There were many tragic figures in the late Northern Song Dynasty, and Zong Ze was one of them, and a very famous one at that.
Zong Ze was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and could be considered a civil official, but the statement that he was too straightforward is not quite accurate. After all, hypocrites in later generations love to say things like "I am a straightforward person."
Zong Ze had a strong personality, which offered him no way out in the officialdom of the late Northern Song Dynasty. However, he did not join the army because he had no future in the civil service. He genuinely had a pure heart and felt that the border troubles of the Song Dynasty were too great, so he joined the army.
Military personnel in the Song Dynasty had low social status. His behavior was similar to a manager in a state-owned enterprise in later generations giving up a generous salary to start his own business.
In the first year of the Jingkang era, Wanyan Zongwang besieged Bianjing (Kaifeng) but failed to capture it. He then proposed peace talks. Some people suggested that Emperor Qinzong of Song send Zong Ze as an envoy to the Jin camp. However, Emperor Qinzong was worried that Zong Ze's personality was too strong and that if the peace talks failed, it would lead to a fight to the death.
When the Jin army marched south to Bianjing for the second time, Zong Ze, as the deputy marshal, wanted to go south to defend the emperor. Marshal Zhao Gou and Wang Boyan, who was also a deputy marshal, did not move their troops. Zong Ze took it upon himself to go south and encountered the Jin army at the Yellow River. He won several battles in a row and cut off the Jin army's retreat.
Wang Boyan and Zhao Gou ousted Zong Ze from the Marshal's Mansion, thus distancing him from the decision-making center.
People involved in pyramid schemes in later generations often say: "With perseverance, anything is possible."
This statement was best exemplified by Zong Ze. After being ostracized by Zhao Gou, Zong Ze did not give up. Instead, he led his army south alone, advancing with unstoppable momentum. He won dozens of battles in a row, making the Jin army almost doubt their existence.
It can be said that Zong Ze's army was a remarkable sight in the late Northern Song Dynasty.
Unfortunately, one hand cannot clap. How could he possibly lift the siege of Bianjing with only a small army? At that time, he invited troops from all directions to come to the aid of the emperor, but all of them refused. After winning a battle against the Jin army, he was forced to return to the north of the Yellow River and then watched helplessly as the Jingkang Incident occurred.
But he did not give up. After Zhao Gou ascended the throne in Yingtianfu, the entire Central Plains was devastated by the Jin army. Zong Ze was appointed to guard Kaifeng in a time of crisis. He rallied loyal and righteous people from all directions to Kaifeng and used the shortest time and the most swift and decisive measures to stabilize the chaotic city of Dongjing after the war and make it the front line against the Jin.
Unfortunately, just like Yue Fei, he encountered Zhao Gou, a man who only wanted to be emperor. In order to secure his rule, Zhao Gou was willing to give up everything, even his last shred of integrity.
Zong Ze held out in Kaifeng for nearly two years without any supplies. In the end, he died in despair because Zhao Gou was unwilling to launch a northern expedition. Before his death, he shouted three times: "Cross the river! Cross the river! Cross the river!"
The river here refers to the Yellow River; he could be said to have died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Zong Ze was already 66 years old when he first fought against the Jin army. At that time, Yue Fei was still an unknown soldier, Yao Family Army collapsed, Zhe Family Army in the Northwest was destroyed, and Zhong Shidao was angered to death by the emperor's childish behavior. No one in the entire Song Dynasty could support it except this old man in his sixties!
Therefore, when Zhao Huan heard that Zong Ze had finally arrived, he was so excited that he could not express it.
When he saw the man before him, whose hair was already gray and whose face was covered with wrinkles, but who was still full of energy, his despicable and shameless heart actually felt respect.
Whenever China is in danger, there are always people who step forward, whether it is Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Ran Min, Zhao Kuangyin, Zong Ze, Yue Fei, or later Zhang Zizhong and others.
"Your humble servant pays his respects to the Emperor!"
"Please, sir, dispense with the formalities!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Please take a seat!"
The young eunuch quickly moved the chair over.
"Your humble servant would not dare!"
"You have served the country and its people; it is only right and reasonable for me to bestow a seat upon you!"
The emperor spoke clearly and concisely, without the slightest pretense, and Zong Ze no longer hesitated and sat down.
Li Gang was inspecting the defenses on the city wall when he was summoned to the palace.
Li Gang hurriedly entered the palace and saw a majestic old man sitting to the side in the emperor's study. He was taken aback and quickly bowed to the emperor.
"Minister Li, no need for formalities. Let me introduce you. This is Zong Ze."
Li Gang bowed to Zong Ze, but he was very puzzled. He had never heard of a minister named Zong Ze, and this Zong Ze was sitting in front of the emperor!
Moreover, it seems that the emperor summoned him here because of the arrival of this Zong Ze!
Who is this person that the emperor values so highly?
Zong Ze returned the greeting, but no one said anything more.
Zhao Huan spoke up, "Minister Li, tell me your strategy for defending against the enemy."
Li Gang said, "Your Majesty, I believe that as long as we hold Tokyo, the Jin invaders will collapse as soon as the loyalist army arrives!"
Zhao Huan thought to himself, "Damn it!" but remained calm on the surface. It seemed that the historical records were right when they said that Li Gang had no military talent. If this guy was so simple, the Northern Song Dynasty wouldn't have collapsed so easily.
However, at least Li Gang had good intentions and a proper attitude, which was a hundred times better than people like Bai Shizhong and Li Bangyan. So Zhao Huan didn't say anything, just nodded politely. In his heart, he was thinking that once the situation stabilized, Li Gang should give up his position as Privy Councilor to someone more capable.
"How is the defense of the city walls progressing?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have made all the necessary preparations."
Zhao Huan nodded. He believed this. Although Li Gang was not good at social maneuvering, he was very serious about his work and would not be careless in the slightest. Therefore, it was impossible for Wanyan Zongwang to easily conquer Tokyo.
Zhao Huan then asked Zong Ze, "Does my dear minister have any effective methods to repel the enemy?"
Before entering the capital, Zong Ze had heard that the current emperor had issued an edict to all regions, declaring his intention to live and die with the Song Dynasty, meaning he was determined to fight the Jin invaders to the bitter end. This was exactly what he wanted to hear, so he didn't hold back at all and said, "Hebei is the shield of our Song Dynasty and cannot be lost in the slightest. However, the Jin invaders have moved south and Tong Guan has fled south, leaving our army leaderless and suffering heavy losses. Today Taiyuan is besieged, and tomorrow it may be Zhongshan or Hejian. I believe that we should send a commander-in-chief to take over the military affairs of Hebei and Hedong, strengthen the three towns, and fight the Jin all-out!"
Zhao Huan was overjoyed. This was exactly what he wanted to do, and he had already thought of the people. So he sent Wang Kuian to Hebei to find Yue Fei. But then he thought that Yue Fei was too young at the time. He had not yet met Zong Ze, nor had he killed the young Liang King in a duel. If he were to be appointed as the commander-in-chief directly, he would probably not be able to win over the people. Not only would it not unite Hebei and Hedong, but it would also have the opposite effect.
This is not to say that Yue Fei lacked leadership skills. In fact, the most fortunate thing about the Song Dynasty was that when the Jin invaders were at their most rampant, Yue Fei emerged, which managed to create a situation where the country was divided along the Yangtze River. Otherwise, the entire China might have really fallen into the hands of the Jin invaders.
In retrospect, Zong Ze is the most suitable for this role, and we can follow the original historical trajectory to have Zong Ze meet Yue Fei in Hebei. Zong Ze was also a very important figure who influenced Yue Fei.
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