I became a saint by picking up corpses in Water Margin

Chapter 376 King Yan
"It's Yang Chang, it's Yang Chang"

Song Jiang was so excited and surprised, and then his expression became dull. His butt sank and he lost his balance in his sitting position, so he tilted the stool and fell down.

Snapped!
"hiss"

"Brother, are you okay?"

Song Qing quickly helped Song Jiang up.

He just patted his butt and sat back on the stool.

Pain makes people sober.

Without waiting for Song Qing to ask, Hei Sanlang took the initiative to say, "These people have surrendered to Yang Chang, and some of them have been captured but have not betrayed me. They are now coming to Yingtian to move their families, and they must be taking them to Hedong. He wants to dig up my roots!"

"Brother, do you mean that Yang Chang wants to threaten their families to make them surrender?"

"It must be so."

"Where are you going, brother?"

When Song Qing saw Song Jiang stand up again, he hurriedly grabbed him and asked him with concern.

Song Jiang frowned and said in a deep voice, "I want to find Dai Zong. Tell him to return to Xiangzhou immediately. Let Wu Yong send troops to intercept him halfway!"

"Brother."

Song Qing grabbed Song Jiang's hands and reminded him righteously, "Dai Zong just came back and finally reunited with his family. He probably hasn't had a meal yet. It's not a good idea to let him leave right away. Even if he arrives in Xiangzhou tomorrow, how can we catch him in such a vast land?"

"Can"

"My brother's most urgent task is to think about how to speak to the emperor and how to refute Huang, Fan and others in the court."

“I have my own way of dealing with it, but I just feel unwilling to accept it.”

Song Jiang stood there and sighed, as if he had given up the idea of ​​going out.

Shiro is right!
Dai Zong had just reunited with his family, and now he was asked to run back the same way he came, which was indeed a bit inhumane.

The most important thing is that the area south of the Yellow River is flat and wide, and it is difficult to stop it.

Song Qing helped Song Jiang sit down again and gently offered advice: "Instead of dwelling on the past, it is better to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost."

"What do you mean?"

"There are rumors outside that my brother's entire army was wiped out, but from your tone just now, it doesn't seem that serious. I wonder how many brothers are left?"

"Less than twenty."

Song Jiang had just counted them when he returned to Xiangzhou. At that time, there were eighteen people without counting Guan Sheng. But when Hu Yanzhuo withdrew from Huaizhou and returned, Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo were missing. Now, including Guan Sheng, there are only seventeen.

Song Qing did not ask in detail, but continued to remind and explain: "First, make sure that the families of these twenty people stay in Yingtian, and don't let others take them to Hedong during the chaos. If that happens, your brother will be in a very passive position. Don't forget how you lured them to the mountains in the first place."

"hiss"

Song Jiang took a deep breath, held Song Qing's hand and nodded, "Silang, you reminded me in time. I will make a list right away. Please go to each family overnight."

"It's too late. It's not appropriate."

"Then tomorrow morning, I will go to the court to meet the emperor, and you will go and take care of this matter. By the way, who is responsible for the defense of Yingtian City now? It is best to inform them in advance."

"Don't worry, brother. I will do it."

Song Qing agreed solemnly.

He had originally arranged a welcoming banquet for Song Jiang, but Heisabalang had been running around and being blown by the wind today and could not eat anything, so he made an appointment to reunite with Old Man Song tomorrow night.

After the two brothers finished talking about business, Song Qing originally planned to send Song Jiang home, but Hei Sanlang didn't want to go back too early, so he used the excuse of taking a bath at Song Qing's house and did not return to the Taiwei Mansion until very late.

Song Jiang didn't want to go home at first, but his new official robe was at home, and he had to go to the palace to meet the emperor tomorrow, so he had to go home to face his wife.

In order to avoid being passive, this guy took the initiative to challenge for a fight that night.

Unfortunately, Hei Sanlang's mind was always elsewhere, and he was in a state of Tai Sui (Ruan Xiaoer) throughout the battle, which made Song's wife angry.

"You haven't been home for so long, and you're doing this to me? What else can you do besides making me drool? I'm just curious, what's your strength?"

"My dear wife, please don't blame me. I have returned to the capital today after a defeat, and I am worried about how to explain it to the emperor."

"Why are you climbing into my bed?"

"I thought"

"Go away, go to the side room and sleep. People say that the uglier you are, the more lustful you are. You are an exception."

"I"

Song Jiang wanted to do something but he was powerless. Unfortunately, there was no Viagra in this world. In the end, he fled the main house in shame.

There is nothing I can do. It is my own incompetence, not anyone else's fault.

Coincidentally, the woman Zhao Gou gave to his wife also had the surname Pan.

Questioning Wuhan University, understanding Wuhan University, cannot make you become Wuhan University.

Question Yang Xiong, understand Yang Xiong, and dare not become Yang Xiong.

Of course, although Pan was not satisfied, she was the wife of the Grand Marshal after all. Moreover, she had received an imperial decree and had wealth and honor to enjoy, so it was unlikely that she would cheat on her husband.

After sleeping in humiliation in the side room for a night, Hei Saburo woke up, dressed himself, and went to wait outside the palace early without eating.

Zhao Gou only had half of the kingdom, and he could become emperor only with the support of his court officials, so his treatment of the literati was better than that of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan.

The higher the official rank of the officials who attended the morning court, the more they would arrive at a certain time to show off their status.

Unexpectedly, on the ninth day of June, a high-ranking official in a purple robe appeared in front of the palace, which scared the lower-ranking officials who came to attend the court behind him.

Who is this?

Are we late?
Officials arrived one after another, but no one dared to step forward to confirm until the Privy Councilor Wang Boyan appeared.

He saw the figure from behind and thought it looked like Song Jiang, so he quickly walked to the front.

"Captain Song, is it really you?"

"Wang Xiang."

"We just mentioned the war a few days ago, but Commander Song replied so quickly. He came to wait so early today. Is there any special reason?"

"Song went to battle at a disadvantage, and now he is back to the court to plead guilty. He should be active."

While Song Jiang and Wang Boyan were greeting each other, high-ranking officials such as Huang Qianshan also arrived one after another and happened to hear their conversation.

Since you know your place clearly, I won't be polite to you later. I have been displeased with the Liangshan sect for a long time.

Later, the palace gates opened and the court officials entered the court in order of their official positions. Although Huang Qianshan arrived later than Song Jiang, he left first because of his status as prime minister.

Huang Qianshan passed by Song Jiang and gave him a deliberate, playful look.

It seems to be saying: It’s no use coming to the meeting earlier, you still have to follow me.

All the ministers entered the court and stood still, and Zhao Gou took his seat in the palace to take his place.

As soon as the greeting between the monarch and his subjects was over, Zhao Gou looked at Song Jiang and asked, "When did Mr. Song return to Yingtian? How come I didn't know anything about it?"

"Your Majesty, I only returned yesterday evening, so I did not dare to enter the palace to disturb you."

"The defeat of Luzhou and the loss of Huaizhou and Weizhou, do you have anything to say?"

"I have failed your majesty, and I have come to apologize!"

As Song Jiang responded, he immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, with his unique buttocks sticking out.

Zhao Gou immediately waved his hand and said: "There must be a reason for the defeat. You should stand up and answer first."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am overwhelmed." Song Jiang stood up and bowed again.

Huang Qianshan saw that Song Jiang only apologized and was too lazy to even defend himself, so he signaled to the Chief Censor Fan Zongyin with his eyes.

Fan Zongyin understood what was going on and stepped out of the ranks to make a suggestion, saying, "I see that General Song has lost his fighting spirit after his defeat. Your Majesty should select a good commander for the army in the imperial camp."

"Song Qing, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I still have the will to fight and am willing to make meritorious contributions while serving my sentence."

"Um"

Seeing Zhao Gou nod slightly, Fan Zongyin immediately looked at Song Jiang and advised: "Taiwei has fought for the country for many years, and it is time to have a good rest. Why do you have to embarrass yourself? Taiwei, don't you realize that the times have changed? Your tactics are no longer effective."

"What? Fan Zhongcheng knows the tactics of war?"

“I don’t understand” “If you don’t understand, shut up!”

Song Jiang's sudden and domineering response not only surprised Fan Zongyin, but also Zhao Gou above him, thinking, this little black guy can also lose his temper?

Prime Minister Huang Qianshan saw Fan Zongyin being humiliated, and hurriedly stepped forward to remind him: "General Song, don't forget that this is the court, you must not be rude in front of the emperor!"

"I was just talking about the matter at hand, not yelling at the court. Your Majesty was once the Grand Marshal of the Army, and he never questioned my use of the troops. Fan Zhongcheng doesn't know anything about the military, so why is he talking nonsense here? Who is the rude one?"

Song Jiang wanted to integrate into the court before, so he always behaved respectfully and obediently. Now he knows that he can't fit in, and his own interests are involved, so he can only become tough, contrary to his usual behavior.

Huang Qianshan felt a little pressure, and then said coldly: "It is the duty of Fan Zhongcheng to supervise the impeachment. Do you dare not let him speak?"

"I'm not forbidding you, but you can't make random noises."

"What am I confused about? Isn't it true that you were defeated by Wu Song? He used to be a captain, and it seems that he has never led troops independently? Besides, the loss of Huaizhou and Weizhou was also due to your deployment of defenses, right?"

"Hehehe"

Song Jiang looked around at everyone and gave a signature smile, then looked at Fan Zongyin again and said, "May I ask, Fan Zhongcheng, when did you know this information?"

"when?"

Fan Zongyin did not doubt him and immediately responded, "Five days ago, what happened?"

"Ah"

"Song Gongming, this is an important place in the imperial court, be serious!"

Hearing Huang Qianshan's rebuke, Song Jiang turned around and saluted Zhao Gou, saying solemnly: "Your Majesty, five days ago, on the fourth day of June, I just joined the Jin army at Fengyue Pass, and Weizhou was lost on the fifth day of June, and Huaizhou was lost on the sixth day of June. How did Fan Zhongcheng predict the future? I remember that he escaped from Hedong. Now he is helping the enemy. His intentions are sinister. I suggest that you investigate in detail!"

"Slander! He slandered me!"

Fan Zongyin jumped up with excitement.

At this time, Wang Boyan came out to smooth things over, saying earnestly: "Captain Song, these rumors have been circulating in the capital recently. We cannot say that Fan Zhongcheng is advocating for the enemy. We can only say that he did not carefully examine them before reporting them, and took the rumors as accurate news."

"Yes, yes, yes, the rumors are not mine."

Fan Zongyin wanted to push the responsibility away, but that would offend the generals in the palace, so he quickly changed the subject: "You were at Fengyue Pass on the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, so what? You were defeated by Wu Song before that. What's your explanation for this?"

"I admit that I lost, but not to Wu Song."

"No one else will do. Most of the generals in Hedong came from Liangshan. They were all your generals."

"What if it's Chief Yang?"

When Song Jiang said this name, the officials in the hall began to whisper.

Wang Boyan quickly reminded him, saying in a deep voice: "Captain Song, please stop joking. The Jin envoy said it with certainty. Yang Chang has been cursed by witchcraft and will not wake up in a short time. His Majesty asked you to send troops for this reason!"

"Facts speak louder than words. Not only did Yang Chang appear on the battlefield, he also went to Shangjing in person or sent someone to kill the Jin emperor Wuqimai during our advance."

"What did you say?"

"Are you crazy?"

The imperial court, which had just quieted down, suddenly fell into commotion again, like a huge vegetable market.

Zhao Gou, who was sitting on the throne, was the most surprised and hurriedly called out to Song Jiang.

"Song Qing, is there any basis for this statement?"

"I want to see you alone."

"Okay, I'll leave today."

"Your Majesty, Song Jiang is talking nonsense. You cannot believe it!"

Huang Qianshan finished speaking excitedly, and then he strode to Song Jiang from the opposite side and shouted at him condescendingly: "Don't try to shirk responsibility by saying such absurd words to deceive His Majesty."

"I do not."

Before Song Jiang could finish his words, his eyes went dark and he fell into Huang Qianshan's arms.

“Hey.”

"Everyone is watching, don't mess around."

Huang Qianshan stepped back after he finished speaking, and Song Jiang fell to the ground immediately.

"Song Qing!"

"General Song!"

"No, it's none of my business, Your Majesty. I didn't touch him."

"Dismiss the court, summon the imperial physician!"

The court meeting that day ended in farce.

Song Jiang was helped by the eunuch to the side hall, where he soon woke up and got up on his own.

The imperial physician's pulse diagnosis was consistent with his description, that is, because he had not eaten yesterday and had not eaten this morning, he fainted from hunger in the palace just now.

Zhao Gou then asked someone to serve the imperial meal, and he ate and chatted with Song Jiang.

Through the conversation, Zhao Gou not only understood the reasons for the defeat, but was also persuaded by the proposal to recover Hebei, and said that he would seriously consider it.

After Song Jiang finished enjoying the imperial meal, his report also ended.

Zhao Gou ordered someone to send him home so that he could have a good rest and wait for an audience.

Huang Qianshan did not dare to leave after the court meeting. When he heard that Song Jiangsu had woken up and was given an imperial meal, he cursed him in his heart, but still did not leave.

After Song Jiang finished his meeting with the emperor and left the palace, Huang Qianshan followed him to the imperial study to apologize.

Zhao Gou was happy to see factional struggles in the court as it was beneficial to his control, so he did not blame Huang Qianshan. However, the emperor was moved by Song Jiang's proposal and summoned Huang Qianshan to send troops to Hebei.

Song Jiang had just been defeated, so why was he going to provoke the Jin people now?

Have you forgotten how the Jin army defeated the Song army? Have you forgotten how they marched straight into the capital? Have you forgotten how they surrounded Bianjing? Have you forgotten where the emperor, Wei Fei, and Xing Fei were?

How do we have this ability?
Huang Qianshan was afraid of the Jin people and was unwilling to take the initiative to provoke a dispute, but Zhao Gou did not give him a chance to refute.

He was also asked to go to the palace with Wang Boyan tomorrow to discuss the issue of sending troops with Song Jiang.

At night, Wang Mansion.

The two prime ministers talked late into the night. They had always advocated unifying the Song Dynasty first and temporarily tolerating the Jin people, but Song Jiang broke this balance.

"Prime Minister Wang, His Majesty has been persuaded by Song Jiang. If we want to stop him, we have to move Song Jiang first. Do you have any good ideas?"

"Song Jiang was defeated by Yang Chang, and now he wants to recover Hebei to change his reputation, but he will have to coerce the entire country. I can't let him succeed. This man cares more about military power, but the Imperial Camp Central Army is based in Liangshan, so I'm afraid I can't take it away directly."

"If you can't take it away, don't take it"

Huang Qianshan stroked his beard and muttered, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "I have a plan."

The next morning, Zhao Gou dismissed the court.

Huang Qianshan, Wang Boyan, Song Jiang, and Zhang Jun, who was in charge of the defense of Yingtian, were summoned separately. He replaced Zhao Gou's confidant Liang Yangzu and became the new commander-in-chief of the imperial camp's rear army.

The four of them met the emperor in the imperial study, and Zhao Gou reiterated his intention to launch a northern expedition.

After hearing this, Wang Boyan was the first to come out and advise, "Your Majesty, think twice. Song Taiwei's central army has just been defeated, and the other four armies have important tasks. The various places have finally gained an advantage. If you withdraw troops to recapture Hebei, the Western Court will definitely take advantage of the situation to counterattack. Such a rare good situation, if a strategic mistake is made, it will be gone forever."

"I have made up my mind. Recovering Hebei is what the people want. It will also be a deterrent to the Western Court. I want to let the military and civilians of the world see who is the legitimate ruler of the Song Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, the Jin army has been invincible over the years. Have you ever thought that you can't defeat them?"

"Wang Xiang."

Song Jiang took over the conversation and said to Zhao Gou: "A big reward will always bring brave men. Even the strongest army has weaknesses. Why can't they defeat Yang Chang?"

"A famous general like Yang Changshi must have a special method."

"wrong!"

Wang Boyan was interrupted by Song Jiang before he finished speaking, "I think it's because of the generous reward. The Western Court has been promoting him exceptionally, from Observation Envoy to Jiedushi to Taiwei, and then to Marquis and even King, so he can continue to perform exceptionally well."

"A king? I heard that he was named King of Jin. That means Zhao Huan really violated the ancestral system!"

"Your Majesty, in troubled times, severe punishments should be used. Only if you are brave enough, will the soldiers fight hard enough. Tong Guan only recovered Yanjing, but according to the ancestral system, wasn't he also made a king? Yang Chang took back the states of Hedong, is his achievement greater than Tong Guan's?"

Song Jiang spoke excitedly, and Zhao Gou's blood boiled. He immediately slapped the imperial desk and solemnly promised: "Song Qing's words make sense. Whoever can help me recover Hebei will be made the King of Yan by me!"

(End of this chapter)