Chapter 331
There was a reason why Zhao Jiu asked Wang Yan to pick up Ma Kuo, because the place where Ma Kuo and his subordinates were currently active was basically the place controlled by Wang Yan's old subordinate, the Eight Character Army, before crossing the river, so he was familiar with the place.
In addition, it also means expressing importance and conveying specific information.
After all, Wang Yan was more or less a general and a prime minister. He was not the highest official in the country, but he was at least that high. And if Wang Yan could get to this point by bringing back an army of 30,000 people from Taihang Mountain... even if he soon lost control of the army... then there was no reason why Ma Kuo was worse than Wang Yan.
Of course, these are just details and side issues. The key point is that after Emperor Zhao had just gained a slight advantage in the Guanxi direction, he could not wait to recruit more horses. His determination to recover the two rivers was enough to silence everyone.
It is hard to imagine that after this official had been in power for five or six years and had experienced so many resolute political purges, there were still people who dared to advise this official to suspend or slow down the Northern Expedition in person.
Aren’t you afraid of being labeled as a capitulationist by the court bulletin, and having three generations of your family idled or even exiled?
"I heard that the emperor had just returned from the northwest, and when he passed by Shanzhou, he couldn't wait to send Wang Taiwei across the river to talk to me. I am grateful to you, and I do have a thousand words to report to you about the situation in the two rivers. But before reporting, I have something to say, and I can't say it unless I say it..."
On the riverbank, facing Emperor Zhao who came to greet him in person, under the watchful eyes of Wang Yan, Liu Hongdao, Fan Zongyin, Lu Benzhong, Ren Baozhong, Liu Yan and other civil and military officials, Ma Kuoguang paid his respects and, without waiting for Emperor Zhao to step forward and shake hands, he bowed his head directly, showing his impatience and even a little rude.
"Ma Qing, please speak." Zhao Jiu was well-trained and simply raised his arm to urge the other party to speak.
"Your Majesty, you must not underestimate the Jurchens just because the Song Dynasty won at Yaoshan and the northern barbarians retreated outside the river. If we cross the river to attack the north now, I'm afraid we will be defeated in nine out of ten cases." Ma Kuo raised his head and said earnestly. "We should conserve our energy and wait for the right time..."
On the river bank in the afternoon, Emperor Zhao heard these words and immediately burst out laughing.
Ma Kuo became more and more anxious when he saw this, and hurriedly said: "I have no intention of making empty threats! Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition is of great importance. Once the Northern Expedition crosses the river but cannot occupy a large town in Hebei for a long time, the people's morale will be depressed. Moreover, Hebei is in ruins and the people are in turmoil. If the Song Dynasty crosses the river but cannot comfort the people, it will also be a problem."
Zhao Jiu was completely solemn: "Of course I will act with caution. I summoned you here to hear the truth about Hebei before making a decision."
Only then did Ma Kuo calm down a little.
However, at the same time, the civil and military officials around could not help but look at each other in confusion. Even Wang Yan, who had accompanied Ma Kuo all the way south, felt a little embarrassed.
By the way, everyone noticed that there was something wrong with Ma Kuo from the very beginning.
Of course, this question is not to say that there is something wrong with Ma Kuo's position. If this person's position is problematic, then there will be no one in the world with a reliable position. Nor is it to say that there is something wrong with the content of his suggestions. As the only military leader who stayed behind enemy lines in the two rivers to fight against the Jin Dynasty, he himself is the only expert on this issue. He is the only one who can refute others, and no one else has the right to refute him.
This problem actually refers to Ma Kuo's inappropriate mentality.
He spoke hurriedly and in a hurried tone, as if he still regarded Emperor Zhao and all the civil and military officials in the court as they were during the Jing Kang period - grand on the outside but miserable on the inside, unable to listen to advice and unable to do anything, only caring about appearance and appearance, without caring about the actual situation ahead... Therefore, the governor of the Northern Road seemed to be afraid that if he revealed the slightest weakness, it would cause misjudgment by the emperor and the civil and military officials accompanying him, leading to disastrous consequences.
This mentality is of course very wrong, but it is understandable.
Because the betrayal and difficulties that Ma Kuo had experienced were far beyond the understanding of the rulers and ministers of Henan. Moreover, he was isolated in the north, surrounded by enemies, so it was natural that he had the wrong mentality and was even a little narrow-minded.
The best example is Wang Yan who was also present. Wang Yan had been in Taihang Mountains for two years and his mentality was almost broken. He thought everyone he saw was a traitor. He changed three or four beds in one night and finally forced his subordinates to tattoo themselves to show their loyalty.
After he came back, he was still narrow-minded, and had a vague resistance to any dispatches, disposals, and military arrangements from his superiors. He also found it difficult to open up to his subordinates. Even his former confidant, Military Advisor Xiao Fan, could not tolerate him after he was promoted and shared military power.
To put it bluntly, it's already a bit pathological.
Therefore, although there were reasons for this, and it could even be said that the reasons behind this pathology were worthy of respect, Zhao Jiu still transferred him from his position of independent military command to become a local official.
Compared with this, Ma Kuo's inappropriate behavior is actually nothing.
In fact, Emperor Zhao understood the other party's mentality, showed some flattery, dragged the other party to the military camp behind him, and after Zhang Rong sat down in the lobby, he asked the other party to sit down again, and the other civil and military officials stood by. After the attitude was made clear and the posture was adjusted, they talked for a few more words, and the response soon became appropriate.
"How many people are there in the Taihang Volunteer Army now?"
"So that the emperor knows, the Taihang righteous army is of course countless. I roughly estimate that there are hundreds of thousands of young and strong men hiding in the mountains. But that is the total number, and I cannot control and dispatch them. As for me... I assisted Prince Xin in raising the flag in the northern Taihang Mountains, and the total number in front of me is only 30,000 to 40,000, of which about 20,000 are young and strong enough to fight."
"Not bad." Zhao Jiu nodded his head in praise. "The area of Southern Taihang is limited. The Eight Character Army marched south with 30,000 men that day. I estimate that Ma Qing's army has about the same number. Moreover, the Jurchens have stationed their main forces in Taiyuan, Longde Prefecture, and Hezhong Prefecture in the past two years. It is inevitable that the base in the mountains will be divided, suppressed, and restricted... 20,000 is not bad."
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