"No." It was Lan Gui, not Yang Yizhong, who leaned over and handed over the note. "Everyone, the Privy Council urgently forwarded the urgent letter signed by Liu Ji, the governor of Xiangyang, Ma Shen, the governor of Jinghu North Road, and Liu Hongdao, the governor of Jiangnan West Road. The clock of Dongting Lake is reversed!"
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment and didn't even try to take the note.
After a few breaths, the Zhao Song official finally frowned and said, "You didn't rebel the year before last, you didn't rebel last year, why are you rebelling this year?"
Yang Yizhong and Lan Gui looked at each other, of course without saying a word, as it was not their turn to speak on this matter.
"The year before last, the emperor was in Nanyang, only a few hundred miles away, and Prime Minister Zhong did not dare to rebel. Last year, the emperor won a great victory and conferred him many honorary official titles to appease him. He was happy and comfortable, but no longer wanted to rebel. And according to what was said in the letters, Hubei has suffered serious spring floods this year. The floods have just occurred, and the autumn harvest is expected to fail. Last year, the land tax was increased, and the people were in an uproar. The people around him thought that this was the last chance, and if Prime Minister Zhong still wanted to be his great grandfather, he could only rebel, and the emperor need not worry..." In the Chongwen Courtyard, under the hastily lit lights, the Prime Minister Wang Boyan, who had just entered the palace, spoke first, but did not seem to care.
"That's right." Another minister, Xu Jingheng, was also quite calm. "From my perspective, the people of Dongting Lake have formed a society to protect themselves since the Jingkang period, and they don't listen to the government's orders. They will rebel sooner or later. Last year, taxes were increased, and this year, they suffered a disaster. They are bound to rebel. It's not a matter of whether Prime Minister Zhong is willing or not, or whether he dares to do it... If Prime Minister Zhong doesn't rebel, others will, and they will definitely rise up in Dongting Lake and rely on that society to rebel!"
Under the light, Zhao Jiu looked at Xu Jingheng who was talking, then turned his gaze to Lu Haowen who looked a little tired and worried, and he finally came to his senses.
"Your Majesty, I have to say that it is a good opportunity for him to rebel now. We should take this opportunity to send troops to eradicate this problem!" Chen Gui, who was born in Hubei, was also very confident and passionate. "Han Shizhong is in Huaixi. We can directly send him south to quell the rebellion and call in a few suitable water generals from Liangshan Lake. This will be enough to wipe out this matter."
"Yes, if Prime Minister Zhong raised an army when the Jin people attacked, it could still be taken seriously, but the situation today is just a minor issue!" Xu Jingheng was obviously in a good mood today.
Zhao Jiu nodded slowly, almost emphasizing each word: "What you said today is truly insightful. It makes me feel like I was hit by a stick. You are really a famous minister... Yes, when things in the world reach a certain point, it is not a matter of who is willing to do it or not. Some things are inevitable and should be faced head-on!"
Seeing the emperor's cooperation, Xu Jingheng twirled his beard with satisfaction and said, "In this case, why not send Han Shizhong south to quell the rebellion."
"Yes!" Zhao Jiu stood up proudly. "But since this is a military matter and the situation is urgent, we don't have to be bound by the situation... We will split our forces into two groups. On the one hand, we will issue an order from the capital and the Privy Council to Liu Ji, Ma Shen, and Liu Hongdao to organize an army to defend the prefecture and try to besiege Prime Minister Zhong. On the other hand, I will directly issue an order to the imperial guards to take the fast horses to Han Shizhong and have him leave immediately. We must make it as unpredictable as the shadow and as powerful as thunder!"
Xu Jingheng hesitated for a moment, but Lu Haowen, who looked exhausted, simply nodded and said, "I think it's okay."
Without waiting for the other gentlemen to respond, Zhao Jiu nodded and simply turned and left.
Just like that, that night, countless imperial edicts and golden medals were galloping around on countless horses, and the city gates were not closed all night, which shocked the entire city.
The next day, they learned that the rebellion was caused by Dongting Lake in the south, and the situation was slightly relieved.
On this day, the welcoming envoy Han Xiaozhou also returned north with the Jin envoy Gao Jingshan.
Two days later, Han Shizhong's army turned to Nanyang as expected upon receiving the imperial edict. Interestingly, there were also movements from other imperial camps. But at this moment, the troops from Taihang Mountain suddenly tried their best to send intelligence, and the Meng'an and Mouke troops from all over Hebei began to mobilize and assemble on a large scale!
When the news came, high-ranking officials in Beijing were panicked and some even leaked the news, causing unrest in Tokyo for several days. Only Zhao Jiu remained motionless, as if everything was normal.
Five or six days later, just when Tokyo had just breathed a sigh of relief after the restoration of martial law, three pieces of news came almost simultaneously from different directions:
First, just as Meng'an and Mouke in Hebei region began to mobilize, Wanyan Loushi sent out troops again after a lapse of two months. Before the end of March, he raised a Western Route Army of no less than 60,000 soldiers, crossed the river and left Yan'an Prefecture, and sent out emergency orders for Fuzhou and Danzhou...and considering the delay in information, one of the two states might have been lost by then, or even both of them.
Secondly, the Meng'an Moukes in Hebei Province, who were the core troops of the Jin Dynasty's Eastern Route Army, were mobilized and assembled in two directions, half to Damingfu and half to Taiyuan. At the same time, the remaining troops of the Western Route Army were also mobilized on all fronts, but they were obviously gathering towards Yan'an in northern Shaanxi.
Thirdly, Han Shizhong, who was supposed to turn south from Nanyang to Dongting Lake, suddenly showed his subordinates a new imperial edict when he reached Nanyang. Then he abandoned Hubei and turned westward to Wugu Pass, and asked Nanyang Prefecture to deliver its stockpiled grain and grass to Guanxi through Wugu Pass. Yan Xiaozhong of Nanyang Prefecture was stunned and could only watch Han Shizhong leave while sending a fast horse to Tokyo to inquire... Why were the edicts of the capital province and the Privy Council inconsistent with the imperial edict?
Of course, at this time in Dongjing City, no one cared about Yan Xiaozhong's suspicion, because among the two groups of people that Yan Xiaozhong wanted to question, the emperor himself had already been fully armed and was ready to lead the army to Luoyang in person; and at the same time, because of the report from the attendant Yu Yunwen, the officials of Chongwenyuan Dutang who had temporarily received the news gathered hastily, and then, under the leadership of four ministers, stopped Emperor Zhao in front of Yiyou Gate between the harem and the front palace, and tried to stop Emperor Zhao's willful behavior... There was no one in charge of Chongwenyuan Dutang.
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