The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 393 Comparison
Wang Lun felt a little dizzy, but Yue Wenxuan and Zhang Wei's words had already made him waver.

If what Yue Wenxuan said is true, and the Jin Dynasty is already weakening, then wouldn't it be exactly what the Jin Dynasty wants if he returned to the Southern Song Dynasty at this time and strongly advocated for peace negotiations?

Then wouldn't his words to the emperor before his mission, such as "You must take advantage of the opportunity to wage war and do not worry about me anymore" and "Shandong and Hebei have long awaited the king's army, and the opportunity must not be missed," have become meaningless?
He couldn't help but chase after Zhang Wei and urgently asked, "General, do you think now is the perfect opportunity to counterattack the Jin Kingdom?"

Zhang Wei shook his head: "No, that's not it."

"Huh?" Wang Lun's expression darkened again: "Didn't the Northern Song Dynasty defeat the Jin Dynasty several times? Why do you also think that we can't attack the Jin Dynasty now?"

Zhang Wei: "Because the Southern Song Dynasty still existed."

These words made Wang Lun freeze for a moment.

"To repel external aggression, we must first pacify internal strife." Zhang Wei quoted a saying he had learned from Yue Wenxuan: "Our Northern Song Dynasty is not afraid of fighting a hard battle with the Jin Dynasty, but it would be very undesirable if the Southern Song Dynasty took the opportunity to attack our rear while we were fighting the Jin Dynasty. Therefore, now is not the best time to counterattack the Jin Dynasty."

Wang Lun: "..."

He understood that the Northern Song Dynasty meant to first facilitate the unification of the two Song dynasties, to determine the superiority of the Ninth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince, before attacking the Jin Dynasty.

Wang Lun: "But wouldn't such internal strife benefit the Jin state?"

Zhang Wei: "That's right. Internal strife will benefit the Jin Dynasty. So the sooner the two Song Dynasties are unified, the more beneficial it will be for resisting the Jin Dynasty's great cause. What do you think, Lord Wang?"

Wang Lun deeply agreed...

Seeing that the officials of the Northern Song Dynasty really had no intention of detaining him, he didn't linger any longer and quickly set off, traveling south day and night. Along the way, the local officials of the Northern Song Dynasty did not make things difficult for him and let him pass.

What he saw when he passed through the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty was the same as what Fu Songqing had seen recently: there were enlightened policies, extremely high productivity, and the entire territory controlled by the Northern Song Dynasty presented a thriving scene.

When he crossed the Yangtze River and arrived at the south bank of the Yangtze River.

The style of painting suddenly changed!

The south bank of the Yangtze River is desolate.

Farmland was abandoned, irrigation systems were neglected, the people were listless, and war was rampant everywhere.

He was heading towards Lin'an when he saw a courier running past him. He quickly stopped the courier and asked, "What message do you want to send back?"

Seeing his demeanor, the courier dared not be negligent and replied, "Your Excellency, the State of Chu is causing trouble at Huting Lake. The local government troops are unable to resist. Please request the court to immediately send a general to quell the rebellion."

Wang Lun: "Huh? What's all this commotion about Dongting Lake?"

Courier: "Huh? Sir, you don't know about the puppet state of Chu?"

Wang Lun was genuinely unaware of this and inquired urgently. He learned from the courier's explanation that during the years he had been detained in the Jin state, several prefectures and counties around Lake Ting had fallen into the hands of the Manichaean pseudo-Chu state. The pseudo-Chu emperor, Zhong Xiang, was captured and killed by Kong Yanzhou, but Kong Yanzhou, fearing repercussions for his indiscriminate killing, fled to the pseudo-Qi state. Under Yang Yao's leadership, the pseudo-Chu continued its rebellion and had become too powerful to control, a thorn in the side of the Southern Song dynasty.

After hearing this, Wang Lun felt completely distraught.

Urgently proceed to Lin'an.

After traveling for several more days, they encountered another courier coming from the opposite direction. Stopping him and asking what was wrong, the courier replied, "Reporting to you, sir, I'm delivering military intelligence. Several months ago, trouble broke out in Hubei. Li Heng, the garrison commander of Xiangyang, led his troops to besiege De'an Prefecture. The commander defending De'an Prefecture is Chen Gui, the garrison commander of De'an Prefecture, Fuzhou, and Hanyang. The two fought fiercely outside the city walls..." Upon hearing this, Wang Lun was utterly astonished: "Why? Aren't they both local officials of our Great Song Dynasty? Why are they fighting? Is it because someone has defected to the Jin?"

The courier said, "Neither of them paid any money."

Wang Lun looked completely bewildered: "Why fight if you didn't invest any money?"

The courier's expression was strange: "Sir, have you been living in the mountains for several years?"

Wang Lun: "..."

He was completely confused and rushed to Lin'an. After finally getting into Lin'an, he reported the situation and met the emperor as quickly as possible.

As soon as he entered the imperial study, he saw a minister talking to Zhao Gou.

The minister's name was Shen Yuqiu, an old official whom Wang Lun recognized.

Shen Yuqiu, looking deeply distressed, said to Zhao Gou, “Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards are weak, and military power is not held by the court. Your Majesty has moved the capital to the southeast, intending to undertake a restoration effort. The most urgent task is undoubtedly the military. The Han dynasty had the Northern and Southern Armies; even after the collapse of the Tang dynasty's system of garrison troops and elite cavalry, there were still the Shence Guards within the capital and the armies of various garrisons outside, ensuring mutual support and preventing any imbalance of power. Now, we plan a major campaign, but military power is not held by the court. Although there are the Privy Council, the military offices of the Three Departments, and the Ministry of War, they merely carry out official documents. I urge you to order your ministers to consider the advantages and disadvantages before proceeding, so that public sentiment is not alarmed and military administration is improved, thus contributing to the realization of the ambition of national restoration…”

Wang Lun understood; Shen Yuqiu meant that the imperial court currently had no military power whatsoever.

No wonder, local officials have essentially formed their own separatist regimes, each occupying their own territory and arbitrarily attacking neighboring towns for their own food and weapons.

Li Heng's breaking with convention is a typical example.

Who cares about the imperial court anymore?
If I want money, provisions, and troops, why not just attack my neighbor? As for whether my neighbor is Jin, Qi, or Song, who cares?
Wang Lun was completely stunned...

The Southern Song Dynasty was in such chaos, while the Northern Song Dynasty was doing well. Should we support the Ninth Prince or the Seventeenth Prince? Is there even a question?

Just then, Zhao Gou's voice rang out in the imperial study: "My dear Wang, you're back."

Wang Lun quickly stepped forward: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I have finally returned."

Zhao Gou's face lit up with joy: "Come quickly and tell me about the situation in the Jin Kingdom."

Wang Lun sighed and recounted to Zhao Gou everything he had seen and heard in the Jin Kingdom.

Zhao Gou was startled by what he heard. No matter what Wang Lun said about the Jin Dynasty, Zhao Gou showed fear. In particular, when he heard that there were five thousand Iron Pagoda soldiers, Zhao Gou's face turned black.

After listening, Zhao Gou asked, "Minister Wang, you are now the person who understands the Jin Dynasty best. In your opinion, what attitude should we take towards the Jin Dynasty?"

Wang Lun wanted to bring up Yue Wenxuan's theory that "the Jin state is weakening," but seeing Zhao Gou's expression, he decided against it and simply sighed, "In my opinion, it is not advisable to start a war with the Jin state now; we should prioritize peace."

Zhao Gou was overjoyed: "Well said! We should prioritize peace."

Wang Lun bowed and withdrew...

As he stepped out of the study, he overheard Shen Yuqiu behind him saying to Zhao Gou, "Your Majesty, the court needs an army that it can control. In my humble opinion, Liu Guangshi, Zhang Jun, and others are not trustworthy. Only Yue Fei is a good candidate who is loyal to the emperor and loves the country. If it is him, he will certainly not be like those other generals who outwardly obey but inwardly defy Your Majesty. We can help him rise to power and make him the army that the court can truly control."

(End of this chapter)