Although the casualty figures have not yet been tallied, Zhao Huan knows that the casualties from this direct confrontation with Wanyan Loushi must be very high. The entire army will need to stay in Longde Prefecture for at least half a month to rest and recuperate, as there are even larger-scale battles and tougher challenges to come.

Facing Wanyan Zonghan could be a protracted war, possibly lasting for several months, so it is essential to prepare military rations.

In ancient warfare, military rations directly determined morale. If an army lacked food, it was very likely to cause a mutiny, which would mean the army would collapse without a fight.

At this moment, Zhao Huan appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. At such a critical juncture, the army's rations had run into trouble! He had finally managed to raise morale and prevent the defeats of Zhe Keqiu, Zhe Yanzhi, and Yao Gu, thus changing the course of the war during the Jingkang era, but now, of all times, the army's rations had run into trouble!

As soon as Zhang Que and Zhang Yiqian entered, they saw the Pacification Commissioner Zhong Shidao and the Emperor sitting to one side. They quickly said, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty!"

Zhao Huan remained silent, while Zhong Shidao said, "Zhang Que, let me ask you, how much food and fodder does the entire army have?"

Zhang Que's expression tightened, and he replied, "General Zhong, the army still has half a month's worth of provisions."

Zhong Shidao angrily slammed his hand on the table and said, "Zhang Que, before the expedition, Prime Minister Li prepared two months' worth of provisions and ordered you to prepare for temporary requisition from various prefectures in Hedong. Why do we only have half a month's worth of provisions now!"

Zhang Que and Zhang Yiqian immediately knelt down. Zhang Yiqian said, "General Zhong, please forgive us. Minister Li has been in charge of procuring provisions for two months, but we have encountered some problems in the process."

"What's the problem?"

Zhang Que and Zhang Yiqian exchanged a glance and said, "Reporting to Commander Zhong, the Emperor abolished corvée labor two months ago, which is known throughout the land. The people all praise the Emperor's wisdom. However, this time, the laborers who are conscripted to transport grain will not be paid. Due to the war in Hedong, fertile fields have been destroyed, and many people are starving. We hope that the Emperor will not increase corvée labor!"

Zhao Huan's brows furrowed, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged. Before Zhong Shidao could speak, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up. The emperor was furious, and everyone present bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Zhao Huan took a deep breath and asked with a murderous aura, "Zhang Que, tell me, who brought up the matter of corvée labor again?"

"Your Majesty, I received an order from Prime Minister Li to issue wages, but when it came to Minister of Revenue Zhou Chao, it became that there was no wages to issue. He persuaded that corvée labor was the duty of the people."

Zhao Huan felt the sword in his hand was about to be drawn! While the emperor was fighting a bloody battle on the front lines, his ministers were plotting against him from behind!

We're better off without a minister like that!

This matter concerning military provisions has already involved important officials from both prefectures and exceeded the authority of Zhong Shidao, the Pacification Commissioner. Now it is time for the Emperor to step in and handle it.

There are always ministers who want to assassinate me!

Zhao Huan sat down again. Although Li Gang had come up with a plan to mobilize military supplies, it was impossible to implement it because he had little influence in the court.

Zhang Que hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, Prime Minister Li’s plan for procuring provisions is as follows: first, to purchase from wealthy households in Hedong; second, to transport them north from Bianjing; third, to purchase and transport them from the Jiangzhe region; and fourth, to purchase and transport them from the Lianghu region. The military situation is urgent, and the grain stored in the army currently comes from Hedong and Bianjing. Transporting from Jiangzhe and Lianghu would take a month, which, according to Prime Minister Li’s plan, should have been more than enough time. Due to the war in the north, the southern laborers were not originally inclined to go north. They only agreed because they heard the court would provide wages and living expenses. However, they have only been on the road for a day, and they have to pay for their own living expenses, let alone wages. The laborers who were willing to go north have little money to begin with, so naturally they went on strike. This matter has been suppressed, and I only learned of it last night. I was just about to report to Your Majesty when the war has already begun! I am guilty, and I beg Your Majesty’s punishment!”

Zhao Huan originally thought that even though Li Gang's foundation was still shallow, he could still mobilize the people in the Ministry of War. But now it seems that the Ministry of War, which is in charge of logistics, actually concealed the fact that Li Gang was transporting grain to the south. Otherwise, how could I not have received Li Gang's letter?

It seems that in this imperial court, simply killing a few prime ministers cannot improve administrative efficiency.

The corrupt officials were not just a few prime ministers. Cai Jing, Wang Fu, and others were able to rise to power through their own means, and after taking office, they naturally cultivated their own power base in the court.

Although Li Gang organized the defense of Tokyo, it was only because I personally oversaw the operation and with the support of the people of Tokyo that it was able to proceed smoothly.

But once they left Tokyo and arrived in the Jiangnan and Zhejiang regions, the people in the Ministry of War completely disregarded Li Gang!

A prime minister, yet his orders cannot even leave the capital! How pathetic! How despicable!

All the officials, big and small, of the Song Dynasty must be washed again!

Zhao Huan finally came to a profound understanding that, according to historical records, the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty was only directly caused by the self-destructive actions of Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong. Even if they hadn't acted recklessly during the defense of Tokyo, the Northern Song Dynasty would still have perished. It might have fallen due to land annexation, conflicts among the people, or peasant uprisings. The infighting among the court officials would inevitably have led to extremely low administrative efficiency, and corruption would have emptied the national treasury.

Under such circumstances, even without the invasion of the Jin Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty would have been almost finished.

Zhao Huan said, "Now is not the time for punishment. Let's find a way to solve the problem of military rations first!"

Zhang Que and Zhang Yiqian were overjoyed at the prospect of a pardon. Zhang Yiqian said, "Your Majesty, I believe that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. We should first summon wealthy families in Hedong to donate. I have heard that there are some merchants in the countryside who are willing to donate grain to the court. We only need to reward them!"

Upon hearing Zhang Yiqian's words, the generals thought, "Isn't this just like Emperor Wu of Han selling official positions to amass wealth? This is the behavior of a tyrannical ruler!"

Zhao Huan, however, did not think so. He thought, "What time is it now? Why bother with these things? They are just empty titles."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!