On the tenth day of July, the sky over Tokyo was filled with dark clouds, and people walking on the streets felt so stuffy that they couldn't breathe.

Large groups of merchants led mules and camels and walked quickly towards the city.

Even the workers who were under construction in the new city stopped one after another, knowing that a heavy rain was coming.

I don’t know when or who spread the news, but some rumors about Anbei Prefecture began to appear on the streets of Tokyo.

Rumor has it that Wang's army was defeated by the Yellow River, hundreds of thousands of people died in the battle, and the water of the Yellow River was dyed red.

This rumor has spread rapidly in the capital these days.

Some say it was fabricated out of thin air, others say it came from the imperial court, and still others say it was deliberately released by the Jin people in an attempt to disrupt the Song Dynasty.

At first, many people did not believe it, because since Jinshang ascended the throne, Wang Shi had frequently declared great victories, and the Song army became more powerful and powerful.

But in the next few days, such rumors spread rapidly, and even Widow Li, who was selling tofu, heard about it.

This matter is not just as simple as people chatting after dinner.

Public opinion is fermenting rapidly, and it has caused great shock even in important institutions such as the University of Tokyo.

By the tenth day of July, almost half of Tokyo had spread the news.

Whether it is a place like Goulan House or Fan Tower, many people are talking about it.

At this time, in the bustling Fan Building, a young man suddenly stood up and said loudly to the people around him: "This matter has been confirmed!"

His sudden behavior attracted the attention of people around him.

"Master Wang was defeated in Henan!" the young man said in a sad and angry tone, "all hundreds of thousands of people died for the country!"

As soon as he said this, the people at the table around him fell silent.

"Even Magistrate Yu, who once defeated the gold thief, died in this battle!" The young man's eyes were red. He looked at the people around him and said loudly, "We are defeated!"

"Did Prefect Yu really die in the battle?" Someone at the next table stood up.

"The news has been confirmed. The King's Division was completely defeated in Henan. The Jin Kingdom is preparing for a new round of march south, starting from Fuzhou!"

"This is impossible. There are still a large number of royal masters in Fuzhou, and they will never let the golden thief go south!"

"The border is in turmoil now, who knows the situation!"

"Don't talk nonsense here, or you'll be arrested!"

"What?" the young man laughed and said, "Aren't people allowed to tell the truth? Are there some treacherous officials who want to guard the people's mouth, obstruct the hearing of the saints, and cause trouble to the country?"

"What's the use of discussing this here? Can't we change anything?" someone wondered.

"In the past few years, the imperial court has been fighting every year, and countless people have died in the border areas. I feel sorry for the bones beside the Wuding River. This is why!" The young man said loudly.

With the discussion here, more and more people became quiet and looked over.

Everyone started whispering.

"Who is this person?"

"This person seems to be Mr. Haochuan who left the garden."

"Mr. Haochuan?"

"His original name was Wang Fu. He graduated from the Tokyo Military Academy. A few years ago, I heard that he served as an army officer in the northwest. He was defeated when fighting the Xixia people. Many people died in that battle. It seems that Liu Xi, the elder brother of Liu Qi and Liu Jinglue, was that person.

Wang Fu died in the first battle, and he was a member of the army at that time."

"Then why is he here now?"

"I don't know exactly. It seems that he was sent back to Beijing due to dereliction of duty. After interrogation at the Military Governor's Office, he was imprisoned for a year. Later, it was assessed that Liu Xi was mainly responsible for the defeat in that battle, so he was released. I

It’s just hearsay!”

"Do you know how many people died in the Liaodong war in the past two years?" Wang Fu simply stood up. He saw the attention of many people around him and continued, "In the past two years, no less than 150,000 people died in the Liaodong war!

Countless families are broken! All of you here have family members. Just imagine, if you suddenly receive the news that your children and your brothers have died in the war, how will you feel in your heart?"

More and more people are quieting down.

"Maybe when you received this news, they were exposing corpses in the wilderness, and no one even dealt with the bones!"

When he said this, there were already tears in his eyes.

"I have seen with my own eyes countless passionate and brave young men die on the battlefield. Some of them did not even have time to say the last words!" Wang Fu suddenly stood on the table and shouted in a hissing voice, "I once... I once

For the one hundred and thirty-six good men who have died in the war, I send them their last letter to their families!"

"I met their mother. When she saw the letter, she burst into tears and was heartbroken! I saw their children crying and calling for their father!"

More and more people became quiet, and even the singer who was dancing in the center of the stage stopped.

Finally even the musicians stopped.

"How many families have been broken up this time!" Wang Fu shouted, "Why did all this happen?"

He Bin, who was standing in the crowd at the door, asked: "Captain Gao, this person is causing trouble here, why don't you arrest him?"

"How do you arrest him now?" Gao Qiu said coldly, "He has taken over the great righteousness now. Now that you arrest him in public, aren't you telling everyone here that the court thinks what he said is wrong!"

"Is what he said right?"

"Part of it is right. At least the people here think that what he said is right. If you rush to arrest people now, it will cause chaos and limit yourself to an unjust situation. It is not a wise move."

"Then let him chew his tongue here?"

Gao Qiu said calmly: "It doesn't matter if you let him chew a few more words. You have to pay attention to methods when dealing with this kind of matter. You have to be calm and don't jump after hearing the slightest comment. Don't officials often teach us that we should be calm and dignified when doing things?

impatient."

"Yes, that's what Captain Gao taught me."

Gao Qiu said to Zheng Xi: "You arrange for people to seal all the entrances and exits of Fan Tower."

"Why?"

Gao Qiu looked at the newcomer and said with a smile: "Pay attention to the fine work, here is the fine work of the Jin man."

Zheng Xi was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Yes!"

At this time, Wang Fu was still saying: "Why did all this happen?"

"It's the Zhao Guan family who wants to use troops against the Jin Kingdom." Someone couldn't help but say.

"No! No! It's not that simple!" Wang Fu said, "Today's emperor is wise and powerful, benevolent and sage, and loves his people like a son. He is a sage through the ages."

Naturally, no one objected to this. In recent years, people's livelihood in the Song Dynasty had improved at a speed visible to the naked eye, and internal affairs had also become clearer.

"However, some people, in order to claim credit for themselves and for power, deceive people's hearts, take the opportunity to monopolize power, form cliques for personal gain, and send countless people to distant borders for their own selfish interests. These people's current status is to use the lives of countless people.

It’s piled up!”

As soon as he said this, the scene suddenly fell silent.

Gao Qiu, who was in the crowd, was also moved. He originally thought that this Wang Fu was either a scholar or had received money from the Kingdom of Jin.

But now it sounds like it might be neither.
Chapter completed!