Chapter 85
Chapter 85
[Li Erfeng Becomes Wanyan Gou – 5]
Li Gang was already a renowned minister of the age and possessed great strategy. Once appointed chief minister, he immediately memorialized the throne, advocating the complete abandonment of peace negotiations. He proposed appointing the veteran Zong Ze Defender of Dongjing and sending him to Kaifeng to oversee its defenses. He also strongly advocated establishing the Hebei Pacification Commission and Hedong Military Administration Commission, with Zhang Suo and Fu Liang as their heads, to support the soldiers and civilians resisting the Jin north of the Yellow River.
At the same time, he proposed sweeping military reforms to eliminate corruption and unclear rewards and punishments. He recommended establishing command headquarters along the Yangtze, Huai, and Yellow rivers to create defense in depth.
Li Shimin accepted every proposal. He also issued a decree seeking worthy men, calling for the realm’s talents to come to Nanjing. Any exceptional person would be employed.
There was no reason Wanyan Gou could persecute loyal ministers and great generals in every conceivable way without the Great Song collapsing, while the dynasty would fail because Li Shimin tormented a few surrenderist dogs.
Thus, after ascending the throne, Li Shimin dealt ruthlessly with the peace and surrender factions through executions, beatings, exile, and demotion. Many court officials had also been carried north with Emperors Qinzong and Huizong during the Jingkang Incident, leaving numerous vacancies at court. Once the decree seeking talent was issued, not only did eminent scholars across the country respond, but even serving officials were tempted and began drafting memorials at home.
After several rounds of suppression, the peace and surrender factions, devoted to fleeing south, finally fell temporarily silent. The war faction rose in their place. Insightful officials submitted memorials asking the emperor to return north to the capital Dongjing and stabilize morale.
Attendant Censor Zhang Jun advised, “The Central Plains are the foundation of the realm. May Your Majesty decree repairs to Dongjing, Guanzhong-Longxi, and Xiangyang-Dengzhou in preparation for an imperial visit.” Many officials agreed.
Li Shimin read Zhang Jun’s memorial and wrote “Approved” in vermilion. He suddenly laughed. “Zhi’er, this man is surnamed Zhang and has connections to both of us. His ancestor was the Marquis of Liu, Zhang Liang. He comes from an eminent lineage.”
“Truly?” Liu Che’s expression stirred at the Marquis of Liu’s name. “What connection does he have to you?”
“Do you know Zhang Jiuling, the celebrated chief minister of the Kaiyuan era? ‘A bright moon rises over the sea; from the ends of the earth, we share this moment.’ Those are his famous lines.”
Li Shimin smiled. “Zhang Jun descends from Zhang Jiugao, Zhang Jiuling’s younger brother.”
“There is an even greater coincidence.”
Eating peanuts, Zhu Yuanzhang said, “Zhang Jiugao’s twenty-third-generation descendant Zhang Yanghao was a famous Yuan minister. Alongside Yuan Mingshan of Qinghe and Cao Yuanyong of Wenshang, he was called one of the Three Talents. He wrote that famous Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass…”
“Tong Pass?”
Ying Zheng had not been interested, but the familiar place name caught his attention. “What does this Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass say? Recite it.”
After brief thought, Zhu Yuanzhang recited slowly, “‘Peaks cluster together; waves rage. Mountains and river guard the road through Tong Pass. Looking west toward the old capital, my thoughts hesitate. Grieving over the places traversed by Qin and Han, ten thousand palace halls have all become earth. When a dynasty rises, the people suffer; when it falls, the people suffer!'”
Ying Zheng: “…”
Liu Che: “…”
“Wow.” Zhu Yuanzhang felt the temperature in the space drop and rubbed his arms. “Why are neither of you speaking?”
“…” Ying Zheng asked, “Grieving over places traversed by Han and what?”
“…” Liu Che asked, “Grieving over places traversed by what and Qin?”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
Could they not compare the lines themselves? Why force Old Zhu to name names?
Zhu Yuanzhang silently lowered his head and declined to participate in the Qin-Han dispute.
Besides Zhang Jun, many officials inside and outside court submitted memorials. Zhao Ding, Zhu Shengfei, Zhang Suo, Fu Liang, and others offered advice in succession. Li Shimin selected and accepted proposals, personally reading every document.
Ying Zheng, Liu Che, and Emperor Gaozu knew little of this era and asked few questions. Zhu Yuanzhang came from a later age and knew subsequent events, so he craned his neck and read the memorials with Li Shimin.
“Lu Zai, Assistant Transport Commissioner of Huainan East Circuit…”
Li Shimin asked, “What about him?”
Zhu Yuanzhang replied, “He has a son named Lu You!”
Li Shimin did not understand. “And?”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
Zhu Yuanzhang tried to explain in terms he would understand. “Do you know a Tang poet named Du Fu?”
Li Shimin searched his memory and shook his head. “No.”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
Zhu Yuanzhang grew angry. “Then forget it!”
He took a deep breath and suddenly recalled something else. “Among those offering advice, is anyone surnamed Xin?”
“I don’t think so. That surname is rare. I would remember.”
Li Shimin scratched his cheek. “Why? Is someone surnamed Xin famous in later generations?”
Zhu Yuanzhang said, “Xin Qiji… But perhaps he has not yet been born. His family had a scholarly tradition. If someone surnamed Xin comes to serve, it might be his father’s generation.”
Li Shimin replied, “Is that so.”
“What do you mean, ‘Is that so’?” Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. “Why are you so indifferent?”
Li Shimin continued reading the memorials. “I do not know later history. What reaction do you expect?”
Ying Zheng, Liu Che, and Emperor Gaozu all looked bewildered.
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
Everyone was drunk; he alone was sober.
Never had Old Zhu imagined he would one day understand Qu Yuan.
Alas.
Ignoring Zhu Yuanzhang’s lamentation, Li Shimin picked up another memorial and read carefully. His expression shifted slightly as he read aloud:
“Your Majesty has ascended the throne; the common people have found allegiance, and the state a master. This alone can frustrate the invaders’ schemes. Relief armies gather daily, and our military strength grows. The enemy believes us habitually weak and unable to resist. We should strike while they are unprepared… The best plan now is for the imperial carriage to return to the capital, cancel the decree touring the three prefectures, and personally lead the Six Armies gradually north while the two emperors have only recently been captured and the enemy’s lair is not yet secure. With imperial majesty present, generals will unite and soldiers take courage. The Central Plains can then be recovered within a definite time.”
“His status is humble, yet his ambitions soar to the clouds. His words possess extraordinary martial vigor and no lack of strategy!”
Li Shimin slapped the table and praised the memorial repeatedly. “He mentions Huang Qianshan, Wang Boyan, and others in his advice, so he likely comes from a humble background and does not understand the court’s situation. But his discussion of fighting the Jin shows considerable strategy. If my guess is correct, he must be a low-ranking military officer…”
His gaze fell upon the signature at the end: Yue Fei, Gentleman for Cultivating Martial Virtue.
Li Shimin froze. Holding the memorial, he asked Zhu Yuanzhang, “Is this the Yue Wumu you told me about?”
Rare admiration and faint pity appeared in Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression. “‘Pure and upright, never crooked; his writing mirrors the man.’ That was the judgment I wrote of him during my years in the Great Ming.”
Li Shimin had already heard Yue Wumu’s story, from “Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty” and “Shaking a mountain is easy; shaking the Yue Family Army is hard,” to the twelve gold plaques and the eternal injustice of his death. He too had sighed bitterly and pitied him.
Yue Fei had previously served under Zong Ze, who greatly admired and cared for him. Li Gang and Zong Ze were close, and when Li Gang went to invite Prince Kang to court, he had mentioned Yue Fei.
Now that Li Shimin had seen Yue Fei’s memorial, he pretended to think and asked his attendants, “Is this Yue Fei the warrior who advanced on Kaide Prefecture with General Zong last month?”
The attendants had not expected the emperor to ask about such an insignificant man. After exchanging glances, someone investigated and soon reported, “It is.”
Fortunately, Li Shimin occupied Wanyan Gou’s body. After hearing a detailed account of Yue Fei’s earlier deeds, he took up his vermilion brush. He first promised a northern campaign against the Jin, then offered suggestions on how Yue Fei could conduct several recent battles with greater speed and less effort.
Yue Wumu was indeed a peerless military genius, but was Li Shimin an ordinary man?
After writing, Li Shimin ordered the memorial returned. He promoted Yue Fei to Gentleman of Martial Achievement and commanded him to wait in Yingtian Prefecture for further arrangements.
…
Yue Fei had served under Zong Ze, who appreciated him greatly. Since Yue Fei was now in Yingtian Prefecture, he naturally had to visit.
Knowing Yue Fei came from a farming family and possessed little wealth, Zong Ze urged him to stay in his residence. Yue Fei repeatedly declined, but ultimately accepted.
At dinner that evening, Zong Ze’s son Zong Ying and Yue Fei attended him. Inevitably, they discussed the new ruler in the temporary palace.
“Heaven protects our Great Song! His Majesty possesses Heaven-granted brilliance and heroic courage, with the bearing of Emperor Taizu!”
Zong Ze praised him endlessly. After drinking, he mentioned his morning duty. “Goujian once slept upon brushwood and tasted gall. Today His Majesty refuses to forget the humiliation of Jingkang. With such a ruler, we ministers must devote ourselves fully to helping him destroy the enemy, without worry behind us!”
Yue Fei had served in the army and heard only of Emperors Qinzong and Huizong’s conduct. He had held little hope for the new sovereign. Rumors also claimed the emperor intended to move south, so Yue Fei’s memorial of several thousand words inevitably contained angry language. Hearing Zong Ze now, he felt troubled and ashamed.
After dinner, Zong Ze and his son departed. Yue Fei returned to the guest quarters with a heavy heart and tossed sleeplessly all night. Early the next morning, someone came to Zong Ze’s residence seeking him and returned his memorial.
Yue Fei felt discouraged. Had the disrespectful language caused officials to intercept it before it reached His Majesty?
He was only twenty-five. Not extremely young, but still politically inexperienced. He drew a deep breath and frowned uneasily.
When he opened the memorial, he froze. In the blank space at the end, someone had written nearly a thousand dense characters in vermilion-praise first, then earnest guidance and encouragement.
Yue Fei stood stunned for nearly a quarter of an hour. His face slowly reddened. Heat flowed through his chest and abdomen as he read the thousand characters repeatedly, his entire body trembling.
Zong Ying passed and found him standing red-faced and silent like a man who had lost his soul. Just as he approached to ask, Yue Fei suddenly knelt and bowed toward the temporary palace.
Zong Ying was shocked. “What happened?”
After Yue Fei explained excitedly, Zong Ying washed his hands and read the imperial comments. Envy entered his voice. “It seems His Majesty intends to employ you.”
Yue Fei solemnly declared, “The imperial grace is boundless. Fei can repay it only with his life!”
…
Two days later, Empress Wei, Crown Prince Zhao Ze, and Princess Jinyang Zhao Yongning safely reached Nanjing, Yingtian Prefecture. After entering the palace, they first accompanied Li Shimin to Shou’an Palace to meet the Empress Dowager.
Li Shimin and Li Gang had traveled ahead. Empress Wei moved more slowly because she cared for the children, but precisely because of this, both remained energetic despite their youth.
Empress Wei had taught them well. Before the Empress Dowager, they obediently paid respects and called her Grandmother. Empress Dowager Meng had no children and naturally cherished the pair. She called them forward, asked several questions with a loving smile, then mentioned the investiture ceremony.
Empress Wei shook her head. “This concubine was formerly His Majesty’s princess consort and is now Empress of the Great Song. Both the Empress Dowager’s edict and His Majesty’s decree exist. Who can deny it? The court is displaced southward and faces great hardship. There is no need for an extravagant investiture ceremony that burdens the people, wastes wealth, and damages morale.”
The Empress Dowager had neither sons nor daughters. Though nominally the new emperor’s legitimate mother, she had spent little time with him. Hearing that Empress Wei came from a military family, she had feared a coarse, overbearing daughter-in-law. Now she found her poised, generous, and possessed of the bearing of a Mother of the Nation. She nodded inwardly and praised, “The Empress is virtuous. This is the state’s good fortune.”
Palace attendants served the meal, and everyone ate and talked. About half an hour later, Li Shimin said solemnly, “I have discussed matters with the officials. The Jin have withdrawn from Dongjing. As Son of Heaven, I must personally lead the Six Armies north, recover the Central Plains, reassure the people, and support the state.”
He added, “But Imperial Mother is elderly, while my wife and children are young. You need not travel north with us. Remain in Yingtian Prefecture for now. Once the Jin retreat, there will still be time to cross north.”
Li Shimin said, “The Book of Documents says the Son of Heaven acts as father and mother to the people and rules all beneath Heaven. The people now suffer. How can I, as Son of Heaven, remain safely in one corner? Imperial Mother, please do not urge me further. I have decided to return north to the capital.”
Empress Dowager Meng stared at him, her eyes growing wet. After a long while, she bent to retrieve fallen chopsticks and handed them to a palace attendant. “His Majesty is Son of Heaven and possesses such courage. What should an old woman like me fear? Let the Empress and Crown Prince remain in Yingtian Prefecture to preserve Emperor Taizong’s bloodline. You and I, mother and son, will return north and reassure the people.”
Li Shimin had not expected such courage and was startled. Before he could speak, the Empress Dowager smiled. “I advised His Majesty and you refused to listen. If you advise me now, I will likewise refuse.”
Li Shimin was deeply moved, but Empress Wei said, “If His Majesty returns to Dongjing, this concubine and our children must follow. A young ruler invites uncertainty, especially in wartime. Forgive this Crime of Great Disrespect, but if His Majesty suffers some accident, Ze is still a child and cannot bear the responsibility. The throne would ultimately pass to Emperor Taizu’s branch.”
Li Shimin gazed at her face, tenderness stirred. “Why must you…”
“The Empress Dowager said His Majesty has courage enough to go north. Does this concubine lack it?”
Empress Wei said solemnly, “The Son of Heaven acts as father and mother to the people. This concubine is Mother of the Nation and should live or die with the state.”
Emotion surged through Li Shimin, and his eyes grew wet. “With a worthy mother above, a virtuous wife beside me, and loyal ministers outside, how could our great undertaking fail?!”
Thus, the return to Dongjing was decided.
When the news left the palace the next day, the realm praised them. Morale at court and among the people soared.
The Jin still camped along the Yellow River, yet the Emperor and Empress and Empress Dowager had decided to return. What courage!
If even the imperial family acted so, what did the people have to fear?
…
As Nanjing, Yingtian Prefecture, busily prepared for the move, Zong Ze escorted a travel-worn man into the palace. The moment the man saw Li Shimin, he collapsed and wept.
After questioning Zong Ze, Li Shimin learned he was Cao Xun, a court herald captured north with the two emperors during Jingkang. He had escaped and brought Emperor Huizong’s blood-written message upon an imperial robe.
Cao Xun had endured immense hardship fleeing south. Fearing damage to the robe, he wore it day and night. Before the emperor, he removed it, revealing eight characters written in Huizong’s blood: “Ascend the throne at once; come rescue your father.”
Li Shimin: “…”
Holy shit!
He understood the logic, but why had those two emperors not died?!
Kneeling, Cao Xun tearfully recounted events after crossing north. “More than ten days after crossing the river, the Retired Emperor often wondered whether the people of the Central Plains supported Prince Kang.”
He paused. “Before I left, the Retired Emperor said that if Prince Kang possessed a plan to pacify the Central Plains, you should carry it out fully and not consider him. He also said that an ancestral oath in the temple forbade killing ministers and remonstrating officials, and violation would bring misfortune. He begged His Majesty to remember.”
Li Shimin: “…”
He believed the first statement. The second could be forgotten.
Huizong had not died when his wife and daughters were raped, nor during the Ceremony of Presenting Captives, nor when the Northern Song perished. Now, after being tormented like a dog, he had suddenly attained enlightenment and spiritual elevation, declaring that his son should fight without considering his life?
Bullshit!
And the third point? The heads of the scholar-official surrenderist dogs Li Shimin had killed could be stacked into a monument, yet Huizong came to spout more nonsense!
He would not listen!
Li Shimin concealed his contempt. Cao Xun reverently took a handkerchief from his robe and presented it with both hands.
An attendant delivered it. Li Shimin turned it over repeatedly and found nothing unusual.
Cao Xun explained, “The Retired Emperor repeatedly urged His Majesty not to forget his suffering in the north. When we parted, he wept and wiped his tears with this handkerchief. He ordered this subject to bring it back so His Majesty would know his anguish and endless tears of longing for his homeland.”
Li Shimin: “…”
The emperors: “…”
Li Shimin: “Blech!”
The emperors: “Blech!!!”
The handkerchief instantly seemed coated with two hundred jin of snot and five hundred jin of thick phlegm. Li Shimin desperately wanted hot water to scrub his hands. Every patch of skin that had touched it began itching uncontrollably.
Clutching his chest, Liu Che asked in disbelief, “Is he performing opera? How can anything be this disgusting?”
Ying Zheng frowned in revulsion. “Truly nauseating!”
Emperor Gaozu and Zhu Yuanzhang said, “Stop talking. We’re already vomiting!”
For the ten-thousandth time, Li Shimin roared, “Why won’t those two just die?!”