Zhang Xian and Tian Shizhong each led their respective Beiwei Army (Elite Vanguard Army) detachments, belonging to Yue Fei and Zhang Jun, through the small paths south of the Luo River, a move that genuinely shook the entire city of Chang'an.

The forces weren't large, totaling only six to seven thousand men combined. It couldn't be much more, or the eastern front would suffer crippling losses, and it would be difficult not to attract the attention of the Jin army across the river. Moreover, Yue Fei was planning to cross the river directly to Xiangzhou in the coming days.

Regardless, the significance of these two forces appearing in Chang'an was self-evident.

Firstly, at this sensitive moment, when everyone was calculating the 'showdown,' every increase or decrease in troops could shift the strategic balance. These six to seven thousand men were enough for many to increase their bets on a particular trend.

Secondly, the name "Beiwei Army" itself originated in Western Xia and was widely used in the Western Army. It was only when the Imperial Guard was reorganized that Han Shizhong popularized it in the Central Plains. Therefore, in Guanxi, almost everyone understood the combat capabilities and political implications of these two units, as well as the political statement they represented: absolute obedience and support from Yue Fei and Zhang Jun, two military commissioners, to the Emperor.

Finally, everyone had to reassess and speculate about the young Emperor hiding in the Imperial Envoy's Residence.

After all, for most Western Army commanders, before this gathering in Chang'an, the Zhao Emperor was merely a political symbol in legends. Their attitude towards him could be seen in Qu Duan's earlier actions. But now, the Emperor was directly displaying his authority.

At the same time, although the Zhao Emperor had adopted strategic responses by entrusting his heir and sneaking into Chang'an, he maintained an odd balance between passive defense and active offense regarding Guanxi. Everyone said that when they defended, he asked if they could attack and how many troops were needed for an attack. But when most people tried to attack, he began to suppress the voices advocating for war.

Compared to mere declarations, it was important to see what the Emperor actually did. As the number of troops in Chang'an increased and these two Beiwei Army units arrived, everyone undoubtedly had a new assessment of the Emperor's determination for this battle.

In early May, the summer heat intensified, and Chang'an gradually became restless with the unrelenting warmth, as military intelligence was received in rapid succession after the Dragon Boat Festival, making it difficult for people to remain calm.

"According to Qu Duan and Wu Lin's reports, Wu Lin found four to five thousand men in Huan and Qing prefectures, and Qu Duan found ten thousand in Jingyuan Road... But where did all these troops come from?" On the evening of the seventh day of the fifth month, Zhao Jiu frowned as he looked at the urgent reports in his hand. "The three routes of northern Shaanxi are so poor, with such a small population, and have suffered so many defeats and lost so many lives. How can they still find troops? And if they are newly recruited, how can they be used?"

"Allow me to venture a guess, Your Majesty. If we're talking about four to five thousand men, they are probably garrisons from the fortresses."

Liu Xi, the Military Commissioner of the Western Three Routes, who had been very active recently, quickly stepped forward to answer earnestly. "Since the rise of Western Xia, our dynasty, due to Western Xia being separated by the desert and constantly harassing us, has built many fortresses along the borders to serve as advance and defense measures. Among these, Huanqing Road and Jingyuan Road have the most military fortresses and cities. As far as I know, when Qu Duan went to Yanchuan Road to fight the enemy, he left Zhang Zhongfu in charge of the military fortresses in Jingyuan Road and Zhang Zhongyan in charge of the border fortresses in Huanqing Road. It should be these troops. In fact, even after the traitor Wang Xie was executed, Chancellor Yuwen dispatched many city lords and fortress leaders to fill the positions of generals, such as Murong Wei, the Military Supervisor of Qinfeng Road, Zhang Zhong, the Military Supervisor of Xingyuan Prefecture, Li Yanqi, the Military Supervisor under my command, General Qiao Ze, and Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing, the Commander of the Imperial Guard's Central Army, who all came from border cities in these two routes."

Zhao Jiu had already realized what was happening halfway through Liu Xi's explanation. Historically, the fortresses on the border between the Great Song and Western Xia were quite famous, mainly because the wars between the Song and Western Xia mostly took place during the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Shenzong, and there were too many famous historical figures in those eras. But regardless, Liu Xi's lengthy explanation made it clear that Qu Duan and Wu Lin were emptying the border defenses.

This was certainly a viable approach. Even if Western Xia had any brains, they shouldn't be helping the stronger Jurchens at this time. And even if they did, there were more important things to consider.

The priorities were clear.

"What is the relationship between Qiao Ze and Qiao Zhongfu?" Zhao Jiu asked a strange question while listening.

"They are cousins," Liu Xi quickly replied.

"You say that the four to five thousand men are probably garrisons from the fortresses. Then where did Qu Duan get the ten thousand men from?" Zhao Jiu continued to press.

"Allow me to venture another guess, Your Majesty. The remaining few thousand men are probably *Fan* soldiers," Liu Xi said, as he was, after all, from a Western Army family and knew the military affairs of Guanxi like the back of his hand.

"*Fan* soldiers?" Zhao Jiu said thoughtfully. "Tibetans or Tanguts?"

"If it were Xihe Road where I am stationed, there would naturally be more Tibetans. But in Huanqing and Jingyuan Roads, there are naturally more Tanguts." At this point, Liu Xi glanced at Zhang Jun, his immediate superior, who hadn't spoken yet, and carefully chose his words before continuing. "Actually, to be frank with Your Majesty, the Tibetans are wild and difficult to tame, and the sparsely populated area of Qinghai in the west is difficult to control. Therefore, trade is easy, but recruitment is difficult. On the other hand, in the north of Huanqing Road, Yanchuan Road, and Jingyuan Road, because of the long wars with the Western Xia, Tangut tribes live among them, some belonging to Western Xia and some belonging to the Imperial Song, making it difficult for them to waver. Therefore, many *Fan* soldiers there admire the Emperor's rule. Moreover, Qu Jinglue has been operating there for twenty years and has a great reputation. It is common for him to find some *Fan* tribes to live under Hengshan Mountain. This is a great thing and is due to Your Majesty's wise decision."

Zhao Jiu nodded... not in agreement with 'wise decision,' but in acknowledgement of the *Fan* tribe explanation, because he had just remembered that Yang Weizhong, the Grand Commandant, who should be leading the Rear Army of the Imperial Guard to the northern front, was said to be a *Fan* from the Huanqing Road border and had simply changed his name to a Chinese one.

How should I put it? From this perspective, the Great Song still had some war potential, provided you did your best to squeeze out these last forces.

"Your Majesty." Seeing that Zhao Jiu was only asking about trivial details, Zhang Jun couldn't help but speak up. "Your Majesty has been gathering elites from various units along the way and using them together. With the Imperial Bodyguard already numbering six thousand, and now the two Beiwei Army units have arrived, there are already twelve thousand elites in Chang'an. These are troops that can match the Jin. In addition, Qu Duan has scraped together ten thousand men, and Wu Lin can replace Wu Jie in defending Fang Prefecture, allowing Wu Jie to go south, which is another four to five thousand... In Guanxi, the number of troops far exceeds one hundred thousand!"

"So, we should attack and engage in a field battle?" Zhao Jiu looked at Zhang Jun, still showing no sign of joy or anger.

"Yes!" Zhang Jun stood up under the lamplight, earnestly facing the Emperor. "I believe we can fight, and we should fight. And as the Transportation Commissioner of the Five Routes of Sichuan, I must remind Your Majesty that gathering troops takes time, and transferring logistics also takes time. Opportunities for battle are fleeting... Qu Duan and Wu Lin are reporting at this time, which is not only a routine daily report after contact, but also a request for instructions. If Your Majesty wants them to go south and join the main force, you should make a decision quickly."

"I agree with Transportation Commissioner Zhang's analysis." Before Zhao Jiu could speak, Liu Ziyu also stood up proudly. "Qu Duan and Wu Lin's actions are precisely to ask Your Majesty how to deploy troops, and Your Majesty should make a decision quickly. However, I believe that Your Majesty should issue an edict ordering them to travel east along the Bei Luo River from Bao'an Army (later Zhidan County), exiting through the Diaoyin Pass, in order to harass the rear of Lou Shi's army!"

The two men had clear positions, and Zhao Jiu didn't express his opinion for a while.

"Your Majesty." At this moment, Wang Yuan, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, also took the opportunity to speak. "I believe that deploying troops at this time is opportune. Yesterday, Vice Commander Wang reported that Lou Shi led a large army across the Bai River on the Dragon Boat Festival, but stopped to camp by the lake between Pucheng and Meiyuan, apparently fearing the heat and seeking refuge by the lake. Now is the time to take the enemy by surprise, and since they are separated from the Huo Nu tribe, quickly surround them to block the Jin army by the lake!"

"I only thought that the Jin army was not just avoiding the heat, but seemed to be luring us in," Liu Ziyu repeated his position from yesterday without hesitation.

"So what if they are luring us in?" Wang Yuan immediately responded. "How could the Jin army have expected us to have so many troops? Of their thirty thousand men, only twenty thousand are genuine Jurchens. With our hundred thousand men, we can completely break them in one battle. As for harassing Lou Shi's rear, it will be useless. Because Danzhou has already been captured by Huo Nu, and the Longmen Ferry, which is separated by Liangshan Mountain, is already difficult to defend, just like the lost Baishui City. If the Bei Luo River passage is cut off, Lou Shi can also take the Longmen Ferry on the upper reaches as his supply route. Besides, with Lou Shi's talent, harassing his rear may not succeed."

Liu Ziyu didn't hesitate and immediately retorted: "Harassing his rear may not succeed, but swallowing his forward army will?"

Having said this, Liu Ziyu once again bowed to Zhao, the Emperor. "Your Majesty, do not forget what Qu Duan said before he left. At that time, he was ordered to go north precisely to harass Lou Shi's rear."

"Who would have thought that Wu Jie would be so useful at that time?" Wang Yuan was also not polite. "Military Advisor Liu, the situation changes three times a day, and we should adapt to the situation. Sticking to the old strategies may not be safe! We really have the strength to fight now!"

Liu Ziyu was silent for a moment, but quickly shook his head. "The Jin army has come from afar and cannot last long. After the summer heat, followed by the autumn rains, they will inevitably retreat."

"How do you know they will inevitably retreat?" Wang Yuan was, after all, a seasoned general, and his seniority was there. He pressed closer and closer. "If he rests through this hot spell and slowly forces Han Liangchen out of Tongzhou, then gathers the Jin army from Hedong and breaks through the Wei River, and then learns that the Emperor is in Chang'an, and risks the lives of a hundred thousand Jin soldiers to attack Chang'an, destroying the future of the Imperial Song, what then?! How do you know that Lou Shi is luring the enemy? Do you know that the Jin army cannot last long? You say we are gambling. Are you not gambling by sticking to this conservative approach and watching the Jin army come and go as they please?"

Liu Ziyu's expression changed slightly, but he still slowly shook his head. "The Jin army's strengths and weaknesses, Lou Shi's intentions, we do not know for sure. We are all just guessing... Using this to argue, I cannot convince Commander Wang, and Commander Wang cannot convince me."

"So, in any case, you do not agree to attack?" Wang Yuan asked coldly.

"That is correct." Liu Ziyu shook his head. His previously tense body seemed to relax suddenly, and then he raised his head again, turned around, and surveyed the civil and military officials in power in Chang'an who had come to listen to the daily report. Finally, he turned back towards Zhao Jiu, bowed his head, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I am the Deputy Director of the Secretariat of the Military Affairs Commission, holding the position of Director of the Bureau of Personnel, and I should do my best. What I think is only to strictly adhere to the word 'no attack'... Your Majesty leads all officials and people, and may have made a decision. But in any case, I should honestly offer my opinion. That is all!"

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly and was about to speak.

At this moment, Liu Qi, who had rarely spoken for a long time because his brother was also seated, suddenly stood up. "Your Majesty, I have a word that may resolve a temporary difficulty."

"Speak," Zhao Jiu said, raising his hand.

"Let Qu Jinglue and Wu Dujian (Wu Lin) temporarily gather in Ningzhou, then pass through the Ziwu Mountain, go through the Ju River, and exit Fang Prefecture, joining forces with Wu Jinglue (Wu Jie). This way, if Your Majesty wants to send a large army to the Bai River for a field battle, they can support the south from Fang Prefecture at any time. If Your Majesty wants to harass the enemy's rear, you can also let them join forces and attack the Jin army's main camp at the Bei Luo River estuary... Even the road where Huo Nu is entrenched in Danzhou will be dangerous, and Lou Shi will have to retreat." Liu Qi said slowly, giving a purely military opinion that sounded pretty good. "And Your Majesty can also take the opportunity to issue an edict asking Qu Jinglue and Wu Jinglue about matters of war and defense."

Moreover, Zhao Jiu and the others in the hall heard clearly and naturally knew the true intention of Liu Qi's strategy... to continue to mediate by delaying the order to Qu Duan.

Of course, for many shrewd political animals in the hall, Liu Qi's mediation might have another layer of consideration regarding the position of commander.

Whether it was the rumored Zhao Emperor personally leading the front line once he decided to attack, or Yuwen Xuzhong taking command, but in any case, just like in Yanling, where Yue Fei could only be allowed to command on his behalf, the front line always needed a military commander to actually be responsible for command. The importance of this military commander's position naturally goes without saying, and it is very likely that they would be promoted to a military commissioner after a successful battle.

Therefore, with Han Shizhong unable to leave Tongzhou easily, Liu Xi, Qu Duan, and Wang Yuan, Liu Qi's elder brother, were theoretically the three candidates for the actual commander... Today, Wang Yuan's performance was outstanding, almost overwhelming the only opposition, Liu Ziyu. As Liu Xi's younger brother, his support for Qu Duan to go south at this time naturally aroused speculation.

But then again, no one would directly point out these underhanded things except for Liu Ziyu, who generally would not show mercy. And at this time, a mediating approach was indeed needed. Liu Qi's idea was a good idea from a military point of view, so even Liu Ziyu unexpectedly didn't say anything. Zhao Jiu immediately followed suit, and directly asked the Junior Scholar Lin to write several 'Imperial Envoy's Decrees' to Qu Duan and the Wu brothers on the spot.

And just as Junior Scholar Lin was writing non-stop, the 'Daily Report Military Meeting' continued non-stop, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hall.

To this, everyone didn't care, apparently already used to it.

After all, it was quite late, and the troops inside and outside Chang'an were gathered and heavily guarded. There was a curfew at night, so the commotion could only be due to an urgent military situation being delivered. In fact, similar situations had occurred many times before, such as when the main force of the Jin army left Baishui City after the Dragon Boat Festival and crossed the Xiaobaishui to the south. At that time, the front-line officers were in a hurry to send messages.

Therefore, everyone fell silent, and only Junior Scholar Lin continued to write, while everyone else waited for Yang Yizhong to personally take over the documents.

After a moment, Yang Yizhong hurried back, carrying a document as expected. Zhao Jiu took it, opened it, and felt a flicker in his heart, but then he smiled and directly opened his mouth:

"Does anyone here know Li Yongqi?"

Many people in the room looked at each other, and then almost everyone with a Western Army background, from the Liu Xi and Liu Qi brothers to Tian Shizhong, who was sitting in the position inside the door, to Yang Yizhong, who was standing beside Zhao Jiu, almost all cupped their hands and spoke out.

Even Yuwen Xuzhong stroked his beard and said, "I also know this person. He came from Suide Army and is a local Tangut tycoon. After Lou Shi occupied Yan'an last time, his entire clan was isolated in the rear, so he directly led his followers to Western Xia. Because he is a famous Tangut clan, he is highly valued. Lou Shi also did not pursue the matter because of the ambiguous relationship between Nikan and Western Xia. However, not long after, Li Yongqi sent someone to hide a document in wax pellets and send it to me, saying that he cared about the country, but because the Emperor had an edict forbidding surrender to the Jin, he was afraid that they would not be able to meet in the future, so he imitated Huang Quan's surrender to Wei... I used him to ask Western Xia to send troops, but Western Xia did not agree."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, had Yang Yizhong hand the document to Yuwen Xuzhong, who was in the first position on the left, and then said with emotion:

"Western Xia didn't agree, so he took it upon himself to agree. Hu Yin's urgent document is here, saying that Li Yongqi saw that Western Xia had no intention of sending troops to attack the Jin, so he simply falsely claimed the Western Xia emperor's decree, took more than four thousand war horses from the local area, and led more than two thousand of his followers, then detoured west and south along Hengshan Mountain. They scattered their family wealth along the way, recruiting Hengshan *Fan* troops and resisting pursuers. By the time they were received by Wu Lin's troops in Qing Prefecture, their troops had reached the full number of four thousand, and all of them were cavalry... Do you think this person is trustworthy?"

The hall was silent.

On one hand, there was astonishment, and on the other hand, there was suspicion.

Astonishment was, of course, understandable. This kind of story of returning to the country after twists and turns was almost a plot from the history books. It felt somewhat absurd and unbelievable for it to happen to someone they knew. Suspicion was also understandable. He was a Tangut who had surrendered to Western Xia and had even received Lou Shi's kindness of not killing him. At such a critical juncture, he suddenly returned. What if he was a spy? Who would take responsibility?

In fact, Li Yanxian had done something similar in Shanzhou. When Lou Shi swept through Shanzhou, he asked some of the Song soldiers who were preparing to go into the mountains to fight guerrilla warfare with him to surrender to the Jin. As a result, these people became the garrison of Shanzhou. Then Lou Shi turned to Guanxi, and Li Yanxian directly entered the city with the help of the inside.

So, if this Li Yongqi was a spy arranged by Lou Shi, who would be responsible?

But if he wasn't, could the math problem of the Song-Jin Guanxi decisive battle be recalculated?

"I think he is trustworthy," after a long while, it was actually Liu Ziyu who was the first to guarantee him. "And when we need talent, we should reward him handsomely and use him boldly, to 'buy bones with a thousand gold.'"

"Why is Yanxiu so sure?" Zhang Jun asked his good friend in a serious tone.

"Two reasons," Liu Ziyu said solemnly. "First, when the Jin army conquered Zhe Keqiu, they intended to establish a vassal state in Guanxi. Zhe Keqiu was able to preserve the military power of the three prefectures because of this. It was only after the battle of Yanling that Ta Lan went north that the puppet Qi was established... May I ask, with the situation at that time, if Li Yongqi really intended to surrender to the Jin, the Jin would have given him the entire Suide Army without any mistakes. Why would he move his entire family north to Western Xia? And is Lou Shi a god? Could he have predicted the defeat at Yanling and the failure of the last great invasion at that time?"

This analysis was reasonable and convincing. In fact, from a rational point of view, Zhao Jiu and many of the people present already believed him.

But Liu Ziyu didn't stop because everyone nodded in agreement. Instead, he continued somewhat laboriously, "Second, Li's father and son's actions seem surprising, but how can there really be no loyal ministers and good generals who are wholeheartedly serving the country in the world? Think of Ma Kuo, whose father and son were imprisoned for his sake, but were released by the Jin and befriended the nobles of the Jin. He could have enjoyed wealth and peace, but instead abandoned his family and children and went to Wuma Mountain to resist the Jin, for five or six years, his red heart unchanged... Compared to him, aren't Li's father and son's actions ordinary? Besides, since ancient times, the only difficult thing is to die. Li's father and son's actions, compared to those who died for their country in Jingkang, those who died in battle in Taiyuan, those who died in battle on the Huai River, those who died in battle on the Bai River in Nanyang, and those who died in battle under Yanling City, what is there to be surprised or suspected about?"

Zhang Jun wanted to say something but stopped. Many of the civil and military officials who had experienced those things were also awe-stricken, and even the Guanxi generals were silent.

Even Zhao Jiu stared at Liu Ziyu and nodded slowly:

"Then so be it. Let Li Yongqi act with Wu Lin. Scholar Lin, add an edict, increasing Li Yongqi's original military rank by three levels, and also appoint him as a commander, in charge of Baoan Army."

Everyone naturally had nothing to say, and Junior Scholar Lin continued to write... In order to minimize the probability of Zhao Emperor's visit to Chang'an being exposed, this level of daily report meeting generally did not have a recorder in attendance, so Junior Scholar Lin had to work hard alone.

However, hard work aside, since Wu Jie's great victory, the surrounding news was mostly good news. The intense sense of tragedy that had been caused by the Emperor's heir-entrustment at the beginning, as well as the sense of panic caused by the Jin army's pressing advance, had gradually disappeared. That was also a fact.

In a word, no matter what, the situation was always improving compared to the original pessimistic predictions. Otherwise, most people would not have gradually tended towards deploying troops, and only Liu Ziyu, a senior official, was still adhering to a conservative strategy.

And it was in this kind of atmosphere that everyone gradually realized that the Emperor's attitude was the final decision. And a small number of people even realized that the Emperor actually had a decision early on, but was waiting for something other than the two Beiwei Army units.

And before that, it seemed difficult to get the Emperor to finally express his attitude.

Of course, there were still a few people in the hall today who knew what Zhao Jiu was waiting for. Yang Yizhong and Zhang Xian, who had just arrived, knew that the Emperor was waiting for the results of Yue Fei's crossing of the river. Zhang Xian even knew that his brother was originally prepared to cross the river in the next few days.

"What's wrong today?" Just when everyone was almost ready to end this unremarkable 'Daily Report Military Meeting,' the sound of commotion came again from the Imperial Envoy's residence. Yang Yizhong also went out again to handle the reception. Seeing this situation, Chancellor Yuwen laughed first. "Could it be that several thousand more soldiers have been added somewhere?"

Everyone didn't have time to laugh, and saw Yang Yizhong hurrying to bring a document stained with sweat. Everyone once again waited in awe.

And this time, under everyone's gaze, Zhao Jiu took it and opened it. He only looked at it, and his expression changed. And when his expression returned to normal and he tried to adjust his posture to look at it carefully under the lamp, he didn't hold the letter steady for a moment and dropped it on the spot.

The letter was thin and swayed slightly in the air, but it floated to one side. Zhang Jun took a step ahead and picked it up before Yang Yizhong. When he looked at it, his expression also changed suddenly.

Moreover, the hall was full of civil and military officials who had been frightened by the Emperor's hard-to-conceal posture before. Seeing Zhang Jun's失态 at this time, they were even more panicked.

"It was my失态," Zhao Jiu sighed before Zhang Jun could speak. "Actually, I should have expected it... To be honest with you all, this is Li Yanxian's urgent report. Pinglu was just lost today."

The civil and military officials in the hall sighed, but they were also relieved:

The loss of Pinglu meant that the only large stronghold of the Song army on the north bank of the Yellow River had also disappeared. It also meant that the main force of the Jin army, hundreds of thousands in Hedong, had completely cleared the road behind them and could soon advance west. Since ancient times, it had been unstoppable to enter Guanzhong from Hedong. Han Shizhong could only delay them by one or two.

However, the loss of Pinglu was expected. Only the fact that Hedong had been forbearing all along, but suddenly exerted its strength and broke through in one battle, made it necessary to face the level of the Third Prince Eliduo squarely.

Yang Yizhong took the letter from Zhang Jun, who was silent, and carefully returned it to the gradually calmer Zhao Emperor. The latter took the letter in the hall, crumpled it at will, and didn't look at it again. He only shook his head repeatedly, apparently unwilling in his heart:

"I thought Pinglu could hold out for a few more days... And since Pinglu is lost, the Hedong army can cross the river on a large scale at any time. We have to make plans early... From this point of view, Lou Shi seems to be waiting for reinforcements. If we delay any longer, things will really change."

The hearts of the people moved slightly. Many people wanted to take the opportunity to speak, and Liu Ziyu also wanted to speak, but as if by some ghostly manipulation, he actually looked at Zhang Jun first. But Zhang Deyuan just returned to his seat and was in a daze, which made Liu Yanxiu stunned and then thoughtful.

"Forget it!" At this moment, Zhao Emperor was obviously losing patience, so he raised his hand and let the people leave. "Scholar Lin, bring the edict for me to see! Zhengfu (Yang Yizhong), go find the messenger, let him settle down well, and don't spread the news of the defeat at the front."

The defeat at the front, the Emperor was in a bad mood. The people were helpless and had to say goodbye. Yang Yizhong went out early to find the messenger.

However, when the people left, Junior Scholar Lin held the edict forward. Zhao Jiu's expression did not change, but he directly said something amazing: "Scholar Lin, tear up the edict and rewrite a few copies, ordering Hu Yantong, who is stationed at Wei Bridge, to go south to Lantian overnight! Issue another edict to Li Yanxian, telling him that I know Pinglu has been lost. Let him handle it himself, but he must be careful to reply to the words here in Guanzhong in the future!"

Lin Jing silently did not speak, and immediately tore up the paper in front of him, then sat back in his seat to write a new edict. At this time, Yang Yizhong also hurried back.

"Wait a quarter of an hour, summon Chancellor Yuwen and Zhang Xian back. If anyone who went out before comes back, let them come in directly, don't make a fuss! Send another proper officer to Lantian to find Hu Yantong, and take over all the Guandong documents there and send them over." Zhao Jiu said bluntly, so startled that Yang Yizhong did not dare to answer and turned around and left directly.

In this way, Zhao Jiu sat there blankly for a while, but someone did return in a hurry, precisely Zhang Jun, the Transportation Commissioner of the Five Routes of Sichuan, who had inadvertently seen the contents of the letter before.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Zhang Jun's panic had not lessened when he re-entered the door.

"Your appearance will only make people laugh," Zhao Jiu said sternly. "Old Su said, 'Tai Mountain collapsing in front of you without changing color,麋鹿 appearing on your left without blinking an eye,' almost no one can do this, but since you are a minister of the country, it is fine to be a little panicked when you first hear the news, but now that the wood has become a boat, why are you still panicked? If those military generals below see it, they will probably be even more at a loss."

Zhang Jun's face immediately turned red, but he tried to sort things out, took several deep breaths, and then cupped his hands again in the empty hall: "Your Majesty, may I ask how to deal with this? I will die a thousand times without regret!"

"I don't want you to die a thousand times without regret," Zhao Jiu shook his head. "As for how to deal with this, I have to confirm one more thing before I can explain it to you."

Zhang Jun was slightly stunned, and for a moment he was puzzled. He was just about to ask again, but he did not expect that a slight movement behind him would start again. When he looked back, it was actually Yang Yizhong leading his good friend Liu Ziyu back.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Ziyu cupped his hands as soon as he returned. "I and Deyuan are usually friends. I saw him失态 just now, and I have a slight guess. Please tell me directly, what is the military situation?"

"Let's wait for Chancellor Yuwen and Zhang Xian," Zhao Jiu shook his head again.

Liu Ziyu was helpless and could only look at Zhang Jun, and then try to endure.

But just as the two were preparing to sit down, Yang Yizhong led the third person in, and this person was really beyond Zhao Jiu's expectations.

"Your Majesty!"

Liu Qi, the Regional Commissioner of Lizhou Road, directly knelt on one knee in the hall and paid homage with a grand salute. "I presume... but if there is anything improper in the situation, I, as a martial official, should die for the country and Your Majesty!"

After speaking, he did not wait for Zhao Jiu to speak, and then actively stood up, stepped back, and then turned out of the hall... Obviously, he knew that he did not need to and did not qualify to participate in the final decision.

Seeing this situation, Zhao Jiu sighed with emotion.

After waiting for a moment, Yang Yizhong finally brought Yuwen Xuzhong and Zhang Xian back.

"Zhang Xian," Zhao Jiu was extremely straightforward. "I only ask you one thing, try to answer it, do you think Yue Pengju has already crossed the river at this time?"

Hearing this, except for Yang Yizhong, Junior Scholar Lin, and Zhang Xian himself, everyone else changed color.

"To teach Your Majesty..." Zhang Xian took a deep breath and tried to answer, obviously a little caught off guard by the abruptness of the question. "I guess that he should have already crossed the river!"

"How so?" Zhao Jiu asked non-stop.

"I do not know the specific situation, but before he left early, he roughly mentioned that he would cross the river in the first few days of May..."

"In the letter he gave me, he said it was in the first ten days of May."

"That means that he would completely cross the river to Xiangzhou in the first ten days of this month and can launch an attack," Zhang Xian suddenly cheered up when he heard this. "Because my brother... Because Marshal Yue always does not waste time when using troops, does not do redundant things, and does not make ambiguous statements."

"But today is the seventh day of May..." Zhao Jiu could not help but put his hand on his forehead. "Tomorrow morning is only the eighth day of May."

"If I have to say it, he is more likely to have crossed the river on the fifth day of May, the Dragon Boat Festival," Zhang Xian also seemed helpless. "But if Your Majesty really wants to ask me seriously, I am just guessing."

"Go!" Zhao Jiu raised his hand. "You are not allowed to tell others about today's events, and be low-key on the way back to the army camp."

Zhang Xian immediately understood and said goodbye.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Ziyu was extremely serious. "What exactly happened? What is the matter of Yue Fei's troops crossing the river?"

Zhao Jiu, who did not get a definite answer, put his hand on his forehead and did not move, and did not say a word.

Zhang Jun, who had gradually calmed down, got up helplessly, but said a word to Yuwen Xuzhong, who was inexplicable, and Liu Ziyu, who looked serious:

"The Jin army did not capture Pinglu, but succeeded in crossing Changquan by surprise!"

"Where is Changquan?" Liu Ziyu did not react for a moment.

"Northwest of Luoyang, south of Wangwu Mountain, Yellow River Ferry," Yuwen Xuzhong, who had been messing around between the two capitals for decades, said in a pale face. "Luoyang is in danger!"

Liu Ziyu's body shook and he was also pale. It took him half a day to say in a失声: "No wonder hundreds of thousands of troops gathered in Hedong, but they could not capture Pinglu in one go, and they did not send a large number of troops from Longmen. It is likely that they had been peeping under Wangwu Mountain for a long time..."

"They saw the dragon banner and thought I was there," Zhao Jiu, who had not reacted for a long time, suddenly said in a closed eyes. "The people of the world also thought I was there!"

"The key is how to respond?" Yuwen Xuzhong suppressed the panic in his heart and said seriously.

"There are only two ways," Liu Ziyu also calmed down. "One is to send a large army to rescue Luoyang; the other is to pretend not to know and look for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle in Baishui... Your Majesty!"

"What do you think we should do?" Zhao Jiu simply replied.

"In fact, the Jin army may not be able to cross with many troops," Liu Ziyu thought for a moment, and then advised. "Because they lack boats! It is better to send troops to rescue! But Yue Pengju..."

"If the enemy has few troops, the Zhai brothers can resist it themselves. If the enemy has many troops, the Mianchi passage is narrow, and once the Jin army blocks it, they will not be able to send troops from Shanzhou in time, so they can only roughly expect the troops around Tokyo to save them from the Xiaoshui Pass," Zhao Jiu raised his head and replied. "But the question is, has Yue Pengju really crossed it at this time? How many troops are left?"

"If he crossed, it is not a loss!" Zhang Jun gritted his teeth. "Most of the troops in the Eastern Army came from Hebei. Knowing that Hebei was raided, the panic is no less than ours..."

"That's not right," Yuwen Xuzhong shook his head. "If Yue Fei crosses the river, Tokyo will be empty instead."

"Your Majesty, what exactly is going on with Yue Pengju's crossing of the river?" Liu Ziyu also thought of the key.

"It was not that he hastily came up with the idea and sent troops without authorization, but that the last time Zhang Rong burned Xiaowu, before Lou Shi went south, I had some discussions with him about actively crossing the river," Zhao Jiu said frankly. "This time before leaving, I