Chapter 424 Looking Back

In March, after deep reflection, Emperor Zhao resumed serialization, but this time it was definitely not a short story. He didn't even dare to touch "Water Margin" now, and replaced it with "Miscellaneous Records of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"... As always, that short story stopped at the level of Zhao Jiu, Hu Yin and Prince Jingsai.

But even the "Miscellaneous Records of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was stopped after only writing two or three thousand words, because at this time, a large amount of important post-war feedback began to pour in from many directions.

It must be understood that it was just over a month since the Battle of Huolu, and given current transportation conditions, the widespread impact of the war would at most cross the Yellow River and might not even reach the Yangtze River. This was because the common people needed to see the victorious soldiers returning home, hear specific stories, and even see a large number of tablets of battle victims and wounded soldiers before they would believe and confirm the news from the front line, and then a real folk trend could be formed.

If there is feedback again, it would be considered as the first-time feedback. This is completely different from the reaction of the core power structure within the court that was formed by military stations and fast horses.

Even the attitudes are completely different.

Frankly speaking, the post-war situation was too rushed as the enemy needed to be pursued and Zhending Prefecture needed to be surrounded. In addition, Lu Yihao was in poor health and was bedridden many times, so the post-war arrangements were basically made by Emperor Zhao himself. At most, the civil officials below would polish the situation a little and then let it go. Whatever happened, it was what it was... and the important officials of the court in Tokyo simply agreed, leaving no room for interference or discussion.

But the intensive feedback at this time contained many harsh words.

A student of the Imperial Academy wrote a petition, requesting that the Jin army captives be executed together with the others, and that a Jingguan be built to intimidate the Jin Empire.

Some marginal clans wrote to the emperor, demanding that they must attack Huanglong directly, annihilate the Jin Kingdom, and destroy all the clan members of the Wanyan clan, and that no peace talks be held;

In addition, there were various retaliatory proposals submitted by some local officials in the areas that had suffered the massacre, as well as officers found by the families of some imperial camp victims who were confirmed to have died... such as killing Jin army prisoners with eleven strokes of the whip, severely punishing surrendered people, etc.

Even the congratulatory letter from the Emperor Taishang Daojun specifically mentioned the humiliation suffered by the Five Kingdoms City in the past and asked the "officials" for revenge.

In general, in the Central Plains south of the Yellow River, the public's voices tended to be tough, and they were very sensitive to Emperor Zhao's "peace talks", which even Hong Ya could see was mostly provocative.

To be fair, Zhao Jiu was not surprised by this, but he still had to be cautious.

Therefore, on the tenth day of March, after a brief discussion with Hu Yin, Emperor Zhao immediately returned to Hejian Prefecture to discuss the matter with Lu Yihao, the acting Prime Minister. During this period, public opinion advocating that a war would determine the outcome and that a strong revenge should be taken began to enter the bureaucracy on a large scale, including in the imperial camp system.

"I know what the emperor is thinking."

Lu Yihao's overall health was getting weaker day by day, but if he stayed in Hejian Prefecture to recuperate and temporarily left things to Fan Zongyin and others, he would still be able to hold on mentally. At this moment, he was just leaning on a crutch and sitting on a stone bench under a tree in the backyard of his residence. He understood the concerns of the visiting official as soon as he heard it.

"What the emperor is thinking is that the Hebei region, which was the first to be harmed, has less resentment. Then he thought about the future spread of the incident to the south, and wondered what the trend would be in Jingxiang in the southeast... Is that right or not?"

"The one who knows me is you, my lord."

"What do the officials think is happening in Hebei, and what will be the reaction in the southeast?"

"I think Hebei doesn't hate the Jin people, but first of all, spring ploughing is important. Second, after the change of Song and Jin, people are worried. Third, and the most fatal one, is that the two countries have 500,000 people and millions of civilians traveling back and forth for a whole winter and half a spring... The people in the two rivers really hate war." Zhao Jiu said what he meant. "As for the southeast, I boldly guess... most people are still against continuing to use troops, because the local taxes in the southeast have not been removed... Every day of military action in the front requires the southeast, Jingxiang, and Bashu to contribute."

"What the emperor said is very thorough and clear." Lu Yihao nodded in agreement. "But in my opinion, the root is the root, and the final result may not be as thorough and clear as the emperor's analysis..."

Zhao Jiu had some guesses, but he learned from his mistakes and did not dare to be a riddler. Instead, he sought verification directly: "Does it mean that after the great victory, the scholars and officials in the southeast dare not talk about peace, and the people in Hebei cannot express their thoughts. Even in the Central Plains, because the capital is there, the central parties dare not disregard any public opinion?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Lu Yihao expressed earnestly. "Public opinion is public opinion, but public opinion cannot be expressed directly. Instead, it is conveyed by officials..."

Zhao Jiu instinctively exchanged a glance with Hu Yin who was following behind him, and both of them felt something in their hearts, which was - the older you get, the wiser you get.

The two had discussed this before coming here, but after all, nothing they said was as thorough as what Lu Yihao said.

And Lu Xianggong just sat there and said casually, "As for the matter of officials, some places have more, such as the Central Plains, especially around Tokyo; some places have fewer, such as the southeast; some places now have almost none, such as the two rivers... Therefore, the public opinion in the Central Plains is the most obvious, followed by the southeast, and the public opinion in the two rivers is almost non-existent unless you go and see it with your own eyes."

"In addition, officials also have to consider their official hats, so they will also consider the situation."

"For example, right now, the frontline has won a great victory, and everyone in the court knows that this is the emperor's long-cherished wish. Officials in the southeast have already suffered a lot for opposing the advance northward, so how dare they still oppose the advance northward as they did in the past?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!