Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 394: Chaos and miasma!

The fifth year of Yuanyou in the Song Dynasty.

Autumn.

The atmosphere in the Privy Council of Bian Jing was so heavy that it was almost suffocating.

The bronze talisman fell down rapidly like a death warrant, making a dull sound.

Privy Councilor Zhao Xie frowned and stared at the bronze talisman, feeling an indescribable tension in his heart.

He knew very well that the fall of the bronze talisman meant that a great war was imminent.

At the same time, Dowager Gao sat back in the Chongzheng Hall, her eyes filled with a frosty coldness.

The red brush in her hand danced rapidly on the imperial paper, and then the imperial seal heavily stamped on the "Edict to Punish the Rebels in Yan'an" written by Gao Cai of the Hanlin Academy.

Her eyes were firm, revealing her determination to never tolerate rebellion. Every stroke of her pen seemed to declare to the world that the majesty of the Song Dynasty could not be violated.

As the decree to suppress the rebels was issued, the news spread as fast as the wind, and the mountains and rivers of Kyushu were instantly shrouded in war clouds.

The elite troops of the Western Army came out in full force from Yongxingjun Road. Zhong Pu, the former governor of Fuyan Road, wearing heavy armor, riding a tall horse, personally led 30,000 Song troops to line up on the north bank of the Weishui River.

The soldiers were dressed in black armor, which reflected a cold light under the sunlight, as if a dark cloud was pressing down on the city, majestic and powerful.

Zhong Pu looked at the army in front of him with a cold gaze, and there was hatred in his eyes.

Thinking of the time when Zheng Chaozong forcibly expelled him from Yan'an Prefecture, he felt both humiliated and pleased: Su Yun! Zheng Chaozong! I will repay you for the humiliation you have given me this time!
Zhang Meng, the old general of Huanqing Road, was gray-haired but in good spirits. He waved the whip in his hand and commanded 20,000 light cavalry to head straight towards the Wuding River.

The cavalrymen were in strong postures, with dead branches tied to their horses' tails. As their horses galloped, the dust they raised spread over a hundred miles.

Zhang Meng's heart is full of passion. Although he is old, his warlike spirit has not stopped.

He had heard that the Jingsai Army was extremely brave, but he was not convinced.

The Huanqing Army under his command is the elite among the elite of the Song Dynasty. There has always been a saying that "the strongest army in the world is in the Western Army, and the best Western Army is in Huanqing."

But the Jingsai Army that Su Yun created surpassed the Huanqing Army in a short period of time. How could he accept this?

The remnants of the Fuyan Road troops reorganized under the command of Liu Changzuo, the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front.

Liu Changzuo held a golden spear with a tiger head in his hand, looking very majestic. Wherever he pointed, the ancient road of Yanzhou was filled with yellow sand.

With a determined look in his eyes, he shouted to his soldiers: "My men, follow me to defeat the rebels and make great contributions to the Song Dynasty!"

The soldiers responded in unison with high morale.

The Hebei Imperial Guards also did not dare to slack off. They traveled day and night towards the battlefield.

At the Yellow River ferry, warships were densely packed one after another.

The young men of Youyan stood on the boat, singing "Pozhen Music" loudly. Their passionate singing shattered the moonlight of Qinchuan.

General Li Yong, who led the team, looked at the scene before him with great ambition in his heart. He believed that they would return victoriously from this expedition.

The Eastern Route Camp was set up in Shayuan Prison, Tongzhou, where grain and grass were piled up like mountains, amounting to more than 100,000 dan. Wang Fu, the official in charge of the grain and grass escort, worked day and night, carefully checking every bag of grain to ensure that there was nothing wrong.

Food and fodder are the lifeblood of the army, and there must not be any problems.

In Jingzhao Prefecture, the prefect Li Ming mobilized 30,000 laborers to work hard to dig a canal.

The laborers were sweating profusely, holding tools, working hard, day and night.

Bamboo and wood from Shu flowed down the Han River. Craftsmen stood on the shore, directing the transportation of the bamboo and wood. The sound of hammers and chisels made Mount Zhongnan tremble slightly.

The Southern Grain Depot is hidden in the dangerous Wuguan Pass in Shangzhou. The terrain here is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Zhao Gang, the official in charge of grain affairs, carefully arranged the transportation of tea and salt from Jingxiang and ironware from Bashu.

These supplies meandered along the Ziwu Valley plank road like a giant snake crawling through the mountains.

The porters shouted slogans, and their voices echoed throughout the mountains and forests, startling the birds roosting in the woods.

Hundreds of camps suddenly appeared among the ruins of the ancient city of Yanzhou in the west.

The cattle and sheep from Hetao and the corn from Longyou were secretly transported across Hengshan under the escort of the Uighur merchant caravans.

The leader of the caravan, Aguli, carrying the gilded token of the Privy Council's secret envoy, carefully led the team forward. The sound of camel bells echoed in the silent mountains, as if telling the importance of this secret transportation.

Zhang Xian, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, personally wrote the "Exhortation to Punish the Su Bandits".

He wrote furiously, incorporating his indignation towards the traitors into every word.

The students of the Imperial College, dressed in white and carrying swords, copied the manifesto one after another. There was justice in their eyes, and they were determined to spread the manifesto throughout the world to let the world see the true face of the traitor Su.

At the Tongtuo Street in Luoyang, the Twenty-Four Bridges in Yangzhou, and the Wanghai Tower in Hangzhou, Confucian scholars could be seen everywhere raising their arms and shouting: "The Su thief is violating the rites and laws and destroying the country!"

They looked excited and spoke earnestly, hoping to arouse the people's indignation against the rebels and to support the Song Dynasty's expedition.

The fast horses from Kaifeng Prefecture galloped day and night, distributing official reports depicting the Jingsai Army's "massacre in the city" to the post stations in the prefectures and counties.

The express messengers rode at lightning speed without stopping, with the sole purpose of delivering the imperial reports as quickly as possible so that people everywhere would know about the atrocities committed by the rebels in Yan'an.

Li Mingyuan, a powerful man in Hebei, donated thousands of ships of grain to show his loyalty.

He stood at the bow, looking at the ships loaded with grain, his heart filled with loyalty to the Song Dynasty.

Wang Fugui, a nobleman from the south of the Yangtze River, donated enough money and goods to make ten thousand sets of armor. He hoped that his donation would add strength to the army of the Song Dynasty and help put down the rebellion as soon as possible.

Even the elephant soldiers that the Dali Kingdom paid tribute to the Song Dynasty were covered with "Suppress Rebellion" brocade banners, as if to express their support for the Song Dynasty.

Liang Yibu, the prime minister of Western Xia, sent people to Linzhou to form a secret alliance with the envoys of Song.

On the west bank of the Yellow River, tens of thousands of Xia troops, under the command of a general, pretended to attack Jialushai, creating a tense atmosphere.

Aligu, the lord of Qingtang City, was lured by the Privy Council with gold and silk, and the Tibetan cavalry quickly deployed at the Taozhou boundary marker.

Zhao Hui, the Minister of the Honglu Temple of the Song Dynasty, entered Liao with an imperial edict.

Inside the Chongzheng Hall, the dripping sound of the copper kettle urges the troops to march.

Zhao Xie, dressed in a purple robe and jade belt, ascended the altar in a majestic manner to pay homage to the general.

The flag of the three armies slowly passed over the golden plaque of Zhuque Gate. Tens of thousands of brave soldiers raised their weapons in unison and shouted "God bless the Song Dynasty" in unison. The sound was deafening.

……

A large banner with the word "Su" in red and a black background was fluttering on the top of the Yan'an city wall, and the heavily armored cavalry of the Jingsai Army were lined up along the banks of the Wuding River like a dark cloud covering the city.

Zheng Chaozong stood on the high platform of the parade ground holding a 1.2-foot Mo Dao in his hand. Sixty thousand newly reorganized soldiers were divided into twelve square formations to practice the "Yanling Breaking Formation Style". The sound of swords and shields clashing was so loud that the old road of Yanzhou was covered with yellow dust.

Deep in the valley thirty miles west of the city, the fires in three hundred blacksmith shops burned day and night. The springs of the new Shenbi crossbow supervised by He Zheng were as big as locusts. The quenching smoke and the mist from the Yellow River entangled into an iron-gray sky at the Hengshan Pass.

The camel caravan from Shangzhou unloaded the arrows but took away the gold and silver wares from Suide. The Uighur horse dealer exchanged five hundred Hexi horses for three carts of snowflake salt.

The indoor sand table in the government office stretched for thousands of miles, the old fort of Suide Army was marked as "C-shaped grain station", and deep in the Ziwuling cave, kerosene enough for 100,000 troops to use for half a year was quietly stored.

Next to the popular Bianjing bulletin about "Su thieves massacring the city" was a secret agreement exposing the court's cession of Yan'an Prefecture.

The Kaifeng government suddenly became very nervous and quickly sent people to guard the place where the court bulletin was posted.

Then the official bulletin and notice board can be guarded, but how can the entire city be guarded?

The secret agreement of the imperial court to cede Yan'an Prefecture was spread everywhere, and the people of Bianliang were immediately in an uproar.

At the same time, various nursery rhymes were widely spread among the people of the Song Dynasty.

The most famous are two nursery rhymes. One is called "Yanzhou Ballad" by Su Lang, and its content is: "The wolf smoke is high above Jinming Village, Su Lang holds his spear to guard the Han homeland, the blade of Xixia's saber is rolled up, and the boys of Bianliang are planting mulberry and hemp."

Another one is called "Selling Mountains and Rivers", and its content is: [Green salt is drying on the bluestone slabs, soldiers and horses are drinking from the Weichuan River in Jingdezhen, abacus is ringing in the Privy Council, and mountains and rivers are being sold outside Sanchuankou].

A draft suddenly blew through the golden dragon pillars of Chongzheng Hall.

The knuckles of Empress Dowager Gao turned white as she clutched the copy of "Yanzhou Ballad". Her phoenix eyes swept over the words "the men of Bianliang grow mulberry and hemp" and "the mountains and rivers are sold outside Sanchuankou", and she slammed the celadon teacup onto the steps.

Amid the sound of cracking porcelain, Lu Dafang trembled as he held the full text of the imperial court ceding Yan'an Prefecture to Western Xia, which he had collected from the market and spread by Su Shi's disciples.

"Investigate! Investigate it thoroughly for me!"

The empress dowager's nails, dyed with rouge, almost dug into the wood grain of the imperial desk.

"Find out which worm in the Privy Council dares to collude with the traitor within three days!"

Fan Chunren caught a glimpse of Zhao Xie's signature on the last page of the secret agreement, and cold sweat soaked his middle. He said urgently: "This must have been forged by Su Yun."

Before he could finish his words, the Queen Mother interrupted him with a stern voice: "Forgery? I remember every word clearly, not a single word is different. It's fine if others don't know, but don't you, Mr. Fan, know it?"

Fan Chunren was so frightened by Empress Dowager Gao's harsh shout that his whole body trembled, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he stammered but could no longer speak.

The entire Chongzheng Hall was in silence. The ministers lowered their heads one after another, not daring to make a sound, for fear that the empress dowager's anger would affect them.

Empress Dowager Gao's chest rose and fell violently. She suppressed her anger and scanned the ministers with a sharp gaze. She said coldly, "Such a secret has become known to everyone. If such a traitorous act is not severely punished, how can the Song Dynasty keep its reputation?
My Lords, do you have any good ideas to uncover the traitor in the court?"

At this time, Liu Zhi, who was always calm, stepped out and said, "Empress Dowager, this matter is of great importance and needs to be carefully considered.

The Privy Council is in charge of military secrets. Since the secret agreement has been leaked, it must be that the officials involved are involved.

We can start with the Privy Council and investigate officials who have had contact with Yan'an Prefecture recently, as well as those who have behaved in an unusual manner."

Empress Dowager Gao nodded slightly, her expression still solemn: "What Liu Zhongcheng said is absolutely right. Liu Zhongcheng, this matter will be handed over to you. You must find out the truth quickly!"

Liu Zhi frowned, but he was complaining in his heart, secretly regretting that he took up this task.

This mission is arduous, and any mistake will lead to an irretrievable end.

But it was hard to disobey the emperor's order, so he could only bite the bullet and agree: "I obey your order! I will do my best to find the person who has colluded with the traitor."

Liu Zhi left Chongzheng Hall with a worried look on his face and returned to the Censorate, where he found Wang Yansou was also there and told him about the matter.

Wang Yansou also frowned upon hearing this, and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Shen, you shouldn't have responded to this question. This matter is a matter of the Privy Council. What does it have to do with our Censorate?
Besides, in our imperial court, there is no wall that is impermeable. Let alone the leak of the secret agreement, even if the emperor wet the bed last night..."

"Be careful with your words!" Liu Zhi glanced at Wang Yansou. Wang Yansou chuckled and said, "...But it doesn't matter, it's a good thing, and it's time for us to make an effort.

With this as a pretext, some people can investigate. They can’t stand the investigation, and once they investigate, they will find the truth. Then they can recommend us Hebei people, which is a good thing.”

Liu Zhi looked at Wang Yansou, nodded and said, "Let Kuang Zhi (Liang Tao), Qi Zhi (Liu Anshi) and others come back.

You have to put in some effort, too. Prime Minister Lu and Prime Minister Fan are too greedy. They have recommended people to the court, but where do they put us?"

Wang Yansou clapped his hands and said happily: "It should have been done long ago. The Luo Party and Shu Party are all yesterday's clouds and smoke. It is time for us, the heroes of Heshuo, to preside over the government!"

Liu Zhi took a deep breath. He had long been dissatisfied with Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren's appeasement policy, not only towards Western Xia, but also towards Yan'an Prefecture.

And this time, they took advantage of the war against Yan'an Prefecture to unscrupulously promote their own people and occupied all the key positions in the court, while their officials in Heshuo could only be increasingly marginalized. How could this be tolerated!
Liu Zhi and Wang Yansou acted quickly.

They first started with the low-level officials in the Privy Council who had close ties with Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren, secretly collecting evidence on them. Even the most insignificant things were magnified infinitely.

Liu Zhi sat in the study of the Imperial Censorate, carefully reviewing the collected materials one by one, with a calculating light flashing in his eyes. He said to Wang Yansou beside him: "These people usually rely on the support of others behind them and behave improperly. Now is our breakthrough point."

At Liu Zhi's suggestion, Wang Yansou, with a group of imperial censors, suddenly conducted a surprise investigation on these officials on the pretext of investigating the leak of secret agreements.

For a time, people in the Privy Council were in panic.

They tortured the suspected officials and forced them to confess, and if they refused to comply, they would fabricate charges against them and report them to the court.

In just two days, more than a dozen officials from the Lu and Fan factions were accused of "suspected of collaborating with the enemy" and "ineffective performance" and were exiled to remote areas.

At the same time, Liu Zhi and others quickly placed members of the Shuo Party in these vacant positions.

They moved around, trying to win over neutral forces in the DPRK and promised them benefits in exchange for their support.

Liu Zhi also personally visited Wen Yanbo and said earnestly: "The court is now in turmoil. The two ministers Lu and Fan have made many mistakes in their administration, which has led to the leakage of secrets and brought shame to the country.

For the sake of the Song Dynasty, we have no choice but to restore order. We hope that the Grand Master can distinguish right from wrong and support us."

Liu Zhi and others did such a thing. Fan Chunren was not a fool. After hearing the complaint of the Counselor Wang Di, he understood what was going on and immediately became furious.

Fan Chunren paced back and forth in the prime minister's residence, angrily saying: "People like Liu Zhi dared to take advantage of the chaos to suppress us. This is really too much!"

Wang Di's face was gloomy, and he gritted his teeth and said, "They are trying to turn the court into a one-man show for their party. We cannot sit idly by and watch."

Fan Chunren quickly invited Han Wei, Xian Yuqun and others to come and discuss the strategy of counterattack.

Fan Chunren explained the matter, and then said to everyone with a firm look in his eyes: "We must expose the true colors of Liu Zhi and others who abused their power for personal gain, and let the Queen Mother and the Emperor see their wolfish ambitions clearly."

Wang Di continued, "That's right. We need to collect evidence of their suppression of dissidents and their forming of cliques for personal gain, and fight back in the court."

Victor Han nodded and said, “Since they don’t care about feelings, then we have nothing to tolerate.”

Fan Chunren's side counterattacked extremely quickly.

Relying on the connections he had accumulated over the years in the court, Han Wei began to collect solid evidence of Liu Zhi and others' illegal operations.

He secretly interviewed some minor officials who had been coerced and bribed by Liu Zhi, and promised them protection and benefits to ask them to come forward to testify.

Xian Yuqian took advantage of his position as the financial manager to secretly investigate the recent financial transactions of members of the Shuo Party, trying to find clues to their improper transactions for personal gain.

At the same time, Fan Chunren personally wrote an impeachment memorial, sharply accusing Liu Zhi and others of using the guise of investigating leaks to eliminate dissidents, causing chaos in the court and seriously affecting the court's decision-making and deployment in response to the Yan'an war.

In the memorial, he also cited examples of several loyal and honest people suppressed by Liu Zhi and others to prove their evil deeds.

Wang Di also actively contacted other ministers who were neutral or inclined towards the Lu and Fan factions, and coordinated with them outside the court to win more support.

On his side, Liu Zhi also noticed the intention of Fan Chunren and others to counterattack.

Wang Yansou hurried to Liu Zhi's study and said anxiously, "Mr. Shen, Lü Dafang and his men have already started to fight back. Han Wei is looking for witnesses everywhere. Xian Yuqian is checking our accounts. Fan Chunren has even written an impeachment memorial. We have to think of a countermeasure quickly."

Liu Zhi looked solemn. After thinking for a moment, he said, "They are fast. However, we cannot show weakness."

He called a few of his trusted aides and ordered them, "Go and spread the news immediately, saying that Lü Dafang and Fan Chunren deliberately obstructed the investigation of the leak in order to preserve their own power. They are the ones who have evil intentions and are in collusion with the rebels in Yan'an Prefecture.

Haha, Fan Chunren admired Su Yun very much back then, maybe Fan Chunren showed Su Yun the secret agreement! "

When these words spread, the conflict between the two sides broke out completely in the court.

When Fan Chunren presented the impeachment memorial to Empress Dowager Gao, Liu Zhi immediately stepped forward to refute it.

He said righteously: "Empress Dowager, Fan Chunren is slandering us.

"I was determined to find the traitors for the court, but they maliciously slandered me. In order to protect their own party members, they did not hesitate to hinder the normal operation of the court. Such behavior is truly harmful to the country."

Fan Chunren was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Liu Zhi and said, "Liu Zhongcheng, you are confusing right and wrong, using public power for personal gain, and you still dare to make excuses here.

Everything you have done is witnessed by everyone in the court."

The ministers took sides one after another, and for a while, quarrels broke out in the court.

Empress Dowager Gao looked at the chaotic court with a frown on her face, her heart full of worry.

This was a critical moment in the war with Yan'an Prefecture, and the court was caught up in such a fierce party struggle, which was really not conducive to the overall situation.

She shouted angrily, "Shut up! Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, you are not thinking about how to deal with the war, but are joining forces to fight against the dissidents. Where do you think the Song Dynasty will be?"

For a moment, all the civil and military officials in the court were silent.

However, the fight between the two sides would not stop because of Empress Dowager Gao's scolding.

Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren continued to impeach Liu Zhi and others in the court, while Liu Zhi's side kept defending themselves and would bite back from time to time.

However, the investigation into officials from the Fan and Lu factions not only did not stop, but became more intense, and many officials were dismissed at one time.

The party struggle intensified and even affected the deployment of war on the front line.

The official in charge of food and fodder allocation was involved in factional disputes, which affected his work and caused delays in the transportation of food and fodder to the East Route Camp.

When the generals on the front line learned of the chaotic situation in the court, they also became panic-stricken and their morale suffered a considerable blow.

……

At the same time, in Yan'an Prefecture, Su Yun was discussing countermeasures with his staff.

He held a secret report that recorded in detail the chaotic scene in the court of Bianjing. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a smile: "Duyuan was born to do this job. The court has done so much work, and he did this. The court has become a mess.

The Queen Mother Gao must be extremely worried and overwhelmed by this. "

Wang Baopu laughed and said, “Master, this is a brilliant plan. The spread of this nursery rhyme and secret agreement is like a sharp knife piercing the heart of the Song Dynasty.

Now that they are preoccupied with their own affairs, it is a good time for us to strengthen our defenses and prepare to fight against the Song army."

Su Yun laughed when he heard this and said, "This is not my credit, but it has always been like this in the Song Dynasty. Party strife... Hehe, party strife is good!"

He then looked towards Guanzhong with a determined gaze and said, "...but we cannot slack off in the slightest.

After all, we have to fight a war of public opinion, as it is related to the potential for war. However, the current hundreds of thousands of Song troops are our most pressing concern and we must not be careless.

Qinglan, you must pay close attention to the movements of the Song army and the attitudes of surrounding forces.

If there is any sign of trouble, report it to me immediately."

Ping Zicheng bowed slightly and said, "Don't worry, sir. I have arranged a large number of spies to be spread around the Song army.

Their every move cannot escape our eyes.”

In the court of Bian Jing, the flames of factional struggle became more and more intense.

Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren realized that Liu Zhi and others did not restrain themselves because of Empress Dowager Gao's rebuke, so they decided to take more radical measures.

Fan Chunren joined forces with several senior officials and launched another attack in the court. They threatened to resign and demanded that Empress Dowager Gao thoroughly investigate the evil deeds of Liu Zhi and others and restore justice in the court.

Lu Dafang made an impassioned speech: "Empress Dowager, the court is now in chaos due to the likes of Liu Zhi. If it is not rectified, the Song Dynasty will be in danger. We are willing to resign as a warning, and we only ask the Empress Dowager to look into it."

Liu Zhi's side was not willing to be outdone. Wang Yansou ran around and united members of the Shuo Party to impeach Lu Dafang and Fan Chunren for controlling the government and forming cliques for personal gain, claiming that they were the root cause of the chaos in the court.

In the court, the two sides went back and forth, neither side gave in, and the situation became increasingly tense.

Empress Dowager Gao felt angry and anxious as she watched the struggles among the civil and military officials in the court, but she could not find a way to calm the disputes.

In the court of the Song Dynasty, as the party struggles continued, more and more officials were drawn into it, and the normal operation of the court almost came to a standstill.

Empress Dowager Gao had no choice but to summon several respected elders to the palace to discuss and try to find a solution to the party disputes.

However, the interests of all parties are complicated and it is difficult for the elders to come up with an effective solution for the time being.

They did seek out Liu Zhi, Lu Dafang, Fan Chunren and others to mediate, but once the party struggles broke out, how could they control it at the moment?
The core of party struggles is the struggle for power and resources.

Officials from different factions often form communities of interests with local tyrants, gentry, business groups, etc.

Once the party struggle begins, the vested interests will do their utmost to protect their own status, forming an offensive and defensive situation where "one loss means all lose."

Under the autocratic imperial power, the distribution of power is exclusive.

The winners of party struggles often monopolize official positions, imperial examination quotas and the right to speak, while the losers are marginalized or even liquidated.

This "winner takes all" rule makes it difficult for both sides to compromise, and they can only aim to completely eliminate their opponent.

During the party struggle, both sides usually package their own positions as "defending the right path" and stigmatize their opponents as "evildoers who bring disaster to the country."

This moralized narrative causes compromise to be seen as a betrayal, and rational policy discussions are replaced by taking sides.

So, no one can compromise on this.

What is more important is that in party struggles, the losers worry about being liquidated, and the winners fear retaliation, and both sides fall into a chain of suspicion of "strike first and gain the upper hand."

Therefore, once the party struggle begins, it is very difficult to stop it. Unless one side completely crushes the other side, there is no time to stop.

Therefore, when Empress Dowager Gao sought to mediate with Fan Chunren, Liu Zhi and others, everyone said yes, but then immediately launched an impeachment.

Queen Mother Gao would ask them why they didn't keep their promises, and then they would start quarreling again, saying that the other party was a villain and didn't follow the rules...

(End of this chapter)