Ye Yiwen made this decision that he didn't even know was correct.
But in a sense, he had no choice.
He could only go with the flow and make this decision that was not a decision.
With that, the six-member panel made a decision.
They reported this decision to the current royal representative, Queen Wu, and asked her to agree to the decision.
Of course, Wu had no choice but to go through the motions and express that the six-member team did not bypass the royal family's exclusive decision-making.
Wu, a weak woman with no political opinions or ambitions, could only sigh quietly when she saw this hugely involved decision. In the name of the Supreme Queen, she allowed the actions of the six-person group and gave them instructions.
"A female exile does not understand the important affairs of the country. At this time of critical life and death, I would like to ask all of you to work hard and not forget the kindness of the country. I would like to express my gratitude."
"I don't dare."
The group of six people bowed down together to express their respect to the Supreme Empress Wu, and then began to take action.
Now that we have decided to support Xiangfan, we must start to mobilize troops.
It was all due to the smooth realization of the previous recruitment plan of 80,000 soldiers and the recruitment plan of 70,000 soldiers. Now, in addition to the Lin'an Forbidden Army, the armies of Zhenjiang Prefecture, Chizhou Prefecture, and Jiankang Prefecture are fully equipped, with a total of 90,000 troops, which is sufficient.
As for the Lin'an Forbidden Army, due to the collapse of the Infantry Guard Division, the originally full Forbidden Army lacked one unit, but there was no shortage of people in the Forbidden Army.
The Infantry Guard Division only has 30,000 people, but the Horse Guards Division has a full 60,000 people.
The extra troops were originally intended for the Palace Chief, but Zhao Gou never came back. Zhao Xin tried every means to please him, but Zhao Gou refused to come back. He said that just because the Supreme Queen Wu was still in Lin'an, she could represent him, and it didn't matter whether he was there or not.
He likes Wenzhou and plans to settle in Wenzhou for a long time. If you need anything, just come to Wenzhou and see me.
It just so happens that I can make room for you by staying far away from Lin'an. You should be happy.
Anyway, I won’t go back!
What Zhao Gou did greatly stimulated Zhao Hao. Zhao Hao lost his patience and simply incorporated the amount of troops reserved for the Dianqian Division into the Guard Ma Jun Division and led it himself.
Counting the 10,000 troops currently under the command of Zhao Xin, the Lin'an Forbidden Army still has 70,000 troops.
In other words, the total number of troops in the Jianghuai theater that can be quickly mobilized is currently 160,000.
This was the total troop strength of the Jianghuai Theater of the Southern Song Dynasty before the first Ming-Song War. However, there were definitely not that many troops in the Jianghuai Theater at that time, and many of them were empty pay. However, this time, it was a real army of 160,000.
There may still be some deductions in military pay, but because of the huge threat from the Ming Dynasty, there is indeed no such thing as empty pay.
Zhao Hao sent people to conduct overt and covert inspections many times, and concluded that there was indeed no shortage of pay, and the army was at least at full strength.
It seems that the Ming Dynasty has put a lot of pressure on them, so the number of troops currently available to the Lin'an court is still very sufficient.
Although the training level is indeed a concern, the numbers are at least reliable.
After discussion, the six-member group decided to appoint Li Xianzhong, the commander of the Jiankang Dutong Division, as the commander-in-chief of the Jianghuai Theater Army to support Xiangyang this time. The reason was that Li Xianzhong had faced the Ming army's record.
During the First Ming-Song War, the Song Army completely collapsed, and even the famous general Liu Qi was defeated. The Song Army was defeated in repeated battles and fled in embarrassment.
In the midst of the miserable wind and rain, only Li Xianzhong led the soldiers and horses of the Chizhou Dutong Division, who were short of major generals, to attack the Ming army. Still taking the initiative to attack, it caused some trouble for the Ming army.
Although he was defeated, he successfully retreated to preserve the main force. Therefore, Li Xianzhong can even be regarded as the best performer among the Song generals during the first Ming-Song War.
His talents were recognized by the Lin'an court, so after the war, Li Xianzhong was transferred to the commander-in-chief of Jiankang, where he directly guarded Jiankang and faced the Ming army in the Huainan region.
This time, letting Li Xianzhong lead the Song army to support the army was a sign of high hopes for him. The Lin'an court hoped that Li Xianzhong could fully demonstrate his talents, lead the army to defeat the Ming army, and save the country's crisis.
While the six-person team was nervously dispatching troops and generals, Zhao Xun finally woke up.
After receiving the news, the six-person team immediately went to visit and informed Zhao Min of the current situation.
Zhao Min had just woken up. When he heard that the Ming army was marching south and the peasant army was attacking Xiangfan from the north and south, he was so frightened that he almost fainted again.
The imperial doctor quickly used a secret method to revive Zhao Xin, so that Zhao Xin did not faint for the time being.
But Zhao Min still couldn't restrain his anger. He said some words and became more and more angry as he spoke. Then he became so angry that he vomited a mouthful of blood and suddenly turned pale.
The six-person team also turned pale with fear.
Before losing consciousness again, Zhao Min acknowledged the six-person group and pointed at Chen Kangbo with great effort.
"Ms. Chen... the principal..."
After trying his best to say five words, Zhao Zhen lost consciousness again and fainted.
The imperial doctors swarmed up and used their hands and feet to show off their magical powers. The six-person team withdrew from Zhao Min's bedroom at the request of the imperial doctors so as not to delay Zhao Min's treatment.
Then, Ye Yiwen, Zhou Linzhi and Shen Gai looked at Chen Kangbo with strange eyes.
What did Zhao Xin mean just now, is that in the six-person group, the person who can make the final decision is not Prime Minister Ye Yiwen, but Privy Councilor Chen Kangbo?
Everyone has their own thoughts and speculations in their minds.
After a while, Shen Gai stood up.
"Ms. Chen, regarding the government requesting you to take charge of this matter, what should we do..."
Shen Gai didn't finish his words, but the meaning was already obvious.
Do you want this power or not? Of course, it doesn't matter if you say you want it, but we have always been particular about dishonesty. If you take this power, wouldn't it be a bit... you know.
Chen Kangbo said nothing and looked at Yu Yunwen.
Yu Yunwen behind him understood and stood up.
"Since the official said so, let's do it this way. The six of us can still act on military and political matters while the official is recuperating. We will discuss all major matters. But when we encounter something that cannot be decided, we should still use Chen Xianggong's decision. It’s your opinion, okay?”
Shen Gai and Zhou Linzhi frowned but said nothing and turned to look at Ye Yiwen.
Ye Yiwen also frowned, looked at Chen Kangbo who had been silent, and finally sighed slightly.
"The official is ill and the country's destiny is difficult. This is the time for us to work together in the same boat. Don't think about it so much. Since the official has said that Princess Chen will take care of the matter, it will be up to Princess Chen to take care of it. If we encounter problems that cannot be solved, Mr. Chen can make a decision on the issue, and at least I support it."
After hearing Ye Yiwen's statement, Chen Kangbo felt relieved.
"I have the trust of the officials. At this critical time of life and death, Kang Bo will do his best and work tirelessly to do everything he can for the Song Dynasty. I hope you will help us to tide over the difficulties together."
Chen Kangbo saluted the other five people.
Yu Yunwen and Hu Quan hurriedly said they didn't dare.
Ye Yiwen, Zhou Linzhi and Shen Gai just nodded and said nothing.
Although they acknowledged the current situation where Chen Kangbo was leading military and political affairs, they felt somewhat unhappy.
Chen Kangbo's current position is that of Privy Councilor, and he is also the person who is trusted by Zhao Min to assume military power.
But according to tradition, the Privy Council's authority is lower than that of the civilian government. Now the head of the Privy Council is allowed to preside over state affairs, but the head of the government is not allowed to preside over state affairs. Even though Chen Kangbo himself was a Jinshi, Ye Yiwen and others still feel inexplicably unhappy. .
Chen Kangbo noticed the attitudes of these three people.
It's not that he doesn't know the underlying logic of the civilian government. He didn't want to have any disagreements with them at this time, but the country's current situation is difficult and he needs someone who can make decisions quickly.
The Ming army attacked quickly and fiercely, and the Southern Song Dynasty court was slow to make decisions. Now is not the time to pay attention to harmony to make money, and to be good to everyone.
So he didn't say anything about it.
But what must be said is that cracks have obviously appeared in the highest decision-making circle of the Southern Song Dynasty. Chen Kangbo, Yu Yunwen and Hu Quan formed a group, and Ye Yiwen, Zhou Linzhi and Shen Gai formed a group. The two groups were at odds with each other.
In fact, it is not surprising that such a group split occurs. As early as when the main war faction leaders and factions were fighting incessantly, Chen Kangbo, Yu Yunwen and Hu Quan were all staunch main war factions, even the Northern Expedition faction, and the remaining The three of them are not all peace advocates, but they are not war advocates either. Valley
To put it bluntly, Shen Gai even had a tendency to surrender, and was in the same group as Tang Situi, who had been deposed.
So it is not impossible for these three people to get together and hug each other.
In the critical moment of life and death, the six-person team can still maintain a superficial harmony, and can still cooperate and win-win on some things that endanger everyone's common interests until the difficulties are overcome.
So they started thinking about how to get through this.
And at the same time, he was thinking about Zhao Xin.
Zhao Hao just woke up and fainted again, and even vomited blood. Although the imperial doctor said that Zhao Hao's life was not in danger, the six people could not help but worry about Zhao Hao's health.
At a time when the country is in crisis, the emperor's health is facing a severe test. If Zhao Xun unfortunately dies at this time...
Fortunately, Zhao Yu's son Zhao Yu is already twenty years old. Even if Zhao Yu dies at this time, there will not be anyone who can inherit the throne, and other royal children will not be able to threaten the inheritance of the throne.
But is the death of the emperor at this moment really a good sign?
Thick dark clouds shrouded the six people's minds.
The six-member team received the emperor's approval and became more certain about forming troops to support Xiangfan.
Led by Chen Kangbo, a six-member group issued a decree and the position of General Li Xianzhong was determined.
His own army of 30,000 people is his carefully trained army. It has reliable combat effectiveness and can be taken with him.
Ten thousand elites from Zhenjiang Prefecture and Chizhou Prefecture were each dispatched to fight under Li Xianzhong, increasing his strength to 50,000.
The 50,000 people on his side are considered certain.
Then the Lin'an court arranged for 30,000 elite imperial troops, with Wang Chong, the commander of the Guards' Ma Army Division, as the deputy general for this expedition, and led these 30,000 people to set off from another road.
Therefore, the Lin'an court allocated half of its 160,000 troops to relieve the siege of Xiangfan. The attack of 80,000 troops was considered their best effort.
But Yu Yunwen felt it was not enough.
He suggested that part of the Sichuan and Sichuan army be sent out of Sichuan to support the Xiangfan battlefield.
Sichuan and Shu were lost, but Xiangfan was still there, and the Southern Song Dynasty could still hold on.
Xiangfan is lost, the Southern Song Dynasty is gone, what use is Sichuan and Shu?
At first, only Yu Yunwen himself supported his suggestion. Soon, Hu Quan's position wavered and he expressed his support for Yu Yunwen's views and agreed to dispatch Sichuan and Shu troops out of Sichuan to support Xiangfan.
Zhou Linzhi's position subsequently wavered and he expressed support.
Ye Yiwen and Shen Gai said nothing more and acquiesced.
So this suggestion was approved.
But the six-member group had another disagreement about who should be appointed to lead the Sichuan-Shu army to fight out of Sichuan.
The reason is that Yu Yunwen believes that when the country is in crisis, we should not dwell on trivial matters and should decisively use available talents.
He suggested that Yao Zhong, who had just arrived in Lin'an and was preparing to participate in the trial, be reactivated, temporarily ignoring his previous problems, and let him lead the Sichuan and Shu army to support Xiangfan and defeat the Ming army.
The reason is that most of his subordinates are holding on to Sichuan and Sichuan, and his subjective willingness to go to rescue is very strong. He will do his best and will not delay or avoid the enemy.
Zhou Linzhi and Shen Gai firmly opposed this suggestion and could not agree with Yu Yunwen's suggestion. They said that Yao Zhong's issue was a serious political issue, which was not trivial and could not be implemented in this way.
"Yao Zhong beat officials and caused public outrage. If he were allowed to perform meritorious service at this time, I am afraid he would not get the support of the court. The risk is too great and this must not be done!"
Shen Gai shook his head repeatedly.
Yu Yunwen was very unhappy.
"The three generals of Sichuan and Sichuan, Wang Yan is trapped in Xiangfan, and Wu Lin still wants to stick to northern Sichuan. Apart from Yao Zhong, who else is more reliable? Should Wu Lin be allowed to abandon the northern Sichuan defense line and go to Xiangfan?"
Shen Gai didn't like Yu Yunwen's questioning tone.
"Yu Binfu, you have to know that Yao Zhong is a sinner now. He is guilty, how can he lead troops?"
"So if you give him a chance to make a difference, he will definitely be grateful to the court. Moreover, the people who are besieged in Xiangfan are mainly his subordinates. He will definitely try his best to rescue them. What is there to doubt about this?"
Yu Yunwen argued hard.
Shen Gai immediately felt that Yu Yunwen did not understand politics.
"Officials throughout the dynasty hate Yao Zhong very much. If you use Yao Zhong at this time, you are causing trouble for yourself! The six of us who govern on behalf of the emperor must be careful and cannot make any mistakes. What you do now is putting us at risk. Let's put it on the fire! When the officials wake up and take charge, how will they view our behavior?"
Yu Yunwen shook his head.
"When the country is in crisis, it is not the time to consider these things, and it is not the time to protect ourselves wisely! Once Xiangfan falls, the Song Dynasty will be in danger! When that time comes, what is the use of protecting ourselves wisely? He, Su Yonglin, has made it clear that he wants to destroy us all Wait! Do we have to wait for Su Yonglin to come and take our heads? "
Shen Gai's face turned red and he was very unhappy.
"Yu Binfu! You...you are simply unreasonable! These two things cannot be confused!"
"This is not unreasonable! I am telling the truth! The truth!"
Yu Yunwen was also a little anxious and said angrily: "Why does Mr. Shen still care about his personal safety when his life is at stake? Isn't this wrong behavior?"
"you……"
"enough!"
Chen Kangbo got angry and interrupted their argument: "Now is not the time for you to argue! When the country is in crisis, you are arguing here about who is right and who is wrong? You will not give up until Su Yonglin goes south to take our heads. ?!"
Chen Kangbo shouted angrily, causing Yu Yunwen and Shen Gai to stop talking, but they were both unconvinced.
After Chen Kangbo thought carefully, he made his decision.
"Although Yao Zhong was wrong, when the country is in crisis, people should make full use of their talents and resources, and put other things aside for the time being, and give real talents a chance to display their talents. Therefore, I decided to appoint Yao Zhong! Wu Lin continues to stick to northern Sichuan , don’t move lightly!”
Chen Kangbo made a decision, and Shen Gai was very dissatisfied. He looked at Ye Yiwen, hoping that Ye Yiwen could stand up and say something.
But what disappointed him was that Ye Yiwen said and did nothing.
He could only admit this fact silently.
After the meeting, Shen Gai followed Ye Yiwen and gave him "advice".
"Although the officials pointed out that Chen Kangbo is the person in charge, you are the left prime minister with the highest status after all. I am the right prime minister, and the status is not lower than Chen Kangbo's, but he pretends to be dictatorial. Who does he think he is? ? Official family?"
Ye Yiwen remained silent.
When Shen Gai saw that Ye Yiwen was silent, he spoke again: "Chen Kangbo has never known how to be kind to others. In his previous official positions, he had high and low opinions, as if everyone was wrong and he was the only one who was right. .
Among the six of us, Yu Yunwen and Hu Quan are both on his side, and Zhou Linzhi is wavering. If you don't do anything, the affairs of the government will really become his alone. Don't you think so? Aren't you worried about this? "
Ye Yiwen still didn't speak, but he stopped and looked at Shen Gai with strange eyes, making Shen Gai feel a little hairy all over.
"What... do you think of this matter?"
"I don't think much of it."
Ye Yiwen said slowly: "Although what you said makes sense, the country's fate is difficult. This is the time for unity, not internal strife. It's better not to say such things again."
"But……"
Before Shen Gai finished speaking, Ye Yiwen frowned.
"It's not like the official family won't wake up, and it's not like they can't handle government affairs for a long time. The official family is still there, and the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is still here. Why are you anxious?"
When Shen Gai heard this, he suddenly realized and became happy and stopped talking.
