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

Chapter 255 Invasion of the Jin Kingdom!

[Using weakness to defy strength, invading the Jin Dynasty? A true god who unified North and South?]

Hearing Zhao Gou's inexplicable statement, you were stunned for a long time... because the logic of this statement is really strange: is there any necessary connection between invading the Jin Dynasty and becoming a true god who unified the North and South?

You frowned inwardly: Connecting this to his peculiar pro-war ideology, could it be... that Zhao Gou really intended to use a massive army of ordinary people to overwhelm the mutated Jin soldiers in the Central Plains, thereby unifying the North and South and restoring the Song Dynasty?

[Impossible, right? Anyone with a modicum of sense could see that this plan is doomed to fail. The gap between ordinary people and the mutated Jin soldiers is enormous; blindly advocating for a northern expedition would be entirely detrimental... Zhao Gou couldn't possibly be unaware of the difficulties involved!]

In other words, Zhao Gou strongly advocated for the use of force to reclaim the north because doing so would genuinely bring certain benefits... but these benefits would not manifest at the practical military and political level, but rather at a higher level.

The only extraordinary power in the Song Dynasty could only be the power of lust...

[Thus, you can now piece together a general logical line of thought: a northern expedition against the Jin dynasty would enhance the divine power of "Divine Zhao Gou"!]

Indeed, just as you were pondering the logic behind it, the "Divine Zhao Gou" on the dragon throne slowly spoke, explaining the key points to you in detail...

【…】

The key is quite simple; it lies solely in the operational mechanism of the power of lust, namely: how does this power of lust arise?

[You've already personally verified the answer: as the name suggests, the power of lust arises from indulgence in sex. In the process of indulgence, one's desires are fully satisfied, and this power naturally arises!]

However, if one wants to accumulate enough divine power to make one extraordinary, then relying solely on such vulgar lust is clearly insufficient. Otherwise, wouldn't seasoned womanizers like Liu Yong have long been able to challenge "God Zhao Gou"?

Therefore, the core logic of the power of lust is not the most vulgar kind of lust, but a "high-level taste" based on vulgar lust, or... it should be called "sentiment"!

[The specific manifestation of this kind of interest is like your previous example of "the inferior defying the superior": a poor boy overcomes the strict barriers of social class and has the good fortune to have sex with a noble lady who is above the vast majority of ordinary people... the poor invading the rich, the humble invading the powerful!]

This is like a goblin and a saint, or like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, or Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy... Simple sexual pleasure cannot make everyone addicted, and vulgar intercourse will always make people feel disgusted and nauseous. Only the high-class pleasure brought about by this difference in status will continue to be talked about and endure, and even become a love story that is passed down through the ages...

[By overcoming class barriers and infringing upon the noble, one gains a sense of exhilaration akin to the weak conquering the strong!]

This is the true logical core of the power of lust!

This is precisely the reason why "God Zhao Gou" believed he would be strengthened by invading the Jin Dynasty... Yes, the "invasion" He referred to is precisely this kind of "invasion"!

Compared to the romantic love between ordinary people, "God Zhao Gou" had long transcended this kind of physical violation... or rather, there was no one more noble than Him in the entire Song Dynasty, and He could not gain power through conventional "insubordination."

Therefore, He elevated His perspective from the level of "human beings" to the level of "nation"...

"I am the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, therefore I am the will of the Great Song Dynasty... The Great Song Dynasty is like a physical body, and I am the soul and master of this body!"

[“The Divine Emperor Zhao Gou” passionately recounts his grand ambitions to you: “The Jin Dynasty is like another person, someone even stronger than the Song Dynasty!”]

"If that's the case, then isn't my northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty also a form of insubordination?"

【you:……】

Gazing at the impassioned emperor on the jade steps, you were stunned: This... is acceptable?

If the emperor is the soul of the Song Dynasty, then the Song Dynasty is like a man... and in that case, the Jin Dynasty can naturally be compared to a woman...

The man named "Da Song" was of low status and was beaten black and blue by the female bandit named "Da Jin," who also stole half of his family's property (half of the country). Therefore, he was forced to humbly hide in Jiangnan to avoid further beatings… Thus, a power imbalance was created where he was weak and she was strong.

What "God Zhao Gou" is to do is to pilot this lowly man named "Great Song" to launch an assault on the female bandit in the north... well, an assault in a gender sense...

In short, Zhao Gou's amazing theory greatly shocked you, and after the shock, you couldn't help but feel that it actually made sense... the theory wasn't entirely without merit.

However, the more you think about it, the more something seems off: to give a person to something like a nation is already quite abstract, so how could Zhao Gou also give it a gender?

Let's leave aside the gender of the Song Dynasty and just assume it was male... but how did the Jin Dynasty become female?

Does it have to be a tall, blonde, mature woman, and not a blond, muscular man?

[Uh... okay, it's too strange to call it a violation against a man, so let's just accept Zhao Gou's imagined "female-bandit-like Jin Dynasty"...]

In short, the more you think about it, the more abstract it seems: the war between the two countries, in Zhao Gou's eyes, actually became a one-on-one duel between a man and a woman, and he even wanted to invade the feminine Jin state in order to stimulate the growth of his lustful divine power...

Is this a sign of suppressed emotions?

You really want to complain...

【…】

[This is the grand blueprint that "God Zhao Gou" depicted for you!]

Having said that, He added earnestly, "And it is precisely for this reason that I am determined to wage war, even though the entire court is dominated by those who advocate peace. I still want to launch a northern expedition!"

"My lady, are you willing to assist me?"

Listening to His sincere words, you know that your time to be tested has come!

If you're willing, then everything will be fine; but if you're not, then you probably won't be able to leave this world alive...

Is there any good option to choose from?

You sighed inwardly, but outwardly declared your loyalty with fervent passion: "Your subject is willing to repay you with my life!"

【"good!"】

The true god on the dragon throne smiled.

【…】

Next, under the guise of "broadening your horizons," you posed numerous questions to "God Zhao Gou" that troubled you.

For example, why didn't the Jin Dynasty dare to invade the Song Dynasty from the south? And what exactly happened during the "celestial upheaval" of that time? What changes occurred in the Jin people that caused them to mutate into monsters upon seeing Song people? And so on...

[These are questions you've always been curious about, but no one could answer them for you before. Now that you finally have the opportunity to meet the highest ruler of the Song Dynasty, you naturally want to seize this chance to ask them!] [However, what puzzles you is that when you ask these questions about the Jin Dynasty, Zhao Gou, who had previously answered you earnestly, inexplicably starts to change the subject...]

[Perhaps it's because the topic is too sensitive, or perhaps you're not high enough in His eyes to know these secrets... In any case, He is very wary of anything involving the Jin Kingdom.]

[Because you asked so many questions, Zhao Gou, who had previously been enthusiastically sharing his Northern Expedition strategy with you, gradually became impatient... to the point that he seriously told you: These are not things you should be considering right now!]

[You only need to remember that from now on, you must unconditionally support all of the Emperor's decisions regarding the Northern Expedition. This includes not only issuing proclamations among the people to inspire them, but also standing up for the Emperor in court, and resolutely distancing yourself from those who advocate for peace!]

To this, you could only nod...

But another curiosity arose within you: "Your Majesty... since you dislike those pro-peace faction members, why not simply demote and imprison them?"

[This is a crucial question. After all, "Divine Zhao Gou" is a powerful, lustful emperor. Even if he doesn't possess the direct, terrifying violence of Emperor Chongzhen, he could certainly use his astonishing illusionary arts to wipe out the entire court!]

Therefore, normally there shouldn't be any pro-peace faction in the Southern Song court; it should all be the emperor's henchmen who advocate war!

However, the reality was that Zhao Gou's Southern Song court was not only divided into factions with different political views, but these high-ranking officials, who were completely at odds with the emperor, even dared to oppose him, making it impossible for Zhao Gou to lead the Northern Expedition...

Isn't this too lenient? Is this truly a case of ruling the world together with the scholar-officials?

You voiced your doubts.

However, Zhao Gou did not give much of an answer to the question, only saying that he was benevolent and loved people, so he did not use force against his court officials...

This is clearly nonsense!

[As you muttered to yourself, you couldn't help but guess: the only reason feudal emperors didn't rule by their own word was that they lacked the corresponding power!]

[This is a very bold guess: how could someone who has ascended to godhood not possess power? That's clearly not right!]

However, the logic is sound: only if Zhao Gou lacked power would the court be in its current state... and there's further evidence to support this: Zhao Gou did not single-handedly destroy the Jin dynasty!

[If a true god-emperor cannot maintain internal unity of opinion, nor can he restore the Central Plains, then it can only be said that he truly lacks power...]

[However, none of that matters right now. After all, you don't want to risk your life in a plot to assassinate the emperor. So, your most important task now is to don your villainous persona as a "replica of Qin Hui" and charge into battle for the emperor's northern expedition!]

[Because you understood this, you didn't ask any further questions, but instead respectfully bowed to the emperor, fully embracing your role...]

【…】

In the 216th year of the Shaoxing era, you entered Lin'an under the alias "Zhou Hui," and, arranged by "Divine Zhao Gou," indulged in debauchery in the harem, enjoying the double reward of beauty and divine power!

Therefore, starting from this year, you have officially entered the realm of extraordinary power!

[While possessing extraordinary power, you were also able to gain official status and enter the Southern Song Dynasty court, thus beginning your illustrious life...]

In the 217th year of the Shaoxing era, you entered the imperial court as a censor, upholding the will of "Divine Zhao Gou," and began to vigorously advocate the righteousness and necessity of the Northern Expedition!

Of course, your advocacy of war-fighting ideology will naturally provoke the disgust and opposition of the peace faction in the court...

Normally, someone like you, who fawns over the emperor, would be targeted by the appeasement faction. If things escalate, even the emperor would have no choice but to sever ties with you and demote you from the court as a political sacrifice… But this time is different!

[Because you have already reached an agreement with Zhao Gou, when the memorials attacking you by the pro-peace faction reached His hands, He completely ignored them, clearly intending to protect you at all costs!]

The emperor, who had been submissive for many years, suddenly became assertive, a change that puzzled everyone: what was so important about this mere minor official that warranted the emperor's attention?

[As a result, some people naturally speculate: You might be a sycophantic and despicable person...]

[Sigh! I guessed right, you really are a sycophantic villain!]

[So, not to be outdone by the concentrated attacks, you rallied a group of censors, whom Zhao Gou had prepared for you, and transformed into a rabid dog that bites indiscriminately...]

That year, you reported to the emperor that an extremely evil "anti-imperialist scholar group" existed within the court! Its influence was widespread, involving everyone from high-ranking ministers to ordinary officials!

[Then, you lead your men to "collect" all sorts of evidence: today you find a hundred powerful crossbows in a civil official's home, tomorrow you find leaked exam questions in a military officer's home!]

[There are also allegations of "possessing hundreds of infantry armor sets," "forging a set of military tallies," "evidence of embezzlement and bribery," and "witnesses who disregard human life"... and so on!]

[Some of these pieces of evidence are genuine, while others were deliberately fabricated by you... But when you submitted your memorial, you generalized from limited evidence, using the undeniable existence of the genuine charges to argue that the fabricated charges were equally dubious, ultimately achieving the effect of frantically accusing all officials...]

Zhao Gou was quite cooperative in this regard!

If your evidence is conclusive, He will directly banish you from the court! But if the evidence is insufficient, He will still fabricate a charge of "treason" before banishing you...

In short, with the cooperation of you, the emperor and your ministers, the court was soon thrown into turmoil! Countless veteran officials who had served for many years were framed for crimes, and were either demoted or imprisoned. A climate of fear and unease pervaded the entire court!

[Your achievements are so brilliant that you have naturally earned the emperor's praise and high regard...]

In the 218th year of the Shaoxing era, you rose rapidly through the ranks to become "Censor-in-Chief," taking charge of overseeing all officials! Wherever you went, the officials trembled in fear!

[It is precisely because of your rapid rise in officialdom, coupled with the emperor's obvious favoritism and protection of you, that a large group of opportunists saw an opportunity and flocked to your side... They relied on your official position to abuse their power and satisfy their own ambitions, while simultaneously frantically advocating for your and the emperor's pro-war ideology!]

[Over time, a faction advocating war gradually rose in the court called the "Imperial Party." Under the deliberate advocacy of the "Imperial Party," the Song Dynasty began to fall into a political atmosphere of extreme obsession with the emperor's orders...]

At this tense and ominous moment, all the pro-peace faction realized that this was the emperor's doing: he wanted to revert to a policy of war and create a new court that was absolutely loyal to him!

Therefore, they all turned their attention to the few remaining veteran pro-peace generals, hoping they could step forward and restore order!

But at that very moment, you fired the first shot!

["I believe that the veteran general Han Shizhong is plotting a rebellion! I request Your Majesty to issue an edict to demote him!"]

……

(End of this chapter)