Zhao Jiu was slightly moved.

"His Majesty!"

Unexpectedly, just as Zhao Ding finished speaking, Wang Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the imperial camp who had been excluded from the core circle for several months and was theoretically the head of the military officials in the hall, suddenly stepped out and burst into tears on the spot. "I have received great favor from your majesty. From a military man to this position, I always remember your majesty's grace. Today, I risk my life to make a suggestion. Your majesty, please do not be lucky at this time! You must know that our army has been defeated in battles since the Jingkang period, and there are almost no troops available. At this time, it is just like a piece of rotten wood, and the Jin army is full of vigor and has just left Hebei. At this time, it is like an arrow shot from a bow... If you force yourself to meet it, you will only be pierced! But if you can retreat to the southeast and set up layers of defense, then the rotten wood can also resist the long arrows. When you are prepared in the future, you can turn around and meet it! By then, it will not be a lie to restore the Central Plains and even Hebei!"

Zhao Jiu stared at the other person for a while without saying a word, but suddenly looked up and glanced at the other civil and military officials in the hall.

Seeing the emperor in such a state, how could the important officials who were used to the court not know? This meant that the emperor was not going to wait for these people to come out one by one, but wanted everyone to express their opinions directly.

So, starting from the Right Prime Minister of the Eastern Palace Lü Haowen, the Co-Director of the Privy Council Wang Boyan, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Wang Yuan, they all stepped out in order. Even the young Chief Censor Zhang Jun, after a slight hesitation, carefully lowered his head and stepped out.

Now, the other ministers no longer hesitated, and under the leadership of Yuwen Xuzhong, the most senior minister of the Zizheng Palace, they all stepped out.

Then, Lu Haowen bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, just as Censor Zhao said, things have come to a point where they are divided up. Your Majesty must not hesitate any longer. You should take shelter for a while so that you can plan for the overall situation in the future... As for whether to go to Nanyang or Xiangyang after going to Yangzhou, we can discuss it later. I just hope that Your Majesty will make up his mind!"

"Your Majesty, please make up your mind!" After Lu Hao asked, Wang Boyan immediately gritted his teeth and followed.

"Your Majesty, please make up your mind!" After Wang Boyan, all the important officials in the hall followed his words.

"I understand your intentions." Zhao Jiu said with a straight face. "But I still have a question... Has Li Xianggong said anything? Although he is ill, he is still the prime minister of the dynasty, and he has not lost his mind. Have you asked him about this important matter?"

"I have just asked you this." Lu Haowen was prepared. "Mr. Li said that if he could take office, he would have the leadership and insights. But now that he is bedridden and unable to get up, and Your Majesty is brave and has the spirit to pacify the troubled times, if Your Majesty has made up his mind, he is willing to submit to you temporarily!"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, but then nodded slowly.

In fact, he could feel Li Gang's "self-humiliation", and he had noticed it as early as after meeting Li Gang in Mingdao Palace... He thought that Prime Minister Li blocked the government affairs, and was in charge of personnel and military affairs, but he did not touch the Taijian system, which was the biggest threat to him and was also the confidant of Emperor Zhao. This was equivalent to putting a knife in Emperor Zhao's hands. From then on, the two sides had some tacit understanding between the monarch and the minister.

However, even so, at this critical moment, the other party was able to "humble himself" again, and Zhao Jiu was very grateful.

"In fact, I just asked Commander Han if he could fight..." Zhao Jiu came to his senses and did not ask the ministers below to return to the line, but directly made a formal response. "In the end, even he said that the Central Plains is flat and it is difficult to fight. He advised me to protect myself first and go to Jianghuai for the time being."

There was a slight commotion in the hall at first, then everyone calmed down, and then after Lu Haowen coughed lightly, the whole hall fell silent again, and everyone waited for the official to speak next.

"I have also figured it out. Today's disaster was caused by my hesitation. As the saying goes, every failure makes you wiser... I can no longer be so indecisive!"

Zhao Jiu sat upright, expressionless, and spoke calmly. His tone was so firm that even Yang Yizhong, who was standing in front of the hall, couldn't help but secretly glance at him. It seemed that he had really made up his mind. "I have made up my mind. I will send Li Xianggong, Concubine Pan, the heir, and the old and young to Yangzhou tomorrow to settle down and meet the Queen Mother (Queen Mother Meng)! The military situation is urgent. I have just sent Han Shizhong to the east of Huaihe River to make arrangements. I have asked him to work with Zhang Jun to deploy defenses along the Huai River, so that they can form a pincer attack with Liu Guangshi in the north to resist possible enemies from the north! Then I and you... why not gather the people, treasury, and military equipment in Shunchang first, and then visit Shouzhou and go to Huaidian to prepare for the enemy!"

Besides, Shouzhou is the most important town on the Huai River. Another veteran general, Zhang Jun, the commander of the Imperial Camp Army, who is more famous than Han Shizhong, should have gone there to deploy defenses. Although the emperor is still hiding his words, saying that he will go to Huaidian to fight against the Jin, didn't he also say that he would go to Huaidian to fight against the Jin a few months ago before he fell into the well? This statement is just a cover-up considering the concerns of the people between Huang and Huai.

Besides, the heir to the throne, the prime minister, the heir's mother, and all the family members were going to Yangzhou, so how could the emperor not go? At most, he would wait and see the situation on the Huai River. If the Jin army did not pursue him, he could turn back; if the Jin army attacked, he could retreat to Yangzhou calmly, or even to the southeast, relying on the big rivers for protection.

In short, after half a year of tossing and turning, the emperor finally came to his senses and decided to go to Yangzhou! And this time, even Li Gang was speechless!

When they thought of this, many old officials were so excited that they burst into tears. Even some of the war advocates felt relieved at this time, as if they had been emptied out of their bodies by the government.

PS: Merry Christmas to everyone, happy birthday to Pikachu! Happy birthday to Big Brother! Happy birthday to the King of Swapping Houses who suddenly showed up (regardless of when the latter two have their birthdays)!

I'm really confused, why are you so happy at the end of the year? It seems like there are so many festivals, birthdays, and celebrations, but my life is so dull and boring?