Chapter 132 The Southern Expedition Sets Sail and Meets Li Gang on the Road
Chapter 132: Set sail for the Southern Expedition, meeting Li Gang on the road
Although Prince Zhao Huan has a cowardly character, he is not stupid. When he heard his father's arrangement, he had some concerns:
My father asked the seventeen-year-old Su Wang Zhao Shu to temporarily serve as the procurator of the imperial city. Are you worried about me? The name is to ask Su Wang Zhao Shu to defend the palace and protect the prince, but in fact he is also monitoring the prince. Alas! My father is now
The Spring and Autumn Period is in its prime, and there are wise men and powerful warriors. How dare I have the slightest delusion?
Zhao Ji added: "Zhao Kai, king of Yun, and Zhao Gou, king of Kang, followed me on a tour to the southeast..."
"My sons and ministers obey my orders."
"My son, I thank my father."
Zhao Kai and Zhao Gou knelt down and thanked them.
Prince Zhao Huan looked at his third and ninth brothers and felt uncomfortable.
In recent days, in addition to seeing his father's great change in temperament and working hard to cure them, he also noticed that his father was particularly fond of Zhao Kai and Zhao Gou.
My father often took Zhao Kai and Xiao Zhao Gou with him, and even entrusted them with important responsibilities.
Zhao Huan heard that his father sent Zhao Kai to investigate and deal with the abuses in the arsenal, and that Xiao Zhao Gou and Yu Shi Cao Fu investigated and dealt with the corruption cases in the East-West Workshop and the Crossbow and Arrow Making Institute. Both the third and ninth brothers received their father's help.
Praise.
Zhao Huan felt uncomfortable, feeling that his father did not favor him as much as Zhao Kai in the past. Now his father not only favored Zhao Kai more, but also had a little Zhao Gou to compete with him...
Zhao Ji saw Prince Zhao Huan bowing his head in deep thought, as if he was very worried, so he said:
"There is an old saying that 'the most important thing for the country is to sacrifice and fight'!"
"Sacrifice is an auspicious ceremony among the five rites.
Tomorrow, the prince will go to the Ancestral Temple for me to offer sacrifices and pray for me to lead the troops on the southern tour."
After Prince Zhao Huan heard his father's appointment, he was immediately overjoyed. He knelt down and kowtowed, happily saying:
"I obey the decree. I am willing to kneel in front of my ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray for my father during his southern tour."
The reason why Prince Zhao Huan was worried about his position in the East Palace was that his father suddenly sent him to worship at the Ancestral Temple, which was equivalent to full affirmation of his position as crown prince.
Zhao Huan knew that the Ancestral Temple sacrifices had a very high status in the rituals. The Ancestral Temple was not equivalent to the emperor's family temple, but was attached to the 'national line'. The only major affairs of the country were sacrifice and military affairs.
Letting the sons and ministers go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices on behalf of their father is an affirmation of the crown prince's position in the East Palace. Even though the father is now very fond of his third brother, King Yun, Zhao Kai, and ninth brother, King Kang, Zhao Gou, this important event of going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices,
The fact that my father can be entrusted to this prince proves everything.
Zhao Ji looked at the sad-looking prince Zhao Huan, and he smiled slightly.
Zhao Ji's plan is to never alert the snake in advance before officially abolishing Zhao Huan, the cowardly prince who has a cowardly personality and is not suitable to be an emperor.
Entrusting the prince to go to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices on my behalf not only frees me from the tedious process of offering sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple and concentrates on arranging military affairs in preparation for the southern expedition to Fangla, but also allows the prince to stay in the capital with peace of mind and oversee the country well. p>
Of course, another point is that Zhao Ji considered that he could travel through the Northern Song Dynasty in this world, so are there really gods in the dark world?
Zhao Ji didn't dare to confirm or deny.
If I, a time traveler, appeared in the Ancestral Temple, facing the tablets of the ancestors of the Song Dynasty, if there really were gods in this world, I would be killed by Taizu, Taizong, or the original owner of my body who had passed away.
If his father, Emperor Song Shenzong, or his brother, Emperor Song Zhezong, noticed something was wrong with his soul, then it would not be fun.
Of course, this possibility is very slim. After all, if the Ancestral Temple is really effective and can protect the country of the Song Dynasty, then there will be no shame of Jingkang.
However, the time traveler Zhao Ji will not take any risks. If you don’t want to go to the Ancestral Temple, just don’t go. Anyway, I am the emperor now, and I have the final say, no one can control it.
In the Daqing Palace, Zhao Ji arranged to inspect the southeast. After the prince took charge of the country, he even announced: "Retreat from the court."
A group of ministers left the hall, and Zhao Ji left Prince Zhao Huan and Prince Su Zhao Shu behind.
Zhao Ji looked at the two princes standing respectfully below. He wrote three imperial edicts in a row and asked the eunuchs to seal them.
The first two imperial edicts have been sealed, and the seals are written "Li Gang will open the seal after entering the court" and "Zong Ze will open the seal after entering the court".
When Prince Zhao Huan received these two secret decrees from his father, he already felt faintly in his heart:
The emperor may have to entrust Li Gang and Zongze, who were demoted from the capital, with important responsibilities after they are recalled to the capital...
Zhao Huan was suspicious in his heart. Even before Li Gang and Zongze were demoted from the capital, they were not high-ranking officials! Do they still bother their father to write secret edicts like this?
Nowadays, my father’s behavior is really becoming more and more incomprehensible.
However, the cowardly prince Zhao Huan did not dare to ask his father any more questions.
After Zhao Ji saw that Prince Zhao Huan had taken over these two secret decrees, he asked Zhao Huan to step back and prepare for fasting before going to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices tomorrow...
Zhao Ji looked at his fifth son Su Wang Zhao Shu, who was seventeen years old this year, and said: "This sealed imperial edict is handed over to you, Shu'er. Only if there is a mutiny in the capital can you open this imperial edict. This imperial edict has a special license."
You have the right to deploy troops to quell rebellion.
If nothing happens in the capital, you are not allowed to open this edict and read it.
After I return to Beijing, I will return this imperial edict to me intact."
Zhao Shu, who was handsome and heroic, kowtowed to receive the order and said: "My son, I obey the order, and I, my son, must bear in mind the holy will of my father."
Zhao Shu is very smart. He can guess some of the contents of this imperial edict. It should be to prevent the prince from conspiring to become emperor when he is supervising the country.
It is estimated that in this imperial edict, my father wrote that in the event that time comes, he gave me, King Su, who is temporarily in charge of the imperial city's procuratorate, the power to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion.
Zhao Shu took over the sealed imperial edict and felt that the edict was as heavy as a thousand pieces.
After Zhao Shu paid homage, he followed his father's order and left the hall...
After Zhao Ji made arrangements for the capital, he thought about who he would take with him in the southern expedition to Fangla:
Yang Zhi of Moutuogang Pastoral Station and the hundreds of well-trained cavalry under him must bring...
The officers and soldiers of the Imperial City Division are going to take away a large part of the elite...
Liang Shicheng, who is known as the hidden figure, must be brought along,
Although I did not execute Liang Shicheng as requested by the imperial students, I brought the eunuch Liang Shicheng, who was somewhat used to it, by my side. Did Liang Shicheng cause any trouble?
As for Zhang Bangchang, I have already asked him in front of the court officials to prepare for his southern tour with me tomorrow
Also, Liu Yu, who may threaten my empire in the future, like Shi Jingtang, "recognizes thieves as his father", I have already sent an imperial edict in advance to pick him up in Hangzhou City when I patrol the southeast.
……
Zhao Ji also wrote down the list of people who would accompany the emperor to conquer personally and asked the eunuchs to pass the order...
……
The second day, south of Bianliang (Kaifeng), Tokyo,
The water transport terminal in Bianhe River has been put under martial law in advance. The soldiers are wearing helmets and armor, and the military flags are flapping in the wind.
Today, all civilian ships and government water transport vessels on the Bianhe River south of Kaifeng City in Bianliang, Tokyo, are suspended from navigation.
In the Song Dynasty, water transportation in Kaifeng City, Bianliang, Tokyo, was divided into four routes:
Water transport all the way: millet from Huainan enters the Huai River from the south of the Yangtze River, and then enters the Beijing via the Bian River;
The Second Water Transport Road: Millet from Shaanxi to Western China turns from the Yellow River near Sanmenxia to Bianshui River and reaches Beijing;
The third road of water transportation: millet from Shaanxi to the north, turns from Huimin River to Cai River, enters Bianshui River and reaches Beijing;
The fourth route of water transportation: millet from Beijing to the east, from the land of Qilu to the Wuzhang River to Beijing.
The above four rivers are collectively called the four canals of water transport. Among them, the grain from Huai-Bian from the Southeast Sixth Road accounts for the main part of the food for the millions of people in Bianliang, Tokyo.
In addition to grain, the canal transports other materials northward every year, such as gold, silver, money, silk, tea and other necessities for military and civilian life, in very large quantities.
Gold, silver, incense, rhinoceros, elephants, and groceries from Guangnan were transported by land to Qianzhou, and then transported to the capital by water. These items from the south accounted for a large proportion of similar materials supplied to the capital from all over the country at that time.
The huge amounts of food, money, silk and other materials transported from the south to the north via the canal are not only used to support the hundreds of thousands of forbidden troops stationed in Bianjing and pay the monthly salary of officials, but also part of them are transported to Hebei, Hedong and Shaanxi.
Meet the needs of border defense.
The three roads of Hebei, Hedong and Shaanxi in the Northern Song Dynasty were bordered by the Liao Kingdom in the north and the Xia Kingdom in the west. During the border disputes, heavy troops were stationed in these three places in the Northern Song Dynasty.
However, the food and wages needed for the heavy troops in the border areas could not be met by local taxes, so the Song Dynasty had to transfer some of the materials transported north through the canal to these three routes.
Grains from the Jianghuai River are not only used for military rations in Hebei, Hedong, and Shaanxi, but also often provide relief for famines in Shandong, Hebei and other places.
Therefore, Zhao Ji was afraid that if Fangla's uprising became serious, it would definitely affect the grain transportation along the Yangtze and Huaihe lines in the southeast, which would shake the foundation of the Song Dynasty's rule.
Of course, since Zhao Ji's original owner Song Huizong built Genyue, in order to collect rare flowers, famous trees and stones from the south of the Yangtze River, Zhu Meng of the Southeast Enshrinement Bureau, in order to please Zhao Guan's family, built a water transport channel from Huai River to Bian River to Beijing.
On the boat, there was a large fleet - Huashi Gang, which did not carry corn but cloth, silk, money and grain, and carried exotic flowers, famous trees and stones.
At this time, the thirty large ships parked at the Bianhe River Pier had already carried the 3,000 elite soldiers and horses who accompanied the emperor on this expedition according to the imperial edict of Zhao Guan's family. There were also ships specially used to load money, silk, grain, grass and other military supplies.
Twenty huge canoes.
Zhao Ji's chariot has arrived at the water transport terminal of Bianhe River. The officers and soldiers who have boarded the ship in advance are all on the deck, kneeling and kowtowing to Zhao Guan's family, shouting long live...
Zhao Ji sighed in his heart when he saw this scene.
Legend has it that Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty went to Yangzhou to see that short-lived flash in the pan.
I am going to the south of the Yangtze River now, but it is to quell the Fangla Uprising in the Song Dynasty.
As for the shipbuilding industry of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji is very confident.
In order to ensure the water transportation needs of the Song Dynasty, the official shipyard of the Song Dynasty built a large number of water ships every year.
In the fourth year of Zhenghe's reign (AD 1114), the original owner of Zhao Ji, Huizong, Jizhou built 1,300 watercrafts a year, Mingzhou and Wenzhou each built 600 watercrafts. These three places alone built as many as 2,500 watercrafts. In fact, shipyards in other places are also building a large number of ships. In the fourth year of Zhenghe, East Zhejiang Road and West Zhejiang Road each built 300 flat-bottomed boats with 300 materials;
Jiangnan East Road and West Road, Jinghu South Road and North Road each built 300 flat-bottomed boats with 500 materials.
Jia Weijie, who served as the deputy shipping envoy to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, said in the book: "Those who were over the age of 10 made offerings to the capital, and urged all the people to build 2,400 giant ships."
Six years ago, in the fourth year of the reign of Zhao Ji's original owner Song Huizong, the annual output of Song Dynasty shipbuilding had reached more than 6,700 ships.
At this time, Zhao Ji saw the fifty large ships parked at the Bianhe River Water Transport Pier. Three of them were huge dragon ships, which were royal ships specially used for the emperor and his important ministers and accompanying guards.
This is because Zhao Ji deliberately arranged two more imperial ships to accompany him for safety reasons. This is because if water bandits want to rob and kill the imperial ships or prevent other possible uncertain dangers, the enemy must not be allowed to find out where I am sitting.
Which dragon ship is it on?
Zhao Ji took the eunuch Liang Shicheng, Shangshu Youcheng Zhang Bangchang, and hundreds of officials from the Imperial City Division to board the dragon boat in the middle...
Standing on the deck of the dragon boat, Zhao Ji listened to the roar of the Bianhe River and looked towards the south of the Yangtze River. He was full of pride. He pointed south and ordered: "Sail for the southern patrol!"
The herald immediately conveyed the order, and the heralds on each ship waved the small flags in their hands and shouted banners, conveying the imperial edict of Zhao Guan's family to "set sail for the southern tour"...
The fleet set sail, and with the help of boats and oars, the fleet quickly left the Bianhe pier in the south of Bianliang City, Tokyo.
The fleet lined up along the Bianhe River and sailed southward in a mighty manner...
Zhao Ji stood on the deck, leaning on the railing and looking at the waves of the Bianhe River and the sails of the fleet in front of him that covered the sky. He felt so much that he couldn't help but read aloud "Reminiscing about the Bianhe River" by Pi Rixiu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
》:
"The whole Sui Dynasty died in this river,
So far, I have relied on Tongbo for thousands of miles.
If there is no dragon boat incident in the Water Palace,
Gong Yu’s merits are not great!”
……
In fact, Zhao Ji was not too worried about the dangers he would encounter when sailing south. The main reason was that two days ago, he had appointed the eunuch Tan Zhen as the envoy of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and led more than 10,000 elite imperial guards from the capital to set off from this waterway.
Heading south. If there were water bandits along the waterway, they should have been wiped out by Tan Zhen's army, or they would have fled without a trace by looking at the warships.
Zhao Ji's fleet of large ships did not move too fast. Firstly, they could not surpass the fleet led by Tan Zhen, who played a pioneering role. Secondly, they slowed down their sailing speed and were waiting for Tong Guan who would follow.
The elite of the Northwest Army headed south.
…………
Seven days later...
Prince Zhao Huan, who stayed in Bianliang City in Tokyo to supervise the country, received a military intelligence report from the southeast. In October of this year, Fang La led an uprising in Qingxi County, Muzhou. He named himself "Holy Duke", captured prefectures and counties, and burned down government offices.
, killed officials, robbed their children of gold and silk, and lured good people to join the rebel army. They had gathered tens of thousands of people, and appointed officials and generals to confront the imperial government. They repeatedly defeated the government troops who went to encircle and suppress them. The southeast was shaken, and the southeastern states and counties were in danger... When Prince Zhao Huan received the report of Fangla's uprising, his mood was extremely complicated!
"Father has been away from Beijing for seven days. He should have visited the southeast, right?"
Prince Zhao Huan said to himself, his mood changed quickly, first worried, then secretly happy, and finally panicked...
……
At this time, Zhao Ji's imperial chariot and more than 3,000 guards had safely arrived in Yangzhou City. Of course, the destination of Zhao Ji's trip south was not the place where Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty had visited to see Qionghua.
Yangzhou.
The destination of Zhao Ji's journey south is the city of Hangzhou, which is now in danger due to Fangla's uprising.
Zhao Ji plans to lead a guard of more than 3,000 people in Yangzhou City for a short day of repairs.
Zhao Ji, who was sitting in the Yangzhou government office, received a report from the eunuch Liang Shicheng:
"Guan Jia, this is a coincidence!
Before, when he was in the capital, didn't the officials issue an order to transfer Li Gang back to the capital?"
Zhao Ji nodded.
Liang Shicheng smiled along with his palm, lowered his eyebrows and reported the good news to Zhao Guan's family:
"Today, when the official's chariot entered Yangzhou City, Li Gang also went to Yangzhou.
He heard that officials had entered the Yangzhou government office.
At this time, Li Gang came to the government office and said that he wanted to meet with the officials.
Lao Nute came to report to the officials.
I would like to ask the officials if they will summon Li Gang?"