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

Chapter 267 Grand Tutor Zhou!
In the 229th year of the Shaoxing era, facing the Hanzhong mutiny sparked by your reforms, Emperor Zhao, who has always striven to protect you, once again stood firmly behind you and supported you!

[He not only suppressed all criticism of you from the court, but also specially released Yue Fei and the other "Four Generals of the Restoration" from the imperial prison, and entrusted them, along with 100,000 elite imperial guards, to you to lead and personally quell the rebellion!]

[What's most moving is that passionate declaration: I am neither Emperor Shenzong nor Emperor Jing of Han!]

He would neither abandon Wang Anshi, whose reforms were thwarted, like Emperor Shenzong of Song, nor kill Chao Cuo, who instigated the Rebellion of the Seven States by weakening the power of the vassal states, like Emperor Jing of Han… The meaning of these words, applied to the relationship between you and Him as ruler and subject, couldn't be clearer.

[He intends to be your devoted ruler and subject for life!]

For a subject, this is undoubtedly an immense expression of trust and gratitude: a ruler chooses his subjects, and subjects choose their ruler in return! Any subject in history would be deeply moved by a ruler who supports them to such an extent, and might even be willing to give their life for Him!

But you're the only one who won't...

This isn't because you're cold-blooded, but because this scene feels incredibly familiar to you...

[If I remember correctly, the Prime Minister encountered a similar situation in his first life: his reforms were too radical, sparking a rebellion in Yangzhou. Faced with this situation, the Emperor at the time acted similarly to Zhao Gou… He transferred the Jinyiwei, the strongest army in the Ming Dynasty, to the Prime Minister and ordered him to lead troops to Yangzhou to suppress the rebels!]

[It was precisely because of this mutual understanding between the emperor and his subject that, even though the Grand Chancellor knew that Emperor Chongzhen was the ultimate boss he had to defeat, he still gritted his teeth and worked for Him his entire life. Even when the Emperor clearly wanted his life, he was willing to die without any resistance...]

[The above scene clearly demonstrates the devastating power of this tactic! This makes you yearn for such a scenario, hoping that you too can encounter a wise and virtuous ruler like the Prime Minister.]

[But precisely because you are so familiar with this plot, you feel increasingly uneasy and wary when Zhao Gou plays this card against you...]

The Chongzhen Emperor in history was a ruler prone to acting on emotion, so it was quite reasonable for him to place such trust in his ministers!

As for Zhao Gou... this guy was far more cunning than the simple-minded Chongzhen Emperor!

Zhao Gou certainly trusted loyal ministers, but his trust was not blind; it was conditional and purposeful. Once a minister's behavior made him uneasy, he would quickly betray them! For example, Yue Fei—even though Yue Fei had always been a loyal minister, Zhao Gou would not have hesitated to kill him if necessary!

In other words, Zhao Gou was a very sensitive and shrewd emperor, naturally prone to unease and wariness towards his subjects; therefore, he almost never did anything against his nature.

However, His current words and actions towards you clearly defy this common sense...

Faced with your radical reforms that were detrimental to political stability, He unusually chose to firmly support you! Faced with the mutiny you instigated, He also chose to send you to suppress it! To ensure that you could suppress it and thereby establish your authority, He even went so far as to assign Yue Fei and others to you!

Ask yourself honestly: Do you truly deserve Zhao Gou's unusually high level of trust?

[In the information about your identity that you revealed to Him, you were merely a lucky "messenger of the Heavenly Venerable." Although you represented the Heavenly Venerable's face in a certain sense, surely Zhao Gou wouldn't go to such lengths with you? After all, He was a divine emperor on par with Chongzhen...]

Therefore, in conclusion, are you certain that Zhao Gou has a plan against you? And it's not just an ordinary plan, but one involving extremely important matters!

Therefore, you are naturally extremely wary of Him.

However, you haven't yet figured out His methods, and He hasn't shown you any obvious malice... Therefore, even if you are wary of Him, you shouldn't show your wariness openly...

[Moreover, these current circumstances are also a deliberate test of Zhao Gou by you!] [With the assistance of your regent, you certainly know the extent of the consequences of your excessively radical reform policies... To put it bluntly, your reforms are not normal reforms at all, but rather an extremely obvious path to self-destruction!]

Even Wang Anshi wouldn't have dared to do what you've done, expanding reforms to cover all aspects of people's livelihood, taxation, economy, politics, and military affairs in just a few years...

[In any normal feudal dynasty, this would have been a disaster leading to the downfall of the country. The monarch should have immediately removed the reformers, either following the example of Emperor Shenzong of Song dismissing Wang Anshi as prime minister, or following the example of Emperor Jing of Han executing Chao Cuo!]

[You are fully aware of the drawbacks of this, but you still did it to test Zhao Gou... and the result of the test proved your suspicions: Zhao Gou is not normal! His attitude towards you is also highly problematic!]

However, since there hasn't been a clear falling out yet, you'll just have to continue playing this "wise ruler and virtuous minister" act.

Now, let's see when Zhao Gou will reveal his true colors...

【…】

In December of the 229th year of the Shaoxing reign, at the age of 44, you, holding the position of "Vice Chancellor," led 100,000 Imperial Guards and the newly released "Four Generals of the Restoration" on a campaign, heading straight for the rebel army in Hanzhong!

The following year, you led the Imperial Guards to Sichuan and dispatched four generals—Yue Fei, Han Xin, Liu Bei, and Zhang Fei—to suppress the rebellion in Sichuan.

That year, the four generals of the Zhongxing Army successively captured cities in Sichuan occupied by the rebels, taking nearly 100,000 prisoners and killings!

That year, you personally led your army north, passing through the Shu Road and entering Hanzhong. Relying on the might of the Imperial Guards, you easily quelled the Hanzhong rebellion. Your army reached the south bank of the Wei River, facing the Jin state on the north bank across the river!

At this point, the rebel army in Hanzhong was completely defeated...

After the war, you rebuilt the Hanzhong military town, recruiting over 100,000 men from good families in Sichuan and Hanzhong! You assigned these 100,000 new recruits to the former troops of Yue Fei and others for training. While training them, you also cultivated land to achieve self-sufficiency as much as possible, thus reducing the burden on the local people.

After completing all these tasks, you finally led your army back to Lin'an...

Upon your return to Lin'an, you immediately received commendation from the imperial court! Zhao Gou even praised you as a "wise minister of ancient times," capable of governing the country with his civil skills and securing peace with his military prowess—truly rare in history!

After some deliberation, a delighted Zhao Gou slapped his forehead and immediately issued an imperial edict…

"Zhou Hui, the Vice Chancellor, was skilled in both civil and military affairs. He not only implemented reforms that benefited the country and its people, but also personally led a large army to quell rebellions for the Song Dynasty. His achievements were truly remarkable!"

[“He is hereby appointed Grand Tutor, in charge of all military and state affairs, and to oversee all military and political matters for me!”]

And so, on this day in the 230th year of Shaoxing, you, whose reforms were a complete mess and whose suppression of rebellions was utterly ineffective, inexplicably became the Grand Tutor of the Song Dynasty...

[Grand Tutor Zhou, splendidly born!]

……

(End of this chapter)