"Good." Zhao Jiu went into the government inn to rest without even turning his head.
There was no conversation that night. The next morning, Emperor Zhao led his people to Tokyo. However, he learned on the way that the fire was not in the city last night, but a fire occurred around Yuetai.
Moreover, it was not an accident, nor was it a Jurchen spy. It was something that no one had expected, but later had to admit that it was an incident caused by their own negligence in organization - and this incident was indeed directly caused by the Northern Expedition.
The army set out suddenly, first the Imperial Camp Cavalry, then Wang De's Central Army of the Imperial Camp, with a total of 50,000 to 60,000 troops, who set out continuously and emptied the Yuetai camp. However, this large-scale deployment, and the sudden departure, directly caused some commotion around Yuetai.
The cause of the riot was very simple. You have to know that the Song Dynasty's army at that time adopted a typical recruitment system, and family members were generally allowed to accompany the army. Otherwise, it would not cost a hundred strings of cash a year to support a soldier in the imperial camp.
Therefore, as the imperial edict was issued, the cavalry of the imperial camp set off in a hurry. On the one hand, the military families rushed to buy earmuffs, masks, amulets, and medicine packages, and even stockpiled rice for their own families. On the other hand, many soldiers of the imperial camp who set out late took the opportunity to borrow money and make trouble before leaving. On the other hand, some unscrupulous businessmen took the opportunity to raise prices, and some unethical monks and Taoists took the opportunity to make money.
For a time, emotions were conflicting among many parties. In the previous few days, several vicious incidents had already broken out around Yuetai Camp.
But at this time, the imperial court, which had been preoccupied with military and national affairs, had completely ignored this phenomenon. Even the Kaifeng Prefecture was busy dealing with those who hoarded goods in the city according to the original plan.
Come to think of it, Zhang Shuxiang felt that he was wronged. Even such a large army like Poxi could be brought down. Who would care about a few criminal and civil cases involving low-level soldiers and their families?
The result of this neglect was that as Wang De's troops from the Imperial Camp set out yesterday, the Yuetai Camp was suddenly empty and without the suppression of the army, a mass incident occurred directly and thoroughly. At first, it was said that a family whose female relatives were harassed by the soldiers of the Imperial Camp before they left came to the soldiers' family to seek an explanation, but they encountered the younger generation of the soldiers in the Imperial Camp who had lost the supervision of their fathers, and the two sides engaged in a group fight.
Then, for some unknown reason, a rumor spread that someone was waiting to humiliate the families of the soldiers as soon as the army left, which immediately attracted hundreds of people to gather, and then dragged everyone into it.
Finally, riots broke out in the three towns and two cities around Yuetai. Dozens of houses were burned, several shops were looted, nearly ten people were killed, and countless others were injured.
After the incident broke out, the huge bureaucratic system in the city realized it belatedly. The first two people to react were the Deputy Privy Councilor and Ambassador of Kaifeng's Defense Chen Gui, who immediately dispatched Guo Zhongxun's reserve troops to Yuetai overnight. The Kaifeng prefect Yan Xiaozhong also personally led the yamen runners to the west of the city and did not enter the city all night to deal with the aftermath.
Then, the provincial capital also issued a direct document requiring all departments to immediately form a joint investigation team, headed by Zhang Jiucheng, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Works. All the officials from the cabinet, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Military Equipment Bureau, etc. were assigned to station in Yuetai in order to cut the Gordian knot and resolve the matter quickly.
However, how can such a thing be resolved quickly and easily? How can it be resolved easily by just cleaning up the mess?
What's more, during this period, there were inevitably countless bureaucrats who competed for credit and shifted blame for themselves and their departments... For a time, it was simply a mess and chaos.
At this time, Emperor Zhao returned to the capital calmly with a group of close ministers and the imperial guards. He still did not enter the city, but directly stationed in the Yuetai Camp and chose to ignore the matter... Zhang Jiuchen, Yan Xiaozhong and others hurried to see the emperor, but they could only follow the emperor who remained calm to Yuetai next to the Yuetai Camp and worship the tablets again.
This made everyone feel relieved and at a loss at the same time. Emperor Zhao did not reprimand them harshly, but this reaction made them even more flustered - specifically, this emotion was called shame.
The matter was not over yet. On that day, September 25th, Prime Minister Zhao Ding, even Minister Lu Haowen, heard that the emperor had suddenly returned to the capital. Almost all the senior officials in Beijing went out of the city to Yuetai to pay homage to Emperor Zhao. No less than dozens of people came together to report and apologize for the various incidents that had occurred before.
Then he was comforted in person by Emperor Zhao.
That's right. This official, who was so anxious and impatient yesterday that he almost exhausted Prime Minister Lu to death on his horse, and who almost whipped Scholar Mei with a horsewhip at night, was calmer than anyone else today... He admitted that it was indeed because he acted in a hurry and caused trouble to everyone, but the opportunity for battle must not be missed, and even if there are some obstacles, everyone should work together to overcome them.
That was not all. The official also listened to the reports from the Imperial City Department and the Military Control Department in public, and relayed several hastily delivered secret memorials to everyone.
It was only at this time that people from top to bottom realized that the Zhengzhou military station was blocked, officials took the opportunity to levy Northern Expedition national debts and expanded the situation when dealing with hoarding, some big merchants tried to avoid Tokyo, some merchants and monks took the opportunity to lend money, and some fallen dignitaries took the opportunity to spread rumors.
Then Emperor Zhao sat in the Yuetai camp and reported these matters to the Privy Council, the Capital Province, and the Censorate one by one, without even directly assigning the matters to the Six Ministries and Kaifeng Prefecture.
Now that the matters had been divided, the official shook hands with the ministers again and said goodbye. Then, as the saying goes, he passed by his home without entering it, and left Yuetai directly in the afternoon of the same day, turning northwest. He met Li Qiong in Wansheng Town the next day, and then headed west together.
This performance really moved everyone in Tokyo, so much so that on his way back, the Right Vice Minister of Works Zhang Jiuchen could not help but praise Emperor Zhao in public, saying that "there is a heart as powerful as a mountain collapse and the earth split, and the might of thousands of thunders, but his face does not look like an autumn wind rippling a pool of clear water, but instead he brings forth the grace of a spring breeze and rain."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com