Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 236 Retreat of Troops, Thirteen Golden Orders!
[The pro-war faction led by Yue Fei reversed its stance to support the peace faction, while the pro-peace faction led by Zhao Gou reversed its stance to support the war faction...]

Through the meticulous analysis of the Prime Minister, a peculiar internal political structure of the Southern Song Dynasty began to emerge.

The specific details of the Song-Jin confrontation gradually become clearer: the Song Dynasty was founded on the divine power of lust caused by a "heavenly anomaly," and "Divine Zhao Gou" sat on the dragon throne in the Lin'an court, ambitiously wanting to recover the Central Plains and avenge the humiliation of Jingkang!

However, reality did not support his ambitions... Although you don't know if "God Zhao Gou" himself possessed the world-destroying power of a divine emperor, it's clear that Yue Fei didn't, otherwise he would have already played his cards in the Northern Expedition.

In other words, although the Southern Song Dynasty possessed extraordinary powers like the "divine power of lust," most of its people were still mortals. At best, they were like Yue Fei, possessing a spiritual body that could greatly extend their lifespan, but did not have any significant extraordinary combat abilities, and therefore were unable to support the "divine Zhao Gou's" Northern Expedition strategy...

[In contrast, while the Jin dynasty in the north saw its people mutate into mindless monsters upon encountering the Song people, the Jin rulers, represented by Wanyan Wuzhu, possessed a method to maintain the sanity of these mindless Jin people. This effectively granted the Jin army a superhuman level of overall enhancement!]

Therefore, in the comparison of military strength between the Song and Jin dynasties, the Jin dynasty clearly held an absolute advantage. If the Jin dynasty were determined to march south and destroy the Song dynasty, then the Southern Song dynasty would be almost certain to lose, except for relying on the unpredictable and powerful "Divine Emperor Zhao Gou" to resist!

So, here's the question...

After listening to the Prime Minister's analysis, you became increasingly confused: "But that doesn't make sense either..."

"If the Jurchens truly held an absolute advantage, why didn't they move south?"

The Jin dynasty was not some peace-loving, saintly nation. Judging from their record of successively destroying the Liao and Song dynasties, these people were simply warmongers. If they truly believed they had a significant advantage over the Song, the Jin army would have already launched a massive southward invasion and destroyed the Song!

However, the result was that in the more than two hundred years since the Shaoxing Peace Treaty, not only did the Song army never launch a large-scale northern expedition, but the Jin army also never launched a systematic southern invasion. At most, there were sporadic incursions by Jin soldiers who crossed the border and caused some trouble...

"The only reason for this bizarre outcome can be that the Southern Song Dynasty possessed some kind of formidable power that instilled fear in them... So, what the Jin army feared was the divine Zhao Gou?"

You subconsciously came to this conclusion, but upon closer reflection, you unconsciously shook your head: "Impossible!"

It's not that you look down on "God Zhao Gou," but if "God Zhao Gou" possessed the ability to intimidate the entire Jin Dynasty with his individual military power, then that would mean he was a human nuclear bomb completely above the nation...

With such military strength and the ambition to launch a northern expedition to destroy the Jin dynasty, why didn't "Divine Zhao Gou" emulate Emperor Chongzhen and single-handedly destroy the Jin state?

"Therefore, Zhao Gou most likely did not possess such extraordinary power, and the Jin state did not refrain from advancing south because it feared Zhao Gou..."

This is getting weird!

[You scratch your head: The reason the Jin army didn't advance south wasn't because they were afraid of "Divine Zhao Gou," the only extraordinary military force of the Southern Song Dynasty... So what were the reasons? It couldn't really be because they loved peace, could it?]

[And the "divine Zhao Gou" is also very strange. Despite the Southern Song Dynasty not having the strength to launch a northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty, he actually went from being the biggest advocate for peace to the biggest advocate for war... What kind of logic is that? Was he really just a stubborn donkey that wouldn't budge no matter how much he was led?!]

Suddenly, the relationship between the Song and Jin dynasties seemed to become like a Cthulhu mythos in your eyes, evoking an indescribable sense of unease...

【…】

Of course, these unknown issues don't currently affect your situation... Just as you're caught up in CPU overclocking, the Song-Jin war in Xinye County is gradually escalating.

[Yue Fei, remaining calm under pressure within the city, maintained orderly command of the siege and defense while promptly dispatching elite troops from the city to support Yue Yun and other generals in their defensive battles outside the city.]

Despite the fierce fighting, Jin Wuzhu's 100,000-strong army failed to encircle Xinye County. Meanwhile, the Song army, relying on its unobstructed supply lines, continuously transported defensive supplies to the city, resulting in a prolonged stalemate between the two sides...

One day, ten days, one month...

As the stalemate dragged on, the Song army's war experience was constantly honed. Not only did the elite troops adapt quickly, but even your regular, ordinary troops gained considerable experience in the sieges and defenses of cities.

From initial caution to current nonchalance, although you haven't yet engaged in direct combat with the Jin soldiers, your psychological vulnerability towards them has long since dissipated... Those mutated Jin soldiers howling outside the city aren't actually that terrifying. With proper handling, you can withstand their attacks! This is a giant leap for you, and a giant leap for the Song Dynasty's military...

Of course, as your confidence gradually grows, you also clearly understand that the biggest reason why the mortal Song army was able to fight the mutated Jin soldiers to a standstill was because of Marshal Yue and his elite troops!

If Yue Fei hadn't used them to withstand the direct pressure from the Jin army, a mere county town would have been absolutely unable to stop the mutated Jin soldiers, and the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Song soldiers in the town would have had a very difficult time surviving under the Jin army's clutches...

Marshal Yue...

As you shoot arrows from the city wall, you can't help but glance towards the marshal's tent in the distance. Watching the messengers constantly entering and leaving, a sense of curiosity rises in your heart: What will Marshal Yue do next?

Should we continue to hold out in this isolated city until the Jin army retreats and we completely occupy this land, or should we abandon this hard-won small county and voluntarily retreat to Xiangyang?

You're very curious about Yue Fei's thoughts.

Your question was answered very quickly...

【…】

In the 215th year of the Shaoxing era, Yue Fei, the marshal of the garrison in Xiangyang, led an army of 200,000 across the Han River on imperial orders, directly attacking Xinye County!

Within a month, Xinye was pacified, and tens of thousands of Jurchen soldiers were beheaded!

Just as the Northern Expedition was advancing triumphantly, Wanyan Wuzhu led an army of 100,000 south to resist the Song Dynasty, directly confronting Yue Fei's Northern Expeditionary Army!

[Under the relentless and fearless attack of 100,000 mutated Jin soldiers, Yue Fei, despite his best efforts, ultimately ran out of steam...]

In the 216th year of the Shaoxing era, after more than a year of intense fighting, Xiangyang's finances and provisions were increasingly strained!

Considering the dwindling funds and provisions, although Yue Fei still wanted to continue the Northern Expedition, he had no choice but to submit a memorial to the court, citing the difficulty in replenishing funds and provisions, and the fact that Xinye was a small county and not worth such a huge price for the court, and reluctantly requested to withdraw the troops...

However, the forces in Lin'an remained relentless, and the Emperor even issued thirteen imperial edicts, ordering Yue Fei to continue the Northern Expedition at all costs!

Faced with these thirteen seemingly fateful imperial edicts, Yue Fei hesitated for a moment...

However, at the last moment, he still forced a retreat, citing the principle that "a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders," and thus the 200,000-strong army withdrew in batches from Xinye, crossing the Han River back to Xiangyang!

【…】

After you and the army have crossed the Han River, looking back at the banner bearing the character "Yue" still covering the rear of the army in Xinye, you can't help but feel a complex mix of emotions.

Historical experience tells you what the consequences of disobeying the emperor's orders really are...

[Yue Fei, the general who was originally destined to be recalled and executed by Zhao Gou with thirteen imperial edicts for insisting on the Northern Expedition, ultimately could not escape the fate of those thirteen imperial edicts.]

However, in this life, he was no longer awarded the gold medal for insisting on advancing the Northern Expedition, but rather for insisting on retreating and abandoning the Northern Expedition...

[This ruler and his minister are destined for tragedy due to their differing opinions...]

……

(End of this chapter)