Wanyan Zonghan's life can be described as an extraordinary one.
At the age of thirty-five, he followed Wanyan Aguda to begin the campaign against the Liao Dynasty, and in ten years, the vast Liao Kingdom was destroyed.
He should be considered the number one contributor.
It can be said to be incredibly glorious.
During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, his ministers and military generals were so defeated that they were terrified of him.
But what about now?
Ten years ago, he was castrated by Zhao Huan, and his personality changed drastically.
In addition, he had been constantly ostracized in the court over the years, which made him even more depressed.
What's even more infuriating is that they've suffered several defeats in a row.
Wanyan Zonghan's personality is inevitably somewhat twisted now.
After confirming the withdrawal of the Song army, Wanyan Zonghan excitedly wrote a letter of surrender while simultaneously searching the entire city for Wanyan Dan.
He was like a hungry wolf, searching for his prey everywhere.
But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find Wanyan Dan.
Three days later, news arrived from the front that enraged him: Wanyan Zongwang was withdrawing his troops from the border of Goryeo and heading back to Shenzhou to reinforce the capital when he was intercepted by Zhong Shizhong. The two armies clashed, and Wanyan Zongwang suffered heavy losses.
The battle situation outside the pass was already quite clear; the Song army held an almost absolute advantage.
Whether it was Yue Fei defeating the Iron Pagoda at Fengcheng or the Song army attacking Shenzhou, both events proved the strength of the Song army.
The military might of the Central Plains dynasty once again made the barbarian tribes beyond the borders tremble. Time seemed to have returned to the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, when the iron cavalry of the Han people galloped across the vast grasslands, and sharp swords tore open the ambitions of the barbarians.
Blood stained the city walls, and the cities beyond the Great Wall wailed, pleaded, and trembled in the anger of the Celestial Empire.
The Han Chinese aristocratic families outside the Great Wall, who were originally in a wait-and-see state, became completely uneasy after hearing that Wanyan Zongbi's Iron Pagoda army had been wiped out.
For example, the Han family, and Han enterprises first.
The Han family has quite a background. Their ancestor, Han Derang, was a prominent figure in the Liao Dynasty, the lover of Empress Dowager Xiao, and controlled the Liao government for decades.
The Han family survived from the Liao Dynasty. When the Liao Dynasty was destroyed by the Jurchens, the Han family sought refuge with the Wanyan clan.
In order to quickly establish a foothold in the Liao Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda won over many Han Chinese families.
The Han family is one of the key groups they are trying to win over.
The head of the Han family, Han Qixian, was the prime minister of the Jin Dynasty and one of the most powerful Han Chinese in the Jin court.
Upon hearing about the situation at the front, he no longer hesitated, but simply remarked: "The Jin dynasty's fate is sealed; we should surrender to a wise ruler."
So he quickly wrote a letter to Zhao Huan to express his loyalty.
Han Qixian wasn't the only one secretly writing letters.
When news of Wanyan Zongbi's defeat at Fengcheng reached Shangjing, it shocked almost the entire Jin dynasty's high command.
The repeated defeats in Shenzhou made those high-ranking officials and nobles even more uneasy.
The so-called million-strong army marching south to gather in Fengzhou was nothing more than Wanyan Dan's desperate last stand and last-ditch resistance.
Although the inner city of Shenzhou was not breached, the Song army hastily withdrew.
But everyone has already seen the situation clearly.
Next, the entire Liaodong region was plunged into panic.
After the defeat of Wanyan Zongwang's last elite force, the panic began to spread throughout the Jin state.
If the Song army hadn't temporarily withdrawn, those high-ranking officials and nobles would probably have already rushed over to offer money and beg for mercy.
After defeating Wanyan Zongwang, Zhong Shizhong did not rashly head north again.
There are two reasons.
Firstly, while defeating Wanyan Zongwang, the Song army itself also suffered losses.
Secondly, the sudden withdrawal of the main force of the central army has caused unrest among the troops.
The usually calm and composed Master Zhong would never go north again.
He simply stationed himself in Xianzhou in the south, temporarily hindering Shenzhou.
And what about Yue Fei?
It is said that the central army has withdrawn back to the interior and has not advanced rashly, but has instead stationed itself in Fengzhou, like a sharp sword hanging beside the Jin emperor and his ministers, making them unable to eat or sleep in unease.
Time flew by and it was already late August, autumn had arrived.
Autumn comes exceptionally early in the areas outside the Great Wall; you can already see withered yellow leaves falling.
The autumn clouds hung low, and the sunlight shone through the thick clouds. The grass, as tall as a person, swayed in the autumn wind, like fallen soldiers making their last struggle.
Eagles and crows circled around, and wild dogs were devouring the last few pieces of meat.
Screams and cries came from a nearby village. The men in the village had been forcibly conscripted by the Jin army, and their resistance was futile.
As they passed by these former battlefields, tears of despair streamed down their faces.
No one knows if they will be alive tomorrow.
After they were taken to the north, refugees fleeing from time to time passed through this area.
The fields were abandoned, and people were starving and struggling to make ends meet.
A minister submitted a memorial to Zhao Huan, stating that the land beyond the pass was barren and the people were suffering greatly, lacking even basic clothing. They longed day and night for the king's army to march north and reclaim their lost territories.
But the war seemed to have suddenly stopped.
Not long ago, news of Zhong Shidao's death on the battlefield reached the capital, Dongjing. Zhao Huan wept bitterly in front of his ministers and fainted several times.
The ministers thought to themselves: "Your Majesty, your acting is truly superb. Even the way you fainted was so natural. If we didn't know you, shameless bastard, we would have really thought you fainted from excessive grief."
This is where acting skills come into play. Since the emperor himself fainted from crying, the other officials naturally became even more heartbroken.
It's as if Zhong Shidao is his father.
Some ministers even banged their heads against pillars, lamenting, "Heaven has eyes! I am willing to dedicate thirty years of my life to Minister Zhong."
What a load of rubbish! Zhong Shidao is already dead, and there's no way he could truly make a sacrifice anyway, so I can say whatever I want, haha!
The entire city of Tokyo was shrouded in an atmosphere of extreme sadness.
Even the old lady selling embroidered shoes on the street shed tears of sorrow.
For ten consecutive days, the Imperial Gazette of the Great Song Dynasty and the Tokyo Express published articles about Zhong Shidao's past.
And it is said that the entire army of Youzhou has donned white robes.
Ten days later, the emperor personally issued an edict posthumously conferring upon Zhong Shidao the title of Prince Zhong.
Very few non-imperial family members were granted the title of king in the Song Dynasty. Apart from Wang Anshi and Tong Guan, there were virtually no others.
Moreover, both of them are highly controversial.
Zhong Shidao was posthumously honored by the emperor and was granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
What an honor this is!
While everyone was immersed in grief, someone submitted a memorial to the emperor, suggesting that since the situation at the front was not stable, the emperor should select another capable commander to lead the three armies in order to recover the lost territories in the north.
Then some people began to spread rumors that the two sides were locked in fierce fighting and the commander-in-chief had died of illness, which was an ominous sign, and the emperor should immediately withdraw his troops.
Zhong Shidao's death made the previously smooth situation very uncertain.
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