Zhang Jun was in a panic, Feng Yi was flustered, and Zhao Guan Jia's face remained impassive.

But quickly, Zhang Deyuan regained the composure expected of an elite scholar-official. He straightened up and solemnly cupped his hands in response: "Your Majesty, I am the Censor-in-Chief. How could I not understand the ancestral laws and privately contact eunuchs? As for Han Shizhong, although I have been in contact with him recently, he certainly did not report to me last night about any confidential military matters discussed with Your Majesty. It was only this morning that a servant of Han Shizhong came to my door and said some nonsensical things... If Your Majesty hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't even have known he came last night and even persuaded Your Majesty to change your mind! As for the latter matter, Your Majesty can confront Han Shizhong after the battle. I have absolutely not violated any regulations."

"Deyuan," Zhao Jiu said from his seat, slightly frowning. "To be honest, I don't believe you would collude with eunuchs to this extent. As for your close relationship with Han Shizhong, it was something I deliberately allowed, even personally implied. The reason for this is that Han Shizhong has a boorish personality, and many of our dynasty's military officials don't have good endings. So I hoped you could protect him in the court... But you must know that yesterday you were actively promoting the battle according to my wishes, but today you changed your mind and advised me not to fight, which is really strange. And when did you become so capable, having such sound considerations on military matters?"

Hearing the Emperor use 'I' instead of 'We', Zhang Jun felt somewhat relieved. Hearing the end, knowing it was purely a misunderstanding, he felt even more relieved. However, the thought that he was still considered 'ignorant of military matters' by the Emperor left him feeling somewhat helpless.

Of course, there was no avoiding the matter now, so he bowed and replied: "I wonder if Your Majesty knows the story of Ma Zhou during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang?"

Zhao Jiu looked blank and didn't answer.

Zhang Jun couldn't help but cough awkwardly, before saying in a roundabout way: "During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong had a subject named Chang He. Chang He was a rough warrior, usually without literary talent. But suddenly, for a period of time, his memorials were substantive, and more than twenty of them were on point. Taizong was curious and directly asked him the reason. Chang He directly told Taizong that the memorials were written by his retainer, Ma Zhou... At that time, Ma Zhou was only thirty years old, and he was immediately retained in the Chancellery to provide advice. He was promoted three times within a year and eventually became Emperor Taizong's key advisor in his later years."

Zhao Jiu's political history knowledge was sufficient for him to understand: "Deyuan is saying... someone is teaching you behind the scenes?"

"The former Grand Academician of the Guanwen Hall, Liu Ge, died a martyr in Jingkang. His eldest son, Liu Ziyu, escorted his coffin back to his hometown and has just returned. He is currently living with me. These words were what he said when I discussed the matter with him after returning home." Zhang Jun finally revealed the truth. "Liu Ge was mostly a commander during his lifetime. As early as the reign of Emperor Zhezong, he was the Transport Commissioner of Shaanxi. Later, he made many contributions in suppressing Fang La and resisting the Jin. And Liu Ziyu has been following his father in the camp since he was young, and he has had a reputation for knowing military matters since his early years. It is said that from childhood to adulthood, every morning he would shoot more than a hundred arrows in the ward, just like Your Majesty does every evening, so he is not an ordinary civil official..."

When Zhao Guan Jia heard this name and this description, he couldn't help but feel like he was reading a low-quality time-travel novel. Born into an official family, a civil official, yet also knowledgeable about military affairs, and also with national and family hatred... The key was that the name was too distracting!

However, as Zhang Jun continued to narrate, Zhao Guan Jia gradually became relieved and realized that this was a living historical figure... For example, the name Liu Ziyu was indeed distracting, but that was the fault of a group of mediocre writers, not his. He also had two younger brothers, one named Liu Zhui and one named Liu Ziyi, which sounded very reasonable, didn't it?

Moreover, Zhao Jiu, after being prompted by Zhang Jun, also realized Liu Ge's experiences were like the Old Grand Commandant Yang Weizhong, who had not yet arrived. They were both part of the group that rose from the Northwest during Emperor Zhezong's reign, so they remained on the periphery during Emperor Huizong's reign and could never become mainstream. This provided an explanation for Liu Ziyu's military career as a youth.

However, Zhao Guan Jia still maintained a certain rationality... Because after yesterday's incident, he maintained a certain vigilance against all armchair strategists, including himself. Who knew if this Liu Ziyu had just guessed correctly? And this person's name was so special, if he really did something in this era, there was no reason why Zhao Guan Jia wouldn't remember it, right? He even remembered Niu Gao, didn't he?!

Of course, in any case, this was a time when talent was needed. Even if this person was really an armchair strategist, having him by his side as an advisor would be helpful.

After all, as the saying goes: Two Zhao Kuos are worth one Zhuge Liang. Everyone should make do, at least it can improve fault tolerance, right?

Therefore, with this thought in mind, Zhao Jiu resumed his solemn demeanor: "With such a talent, why didn't you recommend him earlier? You recommended so many people before, and I appointed them all..."

"Your Majesty," Zhang Jun said, even more helplessly. "Liu Ziyu was the person I noted in my book the day before Hu Yin impeached me. How dare I go against the wind?"

Zhao Jiu suddenly realized, and then told him to quickly bring Liu Ziyu here. Then he told Feng Yi, who was kneeling there, to get up... In fact, he wanted to deal with the latter yesterday because this eunuch's performance was too similar to the flattering attitude of so-called eunuchs in traditional dramas. But he couldn't find a suitable reason to punish him, and even couldn't find a suitable place to settle him on the road, so he had to put it aside for now and wait for Liu Ziyu patiently.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jun came and went quickly, and soon brought Liu Ziyu.

After they greeted each other, Zhao Guan Jia took the opportunity to offer him a seat, first casually sizing him up. He saw that this person had a dignified appearance, was tall, and sat there with his back straight, exuding an awe-inspiring demeanor... If Yang Yizhong was a natural template for a military general's appearance, then this person was the typical appearance of a commanding officer... To this, Zhao Guan Jia was naturally even more skeptical.

You know, how could there be such a perfect person? If he really looked like the Prefect Yan Xiaozhong, Zhao Guan Jia might have believed him three points more.

But these were all digressions, and they were all Zhao Jiu's private thoughts. In the end, he still had to ask him face to face.

However, perhaps due to lack of sleep, Zhao Guan Jia didn't know where to start when he opened his mouth. Not wanting to just stare blankly, he could only take the opportunity to casually ask Zhang Jun beside him: "Deyuan (Zhang Jun's courtesy name), how did you come back so quickly?"

"To let Your Majesty know," Zhang Jun replied casually, now that the knot in his heart had been untied. "As soon as I left Your Majesty's residence, I met Liu Yanxiu (Liu Ziyu's courtesy name) on the street. He had also heard the news and was going to find Prime Minister Lu to sign up, preparing to go out and recruit peripheral volunteer soldiers..."

Hearing this, Zhao Jiu became even more uneasy... You must know that this decision was deliberately made by him. Because the military situation was urgent, he had to risk the lives of these officials of the temporary court to seize the cities. Even for this matter, he had specially sent Han Shizhong away overnight... Because once something happened, the news that Han Shizhong had come to see him overnight would spread, and the officials of the temporary court would likely vent their anger on Han Liangchen.

Returning to the present, if Liu Ziyu was doing this, he was either a fool who didn't understand his intentions, or he was loyal and devoted, knowing the danger. But the latter possibility inevitably made this person seem even more illusory.

On the other side, Liu Ziyu, sitting upright on one side of the back hall of the Runan Prefectural Government, pondered for a moment before taking the initiative to speak: "I am presumptuous, but may I ask if Your Majesty is worried that this recruitment of volunteer soldiers and seizure of the northeastern cities of Nanyang will be reversed?"

Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, feeling that it was better not to risk lying to this kind of person, and slowly shook his head: "I am worried that the so-called volunteer soldiers and bandits from various places have different positions. Among the many people who go today, perhaps not all will be successful, and some may even lose their lives as a result, so I feel quite guilty."

Hearing this, Liu Ziyu immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said: "Your Majesty has benevolence, but as things stand, our army is weak in field battles. If we want to contend with the Jin cavalry, we must quickly occupy the cities. Moreover, at this time, the country is suffering, and the Central Plains are in chaos. Where can people not die? Those who serve as officials should not fear danger... Moreover, in my opinion, Your Majesty's move is indeed ingenious and not too dangerous!"

Zhao Jiu did not speak, not knowing whether he disapproved or did not want to comment, or was purely waiting for the other party to explain.

Fortunately, Zhang Jun was here. With Zhang Xiantai's slight gesture, Liu Ziyu immediately understood and took the initiative to explain:

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, there is not much risk in recruiting volunteer soldiers and bandits from various places at this time... There are three reasons. First, Grand Commandant Han and Deputy Commander Wang De lead a total of forty to fifty thousand troops outside, which is enough to deter them. This is 'might'. Second, Your Majesty has underestimated the significance of the Son of Heaven and the temporary court. With Your Majesty residing in Runan and personally sending court officials to pacify them, those chaotic people, unless they truly have sky-high ambitions, who would not recognize Your Majesty's words? This is 'benevolence'. Third, as things stand, any rebellious people or major bandits should have either surrendered to the Jin or become independent long ago. Those who have not surrendered to the Jin or become independent can only go with the flow at this time. This is 'momentum'."

This made sense, and Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, but he was not too excited.

In short, the person in front of him was not Han Shizhong, and he could not completely trust him. Moreover, after reflecting yesterday, Zhao Guan Jia couldn't help but have some doubts about his own 'might and virtue', or rather, he must never take this might and virtue seriously.

You know, since ancient times, which tyrant didn't think he was still full of might and virtue before his death?

Two or three years before the Humiliation of Jingkang, wasn't Emperor Huizong of Song, one of the two sages, still living in abundance and prosperity?

What was the result?

Liu Ziyu's eloquent speech did not elicit much reaction from Zhao Guan Jia, and he himself did not show any signs of discouragement. Zhang Jun, on the other hand, became a little anxious and took the opportunity to interject: "According to Yanxiu's words, won't Liu Guangshi and Ding Jin's fate shock these people? The temporary court has been worried about this matter."

"I don't think so." Liu Yanxiu still maintained an upright posture, but turned to Zhao Guan Jia and continued to speak eloquently. "Your Majesty... Please Your Majesty think about it, what kind of person is Liu Guangshi? This person is from a family of generals for generations and was the first person in the army to be given a military title after Your Majesty ascended the throne. He can be called the leader of the military officials. What kind of person is Ding Jin? He has tens of thousands of soldiers and has even blocked the temporary court, showing a completely wolfish ambition. They deserve such an ending. Even if it causes shock and vigilance, it is only Fan Qiong alone! And how can those people with thousands or hundreds of soldiers in Jingxi compare to these two? How can they empathize with these two? How can they not believe Your Majesty because of this matter?"

Zhao Jiu now found it a little interesting: "What exactly is going on with these people in Jingxi?"

"This is exactly what I want to say." Liu Ziyu bowed in response. "Your Majesty, Jingxi seems to be chaotic at the moment, with troops everywhere and everyone fighting each other, like the Warring States period. But if we carefully divide them, there are only four types of people... First, those who have surrendered to the Jin and plunder with the Jin. Now they are mostly in Tangzhou and Dengzhou, acting close to the main force of the Jin. Second, those who are loyal and patriotic and fulfill their duties. There is no need to say more about this. The real distinction lies in the latter two types, which are the two different types of chaotic people that Your Majesty is going to recruit this time. I call them the distinction between host and guest!"

Hearing this, Zhao Jiu was finally moved and suddenly understood as if enlightened!

In other words, Zhao Guan Jia still didn't understand how to combine theory with practice... When he heard the report before, he only thought that Jingxi was really in a mess. In addition, Ding Jin, a local upstart among the thieves he had encountered before, had left him with too deep an impression. So Zhao Guan Jia always thought that the situation in Jingxi would be similar, and there would be countless people who had ambitions and no longer regarded the Great Song Dynasty as important.

But it wasn't actually.

Combining the previous information, plus Liu Ziyu's reminder of the two words 'host' and 'guest', how could Zhao Jiu not understand that the chaos in Jingxi was just a natural situation in war. The reason why it looked scary was because it involved the endless struggle between host and guest that had run through China for thousands of years.

Due to the war in the north, a large number of refugees and defeated soldiers went south, but there was no food supply. Naturally, they had to rely on their short-term advantages in manpower and combat power to plunder. Then the locals would naturally not be willing to be ravaged. In addition, the Jin had just plowed through it, resulting in empty officials and a lack of officials to organize and coordinate the conflicts between the two sides. Then there would inevitably be local powerful figures who would rise up and organize troops to defend against anyone!

In short, the reason why it was so chaotic that everyone looked like outlaws and everyone was fighting each other was because there was a fierce conflict between host and guest due to the means of production necessary for survival. At this time, it would be unfair to judge them based on the positions of the Song and Jin Dynasties and whether they had ambitions or not.

As for who was right and who was wrong... From the moral perspective of ordinary people, of course, it would be considered that the refugees and defeated soldiers from the north were acting recklessly, which was the fault of these guests. And in fact, if you think about it carefully, Zhai Chong, Zhai Xing, Zhai Jin, and even Niu Gao, these forces that currently seem most credible, are still local forces. And those who are causing trouble and rising up with ambition are actually mostly defeated soldiers from Tokyo and the Western Army. They have knives in their hands from the very beginning.

But in fact, everyone is essentially just seeking a way to survive. The only ones at fault are the Two Sages and the Jin! However, perhaps only Zhao Guan Jia dared to say this. Those who are paying the price with their lives for the Two Sages' mistakes may not have this awareness. Even if Zhao Jiu spoke in person, he could only say a few words in the temporary court. When it was actually released, it would still have to temporarily stop at the Jin and call on everyone to unite against the enemy.

Therefore, when Zhao Guan Jia comes forward to pacify them at this time, although they seem to have different personalities and act differently, they still have no reason to refuse from the root.

Especially under the pressure of the official forces of both Song and Jin, no one in Jingxi at the moment has the power of Ding Jin to become a third party to sway... There is a major bandit in Xijing Luoyang, named Yang Jin, but he has also officially surrendered to the Jin and is being used by the Jin to encircle the Zhai brothers.

In short, Liu Ziyu's words pierced through the fog, which made Zhao Guan Jia completely convinced that this person had some ability, and he gradually felt relieved... If so, as long as the pacification goes smoothly and Han Shizhong can advance quickly, Wanyan Yinshuke will only have had a false alarm.

With this thought in mind, Zhao Guan Jia's brow slightly relaxed. Regardless of whether the other party was still talking eloquently, he directly said: "Lord Liu, I see that you have extraordinary conversation and are a descendant of loyal people. In addition, the temporary court is short of people who understand military affairs. Why not come to the Ministry of War to judge the affairs of the Department of Administration..."

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Jun suddenly interrupted Zhao Jiu, and Liu Ziyu also suddenly cupped his hands and bowed.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Jiu was puzzled.

"Liu Yanxiu is already a fifth-rank civil official with a sinecure... It wouldn't be a problem to send him out to be a prefect directly. The assignment seems a bit light." Zhang Jun carefully reminded. "If Your Majesty wants to keep him as a military advisor, why not add a higher but leisurely assignment?"

Zhao Jiu suddenly realized that he had made a mistake again, so he followed the good advice and gave the other party an assignment at the Imperial College. This was considered the end of the matter.

In this way, Zhao Jiu was relieved by this Liu Ziyu, and he was less worried about the future of Jingxi. Then he asked Feng Yi to take Liu Ziyu to get some rewards, and privately said a few words to Zhang Jun. Then he asked Feng Yi to send the two out, and finally went to take a nap due to fatigue.

Without mentioning how Zhao Guan Jia went to take a nap, only saying that Zhang and Liu came out of the Runan Prefectural Government and turned into the street outside. Then they rode side by side under the morning sun. Liu Ziyu finally couldn't help but ask: "Why didn't you let me ask to go out to pacify or go to the front-line military prefectures just now, Xiantai? Being a military advisor beside the Emperor is indeed a close minister, but I am confined to the central government and really don't want to be one."

"Because the most difficult place in the world at this time is here with the Emperor." Zhang Jun sighed. "Staying here, enlightening the Emperor, and making suggestions for the Emperor is what you should do most... Ziyu, you are good in every way, but your vision is limited and you don't understand the overall situation."

Liu Ziyu opened his mouth to speak, but didn't say anything, still seemingly unconvinced.

"Yanxiu, do you know what the Emperor said to me just now when you and Feng Yi went out together to receive the rewards?" Seeing this, Zhang Jun could only rein in his horse and seriously ask.

"How would I know?"

"He asked me how he could expel the innocent Feng Yi!" Zhang Jun sighed. "And I asked the Emperor why he wanted to expel him even though he was innocent. The Emperor said that Feng Yi served him too well... At this time of national crisis, he was afraid that he would enjoy himself too much!"

Liu Ziyu was surprised: "I didn't expect the Emperor to be so self-disciplined."

"Not only that!" Zhang Jun shook his head again. "There is one more thing..."

ps: Thanks to Little Flying Carpet for the reward... Just saying a few more words, although my personality is more homebody, I am still becoming more and more decadent and more and more irritable in the current situation... Am I the only one?

In any case, I still hope everyone stabilizes their mentality, washes their hands more, drinks more water, maintains good sleep, and will definitely be able to get through it.