At the Lin'an court meeting, Emperor Lizong of Song, Zhao Yun, leaned languidly on the dragon throne, massaged by a maid. The court debated endlessly, but in reality, it was all a one-man show by Prime Minister Jia Sidao...
The entire power of the Song Dynasty was in the hands of Jia Sidao. The debates in the court were actually just performances he put on for Zhao Yun!
Of course, Zhao Yun was not unaware of this. However, after his youthful reforms failed, he had long since realized that the Song Dynasty was beyond redemption... As emperor, he no longer cared, wishing only to live out the rest of his life in peace and prosperity.
Is power or something important? Forget about the court debates and treat them as a poorly executed performance, performed by a bunch of first- and second-rank officials like clowns. Isn't that good?
"Report!"
Just when many officials and the emperor were enjoying themselves tacitly, one performing and the other watching, suddenly, a messenger with a red bird feather on his head rushed into the hall, exhausted!
"What is it?"
Jia Sidao glared at the messenger. "Where did this ignorant fellow come from? Don't you know that I, Jia, have the final say in government affairs now?"
Zhao Yun raised his eyelids, revealing a rather meaningful look...
"read!"
Zhao Yun spoke, and Jia Sidao did not want to rebel, so he naturally stepped back and let the messenger read out the military information!
"Military garrisons from all over the country are reporting an urgent rebellion! The Wulin Alliance has rebelled! They're advancing at a rapid pace, capturing six cities in just one month! Rebellions have also risen up in Xiangyang, a border city. Jiankang, Yangzhou, Dasan Pass, and even Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Yancheng in Mongolia have all been captured! The Wulin Army has divided into six divisions and is marching straight into the Central Plains, heading for Lin'an!"
The court was shocked! Jia Sidao rushed forward and picked up the military report! At the top was the Wulin Alliance's surrender document!
"The Zhao family now reigns, but they are not docile and their position was not legitimate... Moreover, there is the treacherous Prime Minister Jia Sidao, who is ruining the country, and the eunuch Dong Songchen, who is domineering..."
(PS: My literary talent is limited, so I really can’t write a serious article... Please forgive me, dear readers...)
It has to be said that Wen Tianxiang is worthy of being a great scholar. His writing style is quite sharp, and every word is heart-piercing. It made Jia Sidao so angry that he was furious. He immediately threw the document in his hand to the ground, his face full of anger!
"How dare you bully me!"
Zhao Yun was watching with amusement while sitting on the dragon throne… He had been prepared for the destruction of the Song Dynasty. The only difference was an internal uprising or the destruction by Mongolia.
To be honest, compared to the Mongols who treated the Han people like pigs and dogs, he preferred to let the Wulin League, who had defeated the Mongol army, occupy the vast land! Without a thousand-year-old dynasty, the current Song Dynasty really didn't have the slightest desire for him to protect it!
"Prime Minister Jia, please don't be anxious and let me see the military situation."
As he spoke, Zhao Yun took the initiative to extend his hand... The emperor rarely spoke, but that didn't mean he had lost his dignity! Dong Songchen hurried down the stairs, picked up the military information, and handed it to Zhao Yun.
Slowly flipping through the military intelligence, Zhao Yun was unexpectedly surprised... This Wulin Alliance was truly born in the martial arts world, and its every move was completely beyond his expectations!
First, they marched and fought. The Wulin Alliance didn't even attempt a siege! They first laid siege to the villages and towns surrounding the city, establishing a base... Gaining the approval of the local people, they then led the local elders into the city at night and persuaded the lower-level soldiers to surrender...
You know, the vast majority of the Song army garrison were made up of local people! With the testimony of the village elders, the pass guards in various places offered no resistance at all. Some soldiers even rebelled immediately, killing their superiors and welcoming the Wulin army into the city!
Even in cities like Xiangyang and Kaifeng that fell into the hands of the Mongolian army, the common people helped them, secretly leading the Wulin Alliance soldiers to attack and kill the soldiers defending the city, and directly led the army into the city to massacre the Mongolian army that oppressed the common people!
The most crucial thing was that after entering the city, they should have invited the local gentry to help maintain law and order... But the Wulin Army didn't do that. Instead, they led the poor people to attack the powerful, breaking down their homes, arresting them, and publicly trying them...
Those who were harmless and worked hard for the people were only nationalized with funds, and their families were not harmed. Their descendants were even accepted into the major sects of the Wulin Alliance. If they committed crimes, their entire family would be exterminated, their land would be nationalized and redistributed, and money and food would be distributed to the poor people...
It was precisely because of this that the Wulin Alliance's advance was so rapid. As word spread, wherever they arrived, the poor would naturally rise up and welcome the army into the city without them having to do anything! This was how they achieved the miracle of conquering six cities in a month!
To put it even more exaggeratedly, if the Wulin Alliance had not first dealt with the local powerful gentry and cracked down on crime wherever it arrived, with the current speed of the Wulin Army, it would have reached the city of Lin'an within a month!
"Your Majesty, the Wulin Army has become the greatest rebellion against the dynasty. I am requesting the Tiger Tally to mobilize the troops. We must destroy this rebel force!"
Jia Sidao was terribly anxious. He knew from the surrendered document that it must have been written by Wen Tianxiang! Given his grudge against Wen Tianxiang, and the fact that Wen Tianxiang had defected to the Wulin Army, there was no chance of his survival!
Therefore, to save his life, the Song Dynasty cannot be destroyed! The Wulin Alliance and the Wulin Army must die!
"Don't panic!"
Zhao Yun waved his hand and said, "Sending troops is such a big deal, how can it be decided with just a few words? Prime Minister Jia can go to the Imperial Guard camp first, prepare food and fodder, and make preparations for the deployment... We can discuss the rest at tomorrow's morning court! Dismissed!"
After saying that, Zhao Yun stood up and went to the inner court!
After returning to the bedroom, Zhao Yun dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs, including his favorite Concubine Yan... He opened the military newspaper and read it carefully.
Those policies that only speak for the people and those abnormal actions made Zhao Yun applaud and applaud, and he was very excited!
"Hahaha! That's exactly how it has to be. Only in this way can we start anew, wash away the decadence of the dynasty, and revive the world!"
Zhao Yun's pale old face, which had been in the drinking world for a long time, couldn't help but turn red!
The Wulin League's actions were all aimed at hitting his mark! When he first took power, he was determined to revive the country. He implemented reforms such as removing the Shi Party, personally promoting the censors, clarifying the administration, and rectifying the finances. All of these measures were aimed at limiting the power of civil officials and gentry, and distributing wealth to the people...
Unfortunately, the literati were too powerful, and the ancestral precepts of not punishing the literati and officials were not followed, and he did not have military power... The failure of the war against Mongolia after the subsequent war to destroy the Jin Dynasty caused all his reforms to fail... He also completely gave up hope, fell into decadence, and no longer had the loyalty to revive the Song Dynasty... But deep in his heart, where was there no impulse to save the people of the Song Dynasty?
To put it bluntly, the current life of drunkenness and dreams is nothing but a helpless compromise when ideals can no longer be realized.
However, from the actions of the Wulin Alliance, he saw a glimmer of hope... He saw the hope that the Song Dynasty would defeat the Mongols and revive the spirit of the Han and Tang Dynasties! He saw the future of the people of the Central Plains, once again standing at the top of the world!
For some unknown reason, a spark of fire was slowly burning in his heart...
He, Zhao Yun, also wants to participate in this revolution that will subvert the Central Plains!
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