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

Chapter 246 Alias: Zhou Hui!
Why can't we have both?

The Prime Minister's smiling words startled you, who was still struggling with a difficult choice, and then you seemed to be deep in thought...

[Looking at your future, until Yue Fei himself refutes your claim of being a "disciple of Yue Fei," this deliberately crafted positive image of a pro-peace faction will undoubtedly bring you significant political benefits. The direct manifestation of these benefits is the high probability that you will gain the support of high-ranking pro-peace officials, leading to a meteoric rise in your official career!]

However, considering that Zhao Gou, as a proponent of war, did not actually support the pro-peace faction among his ministers, and even recently took decisive action to remove Yue Fei, a representative of the pro-peace faction, and carried out a major reshuffle of the army in Xiangyang... this indicates that Zhao Gou's desire for war was very strong recently. Under the emperor's forceful promotion, no matter how loud the pro-peace voices were, they would have no effect.

In other words, the pro-war faction prevailed over the pro-peace faction, leading to a shift in the Southern Song Dynasty's strategy towards the Jin Dynasty towards an active northern expedition!

Under such political circumstances, even if you disguise yourself as a "disciple of Yue Fei" and loudly promote pro-peace rhetoric, you won't immediately gain the support of the pro-peace faction... After all, the emperor has the final say, and no matter how powerful Han Shizhong is, he cannot directly defy the emperor's edict.

Therefore, before Zhao Gou's disastrous northern expedition, the appeasement faction could only act according to the imperial edict... and if you wanted to achieve your planned meteoric rise, you had to wait for the political situation to reverse. In the meantime, you could only maintain your popularity and buzz by continuing to hype things up...

However, while one door closes, another opens. Just as your carefully crafted pro-peace facade had yet to gain support from the higher-ups, your pro-war facade, created specifically for the "literary battle," caught the wave of the times and even secured Zhao Gou's offer of amnesty!

[This is mainly due to the cover-up provided by your Western powers, to the point that Zhao Gou still doesn't understand your true identity, only thinking you're a self-made "royalist and pro-war faction." Combined with the initial hype you generated, this made him consider recruiting you...]

[While this unexpected outcome may leave you somewhat amused and frustrated, if you were to seize this opportunity to ride on Zhao Gou's coattails and use the guise of a "mouthpiece for the war faction" to advance your career, you could achieve progress in a different sense!]

As long as you maintain your established persona and fully utilize your excellent traditional skills as a "time management master," continuing to play both the "pro-war" and "pro-peace" roles, it's like betting on both sides, guaranteeing a steady income regardless of circumstances...

If the pro-war emperor gains the upper hand, then you should focus on cultivating a network of pro-war supporters, frantically praising the emperor's foresight and the righteousness of the Northern Expedition. Act as the best "court writer" and "emperor's sycophant" to flatter the emperor and gain his favor and promotion!

[However, if the pro-peace ministers gain the upper hand, then you will transform into a "loyal and virtuous minister for all time," joining forces with Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and others to fiercely criticize the emperor's disastrous Northern Expedition strategy and promote the pro-peace faction's beneficial policies for governing the country and its people!]

[Your main strategy is to be opportunistic and adaptable! No matter the political climate, you'll always remain unshaken!]

Thinking of this wonderful vision, you can't help but feel extremely excited: This is truly the broad road to progress!

As for the actual difficulty of navigating this smooth road, you didn't seem to care, because you trusted your micro-management skills... If all else fails, you can just restart, right?

So you made up your mind...

【…】

After the other party clearly stated that they were acting on the orders of the Emperor, you carefully considered the matter and ultimately decided to take advantage of the situation.

However, you didn't immediately kneel down to accept the imperial decree. Instead, you cautiously inquired about the specific tasks after the amnesty... After all, you had long ago given up on the plan to personally participate in the Northern Expedition. Those meaningless deaths and injuries were something you didn't want to see. So even if you decided to hitch a ride on the emperor's coattails, you still couldn't agree if the emperor wanted you to lead troops into battle.

[And the other side's answer was exactly what you wanted: Lead troops on a northern expedition? What a joke to the Song Dynasty! The Emperor doesn't even know your identity, how could he possibly let you lead troops into battle? You're worried about killing innocent people, but he's worried you'll start a new "Miao-Liu Rebellion"!]

[So, your task is actually just to write articles advocating war, simultaneously flattering the government and promoting war ideology while criticizing Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, and fiercely attacking peace-loving ideology in the field of ideological and political education!]

Hearing this, you couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief...

Now that there is no longer any doubt, you should respectfully bow down in the direction of Lin'an and, in the presence of that person, swear allegiance to the great Emperor Zhao!

[Thus, you officially became a "self-taught, court-appointed writer."]

Of course, Zhao Gou wouldn't just bestow official titles and ranks upon you right away. If you wanted to obtain the coveted titles and ranks, you would have to prove your worth with real ability and military achievements...

【Bring the literary giant, please!】 [...]

Upon returning that very day, in your excitement, you immediately crafted an excellent pro-war article, praising the necessity and righteousness of the Northern Expedition from various angles, and showering Emperor Zhao with praise!

[To write this article proving your worth, you even consulted the Prime Minister, asking him how to flatter the monarch to his satisfaction...]

[The Prime Minister chuckled: I'm truly a professional at this!]

And so, a masterpiece was born.

[The article is titled: "Fifty Victories in Fifty Days! Emperor Zhao Made an Indelible and Great Contribution to the People of the Song Dynasty!"]

Once the article was finished, you immediately handed it over to the person in charge of making contact and asked him to publish it... After a preliminary reading, this person was immediately amazed, patting you on the shoulder repeatedly and saying: "Brother, you were born for this!"

Soon after, through the efforts of the official authorities, this hymn of loyalty spread throughout the Song Dynasty, reaching every corner of the country...

[In the article, you praised the Emperor as an enhanced version of Emperor Guangwu of Han, not only exaggerating his ability to restore the Song Dynasty when the country was in disarray, but also advocating his tireless efforts to revive the Song Dynasty's golden age!]

"Your Majesty's virtue surpasses that of the Three Sovereigns and your achievements exceed those of the Five Emperors! You are truly the foremost figure since the time of Yao!"

"Promise me, if you don't love the Emperor, please leave the Song Dynasty, okay? The Huai River isn't covered up, why don't you swim to the Jin Kingdom instead!"

[“The warm land beneath your feet…”]

In short, it was all about praising them, and these were all completely new concepts that the people of the Southern Song Dynasty had never even heard of before. The impact of that praise was immense!

After laying these groundwork, you abruptly shifted your focus to Yue Fei, Han Xin, and other pro-peace officials...

"Despite repeated orders from the Emperor to continue the Northern Expedition, Yue Fei dared to defy the imperial decree... What does this signify? It signifies that the power of the court has been usurped by the appeasement faction, who have become too powerful to control. They have forgotten the Emperor's boundless kindness and abandoned their original aspirations and ideals of conquering the Central Plains!"

They've gone bad! So they need to be thoroughly cleaned out! They need to be heavily infused with the "Song-loving gene"!

"Therefore, I, a humble countryman, dare to humbly advise Your Majesty to restore absolute power in the Song Dynasty and restore your rightful position as emperor and father to the people of the Song Dynasty, so that the people and soldiers of the Song Dynasty may all be closely united around you as the core, and let you shine and warm the millions of people of the Song Dynasty like a sun!"

"Your kindness extends to all, your glory shines through the ages!"

【"loyalty!"】

"There can only be one sun in the sky, and in my heart, there is only one sun: the Emperor!"

Finally, for the first time, you also used the pen name you specifically chose for this pro-war pseudonym in your article.

[His pen name is "Zhou Hui"!]

……

(End of this chapter)