sulking with Commander-in-Chief Yue?"

The two sides met in the Xiangyang government office. After only a few pleasantries, the conversation turned to the war. The moment Zhang Jun offered a word or two in Yue Fei's defense, Ma Shen, the Grand Coordinator of Hubei, glared at him, rose to his feet, and snapped: "Or do you think I am contending with him for credit, deliberately slandering him? Your Excellency, since you are a Councillor, you must have a Councillor's fairness. Do not, because you protected him at the center, insist on shielding him in the provinces without regard for reason!"

Zhang Jun had no choice but to rise as well, speaking soothingly and treating him with courtesy.

There was no help for it. Ma Shen had extremely deep seniority and very special political capital… Back in the Jingkang era, when the Jin had succeeded and all the imperial clansmen were detained, with the Great Song having effectively surrendered, Ma Shen, as a representative of the remaining officials in the Eastern Capital, wrote an extremely tough document demanding that the Jin release the Zhao clan and continue the Zhao Song dynasty. Though it failed, it left Zhang Bangchang quite isolated… Not to mention whether this counted as a merit of supporting the throne, compared to Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Hu Yin, and others who had fled to the Imperial Academy, it was certainly substantial capital.

What is more worth mentioning is that at the time, Qin Gui, as Ma Shen's superior, upon receiving this document, did not send it directly to the Jin. Instead, he rewrote it into a new document with much softer wording. In the end, because of this document, he was summoned into the Jin camp, valued by Zhan Han, and never returned… To be fair, given the circumstances, it is hard to say whether Ma Shen's document was more effective or Qin Gui's was more appropriate. But the difference in their characters was made perfectly clear by these two documents with the same purpose but very different tones.

"I know Yue Fei has been stalling too long. I also know the difficulties faced by the local authorities in Hubei, Jiangxi, and Jingxi." Zhang Jun finally managed to persuade the other man to sit down, but had to continue his careful defense. "But judging by his words and intentions, he is ultimately trying to reduce bloodshed and prioritize pacification. And His Majesty has always said that since the imperial clan is all in the north, he regards the common people as his kin and the state as his clan. The Emperor's benevolent thoughts must also be considered."

Ma Shen gave a cold laugh: "I naturally know he relies not only on your protection, Director Zhang, but also on the Emperor's favor."

Zhang Jun was momentarily at a loss for how to continue his persuasion, and Xi Yi took the opportunity to give a light cough.

Ma Shen understood. Knowing that he had already come close to implicitly criticizing the Emperor and subtly mocking the Son of Heaven for favoring military men, he fell silent—his purpose in coming north to meet Zhang Jun was simply to apply pressure, to urge Yue Fei to advance quickly through Zhang Jun. Since his attitude had been conveyed, he was too lazy to say more.

"Director." Seeing the awkward silence, Xi Yi, the Fiscal Commissioner of Jingxi, rose from behind Zhang Jun and addressed him. "The prefects and magistrates of the three circuits—Hubei, Jiangxi, and even Jingxi—have all impeached Yue Fei one after another. It is impossible that every single one of them harbors malicious intent… In fact, Yue Fei and his troops of the Palace Forward Army have excellent discipline, and Yue Fei himself has always had a reputation for loyalty and bravery. At first, when the three circuits learned he was coming to suppress the rebellion, most were actually pleased. When his early progress was rapid, they praised him even more. If you don't believe me, Director, you can check the memorials submitted by the prefectures and armies of the three circuits at that time. Even later, when he wanted to switch to pacification and the center approved, though complaints gradually arose, they did not reach the current level. But there are some things that are truly hard to speak of lightly."

"Speak plainly," Zhang Jun said, disheartened, urging him on.

"This is only my personal speculation." Xi Yi also gave a light sigh. "Commander-in-Chief Yue's actions in Jiangling Prefecture seem to border on 'toying with the enemy.'"

"What do you mean, 'toying with the enemy'?" Zhang Deyuan frowned, genuinely puzzled. "If you said he was letting the enemy go or harboring them, that would be one thing. But 'toying with the enemy'?"

"The word 'toy' is apt!" Before Xi Yi could explain, Ma Shen, sitting there, laughed first. "If he had been defeated, there would be nothing to say. It is precisely because of this 'toying' that the three circuits are all resentful."

Xi Yi sighed again, then unhurriedly told Zhang Jun a highly representative incident from Yue Fei's pacification efforts.

It was said that after Yue Fei swiftly swept away the rebel forces north of Lake Dongting, he changed his strategy from attack to pacification and submitted a memorial to that effect.

During this period, his main force was basically stationed north of Lake Dongting. Specifically, apart from Baling (later Yueyang), the capital of Yue Prefecture, which was too important and thus had three thousand troops stationed there, most of the army was actually stationed in two places: Huarong in Yue Prefecture and Anxiang in Li Prefecture.

About thirty li south of Huarong, right next to Lake Dongting, there was a water fortress set up by Zhong Xiang, called Gulou Stockade. In the stockade was a general named Yang Guang, a clansman of Yang Yao, the rebel marshal of the pseudo-Chu… Considering that the winter waters were shallow, Gulou Stockade was completely exposed on land and could be said to have no natural defenses—it was like a piece of meat dangling right at the mouth of the Palace Forward Army.

Therefore, as a matter of course, Yue Fei's pacification work began here, and the effect was immediate. Yang Guang looked left and right, realized he was truly in a dead end, and promptly chose to surrender.

In response, Yue Fei neither disarmed Yang Guang's troops nor occupied Gulou Stockade. Instead, as a Military Governor, he directly granted him a military rank, bestowed precious logistical grain and weapons as rewards and supplies, and then let the man continue to garrison Gulou Stockade with his original troops.

Such an act could only be described as Yue Fei being truly magnanimous. The surrounding military and prefectural officials, though dissatisfied in their hearts, had nothing to say… After all, you have to spend gold to buy a horse's bones, don't you?

However, just two days later, while Yue Fei was continuing his pacification of the water fortresses westward and southward along the western shore of Lake Dongting, Yang Guang, the first to surrender, after accepting the government's money, grain, and official rank—whether because he had made contact with Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao on the southern shore of Lake Dongting, or because he had planned it all along, or because he had never been truly submissive—took advantage of Yue Fei's absence to the west of the lake to suddenly raise his banner again and openly rebel.

Yang Guang's reversal also made the many large and small water fortresses and chieftains west of Lake Dongting, who had been in contact with Yue Fei, hesitate, and they immediately broke off contact with the government forces.

Up to this point, there was still no problem… Such things were too common. No one could blame Yue Fei for this.

But what Commander-in-Chief Yue did next was baffling.

Upon hearing the news, Yue Fei set out immediately, truly like a thunderbolt. In a single day and night, he personally led a large army to Gulou Stockade. Under the threat of his thunderous might, Yang Guang was caught completely off guard and could only beg to surrender. And Yue Fei actually agreed again. Moreover, he still did not send troops into Gulou Stockade, nor did he speak with Yang Guang face to face. He simply accepted the surrender and then turned back to Huarong.

That was not all. After returning to Huarong, he once again issued a military appointment document to Yang Guang, with an even higher rank. And along with the document, a new batch of grain, money, and silk arrived at Gulou Stockade.

Hearing this, Zhang Jun seemed somewhat weak and gave a bitter smile: "I suppose Yang Guang rebelled again later? If so, Commander-in-Chief Yue's actions were indeed somewhat absurd. A famous general of the state, toyed with by a petty bandit."

"Four times." Xi Yi suddenly held up four fingers.

"What?" Zhang Deyuan, the Councillor, clearly did not react.

"Within two months, Yang Guang was pacified four times and rebelled three times." Xi Yi's expression did not change, his tone calm. "Commander-in-Chief Yue also granted him military rank four times, each time higher than the last, and the grain, money, and silk also increased each time. And every time, he did not occupy Gulou Stockade… To be honest with you, Director, throughout the three circuits, especially in the prefectural schools that house displaced scholars and commoners, they have recently been running a betting pool, simply betting on when Yang Guang will rebel for the fourth time."

Zhang Jun was dumbfounded.

"If it were only that, it would be one thing!" Ma Shen, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly interjected from his seat. "He is a high-ranking commander in his own right. Marching and fighting, he has his own considerations. Whether for personal face or to emulate the story of capturing Meng Huo seven times to show sincerity, it is ultimately his decision… Since the Jingkang era, what kind of military men haven't we seen? But I, as the Grand Coordinator of Hubei, have watched from the sidelines as his tens of thousands of troops wasted months on a single small stockade and a single Yang Guang. And this lakeside water fortress is just one of forty such stockades set up by the rebel Zhong Xiang! Not only that, but the various stockades west of the lake, after negotiating with him for over a month, because of Yang Guang's repeated reversals, not a single one surrendered. Instead, they kept demanding money and goods! According to rumors circulating privately among the western stockades, if those stockade leaders hadn't been beaten by his Yue Fei in Hubei before, they would almost take this dignified Commander-in-Chief and national commander for a fool!"

Zhang Deyuan was already too deflated to respond.

"Not only that," Xi Yi continued calmly from the side before Zhang Jun could answer, "in recent days, although the rebels Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao have lost all their territory on land in Hubei, they have taken the opportunity to expand aggressively on land in Hunan. Zhong Xiang originally called himself Grandfather Sage, then proclaimed himself King of Chu, his son the Crown Prince, and Yang Yao the Marshal. Their slogan is 'equalize wealth and abolish officials.' Wherever they go, they kill officials, clerks, scholars, monks, and Daoist priests, then distribute the land of these families and exempt the area from land taxes and grain levies. Truly, they are deluding the masses with evil words…"

"They rebelled in the first place over the increased taxes of previous years." Zhang Jun was already weak. "Such actions are normal, and they can't really have no taxes. Otherwise, where would they get their troops and funds?"

"That must be the case," Xi Yi said, still unhurried. "But how would the common people know that? They only know that in Hunan there are no taxes and they get land, while in Hubei they have to sell their pots and pans to supply the tens of thousands of troops and provide corvée labor… During the winter just past, one could turn a blind eye to some things. But now that the spring plowing season has just passed, some things have become apparent, and it's no wonder the local officials are jumping up and down."

Zhang Jun remained silent, unable to respond. Although he had no experience as a grassroots local official, even he knew that spring plowing and agricultural production were the biggest indicators of a local official's performance. So the wave of impeachments against Yue Fei that erupted from the grassroots officials after the New Year was completely understandable—they wanted the center to acknowledge that the current situation, where spring plowing had been massively disrupted, was caused by Yue Fei's reckless actions, not by their own irresponsibility.

But when all was said and done, it was still Yue Fei's problem. With tens of thousands of troops in hand, he was 'toying with the enemy' like that. The center's national strategy was delayed, local spring plowing and production were delayed, and the high-ranking local officials caught in the middle had to bear the pressure of the war situation, yet they couldn't bypass the center to interfere with the Emperor's favorite general.

So, whether by the logic of officialdom or by basic political and military responsibility, Yue Fei's impeachment and siege were not unjustified.

"Director." Xi Yi continued, pouring cold water on Zhang Jun. "Now there is another urgent matter… Spring plowing is over and cannot be recovered. And based on experience, as soon as the second month arrives, the spring floods will come. When that happens, the waters of Lake Dongting will rise, and any further campaign will yield half the results with twice the effort. The rebels Zhong and Yang will also gain great confidence, and even if you want to pacify them then, it will be difficult."

Zhang Jun was completely speechless. He could only nod in defeat: "I am now fully aware of Yue Fei's various misdeeds. I will head south to Huarong immediately and make sure Yue Pengju gives me a deadline for suppressing the rebellion!"

Ma Shen and Xi Yi exchanged a glance and each sighed… This was precisely the ultimate goal of their trip. What else could they do?

And so, Zhang Jun, with the dignity of a Privy Council Director, hastily arrived in Xiangyang. After only a brief conversation with the two high-ranking local officials within the city, he fully realized the awkwardness and difficulty of the situation. Without even staying overnight, he left the city again and headed south. Ma Shen, as the Grand Coordinator of Hubei, accompanied him south. Xi Yi, the Fiscal Commissioner of Jingxi, who had been sorting out logistics in Xiangyang these past days, had no need to follow further.

It was this same Xi Yi who, after seeing the other two out of Xiangyang city and watching them mount their horses, ready to speed south under the escort of the Imperial Guard, could not help but sigh and say: "Director, I have one final word…"

Although they had only met once, Zhang Jun had formed a sufficiently good impression of Xi Yi, so he naturally nodded from his horse: "Fiscal Commissioner Xi, please speak."

"The situation is still precarious. The Jin hold a strong army in Hebei, watching covetously. The Two Sages are still on their northern hunt. The pseudo-Qi lies beside our bed like a sleeping tiger." Xi Yi sighed from below his horse. "Thus, the Son of Heaven favors his commanders and military officers, and in fact separates civil and military officials, personally controlling the commanders and generals from within. But many civil officials have not realized this. They only think that after the Battle of Yaoshan, the realm has become stable, and it is time to restore the old order. So they often view military men with the mindset of before the Jingkang era, consciously or unconsciously trying to pressure the court to strip the commanders of their power… Little do they know that His Majesty, within the palace, has his own martial strategy and will never allow such a thing to happen. And you, Director, as the Privy Council Director, stand between ruler and minister, between civil and military. You will inevitably have to face this issue head-on. I beg you to be prudent, fair, and pure. Only then can you serve the Son of Heaven above and reassure the hundred officials below."

At these words, Ma Shen, who was on horseback, was the first to change expression drastically. Zhang Jun, after a moment's thought, immediately dismounted, took his horse's reins, and bowed to Xi Yi with clasped hands.

Then, Ma Shen, still on his horse, also gave a slight bow with clasped hands.

But that was all. Military matters were urgent. After their courtesies, they hurriedly reined their horses south. When they reached Jiangling Prefecture, Ma Shen entered the city to handle administrative affairs, while Zhang Jun had to continue south with the Imperial Guard cavalry without stopping.

However, no sooner had he entered the borders of Yue Prefecture than Zhang Jun began to panic. Spring thunder rolled incessantly, and spring rain suddenly fell. The so-called spring floods seemed to have arrived.

In fact, by the time Zhang Deyuan and the Imperial Guard cavalry reached the Huarong camp, they were already in a sorry state. These people, who had never seen the power of rainfall in the Yangtze River basin, had now fully experienced the so-called 'spring rain is as precious as oil.' Their splendid purple robes and armor were covered in mud, warhorses had fallen and been injured, and everyone looked like drowned, muddy chickens. The Imperial Guard being in such a state was one thing—they weren't expected to fight—but for Privy Council Director Zhang Jun, this spring rain chilled his heart.

He didn't know what kind of promise Yue Fei could give him under these circumstances. And how was he supposed to face the Son of Heaven, his political enemies at the center, and the local officials of Jingxiang?

"I've finished speaking."

In the Huarong camp, Zhang Jun, covered in mud, did not bathe or eat. As soon as he arrived at the military stockade, he went straight to the central command tent, sat down in Yue Fei's seat, and repeated to Yue Fei and the generals of the Palace Forward Army the situation in the capital and the words of Ma Shen and Xi Yi. "Is there anything untrue in what they said and argued?"

"No." Yue Fei replied, bowing his head alongside the entire camp of officers.

"Do you have any words of defense?" Zhang Jun asked again, a trace of expectation in his voice.

"No." Yue Fei thought for a moment, then continued to bow his head in response.

"I do." Zhang Deyuan, drenched in mud, suddenly spoke up in public. "I don't know what scheme you have in mind, or what your intentions are. But matters under heaven are not solely military affairs, and the people under heaven are not only your subordinates and the bandits ahead. There is still the distinction between civil and military, the bond between ruler and subject, and the ranks of colleagues. As a commander, you must not only fight battles but also report to the Son of Heaven and consider your colleagues and superiors... Things have come to this point—even if you harbor grand strategies and have insight into the enemy's situation, you've already stirred up a colossal mess! What use is it for me alone to stake my family of over a hundred lives on your success? The strategy by which His Majesty divided civil and military authority for great purposes has been ruined by you, and ten Dongting Lakes couldn't bring it back! Do you think this is still the chaotic era before the Battle of Yaoshan?!"

Although Zhang Jun was young and by nature often unstable, he was still the dignified Privy Council Director, a chief minister of the court, and in theory the superior of all military officers. Thus, when he erupted in anger, amidst the pattering rain, all the officers of the Imperial Camp Forward Army, from Wang Gui on down, changed color.

Only Yue Fei remained silent, head bowed.

"I now ask you only one thing: how many days do you need to pacify Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao?!" Zhang Jun's breath gradually steadied, but his true intent was now revealed. "Today you will give me a deadline down to the very day!"

Yue Fei was silent for a moment, then finally raised his head, revealing his noticeably mismatched eyes: "Please, Privy Director, sit peacefully here in Huarong, and grant me ten days."

Zhang Jun looked down at the mud on his own body, laughed in anger, and said: "Ten days?"

"Yes." Yue Fei narrowed his eyes, his words firm. "Within ten days, I will surely sweep clean the forty stockades of Dongting Lake, along with the four prefectures and seven counties of Hunan and Huxi, and give an account to His Majesty, to the chief ministers of the central government, to the Privy Director, to the local colleagues of the three circuits, and to the people of the two lakes... I am not joking, nor was I deliberately stalling before. I was originally waiting for the spring floods to settle Jing and Xiang."

Outside the central army camp, the sound of rain grew more urgent, mingled with the rumbling of spring thunder.

Zhang Jun stared fixedly at the man before him. After a long while, he sneered again: "Yue Pengju, at this point, I can't be bothered to ask you the ins and outs of it... Perhaps you are boasting shamelessly, just a lucky Zhao Kuo; or perhaps you are a true famous general like Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, or Huo Qubing, who has never had the chance to fully display his talent... But it doesn't matter. I am only thirty-four years old this year, and I can still ride a horse and follow the army. Within these ten days, I will not say a word, only follow your central army's movements. Wherever you go, I will go! Four prefectures, seven counties, plus forty water stockades—let's see how you break the enemy!"

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