Chapter 31: Turmoil

Rationally speaking, Zhao Jiu should not have killed Liu Guangshi, because the drawbacks of doing so were too numerous, and it wasn't just a matter of what was done being done.

First, the Great Song treated its scholar-officials generously, but the Great Song also had no tradition of exterminating generals who voluntarily relinquished military power! It could even be said that this severely violated the established strategy of the founding emperor of Song, let alone such a vile act as the Emperor personally killing someone.

So, what Lu Haowen said was correct; this Chancellor was indeed competent at this moment… Zhao Jiu was personally destroying the Great Song's institutions, and the Great Song's institutions were precisely the true tool that maintained the authority of him, the Zhao Emperor, during this precarious time.

In other words, Zhao Jiu was personally digging up the roots of the Zhao Song dynasty, shaking the rotten chair beneath his backside!

Second, from another perspective, at this moment the Jin army had already arrived north of the Huai River, with only one river separating the two sides, a so-called state of imminent battle. So what was the meaning of killing such a high-ranking general at a time like this?

Wang De and Fu Qing had been personally manipulated by the Zhao Emperor into turning their coats, but what if the manipulation hadn't succeeded at the time?

Moreover, Wang De and Fu Qing were manageable; one was a famous general registered at the central government with many connections there, and the other was a recent defector whose troops were also relatively independent… The relationship between these two men and Liu Guangshi wasn't so close that you couldn't break the bone without tearing the sinew; otherwise, they wouldn't have been so easily manipulated.

But at this very moment, since Liu Guangshi was dead, and killed by the Zhao Emperor's own hand, what about the three thousand men of his Western Army headquarters left at the foot of the mountain? Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing, the two commanders also from the Western Army, were still at the foot of the mountain. Heaven knows what the outcome would be?!

What if they rebelled?

If they didn't rebel, what if they mutinied and scattered?

Even if nothing happened, once the news got out, could the outcome possibly be good?

It could be said that after killing Liu Guangshi, at this very moment, among the few armed forces the Great Song had near the Central Plains, aside from Zong Ze's Kaifeng Command and the two generals Zhang and Han, all those other chaotic generals had become unreliable!

For example, Fan Qiong, who had a huge black mark in his history; that bastard had once drawn his blade to force the Two Emperors to surrender outside the city, killing who knows how many citizens of the Eastern Capital who tried to block his way. He was like a Zhang Bangchang among military officials. He had only barely been pacified by Li Gang before, but now he was leading troops to suppress rebels in the Xiangyang and Nanyang area. There was also another commander in the Imperial Camp, named Wang Yi, who was notoriously undisciplined and excessively arrogant, and was currently leading troops behind them in Jiangning Prefecture (modern-day Nanjing) preparing to receive the Emperor. And then there were Liu Zhengyan and Miao Fu, those two, who had spent so long relying on Liu Yan's plan to capture Ding Jin, delaying such important matters, and were already uneasy. To make matters worse, they were from Western Army military families, so they couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild…

And speaking of Liu Guangshi's identity as a member of a Western Army military family, the remnants of the Western Army were still the Great Song's main reliance at this time. Qu Duan in Guanzhong, the Liu brothers, the Wu brothers, and Yang Weizhong in Hebei… although each of them should be trustworthy, what if one of them had second thoughts?

In short, once the news got out, it would be normal for any of these people to rebel. And what the Censor-in-Chief Zhang Jun said was also very pertinent: Zhao Jiu was blindly messing around on the brink of national ruin!

But didn't the Zhao Emperor say so? He would rather see the nation perish than not do this deed! In other words, he had long known about these dangers, but he still did it! Or to put it another way, when he did this, he knew these dangers would arise!

Actually, compared to these foreseeable and logical consequences, the civil and military officials of the temporary court were more worried about what this Emperor, who had already thrown caution to the wind, would do next. If he had a few more episodes of 'rather see the nation perish,' then when they met Li Gang and the other Chancellors, what would they say?

"What's the word from the foot of the mountain?"

At noon, the sun shone brightly. Looking from the summit of Mount Bagong, the view of the opposite bank was excellent, making the arrival of the main Jin army completely impossible to conceal. And as if in response, as the main Jin force slowly appeared on the north bank, the area at the foot of Mount Bagong on the south bank, which had been quiet all morning, suddenly became restless and noisy… Zhao Jiu, who was sitting alone on the northern peak of Mount Bagong observing the situation, heard the commotion and asked without even turning his head.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!"

Yang Yizhong, who had returned from the foot of the mountain, first reported the situation to several important civil and military officials of the temporary court inside the tent, then, helplessly disregarding the Emperor's order, lifted the curtain and came to this spot. He quickly bowed his head. "Let Your Majesty know, this morning, thanks to the prior relocation of the camps by Wang (Wang De) and Fu (Fu Qing), and the understanding of the overall situation shown by Commanders Qiao (Qiao Zhongfu) and Zhang (Zhang Jing), the situation was stabilized. But as soon as the main Jin force arrived, the entire camp was in turmoil. Even the troops under Wang and Fu showed signs of panic…"

"As long as they don't rebel, what does panic matter?" Zhao Jiu turned his head, revealing a hint of sarcasm. Whether it was an illusion or not, this Zhao Emperor actually seemed to give off a feeling of relief and ease. "And then, if even Wang and Fu's troops are like this, what about the three thousand Western Army soldiers? They're the ones leading the noise down there, right?"

"Exactly!"

"They're not rebelling, just making noise. What do they want?" Zhao Jiu seemed increasingly unconcerned. Whether he had given up all hope or had opened some new world after personally killing someone yesterday was unclear.

"They want rewards!"

Yang Yizhong, head bowed, cautiously stole a glance at the Emperor who had stood up and was walking past him. He had to admit, after yesterday, he felt a new layer of fear towards Zhao Jiu, because a Zhao Emperor who could personally kill was too rare. "They are making a ruckus, saying that according to past precedent, the Emperor should give rewards to the Imperial Guard upon his ascension. But this time, after the Emperor's ascension, no rewards have been given, yet they are being worked so hard…"

"At least they didn't directly mention Liu Guangshi's matter." Zhao Jiu sighed slightly as he paced with his hands behind his back.

"Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing are both seasoned Western Army generals who understand the big picture; they wouldn't let the riff-raff in the army be so unrestrained. But soldiers demanding rewards is a common occurrence in the army and is the best way to stir people up." Having said this, Yang Yizhong, following behind Zhao Jiu, became even more cautious in his words. "Your Majesty, the Chancellors and I all believe that if this isn't dealt with quickly, I'm afraid the troops of General Wang and Commander Fu will also get involved, and even Commander Huyan's troops and the Imperial Guard will become unstable…"

"It seems the troublemakers are all veterans who know how to cause trouble and when to cause it." Zhao Jiu continued pacing forward, stopping at the edge of the tent that served as his temporary palace, then suddenly turned back with a smile. "So, what happens if we don't give the rewards, and what happens if we do?"

"If we don't give them, without the support of veteran commanders at the moment, they can't rebel. But with the main Jin force of twenty thousand north of the Huai, they might still be able to stir things up and cause the entire camp to scatter and flee south!" Yang Yizhong replied seriously.

"No!" Zhao Jiu immediately shook his head, then pointed north. "You saw it too. The main Jin force has already arrived. It's unknown how long it will take to repair the ferry at Xiacai. Zhang Jun on the opposite bank has become a completely isolated force. If this camp at Mount Bagong in Huainan disintegrates in front of them, he will have no room left… Either the whole city scatters overnight, or he is forced to surrender by his subordinates. That's what we can see happening."

"Then we have no choice but to give the rewards." Yang Yizhong replied carefully. "I just reported to the Chancellors, and they all agree. They are waiting for Your Majesty behind the tent curtain!"

Zhao Jiu nodded, then looked up at the clear winter sky and sighed, lost in thought. "Is there enough wealth in the camp?"

"Not abundant, but the treasuries of the two large prefectures of Shouzhou and Shunchangfu are here. It should be feasible to reward the entire army roughly." The Censor-in-Chief Zhang Jun, who was actually on the other side of the tent curtain, couldn't help but interject. "Your Majesty, since Your Majesty has appointed me as Censor-in-Chief, I must speak… Now that Liu Guangshi has been killed, there is no use in saying more. Liu Guangshi was, after all, just one man. But there are several thousand, even ten thousand men at the foot of the mountain. It's impossible to stabilize the situation with punishment alone!"

"Well said. I never intended to rely solely on punishment…" Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly through the tent curtain.

"Your Majesty, let Your Majesty know." Another person spoke through the curtain, it was Lu Haowen, the only proper Chancellor of the Eastern Administration in the camp. "Even if the temporary court's wealth is completely spent now, Your Majesty need not worry about the expenses of the court and the camp. You must know that Military Commissioner Zhang (Zhang Que) is handling salt vouchers and ordination certificates in Huaidong, and everything is going smoothly; Commissioner Liang (Liang Yangzu) is managing the southeastern financial revenues in Yangzhou, and there are results… These can all be supplied directly here. As for the western front, now that Ding Jin has surrendered and the roads are restored, the wealth and supplies provided by military prefectures like Chuzhou can be delivered immediately." Having said this, Lu Haowen paused briefly before continuing. "Once Your Majesty has properly distributed the rewards and restored morale, you can safely head south to Yangzhou to temporarily avoid the enemy's spearhead. Leave this place to Wang De… It's time to promote him to Commander."

"Wang De can indeed be given the title of Commander." Zhao Jiu listened for a while through the tent curtain, then suddenly spoke again. "But since we're talking about the western front, after rewarding the troops here, won't we need to reward Liu Zhengyan, Miao Fu, Liu Yan, and even Ding Jin on the western front? Moreover, having just killed Liu Guangshi, we need to pacify those who are also from the Western Army lineage. And Zhang Suo's whereabouts are unclear… In short, a high-ranking minister needs to make a trip to the western front, distribute the wealth escorted from Chuzhou as rewards on the spot, and give appropriate promotions to pacify people. Chancellor Lu, Chancellor Wang, which of you will go?"

There was silence from the other side of the tent for a while, but soon Lu Haowen spoke again: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty must have at least one Chancellor from either the Eastern or Western Administration by your side, otherwise people's hearts will be uneasy… I believe it would be better to appoint Academician of the Zizheng Hall Yuwen Xuzhong, who parted ways with us at Yingkou earlier, as Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs, and send him to Huaixi to pacify Liu and Miao, while also overseeing the transport matters of several military prefectures in Huaixi."

"Agreed." Zhao Jiu smiled and said no more.

"Then what about the foot of the mountain…"

"Prepare the rewards for the foot of the mountain as well!" Zhao Jiu continued to smile, pacing with his hands behind his back through the tent curtain. "Grand General Wang, go first and inform the generals and commanders to calm people down. Then spread out the gold, silver, money, cloth, and valuables on that gentle slope south of the mountain, let them see it with their own eyes. Commissioner Wang of the Privy Council will personally oversee the fair distribution by experienced men…"

"Your Majesty is wise."

Clearly, many people on the other side of the tent breathed a sigh of relief. However, Privy Council Commissioner Wang Boyan cautiously offered a small suggestion. "But Your Majesty, it's not good to openly display wealth like this in front of the soldiers. Otherwise, if some unscrupulous person incites them, it could become the root of trouble."

Zhao Jiu seemed thoughtful, then slowly nodded, accepting the advice: "If that's the case, then we won't display it openly. Moreover, since we're worried about someone stirring things up on the spot, why not have the officers from that Western Army unit under Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing… the ones who are causing the trouble… come specifically to the small stockade on the summit. Chancellor Lu and Censor-in-Chief Zhang can give them extra rewards and more reassurance. This way, on one hand, we avoid them causing trouble when we reward the main army, and on the other hand, we can see if we can pacify this unit from the root."

There was silence outside the tent, followed by whispers.

But when Zhao Jiu lowered his head and lifted the tent curtain to walk inside, the so-called important ministers of the temporary court, namely Lu Haowen, Wang Boyan, Wang Yuan, and Zhang Jun as the leaders, along with various other civil and military officials and inner court servants like Hu Yin, Yang Yizhong, and Lan Gui, all fell silent.

Lu Haowen, the leader, no longer hesitated and immediately nodded: "Your Majesty's words are also prudent. I believe it is worth a try."

Zhao Jiu smiled back with his hands behind his back… If not for the bloodstains still on the ground in the center of the tent, the main Jin force and an isolated city across the river, and the mutinous soldiers making noise at the foot of the mountain, everyone would almost think this extremely relaxed Emperor was the Benevolent Emperor on a sightseeing trip during peacetime.

And so, having all received their instructions, everyone immediately turned and went about their business. At this moment, Zhao Jiu suddenly spoke up to remind them of one thing: "First, take some wealth and bring it here. I want to personally reward the Imperial Guard!"

This was only to be expected, so everyone said nothing more and busied themselves even more.

PS: Thanks to Zhuangzhuang Baba and Ze Shu for the double alliance, thanks to Le Yanshan and Chaji for the top alliance, and also thanks to A Yue, Da Niang Ye Peng Peng Wo, Ren Jian Yan Huo Yu for their tips… Anyway, thank you all for the New Year gifts!

I'll have Zhao Xiaojiu kowtow and say hello to everyone, wishing you all a happy New Year and great wealth in 2020!