In the Northern Song Dynasty Xuanhe era, the Genyue Palace Gardens.
“Crash!”
Zhao Ji, clad in a dragon robe, abruptly stood up, his speed so fast that he overturned the wine on the table, creating a loud clatter!
“What? The Jin army is going to invade the south?!”
Initially, Zhao Ji and his court officials had planned to cancel the banquet after hearing the Golden List's assessment. However, upon reflection, they realized that with the Golden List present, its divine voice resonating throughout the land, even if they left, they couldn't stop the assessment.
It was better to let nature take its course and see how the Northern Song Dynasty would ultimately fall!
With a look of despair, Zhao Ji waved his hand, signaling everyone to take their seats. Of course, this included the "Six Evildoers" mentioned in the Golden List's assessment!
But the atmosphere was no longer as lively as before.
Thus, amidst awkwardness and gloom, they continued to listen to the Golden List's assessment, until they reached the point where the invasion of foreign tribes began!
Zhao Ji's face turned pale, his pupils dilated, and his body trembled!
Invasion of foreign tribes, the Jin would invade the Northern Song Dynasty?!
He had just dispatched Tong Guan to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, and Zhang Jue, the Jin general, had already established contact with Wang Anzhong, the Song Dynasty's Yan Mountain pacification envoy, and the court had agreed to their surrender!
Unexpectedly, accepting Zhang Jue's surrender would ultimately lead to the Jin army invasion?!
As soon as Zhao Ji finished speaking, all the officials in the hall knelt down, their faces filled with fear, no less pale than Zhao Ji's!
“Your Majesty, please quickly revoke your decree! Don't let Wang Anzhong accept the surrendered general Zhang Jue!”
“Yes! Your Majesty, the Jin army is powerful and formidable. If we anger them by doing this, the Northern Song Dynasty will be doomed!”
Everyone wailed loudly, even Cai Jing and the others furrowed their brows, urging Zhao Ji to revoke the decree.
Only Tong Guan, with a wry smile, suddenly said, “The decree has been issued, and by now it has probably reached the border. Perhaps Zhang Jue has already assembled the Taining Army and is currently accepting the position of Jiedushi. How can it be revoked now?”
As soon as these words left his lips, the entire hall fell silent. No one spoke, and no one rose to their feet.
Yes, it was all too late!
Zhao Ji’s legs went weak, and with a thud, he collapsed onto the dragon throne, his eyes vacant and filled with despair, like a dead man, he looked up at the Golden List and muttered to himself:
“My Northern Song Dynasty is doomed…”
…
In the Ming Dynasty Yongle era, outside the Qianqing Palace.
“Hmph! A bunch of cowards! A monarch should die for his country. How can they tremble and flee without even facing the enemy?!”
Yongle Emperor Zhu Di, clad in a dragon robe and with a resolute face, snorted coldly!
Standing beside him were his three sons and one grandson!
“Right, Father, those Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong are utterly pathetic!”
Han Wang Zhu Gaozu sneered, his face flushed red.
Just reading the content of the Golden List was enough to make one angry. Especially the actions of Song Huizong and Song Qinzong, they were infuriating!
At this moment, Zhu Gaozu wished he could fly to the Northern Song Dynasty and chop off the heads of these two incompetent rulers!
“Father, you have fought countless battles, and recently you have repeatedly launched campaigns to conquer the northern Tatar tribes. Your achievements far surpass those of the Northern Song Dynasty!”
Zhao Wang Zhu Gao Sui also praised loudly.
Zhu Di stroked his beard, a smile appearing on his face. He glanced at Zhu Gaochi, who was standing nearby, and asked:
“Crown Prince, what do you think?”
“Father has achieved great feats for all time, naturally surpassing Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong. However…”
Zhu Gaochi was interrupted by Zhu Di’s wave of his hand:
“Alright, I understand what you mean, but as long as the northern Tatars remain unconquered, the people of the Ming Dynasty will never have peace!”
This Crown Prince is trying to remind me that the treasury is empty, and I can’t launch a northern campaign against the grasslands!
I won’t give him the chance to bring this up!
“Hehe! Grand-father is right, those Tatars should be properly beaten. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty will be like the Northern Song Dynasty, wouldn’t that be terrible?”
Zhu Zhanji patted Zhu Di’s shoulder and laughed, causing Zhu Gaochi to twitch at the corner of his mouth.
“Hahaha! My grandson is right, eldest son, learn from my grandson.”
“Yes, yes!”
Zhu Gaozu and Zhu Gao Sui chimed in.
Zhu Gaochi helplessly shook his head and bowed in agreement.
Zhu Di’s gaze hardened as he looked up at the sky again.
Father, can you see this from heaven? Although I ascended the throne unjustly, I have been trying to make amends for the mistakes of the past!
Are my achievements in this lifetime not enough to atone for my sins?
…
In the Qing Dynasty Kangxi era, outside the Qianqing Gate.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! Our Qing Dynasty ancestors have intervened, they will surely make those Song people lose their helmets and armor, and wail in despair!”
As the Golden List began to assess the Jin army, Xi Fu Na quickly stepped forward and praised loudly.
After all, the current Qing Emperor claimed to be a descendant of the Jurchen, so praising the Jurchen ancestors was essentially praising the current Emperor, wasn’t it?
As expected, Xuan Ye stroked his beard, his face beaming with spring light, and a smile on his lips.
The princes standing on both sides also wore smiles.
After a while, the eighth prince Yin Si stepped forward and bowed, saying:
“Our Qing Dynasty ancestors conquered Liao in a few years and swallowed up the Song in a blink of an eye. Our martial prowess is unparalleled, naturally, those Song people can’t withstand us!”
“That’s right! Our Qing Dynasty conquered the world with archery and horsemanship. Our ancestors’ archery and horsemanship were unmatched. Whether it be the Song people or the Ming people, none of them are opponents of our Qing Dynasty!”
The fourteenth prince Yin Ti also shouted loudly, immediately garnering everyone’s agreement. Even Xuan Ye couldn’t help but nod.
Yes, the Qing Dynasty conquered the world with archery and horsemanship. The Jin conquered the Song back then, and now the Qing conquered the Ming, all in the same way!
This clearly shows the strength of our Qing Dynasty. We deserve this Han Dynasty!”
“Hahaha! You are all right, our Qing Dynasty is indeed strong, but we cannot be complacent. Let’s all continue to watch,”
“Yes!”
Xuan Ye’s eyes were sharp, but there was a hint of regret in his heart.
It’s a pity that our Jin ancestors insisted on absorbing the essence of the Han people and merging with them, which led to the Jurchen people losing their martial arts and archery skills soon after. Our Qing Dynasty cannot follow the path of the Jin and completely indulge in Han culture!
…
【Zhao Huan plans to escape, which shocks the officials. The Zaizhi Party, led by Li Gang, desperately tries to persuade him, but to no avail. Finally, they emphasize that it is too late to escape now, and only then does Zhao Huan dispel his thoughts of fleeing and decides to stay and defend the capital. 】
【Zhao Huan appoints Li Gang as the commander-in-chief, responsible for defending the capital. However, the capital is filled with palaces and Genyue built by Emperor Huizong and his court. These defensive facilities have long been abandoned, and the most desperate situation is that there are not enough troops within the city of Kaifeng!】
【The Northern Song army is large, but their combat effectiveness is extremely poor. They might be able to serve as cannon fodder, but it is a pipe dream to expect them to fight on the front lines and defend the city walls!】
【In the end, Li Gang manages to gather 48,000 soldiers, dividing them into five armies: front, rear, left, right, and center, to defend the city.】
【Three days later, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, the Jin army reached the gates of Kaifeng City, and the two armies engaged in formal battle…】
…
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