Chapter 378: Haste

So, on the evening of the twentieth day of the ninth month, His Majesty Zhao Jiu formally issued the order for a full army offensive. Then, clasping Yue Fei's hand in farewell, he led only his Imperial Personal Guard westward according to the original plan.

At his side, the Hebei Grand Commander, Lu Yihao, Lord Lu, though over sixty, was still hale and vigorous. Clad in a purple robe, he did not neglect horse, bow, or sword, and followed with composure.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Encampment, Wang Yan, Lord Wang, himself donned his armor and grasped his weapons. He had long since put on a high-grade suit of mountain-pattern armor, bearing the scars of the bloodshed at Yaoshan and not lacking marks from blades and axes, and followed with a solemn air.

Below Lu and Wang, civil and military officials were arrayed in order. The civil officials, in purple, crimson, blue, and white, stood in perfect discipline; the military officers, in clear armor, flaunted their might... Such as Yang Yizhong's majesty, Liu Yan's composure, Fan Zongyin's calmness, Ren Baozhong's vigor, Yu Yunwen's competence, and Mei Li's caution. Even the Mongol princes, Japanese samurai, Tangut nobles, and Fan tribes' hostages among the Personal Guard were all elite selections.

Such a posture was naturally spirited. Coupled with the fact that the grand plan was now in motion—three years of silence, now breaking forth at once—it truly stirred in His Majesty Zhao a kind of passionate, revolutionary romanticism.

Even riding a horse felt like having a built-in BGM.

And this feeling became even more pronounced as His Majesty gathered along the way the various units of Li Qiong, the Right Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Central Army stationed along the northern edge of Dongjingcheng—that is, the various Eight-Character Army units originally led by Wang Yan. As the accompanying troops grew stronger and he could clearly feel the Eight-Character Army's excitement for the Northern Expedition, it was even more evident.

However, on the twenty-second day of the ninth month, just as His Majesty Zhao arrived at Shaoxing and had met with Li Qiong, who had come to greet him, exchanging a few equally passionate words, he received that very evening a baffling memorial. It was a personal petition from the Privy Councilor, Zhang Jun, Zhang Deyuan, requesting to be the Hebei Army Supervisor.

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a full incense-stick's time before he realized what was going on—Zhang Jun felt wronged! He was dissatisfied with the Northern Expedition!

Of course, this wasn't to say that Lord Privy Councilor Zhang had changed his nature or betrayed the cause. Rather, things had happened too suddenly. His side, Zhao Jiu, had triggered everything early because of Wolido's death, completely disrupting Lord Privy Councilor Zhang's personal plans.

As everyone knew, Zhang Deyuan had always harbored the ambition of Marquis Wu of Zhuge.

And as for Marquis Wu of Zhuge—if he didn't personally participate in the Northern Expedition, didn't submit a "Memorial on Sending Out the Troops," didn't pull off a "Empty Fort Strategy" with a feather fan and a silk headband—how could he be considered Marquis Wu of Zhuge?

Zhang Deyuan's true intention was crystal clear to everyone in the court, from His Majesty Zhao on down. He wanted to cross the Yellow River with His Majesty Zhao for the Northern Expedition—either to stay with Zhao Jiu on the main attack's western front to oversee the overall situation, or to split east and west with His Majesty, going east himself to supervise Yue Fei.

But could Zhao Jiu let him go?!

Staying behind to maintain court stability and oversee the transport of military supplies from the south was the task Zhao Jiu had assigned him.

For a moment, His Majesty Zhao was a bit angry.

You see, this wasn't the first time Zhang Jun had shown this tendency, nor the first time he had made a political attempt for personal gain. Previously, when His Majesty Zhao had returned to Dongjing with Lu Yihao and was quickly expelled within half a month, Zhang Jun's disregard for the bigger picture in stirring up political strife was a factor.

At that time, Lu Yihao's inability to control his temper was one thing, but Zhang Jun's inability to tolerate anyone else serving as Hebei Grand Commander was another... Both sides bore responsibility.

Moreover, do not underestimate this Lord Privy Councilor Zhang. In terms of foundation, his so-called "Wood Faction" had already taken shape. How could Lu Yihao, who couldn't tolerate others and had long been in the southeast, compare?

So, although Lord Lu had previously swaggered and killed his way through Dongjing, in reality, he was at a disadvantage when facing Lord Privy Councilor Zhang. Or perhaps it was precisely because he was at a disadvantage internally that he appeared excessively domineering on the surface. And that Lord Zhang, precisely because he was in an invincible position internally, appeared non-contending on the surface, seeking to achieve the effect of "Zheng Boke subduing Duan at Yuyan."

Even Zhao Ding, Lord Zhao, who was politically stronger, had probably seen through the fact that Lord Lu's true opponent after entering court was actually Lord Zhang, and that Lord Lu, having obtained the identity of Hebei Grand Commander, was also a thorn in Lord Zhang's side... This was why he had maintained a certain high posture in the previous process.

Suffice it to say, those who play politics are all dirty.

But these were old matters. And it was impossible for everyone to be as selfless as Zhuge Liang. Who couldn't be allowed to have some selfish motives? Even Zhao Jiu, for the sake of the big picture, chose to smooth things over by directly bringing Lu Yihao along. It was conceivable that Zhang Jun would be unwilling and would continue to try. And at that time, it seemed he still had about half a year for meticulous maneuvering.

But Wolido died.

A perfectly fine Third Prince, who had been commanding with composure at Zhending Prefecture just days before, suddenly died at Qinghe.

Then war suddenly broke out, and His Majesty Zhao directly issued the order for full mobilization and advance.

At this moment, Lord Privy Councilor Zhang, who had always yearned to achieve the fame of Marquis Wu, was stunned to find that the sudden outbreak of war had completely eliminated his room for maneuver. Instead, Lu Yihao, whom he had previously driven out, had directly ridden the wave and solidified his position as Hebei Grand Commander.

Of course he was unwilling, of course he felt wronged, of course he wanted to try again.

Eight years as lord and minister!

Zhang Deyuan had always been one of Zhao Jiu's most trusted and intimate high-ranking civil officials in the court, perhaps not even just "one of." So His Majesty Zhao was naturally well aware of this fellow's thoughts, and even somewhat understood his grievance... But understanding was one thing, and clarity was another. When it came down to it, this fellow's reaction still made Zhao Jiu very disappointed.

Because his selfishness was evident in every word.

And this memorial, together with Wang Gang's earlier arrogance and underestimation of the enemy, cast a shadow over Zhao Jiu's heart.

Of course, no matter what, His Majesty Zhao still gritted his teeth and endured it. He had endured for eight years, and had endured so many things; one more wouldn't make a difference... He came to his senses, called for a cup of tea, and while drinking it, wrote a private letter to Zhang Deyuan at Shaoxing.

Roughly, he told Lord Zhang in the private letter that overseeing logistics was the role of Marquis Wu of Zhuge. The current situation was not Marquis Wu's Northern Expedition, but Liu Bei's decisive battle at Hanzhong... Marquis Wu of Zhuge would naturally stay in Chengdu to prepare logistics; the one accompanying would certainly be Fa Zheng!

Marquis Wu of Zhuge personally leading the Northern Expedition could only happen when Liu Shan was on the throne!

Half appeasing, half warning, he finished writing without using his seal, nor did he call for Lu Yihao or Fan Zongyin. He directly used the signature of "Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou," then summoned Liu Yan and Taira no Kiyomori. He gave them face-to-face instructions, telling Taira no Kiyomori to use the secret memorial route, but in reality, without alarming anyone, to deliver the letter overnight to Lord Zhang in Dongjing.

The letter was sent, but before a reply was received, in the middle of the night, he received Zhang Jun's memorial of apology, requesting to retract the previous memorial and offering apologies and admitting fault to His Majesty Zhao. This made Zhao Jiu feel somewhat better... He just assumed that fellow had been caught off guard and had let his emotions get the better of him.

And so, the next morning, His Majesty Zhao met Zhang Rong again at Shaoxing Ferry in Shaoxing. But because Zhang Rong had to rush to Zilu Sao to rendezvous with Yue Fei, there wasn't much exchange between them. They simply clasped hands and said farewell, exchanging some words that were half-formality and half-sincere, telling him to cooperate well with Yue Fei, and then they parted ways.

Back on the road, because of Zhang Jun's antics, Zhao Jiu had lost his previous spirited demeanor. But overall, his mood was still positive. And by the afternoon of that day, His Majesty's spirits rose again, because he saw the mobilization of civilian laborers along the river.

South of the Yellow River, countless civilian laborers were already being conscripted. Among them, the riverside laborers Zhao Jiu personally saw were mostly from the previously uniformly settled military and civilian agricultural colonies. These people were mostly those who had lost their homes during the earlier chaos in the Central Plains and the displacement in Hebei, as well as veteran soldiers who had retired from the army over the past five or six years.

They would receive simple weapons, restore a certain degree of military organization based on their settlements, then undertake the corvée of transporting military grain to Hebei, and serve as auxiliary troops when necessary, even becoming a necessary military force to defend the Yellow River defense line.

However, they received no military pay, only necessary rations. Only those who crossed the river to serve as auxiliary troops would receive a small amount of money and cloth as compensation.

This was unavoidable, just as the south also had to increase taxes and levies—all unavoidable matters.

But even so, this scene of those with money contributing money, those with strength contributing strength, the entire nation united in effort heading north, still gave Zhao Jiu a sense of excitement and additional confidence, because he deeply understood the power of this force.

Moreover, Zhao Jiu had long had a plan for post-war compensation in his heart, but it was too early to mention it now.

In short, His Majesty Zhao was like this, fluctuating all day long. His spirits soon rose again. And since His Majesty was happy, everyone naturally followed suit.

But it was on this very evening that His Majesty Zhao, having arrived at Zuocheng, received another piece of news that infuriated him—at the Yuetai Camp, a huge military oversight had occurred.

It turned out that the order had been issued from Zilu Sao on the evening of the twentieth day of the ninth month. The riders of the Red Heart Team, using the military relay stations already set up along the Yellow River, changing horses and riders without stopping, took only a day and a night to transmit the order to Dongjingcheng, over three hundred li away. Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guard Cavalry at the Yuetai Camp, under the leadership of Qu Duan, hastily assembled and advanced westward first, fully mobilizing by the twenty-second day of the ninth month.

It was remarkably fast.

However, Li Master, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry, had actually forgotten about the Poxi Army, which had been transferred to him only last year, was said to have just been formed, and was stationed in the open area south of the city!

Poor Wei Ming Yunge, the Commander of the Poxi Army, had always been diligent, never daring to slack off for a moment over the years, wholeheartedly helping the Great Song court restore the Poxi Army's establishment. Upon receiving the order this time, he immediately prepared his unit's three hundred camel-mounted cannons at their station, along with three times that number of spare camels and twice the number of replacement parts for the small ballistae... But after hastily preparing, they never received a direct military order. It wasn't until he discovered that nearly the entire thirty-thousand-strong Imperial Guard Cavalry, to which he belonged, had already left that he frantically went to the Ministry of War and the Privy Council.

The Privy Council and the Ministry of War were also dumbfounded. In the end, Hu Yin, the Minister of Works responsible for frontline military supplies, made a prompt decision, directly assigning the Poxi Army to His Majesty Zhao's imperial entourage, telling them to wait temporarily and prepare to move with the Imperial Personal Guard. Only then was the matter settled.

And it was under these circumstances that His Majesty Zhao received the memorial.

To be honest, these two incidents, combined with Wang Gang's earlier defeat, had thoroughly put His Majesty Zhao on alert. He keenly realized that, since ancient times, there had never been a contingency plan for a war of this scale.

Or rather, the preparations for such a large-scale war would inevitably be a catastrophic existence for everyone in the feudal era, from top to bottom.

Three hundred thousand combat troops, likely an equal number or even more civilian laborers. Even across the river, though far fewer, it was still the same order of magnitude. A war of this scale, even in the entire history of China's feudal era, would probably be one of the most notable.

The reason he dared not say it was unprecedented and likely never to be repeated was because Zhao Jiu knew that the mobilization scale of the Five Circuits' campaign against Xia during Emperor Shenzong's reign was also very large... But that time, the Song army was directly crippled by its own terrible logistics.

Returning to the present, with some psychological preparation, Zhao Jiu immediately adjusted his mindset. Then he summoned Li Qiong, told him to continue the march properly, and decided to first lead his accompanying personnel and the Imperial Personal Guard to speed ahead and return to Dongjing... Because Dongjing was where the troops were most concentrated, the bureaucratic apparatus was most dense, and the political effect would certainly be most pronounced... And the mistakes made there would surely be the most absurd.

Li Qiong naturally had nothing to say. And although some among the accompanying civil and military officials felt that His Majesty Zhao was being a bit neurotic, they certainly wouldn't offer advice on such a matter.

And so, early on the morning of the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the Imperial Personal Guard once again broke away from the main force, hurriedly accelerated, and escorted His Majesty Zhao towards Dongjing.

And yet, whether one should say "as expected" or "but," along this entire journey, His Majesty Zhao Jiu hadn't heard a single piece of good news!

The Imperial City Bureau and the Military Command Bureau kept sending him all sorts of messy bad news—news he had to admit he should have anticipated long ago—straight to his face.

Things like the Zhengzhou military depot being blocked, with straggling soldiers from the Imperial Guard Cavalry occupying the depot and clashing with Wang De's advancing troops.

Things like, as soon as the declaration of war was issued, some officials took the opportunity to impose levies for the Northern Expedition bonds, seeking political merit.

And other officials, after the decree was issued, expanded the scope of their crackdown on hoarding according to the original plan, using it as a pretext to amass personal wealth.

It wasn't just officials either; some major merchants, realizing they couldn't drive up prices within Dongjingcheng, simply decided to bypass the city altogether, meaning Dongjingcheng would likely face certain material shortages in the future.

Beyond that, there were no shortage of merchants and monks taking the chance to lend money at usurious rates, and disgraced nobles spreading rumors.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself for these kinds of troubles, having them pile up one after another at this moment still made Zhao Jiu seethe with impatience and burn with rage, to the point that he drove his horse faster and faster, leaving quite a few of his accompanying civil and military officials struggling to keep up.

In the end, it was only when he saw that Lu Yihao's body could no longer hold out that His Majesty abandoned his plan to return to the capital that very night, and instead, as evening fell, they entered Chenqiao Town, north of Dongjingcheng.

However, no sooner had they entered Chenqiao Town than His Majesty, his accompanying officials, and the Imperial Guard were all left dumbfounded... because as night descended and they drew closer, they could clearly see flames in the southwest!

The southwest was Dongjing, wasn't it?!

In the pitch-black darkness, the only thing they could be sure of was that this was absolutely not the Jin Jun attacking.

But even the riders of the Red Heart Unit, who had just come up from Dongjing that very day bearing memorials, couldn't explain what was happening, because when they were in Dongjing during the day, everything had been fine!

Oh, so a city as vast as Dongjing, perfectly fine during the day, is ablaze at night, and at a critical moment right after entering a state of war?

Zhao Jiu could no longer tolerate it.

He prepared to immediately abandon the somewhat exhausted elderly ministers like Lu Yihao, and personally lead a portion of the Imperial Guard cavalry to ride lightly back to the capital, to find out what was going on.

But someone quickly stopped him.

"Mei Qing, what is the meaning of this?"

Zhao Jiu, steadying himself against his warhorse, replied coldly. He wasn't about to be overly polite to a mere Secretariat Drafter, especially not when his Dongjing was burning.

"Your Majesty." Under the dense torchlight, Mei Li bowed his head, clearly also nervous and fearful. "Your servant believes that Your Majesty should not rashly leave at this moment..."

"Why?"

"Your Majesty." Mei Li suppressed his inner anxiety and forced himself to explain. "At a time like this, with such a scene, it absolutely cannot be the Jin Jun arriving, nor can it be a mutiny before the Imperial Guard army's departure... because the entire Cavalry Corps under Commandant Qu has already been dispatched, and the entire Central Army under Commandant Wang was also dispatched today... they should have already completely left the Yuetai Camp by now... Your Majesty already knows all this from the day's messengers."

"Then tell me something I don't know!" Zhao Jiu fumed, grabbing his horse's reins with one hand and pointing his riding crop sternly with the other.

"Your Majesty, what your servant wishes to say is that whether it's Jurchen spies taking the opportunity to set fires, or some other incident, or even an accidental fire in the city, this matter cannot possibly get any worse..."

Zhao Jiu was slightly startled in his heart. Under the torchlight, many of the other close ministers who had been traveling all day also reacted, and even Lu Yihao, who had just caught his breath, couldn't help but glance at this minor Secretariat Drafter, rumored to be a loyal protégé of Zhang Deyuan's faction.

Drafter Mei looked up at His Majesty Zhao, and seeing that he had calmed down and clearly understood the implication, he felt a bit relieved and continued, "Your Majesty, your servant believes that even if there is trouble now, it is something the remaining ministers can handle. If Your Majesty goes there now, will it make the firefighting faster? Or what else can you do?"

"But if I don't go, won't I just be standing here uselessly?" Zhao Jiu sneered in response, his hand still not leaving the reins.

Seeing this, Drafter Mei quickly stated his real intention: "But if Your Majesty returns to the capital overnight like this, it will be enough to make everyone, from top to bottom, think that Your Majesty has panicked... Your servant presumes to speak boldly. The death of the Jin State's Third Prince, Eriduo, was sudden and unexpected, and is indeed a great advantage. But our Great Song's sudden mobilization was also unprepared. Moreover, for such a major affair of state and military, unprecedented since ancient times, a flurry of chaos is only natural..."

"Natural?"

"Yes, your servant believes that this kind of chaos is only natural. Your Majesty should not be agitated by it, to the point of putting the cart before the horse, nor should you bypass the proper channels to handle these matters." Mei Li tried his best to respond. "At this moment, it is impossible for Your Majesty to attend to every detail. The only thing you can do, or should do, is to show calmness outwardly to reassure the public. Because the ministers will only be more flustered than Your Majesty... Only when Your Majesty himself acts with composure and ease can the civil and military officials below follow suit and feel at ease, and then set about handling the incidents. If Your Majesty is impatient and irritable, it will only cause those below to lose their heads as well... Your servant presumes to speak boldly. Why doesn't Your Majesty stay calmly in Chenqiao, send the Imperial City Bureau and the Military Command Bureau to investigate, and then return to the capital at leisure tomorrow morning to ascertain the cause?"

The night wind was cold and clear. Under the distant flames and the nearby torches, Zhao Jiu fell silent for a moment, and Mei Li had nothing more to say, only bowing his head and awaiting orders.

"Your servant seconds the motion." Suddenly, Lu Yihao cupped his hands and stepped forward.

Zhao Jiu glanced at Lu Yihao, thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Good."

Having said this, His Majesty then glanced at Yang Yizhong and Yu Yunwen.

The two understood and immediately cupped their hands and hurried away to arrange the personnel.

Seeing this, His Majesty Zhao sighed, and was about to turn and go to the Chenqiao official post station to rest, when Lu Yihao again spoke up from behind: "Your servant requests the promotion of Secretariat Drafter Mei Li to Hanlin Academician of the Imperial Secretariat... to show that rewards and punishments are clear."

"Good." Zhao Jiu did not turn his head, and finally went into the official post station to rest.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, His Majesty Zhao led his entourage to Dongjing, but learned on the way that the previous night's fire had not been within the city, but had occurred around Yuetai.

Moreover, it was not an accident, nor the work of Jurchen spies, but an incident caused by an organizational problem that no one had thought of, but which everyone had to admit afterwards was their own oversight—and this incident was indeed directly triggered by the Northern Expedition's march.

You see, with the army suddenly setting out, first the Imperial Guard Cavalry, then the Imperial Guard Central Army under Wang De, a total of fifty to sixty thousand men in succession, the Yuetai Camp was emptied. But this large-scale deployment, and a sudden one at that, directly caused some disturbances around Yuetai.

The reason for the disturbance was also simple. You have to understand that the Great Song army of this era operated under a typical mercenary system, where family members were generally allowed to accompany the troops. Otherwise, it wouldn't cost a hundred strings of cash a year to support a single Imperial Guard soldier.

Therefore, with the decree issued, the Imperial Guard Cavalry hurriedly departed. On one hand, military dependents rushed to buy items like ear muffs, masks, protective amulets, medicine packs, and even hoarded grain for their own families. On the other hand, many soldiers from the later-departing Imperial Guard Central Army took the opportunity before leaving to borrow money and cause trouble. And on yet another hand, some unscrupulous merchants took the chance to raise prices, while some immoral monks and Daoists sought to collect money.

For a time, emotions ran high on all sides, and in the previous few days, several serious incidents had already erupted around the Yuetai Camp.

But by this time, the central government, already overwhelmed by the major affairs of state and military, had simply overlooked this phenomenon. Even the Kaifeng Prefecture was busy carrying out its original plan to deal with hoarders within the city.

Think about it—even the Grand Councilor Zhang felt he was being wronged, and a whole Poxi Army could be left behind. Who would care about a few criminal or civil cases involving low-level soldiers and their families?

The result of this neglect was that, with the Imperial Guard Central Army under Wang De also fully departing yesterday, the Yuetai Camp was suddenly emptied. Lacking military control, it directly escalated into a mass incident. It was said to have started when a family, whose daughter's chastity had been molested by Imperial Guard Central Army soldiers before their departure, came to the soldiers' families seeking an explanation. They encountered the unruly sons of the soldiers, now lacking their fathers' discipline, and a mass brawl broke out between the two sides.

Then, somehow, a rumor spread that some people were going to bully the soldiers' families once the army was gone, directly causing several hundred people to gather, and then everyone was drawn in.

In the end, riots broke out in three markets and two commercial districts around Yuetai. Dozens of houses were burned, several shops were looted, nearly ten people died, and countless were injured.

After the incident occurred, the vast bureaucratic apparatus within the city reacted belatedly. The first two to respond were Chen Gui, Vice Grand Councilor and Defense Commissioner for the Four Walls of Kaifeng, who overnight dispatched Guo Zhongxun's reserve troops to occupy Yuetai; and Yan Xiaozhong, the Prefect of Kaifeng, who personally led yamen runners to take charge west of the city, staying out all night without entering the city to handle the aftermath.

Next, the Department of State Affairs directly issued a document ordering all ministries to immediately form a joint investigation team, headed by Vice Minister of Works Zhang Jiucheng, with personnel from the Imperial Secretariat, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Directorate of Armaments, and others all crammed in, to station at Yuetai and seek a swift resolution to the matter.

However, how could such a matter be resolved swiftly and decisively? How could it be simply "handled"?

Moreover, during this process, countless bureaucrats inevitably tried to claim merit for themselves and their departments while shifting blame... For a time, it was a complete mess of corruption and chaos.

And it was at this moment that His Majesty Zhao, accompanied by his close ministers and the Imperial Guard, calmly returned to the capital. But still, he did not enter the city. Instead, he directly stationed himself at the Yuetai Camp and chose to ignore the matter... Zhang Jiucheng, Yan Xiaozhong, and others hurried to seek an audience, but could only follow this composed His Majesty to the Yuetai platform beside the Yuetai Camp, where he once again paid homage to those steles.

This made everyone feel both relieved and at a loss. His Majesty Zhao did not severely reprimand them, but this reaction made them even more flustered—specifically, this emotion could be called a mixture of shame and panic.

The matter was not over yet. This day was the twenty-fifth of the ninth month. Below the Chief Councilor Zhao Ding, and even including the Senior Councilor Lü Haowen, upon hearing that His Majesty had suddenly returned to the capital, almost all the high-ranking central officials in the capital rushed out of the city to the Yuetai Camp to pay their respects to His Majesty Zhao. No fewer than several dozen people submitted memorials confessing their guilt for the various incidents that had occurred.

They were then personally reassured by His Majesty Zhao.

That's right. This His Majesty, who yesterday was so impatient he nearly rode Councilor Lu to death, and last night almost whipped Academician Mei, today behaved more calmly than anyone else... He stated himself that the matter had indeed been rushed, causing everyone trouble, but the opportunity for war could not be missed. Even if there were minor obstacles, everyone should be united in purpose and work together to overcome them, and so on.

Not only that, but His Majesty then publicly listened to the reports from the Imperial City Bureau and the Military Command Bureau, and relayed several secret memorials that had been hastily delivered to the assembled officials.

It was only then that everyone learned about the Zhengzhou military depot blockage, the officials taking the opportunity to impose Northern Expedition bond levies, the expansion of the crackdown on hoarding, the attempts by major merchants to bypass Dongjingcheng, the usurious lending by merchants and monks, and the rumor-mongering by disgraced nobles.

Then, His Majesty Zhao, seated upright in the Yuetai Camp, assigned these matters one by one to the Bureau of Military Affairs, the Department of State Affairs, and the Censorate, without even directly distributing them to the Six Ministries or the Kaifeng Prefecture.

And since the matters had been delegated, this Imperial Majesty again shook hands with several ministers in farewell, then, as the saying goes, passed his own gate without entering, departing directly from Yuetai that very afternoon, turning northwest, and the next day assembled Li Qiong at Wansheng Town, then together they continued westward.

This display truly moved everyone in Dongjingcheng, to the extent that on his way back, Vice Minister of Works Zhang Jiucheng could not help but publicly praise Imperial Majesty Zhao, saying, "In his heart there is the force of mountains crumbling and earth splitting, the might of ten thousand thunderbolts, yet on his face there is not the slightest ripple of autumn wind stirring a pool of clear water, while he dispenses the grace of spring breeze and transforming rain."

This drew countless colleagues to nod in agreement, all preparing to record it in their notes, until Hu Quan, the Compiler, spoke up, saying he would publish these words in the next official gazette, and only then did they desist.

On the first day of the tenth month, autumn leaves fell in profusion, early winter had arrived, and the Yellow River's flow did not diminish. On this day, Imperial Majesty Zhao passed through Zhengzhou and arrived at Sishui Pass, where he assembled Fan Yihong, the last scattered Commanding Officer of Li Qiong's forces (formerly the Eight-Character Army).

At this point, exactly ten full days had passed, and the entire Central Army of the Imperial Encampment had been fully mobilized.

On the same day, the main force of Yue Fei's Forward Army of the Imperial Encampment, which had assembled first, formally crossed the river in force at Zilusao under the escort of the Imperial Encampment's Riverine Army.

On the opposite bank, although Ali had won in field combat, Liaocheng was originally a key riverside military fortress that the Jin Jun had painstakingly built. Having been suddenly seized by the Song Jun without damage, and with Ali unable to capture this large city, still defended by three to four thousand troops, within ten days, he had long since lost heart.

Moreover, Gao Jingshan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Jin Jun's Great Ming Prefecture Field Army, simply lacked the authority and boldness to make a decisive battle on the spot... Or rather, Yue Fei had calculated that after the Jurchens lost Wolido, no truly bold commander could arrive within ten days, and thus he calmly gathered his forces and launched the river crossing. In short, facing the almost overwhelming sight of the Song Jun's main force crossing the river, Ali directly chose to withdraw northward, yielding Liaocheng.

Just before crossing, Yue Fei sat upright in his camp, attempting to compose a poem to send to a senior monk from the Lingjiu Temple whom he had met in Jinan. Yet for some reason, after writing half the poem, he could no longer continue, and instead cast aside his brush, donned his armor, and crossed the river with Zhang Rong, who had come to urge him on.

Only half a poem remained, left behind in the Henan camp, with no one to tidy it away.

As the saying goes:

"How many autumns by Pinghu and Liangshan? The Great River bends ten thousand times, flowing east.

A man of ambition resolves to aid the royal house; the sage sovereign on campaign quells the tribal chieftains.

Merits and deeds shall be inscribed on Yan's stone, upon return..."

The calligraphy stopped abruptly, and what came after was ultimately unknown—it could be considered a rare unfinished poem.

On the same day, Imperial Majesty Zhao at Sishui Pass knew nothing of this story... By now he had already learned that Li Yanxian had swiftly dispatched troops after receiving the decree, and that Wang De and Qu Duan had arrived in Luoyang, yet he issued no additional military orders. Instead, he wrote a personal letter to Han Shizhong, who was unaware of the situation, and had it sent by fast horse.

After sending the letter, Imperial Majesty Zhao went out under the night sky, gazed up, and sighed. He seemed to want to compose a poem as well, but after thinking it over, could not produce a single line. Instead, he inexplicably recalled a line he had heard in his youth—one that sounded rather cringey yet seemed to hold some philosophical truth.

As the saying goes:

"Why does the flame of war burn? Why do autumn leaves fall?"

Faced with this almost absurd and foolish question, Imperial Majesty Zhao was somewhat lost in thought, which in turn led many senior officers of the Eight-Character Army, watching from afar, to sigh with emotion—Imperial Majesty Zhao sighs day and night, truly concerned for the realm.

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And then continue to offer up a new book, "I, Chongzhen, Will Absolutely Not Hang Myself."

Finally, continue to wish everyone a happy New Year...