Female General
At the time, Miao and Liu still held a large number of troops, but Zhao Gou held them back and did not pursue their crimes. Instead, he appointed them as the chief and deputy envoys of Huaixi and promoted them to the position of Junior Guardian. Zhang Jun, along with Lü Yihao, Han Shizhong, and others, continued to pursue the rebels, defeating all enemies and quickly reaching Hangzhou.
Miao and Liu abandoned the city and fled quickly to Pucheng County, Fujian, and captured Liu Zhengyan. On May 22, Miao Fu fled to Jianyang County, Fujian, and was captured by a local tyrant, who handed Miao Fu over to Han Shizhong. In less than a month, Han Shizhong arrested Miao and Liu and brought them to justice.
Miao and Liu said to Han Shizhong: "General, your bravery is comparable to that of Wu Song who killed a tiger. Why do you serve Zhao Gou, a coward who has no intention of resisting and only knows how to escape? Why don't you join us in a conspiracy to conquer the world?"
Han Shizhong sneered, "If I don't pledge allegiance to the emperor, do I really want to fight with you two incompetent rats?"
Seeing Han Shizhong unmoved, Miao and Liu knew their situation was hopeless. They said to Han Shizhong, "Our today is your tomorrow. Don't you think the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is wary of military commanders? After Tong Guan was made a king, Zhao Ji immediately found a reason to remove his military power."
Miao Fu laughed loudly and said, "I don't know how far you, Han Shizhong, can go. Even if I go to hell, I will wait and see, waiting for you to end up like me."
His scarlet eyes were wide open, like a ghost from the underworld demanding his life, which made Han Shizhong instantly frightened. It's not that he hadn't thought about this. He still had value to Zhao Gou. If the Jin people no longer invaded and the world was peaceful, he would inevitably become Zhao Gou's abandoned pawn. If the world could be peaceful, it was what he wanted in this life, and how could his own safety be compared with that of the people of the world.
Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan were escorted to Hangzhou by Han Shizhong and beheaded in the market in July. The Miao-Liu Rebellion ended here.
After suppressing the rebellion, Han Shizhong was promoted to the governor of Wusheng Army and the commander-in-chief of the left army of the emperor. He was deeply trusted by Zhao Gou. Liang Hongyu was also named the first female general in the Southern Song Dynasty and the general of the national defense, thus starting her legendary life.
On the day Liang Hongyu went to Beijing to receive the reward, the city of Lin'an was crowded with people who came to see the first female general of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Some people in the crowd said that Liang Hongyu was big and strong, with a face as black as coal, and was born with supernatural powers and could pull a bow and crossbow weighing a thousand pounds.
Some people also say that Liang Hongyu had a rough voice and a fierce face, and it was difficult to tell her gender. She was named a female general because she rescued the emperor during the Miao-Liu Rebellion.
Some people also say that Liang Hongyu was originally the daughter of a famous general, but because her grandfather was convicted, she fell into poverty and became a courtesan in Jingkou. She was proficient in calligraphy, had outstanding dancing skills, and was very strong in martial arts.
There are so many different opinions, and no one knows which version it is. You can only go to the street and see it with your own eyes.
After waiting for a long time, everyone saw a red light in the distance slowly moving towards the city. When the person walked in, they saw a female general wearing golden armor and a red battle robe riding a war horse slowly walking towards the city, looking very majestic.
Everyone guessed that the person who came should be Liang Hongyu. She had black hair tied up high behind her head, holding a red tasseled spear, her face was as rosy as a peach, and her brows were full of sharpness and heroism.
There were bursts of exclamations from the crowd: I didn’t expect that a female general could be so beautiful.
Liang Hongyu rode to the palace gate. The gate slowly opened. Looking at the splendor of the palace, she was a little dazed. Had she really done it? She left that place of fireworks that everyone despised and came to the most noble palace.
Zhao Gou sat in the center of the hall, quietly awaiting Liang Hongyu's arrival. Zhao Gou was Zhao Ji's ninth son. He remembered his mother, Wei, as a very gentle woman. Like the other women in the harem, she was just one of Zhao Ji's many concubines. She often stood in the courtyard after dusk, quietly waiting for his father, spring and autumn, without fail, but his father rarely appeared. Every day, he saw the flame of hope in his mother's expectant eyes gradually burn out.
Only after growing up did he realize that his mother was not favored by his father, and that he, too, had become an unloved prince. Compared to his father's other concubines, his mother had neither noble birth nor exceptional beauty, nor the means to please his father. All she possessed was a gentle disposition. But to his father, a woman known for his philandering ways, such a woman was as insignificant as a grain of sand.
His mother, Wei, was originally just a palace maid serving Empress Zheng. One day, Zhao Ji got drunk and had sex with Wei, but he forgot about her after the sex and only gave her the title of "Pingchang County Lady". Fortunately, Wei was lucky. After just a few days of serving her in the palace, she became pregnant and gave birth to Zhao Gou.
Because she gave birth to Zhao Gou, Wei was soon named Jieyushi. As Zhao Gou grew up, Zhao Ji discovered that he had wisdom and courage different from other princes, so he showed special favor to Wei and later promoted her to Wanrong. However, Wei's status was always incomparable to other favored concubines. If the Jin army had not invaded, he would probably have always been an unpopular prince in this huge palace.
It was because after the Jingkang Incident, all members of the royal family were captured by the Jin people and taken to the north, except him. He then naturally became the emperor of the Song Dynasty. Overnight, he jumped from an abandoned child to an official respected and worshipped by everyone.
Since this emperor was picked up, he had to bear all the unbearable costs. Since he took the throne, he was forced to flee south by the Jin people. He fled from Bian Jing to Daming Prefecture in Hebei. Soon, he fled to Yangzhou. Unexpectedly, Yangzhou was looted by the Jin army again. He had to flee south again through Jingkou and came to Hangzhou, where he established the Southern Song Dynasty and made Lin'an the capital.
That day, Zhao Gou was trapped in Xianning Temple because of the Miao-Liu Rebellion. Zhao Gou was worshiping Buddha in Xianning Temple at that time, but saw a group of soldiers rushing into the hall. Leading them was a woman in red, who was standing in front of him with a sword in her hand. Her face was like a peach blossom, her black hair was like a crow, and her eyes were slightly raised. Just standing there, she was so bright that people could not take their eyes off her. What's more, she had a cold aura and a heroic spirit of holding a sword that was different from other women. No woman he had ever seen had her temperament. Zhao Gou suddenly remembered a poem "The peach tree is young and tender, and its flowers are bright and dazzling", which was not an exaggeration to describe her.
The woman extended her hand to him, and he could not help but freeze in his tracks. She opened her red lips slightly and said, "Your Majesty, follow me."
He seemed to be bewitched, and without asking who the visitor was, he put his hand in hers with peace of mind. She pulled him up from the Buddhist cushion, and he felt her hand was soft and boneless. At this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of security. After he sat on the throne, he had been on the run and never had a moment of peace. When he fled to Cizhou, he watched the minister Wang Yun who followed him to flee south being beaten to death by a group of mobs. When he fled to Hangzhou, his subordinates Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan launched a mutiny and kidnapped him, forcing him to abdicate.
He had never trusted anyone. Those around him were always ready to betray him. Even his own elder brother, when the Jin invaded, had treated him like a pawn and sent him hostage twice. Although he was now the supreme emperor, that feeling of insecurity could swallow him up at any moment. He had hardly ever gotten a good night's sleep during his escape, but this woman, whom he had only met once, made him feel incredibly at ease.
But this feeling was fleeting, because the woman quickly let go of his hand, and he was taken out of the palace. The eunuchs guarding the palace gate saw that it was the emperor who had arrived, and immediately opened the door to welcome him. The imperial guards guarding the city thought that Zhao Gou was kidnapped by this group of people and wanted to draw their swords to fight them. Zhao Gou signaled to the imperial guards with his eyes not to act rashly, and the imperial guards then closed the scabbards of their swords. The woman was afraid that there were rebels planted in the palace, so she escorted him all the way to Xuande Hall.
"I have brought the official home safely and will be leaving now." The woman bowed and was about to turn around and leave.
When the woman was about to leave, Zhao Gou realized that he didn't know who she was, so he asked, "Excuse me, young lady, what is your name?"
"I am Liang Hongyu. I learned that the emperor was kidnapped. General Han Shizhong was afraid to act rashly and was unable to take down the rebels, so he sent me to retrieve the emperor."
Zhao Gou asked suspiciously: "You are General Han's subordinate."
"Just friends."
"Friend" Zhao Gou repeated these two words in his mind again. Could it be that she had a close relationship with Han Shizhong?
"You saved me today, what reward do you want?" Zhao Gou asked.
"I don't want any reward, but now that the Jin people are invading, I don't want the world to be in chaos, so I rescued you."
Zhao Gou saw that she cared so much about the country and had saved him, and it seemed unconvincing not to give her any reward. He thought for a moment and said, "Why don't I make you the General of Protecting the Nation?"
When Liang Hongyu rescued Zhao Gou, she did not think that she would be named a female general. She was standing in the center of the hall at that time. When she heard the word "general", her heart trembled, thinking that she had heard it wrong.
Zhao Gou saw her standing still in the hall and said, "Wait a few days, after the Miao and Liu rebellion is completely suppressed, you can come to the palace to accept the reward."
This time Liang Hongyu knew that what the emperor said was true, so she knelt down and said, "Thank you for the reward, emperor." Zhao Gou immediately stepped forward to help her up. He saw the sparks burning in her eyes and knew that this reward was very useful to her.
After Liang Hongyu received the official uniform sent by Zhao Gou through eunuchs, she stroked the golden armor and red battle robe, and could not help but look forward to her future life. Who could have imagined that not long ago she was the most beautiful courtesan in Zuixinlou, serving men with her beauty all day long, but now her situation has changed so suddenly and she has become the first female general of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Zhao Gou was waiting for Liang Hongyu's arrival in the hall, imagining how she would look in the general's uniform, which he designed and had made himself. When he saw her for the first time, he felt that her every move was that of a female general in an opera. He also saw her ambition in her eyes. She was definitely not an ordinary woman.
The ministers waiting in the hall also wanted to see the Southern Song Dynasty's first female general. Han Shizhong was stunned when he heard Liang Hongyu had been appointed a female general. He had never imagined Zhao Gou would value her so highly; this must be the life she longed for. Knowing that it was someone else, not him, who would fulfill her dream, a wave of inexplicable sadness suddenly washed over him.
The eunuch then announced, "Please invite the Protector General into the palace."
Upon hearing this, all the ministers looked outside the palace gate and saw a beautiful woman in golden armor and a red battle robe walking towards them in the light. Such a woman was rare even in the harem full of beauties. It would probably be inappropriate to let her go to the battlefield, the ministers said.
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."
When the ministers heard this loud voice, they immediately fell silent.
"Please stand up, my dear."
At this time, Lu Yihao, who had just been promoted to Prime Minister, said: "The Jin people are as brave as jackals. Seeing such a beautiful female general, I am afraid they will fight even more bravely."
Upon hearing this, all the ministers in the hall burst into laughter.
When Han Shizhong heard this, he immediately clenched his fist. If he had not been in the main hall, he would have swung his fist at Lu Yihao. He glanced at Liang Hongyu's expression, but saw that she was calm and composed, and did not seem to take his words to heart.
Zhao Gou sneered, "When I was imprisoned by the rebels, none of you came to rescue me! It was the Protector General who risked his own life to save me."
Upon hearing this, all the ministers lowered their heads in shame and remained silent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
