It was late spring, and Tokyo was experiencing an earthquake.

However, to be frank, Zhao Jiu found it difficult to empathize with these people, especially regarding the matter in Hebei.

From a personal standpoint, many of these people Zhao Jiu had never even met, making it somewhat unreasonable to expect him to do this or that. From a sense of justice, he might have felt some sympathy, but after being on the battlefield, from Bozhou to Lianghuai, then to Nanyang and finally to Tokyo, he had seen too many families broken and destroyed. That little sympathy had long been worn away by the even more tragic circumstances...

So, this leads to a question: If you transmigrated to become the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, would you immediately put yourself in the emperor's position? Would you treat the hundreds of millions of people as your personal strategic game pieces?

Or, taking a more elevated perspective, do you think the country is an appendage of the Zhao Song imperial family, or is the Zhao Song imperial family an appendage of the country?

For Zhao Jiu, the answer was self-evident. For most civil and military officials, the answer also seemed self-evident.

It was precisely because this question was impossible to communicate that it was so frustrating.

Coming back to the present, the entire city of Tokyo was shaken that day, as if in mourning for their parents. Rumors spread that Empress Xing and several princesses had not died when previously reported, but were killed by vengeful Jin generals after their families were killed when the Jin were defeated and retreated this year. Later, Wanyan Dalantai, Wanyan Wushu, and Wanyan Zonghan discovered this, and finding only two children left, they felt it would be dishonorable, so they fabricated a story and casually sent the two children back.

This was quite possible, but it was meaningless, especially for Zhao Jiu. He couldn't understand why, if they were venting their anger, they didn't just kill Zhao Ji and his son, but instead killed innocent women, leaving the two men alive to disgust him from afar?

Relatively speaking, regarding the Yangzhou incident, frankly, the people of Tokyo only felt that Li Gang was unlucky. The so-called shock was only felt at the official level... And the reason for this was simple: in this era, infant mortality was a normal occurrence. Even the Zhao Song imperial family couldn't avoid it, and they even had a tradition of infant deaths.

However, for Zhao Jiu, it was the opposite... If he had to say which of the two events he cared more about, it was the southern one.

There were two reasons:

First, from a public perspective, as the Zhao Emperor had reacted upon hearing the news that day, he was truly angered by the disruption to the court's stability, which he had been painstakingly maintaining!

He had been trying to avoid internal strife and factionalism, and to maintain the overall stability of the court, because he knew he was incompetent in truly governing the country. And when he couldn't genuinely handle the various affairs of the state, he needed a stable civil service system to manage the country for him... But who could have expected such an accident?

With Zong Ze dead, and if Li Gang were also removed, it would mean a new round of large-scale personnel reshuffling from the top down in the court... But where would they find the time to waste on personnel construction?

Secondly, from a private perspective, as someone who had been close to him since he first transmigrated, if Zhao Jiu had any feelings for any of the high and mighty Zhao Song imperial figures, it would definitely be for Consort Pan, whom he had always felt somewhat indebted to...

This feeling, combined with certain undisguised masculine instincts, whether good or bad, made Consort Pan and her son a weight on his heart.

Now that the weight had been lifted, the fragile side beneath the surface was undeniably exposed.

However, even so, he had to make arrangements and respond.

"Madam Wu is not old, and has no experience raising children. Shenyou, Foyou..." In the desolate Chongzheng Hall, facing dozens of important officials currently in Tokyo, the Zhao Emperor paused mid-sentence. "The two children are only four or five years old. Send them to the Wu clan, find an older woman to take good care of them, raise them... as it should be."

Standing alone beneath the imperial steps, Lu Haowen, the head of the officials, immediately cupped his hands in response. Although this matter had caused a city-wide shock and had indeed stirred up everyone's feelings, from the surface, dealing with it only required this one sentence.

It was worth mentioning that although the Zhao Emperor had returned to the old capital of Tokyo, even if the court officials couldn't say a word of leaving for the sake of righteousness, this place was still adjacent to the front line. On clear days, the Jin banners could be seen across the Yellow River. Furthermore, Henan's production had been severely damaged, so this city could not possibly be restored to its former scale.

In fact, among the top-tier members of the so-called dignitaries, wealthy merchants, and rich landlords, only the Wu family, formerly known as the Pearl Wu family, had moved back as an entire clan... precisely Consort Wu's family.

As for the others, there was the Xing family, Empress Xing's family, and the Pan family, Consort Pan's family, who were now with the Empress Dowager in Yangzhou in the southeast.

Even most of the Zhao Song imperial clan, including Zhao Shi㒟, the Zhao Song Clan Affairs Director, and an old imperial princess in her eighties, were currently lingering in the southeast.

When people in the court spoke of the maternal relatives and clan members in Tokyo, they generally meant the Wu family and the Wang family, who were related to Zhao Shi㒟 by marriage. The Wang family was still considered indirect, but the Wu family was deliberately avoided by everyone, except for those close confidants of the Emperor, such as Wan Qixie and Yang Yizhong, who would deliberately be friendly with them.

So...

"The Wu family is certainly suitable..."

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but since these two pieces of news had arrived on the same day, the atmosphere in front of the Emperor had become much more harmonious. Prime Minister Lu Haowen nodded slowly, while the people around him didn't even have an expression of opinion.

However, after this sentence was spoken, the desolate Chongzheng Hall could not help but continue to be desolate... because even though the court meeting had been reopened after only one day, everyone was still somewhat caught off guard by the matters to be discussed next.

"The matter in Yangzhou has nothing to do with Duke Li..." Zhao Jiu himself paused for a moment before officially stating. "A child's convulsions are certainly regrettable, but it is also a common occurrence, not worth disrupting the overall situation for."

"I do not agree."

The voice of opposition came from Lu Haowen, who had not expressed opposition to others for who knows how long, which made Zhao Jiu, sitting on the throne, almost helpless.

"That's right." Xu Jingheng also stepped forward solemnly. "Your Majesty, this matter is not about whether Your Majesty is magnanimous and willing to let Duke Li off; nor is it about how much the matter itself is related to Duke Li... Duke Li is an extraordinary Prime Minister, overseeing military and political affairs in Yangzhou, controlling the southeast. To put it bluntly, Your Majesty entrusted the land and people of the southeast, as well as the Empress Dowager, the Virtuous Consort, and the imperial heir, to him... Given this premise, not to mention that the death of the imperial heir is related to the mutiny, which he caused, even if it is unrelated to him, he must be held responsible!"

"Your Majesty." Wang Boyan also stepped forward, solemnly following up. "Although the imperial heir does not have the title of Crown Prince, he has the reality of it. For Duke Li, it is half the status of a master... If Duke Li is not punished, it would instead put him in the position of a rebellious minister. In fact, Your Majesty might as well think about it, an imperial heir died inexplicably outside of Your Majesty's presence, someone must be held responsible for it. If Duke Li is not punished, are we to punish the Empress Dowager or Consort Pan?"

"Your Majesty." Lu Yihao stood up helplessly at this time. "I have always thought that Li Gang is crude and incompetent, and I have always been at odds with him, but I once served as a defending official in the southeast, and I also know a thing or two about the Yangzhou affair... Back when Tokyo fell, Your Majesty settled the Empress Dowager, the Virtuous Consort, the imperial heir, and even the imperial clan in Yangzhou and the southeast. Dignitaries and nobles moved upon hearing the news, and countless wealthy households and noblemen gathered there, many carrying gold, silver, and treasures... Therefore, it is reasonable that they would be alarmed by the outbreak of military chaos, which then got out of control. So, Duke Li is really not to blame for this turmoil in Yangzhou."

After the four prime ministers expressed their opinions in turn, there was complete silence above and below... The only one who had previously attacked Li Gang had now become the only one protecting Li Gang, and those who had previously wanted to maintain the stability of the court were now all expressing that Li Gang should be punished... This was politics, reasonable politics.

"Then let it be." Zhao Jiu was truly helpless. "Remove him from the position of Prime Minister, he doesn't need to make the arduous journey to Tokyo, nor does he need any sinecure, just find a remote prefectural military command near his hometown for Duke Li to settle down in, so that he can manage the people's livelihood and contribute his remaining energy."

The four prime ministers breathed a sigh of relief, but did not dare to be negligent. The secretaries, censors, academicians, and drafters around them were also as quiet as before, because everyone knew that there were many troublesome things to deal with today.

"Now that Li Gang has left, may I ask Your Majesty, who can replace him as the defending official in the southeast? Or is it that after Yue Fei suppresses the rebellion, there will no longer be a commissioner in the southeast? Only ordinary transport commissioners, pacification commissioners, and circuit commanders?" Lu Haowen did not dare to delay, because this matter could not be delayed.

"I think we still need to appoint a commissioner to specialize in the southeast." Zhao Jiu stated directly. "It cannot be easily abolished."

"Please clarify, Your Majesty." Lu Haowen also became serious.

"Because Tokyo is located on the front line, if the Jin come again next time, gathering a large army here, it may not be able to be defended." Zhao Jiu was frank. "And if it cannot be defended, we still have to retreat to Nanyang. At that time, the three regions of Sichuan, Jingxiang, and the southeast will naturally be divided. If there are no resident commissioners, it is bound to lead to major chaos. By the same logic, the Empress Dowager and the imperial clan are in Yangzhou, and it is not easy to recall them to Tokyo."

"In that case, Your Majesty is not planning to negotiate peace with the Jin?" Lu Haowen suddenly switched to another topic. "Your Majesty, this time the peace talks were initiated by the Jin, and they sent special envoys along with the two princesses. It was not us who brought it up, which does not violate the Huai River agreement... Everyone in Tokyo is looking forward to it."

"Of course, I know that this time the Jin are taking the initiative to negotiate peace, which does not violate the Huai River agreement." Zhao Jiu sneered upon hearing this. "And they have also sent back two princesses, so I can't very well chase people away... But if we are to negotiate peace, I also have expectations, which is that the Jin must first return Taiyuan and northern Shaanxi, and hand over Zhe Keqiu and Liu Yu, as a sign of sincerity, before we can have concrete discussions!"

This was forcibly acting like a hooligan, so the people below finally buzzed with discussion, and this time, ministers below the rank of prime minister finally took the initiative to step forward.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Ziyu said loudly. "An early spring victory has not changed the overall situation between Song and Jin. The Jin are still strong and the Song is weak, and the balance of offense and defense has not been shaken. Even Your Majesty yourself said that the Jin will still come next time, and Tokyo may not be able to be defended next time... In that case, why not temporarily delay for a while, and negotiate with them to delay? If we can delay for a year or two, two or three years, gather 200,000 elite soldiers, build 100,000 armored soldiers, accumulate three years of grain and fodder, and set aside one million in gold and silver, then fight the Jin army in the mountains near Taiyuan, why worry that the overall situation cannot be determined?"

"Is there anyone else who thinks we can negotiate peace?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly.

"I think we can." Li Ruopu, an academician of the Hanlin Academy, also stepped forward solemnly.

"I also think it's feasible." Li Guang, a supervisory censor of the Palace, took a deep breath and then mustered the courage to step forward.

"I second that." Fan Zongyin, a drafter of the Secretariat, followed up.

"I... think we can." Suddenly, Xu Jingheng actually followed up. "Your Majesty, it is beneficial for us to negotiate peace at this time, and we..."

"I know!" Seeing that even the prime minister had stepped forward, Zhao Jiu knew that he could no longer tolerate it, and immediately interrupted the other party. "I know that you are all acting in the public interest. I know that Staff Officer Liu's father died for the country during the Jingkang Incident, and only one member of his younger brother's family is left alive; I also know that Li Ruopu is the younger brother of Li Ruoshui, and his elder brother was the most vehement and loyal of the ministers who died for the country during the Jingkang Incident; I also know that you, Prime Minister Xu, have always defended Li Boji and Zong Zhongwu at the most difficult time in the court, with unswerving loyalty in your heart; I also know that Li Guang, Censor Li, is a close friend of Duke Li, and if he steps forward at this time, he might face eternal damnation... I know that each of you is truly selflessly devoted, truly thinking of the country, not wanting to surrender, not wanting to kneel down... But I just don't want to negotiate peace! If we are to negotiate peace, we must first discuss the matter of deposing and establishing a new emperor, before we can talk about this matter!"

After these words were spoken, the hall was silent, and everyone above and below was filled with resentment...

"Your Majesty is being too serious." After a moment of silence, Wang Boyan cupped his hands and spoke. "In fact, Minister Chen (Chen Gui) said earlier that as long as the materials and manpower keep up, Tokyo can be defended according to the methods of Nanyang, and if so, when the Jin army comes again, they may not be able to gain an advantage..."

"Well said." Zhao Jiu replied casually.

"In my opinion, the Jin are negotiating peace this time because they were frightened by the previous battle, are feeling guilty, and are experiencing internal strife... How can we negotiate with them at this time? We should instead be preparing for a northern expedition!" Lu Yihao also spoke up.

Zhao Jiu couldn't help but frown at this time.

"Your Majesty!" After the two chancellors finished speaking, Xu Jingheng, who had been waiting for a while, took a long breath, ignoring the two chancellors and directly addressing Zhao Jiu seriously, continuing the topic from before. "When Your Majesty was in Nanyang, you told the chancellors that they were not allowed to present arguments without wearing their official hats, so may I ask Your Majesty, just because you are angry, can you talk about deposing and establishing a new emperor?"

Zhao Jiu was slightly stunned, then felt embarrassed for a moment, and quickly nodded: "It was my mistake, I shouldn't have gotten angry with everyone, but my mind is made up about the matter of war and peace."

"Then we still have to ask Your Majesty to give a justification and reason..." Xu Jingheng said again in a deep voice.

"There are plenty of justifications." Seeing that the other party was relentlessly pursuing the matter, Zhao Jiu became somewhat angry again, and pointed to a person below. "Censor-in-Chief, you tell me why we cannot negotiate peace?"

"Our father was captured by others, and millions of people have been reduced to barbarians and livestock. This is an irreconcilable hatred, how can we negotiate peace?" Hu Yin had long been unable to restrain himself, but the atmosphere was not right just now, so he couldn't speak out. Hearing this, he immediately flung his sleeves and addressed the people who were stepping forward. "Have you all forgotten the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period?"

"It is precisely because Your Excellency constantly talks about the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period that knowledgeable people dare not easily speak out, and only a few of us who know that the people of the world have a blood feud with the Jin can speak here..." Seeing that it was Hu Yin, Liu Ziyu immediately rebuked. "If we followed your, Hu Mingzhong's, righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period, Your Majesty would have launched a northern expedition in the first year of Jianyan, and the country would have been destroyed long ago! Are we saying that we shouldn't resist the Jin or fight? We just want to seek stability and victory!"

Hu Yin was about to argue with him.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Li Ruopu suddenly interjected indignantly: "During the Jingkang Incident, when we were facing life and death with the Jin as an entire clan, I don't know what the Censor Hu, who talks about the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period, was doing at that time? Hiding in the Imperial Academy, watching our father leave the city to die? After sending two fathers, do you want to personally send a third one today using the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period?"

Hu Yin felt ashamed and angry, his face flushed, but he didn't know how to argue for a moment.

"Enough!" At this time, Zhao Jiu on the throne finally calmed down, but remained expressionless, and timely stopped this unwarranted dispute. "At that time, who knew that the Jin would be so cruel? And it was precisely because they knew that the Jin were cruel, cunning, and untrustworthy that Zhang Jun, Zhao Ding, Hu Yin, and others in the Imperial Academy developed the idea of advocating war... Don't needlessly reverse cause and effect, or time, and don't make personal attacks."

Hu Yin, Li Ruopu, and Liu Ziyu looked at each other, and they all felt it was meaningless, so they all flung their sleeves and remained silent.

Having said that, Zhao Jiu in the throne again looked seriously at Xu Jingheng: "Prime Minister Xu, do you still remember when I asked you to give Duke Zhang, Zhang Que, 'Ode to the Red Cliff'?"

"I remember," Xu Jingheng replied with cupped hands.

"What about the inscription I wrote on the back?"

"I remember, it was Wang Shu's 'Record of a Tour to Baochan Mountain'..."

"Which words?"

"'However, if one's strength is sufficient to reach it, one may be ridiculed by others, but one will have regrets for oneself; if one has exhausted one's will but cannot reach it, one can have no regrets, who can ridicule it? This is what I have gained.' Xu Jingheng recited, clenching his teeth. "I remember it in my heart."

"I also remember it in my heart." Zhao Jiu said slowly. "I know that your peace talks are not real peace talks, let alone wanting to kneel down and surrender, but rather a conservative and prudent idea within the advocacy of war..."

Xu Jingheng wanted to speak, but stopped.

"Prime Minister Xu." Zhao Jiu said coldly. "I know what you want to say, and I haven't forgotten... That day outside Nanyang, although I didn't say it explicitly with you, there was actually a gentleman's agreement. With a great enemy in front of us, we shouldn't provoke new or old factional disputes, let alone talk about whether ancestral laws are right or wrong... So, according to reason, we shouldn't discuss today's matter from here! But in reality, the reason why you want to negotiate peace is still fundamentally a conservative scholar's mentality. I'm not the one who started this today!"

"If Your Majesty says so, I have nothing to say." Xu Jingheng sighed deeply. "I will not remove my official hat, nor will I give up my responsibilities. I am willing to seek to be a commissioner in the southeast..."

"I forbid it," Zhao Jiu said quietly. "Henan is riddled with holes, and I cannot do without you."

Xu Jingheng was finally helpless: "But Your Majesty can't not let me speak, I am the Prime Minister of the Department of State Affairs!"

"I allow you to speak, but the problem with this matter lies in speaking itself." Zhao Jiu also seemed helpless. "If we allow peace talks today, and things are settled, and we want to fight again tomorrow, do you believe that someone will come out and say that for the sake of the people's livelihood, we shouldn't fight? Regardless of whether the Jin are sincere or false, probing or deceiving, this momentum cannot be dissipated! And my meaning is in those few sentences of the 'Record of Baochan Mountain'... I think that at this time, since we have long established a general strategy to fight the Jin to the end, then the debate itself is no longer worth starting. It's not a question of whether this or that is right or wrong, but rather that in a national war, there shouldn't be any debate from the beginning!"

"We understand," Just as Xu Jingheng fell silent, Lu Haowen suddenly cupped his hands. "Just like the old and new factional disputes of the past, it's not about whether the old or the new is right, but rather that the two words 'factional disputes' undermine the foundation... And today, we are not talking about war and peace, nor are we talking about prudence or aggression, but simply that arguing leads to internal strife, as Hu Censor and Academician Li, and Staff Officer Liu have clearly demonstrated... So, we shouldn't have easily shaken the original strategy from the beginning!"

Since Lu Haowen had said this, Xu Jingheng and the several people who advocated temporarily negotiating peace to catch their breath, plus the main war faction with resentment color, Hu Yin, and the others, naturally each restrained their expressions.

Lu Haowen also continued to cup his hands and said: "However, Your Majesty, since we are talking about this matter today, please give a clear answer in public again... How can there be an end between Song and Jin?"

"The destruction of the Jin Dynasty." Zhao Jiu answered decisively. "We must also plow their courtyards and sweep their caves, nothing else will do."

"We understand." Lu Haowen took the lead in cupping his hands and bowing.

"We understand!" Wang Boyan quickly followed.

"We understand." Lu Yihao looked away from Lu Haowen in surprise, and quickly cupped his hands.

"I understand. The country is in difficulty, and we should endure each other for the sake of the country, and unite as one. We should indeed not have unwarranted internal strife." Xu Jingheng sighed and finally cupped his hands.

As for the others below, some followed hastily, while others reluctantly expressed their opinions together under the remaining power of the Zhao Emperor and the power of the Prime Minister to smooth things over... This matter was temporarily brought to a close.

But it was only temporary, because Zhao Jiu had already seen clearly... This was not a matter of people's character, nor a matter of remembering previous words, but rather that the ancestral laws and institutions of the Great Song Dynasty for hundreds of years had cultivated a natural tendency towards conservatism among the scholar-officials and the bureaucracy.

This kind of conservatism has never been lacking throughout history, and it is really hard to say whether it is right or wrong, but it is clearly particularly prominent and particularly powerful here in the Great Song.

Today, they have slightly preserved the land of Henan, and some people want to negotiate peace. In the future, as the war continues, the Jin will inevitably be the ones who are more unable to sustain it, and the conditions they offer will become more practical and generous, and then there will inevitably be people with the same 'I am doing this for the good of the country' mentality who will try to overturn the 'untimely' established national policy.

However, Zhao Jiu will never let go... It's not because he is so firm and has such great foresight, but because he knows the result!

Once this momentum is released, true surrenderists will take the opportunity to creep in through the cracks. At that time, those who originally advocated war will become advocates of defense, those who advocated defense will become advocates of peace, and those who advocated peace will become advocates of surrender. In the end, people like Qin Hui will make their appearance.

Therefore, the Zhao Emperor faces hundreds of thousands of Jin troops on the outside and the scholar-officials and military generals of the Great Song Dynasty, who are famous throughout five thousand years of history, on the inside. The burden is truly heavy and the road is long.

"Since the Jin envoys have been discussed, it can be seen that under precarious circumstances, there should still be a commissioner sitting in the southeast..." Lu Haowen continued to preside over the previous court meeting. "Your Majesty, although this post is an external one, it is still a position equivalent to the prime minister. It should also be supplemented with a military governorship to restrain the military forces and protect the Empress Dowager. It should be Your Majesty's decree, but I don't know who Your Majesty wants to send? Or are you promoting a suitable important minister?"

"I already have a suitable candidate."

Zhao Jiu sighed, and suddenly got up from the throne, walked down the imperial steps, and scanned the four prime ministers in front of him. Finally, his gaze fell on one of them, but without waiting for the other party to speak, he immediately cupped his hands in public and bowed deeply. "Prime Minister Lu, you know the situation in the southeast best, and you also have a resolute and decisive style. Today, I entrust the land and people of the southeast, as well as the Empress Dowager in Yangzhou and the imperial clan in the southeast, all to you... I hope that you will remember the righteousness between us as monarch and minister, and that when you arrive in the southeast, you will do it properly and be my support."

Below Lu Haowen, all the officials were stunned, and Lu Yihao, the person involved, was speechless for a long time. After a long time, he felt complicated, bowed in return, and called out 'Death is too small a price to pay!'

ps: Human inertia... is deeply ingrained... I know the book review section must be scolding me into a flower... I dare not look at it at all, I can only say that death is too small a price to pay...