I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 136 The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency! At the age of twenty-one, you have achieved such a high position based on your solid merits. This is truly rare throughout history!"

When the angels sent by Emperor Huizong finally arrived in Yexian County, Laizhou, it was already the beginning of March in the fifth year of the Xuanhe era.

After the imperial decree was read and the formalities were completed, Zhao Zicheng, as was customary, hosted a banquet in return. At the banquet, the angel was less aloof, and since Zhao Zicheng had given him a very generous gift in private, the angel was also generous in saying many kind words.

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's wise guidance and Chancellor Tong's impartial recommendation of virtuous officials. I, Zhao, with my limited seniority, am truly humbled by such an important appointment. But I am not afraid of being ridiculed by the imperial envoy; I am prepared to bear the infamy for this position—"

Although the Jin Dynasty is allied with our Great Song Dynasty, how can we expect them to relinquish the land they've already acquired without paying tribute? Cao Yong signed the Treaty of Chanyuan, and he's been cursed by posterity for years. But who can blame us for being members of the Zhao family? If I don't lose face, do I expect someone of a different surname to bring shame and infamy upon the Zhao family?

Zhao Zicheng's words were a clear statement before the angels, indicating that he did not cherish his reputation and was willing to sacrifice some personal prestige for the sake of the court and the emperor.

There was nothing he could do; the imperial decree had already been issued. Even though Zhao Zicheng was extremely unwilling to do this task, disobeying the decree was out of the question. Disobeying it would mean all his efforts over the past few years would be in vain.

Money is hard to earn and life is tough, but to survive until the Jingkang Incident, one must endure what ordinary people cannot endure and do what ordinary people cannot do, finding a way out of despair.

Zhao Zicheng did not regret helping Tong Guan or implying that Tong Guan should help him gain credit and promotion.

On the surface, it might seem that Zhao Zicheng's boasting about his achievement of "winning over Goryeo" made the emperor think he had diplomatic talent, which led the emperor to pin this new mess on him.

But Zhao Zicheng knew that as his reputation grew, the emperor would eventually have him do these kinds of things, regardless of whether he sought credit or promotion. The future emperor certainly didn't want Zhao Zicheng to have too good a reputation; he wanted Zhao Zicheng to do something shameful so the emperor could use him with peace of mind.

We can't just stay out of it and preserve our reputation by not doing any public good deeds or anything of great benefit to the country and its people for the next two or three years.

What's meant to happen will happen!
Even Wang Jian had to beg for land and houses to reassure Ying Zheng, and Xiao He had to embezzle money and tarnish his reputation after being suspected by Liu Bang.

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) logically intended for his rising nephew to undertake the humiliating task of paying reparations, which would allow him to utilize Zhao Zicheng's talents while simultaneously damaging his reputation. He would then compensate him with higher official ranks and titles.

Let's deal with things as they come, think about how to get things done well while minimizing embarrassment, or perhaps have some backup plans.

However, these words could not be spoken openly, so the angel who publicly announced the decree had to comfort him: "Why be so modest, Your Excellency! If you can win back land for the country, that is a merit. How can you say that you will be criticized by future generations just because you have been given money and silk?"
Those who criticized Cao Yong for paying tribute during the Treaty of Chanyuan were just arrogant and rebellious people. Every truly discerning person knew that Cao Yong was a loyal and courageous minister who stood up for the country. When Emperor Shizong of Zhou launched his northern expedition against the Liao Dynasty and seized the three prefectures south of the pass, although our Great Song Dynasty inherited these territories, the Liao people never explicitly relinquished them.

After the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Liao people promised not to make any further claims, which could be considered a great achievement for Cao Liyong. The common people, being ignorant and simple, have no idea of ​​the merits behind these disputes over titles. As long as Your Excellency has a clear conscience, you can strive for the country without fear of criticism.

Zhao Zicheng didn't want to openly refute the angel, so he laughed it off and moved on. Everyone continued drinking and bonding, and finally saw the messenger off.

The reasoning the angel spoke of was generally not understood by the general public, nor did they care about it. However, strictly speaking, it was indeed a small contribution made by Cao Cao during the Treaty of Chanyuan.

A year before the founding of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, launched a northern expedition and reclaimed three of the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, south of the pass. However, just as he was about to approach Yanjing, Chai Rong fell seriously ill and had to turn back. He then died, and it was then Zhao Kuangyin's turn to don the yellow robe.

From the perspective of the Song Dynasty, the three prefectures south of the pass were inherent territories acquired a year before the founding of the Song Dynasty. However, to borrow a diplomatic term from Paradox Interactive games, the Liao Dynasty never gave up its "claim" of the three prefectures south of the pass.

There was a pretext for declaring war buried here for decades until the Treaty of Chanyuan. After the Treaty of Chanyuan, the official reason for the Song Dynasty to pay tribute to the Liao Dynasty was not actually "war reparations," but rather "to make the Liao Dynasty abandon its claims to the three prefectures south of the pass and to legally recognize the Song Dynasty's permanent and legitimate rule over the three prefectures south of the pass," and then to pay compensation to the Liao Dynasty.

At the time, it was believed that the 300,000 strings of cash represented the revenue from the rule of the three prefectures. The Song Dynasty retained sovereignty, but the money and grain collected from the local areas were converted into cash and given to the Liao people. Since the Liao people were not good at governing the local areas, they simply gave you that portion of the revenue and that was it.

However, only high-ranking officials in the court would understand and pay attention to such matters of "diplomatic declarations." Ordinary people wouldn't understand these things.
Therefore, Cao used this negotiating official position to maintain a decent reputation among the civil service, but the common people completely regarded him as a traitor who betrayed the country and humiliated its sovereignty.

Having learned from Cao Li's mistake years ago, Zhao Zicheng will definitely try his best to avoid pitfalls this time and strive to minimize or at least reduce the damage to his reputation among the people.

Finally, before seeing off the imperial envoy, Zhao Zi managed to glean a few more pieces of good news, which were better than nothing.

Thanks to his cooperation with Tong Guan, Zhao Zicheng was able to successfully petition for merits and promotions for his subordinate generals.

Therefore, besides Zhao Zicheng himself being promoted, the ranks of Huyan Zhuo, Xu Ning, and Yue Fei were also slightly improved. This was mainly due to their achievements in "suppressing pirates" and "occupying Tamna Island."

Tong Guan's men inflated the numbers for these military achievements.

It is worth mentioning that Yue Fei's previous post was only at the level of deputy battalion commander, and his official rank was only "Chengxin Lang," the second to last rank in the 53-rank system of military officers, which was the lowest of the ninth rank.

This time, the Privy Council finally went through the formal process and promoted Yue Fei to the rank of battalion commander.

At the same time, his official rank was promoted several levels beyond the usual limit. Yue Fei is now an eighth-rank "Jinyi Xiaowei", which is equivalent to "Youban Dianzhi" before the Zhenghe reform, ranking fortieth in the fifty-three-rank military officer system.

The promotion from 52 to 40 seems like a direct jump of 12 ranks. But in reality, the ranks of lower-ranking military officers were very common. A single ninth-rank officer might have four ranks, and a full ninth-rank officer might have four ranks.

Therefore, the difference between being promoted from a low-ranking official (below the ninth rank) to a high-ranking official (below the eighth rank) is twelve places, which shows how complex the official rank system was in the later period of Zhao Ji's reign.

Unfortunately, Yue Fei was still in Goryeo at the time, so he couldn't know immediately that he had been promoted, nor could he thank Zhao Zicheng in person.

……

After seeing off the imperial envoy, Zhao Zicheng returned to his government office and began to sigh deeply, pondering how to handle the task of "participating in negotiations with the Jin" without damaging his reputation or attracting further suspicion.

He knew that historically, the Jin Dynasty finally reached a compromise with the Song Dynasty and returned Yanjing in May of the fifth year of the Xuanhe era, after which the Jin Dynasty withdrew its troops. Now it was already March, which meant there were still two months left for negotiations and wrangling.

The timeframe isn't too rushed, and since the negotiation process has already been disrupted by the butterfly effect, it doesn't necessarily have to be finalized in May.

Zhao Zicheng pondered for a long time, but had no clue what to do.

Soon it was dark, and the day's official duties finally came to an end. Zhao Zicheng returned to his residence and had dinner with his wives and concubines, but there was still some worry between his brows.

Murong Yan was carefree and ignorant of politics, so she didn't immediately notice anything amiss.

Murong Qiu, however, was perceptive, gentle, and considerate. Seeing this, she personally poured a bowl of soup for her husband, sat on his lap, and slowly fed him spoonful by spoonful, asking him in a soft voice:
"My husband was just promoted today by imperial decree, why do you look so worried? Is there something troubling you with official duties?"

Zhao Zicheng knew his wife was gentle and considerate, so he tightened his arms around her waist and gently patted her back to comfort her.

"It's nothing more than the Emperor wanting me to participate in negotiations with the Jurchens. I'll handle the specifics myself; you don't need to worry about it. The matter itself isn't difficult; the challenge lies in getting it done while minimizing any negative publicity."

Moreover, the Jurchens are greedy. Even if the court spends annual tribute to redeem the land, given their wolfish ambitions, they might still try to attack our Great Song Dynasty in the future. At that time, those of us who once gave the Jurchens money will be disgraced.”

The little foodie Murong Yan, who was busy cooking, heard her husband's worry and quickly wiped her mouth: "Can we pretend to be sick and send someone else? The imperial decree has already been received."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zicheng couldn't help but laugh, and used one hand to stroke Murong Yan's hair: "Yan'er, you should eat your food."

Fortunately, Murong Yan was self-aware and didn't dwell on it. She simply lowered her voice and retorted with a hint of anger:
"That old man Zhao Ji is such a troublemaker. He even gives his distant nephew such hard work. Isn't it because he's afraid that his distant nephew has both military power and fame? When I met him in Genyue and Fanlou in Dongjing back then, I knew that the old man was extremely narrow-minded!"

In other words, there were no outsiders here, only private conversations between husband, wife and sisters, so Zhao Zicheng did not care about his wife's outrageous words.

In contrast, her elder sister, Murong Qiu, was much calmer and more composed. Seeing her younger sister speak disrespectfully in private, she still gently advised her and helped her analyze the situation carefully.

“Little sister, don’t speak nonsense, and husband, there’s no need to sigh. In my opinion, this kind of assignment may not necessarily be a bad thing. As a member of the royal family, being able to participate in negotiations with the Jurchens will definitely be of great benefit to one’s promotion.”

Moreover, even if we have to compromise this time, if our Great Song Dynasty really goes to war with the Jin Dynasty in the future, as long as we argue our case one last time and fulfill our mission, all the previous forbearance will be for nothing.

My husband is a man of great ambition; he even annexed the entire Goryeo Kingdom. If we expect him to turn the tide in the future, how can he accomplish great things without some sense of responsibility and a high enough rank?

Murong Qiu had already been very direct in her words. She and her sister had been married to Zhao Zicheng for almost two years, having married him at seventeen and now at nineteen.

Zhao Zicheng's ambitions were something he would never hide from Murong Qiu. Although so far, Zhao Zicheng had only secretly accomplished feats such as conquering Goguryeo for the Song Dynasty, Murong Qiu could guess that her husband aspired to rule the world and save the Han people from chaos. She spent her days discussing this expectation with her husband, relieving his stress.

Although she still doesn't understand how her husband will rally the nation and make the whole country speak out if chaos really comes in the future.

She wasn't a time traveler after all, and couldn't have foreseen the development that "the close relatives of Emperor Taizong's clan would be almost completely wiped out in the future."

So Murong Qiu secretly imagined the most extreme scenario she could think of: "If that day ever comes and the central government is unable to withstand the Jin invaders, perhaps my husband will raise the banner of 'the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important,' and then raise the banner and start an army."

In other words, she felt that her husband might do extraordinary things in extraordinary times, even including trying to wage a quick and decisive civil war to integrate the Song Dynasty and take it over by force.

To be honest, Murong Qiu still felt that such hope was quite slim. She didn't know how her husband could be so sure if he really did it in the future, since the difference in legitimacy was still too great.

Before conquering Goryeo, she was very depressed, thinking that if something bad happened to her, she and her sister would definitely not be able to escape, and they would have no choice but to live and die with her husband. However, her husband was, after all, a hero, and to die alongside such a hero was worth it.

After conquering Goryeo at the end of last year, Murong Qiu felt somewhat relieved. She knew that even if things didn't go well in the future, she could at least retreat overseas and become a ruler in Goryeo.

When she was a child, she heard her mother talk about some of the family's past. She knew that her family seemed to be cursed, so she was not very afraid of death. On the contrary, she was mentally prepared. Sometimes she even had the illusion that her and her sister's unfortunate fate had implicated her husband, causing him to take risks and act rashly.

Sometimes, it's quite normal to have metaphysical ideas. Anyone who has experienced something extraordinary is more likely to be open to metaphysics than the average person.

Based on her observations over the past two years, she has placed great emphasis on helping her husband find ways to improve his status within the imperial family, especially his noble title. Only now does she offer this kind reminder, hoping her husband will cherish the opportunity to serve as an envoy and strive to become even more distinguished as soon as possible.

As for the possibility of damaging one's reputation by giving money to the Jin people, as long as one does not lose face in the end, it can be made up for.

It must be said that Murong Qiu's analysis was indeed profound and insightful, giving Zhao Zicheng a lot of inspiration.

Zhao Zicheng had indeed not been as eager as Murong Qiu had imagined in his pursuit of nobility and titles.

This is quite normal, because Zhao Zicheng planned his future actions based on the idea that "at least all close relatives of the imperial family except Zhao Gou will be wiped out by the Jin state." Even if the butterfly effect causes slight deviations and prevents a complete replication of history, he could at least achieve 90% of the goal.

For the remaining 10%, we'll have to find other ways to work on it and deal with each situation as it arises.

Moreover, to be honest, Zhao Zicheng still didn't have a clear idea on how to deal with Zhao Gou, but he believed that he was capable of gradually coming up with a solution in the next two or three years, and that things would eventually work out in the end.

If that's truly impossible, then perhaps the only option is to consider some small-scale civil wars—if one can quickly resolve the internal situation within the Song Dynasty, and if one's military strength can significantly overwhelm the other Song armies after the Jingkang Incident, resulting in a swift and decisive victory.

Without overwhelming control over other Song armies and the ability to achieve a swift victory, it is absolutely unacceptable to wage civil war; doing so would make one a traitor to the nation.

Zhao Zicheng envisioned the most difficult future scenario: he would take the wealth he had accumulated over the next few years, transfer his entire army to Goryeo, and then attack the rear of the Jin Dynasty from Goryeo.

In this way, while the Song Dynasty was fighting the Jin Dynasty in the Central Plains, the other side was fighting in Liaodong in Goryeo. They fought side-by-side, each fighting their own battles, which could be considered a contribution to the Han people. With the Jin Dynasty blocking their path, the Song and the other side couldn't directly attack each other. By the time the other side's directly controlled territory bordered the Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty would essentially have already been destroyed.

That would be a way to prioritize external defense and safeguard national interests before considering internal power struggles within the Song Dynasty. I believe that when the time comes, the Song Dynasty's civil and military officials will make the right choice.

However, after listening to his wife's analysis today, Zhao Zicheng felt like he had experienced a brainstorming session, which inspired him to explore a new and unthinkable path.

In the future, after the Song and Jin dynasties go to war, representing the Song dynasty and arguing with the Jin dynasty on reason will greatly enhance your prestige and make you a representative of the resistance faction in the eyes of the world.

Historically, the reason Zhao Gou was able to escape and why Zong Ze and others had such high expectations of him was precisely because he had first gone on a diplomatic mission to the Jin camp. It's said that because Zhao Gou appeared relatively calm in the Jin camp, the Jin people thought he wasn't a favored prince, or even a fake one, and thus released him. Later, when the Jin again demanded that Emperor Zhao Huan personally negotiate surrender and detained him, all the other princes were arrested, but Zhao Gou escaped. Perhaps some Jin people felt that Zhao Gou's lineage wasn't favored enough and posed no threat.

Of course, this explanation is somewhat far-fetched, and there may be other unknown reasons. In any case, Zhao Gou in history gained a lot of political capital during his mission to the Jin camp after the Jingkang Incident; otherwise, his succession to the throne might not have been so smooth.

Although Zhao Gou was the only son of Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) who was not arrested, during the most dangerous period between the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, his ascension to the throne was not as smooth and uncontroversial as many later readers believe.

At the time, many people felt that the Song Dynasty was already dead and anyone could take over. Otherwise, the Jurchens would not have wanted to install Zhang Bangchang as a puppet, and there would not have been Liu Yu of the puppet Qi state, nor so many small local powers that briefly became independent.

In contrast, Zhao Gou had to expend so much effort and earn so much fame to make everyone think he was a "wise king" during a time of national crisis, thus making him the first choice to be established as emperor.

Besides, Zhao Zicheng's lineage in the imperial clan was so much more distant than Zhao Gou's. If he didn't strive for the reputation of being the "most hardline member of the imperial clan," how many people would support him?

Thinking of this, Zhao Zicheng finally broke away from his previous belief that "a son of a wealthy family should not sit under a dangerous roof" and no longer believed that "a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall".

On the contrary, he should consider how to gain more fame in the field of "speaking out for the Song Dynasty". In extreme cases, he even thought of a possibility: if he continues to play the role of "the toughest and most successful negotiator among the imperial family against the Jin", when the day of the Jingkang Incident comes, will his uncle Zhao Ji choose him to replace Zhao Gou and go to the Jin camp for the last time, thus stealing Zhao Gou's luck?
Moreover, Zhao Zicheng quickly realized that if he did not carry out the mission that Zhao Gou would later undertake in history, given his current rate of promotion and meritorious service, it would be impossible for him to be rightfully granted the title of king by Zhao Ji.

But if the Jin army were to besiege the city in the future, and the Jin people specifically requested a prince to negotiate, perhaps even detaining him, wouldn't Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) have a different idea? If he didn't trust his own son to negotiate, wouldn't he hastily appoint a distant nephew as a prince and then send him to the Jin to be executed?

This was arguably the most direct and legal way for Zhao Zicheng to become a prince before Zhao Ji was arrested. Zhao Gou might not have cared about the prince's status, but for Zhao Zicheng to inherit the Song dynasty, becoming a prince was essential; otherwise, aside from his own loyal followers, who would unconditionally respect him in the future?
The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!

"However, no matter how high the reward, you have to be alive to enjoy it. Historically, Zhao Gou was released after entering the Jin camp because the Jin state thought he might not be the real prince, or perhaps they felt that Zhao Gou was not a threat enough."

If I have already planned to be sent to the Jin camp as an envoy to fight for the Song Dynasty's honor during the Jingkang Incident, then I must start now to bide my time and at least avoid engaging in war with the Jin people in advance, lest they learn of my military strength and regard me as a major enemy, and then I will no longer be able to play the fool to take advantage of them.

I must maintain a low profile regarding military strength towards the Jurchens, so that they don't specifically or extra wary of me until the very last moment when we officially turn against them and go to war. Only in this way can I ensure that even if I do enter the Jurchen camp in the future, the Jurchens will not be in a hurry to harm me.

Furthermore, relying on oneself is worse than relying on anyone else. Now that I have this idea in mind, I need to devote more energy to practicing martial arts in the next two or three years. This will ensure that if I enter the Jin camp alone or with only one or two followers, I can break out by force if necessary.

Anyway, as long as I argue my case reasonably, save face for the Song Dynasty, and prove that the Song and Jin Dynasties were not at fault in the final war, I can escape from the Jin camp by force. No one in the world will think that I have gone back on my word. This is a reasonable solution, and I will get the title of prince by then.

If they could intercept Zhao Gou's mission, when the Jin people demanded the emperor's personal surrender a second time, Zhao Gou might be detained by the Jin along with Zhao Huan. Even if Zhao Gou still had a chance to escape, then both he and Zhao Huan would be princes, and they could have a fair fight to see who the most important civil and military officials would support.

If that day really comes, we can adapt to the situation and deal with whatever comes our way. In any case, it will definitely be much easier than 'Zhao Gou is a prince and I am not.'"

After understanding this principle, Zhao Zicheng found that his motivation to continue practicing martial arts had never been higher than it was today.

Originally, martial arts training was only for physical fitness, but also allowed him to personally kill some enemies on the battlefield, build good relationships with the martial artists around him, and gain their respect.

But now, he has a very clear goal in learning martial arts: so that in about three years, during the Jingkang Incident, when he is sent as an envoy to the Jin camp, he can enter and fight his way out! He must ensure that if the Jin people want to detain someone, he can break through their encirclement!
The "personal combat strength" attribute, which Zhao Zicheng had previously not valued much, suddenly became extremely important overnight! It could even be said to have a decisive impact on whether he could use the opportunity of "the Jurchens wanting princes to negotiate/be taken hostage" to become a prince in the future!
Instead of being merely seen as "reckless courage".

Back then, Xiang Yu said, "A swordsman who can defeat one person is not worth learning," seemingly showing contempt for individual martial arts. But in the end, it seems he was being hypocritical—saying it's not worth learning, how come your individual martial arts are still the best in the world?
If the roles at the Feast at Hongmen were reversed, with Liu Bang having the stronger army and Xiang Yu having the weaker one, and Liu Bang inviting Xiang Yu for drinks while secretly having his executioners kill him, Xiang Yu, with his martial prowess, could probably have fought his way out of the Han camp.

Therefore, as long as one's personal martial prowess is high enough, it is sometimes possible to resolve predicaments such as diplomatic envoys being detained at the Feast at Hongmen. If Liu Bang could attend the Feast at Hongmen and it became an important asset for him later, why couldn't Zhao Zicheng use it to gain prestige and a title?

Of course, the nature of a virtuous person is not different, but they are good at making use of things. To achieve this goal, one cannot rely solely on personal martial arts skills, but also on developing some powerful weapons and even personal firearms in the next two or three years.

Zhao Zicheng originally believed that developing military technology should focus on mass-produced, readily available standard equipment, ensuring production capacity so that ordinary soldiers could afford it. Developing sophisticated but expensive weapons was not in line with the overall strategy.

But now, the situation has changed. Zhao Zicheng felt it was absolutely necessary for him to acquire two or three pieces of firearms, weapons, and soft armor, regardless of cost, prioritizing only the finest quality. These items were not for the army, but for his future mission to the Jin camp on behalf of the Song Dynasty, to successfully break through and escape the Jin forces.

He has two years, or three at most, to plan this. Until that moment, he cannot reveal his military strength to the Jin people.

If these things are hidden well enough, and kept dormant for two or three years, they can be used specifically for that one moment, completely catching the Jin people off guard and making it seem like they are in an empty place.

In addition, he should also find out in advance who will be his trusted and skilled bodyguards to accompany him. He cannot bring too many people with him in such situations. If he brings too many, he will be detained and imprisoned separately by the Jin people. At most, the Jin people will allow him to keep one or two people to serve him and maintain the minimum dignity of a prince.

Therefore, Zhao Zicheng also had to start considering how to improve the individual combat skills of his one or two most skilled subordinates, as well as their proficiency in using new weapons that would be invented in the future.

(End of this chapter)