You have truly caused me great suffering!

Zhu Lingling hosted a welcome banquet for Chen Shao, inviting many civil and military officials.

The main banquet was held at Zhu Ling's residence. Because there were so many people, the roads outside were blocked, so many tables were set up in the courtyard.

As Chen Shao emerged from the main hall, his ears were filled with the buzzing of voices. There were so many people making a racket that he couldn't make out what they were saying. He saw that the officials and soldiers were all gathered around the tables, laughing and joking, having a great time.

After meeting Chen Shao, these people became even more agitated, chattering away.

Old Zhu watched from the side, his face flushed with embarrassment; these subordinates had indeed made him lose face.

Fortunately, Chen Shao didn't care.

Managing these civil and military officials was not his job. Chen Shao's task now was simply to identify and point out the problems.

Old Zhu is very perceptive; he will definitely come up with a solution afterward.

Chen Shao and a group of officials greeted each other with smiles, and then Old Zhu led them inside. They walked through the front yard and the servants behind them closed the door. Immediately, the noise outside seemed to be blocked by the wall, and the sound became much quieter. After walking a while to the north, it became even quieter.

There was even the sound of a pipa, which attracted Chen Shao's attention. He looked from afar and saw a curtain under the eaves, half-hidden and half-revealed. He could vaguely see many women sitting inside, and one of them, a woman in a silk skirt, was playing the pipa.

Chen Shao couldn't help but find it amusing. This old Zhu had really learned something; these were probably singers and musicians he had hired from brothels in the city.

Their pavilion was right opposite Chen Shao and the others' private room, ensuring they could hear the music, but these people couldn't hear what they were talking about.

They stepped into a private room where there were only three people, all of whom stood up.

They were Qu Duan, the Commandant of Yinzhou; Lu Yi, the Prefectural Magistrate of Yinzhou; and a scholar.

Chen Shao noticed that the man looked familiar and glanced at him. Zhu Lingling quickly introduced him, "General, this is Geng Nanzhong, formerly a scholar of the Baowen Pavilion, also known as Geng Xidao."

Chen Shao suddenly realized that he had been to his residence before and had been beaten and scolded by him.

Geng Nanzhong was not embarrassed at all and said with a smile, "I have resigned from my post and am willing to serve in Yinzhou Prefecture."

He was also trying his best to hide his embarrassment and had prepared for the worst. Even though Chen Shao was sarcastic towards him, Geng Nanzhong decided not to leave.

He had previously bet on the Crown Prince, but after spending a long time in Bianliang, the central government, he gradually realized that the Crown Prince had serious problems and that it was questionable whether he could successfully succeed to the throne.

The problems of the Song Dynasty are even greater than those of the Crown Prince.

He witnessed the collapse of the Song Dynasty's finances firsthand. After reorganizing the Imperial Guards, Geng Nanzhong thought he had seen a glimmer of hope, but in the end, the Song Dynasty, under Cai Jing's control, quickly became a tool for the government to amass wealth.

Cai Jing's crackdown on these people meant that Geng Nanzhong couldn't gain any real power in Bianliang over the years.

She spent her days in the Eastern Palace accompanying that cowardly and useless crown prince as he studied.

"Welcome, welcome." Although Chen Shao didn't know why, this man held a very high official position, and his resignation to join him would be very useful for his future conquest of the Central Plains.

Chen Shao's attitude brightened Geng Nanzhong's expression, and he became even more certain that he had not made the wrong choice.

A good bird chooses its tree to perch on. Geng Nanzhong is well-read, knowledgeable about historical events, and has a longer-term perspective than most people.

In such times, with the Jurchens about to invade the south, this is the only army in the world capable of fighting.

What's so great about that little job at the Crown Prince's Palace!
Zhu Lingling led the Seven Qiang of Hengshan to surrender to the Song Dynasty, which was a great achievement. Therefore, the imperial court's reward was even more generous than that for Chen Shao at one point.

His official rank was also very high, holding the positions of Prefect of Yinzhou, City Defense Commissioner, and Market Commissioner, all of which were of the fourth rank.

Of course, the official position was given by the Song Dynasty, but the power was given by Chen Shao, who also paid close attention to strengthening their relationship.

He took three of his daughters as wives, further strengthening their kinship.

After everyone was seated and exchanged pleasantries, Geng Nanzhong suddenly asked, "Have you all read the message from the other day?"

"What message?"

"The Emperor intends to reinstate Li Gang, and Cai Jing may be dismissed from his post as Prime Minister again."

Chen Shao was indeed unaware of this news, probably because he was on his way, while the spies in Bianliang, due to the delay in information delivery, still managed to send the intelligence to Xiping Prefecture.

Chen Shao felt somewhat puzzled. Thinking of Geng Nanzhong's long-standing involvement in the world of fame and fortune in Bianliang, he asked, "Isn't Prime Minister Cai doing a good job? Why is this happening?"

“The Emperor is going to use Cai You to pacify Hebei and Hedong. If Cai Jing continues to hold the position of Chancellor, the power of the father and son will be too great, which is against the rules.” Geng Nanzhong laughed and said, “Of course, this is only the superficial reason. If the Emperor really wants to continue to use Cai Jing, he will not let his son pacify Hedong and Hebei.”

"In the end, Cai Jing's lust for power and position has crossed the line with the emperor; he has committed a taboo!"

When Geng Nanzhong talked about Cai Jing's misfortune, his tone was filled with barely suppressed glee.

Chen Shao, however, was calmly analyzing the situation. His focus was not on Cai Jing's dismissal as prime minister, but on Cai You's pacification efforts.

Chen Shao knew Cai You perfectly well; he was a complete good-for-nothing who was more trouble than he was worth!
Being a good-for-nothing is one thing, but the key issue is that this person is extremely selfish and greedy. Under the protection of the emperor and Cai Jing, he has become even more audacious over the years.

The area east and north of the Yellow River—what a crucial position it is today!
Historically, it was Cai You's misdeeds in Hebei that allowed Wanyan Zongwang to advance so quickly!

Zhu Lingling didn't know much about what was happening in Bianliang, but he listened very attentively. Suddenly, he interjected, "Could it be that the Emperor Zhao wanted to dismiss Cai You as prime minister, so he deliberately gave him an important post?"

The people at the table all gave wry smiles.

Chen Shao was speechless; this method of checks and balances was utter nonsense.

Cai You hangs around you all day long, don't you really understand him?
Or perhaps Emperor Huizong simply wanted Cai You to be like Zhu Mian, simply to go out and plunder money for his own amusement.

"How is Yelü Yanxi doing lately?" Chen Shao asked instead, too lazy to think about these trivial matters anymore.

Qu Duan said, "Wanyan Aguda's death allowed him to escape a calamity, and he has now fled into Yinshan. Yin Shuke wiped out his last troops, and he is now just a skeleton in a tomb. Sooner or later, he will be captured by the Jurchens."

Lu Yi said, "He should die now to avoid being humiliated by the Jurchens."

Chen Shao nodded. A peaceful death was better than falling into the hands of the Jurchens.

You should know that the Jurchens hated him the most.

Anyway, I've already enjoyed life to the fullest, and even if I die for my country, I'll still have a good reputation.

However, Yelü Yanxi certainly didn't have that courage.

Chen Shao said, "This time, Zhang Jue abandoned the Jin and returned to the Song. The court appointed him as the military governor of Taining. The Jurchens will definitely use this as a pretext to invade the Song from the south. A major war is imminent, and we must make preparations as soon as possible."

Geng Nanzhong suddenly said, "In my opinion, without eliminating the treacherous and wicked people around the emperor, it will be difficult to resist the invasion of the Jurchen Tartars."

Chen Shao swallowed hard. Scholars are ruthless, aren't they? If you don't give me a powerful official position, I'll really make you pay.
"Commander Chen now commands a strong army and spreads benevolence far and wide, making him the perfect candidate to cleanse the emperor's inner circle."

At this point, Chen Shao stopped hiding his intentions and said, "This matter cannot be forced; we need to patiently wait for an opportunity."

The group raised their glasses from the cork table and, without saying a word, tacitly drank a toast.
-
Pingzhou City.

Both inside and outside the city, there was a scene of utter devastation.

From the four gates of Pingzhou outwards, the roads were trampled with large swathes of horses' hooves, and even the distant wheat fields were flattened into mud.

Countless corpses lay scattered across the land around Pingzhou City.

For more than ten miles, there were overturned carts, discarded valuables, tattered clothes, and trampled shoes.

Occasionally, the cries of children could be heard on the desolate land outside the now lifeless city.

These are children who have been separated from their parents in the night, crying helplessly, knowing that only death awaits them.

Black smoke rose everywhere, both inside and outside the city. Some of the smoke was still swirling with sparks, while in others it gradually thinned and died out.

After Wanyan Zongwang broke through the eastern city again, he deliberately left the southern city unsieged, allowing the people in the city to flee.

Then, when they were halfway to safety, elite troops were sent to pursue them, leaving corpses everywhere.

There were still nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians in the city, and some who were unwilling to abandon their homeland hid in their homes, hoping that the Jurchens would show mercy.

At this time, the Xi army had been defeated by the Jurchen Tartars, and Xiao Gan had no choice but to lead his troops back.

Wang Anzhong of Yanjing Prefecture dared not send troops, but when the city fell, Guo Yaoshi sent Zhen Wuchen to its rescue.

When Zhen Wuchen led his troops to the other side of the river, they were met by a group of cavalrymen who came in a hurry. Several large carts were loaded with military equipment and provisions, making the carts creak and groan.

Several hundred Pingzhou soldiers, led by Zhang Huai, donned their armor, drew their swords, and stood guard vigilantly. Only after recognizing the banners of the approaching men did they say to Zhang Jue, "Commander Zhang, it is Wu Chen!"

Zhen Wuchen stared blankly at Zhang Jue's troops. "Why did you take the grain and flee?"
Just burn it down!
They brought food, and on the two carts piled high, sat a dozen or so children, their dirty little faces streaked with tears. Now tired of crying, they grabbed the wheat cakes the Pingzhou soldiers had given them and nibbled on them bit by bit.

These children were all separated from their parents along the way and were picked up by the soldiers.

Zhang Jue was also riding on horseback at this time, looking somewhat disheveled.

"Five ministers, I never thought we'd meet again alive!"

Zhen Wuchen quickly said, "Brother-in-law, quickly abandon these useless supplies and follow me on light cavalry to Yanshan Prefecture!"

"The Song people are untrustworthy and will not come to our aid!" Zhang Jue cursed. "I would rather die than go!"

"Let's go to Runzhou and continue the resistance!"

Zhen Wuchen said helplessly, "Runzhou is no match for Pingzhou. How can we possibly defend it? Let's go to Yanjing together, and then Brother Guo can persuade the Song court to send troops. We'll fight our way back!"

These words made Zhang Jue somewhat tempted.

"Can they really send troops?"

Zhen Wuchen said with a wry smile, "Even if the Song Dynasty doesn't send troops, the Jurchens will still come to attack this time. Won't the result be the same?"

Zhang Jue thought to himself, "That makes sense. At this point, it's impossible not to start a war."

Before he could speak, Zhang Huai said, "Zhang Shuai, you guys go first, I'll cover you from behind!"

Zhang Jue felt sad and said to him, "Let's meet in Yanjing as soon as possible!"

Zhang Huai, weapon in hand, clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned his horse around, and said, "Brothers, follow me!"

Beneath the great banner, Wanyan Zongwang looked at Pingzhou City shrouded in smoke and dust, his eyes gleaming.

A short while later, a Jurchen Tartar returned and said something to him.

Wanyan Zongwang nodded in satisfaction. "Let Zhang Jue go. Once he enters Yanjing, we'll send someone to demand his return. If they refuse, that will be a reason to march south. If we hand Zhang Jue over, the hearts of the Han people in Yan will be broken." (End of Chapter)