(Please collect, subscribe, and give me red tickets, I’m here to thank you all!)
Since it was a formal welcoming occasion, Yan Biyun and Su Ji's group had no choice but to march into the city first. Yan Biyun, the daughter-in-law of the Pang family, was following behind Su Jin. Once she was recognized by the sharp-eyed guys, it would cause a lot of trouble.[
.
Su Jin asked Xiao Sui'er, Rou Niang and others to take everyone to Yulin Lane at the north end of Tianshuijing Hutong to stay. The house there has not yet been rented out, so it can be used as a place to stay temporarily.
He also told Qian Henian and Yang Xiaosi to restrain their men, so as to prevent these men who were traveling far away from home from running around randomly out of curiosity. The capital city was no better than other places.
As an official, although Su Jin is not afraid of trouble, he will naturally not cause trouble for no reason.
Finally, Su Jin secretly pulled Yang Xiaosi aside and ordered him to go behind and inform Bai Mudan and others who were following them, asking them to find an inn near Tianshuijing Hutong to settle down first, and just tell Yang Xiaosi the address.
After the arrangements were made, Su Jincai led Wang Chao, Ma Han and others to the front of the team, joined Ouyang Xiu, and followed the team slowly to the vicinity of Wuliting Pavilion outside the south gate. Ouyang Xiu gave an order for all the soldiers to line up and retreat fifty steps.
, Su Jin and himself were left standing at the front with more than a dozen civil servants. This was also the rule. If the emperor came in person, the armed soldiers must withdraw from the safe area, otherwise there would be suspicion of collision.
Not long after, the sound of waving banners and drums outside the south gate of Bianliang City could be seen in the distance. A large wave of people poured out of the city gate and rushed straight along the wide stone official road. A yellow umbrella was held out in the middle.
It was eye-catching; Ouyang Xiu naturally recognized it. It was the bright yellow canopy above the Holy Emperor's Yuan Yu. It was obviously the Emperor himself.
Ouyang Xiu gave an order, and everyone knelt down on the ground, waiting for the arrival of the Holy Emperor. Su Jin also had to lie down on the cold ground, bowing to the ground and saluting to wait for Zhao Zhen.
Kneeling down meant kneeling down, but Su Jin felt very uncomfortable. In later generations, even when the head of state inspected, the people did not kneel down to greet him, but here he had to bow down and pay tribute to the imperial power. He really couldn't accept it for a while.
"If I kneel down, I will shorten your life span by ten years." Su Jin muttered viciously, feeling the trembling on the ground getting closer and closer, and Luan Yu was already approaching.
Zhao Zhen was sitting on the imperial chariot, with hundreds of civil and military officials accompanying him on both sides. Compared with the beaming faces of Yan Shu and others, most of the officials looked expressionless; from their expressions, it could be seen that they had deep respect for the holy imperial chariot.
I was a bit unhappy about welcoming Su Jin and Ouyang Xiu in person.
It is true that when Zhao Zhen proposed to greet Ouyang Xiu and Su Jin in person, Lu Yijian, Du Yan and others found it unbelievable. These two people were just on an errand and returned to Beijing to report their work after completing their errands. Why should they be given such high courtesy?
?Especially Su Jin, Ouyang Xiu went to Huainan Road to investigate the case of his false edict. There is no conclusion yet, but he openly went out to welcome him. What kind of thing is this?
Facing Lu Yijian's opposition, Zhao Zhen remained unmoved. Although he was inconsistent with the etiquette system, this time Zhao Zhen sincerely wanted to express his praise for himself, Su Jin and others.
There were some things that Lu Yijian didn't know, but Zhao Zhen knew everything about them.
Just before New Year's Eve, the grain stores in Bianliang City have been exhausted. Rice is not grown locally in Bianliang. The capital is located in the northwest, and the weather is cold and dry. There is basically nothing to grow except wheat and sweet potatoes. Even if it is planted, then there will be no rice.
The harvest was also terrible, and perhaps even seed grains could not be harvested. Therefore, over the years, Bianliang City relied on rice transfer from the southern states through the canal to the north to maintain the expenses of Bianliang City. The original grain harvest in the city was in March.
There is a limit, there is nowhere to store more, and there is no transportation capacity.
The food shortage has the greatest impact on this metropolis with a population of one million. Once such a metropolis is in chaos due to food shortages, the harm will be far beyond that of a place like Yangzhou. Yan Shu's hair has turned half gray due to worry, but there is no progress in the food service.
He is also a clever woman who cannot make a meal without rice.
At a loss, Su Jin opened a breakthrough in Yangzhou in time. When Feng Laohu and Yangzhou officials were quickly executed by Su Jin with a thunderbolt, Yan Shu quickly took advantage of this opportunity to publicize it, and within a few days, he reported the death penalty.
Expedited express delivery to all state capitals in the Song Dynasty.
The merchants who were watching were frightened to death by this incident. The court's determination was obvious, and it was not wise to keep taking chances. There was almost no need to weigh this matter. It cost money or life. The answer is self-evident.
The food service matter suddenly became clear, and the situation soon opened up. The originally empty official warehouses of various states were suddenly filled up; after several consecutive heavy snows melted, the water level of the canal rose, and on the New Year's Eve of the 30th of the twelfth lunar month
, the first fleet transporting grain in several months arrived in Bianliang City...
For four or five days in a row, Yan Shu dispatched more than a dozen water transport fleets to Bianliang, transporting nearly ten million tons of grain at once. Without the knowledge of the court and the people of the city, the imminent crisis was resolved.
invisible.
Most of the two governments and various ministries in the DPRK did not know about all this. Only Sansi and Zhao Zhen kept their hearts in their throats from beginning to end. It was not that they did not want to tell everyone, but they were afraid of causing panic. Once it spread to the people, panic would be like the plague.
If it spreads generally, there might be some trouble.
In addition, the food crisis also caused another thorny issue. The Northwest Army sent several groups of people to ask for food from the Third Division a year ago. Li Yuanhao's army and Chen Bing's northwest front line were waiting for the Northwest Army to run out of food so they could launch a large-scale attack; during the Song Dynasty,
The famine in the country could not escape the eyes of the shrewd Li Yuanhao. He waited for the opportunity to formulate a detailed strategy, waiting for the moment when food ran out to launch a large-scale attack.
The sentinels on both sides were closely intertwined. Yuan Hao knew the movements of the Northwestern Army of the Song Dynasty very well. Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others did not know about the movements on Yuan Hao's side. Therefore, as the two famous marshals who defended the enemy on the border, they were naturally very anxious.
Seeing that less and less food was being transported and the soldiers' rations had been reduced, Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi naturally sent people to urge the Third Division to transport food to the front line.
At the beginning, Fan Zhongyan proposed to let the soldiers clear up wasteland and sow winter wheat in their spare time, hoping to reduce the burden on the court; but the winter sowing could not be harvested until early summer, and the military rations during this period still had to be allocated by the Third Division.
What makes the situation even worse is that in addition to the food and drink of the soldiers, the local people who have been displaced by the war also have to feed.
For the sake of the safety of the inland state capitals, the imperial court issued a ban strictly prohibiting the inward migration of border residents. However, the number of people affected by the war on both sides of the Yongxing Army and Qinfeng was no less than four and a half million. Although these people were forced to stay in various border towns for the northwest
The army built the city and dug trenches, but they also needed to eat, drink and relieve themselves; the crisis was becoming more and more urgent, and the internal and external enemies made Zhao Zhen restless.
The more salty people eat, the more food is in short supply, the more people eat food. However, the food on the border cannot be cut off no matter what. To put it bluntly, the capital can run out of food, but the army must not run out of food in one day, otherwise it will be a catastrophe.
When the time comes, everyone will understand this truth.
Yan Shu moved here and there like squeezing toothpaste. Fortunately, when the food supply was just handled in the early stage, many small merchants also sold some anti-grain to the official warehouse, taking advantage of the worries about price and rewards. Basically, these grains were used to fill the gap.
He entered the large hole in the northwest; facing a steady stream of messengers from the northwest who came riding to collect food and grass every day, Yan Shu could only sigh and had no plan to deal with it.
At this juncture, there was finally a breakthrough in the food service. Yan Shu dispatched more than 3 million shi of food to the front line in one breath, which instantly stabilized the already shaken military morale. After learning the news, the Western thief Tanma hurriedly
Reporting to Li Yuanhao, Li Yuanhao had no choice but to shelve the prepared attack plan indefinitely.
Although Su Jin only completed his errand, in Zhao Zhen's view, it was nothing more than saving a catastrophe; he personally went out to greet him in order to express his inner gratitude. Of course, he would never express this kind of gratitude verbally.
It comes out, so it seems a bit abrupt to outsiders.
Lu Yijian's objections were fruitless, so he claimed that he was ill and would not come back. Zhao Zhen had nothing to do with the old minister, and he did not force him. The same thing happened to Du Yan, but it was a different result.
Du Yan also wanted to imitate Lu Yi and say that he is not sick, but his qualifications were obviously a little too young. Zhao Zhen rejected him mercilessly, and even said: "Du Aiqing, I ordered the imperial doctor to accompany me. If Du Aiqing is sick,
We can rescue on the spot, what do you think?"
This seemingly polite and caring word made Du Yan extremely embarrassed; this was not a polite word, but a slap in the face.
As for the other people in the court, their dissatisfaction has nothing to do with grudges. They are simply dissatisfied with the emperor for exceeding the rules. In other words, how can these two people accept such courtesy? Even if they handle the errand well, it will not be like this.
They talk about the etiquette in detail, but they actually have a hint of sour grapes.
Of course, not all officials expressed dissatisfaction with this move. The three envoys and the people at the Yushitai were all smiling and felt that they had gained face.
Although everyone has their dissatisfaction and happiness, there is a consensus that everyone understands. The emperor personally went to greet Su Jin and Ouyang Xiu, conveying a message: these two people already have a high status in the emperor's mind.
Regardless of whether you are happy or not, willing or not, these two people are about to become a very popular figure. At this time, it is the best policy to stay on the sidelines and show good will. Expressing dissatisfaction at this time is an extremely stupid move.
…
A group of people with their own thoughts came to the Wuliting Pavilion. At first glance, they were surprised. Thousands of people, including Ouyang Xiu and Su Jin, had their butts raised high, looking like a big steamed bun.
The cage is magnificent.
Yan Shu nodded secretly, this attitude was the ultimate. No need to ask, it must be Ouyang Xiu's idea. Su Jin would never do this, but since he could follow Ouyang Xiu's idea to make such a gesture, it is commendable.
.
"Censor Zhongcheng Ouyang Xiu! Food Envoy Su Jin! Your Majesty, with sixteen ceremonial guards and a gold-domed sedan, came to greet the two adults. You two quickly stepped forward to thank you!" The host of the Ministry of Etiquette (the official responsible for the reception) is a bad person.
He is an old man, but his voice is extremely resonant, and he speaks in a cadence, which is very pleasant to the ears.
Su Jin raised his butt and was about to stand up, but Ouyang Xiu grabbed him by the corner of his clothes and said softly: "Specialist Su, don't move. Follow my actions."
Su Jin didn't know what was going on, and hurriedly put his head in his arms again, maintaining the kneeling posture, but heard Ouyang Xiu loudly say: "Long live my emperor, long live my emperor, I am just doing my duty when I return from my errands. I was shocked to hear that
Your Majesty came to greet you in person, and Mr. Su and I were very frightened. This move was inconsistent with the etiquette system, and we were ashamed and unworthy. We also asked Your Excellency to tell His Majesty, and asked Your Majesty to move back to the palace, so that we could get up and enter the city. After entering the city,
The two of us will go to the palace to report our duties to the saint and express our gratitude at the same time!"
The host of the Ministry of Etiquette was stunned for a moment, then whispered: "Master Ouyang, Master Su, the emperor is already here, so why are you doing this? If you ask the emperor to go back now, wouldn't it embarrass the emperor?"
Ouyang Xiudao: "My lord, you are a member of the Ministry of Rites. You should know that this move is not in line with etiquette. If we accept it happily, it will only lead to criticism from others in the future. That's fine for Master Su and I. But if someone accuses the emperor of being relegated, wouldn't it?
Isn’t it our fault to wait?”
The host and guest were speechless, thinking: You are just pretentious, you are the only one who understands etiquette, and our etiquette department is all for nothing? Doesn’t this mean we can’t stop the emperor?
Su Jin had total admiration for Ouyang Xiu. This guy was so good at pretending. He took this opportunity to portray himself as a virtuous minister who followed etiquette, was not greedy for vanity, and was considerate of the emperor. Needless to say, this move had a profound impact on Zhao Zhen's heart.
There are bonus points, just for this move, Su Jin felt that it was not an exaggeration to call him master.dd