On that occasion, the entire city suffered severe damage, and the countryside was looted many times by bandits and defeated soldiers.

Perhaps it is because of this that Zhao Guanjia, who traveled back and forth between western Beijing and Guanxi many times, did not have any special feelings except that the local accent gradually became familiar.

Therefore, the official just borrowed the old palace in Nanjing to rest for a day, and on the next day he paid tribute to Zhang Suo before setting off immediately.

Of course, there are other considerations for such a rush - such as the more than 3,000 soldiers.

In fact, these 3,500 troops were absolutely nothing in this era. There were more than 100,000 troops along the Yellow River in the north, and the battle should have begun at this time. But the front line is the front line, and the rear is the rear. More than 3,000 troops will still bring a heavy burden to the local area. Therefore, Zhao Jiu basically marched in the way of marching. He brought all the ceremonial objects, but put them all away along the way. He just followed the military regulations and personally supported the troops. Then he traveled 40 to 50 miles a day, marching during the day and sleeping at night.

In this way, after passing Nanjing is the Lianghuai area, and Emperor Zhao is more familiar with the area north of the Huai River, so he also did not stay long... In late July, the weather gradually turned cooler and the climate was suitable... The imperial carriage passed by the Mingdao Palace in Bozhou without entering, and continued to go south along the Grand Canal, passing through Bozhou, Suzhou, and Sizhou in turn, and left the Grand Canal from Qingyang Town in Sizhou, turned to Sishui, and crossed the Huai River from Mopankou on the eighth day of August.

Moreover, long before crossing the Huai River, Sun Jin, the governor of Huainan East Route, had sent people to Huaibei early to request an imperial decree to come to Yangzhou to welcome the emperor. However, Emperor Zhao issued an order not to allow him to go to welcome the emperor on the grounds that the autumn harvest was in full swing and it would be difficult to cause disturbance. He only said that he would arrive in Yangzhou before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

You have to know that there is a reason why Sun Jin, the governor of Huainan East Route, was recommended by Zhao Ding to succeed him, and that is that he is a gentleman... or to be more direct, an honest man who follows the rules of others.

His moral level and personal integrity are impeccable, and he writes first-class articles. He always conscientiously implements any instructions from his superiors, and he also considers any problems below in detail. He has some of the faults of traditional scholars, but he is an honest man after all and would never cause trouble.

So, after receiving the imperial edict, he really stayed in Yangzhou and did not come out.

After all, the decree makes sense. In an agricultural society, the most important thing in the world is the autumn harvest. The officials are so high-sounding that it is difficult for honest people to refute it.

However, Yangzhou City is the largest town in the south of the Huai River and the north of the Yangtze River. It gathers the essence of the two Huai regions and is also the gateway from the southeast to the north... Don't forget that in the two Huai regions alone, there are nearly one million pieces of silk and satin paid as taxes every year. It is easy to imagine that even if those exiled nobles have long since rolled back and become the dregs of history, the wealthy merchants, monks, Taoists, and scholars in the city are still among the best in the world.

Moreover, the most crucial point is that they have never encountered real war... The Jurchens stopped at the Huai River, the military rebellion in the southeast was confined to the south of the Yangtze River, the Jingxiang rebellion never crossed the Dabie Mountains, and even the Fang La rebellion before never crossed the Yangtze River... So needless to say, apart from the peace and prosperity here, it is difficult for the mentality of the scholars and common people to break away from the rut of the old prosperity.

Therefore, seeing that Sun Jinsun Xiantai was as still as a mountain and acted like a fool, the local scholars, village elders, wealthy people, and even famous monks and Taoists began to get anxious.

Every day someone goes to Sun Jin for advice.

This said, although the emperor said that he would come to Yangzhou during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is a full 270 or 280 miles from Mopankou to here, how can he make it in seven days? It is better to welcome him early, so that the emperor will not spend the Mid-Autumn Festival outside the city and have nowhere to set up a banquet.

That person said that the government came too hastily. Originally, people from all walks of life wanted to get together to do something fancy for the government on the canal, but now it was too late. It would be better to ask Sun Xiantai to stop them on the way, which would also make it easier for everyone to prepare.

Some people also said that the emperor was from the north, and the farthest he had traveled in his life was to Bagong Mountain. He had gone south through Huainan, so would he not be able to adapt to the local climate? It just so happened that I had a cook from Tokyo in my home. She was the one who made stuffing for steamed buns in the home of Grand Tutor Cai. She was separated when the Emperor Taishang Daojun fled to Zhenjiang. I might as well send her to make soup for the emperor.

Then someone else said that although the people of Yangzhou had seen the Empress Dowager and had also seen the fleeing Emperor Taishang Daojun once (he had fled to Zhenjiang before the Jing Kang period), they had never seen the emperor in power. Today, they heard that the emperor was coming to Yangzhou, and many young students wanted to show their talents in front of him, and many scholars and officials wanted to talk to him in person. Now that the weather is clear and cool, why not go to meet him early?

Moreover, the wilderness can also inspire everyone's poetic and Zen spirit.

I am afraid that when the official arrives in Yangzhou, he will stop for a while, meet with the elders, check the work, and then leave directly. Wouldn't the local people have waited in vain?

In short, when Sun Jin stayed in Yangzhou City to do official business, the officials and staff below him would persuade him; when he returned home, his wife, concubines and children would also be asked to say these things; when he was annoyed, he would go to Daming Temple to have a vegetarian meal, and the monks there would also ask him in a shy manner, "Will the emperor stay in Daming Temple or in the empress dowager's old palace?"

Although Daming Temple has a weak foundation, it is an ancient temple with a history of six or seven hundred years, so it still has sufficient buildings.

However, Sun Jin was a gentleman that Zhao Ding liked, so he managed to hold back.

Moreover, during this period, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the column of more than 3,000 cavalry and infantry actually did not enter any city along the way, did not disturb any place, and moved steadily south along the official road beside the canal every day, set up camp on time at the designated place every night, and moved forward solemnly and orderly at a speed of forty to fifty miles a day, without any chaos.

In a trance, another rumor came that the reason the procession moved so quickly was because the emperor was not among them at all - the emperor had already gone out incognito with Concubine Pan, who was familiar with Yangzhou, to visit the local pros and cons privately, and the one in the procession was General Yang who pretended to be the emperor... Although white people knew that the emperor did not bring any concubine with him on this trip, and Yang Yi Zhong definitely did not have the courage to pretend to be Emperor Zhao, it still caused chaos everywhere.

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