In the winter of the first year of Jianyan (1127 AD), people were heading south on both sides of the Yellow River, as if trying to follow the migratory birds.

However, some were doing it voluntarily, some passively; some were initiators, some followers, some were being driven away; and then some were high-spirited, some were disheveled, some were downhearted, and some were apathetic.

On this day in mid-October, almost on the same day that Zhang Xian, wailing like a mad dog, was tied to a horse by Tang Huai and personally loaded onto a ferry, our Emperor Zhao, like a slowpoke Psyduck, began his numb migration.

Zhao Jiu and the entire mobile government of the Great Song were not actually scared away by the Jin army.

In reality, at this time, the Jin army, at least the eastern route army led by Jin Wushu and Wanyan Talan, was still in Hebei. Their primary target was the eastern Shandong areas of the Great Song, as well as the isolated city of Daming Prefecture in Hebei, which had not yet fallen. Correspondingly, Emperor Zhao and his entourage had not actually seen the shadow of the Jin army's eastern route army.

The only indication was from the Tokyo Defense Command, where Privy Councilor and Tokyo Defender Zong Ze sent a dispatch saying that the situation in Tokyo was dire, especially that there were increasingly more Jin troops on the western flank of Tokyo, indicating that the Jin army's western route army was about to launch a new offensive. But at this time, even Li Gang, let alone Zhao Jiu, did not believe him.

That's right, Li Gang had finally returned.

This leading figure of the pro-war faction had experienced three ascents and three falls in the year and a half since the first year of Jingkang (1126 AD), spending just under half the time being demoted and summoned back to serve as prime minister. He could be considered the bellwether of the court's stance on war and peace.

And once such a figure arrived, coupled with an Emperor Zhao who was no longer intent on vying for power with him, his prestige and ability, along with his stubbornly self-opinionated character that had worn down even Emperor Zhao's ears, or rather his 'power-usurping mien,' naturally allowed him to immediately seize the initiative in major political affairs upon arriving at the mobile government.

This migration was orchestrated by him – enough said, if you're going to use a minister, then we must go to Nanyang!

Of course, there were many opponents. There were too many supporters of the Yangzhou faction here, and Yangzhou was too attractive... but the Deputy Prime Minister, Lü Haowen, was an easygoing man. The Assistant Administrator of the Privy Council, Wang Boyan, now wished that Li Gang couldn't see him. The new Censor-in-Chief, although he quite disliked Li Gang, happened to agree with Li Gang on the idea of choosing a secondary capital... because going to Nanyang was not the ultimate goal, but to observe the situation in Nanyang and see if it was possible to contact the Western Army and eventually enter Luoyang or Chang'an.

Even Zhao Jiu knew in his heart that, rationally speaking, this plan, like going to Yangzhou, was a feasible transitional plan, except that one sought the wealth of Jiangnan as a foundation, while the other sought the military potential of the Northwest.

Thus, the migration began immediately without any resistance. Zhao Jiu silently moved with the large group. This Emperor Zhao, with a complex mix of shame, fear, bewilderment, curiosity, and excitement, left Mingdao Palace and Bozhou for the first time.

However, after the large group left Bozhou and traveled southwest for just over a hundred *li*, upon entering the territory of Jingxi North Road, somewhere between Xiangcheng and Wanshou, they stopped again on the bank of the Ying River, because rebel troops were blocking the way.

Now, rebel troops were everywhere in the Central Plains, so such an event was not surprising. Emperor Zhao and others were well aware of these rebels, led by a man named Ding Jin, known as the Huai River Bandit, because he had developed almost under the noses of Emperor Zhao and Li Gang. He had just recently risen up and was already in the process of being suppressed.

The only difference was that this rebel force had developed rapidly. In just over a month, they had controlled a large number of towns along the upper reaches of the Huai River's tributaries. Now, they were pressing towards the Ying River, blocking the route to Nanyang, forcing the mobile government to adjust its original military plan and conscript troops to first eliminate them.

In a word, there was going to be a battle, and the Emperor should rest first!

"It is necessary to defeat Ding Jin before we can proceed! Know that this bandit is not only blocking the route to Nanyang, but also blocking the passage of troops from the various Huainan prefectures to the mobile government. I heard that Luzhou, Chuzhou, Wuwei Military Prefecture, and Hezhou jointly gathered a sum of money, grain, cloth, and young men to escort it, and they had already reached Mount Bagong, but were blocked by this bandit!"

"A mere bandit, who rose up in the chaos, has only been active for two months. Although he seems to have many troops and high morale, in fact, the people do not support him. As long as we gather elite troops and seize an opportunity to defeat him in battle, we can easily subdue him and take him into our service."

"That's right, the mobile government still has four or five thousand elite soldiers and many experienced generals, which is enough to deal with it."

"These are all based on experience. Wang Yuan, as the Imperial Guard Commander, I ask you, who specifically can be a general?"

"The Deputy Commander of the Right Wing, Liu Zhengyan, is in the camp. Miao Fu, Yang Yizhong, and Liu Yan are either from families of generals or experienced veterans. They can all assist and follow."

"But if that's the case, wouldn't the mobile government be without troops?"

"Indeed, a noble son should not sit under a leaning eave. In the current chaos, if the elite troops of the mobile government are all sent out, I fear that a few hundred pirates and bandits could destroy the Song Dynasty! We must guard against dangers close at hand!"

"This is also the view of experienced elders, but what should we do then?"

"Previously, in order to ensure the safety of both flanks, Imperial Commissioner Liu Guangshi, Rear Army Commander Zhang Jun, and Left Army Commander Han Shizhong were all suppressing bandits in the eastern Shandong areas, not far from here, and they have had many captures and surrenders. In this case, why doesn't the mobile government pause here, and then summon one or two of them to come here for protection? First, it can strengthen the Imperial Guard. Second, it is also necessary to use the seizures to encourage the accompanying civil and military officials. Third, the generals should also be rewarded... and when their troops arrive, then send the elite troops here to suppress bandits, which also shows a sense of fairness."

"This is also the view of experienced elders."

The Senior Vice President of the Department of State Affairs and Deputy Chief of the Chancellery, which is commonly known as the Prime Minister Li Gang, stood apart from the other ministers, and upon hearing this, he pondered for a moment before nodding heavily. "But eastern Shandong is an important place, and cannot be without defense. I have urgently summoned Zhang Suo to go to Shandong to establish a Defense Command, but he was previously demoted to Guangnan, and I fear that he is still on his way back... Academician Yuwen, you come from Qingzhou, do you know who there can be a general?"

The person being asked was Yuwen Xuzhong, a Grand Academician of the Zizheng Palace. During the Jingkang years, he was responsible for negotiating peace with the Jin people, so he was demoted to Qingzhou when Li Gang first took office. However, after Huang Qianshan fell, Zhao Jiu urgently needed to establish a politically prestigious secretariat, and he was returned to the mobile government because of Zhang Jun's recommendation.

And this person, upon hearing Li Gang's question, first pondered for a moment, but then smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"Prime Minister Li is overthinking it. Among the generals, the only one with the qualifications, rank, and prestige is Liu Guangshi alone, and although Liu Guangshi is not good at fighting, he is good at pacifying and raising troops. It is the best choice for stabilizing the situation and waiting for Commander Zhang."

Li Gang, who was over forty years old and four or five years younger than Yuwen Xuzhong, was slightly plump and energetic. At this time, he was holding his belt, which made him look very elegant. His voice was loud and clear, shaking the beams of the small temple in the miniature temple which was acting as the conference hall:

"That's right, I also believe that Liu Guangshi can be temporarily stationed in eastern Shandong to assist Zhang Suo!"

Having said this, he did not ask Wang Boyan, the Assistant Administrator of the Privy Council, but turned back to look at the other person who had been acting as if he was invisible: "What does Your Majesty think?"

Emperor Zhao, also known as Zhao Jiu, who was sitting below the Buddha statue, acting like a wooden sculpture along with the Buddha, finally reacted upon hearing this, nodding incessantly and then saying the sentence he had been saying the most recently:

"I will do as Prime Minister Li says!"

Li Gang was extremely satisfied. Since his return, the Emperor's performance had been truly impeccable.

However, unlike in the past, Emperor Zhao, who should have continued to be a wooden sculpture, took the opportunity to ask a further question: "So, does that mean we will summon Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun here?"

Li Gang paused slightly, then shook his head: "There is no need for both of them to come here... Huai East is also not peaceful now, why not send a division to the area of Shouchun as a flank? Those who come to the mobile government are only here for temporary protection. When the Imperial Right Army has made achievements and grown stronger from their seizures, veterans like Zhang and Han will have to be sent out again, either to suppress rebellions or to garrison important front lines."

"Then let Zhang Jun go to Shouchun!" Zhao Jiu suddenly said again. "Let Han Shizhong come here."

Li Gang felt confused, but he would not create conflict with such an obedient emperor over such a minor matter, so he nodded in agreement. This Imperial Court-Buddha Hall-Conference Hall meeting also ended successfully.

It can only be said that after Li Gang arrived, the Emperor's life was so uneventful and ordinary.

With the major matters decided, the Prime Minister Li went to busy himself with minor matters, and the Emperor Zhao, who had become idle again, strolled out of the Buddha Hall under the protection of Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan to wander around.

And when Zhao Jiu found a high place next to the temple and looked into the distance, intending to admire the scenery of the Ying River, he unexpectedly caught sight of a small market town four or five *li* away.

"That is..."

"That is Jiegou Town." Yang Yizhong seemed to know everything. "It is named because it is located at the junction of Chen Prefecture and Shunchang Prefecture (originally named Yingzhou, later Fuyang)... It is next to the Ying River and has a ferry, so it is quite prosperous."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly. Although he was extremely curious, he only tiptoed and looked into the distance, and had no intention of going there... For no other reason than that the mobile government had previously stopped at Mingdao Palace, and now stopped at a temple in the wilderness, both with the intention of preventing harassment of the people, and to prevent the people from hearing rumors and causing riots and impacting the mobile government.

It can only be said that the thousands of soldiers, hundreds of officials, and their families of the mobile government inevitably caused disturbances to the local area, but being farther away was better than nothing.

In this way, Emperor Zhao tiptoed on the small slope and watched for a long time, only roughly feeling that it was indeed crowded with people and quite lively, but it was ultimately vague, and he could not help but shake his head.

"Your Majesty need not worry." Yang Yizhong said with a smile at the side. "If there were no Jin people, the world would still be in a prosperous age, and this place would not have been attacked by bandits, so naturally it is truly prosperous and lively... Even the market towns we passed on the road, although Your Majesty was in the carriage and had difficulty seeing them in detail, the buildings on the road and the clothing of the pedestrians cannot be faked."

Emperor Zhao gave a dry laugh, then nodded and was about to turn around and go down. However, just as he stepped down the small slope, Emperor Zhao suddenly turned his head:

"Zhengfu (Yang Yizhong), Pingfu (Liu Yan), do you know how many people there are in the Great Song?"

Yang and Liu looked at each other and blurted out almost simultaneously:

"One hundred and twenty million!"

"That many?" Zhao Jiu couldn't help but be stunned.

"Your Majesty, this is what was recorded in the imperial census three years ago." Yang Yizhong bowed his head and carefully replied. "Anyone with the heart knows this."

"What about now?" Zhao Jiu asked absentmindedly.

Yang and Liu looked at each other again, but neither had a definite answer.

"When the world is settled, how many will there be left?" Zhao Jiu asked again.

But Yang and Liu could only lower their heads in silence.

"Let's go for a walk. We won't cause trouble for Prime Minister Li, so we won't go to Jiegou Town. We'll just take a look in the surrounding countryside." Zhao Jiu sighed, then readjusted his mood, smiled slightly, and seemed to have finally been unable to suppress his curiosity and was going to learn from the wise monarchs of ancient times and inquire about the customs of the people.