The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

What's the problem with Chapter 481?
Qin Hui's faction began preparations.

They will need some time to prepare to launch this series of conspiracies.

During this time, Yue Wenxuan didn't intend to be idle either...

Outside the south gate of Lin'an City, a large group of civil officials were seeing off a middle-aged man.

This man's name was Li Gang, the leader of the pro-war faction, and later he was also regarded as a famous minister who resisted the Jin dynasty and a national hero.

But at this point, he had reached the darkest moment of his life.

The moment the Jin state took the initiative to express its intention to "negotiate peace," Zhao Gou lost all interest in fighting. The peace faction gained the upper hand, and he, as the leader of the war faction, had to step down from the stage of history.

In the original history, Li Gang died of illness in 1140, when the Song and Jin dynasties began to negotiate peace. However, in this timeline, the Jin dynasty surrendered earlier, so Li Gang was still in good health and showed no signs of dying.

Although he was not sick, he was demoted and sent to Qiongzhou.

Qiongzhou, also known as Haikou City in Hainan, was a largely undeveloped and desolate place during the Song Dynasty. To call it a "barren wasteland" would be an understatement. The fact that Li Gang was sent to such a place shows how bleak his future was.

He gazed in the direction of the distant palace, his face filled with sorrow, and said to the officials who had come to see him off, "Now the court is only filled with a bunch of demons and monsters. Alas... I don't know where the future of my Great Song Dynasty lies."

Those who came to see him off were all patriots, their expressions filled with grief: "Alas! His Majesty... His Majesty, I don't know what he's thinking. Our soldiers on the front lines fought valiantly, and in the Battle of Nanyang, we clearly had the upper hand, routing the Jin invaders. With the Seventeenth Prince constantly providing assistance, we could have recaptured Kaifeng in one battle. But His Majesty, at this moment... Alas..."

Li Gang cried out, "It is the treacherous officials of the appeasement faction who have deceived the Emperor. Unfortunately, I cannot overthrow these treacherous officials; it is my incompetence!"

A large group of scholars wept bitterly, feeling utterly hopeless about the court.

However, they were just scholars, without any soldiers, and there was nothing they could do but cry. After crying, those who had to go still had to go.

Li Gang bid farewell to the scholars, mounted his horse, and set off for Qiongzhou with dozens of followers.

Feeling gloomy, he naturally had no desire to appreciate the scenery. As he rode his horse, his pupils were unfocused, and he completely let the servants lead him along...

They didn't know how long they had walked or where they were, when suddenly, a servant in front of them shouted sternly, "Who goes there? How dare you block our way? This is Prime Minister Li's entourage! Do you have a death wish?"

Then, a gentle voice rang out: "I am stopping Prime Minister Li's entourage."

The servants were startled. They knew it was Li Gang's group, yet they still dared to stop them. They thought the visitors were not friendly. Dozens of servants drew their swords at the same time, and the clanging sound of their swords rang out continuously.

Li Gang's mind finally cleared. Looking around, he realized that his group had reached a deserted place. Dozens of servants were protecting him. Ahead, a young master sat on the road, and behind him stood a group of men who looked like they were not to be trifled with. They were not carrying weapons, but the aura they exuded was more powerful than that of his servants when they were armed, giving people a feeling of overwhelming pressure.

Li Gang's spirits lifted, and he clasped his hands in greeting from his horse: "Who are you, sir? Since you know I am Li Gang, why do you still block my way? You must have something to teach me."

The young man smiled and said, "My name is Yue Wenxuan."

Upon hearing these three words, Li Gang nearly jumped up in shock: "Holy crap, the mastermind behind the Northern Song Dynasty! It's said that Zhao Shi and Gong Erniangzi both listen to him."

Li Gang's pupils contracted: "You've come!"

Yue Wenxuan: "I'm here!"

Li Gang: "You shouldn't have come..." "Stop!" Yue Wenxuan: "What's going on? Why is the conversation suddenly turning into a Gu Long style? Lord Li, please don't do this, please don't do this, I'm scared when you talk like this."

Li Gang: "???"

Completely bewildered, not understanding what Yue Wenxuan was talking about, but for some reason, the situation suddenly eased, and the tense atmosphere between the two sides was shattered by Yue Wenxuan's nonsense.

Li Gang knew that since the other party dared to show up here, he must have made preparations. His servants were definitely not enough to take him down. Even if he urgently sent people to mobilize troops, the other party was confident that he could retreat calmly.

Thinking of this, Li Gang abandoned the idea of ​​having his servants do it: "What do you have to say?"

Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "Prime Minister Li, our allied forces of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties have defeated the Jin army in the Central Plains and thwarted their offensives many times. We are now facing an excellent opportunity to join forces to attack Kaifeng and reclaim the former capital of the Song Dynasty. All we need to do is have Yue Fei send troops from the six prefectures of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and our Northern Song Dynasty send troops from Chenliu. When the two armies meet at the gates of Kaifeng, it should be an easy task to take it down."

Li Gang certainly agreed with what he said, or rather, that was Li Gang's intention.

But Li Gang sighed sadly, unable to respond at all.

Yue Wenxuan said, "Just because the Jin Kingdom expressed its willingness to 'negotiate peace,' the Southern Song Dynasty immediately backed down. This is probably not what Prime Minister Li wanted to see, is it?"

Li Gang: "Of course I don't want to see this, but what can I do? I strongly opposed it and argued my case, and the result was that I was demoted to Qiongzhou, to that godforsaken place to do a sinecure. Now that you've come to me, there's nothing I can do to help you. The only thing I can do now is go to Qiongzhou and get some local specialties for you to eat. Do you want some?"

When he said the last two sentences, he was clearly trying to find humor in his suffering, deliberately telling nonsensical jokes to dispel his emotions that were about to explode.

Yue Wenxuan smiled: "Prime Minister Li, what do you think are the problems facing the Southern Song Dynasty right now?"

Without a second thought, Li Gang said, "Of course they are treacherous officials! A whole bunch of spineless treacherous officials, creating chaos and deceiving the emperor."

Yue Wenxuan: "Is he really a treacherous minister?"

Li Gang: "What do you mean by this?"

Yue Wenxuan: "Why can treacherous officials do whatever they want? Is it because they are better at handling government affairs than Prime Minister Li? Or is it because they have more popular support from the army and the people than Prime Minister Li?"

Li Gang: "How is that possible? These scoundrels have no ability, no morale in the army, and no popular support!"

Yue Wenxuan shrugged: "Then why were they able to defeat you and send you to Qiongzhou?"

Li Gang angrily retorted, "Isn't it because they have gained the emperor's favor?"

Yue Wenxuan clapped his hands: "Congratulations, Prime Minister Li, for grasping the core of the problem. The reason why treacherous officials stir up trouble is because they have the emperor's favor. Now, Prime Minister Li, think again, where exactly does the problem of the Southern Song Dynasty lie?"

Li Gang: "..."

The scene fell silent, an eerie silence...

For a very long time, Li Gang remained silent!

In fact, he knew where the problem lay; he didn't need Yue Wenxuan to point it out to him. He just didn't want to admit it.

(End of this chapter)