Chapter 1 Zhao Gou's Reasons

Zhao Gou had his reasons for asking Wang Yan to receive Ma Kuo, because the area where Ma Kuo and his subordinates were currently active was basically the area controlled by Wang Yan's old Eight Character Army before they crossed the river. It was a familiar route.

Besides this, it also conveyed the meaning of expressing importance and transmitting specific information.

After all, Wang Yan could be considered to have risen from general to minister. Even if he wasn't at the pinnacle of power, he was close. And if Wang Yan could bring back an Eight Character Army of 30,000 men from the Taihang Mountains... even if he quickly lost control of this force... to reach this step, then there was no reason for Ma Kuo to be worse than Wang Yan.

Of course, these were all minor details and side matters. The key was that after Zhao Gou had just gained some advantages in the Guanzhong direction, he couldn't wait to summon Ma Kuo. His determination to recover the two He provinces was enough to silence everyone.

It was hard to imagine that after this official had been in power for five or six years, and after so many resolute political purges, there were still people who dared to advise him to stop or slow down the Northern Expedition.

Weren't they afraid of being labeled as a surrender faction in the court gazettes, their ancestors for three generations being sidelined, or even exiled?

"I heard that Your Majesty just returned from the Northwest. When you passed through Shanzhou, you couldn't wait to send Grand Commandant Wang across the river to find me. I am deeply grateful. And I indeed have thousands of words to report to Your Majesty regarding the situation in the two He provinces. But before reporting, I have one word that I must speak out, or else the thousands of words that follow cannot be said..."

On the riverbank, facing Zhao Gou, who had come to greet him in person, under the gaze of a group of civil and military officials, including Wang Yan, Liu Hongdao, Fan Zongyin, Lü Benzhong, Ren Baozhong, and Liu Yan, Ma Kuo paid his respects and, without waiting for Zhao Gou to come forward to help him up and shake his hand, directly bowed his head in response, seemingly impatient and even somewhat rude.

"Speak, Ma Qing," Zhao Gou had learned to be patient. He simply raised his arm and urged the other party to speak.

"Your Majesty, you must not underestimate the Jurchens because of the previous victory at Yaoshan and the retreat of the Northern barbarians from beyond the river. If you cross the river for a Northern Expedition at this time, I fear that eight or nine times out of ten you will suffer a major defeat." Ma Kuo raised his head and spoke sincerely. "We should conserve our energy and wait for the opportune moment..."

In the afternoon on the riverbank, Zhao Gou was dumbfounded and laughed when he suddenly heard these words.

Seeing this, Ma Kuo became even more anxious and quickly said again, "I have absolutely no intention of using false words to intimidate you! Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition is a major matter. Once you cross the river for the Northern Expedition but cannot occupy a major town in Hebei for a long time, the morale of the people and soldiers will be frustrated. Moreover, Hebei is devastated and the people's hearts are restless. If the imperial Song crosses the river but cannot properly appease the people, there will also be some problems."

Zhao Gou became completely solemn. "Of course, I will act prudently. I have summoned you here precisely to hear about the real situation in Hebei and then make a decision."

Only then did Ma Kuo's mood calm down slightly.

However, at the same time, the surrounding civil and military officials couldn't help but look at each other. Even Wang Yan, who had accompanied Ma Kuo south all the way, was a little embarrassed.

In fact, everyone had noticed that there was a problem with Ma Kuo from the beginning.

Of course, the problem wasn't that there was a problem with Ma Kuo's position. If there was a problem with this person's position, then there would be no one in the world whose position was reliable. Nor was it that there was a problem with the content of his suggestions. As the only military leader who had been holding out behind enemy lines in the two He provinces, he was the only expert on this issue. Only he could refute others, and no one could refute him.

The problem was actually the inappropriateness of Ma Kuo's mentality.

His words were hurried and his tone was rushed. It seemed that he still regarded Zhao Gou and the court officials as being in the same state as they were during the Jingkang Incident, ostensibly grand but internally unbearable, unable to listen to advice or do anything, only caring about face and appearances, completely disregarding the real situation at the front... Therefore, this Northern Route Commander seemed to have a mentality of fearing that if he showed a little weakness, it would lead to a misjudgment by the official and the accompanying civil and military officials, resulting in disastrous consequences.

This mentality was certainly very wrong, but it was understandable.

Because the betrayals and difficulties Ma Kuo had experienced were far beyond what the Henan officials could understand. Moreover, he was isolated in the north, surrounded by enemies on all sides. It was only natural that his mentality was not right and even somewhat narrow.

The best example was Wang Yan, who was also present. Wang Yan's mentality had almost collapsed during his two years in the Taihang Mountains. He saw everyone as a traitor and changed beds three or four times a night to sleep, eventually forcing his subordinates to tattoo words of loyalty together.

Even after returning, he was still narrow-minded. He harbored a subtle resistance to any dispatch or disposal from above, as well as the arrangement of troops. He also found it difficult to confide in his subordinates. Even Military Advisor Xiao Fan, who had been a confidant in the past, became difficult for him to tolerate once he was promoted and given military power.

To put it bluntly, he was already somewhat pathological.

Therefore, although there was a reason for it, and even the reasons behind this pathology were worthy of respect, Zhao Gou still transferred him from his independent command to become a local official.

Compared to this, Ma Kuo's slight inappropriateness was nothing.

In fact, Zhao Gou understood the other party's mentality and made a slight concession. He dragged the other party to the military camp behind him and sat down in Zhang Rong's hall. He also specifically asked the other party to take a seat while the other civil and military officials stood by. With his attitude shown and his posture corrected, and after a few more words of conversation, the memorial presentation quickly became appropriate.

"How many people are there in the Taihang Volunteer Army now?"

"To let Your Majesty know, the Taihang Volunteer Army is of course countless. I roughly estimate that there are tens of thousands of young and strong men hiding in the mountains. But that is the total number, and I cannot control or dispatch them. As for me... I assisted Prince Xin in raising the banner in the northern Taihang Mountains, and there are only three or four thousand in front of me, of which about two thousand are young and strong enough to fight."

"That's already good," Zhao Gou immediately nodded in praise. "The southern Taihang Mountains have limited area. When the Eight Character Army of 30,000 men went south, I estimated that Ma Qing's side was about the same number. Moreover, in the past two years, the Jurchens have had regular main forces stationed in Taiyuan, Longde Prefecture, and Hezhong Prefecture. It is inevitable that the mountain bases have been divided, suppressed, and restricted... Two thousand is good."

"Your Majesty sees clearly... As Your Majesty said, at first there were fifty or sixty thousand, with thirty thousand available young and strong men, but in the past two years, they have been severely squeezed by the Jurchens, so they have become fewer. But to be honest with Your Majesty, even with two thousand young and strong men, I may not be able to dispatch them properly when it comes to risking their lives." Ma Kuo was honest.

"How so?" Zhao Gou was surprised for a moment, but then he realized. "Is it because you came from the northern Taihang Mountains and the locals in the southern Taihang Mountains are not convinced?"

This time it was Ma Kuo's turn to be slightly stunned, but he quickly recovered. "As Your Majesty said, the two main families... one is from the northwest of the southern Taihang Mountains, from Taiyuan in Hedong Circuit; the other is from the southeast of the southern Taihang Mountains, which is Weizhou in Hebei West Circuit directly opposite this place, and they are both from the Solidarity Society... They have always been somewhat unconvinced by me, and I may not be able to dispatch them at that time."

"Be more specific."

"To let Your Majesty know, the leader of the former family is called Zhang Heng, and his troops are said to be ten thousand, but they are all family members who have gone up the mountain. According to my estimation, he only has two thousand old troops. However, although this person has few soldiers, he has a very deep foundation around Taiyuan. Anyone in the Taihang Mountains who wants to trade with the people of Taiyuan or inquire about the military situation in Taiyuan relies on him. Even last year, when the Jurchens put the most pressure on the southern Taihang Mountains, this person led his two thousand men from Fenzhou across the Fen River to Guji Mountain for food, and the Jurchens did not notice it at all... I dare not easily annex such a person."

Zhao Gou understood and nodded repeatedly.

Not only him, but several close officials who knew a little about military affairs also became serious... It must be known that Guji Mountain is the main mountain range in the northwest of Shanxi Province in later generations, the Lüliang Mountains, and Zhang Heng's move from Taihang to Lüliang was equivalent to crossing the entire Shanxi Province unscathed during the Jurchen sweep. Although it was said that he crossed from the narrowest point at the southernmost end of the Taiyuan Plain, it was enough to explain the problem.

At the very least, this person had a deep foundation in the Taiyuan Plain. Not only did no one dare to inform on him, but he also had a clear understanding of the Jurchens' deployment, so he was able to seize the gap and swagger over.

The role of this kind of super local tyrant, if used well, could have miraculous effects. Ma Kuo would have to be crazy to risk annexing this person.

"When you leave, I will write a grand imperial decree for him and promise him the prospect of a commander's position. If he doesn't understand the importance of a commander's position, any other prospects can be promised randomly," Zhao Gou immediately made a political promise after thinking for a moment.

"Your Majesty is wise. Zhang Heng was originally from a wealthy family in Taiyuan and is certainly willing to serve the country, but the problem is that they are far apart. An empty decree may not be able to win his trust," Ma Kuo said with some difficulty.

"Then let him go to Guji Mountain and contact Yan'an Prefecture upstream of the Yellow River, and take over some military equipment from there... By the way, it will also be me testing his goods to see if he is just pretending!"

"That's wonderful!"

"What about the other one?"

"The other one is caused by the strength of the troops," Ma Kuo came back to his senses and said helplessly. "This person is called Liang Xing, known as Brother Liang. He is only twenty-seven or eight years old this year. He was originally an old subordinate of Yue Jiedu who was separated in Hebei in the past. Later, during the battle of Yaoshan, Yue Jiedu crossed the river and met him once. I heard that he occupied a mountain stronghold in the mountains and led several hundred people. Not only did he not take him away, but he also told him to do a good job in the Taihang Mountains to await the official army's Northern Expedition, and gave him the position of commander, and left many weapons and armor..."

"Isn't this a good thing?" Zhao Gou smiled awkwardly, but he had already guessed what was going on.

"This should have been a good thing," Ma Kuo said angrily. "But this person is young and vigorous. On the one hand, he relied on the weapons and armor left by Yue Jiedu to select and train soldiers and expand his strength; on the other hand, he refused to accept my dispatch, only saying that I am a fake, and he is a serious general of the Imperial Army's Vanguard, how can he listen to my words? He has contradicted me face to face several times, attacked the county towns at the foot of the mountain without authorization several times, and even colluded with the mountain strongholds privately, and even sent leaders to my mountain strongholds to engage in infighting. I cannot control him for the sake of the overall situation! Even if I get the military order from Li Jiedu of Shanzhou, he turns a deaf ear to it, only saying that he only recognizes Yue Jiedu and does not recognize any Li Jiedu."

Zhao Gou was stunned for a long time before continuing to laugh dryly, "I'll try to give you an explanation with Yue Pengju... How many soldiers does this Brother Liang have?"

"A full four thousand elite soldiers, and the military equipment is also the best in the southern Taihang Mountains," Ma Kuo's expression became even more helpless. "At least three hundred sets of iron armor, more than a thousand sets of leather armor, and also more than a hundred crossbows... The key is that he was born and raised in the area where Weizhou and Huaizhou meet, and he was also summoned by Yue Jiedu, and he also has this kind of strength, so the righteous men in Xiangzhou, Cizhou, Weizhou, and Huaizhou on the southern Taihang side all listen to him."

Ma Kuo's resentment was overflowing. What this Brother Liang was doing was indeed not in the interest of the overall situation, but Zhao Gou could only smile bitterly.

Even more than Zhao Gou, who among the civil and military officials in the military tent didn't know? Even Ma Kuo had to work so hard to cross the river to meet the emperor, even if Yue Fei cooperated, how could he properly send the military order to Liang Xing? And then how could Liang Xing believe an empty piece of paper?

Unlike that Zhang Heng, this Liang Xing's matter was likely to become a complete mess.

"How about I give you a Jiedushi?" After thinking for a long time, Zhao Gou also felt embarrassed, so he tried harder to deal with it. "Wait a few days and take the Jiedushi's paraphernalia back."

"I thank Your Majesty for your kindness, but today is not what it used to be. The southern Taihang Mountains have heavy troops on three sides, and I can only take small roads through the mountains. Things like Jiedushi's paraphernalia are too conspicuous to bring, and if I only bring the seal and imperial decree, those mountain stronghold leaders won't believe it..." Ma Kuo said with difficulty.

"Why don't they believe it?" Lü Benzhong couldn't restrain his curiosity and couldn't help but ask.

"Of course it's because of Prince Xin," Zhao Gou sneered before Ma Kuo's face became embarrassed. "After the return of the two Saints, the Jurchens must have spread rumors in the mountains, saying that Prince Xin is a fake and the real one has already returned... But I didn't know that my brother still has some integrity."

Lü Benzhong suddenly realized - it must have been that over time, the southern Taihang Mountains could hear news from Henan, so the matter of the fake Prince Xin gradually became exposed, and Ma Kuo's credibility in this regard gradually went bankrupt.

"Whether you bring it or not, you must report it!" Zhao Gou thought for a while and said seriously. "After Ma Qing leaves, I will have the court gazettes publish the details of your meeting with me, from Brother Liang to Zhang Heng, to the matter of conferring the Jiedushi... It's better than nothing."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ma Kuo was relieved.

"The safest road to the Taihang Mountains should still be the road from Xiezhou (north of Shanzhou), right?"

"Yes."

"I will also have Li Yanxian specifically send you some military equipment. It's best to have strong soldiers and horses."

"Forgive me for speaking frankly," Ma Kuo also quickly became serious again. "Your Majesty, it's best not to send any good military equipment, and don't send any crossbows, big axes, or iron armor. Used leather armor and ordinary knives and swords are the best..."

"Are you afraid of being intercepted by the Jurchens on the way?"

"Yes."

"You've worked hard," Zhao Gou sighed. "It's really difficult behind enemy lines."

Ma Kuo didn't pretend to be humble, but just sighed in his seat.

So far, he had asked about Ma Kuo's own situation. After a moment, Zhao Gou regained his spirits, but he didn't speak directly. He just swept his gaze over his close officials who were accompanying him. For a moment, at least three or four people understood together, but Ren Baozhong, who had a white beard and hair, was the fastest.

He stepped forward and cupped his hands towards Ma Kuo, "Commander Ma, I am Ren Baozhong, a member of the Imperial Secretariat, and I am accompanying the emperor to advise on military affairs. I have something to ask the commander. As soon as the commander came ashore, he told Your Majesty that it is not advisable to launch a Northern Expedition at this time... Then may I ask the commander, when can we launch a Northern Expedition? The commander must have a plan in mind."

"That's right," Academician Lü Benzhong also became serious. "Commander Ma has worked hard in the north, but he may not know that Your Majesty is also extremely difficult in the south. There are always people who want to abandon the two He provinces in order to seek temporary peace, and every now and then they force Your Majesty to eliminate many people. These people gather in the south, relying on the Daoist academies, echoing each other and forming a party, which must be guarded against... If we cannot launch a Northern Expedition here for a long time, I am afraid that the people's hearts in the south will be difficult to gather."

Ma Kuo frowned slightly, obviously unable to digest it properly for a while.

At this time, Liu Hongdao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Director of Waterways, suddenly stepped forward and became serious, "Actually, it is also difficult for them to discuss military affairs in the south. In recent years, in order to recover the Central Plains, pacify Guanzhong, and support the 200,000 Imperial Army, the taxes in the south have been extremely heavy, and the people have many complaints..."

"But the people of the two He provinces are in dire straits?" Ma Kuo was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly stood up to argue. "The Jurchens are so cruel, do you need to say more? When the Eight Character Army first went, we collapsed from the northern Taihang Mountains, but we recovered to the previous size of 30,000 in just half a year, which shows that the people of the two He provinces have suffered all kinds of poison. The Meng'an Mouke are stationed in the two He provinces, forcibly occupying land and forcing Han people into slavery. These have been said thousands of times, and I am afraid that everyone in the central government will find it annoying... But Vice Minister Liu, do you know that the Jurchens still have a hair-shaving order now? They want to force the people to shave their hair like them."

Liu Hongdao was caught off guard.

"Although this order is gradually loosening, it is because the people are resisting every day, and it is because Your Majesty won the victory at Yaoshan that it has gradually become so! When they encounter someone with a violent disposition, they still do this... Last year in Shizhou, there was a Han official who passed the Jinshi examination in Marshal Nianhan's mansion and became a magistrate. He shaved his head first, and then stood on the street, not allowing the hair of the people on the street to pass his hair, otherwise they would be beheaded... Vice Minister Liu, no matter how hard the people in Jiangnan are, how can they compare to the people in the two He provinces? How can you use these words to prevaricate the Northern Expedition?!" Ma Kuo rebuked continuously, his emotions agitated, and he seemed to have been stimulated again.

Seeing his anger, not to mention Zhao Gou was a little annoyed, Ren Baozhong and Lü Benzhong also blamed Liu Hongdao for ruining the situation... Especially Ren Baozhong, who was secretly anxious about the hair matter in his heart, fearing that Zhao Gou would pay attention to this matter and then hate him... He hated Liu Hongdao's talkativeness.

As for Liu Hongdao, after a slight daze, he was also a little angry, "Commander Ma! Where did I say a word that I don't allow the Northern Expedition? On the contrary, why did you persuade Your Majesty not to launch a Northern Expedition as soon as you came ashore?"

Ma Kuo lost his composure when he heard this, and his eyes turned red in an instant, "It is precisely because I am worried and anxious every day, and I look forward to the royal army going north, that I am afraid of making a mistake one day and repeating the story of Yanyun! Vice Minister Liu, am I supposed to flatter you and many high officials, but not speak for the scholars and people of the two He provinces, in order to be considered proper and reasonable?"

Liu Hongdao was completely embarrassed and speechless.

"Ma Qing, don't pay attention to them," Zhao Gou could only speak again in person, seeing that the situation could not be salvaged. "Everything is up to me to handle... Their original intention was to ask you about the real situation in the north! For example, how many soldiers do the Jurchens have?!"

Ma Kuo forcibly calmed his emotions, turned around and cupped his hands in response, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I really don't know the total number of Jurchen soldiers at the moment... But I can probably calculate it."

"How do you calculate it?"

"During the Jingkang period, when the Jurchens were at their peak, the total number of soldiers was very simple," Ma Kuo said seriously. "The east and west armies each had ten Wanhu (ten thousand households), one hundred Meng'an (thousand households), but at that time each Meng'an had no replenishment soldiers. There were probably five or six Mouke (hundred households) in each Meng'an, five or six hundred cavalry. In other words, at that time the east and west armies each had 60,000! This is the foundation of the Jurchens' founding!"

Zhao Gou nodded slowly.

"At the same time, there was also the Ever Victorious Army obtained during the destruction of Liao," Ma Kuo continued to explain properly. "It doesn't matter how many soldiers the Ever Victorious Army had at the beginning, but when Guo Yaoshi was capricious and rebelled against the Great Song, he took away a force said to be 50,000 strong. I estimate that he actually had more than 40,000... However, the Ever Victorious Army had a lot of contact with the Jurchens and were mostly from Liaodong, so they were not afraid of the Jurchens in their hearts. In addition, because they were capricious, they aroused suspicion. As a result, after Guo Yaoshi surrendered, the Jurchens up and down worked together to imprison the generals and lure and kill the officers for several years, basically cleaning up the generals of the Ever Victorious Army. Even some of the generals resisted, and they simply killed seven or eight thousand soldiers and generals together. In the end, there were about twenty or thirty thousand left, who were completely dismembered and used to replenish the Meng'an."

Speaking of this, Ma Kuo paused slightly and came to the conclusion, "In other words, the Ever Victorious Army is counted as 30,000, all of which were obtained by the Jurchens. However, this army has long been completely annexed by the Jurchens, and there is no independent army in the established system."

Hearing this, Zhao Gou couldn't help but glance at Liu Yan, who was standing solemnly on the side, and Liu Yan's expression was also obviously a little gloomy.

"In addition to the Ever Victorious Army, there is also the Righteous Victorious Army of 50,000," Ma Kuo did not notice Zhao Gou's small movements, but continued to explain seriously. "The Righteous Victorious Army was recruited from the Han people of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun before the Jingkang period, in order to contain Guo Yaoshi. The treatment was better than that of the Imperial Army... However, the Han people of Yanyun have always been unconvinced by the imperial Song. As a result, after the soldiers and horses were equipped, the Jurchens went south, and the entire 50,000 of the Righteous Victorious Army surrendered, and the Jurchens also properly accepted them and directly used them."

This time, Zhao Gou didn't react at all.

"In addition to the Ever Victorious Army and the Righteous Victorious Army, there are also the surrendered soldiers of Taiyuan and the surrendered soldiers of Hebei. Adding these together, I dare to say that the Jurchens' twenty Wanhu, calculated by Meng'an Mouke, only have 120,000, but in fact, adding these Han Chinese surrendered soldiers who assisted in the battle, they will definitely exceed 200,000 full members! In addition to this, it is impossible for the surrendered soldiers of the Liao Kingdom outside the Great Wall to have disappeared for no reason. When Wanyan Wugunai ordered Nianhan and Wolibu to lead the east and west armies south, it was impossible not to have some national foundation outside the Great Wall. Therefore, I dare to say that the Jurchens had at least 300,000 troops at their peak," Ma Kuo said, pausing slightly and looking up at Zhao Gou.

Before Zhao Gou could speak, Lü Benzhong said with some confusion, "But 300,000 was only when the Jurchens were at their peak. Since then, in the past six or seven years, the Jurchens have only used the twenty Wanhu of the east and west armies south of Yanyun when they mobilized troops... Even if there are troops in the rear, they should have been abandoned long ago, right?"

Ma Kuo was furious.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Gou finally nodded, "Commander Ma is just afraid that there are people like you, and he wants to warn the court not to only have the twenty Wanhu of the east and west armies in their eyes, but to be clear about one thing, that is, once we cross the river for the Northern Expedition, the situation of offense and defense will change, and what we will face will no longer be the twenty Wanhu that we are already familiar with. Those surrendered soldiers and veterans under the command of the military divisions who have been scattered outside the pass for five or six years and have not fought can still be summoned... We should be generous in our assessment of the enemy."

"That is exactly what I mean," Ma Kuo breathed a long sigh of relief.

"But Ma Qing, I understand what you mean..." Zhao Gou said solemnly. "But raising 300,000 soldiers and raising 200,000 soldiers is not the same thing at all, right?! Moreover, when we cross the river, are we going to cross all at once? Are we not going to leave a rearguard for support? And if 300,000 troops launch a Northern Expedition, not to mention the post-war pacification, or even the rewards, how much money and food should we prepare just for the consumption of 300,000 troops for half a year?"

Hearing this, the surrounding civil and military officials were all horrified.

"Your Majesty! We cannot launch a Northern Expedition across the river without 300,000 soldiers!" Ma Kuo said through gritted teeth. "However, Your Majesty does not have to support the entire 300,000 Imperial Army. It is feasible to count our 20,000 from the Taihang Mountains. In addition to that..."

Ma Kuo became more and more excited, but it also became more and more difficult for him. In the end, he couldn't even speak for a moment.

"We can also invite the Khitans and Mongols to help... As long as they can contain one or two, it can be considered?" Zhao Gou seemed to see through the other party's mind and asked tentatively.

"Yes," Ma Kuo's words seemed to lack some strength, and it was obvious that the Maritime Alliance still had an impact on him.

"Your Majesty," Ren Baozhong plucked up his courage and stood up in a timely manner. "If I may be so bold, if that's the case, the Tangut soldiers are also good at fighting hard... Your Majesty does not have to continue to recruit and support them. You can completely recruit tens of thousands of them from Ningxia Road temporarily when you need them. You can exempt one household from ten years of taxes for every male conscripted! And once these Tangut soldiers cross the Yellow River and have no way to retreat, and they have to consider their clan, they will definitely fight to the death."

Zhao Gou was stunned for a moment and actually nodded slightly, as if he was tempted.

"But Your Majesty!" Ma Kuo said again. "Even so, we still have to ensure that the number of soldiers is accurate."

Zhao Gou was stunned again and then nodded again.

Then, just as the tent was silent, Zhao Gou, who was the first to come back to his senses, asked again, "Before, you said to conserve our energy and wait for the opportune moment... Conserving our energy means saving 300,000 soldiers, saving the logistics needed for 300,000 soldiers... Then when is the opportune moment? Is it when Wanyan Wushu's reform causes internal chaos?"

Ma Kuo carefully looked at this official again, and then bowed his head earnestly and replied, "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate for great countries to compete by pinning their hopes on internal strife of the enemy... However, the Jurchens themselves are a tribe of wild people who were fortunate enough to destroy one country and swallow the two He provinces in twenty years. It can be said that they have expanded to the extreme, and no matter how Wanyan Wushu reforms, he will not be able to get rid of abolishing the old Jurchen wild system from top to bottom and promoting the Han Chinese law... It is easy to change this kind of law in literature, but not easy to change it in martial arts. It is easy to change it at the top, but not easy to change it at the bottom. If the Bojilie system is abolished, then we must kill Nianhan and imprison the ruler. What about the Wanhu? Is it possible to change the Meng'an Mouke directly without changing the Wanhu? Therefore, if Your Majesty can really conserve our energy, then the so-called opportune moment has already begun when Wushu starts to touch the Wanhu. There is no need to wait specifically!"

Zhao Gou nodded slowly.

So far, the two had spoken properly. Next, Zhao Gou would naturally say some polite words and perform some kind of ruler-minister posture.

But unexpectedly, just as Zhao Gou was about to say something, Ma Kuo suddenly took a few steps back and knelt down solemnly in this rather chaotic naval hall, and then paid his respects.

This caught Zhao Gou and the others off guard.

"If you have any requests, I will grant them," Zhao Gou immediately stood up.

"I have no requests. I will return to Hebei, and I don't know when I will see you again. This etiquette should be like this," Ma Kuo replied with his head bowed, without the previous urgency or anxiety.

But Zhao Gou was flustered instead, "We have been separated for several years, and it took you more than a month of hard work to get here. How can you return in one day? I have prepared a mansion and rewards for you in Tokyo."

Ma Kuo raised his head, feeling relieved, "Your Majesty is kind. But I came in a hurry because I was only worried that the officials... were worried that the central authorities in power were frivolous, unaware of the hardships of everything, and lightly abandoned the overall situation. Today, I have finally seen that Your Majesty has long been aware of the overall situation, and since Your Majesty controls the overall situation and is aware of the hardships of everything, why should I stay any longer? It is better to return to Hebei early to protect the hearts of the people."

After saying that, Ma Kuo bowed again and actually strode out.

Zhao Gou was stunned for a moment, wanting to stay several times, wanting to chase him out several times, but in the end he just waved his hand, signaling Wang Yan to follow and send off this Great Song Northern Route Commander.

ps: I coded this on the bus, I threw up...