Chapter 167: The Country is Destroyed but the Mountains and Rivers Remain

The country is destroyed but the mountains and rivers remain, the city is overgrown with grass in spring.

In the late spring of the third year of Jianyan, as the Jin army retreated, the fourth large-scale war between Song and Jin officially came to an end. However, the numerous holes and various legacy issues brought about by the war were a big problem for both sides...

Among them, not to mention how the Jin army suppressed the rebel army in Hebei and how the upper class became destabilized, there were also various disturbances in the Song Dynasty.

First of all, how to restore production and order in Henan, how to deal with the chaos of civil and military affairs in Guanzhong, how to deal with the many warlord forces in Jingdong, and how to quell the rebellion in the southeast... It seems that every matter is urgent and fundamental.

Among these, almost every matter is inevitably mixed with important personnel issues, economic issues, and military issues, so it is inevitably difficult to deal with.

But how to say it?

Sometimes things can be said the other way around. These things are right in front of us, so no matter how difficult it is, don't we have to bite the bullet and do it?

In fact, with the result of the previous war that could barely be called a victory, and the fact that Emperor Zhao reorganized his troops in Heyin in February, the Song Dynasty Central Committee, which had just returned to the old capital of Tokyo and settled down, had a place to start...

That is to say, using military as the guideline to unfold things.

For now:

Han Shizhong's Imperial Camp Left Army suffered the most damage in this battle, so the court asked him to return to Huaixi to rest and recuperate first, and at the same time be responsible for the security of Henan and the hinterland of Beijing. After his troops recovered, he would be dealt with again.

Zhang Jun's Right Army returned to Xuzhou to control the east of Beijing, which had surrendered to the Jin Dynasty and formed a separatist state.

Although Li Yanxian was given the title of the commander-in-chief of the central army of the imperial camp, his defense area was too important, so he returned early... Obviously, this identity of the commander-in-chief of the central army was not necessarily worthy of the title... However, even so, Xijing Luoyang was officially assigned to his defense this time. The rebel armies in Xijing and Ruzhou, such as the Big and Small Zhai, Niu Gao, were reorganized and led by him. The former commander of the three yamen, Lu Xing, who had been stationed in Xijing, officially resigned from the three yamen and was promoted to the deputy commander-in-chief of the imperial camp, leaving the Xijing area;

It would be very difficult for the Eight Characters Army to return to Hebei. In addition, Wang Yan clearly expressed his unwillingness to be under his former subordinate Yue Fei, so he was appointed as the deputy commander of the Imperial Camp Central Army, alongside Wang De, stationed in Zhengzhou and the west of Kaifeng.

Another deputy commander of the imperial camp, Wang De, was appointed as the defense commander of the four walls of Kaifeng and officially stationed in the vicinity of Tokyo.

As for the huge Imperial Camp Vanguard formed by the merger of the former Jeju Pacification Commissioner and the Tokyo Garrison, theoretically, it should have been used by Yue Fei, the commander-in-chief, but in reality it was divided into two. One part followed the new Imperial Camp Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lu Xing to Jeju and Nanjing, and worked together with Zhang Jun to clamp down on the bandits in Jingdong, while the other part followed Yue Fei himself south to the southeast to quell the rebellion.

In fact, logically speaking, Yue Fei had been in Jeju for a long time, and he was familiar with the geography and customs of Jingdong. For example, Zhang Rong of Liangshanpo would definitely recognize him, so it would be most appropriate to let him join forces with Zhang Jun to attack the Jingdong warlord... But there was really no other way, everything had to be prioritized.

According to the discussions among officials and ministers, the prosperous land in the southeast is the foundation for the Song Dynasty to maintain its military, and the rebellion must not be allowed to continue to spread. Relatively speaking, Jingdong has been in chaos since the beginning of last year. In the short term, it may be a bit difficult to annex the entire Jingdong region, which has become a warlord area and is supported by the Jin army.

Therefore, it is only natural to focus on the southeast first.

As for why Yue Fei was the one to quell the rebellion?

Of course it is because his subordinates have the best military discipline. If you replace them with Zhang Jun who is originally the closest, it would be better to let the rebels stay in Jiangning Prefecture!

Therefore, this awkward military arrangement was formed because of Emperor Zhao's strong push.

Of course, these are just temporary measures, to fill the gaps, which is awkward. And who knows what new troubles and crises may arise at any time?

"What happened?"

In the city of Tokyo, north of the Bian River, beside the Xiangguo Temple, the once prosperous place in the inner city has regained some vitality. On a restaurant, someone leaned out of the window facing the street and could see knights galloping on the Imperial Street from afar. "Which team is this today? Are they all coming from the south?"

"God knows..." The person who answered the question was the secretary Fan Zongyin, who laughed when he heard the words. "The former capital of the Song Dynasty is now the northern gate of the country. Since it is the northern gate of the country, the news must come from the south. Why should Brother Taifa (Li Guang) care?"

This joke is not funny. In fact, after Fan Zongyin finished speaking, several people present, such as the Minister of Revenue Lin Qi, the Palace Censor Li Guang, and the Hanlin Academician Li Ruopu, could only smile bitterly.

"Unfortunately, there is no one in the Privy Council who knows him..." The most mature Lin Qi smiled bitterly and was the first to speak. "Otherwise, we would know if it was a rebellion in the southeast. We are also worried and confused."

"In the past, when I was in Nanyang, I once made friends with Wanqi Yuanzhong..." Li Guang, who had turned his attention from the window, answered with some embarrassment. "But after this meritorious service as an imperial attendant, he thought he had a solid foundation and started to act rogue in Heyin. After coming to Tokyo, he repeatedly made friends with the royal family and relatives, not acting like a scholar, so I cut off contact with him."

"He is considering himself as a close minister." Lin Qi said. "It is not appropriate to judge his character without authorization. However, it is over now, and I am the one who said too much..."

"Liu Ziwu is the descendant of a famous official and has always been upright. If you want to find someone in the Privy Council, why not contact him?" Fan Zongyin seemed to be thinking about something.

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