The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 467 Playing Him
Qin Hui returned to his residence as quickly as possible and went straight to the backyard.

In his backyard there was a small side courtyard where a distinguished guest lived, who was none other than the King of Glory version of Ake.

Qin Hui quickly arrived at the side courtyard and gently knocked on the door.

Ake's voice rang out from inside the door: "Come in!"

Qin Hui quickly pushed the door open a crack and slipped in. Upon seeing Ake, he immediately bowed deeply and said, "Heroine, I have just returned from the court meeting. There was some incredible news discussed there."

He quickly recounted in detail Zhao Gou's preparations for a personal military campaign.

At this moment, Ake was naturally under Yue Wenxuan's control. After hearing Qin Hui's words, his expression showed no surprise at all. Instead, he laughed and said, "Zhao Gou has indeed personally led the expedition."

Qin Hui: "Huh? The heroine already knew that?"

Yue Wenxuan had researched history and knew that Zhao Gou had personally led an expedition once, but because of the butterfly effect, he was not sure if Zhao Gou would go on an expedition, especially since in real history, the Jin army marched through the Jianghuai region and directly approached the north bank of the Yangtze River. That's why Zhao Gou personally led the expedition to fight a decisive battle on the Yangtze River.

But this time history has changed; the Jin army went to Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and the plan to personally lead the expedition was very likely to be abandoned.

But judging from the final result, the corrective force of history once again played a role.

Despite being "held hostage by public opinion," Zhao Gou still decided to personally lead the expedition.

Yue Wenxuan chuckled: "He's going to lead the army personally, why are you in such a hurry?"

Qin Hui said in a low voice, "Of course I'm anxious. If he really leads the expedition in person, public opinion will inevitably change, which will be very unfavorable for the Seventeenth Prince."

“You’re overthinking it,” Yue Wenxuan said with a smile. “When he personally leads the expedition, he will leave Lin’an and go out to see the world. This will be very helpful in reshaping Zhao Gou’s values.”

Qin Hui: "?"

Yue Wenxuan said, “I think this is better. Once you have entered the Yangtze River, you go to the ship to see Zhao Gou, present him with a treasure, and encourage him to see the battle between the Northern Song and the Jin army with his own eyes.”

After saying that, Yue Wenxuan handed over a telescope: "This is the treasure! With this, Zhao Gou can spy on the battlefield from a very, very far distance, and that coward will dare to go and watch the battle."

Qin Hui: "He didn't really like talking about the Northern Song Dynasty..."

Yue Wenxuan smiled: "I know, that's why I told you to talk to him after you entered the Yangtze River."

Qin Hui's heart skipped a beat: "After entering the Yangtze River? What plans does the heroine have?"

Yue Wenxuan chuckled: "Absolutely! I'll arrange a little shock for him on the Yangtze River. After he's shaken up, you can talk to him about the Northern Song Dynasty. Even if he doesn't want to listen, he'll have to."

Qin Hui quickly bowed and said, "This humble official understands. After awaiting the heroine's arrangements, this humble official will immediately present the treasure and persuade His Majesty to attend the battle."
-
Chuzhou, a major economic and military stronghold in the south of the Northern Song Dynasty, was strategically located at a crucial point on the Grand Canal, facing off against the territory controlled by the Southern Song Dynasty.

Since Yue Wenxuan rebuilt Chuzhou, he has set up an inland waterway navy here, which is commanded by Li Bao's son, Li Cheng.

Li Bao had already led his navy to the Liaodong Peninsula to cause trouble for the Jin dynasty's stronghold.

The young general Li Cheng was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't go to Liaodong with his father, and he sighed all day long. But he also knew why his father didn't want him to go. Fighting on the Liaodong Peninsula was somewhat dangerous, and if they were defeated, they might not even be able to escape and their entire army would be wiped out on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Such a dangerous task couldn't be undertaken by the father and son alone; a backup plan had to be maintained for the Li family. Li Cheng was that backup plan!

At this moment, he was holding the military intelligence report sent back from the Liaodong Peninsula, his face beaming with joy: "Father has completely controlled Dalian and Lushun. Bali Yuanshan attacked the Zhendongguan Great Wall five times but failed to take it down. It's basically secured. Hahahaha! I knew it. It wouldn't have mattered if I went."

Just then, a fast horse rushed into the naval camp, and the messenger rushed to Li Cheng, shouting, "There are orders from Young Master Yue!"

Li Cheng quickly composed himself: "This subordinate obeys your command."

The messenger pulled out a secret letter and handed it over: "Young Master Yue wants you to act according to the plan..."

Li Cheng took a look and immediately burst out laughing: "Oh, so you're going to show Zhao Gou how powerful our Northern Song navy is? Hehehe! I like this. Brothers, get to work, quick, everyone get moving!"
-
After several days of preparation, Zhao Gou's personal expedition finally set off.

More than thirty imperial ships, under the protection of the navy, set off from Lin'an, headed north into the Yangtze River, and then prepared to sail along the Yangtze River to land in the Jingxiang area.

How outrageous was Zhao Gou? His thirty-odd imperial ships, used for his personal military campaigns, "did not carry precious jewels, but only books." This is a historical fact. In other words, what he was trying to say was: "Look, my imperial ships don't carry those luxurious, decadent, and depraved jewels; they're all filled with books. What a studious emperor I am! Shouldn't you think I'm a wonderful emperor?"

Hey, are you going out to fight a war?
Your ship is loaded with books instead of weapons and armor. Are you out of your mind?
The civil officials on the imperial boat really wanted to complain like that, but no one dared to.

Zhao Gou sat on the deck, pretending to read a book, but his eyes kept glancing to both sides. Only when he glanced at the naval fleet protecting the imperial ship from the corner of his eye did he feel at ease.

Qin Hui stood behind him and whispered, "Your Majesty, rest assured, although there are river bandits on the Yangtze River, with such a large-scale naval deployment, the river bandits will certainly not dare to cause trouble."

Zhao Gou nodded: "Yes!"

Just as the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion. The naval fleet ahead was in chaos, and then someone shouted loudly... The wind was strong on the river, and the shouts were blown away, so they couldn't tell what they were yelling about.

Zhao Gou was taken aback and quickly shielded Qin Hui in front of him: "What happened?"

Qin Hui: "This humble subject does not know either."

A small boat approached from the front, and a junior naval officer on board shouted, "Your Majesty, do not be alarmed! Manichaean remnants have appeared on the river ahead. The navy is dealing with them. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. Those remnants will surely be no match for our heavenly army..."

Zhao Gou was naturally shocked upon hearing this. The Manichaean navy was renowned for its strength and had caused trouble in the Southern Song Dynasty for many years until Yue Fei intervened and finally quelled the unrest.

Zhao Gou exclaimed in a shrill voice, "Manichaeism? Heavens! Where is Yue Fei?"

The junior naval officer said, "General Yue is currently defending the six prefectures of Jingzhou and Xiangyang against the Jin invaders. We, the Jiangnan navy, can handle this mere Mani demon. Your Majesty, please wait a moment..."

"Ah! Kill them!"

"Damn it, kill them."

The battle cries suddenly grew closer, and the navy ahead inexplicably collapsed...

Zhao Gou looked ahead and saw a Manichaean "vehicle-boat" speeding around, causing chaos and disorientation among the navy.

(End of this chapter)