Lu Haowen, the Duke of the Song Dynasty, was sweeping through all schools of thought like a whirlwind.

The seven-day New Year holiday should have only included the court gazette ("Dibao") issue of the first day of the Lunar New Year, which was copied and opened on the second day. However, it was clear that Duke Lu had come prepared and had received the full support of Zhao Guan Jia (the Emperor)... In the following days, the "Dibao" was published continuously, with a supplement issued every day, just like during the war last year.

However, these supplements contained no political documents or records, only the last two casual sections from the past, so they earned a nickname in the Tokyo (Kaifeng) market, called 'Seven Days of New Year Fun'.

Two large sheets of paper, one dedicated to writing "Miscellaneous Records of Subduing Demons in the Journey to the West," were clearly the result of someone's continuous updates in support of Duke Lu. The other sheet was filled with scattered casual articles, such as short lyrics and rhapsodies, anecdotes, and even Feng Yi, the Second Official Feng, recommending which family in Tokyo had the best ginger soybean paste, leading to it being designated as an imperial-approved shop. Of course, everyone knew that the real main course on this paper was Duke Lu's 'Introduction to the Principles of Learning,' which was published every day without fail.

For five or six consecutive days during the holiday, Duke Lu spoke of everything from the creation of the universe to the investigation of things to gain knowledge, and from conforming to human desires to discerning heavenly principles, to utilitarianism and practicality, as well as the unity of knowledge and action, and testing everything through practice. Finally, he did not forget to forcefully claim that he had gained enlightenment from Wang Shu (King Shu)... In short, while other famous scholars had no chance to speak, this Vice Prime Minister of Military and State Affairs used this cheating-like method, and with the extremely politically suggestive promotion of a certain person (the Emperor), completed the overview of this patchwork doctrine in a way that other schools of thought could not match, and in a way that transcended the times.

What is slightly worth mentioning is that although the "Dibao" officially announced the name of Duke Lu's new doctrine as the New Learning of Principles, and Duke Lu had been working on 'Introduction to the Principles of Learning' these past few days, the common people and scholars still named this doctrine, which was clearly a forced patchwork of King Shu's New Learning, Lu's Taoism, and the New Theory of Heaven, with the simple name of 'Original Learning' ('Yuan Xue').

After all, the article on the third day of the Lunar New Year said that after the end of chaos, the original substance of Heaven (Tian Zhi Yuan) quickly formed atoms, and then the atoms constituted the tiny molecules of specific materials according to heavenly principles, and then the molecules piled up together to become all things in the world... In other words, all things in the world are composed of Tian Zhi Yuan through the basic particle of atoms... This statement was probably the only thing that ordinary people could understand.

So, if it is called Original Learning, then it is Original Learning.

Of course, what was due would eventually come. Mr. Qingshan, Hu Anguo, who had been unable to find a way to access the holiday "Dibao" supplement, directly blocked the gate of the Honglu Temple. At this time, Hu Quan, who had come to work normally, no longer made any pretense of concealing anything, but instead took the initiative to accept Hu Anguo's submission and guaranteed that the submission would be placed in the next issue of the "Dibao".

It is said that the theory of the Five Virtues Reincarnation and the Theory of Interaction between Heaven and Man of the Han Confucianism, from a political point of view, after experiencing the impact of Buddhism and Taoism in the middle and late Tang Dynasty and the cruel reality of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, basically moved towards political death after Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. From an ideological point of view, starting from Han Yu of the Middle Tang Dynasty, who had also witnessed the impact of Buddhism, all Confucian scholars with insight gradually abandoned the old learning of the Han Confucianism and turned to seek a new Confucianism that was adapted to the times.

To put it bluntly, the traditional social elites in China were by no means fools. They, as people who had personally experienced and actually implemented the Five Virtues Reincarnation and the Theory of Interaction between Heaven and Man, how could they not be clear? Not understand?

But the key is that social problems are there. The Han Confucianism is not good, the Han Classics are not good, you have to come up with a new way! Moreover, after such a long time, Confucianism has long been integrated with the entire society, and it has unquestionable authority in politics, which leads to the fact that if you want to reform, you have to do it from within Confucianism and return to the Confucian classics to do it.

Otherwise? Peel off the skin of Confucianism and do a shock therapy?

Therefore, after the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, then Zhang Zai, the Cheng brothers, and then Hu Anguo and others, who are thoughtful social elites, are all studying related issues, trying to propose a new Confucianism to deal with social problems, and incidentally inherit the old learning of the Han Confucianism, and continue to maintain the political and cultural achievements of Chinese unification.

Returning to the present, since Lu Haowen began to grit his teeth to be this Original Learning sage, he had already prepared to be blown into a dark mess by the powder keg. And Hu Anguo, as the most advanced master of Taoism who is now carrying on the past and opening up the future, and also the Taoism master who is physically closest, his counterattack is almost what everyone can predict.

Moreover, it has to be admitted that Hu Anguo, as an expert who has been studying these issues for a lifetime, does have something in his belly. He came up and pointed out a huge problem with Original Learning from his own academic point of view - Lu Haowen's Original Learning does not have the concept of 'qi' (vital energy), or rather, Lu Haowen's Original Learning fundamentally does not have a place for 'qi'.

It should be known that there is a reason why Hu Anguo's own doctrine puts everything on qi, and it is not just simply accepting some magical views from Zhang Zai and the Cheng brothers, and stuffing them in like a duck... Almost all Taoist scholars emphasize the importance of the concept of qi because qi is invisible, and at the same time it fills the entire world, but it can obviously be perceived by people, and it can also be connected to people themselves through the phenomenon of breathing, and then affect the concepts of thought and morality.

In other words, qi is a mediating concept carefully selected by Taoist and Neo-Confucian scholars at this time, connecting the natural world and people, life and non-life, tangible and intangible, internal and external, and these complex philosophical concepts. Those ethereal things are transformed into each other in the form of qi.

Therefore, although there are some conceptual differences between the various schools, for example, the concept of qi here in Hu Anguo is particularly large and broad, and others may have less, but in any case, the concept of 'qi' has an extremely important basic position in Taoism.

And Hu Anguo's saying that Lu Haowen's Original Learning does not talk about 'qi' is actually saying that Lu Haowen's Original Learning has not clearly explained the fundamental connection between life, morality and the natural world, and has not organically united the universe and all things with people and Confucian things... This is of course a direct hit, kicking the vital point.

To put it bluntly, what is the nature of the human body?

How can such a magical thing as a person, a thing that can have thoughts and morals, be a thing? You say things carry heavenly principles? Does a stone think?

This kind of question is not only for experts like Hu Anguo, but also for people with a little Confucian common sense, and if this wave of questioning from Hu Anguo cannot be defeated head-on, then this Original Learning, even if it relies on the Emperor's partiality and Lu Haowen's political status to become an official doctrine, will at most be another King Shu's New Learning. It is impossible to play the role of unifying thought, and the following Neo-Confucianism and Taoism will still go their own way and eventually occupy the mainstream.

Therefore, in January of the fifth year of Jianyan (1131), in the case that many local commanders and generals were confused, the "Dibao" began to serve as a battlefield for academic confrontation in a special form that was only issued internally in the capital and supplemented daily.

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, before the spring plowing had even begun, the "Dibao" officially published Hu Anguo and many other great Confucians' attacks and questions on 'Original Learning', and their support and discussions. Two whole sheets of paper, with no more miscellaneous articles or stories.

Among them, Hu Anguo was the most powerful because he had something in his heart and his qi was full of vigor. The rest of the opponents were probably afraid of Lu Haowen's academic and political status, and they were also estimating the Emperor Zhao's attitude, so they inevitably seemed a little cautious.

In response, Duke Lu still maintained his composure and calmness. In this issue of the "Dibao" supplement, he ignored the rest of the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, and did not carefully supplement his own complex philosophical concepts of life, morality, inner mind and external things, or defend Original Learning. On the contrary, Lu Haowen, who was usually lukewarm, only spoke in a conclusive and flat tone about the essence of 'qi' in Original Learning.

According to him, qi is also a kind of matter, and only a kind of matter. It is true that it contains heavenly principles, but it is no different from stones, bamboo, water, ice, and soil! And the reason why people think it is special is only because people are in qi, like fish in water, and it is difficult to detect its material reality.

These words, on the surface, are only perfunctorily and hastily supplementing the concept of 'qi' in Original Learning according to Hu Anguo's questioning, but in reality, they are attacking as a defense, and directly inserted into the hearts of Hu Anguo and other Taoist factions... Because if qi is only a common substance like water and soil, then what is the point of these people's doctrines?

And the more critical point is that from the point of view of pursuing the truth, how can qi be a substance like water? Righteous and awe-inspiring qi is clearly a moral concept, okay?

In short, this absurd statement immediately angered Hu Anguo and many other famous Taoist scholars in the capital.

After all, everyone is now exploring, and if it is just academic discussion, a little problem can be discussed further, but the problem is that Lu Haowen's Original Learning is clearly going to obtain official support and then promote it to the world, and if everyone in the world regards qi as an ordinary substance, then what about one's own doctrine?

And it is still that sentence, how can qi only be a thing? How can Original Learning, with this absurd fundamental error, become an official doctrine?

Even Wang Anshi knew to leave some problems vacant, okay?

For both reason and emotion, whether it is to eliminate heresy or to preserve oneself, one cannot allow this Original Learning to continue to develop so brazenly.

It can be said that in this debate, the two sides had only one exchange, and there was no room for negotiation, and they fell into a state of irreconcilable conflict.

Therefore, in the afternoon of this day, without going to submit articles for debate, Hu Anguo directly led two professors from the Imperial Academy, seven or eight middle and lower-level officials, and five or six famous scholars in the capital, all from the Taoist lineage, to outside the Xuande Tower to request an audience with the Emperor.

Zhao Guan Jia was of course as amiable as ever. He directly asked Lan Gui to come forward and lead Hu Anguo and others to the inner palace.

"Your Majesty, I do not know that Your Majesty is performing the Spring Plowing Ceremony..." After arriving at the inner palace, even though Hu Anguo and others were indignant, they still restrained their anger and treated him with respect after seeing what Emperor Zhao was doing.

"This is not the Spring Plowing Ceremony. This year's spring plowing will probably take another ten days." Emperor Zhao, dressed in short clothes, turned around with a hoe in his hand, slightly sweating. Behind him, there were a hundred or so eunuchs rolling up their sleeves and trousers to work. "I am following the teachings of Duke Lu's Original Learning, practicing it in reality, to prove the truth."

Hearing this, the rest of the people who had mustered up their courage were panicked and dared not speak. Instead, Hu Anguo calmly looked at the Emperor's expression, and then asked in a humble but not arrogant manner, "May I ask Your Majesty, what is being practiced, and what truth is being proven?"

"It's like this." Zhao Jiu held the hoe and faced them frankly. "I read 'Mencius', which says that one can eat meat at seventy, and I was a little puzzled... Lord Hu, you are a world-famous Confucian, can you tell me why one can only eat meat at seventy?"

Hu Anguo frowned slightly, but still respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this sentence has context. The original text is: 'With a five-mu homestead, plant mulberry trees, and those at fifty can wear silk; raise chickens, pigs, dogs, and hogs, without missing their time, and those at seventy can eat meat; with a hundred-mu field, do not seize its time, and a family of several mouths can be without hunger.' In other words..."

"In other words, this is about a family settling down in a five-mu homestead, planting mulberry trees and raising livestock around the homestead to achieve self-sufficiency in clothing and meat, without calculating the grain obtained by the family from the hundred-mu field outside?" Zhao Jiu continued the other party's words and said directly.

"That is exactly what it means." Hu Anguo also became a little careful.

"I do not agree." Zhao Jiu shook his head and said, "I always feel that it is ridiculous to only achieve this level of self-sufficiency in a five-mu homestead... So I want to try it myself to see if I can be stronger than what is written in the books."

Hu Anguo was definitely not someone who would 'make the Emperor stay away from Confucian scholars'. He did not refute Zhao Jiu on the spot, but carefully looked at the degree of development of the wasteland in the Emperor's inner palace, and then said in a serious tone, "I wonder to what extent Your Majesty wants to be stronger than what is written in the books?"

"I was wondering if I could make everyone in the Song Dynasty eat two ounces of meat every day?" Zhao Jiu, under the helpless gazes of the eunuchs in the inner palace such as Feng Yi, and under the mutual glances of the Taoist scholars behind Hu Anguo, said something extremely absurd. "Lord Hu, think about it, if everyone could eat two ounces of meat every day and become strong, wouldn't they be bullied by the Jin people?"

Hu Anguo was silent for a moment, and then said with a serious cupped hands, "Then may I ask Your Majesty, how do you plan to practice it in reality to make such a proof?"

"Lord Hu, please see." Zhao Jiu turned around and pointed to the wasteland behind him and a group of people, saying, "In addition to those who follow the Great Official Lan and Second Official Feng and have proper errands, there are still hundreds of idle eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, all of whom are old people who have gradually returned in the past year or two, and they only live idly in various places in the inner palace. And this wasteland, which used to be lotus ponds and gardens, is about fourteen or fifteen mu, and it was the imperial garden before the Genyue Garden was built. I plan to take these people and use these twelve or thirteen mu of land to repair fish ponds, transplant mulberry trees, raise chickens and ducks, and find a few old farmers to carefully lead and teach... You say, if these places can enable hundreds of people in the palace to eat two ounces of meat every day, regardless of chicken, duck or fish, wouldn't that be enough to prove that if everyone in the world works hard, they can also have two ounces of meat every day? Then strengthen everyone?"

Hu Anguo was silent again for a moment before responding, "If Your Majesty can do this, it is of course enough to prove it. Moreover, this is the persuasion of the sage, the reason why the king is not guilty of the year, and no one dares to stop Your Majesty from verifying it... But Your Majesty must be the Emperor, and the imperial family must have dignity. Some things do not need to be done in the palace, nor do they need to be done by Your Majesty personally."

Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly, "If I cannot do it here, nor do it personally, how can it be considered the practice in Original Learning? And how can I convince people? You must know that Duke Lu said on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year that practice is the only standard for testing heavenly principles. As for the imperial dignity and the duties of the Emperor, Lord Hu, you don't have to worry about it. I am just practicing heavenly principles according to Duke Lu's Original Learning. Once it is done, I will no longer personally entangle with it... A little labor, Lord Hu, you can just think of it as the Jin people have not been destroyed, and I am using this to sharpen my determination."

Hu Anguo sighed slightly, thought for a moment, and could only bow his head, "Your Majesty is simple and serious, and the barbarians have not been destroyed. I have nothing to say, I only hope that it will not delay government affairs."

"How could it?" Perhaps it was a little cold, Zhao Jiu put down the hoe and walked into the pavilion, but his tone became more and more unconcerned. "Under Duke Lu, Prime Ministers Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Liu Ji, and Chen Gui are all the best choices. They can properly handle most of the national government affairs. I can completely govern by doing nothing, and even if there are some disputes, I will just make a judgment..."

Hu Anguo had nothing more to say, and he also realized that he could not be led by the nose by this Emperor. Therefore, after a little thought, this great Confucian of that time directly dropped these topics and stood outside the pavilion to enter the topic: "Your Majesty, I am serving an idle post at home, and I should not have asked to see you without being summoned, but there is one thing today..."

"I know, qi is also a thing, and people do not feel it, like fish do not feel water." Zhao Jiu blurted out. "Is it about this matter?"

"It is about this matter." Hu Anguo said seriously, "Your Majesty, this statement is extremely absurd!"

"How do you know that this statement is absurd?" Zhao Jiu was not polite.

"Confucius said, 'blood qi is vigorous'; Mencius also said, 'I am good at cultivating the righteous and awe-inspiring qi'; even Taoism has the saying of essence, qi, and spirit... It can be seen that the way of qi is related to life, morality, how can it just be a real thing like water?" Hu Anguo also blurted out.

"But why isn't it that you have distorted the meaning of the former sages?" Zhao Jiu still didn't pause at all. "I remember when Lord Hu first met me, you told me that how I am, how I can produce what kind of qi, so that the world will be how it will be, and how a Confucian will be, so that he can also produce what kind of qi, so that he will be how he will be... But I have not seen any qi until now! If you say there is, why can't you practice it in reality, learn from me and open ponds and plant the land, and show it to the people of the world?"

"Your Majesty, this kind of qi is originally a mysterious thing, invisible and exists." Hu Anguo answered seriously, "It is not that I am unwilling to show it to Your Majesty, but that my learning is shallow, and I can only feel and realize its existence, but I do not know how to make it appear! In fact, the qi of the Emperor that Your Majesty has cultivated has already played a role, and the Battle of Yaoshan is proof of it!"

Zhao Jiu nodded and suddenly realized, "I understand, this qi of yours, from the definition, is invisible, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why can't you allow Duke Lu's statement that it is like a fish in water, and cannot be felt?" Zhao Jiu spread his hands and said.

"Your Majesty." Hu Anguo said seriously, "Duke Lu's back-and-forth arguments with me and others in the "Dibao" seem to be his defense, but in fact he is attacking. I don't think Your Majesty can't see it..."

Zhao Jiu immediately smiled and nodded, "Yes, whoever takes the initiative is responsible, whoever proposes it must prove it... Original Learning came later but attacked first, so it should naturally be their job to prove it... Lu Benzhong."

As Emperor Zhao called out softly, Hu Anguo and others turned their heads in surprise to look and found that someone had long been standing behind them without knowing when. It was Lu Haowen, Duke Lu's old son who had not been able to enter officialdom for decades, Lu Benzhong, who occupied a seat in the Jiangxi Poetry School, and they were also awed.

It is said that the reputation of Lu Benzhong is not very good, mainly because he was implicated by his old party status when he was young. As the direct descendant of the Lu family, he was not allowed to enter officialdom, so his lifestyle was frivolous. Moreover, as the natural heir of the Lu family's learning, his Taoist achievements were far inferior to his father, and he spent his days writing poetry and lyrics.

In this era of such a clear chain of contempt, writing poetry and lyrics is ultimately not as good as Taoism. Therefore, even though Lu Benzhong jokingly proposed the concept of the Jiangxi Poetry School and unintentionally established the first formal poetry school in Chinese poetry history, occupying an important seat in Chinese cultural history, he has always been despised.

But at this moment, with this person in front of them, whoever despises him is a fool.

"I am here."

Lu Benzhong cupped his hands and came out. It can only be said that although he has not entered officialdom, as the direct descendant of the Lu family, he naturally has an honorary idle position, just like Hu Anguo, who is hanging on to a library position but does nothing.

"Did you hear Mr. Hu's words?" Zhao Jiu asked with a smile.

"I heard it." For some reason, when Hu Anguo and others looked back, this clearly prepared person actually trembled a little, and they didn't know what he was afraid of.

"Mr. Hu and the others' meaning is already very clear. Original Learning pays attention to the investigation of things to gain knowledge, the unity of knowledge and action, and the testing of everything through practice..." Zhao Jiu raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, and opened his mouth with a few high-sounding words. "And now, let's not talk about anything else, let's just say that your father proposed the meaning of qi like water, which has aroused many dissatisfaction from Mr. Hu and others. Duke Lu has worked hard and has been studying all day recently. I don't want to disturb him, so I can only ask you two questions. Can you, father and son, practice and prove this thing?"

"I can." Lu Benzhong gritted his teeth and answered, as if he had made some kind of decision.

"How to prove it?" Zhao Jiu smiled even more. "We have to agree that you have to design an experiment that convinces people, just like I use a dozen acres of land to allow hundreds of people in the palace to have two ounces of meat every day, so that it is possible to prove that the entire Song Dynasty can have two ounces of meat every day."

"Your Majesty, Mr. Qingshan." Lu Benzhong cupped his hands and said, "I have a way to not only prove that qi is like water, but also prove that Mr. Qingshan's theory of qi is wrong!"

"Tell me." As Hu Anguo frowned, Zhao Jiu also said sternly.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Qingshan." Lu Benzhong took a long breath, and cupped his hands again, but finally aimed at Hu Anguo. "My father elucidated in Original Learning that qi is a thing, like water, and as everyone knows, fish cannot feel in water, but we know outside the water that this thing is ultimately heavy, and the deeper it is, the heavier it is and the more pressure it has... Therefore, if explained by Original Learning, qi, although it cannot be seen or touched, should actually have weight and pressure, but it is just that we cannot measure it well in it."

"I understand." Zhao Jiu suddenly interjected. "I remember Mr. Qingshan said that qi fills the universe, is endless, and if qi is as heavy as water and has pressure, then wouldn't it crush people? Therefore, if it can be practiced to prove that qi has pressure and weight like water, it would naturally be right for Original Learning, and Hu's is wrong... Is that what it means?"

"Yes!" Lu Benzhong quickly lowered his head.

"Can you prove it?"

"Can... can!" For some reason, Lu Benzhong seemed a little cowardly.

"Mr. Hu, what do you think?" Zhao Jiu glanced at the other party coldly, and then smiled at Hu Anguo again.

Hu Anguo thought carefully for a moment, and then said one thing at a time: "Your Majesty, my dispute with Duke Lu is originally about the relationship between life, morality and external things, not about the pressure of qi. Even if it can prove that qi has pressure like water, it cannot be said that Duke Lu's Original Learning is right in this regard. It is even more absurd to say that it crushes people... But as Your Majesty said, I and most of the Taoist colleagues believe that qi fills the universe, and if qi really has pressure, and then it shows that qi has weight, at least it can show that some of my thoughts on qi are wrong. Then, in this matter, I am still slightly at a disadvantage."

Zhao Jiu nodded busily, and then turned his head to Lu Benzhong, with an impatient expression in his words: "Lord Lu, did you hear that?"

Lu Benzhong also nodded repeatedly, but he didn't know why his face was a little green.

"I need at least one year to dig fish ponds, plant mulberry trees, and raise livestock... It will take three to five years to see the effect. This is limited by the weather, and I have to do so." Zhao Jiu continued to exert pressure, "But how many days will it take you to prepare for the practice of air pressure so that the people of the world can see it clearly? I can wait for a month or two, and Mr. Hu and the others will naturally have patience, but if it takes three or five years, let alone Mr. Hu and the others think you are playing tricks, even I will not allow it."

Hu Anguo and others were rarely energized... They originally thought that the Emperor's partiality towards Duke Lu and Original Learning was extremely great and had political purposes, but no matter what, if they could limit it to this extent on this matter, it would be enough to show that this Emperor still paid attention to fairness and justice.

And sure enough, Lu Benzhong obviously fell into a difficult posture. After a long time, he nodded heavily: "My father is studying, it is difficult to do this matter. Please give me a month to borrow craftsmen and manpower to work on his behalf."

"Good." Zhao Jiu nodded, but still pressed on, "How big of a venue do you need? Is it feasible in front of the Xuande Tower?"

Lu Benzhong trembled. Hu Anguo and the others saw clearly that the spring was still cold, but the other party was sweating, and he was clearly cornered by Emperor Zhao and his 'qi' was empty.

But in any case, after taking a few breaths, Lu Benzhong still nodded heavily: "I will follow Your Majesty's orders!"

Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly, extremely satisfied, but turned his head to Hu Anguo and others: "You have heard it, I will make the decision. From tomorrow, the "Dibao" will suspend the publication of the dispute between Taoism and Original Learning. Both parties can discuss privately, but they must not attack each other. They should just keep a low profile and wait for a month, and then let the people of the world see the outcome in front of the Xuande Tower... As Mr. Hu said, this matter, although I dare not say who holds the truth, is enough to decide the outcome... Everyone, leave today, I want to continue digging fish ponds."

Hu Anguo and others were relieved and wanted to bow and leave, but after thinking about it, they still stayed with Lu Benzhong and helped Zhao Jiu carry a few baskets of soil before leaving calmly and satisfied.

However, let's not talk about the final battle between the two sides in front of the Xuande Tower a month later to determine the life and death of Original Learning. Let's just say that in the next few days, the spring gradually warmed up, and various affairs piled up. Zhao Jiu was just as always, either digging soil in the palace or perfunctorily attending court ceremonies. Whenever he had a little free time, he would just go to Daxiangguo Temple and the Yuetai Camp in the west of the city with Chen Gui, and he was not doing his job.

Of course, it may not be a bad thing for the Emperor, who has absolute authority, not to interfere randomly. Governing by doing nothing, the major events of the country are only war and worship... However, as the Lantern Festival ended and the spring plowing unfolded, the debate in the court on a major military and national affair became more and more intense, and finally reached the point where this Emperor needed to make a decision.

The matter was very simple. Yue Fei had been stationed in Dongting Lake for many days, which aroused fierce protests from the local area! Local officials such as Ma Shen and Liu Hongdao, including dozens of military and state-level officials, jointly impeached Yue Fei for raising thieves and valuing himself, delaying the time and harming the country and the people.

In fact, various departments in the central government had opinions on Yue Fei's stagnation, but they were suppressed by Zhao Jiu.

But now, as the New Year festival passed, the news that Wanyan Wushu (aka. Jin Wuzhu) entered Daming Prefecture alone and then returned north hand in hand with Nianhan came; as the spring plowing around Dongting Lake was delayed and the spring flood was likely to come at any time; as Yue Fei's tens of thousands of troops were stationed on the north side of Dongting Lake, the logistical consumption formed a huge pressure on the local area, and the people were miserable. Instead, many people took the opportunity to abandon their land and flee into Dongting Lake to become thieves... Various incidents, both north and south, inside and outside, finally gave everyone a legitimate reason to oppose.

Finally, the Censorate, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of War also impeached in turn, and they were united with the Jingxiang area to request the central government to formally put pressure on Yue Fei to end the battle as soon as possible and not delay the overall situation. Soon, Liu Ji, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Central Secretariat, who was the leader of the Jingxiang local faction, also stood up again and expressed his hope that Yue Fei would end the war as soon as possible.

In this case, Zhao Ding, the Prime Minister of the Central Secretariat, who was originally dissatisfied with the stagnation of Yue Fei's military operations, maintained a silence that was unclear whether it was good or bad, while Zhang Jun, the Privy Councilor who strongly supported Yue Fei, had to bear the pressure alone. This young and erratic Prime Minister had no choice but to publicly submit a letter stating that he was willing to guarantee Yue Fei with the lives of more than a hundred members of his family.

And at this time, Zhao Ding also suddenly submitted a letter suggesting that Zhang Jun go south to supervise the army and supervise and urge Yue Fei to quell the rebellion in the capacity of Privy Councilor.

Zhao Jiu hesitated for a moment and chose to agree... The reason was very simple. His pressure was also great. He unconditionally trusted Yue Fei, but the problem was that the local logistical pressure and the central government's concerns were also naked and reasonable.

Having experienced so much, Zhao Guan Jia, who was no longer a rookie in military affairs, knew without thinking that the people north of Dongting Lake, especially in the Jiangling area, were indeed paying a price similar to the destruction of their families for the logistics of Yue Fei's tens of thousands of imperial vanguard troops. This was an inevitable price for using troops in this era. It can only be said that because the commander was Yue Fei, the military discipline was better, and the price was much less, but the essence would not change. Just like the Battle of Yaoshan pre-paid the wealth of Bazhong and Sichuan, it seemed like a winning bet, but in reality, the people of Bazhong and Sichuan would still have to pay the necessary sacrifice for it.

Then, in this case, he, the Emperor, must make a political gesture for his previous decision, and pay the corresponding political price as long as he made sense.

To put it bluntly, the advice of Lu Haowen, Wan Qixie and others was reasonable. Politics and scholarship, as an Emperor, how could he do a business with no capital?

PS: The hundred and tenth cute one is here, Anna, a super fierce and arrogant classmate.