On New Year's Eve, Bianliang, Tokyo.
This is supposed to be the most festive day of the year. In previous years, even at night, many people in Tokyo could still be seen going out to celebrate. Walking through the streets and alleys was so lively, not to mention that the air was always filled with The smell of food, wine and meat, and the laughter of people.
But there is no festive atmosphere in Bianjing today. The streets are empty, with only groups of Imperial Guards patrolling the streets mechanically like zombies. On the other hand, in front of the city gates in the south, there are still countless civilians lingering until dark. Reluctant to leave for a long time, they supported the old and the young one by one, taking their belongings and belongings, but they planned to escape from this most luxurious city in the world.
In fact, as early as a few months ago, with the sudden shortage of food in the south of the Yangtze River and the sharp rise in food prices in the city, those merchants and ordinary people living here had left in time, but more people still chose to stay, because They believe that the court will definitely solve this problem. You must know that in the eyes of many people, the Song Dynasty is now heading towards a renaissance. After defeating powerful northern enemies such as Liao and Jin, and recapturing the Sixteenth Prefecture of Youyun, the Song Dynasty has never been as strong as it is today.
But then the situation took a turn for the worse. Even though the government tried its best to control the leakage of news, the changes in the north spread like the wind throughout the entire city of Tokyo. It turned out that Sun Tu, the Marquis of Yue, who was regarded by everyone as a great hero, suddenly raised the banner of Qing Jun and rebelled, and soldiers from Jiangnan, Shandong and other places quickly followed up and cooperated. This was the key reason for the sudden food shortage in the city.
What is even more alarming is that the rebels who went south have won many battles and have almost effortlessly occupied all the large cities north of the Yellow River. Now they have even reached the north bank of the Yellow River and may attack at any time. After crossing the natural barrier, we marched straight to the gates of Tokyo.
When these bad news finally spread in the city, the people finally became afraid and thought of escaping from Tokyo. But everything was too late, because Bianjing, which had not closed its city gates for decades, closed more than a dozen city gates at the same time. No one was allowed to enter or exit, and the people who wanted to escape were stranded. Among them, I can only go to the city gate to pray repeatedly every day, hoping to give myself a way to survive.
But the imperial court had already issued a strict order, and even the boats on the Bian River had stopped entering and exiting. How could the city gates be opened again? As a result, the entire city of Tokyo fell into unprecedented fear and uneasiness. This new year is truly a critical point in the eyes of all people. No one knows what will happen next, how many days they can live, and the nobles in the court. How will we respond
Of course, people are most concerned about their own survival, but the high food prices in the city have caused the prices of all items to skyrocket like blooming sesame seeds, making it seem like ordinary people are about to run out of food at home. So, on this New Year's Eve, not only could there be no laughter in the city of Tokyo, but sad cries could always be heard from a certain house.
In the city of Tokyo, both the morale of the military and the people are in chaos and have dropped to an unprecedented level.
As for the officials in the court, they looked pretty much the same. They all looked as if they were distracted and felt like the sky was about to fall. Because they know more than ordinary people, just this morning, an update
The absurd and terrifying news has come back. The Yellow River defense line was lost two days ago. The imperial army completely collapsed and fled. The rebels had calmly crossed the frozen Yellow River, and Zhang, who had high hopes for everyone, had Shu Ye even committed suicide in the rebellion and died for his country...
Even people who were accustomed to constant defeat reports still fell into despair when they heard such bad news, because it meant that their last bit of hope and reliance had been shattered by the rebels. It is only a matter of time before hundreds of thousands of rebels reach Tokyo.
Even the most powerful people like Cai Jing, the favorite of the emperor like Liang Shicheng, or the high-ranking officials like Yang Jian who always accompanied the emperor, were completely stunned after hearing the news and had no idea at all. The only thing that can be done is to report the matter to the emperor immediately so that Zhao Ji can prepare early.
"How could this be so?" Today's officials of the Song Dynasty no longer have the graceful demeanor of the past, as gentle as a man of enlightenment. Their whole face is wrinkled into a ball, their bodies are trembling, and their eyes are full of bloodshot eyes. He even stared at the ministers in front of him: "How could this be? Didn't you promise before that you could use the Yellow River to block the rebel offensive, and then slowly wear them down over time, and finally let the court win? Why is it like this now? What about Zhang Shuye, whom you recommended so much? Why is he so incompetent? And those officials and soldiers of the Song Dynasty? Where have they gone? They usually receive salaries from the court, but why are they missing at this time? Which group of people came to Qinwang?"
Facing the emperor's hissing questions, these senior officials of the imperial court were speechless. All of them turned pale and could not say a word. Until the end, it was Cai Jing who spoke on behalf of everyone: "Your Majesty, the situation is far from hopeless. After several dynasties of expansion and hundreds of years of repairs, our city of Tokyo is the strongest city in the world. As long as Your Majesty orders the whole city to defend it, , the old minister believed that Sun Tu would definitely not be able to break through the capital in a short time.
"And as long as we hold on for a period of time, soldiers and horses from all walks of life loyal to the imperial court will come to King Qin at night and starry. By then, the imperial army with righteousness in hand will definitely annihilate this rebel army under the walls of Tokyo. "
"Really... can Tokyo really be defended?" Zhao Ji still had some trust in Cai Jing. Seeing that he was sure, he asked again.
"That's of course. We still have hundreds of thousands of imperial troops in the capital. The city is high and the city is deep. It cannot be easily broken by the rebels. As long as your majesty gives orders and inspires the troops, I can guarantee that they will not be able to conquer our capital. Your majesty, I do this. All this is not for selfish reasons, but for the sake of our country, the Song Dynasty. Sun Tu has launched a brazen rebellion. Once he enters the city, he will kill the king at all costs. It would not be a pity for me to die, but your Majesty is the foundation of our country, so nothing will happen to him. Ah..." At the end of the sentence, Cai Jing was at the top of Qi Qing. With tears in his eyes, he knelt down and kowtowed.
Other ministers also knelt on the ground and said one after another: "Yes, Your Majesty, the current plan can only have a chance of survival by holding on to Tokyo. Only by Your Majesty's decree and the promise of generous rewards can we inspire the morale of the army and make the entire city's forbidden troops die." Fight!"
The fear of death and the trust in these important officials finally made Zhao Ji make the final decision: "Okay, I will issue an order and call on the entire city's soldiers and civilians to defend the city. As long as we can defend Tokyo this time, we can pacify the rebels." ,
You and others have all made great contributions, and the soldiers below will also receive the most generous rewards! "
As the standard thin gold characters appeared on the finest silk and were stamped with the stamp of one person in the world, this final declaration representing the first person in the Song Dynasty was presented, and was then slaughtered by Cai Jing and others. Zhi quickly took it and stamped it with the seal of the Political Hall. In this way, this imperial edict became the most legally effective written article in the world, enough to make the soldiers and civilians in the city obey the orders and fight to the end.
After arranging everything properly and comforting Zhao Ji, Cai Jing and others hurriedly said goodbye and left the palace. It was only at this time that their expressions changed again. Cai Jing even looked at Yang Jian who had followed him out step by step: "Shizhong Yang, I will entrust you with the next matters in the palace. You must not let the officials know. Then Sun Tu is flying the banner of Qing Jun, otherwise, you and I will die without a burial place."
"Our family understands, Grand Master, don't worry. Everyone in the palace, especially everyone around His Majesty, is under our control. It is impossible for Your Majesty to know this statement." Yang Jian hurriedly responded in a low voice.
They are both "six thieves", so they naturally know what kind of fate they will face once Sun Tuzhen enters Tokyo, so even if they are deceiving the king, they must go all the way to the end at this time. Although this Yang Jian is not very well-known in the court, his influence in the palace is huge. He has long overshadowed Tong Guan, who always likes to lead troops on expeditions, and Liang Shicheng, who handles foreign affairs. He is a truly powerful figure in the palace. . With him taking care of him in the palace, he can naturally isolate the inside and outside, making Zhao Ji completely unaware of the truth outside.
Cai Jing nodded with satisfaction, and then hurriedly left the palace with the others. Now that the situation in the city is tense, he doesn't dare to slack off anymore.
After leaving the palace gate, Cai Jing glanced at Liang Shicheng again: "Taifu Liang, I heard that you sent people to surround Sun Tu's Yuehou Mansion early in the morning?"
"Exactly. It's not that we are afraid that they will cause trouble in the city. We are also doing this to ensure their safety and not be harassed by the people." Liang Shicheng hurriedly explained. Cai Jing did not dwell on this matter, and just said: "You did a good job. Next, the Sun family members, especially Sun Tu's two wives and children, are the most important bargaining chips in our hands. You must have them in your hands."
Cai Jing knew very well that it would be difficult to defend the city of Tokyo with just the strength of the imperial army in the city. Otherwise, Sun Tu would not have been able to fight all the way from Youzhou to Gyeonggi in just two or three months. Therefore, he must stay behind to ensure his own safety. Then, he set his sights on the newly appointed Privy Councilor Shang Zhen: "Shang Taiwei, you are much more familiar with military matters than I am, and all public security matters in the city must be entrusted to you. As for logistics and food, I can promise you that there will be no mistakes."
"I will do my best to ensure that the city of Tokyo is safe." This veteran, who was unknown in the court before, hurriedly clasped his fists and responded, but there was not much confidence in his tone. Sun Tu's reputation was really too big. , it came too fast and too fiercely.
This is the last day of the seventh year of Xuanhe's reign in the Song Dynasty. It is destined that many people will have trouble sleeping. And when the new year comes, what will the scene be like in Tokyo