Prime Minister

Chapter 1087: The Northwest Army Arrives (Thanks to my friend Lao Lao Ya for joining the alliance)

Chapter 1087: The Northwest Army Arrives (Thanks to my friend Lao Lao Ya for joining the alliance)

The weather was stormy and there was a loud thunder in the afternoon.

Heavy rain fell on the city of Bianjing.

Zhang Yue was awakened from his afternoon nap by the sound of rain and thunder. He had a nightmare. He dreamed that Zhang Zhi had countless arrows stuck in his armor and was lying on the edge of a cliff, calling for help.

Zhang Yue tried his best to pull him up from the cliff, but failed in the end.

A Xixia general shot an arrow at Zhang Zhi's back, causing him to fall into an abyss.

When Zhang Yue thought of this scene, he woke up from the bed with sweat all over his body and forehead.

The dream felt so real that he couldn't help but feel that it was not a dream, but some kind of omen.

Looking at the heavy rain outside the window and the gloomy sky, Zhang Yue felt depressed. He got up from the couch and looked at the military newspaper on the table.

Both armies that were attacking Xia had lost contact. There had been no news from Fuyan Road for twelfth days, so the emperor ordered the Hedong Army to set out from Linfu to rescue. As for Jingyuan Road, there had been no news two days ago, so Shen Kuo, the governor of Jingyuan Road, and Yu Chong, the governor of Huanqing Road, led troops to provide support.

And it just so happened that the emperor was ill and had not attended court for five days. Everyone wondered if the emperor had some kind of illness.

By now, the news of the two-pronged attack on Xia had spread to all the nobles in Bianjing City, and everyone was filled with worry.

There was not a single word about military affairs in the northwest in the court bulletin.

But it didn't matter. Rumors were already flying everywhere, saying that the two armies had been completely annihilated, that the Western Xia had already reached Yanzhou, and even approached the city of Yongxing.

As for the common people, they were also full of vigilance. For example, several Xixia spies were caught in Tianshui Lane yesterday and were collectively taken to Kaifeng Prefecture by hundreds of people.

After a careful investigation, it turned out that they were just a few merchants who bought and sold smuggled goods from Western Xia.

Zhang Yue also heard that Sima Guang and other ministers in Luoyang had criticized the court's plan to deploy troops to the northwest.

War is a double-edged sword. If you win, you can suppress or resolve many problems, but if you lose, many problems will erupt faster.

Rulers of all dynasties learned from this and concluded that as long as they don't try to gain something, they won't lose it, so closing the country to the outside world can solve the problem.

In fact, when there is no external input and no room for Pareto improvement, the killing and consumption of zero-sum games cannot be stopped.

At that time, party struggles will only be paused and will never end until the entire country is rendered lifeless.

In particular, the factional struggle between the New Party and the Old Party had been slightly eased after the government took over, but it was exposed again with this attack on Xia.

Outsiders said that Su Che came to visit.

Zhang Yue saw him immediately, but Su Che said as soon as he saw him: "Mr. Zhang, please save my brother!"

Zhang Yue was surprised and asked, "What's the matter? Didn't Brother Zizhan receive a reward from the court for his work in flood control in Xuzhou?"

Su Che was not flustered and said, "Prime Minister Zhang, you should ask Cai Que about this. There are rumors that Cai Que wants to participate in politics, so he promised to help Li Ding, the censor, and Shu Tan and He Zhengchen in the Imperial Censorate. They are all Cai Que and Li Ding's followers."

"They must have received instructions from Cai Que!"

Zhang Yue asked: "Who told you this?"

Su Che whispered, "Yes, Prince Consort Wang Shen!"

Zhang Yue glanced at Su Zhe, and Su Zhe lowered his head.

Zhang Yue said: "Wang Shen kept a concubine and treated the princess harshly, causing her to become seriously ill. Your Majesty hates him very much. If it weren't for the consideration of brother-sister relationship... I have told Zizhan many times to have less contact with Wang Shen..."

Su Che said: "My brother said that although Wang Shen was romantic, his poems and paintings showed that he was a gentleman."

Zhang Yue was speechless. Su Shi was again like "there is no bad person in the world" and he made friends with all kinds of people.

It was obvious that the emperor hated Wang Shen so much that everyone avoided him, but Su Shi still had constant contact with him and did things without considering the emperor's wishes.

Of course, Wang Shen was also very grateful to Su Shi, so he risked his life to inform Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers of the news.

Zhang Yue said to Su Che, "The arrest of a county governor was not something that Cai Que could decide on his own, but was something that the emperor wanted. Besides, Wang Shen would not have caused the emperor to go to such great lengths. Is there another reason?"

Su Che said: "When my brother went to Huzhou to take up his post, it seems that the words in his memorial displeased Your Majesty. In addition, when he arrived in Huzhou and heard about the military operations in the northwest, he wrote a few poems."

Zhang Yue laughed in anger when he heard this. He was still opposing the use of troops in the northwest at this time. Didn't he see that even he had changed his mind and turned to support the emperor?

What's more, you are not in the court now. If something happens, there will be no one to speak for you.

Do you really think that because our ancestors have taught us not to kill scholars and officials, you can say whatever you want?

Zhang Yue said: "Zizhan usually talks a lot about the New Deal. When Lord Shu was in power before, it was still called the New Deal, but now Wang Gui, Cai Que and others praise it as a holy policy."

"Brother Zizhan, if you don't criticize, then you are using yin and yang in your poems to criticize the emperor. Not to mention the criticism of the Northwest military deployment this time."

Su Che said, "Mr. Zhang, I am willing to use my life and position to protect my brother and I will not dare to go against your majesty's wishes."

Zhang Yue said: "This is useless. If it were someone else, it would not be so bad. But your brother is famous, and Your Majesty will see that he is competing with the court with his own ideas."

"You go back, I'll think of a way."

Su Che bowed to Zhang Yue and turned to leave.

Zhang Yue thought that he knew nothing about Su Shi's arrest this time.

It can be seen that the emperor and Cai Que deliberately blocked the news from me and did not let me get involved in this matter. At the same time, it can also be seen that I have temporarily left the position of prime minister and faded out of the power center. My influence on the court has greatly decreased, and a lot of information has been blocked. Even such things have to be told to me by Su Che.

But...but Zhang Yue thinks that this kind of life is pretty good.

Being in that position may not be comfortable. If the conflicts below cannot be resolved, they will poke you. You also have to stand in line all the time and keep consistent with the emperor's opinions. It is really tiring.

The Censorate is becoming more like an imperial palace, the Prime Minister is becoming more like a eunuch, and the ministers are competing for favor like concubines... Public opinion even glorifies this as the emperor's mindset.

Of course, if you are a truly wise official, this would not be a bad thing but a good thing. However, the situation in the northwest is not enough for you to take the blame alone, and you also want me to accompany you.

Zhang Yue stood by the window and looked at the heavy rain, which was beating on the window paper.

Zhang Yue opened the door slightly, and in an instant the wind and rain rushed into the house. The tip of his nose was filled with the smell of earth, and his long gown was slightly wet without him noticing.

At this moment, he had no time to worry about his own future, but was worried about the country and the people of the world.

……

The emperor's bedroom.

The official has been ill for several days.

Although he was seriously ill and unable to get out of bed, the emperor was still concerned about the military situation in the northwest, and any military situation in the northwest would be reported to him as soon as possible.

The biggest problem now is Gao Zunyu. When Zhong Yan's 100,000 troops from Fuyan Road crossed the dry sea, there was no news at all.

Although the dry sea is seven hundred miles long, it is impossible for so many soldiers and horses to have no news at all.

The emperor ordered the troops from Hedong Road, which were originally set up to guard against the Khitan, to set out from Linzhou, but the troops ran out of food and fodder and have not yet reached Xiazhou.

At this time, the troops of Jingyuan Road and Xihe Road, which had always had very smooth communications, also lost contact.

The last news the emperor heard was that the Western Xia had breached the Yellow River below Lingzhou City, flooding the troops in Jingyuan and Xihe routes. There was no other news, and even Wang Zhongzheng, who used to submit a memorial once a day, had not received a single one in Beijing.

The emperor now deeply regretted not listening to Zhang Yue's advice and allowing the two armies to continue attacking Xia. If he had known earlier, he would have stopped.

But how?

Money can't buy it, I already knew it.

When ministers such as Zhang Yue advised him before, His Majesty thought he "knew" it.

Although he was bedridden, he sent imperial edicts to Zhang Zhi, Gao Zunyu, and Wang Zhongzheng at the front. At this time, the edicts no longer insisted that they attack Xingling directly and join forces at the gates of Xingzhou.

Instead, his tone gradually softened. A few days ago, he asked the three men to act according to the circumstances. If they encountered unfavorable conditions, they should retreat first to protect the captured territories and wait for food and grass, or wait until winter before launching a large-scale attack.

As for Shen Kuo, Yu Chong and others, they kept urging them to send troops to welcome them and to bring the two armies back to Song territory at all costs.

Until yesterday, the official looked extremely depressed.

It turned out that the emperor had learned that the inspectors of the 12 armies of Western Xia had gathered their troops at Lingwu to fight against the Song army. The two armies had been idle for a long time, and without any fresh support, the soldiers must be exhausted.

Therefore, the emperor immediately issued an edict to withdraw the troops. No matter what the situation was, the two armies were ordered to retreat to their respective starting points first, and it was not a problem to abandon the territory they had captured before.

Now the emperor's only concern is not to conquer Xingling, but to ensure the safe return of the two armies. Even if there is no success, it is much better than the complete annihilation of either of the two armies.

Compared with the stern tone and repeated orders when the troops were sent out, the emperor was much gentler this time. He even revealed his true feelings in the imperial edict, saying many words of trust for Gao Zunyu and Wang Zhongzheng, and expressing his respect for Zhang Zhi.

The tone of the official edict was almost pleading, showing its humility.

It's like sending messages on WeChat, waiting for the goddess to reply, the anxious and expectant mood. But the goddess doesn't know whether she went to take a shower or go to sleep, and she didn't reply the message for a long time.

None of the three commanders responded to the emperor, and they actually left the emperor aside.

The government had already started to feel unpredictable about Fuyan Road, and had informed Hedong Road, and even Shen Kuo, Yu Chong and others to gather the remaining troops and welcome the defeated army into the Great Wall.

Today, the emperor lay on the couch without eating or drinking. The sky outside the palace seemed to have a big crack, and rain was pouring out of the hole madly.

The entire palace seemed to be crumbling amid the rumbling thunder, and huge lightning struck, illuminating the palace in flickering light.

Although there were hundreds of candles lit in the hall, the official still felt it was extremely dark. Although he closed all the windows and doors, the wind that came from nowhere caused the candles in the hall to flicker.

Facing the flickering candlelight, the official fell into deep thought again, feeling dizzy.

Thinking of the humiliation of Taizong, Zhenzong and Renzong's defeat at the hands of the Western Xia, and the long-cherished wish of recovering the Han territory and reviving the Song Dynasty, the emperor felt unwilling to issue an edict to withdraw the troops, and even considered reversing the previous edict.

But the facts forced him to accept this...

The rain continued until midnight, and the official was in a daze, with a thousand thoughts in his mind.

At this moment, messengers coming all the way from the northwest broke open the palace gates one after another with urgent messages in the middle of the night.

In the heavy rain, the palace maids ran through the palace, holding bamboo tubes printed with sealing wax, and arrived at the emperor's bedroom.

Ps1: Thanks to the old book friend Lao Lao Ya for becoming the nd leader of this book!

Ps2: There will be another update in the evening!

(End of this chapter)