The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 510 Forbid them from migrating north
News of the Northern Song army's recapture of Kaifeng quickly spread to Lin'an.

Then, the Northern Song army continued to expand to the surrounding areas, and soon Ruzhou and other places were also brought under its control.

Ruzhou was originally a piece of land that Yue Fei fought desperately to conquer in the north for the Southern Song Dynasty, but it was ceded to the Jin Dynasty when the Song and Jin Dynasties negotiated a peace treaty.

Since it was in the hands of the Jin Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty took it without any psychological burden and showed no mercy.

As a result, the territory north of Xiangyang fell entirely into the hands of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Gou should have been distressed, but he was actually quite pleased: "Minister Qin, the Northern Song Dynasty has indeed taken Kaifeng and other places. Now, we are no longer bordering the Jin Dynasty."

Qin Hui chuckled: "Heh, yes, we don't have to worry about the Jin Kingdom anymore. As for the Northern Song, we can talk to them slowly, and we'll eventually reach a good outcome."

The two were chatting happily when a young eunuch rushed in, urgently shouting, "Your Majesty, the news has spread throughout Lin'an City! People know that after the Northern Song Dynasty captured Kaifeng, many have packed their bags and poured out of Lin'an City, heading towards Kaifeng."

"Huh?" Zhao Gou was slightly taken aback.

Indeed, many of the residents of Lin'an are from Kaifeng.

The Jingkang Incident caused these people to lose their hometowns, and now that they hear that the Northern Song Dynasty has taken back Kaifeng, many of them naturally want to go home.

This is also human nature.

Zhao Gou frowned, somewhat unhappy. Not bordering the Jin Kingdom was a good thing, but the loss of population in Lin'an was not.

After much deliberation, Zhao Gou ordered, "Have strict checks and controls at the border checkpoints. Do not allow the people of our Southern Song Dynasty to migrate to the Northern Song Dynasty. Stop them all and bring them back."

Qin Hui knew immediately that this was a stupid order.

If he were a loyal minister, he should have immediately offered advice and helped Zhao Gou find a way to retain the people's hearts. But Qin Hui would never do such a thing. Instead, he flattered him, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. Your humble servant will take care of it right away."

As soon as Qin Hui left the palace, he immediately issued an order to all passes at the border between the Northern and Southern Song dynasties to strictly inspect and manage the area, and not to allow the people of the Southern Song to migrate to the Northern Song.

The consequences of issuing such an absurd order are easy to imagine...

"Have you heard? The Emperor has issued an edict forbidding us from moving north!"

"Huh? I can't even go home anymore?"

"Many checkpoints are under strict control now. Zheng Sanlang from next door set off to return to Kaifeng a few days ago, and returned this morning looking dejected. I heard he was beaten up by the border guards, and his eyes are swollen. He looks terrible."

"The border soldiers are also robbing people."

"Oh dear, this is terrible."

"Shh! Be quiet, the constables are coming."

In Lin'an City, a tense atmosphere prevailed.

In the Huaidong region, especially Tongcheng Town, which is located at the junction of Chuzhou, Yangzhou, and Sizhou, it became a place where many "returning people" lingered.

Tongcheng Town is located at the junction of three counties and cities in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces (Tianchang, Jinhu, and Xuyi) in modern times, but in the Song Dynasty, it was a key transportation hub connecting Chuzhou, Yangzhou, and Sizhou.

North of Tongcheng Town, there is a small river called Tongcheng River, which makes a strange bend.

To the northeast of Tongcheng River lies Chuzhou, and to the northwest lies Sizhou, both under the control of the Northern Song Dynasty. Tongcheng Town, however, belongs to Yangzhou and was under the control of the Southern Song Dynasty.

At this moment, the small town of Tongcheng was crowded with tens of thousands of people, all carrying bundles, dragging their children, and looking travel-worn.

They were eager to return to Kaifeng, but they could no longer walk from here.

"Have you heard? The bridge across the river has been closed."

A commoner carrying a bundle said to someone nearby, "The emperor himself issued an edict not to let us return north. The border soldiers have blocked the bridge over the Tongcheng River, preventing us from crossing."

"Oh dear, what should we do?"

"Turn back?"

The people of Tongcheng Town were in an uproar, unsure of what to do. A large number of people flocked to the north gate of Tongcheng Town and looked out. Sure enough, there was a Southern Song army stationed outside the north gate. A group of fierce-looking soldiers guarded Tongcheng Bridge, which was already full of obstacles such as chevaux-de-frise, giving the impression that "no one can cross."

The people were deeply saddened by this scene.

Many people began to whisper among themselves: "Aren't our officials going too far?"

"How can you not let us go home?"

"Kaifeng has finally returned to our Great Song Dynasty. I really want to go back."

"Hmph, if you ask me, our emperor is a piece of trash. He's nowhere near as good as the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty."

"He was afraid that if we went to the Northern Song Dynasty, we would feel that the Northern Song emperor was much better than him."

"Was the Northern Song emperor really that good?" Some people still found it hard to believe.

Just then, shouts rang out from across the Tongcheng River: "Fellow villagers, find a way to get across! Once you're across, we're all family."

The people looked up in astonishment and saw an army from the Northern Song Dynasty appear on the other side of the Tongcheng Bridge.

This army faced the Southern Song army across the river, or rather, across the bridge. There was no tension, and both sides exercised restraint.

The soldiers of the Southern Song Dynasty exercised restraint out of fear, while the soldiers of the Northern Song Dynasty exercised restraint because of Yue Wenxuan's orders.

People cannot cross the bridge, but sounds can.

The Northern Song soldiers shouted in unison: "Fellow countrymen, the Northern and Southern Song dynasties have made peace and ceased hostilities, so we cannot cross the bridge to meet you. Think of a way to come over. Once you cross the bridge and set foot on the land of our Northern Song, we will protect you."

Their shout caused quite a stir.

The people south of the Tongcheng River cheered, "The Northern Song Dynasty was truly wonderful!"

"The soldiers of the Northern Song Dynasty were quite humane."

“I told you, the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were much better than those of our Southern Song Dynasty.”

"But how can we get through this?"

"There are soldiers guarding the bridge."

Just when the people were extremely anxious...

Suddenly, a beggar emerged from the crowd. It was none other than Su Qier, the martial arts champion, who was actually possessed by Yue Wenxuan.

Yue Wenxuan shouted to the people, "Fellow villagers, let me show you how to cross the river."

In an instant, countless eyes were fixed on him.

Suddenly, Yue Wenxuan charged towards the Tongcheng Bridge.

The Southern Song soldiers guarding the bridge immediately raised their spears and drew their bows.

However, before they could make a move, Yue Wenxuan suddenly darted sideways and jumped into the Tongcheng River with a splash, diving into the murky water.

About a minute later, Yue Wenxuan's head resurfaced, having already passed the center of the river.

The Song soldiers on the bridge and on the south bank of the river were in a great hurry and roared, "Shoot arrows quickly, shoot him, don't let him step onto the other side!"

The Southern Song soldiers quickly fired arrows into the water. Yue Wenxuan took a deep breath and plunged into the water again. The arrows were only just arriving when they were blocked by the water's surface, losing their force and unable to harm a person more than a meter underwater.

When he surfaced again, he was already on the north bank of the Tongcheng River.

The moment his feet touched the riverbank, the shields of the Northern Song soldiers blocked his way. One of the Northern Song soldiers shouted at the Southern Song side, "He is now standing on the land of Chuzhou. Anyone who shoots an arrow at him is declaring war on our Northern Song."

The Southern Song soldiers quickly put away their bows and dared not fire another arrow.

(End of this chapter)