Chapter 11 The Grand Assembly

The grand court assembly that kicked off November left a complete mess in its wake. One of the nine ministers of the Secret Pavilion, and likely the one with the most practical authority, had gone directly from presiding over the trial to being a co-defendant. It was truly astonishing.

At this moment, the Zhao Emperor, after his outburst of anger, had abruptly departed, setting off on an inspection tour of the river defenses.

Some believed that the Emperor was deliberately avoiding the trial proceedings, sidestepping the Imperial Concubine's pleas for leniency, and reducing unnecessary complications. Others said it was an indication that the Emperor wanted the Ministry of Justice to act decisively, severely, and swiftly. Still others were concerned about the relationship between the Imperial Guards and food deliveries… But regardless, the Zhao Emperor's decision to inspect the river defenses was unwavering and decisively implemented.

He announced it one day and left the next, without any discussion.

It must be noted that there had been intermittent snowfall in recent days, although it hadn't accumulated, it had created some muddy conditions, and freezing temperatures overnight made the roads quite treacherous… But the Zhao Emperor still set out.

Moreover, the Emperor didn't bring many people with him on this trip. He departed directly with a thousand soldiers and four or five attendants.

Of the thousand soldiers, five hundred were from the Imperial Guards, and five hundred were cavalry from Yue Tai's great camp.

The highest-ranking attendant was Liu Hongdao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Director of Waterways. Below him were Fan Zongyin, a Hanlin Academician, Lu Benzhong, recently promoted to Academician, Ren Baozhong, a Pavilion Gate Attendant, and Yu Yunwen, a Court Recorder in charge of military statistics.

He truly disregarded everything and left without hesitation.

After leaving Yue Tai, this group traveled northwest along the Bian River, first arriving at the important river town of Heyin… This place was both the location of the Biankou and the site of the Imperial Navy's shipyard. It could be said that starting the river defense inspection here was reasonable.

Returning to the present, as they approached Heyin, Zhang Rong, the commander of the Imperial Navy, had arrived early to welcome them. The Zhao Emperor, as always, acted with integrity, put aside his status, and directly entered the shipyard with him, arm in arm. Once inside, the Emperor feigned a thorough inspection of the ships under construction before leaving the dry dock and heading to the military camp.

As an aside, the technology of dry docks had become famous throughout the world during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, when they were used to successfully repair a huge warship in Jinming Pool, and were subsequently widely adopted.

As for shipbuilding technology itself, whether for ocean-going vessels or inland riverboats, the Song Dynasty was basically a world leader. After all, in another timeline, Zhong Xiang and Yang Mo's uprising lasted for five or six years, and in the later stages, even the Dongting Lake rebels were able to manufacture various sizes of paddlewheel ships on a large scale, demonstrating the maturity of the relevant technology.

Given the current situation, the Song army, having burned Xiao Wu Sao at the start and controlled the river defenses, had no reason to abandon these excellent naval technologies.

However, according to intelligence reports, the Jurchens, after suffering several defeats, were like how they supported the Qingzhou pirates previously, they were scouring Hebei for relevant craftsmen, vaguely intending to establish their own dockyards and fleets along the old course of the Yellow River.

Of course, this was not the time to discuss these matters.

The Zhao Emperor left the dockyard and entered the military camp, which was integrated with the shipyard. He couldn't avoid adding an impromptu lunch, using pigs and sheep purchased from Zhengzhou in the south as a reward. Everyone from the Imperial regular soldiers to the shipyard craftsmen and laborers, including the Zhao Emperor himself, received a bowl of meat and half a cup of wine.

In the afternoon, the Emperor personally inspected the winter fabrics that had been distributed to the Imperial Navy the previous month. He spent over an hour carefully examining them. Then, taking advantage of the warm winter sun, he turned towards the river and personally ascended the embankment, inspecting the dikes, fortifications, and river conditions.

It could only be said that having been Emperor for so long, his ability to feign knowledge had become quite polished. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Zhao Jiu truly understood these things.

"Commander Zhang, I've reviewed the Ministry of War's documents, and there's intelligence hinting that the Jurchens also have a dry dock in Daming Prefecture? And they're going to build paddlewheel ships?" The one asking was Liu Hongdao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Director of Waterways.

As a senior official, Liu Hongdao's entry into the capital this time was noticeably lower-profile than other high-ranking officials from the provinces, and even hinted at being sidelined. He himself was initially somewhat disgruntled, but endured it because he wanted to enter the central government, gain a Secret Pavilion position, and be closer to his recently recovered hometown.

But now, following the Zhao Emperor here and considering his two positions, how could Liu Hongdao not realize that the Emperor clearly had some specific plans for him? The combination of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Director of Waterways might very well lead to great achievements, and it was very likely that the Zhao Emperor was making some overall arrangements for a future northern expedition.

Therefore, after leaving Yue Tai, Minister Liu became increasingly attentive. He took the initiative to handle many administrative matters along the way, leaving the three inner officials, Fan Zongyin, Lu Benzhong, and Ren Baozhong, feeling somewhat out of sorts… Lu Benzhong simply became the one who read the official gazettes to the Emperor every day.

"There is such a thing."

Zhang Rong, wearing an Imperial cotton robe he had acquired last month, stood there with his hands respectfully folded, exhaling a stream of white air as he spoke. "The Jurchen dogs learn from their mistakes. They've placed the dockyard behind Daming Prefecture, making it really difficult to deal with. But, if I… if I'm being honest, it's actually a good thing that the Jurchens are putting their efforts into building paddlewheel ships."

"Oh?" Liu Hongdao became even more serious.

"The reasoning is this." Zhang Rong furrowed his brows as he explained. "Minister Liu, think about it, even if they have paddlewheel ships, where are they going to find water warfare experts as skilled as ours? Archers are accurate on land, but it's a different story on a ship. And then there's the operation of large and small paddlewheel ships. The big ships require dozens, even hundreds of laborers to tread the wheels. How do you coordinate them, how do you ensure they move in unison? The big ships, the small ships, the retreating ships, the advancing ships, there's a whole method to it… A newly formed navy is no match for us!"

"What if the Jurchens have more ships? I'm from Qingzhou, and since I was a child, I've heard people say that in naval battles, no matter how skilled the sailors are, they can't compare to having more and bigger ships…" Liu Hongdao remained serious.

"Minister Liu, put your mind at ease." Zhang Rong still answered readily. "What you said is absolutely right, but that's at sea. This is the Yellow River. The sea is boundless, and the waves are huge. In that kind of environment, if people lose their ship, how can they survive? Isn't it true that more ships win over fewer ships, and bigger ships win over smaller ships? But the Yellow River, Minister Liu, take a look for yourself. It's just this wide. The old river mouth over there isn't even this wide. In this situation, even if the Jurchens hoard a whole nest of paddlewheel ships, I'm confident that the Imperial Navy can take them down for the Emperor on the river."

Liu Hongdao gazed at the golden, shimmering surface of the river and realized the point early, nodding in agreement along with those around him.

Zhao Jiu, likewise, looked at the glistening river surface under the afternoon sun. While nodding, he continued to inquire seriously, "Regardless of this matter, what other difficulties do you have, Commander Zhang? The reason I came out this time is to set aside the surface appearances and understand the military situation from all angles… Some things may not seem to affect the war now, but what about in a year or two, or three or five? Whatever thoughts you have, Zhang Qing, no matter what they are, feel free to speak them."

"Not to deceive the Emperor, I… your subject, actually does have some thoughts. For example, even though I'm used to it, I still think it's terribly hard work for the people along the river to break the ice in winter." Zhang Rong listened attentively and then quickly folded his sleeves and spoke earnestly. But perhaps he felt that the posture was a little awkward, so after saying a few words, he actually lowered them again. "Hundreds or thousands of *li*, they have to break the ice, and usually every day. After breaking it for many days, who knows, one day it'll suddenly get cold, freeze overnight, and the Jurchens can still come to harass us."

"That can't be helped."

Before Zhao Jiu could speak, Liu Hongdao immediately interjected. This time, it wasn't that he wanted to show off, but because the winter ice breaking had always been a regular winter corvée labor initiated by the Director of Waterways in the name of river management. "In my opinion, breaking the ice and not breaking the ice are not the same at all… If we don't break the ice, the ice layer will get thicker every day, and the Jurchens can prepare in advance. After preparing properly, they can directly launch a large-scale attack. But if we break the ice, even if the ice suddenly gets thick, the Jurchens can only take the opportunity to harass us. Moreover, if we break the ice every day and it still freezes overnight, it can only mean that those few days are exceptionally cold, and under such extreme cold, even if the Jurchens harass us, their strength will be insufficient."

"Of course I understand that reasoning." Zhang Rong shook his head repeatedly. "It just feels like the people along the river have an extra corvée labor for no reason. In the middle of winter, they even get to watch fewer *cuju* matches than others. It's difficult for them…"

"The people are indeed working hard, but right now, in the north, south, east, and west, where isn't it hard work?" Liu Hongdao, hearing this, actually disagreed and even became somewhat agitated. "Along the river, they have to break the ice, and in the south, they have to increase taxes. In Ba and Shu, they're even prepaying taxes, almost emptying their families' savings, damaging their very core… And speaking of corvée labor, there was a lot of corvée labor in the south during the suppression of the rebellion, and it's only decreased since last year. Even if we don't talk about the south, just the north, the corvée labor in Guanxi is the heaviest, because the main battlefields of the recent years have been in Guanxi! Doesn't Commander Zhang know that the Emperor mobilized 100,000 corvée laborers in Hedong before?!"

This came so unexpectedly that just as many people thought Zhang Rong was about to become angry out of embarrassment, this commissioner of the military, who came from a bandit background, was not angry at all. On the contrary, after listening carefully, he nodded seriously: "Minister Liu is right. I only look at the things in front of me and haven't thought about how things are even more difficult elsewhere."

Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, then asked again, "I remember that the ice breaking started as soon as I returned to Tokyo. Has the complaining always been this loud, or has it gradually gotten louder over time? Are people complaining everywhere along the lower reaches of the river, or is it inconsistent from place to place?"

Zhang Rong was somewhat baffled by the question. He lowered his head and thought for a long time before answering seriously, "This question from the Emperor, it really is… It's that the people complaining have gradually increased in recent years. Then those around the river near Tokyo complain the loudest, while those above Luoyang and below Shaoxing complain less."

"This is because the situation has stabilized somewhat, and some people have forgotten the Jurchens' barbarity, so they've gradually become impatient with enduring hardship," Lu Benzhong finally interjected.

Zhao Jiu sighed inwardly, but there was no extra reaction on his face, and he simply nodded slightly:

"There's some of that meaning, but it's also because the Tokyo economy has recovered and prices have risen, making the money and grain in the surrounding areas less valuable, especially in the winter. The people along the river break the ice every day, delaying how many opportunities they have to do odd jobs in the city during the agricultural off-season. Naturally, they'll feel resentment… However, the ice breaking still has to be done. There's no way around it. Besides, once the northern expedition succeeds, this matter will also disappear… Of course, speaking of this matter, I've had another idea."

As he said this, Zhao Jiu glanced at Liu Yan, who understood. The Imperial Guards also proactively placed their hands on their swords and lined up, 'pushing' some of the local officials and low-ranking naval officers who had been following along 'back'.

The ministers near the Zhao Emperor, including Liu Hongdao, immediately stood respectfully. Zhang Rong paused for a moment, looked at the reactions of the people around him, and quickly clasped his hands and stood up.

"What I mean is, we can make some preparations in advance. If it suddenly freezes over, we can do the opposite and cross the river to stab the Jurchens, using offense as defense…" Zhao Jiu instructed seriously. "We don't seek victory or spoils, only to disturb the other side and then return with our full force."

Hearing this, many people, including Liu Hongdao, were slightly startled, but they immediately understood. Even Zhang Rong knew that the Zhao Emperor's move was probably not for military gains, but because Zhang Zongyan had just suffered a defeat crossing the river and this was to boost morale.

With this thought in mind, everyone from Zhang Rong to Liu Hongdao expressed their support.

As expected, the Zhao Emperor led several people to discuss it further on the river embankment. In the end, he entrusted the overall power to coordinate this action to Liu Hongdao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Director of Waterways. He was to centrally coordinate the various units of the Imperial Guards, coordinate the selection of battlefields, and even have the power to make specific military material reserves.

The matter was decided like this, but what caught Zhang Rong off guard was that in the following days, the Zhao Emperor, despite having already completed the river inspection, showed no sign of moving. He simply sat idly in Heyin, actually waiting until the documents arrived from Tokyo stating that Yang Zheng had been sentenced to immediate execution, and that the Imperial Concubine's uncle and a judge of the Court of Judicial Review had been exiled… This seemed to confirm the notion that the Zhao Emperor had come out specifically to avoid the matter.

However, this view quickly disappeared because the Zhao Emperor, after personally approving these verdicts, still didn't move. In the dead of winter, the Emperor was actually just holed up with a few close ministers and a thousand soldiers in a military camp next to a shipyard?

He was really holed up, not even going to Zhengzhou, which was only a few dozen *li* away. The chancellors tentatively invited the Emperor to return to the capital, but he didn't agree, which made many people feel uneasy…

After all, no matter what they said, regardless of who was giving whom a face in the three major cases, the Emperor's trip to the northwest had destroyed Western Xia, subdued the Khitans and Mongols, and recovered many prefectures, right?

His power was increasing unabated, right?

Who was the ruler and who was the subject hadn't changed, right?

Under these circumstances, with the Zhao Emperor holed up by the river, like a tiger, only a hundred or so *li* from the capital, who could sleep soundly?

Finally, with the Emperor's unfathomable silence and waiting, the first person who couldn't take it anymore finally appeared.

On November 11th, a completely meaningless day, Zhang Rong, the Imperial Navy Commissioner, who was originally on his routine inspection tour downstream to Shaoxing, couldn't bear it any longer. That evening, he suddenly turned back and proactively sought an audience with the Emperor.

Although the Emperor had already taken off his shoes and was on the *kang*, he immediately chose to grant the audience.

"Your Majesty, I don't want to hide it from you, but I really can't stand it anymore. But after thinking it over, if I don't tell you, it would actually be a disservice, and also disloyal…" Zhang Rong said some inexplicable words as soon as he came in.

Hearing these words, the Zhao Emperor, who was lying on the *kang* listening to Lu Benzhong read the official gazette, simply waved his hand. The latter immediately understood, put down the gazette, and left with several armored soldiers.

Zhao Jiu sat up at this time, but he still didn't say anything. He simply patted the empty space on the *kang* where Lu Benzhong had just been sitting, indicating that the newly arrived Zhang should come and sit down. Throughout the entire process, there was no surprise, as if he had already guessed that the other party would return.

"As expected, Your Majesty knew long ago, as Scholar You said." Zhang Rong cleared the doorway and waited for Lu Benzhong to leave. Instinctively, he took a few steps forward, but he stopped halfway through and stopped five or six steps away from the *kang*, then sighed with his hands clasped. "I'm ashamed, so I won't sit down. Standing is fine."

"I know, but I also don't know." Zhao Jiu didn't make things difficult for the other party. And perhaps because he knew the other party's personality, his words were so frank as to be excessive. "Let me tell you the truth. I'm mainly in Heyin waiting for someone. I didn't come specifically for you…"

Zhang Rong was slightly stunned.

"But the first day I arrived here, I also knew that you, Commander Zhang, must be hiding something from me. Otherwise, with your boldness, why would you be so restrained when you saw me? When you were on the river embankment, you didn't even dare to put your hands on your hips? You must feel that you've made some mistakes!"

Zhao Jiu continued to smile as he spoke, while turning to drag a bamboo basket from the head of the *kang* in the camp. Under the lamplight, he rummaged through it and found an unopened envelope, which he opened in front of him. "So, these days, I've indeed had people carefully inspect the Imperial Navy, and I've received many relevant reports… The local officials around the various naval bases, and several of your subordinate commanders all have relevant documents… In addition, I also had your son-in-law lead people to secretly investigate the military, ask officers, soldiers, and accompanying *jinshi*, and even the surrounding military dependents and retired soldiers. Every aspect has been covered… But I didn't directly read these messages one by one. Instead, I had your son-in-law read them all first, and then had him summarize them for me, especially waiting for when you come to see me so that we can discuss them together… What do you say? Should Commander Zhang speak first, or should I speak first?"

Zhang Rong had already listened in stunned silence, but when he finally saw the Zhao Emperor take out a letter from his own son-in-law, he was completely ashamed. He simply clasped his hands and lowered his head. "No wonder my son-in-law didn't talk to me. I even scolded him for nothing, saying he was useless… Never mind, I'll speak first! Your Majesty, my biggest mistake is that the Vegetable Demons Cult arose in the Imperial Navy! But I couldn't bring myself to clean them out because of brotherhood! This is my biggest mistake, and it's the hurdle that I couldn't get over in my heart when I saw you these days!"

The Zhao Emperor, who had just been so calm and collected, was immediately stunned… The Liangshan heroes were infected by the Ming Cult? Wouldn't their combat power explode?

However, this absurd thought only lasted for a moment. The next moment, the Emperor hurriedly went to the lamplight to read Yu Yunwen's report, and sure enough, in the official gazette-style summary report, he saw words like 'First, the military is contaminated with the Ming Cult' at the top… He then sighed on the spot.

The Zhao Emperor had been in power for five or six years, and the Vegetable Demons Cult, or the Eating Vegetable Demons Cult, or the Ming Cult, or the Manichaean Cult… whatever its name… he had heard of it long ago. In fact, out of curiosity, he had learned about it quite thoroughly, but the problem was that the more he learned, the more complicated his feelings towards it became.

First of all, this thing had a long history. Over hundreds and thousands of years, its religious logic had become very complete, not inferior to those public sects, so it belonged to the kind that was impossible to cut off completely… In fact, some Taoist temples and Buddhist temples were ostensibly Buddhist or Taoist, but in reality, they were Ming Cults.

In a word, it had extremely strong vitality.

Secondly, it had a deep mass base. This thing emphasized group self-help, just like the Dongting Lake Great Sage. It had the flavor of grassroots insurance business. In fact, maybe what was at Dongting Lake was a variant of the Ming Cult… Anyway, as long as the people needed spiritual sustenance plus grassroots economic mutual assistance, it could immediately emerge, and in large numbers.

However, it was precisely because of its strong mass base, or rather its ability to organize and mobilize the masses, that it brought out the third obvious characteristic of the Ming Cult – a hotbed for riots and uprisings.

Not to mention anything else, just in this Great Song, the largest and most recent two large-scale uprisings, one farmers plus fishermen, one farmers plus urban handicraftsmen, one Jingxiang, one Southeast, one Zhong Xiang, one Fang La… were actually the same, all one routine. It could only be said that Fang La was much more revolutionary than Zhong Xiang.

"I know that the court is prohibiting the Eating Vegetable Demons Cult." Zhang Rong, seeing the Zhao Emperor's face change on the spot, became even more ashamed. "But when I discovered it, there were already hundreds of people, so it was a little difficult… Plus, they just eat vegetarian food and haven't delayed their work on the ships, so I really couldn't bring myself to take action!"

"Then just expel them!" Zhao Jiu said with a sigh while holding the letter.

"Don't we have to execute them all?" Zhang Rong was slightly stunned.

"We didn't execute the surrendered soldiers from Dongting Lake, and there are still people in the southeast who believe in this in entire villages and towns, so how could we execute them all?" Zhao Jiu said with a wry smile. "Just expel them, don't allow them to be soldiers! Scatter them, send them far away! Moreover, this Demons Cult is just a symptom, not the root cause… Whether it's the Demons Cult, Buddhism, or Taoism, the reason why so many people believe in them is that they have no sustenance in their hearts. And the Demons Cult is even more meaningful to small households with difficult lives and a lack of clan support. In the end, it's that the north suffered a chaotic period, and Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism didn't have the ability to be all-encompassing. It's also somewhat similar to what we said about breaking the ice the other day… But in any case, they can't stay in the military, especially in the Imperial Army! I absolutely can't tolerate it!"

Zhang Rong didn't understand half of what he said, but knowing that the Emperor wouldn't kill people, he was somewhat relieved. The hand that had been clasped in front of him also relaxed: "I have a good idea about this matter. Since the Emperor is so benevolent, I'll clean them up later, scatter them, and settle them in the villages along the river. I'll never let them collude again, and I won't let them enter the military again."

Zhao Jiu nodded, then shook his head: "Although the matter of the Eating Vegetable Demons Cult isn't essentially anyone's fault, but speaking of which, you're the only one where it's so openly revealed in the Imperial camps. There's a reason for that… Zhang Qing, you're loyal to your subordinates, and of course that's a good thing. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that military pay and materials can reach the hands of the people below as much as possible is enough for you to surpass most of the Imperial camp commanders. But being loyal, with the military as a self-contained unit, and being too protective of the people below is also a problem. I've only seen the first thing about the Eating Vegetable Demons Cult, but I can guess that there will definitely be claims of accompanying *jinshi* being squeezed out in the navy! Is there a claim that accompanying *jinshi* won't go on ships…?"

As he said this, without waiting for Zhang Rong to clasp his hands and admit his mistake again, Zhao Jiu went on to read, but he became irritable again, and then directly slapped Yu Yunwen's summary report on the case: "Zhang Qing, it says here that not only are the accompanying *jinshi* being squeezed out, but your loyalty also has a bigger problem, which is that you're more generous to officers and old brothers, and less generous to others. So that you don't embezzle military pay and supplies, but you don't do much about it when the officers below embezzle military pay and supplies… Is that how loyalty is used?"

Zhang Rong was incomparably embarrassed: "I also know that since I've joined the Imperial camp, I should abide by the law, but they say that all the other Imperial camps are like this, except that Pengju's brothers are a little better… I… your subject… Anyway, your subject is indeed wrong, and I've made things difficult for the Emperor again!"

"You're not making things difficult for me!" Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly. "I'm making things difficult for you… Back then, you were originally a hero of Liangshan Marsh, handling your own affairs, and when the country was in danger, you led the entire army to resist the Jin, and then you brought the entire Liangshan Marsh to guard the Yellow River for me. These actions are truly great righteousness, and I remember them in my heart… And the Imperial Navy is a self-contained system, and everyone above and below knows that you can get to this point, so what else can I say?"

"What are you saying?" Zhang Rong hurriedly stepped forward, waving his hands quickly. "These years, even without counting the paddlewheel ships in the outer dockyards, we've been eating millions of *guan* of money and grain from the court every year. Eating grain and doing work is one thing, but even if we talk about martial world loyalty, we should follow the Emperor's rules if we've joined the Emperor… There are some things that I'm really sorry for, Your Majesty!"

"It's from this principle that you haven't let me down. What you've let down is those people you've never met." Zhao Jiu also waved his hands on the bed. "Zhang Qing, the grain you eat and the pay you use are the taxes of those poor people you've never met. I'm just a big boss, collecting them and making a transfer! Just like when you were in Liangshan Marsh, the fishermen and the people around Dongping Prefecture gave you grain and fish, and you were just an intermediary, transferring them to the brothers under your command who were responsible for charging and fighting… Back then in Liangshan Marsh, it wasn't the Liangshan Marsh people who supported you, it wasn't Zhang Rong alone who used magic to conjure things up and support so many people, was it?"

Zhang Rong was completely stunned.

"Say the right things to the right people… The Jurchens are just tigers and wolves, so don't talk to them about benevolence, righteousness, and morality. Just show your swords and fists. If you're harder than them, they'll naturally be softer than you!"

"And those *jinshi* intellectuals like your son-in-law, who talk about great national righteousness and the principles of ruler and subject, then I'll tell them that the Two Rivers haven't been recovered and that I have national and personal grievances… Then they'll just have to work for me."

"And those military officials who came from the Western Army, who seek to have their wives ennobled and their descendants enjoy privileges, honor, and wealth, then I'll give them a commandery prince to do… But there are two military officials who are different from the others, one is you, and one is Yue Fei. There are different things to say to you two."

"It's not loyalty, or rather, it's not just loyalty. Of course, I know your loyalty, but this time it's not… Back then, when I was entrusting the orphans at the Yiyou Gate, I appointed four commanders, and everyone present was wondering why it was you, a bandit, and not Zhang Jun… At that time, I valued your loyalty, but this time it's not!"

"This time, putting you and Yue Fei together, and saying these things to you, is because you two are among the few generals who know the difficulties of the people, who are willing to think about things from the people's perspective! Qu Duan manages people's livelihoods well in the northwest, but it's not from the people's point of view, it's to maintain order… Only with you and Yue Fei can I talk to you about the principles of the people, and only to you two can I dare to talk about the principles of the people."

Having said this, Zhao Jiu was about to continue rambling on, but seeing Zhang Rong standing there in a daze, he felt somewhat unenthusiastic, so he simply stopped the words and got up to pick up Yu Yunwen's summary report, walked over barefoot, and directly stuffed it into the arms of Zhang Rong, who was still stunned:

"I won't read it, you take it back and find your Scholar You… Whether it's Scholar You or Secretary You, let him explain it to you! If that doesn't work, drag your son-in-law over and have him, the original author, explain it to you!"

Zhang Rong took the object and didn't know how to put on a show of ruler and subject knowing each other and being moved to tears, like other ministers. He simply bowed to the Zhao Emperor with his son-in-law's handwritten documents in his hands, and then walked out with his head lowered.

However, at the gate of the camp, this Liangshan hero who had almost saved the fate of the Great Song Dynasty in history turned back and asked seriously:

"Your Majesty! You, an Emperor, also know the difficulties of the people?"

Zhao Jiu was slightly stunned, then his nose tingled, but he managed to hold it back, and simply gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I've seen some when I was chased around by the Jurchens…"

Zhang Rong nodded and was about to leave, but he couldn't help but turn back and ask again: "Your Majesty, I had a narrow vision before, only looking at the people of Liangshan Marsh, not thinking about those in the south and Guanxi, let alone thinking about the principle of where the money and grain come from… I was lectured by Minister Liu that day, and lectured by Your Majesty today, and I'm convinced… But after being convinced, I still want to ask more, when will the difficulties of the people of the entire world be reduced?"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment and didn't reply.

"When we destroy the Jurchens?" Zhang Rong couldn't help but ask.

"If we destroy the Jurchens, it will definitely be much better." Zhao Jiu nodded.

"That's true." Zhang Rong also nodded, seemingly relieved. He finally turned around and left.

After Zhang Rong left, Zhao Jiu stood barefoot on the ground for a long time before turning around and getting back on the *kang*, then lying down on his back.

The Emperor was clear in his heart that this timely application of pressure had successfully brought Zhang Rong's semi-independent army back under control to a large extent. From the Emperor's point of view, it was undoubtedly a great victory… After all, what about the Manichaean Cult, what about taking care of the old brothers, don't forget one premise, which is that this army was originally a peasant army built by Zhang Rong single-handedly, and it had its own internal system. This army was still more surname Zhang than anything else.

As for the private interests calculated between him, the Emperor, and Zhang Rong, there was no difference… He, Zhao Jiu, certainly had the title of Emperor and could hold up the banner of resisting the Jin, but Zhang Rong, whether it was the victory at Suotou Shoal or later proactively leading the entire army through Tokyo to guard the river for the country, was also enough to live up to him, Zhao Jiu.

However, even though that was the case, the Zhao Emperor, who had won a great victory today, lay on the *kang*, thinking about the fundamental reasons why the Manichaean Cult could flourish, thinking about the impact of the success or failure of the northern expedition, thinking about finance and military spending, thinking about the slightly swelling military expansion plan in his heart, thinking about the recovery of the economy around the capital, which led to rising prices, so that the military pay of the surrounding soldiers was devalued in disguise, the morale of the army was slightly reduced, and the morale of the people was slightly lost… He was always filled with mixed feelings.

Fortunately, the sight of those empty cities seen along the way when returning to Tokyo from Nanyang, those broken limbs, pieces of flesh, and rotten corpses seen from Yanling to Yaoshan, and even before at the foot of Yinshan, were enough to suppress those chaotic thoughts that should have been suppressed many years ago.

The next day, the Zhao Emperor didn't get up until noon. When he heard that Zhang Rong had begun to massively expel military officers and soldiers, and seize their property from Heyin, his mood was somewhat relieved. However, what completely improved his mood was another news… which was that in the afternoon, a team of Imperial Navy soldiers on routine patrol had returned to shore early, bringing back the target that the Zhao Emperor had been waiting for for many days.

Wang Yan, the commander of the Imperial Army who crossed the river from Shanzhou, had finally brought Ma Kuo, the Director-General of the Northern Route, back.

ps: The 150th cute one has appeared, immortal cultivator Luo Xiao, big praise!