The prince is more stable

Chapter 980 The aftermath of the earthquake
Zhong Jianzhong's 30,000-strong army set off in the twelfth month of the first year of the Jingkang era. After arriving in the northwest, they joined forces with 30,000 border troops transferred from Youzhou, bringing the total strength to 60,000.

This was the main force in the Song Dynasty's war to destroy Western Xia.

Sixty thousand troops is not a large number. In the era of cold weapons, this number of troops could barely support a medium-sized war.

However, Zhong Jianzhong's entire army was equipped with firearms and brought dozens of cannons, so the fighting power of this army could not be measured by the number of people in the era of cold weapons.

Sixty thousand soldiers armed with firearms are enough to destroy a country.

It could even free up a hand to slap the Liao army in the groin.

After Zhong Jianzhong led his army into battle, the people of the Song Dynasty paid close attention to this army and awaited news of its victory.

Zhao Xiaoqian was naturally paying attention as well. Military reports from the Imperial City Guard were frequently sent, and Zhong Jianzhong would also send a report every two or three days, informing him of the army's location and daily speed of march.

It is said that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders, but Zhong Jianzhong's emotional intelligence is not that low. If the emperor says he will not interfere, does he really mean to keep quiet?
Therefore, Zhong Jianzhong would send someone to deliver military intelligence reports every few days. The last time Zhao Xiaoqian received his report was two days ago, in which Zhong Jianzhong said that the army was about to reach Taiyuan Prefecture.

However, since it was winter and the roads were blocked by heavy snow, the march was slow due to the snow cover.

At this time, Zhong Jianzhong was indeed very troubled. The army was not lacking in food and clothing, as the court had made sufficient preparations for food and clothing before the expedition.

However, the season for setting out was really unsuitable. In the freezing cold, the soldiers trudged along the muddy, snow-covered roads, making every step difficult.

The army had been away from Bianjing for more than a month, but had only reached Taiyuan Prefecture, still about twenty days' journey from the northwestern border between Song and Xia.

According to reports from scouts at the front, the Liao army had entered the territory of Western Xia and advanced more than 100 li.

The construction center is in a great hurry; any later and it will be too late.

If the Liao army had already swept through and conquered Western Xia, what would the Song army have done there? Would they have set off fireworks to celebrate?
At this time, his 30,000 troops had just left Taiyuan Prefecture. After replenishing their supplies, the army continued westward. Next, they would cross the Yellow River and meet up with the 30,000 border troops of Youzhou in Xia Prefecture.

"The border troops of Youzhou..." Zhong Jianzhong muttered to himself as he rode his horse through the wind and snow.

Then Zhong Jianzhong shouted, "Someone, ask the scouts where the Youzhou border troops are?"

The adjutant beside him reported, "The 30,000 border troops of Youzhou, led by Guo Cheng, the garrison commander of Youzhou, have already reached the Yellow River."

Zhong Jianzhong nodded. Guo Cheng was also personally ordered to be transferred by the Emperor. Guo Cheng's strength was his expertise in defense, and his ability to defend cities was unparalleled in the world. However, the court was currently lacking good generals, so Zhao Xiaoqian could only rob Peter to pay Paul.

Zhong Jianzhong, the commander-in-chief who destroyed Western Xia, was transferred from the Palace Guard, while Guo Cheng, the deputy commander, was transferred from his post as the garrison commander of Youzhou.

This is why Zhao Xiaoqian was in a hurry to open the military academy; the court was indeed lacking in generals and commanders, to the point that there was no one available.

Just as he was pondering this, a fast horse galloped toward the advancing army; it was the scout sent out by Zhong Jianzhong.

The scout rode his horse, which struggled through knee-deep snow at a slow pace. Thick white smoke billowed from the horse's mouth and nose, indicating that it was working very hard.

"Report! Commander Zhong, the border troops of Youzhou report that three days ago, when the main army was about to cross the Yellow River, a conflict broke out with a Liao army of 10,000 men on the Song-Liao border. The Liao army took the initiative to provoke the conflict. Deputy Commander Guo led the army to fight back and killed more than 2,000 Liao soldiers on the battlefield. The rest of the Liao soldiers scattered and fled. Deputy Commander Guo ordered the troops to withdraw and continue crossing the river."

Zhong Jianzhong was taken aback: "The Liao army actually dared to provoke us? Have they gone mad?"

The scout reported, "This Liao army was supposed to be heading to Western Xia. They were actually raiding along the way, but they were plundering the border people of our Great Song. When Vice Commander Guo heard this, he was furious and ordered the entire army to pursue them. They intercepted the Liao army and engaged them in battle."

Zhong Jianzhong nodded: "That should be the case. The Liao army probably doesn't have the guts to provoke our army now, but they still dare to raid the border people of our Great Song Dynasty. Their crime is unforgivable. Vice Commander Guo did not make a mistake! He was also right to say that the Liao army took the initiative to provoke us."

Then, Zhong Jianzhong's eyes flashed, and he suddenly said, "Someone, send a letter to the Liao army commander-in-chief, in my name, to severely condemn the Liao army's despicable acts of crossing the border to provoke trouble and plundering the people of the Great Song. Finally, tell the Liao army commander-in-chief that if he does not give an explanation for this matter, don't blame my Great Song army for a strong reaction."

"Send another message to Guo Cheng: Do you really think the Liao army still dares to plunder our Song Dynasty's border people? Do you really think our Song Dynasty is still the same pushover it used to be? Order Guo Cheng to send a small elite force north into Liao territory to slaughter and plunder a few tribes. We must retaliate in kind!"

The scouts obeyed and left, while the column continued its winding advance.

Zhong Jianzhong sat on his horse, stroking his chin in deep thought.

Since the Liao army took the initiative to provoke the conflict, this was a perfect reason.

After the allied forces of the two countries destroy Xia, don't blame the Song Dynasty for taking more than its share, since you provoked us first.

Looking at the snow-covered road ahead, Zhong Jianzhong suddenly shouted: "Order all soldiers to work hard today and travel an extra twenty li. After setting up camp tonight, each soldier will receive half a jin of meat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers around Zhong Jianzhong cheered, and even his warhorse seemed to sense the joy, its hooves moving with even more vigor.

…………

Nanjing City.

In a luxurious mansion not far to the left of the government office, an old man sat dejectedly in the front hall, his eyes filled with despair.

The Nanjing officialdom was completely wiped out, and the powerful landlords in the seven counties under its jurisdiction were also greatly impacted.

This is not just a matter for officials; when something goes wrong in officialdom, it will inevitably affect all aspects of life for ordinary people.

Many networks of collusion between officials and their interests will be torn apart and destroyed. This purge of Nanjing's officialdom by the imperial court is still ongoing. At least a dozen officials from the Censorate have come to Nanjing to conduct investigations, and it is said that the Imperial City Guard is also involved.

The network of interests that once colluded between Nanjing officials and local powerful merchants will gradually be exposed and brought to light.

At this moment, the elderly man in the luxurious mansion in Nanjing is just one thread in a network of interests.

The old man was neither an official nor a merchant; he was simply a landlord.

The only difference between this landlord and others was that he and his clansmen owned a little more land and had a slightly deeper relationship with the Bianjing court.

"A little bit more" means a tiny bit more.

The old man and his family members probably didn't even remember how much land they owned.

I remember that in the first year of Shaosheng, the family did a rough count. The family owned about 150,000 hectares of land in the seven counties under Nanjing's jurisdiction.

This number is more than the land owned by the Empress Dowager's maternal relatives.

To own so much land, a network of vested interests is certainly very important.

The old man's family had long since gained complete control over the Nanjing Garrison and the officials, including the magistrates of the seven counties under its jurisdiction. They even frequently offered gifts to some powerful figures in the Bianjing court.

Without such strong connections, how could he have kept his 150,000 hectares of land?
Throughout China's millennia-long history of dynastic changes, the relationship between officials, merchants, and landlords has remained constant.

But at this moment, the old man's face was filled with despair.

The Nanjing officialdom was completely ruined, but the imperial court showed no sign of stopping.

Officials were dealt with, some even having their entire families exterminated. The Censorate and the Imperial City Guard had set their sights on the network of interests outside of Nanjing's officialdom.

Does the matter end when an official dies?
impossible.

It should be understood that Li Huai, the garrison commander of Nanjing, dared to instigate a popular uprising. Such a serious and heinous incident could not be resolved simply by killing a few officials. The emperor and the court would not be so foolish.

The murder has occurred, and the case must be thoroughly investigated. All vested interests must be eradicated, and the land must be redistributed. The imperial court has found the perfect excuse to carry out a fair redistribution of the land in Nanjing.

From now on, large landowners will not be allowed to exist in Nanjing.

The old man and his family naturally came under the watchful eyes of the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard.

This is the aftershock of the earthquake.

When the state apparatus begins to operate seriously and diligently, even the aftershocks are something that individuals and families cannot afford to bear.

In an instant, they faced the disaster of losing everything.

It possessed 150,000 hectares of land, but the official registers of the seven counties under its jurisdiction showed that it only owned less than 10,000 hectares.

The old man's family concealed the existence of over 140,000 hectares of land. This meant that the grain produced from these 140,000 hectares of land was exempt from any taxation, which was a fatal flaw.

After the Nanjing officialdom was overthrown, the officials involved were subjected to severe interrogation, and this old man had already come under the watchful eyes of the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard.

At this moment, the old man sat in his mansion, while countless pairs of eyes from the imperial court were coldly watching him from outside.

The old man's family was quite prominent many years ago; his ancestors were generals under Shi Jingtang.

That's Shi Jingtang, the one who surrendered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and called himself the "Son Emperor" to the Liao Dynasty—a scoundrel who will be infamous for eternity.

The old man's ancestors were relatively upright. After Shi Jingtang surrendered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, his ancestors were filled with grief and indignation but were powerless to stop him. So they had no choice but to lead the entire clan south to surrender to the Song Dynasty and later settled in Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture.

Ancestors may be upright, but their descendants may not necessarily live up to their reputation.

After three generations, the family gradually changed. They became greedy for power, money, and land, and seized them by any means necessary, committing countless acts of extortion and plunder.

It was only in his generation that they finally acquired 150,000 hectares of land, as well as seemingly impenetrable chains of interest involving various sectors such as officialdom, business, and local powerful families.

But now, the wealth accumulated over three generations is about to be wiped out overnight.

The sound of hurried footsteps interrupted the old man's thoughts, and a servant appeared in front of him in a flustered manner.

"My lord, something terrible has happened! Reports from below that the imperial court has appointed a new garrison commander for Nanjing, and the magistrates of the seven counties under its jurisdiction have also been appointed by the Ministry of Personnel..."

"The first thing they did after taking office was to investigate the population and land under their jurisdiction. They refused to recognize any of the land registers previously made by the government, saying that they would re-investigate and measure them."

"The newly appointed governor of Nanjing is named Zheng Chaozong. He was once a Jilu Fengyilang (a low-ranking official in charge of official duties). Later, he was appreciated by the emperor and promoted to Zizhengdian Xueshi (a scholar of the Zizheng Hall) and acting governor of the Jingji Circuit. He is upright and honest, loyal to the emperor, and difficult to bribe."

(End of this chapter)