[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-35":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},1558201,2024,"Chapter 35: The New Year Festival","shao-song-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>Twelve heads taken, plus driving off a boat of fifteen men—while it was a rare victory against the Jin in battle, and five or six of them were confirmed as genuine Jurchen soldiers, which greatly boosted morale, in the context of tens of thousands of troops facing off across a region with cities, mountains, and rivers, it was still a minor skirmish, not worth mentioning… Celebrating this as a triumph would be recorded in the history books and laughed at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Wang De's promotion to Commander, it was even less a cause for celebration; in fact, it wasn't even a reward for Wang De's combat ability, but something already agreed upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, with Liu Guangshi dead, Wang De now held the highest rank among his former troops, commanded the strongest fighting force, had the deepest seniority, and was himself a rare figure with experience fighting the Jin. And although Zhao Jiu had formally reclaimed his original post as Grand Marshal of the Armies from the Privy Councilor Wang Boyan, becoming the nominal direct commander of Liu Guangshi's three thousand Western Army veterans, he could not actually direct the fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the contrary, the main camp at Bagongshan in Huainan now had three thousand Western Army troops under Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing, split into left and right wings; three thousand under Fu Qing; one thousand under Huyan Tong; several hundred Imperial Guard; two thousand under Wang De; and five to six thousand conscripted laborers left behind from the retreat north of the Huai to build the camp… Setting aside unavoidable payroll padding and vacancies, the total came to fourteen or fifteen thousand men, of whom nearly eight thousand were combat troops, no fewer than five thousand wore armor, and the various units had seven or eight hundred warhorses!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were all figures Zhao Jiu had verified through the rewards distribution, and the reason he insisted on personally supervising it—he needed to record these numbers in a little notebook in his command tent, and he had indeed done so…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, with so many troops, letting Zhao Jiu, a man with zero experience, command them would surely doom the Song and the state! There had to be someone truly in charge. And Wang Yuan, Grand Commandant Wang, was someone Zhao Jiu found very hard to trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, again, Wang De's rise was only natural; there was no way to make a big celebration out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the contrary, now that the Jin's Fourth Prince, Wushu, had arrived with the main Jin army, the figure of just over twenty thousand was far more reassuring than the earlier claim of a hundred thousand, but it still meant they were no match in open field, still made the Song army tremble at the sight, not to mention that fire Liu Guangshi had set before crossing the river had turned Xiacaicheng into an isolated city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew if Xiacaicheng would open its gates and surrender at any moment? Then the Jin army would calmly bypass this key stronghold, gather boats somewhere in Huaixi, cross the Huai River, and then come to \"search the mountains and sweep the seas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But despite all this, on a certain day after the rewards distribution, a few days after the Jin army's arrival, the main camp at Bagongshan in Huainan still held an untimely grand feast, even with lanterns and decorations… The reason was simple: it was New Year's! And Lin Jingmo, the Prefect of Shouzhou, who had been ordered to lead the northern people across the river, had just returned from the south with the supplies Zhao Jiu had been eagerly awaiting from the southeastern prefectures, including plenty of meat and wine!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the bitter cold, far from home, at a festival, facing a great enemy, with ready meat and wine, there was no reason not to distribute it to boost morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This Emperor really is…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the tent before the command tent on the mountaintop, beneath the high-flying golden yak-tail banner, the Emperor Zhao looked at the \"special food\" Prefect Lin had specially prepared for him and couldn't help but smile wryly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The important ministers and close officials feasting with him also forced smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that, just as at Jiegou, where a eunuch happened to buy a bucket of fermented soybeans and a prefect sent several buckets specially for the Emperor when delivering supplies, this time, probably because Marshal Zhang Jun had prepared dishes at Feikou and the Emperor had only kept a few types of duck, Lin Jingmo had actually prepared a pile of famous Huainan salted ducks for the Emperor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this got out, would the nicknames \"Fermented Soybean Son of Heaven\" and \"Duck Emperor\" stick?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, everyone just laughed, because fermented soybeans and salted ducks weren't luxuries; if the story spread, it wouldn't do any harm, and would actually make the Emperor seem approachable. In fact, in the previous few days, to boost morale, the Emperor had even led the Imperial Guard and officers from the two Western Army wings out of the camp every day to shoot wild ducks along the Huai River!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more he ate duck, the harder it was to swallow today's New Year's salted duck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, after making his joke, Zhao Jiu only gnawed on one duck leg. He did find the flavor excellent, but it was too greasy and too salty; too much was impossible to finish, so he left almost an entire duck untouched, using only rice porridge and stir-fried pork to go with his wine, and frequently casting envious glances at Hu Yin, the Secretariat Drafter. The latter had nearly devoured the duck in front of him, his speed and appetite secretly envied by everyone, including Zhao Jiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But setting aside the ducks, since it was New Year's, since they had weathered two major crises thanks to the Emperor's stubbornness, since supplies had been replenished, since the Jin army still couldn't cross the river, and since Xiacaicheng hadn't surrendered… following the Chinese custom of seizing the moment for pleasure, the feast's atmosphere was quite good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after three rounds of wine, as drunkenness set in, following Chinese drinking customs, all sorts of messy things inevitably happened:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly promoted Wang Yecha, probably wanting to express gratitude, insisted on beating a drum and dancing for the Emperor… beating a drum in the army was fine, but dancing was allowed;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wang Yuan and Wang Boyan each \"recalled\" their shared hardships with the Emperor in Hebei, one crying and one sighing, once again professing their loyalty;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing, after receiving a few words of comfort from Zhao Jiu, suddenly burst into tears. Whether it was because, as veteran Western Army generals under Liu Guangshi, they had never been allowed to fight and felt wronged, or because they had been caught in the middle of everything that day, terrified and anxious, and were only now releasing it;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the real climax came the moment snow began to fall from the sky, which had been clear for days… Hu Yin, who had been so enthusiastic about the duck, was probably truly drunk. He stood up without care and composed a poem, summarizing New Year's Eve while also, on behalf of Zhao Jiu, longing for the \"Two Sages,\" whose whereabouts were unknown. Finally, with tears in his eyes, he urged the Emperor to soon achieve victory against the Jin, drive straight to the Yellow Dragon, and welcome back the Two Sages!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an undeniable political slogan, one Zhao Jiu could not easily change before establishing absolute authority. Moreover, it was about resisting the Jin, about driving straight to the Yellow Dragon Prefecture—definitely the right direction. Even the \"welcome back the Two Sages\" part could silence many scholar-officials. Of course, Zhao Jiu had to rise with a solemn expression and lead the civil and military officials of the Huainan camp in solemnly accepting it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this, as the snow grew heavier, Zhao Jiu specifically ordered the army to take precautions, assigning enough men to patrol the camp and riverbank and keep a close watch on supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this order, there was no intention of moving the feast into the small mountaintop stockade tents to continue. But since it was New Year's and the camp was open, these officials could return to their own tents to drink privately if they wished; it didn't matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, in the falling snow, everyone gradually turned their gaze to the head of the court officials, Lu Haowen, the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, waiting for this lord to lead them in taking their leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The easygoing Lord Lu didn't waste anyone's time. After another round of wine, he rose unsteadily, seven parts drunk, and slowly walked to the table where Zhao Jiu sat inside the tent, bowing his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, tonight is New Year's Eve. We should feast until dawn, sharing joy between ruler and subjects. But with a great enemy before us, and in a military camp, celebrating by the Huai, we truly should not indulge in excessive drinking… Your servant is old and cannot hold his liquor. I request permission to return to my tent to rest, and to play the killjoy, asking everyone else to end the feast and return as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Chancellor had spoken, all the other civil and military officials also left their tables and followed the Chancellor in requesting an end to the drinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu naturally had nothing to say. He also rose and left his table, taking the opportunity to steady the staggering Lu Haowen, personally seeing the Chancellor back to the newly built wooden barracks beside the small mountaintop stockade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an extraordinary honor, a scene of perfect harmony between ruler and minister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as the two were slowly pacing ahead in the snow, finally reaching the barracks by the small stockade, and the generals behind them were breathing a sigh of relief, Lord Lu, about to enter his quarters, suddenly turned back and grasped the Emperor's sleeve, shaking his head with a sigh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty wears a robe but still ties the sleeves—isn't that too tight?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu didn't react at first and answered casually: \"Tying the sleeves is indeed much more convenient.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Haowen was helpless and could only reach for the Emperor's waist: \"And I haven't seen Your Majesty wear a turban or a jade belt in a long time—why is that? Have many things been lost?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu was startled for a moment, then finally understood his meaning. He smiled faintly and shot back directly: \"Lord Lu is drunk. The Son of Heaven is the commander of the realm; when facing battle, he must always be ready to don armor, no? Jade belts and turbans are unsuitable now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Haowen finally let go upon hearing this, but pointed at his own turban and laughed awkwardly: \"If that's the case, then it's your servant's head that is unsuitable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Zhao Jiu awkward as well. He could only cover it with repeated loud laughter, ordering the eunuchs to take Lu Haowen into his quarters, then turned back and waved for the officials to disperse, before slowly returning to his command tent on the northern peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Still wishing everyone a happy New Year… and also…\u003C\u002Fp>",1892,"2026-06-06T07:45:46.639Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","9f0fd825a85425a5acadb58b56b4d7136eadb37eea94603d36a74969c9a6bd8b","shao-song-chapter-36","shao-song-chapter-34",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]