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Chapter 508 The Shame of Jingkang? No, just an appetizer! (History of the Northern Song Dynasty)

Li Nian said, "That is indeed possible. If only the great calligrapher escaped alone, then his prestige would plummet, and he would be ridiculed by the world, which would be detrimental to his return to power. After all, he escaped while Zhao Huan did not, so the people's hearts would mostly be with Zhao Huan!"

“But if Zhao Huan also fled, then it would be different. Both father and son chose to run away, so neither of them is better off than the other.”

"It will be easier for the great calligrapher to regain power from Zhao Huan at this time. The great calligrapher wants Zhao Huan to move the capital to the south, not for Zhao Huan's safety or for the future of the Song Dynasty, but to drag Zhao Huan into the quagmire."

Right now, Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) has excrement in his crotch, which makes him repulsive and people despise him. But if Emperor Huan (Zhao Huan) also had excrement in his crotch, then Emperor Huizong's stench would be washed away by three points.

I wasn't the only one who did this; that brat Zhao Huan did it too!

By placing Zhao Huan in the same situation and ruining his reputation, it would be easier for him to regain power.

Wang Ben said, "This person is truly a selfish and self-serving individual!"

Selfish people have never been few and far between, but it is extremely rare to see someone as selfish as Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji). Even at this point, he was still thinking about seizing power.

Li Nian laughed and said, "A discerning person can see through the great calligrapher's intentions at a glance. He's not doing this for the good of the Song Dynasty; he simply wants to regain power!"

"Zhao Huan himself also considered moving the capital and fleeing, but the location he envisioned was different from that of the great calligrapher."

"The great calligrapher hoped that Zhao Huan would move the court to Nanjing, and eventually to the southeast, but Zhao Huan wanted to move the capital to Xiangdeng."

Meng Tian laughed and said, "This is because they know Zhao Ji's intentions and therefore do not want to act according to his wishes!"

Feng Quji said, "They really are father and son. The Jurchen army hasn't even arrived yet, and they're already thinking about moving the capital."

The great calligrapher and his son Zhao Huan were also quite "kind father and filial son".

In a critical situation, the great calligrapher voluntarily abdicated, letting Zhao Huan take the blame. After fleeing to a safe place, the great calligrapher tried to persuade Zhao Huan to move the capital so that he could regain power. However, Zhao Huan knew that the great calligrapher had ill intentions and was willing to move the capital to another place.

Zhao Huan's reaction when he learned that the great calligrapher wanted to abdicate in his favor was quite interesting: he was so frightened that he cried uncontrollably and even fainted, just like his father, the great calligrapher, when he learned that the Jin army was marching south.

Zhao Huan did want to be emperor, but not at this time or under these circumstances.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Nian looked down on the Zhao Song dynasty. These two were crying and whining, so frightened that they fainted, and they were even worse than eunuchs.

What kind of person is this to be emperor? He might as well be castrated and become a eunuch for the Jurchens.

"However, Zhao Huan's plan to move the capital could not be carried out because the pro-war faction within the Song court strongly opposed it. Zhao Huan listened to their advice, and at that time the Jin army was already close. If they fled at this time, they would be pursued and chased by the Jin army, and they would definitely be defeated."

"As it turns out, there was no need to run away or fear the Jurchens. Although the Jurchens were powerful, Bianjing had high walls and thick walls, and the soldiers and civilians in Bianjing were united in their hatred of the enemy and were fully capable of resisting the Jurchens."

"As long as Bianjing does not fall, the siege of Bianjing can be lifted once the armies from all over the country arrive to defend the emperor."

"The situation could have developed in this way during both battles of Bianjing or Kaifeng."

But as expected, an accident happened.

This is not surprising. Given the strange and inhuman creatures of the Song Dynasty, it's not surprising that they could come up with all sorts of things.

The Jingkang Incident would not have happened; there were many opportunities to avoid it. It was entirely caused by human intervention.

"The Jin army attacked the Song Dynasty in two routes, east and west, but in reality, only the eastern route army led by Wanyan Zongwang reached the outskirts of Bianjing (Kaifeng), while the western route army led by Wanyan Zonghan was blocked in Taiyuan. The entire Jin army did not arrive!"

"After the Jurchens arrived, although they besieged Bianjing, they did not achieve a great victory. Their attacks on Bianjing were repelled many times. Bianjing could have been defended, but the days spent trapped by the Jurchens would have been more difficult than usual."

"But with the people and soldiers of Bianjing united as one, holding Bianjing and waiting for reinforcements was not an extremely difficult task."

"But Zhao Huan, like the great calligrapher, is incredibly cowardly. He originally intended to flee, but if it weren't for the strong dissuasion from the pro-war faction led by Li Gang, Zhao Huan would have run away long ago. Moreover, Zhao Huan didn't just want to escape once, but many times, and it was always Li Gang and others who dissuaded him!"

Even if a monarch so determined to flee is temporarily dissuaded, his desire to surrender and escape will not be extinguished.

The First Emperor and others felt that it was difficult to be a truly capable minister in the Song Dynasty. If the emperor wanted to flee, there would definitely be a group of ministers who would agree with him. These people would form a powerful force that would hinder the pro-war faction!
But the ministers acted this way because the emperors of the Zhao Song dynasty were too weak and cowardly.

"Although Li Gang and others repelled the Jin people many times, they still could not dispel Zhao Huan's fear of the Jin people. The fear of the Jin people had penetrated into the bones of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan."

Wang Ben said, "They are so afraid of the Jin people that our defeat of them will not inspire them. On the contrary, if we are at a disadvantage, they will immediately think of fleeing and surrendering to the Jin people. It is a pity for the pro-war faction of the Song Dynasty, and for the Song soldiers and civilians who fought to defend Bianjing!"

An incompetent general can bring disaster to the entire army, but an incompetent emperor can bring disaster to the entire country. However, our Great Song Dynasty was extraordinary because both of its emperors were incompetent.

"In fact, the situation was better for the Song Dynasty at the time. The Jin army was not numerous, but the Song Dynasty had reinforcements arriving from all over the country. However, after the failure of the 'raid on the camp,' Zhao Huan was terrified."

"This 'raid on the stronghold' was supposedly decided by Zhao Huan and executed by Yao Pingzhong. The plan was for Yao Pingzhong to lead the elite Song army to raid Wanyan Zongwang's stronghold at night. However, the Song army was ambushed by the Jin army and suffered a great defeat."

Meng Tian said, "If this matter was truly decided by Zhao Huan, he is certainly not a person knowledgeable in military affairs. The Jin generals are all veterans with rich experience in leading troops, so how could they not be wary of someone raiding their camp?"

Wang Ben laughed and said, "It must be that Zhao Huan and the others thought that a night raid on the camp was a good way to defeat the Jin people. However, the Song Dynasty was originally on the defensive, while the Jin were on the offensive. Unless the situation is critical, such a risky strategy should not be used."

"If this plan succeeds, it will be excellent; but if it fails, the city will be lost. Moreover, according to what you said, although the Song Dynasty is on the defensive, it actually has more advantages than the Jin Dynasty. Why are they in such a hurry?"

The worst thing you can do when leading troops into battle is to be impatient, especially if you are the one with the advantage. A steady and methodical approach will lead to victory, while being impatient will only give away your advantage.

When you have the advantage, you should use a safe and steady approach to secure victory. Historically, the most brilliant and ingenious strategies were often used by the weaker side in critical situations. A proper general prefers to use the strength of the advantage to overwhelm the enemy in a fair and square manner.

The Song dynasty of Zhao always made this mistake, seemingly unable to distinguish between its strengths and weaknesses. When it was in a good position, it didn't realize its strengths, and when it was in a bad position, it didn't realize its weaknesses. Then, it failed to fight when it should have, and rushed in recklessly when it shouldn't have. As a result, after being severely beaten, it sought peace with the enemy.

Li Nian said, "After this battle, the advantages of the Zhao Song dynasty were somewhat diminished, but holding Bianjing and waiting for reinforcements was still not a problem."

This also shows how great the original advantage of the Song Dynasty as the defender was. This is not Li Nian's nonsense, but was proven by later events.

"However, after this battle, Zhao Huan suffered a severe attack of his fear of metal. He blamed the failure of the raid on Li Gang and Zhong Shidao and removed them from their military command."

Li Nian added, "Zhong Shidao was one of the Song generals who came to the aid of the emperor, leading 100,000 elite Western Army troops to Bianjing." How many people?
One hundred thousand elite Song soldiers?

I remember the Jurchens only sent an army of 100,000, right?
Furthermore, only the Jurchen eastern army is currently en route to Bianjing; the western army is still blocked on the road, and there are only tens of thousands of troops.

Even if the Jurchens were powerful, the Song army had more troops than the Jurchens. As long as we didn't aim to defeat the Jurchens in open battle, it shouldn't be too difficult to just defend Bianjing, right?

Wang Ben asked, "How many Jin soldiers are there?"

Li Nian said, "It is said to be between 60,000 and 80,000."

Even if we count it as 80,000 men, the Zhao Song side still had a numerical advantage, and they also had civilians in Bianjing (Kaifeng) available to them.

Wang Ben then asked, "How many soldiers and Song civilians are there in Bianjing?"

Li Nian said: "According to historical analysis, there were more than 50,000 Song soldiers in Bianjing City who were capable of fighting. Bianjing was a prosperous city and the largest city at that time, with a population of one million."

Upon hearing these numbers, the First Emperor and others felt extremely incredulous and absurd. With so many people, what was Zhao Huan afraid of?
After a long silence, the First Emperor uttered a two-word evaluation: "Useless!"

This is such a huge advantage; if a normal emperor were in charge, he would have no idea how he could lose.

Wang Wan said, "Zhao Huan's removal of Li Gang and Zhong Shidao from military command is not only to absolve himself of responsibility, but also to give the Jin people an explanation. He probably already has the idea of ​​seeking peace with the Jin people."

Zhao Huan was so terrified of the Jurchens that he was even vomiting bile.

Li Nian nodded and said, "That's right! Zhao Huan was already afraid of the Jin, and after this defeat, he was even more terrified. His removal of Li Gang and others from military command actually means that his thinking has shifted from the pro-war faction to the peace faction, and he will use the peace faction!"

Meng Tian said, "Cowards and fools, if we seek peace with the Jin people now, they will definitely take the opportunity to demand huge benefits."

The First Emperor and others had deeply felt the shame of the Song Dynasty. They were cowardly and stupid, and just hearing about them made people angry. They had never seen such spineless people.

"Zhao Huan was actually inclined to flee or seek peace, but he was temporarily persuaded by the pro-war faction. Now he has simply returned to the path he should have taken. He immediately appointed Li Bangyan, Li Zhuo and others from the peace faction to express their desire for peace to the Jin people!"

"To demonstrate their sincerity in seeking peace with the Jin people, Zhao Huan, on the advice of Li Bangyan and others, ordered that they should not offend the Jin soldiers. That is, even if the Jin people built siege fortifications under the city, they should not fire a single arrow or throw a single spear."

Although it's outrageous, it's something that the people of the Zhao Song dynasty did.

“A Song soldier accidentally fired a cannon at the Jin people and was ordered by Zhao Huan and others to be beheaded.”

The First Emperor and others didn't know how to evaluate the actions of the Zhao Song dynasty. This damned dynasty deserved to be destroyed. They were cowards and weak when fighting foreign enemies, but ruthless to their own people.

Beheading their own men would surely chill the hearts of the Song soldiers and dampen their morale in resisting the Jin.
"Zhao Huan sent Li Zhuo to the Jin camp to sue for peace, but Li Zhuo was just like Zhao Huan, a coward and weakling. After entering the Jin camp, he was frightened by the Jin army's strength and did whatever the Jin people said without daring to object."

Wang Jian said, "With such a ruler above and such ministers below, the Song Dynasty is doomed!"

Li Nian sneered, "These scholar-officials of the Song Dynasty are all supposed to be upright and loyal men of integrity, but when it comes down to it, they're all spineless. Is this how the Song Dynasty raised its scholars? Is this the kind of civil official who was trained by reading Confucian classics?"

Feng Quji asked curiously, "What exactly did the Jurchens demand?"

It certainly won't be as simple as the peace negotiations between the Liao and Western Xia dynasties and the Song dynasty.

Li Nian said, "In the minds of some people in the Song Dynasty, they probably still regarded the Jin people as barbarians like the Liao and Western Xia people. They thought that the Jin people would make demands, but probably not many. Barbarians, after all, how much knowledge could they have in the eyes of these scholar-officials who studied the classics and entered officialdom through the imperial examinations? They would probably feel like they had made a great profit even if they got a little money!"

"Unfortunately, they were wrong this time. The conditions proposed by the Jin people were: compensation of five million taels of gold, fifty million taels of silver, ten thousand cattle and horses, one million bolts of silk, cession of the three towns of Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian, Zhao Huan's obligation to honor the Jin emperor as his uncle, and the dispatch of a prime minister and a prince to the Jin camp as hostages to escort the Jin people across the Yellow River."

This isn't just a lion's daring demand; a lion couldn't possibly eat that much. This is a Tyrannosaurus Rex's daring demand.

However, these conditions are too outrageous; even if the Song Dynasty was wealthy, it probably couldn't afford them.

Feng Jie asked, "Did Zhao Huan and the others agree?"

Li Nian nodded: "Agreed! Li Gang had objected to these conditions, but Zhao Huan, Li Bangyan, and others agreed."

Meng Tian said, "How could the Song Dynasty possibly produce so much gold, silver, and silk?"

As soon as he asked the question, Meng Tian realized something, and his eyes widened suddenly. "Could it be..."

The First Emperor and others realized that the Zhao Song imperial family and the national treasury were insufficient, but there were still the people of Bianjing.

If we squeeze the people of Bianjing (Kaifeng) a little harder, we should be able to extract some benefits.

If the people of Bianjing were wealthy enough, they might not even have to spend any money; they could even make a profit.

Besides, the people of Bianjing have enjoyed the benefits of being citizens of the capital for so many years, it's time for them to give back to the country!

Li Nian said in a deep voice, "Where would the Zhao Song dynasty's treasury have so much gold and silver? Of course, they could only plunder the people of Bianjing. The Jurchens couldn't directly steal their wealth, but their emperor and officials did. How ironic!"

"Those three towns were also ceded to the Jin people. They were originally the bulwark of the Song Dynasty, but were handed over to the Jin people by Zhao Huan and others."

“These people are not only cowardly, but also short-sighted. If the defenses are breached, the Jurchens will have an even easier time coming next time.”

Wang Ben then noticed something and said, "Didn't Taiyuan block the Jin army's western route? That means it hasn't fallen yet. If they cede it to the Jin, this..."

Li Nian said, "Taiyuan was indeed not lost at that time and was still resisting the Jin people. However, the Jin people failed to capture it, but were able to obtain it from Zhao Huan and others!"

The soldiers and civilians of Taiyuan were continuing their resistance when they suddenly received news that they had been betrayed by the emperor and the high-ranking officials in the court: they no longer needed to resist the Jurchens, as Taiyuan had already been ceded to them.

Hearing this, the First Emperor and the others felt a surge of anger. No wonder Li Nian disliked the Song Dynasty; they found it hard to like him either.

Is this the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident?
That's truly shameful!

The emperor is weak and cowardly, the ministers are disloyal, and they are a bunch of scourges to the country and its people!
(End of this chapter)