Before Ding Jin, a Huai Xi bandit, was discovered committing suicide with a small knife during a supposed restroom break, Hu Yin, the Supervising Secretary of the Palace, also known as Hu Mingzhong, had many identities. For instance, he was one of the youngest civil officials in the temporary capital (Xingzai), renowned for his scholarship and impeccable background, promising a bright future. He was also one of the most vehement advocates for resisting the Jin, always proposing the most radical plans at the most inopportune times. Furthermore, he was a close friend and junior to both Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding, considered a unifier for the increasingly estranged new favorites.

Even the Zhao Emperor's employment of him was, to be frank, largely due to his conspicuous political stance. Just imagine, when someone tried to soften the stance against the Jin and seek a roundabout path to national salvation, dragging this man out, invoking the return of the two emperors, crossing the river to the north, and emphasizing the Confucian principles of ruler, father, and social order, who could withstand it? Who would dare to speak out?

In essence, he had previously been a tool and a political appendage of others, perhaps with the addition of being a potential stock.

However, after Ding Jin was hastily buried in a shallow grave, Hu Yin's name no longer needed annotation by others or any particular stance. Hu Mingzhong achieved fame in a single day. Xu Jingheng, the former Vice Censor-in-Chief and current State Councilor of the Eastern Hall, praised him as a "true supervising secretary."

Even the Emperor, who everyone knew had endured a round of veiled mockery, formally issued a series of edicts the following day at Zhu Gao Town:

First, he stripped Zhang Jun of his purple robe, demoting him from Vice Censor-in-Chief to Acting Vice Censor-in-Chief, moving the man closest to becoming the youngest prime minister of the Song Dynasty further away from that position.

Second, he officially replaced Zhang Jun with Hu Yin, tasking him with specifically investigating the Han Shizhong's army for disturbing the people along their route and overseeing military discipline in the temporary capital.

Third, taking advantage of the above two matters, he formally admitted his own mistakes, acknowledging that he had been too lenient with some meritorious officials and neglected the court system, thereby admonishing everyone in the temporary capital to avoid arrogance and rashness.

After the edicts were issued, everyone knew that Hu Yin's impeachment yesterday had had a real effect.

But that was not all. After the temporary capital continued westward for two days, arriving at the Huai River north of Guang Prefecture's capital, Dingcheng, and meeting with generals Miao Fu, Liu Zhengyan, and Liu Yan, as well as Yuwen Xuzhong, the Zhao Emperor once again formally summoned all four state councilors, two from the east and two from the west, to specifically discuss the selection of talent to build the court.

Based on the advice of the four state councilors, the Zhao Emperor made slight modifications and ultimately issued a series of new edicts... in the name of difficult times and unresolved national crises, requiring all localities to recommend talent regardless of background.

Specifically, each military prefecture in Guanxi, Southeast, Jingxiang, Jingdong, and Bashu was to recommend one civil official, one military officer, and one person with exceptional integrity who had demonstrated special performance during the national crisis. Furthermore, each regional commander and pacification commissioner was allowed to recommend an additional ten people. Huai and Jingxi, being close to the temporary capital, were granted special permission to recommend one person of integrity from each county in addition to the military prefectures.

This so-called person of integrity was naturally the 'able to resist the Jin' person that the Zhao Emperor cared about most, which he forcefully inserted as his own private agenda.

After these people arrived in Nanyang, the auxiliary capital, they would be divided into civil and military categories for a small examination to supplement the talent in the auxiliary capital. Of course, Zhao Jiu did not yet have the ability to change the monumental issue of the civil-military divide.

In addition, the Zhao Emperor issued another edict, granting Li Gang the same convenient personnel authority as Zong Ze at the front lines, namely, allowing Councilor Li to temporarily appoint high-ranking officials to vacant positions in the southeast, subject only to subsequent reporting and discussion... However, correspondingly, Li Gang's confidant, Lin Qi, was transferred from the Ministry of Personnel to the Ministry of Revenue.

Returning to the present, as a result of this incident, the Supervising Secretary Hu's reputation in the temporary capital was once again elevated. Everyone knew that the profound meaning of this Supervising Secretary's impeachment that day had been achieved, and that he now had the ability to promote major political affairs.

However, without mentioning how Supervising Secretary Hu's reputation was increasing daily in the temporary capital, or how the temporary capital was taking on a new atmosphere, the Zhao Emperor still had to continue westward.

At the end of February, the temporary capital arrived at Guanshan on the westernmost side of the Guang Prefecture section of the Huai River. Because the Huai River was too shallow and narrow ahead, they officially abandoned the boats and set off for the territory of Caizhou on the north bank... At this time, bad news came from the south, namely, a mutiny in Jianzhou (Jian in Fujian). Regarding this, the Zhao Emperor did not dare to be negligent and immediately appointed Generals Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan as the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Rear Army, leading troops to the southeast to assist Li Gang in maintaining security in the southeast under the pretext of protecting the Empress Dowager.

After the two generals left, in just a day or two, Han Shizhong and Wang De, who were clearing the way on both sides, began to encounter all sorts of armed forces and engage in large-scale battles. The temporary capital had to enter Ruyang, the capital of Caizhou that had been breached by the Jin army before, on the first day of March, and then use it as a base to appease the righteous armies, while waiting for Wang De and Han Shizhong to attack and suppress the rebels on all sides in order to open up a so-called space for maneuver.

It was also at this time that the temporary capital received a series of accurate messages from the righteous armies and the envoys sent by Zong Ze, stating that the Jin army's large-scale southward invasion last winter, just like how Wanyan Talan and Wanyan Wushu's eastern route army swept through Shandong and Hebei like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves, the western route army controlled by Wanyan Lou Shi had also caused extremely serious consequences in the west.

Although this had been expected, and there had even been many unconfirmed rumors since the Battle of Mount Bagong, the officials in Xingzai were still shaken and serious, losing the previous easygoing attitude, after truly hearing these messages and thinking about the rebels and bandits everywhere in Caizhou:

The Western Capital, Luoyang, had been breached and looted by the Jin army before being set on fire.

Chang'an, which had previously been considered the best choice for an auxiliary capital, had also fallen early, because after being besieged for more than ten days, it had simultaneously encountered an earthquake and betrayal... The traitor was none other than Fu Liang, the former Deputy Commissioner for Pacification of Hedong, whom Li Gang had appointed in Nanjing (Shangqiu).

This man used several hundred elite troops to seize the gate and surrender to the Jin, and was the biggest culprit for the fall of Chang'an.

It was laughable that the Zhao Emperor had specially pardoned him before, looking for him to return, and even worrying that he might have died in the rout, not knowing that this man had long since hidden in Guanzhong and become a blatant traitor.

After Chang'an fell, Tang Zhong, Academician of the Tianzhang Pavilion and Pacification Commissioner of Jingzhao Prefecture, and almost all of the Deputy Commissioner for Transportation, Judicial Intendant, Judge, and Secretary of Shaanxi, died for their country.

Afterwards, Sun Zhaoyuan, the Prefect of Henan, fled from Luoyang to Caizhou and saw that the mountains and plains were full of routed soldiers. Intending to appease and use them, he scolded the routed soldiers for preying on the local people, but was killed by the angry routed soldiers under the city of Ruyang. The Zhao Emperor had people search for his corpse in a wild forest, and it was already full of maggots.

At this time, the atmosphere in Xingzai had completely changed for the serious. But two days later, as a man in coarse clothes was hurriedly brought in by Han Shizhong, no one below the Zhao Emperor could sit still anymore.

The man was Yan Xiaozhong, the Prefect of Tang Prefecture, located in the eastern part of Deng Prefecture in Nanyang, west of Caizhou, and he had actually escaped from the Jin army!

Without mentioning the specifics of how he escaped, Yan Xiaozhong reported a message that caught everyone off guard - the Jin army's Wanyan Nicuh He was still pillaging in the Nanyang area!

It turned out that after the Supervising Secretary of the Palace, Ma Shen, left Xiangyang and Nanyang with Zhang Suo to see the Zhao Emperor in Xingzai, the Jin army launched a large-scale southern invasion. The western route army of the Jin army, in addition to capturing Luoyang, specially dispatched a force of about 10,000 men led by a Wanyan to the south, capturing Ruzhou and Caizhou in succession... Xingzai knew about this, because at that time, this Wanyan had been stationed in Caizhou for a long time, seemingly wanting to echo Wanyan Wushu in the east in Huaixi.

At this time, Xingzai was heading west, arriving in Caizhou. Because there were no Jin troops in Caizhou, it was thought that he had already withdrawn his troops back to Taiyuan!

In fact, at this moment, according to the continuous information from Zong Ze, Zhang Suo, and Zhang Jun, at least the Jin army's eastern route army clearly intended to withdraw troops from Shandong, and the Jin army stationed in Qingzhou and Weizhou on the borders had already left for Hebei. There were even rumors that Liu Yu, the surrendered official of Jinan Prefecture, had wailed and begged Wanyan Talan to leave some Jin troops stationed there.

But no one expected that the Jin army's western route army would still be so rampant.

"I'm here to inform the Emperor."

The short Yan Xiaozhong bowed his hands in the hall of the Caizhou government office. "Nicuh He went south after capturing the Western Capital last December. He originally sent troops for the sake of the Emperor and Xingzai. The official military order he received from Wanyan Lou Shi seemed to be to capture Dengzhou and take Nanyang. On the contrary, his previous visit to Caizhou was a private affair after he heard that the Emperor was on the Huai River!"

In the hall, many smart people, including the Zhao Emperor, almost instantly understood and were shocked - yes, that's right!

You must know that at that time, our Zhao Emperor was preparing to go to Nanyang with Councilor Li Gang! The Jin army's western route army, whether it was Wanyan Lou Shi or Wanyan Nicuh He, could not have failed to notice this matter. Therefore, after quickly capturing the Western Capital, Luoyang, they would naturally have the intention of waiting for the rabbit.

And if that something hadn't happened that day, and Xingzai had happily arrived in Nanyang, with the combat power of Xingzai at that time, wouldn't it have been wiped out by this Wanyan in one fell swoop?

Thinking of this, many people in the camp turned pale, and even the Zhao Emperor suddenly thought of the bloated corpse - could it be that Ding Jin, the Huai Xi bandit, was still a meritorious official who saved the Great Song?!

Was this not another great injustice personally created by the Zhao Emperor after Liu Guangshi?

"Emperor." After hesitating for a moment, Yan Xiaozhong took the opportunity to speak slightly cautiously. "I originally planned to defend the city of Tangzhou and wait for death, but Tangzhou City is small and old, and the Jin army easily collapsed the city wall. I was also powerless. Also, because I am short, dark-faced, and ugly, like a dwarf, and because I was wearing coarse clothes and carrying earth on the city when I was captured, the Jin army did not pay attention to me and still let me work as a civilian carrying earth with the army. That's why I had the opportunity to escape and come to see the Emperor... Emperor, I have a special appearance, and there must be civilians drafted by the Jin army who have seen me. This matter can be verified with a question. I have absolutely not lost my integrity!"

"Minister Yan's loyalty is beyond doubt. Please rest assured and accompany Xingzai. We will make an appointment after the enemy retreats." Zhao Jiu quickly nodded in comfort.

Of course, he had to comfort him!

The accompanying Little Lin Academician secretly laughed at Yan Xiaozhong for being too cautious.

Just think about it. According to the current intelligence, the major officials in various places in Jingxi bordering the Jin army have basically died or surrendered. To have a Prefect who dares to defend the city and dares to travel hundreds of miles to report the news is already a rare model civil official. How could the Emperor care about your Yan Xiaozhong's experience of being captured?

However, does this Prefect Yan have such benefits from growing up like this?

"However, Minister Yan," just as the Little Lin Academician was thinking wildly, the Zhao Emperor continued to ask. "You escaped from the Wanyan Nicuh He's army. Do you know the situation in Dengzhou?"

"Fortunately, the Emperor came quickly. At this time, Liu Ji, the Transportation Commissioner of Jingxi and Academician of the Dragon Diagram Pavilion, is still there... Fan Zhixu, the Academician of the Guanwen Hall and Prefect of Dengzhou, is also there." Yan Xiaozhong blurted out again. "But I'm afraid these two won't be around for long."

"What does this mean?" Zhao Jiu was confused when he heard that something was wrong in the other party's words. "Has the Jin army's offensive been determined?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, it's not that I'm presumptuous to discuss my colleagues!" Yan Xiaozhong gritted his teeth and said indignantly. "I am also a useless waste who doesn't know anything about the military and was captured alive by the Jin army, but at least I know how to defend the city, and I know that defending the city requires carrying earth and exerting strength, but I never thought of using monks and children as soldiers! Nor would I build a 'Great Wall' that is only shoulder-high!"

When Zhao Jiu heard this, he instinctively thought of the legendary story of the so-called "Six Ding Six Jia," but he was flustered and immediately looked at the State Councilors sitting beside him: "Who are you talking about?"

Upon hearing this, the four sitting State Councilors almost stood up together, and then Lu Haowen awkwardly said in response: "To inform the Emperor, the military affairs that Academician Fan relies on the most is a monk with the Dharma name Zong Yin. During the Jingkang era, Academician Fan was the commander of the Western Army and led 160,000 troops to aid Tokyo. He specially selected a team of monk soldiers, called the 'Victorious Army', and a team of child soldiers, called the 'Pure Victorious Army'. He also built a 'Great Wall' at Tong Pass, connecting the Dragon Gate..."

"And how miserable was the defeat?" Zhao Jiu interrupted him directly after hearing half of it.

"It was broken by Wanyan Lou Shi's 10,000 elite cavalry." After experiencing the Battle of Shouzhou, Lu Haowen and the others probably felt that some things before were too absurd. After saying this, he quickly lowered his head. "Academician Fan also lost his position as Pacification Commissioner of Shaanxi because of this and was reassigned as the Prefect of Dengzhou."

"The Great Song Dynasty has been able to survive to this day, and it is really blessed by gods and Buddhas together." The Zhao Emperor sneered. "If I had really come to Nanyang that day, I'm afraid I would rather destroy the country than kill this person with my own hands... Liu Guangshi was truly wronged!"

The civil and military officials in the hall heard that something was wrong and all lowered their heads and did not speak. Even the short Prefect Yan was at a loss for a moment and quickly bowed his head.

"In that case, Dengzhou must be too late to save?" Zhao Jiu came back to his senses and continued to ask Yan Xiaozhong.

"That's not necessarily true." Yan Xiaozhong quickly replied again. "Emperor, please allow me to report that Transportation Commissioner Liu Longtu is loyal and devoted. During the Jingkang era, he went to Tokyo alone to face danger. After receiving the edict from Xingzai, he has been working hard to maintain Nanyang to prepare for the Emperor's arrival... Liu Longtu may be ignorant of military affairs like me, but he will never be as absurd as Academician Fan, nor will he easily abandon the city and flee."

Zhao Jiu's heart was shaken, but he quickly asked again: "Do you know the truth about that Jin army Wanyan?"

"Five Jurchen Moukes, two Khitan Moukes, one Xi Mouke, one Han Mouke from the north, and one Bohai Mouke, but it seems that there were some damages in the Taiyuan War in the past, so there are only a total of fifty or sixty Moukes!" Yan Xiaozhong immediately responded. "That is, five or six thousand main forces! The rest are all surrendered soldiers of the Western Army as supplements. The only thing is that he has fought in Xijing (Luoyang), Ruzhou, Caizhou, and Tangzhou. Recently, many rebels have surrendered to him!"

Hearing this number, the hall was silent for a moment. From Zhao Jiu down, the four State Councilors, and several supervising secretaries below the Acting Supervising Secretary of the Palace Zhang Jun... In short, except for the more shrewd Little Lin Academician, almost all of the important officials from Xingzai who came together from the east instinctively and tacitly exchanged glances, and then a bold idea rose in their hearts... Obviously, after the Battle of Shouzhou, at least everyone's mentality was completely different from the officials in Jingxi.

Of course, after all, it was a Wanyan plus a bunch of surrendered soldiers. Zhao Jiu thought about it and was still a little timid, so he straightened his expression and asked again: "Minister Yan, not to mention Fan Qiong in Xiangyang in the south, what usable troops are there in Caizhou, Tangzhou, Ruzhou, and Dengzhou?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, although Jingxi is in ruins, there are still righteous and brave men who dare to fight against the Jin army." Yan Xiaozhong's eyelids jumped, and he almost instantly understood what the Emperor meant, and also understood the reason for the strange atmosphere in the hall just now. He was three parts frightened, three parts shaken, three parts hopeful, and one part cautious. "Tangzhou is small and the people are poor and has tried its best, but in the northwest of Caizhou, there is a local tyrant named Zhai Chong, who is a distant relative of the two Generals Zhai in Xijing, and is quite powerful. My family is placed in his house... Please give me a horse, Emperor, and send a eunuch with an official document back to Tangzhou, and I will definitely bring back three thousand elite soldiers!"

When Zhao Jiu heard that it was the relative of Big Zhai and Little Zhai, he instinctively believed it a little... You must know that the Zhai Xing and Zhai Jin brothers are the true reliance of Xijing, Luoyang, at this time, almost single-handedly persisting in resisting the Jin in Luoyang. Zhao Jiu had also seen a lot of information about this family from various places. If the Zhao Emperor had to say, he vaguely associated this family's rise and foundation with the Zhu Family Village and Zengtou City in Water Margin!

In other words, this family is simply a super-rich family of the Song Dynasty version, and a big local bully that has risen in the chaos!

It's just that, in terms of their code of conduct, they are loyal and reliable, and they pay attention to national righteousness! Not long ago, the brothers of the Zhai family did their best in the defense of Xijing, and the second son of the second brother, Zhai Jin, also died under the Jin people's swords in the breakout battle.

Therefore, in the case where the national contradiction is the main core contradiction, the Zhai family is undoubtedly a good local bully who is loyal to the Emperor and loves the country!

"As for Ruzhou, I myself am not clear, but I heard one thing in the Jin army," just as Zhao Jiu's thoughts wandered to Water Margin, Yan Xiaozhong continued to narrate seriously. "There is a warrior named Niu Gao who took advantage of the situation when the Jin army passed through and repeatedly fought and won against the Jin people. Now he has a lot of troops..."

Zhao Jiu was stunned and almost didn't react... There was no way, after more than half a year, he finally caught someone he knew again, a little caught off guard. Thinking about this westward trip, he thought it was Journey to the West, but later found out it was Water Margin, but in the end it was the Complete Biography of Yue Fei.

"Emperor, I think we can decide to fight this battle!" At this time, Zhang Jun, the Acting Supervising Secretary of the Palace, who had been staring at the Zhao Emperor and wearing a red robe, suddenly came out. "This is not only because Xingzai must drive out the Jin people in order to establish a foothold in Nanyang, but also because Jingxi is in chaos, and there are all kinds of people. Xingzai should take this opportunity to screen the chaotic soldiers here, get the loyal and brave ones to use for themselves, and drive out the miscellaneous ones and eliminate them! It's just right to get many things done in one fell swoop!"

Zhao Jiu slowly nodded, and the four State Councilors around him looked at each other and could not refute it for a while.

"If the Emperor wants to fight this battle, he must be careful about one thing." Seeing that no one was speaking, Yan Xiaozhong helplessly reminded him carefully.

"What thing?"

"I'm here to inform the Emperor that there is a key place at this time, which is Wuguan Pass. The guard there is none other than the monk Zong Yin in Academician Fan's camp..."

"Liu Yan!" Before the other party could finish speaking, the Zhao Emperor suddenly turned to look at one person beside him and ordered. "Immediately give you a golden token. No matter how you take your people to bypass and sneak past, you must rush to Wuguan Pass as soon as possible and seize the military power of that monk before this battle!"

"Emperor!" At this time, Little Lin Academician suddenly came out. "I am willing to go to appease him as an imperial attendant!"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but be greatly gratified...

Of course, he was gratified!

You must know that Wuguan Pass is hundreds of miles behind enemy lines, separated by a Wanyan main force of the Jin army, and it is not like going to Ruzhou to appease Niu Gao and others, but this Little Lin Academician actually volunteered... Before there was Hu Yin, and now there is Lin Jingmo. Even Zhang Jun had not become depressed and retreated because of the blow, which shows that these young civil officials he promoted are not the kind of stuff like Fan Zhixu at all!

How can I put it? Thank God, the Great Song Dynasty seems to be saved!

ps: Thanks to the Fifth Thirteenth Moe, the restless volcano! If this continues, I feel like I can enter the Hall of Fame next month.