In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 598 The Civil War in the Song Dynasty Begins

More than ten riders rushed into Wu County (Suzhou) of Pingjiang Prefecture.

The leader ran to a river and caught a woman washing clothes. He asked loudly, "Is this Wu Village?"

"Yes." The woman turned her head and smiled.

"Do you know where the Fan Mansion is?"

"After crossing the bridge and turning left for two miles, the highest wall is the Fan Mansion."

"Thank you."

The knight turned around and led his men up to the bridge. Soon they saw a courtyard surrounded by a high wall with the words "Fan Mansion" written on it.

This is where Fan Wenhu's mother lives in her old age.

Fan Wenhu's father died early and he was raised by his mother. He is very filial to his mother.

My mother liked the Jiangnan area, so she took her to Wu County and bought a large courtyard for her to live in.

These knights came from Zhejiang Dusi and were all Liu Zheng's men.

Several Song generals who were valued by Zhao Yurui in the past, Yu Jie and Meng Gong, have died of illness, Lu Wende has retired at home, and only Liu Zheng is still serving as governor of Zhejiang. Liu Zheng is only 61 years old. According to the current rules of the Song Dynasty, he can work for another four years before retiring.

As the governor, Liu Zheng only had fifty personal guards, and it was difficult to mobilize other troops openly, so he sent a dozen personal guards this time.

The leader of the personal guards was called Liu Gang, his nephew.

When Liu Gang arrived at Fan's house, he knocked on the door. Someone soon opened the door and asked, "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

"Is Mrs. Fan home?"

"At home, are you?"

"We are General Fan Zheng's subordinates, and we are here to pick up the old lady for a wedding banquet."

Liu Gang pretended to be Fan Wenhu's subordinate and said that Fan Wenhu had married a concubine and had recently returned to Beijing to report on his work. He passed through Lin'an, so he wanted to take the old lady to Lin'an to meet her. After all, the mother and son had not seen each other for a long time.

His attitude was very respectful and his tone was nice. There were not many people in Mrs. Fan's house, so they believed him and immediately packed up, got a carriage, and were taken away by Liu Gang.

Liu Gang watched the old lady get on the carriage and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Before coming, the governor had said that she must be treated kindly and try not to be violent.

After picking up the old lady, we immediately returned to the city and then took the water route to Lin'an.

At the same time, Fan Wenhu approached Jizhou on the eighth day.

His march was quite fast, but it could be even faster after reaching Jizhou because there was a train station there.

On that day, he led the vanguard on fast horses to the train station, hoping to stop a train for his soldiers to board and go directly to the capital.

Unexpectedly, the train station was empty and there was not a single train to be seen. He went to ask the stationmaster and found out that all trains heading to Liaodong had been stopped in Tongzhou.

"The Minister of Communications is Qin Shouye, who is a member of the Qin family." Fan Wenhu knew that it was Zhao Yi's mother, the Qin family, who supported Zhao Yi behind the scenes.

But it didn't matter that there was no train. His troops were already close to the capital, which was still more than two hundred miles away. It would take at most a day and a half to get there, and if they ran faster, they could get there in a day.

That night he decided to rest in Jizhou for a night and replenish his strength.

As a result, early the next morning, several cavalrymen appeared.

He had seen such scenes many times, and it was always people he knew who came to persuade him.

The other party put a lot of thought into it. They found his classmates from military school and even some people from the same hometown, and persuaded him to return to the army one by one.

"Don't worry about them, let's go." Fan Wenhu was about to lead the entire army forward.

The cavalrymen in front rushed over: "Wenhu, Wenhu."

Fan Wenhu was surprised when he heard the voice.

The person who came turned out to be his cousin Fan Siming.

This cousin is from Jiangxi, why did he come here?

Fan Siming didn't know how to ride a horse, so he staggered up to him and jumped off the horse.

"Wenhu, how about we have a private chat?"

Fan Wenhu said in a deep voice: "This is a military matter, Uncle Ming, you should not meddle in other people's business."

"Your mother went to Lin'an."

"What?" Fan Wenhu was shocked and angry.

He looked at the two soldiers following Fan Siming, and a hint of murderous intent flashed across his face.

Fan Siming called him aside and said that someone had gone to Jiangxi to look for him a few days ago, and had taken him by boat and then by train, traveling day and night to get here.

He also said that Fan’s mother was also invited to Lin’an, and she hoped to meet her son in Lin’an in the future.

When Fan Siming said this, the sergeant next to him said, "General Fan, please think carefully. The imperial court has more than 100,000 troops. It will be useless for you to take a few thousand people with you. General Fan, please go back?"

It's useless, will you force me to go back again and again? Fan Wenhu knew that Zhao Yi used so many vicious means because he was afraid that his troops would enter the capital first.

This proves that Zhang Ping might support them.

Without Zhang Ping's support, it would be useless for his several thousand people to go to Beijing.

With Zhang Ping's support, things will be different.

"You are so shameless that you use this method on an old woman?" Fan Wenhu was furious and really wanted to kill the two people in front of him.

"We are also following orders. General Fan, please calm down. Please think about your family as well as yourself."

This is a naked threat.

The other party said it very clearly, there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the capital, and it will be useless even if you send a few thousand people.

Then do you still need your mother, uncle and family?

Fan Wenhu thought about it for the whole morning in Jizhou that day, and finally stomped his feet and returned with his entire army.

This time it took another two days to go back, and when I returned to Jianchang, I got in touch with Lu Wenhuan by telegram.

Lu Wenhuan's army was on board ships, heading to Tianjin by sea.

"What? They arrested your mother? You want to return to the army? Damn it, your mother is more important than the Song Dynasty. The country is going to be in chaos, do you know that?" Lu Wenhuan was furious.

"The capital has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. With only these few men, it would be useless if we went there."

"How can it be useless?" Lu Wenhuan said angrily: "The imperial guards don't have military tokens, so they can't move without authorization. As long as someone helps us open the city gate, we will win."

Fan Wenhu had more than 2,000 men, fully armed with new rifles, while most of the Imperial City Guards carried knives, and those guarding the Imperial City did not need guns.

As long as the imperial guards don't move and someone opens the door, they can control the situation as soon as they go in.

Fan Wenhu said that his mother was over there and he didn't dare to move.

Lu Wenhuan explained the reason to him, moved him with emotion, and persuaded him earnestly, saying that the Song Dynasty was important and that he should make great contributions and have a bright future.

The two men argued for a while, and Fan Wenhu was somewhat persuaded and wanted to return to the army.

But he had already wasted a lot of time running back and forth.
-
Capital.

The chief minister of the cabinet died suddenly, and the court meeting early this morning became unusually gloomy.

After the court meeting, the cabinet members, as per convention, went to the Chuigong Hall behind the Fengtian Hall to continue discussing important state affairs.

As soon as everyone settled down, Lu Shikui said, "I wonder if you have heard any rumors outside recently."

The faces of all the ministers changed slightly, and it was obvious that many people had heard it.

"What I mean is that since the Prime Minister is not here, and His Majesty is not here, we must quickly select a temporary Prime Minister to preside over the cabinet and government affairs. At the same time, we must strictly order the generals in charge of the troops in various places not to move without authorization."

"Control the military symbol well——"

"The kings of various regions are not allowed to leave their fiefdoms without permission—"

Lu Shikui spoke a lot in a very eloquent manner, and everyone had different expressions.

After waiting for him to finish, Shi Jieqing said, "Since the Prime Minister is not here, I, as the Deputy Prime Minister, should take on this important responsibility." "This is the law of the court."

There is a provision in the law established by Zhao and Rui that when the Prime Minister is absent, the Deputy Prime Minister can temporarily make the decision.

Some ministers agreed, while others opposed.

Lu Shikui asked for a vote, but he lost to Shi Jieqing by three votes.

He looked at his colleagues opposite him in disbelief, feeling a little strange for the first time.

Of course he knew what this meant. Most people obviously supported Zhao Yi.

At the meeting that day, Shi Jieqing called Chen Sheng and asked him about the telegram.

Chen Sheng said that the official telegram had not arrived yet and we didn't know whether the emperor was alive or dead. However, Fan Wenhu from Jinzhou was leading his troops to the capital with ulterior motives.

There was also a telegram sent by the Zhejiang Dusi saying that Zhao Xie seemed to have left his fiefdom and was heading for the capital, bringing with him a large number of ships and troops.

This is equivalent to clearly pointing out that Zhao Xie intends to rebel.

Lu Shikui was furious. I heard that Ming Wang Zhao Yi also broke into Lion City and was heading to the capital.

"No, the Intelligence Department didn't receive any of this information?" Chen Sheng denied it of course.

"Where's Zhou Yao? Isn't he in charge of the Intelligence Department?"

"Long time no see Zhou Yao, I wonder where he went."

Of the three giants in the Imperial City Administration, Quan Kang and Zhou Yao are not here, so it is obvious that Chen Sheng is in charge now.

Having said that, Chen Sheng knelt down and asked for the cabinet's approval. Now everything in the Imperial City Administration would be under his management, and he would hand over power after His Majesty and Quan Kang returned.

Shi Jieqing immediately nodded in approval.

Lu Shikui disagreed and still held a vote. However, they were outnumbered, so Chen Sheng gained temporary control of the Imperial City Administration.

He left the imperial city angrily and in the afternoon he found several ministers, especially Wen Yunsun, the newly transferred assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel by the emperor, and talked to him about this matter.

Wen Yunsun should have heard the news as well, and he denounced the plot to murder the emperor in front of him.

Finally, he said: "The most urgent task is to control the military power. The city gate cannot be lost before the emperor returns."

Wen Yunsun added: "Call Cao Chi back immediately, and hold the military order of the Ministry of War tightly in your hand."

"That makes sense." Lu Shikui went home immediately, and then sent people to chase Cao Chi, and at the same time sent a telegram to inform Cao Chi's hometown.

He was worried and arranged some things. He finally managed to get through four days, but Cao Chi did not come back. A servant outside returned home.

This servant was sent by him to Lin'an four days ago to find his father Lu Wende.

I didn't expect to get back so soon.

The servant said that he met Master Lu in Jinan before he arrived in Lin'an.

Lu Wende had twelve sons, and Lu Shishuo was the youngest son, currently serving as the prefect of Jinan.

He had been waiting for the servant and was helping Lu Wende to tell the story.

After all, these words must be spoken, not telegraphed.

"What did my father say?" Lu Shikui asked nervously.

The servant looked around and whispered, "During the Three Kingdoms period, the Zhuge family was divided into three parts, each with its own master."

"Now that I, the Lu family, have twelve sons in the world, we should divide our things among ourselves and not put them all in one basket."

Lu Wenhuan of the Lu family and others are helping Zhao Xie.

What Lu Wende meant was that you cannot help Zhao Xie anymore. You should learn from Zhuge Liang, serve your own master, and preserve the Lu family lineage.

Otherwise, if they all throw themselves to one side and lose, the Lu family will be finished.

"Ah, my father actually said that?" Lu Shikui sat back on the stool in a daze, and he was unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

While Lu Shikui was entangled.

Fan Wenhu became conflicted again.

He sent troops to Jizhou, but was forced back by Zhao Yi using his mother. He returned to Jianchang, but was persuaded by Lu Wenhuan to return again.

But this time he arrived in Jizhou again and received a telegram from the court, ordering him to return immediately. The tone was very stern. If he returned now, he would not be punished, but if he did not, he would be considered a traitor.

Fan Wenhu was so angry that he cursed, but there was nothing he could do. This time the Ministry of War and the Cabinet sent the telegram together. He shook his head and sighed, then went home again.

As a result, I returned to Jianchang and received a call from Lu Wenhuan.

"Is there anyone who would give up halfway through this? Do you know what happened to those who didn't do it in history?" Lu Wenhuan cursed, "This kind of thing has to go all the way to the end, there is no turning back. Do you think that if the other side succeeds, will they settle accounts with you?"

Fan Wenhu thought it made sense. I've only done half of it. If I look back, will Zhao Yi let me go after he takes office?
Zhao Yi even dared to kill his father, the emperor, so what am I?
He returned to the army again and headed for the capital again.

At this time, he had been delayed for nearly ten days in a row, running back and forth between Jinzhou and the capital.

Not only were his soldiers exhausted from running, but even Zhao Xie, who was far away overseas, cursed when he heard the news.

"Lü Wenhuan really doesn't know how to employ people. How can such a person be a general?" Zhao Xie was so angry that he didn't dare to curse out loud. He could only curse in his heart.

At this time, less than half a month had passed since the emperor's accident, and Zhao Chen's fleet had already entered Zhejiang.

On this day, Zhao Xie's fleet had just entered the East China Sea and the area near the Yellow Sea. On the other side, Zheng Wei called and said that they had occupied Jeju and sent a fleet to support them.

Zhao Xie was overjoyed, at least he had occupied Jeju first.

He knew very well at this time that either he would become the emperor or Zhao Yi would come to Beijing. Once Zhao Yi became the emperor, Zhao Xie would immediately raise an army and beat him to death.

You can't be timid about this matter, and you can't talk about it. Talking about it will only lead to death.

So Jeju is also very important.

Just as he was thinking about how to fight and how to deploy troops.

"My lord, there is a fleet ahead." Shi Zhongguo ran in from outside.

Zhao Xie quickly sent someone to contact them by telegram. The other side claimed to be the Zhejiang Dusi naval force and horses, and the court now ordered that the foreign kings from all places were not allowed to enter the capital, and asked the Prince of Yan to go back immediately.

"Ignore him, charge." Zhao Yu said in a deep voice: "If they dare to fire, counterattack immediately. You can hold them back. I will go to the capital first."

"promise."

Zhao Chen knew that Zhejiang was Liu Zheng's territory and Liu Zheng's whole family supported Zhao Yi, so this matter was not negotiable.

Moreover, he vaguely felt that something was wrong. The imperial court had now issued an edict, proving that Zhao Yi had obtained certain power in the capital.

His only hope now is that Lu Wenhuan and Fan Wenhu's troops can enter the capital, and that Zhang Ping in the capital can help them.

The other side is quite brave, or they are simply trying to stop them.

Seeing that Zhao He's fleet was still moving forward, boom, the artillery on the opposite side opened fire first.

"Fight! Beat them hard for me." Zhao Xie was not afraid at all. His ship was the flagship of the foreign king and was quite powerful.

With his order, the first wave of civil war in the Song Dynasty officially began.

Boom, boom, boom! At the junction of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, the two sides fired artillery fire back and forth.

Zhao Zhen's fleet fought and retreated, bypassing Lin'an Bay as they went.

It took only two or three days to reach Bohai Sea.

But at this time, more government warships came out from Bohai Sea.

Because at this time Lu Wenhuan's fleet was about to arrive.

Some of the government troops' ships went to stop Lu Wenhuan, and some went to stop Zhao Xie.

When Zhao Zhen opened fire on the government troops, he was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion.

(End of this chapter)