"Prime Minister," Xi Yi continued, pouring water on Zhang Jun again. "Now there is another important matter... The spring ploughing has passed, and it is too late to pursue it. According to experience, the spring flood will come as soon as February arrives. By then, the water level of Dongting Lake will rise, and it will be twice as effective to suppress it. The Zhongyang traitors will also have a lot of confidence. By then, even if we want to pacify them, it will be difficult."
Zhang Jun was completely speechless and could only nod his head in acknowledgment of defeat: "I already know all of Yue Fei's misdeeds. I will immediately head south to Huarong and make sure Yue Pengju gives me a deadline for suppressing the rebellion!"
Ma Shen and Xi Yi looked at each other and sighed... This was exactly the ultimate purpose of their trip, what else could they do?
In this way, Zhang Jun, as the prime minister, hurriedly arrived in Xiangyang. He only talked with two local officials in the city and realized the embarrassment and difficulty of the situation. Then he left the city and headed south again without staying overnight. Ma Shen, as the governor of Hubei, also went south, but Xi Yi, the transport envoy of Jingxi, who had been sorting out logistics in Xiangyang these days, did not need to follow him any longer.
It was this Xi Yi who, after sending the other two out of Xiangyang City, could not help but sigh when he saw them mount their horses and prepare to quickly head south under the escort of the imperial guards: "Prime Minister, I have one last word..."
Although they had only met once, Zhang Jun had a good impression of Xi Yi, so he nodded immediately and said, "Master Xi Cao, please go ahead and tell us what you want to say."
"The current situation is still the same. The Jin people are still raising a strong army in Hebei and eyeing us covetously. The two emperors are still hunting in the north, and the pseudo-Qi is still lying on the bed." Xi Yi sighed under his horse. "So the emperor treats the generals and generals well, and actually separates the civil and military officials, and keeps the generals and generals in the inner court. But many civil officials don't realize this at all. They just think that after the Battle of Yaoshan, the world has become stable and the situation should be restored. Therefore, they often look at the generals with the mentality before Jingkang, and consciously or unconsciously want to urge the court to take back the power of the generals... Little do they know that the officials in the palace have their own heroic style and will never allow such things to happen. The prime minister, as the privy envoy, is between the emperor and his ministers, and between the civil and military officials. It is inevitable to face such things. Please be cautious, fair, and clean, so that you can report to the emperor and keep all officials safe."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ma Shen, one of the two men on horseback, was the first to change his expression. After a little thought, Zhang Jun simply dismounted, held the reins, and bowed to Xi Yi.
And then, Ma Shen also bowed slightly on his horse.
But that was all. The military situation was urgent, so the two men exchanged politeness and hurriedly reined in their horses and headed south. When they reached Jiangling Prefecture, Ma Shen went into the city to handle miscellaneous affairs, while Zhang Jun had to continue marching south with the imperial cavalry.
However, as soon as he entered Yuezhou, Zhang Jun became a little panicked, because there were continuous spring thunders and sudden spring rains, and the so-called spring flood seemed to have arrived.
In fact, when Zhang Deyuan and the imperial cavalry arrived at the Huarong camp, they were already in a state of disgrace. These people, who had never seen the power of rain in the Yangtze River Basin, thoroughly experienced the so-called "spring rain is as precious as oil". The gorgeous purple robes and armor were covered with mud, the horses fell and were injured, and everyone was like a drowned chicken. Among them, the cavalry was in a state of disgrace, and they were not expected to fight, but the prime minister Zhang Jun was disappointed because of the spring rain.
He didn't know what kind of promise Yue Fei could give him under such circumstances, and how he should face the emperor, his political enemies in the central government, and the local officials in Jingxiang.
"I'm done."
At the Huarong camp, Zhang Jun, who was covered in mud, did not take a shower or eat. Instead, as soon as he arrived at the military camp, he sat directly in Yue Fei's seat in the central military camp, and then repeated the situation in the capital and the words of Ma Shen and Xi Yi to Yue Fei and the generals of the imperial camp. "Is there anything untrue in what they said?"
"No." Yue Fei and all the officers in the camp bowed their heads.
"Do you have any verbal defense?" Zhang Jun continued to ask with a hint of expectation.
"No." Yue Fei thought for a moment and continued to answer with his head down.
"I have." Zhang Deyuan, who was covered in mud, suddenly got angry in public. "I don't know what you are thinking and what you are planning. But the world is not just about military affairs, and the world is not just about your subordinates and the bandits in front of you. There are also civil and military officials, monarchs and ministers, and colleagues. As a general, you not only have to fight, but also report to the emperor, and take care of your colleagues and superiors... At this point, even if you have a big plan and insight into the enemy, you have already made a big mistake! What can I do with my family of more than a hundred people to guarantee your success? The government's strategy of dividing civil and military officials for great use has been ruined by you. Ten Dongting Lakes can't come back! Do you think this is still the chaotic world before the Yaoshan War?!"
Even though Zhang Jun was young and had an unstable personality, he was, after all, the Privy Councilor, the prime minister of the dynasty, and theoretically the superior of all military officials. Therefore, when he got angry, in the drizzling rain, all the officers of the front army of the imperial camp, from Wang Gui down, all changed color.
Only Yue Fei just lowered his head and remained silent.
"I only want to ask you one thing now. How many days do you have to defeat Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao?" Zhang Jun's breath gradually calmed down, but his true intentions were exposed. "You have to give me a specific deadline today!"
Yue Fei was silent for a while, and finally raised his head, revealing a pair of eyes that were obviously different: "Please ask the Prime Minister to sit here in Huarong, and then give me ten days."
Zhang Jun looked down at the mud on his body and laughed in anger: "Ten days?"
"Yes." Yue Fei narrowed his eyes and spoke firmly. "Within ten days, I will definitely wipe out the forty strongholds in Dongting Lake and the four states and seven counties in the west of Hunan, and give an explanation to your majesty, the prime minister, the prime minister, the three local colleagues, and the people of the two lakes... I am not joking, and I did not deliberately delay the enemy before. I originally wanted to take advantage of the spring flood to reach Jingxiang."
Outside the central army camp, the sound of raindrops became more and more rapid, mixed with the rumbling of spring thunder.
Zhang Jun stared at the man in front of him, and sneered again after a long while: "Yue Pengju, at this point, I am too lazy to ask you the truth... Maybe you are just a lucky Zhao Kuo; maybe you are a real famous general like Han Baiwei Huo, but you can never show your talents... But it doesn't matter. I am only 34 years old this year, and I can still ride a horse with the army. Within ten days, I will not say a word and just follow your central army. Wherever you go, I will go! Four states, seven counties and forty water forts, let's see how you can defeat the enemy!"
PS: Thanks to maybe future boss for the double cuteness! Thanks to Aytchzee for the cuteness! Thanks to sneakkk for the cuteness! This book is already 113 cute!
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