Inheriting the Song Dynasty

In 1127 AD, the Northern Song Dynasty fell. Immediately, the ninth imperial prince, Zhao Gou, ascended the throne in Shangqiu amidst widespread anticipation, inheriting the Song imperial line and r...

Chapter 64: Internal and External Dilemma

But at this moment, suddenly, a shout came from the place where the figure was swaying, and then a crossbow arrow flew over... But unfortunately, the crossbow arrow was crooked and barely floated across the Yongji Canal before it had no strength left and slid directly onto the river bank.

Yue Fei reined in his horse, raised his head and asked seriously, "Against the wind?"

"It's definitely against the wind." Huang Zuo forced himself to shake his head and smile. "Isn't it the northwest wind in the middle of winter?"

Yue Fei nodded again and again, then suddenly took out a bow from his horse, raised it up on the horse, gestured slightly, and then drew the bow and shot the arrow directly. The arrow also flew with the wind... This arrow, of course, did not hit the crossbowman on the enemy tower who had the height advantage and was very far away. It would take a true god to hit him... But it did not miss, either. The arrow flew out and directly shot down a Saker Falcon in mid-air that had been circling in the northwest of the city and happened to be in the northwest and within the range.

It was obvious that the Hebei Marshal had noticed these birds early on, which must have belonged to the enemy.

If it was shot by Emperor Zhao, he would surely be flattered by the emperor and the news might even be reported in the imperial gazette; if it was shot by Prince Han, he would probably have to hold his belt and compose half a poem... But since it was shot by Yue Fei, he just shot it. The Saker Falcon landed on the riverbank on the other side of the Yongji Canal. The man didn't even look at it, but reined in his horse and rode away to look for the important officials from Tokyo.

Walking to the Yellow River further northwest, there, on one hand, logistical goods were being transported non-stop, on the other hand, many civilians were riding small boats along the shore breaking the thin ice on both sides. Among them, the figure of a purple-robed official on the river bank seemed too prominent.

Yue Fei dismounted in advance and hurried forward. When he arrived, he saw that his senator Huang Zong and others were all respectful and respectful, and he became even more cautious.

However, even though he was mentally prepared enough, when the purple-robed official turned around and approached him, Yue Fei was still shocked for a moment. Then, as a marshal, he took the initiative to bow and greet him respectfully.

All the previous preparations and calmness flew away to Java in an instant.

It turned out that the person who came was none other than Hu Yin, the Minister of Works, Hu Mingzhong, who was an outstanding civil servant of the dynasty, with great qualifications, great achievements and high status.

Although Hu Yin was only a few years older than Yue Fei and was only one of the six ministers, he was Yue Fei's undoubted sponsor. He had served as Chief Censor, which was equivalent to half-prime minister, and had been the governor of Guanxi. Before that, he was in charge of the logistics of the Northern Expedition as the minister of Works... Of the so-called Three Ministers of the Jingkang Imperial Academy, the only one who could hold Zhao and Zhang in check and even control the two of them was none other than Minister Hu.

Even the two deputy prime ministers, Chen Gui and Liu Ji, would feel weak when facing this man.

Moreover, unlike other civil servants, Hu Yin participated in more military planning because of his pro-war stance. He accompanied the emperor in the Battle of Yanling, served as the governor of northern Shaanxi in the Battle of Yaoshan, was in charge of logistics in Pingxia, and was also in charge of rear transportation in this Northern Expedition. He had restrained Han Shizhong several times, arrested Qu Duan, promoted the Wu Jie brothers, and killed Yang Zheng. Of course, in his early years, he personally recommended Yue Fei, who was still a ragtag army, to serve as the pacification envoy.

His suppression and deterrence of his generals are naturally unique.

This kind of person... How can we regard him as an ordinary minister? And now that this person has arrived, all the words and preparations seem pale.

"Marshal Yue."

Hu Yin turned around and saw Yue Fei coming. He looked calm and bowed directly. "Your plan is known to all the ministers. I also received your private letter... Military affairs are serious. Don't waste time. Where is your central army tent? Take me there quickly and call Zhang Jiedu and Tian Fudutong. I have something to say."

"I will follow your instructions, sir." Yue Fei became increasingly nervous, but he could only bow in response.

Just like that, after a quick while at the riverside, Hu Yin immediately went into the central army tent, and then did not speak to Yue Fei. Even when Yue Fei invited him to sit up first, he refused. He did not even ask for water or food, but just waited with his hands... This made the atmosphere even more solemn.

Tian Shizhong was supervising the construction of an earthen hill in the north of Yuancheng at that time. Hearing Yue Fei's call, he rode over and arrived in a moment. However, Zhang Rong was "exploring" in the lower reaches of the west fork of the Yellow River North Road. He waited for more than an hour and finally arrived in the afternoon.

"Everyone else, get out."

Seeing Zhang Rong arrive, Hu Yin finally spoke, but he immediately dismissed all the outsiders.

Yue, Zhang, and Tian looked at each other, feeling that their previous thoughts and confidence were totally gone. They had to bite the bullet and face each other, and they couldn't help feeling even more uneasy.

As expected, when all the staff and attendants had left and only four people were left in the tent, Hu Mingzhong's words made the three people's hearts sink to the bottom:

"The secret cabinet has a public opinion that Yue, Zhang, and Tian play with the enemy and indulge the bandits, they have their own troops and are arrogant because of their favor. I also agree with this."

After these words were spoken, Tian Shizhong turned pale, Zhang Rong was at a loss for a moment... maybe it was because he didn't understand the meaning of these three words... and Yue Fei could only hurriedly bow:

"My Lord, please allow me to report!"

"Jiedu Yue, can you let me finish?" Hu Yin responded coldly.

Yue Fei could only remain silent.

"The secret cabinet believes that the Hebei Front Army abandoned the three states without authorization, causing more than 100,000 people to be displaced in the middle of winter. It is not only suspected of abandoning the land, but also caused a sharp increase in logistical pressure. The military supplies that the country has accumulated for three years have been abandoned unplanned... No matter how much you three argue, you can't change the fact that you have caused turmoil and trouble to the country... Is it true or not?" At this point, Hu Yin, who was standing on one side of the central army tent, looked around at the three people and formally asked. "You three can talk about this matter first."

Yue Fei was the right person to take on the task.

However, he bowed his hands under the gaze of the other two, but hesitated to speak, and finally could only speak frankly: "The three states were abandoned in order to concentrate troops, but it caused 100,000 people in Hebei to flee. It was really my inconsideration... I am the marshal of the Hebei Front Army. When questioned by Tokyo, I really have no words to defend myself... But the war is serious, please allow me to apologize after the war, the ministers and the head of the secret cabinet in Tokyo."

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