You have truly caused me great suffering!

The west wind is blowing hard, and the evening clouds hang low.

Within the city of Taiyuan, the flames of war that had engulfed the region since the outbreak of conflict between the Jin and Song dynasties remained completely unaffected.

The people in the city continued to live their lives as usual. Those who had fled from Hebei also settled down with relatives and friends.

Even without relatives or friends, Yangqu County arranged for many temples and monasteries to take in the refugees, providing them with firewood, rice, soy sauce, vinegar, and a few coins of bean and vegetable money each day.

Although the Tartars withdrew, these still-shaken refugees had no intention of returning to Hebei.

Because everyone knew that the Tartars could march south at any time, and there were no troops guarding Hebei.

It was as if the Song Dynasty had abandoned them.

Besides the refugees from the Song Dynasty, there were also many refugees from various prefectures in Yunnei, especially Shuozhou, who came to Taiyuan Prefecture by attaching themselves to the Yinzhou Army.

Speaking of which, the prefectures in Yunnei have now returned to the rule of the Song Dynasty, but they are still different from the people who fled from Hebei and other places.

These tens of thousands of refugees set up tents and dug out dugouts along the outskirts of the city, arranging themselves neatly under the supervision of the Dingnan Army soldiers, just like in the army.

The refugees lived in shelters, receiving daily rations of rice, firewood, and coal from the Taiyuan Prefecture.

After raising them for so long, it's finally time to put them to use. I've been giving out more rice these past few days.

Many families had already lost their homes and had no intention of returning. So Chen Shao simply established seven or eight new battalions, drawing soldiers from the veterans and assigning them military officers, captains, and sergeants.

These men who managed to escape the Tartars' iron hooves, crossing mountains and valleys to flee to Hedong, were all strong, hardworking, and harbored deep hatred for the Tartars.

They can be described as top-quality recruits.

This means that the Dingnan Army has expanded by more than 3,000 men! As long as they are fully equipped and properly trained in battle formations over the winter, the capable soldiers drawn from the Dingnan Army will be a fairly good force within the Song Dynasty.

In the past, if a border general had expanded his army without authorization, it would have naturally aroused fear from all sides. Countless memorials from Hedong Road would have been sent to Bianliang, and the officials in the court would have been on high alert, immediately dealing with the Dingnan Army.

But nowadays, no one dares to say a word.

Who dares to take responsibility for driving the Dingnan Army into rebellion?
Li Gang, who used to frequently petition for the disbandment of the Dingnan Army, has recently become much more careful with his words, trying to avoid mentioning Chen Shao.

Even if some people still refused to submit to the tyranny of these military officials and wanted to file some kind of complaint in Bianliang, it was already impossible to expect the central government to step in and deal with the arrogant military officials.

After so many years of rule, the Song Dynasty finally reached its end. This dynasty, which was built by warriors with a single military stick, ultimately fell into an abyss of no return due to excessive suppression of military men and excessive indulgence of civil officials.

Dozens of riders slowly returned from outside the city, discussing something on horseback, occasionally pointing north.

These people were Chen Shao and Li Tangchen, the prefect of Taiyuan, who were inspecting the area along the way out of the city.

Dingnan Army is known for its swift and decisive actions. Now that they have decided to build a road, preliminary preparations have already begun.

Heading north from Taiyuan, the route passes through many river valleys and ancient Tang Dynasty roads, making road construction relatively easy.

Once the road is built, Yingzhou's importance will rise to another level.

A middle-aged farmer in the field saw Chen Shao and his men and suddenly waved his hands, shouting, "Commander Chen!"

Chen Shao turned his head and looked, but he didn't recognize him.

The farmer grinned and said, "I've been following you since Yuanbao Village. Now, I'm following the orders of the government and moving my whole family to Hedong!"

Chen Shao grabbed the horse's reins and laughed as he scolded, "Then you're the most useless one. Any brother from Yuanbao Village who dared to go into battle would be at least a captain by now."

"What do you want?"

Yuanbaozhai followed him all the way, and now they've even come to Hedong. This is truly a case of initial public offering (IPO) stock.

Moreover, they are particularly obedient. This time, when we mobilized people from the Northwest to come to Hedong, not many people responded because people in the Northwest are living very comfortably now.

After fighting for hundreds of years, suddenly there were no enemies on all sides. The only ones they needed to guard against were the starving Tibetans on the plateau.

If the farmer needs any help, Chen Shao is happy to lend a hand.

"It's nothing, just wanted to let you know that this year's harvest is fantastic! Look at this wheat, a huge harvest, a truly huge harvest!"

Those shouts, delivered with a Kansai accent and brimming with excitement, were truly moving.

"You son of a bitch, you're shouting so loudly, like you've won a great battle."

The farmer laughed heartily and said, "For farmers, encountering a bumper harvest is like winning a great victory!"

Chen Shao smiled, waved his whip, bid farewell to the farmer, and entered Taiyuan City.

His mood immediately improved.

When parting with Li Tangchen, Chen Shao gave him special instructions: "Next year, you must do a good job in encouraging farmers. Reward those who grow well with farm tools; drag out the lazy farmers who have neglected their fields and parade them through the streets!"

Li Tangchen nodded. Encouraging agriculture has always been a very important responsibility of local officials, but in recent years the government of the Song Dynasty has almost neglected this function.

On this land, even if you have lofty ambitions, you still have to follow the rules of this land—first, cultivate the land well.
-
Back at his residence, Chen Shao removed his cloak, looked at the exquisitely set dining table, and smiled, "Have you prepared everything I asked for?"

Li Yumei quickly stepped forward and said as if presenting a treasure, "Don't worry, sir, not a single item is missing."

"That's good."

Chen Shao instructed them to prepare some gold and jewels as gifts, which the caravan would then take back to Xiping Prefecture and the Liu family residence in Fuyan Road.

He prepared jade pendants and children's toys to send to his wives, concubines, aunts, and even his youngest daughter.

Li Yumei and Liu Caiwei were not jealous at all when they saw him preparing gifts for his family; in fact, they were very happy.

They were surprised to find that the concubines also received gifts.

This means that her future status will not be too low, and that her husband is a good husband who cherishes his concubine.

While away fighting on the front lines, and with the festival upon us, Chen Shao thought of those familiar faces and realized it had been years since he had seen them.

A day apart feels like three autumns.

Without Li Shishi's generous help, he might not have had such a smooth journey. Later, she took meticulous care of him during their time together.

When I read history books in the past, I felt a little envious of the story of Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Guo Wei, and Empress Shengmu, Chai Shi.

Now that he has such a woman by his side, how could he not miss her?

Li Yumei laughed and said, "Master is really sentimental. A day apart feels like three autumns. We see each other every day, so he's not worth anything."

Chen Shao laughed and patted her cheek, "You two little vixens, it feels like we've been apart for ages since we last met."
-
It took nearly a month for Bianliang to recover after the Jurchen army withdrew.

Since the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Taizu, there had been no more wars around Bianliang. People simply did not believe that Kaifeng Prefecture would be at war.

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and in previous years, the city would have been celebrating wildly.

The streets of Bianliang must be bustling with activity, teeming with people and vehicles. Not to mention places like the Xiangguo Temple, which would be packed with people, making it impossible to even squeeze in.

However, this year, although there were still some celebratory events, they seemed rather strange.

The facade of prosperity crumbled at the slightest touch, revealing the harsh reality before us.

Although there are no more Tartars outside the city, the troops from all over the country who came to support the emperor have not yet withdrawn.

It was still in a state of chaos and turmoil.

Most residents of Bianliang, as long as they had firewood and rice at home, would cautiously stay indoors.

But those families who barely scrape by still have to go out and find a way to make a living.

While the main restaurants were closed, some small eateries were still discreetly open.

Larger houses have heavy doors that are locked, with the door half-closed and a corner of the curtain lifted.

Even though the firewood shop was closed, villagers from the surrounding suburbs still carried loads of firewood and hawked their wares.

Some soup shops selling drinks also quietly opened their doors, but posted signs on their menus prohibiting people from discussing court affairs.

In previous years, during such a festive season, the officials of the Song Dynasty were always quite carefree. They would stay at home, relax, and meet with friends, and were too lazy to go to the government office to report for duty.

In the afternoon, antique soup would be served, along with a few cups of chrysanthemum wine, and three or five young ladies would be invited to gather with friends for a lively and leisurely chat.

For the officials of the Song Dynasty, this good life had lasted for a century, and they had long been accustomed to it.

All that hard work and years of studying, isn't it all for the sake of living this kind of life?

As for those wise and virtuous ministers who worked tirelessly day and night to mend and repair the country, they have not been seen for many years!

However, at this moment, in the chilly autumn wind, these officials of the Great Song Dynasty were dressed in their official robes, some accompanied by their entourage, others traveling light and simply.

Everyone was very conscientious and went to their respective offices early, staying until the appointed time to go home, regardless of whether they had anything to do.

Suddenly, a group of guards appeared on the street. These guards all led tall horses, wore sable hats, and were dressed in red robes without armor.

He wore a long sword and a dagger at his waist, and had a bow and arrow quiver on the side of his saddle.

It looked truly magnificent, but the people, hiding in the shadows, couldn't help but spit out a few curses.

Everyone donated money and supplies to help Commander Gao Taiwei train this new army in the capital.

While Bianliang was besieged and the people of the capital region were being massacred, they remained hidden in their military camps and did not show themselves.

The constables of Kaifeng Prefecture have all gone up to the city wall to stand guard!

These guards escorted the retired emperor's palanquin straight to the palace.

Since moving out of that palace, he has rarely returned, only occasionally visiting the capital for sacrificial ceremonies and grand court assemblies.

They always leave in a hurry and never stay overnight.

Because a Taoist priest had calculated for him that the imperial city was not his lucky place, but Genyue was.
-
The Imperial City, Xuande Gate.

Xuande Gate was the main gate of the inner palace, consisting of five gates, all with gold nails and vermilion lacquer, brick and stone walls, and engraved with dragons, phoenixes and flying clouds. The gates were decorated with carved eaves and painted beams, with towering rafters and layered eaves, and covered with glazed tiles.

Emperor Zhao Huan, accompanied by a group of trusted confidants and court officials, awaited the arrival of the retired emperor's palanquin. Zhao Huan wore a distressed expression, his brow furrowed in worry.

He already knew why the Emperor Emeritus had come.

He ran out of money and needed to withdraw funds from the inner treasury of Yanfu Palace.

As a son, he shouldn't have stopped him, but Zhao Huan still needed to use the money to negotiate peace with Wanyan Zongwang.

Even if Wanyan Zongwang doesn't want it anymore, he'll still need this money to maintain his military if he attacks again in the future.

Having experienced the previous siege, Zhao Huan was now extremely wary, and his greatest fear was that the Jin army would return.

Unfortunately, his father repeatedly sent people to demand money from him, which nearly drove Zhao Huan mad.

Now that he has come in person, it's clear he won't give up until he gets the money.

Zhao Huan brought Li Gang with him today, even though their relationship has been quite bad lately.

Li Gang was a bit domineering. When the Jin army was around, the emperor and his ministers were still of one mind.

The conflict was temporarily suppressed.

After the Jin army withdrew, Li Gang became increasingly autocratic, and now Zhao Huan has supported Wu Min, who is gradually replacing Li Gang's position.

However, Wu Min dared not confront the Emperor Emeritus, so this matter had to be handled by Li Gang, who had dared to rebuke the Emperor Emeritus since he was young and was considered a veteran.

Such old-fashioned Song Dynasty scholar-officials, who dared to "speak out against the emperor's faults," were once rampant in the mid-Song Dynasty, but are now extremely rare.

Seeing Zhao Huan's state, Wu Min quietly comforted him, "Your Majesty, do not worry. We will speak frankly for you in a moment."

"Thank you very much, my dear minister," Zhao Huan said sincerely.

These four words warmed the hearts of the officials present, especially those from the old party and the reformist faction.

What a good emperor!

This is truly a good emperor of our Great Song Dynasty!
Li Gang sighed inwardly. If only the emperor had a little more backbone and hadn't been so focused on sending tribute and reparations to the Jurchen Tartars every day.

The Song Dynasty has reached a point where it is practically on the verge of collapse; how could it possibly spend money to aid the enemy?

Another point is that the emperor is too lenient with the retired emperor, and has not yet dealt with the likes of Liang Shicheng, Wang Fu, and Cai Jing.

What if these treacherous officials, under the leadership of the retired emperor, make a comeback and seize control of the government?

Is the fact that the emperor summoned me this time the beginning of a thaw in relations?

At this moment, the Emperor Emeritus's carriage slowly approached.

Those valiant and valiant new soldiers of the capital, riding tall horses, immediately gave everyone a taste of their power.

Zhao Huan's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He felt that being an official was truly exhausting.
The Jurchens threatened him with their troops; the Dingnan army threatened him with their troops; now his father also wants to threaten him with his troops.
They're all just trying to get money from me.

I have no money!
He would rather give the money in the treasury to the Jurchens than to his father.

Because he had given it to the Jurchens, he naively believed that Wanyan Zongwang would keep his word and not invade the Song Dynasty again.

As for the money given to his father, Zhao Huan knew very well that it would most likely be squandered by his father, leaving no trace.

They build magnificent palaces and gardens, but never actually visit them!

The gifts bestowed upon Taoist concubines were often hundreds of thousands of strings of cash, and the key point was that they were not given in a one-time payment, but rather as monthly stipends!
Diet: They ate delicacies from land and sea every day, which were transported from all over the country to Bianliang. Sometimes, the delicacies were not eaten after they arrived and were left to rot.

For example, lychees transported from Fujian to Kaifeng were worth 10 strings of cash each and required fast horses to transport them day and night; pufferfish transported from Jiangnan to Kaifeng were worth 50 strings of cash each; and wine imported from the Western Regions was worth 100 strings of cash per bottle.
These things were needed every day, and the cost accumulated over time was enormous, yet Emperor Huizong only ate a bite occasionally.

Not to mention the embroidered dragon robes and brocade garments, which were woven new every day, but he might not actually wear them.

This astonishing waste of food pales in comparison to his spending on art.
Each garden required an area of ​​over ten miles, with undulating peaks, crisscrossing ponds, hundreds of pavilions and towers, and was filled with rare flowers and exotic stones, costing an immeasurable amount.

The key is that he's addicted to doing this kind of thing; sometimes he'll even tear down the old garden and rebuild it from scratch.

When Zhao Ji stepped down from the imperial carriage, everyone saw that the person accompanying him was none other than Liang Shicheng, who had not been seen for a long time.

Having been suppressed by this hidden phenomenon for over a decade, that deep-seated fear returned.

Many officials lowered their heads.

Li Gang wasn't buying it. He stared coldly at Liang Shicheng, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.

These treacherous officials, as expected, have not changed their evil intentions; they must have instigated the retired emperor to come here once again.

Emperor Huizong glanced at his ministers with a smile, automatically ignoring his cowardly son.

"My esteemed ministers, how have you been?"

Li Gang suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I request that you issue an edict to execute the treacherous Liang Shicheng!"

With a hum, Xuande Gate suddenly fell silent, and even the new soldiers from the capital who were accompanying the emperor were at a loss.

The key point is that this happened so suddenly.

Before a single sentence could be uttered, the scene was already jumping to requesting permission to commit murder.

A hint of resentment flashed in Liang Shicheng's eyes, but he did not retaliate. Instead, he knelt down tremblingly and wept.

It was as if they had suffered a tremendous injustice.

"Li Gang, what are you doing now!" Li Yan scolded from the side.

Yuwen Xuzhong was also among them. Although he had been promoted by Liang Shicheng, he knew that if Liang Shicheng was not eliminated, the retired emperor could easily seize power with his connections in Bianjing.

At this time, the new army of the capital was outside Xuande Gate. Because the ceremonial guard was too large and could not be squeezed by the emperor's ceremonial guard, it had not yet entered.

Once the new army from the capital enters the palace, how will there be any chance to kill this traitor?

Now that Li Gang has launched an attack, Liang Shicheng will definitely be more careful in the future. If he hides in Genyue and only secretly directs his filial sons and grandsons, then the situation will be irreversible!
If the Song Dynasty were to fall back into the hands of the retired emperor, there would be absolutely no chance for it to recover.

For example, just a few days after the Jurchen Tartars withdrew their troops, the retired emperor actually came to the palace in person to ask for money. If this is not a ruler who has brought about the downfall of a country, then who is?
Not to mention that the Song Dynasty was not a dynasty with a strong foundation to begin with, with such a monarch, even the largest family fortune could not withstand its ruin.

In Bianliang, the two with the deepest roots were undoubtedly Liang Shicheng and Cai Jing.

It was impossible to win over Cai Jing, but it was also impossible for him to be single-mindedly devoted to Zhao Ji.

However, Liang Shicheng was definitely a confidant of the retired emperor, and with him around, Bianliang could never be controlled by the emperor.

Yuwen Xuzhong secretly took a few steps forward, lowered his head as if putting on shoes, and secretly took a loose brick and hid it in his sleeve.

Then he walked up to Liang Shicheng and made a gesture to help him up.

Those around him, unsuspecting, were scolding Li Gang when suddenly a muffled thud was heard.

Yuwen Xuzhong then used his forearm to slam Liang Shicheng on the back of the head, and as if afraid he wouldn't die, he slammed him several more times.

Then he stood up, and a brick slipped from his sleeve.

The crowd fell silent again. After Yuwen Xuzhong finished smashing the man, he suddenly looked up and said, "This treacherous eunuch has held power for more than ten years, controlling the central government and interfering in court affairs. He has been doing everything he can to flatter the emperor and win his favor, and engaging in debauchery to sway the emperor's heart. His crimes are numerous, which ultimately led to the Jin army's southward invasion. Everyone has the right to kill him!"

Li Yan and the other eunuchs quickly helped Liang Shicheng up, only to find that he was barely breathing.

Li Gang's request to be executed was already considered very courageous by everyone.

Suddenly, someone appeared and, right in front of the two emperors, smashed Liang Shicheng to death.

Emperor Huizong panicked and cried out repeatedly, "Help! Someone, help the emperor!"

While shouting, they rushed towards the bridge, where Liu Qi, Wang De, and other new army officers came forward to greet them.

Zhao Huan was so frightened that he took a step back, and the guards rushed forward and held him down tightly.

Before Xuande Gate, many ministers looked ashen-faced.

Yuwen Xuzhong raised his head and gave Li Gang a deep look, showing no fear and resigned himself to being captured.
-
Inside the Funing Palace.

Zhao Huan went in and never came out.

This was the first time he had witnessed a murder at such close range.
Li Gang, Wu Min, Ma Kuo, and others pleaded for an audience with Zhao Huan outside the imperial city, but Zhao Huan refused to see them.

The eunuch Shao Chengzhang knelt outside his bedchamber and earnestly tried to persuade him.

"Yuwen Shutong is a pillar of the Emperor's court. Today, he has stepped forward to eliminate treacherous officials for the Emperor. If the Emperor does not protect him, it may chill the hearts of the people!"

Inside the palace, Zhao Huan's face was still very pale, and he didn't say a word.

A short while later, Empress Zhu Lian arrived with a group of people.

Upon seeing Shao Chengzhang kneeling outside, Zhu Lian quickly said, "What are you all doing? Hurry up and help Steward Shao up!"

Shao Chengzhang raised his head and said to Zhu Lian, "Your Highness, please persuade the Emperor quickly."

Zhu Lian nodded and said, "Please rise, Steward Shao. I'll go in and speak with the Emperor."

Shao Chengzhang knew that there was no point in saying anything more, so he got up, sighed, and walked out of the palace.

When Wu Min and Li Gang saw him come out, they hurriedly came up to him, "How was it?"

Shao Chengzhang shook his head.

If the emperor doesn't step in to protect him, Yuwen Xuzhong is finished.

Although everyone knew he was suicidal, they still wanted to rescue him.

This is truly astonishing; it's really difficult to salvage.
"The Empress has gone in; I wonder if she can persuade the Emperor."

Li Gang gritted his teeth and said, "How many loyal and righteous ministers does the Great Song Dynasty still have? I will risk my life to protect Yuwen Shutong!" (End of Chapter)