Xiongzhou County Government Office.
The county jail was gloomy and dark, with a musty smell wafting into the air. The iron bars were rusted, indicating that the jail had not been cleaned or maintained for a long time.
However, there were two people with unusual appearances imprisoned in the prison at the moment. The reason why they looked unusual was because of their attire.
Each of them had a thin braid by their ears and their foreheads were bald. They were dressed like Jurchens and were Zhuotuo Tangren and Shi Dunzhu.
Zhan Yunpeng and Fang Rucheng came in with several yamen runners. Zhuo Tuo Tangren and Shi Dunzhu were chained and squatting in a corner.
The bailiff opened the prison door and dragged the two men out.
That night, the two men attempted to assassinate Zhan Yunpeng, but Zhan Yunpeng was prepared. After a fierce struggle, the two men were captured. In fact, even if Zhan Yunpeng hadn't been prepared, the assassination attempt by the two men would not have succeeded given his skills.
"You two, have you thought it through? Where is the place where your Shuhu Ximeng is smuggling the Flame Saltpeter Arrow Box?"
Zhuo Tuo Tangren and Shi Dunzhu knew that they could not defeat the Chief Justice in front of them with their kung fu, but no matter how Zhan Yunpeng asked, the two of them pretended to be dumb and did not say a word.
Zhan Yunpeng was in a dilemma, as he couldn't get any information about smuggling from these two people. They were also very stubborn, and torture was useless against them.
"My two heroes, I know that torturing you is futile. However, I still advise you to tell me the location of the smuggling transaction between Shuhu Ximeng and the transport envoy. I will guarantee your freedom. Otherwise, you will spend the rest of your lives in prison."
"Hmph!" Shi Dunzhu sneered. "I advise you to put aside your thoughts about asking us to betray our master. You can kill us or chop us up as you please, but don't even think about prying a single word out of us!"
The Zhuotuo Tang people simply ignored them.
Fang Rucheng suddenly leaned over to Zhan Yunpeng and whispered something in his ear. Zhan Yunpeng smiled and nodded.
"Take this man out and torture him to extract a confession!"
Zhan Yunpeng was referring to Shi Dunzhu. The bailiffs came and took Shi Dunzhu out, leaving Zhuo Tuo Tangren in jail.
…
Morning visit to Zichen Hall.
"My dear ministers, I have issued an order for the troops from all regions to gather in the capital. I will personally lead the army!"
The ministers were in an uproar. This emperor was acting on impulse. He treated the country like a toy, and personally leading an army was nothing more than child's play in his mouth.
Bai Shizhong stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Western Xia border is frequently harassed by enemy forces. I believe it is best to send envoys to protest and negotiate, but absolutely not to mobilize troops."
"I, Zhao Ye, the governor of the Northern Circuit, second the motion! Your Majesty personally led the expedition, unaware that Western Xia had already pledged allegiance to Jin. If we mobilize against Western Xia, Jin will undoubtedly break the Huining Alliance. We would then be attacked from both sides."
"I, Minister of Rites Zuo Heng, second the proposal! If we mobilize the army, the Song Dynasty will be unable to withstand it. Western Xia..."
"Who said I was going to conquer Western Xia?" Zhao Huan interrupted Zuo Heng, "I was going to personally lead an expedition against the Jin Kingdom and recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun!"
The ministers who advocated peace were immediately in chaos. Going to war with the Jin Kingdom was not the way to go about it.
Bai Shizhong bowed and said, "Your Majesty! I, an old minister, risk my own life to advise you that the Song Dynasty may not be able to conquer the Jin at this moment. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Li Gang stepped forward and declared proudly, "Your Majesty, I believe the time is ripe for war against the Jin. Zong Shidao has severely damaged Wanyan Zongwang's eastern army, severely weakening the Jin. If we gather a large force and Your Majesty personally leads the campaign, we will surely defeat the Jin!"
"You can break the gold, but how much silver is there in the national treasury right now? If there are continuous wars, where will the military funds come from?" That was the voice of Zhang Bangchang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Meng Gu Rao said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about the military expenses, Master Zhang. I will raise enough money to cover the expenses even if I have to go without food or drink!"
"you……"
"I think it's not possible..."
"I think Lord Li Gang's words make sense..."
Suddenly, the court was in turmoil. Some advocated going to war with Jin, while others said the time was not right and that they should bide their time.
Little did they know that Zhao Huan had indeed made a risky move. Although Zhao Huan had made some reforms to the army, filling the ranks with military leaders and conducting some training, and increasing the generals' authority over the army, he was still suppressed by the civil officials. Once the war broke out, it was indeed a bit hasty.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" The eunuch in charge hurried over and said, "The messenger from the Zhong family army requests an audience!"
The court immediately became quiet and everyone stopped arguing.
Zhao Huan waved his hand: "Announce!"
When the messenger from the Zhong family army entered the hall, everyone was stunned. They saw the messenger dressed in mourning and holding an urgent letter.
Zhao Huan was shocked and stood up from the dragon throne: "What happened?"
The messenger knelt and cried, "Your Majesty! Marshal Zhong has passed away!"
Everyone was shocked. Zong Shidao was dead?
Cao Dongsheng hurried down from the hall, took the messenger's letter with both hands, and ran back to the hall to hand it to Zhao Huan.
Zhao Huan opened the letter and saw that it said that Zhong Shidao had died of overwork while deploying troops on the eastern front of the Yellow River.
Zhao Huan was deeply saddened, and tears welled up in his eyes. The ministers below also began to weep, and the entire court was filled with mourning.
Zhong Shidao, a man of unwavering integrity, fought throughout his life. He truly served his country and his people, devoting himself to his country and his people until his death.
Every official has his enemies. Zhong Shidao was no exception. Others would criticize him for being tyrannical and refusing to listen to others' advice. But no one, including his enemies, ever questioned his loyalty to the Song Dynasty.
The Jin Kingdom went to the capital Huining Prefecture.
When Wanyan Sheng heard that Zong Shidao had died of illness, he was overjoyed, and all the ministers under him were eager to take action.
Wanyan Zonghan said happily: "With the death of Zong Shidao, our chance has come!"
Jin Wushu stood up, bowed and said: "I am willing to lead the troops as the vanguard!"
Wanyan Ang was unwilling to fall behind: "Your Majesty, I am willing to do the same!"
Wanyan Sheng pondered for a moment, then looked at Wanyan Zonghan. "Marshal Zonghan, if the Great Jin gathers and marches south, how long will it take us to prepare?"
"Your Majesty, this is a matter of urgency. If we were to mobilize all our national strength, it would take at least three months. We can first send troops stationed on the border to test the waters, and then march south once we have assembled our forces."
Wanyan Ang had just been beaten to the punch by Jin Wushu, so he hurriedly said, "I am willing to go to the east line of the Yellow River as a vanguard to test the waters first."
Jin Wushu was unwilling: "I was the first to say that I am willing to be the vanguard!"
Wanyan Ang was furious: "That family army killed Deputy Commander Zong Wang. I want to avenge him!" Wanyan Ang turned and knelt: "Your Majesty! I am willing to lead the Eastern Route Army to attack the Zong family army and avenge the previous humiliation!"
Wanyan Sheng was a little embarrassed and hesitant: "This..."
Wanyan Zonghan's uncle, Wanyan Gao, was the deputy marshal when Zonghan and Zongwang went south to attack the Song Dynasty. The marshal was actually Wanyan Gao.
Wanyan Gao saw this and said, "Your Majesty, let Angdi and I lead the eastern army as the vanguard. Wuzhu, you follow Zonghan and attack from Taiyuan in the west!"
It was Wanyan Gao's words that later led to the encounter between the Jin Dynasty's Western Route Army led by Jin Wushu and Yue Fei in Shanxi. These natural enemies met again and staged a series of bloody and bitter battles.
PS: I have relatives coming to visit, so I guess I can only update once today. Sorry!
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