May's Lin'an was shrouded in the blazing light of summer. In the sweltering heat, everything seemed vivid. The bright sun shone on the square courtyard, and cicadas chirped incessantly in the sycamore trees. Browsing: (\(Complete Book God Station)) to read high-quality literature for free.

The high-ranking officials hurried through the corridors of the palace, escaping the slight coolness. In the waiting room outside the imperial study, eunuchs led maids, bringing sour plum soup with ice granules. After thanking them, everyone took a cup to cool off. Qin Hui sat on a stool in the corner of the room, holding a porcelain cup and a small spoon, sipping slowly. He sat upright, his face calm, as always. Few could guess what he was thinking, but an aura of integrity emanated from him.

Qin Hui was the kind of person who, at first glance, would make people believe that this official would be fair, selfless, and devoted to saving the people.

Before long, a summons came from outside. Qin Hui stood up solemnly, cupped his hands to his colleagues around him, smiled slightly, and then left the room, heading towards the imperial study.

Since the news of the Black Flag abducting Liu Yu and writing a blood letter to surrender to the Wu Dynasty, a plan of desperation, reached the court a few days ago, the officials of the Wu Dynasty were indeed briefly stunned. But those who could reach this point were not fools, at least on the surface. Heated slogans and accusations of the rebels' treachery immediately upheld the Wu Dynasty's image.

The news of the "return" of the Central Plains could not be contained. With the arrival of the first wave of news, both the Black Flag and the radical elements within the Wu Dynasty took action. News about Liu Yu had spread among the people. Most importantly, Liu Yu not only issued a blood letter calling for an uprising in the Central Plains, but also a highly respected official in the Central Plains, a former veteran of the Wu Dynasty, accepted Liu Yu's request and brought a letter of surrender to Lin'an, requesting reunification.

Liu Yu's surrender was an outright overt scheme. Even if all the clues of the matter were analyzed clearly and the Black Flag's actions were made public, those in the Central Plains who cared about the Wu Dynasty would not care. After ten years of Liu Yu's and the Jurchens' rule, the Central Plains was devastated. Everyone could see that there would be no better opportunity. Even within the Southern Wu Dynasty at this time, the people's thoughts were to launch a Northern Expedition as soon as possible, recover the Central Plains, and even cross Yanmen Pass and strike straight into Huanglong.

Even if this steamed bun contained poison, the hungry Wu Dynasty people had to eat it and hope that their own antibodies would resist the harmful effects of the poison.

In the past few days, even among the upper echelons of Lin'an, there was astonishment, joy, fanaticism, and criticism and lamentation of the Black Flag. But the most discussed issue was how to deal with the situation. As for the great fear buried behind this matter, no one mentioned it for the time being. Everyone understood it, but it could not be spoken, as it was not within the scope of discussion.

Qin Hui entered the imperial study and exchanged a few words with Zhou Yong before asking him to dismiss the attendants.

"...I came today to inform Your Majesty that, recently in Lin'an, while there is rejoicing over the recovery of the Central Plains, there are also many who call for the elimination of the Black Flag, a malignant tumor. Many insightful people, after hearing the inside story, have said that if we want to fight the Jurchens, we must first eliminate the Black Flag, otherwise it will surely lead to disaster in the future..."

"But now the Jurchen disaster is imminent, turning around to fight the Black Flag army, isn't that putting the cart before the horse..." Zhou Yong hesitated.

"Precisely because the war with the Jurchens is imminent, we need to clean up the Black Flag first. Firstly, although recovering the Central Plains is what the people want, the Black Flag, which is disrupting the situation in a corner, is probably the biggest beneficiary of this matter. Ning Liheng is most skilled at managing and slowly developing. When he assassinated the late emperor and fled to the Northwest, we did not take it seriously. On the other hand, because we were facing the Jurchens, the Black Flag also belonged to the Han people, so we did not use all our strength to suppress them, allowing him to have these years of leisure. But this matter is enough to show Ning Liheng's wolfish ambition."

Qin Hui cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, since the court moved south, under Your Majesty's leadership, we, the Wu Dynasty, have worked hard to govern and have the prosperity we have now. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has also made every effort to revitalize the military and has created several strong armies. We may have a chance of victory in the war with the Jurchens. But imagine, when our Wu Dynasty is fighting the Jurchens on the battlefield, if the Black Flag army is hindering us from behind, no matter who wins or loses, the ultimate beneficiary will probably not be our Wu Dynasty. Before this matter, we may have been able to harbor僥倖之心, but after this matter, in my humble opinion, the Black Flag will surely become a great disaster."

The Black Flag has become a great disaster... Zhou Yong thought behind his desk, but naturally did not show it on his face.

Qin Hui paused: "Secondly, in recent years, the Black Flag army has been entrenched in the southwest. Although it is difficult to develop rapidly because it is located in a remote area surrounded by barbarians, it must be admitted that Ning Liheng has indeed made achievements in the so-called Gewu (investigation of things) . The firearms made in the southwest are no less inferior to those made under the supervision of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Black Flag army sells these as goods and has sold many, but within the Black Flag army, the weapons used must be the best. If we have the opportunity to seize his research on Gewu, wouldn't it be more cost-effective than buying privately from this bandit?"

"Indeed, although the Black Flag army has been fleeing, it has never been an opponent to be underestimated. It is also because it has considerable strength that our Wu Dynasty has been unable to unite and encircle it. But at this moment, like the situation in the Central Plains, the Black Flag army has also reached the point where it must be eliminated. Ning Liheng is shooting again after three years of lying low. If we cannot stop him, I am afraid he will really expand greatly. At that time, no matter how the results of his war with the Jin Kingdom are, our Wu Dynasty will be difficult to stand. Moreover, in a three-way game, there is always alliances. Your Majesty, although the Black Flag's plan is indeed vicious this time, we must accept the situation in the Central Plains, and the Jurchens must respond to this. But think about it, among the Jurchen leaders, who do they really hate?"

"Aiqing (卿) means..."

"If we attack the southwest, I think the Jurchens will not only applaud, but may even provide assistance in this matter. If we fight the Jurchens first, the Black Flag will definitely stab us in the back. But if we first capture the southwest, on the one hand, we can use this battle to improve troops before the real war and unify the power of the commanders in various places, so that we can command the army at will before the real war comes. On the other hand, obtaining the firearms and Gewu knowledge of the southwest will only further enhance our dynasty's strength and give us more confidence in facing the future Jurchen disaster."

"That makes sense..." Zhou Yong unconsciously grabbed the hem of his dragon robe with both hands and leaned back in his chair.

"If the rear is not stable, how can the front fight? The sages have taught that to resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the internal affairs. This is the truth."

"But... what if..." Zhou Yong thought for a moment, hesitating, "What if we can't take down the Black Flag for a while? Wouldn't the Jurchens become the beneficiaries..."

"Forgive me for speaking bluntly." Qin Hui cupped his hands and bowed, "If our Wu Dynasty really can't even take down the Black Flag, what choice do Your Majesty and I have other than to stretch our necks and wait to be slaughtered when the Jurchens attack?"

Zhou Yong slammed his hand on the table, making a "bang" sound. After a moment, the emperor shook his fingers and pointed at Qin Hui.

"You're right," he said, "I will... consider it."

Naturally, there would be no direct answer to such a matter, but Qin Hui knew that although the emperor before him was timid and indecisive, his words had finally gotten through. He slowly bowed and left.

Walking through the palace, the sun was still scorching. Qin Hui felt a little relieved.

To resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the internal affairs. This was his most rational judgment based on reason. Of course, some things could be said directly to His Majesty, but some thoughts could not be spoken.

Over the years, most of the scholar-officials in the court had avoided talking about the Black Flag. Among them were old veterans of the Wu Dynasty, such as Qin Hui, who had seen that man's dismissive glance in the Jinluan Hall of Bianliang: "A bunch of trash." After this evaluation, that Ning Liheng killed the honorable Emperor before everyone's eyes as easily as killing a chicken. And after careful consideration of his many actions in the Northwest and Southwest, they did indeed cast a shadow over everyone's heads, which could not be dispelled.

If the Wu Dynasty wanted to revitalize, this shadow had to be dispelled. Throughout history, how many outstanding talents have there been, but Xiang Yu of Western Chu could only commit suicide by the Wujiang River, and the likes of Dong Zhuo and Huang Chao, who were once so invincible, would eventually fall on the road. Ning Liheng was very powerful, but he could not really be an enemy of the world. Qin Hui had this belief in his heart.

To achieve this, the Wu Dynasty's internal thinking had to be unified. This war was a good opportunity and a crucial point that could not be missed. Because compared to the Black Flag, the Jurchens were even more terrifying.

The Wu Dynasty could not defeat the Jurchens. This was a rational judgment that those who had experienced the original war could make. In recent years, the outside world had been宣传 (propaganda) how powerful the new army was, and Yue Fei had recovered Xiangyang and fought several major battles, but it was still immature. Han Shizhong rose to prominence with the name of Huang Tiandang, but what was Huang Tiandang? It was said that he besieged Wushu for dozens of days, but in the end, it was just a great defeat for Han Shizhong.

By promoting the enemy's small setbacks as invincible victories, the Wu Dynasty's combat power was once so pathetic. Even now, if they fought, they probably wouldn't have a one-in-ten-thousand chance of winning.

The Jurchens were barbaric and worshiped force, so it was really too difficult to seek peace. But what if we created a common enemy that both sides hated? Even if they still confronted each other on the surface, was there a slight possibility of giving a reason for buffer between the Wu Dynasty and the Jin Kingdom in private?

Was it possible to take advantage of the opportunity to fight the Black Flag and send a message to the Jurchens in private? So that the Jurchens would slow down their southward advance for this "common interest"? Leaving the Wu Dynasty with more breathing space, and even a chance for equal dialogue in the future?

These things were not without room for maneuver. Moreover, if the southwest were really taken down with the strength of the entire country, the elite soldiers left over from such a brutal war, and the captured military equipment, would only increase the Wu Dynasty's future power. This was beyond doubt.

The country was in danger, and the nation was on the verge of collapse.

This was the only way.

Walking out of the palace, the sunlight poured down. Qin Hui squinted his eyes and pursed his lips tightly. The powerful ministers and great men who once dominated the Wu Dynasty had been weathered away. Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Qin Siyuan, Li Gang... they had all left, and the responsibility of the world could only fall on the shoulders of those who remained.

At this moment, the prosperity of Lin'an before him was like Bianliang.

Like his hometown.

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