Emperor Zhao Ji still had a trick up his sleeve. Regarding military training, he only issued a handwritten edict to Gao Qiu.
This type of private edict was not legally legitimate in the Song Dynasty. If it had been the emperors of the previous dynasties, the ministers could have simply refused to execute it, and the emperor would have had no way to deal with it.
However, this system had been greatly weakened by the reign of Emperor Huizong, because the court was full of despicable people.
Gao Qiu was a loyal dog who obeyed orders unconditionally. After receiving the imperial edict, he immediately called Zhang Shixun to the palace security office.
This was a side room behind the Palace Front Office. Gao Qiu was sitting alone on a chair with a gloomy face.
"Shixun, the emperor originally wanted to issue a formal edict, but there are many intermediate steps in the process, and it may not be passed in the end. Therefore, the emperor issued a handwritten edict to me."
Gao Qiu had followed Zhao Ji for decades and certainly knew his master's personality. Apart from eating, drinking and having fun, he cared almost nothing about other things.
It was truly unprecedented that Zhang Shixun was able to persuade him to agree to train troops in the imperial guards.
"Captain, you don't blame me for privately advising the emperor on military training?"
"I admire you very much and value you very much, but I really don't understand why you are so focused on training the troops." Gao Qiu smiled faintly. "When I rejected your request for training a few days ago, it was actually because of your consideration. It seems that you don't understand my good intentions."
"How could I not know the good intentions of the Grand Marshal? Since its founding, the Song Dynasty has always valued civil officials over military officials. The civil officials have tried their best to suppress the military commanders. If the military commanders don't train the soldiers, they will accuse you of not practicing military politics; if you train the soldiers, they will try their best to suppress the military commanders. Therefore, training the soldiers is a thankless task."
"If you know that, why do you do it?"
"Captain, the Jin have nearly wiped out the Liao. The next step is to attack the Song. We can't just sit back and do nothing for the sake of self-preservation, right?"
"Are you so sure that the Jin Kingdom is going to attack the Song Dynasty?"
"I'm sure!"
"I don't understand how you came up with such a strange conclusion." Gao Qiu looked at the young man in front of him and found him more and more confused.
Zhang Shixun was too lazy to talk to him, so he took out his PDA and played the edited video for him.
There is a most direct way, why go through so much trouble?
Gao Qiu's reaction was not much better than Zhao Ji's. From turning on the screen to watching the video, his eyes were as big as cow eggs, his mouth was open like a hippopotamus, and his head and face were covered in cold sweat.
Gao Qiu stammered, "Shixun, what is this?"
"Heavenly Book!"
"Heaven...Book?"
Gao Qiu's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"General, so far, only you and His Majesty have read the Heavenly Book. Please keep it confidential and don't tell anyone easily." Zhang Shixun said mysteriously.
Gao Qiu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Don't worry, the secret cannot be leaked. I won't tell anyone."
"What you just saw was the war in the Western world. You also saw that even half-demons and half-orcs were involved there. The Heavenly Book showed us this war for an obvious purpose. It seems to be hinting that the Song Dynasty will also face a large-scale invasion."
Gao Qiu's face became more and more ugly, and he cracked his knuckles anxiously, making a "crackling" sound.
"Then the Jin Kingdom will attack the Song Dynasty."
Gao Qiu was a military general after all, and he quickly determined where the attack came from.
"Grand Marshal, you are wise," Zhang Shixun asked. "Grand Marshal, if the Jin invaders march south, can the Song Dynasty, with its current military strength, guarantee that we can stop them north of the Yellow River and ensure the safety of Tokyo?"
After a long pause, Gao Qiu finally uttered two words: "That's tough!"
"General, if the Jin Kingdom attacks the city of Tokyo, will the Imperial Guards be able to ensure that Tokyo is not lost?"
"The Song Dynasty has a million soldiers and a powerful Western Army. Securing the capital should... perhaps not be a problem."
"Haha! The general is not very confident and doesn't seem to be very optimistic."
Gao Qiu sighed, but said nothing more.
As the head of the imperial guards, Gao Qiu was fully aware of the current situation of the Song army.
"Grand Marshal, if the capital falls, the Song Dynasty will be utterly destroyed. The nation will be ruined. As the highest commander of the Imperial Guards, how will you cope? How will Chengzong and his family cope?"
This series of questions made Gao Qiu sweat profusely.
Even if you don't consider the court, you have to consider your own safety.
"General, I have traveled thousands of miles back to my homeland, for no other reason than to do my bit for the people who live on this land. As descendants of the Yellow Emperor, we must not allow barbaric tribes to trample upon this fertile land."
Gao Qiu ignored his noble wish, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his face, and asked, "Shixun, was what you just showed me really the Book of Heaven?"
"Absolutely true!" Zhang Shixun remained calm and pointed at the screen, asking, "General, what kind of liar could come up with this?"
Gao Qiu sat there without saying a word for a long time.
Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said cruelly, "You bastard! Fuck him!"
That's right.
Zhang Shixun smiled, his smile like a cunning fox.
In order to strengthen his confidence, Zhang Shixun played Zhao Ji's recording for him again.
"I hereby order Zhang Shixun to begin training with the Imperial Guards from this very day..."
"This... is this an official order?"
Zhang Shixun nodded.
Gao Qiu no longer had any concerns. "Just focus on training your troops. I'll fully support you. Tell me how you need my help. Just ask."
"The First Army I'm in is almost half-manned, and many of the remaining troops are old, weak, sick, and disabled, making them unfit for training. Therefore, we must first integrate the First Army and form a single command with as many elite and strong troops as possible."
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