The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 386 Qin Hui was truly a capable minister
The news of Shouchun's fall spread throughout the entire court and the country in an instant.

Zhao Gou was never very bold, and when he heard the news, he couldn't sit still any longer. He jumped up and summoned his ministers for a meeting.

As the Minister of Rites, Qin Hui was naturally among those "qualified to attend the meeting".

He tidied his clothes and was about to enter the palace when he suddenly felt a chill behind him. He turned around and found that Jing Ke had entered his room at some point and was sitting on a chair not far behind him.

This almost made Qin Hui faint from fright. He quickly forced a smile and bowed deeply to Jing Ke: "The heroine of the Northern Song Dynasty has graced us with her presence. I have failed you. Please forgive me."

Jing Ke was naturally under Yue Wenxuan's control. He beckoned to Qin Hui in a sinister tone: "Enough with the nonsense. You're about to go to court, so I'll get straight to the point. The pseudo-Qi has captured Shouchun. Your trip to the palace for this meeting is definitely to discuss how to deal with Shouchun."

Qin Hui bowed and said, "Yes. May I ask what guidance you may offer, heroine?"

Yue Wenxuan said, "Shouchun is a place that the Southern Song Dynasty can't hold anyway. Rather than handing it over to the puppet Qi, it's better for the Northern Song Dynasty to take it over!"

Qin Hui quickly smiled apologetically, "Of course."

Yue Wenxuan said, "But some ministers in the Southern Song Dynasty will definitely speak up, wanting to send troops to recover Shouchun."

Qin Hui: "That's natural. There are some stubborn and indecisive people in the court who can't see the situation clearly and are always thinking about a northern expedition. Someone will definitely propose to send troops to take back Shouchun and attack the puppet Qi regime."

Yue Wenxuan: "That would be very troublesome! Our country does not want a group of Southern Song soldiers to come out from the south when we attack Shouchun. Although we can defeat the Southern Song soldiers with a volley of firearms, we are all Song people and we do not want to cause unnecessary bloodshed."

Qin Hui quickly slapped his hand and said, "The Northern Song Dynasty was benevolent; we are not as benevolent as them."

Yue Wenxuan: "So, you know what to do?"

Qin Hui bowed deeply and said, "This humble official understands."

He looked up again and realized that Jing Ke had vanished without a trace. He broke out in a cold sweat. How could the people of the Northern Song Dynasty be so elusive? If she wanted to assassinate me, wouldn't I be finished by now? No, no, I have to listen to my Northern Song father. I can't go against their wishes in the slightest... Go to the palace! Go to the palace for some awkward conversation.

Before long, Qin Hui entered the palace, and the civil and military officials crowded together in the imperial study.

It wasn't a formal morning assembly, so everyone was free to speak.

A pacifist, a senior official, was the first to speak up: "Your Majesty, I advocate resolving the dispute with the puppet Qi through peace negotiations. The long war has severely strained the finances of our Great Song Dynasty, and the people are suffering. We are losing almost every battle in Jiangbei. Why not negotiate peace with the puppet Qi as well, give them some annual tribute, and tell them to stop attacking south?"

Qin Hui smiled without saying a word upon hearing this, thinking to himself: If I hadn't gone to the Northern Song Dynasty and had instead returned directly to the Southern Song Dynasty from the Jin Dynasty, I would definitely have stood up to support this person. But after going to the Northern Song Dynasty, I can't agree to your proposal. Hehe!
He stood by, smiling without saying a word, simply watching calmly.

Soon, a minister advocating war stepped forward: "Your Majesty, peace talks are absolutely out of the question. The fall of Shouchun is a serious threat to our Great Song Dynasty. We should take advantage of the fact that the puppet Qi regime is not yet firmly established and send troops to recover the lost territory to restore our national prestige. Moreover, the puppet Qi regime is a puppet of the Jin Dynasty. The capture of Shouchun is a prelude to the Jin Dynasty's invasion of the south. If we do not contain it, the Great Song Dynasty will face an even greater crisis. Only by taking the initiative can we seize the initiative in the war."

Qin Hui chuckled inwardly: "It would be better if you didn't mention the Jin Kingdom. Once you do, how can the Emperor possibly support you? Don't you know that the Emperor fears the Jin Kingdom the most?"

Sure enough, Zhao Gou's face darkened at the thought that the puppet state of Qi was a puppet of the Jin Dynasty: "If we send troops to attack the puppet state of Qi and recover Shouchun, what will happen if we anger the Jin Dynasty? I have negotiated peace with the Jin Dynasty for many years. If we ruin the peace between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty because of such a small matter, that would be terrible."

Upon hearing this, the ministers who advocated war were so enraged they nearly burst, speechless for a moment, unable to catch their breath. At this point, a fence-sitter stepped forward: "Your Majesty, a northern expedition might provoke the Jin, while peace talks would damage the prestige of the Song Dynasty; neither is advisable. Your humble servant suggests that we neither attack nor make peace, but instead construct fortified cities along the Yangtze River, strengthen defenses, train soldiers, and improve the combat effectiveness of our Song army to counter any potential further attacks from the puppet Qi and Jin states."

The ministers rolled their eyes in unison, thinking: Your statement was worse than no statement at all.

Soon, the ministers who advocated war and those who advocated peace started arguing.

Both sides argued vehemently, their faces flushed with anger.

According to the original history, Qin Hui would have joined the peace faction and engaged in a war of words with the war faction by now. But he had a different idea at the moment and just chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that can solve the current predicament."

Zhao Gou was having a headache from the debate between those advocating peace and those advocating war, so he took the opportunity to distract himself and asked, "What are your thoughts, Minister Qin?"

Qin Hui said, "I recently heard that the Seventeenth Prince's puppet Song army has entered Haozhou, which is very close to Shouchun. Why don't we... devise a plan to drive one tiger away from another?"

Zhao Gou: "How do we drive them away?"

Qin Hui said, "The relationship between the pseudo-Qi and pseudo-Song was already bad. They fought many battles in Shandong and Huaidong, and their hatred runs deep. Under such circumstances, with a little trickery and my silver tongue, I can incite the pseudo-Song to attack Shouchun. If the pseudo-Qi and pseudo-Northern Song fight each other in Shouchun, our Great Song will not need to consider the matter of a northern expedition or peace negotiations at all."

"Huh?" Zhao Gou didn't sense any problem with the plan; on the contrary, he thought it was brilliant.

However, the pro-war ministers were not stupid. A group of them immediately stepped forward and angrily said, "Qin Hui, what kind of bullshit idea is this? If the pseudo-Song army defeats the pseudo-Qi and occupies Shouchun, wouldn't that be giving the pseudo-Song a prefecture? The pseudo-Song is already difficult to deal with. If we give them another prefecture, they will become too powerful to control in the future. How will we manage the situation then?"

Qin Hui rolled his eyes: "If the pseudo-Song cannot defeat the pseudo-Qi, then Shouchun will still be in the hands of the pseudo-Qi, and there will be no difference between now and now. If both sides are severely weakened, you pro-war faction can take the opportunity to launch a northern expedition and take back Shouchun. If the pseudo-Song defeats the pseudo-Qi and takes back Shouchun, then the pseudo-Song will become our northern shield, helping us to block the Jin and the pseudo-Qi, and we can take the opportunity to attack northern Sichuan and southern Shaanxi."

Pro-war faction: "..."

Hmm? Why does what he said make sense?

Qin Hui then turned to the peace faction: "Our Great Song Dynasty has already sent Fu Songqing to negotiate peace with the puppet Song Dynasty. If the puppet Song Dynasty occupies Shouchun, you will be spared the trouble of negotiating peace again. Wouldn't that be better?"

The peacemakers thought: Hmm? That makes sense.

As for the fence-sitters, they neither advocated a counterattack nor peace talks. If they were to incite the puppet Qi and the puppet Song to fight each other, then the Southern Song would not have to do anything, which was exactly in line with their ideals.

As a result, the ministers reached a consensus, and everyone felt that the plan was reliable.

"Lord Qin, this plan is brilliant!"

"Lord Qin is a capable minister who has helped revive our Great Song Dynasty."

Zhao Gou thought to himself: Qin Hui is so capable, he really has the talent of a prime minister. It is too unfair for him to sit in the position of Minister of Rites. I should promote him later.

(End of this chapter)