On the 15th day of the first lunar month, people in Lin'an celebrate the Lantern Festival, and every household lights up lights and colors to prepare for the grand occasion of the year.
At this moment, Zhao Gou was angry in the palace.
Tang Sidui and Shen Gai really couldn't handle Xin Qiji, so they had no choice but to retreat. They came back and handed the mess back to Zhao Gou, asking Zhao Gou to take charge of the overall situation.
When Zhao Gou heard that Xin Qiji had blackmailed the Southern Song Dynasty with force, he became furious. He banged the table and benches, and ordered two eunuchs who were displeased to be killed to vent his anger. The other eunuchs were so frightened that they did not dare to speak out.
"Who does Su Yonglin think he is? Wanyan Aguda? We just signed the peace treaty, and now he actually asks me for coins? Shameless! Treacherous! Not a good person! Bastard! Bastard!!!"
Zhao Gou hated Su Yonglin and was extremely angry with Su Yonglin's behavior.
As soon as this anger came to his head, Zhao Gou immediately ignored him.
"He wants the New Year's Coin, right? That's okay! Let him come to Lin'an! If he can come to Lin'an! I will offer the New Year's Coin with both hands! Let him come!"
Zhao Gou threw his favorite inkstone to the ground and smashed it.
The inkstone hit the ground and broke into several pieces, with some debris splashing on the faces of Tang Sihui and Shen Gai. The two of them shrunk their necks and closed their eyes, enduring the pain and not daring to make a sound.
Later, when he saw that Zhao Gou had calmed down a little, Tang Situi tentatively opened his mouth to admonish Zhao Gou.
"Your Majesty, think twice! The Ming Dynasty has just overthrown the Jin Kingdom and has a strong military. The Song Dynasty's armaments are lax. Without rectification, we will not be able to win no matter what!"
"Then rectify it! Rectify it severely! Kill all those who do nothing, those who are corrupt, and those who take free money! Kill them all! Su Yonglin, you bastard! If you have the ability, come to An'an and ask me for the New Year's coins! He can do it! , I can afford it! If he can’t come, don’t even think about it!!!”
Zhao Gou pointed angrily at the trio of Privy Council members.
"You guys, go and rectify the armaments for me immediately, rectify them seriously, rectify them severely! If we can't rectify an army of 300,000 men within two months, then stop staying in the Privy Council and get out to Lingnan!"
The faces of the three members of the Privy Council were pale. They knew that this task was extremely difficult, but seeing Zhao Gou furious and killing people at the slightest disagreement, they could only swallow the pain in their stomachs and thought that they could only wait for Zhao Gou to pass. It's time to calm down before admonishing him.
But before that, no matter what he said, you had to agree to avoid becoming a victim of his anger.
Seeing the submissive looks of these people, Zhao Gou stamped his feet fiercely, waved his hands and left.
The five people who were left at the top decision-making level looked at each other.
There is no doubt that they are now grasshoppers on a rope. Once the Ming Dynasty decides to go to war with the Southern Song Dynasty, each of the five of them will bear the brunt of the war and will never escape the judgment of fate.
This news will soon be made public, and all Southern Song officials will know the results of their negotiations with the Ming Dynasty, as well as the Ming Dynasty's demands.
What will happen to public opinion between the government and the opposition?
What will happen to public opinion?
How will the military view this matter?
Is the army ready to show off with the Ming army?
All this is unknown.
"Privy Wang, what do you think of this matter?"
Tang Situi looked helplessly at Wang Lun, who had always disliked him, and asked him.
If the two of them cannot cooperate sincerely to deal with the current situation, they will end up together. No one will be luckier than the other, so at this time, the interests of the two are consistent.
Since the interests are the same, we should work together. We cannot just watch the situation slip to an irreversible point and then lament why we didn't work hard at that time.
He believed Wang Lun understood.
Wang Lun looked at Tang Situi.
Does this prime minister, who once strongly opposed the rectification of armaments and opposed himself at every turn, still feel fear now?
snort!
"How else can we look at it? We can't change the Ming Dynasty's mind, nor can we change His Majesty's mind, so get ready to go to Lingnan, unless the Song army can defeat the Ming army, which has fought hundreds of battles."
After Wang Lun finished speaking, he turned around and left.
Tang Si was stunned.
The other three were also stunned.
They couldn't imagine that Wang Lun would say such a thing.
Going to Lingnan?
And listening to his tone, it seemed as if he didn't believe that the Song army could defeat the Ming army.
As the head of the Privy Council, is it really appropriate for you to speak like this?
But no matter what, life will continue to pass and time will continue to pass. The news that the Ming Dynasty asked the Song Dynasty to provide annual coins to help them renovate the Yellow River soon spread throughout the government and the public, and then spread to the people.
The entire Lin'an City was extremely shocked by this incident.
Amid the shock, only a few people expressed no surprise.
Because in their view, the Ming Empire, which unified the Central Plains and became the emperor, had long since become a domineering country like the Jin Kingdom, and everything they did was traceable.
When they met, they told everyone that they had long seen through the ambitions of the Ming Dynasty and that it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to coexist peacefully with the Song Dynasty. They had long loudly requested the court to renovate the military to prepare for the war against the Ming Dynasty, but the court turned a deaf ear.
Now that the Ming Dynasty has come to ask for money, is the court in a panic when they find out?
Of course, it was panic, not only the court, but also the people were panic.
Some smart people have already figured it out.
Once the Sui coins become a reality, the various economic tasks they need to undertake will suddenly increase.
The imperial court will never bear those annual coins itself, and will definitely find ways to pass this expenditure on to the people.
The big men will not pay their own money to shoulder national responsibilities. In the end, it is the common people who are unlucky.
They are afraid, hateful, and panicked.
So they tried to put pressure on the court to reject the unreasonable demands of the Ming Dynasty, and even secretly joined together to prepare some scholars to sit in protest near the post station where the Ming Dynasty envoys lived, so that the Ming Dynasty envoys could see that they were firmly opposed to this. determination to take action.
As long as the envoys of the Ming Dynasty can see the unified scene of the Song Dynasty, they will definitely have some hesitation, and they will not be so determined to obtain the coins.
So under the instigation and arrangements of some thoughtful people, a saying of "going to the inn where the Ming envoys lived to sit in protest to show the unity of the Song Dynasty" gradually spread in the streets and alleys of Lin'an City.
This statement describes the Ming Empire as a particularly unreasonable robber. It forced the Song Dynasty to pay the annual coins. What it did was despicable. The people of the Song Dynasty must show a united attitude and let the Ming Dynasty envoys see the people's hearts. Only in this way can the people of the Song Dynasty be seen. Achieve the effect of [Shocking the Ming Kingdom] and [Conquering the enemy without fighting].
More and more young and enthusiastic scholars strongly agree with this statement. With the humiliation in their hearts that they cannot cut off the Jin Dynasty coins for the Song Dynasty, and with the determination to never let the Song Dynasty suffer humiliation again, they gathered in Together.
The passionate scholars gathered together chanting slogans and marched to the inn where Xin Qiji lived.
At the same time, Xin Qiji, who had just returned to Lin'an from a business trip, was about to return to the court to report the results of his official duties. Suddenly, he found that Lin'an was different from before. Rumors that the Ming Dynasty asked the Song Dynasty for annual coins were spreading in the streets.
The scholars of the Song Dynasty were filled with indignation and prepared to gather together to sit down and protest at the inn where the Ming Dynasty envoys were staying, making the Ming Dynasty aware of the unity of the Song Dynasty.
Lu You was horrified and immediately ran back to his imperial department to inquire about the news.
Through the information from his friend Han Yuanji and some colleagues in the department, Lu You knew the ins and outs of this matter, and then he frowned with bitterness on his face.
"How did that happen?"
Han Yuanji also had the same bitter look on his face.
"Wuguan, you still have the foresight. The Ming Dynasty relied on its military strength. Sure enough, like the Jin Dynasty, it coveted the Song Dynasty. What is not my kind... I am still too stupid to see the Ming Dynasty. wild ambition!"
"In order to build the Yellow River, you need the Song Dynasty to provide annual coins? This... what kind of excuse is this?"
Lu You shook his head repeatedly and said with confusion on his face: "What does the Ming Dynasty want? What do they want to do? Are they going to be detrimental to the Song Dynasty just after the founding of the country?"
"Who knows what they want to do? But no matter what, it is certain that Ming Guo has bad intentions."
Han Yuanji clenched his fists: "The Song Dynasty finally got rid of the humiliation of the Jin Kingdom, and the Ming Dynasty wanted to impose this humiliation on the Song Dynasty. How can it be so easy! Wu Guan, I heard that someone has united with many Lin'an scholars Let’s go to the inn where the envoys from the Ming Dynasty stayed to hold a sit-in protest, let’s go and have a look too!”
