"Your Majesty, your servant Li Gang, pays homage to His Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
At this moment, Li Gang came to Wende Hall, and Zhao Huan was waiting for him.
"Lord Li, the Jin troops will soon cross the Yellow River. The capital city must be under full martial law. We must be fully prepared for war."
"Your Majesty, I'm already working on it. The capital's defenses are basically complete. Armies from all directions are on their way to support the king. However, rumors have been spreading among the people of the capital in recent days. Is it necessary for the government to intervene?"
"Rumors? What kind of rumors are they, Lord Li?" Zhao Huan was holding a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals in his hand, leisurely sitting in the Wende Hall and eating snacks made by the imperial chef.
You know what? The skills of this imperial chef are truly exceptional. If the dim sum he made were to open a dim sum shop in modern times, it would probably be packed with customers.
"Your Majesty, this, this..." Li Gang hesitated.
"Just say it." Zhao Huan said absentmindedly while chewing a piece of osmanthus cake.
"Wait, wait..." Zhao Huan suddenly realized: "You mean the people in the capital are calling me a dog emperor?"
"Your Majesty..." Li Gang was a little embarrassed.
"Catch them, they must be caught. Catch all those bastards who cursed me and torture them severely." Zhao Huan stood up suddenly and threw away the snacks. It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned this matter, but as soon as he did, he was furious.
"Well, Your Majesty. The matter of Lord Li has caused a sensation in the whole city. I think we should just arrest those scholars and officials who made trouble for no reason and give them a warning. There is no need to torture them." Li Gang looked embarrassed.
He had already said that anyone who criticized the emperor's character would be spared. Zhao Huan had initially thought that he had just ascended the throne and wasn't even warm to the seat yet. What could the world say about him? Little did he know that he had fallen into Li Bangyan's trap in the hall.
Thinking of this, Zhao Huan sat down and said dejectedly: "Forget it. I want to be a wise ruler and accept all kinds of advice. The people can say whatever they want. Let them do whatever they want."
"Your Majesty is wise, but some of the scholars and officials still need to be disciplined. Some of them are really incompetent." Li Gang breathed a sigh of relief. He said this to save some face for Zhao Huan.
But Zhao Huan waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. I have already issued an edict that those who remonstrated with Your Majesty are innocent. Let them be. These people will not stop until they have caused a great disturbance in the city. Once they have caused enough trouble, this matter will no longer be such a big rumor."
Li Gang was overjoyed. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I don't like compliments. But today I want to say that you are truly a wise ruler. When the Jin army approached, I was worried when I told Your Majesty that the Emperor Retired would abdicate..."
"What are you worried about? Are you worried that I am cowardly and afraid of trouble? I dare not fight the Jin thieves, right?" Zhao Huan threw away the Spring and Autumn Annals in his hand and took a piece of osmanthus cake.
Li Gang smiled and said, "It now appears that Your Majesty is wise, courageous, and broad-minded. I was overly concerned."
"My dear Li, I won't care about the rumors among the people. I called you here for two things." Zhao Huan wiped his hands and said seriously.
Li Gang also put away his smile and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please give your orders."
"First, you must defend the capital at all costs. My life is secondary. The Song Dynasty's empire, its people, its ancestral temples, its officials, and its imperial harem all depend on it. If Bianjing cannot be defended, you should know the consequences."
"I will spare no effort and defend the capital to the death."
Zhao Huan looked at Li Gang kneeling on the ground. He understood. The Song Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse. If no one came to turn the tide, the Jingkang Shame would be repeated. Therefore, he had to be extremely cautious in everything he did.
"Li Gang, this is exactly what I'm worried about." Zhao Huan looked at him and said, "You have the heart to save the country, but you are ultimately a scholar. You are not suited to fighting on the battlefield. I can let you defend the city, but I'm afraid you would not be suitable if I asked you to attack the enemy and conquer the Jin Dynasty."
"Your Majesty, you not only have the ability to govern the country, but also the ability to identify talents. It is a blessing for the Song Dynasty and the people. I still find it difficult to defend the city, and I am indeed not suitable to lead troops into battle." Li Gang now admires the emperor in front of him even more.
"Li Gang, listen to my orders!" Zhao Huan stood up and patted the osmanthus cake in his hands.
"If the Jin soldiers attack, I order you to defend but not attack."
Li Gang looked up in confusion: "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Zhao Huan gazed into the distance. "The Song Dynasty is in danger, yet we have no generals to rely on. Our only option now is to use you, a civil official, to defend the city. I've already told you that you can defend the city, but attacking the enemy is not your forte. The battlefield situation is ever-changing, and the Jin soldiers are extremely cunning. Remember this: even if the enemy army is already losing, you must not open the gates to pursue them. Otherwise, you will be severely punished. Do you understand?"
Zhao Huan didn't dare take any risks. He knew that if he insisted on fighting, with the strength of the imperial guards and the solid city walls, it should not be difficult to stop the Jin soldiers. However, considering the poor fighting capacity of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was better not to take the risk of asking these imperial guards to attack the Jin people.
"I obey your order." Li Gang said and stood up.
Zhao Huan nodded, he was very satisfied: "This second thing..."
Li Gang was about to kneel down to receive the order.
"Oh, Lord Li, there is no need to kneel. This is not an order for you, but it is more important than my order." Zhao Huan stopped Li Gang.
Li Gang looked at Zhao Huan blankly. He didn't understand what this meant.
"I want you to inquire about someone."
"Who is it, please tell me, Your Majesty."
"Immediately send someone to Pingding County, Shanxi Province, to inquire about a man named Yue Fei among the Pingding Army in Hedong Road. This man should be a lieutenant commander. Find him and bring him to the palace immediately. This is extremely urgent. Remember this."
Zhao Huan's tone was stern. Li Gang didn't understand why the new emperor knew a small school in Shanxi and was so concerned about it.
"Your Majesty, why is this small parade so important?" Li Gang finally asked his doubts.
Zhao Huan smiled faintly: "This lieutenant is no ordinary man. I'm afraid that this man will save the Song Dynasty."
Li Gang was doubly baffled. A mere lieutenant, a low-ranking military officer, was so deeply missed by the emperor, thousands of miles away. And that wasn't enough. He even wondered if this man could save the Song Dynasty. Wasn't this emperor truly strange? Fortunately, his long-held fears hadn't materialized. The new emperor wasn't afraid of war, but rather strongly advocated fighting the Jin. This reassured Li Gang. As for this Yue Fei, since the emperor was so eager to see him, he could simply summon him.
Li Gangzhi was about to leave: "Yes, Your Majesty. I will do it right away."
"Wait a minute," Zhao Huan stopped him, "The people of Bianjing and the civil and military officials have long held grievances against those ministers. Go and find out what's going on and report back to me."
Li Gang looked up in surprise. "Well, Your Majesty. Most officials have always had opinions about me."
Zhao Huan smiled and said, "I'm not talking about you. Forget it. You don't need to do this. Come, go and get the student Chen Dong to come to me."
Being a coder has its own advantages. I, Zhao Huan, know nothing about historical materials. Fortunately, writing books requires frequent reading of materials, so I have some understanding of this dynasty.
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