Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 424 Chang'an is in danger!

Su Yun looked at Lu Huiqing and said with a smile: "Of course we will incorporate them into the Jingsai Army. We are all Chinese, so there is no reason for us to kill each other."

Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "He still has some conscience."

Su Yun smiled and stopped paying attention to Lu Huiqing. He then ordered his men to quickly gather and evacuate Jinzhou.

Now, before the news spreads, we must quickly cross Cizhou and return to Tongzhou. Otherwise, if we are blocked in Jinzhou, something big will happen in Chang'an.

Su Yun and his entourage marched quickly with a group of prisoners. Lu Huiqing followed in the army and observed the Jingsai Army. This observation shocked him.

He followed the Taiyuan Army all the way from Taiyuan to Jinzhou, and of course he knew what the Song Army looked like, but after seeing the Jingsai Army today, he finally understood why the Jingsai Army was so powerful.

During the Jingsai Army's march, the military discipline was strict, yet tense and lively. Although they moved fast, they sang and played games along the way. The songs they sang were somewhat different from the current songs, and the lyrics were very straightforward, but they made the military life very poetic.

The game is a way of conveying information. The person in front says something, and the person behind describes it to the next person. However, after just over ten people, the message has been completely changed. It is two completely different messages from the previous one. After they are passed and compared, everyone will burst into laughter.

During the game, the marching speed did not slow down, but everyone was very happy and did not look depressed or tired at all.

Lu Huiqing seemed to have some understanding of why the Jingsai Army was so powerful.

Su Yun really has his way. Under this approach, the soldiers are happy, optimistic, proactive and motivated.

The differences were also seen in the food and other aspects along the way. All the soldiers, including the generals, and even Su Yun, ate the same food as the soldiers. Everyone squatted together to eat, and there was no distinction between superiors and subordinates.

This scene shocked Lu Huiqing deeply.

In the Song army, there is a strict hierarchy. Not to mention a marshal like Su Yun, even a small captain has to eat special meals and would not eat with the big soldiers.

But looking at the appearance of the Jingsai Army, the soldiers were not surprised at all. It seemed that this was not the first time, and it might not even be a last resort during the march. It might have been the same in Yan'an Prefecture as well.

Lu Huiqing was deeply shocked. He naturally understood the truth that what is worrying is not the lack of wealth but the inequality of wealth, and he also knew how much doing so would improve the army's combat effectiveness. But he also understood that knowing is one thing, but wanting to do it is another.

Don’t those generals understand that in order to improve combat effectiveness they need to respect the soldiers and eat and sleep with the soldiers?
There is nothing they don’t understand, but how many people can actually do it?

Su Yun is indeed a very ambitious person!
Su Yun and his party acted very quickly and quickly passed through Cizhou and returned to Tongzhou before the news spread.

This time, Su Yun led 3,000 cavalrymen and galloped hundreds of miles, defeating the Taiyuan army in one fell swoop, and even brought back Lu Huiqing as a prisoner, perfectly achieving the strategic goal of this time.

The Taiyuan Army, the most powerful among the reinforcements, was defeated by Su Yun in one fell swoop, and the Song Dynasty court's purpose of supporting Chang'an basically ended in failure.

When the news came out, Zhe Keshi's Zhe family army dared not advance any further, but stayed where they were, waiting for the next news from the court.

The imperial army that had set out from Luoyang was about to enter Shanzhou, but when they heard that the Taiyuan army had been defeated in Jinzhou, they quickly retreated to Mengjin and refused to move forward again.

……

Bianjing.

The spring of the first year of Shaosheng was also the spring of the high-spirited official Zhao Xu.

Although the entire city of Bianjing was not allowed to hold various celebrations this spring due to the funeral of Empress Dowager Gao, for Zhao Xu, this spring was bright and free.

The mountain of Empress Dowager Gao, which had weighed on him for so long, finally collapsed, and now, with the assistance of the Eight Masters of the Cheng School, he had firmly controlled the government.

Although the elders in the court were still in the Council of State, their power had been gradually deprived by Zhao Xu.

What does it mean to be in high spirits and ride a horse at full speed, and to see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day? Zhao Xu didn't quite understand this truth before, but he understood it this spring.

He even understood why his father loved attending court and reviewing memorials so much when he was alive. It was because when one holds supreme power, work is no longer boring but full of fun.

He probably didn't know that the same was true for some bosses and executives of companies in later generations. Most of those bosses and executives were workaholics, not for any other reason, but because they held power and could dominate others.

Zhao Xu didn’t know, but this didn’t stop him from becoming a workaholic who loved his work.

Of course, his health was not very good, and he could not work as hard as his workaholic father, but it also made all the officials in the court know that the current emperor was also a good and conscientious emperor.

Recently, Zhao Xu's main work focuses are mainly three: one is to restore the new law, the second is to use the restoration of the new law to recall the original New Party back to the court one by one. Of course, people like Zhang Dun who have a close relationship with Su Yun are naturally not among them, and the third is to pay attention to the war in the northwest.

Zhao Xu restored the new law and continuously transferred some of the people he trusted and available back to the capital and placed them in various positions. After a period of time, he felt that the entire Bianjing was under his control.

The new laws were restored one by one, and the imperial treasury gradually showed signs of being filled again.

Especially during winter and spring, when the off-season vegetables in the cellar were hot-selling, the increased income for the court every day was so great that even Zhao Xu could not help but feel his heart beating faster.

After one winter, a small cellar actually brought the national treasury an additional income of more than 10 million strings of cash!

In recent years, the number of cellars has increased rapidly. Basically, both sides of the Bian Canal have been dug into cellars, and the supply is no longer limited to Bian Jing, but is sold all the way along both sides of the canal. Therefore, although the unit price has decreased, the total sales volume has increased significantly.

When so much money came into the treasury, Zhao Xu had complicated emotions. The largest single source of income for the court at that time was actually created by that traitor!
But generally speaking, there are more joys than sorrows, after all, good fortune is hard to come by!

When the government was stable and the treasury was gradually filled, Zhao Xu felt that the world was beautiful and that everything was under his control.

On this day, Zhao Xu got up early again, did a little exercise, had breakfast, and then went to court excitedly.

In the past, he regarded attending court as a chore, but now he believes that there is nothing more interesting than attending court.

Crack the whip to clear the dust.

All officials were silent.

Zhao Xu sat upright.

Satisfied.

——No need to look at officials’ butts anymore!

Listening to the court officials reporting on important matters in recent days, Zhao Xu expressed his opinions from time to time.

Well, everything is under control.

However, in the midst of peace, there were suddenly hurried footsteps heard, and someone ran in from outside the hall.

Zhao Xu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

However, the imperial guards came running towards them with a eunuch. Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes and saw that the eunuch was holding a special military letter in his hand. His heart suddenly twitched: it was the war in the northwest!
"Your Majesty! Urgent military situation in the northwest!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Xu stood up suddenly. Just as he was about to order him to report, Cheng Yi immediately stepped out and said, "Sir, the military situation is urgent. You may leave the court first."

Zhao Xu reacted immediately and looked quickly at the eunuch on duty. The eunuch quickly cracked the whip and said, "If there is nothing else, the court is dismissed! If there is nothing else, the court is dismissed!" The officials were also curious and after bowing, they lingered and did not leave. Zhao Xu hurriedly left the hall and then took the military book to read it. When he saw it, his face turned pale.

Seeing Zhao Xu's pale face, Cheng Yi quickly took it and looked at it. He staggered and said loudly to the eunuch: "Immediately summon the prime minister of the Political Affairs Hall! The officials of the Privy Council! The officials of the Ministry of War! The important officials of the three departments! Go to Chongzheng Hall and wait for an audience with the emperor!"

The eunuch left in a hurry because he was in trouble.

Cheng Yi supported Zhao Xu and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, this is a time of great trouble, you must remain calm! No matter how big the matter is, the officials of the court will naturally be there! Please do not express your opinions yet, wait for the officials to explain, and then you can make a decision!"

Zhao Xu was still young, and his mind froze for a moment. After being reminded by Cheng Yi, he finally calmed down. He grabbed Cheng Yi with his backhand and said, "Master! Please help me check, and remember to remind me!"

Cheng Yi nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will assist you! Your Majesty must be more cautious. This time, Lu Huiqing was defeated and Chang'an is in danger. Your Majesty must not be too arbitrary and let the officials in the court make the decision!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu glanced at Cheng Yi and saw that Cheng Yi looked anxious. He immediately understood what Cheng Yi meant: Chang'an might fall, and Your Majesty, you'd better not take all the responsibility on yourself, otherwise your prestige will be greatly damaged!

Zhao Xu wanted to speak, but in the end he didn't say anything.

When Zhao Xu arrived at Chongzheng Hall, he found that the hall was already crowded. The leader was Shangshu Zuo Pushe Fan Chunren, and half a step behind was Shangshu You Pushe Zeng Bu. Although Fan Chunren was considered prime minister, he served as Menxia Shilang, while Zeng Bu was Zhongshu Shilang.

Fan Chunren became prime minister because he had made the greatest contribution in the process of removing the curtain, but his power was not as great as Zeng Bu's. Some people believed that it was because Fan Chunren was just trying to pull back from the brink of disaster. The government still remembered that Fan Chunren and others had controlled him together with Empress Dowager Gao!
Zeng Bu was the Minister of the Secretariat and should have held the greatest power, but everyone knew that the person most relied upon by the government at the moment was Cheng Yi, the Vice-Chancellor.

Cheng Yi now had tremendous power, because not only was Cheng Yi himself the closest minister to the emperor, but all the students he taught were also valued. The eight most outstanding disciples among them, known as the Eight Sons of Cheng, all led key departments and were especially valued by the emperor.

In addition to these three people, there is another person standing in the front who cannot be ignored. This person is the Privy Councilor Cai Bian.

Behind them were important officials from the Ministry of War, the Privy Council, the Council of State Affairs, and several other members of the Cheng family.

Zhao Xu took a quick glance, then strode to the middle chair and sat down, then greeted everyone and said, "This is an urgent matter, so don't be polite. My dear companion, let me show you the situation, and I will tell you directly.

Lu Zhizhou led 30,000 Taiyuan troops to rescue Chang'an and stationed in Jinzhou. When they were preparing to attack Pujindu, they were defeated by the rebel Su Yun in Jinzhou. At that time, the Huanqing army did not dare to cross the line and did not dare to enter Chang'an.

The imperial army that set out from Luoyang stopped at Mengjin. In other words, three reinforcements were defeated along one route, and two were unable to move forward. Chang'an is now isolated! Chang'an is in danger!"

Zhao Xu spoke anxiously and irritably in Kaifeng Mandarin. Fortunately, most of the important officials present had lived in Bianliang for many years, so they understood what Zhao Xu said.

When they reacted, they all exclaimed in surprise.

"What! Lu Gong's Taiyuan army was defeated! How many people did Lu Gong bring to continue the resistance? Can he continue to advance to Chang'an?"

Fan Chunren exclaimed.

Zhao Xu's face was filled with anger when he heard this. He said, "Continue to resist... Humph! He himself was captured by Su Yun, so how can anyone continue to resist!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the Chongzheng Hall gasped and looked at each other. No one dared to speak for a moment.

Fan Chunren staggered half a step, holding onto the table to barely stand, and said in a trembling voice: "Lü Gong actually suffered such a disaster... The 30,000 Taiyuan troops were completely wiped out?"

Privy Councilor Cai Bian frowned as he flipped through the military report and suddenly said, "The report says that Su Yun led only 3,000 cavalrymen to defeat the Taiyuan army. How... is this possible?
The Taiyuan Army is a 30,000-man army! Ten times larger than the rebels, how could they be defeated so easily and even their commander was captured? "

The important officials in the palace looked at the military report one after another with different expressions.

Zeng Bu stroked his beard and pondered, "I have heard that the Jingsai Army is very powerful, but to defeat 30,000 with only 3,000 men, I am afraid that it is not only because of the sharpness of the troops, but also because of the strategy.

Although Lu Gong is good at governing a county, he may not be good at fighting.”

Cheng Yi looked at everyone with a serious look, then turned to Zhao Xu and said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to plan a rescue plan for Chang'an.

Although the Zhe Family Army and the Imperial Guards have stopped moving forward, they can still mobilize other troops and horses..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Zhao Xu: "Mobilizing troops? How easy is that! The Shaanxi route is already short of troops, and Su Yun defeated the Taiyuan army this time, so I'm afraid he has already set up a defense line to prevent our reinforcements from advancing westward!"

Fan Chunren suddenly straightened his back and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I, an old minister, request to go to the northwest in person to reorganize the reinforcements and ensure that Chang'an is safe!"

Zeng Bu shook his head slightly: "Mr. Fan's loyalty and bravery are commendable, but the situation in the northwest is complicated and cannot be dealt with without someone who knows military affairs."

He turned his gaze to Cai Bian, "Cai Shumi has been in the Privy Council for a long time and is familiar with the deployment of border troops. Perhaps..."

Before Cai Bian could speak, Cheng Yi said, "No! Secretary Cai needs to coordinate the overall situation, how can we act rashly?
In my opinion, we can urgently dispatch the Zhong clan to provide assistance. The Zhong clan will fight Xixia for a long time and will surely be able to compete with Su Yun."

Cai Bian frowned upon hearing this and said, "The Zhong family is already in a period of transition. The Zhong Yan generation has either died or retired due to old age. The only one of the next generation who can be used is Zhong Pu, but he was also captured by Su Yun.

General Zhong Ji has two sons, Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong, who are quite talented, but too young to shoulder important responsibilities. They can be generals, but not the main commander. They need old and prudent officials to take charge!"

Cheng Yi said: "Cai Shumi forgot one person, that is the old general."

Cai Bian was stunned when he heard this and said, "General Zhongzhen is too old to step down... I'm afraid he will not be able to handle such a fierce battle."

Cheng Yi shook his head and said, "This kind of battle requires knowledge of military affairs and the ability to coordinate. He doesn't need to fight in person. So what does it matter if he is a little older?"

After hearing this, Cai Bian was speechless. Perhaps he had something to say, but because of Cheng Yi's current power, he did not dare to say it.

Zhao Xu stared at the candlelight in the hall. Seeing that no one else spoke for a long time, he said, "Let's do as Mr. Cheng said and re-employ General Zhongzhen. Let him lead his troops to travel day and night and make sure to reach Chang'an within five days."

He paused, and said in a low voice, "If Chang'an is lost...how can I face my ancestors!"

After saying this, he stood up suddenly, and the sleeve of his robe swept the teacup on the table to the ground. Amid the sound of broken porcelain, everyone felt a heavy pressure coming towards them.

Outside the Chongzheng Hall, the spring was chilly and the copper bells on the eaves jingled in the wind.

The candlelight flickered in the hall, and the ministers were still arguing fiercely about the allocation of food and fodder, and the deployment of defense lines.

Only Zhao Xu looked at the dusk outside the palace and thought of what Empress Dowager Gao said before her death: "It is not easy to maintain the status quo, and we must be cautious in employing new people." At this moment, a trace of bitterness arose in his heart.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

Mr. Su, Mr. Su, I must let you know that the Song Dynasty cannot be shaken by you alone!

That night, a spring rain fell in the city of Bianjing, as fine as silk, but it seemed to contain a myriad of sorrows.

After Zhao Xu approved the last decree to mobilize troops, he suddenly felt a sweet and fishy taste in his throat. He quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and there were a few spots of bright red between his fingers.

The eunuch next to him wanted to shout when he saw this, but he stared at him and said, "Don't make a sound."

After saying that, he crumpled the handkerchief into a ball and stuffed it into his sleeve, looking at the rain outside the window, his eyes gradually turning cold.

This grand drama of the game between the emperor and his subjects, and the survival of the country, has just begun.

(End of this chapter)