The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 225: Returning to the Imperial Court, Shagu Enters the Marquisate
Recalling the past years, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan have been together less and less in recent years, mainly because Han Xiaoying gave birth to a son, Zhang Shaoan, and she had to stay at home to take care of the child and could not go out into the world with them.

If it weren't for the fight against the Jin army, Zhang Asheng would not have gone to the south of the Yangtze River with them.

Looking back on their decades of wandering in the martial arts world, they found that the most commendable thing they had done was to cultivate Guo Jing. Seeing that the territory he conquered was getting bigger and bigger and the foundation he created was getting stronger and stronger, they felt proud of it.

Han Baoju burped, his face flushed, "When we went north to the desert, we never dreamed that Jing'er would be able to destroy the Jin Kingdom and avenge our grievances!"

Quan Jinfa touched the beam scale hanging on his waist, and said with satisfaction, "Haha, it's not just you, I feel the same way. Fortunately, Jing'er is not like those emperors of the Song Dynasty who only care about cultivating immortals and enjoying themselves. If he were really like the Song Dynasty, the world would probably be over."

Suddenly, Zhu Cong said something that shocked everyone, "In my opinion, the Song Dynasty will not last long."

Han Xiaoying looked into his eyes and asked tentatively, "Third brother, what do you mean?"

The blind Ke Zhenwu coughed, "The Mongols annexed the Jin Dynasty and crossed the Yangtze River. How can the Song Dynasty resist the Mongols? The Song Dynasty couldn't even stop the Jin Dynasty, let alone the Mongols."

"hiss!"

Han Baoju and his companions reacted and gasped. They looked at each other with horror in their eyes. "Brother, we have all seen how brutal the Mongols are. If they really go to war with the Song Dynasty, I'm afraid..."

Quan Jinfa immediately said, "Brother, should we go south to help, or go meet Jing'er and persuade him to change his mind."

"No!"

Three voices sounded at the same time. Zhu Cong and Nan Xiren looked at each other, then looked at Ke Zhenwu, "Brother, what do you think we should do?"

Ke Zhenwu leaned on a bat iron staff, his face gloomy, as if he was always stern, "The Mongols want to attack the Song Dynasty, can Jing'er stop them? Can you stop them for a while, or for a lifetime?"

"Besides, even if we go, Jing'er may not give me this old face. We are his masters, but he won't listen to us on such a big matter. It would be a waste of time if we go!"

Although he has a stubborn personality, he is a sensible man. He has never seen Guo Jing again since he went to ask for help when the Jin Kingdom invaded the south. After all, it was because Guo Jing's status was too high, which created a gap between them.

He had not realized that point before, but the huge army in the military camp and the battle of hundreds of thousands of people outside Xuzhou all showed that Guo Jing was no longer the same Guo Jing, and was no longer someone they could guide.

What the Song Dynasty had done in recent years had truly broken the hearts of people with lofty ideals. Most of those who were brave enough to achieve something went to the north. Even the Song general Meng Zongzhen felt that the Song Dynasty was hopeless, so he let his most talented fourth son and some of his clansmen join Guo Jing, not to mention others.

Now that Guo Jing has taken Jiankang, the barrier between the north and the south no longer exists. The long and complex waterways are so numerous that even the Song Dynasty cannot stop them.

The migration of people from the south to the north is not just talk.

A hundred years ago, the South was a paradise untouched by war. A hundred years later, even the natural barrier of the Yangtze River could not protect the Song Dynasty. The Jin Dynasty and Mongolia crossed the river. The South no longer had the peace it once had.

It is human nature to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. If they can migrate south for peace, they can naturally return north.

Han Baoju frowned, "Brother, are we just not going to do anything?"

Ke Zhenwu snorted coldly, "Do? What do you want to do? Even if we can stop Jing'er, can we stop Mu Huali and the other Mongols? In the final analysis, the Song Dynasty is too weak and disappointing. If they can fight, I will have nothing to say."

For a moment, the yard no longer had the joy it had before.

……

Jiankang.

At the north gate, a long convoy was carrying supplies continuously, and soldiers were leaving the city one after another. The city gradually returned to its former tranquility.

mansion.

Guo Jing stood on the attic, overlooking Jiankang. A man behind him bowed and reported, "Wang Shan, how is the army's retreat going?"

Wang Shan had all the numbers in his mind, and he answered fluently, "Your Excellency, half of the 70,000 troops heading south have already withdrawn. The rest are either stationed in other places or still in Lin'an. Some are seriously injured and are still being treated. It is estimated that it will take another month to completely withdraw them."

"This trip south was not a loss after all. Although we didn't get much gold, silver and treasures, the food and supplies piled up like mountains. It was worth the trip." Guo Jing nodded in a cheerful voice.

"Return as soon as possible and don't miss the spring ploughing. After returning, I will reward you according to your merits, and the soldiers below can have some peace for a while."

"Wei Chen understands."

Soon, Wang Shan left and Lu Guanying went up to the attic.

Guo Jing's hair fluttered in the wind and he let out a long breath, "Guanying, have you decided to stay in Jiankang? If you go back this time, you will be rewarded handsomely."

Lu Guanying was wearing a white robe, but the solemn look between his eyebrows did not diminish at all. "My Lord, you understand me best. I have thought about it day and night and even dreamed about it all these years. Lin'an is definitely not our final destination."

"If the future Marquis wants to attack the State of Song, I will be willing to be the vanguard!" After saying that, he knelt on one knee and saluted with his fists clasped.

Guo Jing reached out his hand to help him up, his eyes swept across his face, "Okay, since you have this idea, I will allow you, when we destroy Song one day, you will be the vanguard." His voice was firm and resounding.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis!"

During this southward expedition, Guo Jing captured more cities, but Mu Huali took a piece of coastal land and Lin'an, leaving Jiankang and other places to him. However, his troops took most of the wealth from the Jin treasury. All in all, neither side lost out and they both gained something.

Mu Huali urgently needed the Jin's wealth to improve the finances of the Northern Palace, while Guo Jing needed output in terms of land and population. Even if Mu Huali took over Jiangnan, he would still be responsible for paying taxes, so it would be better to give it to Guo Jing to prevent these powerful people from making peace with the Song Dynasty.

……

In the carriage, Hua Zheng looked at the Jiankang city wall behind her, her pretty face full of reluctance, "Guo Jing, will we come back in the future?"

Seeing this, Guo Jing put his arm around her waist and comforted her, "We will definitely come back in the future, and you can bring Ping'er and An'er with you." At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the prosperity of Jiangnan was indeed fascinating.

Hua Zheng had only been in Jiangnan for a short time when she felt reluctant to go back. No wonder there is a saying: There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. It is indeed true.

The army was leaving the city one after another. On the city wall, a figure stood facing the wind. He looked at the direction where the army was leaving, bowed and said, "My lord, have a safe journey!"
Two days later, the Han army left Jiankang and arrived at Jingkou with baggage. The navy led by Li Tianda was already ready for battle.

After the Battle of Crossing the Yangtze River, Li Tianda joined forces with his old subordinates to kill Wanyan Heda and all the personnel planted by the Jin people in the army. He did not appear on the river until Jingkou was captured by the Han army.

After all, now that Jingkou has been captured, the battle is basically a sure win.

Guo Jing rode his little red horse and stood by the river. The breeze blew, and his big banner fluttered in the wind, dazzling red. Not far away, a tall warship slowly approached the shore. After a while, a figure hurried over, "My lord, nine hundred warships have already arrived at the shore, and they are ready. Please give the order, my lord." "Let them move!"

After receiving the order, Li Tianda ran to the riverside and shouted, "Move!"

Immediately, the navy warships waved flags, and soldiers got off the ships to carry supplies. At the same time, Han army soldiers also boarded the ships one after another. This went back and forth dozens of times until the evening, when the army finally crossed the river.

Compared to last time, this time all the ships are large and have deep draft, so the transportation is very fast.

Soon, they entered Xuzhou for rest.

A dark-skinned man was standing in front of Guo Jing. "Zhang Rou, Xuzhou is a strategic point between the north and the south. I'll leave this place to you. Don't let me down."

Zhang Rou was overjoyed, "Don't worry, my Lord. As long as I am here, Xuzhou City will never be lost!"

For a general like him, guarding a place is undoubtedly a precursor to leading a unit alone. In the army, except for Guo Jing and Lu Guanying, all generals cannot lead an army alone. The soldiers under him are often transferred to the main general, and cannot lead an army alone.

It’s different now. When the army returns, there won’t be many soldiers left to defend the city. He needs to recruit them himself. By then, he will be able to lead an army on his own. This is inevitable.

There are 150,000 Han troops marching south, and those who are still alive are all veterans. It is impossible for Guo Jing to leave too many elite troops for them. He can only leave them a small number, and they have to recruit the rest by themselves.

In the past, Guo Jing did not allow his generals to recruit soldiers at will. Now, as his territory continued to expand, he had to give up his power. However, as long as he had a large number of troops in his hands, he would not dare to act rashly even if his subordinates were sent out.

After resting for a day in Xuzhou, the army set out. Zhang Rou was stationed in the city. Guo Jing left him two thousand veterans and allowed him to recruit on his own, with a quota of ten thousand. At the same time, most of the military and political power was handed over to him.

There is no way. He is now out of reach and even if he appoints officials, it will be of no use. He can only rely on the army to maintain local stability.

……

Then, Guo Jing asked the navy commander Shi Tianze to garrison Kaifeng to maintain the north-south shipping. In addition to Shi Tianze, Shi Tianan and Shi Tianni all served under him. At the same time, Li Tianda's navy was divided into two, with a small part handed over to Shi Tianze and the other part still under his command, stationed in the Yangtze River water fort.

After stopping and marching along the way, the army returned to Luoyang two months later.

At the same time, Su Ming also arrived at the Marquis' Mansion.

During this trip to the south of the Yangtze River, he also wanted to go boating on the sea to look for the Xiake Island and the remains of the Taixuan Sutra, but looking for an island in the vast ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack, so he gave up.

On his way back, passing by Niujia Village, he met a man, a stupid and crazy man.

This person is Sha Gu. Back then, Huang Yaoshi was impulsive and took his anger out on innocent people. In order to please his master, his disciple Qu Lingfeng sneaked into the palace to steal treasures, but was discovered by the palace masters and eventually died at the hands of the enemy.

Previously, he adopted his daughter Shagu, intending to teach her all his skills. However, when her father was killed, Shagu was so frightened that her brain was damaged. For decades, she has been wandering around Niujia Village like a wild man.

Su Ming was not curious, but wanted to see if he could cure it. The way of practicing martial arts is about essence, energy and spirit. He has already mastered essence and energy, but has little knowledge of spirit. Apart from the soul-capturing technique, there are very few martial arts that can strengthen the soul.

As for Sha Gu, she was crazy and suitable for experiments. He originally wanted to make Ouyang Feng crazy, but when he thought about how this guy listened to advice and stayed in Baituo Villa for many years, he was too lazy to go to the Western Regions again, so he gave up.

"whee."

"Ula!"

Su Ming was walking on the street, followed by a crazy woman. The woman moved as fast as a rabbit. Her clothes were neat but her hair was messy. From time to time, she ran from the intersection to the middle of the road, causing passers-by to curse at her.

Soon, they arrived at the door of the Marquis' Mansion. Su Ming handed over his badge and a servant led him to the guest room.

Not long after, Guo Jing brought Hua Zheng to the courtyard. As soon as they met, they bowed down and saluted, "Disciple greets the teacher."

"No need to be polite." Su Ming sat under a big tree in the yard, with a teapot beside him, "Sit down."

Guo Jing sat down and asked, "Teacher, where have you been these days?"

Su Ming smiled faintly, "You won a great victory in the south. As a teacher, I should take a look. You have not wasted Wu Mu's will all these years. Those soldiers have some of the style of Yue Family Army."

He was indeed present at that battle, but he just watched for a while and then left. He had seen too many battles on the battlefield over the years.

At this point, Guo Jing also smiled, feeling very satisfied. "Yue Wumu is a rare talent in the military. If he had not been born at the wrong time, if he had been born in another dynasty and met a wise ruler, who knows if he would not be the next Guo Ziyi or Wei Qing."

For thousands of years, countless people have admired Yue Fei. His loyalty and talent are obvious to all.

At this time, he glanced at the silly girl who was fiddling with flowers and plants in the yard and asked, "Teacher, who is this?"

"You're here just in time. I met her in Niujia Village. Judging from her martial arts skills, she has a lot of connections with Peach Blossom Island. Bring her to Senior Brother Yao, and he will understand."

Guo Jing was shocked, "Teacher, you also went to Niu Village?"

Su Ming put down the book, his eyes showing a strange look, "It seems that I went there earlier than you."

Then, Guo Jing recounted the story of their encounter with Yang Kang in Niujia Village. After listening to it, Su Ming seemed very calm. Even if Yang Kang had not died, he would not have caused any trouble. It could only be said that this was God's will to take him away.

Everything started with the past events in Niujia Village and ended in Niujia Village. It was just the cycle of cause and effect.

Then, Su Ming glanced at him with a smile in his eyes, "You came here not just to pay me a visit, right? If you have something to say, just tell me."

Although Guo Jing respected his teacher, he would not have him come to his house just when he had settled down. There must be something going on.

He did not speak, but said to Hua Zheng who was standing beside him, "Hua Zheng, take Sha Gu away first."

Hua Zheng nodded, came up to Sha Gu and said a few words, then took her away.

After no one was around, Guo Jing showed a bit of sorrow, "Teacher, I have a problem now, please teach me."

"speak!"

"Now, everyone below is trying to persuade me to ascend the throne."

(End of this chapter)