Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 185 No more panic
Gao Qiong ordered the guards to turn Song Zhenzong's car to the north city.When crossing the pontoon bridge, Gao Qiong was literally driving the guards forward.As soon as the real Huanglong flag appeared on the northern city tower of Chanzhou, the soldiers and civilians of the Northern Song Dynasty under the city immediately burst into cheers, with a hundred times the momentum.After Zhenzong went to the northern city of Chanzhou for a symbolic inspection, he still returned to the palace in the southern city, leaving Kou Zhun in the northern city to take charge of commanding operations.Song Zhenzong sent people to visit Kou Zhun several times.Kou Zhun and Zhi Zhigao Yang Yi were drinking and playing chess on the tower, very calm.Kou Zhun had a well-thought-out plan, which made Song Zhenzong no longer panic.

Since the large-scale invasion of the Liao Kingdom, soldiers and civilians from all over the country have bravely resisted the enemy.Although the Liao army is known as 20, it is a lone army, with long supply lines and insufficient food and grass.After October, the Liao army lost steadily on the battlefield.Especially when Zhenzong came to Beicheng in person, Xiao Talan, the vanguard of the Liao army, was shot and killed by Song general Li Jilong's general Zhang Huan with an elite bed crossbow under the city of Chanzhou, which greatly shook the Khitan army's morale.Therefore, Xiao Chuo, the Empress Dowager of the Liao Kingdom, and Yelu Longyun, the Prime Minister, estimated that they would not be able to get any benefits on the battlefield, so they turned to the Northern Song Dynasty to negotiate a peace, trying to obtain benefits that they could not get on the battlefield from the negotiating table.

Song Zhenzong had no determination to fight the enemy.At about the same time that he left Beijing for his own conquest, Cao Lili, the envoy of the Song Dynasty, was also sent to the Khitan military camp.Cao Li was a very low-ranking official at the time.During the confrontation between the Liao and Song Dynasties, Cao Li always traveled between the two armies.Liao Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao also contacted Wang Jizhong and Cao Li, the generals of the Song Dynasty who were captured in the Battle of Wangdu the previous year.The Khitan's peace negotiation condition was to "return" the "land of Guannan" won by Zhou Shizong's Northern Expedition after Song Dynasty.

Song Fang's condition was that as long as the Liao country retreated, it could give Liao some silver and silk every year, but did not agree to the territorial request.The negotiations took place amidst the confrontation between the two armies.Finally, an agreement was reached according to Song Fang's conditions, and the remaining issue was the amount of silver silk to be given to Liao every year.Cao Li asked Song Zhenzong for instructions before leaving, and Zhenzong said: "As a last resort, 100 million is fine." As soon as Cao Li came out of Zhenzong's palace, he was stopped by Kou Zhun who had been waiting outside the door.Kou Zhun reminded him: "Although there is the Holy Majesty's will, you should go to negotiate and agree that the silver silk you will give should not exceed 30 yuan. Otherwise, you don't have to come to see me again, and I will behead you at that time!"

Kou Zhun has always opposed peace talks, advocating taking advantage of the situation to send troops to regain lost ground.The generals of the main battle faction, the Ningbian Army, deployed Yang Zhi to capture Youyan and several states.However, because Zhenzong was devoted to peace talks, the Compromise faction became arrogant.They attacked Kou Zhun for his self-respect, and even said that he was plotting evil.Under the slander of these people, Kou Zhun was forced to give up his idea of ​​the main battle.Therefore, under the plan of the Compromise faction, in December of the same year, Song and Liao signed a peace treaty.This is the famous "Chanyuan Alliance" in history.

However, Ye Chen remembered that Kou Zhun was from Xiagu, Huazhou (now Weinan, Shaanxi), and he was called the "Three Sages" of Weinan together with Bai Juyi and Zhang Renyuan.But the boy he just named Kou Zhun in front of him was brought back from Yangzhou.

"Huzi shouldn't be that Kou Zhun, right? After all, the birthplace doesn't match. But how come the ages match so well?" Ye Chen muttered to himself when he walked out of the school.

After the end of September, heavy rains continued to fall in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in Guanzhong, Guanxi, Hedong, and even in the west of Beijing. But it is not Kaifeng, but in the area of ​​Chanzhou.

Although the embankment in Chanzhou area has also been built this year, it is obviously not very strong.The torrential flood, accompanied by rows of turbid waves five or six feet high, roared and roared with overwhelming and unstoppable momentum, rushing for thousands of miles, and flowing eastward to the low-lying swamps of Renyun and Puerzhou.The water is so powerful that within a dozen days, the flat land has turned into a vast, endless, thousands of miles of flat lake - Liangshan Po.All the states and counties along the way became water villages, with the crops drifting away, the houses collapsed, the livestock drowned, the people of Li and common people scattered for their lives, crying and screaming for their lives, and countless people died of floods, hunger and plague.

The whole country was shocked by the great harm and impact of the Yellow River flood.When the news reached the capital, Zhao Kuangyin was furious, but also terrified.If Ye Chen hadn't mentioned the Yellow River's embankment breach in advance, and the river embankment in Kaifeng has been repaired in the past two months, I am afraid that the embankment burst this time is not in the Chanzhou area, but in the Kaifeng territory under the foot of the emperor, and it happened in Chanzhou at this time The tragedy in the area is likely to appear in Kaifeng.The turmoil in the capital will inevitably cause turmoil in the world, and the consequences will be disastrous.

Thinking of this, Zhao Kuangyin's back was sweating coldly, and he couldn't help shouting "God bless me!"
But Zhao Kuangyin was still very angry. More than two months ago, he asked the Zhengshitang to issue a letter to the states and counties around the Yellow River to organize manpower to reinforce and raise the embankment.But in the end, the Yellow River still broke its embankment, causing tragedy.

Zhao Kuangyin immediately ordered people from Yushitai and Zhengshitang to go to Chanzhou to investigate. The results found that: the Chanzhou government did not actively organize manpower to strengthen the embankment before the flood; did not report the danger in time during the flood season and let it go; .

The magistrate of Chanzhou was Du Shenzhao, Zhao Kuangyin's uncle, but Zhao Kuangyin unceremoniously dismissed him from office and returned him to his hometown.As for Yao Shu, who was in charge of flood control in Chanzhou, he locked up the capital and convicted him.

Zhao Kuangyin ordered Zhao Pu, the Prime Minister, Lv Yuqing and Xue Juzheng, the political advisers, to join Dali Temple in hearing the case.

On this day, there was a small court meeting in Chongzheng Hall.The topic talked about the results of the disposal of Yao Shu.

"Officials! I insist that Yao Shu be sentenced to death." Zhao Pu said solemnly.

Zhao Guangyi's face changed slightly, and he couldn't bear to cut Zhao Pu into pieces.Although it was expected that Zhao Puding would take the opportunity to punish Yao Shu severely, he did not expect that Zhao Pu wanted to put Yao Shu to death.Fortunately, these days have been prepared.

Yushi Zhongcheng Wang Yuefeng glanced at Zhao Pu's back resentfully, and said, "Officials! I think Yao Shu has seriously neglected his duty, but the crime is not so serious. He should be sentenced to exile."

Lu Yuqing, a political adviser, came out of the class with some reluctance and said: "Officials! I also think that Yao Shu's crimes will not be punished by death."

Before Zhao Kuangyin could say anything, Zhao Pu glanced at Wang Yuefeng and Lu Yuqing with a gloomy look, and said angrily, "Thousands of people in Chanzhou were buried in the belly of fish, and countless people were homeless. I forgive you for the crime of dereliction of duty. Killing Yao Shu, why are the people angry, why are they thanking the people?"

Xue Juzheng, the political advisor, came out of the class and said: "I think what Zhao Xianggong said is reasonable, and Yao Shu's crime is unforgivable, so he should be killed."

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen civil officials came out one after another, expressing their support for Zhao Pu's opinion.There were also four or five civil officials who said that Yao Shu's crime would not warrant death.

Zhao Kuangyin was very angry about the breach of the embankment in Chanzhou. You must know that the imperial court specially issued an order in advance to notify the repair of the embankment.Therefore, he is also biased towards Zhao Pu's opinion at this time.In addition, most of the officials in the court in front of us advocated the death of Yao Shu. After thinking for a while, they glanced at Zhao Guangyi, who had an ugly face, and said in a deep voice: "I will pass on my order, and Yao Shu will be executed in a short time. Let the world know. With the anger of the people, Thanks to the people."

Zhao Pu was overjoyed in his heart, and cast a cold glance at Zhao Guangyi, who was livid, thinking that he had finally avenged Huangfu Tong for being framed and committed a crime by the Kaifeng Mansion, and let out a bad breath.

Yao Shu was the first person to be executed for dereliction of duty since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Although Zhao Pu's reasons were high-sounding and his words were righteous, he was actually avenging his personal revenge.

It turned out that Yao Shu was originally an effective staff member of Zhao Guangyi, governor of the Kaifeng government. Zhao Guangyi has always regarded him as his right-hand man and valued him very much. Many strategies of the Kaifeng government came from this person.Yao Shu had been in Zhao Guangyi's shogunate for a long time, and he had the feeling that "the master and the slave are also great". In addition, Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Pu were in the same situation, so he sometimes ignored Zhao Pu.

Once when Zhao Pu took a concubine, all officials in the DPRK and China were invited. Yao Shu went to the banquet, but the disciples did not know him, so they refused to inform him.Yao Shu was so angry that he walked away angrily without saying a word.After Zhao Pu found out about this, he felt disrespectful from his subordinates, so he quickly sent someone to find Yao Shu, and apologized to him repeatedly, but Yao Shu refused to let him go, and insisted on not giving him face.Even the people who went to apologize felt very annoyed, so Zhao Puyoubi naturally held a grudge.He felt that Zhao Guangyi was too deceitful for a small servant in Kaifeng mansion to dare to treat the prime minister so arrogantly.Therefore, he secretly made up his mind that he must find an opportunity to retaliate and vent his anger.

Later, when Zhao Kuangyin chose his uncle as Chanzhou magistrate's deputy, Zhao Pu strongly advocated sending Yao Shu to serve as Chanzhou magistrate.The scheming Zhao Pu used the strategy of killing two birds with one stone. On the one hand, he demoted Yao Shu from the capital to avenge his revenge. its power.Of course Zhao Guangyi disagreed, he asked Zhao Purong repeatedly to redeem him, but Zhao Pu never agreed.

Although Zhao Guangyi's Kaifeng Mansion is very powerful, he does not have the power to appoint court officials.Helpless, Yao Shu had no choice but to take office unhappily.

This time the Yellow River breached and suffered heavy losses. God gave Zhao Pu a chance to avenge his shame. How could he let it go easily?

In addition, Huangfu Tong was framed and imprisoned by the Kaifeng government a few days ago, and Lu Yuqing, who was originally on his side, also betrayed Zhao Pu and joined Zhao Guangyi's camp under Zhao Guangyi's treacherous tricks.Zhao Pu has been suppressing an evil fire in his heart these days. Under such circumstances, Yao Shu has become a victim of the struggle between the two political forces.

Zhao Guangyi walked out of the Chongzheng Hall, out of the palace, and back to the mansion, all the way he felt the flames in his heart flickering, and his teeth ached from hatred for Zhao Pu.He couldn't help but think again of an incident that happened three years ago, which was somewhat similar to what happened to Yao Shu today, and it ended with his defeat in the end.

The case of Feng Zan occurred in the fourth year of Qiande.At that time, Feng Zan was a privy direct scholar and a right admonishment doctor.Zhao Kuangyin appreciated him very much, and once said that "this talent is rare in the world".

After the Song army pacified Houshu, Zhao Kuangyin appointed him to go to Shu to serve as the magistrate of Zizhou.But after he took office for a period of time, someone reported him as "being bribed for adultery".Zhao Kuangyin has always cherished talents. For Feng Zan, an extremely talented official, Zhao Kuangyin was afraid that an injustice would be caused and the talent would be ruined, so he decided to transfer him back to the capital for trial by himself, and then judge and punish him as appropriate.

(End of this chapter)