Zong Ze bowed and said, "Deputy Commander Han Shizhong was recommended by Your Majesty. His wisdom and talent far surpass those of this old minister. He is the most suitable candidate."
Han Shizhong hurriedly said, "General, you single-handedly built up the Hebei Army. This is all your hard work. How dare I sit back and enjoy your success?"
Zong Ze smiled and said, "Shizhong, you are more courageous and far-sighted than I was in my youth. You united with the local armed forces to crush the Jin soldiers, especially defeating Wanyan Gao. The soldiers all saw it. Your Majesty has a keen eye for talent. You are the most suitable person to lead the Hebei Army."
Zhao Huan persuaded you a few more times, knowing that Zong Ze had made up his mind and really wanted to retire and return home. Considering that Zong Ze was indeed old, he graciously agreed.
"Zong Ze listens to the order!"
Zong Ze hurriedly knelt down to receive the order.
"Zong Ze served his country with all his heart, regardless of his advanced age. He suppressed banditry and destroyed the Jin Dynasty. He was a pillar of our court and the foundation of the Great Song Dynasty. He was granted the title of Marquis of Wanhu and the title of Grand Tutor, a hereditary title. His achievements are engraved on the Yingde Monument, to be admired by all generations!"
"Your Majesty," Zong Ze said with tears of gratitude, "I, your Majesty, thank you for your grace."
"In three days, I will return to the capital!"
After staying in the Shangjing Palace for a few days, Zhao Huan couldn't sit still anymore, so he decided to go out for a walk.
Compared to Bianjing and Kaifeng, Shangjing was nothing more than a rural village. No wonder the Jin people always wanted to invade the south. I wonder what fun there was in this wild town.
If Zhao Huan went out like this, he would be as stupid as a dog. Fortunately, our dog emperor was not as stupid as Erha, so he brought Linghu Yunlong and Nangong Lian'er with him.
The three of them walked for most of the day and finally saw a tea stall on a street.
"Let's go and have a cup of tea," said Zhao Huan.
"Waiter, bring me a pot of tea!" Nangong Lian'er shouted.
Even though she was wearing men's clothing and had deliberately lowered her voice, her voice was still clear and pleasant. The people at the next table all looked over at the same time.
Linghu Yunlong snorted and threw the sword heavily on the table. The people next to him immediately turned their heads away and dared not look anymore.
Zhao Huan smiled and said, "Brother Yunlong, don't scare me with that bang."
Ever since Zhao Huan watched a certain TV series, he always called him Brother Yunlong when he went on incognito visits.
Linghu Yunlong sat down arrogantly: "These despicable villains, if we don't teach them a lesson, they will be in trouble."
He was referring to the tea drinkers who had been staring at Nangong Lian'er. Anyone who saw such a handsome young man in a teahouse would inevitably look at him a few more times.
Nangong Lian'er didn't care at all: "Brother Linghu, we are out here to have fun. Don't scare them all away, or it will be very boring."
"It's not easy to have fun, but why not just find a scoundrel you don't like and beat him up?" Linghu Yunlong said.
"Oh, that won't do." Zhao Huan looked at him and said, "Wouldn't that make us hooligans too?"
Nangong Lian'er was delighted: "This is a good idea. We are not bullying honest people. We can find a bad guy and beat him up. This is called getting rid of harm for the people."
Zhao Huan pouted and said, "It's good to eliminate harm for the people. I think you are a disaster to the people."
As they were talking, the Tea Master came over with a big teapot and poured tea for the three of them.
"You've heard that the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Bahlie, is selling off his property." A darker-skinned man at the table next to him whispered. Judging from his attire, he looked like a Jurchen.
Zhao Huan was shocked when he saw this man. This man was too dark. If he didn't know this was Shangjing, he would have thought he had met an African.
Another scholar-like man nodded: "I heard that he offended the Imperial Guards."
The African said, "What do you mean by offending the Imperial Guard? They're just looking for an excuse to make money. They're saying they're going to burn incense on the anniversary of Emperor Bahriel's death. They're rebelling against the Song and want to restore the Jin, and their intentions are nefarious. Humph, Emperor Aguda's sacrifice was celebrated by all the Jurchens in the city, and they went to burn incense and kneel down in worship. Why didn't they arrest us?"
The scholar was startled: "Didn't the current emperor issue an order not to bully you Jurchens?"
The African sneered, "That's all just a show. Look at the streets. The Jurchens now avoid Han officials. Even the Han people now feel inferior to the Jurchens. We've been friends for years, but you still treat me like a brother."
The scholar said, "During the previous dynasty, we Han people were indeed bullied by you Jurchens. If you hadn't saved my life back then, I would have been forced to work as a coolie and died in a foreign land. Now that the Han people of the Song Dynasty are in power, they have begun to bully the Jurchens again. When will this cycle of revenge end? I originally wanted to go to the capital to take the imperial examination next year. Gaining fame is secondary. I just want to offer some advice to the emperor in the Golden Palace to stabilize the country. It can be regarded as contributing to the people and being loyal to the country. But now it seems that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is no different from the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty. When the country prospers, the people suffer, and when the country perishes, the people suffer."
"Hush!" The 'African' lowered his voice. "Keep your voice down, or someone might overhear and tell the Huining Prefecture Governor's Office. I heard that the newly appointed Huining Prefecture Governor, Zhang Kening, is arrogant and unreasonable, and particularly enjoys bullying the Jurchens. The previous Imperial College Envoy, Lord Jiao Lumu, was persecuted to death by him."
"Lord Jiaolumu, what has he done wrong again?" the scholar was shocked.
The African sighed. "What else could it be? Jiao Lumu originally wanted to submit a petition advocating for intermarriage between the Han and the Jurchen people. This would eliminate racial prejudice and create a harmonious world where all ethnic groups in the Song Dynasty could live in peace, with northerners migrating south and southerners migrating north. This would achieve a great integration of all ethnic groups."
Zhao Huan was secretly shocked when he heard this. This Jiao Lumu is a talented person. How come he didn't know this person?
With a bang, the scholar slammed his hand on the table and roared in anger, "What's wrong with promoting the integration of all ethnic groups? If I pass the imperial examination in Beijing, it's to advise the emperor to abandon prejudice and achieve national integration. The Han people have Jurchen blood, and the Jurchens have Han blood. We're all one family, and this will help avoid some wars. Jiao Lumu was an honest official and respected the Han people during the previous dynasty. Yet, that bastard official persecuted him to death. Where is justice?"
PS: Three chapters have been merged into two. Since I have been very busy recently, the update time has been unstable. This has caused many readers to follow the unstable reading, and I apologize for this.
The subscription has been a bit slow recently, so I hope those who read pirated copies can support the original version. It's not easy to write code, so I don't expect you to read the original version for every chapter, but at least support it.
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