“Your Majesty.”

Seeing Zhao Guan’s prolonged silence, Liu Hongdao assumed he was unaware of the details and unable to make a judgment, so he quickly provided a more detailed explanation. “After the Yellow River bends around Tongguan Fenglingdu, the water suddenly becomes swift, but it is not absolutely impassable, just relatively difficult compared to other places…”

“I understand what you mean, and I understand the river conditions there.” Zhao Jiu didn’t turn around, interrupting him directly. “I’ve passed that place several times, how could I not understand? Usually, it’s enough for troops to pass through and transport supplies, but after all, it’s a rapid channel, so it’s normal for you to worry that it will become a key bottleneck for logistics once the Northern Expedition begins… In addition, there are precedents from the Tang Dynasty of building trestle roads on the Hejian stone mountain in the middle of the river, and the Song Dynasty also had precedents of establishing special commissions there to clear the area during the war against the Western Xia, so this suggestion was made.”

“Yes,” Liu Hongdao immediately nodded.

“You and Hu Yin want to repair it?” Zhao Jiu finally turned around and asked. “You are the Du Shui Jian (Director of Waterways) in charge of the Yellow River waterways, and he is the Minister of Works in overall charge. This matter is within your responsibilities.”

“Yes,” Liu Hongdao said even more earnestly. “But we need to use a lot of gunpowder, otherwise, we will definitely not be able to make it in time for the Northern Expedition after the autumn… The power of gunpowder to blast mountains is perfect for this.”

“This matter is not so simple.” Zhao Jiu heard this and, for some reason, paused before shaking his head in response.

Liu Hongdao’s heart also tightened, and he instinctively wanted to speak, but after glimpsing the rain outside through the official’s figure, he fell silent again.

“Since you’ve come, go rest for a while. I’ll look at the documents and reports you brought, and then reply all at once.” Zhao Jiu simply dismissed him.

Liu Hongdao already had some thoughts in his mind. Receiving the order, he naturally excused himself carefully and then followed Zong Ying, who was standing guard in front of the palace, into the rear hall to rest.

However, although it was called the rear hall, it was actually the Shengguo Temple on the south side of Phoenix Mountain, on the other side of the mountain, which Zhao Guan had simply taken over.

But there was no way around it. After all, the old palace of Wuyue on Phoenix Mountain was very small and had been in disrepair for years. Only one bedroom in the back and one main hall in the front were usable. Moreover, the so-called main hall was only three rooms wide. According to what Li Gang said to the local elders in Fujian when mediating local disputes, preaching about the official's sacred virtues, it was merely three *ying* (a unit of measurement for buildings)... In fact, if it weren’t for this, Zhao Guan wouldn’t have had to hold the martial arts conference in the wild.

Now, with the continuous rain in Hangzhou during the summer of Jianyan 9, the two rows of small houses attached to the rear bedroom were soaked through again, causing seven or eight out of ten pavilions to leak. The close officials, both civil and military, who originally rested and worked here had to withdraw. The nearby Shengguo Temple naturally responded enthusiastically to the call, giving up its place to the Xingzai (temporary imperial residence) and serving as the ‘rear hall.’

Of course, this also indirectly shows that there are indeed many temples in the South.

However, these things were not Liu Hongdao’s concern. For him, living in a temple might be more convenient because, firstly, the distance was acceptable, and secondly, after all, he was separated from the official by a mountain stream and two walls. It was convenient to find someone to talk to and ask questions, as well as for his daily life… It’s just that there were too many crows. The entire Phoenix Mountain was full of crows, and along the way, the sound of crows would startle him from time to time.

Back to the present, that afternoon, the rain was still pouring outside. Liu Hongdao followed Zong Ying to Shengguo Temple to settle down briefly, changed into clean clothes, and then went directly out. He found a guard in front of the gate, asked for the location of Guo Zhongxun, commander of the Imperial Guard Reserve Army, who had just arrived from Qianzhou not long ago, and asked him to lead the way. Carrying an umbrella, he went to visit the military camp at the foot of Phoenix Mountain.

Facing a senior official of the Secretarial Pavilion, and also one who held the position of Du Shui Jian… This position seemed insignificant before, but in the current situation of the Northern Expedition, it was visibly becoming important… Guo Zhongxun naturally treated him with courtesy.

Moreover, although this visit was sudden, there was a reason for it – as the former Pacification Commissioner of Jiangnan West Circuit, it would be strange if Liu Hongdao didn’t come to inquire about the recent situation in Jiangxi after arriving in the South.

It was just that he seemed too eager.

Sure enough, after the two met and exchanged brief greetings, they sat down facing each other in the military camp at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. Tea was served, and they casually started talking about the previous rebellion in Jiangxi, gradually opening up the topic. In the end, not only did the topic become broader, but also because the two compared their connections in Jiangxi, and because both had an unspoken understanding in officialdom, they even felt a sense of having met each other too late.

Thus, the two chatted intimately, gradually forgetting the time. Suddenly, in the distance, several faint sounds of bells and drums came from the mountains, but they were not very dense, nor did they carry any warlike atmosphere… How could the two not know that this was the temple’s routine? Judging by the time, it was probably a reminder to the monks to go to the Xiangji kitchen (temple kitchen) for dinner after the afternoon activities.

At this point, Liu Hongdao should have taken the initiative to leave.

But for some reason, after glancing at the still drizzling rain outside, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War remained seated and asked the owner of the military camp, Guo Zhongxun, a somewhat sensitive question:

“General Guo, when this official met with His Majesty today, I saw that His Majesty’s expression was unhappy. Is there anything wrong here? Has the situation in Fujian taken another turn, or has something happened in Hangzhou itself?”

Guo Zhongxun was slightly startled, then changed his expression and smiled. “Let Minister Liu know that this official has only been in Hangzhou for ten days. Even if there were some inside information, how could I possibly know?”

This was a polite refusal.

However, Liu Hongdao just smiled slightly and continued to press. “Regardless of whether it’s true or false, big or small, General Guo, please tell me whatever rumors you’ve heard…”

This was forcing an answer.

However, although these two were sitting face-to-face and talking like friends, their identities and statuses were completely different.

Among them, Liu Hongdao’s qualifications, background, status, and current position far exceeded Guo Zhongxun’s. Moreover, for Guo Zhongxun, whether he wanted to consolidate his political foundation in Jiangxi or achieve something in the subsequent Northern Expedition, he probably needed the political resources of the person in front of him.

In fact, this was the fundamental reason why Liu Hongdao came to find Guo Zhongxun. He knew that he had a firm grip on the other party and that he could not afford to offend him.

Back to the present, after a slight hesitation, Guo Zhongxun was indeed afraid to offend the other party, and he forced a smile and answered reluctantly. “If that’s the case, if there are any mistakes, please don’t laugh at Minister Liu.”

“That’s natural,” Liu Hongdao nodded slightly, his urging obvious. “Please tell me in detail.”

Seeing the other party’s attitude, Guo Zhongxun knew that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of him today if he didn’t reveal some details, so he immediately dropped his burden and told everything:

“On the first day this official arrived in Hangzhou, I ran into His Majesty throwing a big tantrum, which was still about Fujian… It was said that Fujian had dealt with many village brawls, with many cases of cangue parades, but His Majesty was furious and directly issued an imperial decree overnight, not only in Fujian but throughout the country, forbidding this kind of punishment… Minister Liu, you came from Tokyo, so you probably missed this news.”

“Is there such a thing? But why is that?”

“At first, we were also worried, but later Prime Minister Lu came and asked in person, and we learned that His Majesty thought that the cangue parade was too humiliating, especially since some officials didn’t know the importance of the matter and often sentenced people to several days of cangue after the execution, so the punished person couldn’t stand, and even sitting down was unbearable, and they could only prostrate themselves like dogs… His Majesty’s original words were that if there were any heroes in the villages, they couldn’t bear this humiliation, and they might directly rebel like Lin Chong because of a cangue.”

“I see… This is His Majesty’s love for the people, and it also shows the new atmosphere after the Jianyan Restoration… Is there anything else?”

“There is also that after this official came to Hangzhou, I heard some bad rumors here, which are aimed at His Majesty’s public and cabinet actions… The so-called ‘three hundred strings of cash for a cabinet member; two thousand *shi* (unit of dry volume) for a prefectural vice magistrate’… It seems that the people have some opinions about His Majesty using cabinet positions and official positions to gather money and grain.”

“It doesn’t matter… Some ignorant people don’t understand the court’s grand plan… Is there anything else?”

“There is also that the rain this early summer was quite heavy, which is said to have affected the silk production in the southeast, so that although the people in Liangzhe (Zhejiang) region have benefited from the policies of integrating land tax into capita tax and never increasing taxes, they have not seen much immediate benefit. The wealthy households are even more embarrassed than in previous years, and there are more complaints. It is said that even the summer tax is half a *cheng* (tenth) less than last year because several prefectures reported disasters.”

“This is a natural disaster, how can you blame it on His Majesty? This is not the Han Dynasty. There’s no need to talk about the interaction between heaven and man… Besides, it’s already a sign that His Majesty’s new policies are beneficial that we can still handle it like this after suffering a natural disaster.”

“Who says it isn’t?”

“However, this official has always known that the summer tax of Liangzhe Circuit is extraordinary. Even a slight disturbance will bring about all sorts of talk.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Guo Zhongxun paused and said earnestly. “The summer tax in Liangzhe Circuit is in trouble because of the rain, and the summer tax in Fujian Circuit is in trouble because of the disturbances below. In this official’s opinion, this is a great difficulty…”

“Who says it isn’t?” Liu Hongdao sighed slightly with his hands clasped. “The summer tax in Fujian Circuit is a full three *cheng* less, and although the summer tax in Liangzhe Circuit is only one *cheng* less, the stakes are even higher than the three *cheng* in Fujian Circuit… Because the summer tax in the South is mainly for silk, and this official still remembers that before the Jingkang Incident, among the twenty-two circuits in the world, Liangzhe Circuit accounted for one-fifth to one-quarter of the silk handed over in the whole world. It’s really one circuit equivalent to five ordinary circuits… Therefore, half a *cheng* of the summer tax in Liangzhe Circuit is equivalent to three *cheng* of the summer tax in Fujian Circuit.”

Guo Zhongxun also shook his head and smiled bitterly. “The silk in Liangzhe Circuit is not only one-fifth of the summer tax, but also affects the sea merchants… This year, the southeast commercial tax will also suffer a lot.”

“But something is still not right.” Liu Hongdao also shook his head, but then looked at the dark window, where there was still a sound of drizzle. “Even if the summer tax and commercial tax in Liangzhe Circuit and Fujian Circuit are painful, what does it matter in the overall situation of the country? A little less silk is just floating wealth. Let alone whether we can make up for it with national debt or something, what if we can’t? Why would it make His Majesty hesitate about the Northern Expedition? You must know that the Northern Expedition is not just as simple as the three years of financial preparation… Since the Jingkang Incident, to Jianyan 9 this year, not to mention Emperor Huizong, let alone just His Majesty presiding over the government, struggling to resist the war, it has been a full eight years, right?”

Guo Zhongxun also looked at the window, and after a moment of silence, he continued. “If it’s not the summer tax, then this official thinks it’s the autumn tax… After all, the summer tax is mostly silk, but the autumn tax is grain… And if we want to launch the Northern Expedition, if we lack hundreds of thousands of bolts of silk, no amount of national debt can make up for it. I’m afraid that there will be a shortage of grain, and even a disaster in the southeast, which will require aid.”

Liu Hongdao finally nodded heavily, then looked at each other seriously. “So, you all think that if His Majesty is hesitant, it must be because the rain hasn’t stopped and he is worried about the autumn harvest in Liangzhe?”

Guo Zhongxun also nodded heavily. While his heart was moving slightly, he finally asked in return: “May I ask Minister Liu, how is the North this year?”

Liu Hongdao finally smiled bitterly. “Actually, there has been a bit too much rain in the North this year as well, but what’s interesting is that the North is just like the South, clearly it’s become a problem, but it hasn’t reached the point of becoming a disaster.”

“If that’s the case, it’s normal for His Majesty to have some doubts from the overall perspective.” Guo Zhongxun saw the topic progressing to this point, but he could no longer restrain himself. “And Minister Liu, you came here this time because Tokyo sensed some of His Majesty’s doubts, so you came to ask?”

“It’s not to that extent. The main thing is to discuss official business, but Minister Hu of the Ministry of Works and several acquaintance Imperial Guard Commanders are indeed a bit worried. They also privately entrusted me to take a look… After all, if the Southeast can think of it, how can Tokyo not think of it?” Liu Hongdao also told the truth because he could see that the other party was clearly also in favor of the Northern Expedition. “But I didn’t expect that His Majesty’s hesitant attitude would be so obvious.”

Guo Zhongxun sighed slightly and finally stated his position: “The current situation is already at the point of no return… And logically speaking, His Majesty is not usually such a person who looks forward and backward… But the matter of the autumn harvest is no ordinary matter. We have identities and obstacles. If His Majesty doesn’t make it clear one day, we can’t directly advise him. However, Minister Liu’s qualifications are not ordinary, and his current position is also extremely important. If he wants to speak frankly, that would certainly be excellent. Even if we want to follow behind, it would be a matter of course.”

Liu Hongdao nodded slightly.

And next, since he had obtained the answer he wanted to know, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War certainly wouldn’t stay in the military camp any longer. He didn’t care that it was dark and the road was slippery, and went straight back… As for Guo Zhongxun quickly sending a team of people to escort him carefully, that was another matter.

Rushing back to Shengguo Temple in the rain, dinner had already been served, but what was Liu Hongdao’s status? He didn’t need to say anything, and the monks would cordially surround him to serve him… Entering the room, the monks had already offered hot water. After changing into clean clothes, the monks led him outside the Xiangji kitchen, and freshly stir-fried seasonal vegetables were served.

After eating, there were even fruits cut into platters and carefully arranged.

However, Liu Hongdao had things on his mind, so how could he care about these things? He just ate and drank while thinking about how to write a memorial to clarify the situation and persuade His Majesty to let go of his burdens and focus on the Northern Expedition. After thinking about it, he felt that there was no need to write a memorial directly, but to first find Lu Benzhong to publish one of his articles in the Phoenix Xunkan (Phoenix Ten-Day Journal) to test the waters.

And after thinking about the idea, after eating and drinking, this guy even wanted to take some… It was because he thought that the dried cakes of Shengguo Temple were fragrant and crispy, and the fruits were not bad, so he wanted to take some to give his accompanying staff a taste.

The monks had no choice but to quickly find a cloth bag for Minister Liu to pack. Just as they were packing… another person came to the Xiangji kitchen, startling the monks to quickly divide up and serve.

Liu Hongdao and this person were both in casual clothes, and it was night, and it was raining outside. Although he heard the monks call him *sheren* (attendant) when they went up to flatter him, he didn’t recognize him for a moment. But when the bag was packed and he met the other person face-to-face in the kitchen light, they immediately recognized each other – the person who came was none other than Ren Baozhong, a palace attendant and a close confidant of His Majesty.

It is said that Ren Baozhong, a guy of advanced age, was cunning and didn’t care about propriety, and he was also an old Tangut dog with incomplete hair, so even though he was a close confidant of His Majesty, no one associated with him… Of course, the reason why this person was useful might also be related to this… But in any case, it was awkward for the two to bump into each other like this, and Liu Hongdao hesitated for a moment, but he didn’t want to offend this person at this critical time, so he casually greeted him out of respect for his age, and then hurried away before the other person could respond.

Leaving behind a flattered so-called old Tangut dog stunned there.

Liu Hongdao originally thought that this accidental encounter in the kitchen would end there, but unexpectedly, that night, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War returned to his room and was starting to work on his manuscript 《On the Inevitability of Not Delaying the Northern Expedition》, which he was preparing to submit to Lu Benzhong tomorrow. After writing only a hundred words, someone suddenly knocked on the door… Opening the door, he was even more stunned to see that it was Ren Baozhong.

“Minister Liu,” Ren Baozhong didn’t enter, but cupped his hands in the corridor. “This old man is presumptuous… Has Minister noticed that His Majesty is gradually becoming hesitant?”

Seeing that the other party was so straightforward, Liu Hongdao was too lazy to complain about the two words ‘*daren*’ (great man), which were full of barbarian flavor, but his spirits were lifted.

And Ren Baozhong, seeing the other party’s reaction, also realized something, and without any concealment, he cupped his hands again: “Minister Liu, this humble official also wants the Northern Expedition, because if we don’t launch the Northern Expedition, if we don’t let the Tangut soldiers go out to Hebei and serve the country, the estrangement in Shaanxi and Ningxia will ultimately be difficult to resolve…”

If the Tangut soldiers don’t all go out to Hebei, how can you, an old Tangut dog, show your ability and make yourself go further? Liu Hongdao finally had room to complain in his heart, but then, the other party’s next sentence made him completely realize something.

“Minister Liu, we have the same position. I saw you in the kitchen just now and you are a polite person, and I also guessed that with your identity and position, you must have come here from Tokyo during this busy time, definitely not just to greet, but because Tokyo saw the summer tax and autumn harvest and noticed His Majesty’s attitude… However, I have one reminder, please consider it carefully… His Majesty may not only be worried about natural and man-made disasters, but also be worried that the court is now united, and there is a trend of rash advance!” After saying that, Ren Baozhong turned around and left, leaving Liu Hongdao stunned at the door.

And when he closed the door, returned to the table by the window, and faced the article he had prepared, he hesitated again, because Ren Baozhong had just provided him with a new idea that he hadn’t noticed before… That was that after a series of continuous purges, almost everyone in the court was like him, advocating war or yearning for the Northern Expedition.

From the Grand councilors, marshals, and ministers, to people like himself, Ren Baozhong, and Guo Zhongxun, and then to the younger generation such as Hu Quan and Yu Yunwen, if they didn’t advocate war, didn’t think about the Northern Expedition, or didn’t actively change their position and declare the Northern Expedition, they would have been eliminated long ago.

In fact, thinking carefully, starting from Jianyan 1, not to mention the peace advocates like Huang Qianshan, even Grand councilors like Li Gang, Lu Haowen, and Xu Jingheng, who advocated defense and slowing down, were all actively or passively driven by the situation.

Counting further down, it was even more so.

For example, Zhao Mingcheng, who had a similar experience to him but was more qualified and older, and who also escaped to Mount Bagong together, couldn’t advance in any court reshuffle because he couldn’t fight or didn’t want to fight. And in the court, not advancing is retreating. He couldn’t stand firm several times, so he naturally had to roll back to his hometown to study his epigraphy… Compared to this, the so-called Zhao Guan’s admiration for Li Qingzhao’s poetic talent bringing disaster to Zhao Mingcheng was simply a joke in the eyes of the real high-level officials.

The same was true in the Imperial Guard Army. Either they were able to fight, or they dared to fight, or at least they were people who didn’t fear the Northern Expedition. There were people like Yue Fei and Li Qiong, who were obsessed with the former lands of Hebei, and there were also people like Li Yanxian and Ma Kuo, who had persevered for many years and were almost red-eyed.

As for the so-called steady sons of military families, they had long been repeatedly purged in successive military operations. The Xin brothers, with five commanders in one family, how prominent were they in the past? Now that their staff member Hu Hongxiu has become the Ningxia Pacification Commissioner, where are they? The likes of Miao Fu and Liu Zhen, who were on par with Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun, were also gradually being expelled from the Imperial Guard.

In a sense, Zhao Guan’s words at the martial arts conference that he was being pushed forward were honest.

Then, at this time, it was a reasonable imperial tactic for Zhao Guan to take a steady stance in order to prevent the people below from getting out of control.

Thus, Liu Hongdao sat alone by the window, listening to the night rain and the occasional crowing, thinking back and forth. Not only did he not write a single word to polish it, but he thought more and more. In the end, he even recalled the various past events he had personally experienced from Jingkang 1 to Jianyan 9 for almost nine years.

From the grief and indignation of the Jingkang humiliation to the hasty appointment as the prefect of Qingzhou, to the fear after fighting hard with Wuzhu, the embarrassment on Mount Bagong, the prudence and diligence in Jiangxi, the busyness and the determination to wipe out the shame after returning to Tokyo, and then to the current situation… Moreover, thinking back, the matter he mentioned to Guo Zhongxun in the evening, that is, although there were disasters in the previous eight or nine years of the Song Dynasty, they were all small disasters. It was rare to see such a large-scale rain spreading across the north and south like this year… He was even more filled with emotion.

In short, he turned back and forth in his mind, but he couldn’t write a single word, and he gradually became infatuated.

In the end, the Minister Liu simply lay down on the table and fell asleep in a daze, unable to write a few more words.

However, this sleep was not so peaceful. Suddenly, he didn’t know when, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War was awakened by the roaring sound in the mountains, and then he was both surprised and confused.

It was really a roaring sound. Suddenly, the rumble on Phoenix Mountain was like thunder in his ears, and then countless crows were startled and cried nonstop, ignoring the rain.

Liu Hongdao was lost for a moment, then immediately pushed open the door and shouted loudly:

“What happened?”

However, there was chaos in Shengguo Temple. Not to mention the monks, even the Imperial Guard soldiers and his own attendants who had hurriedly gotten up around the room could not answer.

Helpless, Liu Hongdao quickly put on his clothes, found his left and right attendants, and called two Imperial Guards to go straight to the Great Hall of Shengguo Temple. However, although this place with many eternal lamps lit had become the place where everyone instinctively gathered, it was also chaotic, and no one knew what had happened… However, it can only be said that Liu Hongdao was, after all, a seasoned official, and he knew the importance of things. In fact, he had already understood on the way here that it didn’t matter where something happened, he was only afraid that something had happened to the Emperor.

Therefore, he decisively gave an order under the Great Hall, ordering the monks and Imperial Guards to gather together and quickly go to the Xinggong (temporary palace) on the other side of the mountain to rescue the Emperor.

And just as the Minister was trying to direct the monks, he looked up and saw Ren Baozhong, the *gemen zhihou* (palace attendant) he had seen last night, disregarding everything and directly gathering a team of Imperial Guards stationed in the temple to go to the Xinggong.

Liu Hongdao cursed himself as trash, and disregarded any taboos. He threw the monks to Lu Benzhong, who had just arrived in the Great Hall and was still in a daze, and then almost alone chased after Ren Baozhong and the team of Imperial Guards, going to the Xinggong together.

The mountain road was difficult to walk at night, and the rain made it slippery and muddy. Before reaching the top of the mountain, the two elderly leaders, Liu and Ren, had fallen several times. Even among the accompanying Imperial Guards, a Ximenggu (Western Mongol) prince named Tuoli had his knee hit on a stone step and was directly reduced.

But when the team reached the top of the mountain, they saw that the Xinggong was full of lights, ignoring the rainy night, and there were many running, inquiring, and shouting states, but they didn’t know that something had happened in the Xinggong… In fact, without even thinking, they could guess what had happened. It was obvious that the rain hadn’t stopped and had collapsed the Xinggong… At this time, both of them, and the direct Chixin (Loyal Heart) team of the accompanying Imperial Guards, were almost all terrified.

Under the lanterns that had been half broken, Liu Hongdao and Ren Baozhong couldn’t help but look at each other, and they both saw the look of horror in each other’s eyes.

But the next moment, the two completely ignored the difficulties of the rainy night, and directly rushed down to the Xinggong with the help of the surrounding people.

“Where is the Emperor… Where is the Emperor?” After arriving at the Xinggong in a mess, seeing the collapsed houses and debris, Liu Hongdao, who was covered in mud, tried several times before he could shout out, and even then he was trembling.

Perhaps it was because there were already people and lanterns everywhere on the mountain, and Hangzhou City had been alarmed, and the crows were crying nonstop after being frightened, so no one answered at first.

Helpless, Liu and Ren had no choice but to shout in trembling voices, while rushing regardless, going to the bedroom that looked relatively intact.

“Is that Minister Liu and Minister Ren? Don’t panic, I am here unharmed.” In the rainy night, a familiar voice came from a clearing behind the bedroom, which made Liu Hongdao and Ren Baozhong relieved and fell to the ground.

The next moment, the Imperial Guards came forward to help the two up and brought them to Zhao Guan.

However, for some reason, in the bright lights around, after seeing Zhao Guan standing under a large umbrella, not only was he not damaged at all, but even his clothes were not wet. Liu Hongdao and Ren Baozhong, who had already stood up straight, fell to the ground together, and then covered their faces and cried in unison.

This time, it was Zhao Jiu’s turn to be stunned for a moment.

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