Song Xiu

Chapter 77 More money is needed

As a politician, Lu Zanbe may lack political skills, but his ability to read people and situations is certainly remarkable.

After riding up to Liu Jiye, even though Liu Jiye tried his best to hide it, Lu Zan still noticed that Liu Jiye's expression was somewhat unnatural.

Of course, at this moment, Luzan had not thought of any other aspects.

"What's wrong? Is the Song army unwilling to retreat?"

Clearly, Liu Jiye had discussed the matter with Lu Zan before leaving the camp.

Faced with Lu Zan's question, Liu Jiye pondered for a moment.

Liu Jiye was pondering whether he should tell Lu Zan about Zhao Dexiu's sinister intentions.

However, when he thought of the many examples of military rebellions at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Jiye, who was wary, gradually gave up the idea.

Liu Jiye's hesitation made Lu Zan feel increasingly uneasy.

The reason he left the camp was that he realized Liu Jiye had been away for far too long.

Would it take this long to send someone to the city to persuade the troops to retreat?
It wasn't that Lu Zan had already suspected Liu Jiye; it was simply his duty as a military supervisor, especially since the position of military supervisor was very dangerous.

Liu Jiye had many precedents of "military veterans" to refer to, and Lu Zan was certainly aware of many precedents of "military supervisors."

If the supervision of the general is neglected, the supervising officer will be the first to die.

No one would gamble with their own life.

In order to find out the reason for Liu Jiye's hesitation, Lu Zan did not have the patience to wait for his answer.
Luzan gestured to one of his trusted confidants to go to the city walls.

Zhao Dexiu remained hidden in the city tower, observing the development of events.

Seeing another Northern Han cavalryman arrive, he gave a wink to Lu Duoxun, who was standing by the city wall.

Lu Duoxun understood, and when the Northern Han cavalry sent by Lu Zan arrived at the city walls, Lu Duoxun spoke first, asking:
Are you General Liu's personal guard?

This sudden question left Lu Zan's confidants completely bewildered.

However, he still answered truthfully:

"no.

I have come on the orders of Lu Zan, the Grand Envoy of the Han Dynasty, to proclaim our army's resolve to end the war.

Upon hearing that it was Lu Zan's man, Lu Duoxun was secretly delighted.

He feigned anger and shouted sternly, "Get out!"

The sudden shout prompted Lu Zan's confidants to scan the city walls with their eyes.

As he swept, he also spotted the flags of "Fuzhou" and "Linzhou".

Upon seeing the two flags and witnessing the Song army's hostile attitude towards him, Lu Zan's confidants were so frightened that they immediately turned their horses and left.

Soon after, his confidant returned to Luzan's side and told him everything that had happened to him.

After hearing his confidant's report, Lu Zan's expression changed drastically, and his eyes lowered instinctively.

Unbeknownst to him, a sense of wariness arose in Lu Zan's heart.

Lu Zan was aware of the close relationship between Zhe Deyi, Yang Chongxun, and Liu Jiye.

“If I hadn’t personally sent someone, I might not have known that ‘persuasion’ could be done so quickly.”

Lu Zan succinctly pointed out the unusual nature of today's events.

He and Liu Jiye both represented the Han Dynasty, so why did the Song army pay attention to whether the person sent to the city was Liu Jiye's personal guard?

Let's just consider this point as an unnecessary step by the Song army.

So why were the people Liu Jiye sent able to talk to the Song army for so long, while the people he sent were simply met with harsh shouts from the Song army?
A person's character is influenced by the context of the times.

The current historical context is the chaotic Five Dynasties period, marked by frequent rebellions by military men.

Living in such a crisis-ridden era, Luzan is quite sensitive to any unusual occurrences.

When doubts begin to arise in one's mind, one is always good at making connections.

“I remember when we were at the foot of Shiti Mountain, the general told me about your plan to lure out the enemy. It was a sure thing that you could lure Zhao Dexiu out.”

Why didn't Zhao Dexiu fall for the general's plan in the end?

Previously, Luzan hadn't thought much about this, but now his thinking has changed.

Lu Zan had never led troops into battle before. As a politician, he lacked Liu Jiye's judgment; all he could see was the outcome. Liu Jiye was highly respected in Northern Han. Given this reputation, would Lu Zan really believe he was "no match" for a sixteen-year-old boy?

Or is there another, chilling possibility?

Rather than saying that Liu Jiye was no match for Zhao Dexiu's talent and strategy, it would be more accurate to say that Liu Jiye was no match for his status as the eldest son of the Song Dynasty emperor.

In particular, a decree recently circulating in Luzhou states: "Regardless of past actions, all those recruited by the Marquis of Taiyuan shall be subject to pacification."

What a fine example of "regardless of the past"!

Faced with Lu Zan's repeated questioning, Liu Jiye opened his mouth as if to defend himself.

But in the end, that's all I could say.

"When I was young, I followed the late emperor and fought bloody battles on the battlefield. I have suffered countless wounds."

I hope the supervising officer will not fall for the enemy's divisive tactics.

Suspicion is the most difficult thing to grasp, and besides, every single point of Zhao Dexiu's divisive tactics was based on facts.

The facts are there; mere verbal explanations are insufficient.

Left with no other option, Liu Jiye could only talk about his past service to the Han Dynasty in hopes of dispelling Lu Zan's doubts.

As he said this, Liu Jiye's gaze toward Huguan grew increasingly resentful.

"Did you go to such lengths to lure me to Huguan just to sow discord?"

Even though he saw through Zhao Dexiu's intentions, Liu Jiye wasn't too worried at the moment.

Even though Lu Zan was the military supervisor, he could not relinquish his military power without Liu Jun's imperial edict.

With this small comfort in his heart, Liu Jiye turned around and rode away with a slight sense of relief.

Watching Liu Jiye's retreating figure, Lu Zan seemed to understand something.

He did not deny Liu Jiye's loyalty to the late emperor, but then again:

"Were Li Siyuan, Shi Jingtang, Liu Zhiyuan, and others not loyal to their late emperor?"

Northern Han Dynasty, Taiyuan City.

Just after the Left Minister Zhao Hua finished his court session today, someone came to report that a generous merchant had arrived at his residence.

Upon hearing the words "generous spending," Zhao Hua's interest was clearly piqued.

As the saying goes, "Even a third-rank official is treated with respect at the prime minister's gate." A merchant who can be described as "generous" by the people in his household must be quite powerful.

Zhao Hua had no reason to refuse money that was offered to him.

Zhao Hua ordered someone to bring the merchant to his study.

Soon after, Lu Qiu Zhongqing, disguised as a merchant, came to Zhao Hua's side.

Upon meeting the distinguished Lu Qiu Zhongqing, Zhao Hua naturally developed a more favorable impression of him.

"What position do you seek today?"

Because the Northern Han was poor and weak, many high-ranking officials were secretly selling official positions for their own benefit.

Among the many officials who handled this type of matter, Zhao Hua had the best reputation.

Zhao Hua understands the principle of "sustainable development" well; he can sell almost anything as long as someone offers a reasonable price.

When Zhao Hua asked him, Lü Qiu Zhongqing said:

I do not seek official positions.

He only sought to ruin one person's official career.

Lu Qiu Zhongqing's words made Zhao Hua's face show a troubled expression.

In terms of the power he wields, he can both grant and deprive people of their official positions.

However, judging someone's official position has nothing to do with power, but this matter can easily cause rifts with others.

"I never easily make enemies, and I need to carefully consider the matter of removing someone's official position."

After careful consideration, Zhao Hua's expression grew increasingly troubled. He looked at Lü Qiu Zhongqing solemnly and said:
"This needs extra money!"

(End of this chapter)