That day, the Zhao Emperor used a series of clever strategies – drawing the enemy from the base, borrowing strength to attack, killing two birds with one stone… well, in short, he easily resolved the powerful 'Shouzhou Faction' issue with the help of Li Gang, the Duke of Xiang, who was far away in Yangzhou. He then finalized the establishment of Nanyang as the secondary capital. Following that, he swiftly settled many important matters in the space of an incense stick's burning time, leaving everyone caught off guard and secretly impressed.

One could say that, under the original system, the Zhao Song Emperor already possessed considerable power. In times of chaos, a Zhao Song Emperor capable of winning battles became even more unchecked.

However, what caught people even more off guard was Wanyan Wushu.

Contrary to expectations, the Jin army did not retaliate in any way. According to scouts, just as Zhao Jiu was holding a meeting at Mount Bagong, the Fourth Prince of Jin, having gathered all his troops, quickly crossed the Wo River and led his entire army north.

Wasn't he afraid of chafing his ass with such a hurried march?

With Jin Wushu gone, Zhang Jun, the newly appointed Dingjiang Military Commissioner and Commander of the Imperial Right Army, concurrently appointed as Pacification Commissioner of the five prefectures of Huaidong, joined forces with Zhang Suo, Academician of the Dragon Pavilion and Pacification Commissioner of the two circuits of Jingdong, and marched north. Their aim was to recover lost territories while cautiously monitoring Jin Wushu's retreat. Accompanying them were Xin Daizong's troops, the third of the Xin brothers, as well as some officials and their families from the two circuits of Jingdong who had been lingering in Shouzhou. As a result, the area around Mount Bagong became largely deserted!

A few days later, seeing that the Jin army was heading north without stopping, and then turned from Xuzhou to Yanzhou at the foot of Mount Tai, with less than 20,000 cavalry in total, carefully reorganized, they crossed the passage east of Mount Tai. Neither Zhang Suo and Zhang Jun, trailing far behind, nor Yue Fei, who had just received orders to garrison in Jizhou, dared to provoke such a large and well-disciplined cavalry force, knowing their own limited strength and combat capabilities. Instead, they carefully guarded against them, monitoring their passage through this strategic choke point and their return to Jinan Prefecture in the occupied territories along the Yellow River.

Upon receiving the news, the Zhao Emperor did not delay any further. He immediately issued an edict, leading the Imperial Army, which he had been diligently reorganizing, to move upstream along the Huai River towards Nanyang.

Among them, Han Shizhong, Military Commissioner of Wucheng, Commander of the Imperial Left Army, and Pacification Commissioner of the four prefectures of Huaixi, led the Imperial Left Army (essentially the so-called Han Family Army) of about 8,000 men, marching north of the Huai River.

Wang De, the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Imperial Central Army, temporarily commanded Qiao Zhongfu, Fu Qing, Zhang Jing, and Xin Xingzong, with about 12,000 troops, marching south of the Huai River.

Then, the Imperial Bodyguards and the small detachment of Huyan Tong escorted the Emperor, the civil and military officials of the mobile government, some officials' families, and a small number of lightly wounded soldiers, directly embarking on ships from the Huai River, heading west.

Of course, in the midst of all this, there were also various inevitable trivial matters, such as Han Shizhong detaching troops to the lower reaches to retrieve his personal belongings and his soldiers' families, the naval commanders being unhappy about the transfer of most of the sailboats to Zhang Jun, Wang De's appointment as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Central Army causing dissatisfaction among some generals, Zhang Que, the Associate Administrator of the Secretarial Council, falling ill as soon as he set out and stopping in Chuzhou… and so on.

However, at this juncture, as some secretly commented, the Emperor held great power, the morale of the soldiers and civilians of Huainan was greatly boosted, and the generals, having experienced this battle, all submitted to the central authority. The alarming situation where even the slightest disturbance could trigger a crisis for the mobile government was long gone.

Therefore, these trivial matters had no impact on the westward journey of the mobile government.

On the fourteenth day of the second month, the expedition officially set out, with the Zhao Emperor aboard one of the specially retained sailing ships. The three routes, land north, land south, and water, moved west in a grand and imposing manner. On the fifteenth day of the second month, the Zhao Emperor himself easily crossed Mount Xieshi by water and arrived at Nanfei Estuary, where he paused to wait for the troops traveling around the mountainous areas on the north and south routes to converge.

"Does Your Majesty wish to rest ashore for a while?"

Speaking from the bow of the ferry was Feng Yi, the Deputy Director of the Palace Attendants Bureau, a former member of the Prince Kang's household and now in charge of the Imperial Pharmacy. He had been sent out to serve Li Gang and Consort Pan in Yangzhou. After returning, Zhao Jiu did not allow these people to go to Mount Bagong at will, and so he stayed in Shouchun on the banks of the Nanfei River. Now, he had returned with another minister of the Eastern Depot, Xu Jingheng, and took over the routine internal affairs of the palace.

The Emperor he referred to was naturally Zhao Jiu, who had just finished receiving Minister Xu Jingheng and came out to the bow of the ship for some fresh air.

"To inform Your Majesty," Feng, seeing the Emperor's puzzled look, eagerly explained. "Shouchun, south of this place, was originally a large port. Due to the Battle of Mount Bagong, the north-south passage there was blocked by the army, and this place naturally became a vital passage connecting north and south, vaguely transforming into a market. Minister Xu even took the opportunity to set up official ferries, rice outlets, and tea and salt offices here… When I returned from there, I knew that although the market behind the ferry was small, it gathered countless novel and miscellaneous goods from both north and south. There were also singing and dancing halls and taverns, which were extremely lively. Even the civil and military officials and soldiers of the mobile government went down to take the opportunity to make purchases. Why doesn't Your Majesty rest ashore for a while to relieve the fatigue of the journey?"

Standing on the bow of the only sailing ship, Zhao Jiu looked south upon hearing this, and indeed saw that the ferry market, which had been quiet due to the arrival of the army on the river and the prime minister on the shore, had gradually opened up in the afternoon of spring. There was a faint clamor, and he was momentarily moved.

However, after thinking for a moment, he slowly shook his head: "Forget it, if I go up, I don't know what kind of trouble it will cause. It's fine on the ship."

Feng carefully agreed, naturally not daring to say more. Lan Gui couldn't help but curl his lips secretly, only Yang Yizhong seemed thoughtful, but didn't say much.

However, despite what he said, Zhao Jiu was extremely bored on the ship. He first went back to his cabin to write a few notes, then sent someone to urge Zhang Jun to send imperial censors to inspect both banks and receive the left and right wings of the Imperial Army to prevent the army from disturbing the people. Then he walked around the ship's rails a few times, shot dead a wild duck that dared to swim in front of the imperial carriage, and finally, having nothing to do, he took a nap in the sleepy atmosphere of the spring afternoon.

But after sleeping for only a short time, the Emperor was awakened by the extreme temperature difference between day and night in spring.

However, this time, Zhao Jiu finally had a different kind of mentality. He turned to the stern of the ship and looked thoughtfully at Mount Xieshi, which was lush with flowers and trees to the east… For no other reason than that the Zhao Emperor had just dreamed of Zhang Yongzhen again, and naturally remembered the thousands of corpses left on Mount Bagong.

Being an engineer, Zhao Jiu had a bit of straight male rationality. He knew that the dead could not be brought back to life, that there would inevitably be sacrifices in war, and that in the future there would be more people like Zhang Yongzhen and the thousands of soldiers who died in battle who would never return to their hometowns.

And as things stood, this was the best solution with the fewest deaths.

However, although this was true, and the reasoning was clear, and the Zhao Emperor himself acted decisively without any sentimentality, he still felt a little sentimental as he was about to travel far away.

As the sun gradually set and the sky darkened, the market town in the distance was already lit with scattered lights. The accompanying ships also had plenty of lighting because the southeast had been supplying the Mount Bagong camp with all its might. Even some of the soldiers who had landed and set up camp to protect the river began to light bonfires to cook food.

The bright moon rose, and on the river and below, there were stars everywhere.

Dinner was prepared, but Zhao Jiu still had no appetite to eat. He just kept looking at the mountain, and the people around him guessed what he was thinking, and didn't dare to disturb him… until there was a sudden commotion on the river, because something had happened, causing the people on the big ship that had lowered its sails to rush to one side, and then countless soldiers, holding torches, rowed over quickly in small boats, surrounding the starboard side of the ship.

Being a man who had been on the battlefield, Zhao Jiu calmly went to see what was happening after being awakened, and then he couldn't help but smile.

It turned out that just now, two cargo ships, neither too big nor too small, had come downstream from upstream. Perhaps because it was dark, they had come all the way to the ship carrying Zhao Jiu and the three prime ministers, and only after talking to the people on board did they arouse the vigilance of the guards, which then caused such a commotion.

The two boat owners and several boatmen were pitifully overwhelmed by countless soldiers, tied up, and thrown onto the big ship. Hearing about the Emperor, the Prime Minister, and guarding the Emperor, and seeing countless armored soldiers surrounding them, they were so frightened that they could hardly speak.

After a while, when the three prime ministers came out, one of the boat owners, a young and shrewd man, finally understood what was going on, and quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy. According to him, the two of them were brothers-in-law, both merchants from upstream. They heard that Mount Bagong had won a great victory, and the north and south were open, and this place was lively, so they loaded their goods to sell.

However, they didn't come by accident because it was dark, but because they saw a big ship parked here from afar, and thought it must be a nobleman, so they came to the ship to see if they could sell their goods here.

"So that's how it is, let them go!"

Zhao Jiu had already guessed what was going on, but was waiting for everyone to calm down. When he saw that one of the boat owners had regained his senses, he simply gave the order.

The people around him, from the three prime ministers down, all agreed, seemingly not caring about this episode.

However, just as the more astute boat owner kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude, preparing to leave with his terrified companion and boatmen to take refuge ashore, Zhao Jiu's heart stirred, and he casually asked: "Boatmen, what goods are you carrying on your ships?"

"To inform the Zhao Emperor, it's just two ships of oranges, which should be offered to the Emperor!" The shrewd boat owner was startled, and suddenly realized what was happening, and kowtowed again on the deck.

"How can I want you to contribute?" Zhao Jiu couldn't help but smile, but then asked again. "Are there still oranges at this time? I ate a lot of oranges on Mount Bagong, but I only ate them until the end of the first month."

"To inform Your Majesty," the other boat owner, who was slightly older but a little timid, gradually regained his senses, and dared to secretly look at Zhao Jiu's face under the torch, and then said as simply as pouring beans from a bamboo tube. "My brother-in-law and I have a secret recipe. We take the best oranges from the south that ripen in early winter, transport them home, put them in wooden frames, cover them with pine branches, arrange them loosely, and place them in a ventilated cellar. We replace the fresh pine branches every day, so that the oranges can be kept fresh for a month longer than other people's."

Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly: "In that case, you earn a lot more than other merchants."

"It should be like what Your Majesty said!" The older merchant, who had been slightly timid before, didn't see his brother-in-law's expression at all, and actually patted his thigh in public, complaining in the Huaixi dialect in front of the Emperor and the three prime ministers. "Isn't it because of the chaos of the Jingkang era? I heard that the two Emperors have gone hunting in the north. And the official Ding who was in charge of us before was recruited, but he's still the same. We didn't dare to ship the goods at will, so the oranges that should have been cleared out last year haven't gone out this year. That's why, taking advantage of official Ding's withdrawal a few days ago, we quickly prepared two big ships, cleared out our stock, and prepared to sell them in Shouchun, never expecting to see the Emperor!"

Zhao Jiu seemed thoughtful, but then smiled slightly: "In that case, I've delayed you from selling oranges…"

"Don't dare to say that!" At this point, the young and shrewd merchant couldn't bear it any longer, and directly grabbed his brother-in-law, kowtowing again. "My brother-in-law is ignorant and talks nonsense. Your Majesty, please don't mind."

"It's okay," Zhao Jiu smiled even more, but said softly to the older merchant. "Your two ships of oranges should have several thousand, right? How much does it cost per pound? If I buy the whole ship, can it be a little cheaper?"

At this time, the older merchant also realized what was happening, and looked at his brother-in-law with a slightly flustered expression.

Zhao Jiu didn't care at all, but sent someone to the market on the shore to ask unrelated merchants about the market price of oranges in the spring of previous years, and asked about the number of oranges… about six or seven thousand, far exceeding the number of soldiers… then he asked Lan Gui to take the money and give it to the two merchants, and also asked the two merchants to help the soldiers come in teams to get the oranges by boat, according to the number of two per person, and distribute them to the guards and Huyan Tong's troops on the shore and on the ships, and then hand over the remaining oranges.

As soon as this order was given, there were many people in the surrounding army who were trying to please the Emperor, directly spreading the word in the ship, saying that the Emperor was going to treat everyone to oranges. Soon, before many oranges were distributed, someone took the lead to row a boat over, holding the oranges directly towards the big ship, saying thank you for the Emperor's reward.

In response, Zhao Jiu simply sat down on the bow of the ship, and had someone hang a lantern on the bow to illuminate him, and while peeling oranges, he nodded to the generals who came to thank him.

The three prime ministers looked at each other, and didn't know what to say.

On the contrary, Lu Haowen and Wang Boyan were somewhat familiar with the Emperor's willful attitude, and seeing this, they simply each took an orange, thanked the Emperor, and then sat calmly on the bow of the ship and ate them slowly… In the end, Xu Jingheng, who was always serious, could only step forward, sit down awkwardly, and eat oranges.

The oranges were distributed layer by layer. The soldiers and the civil and military officials of the mobile government, added together, were only about two thousand people, so they were distributed in a short time, but there were still many left. Zhao Jiu was about to order the remaining oranges to be given to the families of the accompanying civil and military officials, but he suddenly heard a commotion on the shore, because the news had spread from the river, causing the nearby residents to come to the ferry to find Zhao Jiu, asking the Emperor to reward them with oranges to bring good luck this year.

Zhao Jiu naturally had nothing to say, and waved his hand again, putting half of the remaining oranges on the ferry on the south bank for distribution, so that everyone, old and young, could receive one.

However, oranges were just ordinary fruits, not precious in Huainan. Everyone was just joining in the fun to see Zhao Jiu, and many people didn't eat them at all after receiving them, but kept them in their arms, preparing to use them to ask for a reward.

Therefore, in a short while, Zhao Jiu finished his performance and was about to get up to have a proper meal, but as soon as he looked up, he saw a bright moon overhead, clean and white, hanging on Mount Xieshi in front of him, like a bright light hanging high, and reflecting on the river below, his heart stirred again, and he sat back down. Then, on the river and below, everyone saw the Emperor sitting on the bow of the ship again take an orange, carefully peel off half of it, push out the orange segments from below, then open the lantern next to him, take out the remaining candle that was about to burn out, put it in the orange, and then got up again, going to the ship's rail in public.

Everyone understood, and Feng Yi quickly called for a small boat to respond, letting Yang Yizhong help the Emperor carefully down the gangplank onto the small boat, and then put the orange lantern on the Huai River, letting it drift with the current towards Mount Xieshi in the east.

Speaking of which, such an act was actually quite wasteful on the road, because one lamp was fine, but at this time, the Emperor was doing this under the gaze of everyone, which would probably lead to imitation, wasting the mobile government's storage for nothing. Therefore, the three prime ministers and other key officials of the mobile government who had heard the news all frowned secretly.

However, Zhao Jiu, having put the lantern on the river, returned to the big ship, but looked east at the drifting starlight and sighed: "I came in a hurry, and didn't wait for the Mount Bagong Cemetery to be completed for sacrifice. A little bit of light, let it be a tribute to the souls of the fallen soldiers."

The surrounding civil and military officials, from the three prime ministers down, all became solemn.

Soon, the surrounding soldiers and people on the shore, whether they heard these words and knew that the Emperor was sacrificing to the fallen soldiers of Mount Bagong, or didn't know why, and thought that the Emperor was enjoying himself with the people, all imitated him… Those who hadn't eaten the oranges naturally did so, and those who had eaten them borrowed them from others. Those who had candles used candles, those who didn't have candles put some oil in them, stuffed some messy wicks, and even those who couldn't find oil simply put some dry pine branches in them, lit them, and pushed them into the water.

In the end, even Yang Yizhong, who was always steady, ran down in person and released a few orange lanterns in front of the Emperor, and also threw something into the river.

In short, in just a moment, there were thousands of streams of light, scattered like stars, swaying east along the Huai River, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, like a dream.

After waiting for a while, seeing that the streams of light gradually disappeared, and only the bright moon was above, many of the civil servants and poets who had previously felt that the Emperor was wasting things, on the contrary, felt lost, and a few even remembered the past before the Jingkang era, feeling as if they were in a dream, so much so that they covered their faces and cried secretly, forming a sharp contrast with the still excited people on the shore.

As for Zhao Jiu, the Zhao Emperor, at this time, he felt completely calm in his heart, and didn't think too much about it. He simply picked up a big orange, put it in his arms, and turned to the cabin to eat.

As the saying goes: The snow washes away the dust of the invaders, and the wind gathers the clouds of Chu to stay.

Who will write of the tragic, night crossing into the city tower?

A lifetime of heroic spirit on lakes and seas, the scenery of rivers and mountains today, sit upright and wait for the celebration wine.

Fortunately, where the cranes cry, the general uproots the invaders.

Remember the past, Zhou and Xie, rich in youth.

Little Qiao just married, the sachet is not untied, the meritorious service is still carefree.

The setting sun on the cliffs of Chibi, the bright moon on the ferry of the Fei River, faintly calling people to sorrow.

I want to ride the wind away, and see the floating light flow again.

End of this volume.