Going south
After the two got off the fishing boat, they changed into casual clothes and came to Zuixinlou. Mother Yan was secretly happy when she knew that Han Shizhong had been promoted to Chengjielang, so she did not scold Liang Hongyu.
Liang Hongyu tended to Han Shizhong's wound again, applying medicine while sighing, "I didn't expect Tong Guan to be so treacherous and cunning. After this assassination attempt, he has already alerted the enemy. It will probably be difficult to assassinate him again in the future."
Han Shizhong consoled him, saying, "Tong Guan suffered a defeat this time, costing the Song Dynasty 100,000 elite soldiers. I'm sure the emperor won't use him again. We have plenty of opportunities to kill him."
What they didn't expect was that not long after, Tong Guan's official position was promoted instead of demoted.
Zhao Ji had previously sent envoy Zhao Liangsi to the Jin Kingdom with a letter, stating that if the Jin Kingdom agreed to return the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun (actually only the Six Prefectures of Yanjing), the Song court would transfer the annual tribute previously paid to the Liao Kingdom to the Jin Kingdom.
Zhao Ji firmly believed that as long as the Jin people agreed and spent a little more annual tribute, he would be able to fulfill the dream that many people had failed to achieve since the end of the Tang Dynasty. He would surpass Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and become an emperor whose name would be recorded in history.
After Zhao Liangsi arrived at the Song-Liao border, he was surprised to learn that the Jin army had already conquered the Liao capital, Shangjing, in less than half a day. This speed was unbelievable. Although Shangjing was not as large as Kaifeng, it was also impregnable. Even so, it could not withstand the Jin army's powerful offensive for more than a day.
He had originally come to negotiate with the Jin, planning a joint attack on the Liao and the subsequent recapture of the Sixteen Prefectures. But in the current situation, if the Liao were to fall, the Song Dynasty, facing the powerful Jin, was uncertain about whether it could recapture the Sixteen Prefectures. Even if it did, would it be able to withstand the onslaught? The Liao, a military power, was vulnerable to the newly rising Jin. Meanwhile, the Song court was completely inactive, and resentment was boiling over. Was it truly necessary to rely on empty rituals, art, and spiritual cultivation to resist the Jin? Perhaps the Liao's present fate would be the Song's future.
However, in line with his duty as a subject, Zhao Liangsi, who was frightened by the fighting power of the Jin Dynasty, still handed Zhao Ji's handwritten letter to the Jin Dynasty's emperor Wanyan Aguda.
Finally, the Song and Jin dynasties reached an agreement. The Song and Jin dynasties sent troops together to attack the Liao Kingdom from the north and south. The Song Dynasty transferred the annual tribute previously paid to the Liao Kingdom to the Jin Kingdom and provided the Jin Kingdom with a certain amount of food and grass supplies. After the war, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were handed over to the Song Dynasty. Neither side was allowed to recruit or surrender. If one party did not comply, the established alliance treaty would no longer be fulfilled.
In the first month of the fourth year of Xuanhe, the Jin army captured the Liao capital Dading, and the Liao emperor Yelu Yanxi fled north.
However, the 150,000-strong Song army led by Tong Guan was defeated by a mere 20,000 troops from the Liao Kingdom. Zhao Ji did not punish Tong Guan, but only fined him one year's salary. This led to the scene where Liang Hongyu and Han Shizhong jointly assassinated Tong Guan.
Wanyan Aguda, who had been watching the battle, saw that the Song army was so vulnerable and decided to go into battle himself.
In December of the fourth year of Xuanhe, Wanyan Aguda personally led an expedition to Yanjing. The Liao emperor Yelu Chun had died, and the regent had fled north. Yu Zhongwen and other Han officials opened the city and surrendered to the Jin Kingdom.
Seeing that the Jin Kingdom occupied Yanjing, Zhao Ji could no longer sit still, so he sent Zhao Liangsi to the Jin Kingdom again to negotiate with the Jin Kingdom on the return of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
Faced with such an incompetent Song Dynasty, the Jin Kingdom continued to put forward harsh conditions, and Zhao Ji agreed to them one by one.
The Jin Kingdom almost drained the Song Dynasty dry and finally "returned" the Youyun area (actually the six prefectures of Yanjing) to the Song Dynasty. Before the handover, officials, wealthy people, and gold and silk in Zhuozhou, Yizhou, Tanzhou, Shunzhou, Jingzhou, Jizhou and other places in Yanjing were looted, and the Song Dynasty only got an empty city that had been swept clean.
Zhao Ji was filled with emotion. He had finally obtained the land he had always dreamed of, restored his homeland in the Central Plains, and finally achieved what his ancestor Zhao Kuangyin had failed to do. He had finally accomplished a feat that would go down in history! Although he was barely surviving and had to bow his head in disgrace, it was enough for him to recover Youyun.
After Tong Guan and Cai You, who were sent to take over the Youyun area, led the Song army into the city of Yanjing, they saw a mess. The city was desolate, empty and deserted.
Despite this, Zhao Ji held a grand banquet and lavishly rewarded those who had made contributions to the expedition against the Liao Kingdom and the recovery of Youyun. Cai You was appointed as the Junior Tutor, Zhao Liangsi was appointed as the Academician of the Yankang Palace, and the greatest credit was given to Tong Guan.
Tong Guan was successively conferred the titles of Duke of Xu and Duke of Yu, and later in the seventh year of Xuanhe he was conferred the title of Prince of Guangyang.
In the 160 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, this was the only case of a eunuch being crowned king, and Tong Guan reached the true peak of his life.
After Liang Hongyu received the letter from Qiu Feng in Bian Jing, she was furious. She slammed the table next to her, and the teacups on the table rolled to the ground, making a ping-pong sound.
Seeing this, Jinxiu hurried over, bent down, picked up the fallen cup, and said, "Miss, why are you so angry?"
"It's simply unheard of. Tong Guan, who suffered a defeat and lost 100,000 Song Dynasty soldiers, was not demoted but was made a king. The Song Dynasty officials were so foolish that a eunuch was made a king..." Upon hearing this, Jinxiu was so scared that she quickly covered Liang Hongyu's mouth with her hands. The word "king" still slipped out from between Jinxiu's fingers.
Seeing that Liang Hongyu's mood had calmed down a little, Jinxiu said gently, "Miss, be careful of your words."
Liang Hongyu sat down on the stool dejectedly, and a tear as big as a bean burst out of her eyes and rolled to the ground.
She had worked so hard for so long, not even harming a hair on her enemy's head, yet she watched him grow stronger and stronger, like an ant trying to shake a tree in front of him. A pale feeling of powerlessness gradually washed over her, wondering when she would ever be avenged for the annihilation of her family.
At this time, Jinxiu handed over a letter, "Miss, this is a letter from General Han."
Liang Hongyu opened the letter. The content of the letter was exactly the same as what Qiu Feng said. But when she read the last sentence, her pupils suddenly dilated, the sadness on her face gradually faded, and she even smiled.
Seeing this, Jinxiu snatched the letter from Liang Hongyu's hand. The last sentence of the letter said, "I know that after reading this letter, you will definitely feel resentful. But please think carefully. What has always been taboo for the emperors of the Song Dynasty? Of course, it is too much power in the hands of military generals. Although Tong Guan is a eunuch, he is also a military general. A military general being crowned king is something that has never happened since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, I conclude that Tong Guan's death is not far away."
After reading the letter, Jinxiu also agreed, "Miss, I think what General Han said is very reasonable. When a military general reaches the peak of power, he will be feared by the government."
Liang Hongyu was surprised when she heard this: Jinxiu, this little girl, only knows how to eat all day long, but she didn't expect that she could have such insight. So she smiled and said, "I didn't expect that a little girl like you knows so much."
Jinxiu said proudly: "Of course, it's because I followed a girl."
Liang Hongyu secretly hoped in her heart: I hope it will be as General Han said.
As Han Shizhong expected, after Tong Guan was crowned king, Zhao Ji used an excuse to remove his military power.
Although the Song Dynasty obtained the six states of Yanjing, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were a whole. The six states of Yanjing alone could not form a complete defense system, and the Song Dynasty was still unable to resist the nomadic peoples in the north.
At that time, the Jin Dynasty emperor Wanyan Aguda died of illness, and his younger brother Wanyan Wuqimai succeeded him. It was a time of power transfer and political instability in the Jin Dynasty.
Zhao Ji felt that the Song Dynasty had an opportunity to take advantage of, so he appointed the eunuch Tan Zhen as the envoy of Lianghe and Youyun Prefecture, in charge of the affairs of the northern front, and strive to seize the remaining ten states from the Jin Dynasty. Tan Zhen recruited soldiers from three states, and together with Zhang Jue of Pingzhou who had surrendered before, the Song Dynasty quickly recovered the four states.
Faced with the Song Dynasty's attempt to take advantage of the situation, the Jin Dynasty made concessions and gave the Song Dynasty the two weeks of Shuo and Wu. The Song Dynasty won a temporary victory, but this also gave the Jin Dynasty an excuse to invade the south later.
Wanyan Wuqimai, who had firmly established himself as emperor, sent Aguda's second son Wanyan Zongmou to attack Zhang Jue. In November of the seventh year of Xuanhe, Wanyan Zongmou, on the pretext that Zhang Jue had rebelled against the Jin Dynasty, led the Jin troops in two groups to attack the Song Dynasty in the south.
Wanyan Zongmou directly sent people to ask the Song court for Zhang Jue, but Zhao Ji did not want to hand him over. It was Zhang Jue who took the initiative to surrender. If he was handed over to the Jin people, with this precedent, who would dare to bring troops and cities to surrender to the Song in the future?
Seeing the Jin troops marching south, Zhao Ji ordered Wang Anzhong, the envoy stationed in Yanjing, to kill a man who looked like Zhang Jue and send the head to the Jin army camp. Someone in the Jin army who knew Zhang Jue whispered to Wanyan Zongwang, "This man is definitely not Zhang Jue."
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Zongmou frowned and snorted coldly. He didn't say a word and just watched Wang Anzhong's clumsy performance quietly.
Wang Anzhong saw that the matter had been exposed, so he had no choice but to take Zhang Jue out. He began to list Zhang Jue's crimes in front of the Jin people. "Zhang Jue, you are a treacherous boy, a traitor. You first betrayed the Liao Kingdom and defected to the Jin Kingdom, and then betrayed the Jin Kingdom again and defected to the Song Dynasty. How can the Song Dynasty tolerate such a traitor? I now hand him over to you, my lord, to deal with him as you wish."
Wang Anzhong was spitting everywhere and speaking in a harsh voice, pushing all the responsibility of the Song Dynasty. Zhang Jue, who was watching his face, couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, filled with grief and indignation. They were all family when it was profitable, but they abandoned him when disaster struck. He couldn't help but curse Wang Anzhong: "The Song people are shameless and treacherous, and they will definitely not die a good death." After that, he spat on Wang Anzhong's face.
Wang Anzhong reached out to wipe the saliva off his face, his eyes wide open in anger, and chopped off Zhang Jue's head on the spot. Blood splattered all over the ground in an instant. Zhang Jue's head and body were separated. Wang Anzhong picked up Zhang Jue's head, which was still open in death, and handed it to Wanyan Zongmou.
Wanyan Zongmou looked coldly at the head sent by Wang Anzhong, and thought to himself: It turns out that the officials of the Song court are all a group of timid, cowardly, incompetent and shameless people. One day, he will ride on his cavalry, trample through the beautiful rivers and mountains of the Song Dynasty, and personally capture the Song Emperor Zhao Ji.
After killing Zhang Jue, Wanyan Zongwang did not withdraw his troops. Instead, he used Zhang Jue's head as a sacrifice. Wanyan Zongwang raised his sword and said to the Jin soldiers: "The Song Dynasty actually killed the general who came to surrender to them for its own benefit. Such a treacherous, cowardly and incompetent court should be destroyed?"
Millions of bronze suits of armor glowed coldly in the twilight, and the entire army suddenly erupted in a roar like a landslide. The sound waves piled up layer by layer, and thousands of white mists overflowed from between the teeth, condensing into swirling mist in the cold wind.
"Destroy it! Destroy it!"
Seeing that the morale of the soldiers had been boosted, Wanyan Zongmou continued, "I heard that the Song Dynasty is extremely wealthy. Let's go to their land, rob their women, plunder their gold and silver, and capture Emperor Zhao Ji alive."
"Capture Zhao Ji alive! Capture Zhao Ji alive!" Another wave of shouts swept across the entire grassland along with the swirling white mist.
At this moment, Zhao Ji suddenly sneezed and his right eye twitched.
At this time, the eunuch hurried forward and reported: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. The Jin people have sent 150,000 troops south to attack the Song Dynasty."
Zhao Ji and the entire court were shocked. Zhao Ji asked, "Who can lead the troops to resist?"
In the hall, all the ministers bowed their heads. The last time Tong Guan led an army of 150,000 to resist the Jin army, the entire army was annihilated, leaving only a pile of bones. At this critical juncture, who would dare to go and die? Moreover, the court has always suppressed military commanders and denied them real power. Where can we find anyone available now?
Zhao Ji sighed inwardly, thinking that there was no one available among the civil and military officials in the court. He had no choice but to re-employ Tong Guan and appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the Song army, giving him full authority to preside over the northern defense of the Song Dynasty.
Tong Guan was stationed in Taiyuan. When he learned that the Jin army was marching south and was about to reach Taiyuan, he was shocked. So he fled south from the city and planned to run back to Kaifeng.
Zhang Xiaochun, upon learning of this, spurred his horse on, chasing Tong Guan for a great distance before stopping him and demanding, "The Jin have betrayed the alliance and are attacking. The Grand Tutor should command all the troops under heaven to resist. How can he abandon the Two Rivers and leave on his own? If the Two Rivers are lost, what will become of Hebei?"
Upon hearing this, Tong Guan angrily retorted, "I was ordered to pacify the enemy, not to defend the territory! If you order me to stay, what use is there for generals?"
Zhang Xiaochun couldn't help but sigh, "Grand Tutor Tong has held a high position his entire life, yet when the time comes, he cowers in fear. He flees before the enemy even arrives. How can he face the emperor again?"
Tong Guan continued, "You have never seen the Jin army's fighting power. The Liao capital was captured by the Jin army in half a day. How does the strength of our Song Dynasty compare to that of the Jin army?"
Zhang Xiaochun thought for a moment and said, "Although the strength of our Song Dynasty is not as great as that of the Liao Dynasty, as military commanders, we have the responsibility to protect our country. How can we just care about our own lives and leave?"
Seeing that Zhang Xiaochun was so stubborn, Tong Guan stopped talking to him, whipped the horse's buttocks, and rode away.
Zhang Xiaochun no longer placed his hopes on Tong Guan. After returning to Taiyuan, he reinforced the city, prepared arrows and crossbows, and actively prepared for war.
Wanyan Zongmou bypassed the Song army stationed in Hebei and went straight to Kaifeng.
Zhao Ji was still enjoying himself in the capital when a shocking piece of military intelligence ruthlessly shattered his dreams. A eunuch stumbled up to Zhao Ji and knelt before him to report: "Your Majesty, this is bad news! The Jin army has crossed the Yellow River and is about to attack Kaifeng."
Zhao Ji was immediately frightened. He first issued a "Sin-Confession Edict", which was the second time Zhao Ji issued a "Sin-Confession Edict" since the Fang La uprising. He confessed in front of all the ministers, and then ordered the closure of a large number of institutions specially provided for his enjoyment, such as the Hua Shi Gang, Ying Feng Bureau, and Yanfu Palace. He also ordered his minions to return the land deeds that they had cheated and robbed to the people.
Only then did he discuss the matter with his ministers, and Tong Guan, Cai Jing and other ministers in the court all suggested: "Avoiding the enemy's sharp edge and running away is the best strategy."
The plan was decided, and Zhao Ji ordered Crown Prince Zhao Heng to be the chief of Kaifeng and take charge of the capital's defense, giving him full authority to handle important matters such as resisting the southward advance of the Jin army.
Wu Min, the Imperial Secretary, said, "You have allowed the Crown Prince to stay in Kaifeng, but you only give him the title of Kaifeng Mu. He cannot mobilize the army, let alone command the entire army to aid the capital. If you want the Crown Prince to stay in Kaifeng, you must give up your throne to him."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji immediately slumped down on the Dragon Throne. He slowly stroked the throne before him. This was the throne so many had dreamed of, and yet he had easily obtained it. Imperial power brought him not only pleasure, but also the thrill of looking down on everyone and the worship of the masses. But now, was all this no longer his business? He raised his head and sighed. Whatever, even imperial power had to give way to life.
So Zhao Ji abdicated the throne to Crown Prince Zhao Heng in December of the seventh year of Xuanhe and changed the reign title to "Jing Kang".
Following Zhao Ji in fleeing south were ministers such as Tong Guan and Cai Jing.
Tong Guan ignored the fact that the Jin army was about to attack Kaifeng, and he forcibly drew tens of thousands of imperial guards from the troops guarding Kaifeng to escort them to flee south.
While passing a floating bridge, the imperial guards suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, saying, "Please, Your Majesty, do not flee south again. We are willing to join you in defending the Song Dynasty and fighting the Jin army to the death."
Tong Guan was worried that this group of ignorant people would delay their escape south, so he whispered to Zhao Ji: "Since they don't want to leave, we might as well get rid of them. Otherwise, if the imperial army breaks through Kaifeng, we will be dead."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji turned around and tacitly agreed.
Tong Guan gave an order to his direct troops, and countless arrows rained down on the soldiers who were kneeling to stop them. Those who were hit by arrows fell to the ground one after another, more than a hundred people. Unfortunately, these soldiers did not die on the battlefield, but died at the hands of their own people.
After Zhao Heng came to power, he appointed Li Gang as the Minister of War. Li Gang eliminated the country's parasites Zhu Zhen, Wang Po, and Liang Shicheng, but Tong Guan and Cai Jing were out of reach.
Qiu Feng was playing the zither that day when she saw the little maid running towards her in a panic, saying, "Miss, this is bad! I heard from the Grand Tutor that the Jin army is about to reach Kaifeng City. The Grand Tutor is planning to flee south with the Emperor. Miss, let's flee too."
Qiu Feng couldn't help but be stunned and said, "There are tens of thousands of imperial guards guarding the capital of our Song Dynasty. How can the steward abandon the city and flee without caring about the lives of the people?" After saying that, he changed his mind and thought, isn't that what the government is like? In his eyes, the people are like ants. How can their lives be as precious as his? As the king of a country, he didn't even think of resisting the invasion of foreign enemies and only cared about escaping.
Upon hearing this, the little girl said, "Young lady, you don't know that when the Grand Tutor left, he took with him tens of thousands of imperial guards from the city. The city's forces are now less than 30,000. If the Jin army attacks, it will be like hitting a rock with an egg. Moreover, I heard that the Jin people have red faces and fangs, and are hideous. They plunder and kill anyone they meet. They are extremely brutal."
Qiu Feng sighed and said, "Well, come with me to Jingkou. I don't have any relatives here, and I don't want to stay here any longer." After packing her bags, Qiu Feng sent a letter to Liang Hongyu by carrier pigeon: "The Jin army is about to attack Kaifeng. Tong Guan has already fled south with the emperor."
After receiving the letter, Liang Hongyu couldn't help but sigh: What a sudden change! She didn't expect that what she was worried about would happen. The Song Dynasty was about to experience a catastrophe.
However, the central government of the Song Dynasty was actually a group of timid and cowardly people. Li Gang was leading the soldiers and civilians of Kaifeng in a desperate battle on the city wall. Zhao Heng had already sent envoys to the Jin camp to seek peace. While the Jin people were dealing with the envoys, they did not relax their attack at all.
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Jin army officially launched a strong attack. This time they did not take the water route, but directly attacked the north of Kaifeng City. Li Gang once again personally supervised the battle. The two armies fought from morning to afternoon. In the end, the Jin army left thousands of corpses outside the city and returned in defeat again.
The Song army won two great victories, but the Song emperor Zhao Heng readily proposed that as long as the Jin army withdrew, the Song Dynasty would give them whatever they wanted. The Jin army, which had suffered heavy losses, was stunned.
Seeing that Zhao Heng insisted on peace talks, Li Gang was powerless to do anything even though he had the ability to turn the tide.
The Jin people bluntly demanded the following: the Jin army could withdraw, but the Song Dynasty must pay them compensation, totaling five million taels of gold, fifty million taels of silver, ten thousand bolts of silk and silk, and tens of thousands of horses, camels, donkeys, and mules. In addition to the money and goods, the Song Dynasty was required to honor the Jin emperor as its uncle, hand over all Liao people who had surrendered to the Song in Youyun, cede the three towns of Taiyuan, Hejian, and Zhongshan, and hold a prime minister and a prince as hostages.
The Song Dynasty had now been drained of its wealth by Zhao Ji and the corrupt officials in the country, and the treasury was empty. Faced with the huge amount of money demanded by the Jin people, the ministers rolled up their sleeves like clowns and moved out the gold, silver, jade, and even the sacrificial utensils from the ancestral temple in Huangcheng, and then took them to the streets of Kaifeng to sell them. They also looted the homes of senior officials, and finally only got 300,000 taels of gold and 8 million taels of silver.
Someone then proposed: "Give everyone in the city a deadline to hand over all their belongings to the government. Anyone who fails to do so will be executed immediately."
After this looting, the imperial court obtained more than 200,000 taels of gold and more than 400,000 taels of silver.
The Song Dynasty's troops came to the city in droves, totaling 200,000 men. However, Zhao Heng did not dare to go to war with Wanyan Zongmou's 60,000 men.
When the Jin army retreated, Prime Minister Li Yanbang issued an order: "Anyone who sends troops without authorization will be punished according to military law."
Wanyan Zongmou successfully retreated northward with only 60,000 people and carried countless gold and silver of the Song Dynasty, crossing the Yellow River safely.
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