Chapter 364: South of the Huai

July was not a suitable time for travel.

Especially when heading south.

For Zhao Jiu, July was particularly unsuitable, because with his departure, this year's Mid-Autumn sacrifices, the Imperial Academy's upper-class graduation, and the palace examination would all have to be missed, as would the birth of Imperial Consort Wu's second child... Not a single one of his children had been born with their biological father present.

But as a ruler, when was leaving the capital ever not going to disrupt matters?

It was simply a question of whether it was worth it.

And this southern inspection tour was a decision reached only after meticulous discussion among the court's senior ministers and Zhao Jiu's own prolonged deliberation... The fact that several senior ministers had independently proposed a southern tour was no coincidence; rather, it meant that since a northern expedition was planned, the sentiments in the south had to be taken seriously. Whether through suppression or guidance, a visit had to be made before the northern campaign, to prevent the north-south divide from continuing unchecked.

Otherwise, whenever the central government encountered a problem, it would blame the south for holding things back, and whenever the south saw a policy, it would feel the central government was targeting it. The result would be a de facto party prohibition without an actual decree, leading to a new, widespread, and fierce factional struggle.

From this perspective, as Zhao Jiu repeatedly purged the court and pushed forward policies related to the northern expedition, the marginalization of minority figures like Ma Shen and Li Guang became increasingly apparent. Even Zhao Jiu himself would often avoid these two senior ministers, a behavior that essentially reflected this phenomenon.

Of course, this was certainly bad, and Zhao Jiu knew it was bad... But all sensible people also knew that the root of this matter lay not only in the court but also in the south.

Beyond this, Zhao Jiu himself wanted to see the south with his own eyes, to understand the actual social structure there, to find out just how heavy the burden on the common people in the south was, and to understand the nature of the anti-war sentiment there, from top to bottom.

Finally, could the burden on the southern common people be slightly alleviated without affecting the fundamental plan of the northern expedition?

Therefore, whether it was to secure the interior before striking outward, to observe the people's condition, or to promote great harmony between north and south, a trip was necessary.

However, even after deciding to go south, preparations still had to be made properly...

In early July, the court issued a series of edicts. First, it recognized and commended the contributions of Lu Yihao, the Minister of State, in the southeast, further increasing his fief and, based on its level, ennobling him as Duke of Cheng.

Then, it posthumously honored Zhang Zai of the Guan School as Count of Mei, allowing him to be worshipped alongside Wang Anshi in the Confucian Temple.

Immediately after, it revoked the posthumous honors that the Retired Emperor Yuansheng had bestowed upon Sima Guang during the Jingkang era, stripping Sima Guang of his title as Duke of Qin.

According to Zhao Jiu's own words published in the court gazette, Sima Guang was a gentleman in character and a model in scholarship, but as a chancellor, he had misled the state. It was precisely because people like him lacked thorough knowledge and were ignorant of governance that they initiated the harshness of factional strife, which became the origin of the Jingkang disaster.

In addition to publishing these three latest edicts, the court gazette also specifically mentioned Zhao Jiu's earlier "pardon" of Su Shi and other members of the Yuanyou faction at the Baihe River in Nanyang. Then, in the joint names of the four chancellors, it clearly reaffirmed the court's basic stance toward the old and new factions... revering the New Party but not pursuing criminal charges against the Yuanyou Old Party.

Taken together, these actions set the tone for Zhao Jiu's message to southern public opinion before his southeastern tour—no ill intent, but don't expect to overturn the basic situation; some things would not be shaken.

After the edicts came the selection of the entourage.

Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan would accompany him, of course. The decision to bring two thousand cavalry was made after much hesitation. Although it was somewhat embarrassing to show such caution while touring within the country, if something did happen, or if Zhao Jiu himself wanted to do something, having a mobile force on hand would facilitate suppression and control.

As for who would lead the cavalry, the court debated for a long time but ultimately did not dare to send Qu Duan, the cavalry commander-in-chief, nor did it let Li Master, whose troops were all foreign cavalry, lead. After much discussion, the final choice was Liu Qi, a man from a military family with the outward demeanor of a scholar-general.

The selection of the other accompanying close officials was simple.

Two Hanlin Academicians: one was Fan Zongyin, a leading figure in terms of seniority and reputation among the inner-court group... Don't underestimate the "Three Illuminations Academician" for having only one face; back when he was a subordinate in Yangzhou, Wang Anshi had also mocked Han Qi for having only one face... Having one face was itself quite telling. The other was, of course, Hanlin Academician Lu Benzhong, a true descendant of four generations of high officials, and his hometown was in the Huainan region, making him useful to bring along.

In addition, Ren Baozhong, a Gentleman of the Palace Gate; Mei Li, a Secretariat Drafter; Yu Yunwen, a Diarist and head of the Military Statistics Department; and Zong Ying, the new Secretary of the Imperial Library, also accompanied him.

Shao Chengzhang, a eunuch from the Palace Domestic Service who had long served the Retired Empress Dowager in Yangzhou, also went along.

At the same time, to ensure smooth operations in the Eastern Capital and avoid disrupting government affairs, one Grand Chancellor, four Chief Councillors, one Censor-in-Chief, and six Ministers all remained behind—no senior court official accompanied him.

In a sense, this could be considered traveling light.

To put it another way, it even had a hint of a lone hero venturing deep into a tiger's den.

In any case, after much fuss, in early July, after updating the latest chapter of *Water Margin*, in which Chao Gai was shot dead by an arrow while descending the mountain, Zhao Jiu officially set out, heading southeast along the Grand Canal.

The first stop was Nanjing (present-day Shangqiu), about two hundred li from Kaifeng. It had always been a secondary capital alongside the Western Capital, Luoyang. However, like Luoyang, it had also suffered a devastating large-scale military disaster—in the second year of the Jianyan era, the veteran Jin generals Elubu and Ali led a large army south on a lightning raid, resulting in the death of Zhang Suo, the senior Song minister responsible for the eastern front, which in turn triggered the complete collapse of the Eastern Capital's eastern defense line.

That time, the entire city suffered severe destruction, and the countryside was repeatedly plundered by bandits and routed soldiers.

Perhaps because of this, Zhao Jiu, who had traveled back and forth between the Western Capital and the Guanzhong region many times, had no special feelings about this place other than finding the local accent gradually becoming more familiar.

Therefore, he only rested for a day in the old palace of Nanjing, performed a brief memorial ceremony for Zhang Suo the next day, and then immediately set off again.

Of course, there were other reasons for this haste—such as the three thousand or so troops.

In truth, three thousand five hundred troops meant absolutely nothing in this era. There were over a hundred thousand troops along the Yellow River to the north, and they should have already begun their rotation of combat by then. But the front line was the front line, and the rear was the rear. Three thousand troops would still place a heavy burden on the local areas. So Zhao Jiu basically traveled in a military march formation. He brought all the ceremonial regalia but kept them packed away the entire journey, following military regulations, personally overseeing the troops, and covering forty to fifty li a day, marching by day and camping by night.

Thus, after passing Nanjing, they entered the Lianghuai region. Zhao Jiu was more familiar with the Huaibei area and did not linger there either... In late July, the weather gradually turned cooler, making the climate pleasant. The imperial procession passed by the Mingdao Temple in Bozhou without entering, continuing south along the Grand Canal. They passed through Bozhou, Suzhou, and Sizhou in turn, then left the Grand Canal at Qingyang Town in Sizhou, turning onto the Si River. They crossed the Huai River at Mopankou on the eighth day of the eighth month.

Now, before crossing the Huai River, Sun Jin, the Grand Coordinator of the Huainan East Circuit, had long since sent people to Huaibei to request permission to come from Yangzhou to greet the emperor. However, Zhao Jiu issued an edict, citing the peak of the autumn harvest and the need to avoid disruption, forbidding him from coming to greet him, stating only that he would arrive in Yangzhou before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It should be known that there was a reason Sun Jin, the Grand Coordinator of the Huainan East Circuit, had been recommended by Zhao Ding to succeed him: he was a gentleman—or, more directly, an honest man who followed established rules.

His personal moral standards and integrity were beyond reproach, his essays were of the highest quality, he always conscientiously carried out orders from above, and he gave due consideration to problems from below. He had the usual flaws of traditional scholar-officials, but he was ultimately an honest man who would never cause trouble.

So, upon receiving the edict, he really did stay put in Yangzhou.

After all, the edict made sense. In an agricultural society, the most important thing in the world was the autumn harvest. With the emperor making such a high-sounding argument, an honest man found it hard to refute.

However, Yangzhou was the largest town in the Huainan region north of the Yangtze River, concentrating the essence of the Lianghuai area, and it was also the gateway from the southeast to the north... Don't forget that in the Lianghuai region alone, nearly a million bolts of silk were paid in taxes each year. So it was easy to imagine that even though the exiled nobles had long since returned and become historical dregs, the wealthy merchants, rich households, monks, Daoists, and scholar-officials in the city were still among the most prominent in the empire.

And most crucially, they had never experienced real war... The Jurchens had stopped at the Huai River, the military revolts in the southeast were confined to Jiangnan, the rebellions in Jingxiang had never crossed the Dabie Mountains, and even Fang La's uprising had never crossed the Yangtze River. So, besides the obvious peace and prosperity, the mindset of the local gentry and commoners found it hard to break free from the old mold of "abundance and great prosperity."

Therefore, seeing Sun Jin, the Censor-in-Chief, as immovable as a mountain and seemingly foolish, the local scholar-officials, village elders, wealthy men, and even prominent monks and Daoists began to grow anxious.

Every day, people went to see Sun Jin to offer advice.

One would say, "Although His Majesty said he would enter Yangzhou at Mid-Autumn, it's a full two hundred seventy or eighty li from Mopankou to here. How can he make it in seven days? It would be better to go and greet him early, so His Majesty doesn't end up spending the Mid-Autumn Festival outside the city without even a place to hold a banquet."

Another would say, "His Majesty is coming too quickly. The various trades originally wanted to pool their resources and put on some spectacles on the canal for His Majesty, but now there's no time. Please, Censor-in-Chief Sun, go and intercept him on the road, so everyone can prepare."

Someone else would say, "His Majesty is a northerner. The furthest south he's ever been was stopping at Bagongshan. After crossing the Huainan and heading further south, might he not be acclimated? As it happens, I have a cook in my household who came from the Eastern Capital. She used to make the filling for buns in Grand Preceptor Cai's mansion and was separated from the family when the Retired Emperor Daojun fled to Zhenjiang. Why not send her to make soup for His Majesty?"

Then another would say, "Although the gentry and people of Yangzhou have seen the Empress Dowager and once saw the Retired Emperor Daojun fleeing (he had fled to Zhenjiang before the Jingkang incident), they have never seen the reigning emperor. Now that we hear His Majesty is coming to Yangzhou, many young students want to display their talents before him, and many scholar-officials want to present their views in person. The autumn weather is fine and crisp, so why not go and greet him early?"

Moreover, the open countryside could also inspire poetic and meditative moods.

The fear was that once His Majesty arrived in Yangzhou, he might make a brief stop, receive the elders, inspect the work, and then leave directly. Wouldn't the local gentry and people have waited in vain?

In short, when Sun Jin stayed in Yangzhou City to attend to official business, his subordinates and advisors would try to persuade him. When he returned home, his wives, concubines, and children would also relay these requests. When he grew annoyed and went to Great Ming Temple for a vegetarian meal, the monks there would also hem and haw and ask, "When His Majesty arrives, will he stay at Great Ming Temple or at the Empress Dowager's old temporary palace?"

Although Great Ming Temple's foundation was modest, it was an ancient monastery of six or seven hundred years, with plenty of rooms.

However, Sun Jin, being the gentleman that Zhao Ding had recognized, managed to hold firm.

Moreover, during this time, under the gaze of all, the column of over three thousand cavalry and infantry truly did not enter any cities along the way, nor did they disturb any place. They marched steadily south each day along the official road beside the canal, camping each night at predetermined locations, advancing at a solemn and orderly pace of forty to fifty li per day, without any disorder.

Amidst the confusion, a rumor spread that the column was moving so quickly because the emperor was not actually in it—that he had long since gone incognito with Imperial Consort Pan, who was familiar with Yangzhou, to investigate local conditions privately, and that the commander Yang Yizhong was impersonating him in the column. Although sensible people knew that the emperor had not brought any imperial consort on this trip and that Yang Yizhong would never dare to impersonate Zhao Jiu, it still caused a flurry of panic everywhere.

For a time, even the tax collectors for the autumn harvest became cautious.

But regardless, on the fourteenth day of the eighth month, a force of five or six hundred cavalry first galloped into Yangzhou, taking control of the streets and the temporary palace. Then, on the morning of the fifteenth day of the eighth month, before the lingering heat of the "autumn tiger" had faded, the three-thousand-strong army indeed arrived on schedule north of Yangzhou City.

At this, everyone set aside their wild ideas. Scholar-officials and students from the prefectural school brought their essays, retired officials brought their memorials of advice, wealthy merchants and grand patrons brought their treasures, monks and Daoists brought their silver tongues, and ladies and commoners brought their eyes—all followed the honest gentleman, Censor-in-Chief Sun, to welcome the emperor north of the city.

In a certain sense, the people of Yangzhou had turned out almost in full force, all coming to see what this Zhao sovereign looked like.

"Is he here?!"

"He's coming, he's coming! The dragon banner is already in sight..."

"Anyone with a bit of common sense knows that's no ordinary dragon banner, it's a golden imperial banner... but why isn't there a carriage? The statutes don't just mention the golden imperial banner... Let me look through the books again..."

"Stop flipping through them, he's already right here, and Sun Xiantai has gone up to meet him!"

"..."

Before the north gate of Yangzhou city, a crowd of scholars, merchants, monks, and Daoists were caught almost completely off guard. One moment they saw the dragon banner coming against the wind, the next it was right before them, escorted by cavalry, stopping directly on the official road north of the city... only seventy or eighty paces away from them.

Sun Jin, at the head, dared not be negligent. He went forward directly with Yangzhou Prefect Wei Gang, along with Imperial Commander Liu Yan, who had arrived the day before, to greet him. As for the rest of Yangzhou's officials, gentry, commoners, monks, and laymen, including Lu Yihao's envoy who had crossed the river to welcome him, none were qualified to step forward. Instead, they held their breath, ready to bow and kowtow when the sovereign in his red robe appeared.

However, as Sun Jin approached, there was no one in a red robe at all. Instead, only a single knight in golden helmet and golden armor rode out from the column that had just halted, calling out from a distance with a laugh:

"Are you Sun Qing and Wei Qing? Sun Qing, it's been five years since we parted at Nanyang? Wei Qing, you only transferred out of the Secretariat a year ago."

Sun Jin and Wei Gang, hearing this voice, hesitated no longer. They hurried forward and bowed to the golden-armored man.

Seeing this, the golden-armored man on horseback immediately dismounted, helped them both up with one hand each, and laughed again: "On this Mid-Autumn Festival, when sovereign and ministers meet, why must we exchange such grand courtesies? Besides, I have already issued decrees along the way: there is no need for deliberate welcomes and formal bows... Let things be casual today."

Sun Jin, an honest man, rose at once. Wei Gang, who was also the kind of man trusted by Zhao Ding and of a sincere disposition, stood up immediately as well. The two men made slight bows with clasped hands before the Zhao sovereign, addressing him as Your Majesty.

At this, everyone knew without a doubt—the golden-armored man was the Zhao sovereign. From dozens of paces away, they hurriedly bowed, some kneeling, some making deep bows, some flusteredly clasping their hands, and even some who stood frozen, merely craning their necks to stare, falling into utter disorder.

After the two men had performed their rites, the Zhao sovereign laughed even more heartily and directly took them by the hand, intending to enter the city together.

However, Sun Jin, pulled along as he turned around, looked at the somewhat chaotic scene near the city gate. He hesitated for a moment, then honestly turned back and reported: "Your Majesty, the people of Yangzhou have waited here long, all wishing to see the imperial countenance. If Your Majesty arrives in armor, I fear they will not be able to see clearly..."

Zhao Jiu laughed in sudden understanding. He immediately removed his helmet and handed it to Liu Yan, who stood beside him, then asked: "Is this acceptable?"

Sun Jin was about to speak again, but after a moment's hesitation, he finally nodded.

Yet Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then turned back, took the helmet from Liu Yan's hands, put it back on, mounted his horse, patted its neck, and laughed to the two local ministers: "The ancients said, 'With a hundred thousand strings of cash at the waist, ride a crane down to Yangzhou'... That truly captures the elegance of the Huai Left. And now that I have come to this famous city, I must not lose morale... I shall lead three thousand troops and ride armored into Yangzhou! Sun Qing, you shall lead the way!"

Sun Jin, being an honest man, hesitated, nodded repeatedly, and then let this sovereign, clad in armor and bearing arms, enter this famous city of the Huai Left.

At noon, the Zhao sovereign rode his horse into the temporary palace within Yangzhou city, the former residence of Empress Dowager Yuanyou. Immediately, he issued an edict summoning all the monks and Daoists of Yangzhou to come before him.

This set the people of Yangzhou, who had just recovered their wits, to murmuring again, all wondering if this sovereign cared not for the people's welfare but only for ghosts and gods.

But soon, the officials, gentry, and elders of Yangzhou were all summoned, and everyone suddenly understood—the Zhao sovereign intended to hold a distant sacrifice to the Yuntai Stele Forest, to console the spirits of the soldiers and commoners who had died since the Jingkang Incident, and then to have a cordial exchange with the local people.

This left everyone caught off guard once more—the Huai Left region had truly not seen the calamities of war for many years.