July is in full swing, and the summer heat is gradually fading. Especially after the middle of the month, the Central Plains has a hint of autumn coolness.
The arrival of autumn also means that it is about to enter the harvest season, and farmers are getting busier and busier. Often, as soon as their talents are polished, young and strong men and even strong women in various villages leave their homes early to start cooking at home. Or start a day of hard work in the landowner's farmland.
This is the case for the villagers on Hebei East Road, Damingfu, Nanle County, Shilipu, and Zhangjiagou. It was just after midnight, and dozens of men and women had already come to the farmland and bent down to do work. While working, everyone would occasionally talk about the ongoing Song-Liao War. Even the common people were very concerned about the battle on the front line.
"It's been almost two years. How long will this war end?"
"Who says it's not the case? Because of this great war, both my brothers were deployed to the north and have not been seen back for half a year. Also, this year alone, the food tax has increased by almost 50% They say it’s to support the front line. But we’ve handed over all the food, so why don’t we see the imperial army fight a few victorious battles?”
"Who knows where these grains and copper coins have gone? I'm afraid they have already fallen into the pockets of the officials. How many cents can they send to the front line? And how many kilograms and taels do our Song Dynasty officers and soldiers have for so many years? How many? I’m afraid…”
"Li has a big mouth, you are the only one who can say it, be careful of trouble coming from your mouth, the government will arrest you and put you in jail!" Seeing that this man was getting more and more speechless, someone immediately reminded him hurriedly, and then Li Big Mouth stopped talking angrily, while others around him sighed.
Just when everyone was speechless for a while, there was a fierce sound of horse hooves from the distance on the official road next to the wheat field. Just listening to the sound of stepping on the ground like raindrops, you can tell how fast the horse is riding. This naturally aroused a burst of curiosity from all the farmers. Many of them subconsciously raised their heads, put up their awnings and headed north.
After a while, they saw a man riding two horses flying towards him. However, unlike the postmen who had seen delivering urgent messages in the past, this man also had two big flags on his back, and two people sprouted from his back. Like flapping wings, it fluttered in the wind while running wildly, revealing all the words written on it.
It's a pity that none of the farmers working in the fields can read. Even if they see the words above, they don't know what they mean. They were just curiously guessing what information Lai Qi was going to report to the south. Could it be that they had suffered another major defeat in the battle against Liao, and they needed to get the local governments ready to respond as soon as possible
Then, something unexpected happened. Just when the two men came to them, the knight suddenly pulled the reins, slowed down the horse, then turned around and shouted at them: "Great victory in the north, our Song army has been led by General Sun Tusun, the Marquis of Yue." We defeated the Liao army and regained the important territory of Youyun Sixteen Provinces. The humiliation that lasted for a hundred years is completely over today!"
After finishing this roar, the knight accelerated again and ran forward quickly. When he came to the edge of the next wheat field where farmers gathered, he slowed down again and shouted similar words. At this time, the farmers he left behind were completely stunned. Li's mouth was so big that he could almost stuff a watermelon into it, but he couldn't even say a word for a while.
After a long while, someone stammered and shouted: "Just... what did that person say just now? Did I misunderstood? The Sixteen Provinces of Youyun have been recaptured, and our army of the Song Dynasty has achieved a great victory that has not been seen in a century?" "
"You heard it right, that's what he called it. This great victory was achieved under the leadership of General Sun Tu, the Marquis of Yue!" Li Dazui finally came back to his senses, full of excitement.
There was a loud shout. Then his excitement quickly spread to everyone around him. Everyone put down their farm tools and cheered loudly.
Perhaps the outcome of the battle on the front line would not have much impact on their peaceful lives, but as a Song people, after learning that the imperial army had finally won such a great victory that had not been seen in a century, they were still extremely excited and cheered, and even Even those who complained a lot before are now shouting slogans that the Song Dynasty will win and General Sun is mighty.
Soon after, Zhangjiagou Village, Shilipu Town, and even the entire Nanle County began to boil with cheers, soaring into the sky and lingering for a long time.
However, the knight who reported the victory did not stay in the county town for long, and continued to run along the flat official road, spreading the news of victory to the ears of every ordinary person along the way, and also ushered in more cheers and applause. As a result, the name of Sun Tu, the Marquis of Yue, has become a name that everyone talks about in the entire Nanyue, the entire Daming Mansion, and the entire Hebei East Road. Regardless of whether everyone knew about this general's deeds in the past, he has now become a famous figure in the world. The most amazing hero, the real unparalleled hero!
At the same time, not only this man was riding a double horse, but more knights were galloping on every official road in the Song Dynasty, rushing into every city and every town, spreading the news of this great victory to every ordinary person. In the ears of the people, they all also knew about the existence of Sun Tu, a famous general and unparalleled hero at that time.
Hebei Road, Jingji Road, Huaibei Road, Jingdong Road, and even Qinfeng Road and Jiangnan Road further away... In the Song Dynasty, all states in the world ushered in such a road that could attract all the people in the next half month. Celebrating the great victory, several riders even rushed into the city of Tokyo and spread the news to every corner of Bianliang, which immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the people in this prosperous capital.
Obviously, in the next seven months, no matter whether in the court or in the Jianghu, no matter in the southeast or northwest, in the entire Song Dynasty, everyone will know about Sun Tu, everyone will worship Sun Tu, and everyone will regard him as the one who saved the country and opened up frontiers. Expanding soil is the greatest contributor who has made great contributions to the country and benefited the future...
And when the news reached the court and fell into the ears of the princes who were high up in the temple, although they were smiling at others, their true mood was not as good as they showed.
In Cai Jing's study in the Grand Master's residence, facing a group of his cronies, Cai Jing could no longer hold back the anger in his heart. With a snap, he gave away a priceless and most cherished Chai Kiln porcelain bowl. He was smashed into pieces, and all his subordinates and confidants were frightened into silence, and they didn't even dare to breathe again. You know, in the past twenty years, Grand Master Cai, who has been in sole control of power, has never been as angry and out of control as he is today. This can also be seen how much impact this incident has on him.
"His heart is to be punished! Sun Tu is really a man to be punished! Where did he get the courage to make his own decisions without the permission of the court, and use the cloth to fly quickly to advertise the victory of the north to the world? In his eyes, there is still With or without the imperial court, what does he want to do?" A series of angry roars spewed out of his mouth, followed by a heartbreaking cough, but it was the old man who injured his lungs in his excitement.
Upon seeing this, the confidants below immediately panicked, and hurriedly came forward to pat the back, caress the chest, hand out water, and comfort... After being busy for a while, Cai Jing finally stabilized, but his expression changed. It became more and more ugly, with blue in the white. But what should be said is still: "What do you think about this?"
"The lower official thinks that Sun Tu's move is really inappropriate. However, after all, the imperial court has not explicitly prohibited the general Lu Bu from flying quickly, so it is really hard to blame him for this..."
"What's more, Sun Tu led his army to capture
The Sixteenth Prefecture of Youyun is also true, and it is my long-cherished wish of the Song Dynasty. With such great contributions, I am afraid it is hard to blame him for such a small mistake. Even if it's the official family, I'm afraid they won't mind. "
"Yes, Grand Master, even though there is something wrong with this matter, it will not harm the overall situation after all. Please don't get angry because of it, but it will hurt your own body instead."
Listening to these words of comfort, Cai Jing's eyes became even more gloomy: "What, you really don't understand the key point? I just made up my mind to suppress this matter first, and then find an opportunity to get rid of this beast to bring peace of mind." I, the Song Dynasty Sheji, suddenly made this move, which is clearly aimed at me and all of us."
As Cai Jing's close confidants, the officials naturally knew what he had been doing in the court during this period - in fact, the relevant news had reached the capital a few days ago. However, Cai Jing relied on his strong influence to completely suppress the matter. Regardless of the Ministry of War, the Privy Council, or other government offices, almost no one dared to reveal this victory in the north. And what he wanted to do was to find out all of Sun Tu's faults and capture him directly before the news was known to the world!
In fact, there is no need to look for Sun Tu's sins, they are all obvious. Killing Gao Qiu, placing Tong Guan under house arrest, seizing military power... No matter which one of them, he was determined to have evil intentions and destroy his whole family. The reason why Cai Jing has been holding back is because he is worried that it will affect the situation in the north.
And now, there is finally definite news about the northern expedition against Liao. Although Sun Tuzhen has achieved a great victory that has not been seen in a century, for Cai Jing, this is still not a problem. Because he can completely explain to the world that the real leader of this battle is Tong Guan, and it is the imperial court and His Majesty who employ people well, and by covering up the contributions of Sun Tu and others, and then listing their crimes, this can be taken advantage of. The guy who was his enemy was captured.
So what if Sun Tu made more contributions? He is not yet a low-status military commander. When the powerful Grand Master Cai, who is the prime minister of the dynasty, wants to erase his achievements and convict him of death, how can he, a military commander, turn the world upside down
I thought everything was under my control, but in the end Sun Tu made such a move. In this way, Cai Jing's overall plan was completely ruined. Lubu Feijie, who was rushing to all the state capitals in the world, made it difficult for him to deny Sun Tu's contribution, and he could no longer hide it from the emperor in the palace.
This time, Cai Jing's anger was actually more due to fear. He was afraid that everything was out of his control. He was afraid that Sun Tu would guess his behavior in advance and be prepared to counterattack early on. If this is the case, then the troubles will only be greater in the future.
But even so, Cai Jing will still not change his established policy. The more Sun Tu behaves like this, the more threatening he is and must be eradicated! At this moment, he had made the final decision to transfer Sun Tu back to the capital as soon as possible in the name of questioning his guilt, remove the soldiers and horses who had been fighting with him for many years, and then capture him as soon as he returned to Tokyo. Come on, be executed!
This person is too threatening and cannot be left here! Even if it causes more disputes, he will not hesitate, because Cai Jing has already felt that this person is a terrible threat to himself, and even the entire Song Dynasty.
So what if he achieves unparalleled achievements? In the eyes of the powerful officials in the court, Sun Tu was just a humble general who could be executed at will!
(End of this volume)