In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 583: Inspection of the Country and Relocation of Towns

Lu Qingfu also pricked up his ears, wanting to hear what was going on in the army, but Zhao Yurui waved his hand and said, "You go down first."

Lu Qingfu had no choice but to step back and let the emperor and Gaoda walk in front.

The two men stayed away from the crowd, indicating that they were having a private conversation.

Gaoda looked around and said with a stiff face: "In the past few years, there have been sporadic resistances in various parts of Dongying, and most of them are hiding underground. The royalists dare not show up. My army really has no war. Military officers--"

Gundam talked about the current situation in Song Dynasty.

There are fewer wars now, but the training is still long. After a long time, the military attachés became a bit lax, and the soldiers were not happy either.

The key point for military officers is that if they don't fight, their promotion will be slow, and some of them will naturally be unhappy.

But when it comes to disarmament, Dongying's territory is relatively large, and the garrison only has a few armies, about 30,000 to 40,000 people, and I'm afraid that if the troops are disarmed, they won't be enough.

Gundam talked for a long time, and the general meaning was that he still hoped to have a war rather than disarmament.

This basically represents the opinions of most military commanders.

After listening to this, Zhao Yurui did not express his opinion. He just stayed in Tokyo for a few days and summoned some middle-level officials to have private conversations with them.

The news of Zhao Yurui's tour of the world had of course spread throughout the Song Dynasty by this time.

The first person to receive the news was Zhao Xie from Far East City.

The Far East City was built on the east side of Lake Baikal and leaning against the lake. It was a majestic city built by the Song Dynasty.

This is something that has never been accomplished in later generations. Zhao Yurui mobilized hundreds of thousands of workers and finally completed the construction after fifteen years.

King Zhao Xie of Yan was granted fiefdom here and was responsible for guarding the Far East.

Zhao Yurui started building the Far East City in the 14th year of Yuanzhen and completed it in the 29th year. Then he built a new city every hundred miles. In the 41st year, he had built seven or eight small cities in the Far East city area, extending the Song Dynasty's ruling power for thousands of miles.

But Far East City is a cold and bitter place. Despite Zhao Yurui increasing the number of immigrants here and the policy of adding extra points to the imperial examinations, over the past twenty years, the population of Far East City has barely exceeded 500,000, of which Han people account for more than half.

Not to mention the common people, King Zhao Xie of Yan followed his father's example and went to Dongying or Goryeo for vacation every winter and returned to Far East City in spring, spending half of the year outside.

This year he spent the New Year in Far East City. After the New Year, he had planned to take his eldest son Zhao Qi to Kyushu, Japan for a vacation and to soak in hot springs. Unexpectedly, his father suddenly went to Japan. He immediately wanted to go there as well, but Zhao Yurui sent him a telegram asking him not to go.

There was no choice, Zhao Xie could only wait in Far East City.

Although he was in the Far East City, telegrams from Japan would convey news from the emperor to him every day.

The telegraph had only been invented fourteen years ago. In addition to the special geographical environment of his fiefdom, telegrams from Japan had to go through two transfers before reaching the Far East. Therefore, the news Zhao Xie received every day was somewhat delayed.

Early that morning, Zhao Chen was playing chess with someone at home, waiting for a telegram from Japan.

According to his order, telegrams from Japan must be reported every hour, and even faster in case of emergency.

There were quite a few people in the room. All of them, except for one person who was not there, had played chess with him when he was young.

For example, Shi Gou'er's son Shi Zhongguo is now the commander-in-chief of the Far East Province.

Yang Xiaolin, the son of Yang Yuewu, the former Imperial City Supervisor, is in the palace guard battalion and is ready to lead.

His other good brother Quan Ying was the governor of Goryeo Province.

Xie Tang was the prefect in Changchun City.

Meng Zhile is the president of a bank in Dongying Province.

Those who played chess with Zhao Zhen were all his confidants, and most of them were descendants of nobles of the Song Dynasty.

There were seven or eight people at the scene, most of whom were about the same age as Zhao Xie, around forty years old.

Many people have many children, but now they cannot enter this core occasion.

The people who had the most say at the scene were Shi Zhongguo, Yang Xiaolin, and Chen Lin.

Chen Lin is a captain of the Jinyiwei in Far East City. His father is Chen Feng, who was also a young man in the palace back then. He was in the same batch as Shi Gouer and had a good relationship with him.

"We won." Zhao He's happy voice suddenly came from the quiet room, and then everyone laughed.

Zhao Xie won this round again, and everyone naturally followed suit.

After quietly chatting with everyone for a few words, Zhao Yu suddenly put down the chess piece and said slowly: "I heard that my father may consider moving the town when he inspects the country this time."

"In your opinion, where will the king be moved to?"

The faces of the civil and military officials changed slightly.

Most of them had followed the King of Yan for twenty or thirty years. Some had known Zhao Chen since childhood and could be said to have followed him for nearly forty years. How could they just move away?

Zhao Xie had been a vassal for 26 years. He had slowly laid out his plans and spent more than 20 years placing his subordinates and confidants in various places. Now, if he moved the town, all the efforts of more than 20 years would be wasted.

It would be fine if Zhao Qi came, but if it was Zhao Yi who came, all of them would be in trouble.

The room suddenly fell silent. It was obvious that everyone was unwilling to face the issue of moving the town.

When Zhao Xie moved his town, he could take a small number of civil and military officials with him, but it was impossible for him to take all of them with him.

Moreover, we have all been here for more than 20 years, and our children, wives, relatives and clansmen are all in place.

Even if they could leave, their sons and relatives might not be able to follow them.

For example, Yang Xiaolin's son is the commander of a local battalion, so he can follow Zhao Xie, but his son cannot leave, at least in the short term.

"Is this news confirmed, Your Majesty? Aren't there rumors outside?" Someone finally asked cautiously at this time.

"There's no smoke without fire." Zhao Yu said in a deep voice, "Based on my understanding of my father, it's possible that he was the one who spread the rumor."

Maybe it was Zhao Yurui who released this news to see how her sons would react.

"Originally, my father had an idea that the princes should move their capital after five to six years of service. Later, considering that it was not easy to conquer overseas colonies, he kept delaying it."

Zhao Yurui's plan at that time was that the vassal kings would move every five to ten years.

Later, they found that it was better to do business with the people they were familiar with. The sons had finally established themselves in the local area, and it was not easy to transfer them.

So procrastinate and procrastinate.

It has been more than 20 years now, and the sons have firmly established themselves in each town. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yurui suddenly wanted to move to another town.

"Your Majesty, why do you want to move the town at this time?" Shi Zhongguo asked, "Is it possible?"

"I'm afraid we have to appoint a crown prince." Zhao Xie sighed.

Moving the town was definitely a preparation for establishing a crown prince. The princes had worked in their own fiefdoms for more than 20 years and were now fully grown. If a crown prince was to be established, their fiefdoms would definitely have to be changed to pave the way for the crown prince.

"Are we finally going to appoint a crown prince?" Everyone couldn't help but complain.

Which emperor at such an old age doesn’t have a crown prince?

Over the past few years, many court officials have been worried that Zhao Yurui would suddenly die without a crown prince, and the matter has been reported countless times.

Although Zhao Yurui has always said that there is an imperial edict in the current Fengtian Hall, everyone is worried.

Now that the crown prince is finally to be appointed, everyone is excited but also worried.

"Who will your majesty appoint as the crown prince?" someone asked excitedly.

Zhao Xie looked at him calmly and said, "Why are you excited? I'm not excited at all."

No one knows this question, and no one can answer it. But Zhao Yurui's inspection tour of the country must be a preparation for the establishment of a crown prince, and even intended to test the various princes.

After all, the achievements of the princes were previously transmitted to Zhao Yurui in written form and orally through the Intelligence Department.

This time, Zhao Yurui will look around and check it out on the spot.

Zhao Yurui called before and said that he would only stay in Japan for a few days, but he actually stayed for ten days and did not leave. He also traveled to various state capitals and looked at things very carefully.

"No one dares to make a conclusion on the issue of appointing a crown prince. Your Majesty should now consider whether we should do something?" Shi Zhongguo suddenly said at this time.

Everyone looked at him. What do you want to do? Say this?

"Don't get me wrong." Shi Zhongguo felt the hot gazes from all around him and quickly said, "I mean, do you want to do something to show your achievements?"

"Nothing we do now will help." Zhao Yu shook his head: "We should remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances."

"This is--" Someone wanted to say, just listen to fate? If the prince is not Zhao Xie, they will have to move to another place, and they will no longer have any future.

"Father is not like ordinary people. Sometimes, it might be better if we do nothing."

On that day, Zhao Xie discussed the matter with his trusted subordinates and felt that there was nothing to do, so he did not dare to express any opinion.

When the crowd was about to disperse, Zhao Xie left behind Shi Zhongguo, the commander-in-chief of the Far East Province, alone.

The Song Dynasty had six armies stationed in the Far East with more than 30,000 soldiers and horses. Shi Zhongguo was a very powerful and important figure.

After everyone left, Zhao Yu suddenly asked, "What is your relationship with Wang Anjie, the governor of Liaodong?"

Wang Anjie is Wang Jian’s son. He is not young anymore and will probably retire in a few years.

Zhao Xie's fiefdom included the Far East Province, Liaodong Province, Goryeo Province and Dongying Province, so Wang Anjie also had some intersections with him.

Shi Zhongguo said: "On the surface, he's not bad, but he never takes sides."

"But, I talked to him, and he still highly respects the king."

Zhao Xie was good to his subordinates and was good at winning people's hearts, so he had a good reputation in his fiefdom.

Zhao Xie thought about it and realized that people’s hearts are hidden. He praised him highly with words, but he actually didn’t know it.

Gotta give it a try.

"Think of a way to give it a try." Zhao Yu said with a smile.

Shi Zhongguo's expression changed slightly. He had just told everyone that doing nothing was better than nothing, but he didn't expect that King Yan would turn around and want to do something.

"Okay." Shi Zhongguo nodded immediately, and then said, "How about sending a telegram to summon him to Far East City?"

"No." Zhao Chen stood up and walked back and forth in the room several times.

Shi Zhongguo looked at him quietly. Just now, Zhao Xie appeared very calm in front of everyone, but Shi Zhongguo now saw his anxiety. It turned out that Prince Yan still cared about the throne.

After so many years with Prince Yan, Prince Yan never expressed it on the surface, but now he finally knew that Prince Yan still cared about the throne.

Of course, as a minister and confidant of King Yan, he also hoped so.

The Prince of Yan is not young anymore. If he doesn’t become emperor, how many more years will he be able to live?

"Send him a telegram later." Zhao Yu thought for a while and finally said, "Find a local Han merchant and tell him that he is suspected of defrauding the Prince of Yan's Palace when doing business with the Prince of Yan's Palace. Have Wang Anjie send someone to arrest him first."

Hiss, Shi Zhongguo took a breath of cold air. He didn't expect that Zhao Xie was also a ruthless person.

This kind of thing, such as arresting local businessmen, must be done by the constables of the local government office. The army cannot do this.

What’s more, the people arrested are Han merchants. There is no evidence at all. Can you arrest them just based on the words of King Yan?
This is a test of Wang Anjie's position.

"What if he really arrests him?" Shi Zhongguo asked in a low voice. He was afraid that the matter would become a big deal. What if it turned out to be a wrongful case?
"Release him after a few days and say you got the wrong person." Zhao Yu said with a smile.

Shi Zhongguo was relieved and said immediately, "Okay, I'll do it right away."

So not long after, Wang Anjie who was stationed in Changchun City received a telegram saying that there was a Han businessman named Song Dazhong in the city who was suspected of fraud when doing business with the Prince of Yan's Palace. Could you please arrest him first and wait for someone from the Prince of Yan's Palace to come and question him?
When Wang Anjie received the telegram, he was confused at first, and then his expression changed slightly.

His father Wang Jian was a general whom Zhao and Rui relied on in the past. He died of illness three years ago. Like Yu Jie, both of them were conferred the title of Duke after their death.

Wang Anjie is now also a hereditary title with a lower rank and a title of marquis.

This is a rare noble title in the Song Dynasty, because during Zhao Yurui's tenure, the noble title was gradually abolished and no hereditary system was allowed.

Only the descendants of a few important officials such as Wang Jian and Yu Jie received such treatment.

Of course Wang Anjie knew about the emperor's inspection tour of the country.

But I didn’t expect that this telegram would suddenly come from Prince Yan’s Mansion.

When he saw the telegram for the first time, he thought it was true, but then he quickly realized that this was not true at all. Was this Prince Yan testing him?
Wang Anjie's brows suddenly became a knot of knots. How should this be done?
When his father Wang Jian was alive, he always maintained a non-partisan attitude.

Including Yu Jie, these veteran generals tried their best to establish relationships with the princes.

But now his father is dead, and he had no relationship with the princes during his lifetime. From now on, Wang Anjie will have to survive alone in the Song Dynasty.

It's not easy to survive in the Song Dynasty now.

The emperor is old and has not yet appointed a crown prince. This time, the emperor is touring the country to prepare for appointing a crown prince.

Is it time for him to take sides?

Wang Anjie stared at the telegram in a daze, wondering in his mind, which of the princes could be the crown prince?

Judging from Zhao Yurui’s past arrangements, the crown prince would generally only be chosen from the top three princes.

That is, Zhao Qi, Zhao Xie, and Zhao Yi. The subsequent princes were basically excluded.

Among these three princes, who has the best chance?
Wang Anjie doesn't want to take sides, but feels that he has no choice but to take sides?
After two days of hesitating, Wang Anjie sent his son Wang Jian and his personal soldiers, pretending to be robbers, to capture Song Dazhong and lock him up in a warehouse.

He didn't dare to use the army and could only use his own personal soldiers.

Because it is not his responsibility to catch such ordinary suspects.

The news soon reached Zhao Xie, who breathed a sigh of relief, and the heavy stone in his heart was finally lifted.

But this is obviously not enough.

Father, oh father, what are you thinking about?
In late February, Zhao Yurui left Japan and headed for Tainan.

When Zhao Chen received the news, he immediately led his men to Japan. On the way, he passed through Changchun City and visited Wang Anjie.

Wang Anjie was also shocked when he saw Zhao Xie. When Zhao Xie passed by, he brought a large number of carriages and nearly a thousand followers.

Zhao Xie's palace guards had only two battalions, each with 500 people.

Judging from the driving situation, almost all of them were brought out.

But he did not bring all soldiers with him, it is said that he also brought followers and family members.

Wang Anjie brought people to welcome Zhao Xie and hosted a banquet for him in the evening.

Early the next morning, Zhao Xie led his men away, this time with only more than 500 people, saying that he left some family members and followers in Changchun City to handle business.

As soon as Zhao Chen left, Wang Anjie became conflicted again. He sat in the room with a pen and paper, considering whether to send a telegram to the emperor. Zhao Chen left five hundred people in Changchun City.

This is no small matter.

(End of this chapter)