In the Kaiping realm of the Song Dynasty, outside the Chui Gong Hall.
“You rebellious son! Is this how these unfilial descendants treat my Great Song?!”
“You kowtow and beg for peace abroad, and turn your swords against each other domestically! You’re a disgrace! My Zhao family’s face has been lost all because of this little rascal Zhao Huan!”
Zhao Kuangyin was furious, his chest heaving violently as he raged.
Zhao Huan’s actions were even more shameful than those of Emperor Zhenzong who signed the Treaty of Chanyuan!
The Jin army used a little trick, and he immediately rushed out of the city to surrender, even shamelessly looting money to give to the Jin. That wasn’t enough, he went out of his way to craft two-sided flags and personally escorted the Jin army back to their lands!
It was truly incomprehensible!
If he had only listened to the advice of Zhong Shi Dao and Li Gang, and ambushed the Jin army as they retreated, he wouldn’t have needed to annihilate them, but it would have dampened their spirits. He could have even seized back all the gold and silver he’d gifted them!
But this is how Zhao Huan and his ministers diligently go about their affairs!?
If Emperor Huizong, Zhao Ji, was a heinous tyrant, then Emperor Qinzong, Zhao Huan, was a real-life coward, a spineless wimp!
How did the Great Song end up with two such wretched emperors in a row?
After venting his anger, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly froze, beginning to recall the words on the Golden List.
This matter was certainly not just Zhao Huan’s decision alone. The Golden List mentioned that the entire Song court agreed to this, meaning that the court of Emperor Qinzong was filled with spineless appeasers!
Those advocating war, such as Zhong Shi Dao and Li Gang, were rendered useless, suppressed by the appeasers!
Thinking about this, Zhao Kuangyin’s gaze turned sharp, his eyes narrowed, and killing intent emanated from him. He coldly spoke:
“These traitorous officials! I thought that the downfall of the Six Evils would invigorate the court, but it seems they are all just cowards!”
“Where have all those tough-minded ministers of the Great Song gone?”
His booming voice reverberated, causing the officials present to tremble, yet none dared to speak.
The question was, where had those tough-minded ministers gone? They were naturally ostracized and suppressed during the political struggles!
If he were to speak further, he would mention that under the Great Song’s ancestral practice of “honoring literature while suppressing martial arts”, tough-minded generals had been polished smooth by the system, where could they find any men of blood and spirit?!
“Second Brother, don’t be so angry. While this Qinzong and his ministers are truly terrible, at least the Jin army has retreated, and the Great Song hasn’t been destroyed, right?!”
Zhao Guangyi quickly tried to soothe him.
This attempt at comfort only made Zhao Kuangyin even angrier!
“You fool! This is more shameful than national destruction! Even if it meant losing Kaifeng, it’s better to fight a valiant battle! Even if we lose, it’s better to fight honorably than to kowtow and beg for peace!”
Zhao Kuangyin was heartbroken, his grief echoing throughout the world.
Yes, the only good thing was that the Great Song had not been destroyed, and this was the only solace remaining in his heart.
But how long could this situation last?
This time, the Jin army saw how weak the Song was, so would they not be tempted to invade again?
Zhao Kuangyin instinctively felt that they would. After all, if he were Jin Taizong, seeing an empire in such a state, he wouldn’t hesitate to launch a southward invasion!
And not only would he invade, he would double down, aiming to completely destroy the Song!
As if reading his mind, the Golden List in the sky began to recount once more:
【Following this battle, the Song court enjoyed a brief respite, and Emperor Heng and his ministers also found a moment’s peace. At the same time, Emperor Heng sent Li Gang across the river to bring back Emperor Ji, who had escaped。】
【During his flight, Emperor Ji had been in such a hurry that he brought very few people with him. But the Six Evils, including Tong Guan, Cai Jing, and Zhu Hui, used the excuse of protecting the imperial carriage to escape south with Emperor Ji, making it difficult for Emperor Heng to deal with them after taking the throne. 】
【Now that Emperor Ji had returned to the capital, Emperor Heng immediately ordered the arrest of the Six Evils who had accompanied him. He executed Zhu Hui and Tong Guan, and demoted Cai Jing, causing a great stir in the court and among the populace. 】
【With the Six Evils dead, Emperor Heng placed Emperor Ji under house arrest in the Long De Hall. After this incident, Emperor Ji was truly a powerless retired emperor. On October 10th, Emperor Ji’s birthday, he offered a cup of wine to Emperor Heng, but Emperor Heng didn’t touch it because he was afraid it might be poisoned. From that point forward, their father-son relationship, in the face of power, shattered. 】
【The Song court may have found peace, but it was only temporary. Soon, in August of the first year of Jingkang (1126), the Jin launched a second invasion of the Song!】
【The Song court was thrown into panic. They quickly dispatched General Zhe Yan Shi with 120,000 troops to defend the south bank of the Yellow River, establishing a defensive line there. 】
【The Jin’s Eastern Route Army breached Taiyuan, and Wanyan Zong Han charged straight towards the north bank of the Yellow River. The Western Route Army, under Wanyan Zong Wang, conquered Zhongshan Prefecture. Zhong Shi Dao fled in defeat and died of illness. Before his death, he warned the Song court that the Jin were aiming for their destruction, and that in the event of a crisis, the emperor should flee to the Guan Zhong region. But Emperor Heng refused to listen. 】
【With the Jin army advancing south in full force, they soon discovered the tens of thousands of troops stationed on the south bank of the Yellow River. They were momentarily intimidated, so they once again resorted to their old tricks and sent envoys to negotiate peace. 】
【The Song court was overjoyed and proposed to cede the three northern prefectures, which they had not been able to give up due to Li Gang’s interference, and also offer countless gold and silver treasures from within the Kaifeng city. The Jin army, taking advantage of this opportunity, demanded an additional 100,000 bolts of silk. 】
【The Song court dispatched Wang Yun to negotiate peace in the north. The Jin army took the initiative to lower their price, giving up the three northern prefectures, but demanding that the Song turn over the Five-Colored Strings, Crown, and Imperial Title, symbols of the imperial authority. The Song court felt they had struck a great bargain and quickly sent people to deliver the Five-Colored Strings carriage to the Jin camp. 】
【Unfortunately, before the Five-Colored Strings reached the Jin camp, Wanyan Zong Han had already crossed the Yellow River, a natural barrier. The method was simple: he ordered hundreds of large drums to be brought in, and they beat them nonstop throughout the night, directly across from the Yellow River. The tens of thousands of Song soldiers scattered like birds, the Yellow River was lost, and the siege of Kaifeng was a foregone conclusion. 】
【Zhao Huan panicked. He frantically searched for Li Gang, but realized he had been demoted to the ends of the earth, and could not be retrieved. He then prepared to escape, but the Jin army was faster, and their Eastern and Western Route armies successfully encircled Kaifeng, cutting off Zhao Huan’s escape route. 】
【At this juncture, the former Song Prime Minister, Li Bang Yan, had already been removed from office, and the new Prime Minister, Tang Ke, had taken his place. Zhao Huan was about to ask Tang Ke for a strategy to defend against the enemy, but Tang Ke was faster, jumping on horseback and disappearing into the streets of Kaifeng City. 】
【Having no choice, Zhao Huan urgently appointed He Li as the new Prime Minister, and Sun Fu, the Minister of the Military Affairs, to oversee the city’s defense. However, He Li and Sun Fu followed the example of Xie An during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Facing a great enemy, they remained calm and relaxed, and did not formulate any concrete plans. Instead, Sun Fu found an answer in a book. 】
【Sun Fu learned from a book that “only Guo Jing, Yang Shi, and Liu Wu Ji” could save the Song. So, Zhao Huan ordered that the three men be found within the city, and appointed them to high positions, entrusting them with the defense of the city. 】
【As for the method of defense, Guo Jing could “scatter beans to create soldiers”, so Zhao Huan ordered him to recruit “Six Jia Divine Soldiers”. Soon, the Divine Soldiers were assembled, and Emperor Huan and his ministers were overjoyed. They urged Guo Jing to lead the Divine Soldiers into battle against the Jin army. 】
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