Diqin Designer

Chapter 514 Infamy for Ten Thousand Years, Fame for a Hundred Generations (History of the Northern Song Dynasty)

"After the Jin army withdrew, Zhao Gou was temporarily free from external threats, but internal strife broke out again!"

"According to historical records, after arriving in Hangzhou, Zhao Song generals Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan, dissatisfied with Wang Yuan and the eunuch Kang Lü, launched a mutiny on the fifth day of the third month of the third year of Jianyan, on the grounds that Wang Yuan and the eunuchs were plotting a rebellion. They killed Wang Yuan, forced Zhao Gou to hand over Kang Lü and others, and forced Zhao Gou to abdicate, passing the throne to the crown prince and letting Empress Meng rule from behind the curtain."

Faced with the military might of Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan, Zhao Gou had no choice but to agree and abdicate, becoming the retired emperor.

However, the First Emperor and others knew that Zhao Gou's position as the retired emperor was only temporary, and that he would inevitably succeed in restoring the throne.

Sure enough, Li Nian continued, "It's a pity that Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan couldn't kill Zhao Gou directly. If the two of them had swiftly killed that bastard Zhao Gou, perhaps the Song Dynasty could have taken a different path."

According to some accounts, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan's mutiny was due to their dissatisfaction with the powerful minister Wang Yuan's misappropriation of warships to transport wealth for the official Kang Lü. At that time, it was the time to cross the river, and the boats were not enough to transport soldiers, so these people used them to transport wealth, which made them resentful and led to the mutiny.

This is truly inhumane. The front lines are in dire straits, while the rear is feasting. Instead of using boats to ferry soldiers across the river, they are used to seize their own wealth. They have absolutely no regard for the lives of their soldiers.

There are plenty of common soldiers and common clerks; it doesn't matter if they die. But we can't lose our valuables. That's the kind of thing those bastards from the Song Dynasty would do.

They didn't give the soldiers a way out, so the soldiers didn't give them a way out either. Unfortunately, the imperial power in ancient times was too authoritative and sacred, and they couldn't kill Zhao Gou.

"Some people also believe that it is closely related to Zhao Gou's southward escape. These two men and their generals were all from the north and were unwilling to go south with Zhao Gou. However, Zhao Gou forced them to go south. Moreover, when crossing the river, Kang Lü and others preferred to use boats to transport wealth rather than take them across the river. The combination of old and new grudges led to this mutiny!"

"But Miao Fu, Liu Zhengyan and others did not dare to kill Zhao Gou. Even if they did, it would be difficult to deal with him. This mutiny was doomed to failure. When Lü Yihao, Liu Guangshi, Wang De, Han Shizhong and others came with troops to defend the emperor, Miao and Liu were left with only defeat and death."

"After experiencing this mutiny, Zhao Gou left Hangzhou and continued his southward escape, arriving in Jiangning on the eighth day of the fifth month."

Upon hearing that Zhao Gou continued to flee even after the crisis of the mutiny had been averted, Meng Tian was somewhat speechless: "Still fleeing?"

Just how cowardly and afraid of the Jurchens were they?
He's better at escaping than his ancestors and even his father; he might as well change his name to "Zhao the Runner" or "Zhao the Runner-Up".

This fellow shouldn't be emperor; he should be made a messenger. He'd definitely be able to deliver messages from afar.

Li Nian laughed and said, "As long as there is still room, Zhao Gou can continue to escape. Zhao Gou is indeed worthy of the name 'Wanyan Gou'. He knew that the Jin people cared a lot about him. If he hadn't escaped in advance, he might have been caught by the Jin people."

"In July of the same year, the Jin army launched another attack. This time, the Jin army was led by Wanyan Zongbi and attacked the Song Dynasty in three routes. Upon hearing that the Jin army was coming again, Zhao Gou sent people to continue to seek peace with his Jin father while continuing to flee south."

The First Emperor and others had become somewhat numb to the actions of the Song emperors. If these scoundrels suddenly became tough and advocated war with the Jurchens, they would be surprised.

Why were the emperors of the Zhao Song dynasty so spineless?

"The Jin people's intentions were also very clear: to destroy the Song Dynasty and capture Zhao Gou. Why would they agree to the Song Dynasty's request for peace? Under the Jin army's onslaught, Zhao Gou first fled from Jiangning to Yuezhou. After receiving news of the Song army's defeat by the Jin people, he quickly fled from Yuezhou to Mingzhou."

"After the Jurchens captured Hangzhou, which is also known as Lin'an, they fled from Mingzhou to Dinghai, and then from Dinghai they crossed the sea by boat to Changguo..."

Hearing about the places Zhao Gou fled to, Wang Ben was speechless and exclaimed, "If there were an event called 'escape' in the World Games, Zhao Gou would surely be the champion!"

"Even though he was being chased and killed by the Jurchens, Zhao Gou's desire to seek peace with them remained unchanged, but the Jurchens still did not accept it and continued to pursue Zhao Gou at sea. Zhao Gou then continued to flee to Taizhou and Wenzhou!"

"Wanyan Zongbi led the Jin army to capture Zhao Gou, but they did not expect that even after searching the mountains and seas, they still could not capture Zhao Gou."

The Jurchens really risked their lives to capture Zhao Gou, but they just couldn't catch this slippery eel.

The Jurchens were also helpless. Their "searching mountains and seas" was no joke; they actually chased the Jurchens from land to sea. What else could they do?

"The Jin army had been at war for a long time and had plundered a great deal. Wanyan Zongbi decided to retreat, but the Jin army was ambushed by the Song army during their retreat. In the Battle of Huangtiandang, the Jin army was trapped, and Wanyan Zongbi was almost captured by Han Shizhong. Unfortunately, in the end, they were unable to trap the Jin army and they broke through the encirclement!"

Upon hearing that the Jurchens had been surrounded and that their commander had almost been captured, Meng Tian laughed and said, "It seems that the Jurchens are not as invincible as rumored. The Song Dynasty also has capable people."

Li Nian said, "The Song Dynasty had no shortage of capable people. Generals like Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Wu Jie, and Liu Guangshi were all capable of leading troops to fight against the Jin people and defeating them."

"Especially Yue Fei, if it weren't for the obstruction of Zhao Gou and others, he would have had a great chance of defeating the Jin people and recovering lost territory. Some people in later generations think that if Zhao Gou had been replaced by Liu Shan, Yue Fei would have been able to accomplish these things as well, but unfortunately, it was Zhao Gou who sat on the throne!"

Liu Shan, whom the First Emperor and others knew, was the emperor of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. He was born with incompetent talents and was known as "the incapable Liu Shan".

But even if A Dou were in Zhao Gou's position, he would have done a better job than Zhao Gou, which shows what kind of scoundrel Zhao Gou was.

"After the Jin army withdrew, Zhao Gou returned by sea and stayed in Yuezhou. The following year, he changed the era name to 'Shaoxing' and upgraded Yuezhou to 'Shaoxing Prefecture'. However, Zhao Gou did not stay in Shaoxing Prefecture. In November of the same year, he issued an edict to move the capital to Lin'an."

"During this period, the infamous Prime Minister Qin also returned from the Jurchens."

"To leave a lasting legacy" is a complimentary phrase that signifies being remembered in history, while "to leave a lasting infamy" is a derogatory phrase, and an absolutely derogatory one at that, meaning that the person's infamous reputation is irrevocable and will be passed down through generations, known to all future generations.

What despicable things did this Zhao Song prime minister surnamed "Qin" do to be so infamous for eternity?

"When Qin Hui was young, he was quite ambitious and idealistic, but after being captured by the Jurchens and taken to their camp, he was turned from a human being into a beast."

Many people consider Qin Hui to be a cowardly and timid figure who only dared to grovel and beg for peace with the Jin people. However, at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Qin Hui was a loyal and upright minister who advocated a tough stance against the Jin people and opposed the Song Dynasty ceding territory to the Jin.

This is somewhat similar to Wang Jingwei during the Republic of China era. In his early years, Wang Jingwei was a revolutionary who "wielded the knife to die a quick death, not betraying his youthful ideals," but later became a traitor who sought to "save the country through indirect means." "It was the brutality of the Jurchens and his experience during the Jingkang Incident that changed Qin Hui, but this is not a reason for him to become a traitor."

"Qin Hui, like Zhao Gou, had been an envoy to the Jin people and was afraid of them. Naturally, he and Zhao Gou were on the same page. Zhao Gou feared the Jin and wanted to negotiate peace, and Qin Hui also feared the Jin and strongly advocated for peace. It was like two worms that liked to eat dung, and they successfully found their own kind."

"Although Qin Hui and Zhao Gou had many things in common, one of Qin Hui's strategies greatly displeased Zhao Gou. Qin Hui's fear of the Jin people was even greater than Zhao Gou's, so when he proposed making peace with the Jin people, he advised Zhao Gou that 'Southerners should return to the South, and Northerners should return to the North!'"

Upon hearing this, Wang Wan immediately understood where Qin Hui's plan had offended Zhao Gou. He laughed and said, "Qin Hui's plan was to let the Jin state rule the north and the Zhao Song state rule the south. Regardless of whether there was any former Zhao Song territory in the north, it would all belong to the Jin state, while the southern territory of the Zhao Song state would belong to the Zhao Song state. This is tantamount to acknowledging that the Jin people occupied the northern Song territory."

"This is a strategy to appease the Jin people and seek peace with them. But Qin Hui did not consider that if Zhao Gou, as the emperor, were to agree to this strategy, then the northern lands would have nothing to do with the Song Dynasty. How could he possibly be willing to do that?"

"Furthermore, Zhao Gou and some of the ministers of the Zhao Song dynasty were from the north. If 'northerners return to the north and southerners return to the south,' wouldn't that mean Zhao Gou would also have to return to the north?"

Even if Zhao Gou truly intended to cede the entire north to the Jin dynasty and for the Song dynasty to only hold the south, the saying "northerners return to the north, and southerners return to the south" cannot be used.

Li Nian said: "Therefore, Qin Hui was dismissed from his post as prime minister by Zhao Gou, who even said he would never be reinstated. However, Zhao Gou later reinstated Qin Hui because he wanted to negotiate peace with the Jin people. Reinstating Qin Hui not only allowed him to use Qin Hui to negotiate peace for him, but also made the people and soldiers of the Song Dynasty understand his intention to seek peace."

"On the Jin side, after Wanyan Zongbi led his army to 'search the mountains and seas' to destroy Zhao Gou, the Jin people also realized that it was unreliable to directly send troops south to capture the Zhao Song emperor if they wanted to destroy the Zhao Song. They had to do it step by step."

"If the Jurchens want to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty, they must first conquer the Shu region!"

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor and others nodded, for this was also a step in the Qin Dynasty's conquest of the six states.

"But the Jin people encountered a thorn in their side in Shu. Wu Jie, although not one of the four generals of the Southern Song Dynasty's revival, was quite capable in military affairs. He shattered the Jin people's grand plan to conquer Shu, causing them to not only fail to conquer Shu, but also suffer heavy losses there."

"Wu Jie and others prevented the Jurchens from conquering Sichuan when their military strength was at its peak, and from then on conquering the Southern Song Dynasty. After that, it became even more difficult for the Jurchens to have the opportunity to destroy the Song Dynasty."

Generally speaking, newly established dynasties are at their most ambitious and militarily powerful. If they fail to conquer enemy states at this time, it will be even more difficult for them to do so later.

Wu Jie played this role, helping the Southern Song Dynasty defend against the Jurchens at the height of their military power. His ability to hold back the Jurchens at their peak demonstrates his competence.

"Unfortunately, Wu Jie did not live long. He died of illness in the ninth year of Shaoxing at the age of forty-seven. But he had already defended the Southern Song against the Jin people. After that, the Jin state was no longer able to destroy the Southern Song."

"Leaving aside Wu Jie, let's talk about Zhao Gou and Qin Hui. Zhao Gou always wanted to negotiate peace with the Jin people, regardless of whether his side won or lost. Zhao Gou reinstated Qin Hui after the Song army had gained a certain advantage, which was in the sixth year of Shaoxing."

"In the second year of Shaoxing, the Song army failed to conquer the 'pseudo-Qi' regime established by the Jin people. However, in the fourth year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Liu Guangshi and others recovered a large area of ​​lost territory. Originally, the Jin had the advantage over the Song, but now the Song had a certain advantage over the Jin."

"The Song army was no less capable than the Jin army, especially the Yue Family Army led by Yue Fei, which was able to fight the Jin army hard. The Yue Family Army was an army trained by the Zhao Song general Yue Fei. This army was extremely rare in ancient China, and few could compare with it."

"What Li meant by 'few could compare with them' was not combat ability, but the discipline of Yue Family Army. Of course, Yue Family Army's combat strength was also quite formidable."

"Under Yue Fei's leadership, the Yue Family Army was able to freeze to death rather than dismantle houses, and starve to death rather than loot!"

This made the First Emperor and others' eyes light up. Just from hearing this sentence, they knew how powerful Yue Family Army was, and that such an army would surely be welcomed by the people.

The Jin people also had a saying about Yue Fei's army: "It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake Yue Fei's army." Even Zhao Gou was overjoyed when he heard that Yue Fei had led Yue Fei's army to recover the Xianghan region. He said that he had heard that Yue Fei's army was disciplined, but he did not know that Yue Fei's army was so good at fighting.

Logically speaking, such a strong general and army should be used well. Even if there is a fear that Yue Fei might become too powerful and overshadow the emperor, and that the Yue family army only obeys Yue Fei's orders and does not know about Zhao Gou, then the rabbit must be caught before the hunting dog is cooked. But Zhao Jiumei is not an ordinary person.

"Yue Fei's surname was Yue and his given name was Fei, Yue meaning 'mountain' and Fei meaning 'soaring', and his courtesy name was Pengju."

In ancient times, people generally chose courtesy names that matched their given names or conveyed certain meanings; they did not choose them randomly.

"Later generations also referred to him as Marshal Yue, Yue Fei, and Yue Shaobao. He was also a great national hero of China, as well as a military strategist and poet. He was ranked first among the 'Four Generals of the Southern Song Dynasty' and his name will be remembered for generations!"

Upon hearing the phrase "to be remembered for generations," the First Emperor and others understood why Qin Hui would be infamous for eternity.

"Yue Fei was not only a strong military leader, but also extremely loyal. It is said that before he joined the army, his mother tattooed the words 'Serve the country with utmost loyalty' on his back so that he would always remember to serve the country. He never failed to live up to these words in his life, but unfortunately he encountered people like Zhao Gou and Qin Hui."

Li Nian's tone was full of regret, even if Zhao Gou had been replaced by Liu Shan, Marshal Yue would not have met such an end.

When the First Emperor heard that his mother-in-law had tattooed the four characters "Serve the country with utmost loyalty" on her son's back, he praised her, saying, "This is a great mother who is wise and reasonable, and she is someone that the Qin Dynasty should learn from!"

"Marshal Yue came from humble beginnings, but he was very studious and always had a book in his hand. This made him not only highly accomplished in military affairs, but also in other areas. For example, he wrote the poem 'Man Jiang Hong: My Hair Stands on End in Anger' in response to the Jingkang Incident!"

Li Niannian recited the poem he liked very much: "My hair stands on end in anger, I lean on the railing as the rain subsides. I raise my eyes, look up to the sky and roar, my heart filled with fierce ambition. Thirty years of fame and glory are but dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of road are but clouds and moon. Do not idly let your youthful head turn white, only to be filled with empty sorrow."

"The shame of Jingkang remains unavenged. The hatred of the subjects, when will it end? I will drive my chariot and shatter the Helan Mountains. With lofty ambition, I will feast on the flesh of the barbarians when hungry, and laughingly drink their blood when thirsty. I will wait to start anew, reclaim our lost lands, and return to the imperial palace!"

Without understanding the history of the Song Dynasty, it would be difficult for Emperor Qin Shi Huang and others to appreciate the emotions contained in this poem, but at this moment, they understood it immediately.

After listening to Li Nian's recitation, none of the emperor and others spoke; they all savored the poem and silently recited it.

(End of this chapter)