Chapter 543: Prepare for a Rainy Day (Part )

Just as Zhao Yuan and Qin Wei were having a pleasant conversation, Qiu Han hurried into the training ground and trotted all the way to Zhao Yuan.

Seeing Qin Wei's beaming face, Qiu Han was slightly stunned, and an indescribable strange look flashed in his eyes. He then gathered his thoughts and reported to Zhao Yuan: "My Lord, Lord Jia is here to visit."

"Please!"

Zhao Yuan's expression straightened up, he quickly took off his cloak, and rushed out of the mansion to meet him.

"I thought that the weather was bad today and Lord Jia would not come."

"How dare I not come when Marquis Tianji invites me?" Lord Jia greeted, "There are many things to do in the court today, so I am delayed a little. After the court, the emperor summoned the prime minister to meet me, so I am delayed again. I hope Marquis Tianji will not blame me for being late."

"No way!" Zhao Yuan immediately showed respect upon hearing Lord Jia's explanation, and hurriedly said, "The emperor's summons is the most important event in the world, how can it be considered a delay?"

After the greetings, Zhao Yuan couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked in a low voice: "Master Jia, can you and the Prime Minister report this to the Emperor..."

"Shh!"

Before he finished speaking, Lord Jia looked around imperceptibly and deliberately changed the subject: "I have always coveted the 'Guzhu Zisun', the best tea in the Tianji Pavilion's collection. I hope Marquis Tianji will not be stingy."

How smart is Zhao Yuan? He understood what Lord Jia meant and laughed, "The fragrant tea has been prepared, just waiting for Lord Jia to taste it. If you like it, I will have someone pick more and send it to your house another day."

"No!" Lord Jia pretended to be unhappy, "I will take some with me when I leave."

"Haha... OK, OK! Lord Jia, if you like anything from my humble abode, feel free to take it away."

At this moment, the two of them acted extremely close, hand in hand, and walked towards the Tianji Pavilion together.

In order to avoid any eavesdropping, Zhao Yuan directly led Lord Jia to his study.

While chatting and laughing, the two of them sat down as host and guest, served tea, and sent the servants away. In a blink of an eye, only Zhao and Jia were left in the study.

"Master Jia, this is the safest place in Tianji Pavilion. You can speak freely if you want." To ease Master Jia's mind, Zhao Yuan simply spoke frankly, "May I ask whether we can report to His Majesty what we discussed in the Prime Minister's Mansion yesterday?"

Lord Jia picked up the teacup, looked around cautiously, and slowly said, "To be honest, the emperor summoned us alone for this matter."

"Oh?" Zhao Yuan frowned and asked, "Does the emperor have an order?"

"Yes." Lord Jia whispered, "Not only is there an order, but the attitude is very firm."

"Appreciate further details."

"The Emperor's original intention was that within three months, the Central Plains martial arts world must submit to the imperial court."

"Hiss!" Lord Jia's words made Zhao Yuan take a deep breath and hesitated, "Three months is a bit...short."

"The Prime Minister and I also have the same idea." Lord Jia said undeniably, "Therefore, under our strong persuasion, the emperor finally made concessions. The time limit is still three months, and the requirement is 'at least let Luo Tianjin surrender'."

"This..." Zhao Yuan felt abrupt and looked conflicted.

"Marquis Tianji, this is the greatest concession the emperor has made." Lord Jia said bitterly, "Just now in the palace, the prime minister and I almost wore out our lips, but we failed to shake the emperor's mind. In the end, it even angered the emperor. If the prime minister hadn't smoothed things over in time, we don't know if we could leave the palace alive."

"This..." Zhao Yuan knew that Lord Jia had something to say, so he asked, "Your Majesty has rarely asked about the affairs of the martial arts world before, why is he so concerned today?"

"I guess there are two reasons." Lord Jia pondered, "First, news came from the south that Dali King Duan Zhixing was captured in Kunming, and Dali's fate is over. Your Majesty predicts that the Mongols will definitely attack in large numbers next, trying to attack from both north and south and swallow up the Song Dynasty. Therefore, we must reorganize the army as soon as possible, prepare for war, and be ready to resist the invading enemy at any time. If we delay for a moment today, tomorrow will be more dangerous."

"Your Majesty is wise and has seen through the Mongols' evil ambitions." Zhao Yuan said with emotion, "Thinking about it this way, it is not easy for Your Majesty to give us three months to recruit Luo Tianjin. Little do you know how much pressure Your Majesty has to bear in these three months?"

"This is the second one." Lord Jia continued, "The officials of the Western Palace reported to the emperor, speaking frankly of the pros and cons of the Central Plains martial arts world. On the surface, they are concerned about the country and the people, but in fact they are taking the opportunity to put pressure on the emperor."

"How do they play?"

Lord Jia said helplessly: "The officials of the Western Palace regard the Central Plains martial arts world as a double-edged sword. It can be used by me or by the Mongols."

"A bunch of bastards!" Zhao Yuan slammed his palm on the table and said angrily, "The East Palace went through life and death, worked hard, and wanted to create a brave army for the emperor. But unexpectedly, a bunch of scums in the West Palace who were just sitting there doing nothing helped, and even sabotaged us behind our backs. This is simply unreasonable! At this critical juncture, they are scheming and attacking each other. Can't they see that the Mongolian scimitars are already raised towards us? Can't they tell which is more important, internal or external?"

"Lord Tianji, please be patient," Lord Jia advised. "Now that things have come to this, there is no point in getting angry."

"Does His Majesty allow these treacherous officials to stir up trouble?"

"Not entirely." Lord Jia waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty is busy with all kinds of affairs and knows very little about the affairs of the martial arts world. Therefore, Your Majesty must listen to both sides. Even if you know that the West Mansion is suspected of personal revenge, you must hear their reasoning. Moreover, what the West Mansion said is not all nonsense. After all, that group of martial arts gangsters has been wavering. One day if they do not accept the amnesty of the court, they may become puppets of the Mongols. This section is not only a concern for the emperor, but the prime minister and I are also worried." "Is the West Mansion so determined to avenge the 'Peach Blossom Sword Island'?" Zhao Yuan was confused and his chest was blocked.

"Yes, but not entirely." Lord Jia smiled bitterly, "We exposed the matter of Peach Blossom Sword Island. The West Palace must be resentful, so it is expected that they will take revenge. In addition, there is another point. If the Mongolian army attacks in large numbers, who in the court dares to meet the enemy? Who can meet the enemy?"

"It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only a moment to deploy it. The imperial court has been supporting the Western Palace for many years. Even if their combat power is not as good as the Mongolian cavalry, it should not be a problem for them to resist for three to five years..."

"Haha, Marquis Tianji is too naive." Lord Jia smiled faintly, "The money allocated by the court to the West Palace for raising soldiers every year is indeed not small, but do you know how much of this money can actually be used for food, fodder and weapons? How many soldiers can receive their salaries on time? Taking a step back, Marquis Tianji, do you know how many troops there are in the imperial guards and the garrison troops today?"

"This..." Zhao Yuan was stunned and pondered, "The Western Palace boasts of having a million soldiers..."

"A million strong soldiers?" Lord Jia said disdainfully, "If there really were a million strong soldiers, why would they care about a few tens of thousands of rabble? Marquis Tianji hasn't been to court for a long time, so it's not surprising that he doesn't know the details. Let me tell you, even if all the troops of the Song Dynasty are added together, they can only be counted on one hand."

"Five hundred thousand, this is too much..."

"Don't be impatient!" Lord Jia waved his hand and said, "I haven't finished yet. Five hundred thousand is the number reported by the Privy Council to the court. Tianji Hou might as well make a bold guess, how many troops are actually controlled by the three yamen? How many troops can be deployed at any time?"

"What do you mean?" Zhao Yuan asked in astonishment, "Is it worth less than 500,000?"

"There is a world of difference." Lord Jia snorted and laughed. "The Prime Minister has spies in the Three Yamen. According to his report, the actual strength of the Three Yamen's troops is less than 200,000, and that includes the vulnerable local militia. As for the troops that can be deployed at any time... the imperial guards are no more than 60,000 to 70,000, and the garrison troops are no more than 30,000 to 50,000. The remaining half have no food, weapons, or military pay, so they can only become civilians and support themselves. If war breaks out, whether they can be reorganized into an army... is still unknown."

"This...how is this possible?"

Lord Jia's remarks completely overturned Zhao Yuan's expectations. He was shocked and filled with grief and indignation for a moment.

"The court allocates money every year according to the food and wages of 500,000 troops." Lord Jia said with a hint of meaning, "But in fact, the West Palace only supports 100,000 troops, and it is not even certain whether the 100,000 troops are false. May I ask Marquis Tianji, where did the court's military pay, hundreds of millions of taels of real money over the past few decades, go?"

"Master Jia means that... the officials of the Western Palace are corrupt and have committed corruption and enriched themselves?"

"If the war starts, the lies that the West Mansion has painstakingly woven for many years will be completely exposed." Lord Jia sneered, "Therefore, the West Mansion wants to recruit those gangsters more than we do. Because with them, the West Mansion has a fig leaf."

"No wonder they interfere with the East Palace's affairs again and again." Zhao Yuan suddenly realized, "I always thought that the West Palace was worried that the East Palace would make achievements and threaten their status. Little did I know that there is a bigger secret behind it."

At this point, Zhao Yuan suddenly became serious and said, "Since Lord Jia knows the truth about the West Mansion so well, why doesn't he report it to the emperor and punish them?"

"First, there is no evidence of empty words. Second, have you ever seen anyone cut off his own limbs?"

Facing Lord Jia's question, Zhao Yuan frowned and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean by that?"

"Who dares to raise an army to question the West Palace? Who dares to collect evidence of the West Palace's crimes? Unless they are tired of living. Moreover, how many people in the court are truly clean? I am afraid that if one move is linked to another, the whole body will be affected. By then, it will not be just one or two corrupt officials who will be punished, but more than half of the court, or even all the civil and military officials. To be disrespectful, if the emperor executes all the civil and military officials, he will become a lonely man. Who will take care of the country for him? Who will help him run the Song Dynasty?"

"This……"

"Even if the evidence is irrefutable, the emperor will probably turn a blind eye to the matter in order to keep the peace, just like today." Lord Jia sighed, "The chaos in the court is far worse than the chaos in the martial arts world. Marquis Tianji, sometimes I really envy you."

"Lord Jia's words are so shameful to me." Zhao Yuan said bitterly, "As a subject, I cannot share your worries. As a royal relative, I cannot bring honor to my ancestors. I really... can't face the ancestors of the royal family."

"Just now in the palace, when the emperor summoned us alone, he said something." Lord Jia said meaningfully, "The emperor said that the Duan family can surrender, but the Zhao family cannot. Because if Duan Zhixing surrenders, there is still a glimmer of hope. If I surrender, I will definitely die."

Just with these words, Zhao Yuan was immediately overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears.

"Therefore, within three months, Luo Tianjin must surrender." Lord Jia returned to the point, his tone unquestionable, "This is a major matter that must be done for you, me, the Prime Minister, the two governments, the Emperor, and even the Song Dynasty."

"Master Jia is right." Zhao Yuan wiped away his tears and choked up, "Since the emperor has issued an order, may I ask who should be the imperial envoy to recruit pacification ..."

"There is a man named Shen Dongshan, who is known as the richest businessman in the Song Dynasty." Lord Jia said calmly, "Not only is this man old with Luo Tianjin, but he has also done him a favor. More importantly, I have a good relationship with this man. Marquis Tianji should have heard about what happened at the Qin family in Hexi on the second day of August last year."

"Master Jia means..." Zhao Yuan said thoughtfully, "Let Shen Dongshan be the imperial envoy to recruit people?"

"No! Shen Dongshan is just a commoner, how can he take on such a great responsibility?" Lord Jia shook his head and said, "He is just accompanying, recommending, helping and assisting. The real imperial envoy to pacify the invaders is someone else."

"Who?"

"you!"

……

(End of this chapter)