The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 266 Your Majesty, You've Been Deceived!
None of the people present could understand this strange divine secret.

But that doesn't matter. Gong Erniangzi never doubted Zhenjun's decisions. She immediately waved her hand and concluded, "Alright, then it's settled. Order the entire army to train diligently every day. If news of the capture of the giant eel comes back from Jinan, immediately split into two groups to attack Weizhou and Mizhou."

Qi Chongli's mouth gaped open: "Such an important matter cannot be decided by a mere eel! Gentlemen! Please reconsider! Your Highness, Your Highness, please say something too!"

Yue Wenxuan's consciousness immediately switched to Wang Zhaoshi's body, and he smiled at Qi Chongli, saying, "Qi Aiqing, trust the eel."

Qi Chongli: "Aaaaaah! How can I, an old man, trust an eel? Hey! Everyone here, doesn't anyone have any objections? Hey! Hey!"

Wu Jialiang shrugged at him: "My lord, your Qi family has been sharpening your knives, eager to reclaim Gaomi County. You should be the one most looking forward to the birth of the giant eel, so don't offer any opinions now."

Qi Chongli dreamed of taking back Gaomi County, but he never dreamed of eels.
-
at the same time……

Thirty-two-year-old Gonggong had just entered Yuezhou (now Shaoxing City).

Several days ago, my thirty-two-year-old grandfather took a ship from Jimo County southwards. He traveled along the coastline with great difficulty, encountering storms several times along the way. Fortunately, he escaped unharmed and finally returned to the Jiangnan region.

But arriving in Jiangnan does not mean finding Zhao Gou.

The thirty-two eunuchs had to keep asking the officials along the river where the emperor was now...

There's no way around it; Zhao Gou's escape skills are unparalleled throughout history. He's a man even the Jin cavalry couldn't catch! He's as free as the wind! Finding him is extremely difficult.

After much effort, I finally learned that the temporary residence of Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, was located in Yuezhou.

The Jin army had already retreated, and the fifth war between the Song and Jin dynasties had ended. However, Zhao Gou was terrified and was unwilling to return to Jiankang (Nanjing). It was too close to the Yangtze River, and who knew when the Jin army would launch another cross-river campaign. So he stayed in Yuezhou (Shaoxing), far away from the Jin people.

"Report! The thirty-second eunuch who went to Shandong to deliver the imperial decree has returned."

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Gou showed no joy. He didn't have high hopes for the Shandong rebels. He was already grateful that they could cause some trouble behind the Jin Dynasty's back; how could he really expect them to drive the Jin army back? He casually ordered, "Let Thirty-Two in."

Soon, the Thirty-Second Eunuch entered. After a full bow, he immediately began to speak animatedly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, great news! The righteous bandit Gong Yi from Shandong is incredibly powerful. She has actually defeated the Jin army's Iron Pagoda! She has defeated the Iron Pagoda!"

Zhao Gou was greatly surprised, but his spirits lifted: "Eh? Tell me more."

Thirty-two eunuchs: "Their firearms are so powerful! With a bang, the Ironclad Cavalry fell from their horses... They're amazing..."

Next, the thirty-two eunuchs went on and on, telling Zhao Gou a story of a hundred million words, detailing everything he had seen on the Jiaodong Peninsula.

Yue Wenxuan told him not to hide anything and to speak his mind. The Thirty-Two Eunuch lived up to his mission, not only not hiding anything but also adding fuel to the fire, adding many capabilities that the rebel army did not have. For example, the rebel army's heavy muskets could only fire at ten zhang to penetrate the Iron Pagoda, but the Thirty-Two Eunuch casually added fuel to the fire, making it thirty zhang to penetrate the Iron Pagoda.

The rebel army's arquebuses could only fire at a range of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) to shoot at the cavalrymen, but when Uncle Thirty-Two casually mentioned it, it became a range of thirty zhang (approximately 33 meters) to exchange fire with the Jin army's archers.

As for the red-coated cannons, the eunuch exaggerated them even further, claiming that a single shot could ravage dozens of miles—a statement that originated centuries before the truth. When Zhao Gou first heard that the righteous army had defeated the Jin army, he was overjoyed, but the more he heard, the uglier his expression became. What kind of damned righteous army was this? If they could defeat the Jin bandits so easily, wouldn't our Great Song Dynasty have it even easier? Plus, with a fake prince sitting there, able to win over the people, wouldn't they become too powerful to control in the future?
Zhao Gou's heart sank.

The thirty-second eunuch was speaking with great enthusiasm when he suddenly noticed that his master's mood was off, and he snapped back to reality!
The eunuch's inherent skill, "reading between the lines," was activated instantly, and the thirty-second eunuch stopped talking.

Zhao Gou: "Go on, why did you suddenly stop?"

The thirty-second eunuch asked somewhat guiltily, "Your Majesty, while I was away, did anything major happen in Jiangnan?"

"Hmph!" Zhao Gou: "Of course! Just this February, when the Jin army was at its most rampant, a group of Manichaean heretics, led by a fellow named Zhong Xiang, started an uprising. They destroyed prefectures and counties, burned government offices, and killed officials, calling for equality between the rich and the poor. Currently, they have received the support of the people of 19 counties in Ding, Li, Tan, Yue, and Chen (present-day Lixian, Changsha, Yueyang, and Yuanling in Hunan)."

Thirty-two Grandpa: "!!!"

Nineteen counties?
The father-in-law understood instantly!

Gong Yi's rebel army controlled two prefectures and eight counties. In the eyes of the officials, he and Zhong Xiang, who had caused trouble in nineteen counties, were birds of a feather.

If these rebel forces were only small groups, merely following the Jin army and engaging in minor skirmishes, the emperor would be happy to see it happen, and might even issue an imperial edict to encourage them. However, since they possessed powerful firearms and could inflict heavy losses on the Jin army, the emperor was not pleased to see it.

Thirty-two-year-old Grandpa originally had a lot to say, but now he doesn't say anything at all, and has become quiet and well-behaved.

Zhao Gou: "Have you seen Prince Zhao Shi?"

Thirty-two old man: "I saw it, it's a fake."

Zhao Gou: "Hmph! I knew he was a fake all along, but I deliberately didn't expose him."

The Emperor of the Song Dynasty usually only used the word "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor") in formal occasions, and usually referred to himself as "俺" (an, meaning "I") in private. But this time, he actually referred to himself as "朕" in front of the thirty-second eunuch. The eunuch understood that he was now very serious and was speaking with the attitude of "handling state affairs," and was definitely not just having casual conversation.

Zhao Gou took out a gold medal and tossed it to the thirty-second eunuch: "Take this gold medal and make another trip to Shandong. Tell that fake Zhao Shi to see this medal as if he were seeing me, and to immediately lead his troops to Jiangnan to join the Imperial Guard. If he is willing to come, I will guarantee him wealth and honor. If he is unwilling to come, then he is harboring evil intentions, and don't blame me for exposing his fake identity."

The thirty-second eunuch sighed inwardly: When that fake prince asked me to return to Jiangnan to report to the Emperor, he must have already guessed that this would be the result, right? Your Majesty, you have fallen right into their trap! You disregard the overall situation and tear off the mask, demanding that he abandon the Jiaodong Peninsula, while they have a perfectly legitimate reason to raise the banner of rebellion.

Before defeating the Jin bandits, he didn't ask me to come back and report. Instead, he asked me to come back and inform you after defeating the Jin bandits. This shows that he had calculated that as long as he defeated the Jin bandits, it wouldn't matter if you exposed him as a fake, since the people of Shandong had already submitted to him.

You want him to give up Shandong and return to Jiangnan? Won't the people of Shandong hate you to death? From now on, they'll follow the fake Zhao Shi wholeheartedly.

The thirty-second eunuch had already made up his mind to switch his allegiance to Zhao Shi, so he didn't care how foolish Zhao Gou was. He simply bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I will go to Shandong again."

(End of this chapter)