[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-346":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},1558512,2024,"Chapter 346: Response","shao-song-chapter-346",346,"\u003Cp>As Ren Baozhong had said, some matters, though seemingly tedious and often coming all at once, did not require the Emperor to personally worry about every single one. He only needed to pay attention to the key points at his own level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, not only Ren Baozhong, but subsequently both Wang Yan, who was in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the Imperial Camp Central Command, and Liu Ziyu of the Ministry of War, submitted their respective summaries and suggestions to Emperor Zhao through the Bureau of Military Affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later, nearing the end of the third month, Zhao Jiu also received feedback from several military governors and commanding generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to be honest, although these men had given answers under Zhao Jiu's straightforward questioning, the quality of their replies was uneven, and their stances were somewhat difficult to characterize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, in terms of the content of their memorials, Wu Jie and Yue Fei were undoubtedly the best. They clearly understood the Emperor's intentions, provided well-reasoned arguments, and their answers were largely the same as the conclusions Zhao Jiu and his inner circle of close ministers had already reached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason for saying \"largely\" was that Yue Fei explicitly expressed a desire to appropriately increase the Imperial Camp's naval forces to ensure flexibility on the eastern front. Wu Jie, on the other hand, directly suggested that if expanding the main Imperial Camp army was truly difficult, it might be feasible to maintain some prefectural troops—essentially reserves—in the Guansi region at a low cost. Furthermore, he expressed clear reservations about the potential plan, which the Emperor had informed him of, to temporarily conscript Tangut soldiers on a large scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it plainly, although Yue Fei was the one who proposed the strategy of advancing from Hedong, he was originally from Hebei, and the soldiers he led were mostly refugees from Hebei. Naturally, he hoped to open up the situation directly from the Hebei plain. This suggestion was only human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relatively speaking, Wu Jie's personal agenda was heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raising reserve troops in Guansi—what kind of people could be used? Wouldn't they just be the Western Army soldiers who had been weeded out when the army was reorganized and compressed into the Imperial Camp Rear Army back then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the long-standing hostility between the Western Army and the Tanguts, that was well known. But the Western Xia had already fallen, and the key point was that the court was asking this question precisely because it lacked funds and could only selectively expand the army. So, which was cheaper: raising a large number of former Western Army troops in Guansi to form a reserve force, or using something like a blood tax to conscript a large batch of Tanguts all at once?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going a step further, one had to remember that the reintegration of Ningxia Circuit and Shaanxi Circuit had triggered a series of Han-non-Han conflicts. At a time like this, for you, Wu Jie, to bring this up, weren't you being a bit too adept at rallying your colleagues?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With some having too much personal agenda, naturally there were those with the most upright stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanxian and Zhang Rong were very proper. The former merely emphasized the necessity of setting the main offensive direction on Hedong, while the latter simply didn't mention anything else, only giving a guarantee that the river front would certainly be safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, the two most senior military governors, they were clearly somewhat perfunctory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Boying naturally needed no further comment; he had been effectively dismissed, and his mind was on the fleet that had long since not returned. As for Han Liangchen, Zhao Jiu could roughly guess what that fellow was thinking, but as long as he didn't cause trouble, the Emperor couldn't be bothered to call him out on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Wang De, Li Qiong, the newly appointed Imperial Camp Commander-in-Chief Wang Yan, including Minister of War Liu Ziyu, and even Grand Councilors Zhang Jun and Chen Gui, they all deviated slightly in their final answers before unanimously proposing a common suggestion—they advocated that the army expansion should begin with the Imperial Camp Central Army. Some even believed that all available recruitment slots should be given to Wang De and Li Qiong to ensure a balance between the Tokyo direct forces and the Jingdong and Guansi directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a classic issue of stance. Although not as obvious as Wu Jie's, it essentially churned out an inappropriate suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, this wasn't the time for Emperor Zhao to reclaim military power, was it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn't to say that the more centralized the power, the harder it was to unleash strength, but rather that this military corps system centered on individual generals was a historical leftover, a military characteristic naturally formed during the great collapse of the Jingkang era. Changing an established situation was bound to cause turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, the Northern Expedition was a war that gambled the nation's fate. If it succeeded, fine. But if it failed, it might take another ten or twenty years to muster the courage and gather the strength again. In such a scenario, forget about reclaiming military power—he, Emperor Zhao, could even tolerate another Jinggouzhen incident!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back to the present. Although the court had gathered opinions from all sides, this matter was extremely consequential. So from mid-March to late March, the Bureau of Military Affairs adjusted the plan several times. Although it gradually stabilized, to be honest, everyone, including Emperor Zhao, still felt that certain aspects were not entirely satisfactory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, everyone understood that with limited finances, there were bound to be unsatisfactory points. So they estimated that after a few more adjustments, the matter would be finalized after the grand court session on the first day of the fourth month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as the court was gradually finalizing the army expansion plan in this late March period, due to the truly frustrating transportation conditions of this era, a highly ironic event occurred—the court received a vehemently worded memorial from the former Grand Councilor Li Gang, Li Boji, in the southeast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without even looking at the content, just calculating the time, one could tell that this memorial was clearly aimed at the court's implementation of the radical Northern Expedition policy. But those in various departments who saw the content mostly gasped in shock, and immediately understood that this Li Gang, Lord Li, had clearly lost his head over the groundless expulsion of his third younger brother, Li Jing, from the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your servant requests to resign...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Resign my ass!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard of the main hall of the Military Academy, west of the Yanfu Palace, under the precious spring drizzle as fine as oil, Grand Councilor Zhang Jun had just arduously spoken three words with cupped hands when Emperor Zhao, who was standing with his back turned reading the memorial, cut him off without even turning his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but the memorial in the Emperor's hand was also thrown directly onto the already wet ground with those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Emperor Zhao was angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this scene, the civil and military officials, close ministers, and inner attendants gathered here for the Northern Expedition war games, including the armored guards and students of the Military Academy, were almost all terrified into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the several councilors who had hurried over wore grave expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those in front were mostly frightened by Emperor Zhao's rage. As for the councilors who had read the memorial, it wasn't that they were cowardly, but this time Li Gang, Li Boji, had gone too far. His memorial could almost be described as a complete break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Grand Councilor who had peacefully retired but whose political influence had not yet vanished, openly breaking with an incumbent councilor—the political consequences went without saying. After all, according to the rules, if a censor publicly impeached a councilor, the councilor was required to submit a routine resignation, leaving the decision of whether to stay or go to the Emperor. This was an important mechanism for the court system to check the power of councilors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And although Li Gang was not a censor, the political force of his impeachment was probably even greater than that of a censor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it plainly, this memorial was something ordinary people couldn't bear, and even councilors might not be able to bear it. Only Emperor Zhao could shoulder it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be specific, in this memorial sent through official channels, Li Boji directly impeached Zhang Deyuan as a sycophantic petty person, a man who was ruining the country, and moreover, a \"conniver with a clique of petty men,\" a \"driver-away of the loyal and upright,\" an unprincipled factionalist attempting to control the Censorate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such a direct attack, setting aside other matters for now, the party involved, Zhang Jun, had to make a swift and direct political response. So it was no wonder that the several councilors, after reading this memorial in the Chongwen Institute, hurriedly rushed to Emperor Zhao, who was observing the Northern Expedition war games at the Military Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one expected that Emperor Zhao would be so angry after reading this memorial, and to rage publicly like this... one could only say that this Emperor's temper had indeed grown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at what he's written!\" Zhao Jiu turned around, then snatched the mud-stained memorial back from the hands of Lan Gui, the Grand Director of the Eunuch Bureau, who had just picked it up, shaking a sleeve full of water droplets. \"Who are the petty men?! Who are the loyal and upright?! Just because things don't go his way, it's 'harboring ulterior motives'?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, the Emperor slammed the memorial hard onto the ground again and turned his back once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand Director Lan Gui had no choice but to bend down and pick up the memorial from the soaked ground again, then tidied it up a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the Emperor's back, to be honest, the scene was still somewhat awkward... Zhang Jun bowed his head in silence, naturally. And since it involved a councilor, the other three lords, including Wang Yan and the many others who had been here earlier, although they had a bellyful of things to say and some were willing to speak, they simply couldn't interject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain grew denser. Zhao Jiu, wearing only a plain robe and a soft cap without wings, looked up at the sky full of rain threads. It was a long while before he caught his breath, then he turned back to look at the others:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone, come inside. Don't get caught in the rain. Put away the sand tables in the hall too... no need to rush.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, despite saying \"come inside,\" the Emperor did not head towards the Military Academy hall before him. Instead, he snatched the memorial back from Lan Gui's hands once more, turned, and walked out of the gate, finally heading towards the Apricot Mound not far outside the Military Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people around looked at each other in bewilderment. Was there anyone who actually entered the Military Academy hall to take shelter from the rain? From Chief Councilor Zhao Ding on down, almost everyone followed Emperor Zhao out the gate. Even Wang Yan, who had been presiding over the war games here, hurriedly gave orders to put away the sand tables before rushing up the Apricot Mound after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, on the Apricot Mound were fine apricot trees transplanted from all over the country during the reign of the Retired Daoist Emperor. They almost covered the entire small hill. It was now the third month, and the apricot blossoms were in full bloom, covering the mound in a riot of green and red. While sheltering the crowd climbing the hill from most of the spring rain, they truly laid out a scene of misty, flowery spring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Emperor Zhao's recent fondness for coming here, or at least his reason for coming here today, was clearly not because of the apricot blossoms covering the mound. After reaching the thatched pavilion at the top of the mound, which was next to the city wall, he stood directly outside the pavilion with his hands behind his back, ignoring the rain, and gazed into the distance over the full-mound apricot blossoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the best vantage point in the entire Imperial City, and even the northern part of the Inner City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On clear days, one could even see the edges of the Inner City. Emperor Zhao had actually been here several times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, looking out from here through the fine rain now, only the outlines of buildings in the entire Imperial City were visible, and the entire Inner City of Bianliang was hidden in the misty rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to the northeast, the Iron Pagoda of Kaibao Temple, far beyond the Inner City walls, was still faintly visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the clamor from outside the Donghua Gate could still penetrate the fine rain covering the city and the misty fragrance of the entire Apricot Mound, reaching the thatched pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had a certain charm of its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After looking for a while, perhaps the misty rain scenery had calmed the anger in his heart, Emperor Zhao finally turned back. But he still didn't enter the thatched pavilion. Instead, he stood outside in the rain and began to re-read Li Gang's memorial in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to be honest, even after calming down, reading it again now, Zhao Jiu didn't look at it for long before shaking his head repeatedly in public, though he wasn't as furious as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing reading, Emperor Zhao handed the memorial to Wang Yan, who held the highest rank among those present besides the four councilors, and had Wang Yan and the others pass it around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only then that these people understood why the Emperor had been so enraged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this memorial contained far more than the words Zhang Jun had stated when he presented it in the Military Academy hall... Li Gang had not only personally attacked Zhang Jun and impeached him, but had also directly personally attacked Emperor Zhao himself, offering him direct remonstrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And of course, it also definitely criticized Zhang Jun's entire package of proposals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The realm is not Your Majesty's personal domain... I'm tired of hearing that line, can't you come up with something new?\" Zhao Jiu sneered with his hands behind his back. \"Also, just because Zhang Jun's wife, née Yuwen, is the niece of Grand Secretary Yuwen, they say his influence spreads across Guanzhou and suspect him of forming a faction—then what about those who catch husbands through the imperial examination matchmaking? When the late Grand Secretary Wang caught my first top scholar, does that count as forming a clique? And what about Lu Xiang's family intermarrying with the Mei-Han clan for generations? What about the Zhe and Yang military families? They're generals with heavy troops—are they even more sinister?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Zhao Jiu finished in one breath, Zhang Deyuan immediately steeled himself and stepped forward to offer the necessary explanation: \"Let Your Majesty know, when I married into the Yuwen family, I was not yet in a position of chief minister. It was only a few years ago, when handling affairs in Guanzhou, that I had to coordinate with Grand Secretary Yuwen, and naturally some bonds of hierarchy formed. Grand Secretary Yuwen knew that I had no proper wife since the Jingkang Incident, so he took me as his nephew-in-law... At the time, I thought it was a fine match, but I forgot the duty of a minister to avoid suspicion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun had no choice but to explain—as a chief minister, since the impeachment memorial mentioned this matter, political custom demanded he clarify before the throne, and later he would have to write a written self-defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu Benzhong beside him, Zhe Yanzhi who had been summoned for the military academy drill, and Yang Yizhong who hadn't said a word—they were all caught in the crossfire. The three of them had helplessly stepped forward when His Majesty mentioned their marriage affairs, but today's matter was essentially about Grand Councilor Zhang, not them, so they couldn't even interrupt to apologize, standing dryly around the four chief ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside the awkwardness of these three and the others hurrying to pass around the memorial, on the other side, after hearing the explanation, Zhao Jiu walked forward with his hands behind his back, stopping just a step away from Zhang Jun:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Deyuan, do you know what I'm going to say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Zhang Jun knew, at this moment he could only say he didn't, and besides, he truly didn't know. So the current Grand Councilor quickly shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhao Jiu, with one hand behind his back, suddenly reached out with the other and pressed Zhang Jun's already damp shoulder: \"I want to tell you, Grand Secretary Zhang... you've been wronged today!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun was naturally sentimental—a man in his decades still dreaming of becoming something like Marquis Wu of Zhuge. Hearing this, he looked up, his eyes reddening instantly. He opened his mouth to speak but choked up, then moved to kneel on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, how could Zhao Jiu let him actually kneel? He used his hand and his voice to stop the action:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Deyuan, not just you, but also Grand Secretary Zhao, Grand Secretary Liu, Grand Secretary Chen...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other three chief ministers quickly stepped forward together, cupping their hands in salute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to tell you all, what we're about to do in the next few years isn't just about having unstoppable momentum. There are countless things to push through against resistance, one by one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu sighed. \"And as the realm's chief ministers, you must bear the weight and take the brunt. At that time, there won't just be baseless attacks like today, but real dilemmas. Nine times out of ten, things will go wrong and mistakes will be made... What I want to say today is, when you encounter difficulties, don't give up and walk away out of momentary anger or grievance... If you abandon the task, what am I supposed to do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four chief ministers were stunned for a moment, then bowed their heads in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil and military officials around were shaken, but their thoughts diverged slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some immediately realized that Zhao Jiu wasn't just taking over this memorial for Grand Secretary Zhang—that was expected—but he was also giving a semi-public long-term political commitment to the four chief ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others, like Ren Baozhong, instinctively thought that the famous Grand Secretary Li, barely over fifty, would probably never be reinstated as chief minister. Not only that, since this wave had angered Zhao Jiu, while he wouldn't be killed outright like in the Tangut lands, by Han custom, being exiled to Hainan was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the next moment, as Zhao Jiu put his hands behind his back again, he suddenly raised his voice: \"Li Boji didn't just impeach Grand Secretary Zhang, nor did he just scold me... He impeached Grand Secretary Zhang, who has already explained and offered his resignation, but I refused. He scolded me—I have thick skin, so I won't respond. But he also said he doesn't understand whether the court is suppressing the south and humiliating the Two Emperors for the Northern Expedition, or using the Northern Expedition as a pretext to suppress the south and humiliate the Two Emperors. You are all high ministers who participated in the grand court assembly on the first of this month—what do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ding had long been waiting for his cue. Hearing this, under everyone's gaze, he stepped forward without hesitation, standing alongside Zhang Jun, and cupped his hands to the emperor: \"I believe Grand Secretary Li is sophistical! There's no need for the Son of Heaven and the chief ministers to explain themselves over such a statement!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I agree.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I concur with Grand Secretary Zhao.\" Liu Ji and Chen Gui followed immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I also find Grand Secretary Li's words laughable.\" Wang Yan, coming to his senses, followed and couldn't help adding, \"In the end, Grand Secretary Li's argument isn't about whether it can be debated. As long as the state is single-mindedly preparing for the Northern Expedition, his argument collapses on its own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wang Yan, Zhe Yanzhi, Fan Zongyin, Yang Yizhong, Lu Benzhong, Liu Yan, Ren Baozhong, and others quickly cupped their hands in expression of their stance. For a moment, only Lan Gui, the chief eunuch of the Inner Palace Service, stood with folded hands behind Zhao Jiu, unmoving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu, whose shoulders and hatless headwrap were soaked, sneered at this: \"Well said. That's the logic. As long as we take the step, these words become as insignificant as the raindrops in our ears today... I'll take this opportunity to formally set the army expansion, following the latest plan from yesterday. After all the adjustments, it's always about the same... Publish it directly! The edict, the documents from the Secretariat and the Privy Council, and the official gazette—publish them all together as a response to Grand Secretary Li!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun led the chief ministers and officials present in accepting the order. Wang Yan opened his mouth as if to speak but ultimately dared not say a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as the drizzle continued, the crowd dispersed under the lead of the chief ministers. Zhao Jiu stood on Apricot Hill for a while longer, then suddenly crumpled the memorial, changed into plain clothes, and with only four or five close ministers and a squad of guards, left Yanfu Palace, turned into the West City, and arrived at Lu Benzhong's home before noon—or rather, at the home of Lu Haowen, the former Grand Councilor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Haowen, hearing of the emperor's arrival, received him calmly. When they met, they set up a small table on the corridor where they usually played chess, sat cross-legged, and Zhao Jiu handed the memorial to Lu Haowen, recounting the day's events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty's handling was most appropriate.\" On the corridor, sitting cross-legged across the table from Zhao Jiu, Lu Haowen finished reading the memorial and listening to the explanation, then respectfully placed it on the table with a soft sigh. \"Thinking back a few years, when I was Grand Councilor, Your Majesty always urged us to endure for the nation. Today, it's still enduring for the nation. But I'd say today's endurance is harder than in years past, because back then we had no choice but to endure, while today we could choose not to. Precisely because we can choose not to, it's difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nearby ministers—from Lu Benzhong to Ren Baozhong to Yang Yizhong, along with Fan Zongyin and Liu Yan—almost all realized: the emperor had likely come to ask Grand Councilor Lu how to handle Grand Secretary Li, and Grand Councilor Lu was clearly advising the emperor to let Grand Secretary Li off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enduring for the nation—though they could choose not to, they still had to endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next moment, Zhao Jiu laughed out loud: \"Grand Councilor Lu, do you think I came to ask how to handle Grand Secretary Li?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that not Your Majesty's intention?\" Lu Haowen asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others, though silent, asked the same question in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since I've decided to respond to Grand Secretary Li by taking the step, I've already prepared to let him off lightly.\" Zhao Jiu shook his head with emotion. \"After all, he was my first Grand Councilor after I ascended the throne, the first Grand Councilor, and the banner of war advocacy since the Jingkang era. He has great merit to the realm, the nation, and me. I won't let him come to a bad end! Besides, he's not one to change course. Back when the court wanted to surrender, his stance naturally made him a war advocate. Today, when I want to hasten the Northern Expedition, his same stance makes him a gradualist. This was already evident in the differences between him and Zong Zhongwu back in the early Jianyan era... In the end, I followed Zong Zhongwu and abandoned him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pausing here, Zhao Jiu continued: \"Moreover, I know that nine times out of ten, he first saw the faster official gazette, then received Li Jing's letter, and only a few days later suddenly learned that Li Jing had been appointed to an external post on the first of March. In his fury and momentary impulse, he thought I had deliberately broken the tacit understanding between ruler and minister, and that's why he lost his head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty is magnanimous.\" Lu Haowen bowed slightly in his seat but remained curious. \"But if so, why did Your Majesty come to see me and tell me the whole story?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu sat upright across from him, silent for a moment, then pointed at the memorial on the table between them and said seriously: \"I just want to ask Grand Councilor Lu—I knew from the start that I would let Grand Secretary Li off, and I knew this wouldn't stop me in the slightest, but would only make me push forward more resolutely. So why did I still get so angry when I saw this memorial?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, because you, the emperor, felt betrayed by him! Just as Li Gang felt betrayed by you when he wrote this memorial!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think back to the early Jianyan era—you two were truly enduring for the nation, almost sharing life and death. Yet just a few years later, Li Boji would develop suspicion and fear toward you, the emperor, over a minor difference in policy, leading to such actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were certainly misunderstandings, and Li Gang's foul temper and old habit of treating the emperor like a child played a part. But regardless, as the emperor, suddenly encountering such a thing would naturally provoke anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Haowen had the answer in his mind in an instant and almost blurted it out, but the words reached his throat and he swallowed them back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the Grand Councilor fixed his gaze on Zhao Jiu for a long time, until the drizzle turned into fine threads with a pattering sound, before speaking earnestly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, I am right here in this city, watching Your Majesty's actions with my own eyes. The matter of 'three men making a tiger' will never happen to me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the nearby ministers almost all breathed heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhao Jiu shook his head with a smile: \"That's not what I meant. I'm just sad that Grand Secretary Li didn't trust me... I've made you overthink again, Grand Councilor Lu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Haowen smiled in return: \"Then I have indeed overthought... But as for Grand Secretary Li, it's truly lamentable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, leaving aside how Zhao Jiu was so moved that he needed psychological counseling from Lu Haowen, the next day, the court finally formally issued the army expansion plan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Shizhong's Left Army of the Imperial Guard increased from 30,000 to 37,000;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jie's Rear Army of the Imperial Guard increased from 30,000 to 38,000;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Central Army of the Imperial Guard increased from 50,000 to 65,000, but most of the corresponding supplies went to Li Yanxian in Shanzhou. Wang De's unit increased from 15,000 to 17,000, and Li Qiong's from 15,000 to 18,000. In other words, the Central Army's increase still went to the Guanzhou direction, with only one additional commander post each for Wang De and Li Qiong—this was what Wang Yan had hesitated to argue on Apricot Hill;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Fei's Forward Army of the Imperial Guard increased from 35,000 to 40,000;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun's Right Army of the Imperial Guard remained at 25,000;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rong's Navy of the Imperial Guard remained at 15,000;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Bao's Marine Corps of the Imperial Guard temporarily remained at 5,000–6,000, but Li Bao's title of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard was formally recognized, and upon the edict's arrival, he would enjoy treatment similar to Li Qiong's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Duan's Cavalry of the Imperial Guard increased from 15,000 to 20,000;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Guo Zhongxun's 10,000 Reserve Army of the Imperial Guard would receive half the treatment of regular Imperial Guard troops and be recruited and stationed locally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, this expansion added roughly 45,000 regular Imperial Guard slots. Of these, the Guanzhou direction received 25,000 slots, the central command near Dongjing received 10,000, and the Jingdong direction received only 5,000, mostly retroactively recognizing the surrendered troops from Yue Fei's pacification campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This essentially implemented the original strategy of expanding the army, cavalry, and western forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, these quotas were not added all at once... aside from the retroactive recognition of the earlier de facto expansion, most of the new positions—from the front lines to Guo Zhongxun's reserve army—were to be gradually filled in batches over three years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The advantage of this was saving money, and a great deal of it at that, giving the treasury some breathing room, but the disadvantage was that the troops would inevitably lack training, especially in the cavalry, which would once again have to fall back on the route of tribal forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there really was no other way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, with the public edict issued, the documents from the Secretariat-Chancellery and the Bureau of Military Affairs transmitted, the personal replies from His Majesty sent back as secret letters, and even the direct publication in the official gazette, the steps of this vast court had finally been taken—firm yet tottering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, the central court in Dongjing, faced with the former Grand Councilor Li Gang's open memorial, gave Li Gang no public edict or official reply, nor did it make any promotion, transfer, or demotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the receipt of a self-defense memorial from Grand Councilor Zhang by the Palace Domestic Service, and a record kept by the Hanlin Academy of Grand Councilor Zhang's resignation request being rejected, it would almost seem as if this matter had never happened at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to Senior Qiansè and Senior slyshen for their patronage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And let me say something untimely—today marks the first anniversary of this book's release... one year.\u003C\u002Fp>",5033,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","9c17316536e40207d2073deb695eccfd5b9b2ace9fcfea9fda3697770f825ea5","shao-song-chapter-347","shao-song-chapter-345",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]