Chapter 375: Arrangements

The weather cleared up.

Phoenix Mountain was unusually busy. The Imperial Personal Guards and reserve troops of the Imperial Camp were clearing collapsed palace buildings. Countless envoys from local officials and members of the Public Council hurried to pay respects and inquire after the Emperor's health, but the crowds stopped at the level of Lü Yihao and Liu Hongdao. Close ministers like Lu Benzhong and Ren Baozhong were also organizing documents. Even the monks of Shengguo Temple took the opportunity to drain the canals and clear waterlogging in the mountains.

Not only that—at this very moment, the entire southeast should be very busy, because from Phoenix Mountain one could see that in the fields, villages, and cities down there, people were everywhere draining water and clearing silt to minimize losses.

And by now, Zhao Jiu himself had come to realize that encountering such continuous rainy weather in this season at this location was likely just the result of a typhoon thousands of li away at sea.

He just didn't know if it was caused by his own butterfly wings flapping.

Of course, he also didn't know that historically, the summer of this year in the southeast region did have excessive rainfall, causing a reduction in silk and autumn harvests, yet still not reaching the level of a disaster. This was clearly known to later generations through memorials from relevant governing ministers like Zhang Jun.

And come to think of it, if Zhao Jiu were a high-level historical talent and knew about this, he might ask why his butterfly wings hadn't stopped this typhoon.

Enough digression—back to the present. After experiencing a small storm, the Imperial Majesty made an appearance by going out for a stroll, so-called calming people's hearts, and after looking at the scenery after the rain, he returned to Shengguo Temple at noon and began trying to revise a poem.

That's right, revising a poem.

Last night's sudden wind and rain, his own house collapsing, splash after splash like frogs jumping into a pond after rain—perhaps because of this, he had a sleepless night, to the point that this morning, hesitant and dazed, the Imperial Majesty made a huge joke... he had composed a terrible poem with incorrect tonal patterns and even repeated rhyming characters.

This wasn't just a matter of greatly losing his standard—repeating a character at the end of a line was a mistake even a ten-year-old child wouldn't make. Don't believe it? Try asking that child prodigy from the Lu family.

And since he repeated characters, it wasn't even a poem. It wasn't like the Imperial Majesty was a monk who could label it a Chan Buddhist gong'an. What made Lu Benzhong and others even more speechless was that the poem's framework was clearly still there—its momentum and style were very much in line with the Imperial Majesty's usual manner. Even if others wanted to take the blame, they couldn't... so everyone basically concluded that the Imperial Majesty had made an extreme mistake.

Therefore, the Imperial Majesty spent the whole morning trying to revise the poem to avoid too much embarrassment.

However, Zhao Jiu looked at the poem laid out on the table, thought it over, and instead didn't know where to start... not that he couldn't revise it—one character, for instance, changing "descend Yao Mountain" to "meet at Jinchuan" or "cross the Great River," directly referring to the alliance at the Jinhe River and the destruction of Western Xia, would roughly make it passable.

But the problem was that the Western Xia incident clearly couldn't be compared to Yao Mountain. The so-called eight years of effort by the Imperial Majesty, the most important and greatest achievement, was precisely that time at Yao Mountain. Yao Mountain was the foundation; Western Xia and the Jinhe River alliance were, to some extent, deep-level results of Yao Mountain.

So, since it was a self-narration of achievements and a reflection on past worthies, it couldn't escape the matter of Yao Mountain.

But on the other hand, if he wanted to forcefully keep the two characters "Yao Mountain," he couldn't bear to give up the famous line "Gazing north at the Central Plains, my anger rises like a mountain" from earlier, because that was the poem's entire momentum.

And so, the Imperial Majesty thought left and right but couldn't find a solution. In the end, he simply threw the poem aside... after all, he didn't believe that Lu You in this life would still go to Dasan Pass to defend Bashu; at most, he would go to defend Yinshan... given the current situation, no one owed anyone anything, right?

Besides, in terms of effect, Lü Yihao heard this doggerel and it didn't stop him from vowing to go to Hebei to "fill the ditches and gullies," nor did he stand up and say, "Your Majesty, you used the wrong character."

The effect was still achieved.

However, while the Imperial Majesty was giving up in despair, it was Lu Benzhong who suffered.

As a true poet, Lu Benzhong immediately saw that the poem's framework was excellent enough, so he naturally wanted to polish it and publish it in the Phoenix Ten-Day Journal, serving as a political declaration for the Imperial Majesty.

But on one hand, the Imperial Majesty was unwilling to revise it; on the other, Lu Benzhong couldn't presume to change it himself. And yet he couldn't bear to let it go, so he spent most of the day grinding his teeth, letting this famous poet's heart itch with a hundred claws.

But regardless, having given up on revising the poem, Zhao Jiu didn't care about Lu Benzhong's feelings. Having abandoned the matter, he didn't directly return north but instead remained in the southeast... however, everyone could see that this Imperial Majesty was noticeably more relaxed compared to the bitter, deep-seated resentment he had shown here for most of the previous year.

Not to mention anything else, in the following days, the Imperial Majesty frequently traveled lightly with few attendants, leading the Red Heart Squad to inspect surrounding counties and prefectures. His footprints covered Hangzhou, Huzhou, Yuezhou, and Muzhou, but he often didn't enter cities, didn't question officials, and didn't reveal his identity. He simply walked through the countryside and stopped at markets and docks.

In fact, if not for the awareness from Hangzhou that the Imperial Majesty was traveling, the surrounding prefectures and counties might never have known that the Imperial Majesty had passed through their jurisdictions.

After all, this wasn't a drama of traveling incognito and shouting out against injustice. Unless it was a typical serious criminal case, a Son of Heaven bypassing levels to handle grassroots affairs often caused chaos far beyond the matter itself. And how could a purely extreme criminal incident coincidentally happen right beside him?

So, this Imperial Majesty was more about inquiring into local customs and inspecting the impact of this summer's waterlogging, without any intention of interfering in local affairs.

Of course, this was unavoidable. With the Imperial Majesty's southern tour nearly a year in, and the new tax law fully implemented, the most important matters in the entire southeast were nothing more than measuring the impact of this rainfall and when Fujian's local situation would stabilize—two big issues.

However, this raised another question. Some people were already secretly complaining: the Imperial Majesty had finished his business; the matters in Fujian and the rainfall in Liangzhe were beyond human control. So why was he, the dignified Son of Heaven, still staying here? Could it be that he had truly taken a liking to the southeast's prosperity and was so happy he forgot to return?

But the old Wu-Yue palace had collapsed, and spending all day in a monk's temple wasn't necessarily comfortable, was it? Or had he really converted to Buddhism?

However, if one wanted to talk about matters, there still seemed to be something. Shortly after Liu Hongdao returned to the Eastern Capital, when the Imperial Majesty began his incognito inspections, a new session of the Public Council also began. The Imperial Majesty formally issued an edict summoning members of the Public Council from the circuits of Huainan East and West, Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Liangzhe, and Fujian to gather at Phoenix Mountain... the Public Councils in Huainan, Jiangxi, and Fujian were newly established and hadn't yet had an audience with the Emperor, which was perfectly reasonable.

Plus, since the Imperial Majesty might leave at any time, appropriately organizing a few more successful conferences could be seen as drawing a circle by West Lake, successfully concluding his southern tour, right?

Therefore, by late summer, the southeast region by West Lake was bustling with people again. Especially the members of the Huainan Public Council, who swarmed in from Yangzhou—each with substantial family wealth, a confrontational attitude toward local officials, and a strong desire to participate in governance. Their arrival almost instantly returned Hangzhou to the state it was in during the previous Martial Arts Conference.

Even surpassing it.

Outside Yongjin Gate, it truly became "Hangzhou is Bianzhou" once more, and the Louwailou restaurant became so expensive that even locals couldn't afford it.

However, almost as if prearranged, just as the Southeast Public Council set the meeting date and began processing related procedures under Leifeng Pagoda, on the morning of that day, Xu Jingheng, the former Vice Grand Councilor of the Capital Secretariat who had gone to Fujian to pacify the region, formally returned from Fujian.

Lord Xu, having once been a Grand Councilor, naturally wouldn't compete with those Public Council members for an audience with the Emperor. He was directly led by Yang Yizhong, who had gone to welcome him, to the Grand Hall of Shengguo Temple. That same morning, he briefly paid respects to the Imperial Majesty and made his report.

And the conclusion seemed far from optimistic.

"So, Fujian's autumn harvest was still affected this year?" The Imperial Majesty, no stranger to the Grand Hall, asked casually under the Buddha statue.

It's worth noting that although the place was spacious, the Imperial Majesty only had Lü Yihao and a few close ministers by his side at this moment... Fan Zongyin, Mei Li, and the others were still in Fujian and hadn't returned. Xu Jingheng's return seemed more like a specific recall by the Imperial Majesty.

"Let Your Majesty know, it's not the autumn harvest, but the autumn tax," Xu Jingheng immediately corrected in the hall. "The armed conflicts mostly occur between clan villages, but when these people fight, they generally rarely destroy production or hinder agricultural work... I say it affects the autumn tax because while large-scale fighting has gradually subsided, small-scale armed standoffs in local villages and vendetta killings will continue for a long time. Moreover, since this conflict was originally about distributing tax quotas, and I, to pacify the region, took the liberty of canceling all disputed tax amounts in Fujian... so, under these circumstances, Fujian's autumn tax will inevitably be affected, but it won't have much impact on the actual autumn harvest."

Hearing this, Zhao Jiu let out a long sigh of relief, followed by a long silence.

Seeing this, Xu Jingheng, standing in the hall, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

To be fair, as a rehired Grand Councilor, on one hand, his high level of insight allowed him to understand the core of the issue even while on a business trip—just hearing some rumors on the way back, he had already realized that the matter fundamentally lay in the northern expedition. On the other hand, his sense of responsibility and political detachment, stemming from his identity, political stance, and native place, gave rise to complex emotions in the face of this major event.

Not opposing, not participating, but not avoiding either... a state of being pushed along.

But as they say, what must come will come. After waiting a while, the Imperial Majesty exchanged a glance with Lü Yihao under the Buddha statue and then asked again: "So, Fujian is actually in a better state than Liangzhe? There are impacts, but mostly at the grassroots level, and in any case, it hasn't reached the level of a disaster... is that right or not?"

"Forgive me for speaking bluntly," Xu Jingheng clasped his hands and replied solemnly. "Your Majesty's words are flawed. People have died in Fujian, and this matter has far-reaching consequences, likely creating blood feuds in Fujian villages. It cannot, under any circumstances, be said to be better than Liangzhe, which suffered reduced harvests due to rain. The new tax policy was implemented too hastily outside of the Liangzhe circuit."

"Lord Xu is right," Zhao Jiu paused and also spoke solemnly. "I was only thinking about the short-term impact of both places on the northern expedition, but not considering the internal, long-term effects of the two regions... that is not the mindset a ruler should have."

The Imperial Majesty admitted his mistake and directly mentioned the northern expedition. What more could Lord Xu say?

After a moment, the man helplessly clasped his hands: "Has Your Majesty made up his mind?"

"This isn't a matter of me making up my mind," Zhao Jiu replied bluntly. "It's that if there's no reason to stop, we can only grit our teeth and forge ahead. And in the current situation, although Liangzhe and Fujian have had setbacks, and the Central Plains have also seen some rain, it hasn't ultimately led to major disasters. Since there's no real reason to stop, we, ruler and ministers, cannot deceive ourselves and use it as an excuse to escape. Lord Xu, the 300,000 troops of the Imperial Camp can be fully assembled after autumn. Although many are new recruits, we can recruit Tanguts, mobilize the Taihang Mountain volunteer armies, and even summon Mongol and Khitan allied forces. So the planned army's combat effectiveness is still sufficient. As for food, military supplies, and weapons, although they are slightly less abundant than last year's estimates, compared to three years ago, they are actually ample. Under these circumstances, if we don't move, we will lose the trust of the people under heaven. Don't you agree?"

Xu Jingheng was cornered. After thinking it over, he could only clasp his hands again: "Indeed it is so."

"I was waiting for you to say that," Zhao Jiu said, exchanging another glance with Lü Yihao. Then the two of them together turned their gaze to Lu Benzhong, who had already grown somewhat nervous.

Lu Benzhong swallowed his saliva but immediately stepped forward, holding out a sheet of white hemp paper hidden in his sleeve with both hands, and publicly opened it for Xu Jingheng.

Xu Jingheng took one look at the white hemp paper and felt his mind buzz. Then, by instinct, he knelt and prostrated himself on the ground.

It should be noted that the Great Song treated scholar-officials generously. Except for certain ceremonial or ritual occasions, civil officials often didn't have to kneel before the Son of Heaven, let alone for an imperial edict.

But the interesting point was here. As a Grand Councilor with political status far exceeding ordinary scholar-officials, they generally couldn't avoid the experience of kneeling before an edict. Because when a scholar truly reached the pinnacle of his life—being appointed Grand Councilor through the formal proclamation—according to precedent, he had to formally bow.

That's right. This sheet of white hemp paper had only one meaning for someone of Xu Jingheng's level: he was about to be proclaimed Grand Councilor for a second time, formally and officially returning to the ranks of the Grand Councilors.

Of course, in reality, even Xu Jingheng had once been proclaimed... because when he first became Grand Councilor, the temporary court was still in a state of wandering, essentially a small court. Where would they have gotten proper white hemp paper?

However, His Majesty the Emperor always prescribed the right medicine for the illness and ordered dishes to suit the guests... just as when he made Wu Jie a Military Governor and deliberately used bright yellow silk to fool those rough Western Army veterans, this time, to make Xu Xianggong feel respected, Zhao Jiu also specially sought out white hemp paper.

It could only be said that the effect was outstanding. As a traditional old-style scholar-official who had rehearsed in his mind countless times as a young man how he would react upon seeing white hemp paper, when faced with this actual sheet of white hemp paper, Xu Xianggong directly knelt in obeisance.

And with that bow, certain things became settled.

The edict was written by Lu Benzhong, so naturally it would not commit the low-level error of His Majesty's doggerel. It could be called perfectly balanced in four-six parallel prose, with soaring literary grace. But after reciting it once, there was only one meaning—restore Xu Jingheng as Vice Grand Councilor of the Capital Secretariat, add the title of Military Governor of Ninghai Army, serve as Grand Coordinator of the Two Zhe Circuits, station at Hangzhou, and command the six circuits of Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Two Zhe, Guangxi, and Guangdong.

Basically, he was replacing Lu Yihao as the Southeast Pacification Commissioner, and moreover, the scope of pacification now included the Two Guang.

Once the edict was issued, the Emperor also gave an oral decree, ordering this white hemp paper to be posted at the foot of Leifeng Pagoda, and commanding the public offices of the several southeastern circuits to go together to view it... This then barely completed the "proclamation" part of the proclamation ceremony... When appointing a chief minister, regardless of whether the subordinates had any room to object, it always had to be publicly announced as a formality.

At the foot of the dilapidated Leifeng Pagoda, the public officials of the six circuits gathered together. At this moment, they were still engaged in all sorts of chaotic speeches and discussions, waiting for His Majesty's arrival in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, they did not wait for His Majesty, but first received a legendary sheet of white hemp paper.

And this sheet of white hemp paper immediately ignited the entire West Lake.

The vast majority of public officials from the Two Zhe, Jiangdong, Fujian, and even Jiangxi circuits adopted a cautiously welcoming attitude toward this... because Xu Jingheng's prestige in the Southeast was very substantial.

Of course, there were also some reasons that were not easy to state openly, which everyone tacitly understood.

However, the public officials of the Two Huai circuits, who had long since separated from the scope of the Southeast Pacification Commission after Yaoshan and were now unconcerned with this matter, had to be annoying again. Some among them actually said that this appointment was actually against the rules... not because Xu Jingheng lacked seniority, prestige, or talent, but because Xu Xianggong himself, as a native of Yuezhou, should avoid his own hometown.

In fact, the previous two Pacification Commissioners, Yuwen Xuzhong who pacified Guanzhong and Lu Yihao who governed the Southeast, were both from Jingdong.

This naturally stirred up a hornet's nest. For a time, the public offices of the Two Zhe and Two Huai circuits became instantly opposed, almost leading to a brawl at the foot of Leifeng Pagoda.

However, regardless of where they were from, the true political experts among the public officials all maintained solemnity and silence. These people, regardless of their native place, gathered in twos and threes at the edge of the venue, discussing the situation in low voices. Clearly, they all smelled a hint of killing frost and unease from this sheet of white hemp paper.

These people simply did not believe that no one had reminded the Son of Heaven of Xu Jingheng's native place, nor did they believe that Lu Yihao had just disappeared like that... They must know that although Lu Xianggong was harsh toward the Southeast, he was undoubtedly a capable minister to the central government and the Son of Heaven, a pillar of the Southeast.

Moreover, the title of Military Governor on Xu Jingheng was already enough to provoke deep thought.

Or, going a step further, the truly clever had already realized what was going on, but since the edict was not explicit, they dared not discuss it in depth.

It could only be said that, as expected, a moment later, Shao Chengzhang, the Chief of the Inner Palace Service who had just left, returned once more with full ceremonial regalia to the foot of Leifeng Pagoda and posted another sheet of white hemp paper.

The white hemp paper also bore four-six parallel prose with soaring literary grace, but its essential meaning, upon a single reading, caused everyone present to burst into uproar, and then even the dullest person understood what was happening.

Nothing else—Lu Yihao had received his new assignment: Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, add the title of Military Governor of Guide Army, and Commander-in-Chief of Military and State Affairs of Hebei East Circuit, Hebei West Circuit, Hedong Circuit, and Yanshan Circuit.

This was the so-called Grand Commander of Hebei.

This meant a Northern Expedition!

None of these southeasterners had ever imagined that the signal for a Northern Expedition would be launched from West Lake in Hangzhou... Was that proper? Were they really taking Hangzhou as Bianzhou?

However, after the uproar, at the foot of Leifeng Pagoda, on the open ground tightly surrounded by Guo Zhongxun's Qianzhou troops, countless public officials quickly became serious again. No one was still thinking about struggles with local officials, and no one dared to discuss the matter itself recklessly... When it came down to it, as the most representative ruling class of the Southeast region, most of these people only felt fear, unease, restlessness, and cowardice.

Zhao Jiu was not the only one who felt terror at the coming war that would stake everything.

Even among the few hot-blooded ones present, they dared not shout in excitement, because the two words "Northern Expedition" had still not been publicly laid out. Perhaps it was only letting Lu Yihao be responsible for Northern Expedition preparations?

Of course, to those with a modicum of political common sense, this possibility did not exist, because the title of Military Governor of Guide Army was one that Song Taizu had once used, just as the title of Military Governor of Taining Army used by Taizong had special significance... In the Song Dynasty, the title of Military Governor of Guide Army had never been granted to anyone else, while the title of Military Governor of Taining Army was recognized as the foremost military governorship, having been granted to several people in succession, all of whom were the most important figures of their time. After the Battle of Yaoshan, Han Shizhong became Prince of Yan'an Commandery, holding three military governorships, and his first title was Military Governor of Taining Army.

And now, Lu Yihao, in his capacity as a Grand Councilor of the Western Bureau, had been given this military governorship that could not possibly be taken by a military man and had been vacant for over a hundred years. The meaning could only be one—to borrow his seniority, character, and enthusiasm for the Northern Expedition to serve as the overall Supervisor of the Army for this Northern Expedition.

When necessary, if His Majesty needed to kill someone, even if it was one of the Ten Military Governors, he would not have to do it himself! Because here there was a ruthless character who dared to kill, ready to act on His Majesty's behalf.

Just as all was silent at the foot of Leifeng Pagoda, with the Chief of the Inner Palace Service Shao Chengzhang returning for the third time, another edict arrived, and this time it was directed at the several hundred southeastern public officials present.

The edict was very simple. It required the public officials of the Two Huai, Two Zhe, Two Jiang, and Fujian circuits present on site to, within the day, based on the talent and virtue of the members, select one hundred people of outstanding talent and virtue from within the scope of the public offices... Among them, ten were of the highest grade, twenty of the upper-middle grade, and seventy of the upper grade. When His Majesty arrived, he would, according to the grades, respectively grant these people appointments as Prefects, Military Prefects, Vice Prefects, County Magistrates, Judicial Commissioners, and Tea and Salt Commissioners for various prefectures in Hebei, Hedong, and Yanshan.

Until the selection was completed, no one was permitted to leave the venue without authorization.

Once the edict was issued, Shao Chengzhang withdrew for the third time, leaving only several hundred southeastern elites, under the watch of over a thousand Qianzhou soldiers, in a state of disarray and loss of composure at the foot of Leifeng Pagoda.

The mood of these people at this moment was truly complex... On one hand, His Majesty had fulfilled his promise to the public offices, and a large number of people would be directly transferred to actual posts, and such generous posts at that; on the other hand, these so-called actual posts were also clearly empty titles!

If the Northern Expedition succeeded, then not to mention Yanshan Circuit, just Hebei East Circuit with three prefectures, eleven departments, five military prefectures, and fifty-seven counties; Hebei West Circuit with four prefectures, nine departments, six military prefectures, and sixty-five counties; Hedong Circuit with three prefectures, fourteen departments, eight military prefectures, and eighty-one counties—these one hundred posts would be absolutely solid, and it wouldn't even hinder other places from following suit.

But if it failed, these posts would be worthless!

Of course, this was also His Majesty's open scheme, to force them to support the Northern Expedition! And judging by the current posture, it seemed that after the selection, these one hundred people would directly accompany the army. This would both stabilize the rear and allow these people to serve on the front lines, ready to be sent out to govern localities. At the same time, it was like handing over hostages. If the Northern Expedition encountered difficulties, perhaps the families of these people would be compelled to contribute their family assets from the rear?

With this thought, everyone's minds quickly fast-forwarded to the point of whether, once selected, they would have to go to the battlefield and whether there would be danger.

But then again, if this Northern Expedition succeeded, then the posts of Prefect, Military Prefect, Vice Prefect, County Magistrate, as well as Judicial Commissioner and Tea and Salt Commissioner, were prospects they would never have dreamed of in their entire lives, right?

In the midst of the chaos, they couldn't conduct the selection, and they couldn't escape under the watch of the soldiers, so they could only engage in idle chatter, venting their tumultuous feelings.

Amid the turmoil, after only half an hour, in the afternoon, the sole Hanlin Academician accompanying the imperial carriage, and the actual head of the Donglai Lu clan, which had surpassed the Plum Blossom Han to become the foremost family of the time, Academician Lu Benzhong, made his grand appearance.

He had come to guide the election.

And with Academician Lu's arrival, things suddenly took a turn... Needless to say, after eight years of His Majesty's struggle, among the public offices of the six southeastern circuits, there were always some hot-blooded individuals who had been brainwashed, as well as some careerists from clerical or household backgrounds who were red-eyed for political advancement.

Therefore, once Academician Lu took the initiative to guide, several dozen people volunteered, quickly occupying a small portion of those one hundred positions.

This naturally angered those among the remaining who originally had prestige and influence; while those who were not originally well-known in the public offices were envious, yet afraid of missing this opportunity.

And so, after a whole afternoon of fuss, Academician Lu finally obtained a list of one hundred names and returned to the mountain satisfied.

After waiting a while longer, around the time of the sunset glow at Leifeng Pagoda, Chief of the Inner Palace Service Shao Chengzhang returned for the fourth time. His Majesty indeed had an oral decree. According to the list, these one hundred people could write letters to their families, but they need not return home. They would directly accompany the imperial carriage back to Dongjing the next day... Those who could not ride horses should prepare their own mules!

It was expected, but it had to be said that this Emperor, after nearly a year of his southern tour, had only now revealed his legendary claws. No wonder the simple southeastern scholars and commoners had been taken in.

Not to mention how this public office assembly had been inexplicably gathered and then inexplicably disbanded, nor how the selected hundred were rejoicing or worrying, how they would explain to their families, or how they would plan for the future... Let us only speak of Academician Lu Benzhong, who had toiled all day. He returned to His Majesty's presence to report on his mission, said nothing in public at the time, but that evening, while packing his luggage in his bedroom at the Shengguo Temple, he suddenly received another summons from His Majesty. Then, in His Majesty's "bedchamber," like a bolt from the blue, he received an edict.

"Your servant... need not accompany the imperial carriage north?" Academician Lu instinctively looked behind His Majesty, as if suspecting some petty person was lurking there.

However, there was no one behind His Majesty, only a Buddha statue over a man's height, standing there holding a flower and smiling. Turning back, there was Yang Yizhong guarding the door, but Yang Yizhong should have been there anyway.

"No need to look. No one spoke to me. It was my own intention." Zhao Jiu seemed to see through the other's thoughts and smiled directly. "I want you to stay here and do two things for me..."

Lu Benzhong thought for a moment, forcibly suppressed many distracting thoughts, and asked seriously: "May I ask Your Majesty, is it that you want your servant to maintain the *Phoenix Ten-Day Journal* here, to sustain southeastern morale during the Northern Expedition?"

"Exactly so." Zhao Jiu continued to smile in response. "But you must be careful. The Northern Expedition cannot be taken lightly. After I leave, there must not be a single word of romantic frivolity in the *Phoenix Ten-Day Journal*. It must be rigorous..."

"Yes."

Lu Benzhong quickly bowed his head... It must be said that although Academician Lu felt this assignment was somewhat beneath his abilities, it was at least a direction he could conceive of, and moreover, it was his usual business, so his heart was somewhat at ease. "Then may I ask Your Majesty, is the second matter that you want your servant to communicate with Your Majesty via secret memorial at any time, reporting on public sentiment in the Southeast?"

"Of course not." Zhao Jiu then laughed again. "Such matters are inherent in your duties. Why would they need a special instruction?"

Lu Benzhong quickly nodded, then waited for orders.

"The second matter is also simple." Zhao Jiu continued to smile at his inner drafter before the Buddha's lotus throne. "I will leave a squad of armored soldiers for you at Fenghuang Mountain... If there is any unfavorable news about me from Hebei, you will personally lead the armored soldiers to Dongxiao Palace, not far from here, and dispose of Yuansheng."

Lu Benzhong quickly nodded, but then froze, then stared dumbfounded, and finally, under His Majesty's smile, broke out in a cold sweat.

In other words, he dared neither accept nor refuse, like a fishbone stuck in the throat, like walking on thin ice.

After a long while, the man finally mustered the courage to reply: "Your Majesty, I dare not judge whether this argument is right or wrong... But if Your Majesty wishes to do this, why not have Ren Baozhong and Ren Sheren stay behind at Phoenix Mountain? Even Commander Yang... any centurion under Commander Yang's command could do it, right? And I am but a scholar... Moreover... moreover, Your Majesty already has an heir arrangement in place, and the court in Dongjing is united in purpose—the Two Sages are hardly worth mentioning, are they?"

"Minister Lu." The Zhao sovereign smiled ambiguously. "What you say is quite right... the Two Sages are hardly worth mentioning, and a scholar like you would not do this as neatly as Ren Baozhong, or even any rough soldier. But I ask you—if that is so, why do I still specifically keep you in reserve for this matter?"

Lu Benzhong grew even more terrified upon hearing this. On one hand, his intelligence and acumen sharply reminded him that the sovereign's words concealed a huge, grave, life-or-death secret; on the other hand, his mind was like a pot of paste, unable to sort things out for the moment.

"Forget it, I'll just say it plainly." Seeing this, Zhao Jiu could only snort. "First... although the Two Sages are hardly worth mentioning, there is still risk involved, especially with the Retired Emperor Yuansheng. Many say that during the Jingkang era he was merely incompetent, not lacking in virtue... It's still acceptable for me to take precautions, isn't it?"

"Yes... yes!" Lu Benzhong struggled greatly to spit out this word.

"Second, compared to the Retired Emperor Yuansheng himself, I am more worried that the old officials from the Jingkang era—the so-called Old Faction—might stage a comeback after my death... causing the second Northern Expedition to become a fantasy." Zhao Jiu finally sighed, but his smile did not fade. "And if these people do rebel, who do you think they would use as their spearhead to stage a comeback?"

"The Retired Emperor Yuansheng... no, Chancellor Xu...?" Lu Benzhong blurted out, then quickly corrected himself.

"It's Chancellor Xu." Zhao Jiu nodded. "Actually, during this southern inspection tour, you and I have seen that these so-called southeastern types—from the Old Faction to the Daoxue scholars, to the local gentry—are a complete mess, without any leader or rules. It was only after I established the Public Council that these people could gather and have a place to speak... Under these circumstances, if I had not appointed Chancellor Xu this time, these people might have gone to Liu Dazhong and taken Zhao Ding's path instead. Even the Daoxue scholars would have to watch the court situation and find someone to raise the Daoxue banner again before they could act... But since I appointed Chancellor Xu and set up the three-tier Public Council for them, if something happens to me and the Northern Expedition fails, they will naturally rally around Chancellor Xu using the Public Council as their system, forming a true opposition, and might then shake the court."

Lu Benzhong was still confused: "If that's the case, Your Majesty could dismiss Chancellor Xu and not use him, or abolish the Public Council and cut off their foundation—how about that?"

"Minister Lu, you must understand. My establishment of the Public Council in the southeast was fundamentally to pacify the southeast and implement the New Policies, and implementing the New Policies was to lighten the burden on the common people so they wouldn't be crushed by the Northern Expedition. Using Chancellor Xu was fundamentally because of his central government experience, political talent, and popularity in the southeast... These are all aboveboard, open and honest, and all to gain one more chance of victory for the Northern Expedition!" Zhao Jiu shook his head and smiled. "Do you think I set up the Public Council and appointed Chancellor Xu from the very beginning for some conspiracy?"

Lu Benzhong was stunned on the spot.

"Minister Lu, how could I not know that what I'm asking you to do is shady business? But the problem is that our previous openness and honesty were all for the Northern Expedition. And the Northern Expedition, although it is the trend of the times, is it also a sure thing?" Zhao Jiu continued shaking his head and smiling. "What I said from the start was about the scenario where the Northern Expedition fails and I can't return, and all our openness and honesty collapse... At that time, someone has to come out and do these bad things for me."

"Your Majesty." Hearing this, Lu Benzhong—whether because he realized the words 'can't return' or because he was pushed to the brink by the sovereign—tears began to fall. "I am truly not shirking responsibility... Your Majesty's kindness in recognizing my talent, and the favor shown to our Lu clan—not just I, but my entire family would go through fire and water for Your Majesty... But this matter, this matter is truly preposterous. Not to mention my incompetence, Chancellor Xu is also a loyal minister. He would never, because of some old favors from the Jingkang era, go and support the Retired Emperor Yuansheng."

"Yes, he is a loyal minister, and so are you... and so was your father, Chancellor Lu!"

Zhao Jiu looked at the other man with a momentary sigh, finally putting away that hint of a smile that had kept the other man chilled. But his next words directly froze him. "But Minister Lu, haven't you figured it out yet? These southeastern registered households don't have the ability to break away from the court system and start their own. If they take Liu Dazhong as their leader, they will ultimately fall back on Chief Chancellor Zhao Ding. But if they take Chancellor Xu as their leader, they will inevitably look to your father as a distant authority... Even if your father is a loyal minister and unwilling to get involved, the people he promoted when he and Chancellor Xu governed together will still gather around them as their leaders. As for why I must have you handle the matter of the Retired Emperor Yuansheng—think about it. Since the Retired Emperor Yuansheng is unimportant, who is important? Or rather, what is truly important in this matter?"

Lu Benzhong swayed, almost unable to stand.

Because the Zhao sovereign had laid out the logic and answer very clearly... If the Northern Expedition failed and the Zhao sovereign could not return, the opposition would inevitably form a true reactionary political force in the southeast through the Public Council. And once a political force formed, it would naturally ally with southeastern giants like Liu Dazhong and Xu Jingheng into a faction, leading the state back to compromise and peace negotiations.

And in this process, Liu Dazhong's side would ultimately connect back to Zhao Ding, while behind Xu Jingheng, it would ultimately connect back to his own father, the former Chancellor and foremost minister of the restoration, Lü Haowen!

The sovereign might have made other arrangements for the Liu Dazhong–Zhao Ding line, but for the Xu Jingheng–his father line, the sovereign wanted him, Lü Benzhong, to personally destroy it—with him, the eldest son of Chancellor Lü, under Chancellor Xu's governance, in the heart of the southeast, handling the Retired Emperor Yuansheng on the sovereign's behalf, the political appeal of both Lü and Xu would naturally collapse instantly.

By then, even if the southeastern Public Council wanted to form a viable opposition political force, it would not be possible so quickly.

This kind of political arrangement was very cruel, very shameless, even preposterously unreasonable... But Lü Benzhong could not feel anger, nor any sense of betrayal, because he understood clearly that this was merely an arrangement for an extreme scenario, one made on the premise that the sovereign before him would suffer a great misfortune.

A Son of Heaven, using the method of settling affairs after his death to ask his minister to do such a preposterous thing, something that could only be completed by the minister's own conscience... was itself quite helpless.

In fact, it even seemed somewhat candid and aboveboard.

"Minister Lu."

Under the candlelight, after a long time, Zhao Jiu finally called out to him softly.

"Your servant is here." Lü Benzhong bowed his head in response.

"Don't laugh at me."

"Your servant would not dare."

"I clearly said that after I die, I don't care if the floodwaters rage. Yet I still can't help but set up these shady posthumous measures, and I'm making you personally destroy your own future..."

"It is your servant who cannot share Your Majesty's burdens. I understand in my heart that if I had any real ability independent of my father and family background, I would have followed Your Majesty to the front lines long ago. It is only in matters that require borrowing my family background that I can be of some use." Lü Benzhong bowed deeply. "Even for this matter, Your Majesty need not have told me. Given my dullness in administrative and military affairs, Your Majesty could have simply had Commander Yang assign someone, or had Ren Baozhong stay at Phoenix Mountain—they could have done the deed and then pinned it on me. That Your Majesty was willing to tell me is already out of consideration for our bond as sovereign and minister, and to respect my feelings."

Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, then avoided the topic: "In that case, you don't have to answer. Just remember what was said today. When the time comes, look at the situation. Whether you are willing to do it or not, it doesn't really matter—I won't know anyway. Go back for today!"

Hearing this, Lü Benzhong couldn't help himself and almost agreed on the spot... but he gritted his teeth and held back, bowed, and withdrew.

After the man left, a long time passed before Zhao Jiu spoke: "What do you think?"

"Your servant dares not say..." Yang Yizhong, who had been standing by the door, turned and entered to kneel. "And truly does not know. But there is no need to say it. I have always felt that although this Northern Expedition is not a sure thing, it is enough to achieve results, and then to preserve ourselves—it won't come to this."

Zhao Jiu, seated beneath the Buddha statue, shook his head without stopping: "To put it bluntly, that speech just now was useless. It only showed that I am afraid at heart... Starting from that rain in early summer, when I considered that the Northern Expedition was imminent, I began to fear. That's why I pushed this kind of unreasonable, unwise, and even unkind and unjust matter onto him."

"Your Majesty fears defeat?"

"At first I feared defeat. After the house collapsed, I made up my mind, but then I began to fear other things." Zhao Jiu was still candid with Yang Yizhong. "'Live as a hero among men, die as a ghost king among the dead. To this day I think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross back east of the river.' Tell me, if I am defeated, eight years of effort destroyed in a single day, ten years of bitter fighting unable to recover our territory, what face would I have to cross the river and return? What I fear now is the aftermath if I lose..."

Yang Yizhong instinctively wanted to advise him, but didn't know where to begin.

"Zhengfu." Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then sighed again. "Do you remember what I said to you that day on Mount Bagong?"

"Your servant presumes to ask—which words?" Yang Yizhong quickly inquired.

"I said... if the Jurchens cross the river and there's no escape, I want you to end it for me." Zhao Jiu snorted in reply.

"Yes... Your Majesty... but times have changed." Yang Yizhong was suddenly very anxious.

"I know, times have changed." Zhao Jiu sighed and continued. "So this time, I am giving you the opposite order. If this Northern Expedition fails and I am too ashamed to turn back, even if you have to tie me up, you must bring me back to Henan... and then start another eight years of effort! Do you understand?"

"Your servant understands!" Yang Yizhong bowed to accept the order, relieved.

The night passed without further words. The next day at dawn, the Zhao sovereign had completely shed the melancholy of the previous night. On the contrary, having just confirmed his resolve for the Northern Expedition in the southeast, he showed an extremely enthusiastic attitude toward the southeastern gentry and commoners. He took a hundred southeastern-born reserve Hebei officials, left Guo Zhongxun and his army behind, and with only a thousand-odd Imperial Guard troops, traveled light and left Phoenix Mountain, where he had been stationed for nearly a year, heading north that very day.

Because the size of the entourage was greatly reduced, local supplies along the way were sufficient, so this return trip was extremely fast.

On the first day of the seventh month, just as Lü Benzhong, unable to resist, had privately altered the Zhao sovereign's poem about the "First Memorial of the Expedition" and published it in the *Phoenix Ten-Day Journal*, the poetry master Zhao sovereign crossed the Yangtze River at Guazhou.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he arrived at Huaidian.

On the twenty-fifth day of the seventh month, he once again left behind some of his subordinates and troops, and galloped ahead to arrive at Nanjing (present-day Shangqiu).

By this time, before any envoy from Dongjing could come to greet him, Yue Fei, stationed to the north, was the first to publicly submit a memorial inquiring about the sovereign's health, while also asking about the drought and floods in the Liangzhe region and the unrest in Fujian.

The Zhao sovereign immediately replied publicly as well, stating that the southeast was settled, and inquiring whether military preparations in Jingdong were in order.

After one exchange of envoys, it was said that due to the autumn harvest, the Zhao sovereign only began his departure from Nanjing on the first day of the eighth month, traveling slowly toward Dongjing together with Lü Yihao, who had caught up later, covering no more than twenty li per day. By this time, the chief ministers in Dongjing and the military commanders in various regions had long since learned of the interaction between Yue Fei and the imperial carriage, and they too quickly submitted memorials by fast horse, inquiring after the sovereign's health while all stating that granaries were full, roads were repaired, weapons and armor were abundant, and morale was high, and so on.

In the end, Li Qiong indeed formally spoke those words: "Request permission to divide the troops and go out from the left and right of Mount Taihang to recover the lost lands of the Two Rivers."

In response, the Zhao sovereign, while continuing his slow return to the capital, publicly issued an edict rebuking them without cease, clearly informing all ministers and military commanders that major military and state affairs must not be divorced from reality or exaggerated arbitrarily.

At the same time, along the way, he openly released data from the Bureau of Military Affairs, the Imperial Camp, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works, pointing out the current situation: only roads and granaries had been properly repaired; the rest—such as the Imperial Camp's 300,000-man quota just being filled, with many new recruits undertrained; armor and weapons still slightly short of full quotas, and livestock not yet fat and strong enough; allied parties, with only the Khitans and Western Mongols publicly promising to send troops from the Yinshan Mountains, Japan willing to send a contingent of warriors to accompany the imperial carriage to show its stance, while the Eastern Mongols had not yet decided, and the Goryeo people were wavering, refusing to answer; the navy's ships were not in good order, insufficient to launch an independent campaign; and grain reserves were not enough for a year's military use, requiring the autumn harvest to be completed and the data verified before peace of mind could be had.

Subsequently, the sovereign publicly sent out envoys to commend the Minister of Works Hu Yin, the Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo, the Imperial Camp Commander-in-Chief Wang Yan, the Imperial Camp Forward Army Commander Yue Fei, and the Imperial Camp Central Army Commander Li Yanxian for their excellent preparations. He also reprimanded the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Chen Gui for inadequate supervision of weapons and equipment, the Imperial Camp Rear Army Commander Wu Jie for chaotic accounts, the Imperial Camp Right Army Commander Zhang Jun for idleness and failure to diligently train his troops, and the Imperial Camp Navy Commander Zhang Rong for wasting military funds during river operations the previous summer.

Traveling this route, covering over 260 li in total, the Zhao sovereign took a full fourteen days. Even Guo Zhongxun's troops caught up during this time and went directly to station at Qingcheng in southern Dongjing. Fan Zongyin, Yu Yunwen, Mei Li, and others also gradually caught up... And all these memorials, replies, commendations, and reprimands along the way were published in full in the official gazette. Throughout the realm, not only the Song people but even the Jurchens and Goryeoans could see them clearly.

On the fourteenth day of the eighth month of the ninth year of the Jianyan era, the Zhao sovereign once again returned to his loyal Dongjing city. Yet, after a year away, he passed the city without entering, going directly to the Yuetai Camp west of the city, and presided over the Mid-Autumn Grand Sacrifice on the following day, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

After the Mid-Autumn Grand Sacrifice, it was time to hold the imperial examinations.

This time, His Majesty Zhao did enter the city. During the palace examination, he posed a policy question on how to pacify the four circuits north of the Yellow River—specifically, Hebei East Circuit, Hebei West Circuit, Hedong Circuit, and Yanshan Circuit—after the northern expedition.

He even went so far as to name Zhang Jiucheng, who had been exceptionally permitted to participate in this palace examination, as the top scholar.

Then, in the few days following the palace examination, His Majesty stayed entirely within the inner palace, reportedly spending most of his time enjoying family bliss with two consorts, the princesses, and the imperial princes.

But this idyllic period did not last long. On the last day of the eighth month, His Majesty held a public banquet at Jingfu Palace, inviting the three Empresses Dowager to watch the new play "The Palace of Eternal Life." Then, at the grand court assembly on the first day of the ninth month, he directly announced the unlimited issuance of northern expedition national bonds, priced and sold simultaneously in cash, silk, and grain. At the same time, he dispatched twelve academicians, including Lou Zhao, Zhang Tao, and Wang Jin, along with twelve secretaries, including Zong Ying, Su Bai, and Li Tao, to the various armies and departments of the Imperial Camp for liaison.

That very afternoon, His Majesty Zhao, who had only stayed in Dongjing for half a month, left the city directly with Hebei Grand Viceroy Lü Yihao and Imperial Camp Commander-in-Chief Wang Yan, along with many close officials who had already assembled, and began an inspection tour along the Yellow River, as was customary in winter.

This move made the Jurchen army in Hebei unable to bear it any longer. Under the command of the marching headquarters at Great Ming Prefecture and Longde Prefecture, tens of thousands of Jurchen troops began to mobilize in response.

On both banks of the Yellow River, panic spread instantly, with every rustle of grass and shadow of a tree seeming like an enemy soldier.

"Minister Qin is a southerner. In your opinion, is His Majesty of the Zhao Song Dynasty merely bluffing this time, or does he truly intend to dispatch troops?"

At the Yanjing Secretariat, the autumn sky was high and the clouds were thin, with no autumn rain. But as the Prince of Liao, Grand Preceptor, and Chief Minister Wanyan Woben frowned and posed the question, Qin Gui could not help but shiver.

Yet it was unclear what exactly he was afraid of.

PS: Many thanks to the new alliance leader, Pan Xilaiya... Continuing to wish everyone an early New Year.