dognovel Chapter 140 The Hidden Paradise of Li Family Village
Chapter 140 The Hidden Paradise of Li Family Village
Holding up the battle report sent from the Chuzhou battlefield, Qin Hui shouted joyfully all the way, "Your Majesty, great joy! Great joy!"
Zhao Gou frowned and put down the memorial in his hand: "You are now the Right Chancellor of the Great Song Dynasty, a role model for the civil officials of the court. How can you lose your decorum?"
Faced with Zhao Gou's rebuke, Qin Hui did not take it too seriously. He recalled how the Jin people in the Five Kingdoms City had always beaten and scolded him. This experience had shaped Qin Hui's strong psychological resilience.
Qin Hui: "Your Majesty, the latest battle report from the Chuzhou battlefield has arrived. We have successfully captured Chuzhou City and have wiped out all the remaining rebel forces."
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Gou could no longer sit still. He jumped up and snatched the battle report from Qin Hui's hand to examine it carefully.
After looking at it for a while, Zhao Gou stared wide-eyed and asked, "Why is there no news about Zhao Heng and Han Shizhong inside?"
That's why leaders are leaders; they pinpointed the crux of the problem in a single sentence. The Southern Song Dynasty amassed so many troops and ignored the opposition of its civil officials in order to completely eliminate Zhao Heng, but who knew that all that effort would result in such a failure?
Qin Hui stammered, "Although there were no reports from the front lines, the Imperial City Guard said that Zhao Heng, Han Shizhong, and others evacuated Chuzhou City when it fell on a Fuzhou naval warship. They should have gone towards Fuzhou."
"Snapped!"
An enraged Zhao Gou threw a beautifully crafted official kiln vase to the ground and cursed Qin Hui, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash! We outnumbered them several times over, and yet Zhao Heng managed to escape with so many men!"
After venting his anger, Zhao Gou had to face the reality of the situation. The area north of Chuzhou and Sizhou was now occupied by the Jurchens. He had originally intended to use the Jurchens to eliminate Zhao Heng, but instead of taking action, the Jurchens had seized large swathes of Song territory. And judging from their posture, the Jurchens didn't seem inclined to withdraw anytime soon, which presented a rather troublesome situation.
Zhao Gou said to Qin Hui, who was kneeling on the ground, "Go and talk to the Jin people yourself. As long as they withdraw their troops, I am willing to increase the amount of tribute in the annual tribute."
After thinking for a while, Zhao Gou asked again, "By the way, how did your talks with the Mongols go?"
Qin Hui: "Those Mongols want to form an alliance with our Great Song Dynasty to fight against the Jin Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou fell silent. It should be noted that his father, Emperor Huizong of Song, had allied with the Jin Dynasty at sea to destroy the Liao Dynasty. However, things were different now. The Jin Dynasty was militarily powerful, and even if the Song Dynasty and the Mongol shepherds were combined, they might not be a match for the Jin Dynasty.
Thinking of this, Zhao Gou said, "Have the Ministry of Rites give these Mongols more gifts and tell them that we can discuss the alliance later."
At this moment, Zhao Gou was concerned about when the Jin army led by Wanyan Ping would withdraw. As for destroying the Jin state? Forget about it, after all, Zhao Gou was well aware of his own strength.
In October 1153, Wanyan Ping, following the decree of Emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin Dynasty, established the Zhennan Prince's Mansion in Kaifeng Prefecture, and was granted the title of Prince of Zhennan. From then on, Kaifeng Prefecture was renamed Nanjing of the Jin Dynasty, becoming the political and military center that restrained the Southern Song Dynasty.
On October 20th of the same year, Qin Hui, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, led a group of officials to visit Nanjing, hoping to negotiate with Wanyan Ping, the Prince of Zhennan of the Jin Dynasty, regarding the withdrawal of the Jin army. After more than ten days of negotiations, the talks failed, and Qin Hui returned to Lin'an Prefecture.
On the third day of the eleventh month, the Ongud Mongols, together with 50,000 troops from 15 Mongol tribes, reoccupied most of the Xijing Road region and set their sights on the Jin capital.
On November 15th, the Western Xia launched an attack on the Jin Dynasty, with 60,000 cavalry raiding Datong Prefecture and Weizhou. Emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin Dynasty hurriedly mobilized troops to resist.
It had been snowing heavily for four or five days in a row, and Li Family Village outside Tangyin City now seemed to be even more prosperous than Tangyin County itself. Putting aside everything else, every household in Li Family Village had electric lights that didn't require lamp oil, a coal-burning stove, and thick quilts and warm cotton-padded clothes. Based on this alone, the standard of living in Li Family Village far surpassed that of any other country in this era; even the emperors of other nations probably couldn't enjoy such a lifestyle.
At this moment, on the dining table in Li Zhen's home in Lijiazhai, there was a steaming copper hot pot, next to which were freshly cut beef and mutton and various kinds of vegetables that were almost unavailable in winter. These were all purchased by Li Zhen from the modern world and stored in that mysterious space.
At this moment, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, opened a can of Tsingtao beer and took a large, satisfying gulp.
"Hahaha...Good son-in-law, where did you come up with this way of eating? I've tasted plenty of delicacies, but this is the first time I've ever seen such a unique way of eating."
Li Zhen used chopsticks to pick up a piece of freshly cooked luncheon meat for Xiao Yuchen, and said with a smile to Zhao Ji, "Old Zhao, this way of eating actually comes from the grasslands. It is said that when the Mongols were fighting, they didn't have time to cook, so they filled their helmets with water and then put beef and mutton in them to boil. We call it hot pot."
Zhao Ji: "It seems the Mongols are living quite well. I just don't understand why they still raid our border every year?"
Li Zhen sidled up with a wicked grin: "Old Zhao, what if you had to eat nothing but beef and mutton all day long? Wouldn't you get a sore throat? Once they get a sore throat, they need to release it, and with a little alcohol on top of that, they start turning into savages."
Upon hearing this, Bu Liang laughed so hard he almost passed out. Who would want to fight if they weren't suffering from disaster? His lord was telling him that the Mongols were just bored and had nothing better to do.
Little Yuchen, who was diligently eating, asked with some confusion, "Uncle, why are you laughing?"
The self-proclaimed orthodox bad boy smiled and said to Xiao Yuchen, "When you grow up, you can't be like your father, spouting nonsense all the time. Luckily, Confucius passed away early, or he would have jumped up and spanked your father's bottom."
Upon hearing this, Yue Ying immediately put down his chopsticks, reached for the pistol at his waist, and asked the scoundrel, "Where is that guy surnamed Kong? He dared to hit the big boss! I'll have a go at him!"
Seeing that Yue Ying's demeanor was genuine and not feigned, Zhao Ji was immediately amused.
"Hahaha... My dear son-in-law, your brother is really too honest. He actually wants to cause trouble for Confucius."
Yue Peng covered his tears of laughter and pulled his younger brother down with one hand.
"You refused to study when I told you to, and now look what you've done, you've made a fool of yourself. Confucius was the founder of the Confucian school during the Warring States period. Even if Confucius were still alive today, your mediocre skills wouldn't be enough to impress him."
The snow was still falling outside the window, but cheerful voices occasionally echoed from inside the house. It was a rare snowy day, and the entire Li Family Village was immersed in peace. Many families were gathered around the steaming stove, eating or chatting. They didn't have to worry about running out of food, or about freezing to death without firewood. Most importantly, they didn't have to worry about any strongmen suddenly breaking in and disturbing the tranquility.
Now, Li Zhen has transformed Li Family Village into the paradise he envisioned. The people here no longer have to endure cold and hunger, nor are they subject to the arbitrary bullying of the local gentry and wealthy households. This is the utopian world he desires.