Although not a history buff, Zhao Huan remembered very clearly that Zhe Keqiu's Zhe family army encountered the Jin army when they entered Jiaocheng. They were ambushed and suffered a great defeat. Not only did they fail to support Taiyuan, but they also suffered heavy losses.

He remembered it more clearly: the defense of Zhongshan was just as arduous as the defense of Taiyuan. The defending general, Chen Gou, was killed by an internal traitor. At that time, Chen Gou was still in Hejian, and the defending general of Zhongshan was Zhan Du.

Like Wang Bing, Chen Gou and Zhan Du did not obey the imperial edict of surrender issued by Emperor Qinzong of Song. Instead, they continued to defend the city and resist. It can be said that the defense of the three northern towns of the Northern Song Dynasty was more arduous and heroic than the defense of Tokyo.

Chen Gou was killed by an internal traitor; his entire family of seventeen was murdered—a truly tragic end.

This is the famous Battle of Zhongshan in history. Since Zhao Huan has traveled back in time, he will certainly not allow such a tragedy to happen again. A hero is not afraid of the enemy's blade, nor is he afraid of dying in battle. What he fears most is his own people sabotaging him from behind.

Zhao Huan left Qiu Xueming in Hejian to follow Chen Gou. He was ordered not to leave Chen Gou for a year and to do everything in his power to save the lives of Chen Gou and his family.

At the same time, he also appointed another official from the Imperial City Guard, Chen Yifa, to protect Zhan Du. Their most important duty was to find those hidden traitors. Once discovered, they were not to be killed, but to be brought back to Tokyo for the emperor to deal with personally.

Judging from the situation in the Northern Song Dynasty, losing the Yan-Yun region meant losing the northern barrier. If the three towns were lost as well, the Song Dynasty would truly be forced to remain a vassal state of the Jin invaders, living south of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, no matter what, Taiyuan, Hejian, and Zhongshan must not be lost.

Zhao Huan, a history novice, sat in the palace, trying hard to recall the books he had read in his previous life. Only now did he realize how little he knew. If he had been proficient in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty, he would not be in such a hurry now.

Fortunately, Zhao Huan wasn't particularly stupid; he still remembered some of the most basic things.

For example, those charlatans on Zhihu in my previous life said: The Jingkang Incident was actually a low-probability event brought about by the Northern Song Dynasty royal family themselves. If the emperor had been even slightly normal, it wouldn't have happened.

Damn it, the other team attacked our home ground, yet we still maintained an absolute dominant position. This was a complete away-game comeback and a reversal of fortune!

This was all because Emperor Qinzong of Song lacked any independent judgment and wavered between advocating war and negotiating peace from beginning to end. He was caught in a dilemma, unable to decide whether to fight or not. The emperor's indecisiveness frustrated the troops who came to his aid.

I led my men to Tokyo, and you said we were done fighting, that we had to disperse. I left, and my men crawled into their wives' beds, and you said you were coming to defend the emperor.

Emperor, do you think I can fly?!

That's nothing?

Your Majesty, you should at least have some common sense. Fighting a war isn't something that can be done overnight. Do you think the Marquis of Champion's sweeping victory over the Xiongnu was just a momentary act of bravery? It was Emperor Wu of Han who inherited the legacy of several generations of the Former Han Dynasty and mobilized the entire nation's resources to fight in the north!

The Song Dynasty was richer than the Former Han Dynasty, right? And the troops who came to the aid of the emperor were all incredibly loyal and courageous, right? Nobody said they wouldn't come, right? Even if you were captured and taken north, Zong Ze, Yue Fei, and others would risk their lives to rescue you, right? Tell me, which dynasty's emperor in its final days had so many loyal and righteous ministers?

As the old saying goes: "The right time, the right place, and the right people."

With the advantage of location, the Song Dynasty is on home ground!

With the help of the people, the generals and loyalist troops of the Song Dynasty rushed to the capital to defend it upon hearing of the crisis.

Timing? You son of a bitch, they're just coming to destroy our country. What's the point of thinking about timing? If you're going to die, just kick the bucket and do it!

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Huan still felt that the best course of action against the Jin invaders was to implement a scorched-earth policy!

I have a lot of men, a lot of land, and plenty of backup. I will remain inactive and not take the initiative to attack. I will frequently send people to harass and intimidate you!

I'll make sure you can't steal anything, I'll wear you down! You dare come directly to Tokyo? Do you think I'm still the same Zhao Huan from before?

I don’t believe you can actually eat dirt when you run out of food.

Meanwhile, after the carnage in Tokyo, the storytellers in the city's taverns have been discussing the wise emperor for the past few days, while also enthusiastically joining in the defense construction of Tokyo.

During this period, the news spread not only in Tokyo, but also in Hebei and Hedong, and even in Luoyang and Hangzhou: the Holy Emperor wished to live and die with Tokyo! He wished to live and die with the Song Dynasty!

This instantly boosted the morale of the loyalist troops in northern China.

In the past few days, Zhao Huan ordered people to make him a pair of dumbbells, a horizontal bar, and an ab wheel in the palace—things that were only available in gyms in his previous life.

Once the temperature rises, he plans to go for a run outdoors.

The Minister of Works was completely bewildered, not knowing what the emperor wanted these strange-looking things for, but he dared not ask any more questions, and delivered the goods three days later.

Not only were fitness equipment provided, but his diet was also changed. Zhao Huan now eats beef, chicken, vegetables, eggs, and brown rice for three meals a day, and he accepts everything.

Wang Kui'an had repeatedly begged the new emperor to be quiet. He had just caught a cold and was still recovering. What if something serious happened to him?

But Zhao Huan didn't care at all. He always believed that good people don't live long, while bad people live for thousands of years. Someone like him would live for at least ten thousand years!

After everything was prepared, Zhao Huan devised a strict fitness plan for himself.

After getting my body moving, I felt much more relaxed. Besides exercising, I would also go on incognito visits to the surrounding city walls.

He was just a low-level employee and didn't know anything about city defense, but when he saw those things, he still admired the wisdom of the ancients.

I've heard that the Jin army has advanced siege equipment, but this time Wanyan Zongwang abandoned Hejian and Zhongshan and went straight to Tokyo. I don't believe he brought advanced engineering equipment with him. I'm afraid those things were all with Wanyan Zonghan when he attacked Taiyuan.

Life went on like this. Although the New Year had arrived, preparations for the war of resistance in the capital city of Tokyo were in full swing. Ever since Zhao Huan raised his butcher's knife and slaughtered the people in the court, the ministers had become much more obedient. At least no one openly talked about negotiating peace in the court anymore.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, according to past practice, officials across the country would have a seven-day holiday to enjoy the New Year. However, this year was exceptionally different, as officials in areas north of the Yangtze River did not have a holiday.

The emperor's special envoys conveyed the imperial order to major cities between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers as quickly as possible: All troops must prepare for war! Once the Jin invaders breach a city, destroy all the food and provisions within!

Nearly half of the Imperial City Guards were mobilized. Under the strict supervision of the Imperial City Guards, local officials gathered all the city's grain and fodder, which were then kept by the Imperial City Guards and the city's highest-ranking official for military use in special circumstances.

They also recruited militia and local braves from various places, and trained them day and night. The government paid all militia and local braves a salary, and those willing to participate came in droves.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor officially changed the reign title to Jingkang, which is historically known as the first year of Jingkang.

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, the young emperor received statistics on the Imperial Guards from Privy Councilor Li Gang, as well as statistics on officials nationwide from Grand Chancellor Bai Shizhong, and tax revenue from the seventh year of the Xuanhe era.

I was shocked when I saw it.