Two days later, on the 23rd, at 7:06.

Zhao Huan wore a dragon robe and a crown, and under the guidance of Shao Chengzhang, he entered the Daqing Hall on time.

All the civil and military officials in the court had been waiting for a long time. At the command of Emperor Huizong of Song, the ceremony began immediately.

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I have heard that the will of Heaven is fixed and always returns to the legitimate heir, thus maintaining order and peace and prosperity for all. Crown Prince Zhao Huan possesses both military and civil skills, and possesses a virtuous character. He respects Heaven and Earth, his ancestors, and loves the common people. He is concerned with national affairs, upholds the government, and is worthy of the divine power. I am acting in accordance with Heaven's will, for the benefit of the ancestral temples, and for the benefit of the people. The Crown Prince may ascend the throne. I, as the Supreme Emperor of Dao, will retire to Longde Palace and, with the exception of Daoist matters, will not interfere in any other matters. From this day forward, the new emperor ascends the throne, and the reign is called Jing Kang."

All the civil and military officials in the court knelt on the ground and shouted: "Long live the emperor!"

At Song Huizong's strong request, the enthronement ceremony was kept simple. After Liang Shicheng read the imperial edict, Song Huizong went through the formalities hastily, handed the imperial seal to Zhao Huan, and left the Daqing Hall.

In this way, Zhao Huan became the only emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty who succeeded to the throne as the legitimate eldest son, but such "only" is really not worthy of praise.

Song Huizong left with his hands behind his back, walking in a dignified manner and humming a little tune.

With nothing to do, I felt light and relaxed. My waist and legs no longer ached, my face no longer looked haggard, and my body suddenly felt full of energy. From then on, the sea was wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky was high enough for birds to fly.

Zhao Huan smiled as he watched Song Huizong leave. As long as I'm not embarrassed, you're the ones who are embarrassed.

All the civil and military officials in the court were stunned. The actions of the retired emperor had completely disregarded his dignity.

As soon as Zhao Huan ascended the throne, Song Huizong drew his sword and killed him, avenging the stab in the back that Zhao Huan had suffered two days ago.

This knife is called fatherly love and filial piety!

Everyone was speechless, and Daqing Hall fell silent for a moment.

Zhao Huan winked at Shao Chengzhang, and Shao Chengzhang quietly retreated.

Not long after, two sturdy men carried a strangely shaped red table into the Daqing Hall. The table was more than one meter high and two feet wide, and was tied with a large bunch of blooming plum blossoms.

Zhao Huan stepped down from the dragon throne and stood before the podium. His posture was upright, his eyes were piercing, and his expression was resolute and courageous, in stark contrast to the ostentatiousness of Song Huizong just now.

The feeling of carrying a burden is like a thousand people hanging on your every word.

"The Emperor has retired to enjoy his remaining years, and I will take charge of government affairs from today. The Jin Kingdom is invading, so the first thing I want to do is discuss how to resist the Jin."

After a pause, seeing that no one raised any objections, Zhao Huan continued.

"Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty wrote in his 'Humble House Praise': 'There are great scholars among us for conversation and laughter, and no unlearned people among us. I have been appointed by Heaven, and I shall live long and prosper. The Daqing Hall is the political center of the Song Dynasty. The civil and military officials gathered here cannot be inferior to the great scholars of the previous dynasties.'"

After some conventional greetings, Zhao Huan looked around at the ministers below and said in a deep voice, "Is there any minister who can recite (in ancient times, it meant to recite) Su Xun's "On the Six Kingdoms" during the reign of Emperor Renzong?"

In the court, the important officials looked at each other, smiled, and said nothing. They were all experienced in the court, and would not speak easily until they had figured out the emperor's thoughts.

On the contrary, some marginalized officials were eager to try, wanting to show their faces in front of His Majesty and make a good impression.

Zhao Huan was not in a hurry. It was still early and he had plenty of time for the court officials to consider their sides.

"Your Majesty, I can recite the entire 'On the Six Kingdoms'."

"Who are you?"

"I am Liu Xingwu, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War."

"Okay! I'll remember you."

Liu Xingwu was overjoyed, thinking that even if this move offended some people, it was worth it. He then began to recite passionately.

"The downfall of the six states was not due to their military weakness or poor fighting skills, but to their bribery of Qin. Bribing Qin and weakening their strength was the path to their downfall... The ancients said: Serving Qin with land is like trying to put out a fire with firewood; if the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not go out... How tragic! With such a strong position, they were robbed by the accumulated power of the Qin, gradually weakening and gradually destroying themselves... If future generations mourn their failure to learn from their mistakes, they will only cause future generations to mourn their own descendants."

After Liu Xingwu finished reading, he bowed and returned to his seat.

This time, Zhao Huan did not give the civil and military officials a chance to speak and made a direct conclusion.

"The Jin people are untrustworthy, and peace talks are untrustworthy. In my opinion, peace talks are no different from sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger, cutting flesh to feed an eagle, or drinking poison to quench thirst. They are both ways to self-destruction."

"Now that I am the emperor, I must change the laws of our ancestors. From this day forward, our Great Song will not cede territory, pay indemnities, negotiate peace, or pay tribute. The Son of Heaven will guard the borders, and the King will die for the country. There are only Song dynasties that died in battle, not Song dynasties that submitted to the throne."

There was an uproar in the court.

"Your Majesty, the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed!"

"Your Majesty, the Jin people are invincible!"

"Well, a man of the Song Dynasty should have such courage. What can the Jin people do?"

…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Zhao Huan banged his hands heavily on the podium, signaling the court officials to be quiet.

"I just heard someone say that the Jin people are invincible. Who is it? Stand up so I can identify them."

Li Ye had not expected to be called by His Majesty. He reluctantly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "I am Li Ye, the Imperial Secretary."

"Why are the Jin people so invincible? Do they have three heads and six arms, or can they swallow gold and spit fire?"

"The Jin army, their men are like tigers, their horses are like dragons, they climb mountains like monkeys, and swim in the water like a torrent..."

Zhao Huan interrupted Li Ye's words, and his solemn and majestic expression instantly turned into a gentle whisper.

"General Zong, is there anyone in our Song army who can defeat the Jin army on the battlefield?"

"Your Majesty, I'm not bragging, but every one of my men can fight the Jin army on equal terms. The Jin army's invincibility is a joke in front of truly elite soldiers and generals."

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