Chapter 277: Yutai Terrace

In the late spring of the fifth year of Jianyan, a sudden storm of change swept through the Jin capital of Yanjing.

But by the time word reached the Central Plains, it was already early summer. His Majesty Zhao Jiu was then reviewing troops at the Yutai Terrace west of the Eastern Capital. Specifically, he was inspecting the newly formed Imperial Guard Cavalry.

To be honest, however, the review did not leave His Majesty with a very favorable impression.

"What's going on over there?" After the review, Zhao Jiu returned to the reviewing stand—the high platform of Yutai itself, from which the Yutai garrison and Yutai Town took their name. Dismounting and ascending the platform, he did not immediately order the troops to disperse and return to camp, nor did he hurry to summon Qu Duan and others for questioning. Instead, he pointed expressionlessly at a bustling area not far from the military camp.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, those are citizens of the Eastern Capital. Hearing that Your Majesty was reviewing the Imperial Army, they have come out of the city to watch..." Minister of War Hu Shijiang, who was accompanying him, immediately bowed his head in reply.

But before he could finish, Zhao Jiu retorted coldly: "Watching is one thing, but how did they end up between the camp and the troops? How can peddlers set up stalls right in front of the military camp? Is this watching, or is it a fish-and-turtle show?!"

A fish-and-turtle show was a popular form of entertainment in the Eastern Capital, where a performer directed fish and turtles to line up and form ranks on command—a kind of aquatic circus in its infancy. By using this metaphor, His Majesty Zhao was clearly furious.

But although His Majesty Zhao was seething with rage, not only Hu Shijiang, who had borne the brunt of it, but also the four attending chancellors, the several commanders and deputy commanders of the Imperial Guard, and the cavalry officers like Qu Duan who had just arrived with the main army—all of them, though now on edge, were still somewhat baffled.

They were not baffled as to why His Majesty Zhao was angry; in fact, they had known all along that His Majesty's mood would be poor today. What they could not understand was why he was dissatisfied with this particular matter... What harm was there in the common folk watching?

For a moment, some even felt that His Majesty was simply venting his spleen and picking a quarrel for no reason.

Of course, as Zhao Jiu continued his tirade, they gradually came to understand: "In other countries, when people watch their own military parade, they can't wait to join the army. But in our Great Song, watching our own parade is treated as a joke! How many years has it been since the Jingkang Incident? Now that things have settled down, they still look down on the military?! How many times do they need to suffer such losses before they learn? When Gao Qiu turned the capital's Imperial Guard into a circus troupe back then, what were the consequences? Haven't you seen them?"

This string of rebukes made the meaning perfectly clear, but the words were rather harsh. Everyone turned their eyes to the four chancellors. Before the four could step forward to smooth things over, Kaifeng Prefect Yan Xiaozhong took the initiative to admit fault: "This is my dereliction of duty, Your Majesty. I failed to handle it properly..."

"Of course you failed!" Zhao Jiu, seeing Yan Xiaozhong step forward to stand alongside Hu Shijiang, gripped his riding crop, his anger undiminished. "In times of peace, it is right for civil officials to restrain the military. But we are still at war! I have repeatedly stressed the separation of civil and military authority, with equal rank and status. How is it that you civil officials have once again bullied your way over the military commanders?! A Military Governor's command as a Commander-in-Chief can be ignored by a mere Prefect! A Controller-in-Chief, upon entering the Chongwen Institute (where the Secretariat and Privy Council are located), has to bow and greet a mere Compiler! A Commandery Prince holding three Military Governor posts summons a retired *jinshi* to join his staff, and when the man refuses, it's fine—but why does the scholarly elite then praise him and even recommend him for an official post?! As far as I'm concerned, you people deserve to be taken captive and sent to live in a cellar in Wuguocheng!"

That last sentence was a complete loss of composure.

Yet, despite this humiliation, the many key central officials on the reviewing stand remained silent. Even the remonstrance officials did not step forward to play the hero... The reason was simple: this emperor was not one who often lost his temper, and the few times he had previously lost his composure and raged, it had been in the military camp—and he had killed people.

Of course, this time, it could barely be considered as being in the military camp as well.

Moreover, aside from that last outburst, everything else Zhao Jiu had said had a specific target.

The matter of the Controller-in-Chief bowing to the Compiler was a recent, frequent occurrence in the Chongwen Institute. As for the Military Governor's command being ignored by a Prefect, this referred to an incident involving Yue Fei's forces, who had arrived at the front lines to begin suppressing a rebellion... Yue Fei had reached the Jizhou front and established a forward camp. He then sent his Backbone Army Controller-in-Chief, Zhang Xian, with documents to the neighboring Fuzhou to requisition grain. The Fuzhou Prefect refused to supply the grain and ordered all towns, stockades, and villages not to allow Zhang Xian's troops to enter. It was only when the Jiangxi Grand Coordinator Liu Hongdao's official dispatch arrived that the grain was finally released.

Even Yue Fei found this difficult to tolerate and had directly appealed to the throne, causing a stir for several days.

As for the matter of the Commandery Prince's summons, that was undoubtedly about Han Wuzi. He had summoned a *jinshi* who had abandoned his post and returned home during the chaos to join his staff. The *jinshi* had simply replied, 'I do not wish to be a lackey'... That was one thing, and perhaps Han Shizhong deserved it. But the key point was that this man had subsequently become famous for this very act, to the extent that a few days ago, when a post became vacant, a Director of the Ministry of Personnel had recommended him for the actual position, citing his 'moral integrity.'

These two annoying incidents involved the current emperor's two most trusted and beloved generals. Add to that another huge, troublesome matter today, and it was no wonder His Majesty's temper was flaring, and he was taking the opportunity to lash out.

In fact, if you looked closely, you could see several canker sores at the corners of Zhao Jiu's mouth—a sure sign of being overheated.

Enough digression. His Majesty's anger was excessive. With the aloof Chancellor Lu Xiang absent, the remaining four chancellors found themselves in an awkward position... Because both the Han and Yue incidents were inseparable from the Secretariat. The so-called 'Controller-in-Chief bowing to the Compiler' naturally also pointed to the Privy Council. So the four chancellors, who should have stepped forward to calm His Majesty, were all reluctant to speak up.

Moreover, that last sentence was truly too much. Not to mention the chancellors, no civil official would want to endure such humiliation... As for Yan Xiaozhong and Hu Shijiang, who had been caught in the crossfire, Yan Xiaozhong was a man who had experienced extraordinary events and showed no extra reaction, while Hu Shijiang's face had already turned pale.

Presumably, if His Majesty Zhao had not repeatedly emphasized in the official gazettes that high officials resigning in a huff was detrimental to the state, Hu Shijiang would have immediately removed his official hat and left.

"Your Majesty." At this awkward moment, Imperial Guard Commander-in-Chief Wang Yuan stepped forward. "These matters can all be discussed on their own merits. Why must Your Majesty be so angry? I will immediately order the troops to drive away the vendors in front of the camp and restore order..."

"This situation is also because you military men belittle yourselves!" Zhao Jiu, seeing Wang Yuan trying to mediate, became even angrier. "Why can't you understand such basic principles? Do you think I don't know you're trying to curry favor with the chancellors and ministers?! You only know how to ingratiate yourselves with civil officials. Why can't you stand up and say, 'If not for us old rogues holding the weapons, where would you gentlemen have a seat to talk'?! Truly, I grieve for your misfortune and am angered by your lack of ambition!"

Wang Yuan was thoroughly cursed and had to retreat. Zhao Ding and the others, upon hearing those last two sentences, could no longer pretend not to hear and prepared to step forward and respond.

"There's no need to discuss those two matters!" Zhao Jiu, seeing the chancellors step forward, took a few deep breaths and managed to suppress his anger first, cutting off Zhao Ding before he could speak and issuing his verdict. "The Fuzhou Prefect is to be exiled to Qiongzhou! The Director in the Ministry of Personnel is to be dismissed immediately! As for the matter of civil and military officials bowing to each other, if I hear of a higher-ranking official bowing to a lower-ranking one in the public offices again, both parties will be sent packing to the Jin state—that's where the savages who don't understand proper decorum are!"

Seeing His Majesty's attitude soften slightly, and although the punishments were harsh, he had at least resolved these troublesome issues, the chancellors breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to respond. Zhang Jun even signaled to Li Qiong, who was standing by at a loss, to go and restore order around the camp... But just then, one person who could no longer hold back, driven by his stubborn nature, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe this decision is inappropriate." Censor-in-Chief Li Guang said solemnly.

"Which decision is inappropriate?" Zhao Jiu, who had been about to turn away, looked at him coldly. "Or are all of them inappropriate?"

"Exiling the Fuzhou Prefect to Qiongzhou is inappropriate."

"Specifically, what is inappropriate about it?"

"Fuzhou borders Qianzhou, which is the heart of the Wuling rebellion. Even before the Jingkang Incident, the bandits of Qianzhou were notorious. After Jingkang, remnants of military bandits, rebels, and defeated armies from the southeast and Jingxiang all flowed into the Qianzhou area. Fuzhou, being adjacent, has suffered greatly, and the unrest has persisted for years without being pacified... The Imperial Guard's Forward Army is renowned for its military discipline. How could the Fuzhou side trust them? Under these circumstances, the Fuzhou Prefect ordering the prefecture to be on high alert is understandable!" Li Guang, with a stubborn look on his face, retorted under the slightly worried gazes of the others. "Your Majesty cannot be one-sided because of your favor for Yue Fei. This is unfair."

"Well said." Unexpectedly, perhaps because he had vented his anger, Zhao Jiu seemed to have regained some composure. "But what about his open violation of the law, to the point of delaying military operations? Can it be that when a civil official violates the law, it's always 'for the country and the people' and 'understandable,' but when a military officer makes a slight misstep, it's 'harboring evil intentions' and 'better to kill the wrong one than let him go'? Isn't that also unfair?"

"Your Majesty's words today are rather harsh..." Li Guang could no longer contain himself.

"They are indeed harsh." Zhao Jiu nodded, hands clasped behind his back, as if in thought. "As the Son of Heaven, looking down upon all officials, what distinction is there between civil and military? Emphasizing this only creates estrangement between them... Since that Fuzhou Prefect's actions were understandable, let him join the army. Change his post to a military one, transfer him to the Imperial Guard Commissioner's Office as a staff officer, and have him accompany the Imperial Guard's Forward Army on the pacification campaign. That should be considered lenient, shouldn't it? Of course, if he is unwilling to go, then he can still go to Qiongzhou. What do you think?"

At these words, Li Guang was immediately left speechless, his mouth agape... Deep down, a phrase instantly formed in his mind: 'This man's wisdom is sufficient to reject remonstrance.'

Of course, this thought vanished as quickly as it appeared, because this Censor-in-Chief knew full well that His Majesty was simply too angry today, but was usually quite reasonable. Moreover, 'wisdom sufficient to reject remonstrance' described the last ruler of a fallen dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, whereas this emperor was more like the Guangwu Emperor, who had effectively re-founded the dynasty. Having followed this emperor all the way from Nanyang, the facts and reality were plain to see and could not be falsified.

Furthermore, how could Li Taifa (Li Guang's courtesy name), enjoying the status of 'half a chancellor,' not have realized by now? At its root, this was all because His Majesty's ambition for a northern expedition was gradually being hindered by reality, and he couldn't help but first warn the only group of officials with the power to directly obstruct that expedition—the bureaucrats themselves.

Of course, understanding this was one thing, but Li Guang still spoke up again seriously: "Your Majesty, even if he is transferred to a military post, is it appropriate to send him to the Imperial Guard's Forward Army? He is precisely the one who has a grievance with them..."

"If he is retaliated against or bullied there, I will certainly give him an explanation." Zhao Jiu said dismissively. "For instance, if he truly dies in the army, regardless of whether Yue Fei knew about it or not, I will demote Yue Fei, transfer him to a civil post, and make him a Minister in the Secretariat... Equal treatment, fair and just!"

Li Guang was completely silenced. The chancellors and high officials around them exchanged glances and subtle signals, the meaning clear: this matter could be discussed later, or they could write a letter directly to warn Yue Fei—there were always ways. But given His Majesty's mood today, there was no hope of him speaking reasonably, so everyone should just keep quiet.

As they fell silent, Li Qiong had already restored order around the Yutai camp. Zhao Jiu sat down on the imperial seat prepared for him on the Yutai platform, then summoned Qu Duan, Liu Qi, Li Master, Zhang Zhongfu, Zhang Zhongyan, and other Imperial Guard cavalry commanders. He then spoke slowly and expressionlessly:

"I have wronged you all. I gave you only a little over half a year and a paltry few million strings of cash and silk, and yet you managed to recruit over eight thousand cavalry for me... Truly remarkable."

Qu Duan opened his mouth below, then could only hurriedly bow his head to apologize... The other Imperial Guard cavalry commanders felt, for a moment, that His Majesty's words were as pleasant to hear as Commander Qu's. But while Qu Duan's words were pleasant, he no longer dared to casually imprison colleagues or superiors. And when His Majesty Zhao spoke pleasantly, it might well mean someone was about to lose their head. So they too bowed their heads, not daring to look up.

That was right. The true cause of His Majesty Zhao's anger today, or rather the source of his greatest fury—and also the reason the ministers were willing to tolerate him a bit, and why Qu Duan hadn't made any snide remarks during the civil-military dispute—was right here. The Imperial Guard Cavalry, with a quota of fifteen thousand, had been formed for over half a year, yet only eight thousand had been mustered. Without a large-scale cavalry force with warhorses, how could the northern expedition proceed?

On donkeys?!

"Your Majesty, it truly is not due to my incompetence. I have scraped together every cavalryman I could from the Guanzhong region." No matter what, when the question was put to him, the others could 'keep quiet' and 'lower their heads,' but Qu Da could not avoid it. So after opening his mouth for a long time, he could only brace himself and reply. "I..."

"Scraped together everything, and only got over eight thousand? I recall that the quota of fifteen thousand for the Imperial Guard Cavalry was written in your own hand in the memorial you submitted that day. And you even thought it was too little at the time?" Zhao Jiu interrupted him, speaking coldly. "Commander Qu, you promised me a quota of fifteen thousand but only delivered eight thousand... Do you know that even when Zhang Boying was at his most absurd, he never dared to pocket such a large number of phantom soldiers from me?"

Now, the Yutai platform had existed since the Warring States period of Wei. After the Great Song established its capital at Bianliang, this place became where Emperor Taizu of Song reviewed troops, raised cavalry, and practiced mounted archery. It was theoretically the foremost imperial reviewing stand, and its scale need not be described. However, ever since His Majesty Zhao had returned to this platform, the atmosphere had been poor. And as his words grew harsher, the silence became more profound. Even the moral paragon Mo Qixie did not dare to rashly come to the rescue of his own ally at this moment.

"I'm asking you a question." After a long while, it was Zhao Jiu himself who sighed helplessly first. "Did you boast and deceive the emperor that day, or are you simply incompetent today?"

Qu Duan raised his head and replied helplessly: "Let Your Majesty know, I neither dared to deceive the emperor nor am I incompetent. But I was indeed somewhat boastful before, and there are indeed some difficulties now..."

"I don't understand your clever, cultured speech. Say something I can understand." Zhao Jiu leaned back in his seat, urging him impatiently.

"What I thought that day was, if I could scrape together everything from Guanzhong, I could still get twenty thousand cavalry..." Qu Duan replied cautiously.

"Twenty thousand cavalry?" Zhao Jiu laughed out loud.

"But Your Majesty had decreed that the cavalry of the various Imperial Guard armies were not to be touched, and Liu Qi's small cavalry force was to be left for Wu Jie. I couldn't very well go and seize them."

"So that was your plan... What else?"

"The other part was the barbarian cavalry." Qu Duan finally got to the crux of the matter. "I thought at the time, after Loushi had swept through Guanzhong twice, the Western Army's cavalry was completely wiped out, and all the warhorses in Guanzhong were seized. Warhorses had to be purchased temporarily from Qingtang, but Qingtang's supply was limited—at most ten thousand horses a year, and some of that had to be distributed to the other Imperial Guard armies. How could I possibly get fifteen thousand cavalry? Furthermore, Your Majesty had promised that Li Master would lead the barbarian cavalry into the Imperial Guard. So I planned to go to the Hengshan, Doulu, and Roulang Mountains to recruit Tangut barbarian cavalry. Those places could definitely provide the full quota of fifteen thousand cavalry..."

Zhao Jiu glanced at Li Master, who still dared not raise his head behind him, and felt a glimmer of understanding, yet remained puzzled: "Then why couldn't they be recruited?"

"To let Your Majesty know, that affair with Li Master and his father made the Western Xia somewhat wary, and coupled with the great battle at Yaoshan shaking them, the border controls have become much stricter," Qu Duan said, shaking his head repeatedly. "Although Your Majesty offered plenty of money and silk, and those barbarian cavalry are eager to come, the main mountain passes are blocked, so they truly cannot get through... But Your Majesty, the Western Xia will eventually relax. Give your servant another half year, and I will surely gather the full quota for Your Majesty!"

"Cavalry! Western Xia... Jin..." Zhao Jiu sighed toward the sky, then fell silent for a long while without speaking.

Seeing His Majesty like this, Privy Councilor Zhang Jun stepped forward to offer some comfort: "Your Majesty, according to the pacify-Jin strategies of Yue Pengju and Lu Anlao (Lu Zhi), both require first recovering Jingdong and Shanbei... Even for a northern expedition, crossing the river might not happen until next year or the year after. By then, the cavalry forces should not be a concern."

Zhao Jiu looked up at the dragon banner fluttering slightly overhead and shook his head repeatedly: "Deyuan thinks too lightly. Newly recruited cavalry and cavalry trained for a year are not the same thing. Even cavalry trained for one year differs from those trained for two... The barbarian cavalry are skilled with horses but lack discipline, while the Han cavalry have just mounted—all need training. Qu Da, I ask you: with these eight thousand cavalry you have now, could they withstand a single charge from Wanyan Loushi in the battle of Yaoshan?"

Qu Duan's face turned from red to white, then from white to red. Finally, he spoke an honest truth: "Your servant dares not lie. Not now, not even after another year or two of training and preparation—how could these eight thousand cavalry withstand the desperate charge of Wanyan Loushi's seven thousand from that day? If they could have stopped it, Li Yongqi would not have died, and Liu Xi would not still be serving as a helmsman on the Yellow River..."

The scene froze for a moment. Liu Qi and Li Master once raised their heads, but both cowered and lowered them again.

After a long while, a warm breeze rose over the reviewing platform, and the banners began to flutter in unison, presenting a majestic sight. But with the Zhao Emperor silent, the platform remained deathly quiet. The civil and military officials, lord and subjects alike, could only stare blankly at the dragon banner above and the various flags around. Not far away, among the cavalry ranks, some barbarian riders had long grown restless, whispering among themselves, moving about and asking questions, gradually becoming lively.

Qu Duan could not bear to watch. Several times he wanted to speak and ask permission to go discipline the ranks, but each time he dared not open his mouth.

No one knew how long this stalemate lasted before it was finally broken... Liu Yan, who had left the reviewing platform at some unknown time, suddenly galloped back at the head of several dozen Red Heart cavalry. The Red Heart riders were all armored, their armor gleaming under the midday sun, startling the barbarian cavalry into solemn alertness as they hastily made way. Liu Yan, ignoring the tense atmosphere, directly mounted the platform and, before the assembly, presented the Zhao Emperor with a wooden box specially made for holding memorials.

Needless to say, this was the secret memorial privilege exclusive to military officials. But what puzzled the high-ranking civil officials was that three chicken feathers were firmly glued to the wooden box with paste?!

However, soon enough, as the officers above the rank of Controller-General and His Majesty himself all became extremely serious upon seeing the chicken feathers, these clever civil officials realized that this was probably a marker for the severity of the message.

Yet, when Zhao Jiu opened the feathered memorial and hastily flipped through it, he immediately relaxed, as if it had been a false alarm.

Seeing this, Zhao Ding frowned slightly. After waiting a moment longer, he stepped forward to inquire: "Your Majesty, may I ask what serious military matter this is? Can it be shared?"

"It's nothing too serious, but you'll have to be told sooner or later." Zhao Jiu handed the memorial directly to Zhao Ding, then continued looking up at the sky as he spoke bluntly. "Wuqimai had a stroke, didn't he? Nianhan took the posts of Grand Marshal and State Councilor Boglie... But about ten days ago, Wanyan Wushu and his two brothers killed Nianhan, forced Wuqimai to abdicate as Retired Emperor, installed their nephew Hela, the heir apparent, as the new ruler, changed the era name to Huangtong, and moved the capital to Yanjing."

Zhao Ding held the memorial in his hands, not yet opened, and was already stunned along with everyone behind him.

"On the second day after Hela's enthronement, he abolished the Grand Marshal and Boglie systems. In the Yanjing Department of State Affairs, they imitated our system here by establishing a Central Secretariat and a Privy Council. They made the eldest uncle, Wanyan Woben, the Prince of Liao, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Councilor for Military and State Affairs—essentially the civil-military Grand Councilor. The third uncle, Wanyan Eliduo, was made Prince of Jin, Grand Councilor of the Central Secretariat, and Marshal. The fourth uncle, Wanyan Wushu, was made Prince of Wei, Privy Councilor, and Vice Marshal. These two basically share civil and military authority. They also made Wanyan Xiyin Vice Grand Councilor of the Central Secretariat." Zhao Jiu rambled on while looking up, as if telling a story, but paused briefly before continuing. "Furthermore, they made the surrendered official Qin Hui Vice Privy Councilor... After the reforms, on the third day, they sent envoys south, intending to negotiate peace with us again. This memorial is the information brought by the envoy, transmitted through Zhang Rong's channel."

"Qin Huizhi actually became the Jin Vice Privy Councilor?" Zhao Ding, for a moment, also first noticed this point.

The Zhao Emperor sighed upon hearing this: "People have their own ambitions. Liu Yu proclaimed himself emperor, and Zhe Keqiu could also surrender... A mere Censor-in-Chief—no need to dwell on it."

"With such chaos in Jin, isn't this Heaven blessing the Great Song?" Zhang Jun, having come to his senses, was momentarily overjoyed. "Your Majesty, Nianhan was after all the Jin's foremost meritorious minister. Wanyan Wushu and his men killing Nianhan and forcing Wuqimai to abdicate—they are bringing disaster upon themselves!"

Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly: "It's not like that. The Jin have only been a state for a few years, still mixed with their barbarian ways... To sort this out, it's simply that after Aguda's death, Wuqimai, Nianhan, and Aguda's sons formed a tripod of power. Then Wuqimai suddenly had a stroke or fell ill, breaking the balance. Nianhan and Aguda's sons fought for power, and Nianhan won first but then lost, costing him his life. There's no great mystery to it. The lower ranks may not necessarily be thrown into chaos. Perhaps the three factions will merge into one, and with Jin's military and civil authority unified, they might become even harder to deal with."

Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and the others all nodded in succession, saying that this was indeed a concern.

"However, this matter can also be discussed from its roots." The Zhao Emperor continued speaking freely. "After all, the Jin hastily transformed from a barbarian tribe into a vast empire spanning ten thousand li. With such a large territory, a mix of many peoples, no cultivation of virtue, endless killing and plunder, and inconsistent systems—how many problems have been plain to see all along? Internal strife has always existed. It was only because they kept succeeding in military campaigns over the past twenty years, squandering the mountains of gold and seas of silver they looted, that these internal conflicts were covered up and delayed. Now that we have gradually stopped them at the Yellow River's edge, and they can make no further military gains, they naturally begin to tear themselves apart from within."

Zhao Ding and the others nodded even more vigorously. Even Qu Duan, who was both civil and military, followed along nodding incessantly... They genuinely felt that His Majesty's summary was spot on—these words could be printed directly in the official gazette.

Qu Duan even thought of a title for His Majesty: "His Majesty Discusses the Essence of the Jin Bandits' Coup."

To be sure, His Majesty's incisive words won everyone's heartfelt admiration, and they all nodded. But for some reason, Yang Yizhong, who was also considered both civil and military and had been standing solemnly to the side and rear without speaking, did not nod.

In fact, this trusted general of the imperial guard, who had long served the Zhao Emperor, kept feeling that something was off. Because ever since His Majesty mentioned Qin Huizhi, things had seemed not quite right. In Yang Yizhong's view, His Majesty did not appear to be regretting Qin Huizhi's defection to the enemy, but rather seemed to have suddenly shed some burden, as if relieved.

Otherwise, where would he have found the mind to spout all that nonsense afterward?