In the Great Song Xuanhe realm, within the Gen Yue Palace Gardens.
Zhao Ji, with a stern expression, sat upon his throne, silently observing Zhao Huan, and coldly asked:
"What brings you here?"
Just moments ago, he had witnessed it on the Golden List – if he abdicated, he would be confined to the Dragon Virtue Palace, even deprived of the privilege of receiving a toast!
How was this any different from the confinement of Emperor Xuanzong by Emperor Suzong all those years ago?
"Father, I have made a decision. The Jin army is overwhelming, and our Great Song dynasty cannot resist them in the short term. It's better to retreat to the south, to Jiangnan, and wait for the opportune moment to return in full force."
Upon hearing this, a twitch of the lips could be seen across the faces of those present. The Cai Jings, however, nodded in satisfaction.
Well, what can we say, they are father and son, after all. Even their strategies are the same. Truly a father and son indeed!
Zhao Ji furrowed his brows and asked:
"Oh? And what about you?"
"Your son wishes to accompany his father to Jiangnan!"
At this, the crowd was thrown into disarray. Even in their escape, they wanted to escape together?
It was one thing for the emperor to flee, but now the crown prince was going to run as well? Did this mean they were truly abandoning the city of Kaifeng?
Regardless of what others thought, Zhao Ji was overjoyed. He stood up, beckoned Zhao Huan closer, patted him on the shoulder, and exclaimed with delight:
"Truly, you are my crown prince! Let it be decided then. Order the palace servants to prepare immediately. I shall journey south with my crown prince!"
"As you command!"
Tong Guan, left with no choice, could only lower his head and agree to this demand…
…
In the Great Ming Hongwu realm, outside the Heavenly Mandate Palace.
"Biao, did you see? This is the Great Song dynasty, this is the Zhao Song family, weak to their very core. Our Great Ming must never be like them!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's face was filled with disdain, his fists clenched tight.
To trust in charlatans? Zhu Yuanzhang, born a peasant, never believed in such supernatural beings!
The outer city had fallen, followed by the surrender of Kaifeng. Such shameless rulers! The Great Ming could not repeat this folly!
"Father, rest assured, the only force capable of threatening our Great Ming dynasty is the remnant Yuan forces in the north. Even if the enemy reaches Yingtian, your son will never endure such humiliation, never betray the majesty of our Han people!"
Zhu Biao spoke with unwavering conviction, his gaze unwavering.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted.
Biao, though gentle at heart, was definitely not like those cowardly Emperor Hui and Emperor Qin. He trusted that with the Great Ming in his hands, it would surely flourish and endure for a thousand generations!
"Hahaha! Indeed, you are my Biao! A man of the Zhu family should be like this – better to die standing than to live on your knees!"
"And all of you heard that. In the future, if you encounter an enemy, even if you have to die in battle, you must never act like those two cowardly sons, kneeling in submission!"
Zhu Yuanzhang patted Zhu Biao on the shoulder, then turned his gaze towards Zhu Fu and the others.
Zhu Fu and the others felt a chill run down their spines and bowed their heads. "Father, rest assured, your son would never act like those two beasts!"
"Yes! We would never be so weak!"
"Hahaha!"
…
In the Great Qing Kangxi realm, outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your Majesty, our Great Qing ancestors were invincible, they vanquished the vast and mighty Great Song dynasty in one fell swoop, truly the blessings of Heaven upon us!"
Xi Fu Na exclaimed excitedly.
To praise the Jurchen people was essentially to praise the current Great Qing, something Xuan Ye couldn't help but find pleasing!
"Do not speak in such a manner. Our Jurchen ancestors were indeed fierce and invincible, but it was also due to the extreme weakness of the Zhao Song scions. The shame of Jingkang is still fresh in our memories!"
Xuan Ye stroked his beard, a smile playing on his lips.
The Fourteenth Prince, 胤禵, grinned, his eyes gleaming with malice:
"Father, rest assured, the Great Qing is flourishing, every enemy near and far submits to us. The shame of Jingkang will never befall our Great Qing!"
"Yes, Father, Fourteenth Brother is right. The Great Qing will never suffer the humiliation of Jingkang!"
Watching his many sons make such confident pronouncements, Xuan Ye was very satisfied. He nodded slightly.
Consider the current enemies of the Great Qing – the only one of consequence is Galdan, of the Khalkha Mongols. Yet, he was defeated by my own personal expedition!
Those once-unstoppable mounted tribes of the northern steppe, except for our own Jurchen people, had troubled the Great Ming for centuries. The Mongols, who once conquered a vast empire, are now under the control of the Great Qing, bowing their heads in submission, like mere servants!
Thus, those mounted barbarians who could pose a threat to the Great Qing have been eradicated. How could the Great Qing possibly suffer the shame of Jingkang?
"Good, good, good. However, you must not become complacent. The future of the Great Qing requires the collective effort of all of you."
"We shall obey your commands!"
…
【The war described above is known as the Jingkang Incident. After this battle, the Northern Song Dynasty fell. The Jin army, laden with spoils of war and with the Great Song emperor and officials in tow, marched northwards. 】
【However, after occupying Kaifeng, the Jin army realized that if they wanted to fully control the Han territories, they had to station troops in the city. But the general Xiao Qing and the Han commander Liu Yan Zong both refused.】
【Their reasoning was simple: the Jin army’s conquest of the Great Song was due to two main factors – their lightning-fast advance, catching the enemy off guard, and the Great Song’s internal weakness. While they had captured Kaifeng, it did not mean the end of the Great Song.】
【The vast territories of the Great Song still contained numerous loyalist armies, waiting to emerge. If they left Kaifeng now, the city would certainly be recaptured by the Song army, and everything would return to square one.】
【Therefore, no one in the Jin army was willing to remain in Kaifeng, nor did they want to take on this hot potato. Desperate, the Jin army had no choice but to allow the Song officials to return to Kaifeng and select a new emperor for themselves. The Jin army decided to install a puppet ruler!】
【Upon returning to the capital, the officials began to shift the blame among themselves, as no one wanted to shoulder the historical infamy of usurping power. After much back and forth, the Jin army grew furious and threatened to massacre the city of Kaifeng!】
【Faced with this ultimatum, the officials continued to push the responsibility back and forth, until finally, the Shangshu Yuanwai Lang, Song Qi Yu, proposed to enthrone Zhang Bangchang. The Jin army agreed. Thus, Zhang Bangchang ascended to the throne, establishing the Chu Dynasty. This dynasty is recorded in history as the “False Chu”.】
【The Jin army chose Zhang Bangchang for two reasons. Firstly, during the first siege of Kaifeng, he had been sent by the Great Song as a hostage to the Jin, forging a close relationship with them. Secondly, the Jin army saw in him a weak and incompetent individual, easy to manipulate.】
【After accomplishing all of this, the Jin army left the Central Plains satisfied. On the twenty-eighth day of the third month, they burned the outer city of Kaifeng and began their journey back north.】
【Zhang Bangchang was extremely reluctant to become emperor. But under the pressure of both the officials and the Jin army, he had no choice but to ascend to the throne. Even so, his loyalty to the Song Dynasty remained unshaken.】
【Zhang Bangchang ruled for thirty-three days. During this time, he refused to sit on the throne, instead opting for a small chair placed to the west of the hall. He referred to himself as “Yu” instead of “朕”, and used “手书” (handwritten note) instead of “手诏” (imperial edict). He wore no dragon robes, ruled from outside the main hall, and held no court meetings or audiences with ministers. He sealed all the gates of the Forbidden City, and even on the official decrees, he wrote “邦昌谨封” (Respectfully Sealed by Bangchang).】
【He even continued to use the era name “Jingkang”, though it was the second year of the reign. Once the Jin army crossed the Yellow River, Zhang Bangchang immediately abdicated. He then found Empress Meng, the Dowager Empress of Yuan You, who had been living in hiding. He allowed her to assume the regency, while he retired as a minister and restored the Song Dynasty.】
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