Zhurou

Chapter 222 Statement

Three days later, as goods were constantly brought into the capital, although limited by manpower and water power and the fact that the main roads on all sides were blocked, the tendency of merchants in the city to hoard goods became more and more serious. The Kyoto government repeatedly summoned them for talks and gave them punishments, but to no avail.

But Zhao Mingzhi did not worry too much. He was busy urging the Kyoto government and other government offices to perform their duties, rectify the public security in the city, repair the city gates and walls, clean up the battlefield, reopen the canal and land transportation, etc. He also sent people south to understand the situation of spring grain farming this year.

As for the front line, although letters were sent back one after another, there was not much useful information.

Rumors spread throughout the court, prompting many people to make plans. They kept an eye on the inner court every day, fearing that they would wake up one night to find the palace gates wide open and the room empty, and that the emperor would have already fled with his family and wealth, leaving the people of the city to die foolishly.

Not only ordinary people are worried, but officials from the two governments also have their own concerns.

After several rounds of discussions in the Privy Council, they finally found Zhao Mingzhi. In addition to reporting the situation on the front line, Deputy Privy Councilor Zhang Yi stepped forward and said, "...it has been a long time since the Di people retreated, but although there are replies from the front line, the reports are all vague. Sending envoys to inquire is like a drop in the ocean, with no response. Such an unclear situation is really unsettling. The court should make plans and respond in advance to avoid unexpected events."

"I don't know what 'something unexpected happened' means? Please explain it to me, sir." Zhao Mingzhi asked.

Zhang Yi said, "Your Highness is smart, so why do I need to tell you? The Di people have been away for a long time. If there is a rebellion, why wouldn't the scouts on the front line report back urgently? Since it's so quiet, I think they have no intention of turning around and attacking the capital again, but why is there so little news?"

Seeing that Zhao Mingzhi had no intention of responding, he could only continue, "The Jiedushi Pei Yong led the troops in the front without any return. I'm afraid he has other plans. If he goes all the way to the northwest and joins the Western Army..."

Zhao Mingzhi put down the letter in his hand and looked up.

"Even if there is no Western Army for the time being, the troops he leads cannot be underestimated. Now the city is short of soldiers and generals, and there is no defense. It is a time when both the inside and the outside are empty. I am very worried that he will lead his troops back and intend to take advantage of the situation to rebel..."

Zhao Mingzhi said: "Nearly half of the troops he led are imperial guards, and there are also city defense troops mixed in. Even if he rebelled, would the entire camp follow suit?"

"Your Highness, you don't know that different sources of soldiers will result in different strengths. The Western Army has always been strong and powerful. A general said before that if used properly, one thousand Western Army soldiers can be as powerful as ten thousand Imperial Guards." Zhang Yi said hurriedly, "Besides, the Imperial Guards have been guarding the capital for a long time and are tired. The city defense army was hastily recruited and has very little experience. Once something unexpected happens, they may not be able to do much against the experienced soldiers in their hands."

After explaining the stakes, he added, "Jingzhao Prefecture is rich. If we lure them with a large sum of money and use a large number of troops to suppress them, I'm afraid ordinary people will find it difficult to resist. If the leader..."

Seeing that he was talking nonstop, Zhao Mingzhi had no choice but to interrupt him and asked, "Then in your opinion, how should the court respond?"

"We must make preparations first. First, Your Majesty should move out of the city as soon as possible to be prepared. Second, we should set up more scouts on all sides, not only in the northwest, but also in all four sides of the capital. We must march as soon as there is any disturbance. Third, we should dispatch soldiers to be stationed outside the city to be ready for support..."

He counted out many items, one, two, three, four, five.

Zhao Mingzhi listened carefully for a while, and suddenly asked: "I wonder how many troops are still in the city? If we deploy soldiers to station outside the city, where are they expected to be stationed, how many troops will be deployed, where will the supplies come from, and how will they be transported?"

The Deputy Privy Councilor was obviously well prepared and answered all the questions one by one, but when he came to more details, he looked behind him and gestured slightly.

The official standing at the back immediately stepped forward and bowed, then took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it to Zhao Mingzhi, saying, "Let Your Highness know that we have already marked out several places that are suitable for both advance and retreat. We can set out as soon as we select one. As for the transportation of supplies... at this time, we can only recruit more..."

Perhaps because Zhao Mingzhi did not respond, this person speculated and said, "Now is a critical moment for life and death. The safety of the emperor should be the most important thing. For the rest, we have to put up with it first."

The others followed suit.

The Deputy Privy Councilor Zhang Yi said, "There are priorities. Your Majesty, you have no choice but to give in. This is a last resort..."

Zhao Mingzhi took the memorial and looked through it for a while. He did not refute it, but only asked: "Originally, these teams of soldiers were repairing the four city gates of Wansheng, Xinzheng, Weizhou, and Guzi. If all of them are transferred away, who will fill the vacancies? Baima and Suanzao counties were evacuated several times when the Di soldiers besieged the city a month ago. I think there are not many people left. If you want to recruit laborers, where will you recruit them from? If Your Majesty really withdraws from these places, where will you withdraw to?"

She paused, then continued, "Besides, if Your Majesty retreats, what will the people in the city think?"

Zhang Yi hurriedly bowed his head and said, "This is a critical moment for survival..."

Zhao Mingzhi said: "If the Western Army really rebels, and Your Majesty withdraws smoothly, how long can the Imperial Army hold out with its strength?"

As soon as these words came out, the hall fell silent. The officials standing opposite looked at each other, but no one spoke. After a long while, Zhang Yi reluctantly responded, "The Imperial Guards will do their best to resist..."

But it was vague and it was as good as saying nothing.

Zhao Mingzhi did not argue much, just closed the memorial and said, "Please ask Mr. Zhang to submit another memorial with details, calculate the manpower, money, and baggage consumed, and then redistribute the troops in the city so that the normal operation of the city will not be affected."

She skillfully used the "delay" technique and continued, "As for the time when Your Majesty will move, there is no need to mention it again. From the perspective of the officials, I think there is no need for me to explain the reason."

Everyone tried to persuade her for a long time, but seeing that she was unmoved, they had no choice but to accept the order and leave.

The next day, the Privy Council reported the memorial submitted today. Zhao Mingzhi accepted the memorial, but was not in a hurry to make an instruction. Instead, he summoned all the ministries and government offices involved to discuss the matter together.

When there are too many people, people start to talk nonsense, especially at this time when there is a shortage of people and money everywhere, so everyone has their own agenda and they quarrel in the hall. After several attempts without any result, they have to delay again.

After several attempts, Zhang Yi and the others could see what Zhao Mingzhi meant. However, their repeated admonitions were in vain. They were angry and had to go find Zhao Hong even though they knew it was impossible.

Compared to Zhao Mingzhi's euphemism, Zhao Hong was straightforward and said, "Since you all say that the Western Army is brave and the Imperial Guards can't resist, then what's the point of garrisoning the troops on all sides?"

"It can be used as a diversion. If Pei Yong rebels, the garrisons on all sides can temporarily hinder him. This will give Your Majesty the opportunity to go south." "Go where south? To Caizhou again?" Zhao Hong was very calm.

Zhang Yi said: "Caizhou is of course a backup. If the situation is not good, we can go south..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Hong had already waved his hands repeatedly, and finally stood up and said, "Prime Minister Zhang, I have been on the throne for only a year and I have been fleeing south again and again. I finally returned to the capital this time, and the Di people retreated. I also let the capital and the two routes know that I am determined to resist the Di people. If I retreat again, people's hearts will be uneasy. How can I be upright again?"

He continued, "Besides, the Di bandits have only retreated temporarily. Will they not come back in the future? The arrangements in the city today are so awkward. If the Western Army knows about it, and Pei Yong knows about it, he will definitely rebel even if he doesn't want to. If the bandits know about it, they will really turn back..."

"If the Di bandits return, the Imperial Guards on all sides will be just the right place to stop them!" Zhang Yi replied, "The Imperial Guards are deployed on all sides. Although they are idle soldiers, they are not only there to defend against the Western Army. Whether it is the bandits, the Di people, other rebel forces, or those who suddenly rise up, with this defense, Your Majesty can sit back and rest assured..."

"So my sister didn't say that she didn't want you to arrange it." Zhao Hong said honestly, "Isn't it because there is no one?"

There was even some confusion in his tone, and he said, "If there were enough manpower and soldiers, let alone four sides of the capital, even if it was eight sides, sixteen sides, or three hundred and sixty sides, I would let my husband arrange it. But last time I heard from my sister that now there are not even enough soldiers to guard the city. The Kyoto government office wants to clean up the bones outside the city. After several days of mobilization, they said there were no people here and there. In the end, they asked the patrol soldiers to bring the menials, and conscripted hundreds of civilians. After staying up all night for several nights, they barely managed to clear out the bones."

"Yesterday, Councillor Lu submitted a memorial to the court asking for cloth and grain to be distributed to the laborers and other soldiers. The two ministers in the government hall refused to agree, saying that there is no grain in the granary. Sister also showed me a stack of memorials this morning, all of which were asking for money, people and grain. Minister Zhang once taught us that everything should be done with moderation. At this moment, don't we need to be so attentive?"

Being asked this question by the emperor, Zhang Yi couldn't help showing a bit of embarrassment on his face. He had no choice but to beg for forgiveness, "I am terrified...but at this time, the safety of Your Majesty should be the most important thing. If I don't leave the city, if there are no troops stationed on all sides, once..."

"I am leaving the city, who is in the city?"

Zhang Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "Although His Majesty is not in the city, there is still His Highness staying here to appease the people for a while."

He talked about the benefits of the emperor moving out and continued to persuade him.

"The men in ordinary families still protect the elderly and the young, and take care of women and children. As the king of a country, I want to leave my eldest sister alone to cover the retreat, and flee first. The country governs the world with filial piety. How can I win the support of the people in the future?"

He frowned and said unhappily, "Sister has been protecting me for a long time. If I behave like this, how can I face my parents? I'm even embarrassed to stand here and talk to people!"

As he spoke, he imitated an adult, flicked his sleeves, and walked out from behind the desk, saying, "If all you have in mind is this, there's no need to talk any more. There are a lot of things to do in the Privy Council, so why not go and do something serious!"

He just shook his hand and walked away.

Zhang Yi felt so angry that his head was about to explode, but he was just dealing with a child who was less than ten years old, so he couldn't care less.

Just like when he was in Caizhou before, Zhao Hong cried and screamed, and even learned to break cups and pots. Seeing that the two governments would not give in, he simply contacted Pei Yong in private, and completely ignored the opinions of the State Affairs Hall and the Privy Council and returned to the capital on his own.

When I returned to Beijing, I kept calling her "sister".

Not to mention that the princess is only a 28-year-old girl. Although she has some talents, she is not a court official after all. She is only acting as the lord behind the curtain as a stopgap measure. The emperor is so biased and will be manipulated by women in the future. It's okay to be indecisive, but I'm afraid that he will only listen to the words of the harem interfering in politics and alienate the serious ministers.

Zhang Yi was annoyed, but he endured it again and again. After all, he had just asked for leave, and it would be too obvious to call in sick again. Besides, the rest of his colleagues had already returned to the court. He was afraid that if he retreated, he would be satisfied and would lose the opportunity to discuss things again in the future.

He stood there for a moment before turning around and leaving the palace. He returned to the government office and dealt with official business without saying anything. He waited until the evening and then specially found a few colleagues to stay for a while. He briefly told them what happened during the day and finally said, "Although it is not good to talk about the emperor, the current situation cannot be waited for a while. If it continues like this, I am afraid that the hens will inevitably crow at dawn."

In fact, everyone had discussed this topic many times when they were in Caizhou, and when the emperor insisted on returning to the capital, it made people even more nervous.

Now that the old matter was brought up again, it naturally attracted a lot of responses, but after discussing it for half a day, no one could think of any serious solution.

"Actually, there's no need to be too nervous." One of them said, "The princess is already of marriageable age. It will only take one or two years at most. Once she finds a husband, she will naturally not be able to stay in the palace any longer..."

"Your Majesty is young, and he trusts the princess too much. He wants to stay just because he wants to..."

"That's just not right. Even if you and I don't say anything, there are still the younger generations in the Censorate who will give us advice. Yizi, there's no need to worry so much." Someone said to Zhang Yi.

The latter frowned, and although he was very dissatisfied in his heart, he was unwilling to waste time on this matter. He then said, "The princess is secondary. I have seen your words and actions recently. You are not very wary of Pei Yong. Especially since the emperor is young, I don't know if he was deceived in Caizhou. You actually have a lot of trust in your words. Your Highness is still a royal relative, born with the emperor, and a woman. She would not have the intention of being disloyal. But Pei Yong is a completely different matter."

"He is now leading elite troops and occupying a powerful position. If he really has any intentions..." Zhang Yi became more and more annoyed as he spoke, "But Your Majesty is simply unwilling to persuade him. He neither leaves the city far away nor arranges for the imperial guards to garrison. He is being led by the nose by the one in the palace..."

When he said this, he began to realize the disrespect in his words. He snorted twice to cover it up, and then shut up.

Compared with Zhao Mingzhi, who obviously has no possibility of seizing power and almost never interferes in military affairs, and Pei Yong, who holds military power, used to be in a remote area, but is now slowly returning to the center of power and is not vigilant to the emperor, it is obvious which side is more important.

"Please give me some more advice."

"Not only the Privy Council, but also the Censorate should speak out."

"Now that the bandits have retreated and there is no sign of resurgence, the imperial lectures will be reopened. Whoever teaches at that time should teach Your Majesty the truth."

After a moment of silence, everyone finally expressed their opinions.