Summer in May, a time of vigorous growth for all things.

In this month, the Southern Song Dynasty's exiled court accomplished a series of tasks with an efficiency that would have been absolutely astonishing in Tokyo in previous years:

First and foremost were the several hastily organized palace examinations for selecting talent... Regardless of how many incompetent individuals were among them, after these examinations, the Nanyang court did manage to select and appoint a large number of officials to fill the central government positions.

Secondly, the Military Ordnance Bureau successfully produced iron under the personal supervision of the Emperor on the south bank of the Han River. This was actually not that important, as the Emperor only realized at this point that while local iron production was strategically significant, they could readily obtain iron ingots from the government-run smelting workshops in Jiangnan via the Yangtze River. The key was the skilled artisans.

Of course, there was also the establishment of the gunpowder workshop... The Emperor valued this greatly, but others considered it insignificant. They felt that gunpowder wasn't a secret weapon for the Song Dynasty, and its elevation to this level seemed to be based solely on the Emperor's personal preferences.

In addition to these, Nanyang and Fangcheng, two cities, were among the first to be repaired and fortified under the guidance and inspection of the newly appointed Minister of War, Chen Gui. Further afield, seven cities centered around Yancheng in Yingchang Prefecture, including Linying, Changshe, Xiangcheng, Wuyang, Xiping, and Yexian, also received large amounts of military supplies, grain, and laborers recruited from displaced people. This was clearly aimed at building a solid defense line on the northeastern weak spot of Nanyang.

Overall, the Emperor's stance of "everything for the war of resistance, the war of resistance is everything" seemed to be taking effect.

Besides these developments in Nanyang, the entire month of May saw mostly good news, except for the passing away of Zhang Que, the esteemed Zhang.

Firstly, in mid-May, Han Shizhong successfully fulfilled his promise. He joined forces with Da Zhai, Xiao Zhai, and Lü Qing, ambushed Yang Jin in the Mangshan area, and beheaded him for public display. He then made a special trip to the ruined city of Luoyang before returning to Huaixi to rest and recuperate under the banner of successfully recovering Xijing (Western Capital).

Shortly after this, several documents arrived from Li Gang, the Chancellor in Yangzhou, reporting that several rebel armies in the Jiangzhe and Fujian areas had been either pacified or suppressed. He also proposed a series of financial distribution plans for the Southeast-Nanyang-Huai River-Jingdong regions and requested the expansion of the Imperial Guard's Rear Army to strengthen the defenses of the Huai River region.

As for the Emperor's private letter, Chancellor Li made no mention of it, as if he had never received it.

In short, since the Emperor's arrival in Nanyang, the overall situation of the Song Dynasty had been improving, even exceeding everyone's expectations.

In June, Qu Duan, the Pacification Commissioner of Jingyuan Road, first killed Liu Xiliang, a Pacification Commissioner of equal rank, under the pretext of desertion. Then, together with his subordinate Wu Jie, they took advantage of a conflict between a righteous army and rebel forces in Chang'an. They launched separate surprise attacks, annexed the two armies, and recovered Chang'an, gradually quelling the unrest in Guanzhong.

At this time, a scholar named Wan Qixie, who had successfully passed the palace examination and been appointed to the Privy Council, eagerly proposed the slogan of the "Nanyang Restoration" and openly compared the Emperor Zhao to Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu!

It was said that Wan Qixie, due to his excellent performance in the palace examination, had several circles drawn on his name by the Emperor in front of several ministers, allowing him to be exceptionally appointed as a Compiler of the Privy Council, with the rank of Righteous Eighth Grade, along with Hu Hongxiu, who excelled in military strategy, and to participate in military affairs as an official of the Privy Council.

It was precisely because of this special treatment that Wan Qixie was so attentive to the Emperor's reputation.

However, Wan Qixie's flattery was destined to be wasted. The Emperor not only ignored him but also rarely went to court lately. He simply left his memorials for the Emperor to read and collected them after a few days. Most of his time was spent at military camps, gunpowder workshops, and city defense projects... This was unavoidable because, as June arrived, with the selection of talent coming to an end and rebellions gradually being quelled, the central government's core task suddenly became the issue of finance. Only at this point did the Emperor suddenly realize that the Song Dynasty's financial development and the severity of its problems were far beyond his imagination.

Regarding the Song Dynasty's finances, Zhao Jiu felt even more helpless than he did with the Song Dynasty's official system... He could forcibly change the official system as the Emperor, and he could roughly understand it, only occasionally making a few jokes. But he truly didn't understand economics and finance.

Therefore, these matters were primarily discussed by the central government, with the Department of State Affairs (the combined four departments) as the core, and then he listened to the final opinions and vaguely agreed with the majority.

Then, naturally, he had to utilize the excellent abilities of an engineering student to lead the Song Dynasty into the Four Modernizations at full speed.

"Chen Qing, last year you created a tubular firearm yourself, called a fire lance, and used it in the army?"

In the gunpowder workshop, the Emperor Zhao, looking at his newly acquired "treasure minister," Chen Gui, suddenly felt a bit flustered... Isn't this being a pirate in front of the ancestor?

"Yes," Chen Gui, dressed in a purple robe and already fifty-eight years old this year, stroked his beard and replied calmly. "I used a sturdy, thin bamboo tube as the barrel, bound with iron wire. Then, I packed gunpowder into the rear. When engaged in battle, when the enemy was about to reach us, we would ignite the gunpowder from the rear, and it would spew out from the front, able to shoot several zhang (yards) away. The bamboo tube also had a spearhead attached beforehand, so the soldiers could also use the bamboo tube as a spear to charge while the enemy was in disarray... I used this method to defeat a wave of rebel soldiers."

So, it's breech-loading, and it even has a bayonet?

After listening to the description, Emperor Zhao remained silent for a long time before tentatively asking with a smile: "Chen Qing, have you ever considered using an iron tube instead of a bamboo tube? Look, if it's made of iron, we can separate the powder chamber and the ignition point at the rear where the gunpowder is loaded. We can also insert bullets and arrowheads in the front. The iron tube itself, plus the spearhead, isn't that a proper spear?"

"I have considered it," Chen Gui's answer once again made Emperor Zhao feel ashamed. "But it's not feasible..."

"Because it would explode?" The ashamed Emperor Zhao blurted out almost unconsciously.

"That's exactly what I mean," Chen Gui paused slightly, clearly digesting the meaning of the word "explode" before responding. "As for the fire lance I use, the reason why I use iron wire to bind the outside is that when I first used bamboo tubes, eight out of ten would burst after being ignited, which is what Your Majesty calls exploding. At that time, I considered using iron tubes instead. But when I actually used iron tubes, thin tubes would still explode frequently due to the strong force of the gunpowder. Thicker tubes would cause the gunpowder to lose its potency, and even thicker tubes would be too heavy..."

Emperor Zhao nodded repeatedly. This was not unexpected, as it was a very obvious obstacle on the development path of tubular firearms, namely the problem of high-quality barrel forging technology.

Seeing that the Emperor seemed unwilling to give up, Chen Gui couldn't help but offer some advice: "Your Majesty, forgive this old minister for speaking frankly, gunpowder is certainly a good thing and very useful for defending cities, but for now, it's still best used alone for ignition or as an aid to bows and crossbows. Forcing it to be used for fire lances is actually not very useful... My fire lance is only meant to intimidate ignorant rebel soldiers on the battlefield, I don't expect it to cause any casualties. After I broke that rebel force, I only left a team of sixty fire lancers out of the twenty thousand in De'an Prefecture, sharing twenty bamboo fire lances... As for iron tubes, it's not like we lack the iron, but after the Jingkang Incident, skilled artisans are scattered. With the manpower we have, we should try our best to forge armor and make swords and spears, that's the best use of our resources."

This was professional discouragement from the peak of the era, an authoritative testimony that developing fire lances was a dead end, and he should change his major as soon as possible.

Of course, Emperor Zhao knew in his heart what the right path was. But the problem was that Chen Gui, this treasure old boy, had already taken the concept to its extreme, and the little bit of knowledge Emperor Zhao had in his belly was useless... As for the problem of the current smelting level, he knew nothing about it and couldn't personally get involved in technical breakthroughs in the short term.

More importantly, Chen Gui was right. There was no time for this right now. From a wartime perspective, from an efficiency perspective, it was most appropriate to have those artisans diligently hammer out a few sets of armor.

In a word, authoritative advice must be heeded, and the sooner he changed his major, the sooner he could be reborn.

With this thought in mind, Emperor Zhao naturally followed his advice and immediately expressed his agreement. Then, he dropped the matter and directly took Chen Shangshu, Nanyang's recognized "Emperor's new favorite of May," to see the gunpowder experiments... Compared to the metallurgy, steel pipes, and other things that made his head spin, optimizing the black powder formula was definitely a technological innovation with no technical content.

Remove as many impurities as possible, adjust the proportions as much as possible, and then wrap them tightly in coarse cloth and stuff them into earthen mounds for testing!

However, just as the muffled thunder of the day's gunpowder experiments outside the gunpowder workshop had just ended, and the smoke was still lingering, Yang Yizhong, who had disappeared for a moment, suddenly appeared and led two young Compilers of the Privy Council to the Emperor. The two young military advisors of the Privy Council, one named Wan Qixie and the other named Hu Hongxiu, were both characters "personally appointed" by the Emperor.

"Xin Shen Zong?" Perhaps his ears were a little deafened by the explosions, Emperor Zhao was slightly dazed when he turned around to hear the report.

"Xin Qizong," the upright and promising young Wan Qixie bowed towards the Emperor in his red robe, raising his voice slightly. "To inform Your Majesty, this man is the second in the Xin family brothers, second only to Great Xin, the Regional Commander..."

"Oh, it's Second Xin," Emperor Zhao immediately understood and sneered. "He came to Nanyang from Yangzhou (now eastern Hanzhong), bringing five or six thousand Western Army soldiers? Did he escape back from Guanzhong by taking a detour of thousands of miles?"

"Yes," Wan Qixie quickly replied. "Privy Councilor Yuwen, who is in charge of Guanzhong affairs, specially sent this minister to ask Your Majesty how to deal with him."

Emperor Zhao remained silent for a moment, realizing that he couldn't punish this man... Because, if calculated according to the timeline, this man should not have received Emperor Zhao's order forbidding retreat when he withdrew from Guanzhong. And if calculated according to direction, the absurd truth was that this man had traveled thousands of miles from Guanzhong through Hanzhong to Nanyang, but he was still entirely "in front" of Emperor Zhao, not behind him.

Therefore, in any case, this man could not be considered a deserter, and there was no legal basis to punish him.

"Incorporate him into the Imperial Guard's Central Army," Emperor Zhao pondered for a long time and could only deal with him in this way. "Then issue an edict to Xingyuan Prefecture (now the core area of Hanzhong), locking down Sanguan Pass, forbidding Guanzhong generals from causing trouble in Sichuan without authorization, and even more so, forbidding them from coming to the Imperial Court without military orders."

"Yes..." Wan Qixie bowed but did not leave.

"Is there anything else?" Emperor Zhao continued to ask with a smile.

Wan Qixie hesitated and then took half a step back, giving the opportunity to his classmate, Hu Hongxiu.

Hu Hongxiu quickly reported: "Reporting to Your Majesty, there is also Wang Xie, the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong, who also escaped into Hanzhong through Dasanguan Pass when Wanyan Loushi was conquering Guanzhong... In fact, as this minister knows, Regional Commander Second Xin was bullied by this man in Hanzhong and unable to gain a foothold, which is why he came here. As for Wang Xie, although he has not come to Nanyang, he has sent a memorial to the Privy Council, saying that he requests Your Majesty to inspect Sichuan and establish a secondary capital in Chengdu Prefecture or Xingyuan Prefecture."

Emperor Zhao was silent for a moment before responding: "Why doesn't he invite me to Zunyi?"

Hu Hongxiu was speechless.

"Remove him from his position as Pacification Commissioner of Hedong..." Emperor Zhao was furious, but he knew that his reach was limited, so he could only bitterly retort. "Then appoint him as Governor of Fengxiang Prefecture and order him to quickly return and restore order in Guanzhong!"

"Yes!" Hu Hongxiu quickly agreed and prepared to leave.

At this moment, Wan Qixie suddenly bowed again and reported something to the Emperor:

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter. Regional Commander Xin Yongzong, also known as Little Xin, has just submitted a memorial to the Privy Council, suggesting that the Dongting Lake be cleared of rebels. He says that there is a man in Dongting Lake named Zhong Xiang, who has great power and is bewitching the people with heresy, and is plotting rebellion..."

"It's as if I don't know Zhong Xiang's background," Emperor Zhao blurted out, but then looked at Wan Qixie and the somewhat panicked Hu Hongxiu with a smile that was not a smile. "But what does Minister Wan think is the meaning of Little Xin's actions? Does he really think that I and the ministers of the Privy Council don't know who Zhong Xiang is?"

"Your Majesty," the young Wan Qixie replied carefully. "This minister believes that this is because Little Xin has had private contact with Regional Commander Second Xin for some time. He knew in advance that Regional Commander Second Xin was coming, and because he has been following Your Majesty for a long time, he guessed Your Majesty's temperament and feared that Regional Commander Second Xin would be punished for this. Therefore, he asked a friend in the Privy Council for advice, hoping that the Imperial Guard's Central Army would move again, so that his elder brother could take the opportunity to atone for his sins and make amends..."

"Oh," Emperor Zhao understood and smiled again, completely ignoring the friend in the Privy Council. Instead, he continued to inquire. "Then does Minister Wan think we should go to suppress Zhong Xiang now?"

Hearing this, Wan Qixie felt uneasy but boldly took a gamble: "This minister believes that Zhong Xiang did have rebellious intentions last year, but the Song Dynasty is mandated by Heaven, and Your Majesty first defeated Wanyan Wushu on the Huai River and then pacified the realm in Nanyang, which can be called turning the tide. The appearance of a restoration is already evident. Such petty figures who have misjudged the situation have actually lost their courage. If Your Majesty can issue an edict of appeasement, they will surely be sincerely convinced and dare not rebel."

Emperor Zhao nodded and then smiled at Hu Hongxiu, whose face was pale: "What does Minister Hu think?"

"This minister has received the kindness of the Xin Regional Commander for many years, which is why he advised him, and suppressing Zhong Xiang was exactly what this minister had intended to suggest." Hu Hongxiu was extremely embarrassed and could only bow. "Your Majesty, this minister had no intention of deceiving Your Majesty, let alone colluding internally and externally to leak military secrets."

Emperor Zhao remained noncommittal, only continuing to ask with a smile: "So, Minister Hu thinks that this is the right time to suppress Zhong Xiang?"

"Yes," Hu Hongxiu raised his head and replied seriously. "Your Majesty, Zhong Xiang is entrenched in Dongting Lake, with deep roots and popular support, but he is also bewitching the people with heresy, calling himself the Great Sage, and even has people spread posts saying that he should be the King of Chu. His rebellious intentions are obvious, and Dongting Lake is located in the heart of Jinghu and Huguang Roads. Once he causes trouble, the consequences will be unimaginable..."

Emperor Zhao nodded repeatedly, but before the Minister of War, Chen Gui, who was about to speak, could open his mouth, he looked at Wan Qixie: "Minister Wan, go tell Chancellor Wang what you just told me, that is my intention."

Chen Gui on the side and Hu Hongxiu in front of him were both stunned, and their expressions were varied. Wan Qixie, hearing this, forcibly suppressed his joy and bowed in agreement.

Thus, after the two members of the Privy Council left, Emperor Zhao inspected the remnants of the gunpowder packs with Chen Gui, as usual designated the best burning point, rewarded the saltpeter artisan in charge, recorded the formula ratio and mixing method, and then returned to Nanyang City together by carriage to inspect the fortification of the city walls.

However, for some reason today, there were always uninvited guests.

Emperor Zhao had just walked less than half of the city wall with Minister Chen and the Deputy Prefect Yan who was in charge of supervising the construction when someone came to see him again. This person was far from comparable to the previous two Compilers but was the Emperor's most trusted confidant, the Censor-in-Chief Zhang Jun, Zhang Deyuan.

"Your Majesty, this minister has heard that Zhao Kai, the Transport Commissioner of Chengdu Road, has submitted a memorial stating five drawbacks of the tea and horse trade law and proposing to completely change the tea and horse trade law?" Compared to those two, Zhang Jun spoke much more easily and casually outside the palace.

"That's right," Emperor Zhao nodded repeatedly. "And I and several ministers think what he said makes a lot of sense..."

"Are there Guanzhong generals who have escaped into Sichuan, causing trouble for the local population?" Hearing this, Zhang Jun did not delve into the matter but suddenly asked about another matter.

"I just issued an edict forbidding Guanzhong generals from entering Sichuan without authorization," Emperor Zhao said thoughtfully as he walked along the city wall.

"Your Majesty, since the Jingkang Incident, the north has been completely lost, and the Central Plains is in total chaos. Even the Southeast, Jingxiang, and Lingnan have countless rebel factions. Only Bashu (Sichuan) is safe, and the transport of grain, supplies, goods, and specialties is continuous. Therefore, it should be cherished even more." Zhang Jun followed behind Emperor Zhao and spoke eloquently. Yan Xiaozhong and Chen Gui could only fall back several steps. "And even if we don't consider the completeness of Bashu, but only say that Your Majesty is now based in Nanyang, then Guanzhong and Lianghuai are the two arms of the court, and the Southeast and Bashu are the two legs of the court. Therefore, if we cannot properly hold Bashu, Guanzhong will not be stable either..."

"Deyuan has been feeling stifled in Nanyang for a long time and wants to go to Sichuan?" While the other party was still speaking eloquently, Emperor Zhao suddenly stopped and turned back to face him directly.

"Yes," Zhang Jun also stopped instinctively but was stunned for a moment before nodding heavily and bowing solemnly. "Your Majesty, this minister has received great kindness from Your Majesty and really wants to share Your Majesty's worries."

Emperor Zhao sighed for a moment: "I believe that you are sincere and also know what I am most worried about these days... But Deyuan, you should also know what I am most worried about."

"Without an edict, this minister will never interfere in the war in Guanzhong," Zhang Jun said seriously. "I will only pacify Bashu for Your Majesty, to do my duty as a minister."

Emperor Zhao was silent for a moment, clearly hesitant... Moreover, with Emperor Zhao's low level of historical knowledge, he naturally did not know the glorious achievements of this trusted official in history. This was evident from the fact that he almost mistook him for Zhang Boying, the current Huaidong defender, at the beginning.

However, out of some prejudice and instinct, he was particularly wary of civil officials who liked to interfere in the war and then caused serious consequences.

However, it should be said that, for Bashu, which had no war, to supervise financial reform, guard Sanguan Pass, and supply materials to Guanzhong and Nanyang, there was no need to require any "knowledge of military affairs."

If you really wanted to count seriously, were not only Zong Ze and Chen Gui, below Li Gang, strange species that "knew military affairs"?

"Your Majesty," Zhang Jun seemed to have guessed what Emperor Zhao was thinking and spoke earnestly again in a timely manner. "In the current situation, someone has to go to Bashu. If we talk about knowledge of military affairs... Stay-Behind Commander Zong knows military affairs, but Tokyo is more important; Minister Chen of the Ministry of War knows military affairs, but Nanyang's defense cannot be separated from him; as for me, I certainly do not know military affairs, but if I am replaced by someone else, will they know military affairs? And if we do not judge by military affairs, I am originally from Sichuan and should take on this task."

Emperor Zhao nodded slowly.

In fact, if he did not interfere in military affairs, what was not only Zhang Jun's obvious advantage of being from Sichuan?

As Emperor Zhao's most trusted confidant, and with his qualifications as Censor-in-Chief, Zhang Jun was an excellent candidate to strengthen the central government's control over the generals in Guanzhong through logistical coordination.

In addition, from a standpoint perspective, the words "Resist the Jin" were still somewhat ambiguous for Guanzhong and Bashu. However, in any case, Zhang Jun's position on this matter exceeded that of most people. Sending him to Bashu could, at the very least, convey the Emperor's serious position.

In fact, this was the greatest source of confidence for Zhang Jun to immediately meet the Emperor after hearing several serious news from Sichuan today... In the end, Sichuan lacked a person, and if a high-ranking official was to be sent to Sichuan, who was more suitable than Zhang Jun?

Li Gang and Zong Ze were more suitable, but their positions were more important.

Or Zhuge Liang?

But Emperor Zhao had been in Nanyang for several months and had not found him.

He had finally found a Hu Hongxiu, who also had some strategic and tactical abilities, but he was still a person who could not distinguish between public and private. No wonder his father-in-law had been demoted to Jiangnan West Road and had not recommended him.

And even if Hu Hongxiu had great strategies, it was impossible to send an eighth-rank Compiler who had just passed the palace examination and become a civil official to Sichuan as a Transport Commissioner, right?

Even if Hu Hongxiu's superior, Liu Ziyu, went, it would cause unrest in Sichuan.

And thinking carefully, the biggest problem with this matter was actually that Sichuan was a single entity. Once a person was put in, their authority would inevitably be too great... Unless the situation was critical, no normal Emperor should entrust the inherently closed-off Sichuan to anyone.

However, Emperor Zhao stopped and looked at the bustling city of Nanyang. After thinking back and forth, he did not seem to think of this at all. In the end, he simply turned his head and asked: "You want to be the Transport Commissioner of the Four Sichuan Roads?"

"Five Roads!" Zhang Jun said resolutely. "If you do not allow me to concurrently manage the Xihe Road of Guanzhong, the tea and horse trade will be difficult to conduct..."

Emperor Zhao thought about the map and was speechless. He nodded slightly and then frowned and asked again: "In any case, with the current situation, there must be someone who knows military affairs to assist you. Zhao Kai manages finances, who will assist you in military affairs?"

"I venture to ask for pardon for Zhe Yanzhi."

"A general of the Zhe family?" Emperor Zhao was somewhat dazed again. "Where is he?"

"He is the son of Zhe Keshi and is in Changhua Army," Zhang Jun replied solemnly. Seeing that the Emperor was momentarily puzzled, he immediately explained. "The south of Qiongzhou is also the southernmost point of the Song Dynasty, the end of the earth... He was responsible for defending the Yellow River during the Jingkang period, but when his troops heard that the Jin had launched a large-scale crossing of the river, they directly collapsed. He was convicted and demoted for this."

"Alright," Emperor Zhao asked casually but then turned to a serious topic. "After you leave, who will be the Censor-in-Chief?"

Hearing this, Yan Xiaozhong, Chen Gui, and Yang Yizhong could not wait to plug their ears, after all, these three, although one was a Jinshi degree holder, one was a Mingfa degree holder, and one was from a military family, all knew the most basic rules.

And it was clear that Zhang Jun and Emperor Zhao did not understand the rules, so Zhang Deyuan hesitated and actually directly recommended someone: "I believe that the most suitable person in terms of qualifications and reputation is the new Minister of Works, Lü Yihao, but Hu Mingzhong seems to be more appropriate."

Emperor Zhao nodded slowly upon hearing this: "Then go! Prepare as soon as possible, depart quickly, and depart after the Department of State Affairs passes it tomorrow... Take good care of Sichuan for me, and that will be a meritorious service."

Zhang Jun bowed and saluted. When he raised his head, his eyes were slightly red: "Your Majesty trusts me, and I will never forget it. I only hope that Your Majesty will take care of yourself."

Emperor Zhao was bored and could only wave his hand: "It's like a matter of life and death... If you feel grateful, do something for me."

Zhang Jun quickly waited with a solemn expression.

"Go to the Department of State Affairs later and find Chancellor Wang for me. Secretly tell him that Wan Qixie is the most suitable person to pacify Zhong Xiang," Emperor Zhao said casually.

Zhang Jun was slightly stunned upon hearing this, but he replied seriously: "Your Majesty, although I do not know military affairs, I also know that Zhong Xiang is a major threat to the heart of Jinghu and cannot be easily indulged!"

At this time, Chen Gui also quickly stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, I also have this intention... Although that Hu Hongxiu has flaws in his minor integrity, what he said is not without reason."

"Your Majesty," Yan Xiaozhong also immediately stepped forward and advised with his head held high. "Minister Chen of the Ministry of War is a true expert in military affairs and is also from Jinghu, knowing the details of Zhong Xiang... Your Majesty must trust him."

The three high-ranking officials spoke together, and only Yang Yizhong remained silent on the side.

Seeing this, Emperor Zhao sighed to the sky: "Do you think I really don't know that Zhong Xiang is a major threat, or do I really don't know that Wan Qixie is just catering to me?"

Zhang Jun and Yan Xiaozhong instinctively looked at Chen Gui, who knew military affairs, and Chen Gui also had a bellyful of strategies.

"It's too late, and there's no need," seeing that there was no one else present, Emperor Zhao sighed slightly and simply told the truth without waiting for Chen Gui to perform. "At present, the realm is temporarily stable in all places, and there are only two overt and covert rebels that are most obvious, one is Zhong Xiang of Dongting Lake, who has not yet officially raised the flag, and the other is the Miao rebellion in the area of the Five Ridges of Guangxi and southern Jiangxi... The latter goes without saying, occupying mountainous areas, and there has always been a tradition of rebellion. Once suppressed, it will inevitably require the gathering of troops from the southeast, and the delay will be long; while the former also has Dongting Lake as a reliance, and cannot be suppressed without repairing warships and mobilizing large troops. But I ask you, what if the Jin come again in the middle of concentrating troops to suppress them?"

Chen Gui was immediately stunned.

"Also, why were there so many riots before? Wasn't it because the Jin invaded on a large scale, and the front line was completely defeated, so deserters roamed rampant, and military bandits arose everywhere?" Emperor Zhao continued to say solemnly and slowly. "And why does it seem temporarily stable today? This is certainly because I stopped the Jin on the Huai River, blocking some ambitious people in the two Jingdong Roads, and also because the small victories on the front line have made the rebel soldiers fear the central government again, but in the end, it is actually because the Jin have completely withdrawn..."

Chen Gui and the others all nodded seriously.

"Therefore, if the Jin come again, not to mention Zhong Xiang and the Five Ridges in the south, even the southeast will have riots again! Even the Guanxi deserters will cause trouble in Bashu if they enter Bashu again..." Emperor Zhao smiled bitterly and spread his hands. "This is the reason why I dare not go to suppress Zhong Xiang; it is also the reason why I agreed to Deyuan's entry into Sichuan as soon as I came; it is even the real reason why I am still pretending to be ignorant of the fact that I am forcing the officials so tightly now, everything in Nanyang is hasty, and all arrangements are not long-term plans... Because I am convinced that before long, the Jin will come back!"

The few people became more and more serious, and finally Chen Gui replied seriously: "May I ask Your Majesty, when does Your Majesty think the Jin will send troops to attack again?"

"Who knows?" In the sound of cicadas, Emperor Zhao looked up at the sky with a blank expression and sighed. "This will have to be asked of the Jin Emperor and those powerful ministers with the surname Wanyan... Anyway, it will be faster than we think!"

"Wanyan Zonghan!"

The sound of cicadas in midsummer was constant.

In Yanjing (present-day Beijing) of the Jin Dynasty, in the Secretariat of the Department of State Affairs, because the Jin Emperor, Tuobo Jilie, Grand Marshal Wanyan Wugumai and the other Jilies were all far away in Huining Prefecture, Wanyan Wo Ben, the eldest son of the Hulubu Jilie, Wanyan Aguda, sat on the left, and Yilaibu Jilie, Wanyan Zonghan, sat on the right, and the two of them sat at the top.

Then, the members of the imperial clan, ministers, and generals of various tribes who were currently in Yanjing were seated on either side, with a clear distinction in status.

However, just as the meeting had just begun, everyone suddenly heard someone call out the name of the Yilaibu Jilie at the head of the table, and they all looked over, but then they realized what was happening.

It turned out that the person calling out Wanyan Zonghan was Wanyan Wushu, who was still sitting on an extremely thick cushion in the heat of summer.

He was the fourth son of Jin Taizu, Wanyan Aguda.

"Wanyan Zonghan!"

Wanyan Wushu, with his buttocks tilted, stroked his beard and sneered. "You tell me clearly in front of everyone in Yanjing today, are you going to join forces to attack Nanyang or not?!"

Wanyan Zonghan was almost fifty years old this year, almost twenty years older than Wanyan Wushu. Being questioned like this in front of everyone, he was naturally furious, but seeing that Wanyan Wo Ben on his side had no expression and was only drinking tea with his head down, he actually endured it and then replied slowly with a smile:

"Wushu, I've said it, the west is also very important. There are the Xia people, the Song's five Guanzhong roads, and even the Mongolians on the grasslands that our Western Route Army has to deal with. Moreover, the situation of Yelü Dashi is unclear... With so many things to do, how can we abandon them for the sake of a little child's butt?"

In the Secretariat of the Department of State Affairs, the sound of laughter rose and then stopped abruptly, because Wanyan Wushu directly stood up and drew his knife.

ps: Thanks to Fifth Fifty Meng and Yuema Tianshan, this is a big shot.