Chapter 214: Song Jiang in Red Robe (6k)

In early March, Lu Yundi "escaped" from the tiger's den and traveled day and night to the south.

When passing through Qinzhou on the way, he did not dare to stop in Tongdi, and even did not inform Yang Chang, and left quietly like a thief.

Lu Yundi deliberately avoided Yang Chang, and after passing the inspection of the valley entrance outpost, he asked his followers to disguise themselves as traveling merchants. Although he was never questioned by the garrison again, it did not mean that he could really hide the truth.

In fact, not long after he entered Qinzhou, a fast horse reported back to Tongdi.

The convoy of the diplomatic envoys bypassed Tongdi, but the group had not yet left the territory of Qinzhou.

Wu Song found Yang Chang and asked curiously, "The court sent two envoys, the chief and the deputy, but only Lu Yundi came back. But he passed by Qinzong without even saying hello. It's obvious that he was resentful. Why didn't Sanlang try to keep him?"

"Why stay? I don't want to be a spineless person. Staying here will waste food."

"It's just a little bit of rice, not worth mentioning. Isn't the woman locked up? Sanlang has plotted against them this time. If we let Lu Yundi go back, he will never say a good word. Before the delegation goes far, I will send someone to capture him back."

"No need"

Yang Chang waved his hand to interrupt Wu Song, "Brother, if you detain the envoys, and the court doesn't receive any news, they will naturally send new envoys. We can't detain every envoy, right?"

"Can"

"It doesn't matter."

Seeing Wu Song hesitate to speak, Yang Chang couldn't help but smile contemptuously and explained, "Isn't it just killing the Jin people? The Zhao family spent more than ten years to establish the country and seize Taiyuan. Of course, the ministers in the court don't feel bad. Do you think the emperor won't feel bad either? He definitely doesn't want to cede land for peace."

"What Sanlang meant." Wu Song nodded thoughtfully and agreed with the analysis: "Even if Lu Yundi goes back and says bad things, the new emperor may not punish him?"

"If we hadn't stopped Nianhan and prevented the two Jin armies from joining forces in Bianliang, the capital might have been captured by the Jin. If the emperor is sane, he won't punish the border troops so easily. Our worst-case scenario is that we get no reward for our achievements, but otherwise there won't be any harm at all."

"I understand. I won't chase you then."

Seeing Wu Song nod in response, Yang Chang thought to himself that with Li Gang and others around, they would not let the peace faction gain the upper hand. Instead of worrying about being punished by the court, he should focus on recruiting soldiers, training, and production.

At present, Pingyang has restored stability. Xiao Rang has selected people from the army to temporarily replace the missing officials at all levels in the provincial government. This is a true militarized management, which is even purer than the officialdom in Qinzhou.

Yang Chang's focus in recent times has been on the newly controlled Pingyang Prefecture, and he has been patrolling with Zhao Fujin from time to time.

It was spring, and the flowers were in full bloom, so the young couple could enjoy both work and a spring outing.

But just two "business trips" made Qiu Qiongying unhappy.

Recently, the Jin people in the north have not made any new moves, so Qiu Qiongying urged Hu Sanniang to take Yang Huang and Yang Chang with her to Pingyang for inspection, so that the family of five would not suffer any loss.

Yang Changping was usually very busy with his official duties and had relatively little time to spend with his son, so he agreed to Qiu Qiongying's proposal. He planned to spend a month on a "self-driving tour" around Pingyang and expand the scope of his inspection to all counties.

There were many women and children, and they had to carry a lot of clothes and luggage. They spent several days preparing and finally set off at the end of March.

Yang Chang carried Yang Huang on horseback and led the way, followed by Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying, and then Zhao Fujin who rode alone in a carriage. At the end of the team were the carts carrying luggage, Ma Baoguo and two hundred cavalrymen.

The convoy had just walked out of the west gate of Tongdi. Yang Chang was about to speed up his horse when he heard someone shouting from the city wall and the sound of hurried horse hooves behind him.

He reined in his horse and turned around, and saw that it was Wu Song's personal guard.

Yang Chang stopped his horse and waited for him to come forward. After asking, he found out that there was an "uninvited guest" in the city, and he was an old acquaintance of Qinzhou.

After hearing the report, Qiu Qiongying exchanged glances with Hu Sanniang and murmured, "Wen Huanzhang? Why did this fellow return to Qinzhou?"

"I remember the official once said that Wen Huanzhang was promoted to Imperial Censor when he returned to Beijing, so he must have important business to come to Qinzhou."

"Not earlier, not later, but now."

"Stop complaining. Maybe there's something important. I'll tell you when I get back."

After Yang Chang finished speaking, he looked down at Yang Huang and asked, "Huang'er, Daddy will be back soon. Do you want to go with Auntie, or wait in the car with Mom?"

Yang Huang had loved riding horses since he was a child, especially the majestic Jade Lion Zhaoye. But at this time, Yang Chang wanted to ride back to the city, so he pointed to the carriage and said he wanted to go and accompany Zhao Fujin.

Yang Chang handed his son to Ma Baoguo, nodded slightly to Hu and Qiu, and then galloped into the city.

After a while, he dismounted at the provincial government office.

Seeing two carriages parked outside, Yang Chang's face immediately showed suspicion. He thought that Lu Yundi and Teng Maoshi were not doing their job well, so the court sent a chief and deputy envoy?
Although Wen Huanzhang was a scholar, he was not a spineless person like the He faction. What on earth was he doing here?
With doubts in his heart, Yang Chang stepped into the gate of the provincial government and walked quickly towards the front hall.

From afar, through his [eagle eyes and owl vision], he had seen Wen Huanzhang sipping tea in the hall. After two years of absence, apart from the official uniform he was wearing, his appearance had not changed much.

Huh? How could the deputy envoy...
Is it a woman?
No, she is the princess’ maid Li E. What does the court want to do?
Yang Chang frowned as he walked down the stone steps to the hall. He was thinking about this matter all the time and didn't notice that he had walked to the door.

"I heard that Yang has observed it."

"Yang observes."

"Yang observes."

"Censor Wen, long time no see, Li.She."

Seeing Yang Chang's stunned expression, Wen Huanzhang stroked his beard and smiled as he got straight to the point: "Gong Ren Li was originally the personal maid of Princess Maode. I heard that the princess might be in Qinzhou at this time, so Your Majesty asked her to come and continue to serve."

"This"

Yang Chang was shocked when he heard this and quickly denied it: "The princess lives in the palace in Tokyo, how could she be in Qinzhou? Where did you hear this rumor?"

"The story of Guancha and Princess Maude, Li Gongren was ordered to go to the Jin camp to explain not long ago, and had to tell it in front of Wulibu. King Kang speculated that she was hiding in Qinzhou, but Guancha didn't need to get too excited. You blocked the Jin army in the west to the north of Taiyue and made a huge contribution to the country. His Majesty will not pursue the past."

"Wait a moment, Imperial Secretary."

Wen Huanzhang was talking so much that his mouth was full of saliva. Yang Chang suddenly reached out to stop him and stared at Li E and asked, "What do you want to explain in the Jin camp? As a personal maid of the princess, don't you know what you can and can't say?"

"Observe the forgiveness of sins."

Li E knelt in front of Yang Chang and explained aggrievedly: "Marshal Wuliebu besieged Tokyo and heard that Princess Maude was unmarried, so he asked Your Majesty to marry her, but the princess was no longer in the palace, and this man did not believe in the matter of ascending to heaven. I really had no choice at that time."

"Wulibu? How dare this fellow think of the princess? He has already sought death!"

Seeing Yang Chang's face change drastically, Li E added in a tearful voice: "The Jin people are very barbaric, and Zhang Xiang forced me to speak out. I really have no choice."

"Observe and calm down. Olibi has already returned to Yanjing. This matter is over. Your Majesty has ordered the three towns to hold on. He will also reward the meritorious officials according to the defense situation of each state. Since the general has a son with the princess, if the princess is really in Qinzhou now, it will be a hundred benefits to you without any harm."

When Wen Huanzhang delivered the message here, he was just short of stating clearly that there were great benefits.

But Yang Chang did not admit it immediately. He took over and changed the subject, asking: "Didn't the court want to cede the three towns? Lu and Teng came here not long ago. Why?"

“Things have changed.”

Wen Huanzhang interrupted Yang Chang and suddenly pulled out the imperial edict from his bosom, explaining: "The Jin people have detained Prince Su and looted in Cizhou, Xiangzhou, and Damingfu on their way back to Yanjing. They were the first to break the alliance. Why should the Song Dynasty abide by the agreement and cede the city? Before Lu Yuanshi returned to Beijing, Your Majesty dealt with a group of people and issued this edict in the middle of the month, ordering the soldiers in the border towns to resist with all their strength."

"This edict"

"The imperial edict is for the commander of Taiyuan, but Taiyuan is now occupied by the Jin people, so we can only send the edict to Qinzhou. As the saying goes, strong winds reveal strong grass, and turbulent times reveal loyal ministers. If the matter of Lu Yuan had not been mentioned in the capital, the court officials would not have known about his merits. General Yang is truly a pillar of the country."

"Meritorious service? A pillar of the nation? Can you speak for me?"

Yang Chang had an incredible expression.

Wen Huanzhang shook his head and smiled, "Observer Yang killed Salumu and put Lu Yuanshi in a dangerous situation. How can he say anything good when he returns to Beijing? However, the treacherous officials in the court have been eliminated, and the remaining officials are all upright. Your merits are enough to cover up the flaws. His Majesty is very optimistic about you and wants to be a relative of the general."

"this."

"observe."

Seeing that Yang Chang was not happy but worried, Wen Huanzhang stepped forward with a smile and whispered in his ear: "Guan Guan and Lady Hu have a deep friendship. I already knew it when I was fighting Tian Hu. Your Majesty, please do not force the princess to clear her name."

"This"

"If I didn't know the inside story, this matter would have backfired. Your Majesty is standing from the perspective of a brother, hoping that his sister and nephew are still alive, and also hoping to have a closer relationship with the observation. In addition, the princess is of royal blood after all, and life may be easier if she has someone close to her to serve her."

Hearing Huanzhang's implication, Qinzong was worried that Zhao Fujin had no status and might be wronged in Qinzhou. It would be easier to have Li E serving him.

Yang Chang heard the hidden meaning and explained in a serious tone: "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. Yang Chang does not take concubines, only wives. The ladies are completely equal and there is no difference in nobility. I will not treat them differently."

"That is to say."

Wen Huanzhang's expression suddenly became excited. Yang Chang's words were an indirect acknowledgement. He waved his hand to Wu Song and said, "Brother, Censor Wen is our old friend. It's not sincere enough to welcome him at the state government office. We have to host a banquet at home. You send them to your house first. I have to go to Ximen now. I can only go to Pingyang a few days later."

"Ah? This"

"fine."

"it is good."

Zhao Fujin often talked about Li E, and now that Wen Huanzhang had brought her to him, if Yang Chang was afraid of taking risks and unwilling to admit it, he would have lost the heroism that a hero should have. In a time of chaos, following anyone could lead to hardship, and Yang Chang only had confidence in his own rule.

When Li E mentioned Jinying just now, a complex expression flashed in her eyes. It was obvious that she had a painful experience. She was also indebted to Yang Chang, so she would help him as much as possible at this time.

Yang Chang arrived at the west gate of Tongdi later and explained Wen Huanzhang's purpose of visit to the three ladies.

Zhao Fujin heard that Li E was in Qinzhou, so how could she still have the mood to go to Pingyang for fun? She urged Ma Baoguo to drive her back. Yang Huang also clamored to see Aunt Li, so the trip had to be shelved.

Qiu Qiongying pouted with a look of disappointment, but Hu Sanniang was happy that Li E had arrived.

On the way back, Hu Sanniang whispered to Yang Chang, saying, "Sir, since His Majesty knows that the princess is here, he will definitely not let her suffer any grievances. I am also willing to give up the position of mistress, but you have to coax my third sister well."

"It's okay. The emperor won't force you. Everything will remain the same."

"How can I not force it? This matter involves the reputation of the royal family. If you intend to do as usual, I suggest you use a trick to keep Li E and not confess to Wen Huanzhang. This way, the court cannot force anyone, otherwise..."

"It doesn't matter."

Yang Chang smiled calmly and said, "Wen Huanzhang is so smart, how can ordinary tricks fool him? And I am willing to admit it voluntarily because Huang'er is gradually growing up. He can't keep playing around. In a few years, he needs to learn to read and write. There is no good teacher in Qinzhou, and Wen Huanzhang is well-educated. He is a potential good teacher."

"You want to keep Wen Huanzhang? But he is the imperial censor after all."

"As a husband, I have the ambition to conquer the world, so I naturally need all kinds of talents to assist me. Qinzhou and Pingyang are particularly short of political talents. Wen Huanzhang will be a great help to me, but I will not force him to stay at this time. I heard that Tokyo suffered a war, and Wen Yushi's family was not doing well either, so I plan to take advantage of the emperor's happiness and recommend him as the prefect of Pingyang."

"Pingyang prefect?"

Hu Sanniang was stunned when she heard this, and asked hurriedly: "Doesn't the prefect of Pingyang have someone now? And he has handled things in an orderly manner. Where does the official plan to place Xiao Rang?"

"Haha, Brother Xiao is still the prefect of Pingyang. I can keep Mr. Wen in Qinzhou, just like Xiao Rang was seconded to the state government as the county lieutenant of Qinyuan to help handle government affairs."

"Well, since it's for Huang'er, then I'll do as you wish. I'll even help you coax your third sister."

"Apart from Huang'er, I am also working for my ambition. When he rules the world, you will be the empress, and they will both be concubines."

Yang Chang and Hu Sanniang were whispering to each other, and Qiu Qiongying frowned beside them. She thought to herself, "Master was not good at speaking before, how come he is so good at talking now?" He just said a few words and stunned the eldest sister.

Could it be that they
Practicing at night?

Good guy.

When Qiu Qiongying was daydreaming, she was discovered by Hu Sanniang.

She asked Yang Chang to go ahead, and then she led her horse over to ask with concern, "Third sister, why is your face red?"

"Ah? No."

Qiu Qiongying covered her face and shook her head. At this moment, the warm sun was shining on her body. She quickly explained: "The sun is very strong today. I may have been sunburned."

"Is the sun too strong?"

Hu Sanniang touched her face and thought that the spring sun was the most comfortable and she had never heard of it being too strong.

Seeing that Li E was anxious, Zhao Fujin did not discuss it with Hu and Qiu at that time. Later, he thought it was inappropriate, so he lifted the side curtain and looked back. He saw the two of them smiling and chatting, with no unhappy expression on their faces at all.

The people of Jianghu are indeed generous.

Yang Chang brought his family back to the house. He walked in front holding Yang Huang in his arms, and led the three ladies to the front hall to meet the guests.

When Li E saw Zhao Fujin, she stepped forward and kowtowed with tears in her eyes.

Yang Chang then introduced himself to Wen Huanzhang, and it went without saying that he bowed to the princess.

Wen Huanzhang stayed in Tongdi for one day, and then hurried to Tokyo with Yang Chang's handwritten letter of recommendation and gifts prepared for Qinzong.

Although their stay in Qinzhou was short, the smiles on the faces of the people of Tongdi formed a sharp contrast with the miserable expressions on the faces of the people of Tokyo.

Wen Huanzhang was the Imperial Censor of the Palace, a minor official of the sixth rank in a green robe, so when Yang Chang recommended him, he readily agreed.

Yang Chang was worried that he would not have enough face, so he gave the captured Wanyan Huonu as a gift and asked Ma Baoguo to escort him back to the capital, regardless of whether Qinzong wanted to kill, shave or release her.

As the Jin army withdrew, the siege of Bianliang was lifted, and the pro-war faction once again gained the upper hand in the Song Dynasty court.

Li Bangyan, Li Ze, Li Ye, Zheng Wangzhi and others, as representatives of the peace faction in China's diplomacy with Jin, were dismissed by Emperor Qinzong overnight, and some were even executed as a token of apology.

As an important figure in the alliance with Jin to fight against Liao, Zhao Liangsi made great contributions to the Song Dynasty, but in the end, due to the poor performance of the Song army, it turned into a situation of inviting a wolf into the house.

The invasion of the Jin army brought suffering to the country and humiliation to the emperor. Someone had to take responsibility, and Zhao Liangsi became the best candidate.

After taking back Yanjing, Zhao Liangsi asked Huizong to retire, but unfortunately Zhao Ji did not grant his request.

He stayed there until the Jin army invaded, accepting insults from the people regardless of their merits or demerits. Finally, when Wen Huanzhang went to Qinzhou, Emperor Qinzong ordered him to be executed to vent his anger.

Ma Kuo, who served as Zhao Liangsi's deputy many times, was praised by the people of the capital for his active efforts in containing the Jin army in Zhending Prefecture. The famous general Zhong Shizhong, who "escorted" the Jin army back to Yanjing, submitted a petition for merit, and his name was remembered by Emperor Qinzong.

During the siege of the city by the Jin army, Qinzong killed many corrupt officials to raise money, as well as Wang Fu and Liang Shicheng, who had old grudges against him. Recently, in order to clip the wings of Huizong, he demoted Tong Guan, Cai You, Zhu Yan and other favorite ministers who fled with him.

These people were identified as traitors to the country, and it would not be an exaggeration for Qinzong to execute them directly. However, in order to "coax" Huizong back to the capital from outside, he could only carefully demote them and appease them first, and then deal with them slowly later.

There was no way out. This king who had already abdicated was reluctant to give up the power he once had, so he became the emperor emeritus and caused trouble for his son and even the entire country.

Huizong fled to Runzhou, and his former favorites in the court vied to follow him. By that time, three out of ten court officials had left and established a "small court" in the southeast, intercepting taxes from the southeastern states and issuing orders to the army. News of "Huizong's restoration" was frequently reported.

What is good from above must be followed by those below.

Huizong's preference for Zhao Kai and the secret support of all officials in the court made Qinzong, the Crown Prince, very frustrated and forced to be extremely cautious. If it were not for the coincidence of the invasion of the Jin army and the dismissal of Wang Fu, the backer of Prince Yun Zhao Kai, he would most likely not have been able to succeed to the throne.

In Zhenjiang and Kaifeng, imperial edicts were issued at the same time, and local officials waited and watched to see what would happen.

At this time, Qinzong had almost an enemy mentality towards Huizong.

After Olib withdrew his troops, Qinzong planned to use thundering means to quickly deal with Huizong's small court. Finally, with the advice and help of Li Gang, he "cajoled" Huizong back to the palace for house arrest until Wen Huanzhang was on his way back to Beijing.

Qinzong's caution and forbearance prevented him from becoming the second Ruizong of Tang. Huizong, on the other hand, had no control over many things after handing over power. With the coaxing and deception of his son and ministers, he followed in the footsteps of Xuanzong of Tang.

Wen Huanzhang returned to Beijing at a very good time, as it was the beginning of the period when Emperor Qinzong placed Emperor Huizong under house arrest. He felt a sense of pleasure in expressing his true feelings.

And the "gift" sent by Yang Chang happened to be used by the court.

When Olib withdrew his troops, he wanted to take over Dingzhou and Hejian on the way, but was also rejected by the garrison commanders. So soon after returning to Yanjing, he sent envoys to Bianliang to urge the Song Dynasty to hand over the three towns of Dingzhou, Hejian and Taiyuan.

When the Song Dynasty took out the captured Wanyan Huonu and reported to Yang Chang and the Taiyuan defenders, they dealt a heavy blow to the Jin army in Shanxi, which caught the envoy Xiao Zhonggong off guard.

Yang Chang had a precedent of killing Salumu. As a surrendered general of the Liao Dynasty, it was very likely that he was detained by the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty, so he gradually lost his power in the subsequent negotiations.

In order to escape, Xiao Zhonggong lied that he and his friend Yelu Yudu were not having a good time in the Jin Kingdom. Emperor Qinzong wanted to recruit Yelu Yudu, so he fell into the trap and let him return to Yanjing.

Of course, the letter of rebellion he wrote to Yelu Yudu, like the letter that Huizong wrote to Zhang Jue at that time, both fell into the hands of Wuliebu intact, laying the groundwork for the second invasion of Song Dynasty.

After the pro-war faction rose to power, in addition to trying to persuade Yelu Yudu to surrender, they also made corresponding military preparations.

Soon after Wen Huanzhang returned to Beijing, Li Gang submitted eight suggestions to Emperor Qinzong. The first was to establish a group of vassal states on the northern border to recruit soldiers and collect money and grain on their own, and to grant them hereditary rights to encourage them to defend the border.

The Tang Dynasty declined and eventually perished due to the separatist rule of the feudal lords. Zhao Kuangyin ended the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and established the Song Dynasty. In order to completely eliminate the threat of the feudal lords to the imperial court, he created a unique system in each state.

The current situation in the Song Dynasty is that there are many soldiers but no unified command, and most of the troops have low combat effectiveness. Restarting the vassal states is a good medicine to save the situation, even if it is just a temporary solution.

On the third day after Wen Huanzhang returned to the capital to report, Emperor Qinzong Zhao Huan summoned his confidants Li Gang and Wu Min to discuss the first list of proposed vassal states.

"Yang Chang single-handedly blocked Nianhan to the north of Taiyue Mountain. I plan to change Qinzhou back to Weisheng Army and Pingyang Prefecture to Pingbei Army. With him as the governor of these two armies, he will be able to lift the siege of Taiyuan in cooperation with Yao Gu."

"Your Majesty is right. Yang Chang has brought many surprises to the court. It is rumored that Nianhan is even more powerful than Wuliebu. If he is stationed in Weisheng and Pingbei, Shanxi will be safe and the court can free up its hands to focus on Hebei."

As soon as Li Gang finished speaking, Wu Min clasped his fists and advised: "Although Ma Kuo's achievements are not as good as Yang Chang's, he, Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and others have actively fought in the Zhending area and won many victories over the Jin army, which has greatly restrained Wuliebu. In addition, Zhan Du has the merit of defending Hejian and Zhongshan. They can all command a region."

"Ma Kuo is fine as a Jiedushi, Zhan Du has made greater contributions at this time. As for Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and dozens of others, they were recruited from the amnesty period and should be used with caution. The two leaders are already the training envoys and defense envoys, so they can be promoted slightly, but they cannot be directly promoted to high positions with real power. The Privy Council will first select a group of them based on their contributions, and when they have more contributions in the battle against Jin, I will continue to promote them based on their merits."

"Yes."

Wu Min and Li Gang looked at each other and thought, isn't Yang Chang also from Liangshan? Why shouldn't he be used with caution? Isn't he related to Princess Maude? Being related to His Majesty is a sign of hard power.

Song Jiang and Lu Junyi could not become royal consorts, and they did not perform as well as Yang Chang in the war. It can only be said that there is no harm without comparison.

In mid-April, Su Yuanjing, who had retired at home, was re-employed by Emperor Qinzong as an envoy to Hebei to announce a number of appointments.

Zhan Du was promoted to the governor of Hebei Road (second rank); Ma Kuo was promoted to the governor of Guangxin Army and Ansu Army (second rank); Song Jiang was promoted to the governor of Shun'an Army (fourth rank); Lu Junyi was promoted to the governor of Yongning Army (fourth rank).

Heisaburo worked hard for most of his life and finally wore the scarlet robe he had always dreamed of.

(End of this chapter)