In the winter of the fourth year of the Jianyan era, Zhao, the Emperor of the Song, was overjoyed to have a new princess and granted amnesty to the world. This joy and amnesty from the Emperor allowed many people to finally exhale the cautious breath they had been holding in, and many things began to return to their original course.

However, this course was not necessarily one of acceleration, nor was it necessarily righteous.

For example, in late October, Yue Fei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Vanguard of the Imperial Guard, crossed the Yangtze River from Jiangling and successively recovered the Public Security, Ouchi, and Shishou areas seized by the Zhong Xiang army. He then defeated the main force of Yang Yao's army, a marshal under 'Great Saint' and 'King of Chu' Zhong Xiang, at Huarong. With his army approaching Dongting Lake, Yang Yao abandoned his attempt to block the imperial troops on land and retreated into the lake.

At this time, while preparing for naval warfare, Yue Fei formally submitted a memorial to Dongjing, proposing a strategy of 'pacification.'

In his lengthy memorial, Yue Pengju (Yue Fei) explained his reasoning in detail… He believed that 'Yang Yao's followers were originally villagers, first deceived by Zhong Xiang and his son with sorcery, and then subjected to excessive demands from the court due to the war in the north,' which triggered the rebellion.

What was 'nominally a rebellion was, in reality, an attempt to survive and gather people to beg for a living.'

Therefore, he hoped to divide Zhong Xiang and his son, Yang Yao and other core rebel leaders, the rebel soldiers, and the coerced people into four categories. Except for Zhong Xiang and his son, everyone else should 'not be killed.' As for the soldiers and coerced fishermen, they should be pardoned, appeased, and given relief.

In other words, he believed that the military victory had already had a certain deterrent effect, and it should be slowed down temporarily. Instead of launching a large-scale offensive with aggressive methods, he should proactively adopt a pacification strategy to induce surrender and contain the rebels in this Jingxiang rebellion.

When the memorial reached the capital province, Zhao Ding immediately opposed it, arguing that 'internal stability must come before external resistance,' and that internal stability should be achieved with swift action. Since the military progress was smooth, there was no need to waste time on appeasement. It was right to quickly defeat the enemy and end the war.

After all, even without considering the economy, there were still the Miao rebellions in the Five Ridges area, as well as Shanbei and Jingdong, and a pile of things in his own *Pingjin Ce* (Strategy for Pacifying the Jin) that Yue Fei had personally submitted!

At the same time, possibly because the phrase 'excessive demands' had severely irritated Liu Ji, the Duke Liu, who was mainly responsible for Jingxiang, also unhesitatingly chose to support Zhao Ding.

Relatively speaking, however, Zhang Jun, the Privy Councilor, also took a clear stance in support of Yue Fei.

This was not to say that Zhang Jun wanted to oppose Zhao Ding for the sake of opposing Zhao Ding… The reason was actually very simple. Based on Zhang Deyuan's (Zhang Jun's courtesy name) experience following Emperor Zhao, and his ability to understand the Emperor's intentions, considering that the Emperor had specifically chosen Yue Fei for both southern rebellions and had directly issued orders to dispatch troops, and considering Yue Fei's style and some rumors about his subordinates, he had realized the Emperor Zhao's basic attitude towards this matter.

And, as expected, Zhang Jun stubbornly argued with the capital province again, insisting on handling the matter according to Yue Fei's memorial. Zhao Ding and Liu Ji had no choice but to request an imperial audience to let Emperor Zhao make the decision.

However, Emperor Zhao, Zhao Jiu, who was with another Privy Councilor at the Military Ordnance Department, did not show up at all. He simply wrote a sentence on the memorial in his own handwriting—'The reason I use Yue Fei is precisely for this.'

Zhao Ding and Liu Ji immediately fell silent. Zhang Jun, one against two, actually won a great victory!

However, let's not mention how Zhang Jun gained momentum for a time and shook Dongjing, or how Yue Fei would change to focus on pacification and deal with the Dongting rebellion. Let's just talk about another small matter… The loyal servant who had returned with Zheng Yinian, having seen that things were not going well, had left the Zheng residence early. However, he did not rush to Jinan, but instead worked as a day laborer in the northeast Shuimen (water gate) area of Dongjing City… Since Yaoshan, Dongjing City had become increasingly lively, with more and more merchants, officials, and students gathering here. Although it was certainly impossible to compare with the pre-Jingkang era, it was still easy for a person to hide.

Especially since this person did not make any inquiries or reports.

However, with the Emperor Zhao's amnesty to the world on this day, he no longer hesitated. He took on the identity of a Hebei refugee to become a deliveryman, following a merchant from Dongping Prefecture to Jingdong… This was a legitimate merchant, and the court encouraged landowners to use and employ refugees more. And this servant had no flaws, so he arrived safely in Dongping Prefecture.

After arriving here, this person continued to work steadily. He prepared enough drinking water and dry food before leaving without saying goodbye. Finally, taking advantage of the freezing of the Yellow River, he successfully crossed the river to Liaocheng in Bo Prefecture, entering the Jin-occupied area.

However, this Han Chinese from Yan, named Gao Yigong, did not go to find his master, Qin Hui, but instead, as agreed, went directly to find another person who had been waiting for him, who was none other than Hong Ya, the Grand Councilor of the Great Qi.

It is said that Hong Ya was nominally the Grand Councilor of the Qi, but in reality, he lived mostly in Liaocheng, located between Daming Prefecture and Jinan. This was convenient for him to receive instructions from the Jin nobles in Daming Prefecture, and then to instruct the people in the pseudo-Qi state across the Yellow River. Even this job, in the past, he could occasionally go to Jingdong to deceive Liu Yu, Li Cheng, Li Qi and others, but after Yaoshan, he was simply unwilling to move to that deadly place in Jingdong, and even his family and clan in Jinan had long been brought to Hebei.

Of course, this move was undoubtedly a sign of loyalty in the eyes of Talan, who was still a leading figure in Daming Prefecture at the time.

However, just as Yang Yizhong and Wan Qixie had joked when they sent this person back north, people like Hong Ya, having become fickle traitors, with no stance of their own, were basically those who would fall with the wind or flutter in the wind.

And this time, Emperor Zhao of the Song achieved a great victory over Wanyan Loushi at Yaoshan, shaking the world. The Jin high command themselves had some thoughts, let alone these people?

Therefore, Zheng Yinian's trip south was instigated by Hong Ya, Qin Hui and others. Although the Jin high command may not have reached a consensus, some high-ranking officials tacitly allowed it. It was a test balloon... However, this test, for the Jin high command, was just a small stone thrown over, which they did not care about at all. But for Hong Ya, Qin Hui and others, they had great expectations.

To put it bluntly, who would want to muddle along in the north when they could be wealthy officials in the south?

As for this Han Chinese from Yan, Gao Yigong, was a precaution that Hong and Qin had taken, having long thought that Zheng Yinian might go south and never return.

And now, this precaution, apart from confirming Zheng Yinian's cowardice and abandonment, was actually not very useful... No matter how carefully Gao Yigong traveled back and forth, and reported in detail, Hong Ya and Qin Hui had long known about the 'perhaps' incident through the court gazettes, and now they had already learned of the saying that 'those who betray the Song for the Jin are not included.'

But, having said that, even though he had known this result for a long time, Hong Ya, sitting idly in Liaocheng, couldn't help but sigh to the heavens when he heard the report from his servant again, and then he became restless.

After waiting for two more days, despite the winter cold, the Great Qi Grand Councilor couldn't help but bring the Gao-named servant to Daming Prefecture again because of the torment in his heart.

At this moment, Daming Prefecture was home to the real tiger, Nianhan. His former master, Talan, was like a wild dog that had invaded a nest, without saying a word. The other generals also bowed their heads in obedience. This scene made Hong Ya feel helpless... Eighty percent of his authority and ability depended on his personal relationship with Talan. As long as Nianhan did not leave, he was like a spider with tied hands and feet, unable to move at all.

Therefore, after only drinking with Talan and making a few perfunctory words of comfort, Hong Ya immediately turned around to find Qin Hui, Qin Huizhi, who was in Daming Prefecture at this time, and then had the Gao-named Han servant repeat his experiences in person.

"Is it really useless?"

Inside the most hidden bedroom, after the servant retreated, even a figure like Qin Hui couldn't help but feel despondent for a moment, and then he huddled up on the newly built heated kang (platform bed). "Why is that person in the south so resolute? I still don't want to believe it…"

Hong Ya, with a bit of alcohol on his breath, sat cross-legged on the heated kang that the Jurchens had brought from Liaodong, holding a bowl of hangover tea and shaking his head repeatedly: "Brother Huizhi, I advise you not to think about it anymore... You must not follow Zheng Yinian in becoming a wealthy man. After all, Zheng Yinian was still considered innocent before. But the Jin generals in the north who know that you and Talan are writing documents don't know how many, and even Zheng Yinian knows a thing or two. If you insist on going south, you will only be seeking your own death!"

"Is there not even a slight chance left?" Qin Hui couldn't help but curl up his feet and sit cross-legged, as if trying to suppress the injustice in his chest. "I only wrote a few documents for the Jin, and I will not be pardoned? Are all the merits and hard work in the Jingkang Incident erased?"

Hong Ya snorted, clearly with a bit of mockery: "Brother Huizhi… what you said is meaningless. If you and I are wronged, who should the countless people who died in Hebei, Henan, Jingdong, and Guanzhong seek redress from? Didn't you see the court gazettes in the south? Even now, the south is fighting a rebellion in Dongting Lake, and there are countless people freezing and starving inside and outside Daming City. We can lie on the heated kang, drink wine, and eat tea. Why should we feel wronged?"

Sitting opposite him, Qin Huizhi had no expression on his face, only huddling up without saying a word.

"Don't pretend." Hong Ya continued to ridicule, taking advantage of his drunken state. "Dare you say that you didn't really understand what you were doing when you gave ideas and wrote documents for Marshal Talan? You are a Jinshi graduate, the grandson-in-law of a Grand Councilor, an Imperial Censor, and a student of the Grand Councilor… Isn't Grand Councilor Wang of Luoyang, who immolated himself, your benefactor? Your background and learning are much stronger than mine. Even someone like me understood what he was doing when he surrendered. How could you not understand?!"

Qin Hui finally let go and sighed: "Grand Councilor Hong, it's not that I don't understand, but there are three things I didn't expect…"

Hong Ya picked up the soup and took a slight sip, clearly not taking it to heart.

"The first thing is that I really didn't expect the Jin to be so difficult, repeatedly forcing me to gradually get involved, from initially giving verbal advice to gradually writing documents myself, making it difficult to extricate myself… Looking back, I don't know when I had already left many grounds for accusation."

Hong Ya sneered in his heart… When others were freezing and starving in Wuguocheng, Qin Huizhi, when you were living in a big house and burning a warm kang in Yanjing and Daming Prefecture, didn't you think about any grounds for accusation?

Qin Hui knew what the other party was thinking just by looking at his expression, but he just continued to sigh: "The second thing is that I really didn't expect the Emperor in the south to be so tough, unwilling to yield even a bit."

Hong Ya lowered his head and kept drinking the soup, simply not reacting at all… With the Emperor's national hatred and family grievances, what if he was really tough? Shouldn't he be?

"The third thing…" Qin Hui looked up, his words sincere. "Grand Councilor Hong, you tell me, when we were feeling guilty, how could we have imagined that the south would actually win, how could we have imagined that there would be this situation today?"

Hong Ya finally stopped drinking the soup and was silent for a moment, but just a moment later, he slammed the entire bowl of soup on the ground.

Speaking of which, they were all traitors of the Song, how could he not know that Qin Hui was a Jinshi graduate, the grandson-in-law of a Grand Councilor, and had gotten to the crucial point… With the Jin army's overwhelming strength during the Jingkang and early Jianyan periods, who would have thought that the south would win?

For them, these scholars, wasn't it just that little bit of guilt, that little bit of shiver, and then they followed the natural course of events until now? But it was that little bit of guilt, that little bit of shiver, that distinguished the most fundamental things.

In an instant, even though he theoretically had one more card and one more escape route than the other party, Hong Ya still felt an unprecedented empathy with Qin Hui, and then couldn't help but feel resentment towards that Emperor in the south… Why did you have to win? It would have been better if you had lost? It would have been better if you had died?!

Outside, it was gradually starting to snow, and the two faced each other, watching the snow for a long time, but remained silent.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Qin Hui, with his higher quality, was the first to pull himself out of his emotions. He then spoke seriously, getting to the point: "Now that things have come to this, it's useless to think too much. Grand Councilor Hong, we must make a good plan."

Hong Ya also returned to normal, but then snorted: "If it weren't for this matter, why would I come here? Brother Huizhi, you are truly a person with methods and insights. Today, you speak, and I will listen to everything you say."

Qin Hui looked up at the other party. His fair face showed no expression, only beginning to analyze: "For us, the best outcome is still to be peaceful and wealthy officials in the south…"

"That's natural."

"The second best is to be truly useful in the north."

"That's also true…"

"The third best is to go south and become wealthy men."

Hong Ya nodded repeatedly.

"The next best is to continue hanging around in the north, neither human nor ghost…" Qin Huizhi sighed. "But how to choose depends on the situation between the two countries. The current situation after Yaoshan is forcing us not to continue like this, and we must make some preparations in advance."

"That's right…"

"As the saying goes, if you aim for the best, you get the second best; if you aim for the second best, you get the worst." Qin Hui said slowly. "Although our outcome still depends on the overall situation, we should try our best to achieve the best outcome from the beginning."

"But in the current situation, how can we do that?" This time, it was Hong Ya's turn to huddle up and frown repeatedly. "Not only will the south not accept us, but the situation in the north is also deadlocked."

"Then let's start with the current situation, starting with breaking the deadlock in the north!" Qin Hui responded immediately. His words gradually became calm and unhurried. "Then, while trying to break the deadlock, try to truly grasp power in the Jin, and then observe the situation to promote peace talks… Finally, put ourselves in the peace talks as a condition, and see what the Emperor in the south says."

"How specifically?" Hong Ya was actually infected by the other party's emotions and became excited.

"The Jin court is chaotic, and the internal strife is ineffective. It seems strong, but it is actually absurd and ridiculous. If we can grasp the key figures, we can promote the breaking of the deadlock…"

"We can only instigate Talan, but Talan is useless now. The key now must be Nianhan."

"He may be useless now, but he may not be useless in the future. As for the key now, although it is Nianhan, we may be able to succeed by starting with the Fourth Prince, Wushu." Qin Hui said solemnly.

"Wushu? Even if it's Wushu, what can we do?" Hong Ya didn't understand for a moment.

"I have some contact with Wushu and can still talk to him…"

"…"

"I will persuade Wushu to break the deadlock." Qin Hui made a determined decision.

"And then?"

"Then I will follow Wushu, and you will follow Talan… We will fight for power! Do you know how to fight for power?"

"It's just forming factions and engaging in corruption." Hong Ya suddenly felt relieved and laughed involuntarily. "Who doesn't know that?"

"Exactly."

"But even if we succeed in fighting for power, how can we promote peace talks that both the south and the north will accept? And let us go south to be peaceful officials?" When the topic reached this point, Hong Ya had three to five points of confidence in Qin Hui, but he still couldn't help but ask further.

"Return Jingdong and Shanbei, the Southerners return to the South, and the Northerners return to the North!"

"Wonderful!" Hong Ya was stunned for a moment, then excited.

"In fact, there are too many variables in this matter, and there will inevitably be various inappropriate things… Perhaps neither the north nor the south will agree." Qin Hui sighed again. "We can only say to do our best."

"Even a bit of possibility is good." Hong Ya shook his head with a smile. "It's good to have a way out now… Can we be more difficult than that Emperor in the south was on the Huai River?"

Qin Hui was slightly stunned, then smiled bitterly.

"However, Brother Huizhi." Hong Ya suddenly asked with a smile. "You planned it so logically, so clearly. When did you start having this kind of idea? Weren't you still saying you were wronged just now?"

"Who knows?" Qin Hui was slightly moved, looking somewhat emotional. "Perhaps, as Grand Councilor Hong said, there are some things that one is unwilling to admit on the surface, but one has actually already recognized in one's heart, so these ideas have already existed unconsciously…"

Hong Ya nodded slightly, feeling more and more that he and the other party were comrades in adversity. After hesitating for a moment, perhaps because he had drunk too much, or perhaps because he felt that the other party's level was far higher than his own and he was afraid of being left behind, the Grand Councilor Hong suddenly said, "Brother Huizhi, Gao Yigong is an extremely reliable person. After Dongting Lake is settled, why not let him go to Henan again?"

Qin Hui was slightly stunned, then narrowed his eyes.

"Brother Huizhi is so sincere, I can't hide anything." Hong Ya continued to face the other party with his hands folded and his head held high. "I have some words with the Military Staff of the Vanguard of the Imperial Guard, following the path of Wan Qixie, the Supervising Officer of the Vanguard of the Imperial Guard at that time."

Qin Huizhi looked at the other party and thought for a long time before nodding heavily: "If you have an agreement with Zhang Jun's Right Army of the Imperial Guard, I may not care, but Yue Fei, the Commander of the Vanguard of the Imperial Guard, is truly a capable marshal, and it may not be a way out… I am willing to trust you."

ps: Yue Fei's words in the memorial are translated from the real dialogue between Yue Fei and Niu Gao in a certain historical material after the war. Niu Gao probably suggested killing Yang Yao's followers on behalf of the generals because his side suffered more losses, and Yue Fei used these words in public to convince Niu Gao.