I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 146 Li Gang is subdued, and the Jin army marches south.

According to the original historical trend, the Jin army should have launched an attack on the Song Dynasty in October of that year.

So, just one or two months before the Jin army was expected to launch an attack, Zhao Zicheng, who had just settled the situation in Goryeo and completely calmed the hatred of the Jin people, left the Goryeo Peninsula and crossed the sea back to his hometown of Xiuzhou without stopping.

This step was something Zhao Zicheng had to take in order to prepare for the upcoming war between the Song and Jin dynasties.

Legally speaking, he is still in the period of mourning for his parents.

Although he has spent most of the past two years in seclusion, claiming to be "living in seclusion to observe mourning," the court will definitely think of finding him once war breaks out.

If it turns out he's not in his hometown of Xiuzhou, but has disappeared without a trace, then there will be a big problem.

Zhao Zicheng was very good at distinguishing between priorities and urgency; he knew he had to return to his hometown to await orders before the war began.

His wives and concubines, as well as his trusted generals and personal guards, were all brought back from Goryeo. As for Goryeo, with Song Jiang's men, Li Jun, and Zhao Zicheng's parents-in-law remaining there for the time being, things should be fine for the next few months.

After returning to his hometown of Xiuzhou, he had only rested for two days when, before the war between the Song and Jin dynasties broke out, he encountered a matter that had been overlooked but was entirely reasonable.

It turned out that at the end of August of that year, the then prefect of Xiuzhou was promoted and was about to be transferred back to the capital. The newly appointed prefect of Xiuzhou had also arrived in the area to hand over his duties.

Considering that Zhao Zicheng was a member of the imperial clan and a high-ranking official whose ancestral home was Xiuzhou, and who was observing mourning rites in his hometown, he still held the title of the second-in-command of the Court of State Ceremonies and the title of Duke of Xiu. It was customary for any official who was going to the capital to take up a post as the prefect of Xiuzhou to visit him when he left office.

This way, when he returns to the capital to report on his duties, he can report to the emperor on the current situation of Duke Xiu, whether he has properly observed the mourning period, and whether he has overstepped any regulations during this time.

Local officials had a certain duty of supervision over important members of the imperial family who were in mourning.

Just like when Cao Shuang's confidant Li Sheng was about to take up an official post in Jingzhou, he had to at least visit Sima Yi before leaving Luoyang to see if he was really sick or just pretending.

This was originally not a big deal and not worth Zhao Zicheng's attention.

But the problem lies precisely in the fact that the outgoing prefect of Xiuzhou is named Li Gang.

That's right, it's Li Gang, who is about to go to Bianjing and will later preside over the defense of Tokyo.

In this respect, Zhao Zicheng did not use any special connections or interfere with Li Gang's life trajectory in the slightest. Historically, before his promotion back to the capital, Li Gang's official position was Prefect of Xiuzhou (historical fact).

Between the second and third years of the Xuanhe reign (1121-1132), Li Gang, angered by the emperor's excessive taxation and the resulting peasant uprisings such as the Fang La Rebellion, submitted a scathing memorial criticizing the emperor for neglecting the people's welfare and demanding that he refrain from extravagance and indulgence. He offended both the emperor and Cai Jing, and was subsequently punished and demoted from a palace censor to a low-level tax official in Fujian.

Li Gang served in Fujian for three years with good results and was granted a slight pardon. In early 1917, he was reassigned as the prefect of Xiuzhou, which was Zhao Zicheng's hometown. Unfortunately, Zhao Zicheng's father, Zhao Linghua, had just passed away in the winter of 1915. So when Li Gang arrived, Zhao Zicheng had just been in mourning for several months and was in a state of seclusion, unable to make friends with local officials.

Therefore, for the past year and a half, Zhao Zicheng had basically had no contact with the newly arrived prefect of Xiuzhou. On the one hand, he wanted to avoid suspicion from outsiders, and on the other hand, Zhao Zicheng already knew that Li Gang was upright and intolerant of injustice, and he did not want to reveal his ambitious side to Li Gang in advance.

Now that Li Gang has served a full year and a half in Xiuzhou and is about to be recalled to the court to serve as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Li Gang finally realizes that he needs to visit Zhao Zicheng, the Duke of Xiu, whom he was supposed to be monitoring, before he leaves.

Since he was about to leave anyway, even if he befriended Zhao Zicheng at this point, there would be no opportunity for him to "collude" with Zhao Zicheng later. At this critical juncture, there was no issue of avoiding suspicion regarding "court officials not being allowed to collude with members of the imperial clan".

And coincidentally, Li Gang's post after returning to the capital was Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which, strictly speaking, was a deputy position among the Nine Ministers of antiquity. Zhao Zicheng's post as Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was also a deputy position among the Nine Ministers of antiquity, so the two could be considered equals.

However, the Grand Master of Ceremonies was ranked higher than the Court of State Ceremonies. The Grand Master of Ceremonies was in charge of rites and sacrifices, and was considered more prestigious.

If news broadcasts existed in this era, when announcing the list of attendees at court events, Li Gang's name would likely be read a few minutes earlier than Zhao Zicheng's.

One day in mid-August, around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Gang visited Zhao Zicheng.

He planned to set off after the Mid-Autumn Festival, since spending the festival on the road would be quite unpleasant.

Li Gang had sent an invitation in advance, so when he arrived at the Zhao residence, Zhao Zicheng had already opened the main gate and personally came out to greet him.

"Lord Li is a rare guest indeed. I have been in mourning at home for the past two years and have been neglecting to visit you. I hope Lord Li will not mind my rudeness. Congratulations on your promotion."

Li Gang quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble official has met with Duke Xiu, but I am truly unworthy of such courtesy! This time I have returned to the capital to serve as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When the Duke returns to the capital after his mourning period, I will be ranked alongside him."

Li Gang's return to the capital as prefect was considered a promotion. After his promotion, he was now on par with Zhao Zicheng, so he naturally had to be more humble.

Zhao Zicheng didn't bother with formalities, patted Li Gang on the shoulder, and led him into the courtyard, where he was offered tea and fruit. Li Gang observed the offerings, which consisted of nothing more than plain tea and simple cakes.

Zhao Zicheng casually explained, "During the mourning period, we haven't prepared any meat or wine at our mountain retreat, not even fruit. We can only serve guests plain tea and cakes. Please don't laugh at me, Brother Li."

Li Gang sat down and waved his hands repeatedly in humbly declining, saying, "How dare I? I have long heard of the Duke of Xiu's sincerity and filial piety. Speaking of which, the Duke of Xiu and I are also destined to meet. Back in the second or third year of Xuanhe, I was framed by Cai Jing and exiled to Fujian because I submitted a memorial with strong words, advising Your Majesty against extravagance and waste of the people's resources, which led to popular uprisings."

I remember that the Duke of Xiu was also imprisoned for impeaching Zhu Mian, but fortunately, many students from the Imperial Academy in Dongjing petitioned the emperor in his defense, preventing the emperor from being misled. If it weren't for the Duke's efforts to turn the tide, the Liangzhe region would likely have suffered even longer under Fang La's rule. I served in Xiuzhou for a year and a half, and even now I often hear the people praising the Duke's service to the country and its people.

"Well, those are all things of the past, let's not talk about them," Zhao Zicheng waved his hand nonchalantly. "All I ever wanted in my life was to read for my own amusement, practice martial arts to strengthen my body, understand the principles of the sages, and find solace in nature. That was enough for me."

However, after returning home from studying at the Imperial Academy, I happened to witness Zhu Mian extorting and harming the people. I was young and indignant at the time, and spoke out for justice. Gradually, I became involved in the grudges and feuds of the treacherous officials in the court, and could not extricate myself. As for meritorious service and promotion, it was not my wish. How could I not know that as a member of the imperial family, I should carefully uphold my duties as a subject and remain humble and inactive?

It was truly because Fang La rebelled in my hometown that I had no choice but to fight him, a scholar, with a sword, to protect my fellow villagers. Even after Fang La was defeated, I only hoped that this would end there, and that future generations would remember me for restoring peace to the Liangzhe region for the Song Dynasty and protecting the peace of this area.

After that, everything was like a tree wanting to be still, but the wind wouldn't stop. My father's passing was undoubtedly a deeply sorrowful event, but in the past two years, I've been able to find solace in nature, entertaining myself with poetry, calligraphy, and swordsmanship, and no longer being remembered by others—that's a good thing. Brother Li, when you return to the capital, please try not to mention me. After all, my position as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices doesn't hold much real power; matters of negotiation with other countries will be handled by Minister Zhao Liangsi.”

Li Gang was deeply moved by his heartfelt words. The Duke of Xiu's indifference to fame and fortune, and his knowing when to advance and retreat, were truly a model for the imperial family.

He had been propelled by fate by chance, achieving so many legendary accomplishments and rising through the ranks so rapidly in just four or five years. Yet, after his father's death, he was able to adjust his mindset so quickly and well, showing no attachment to power whatsoever.

What magnanimity and breadth of mind this is!

To be honest, none of the close relatives of the imperial clan who were considered "wise princes" were as good as Duke Xiu in terms of character and magnanimity.

However, if any other civil official had come to visit Zhao Zicheng today simply to gather information, they would have been quite satisfied with what they heard. But the problem is that it was Li Gang who came today.

Li Gang is definitely among the court officials who have the deepest understanding of the danger level of the situation in the north.

Seeing Zhao Zicheng's "indifference to fame and fortune," he became somewhat worried.

“Why is the Duke so indifferent to state affairs? As things stand, although Yan and Yun have been recovered, the northern frontier is far from secure. The Duke negotiated with the Jin two years ago and should know best the greedy nature of the Jin! In early summer, Emperor Tianzuo of Liao was captured by the Jin, and the Liao Kingdom was completely destroyed. I have been worried that the days of mutual dependence are not far off,” Li Gang analyzed sincerely.

Zhao Zicheng knew he couldn't overact at this point, after all, he had participated in the negotiations with the Jin dynasty two years prior to redeem Yanjing. Therefore, he fairly and partially agreed with Li Gang's statement:

"I have seen the Jurchens' ambitions, but as long as the court is united and the people are of one mind, the Song Dynasty can hold out against them. Now that we have the Yan-Yun defense line and the Yan-Shan barrier, it will be geographically more difficult for the Jurchens to move south than it was for the Liao people before."

When Zhao Zicheng said this, his expression made it seem as if he genuinely believed it.

In fact, given his current status, he should indeed believe this—if, in the past two years, after Tong Guan reclaimed Yanjing, he had properly managed the Yanshan defense line, taken advantage of the geographical advantages of northern Hebei, and even slightly repaired some of the damaged sections of the Great Wall, such as improving Juyong Pass near Yanjing, then the Song Dynasty would indeed have some hope of using its geographical advantages to keep the Jin people out.

But in fact, Tong Guan wasted two years. On the one hand, Yanjing was indeed in ruins. When it was taken back, there were no supplies or people. Everything had to be supported by the surrounding prefectures, and the transportation costs were enormous.

On the other hand, it must be said that the civil service system in the late Northern Song Dynasty was indeed inefficient. Funds and provisions were raised but not used effectively; everything was done half-heartedly, resulting in nothing being accomplished in two years. From this perspective, some local officials in Yan and Yun, as well as generals who exploited soldiers, deserved to be executed. However, the systemic problems were too severe, and historical records cannot pinpoint a single person to be held specifically responsible.

Of course, Zhao Zicheng is currently in mourning and unemployed at home. He shouldn't know how badly Tong Guan's men have performed in Yanyun over the past two years. He can only comment on the matter in a matter-of-fact tone so that Li Gang won't become suspicious.

As expected, after hearing Zhao Zicheng's analysis, Li Gang immediately showed a disappointed expression, slapping his thigh and sighing, "The Duke is judging a petty person by the standards of a gentleman. Tong Guan is in Hebei; how could he possibly be serious about managing the Yan-Yun defense line! The so-called strategic advantage of the Yan Mountains is mostly unreliable!"
Even though I haven't personally been to Hebei, I can still glean some information from the rumors circulating among officials and commoners. The Duke is in mourning and has closed his doors to visitors, which is why he's unaware of the current state of affairs! Although I've returned to court this time to serve as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, if the country truly faces any upheaval, I certainly cannot hesitate to risk my life!
Ironically, many in the court still harbor illusions about the Jurchens, believing that the current tension stems from the court's harboring of the traitor Zhang Jue, and that the northern borders would be forever peaceful if Zhang Jue were not taken in! They are utterly narrow-minded!

If someone could see things from a god-like perspective, they would know that there is only a little over a month left before the Jin army's actual invasion. Given Li Gang's insight and prediction, it's not surprising that he could have such insight and prediction, because some Jin soldiers on the border have already shown signs of provoking conflict under false pretenses.

Zhao Zicheng could only pretend that he had just learned of these things, and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this really true? Although I know that the Jin people have always had wolfish ambitions, I did not know that Tong Guan had failed to strengthen the defenses of the Yan-Yun border in the past two years? Are the ministers in the court so careless? Alas, if that day really comes... I suddenly remembered something. Here are a few things that Brother Li might find useful. Please wait a moment."

After Zhao Zicheng finished speaking, he let Li Gang sit and drink tea by himself. He went to his study in the backyard and lingered for a long time before returning with some scrolls. In fact, Zhao Zicheng could have found them immediately, but he deliberately took his time to look for them, so that he would appear to be "unconcerned with state affairs and focused on mourning his parents," and that he couldn't remember any of the previous political matters.

Seeing his seriousness, Li Gang also stood up: "I wonder what this is?" Zhao Zicheng spread the item out in front of Li Gang: "Two years ago, I participated in the negotiations to redeem Yanjing. I argued with reason and strength, and at that time I discovered some clues, but the timing was not right, so I did not dare to report to anyone."

The reason the Jin people backed down and refused to pay tribute was not because they knew they were wrong. Rather, it was because the Jin ruler, Wanyan Aguda, knew he was seriously ill and about to die. He feared instability within the Jin state after his death, so he was eager to reach an alliance and thus abandoned the demand for tribute.

Later, the Jurchens tried every means to cover it up. According to my secret investigation, Wanyan Aguda died in Yanjing just a few days after signing the contract! But the Jurchens kept his death a secret and kept claiming that Aguda died in October and in the rear palace. The Jurchens even fabricated their own records.

There are various other pieces of corroborating evidence, all of which prove that the Jin people reached the treaty not out of sincerity, but out of helplessness. However, since the Song and Jin dynasties had not yet broken off relations at that time, I cannot bring up these things, as doing so would be considered damaging diplomatic relations.

But I have, after all, shouldered the important task of negotiation, so naturally I must try my best to understand the details of our neighboring countries. Therefore, I have always kept these things hidden. Since the country doesn't need them, it's best for me to let them rot there.

Since the two countries may now be at war, and there may be weak-willed individuals in the court who harbor illusions about the Jin people, and even want to take all the blame for the war upon ourselves when the time comes, then I naturally cannot agree to it. No matter how much evidence we have, as long as we present it, it will at least be able to unite the people and prevent the morale of our Song army and civilians from being low due to feeling guilty.

"I am still in mourning and unable to serve the country, so I entrust this evidence to Brother Li. I hope you will make good use of it to unite the people of the nation!"

After listening, Li Gang became even more respectful. He was a cautious man and would not believe it immediately, so he personally reviewed it repeatedly. He found that Zhao Zicheng had indeed done his homework very thoroughly. He had collected as much information as possible about the clues he had observed during the negotiations two years ago, as well as any information that could prove that "the Jin people did not keep their promises out of sincerity, but out of helplessness, just to appease our Great Song Dynasty".

These things may have limited evidentiary value, but war between two countries is not a lawsuit. As long as they have even a little bit of evidentiary value, so that one's own people and soldiers feel less guilty, that is good.

Li Gang could easily deduce that if the day of war truly arrived and morale needed to be boosted, submitting this material would undoubtedly be a great achievement—provided, of course, that the emperor favored war. If the emperor advocated peace and refused to fight at all, then this achievement would be of little use.

"Duke Xiuguo... these tasks, if it really comes to the point where the two countries are locked in a life-or-death struggle, would be a great achievement, of great use in uniting the people of the nation. With such merit, how could Duke Xiuguo ask me to present it up? How could I possibly claim credit for myself?"

Li Gang blurted out an idiom, but after saying it, he felt something was off, but he didn't have time to think about it anymore.

Claiming credit for the work of Heaven is to claim credit for the will of Heaven, not necessarily for the imperial family or the emperor. The fact that Duke Xiu was able to produce this item is, to some extent, a sign of "Heaven's blessing upon the Song Dynasty," and Li Gang's use of this idiom is not wrong.

Zhao Zicheng remained as indifferent to fame and fortune as ever: "Does it matter whose credit it is? As long as it benefits the country and can be put to use as soon as possible, why distinguish between them? Are you saying that just because you are greedy for credit, you have to wait until the end of your mourning period and return to the capital to take up your post before you bring this out?"

Li Gang was speechless for a long while before bowing respectfully to Zhao Zicheng: "Duke Xiuguo is a man of high moral character, putting the country first, and is truly a model for our time! However, in this matter, I am ultimately not in a position to interfere. If I were to present these evidence files, I would have to explain the situation and say that they all came from Duke Xiuguo..."

Zhao Zicheng casually offered a suggestion: "I don't want to draw attention to this. If Brother Li can't find an excuse and is afraid of not being able to explain the source of the intelligence, then you can cooperate with Zhao Liangsi. Back then, I was the deputy envoy and he was the chief envoy. He still holds the position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. You can discuss it with him. As long as these things are usable, just say that Zhao Liangsi found them."

Zhao Zicheng's words only fueled Li Gang's fervent admiration for him.

What a remarkable feat it is to leave without a trace, concealing one's merits and fame!

"If the nation can escape this calamity, it will all be thanks to Duke Xiu! Please accept my bow once more! I am not trying to curry favor, but simply admiring those of noble character who serve the country and its people without regard for personal gain!"

With tears welling in his eyes, Li Gang was about to kneel down when Zhao Zicheng gently brushed him up with his sleeve. Zhao Zicheng then said a few words of encouragement and saw Li Gang out of the mansion.

In this matter, Zhao Zicheng is definitely not at a loss.

Although his work from two years ago cannot be immediately known to the world, it is enough for Li Gang to know.

If Li Gang were to seize power in the future, and something were to happen to the emperor, Li Gang would certainly have considerable influence over the question of "whom to support." Moreover, when that time truly comes, Li Gang could testify on his behalf.
"Before the Jurchens invaded the south, Duke Xiu disregarded his own interests and entrusted me with certain evidence to boost morale and encourage me to use it properly." As long as Li Gang tells the truth, more or less people will believe him.

Zhao Zi said there was no need to rush; they should just play the long game.

……

After Li Gang bid farewell to Zhao Zicheng, the Mid-Autumn Festival quickly passed. Li Gang dared not delay and rushed to the capital without stopping. The journey took very little time, and he arrived in the capital in less than half a month.

This is already a great effort for a newly appointed civil servant.

After taking office, Li Gang familiarized himself with his duties while also contacting Zhao Liangsi, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, to inquire about the situation from that year. He presented Zhao Zicheng's materials and evidence to Zhao Liangsi for verification.

Zhao Liangsi, a participant in the negotiations two years prior, still vividly remembered everything and quickly corroborated Zhao Zicheng's account. He added that he regretted not being more careful enough to gather evidence of the Jurchens' wolfish ambitions beforehand, but thankfully, Duke Xiuguo had been more vigilant.

Just a few days after Li Gang and Zhao Liangsi discussed and planned, news finally arrived that the Jin army was officially marching south.

Within the capital city of Tokyo, several alarms erupted in a single day. Emperor Zhao Ji was in a state of panic, ordering all forces to immediately strengthen defenses and simultaneously issuing urgent orders to Tan Zhen, the eunuch supervising the army in Hebei, urging him to oversee troop movements.

Tan Zhen had been an important military supervisor eunuch for several years. Five years ago, when he was sent to conquer Fang La in Jiangnan, he accompanied the emperor. At that time, his status was far lower than that of Tong Guan. However, after Tong Guan was restored to Yan and enfeoffed as the Prince of Guangyang two years ago, Emperor Huizong of Song began to be wary of Tong Guan. He felt that Tong Guan was now a prince and could not be allowed to control military power anymore.

Therefore, Emperor Huizong gradually allowed Tong Guan to retire from public life, and Tan Zhen gradually took over Tong Guan's power as military supervisor. At present, Tong Guan actually had no military power at all.

However, Zhao Ji's various measures had no effect. After only half a month of fierce fighting between the Yan-Yun border troops and the Jin army, Yanjing fell.

Subsequently, Yizhou, Bazhou and other places also fell. Guo Yaoshi, who had previously defected from Liao to Song, also defected to Jin again and became a servant of four masters.

The wheels of history had only just turned into November of the seventh year of the Xuanhe era when the Jin army continued its southward march, recklessly heading straight for Bianjing to carry out a decapitation strike.

Apart from Zhao Zicheng, no citizen of the Song Dynasty in the world would have imagined that the Jin army's sneak attack could be so successful and so far-reaching.

Emperor Huizong was both shocked and furious, and immediately wanted to hold some of those responsible accountable.

Some border generals who failed in battle or abandoned their troops and fled were executed on the spot by the supervising eunuchs dispatched by Emperor Huizong.

Of course, some civil officials in the imperial court also had to be punished to appease the people.

Historically, the first group to suffer misfortune was Zhao Liangsi, who had advised Tong Guan and Emperor Huizong to restore the Yan state. Zhao Liangsi had risen to the position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, wielding considerable power over foreign relations. In Emperor Huizong's view, if he hadn't been the one to instigate the Song Dynasty's attempt to recover Yan and Yun, how could the Song Dynasty have offended the Jin Dynasty and been invaded by them?

Therefore, all those who advised the emperor to recover lost territories should die! It was their ambition and love of quick success that led to the downfall of the country! At least that's what Emperor Huizong thought.

Then, following the established historical pattern, Zhao Ji ordered Zhao Liangsi to be dismissed from his post, stripped of his title, interrogated, and beheaded to appease the world.

However, history has been slightly disturbed here.

Just when Zhao Liangsi was supposed to be beheaded, Li Gang, who had been in office for less than two months as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, spoke out at a court meeting to plead for Zhao Liangsi's innocence.

"Your Majesty, please see the truth! The Jurchens' wolfish ambitions have long been exposed. Even if our Great Song did not provoke the Jurchens, they would have attacked our Great Song sooner or later! Even if our Great Song had not allied with the Jurchens to destroy the Liao, the Jurchens could have destroyed the Liao on their own."

How can we rashly kill a loyal official just because of a few mistakes made by the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies during negotiations with the Jurchens! Is it wrong to advise His Majesty to restore the Yan-Yun region?

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) naturally looked down on Li Gang, a mid-level official who had just been appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He immediately rebuked Li Gang and threatened to demote him again.

However, Li Gang quickly produced some evidence provided to him by Zhao Zicheng and argued forcefully in court that "the Jin people have long harbored ambitions, and their current pretext for declaring war is nothing more than a fabricated charge." His words were poignant and heart-wrenching, pointing out that the emperor's purge of the pro-war ministers at this time was absolutely boosting the enemy's morale and crushing the spirit of the Song army, which should not be ignored.

Seeing that Li Gang's words were indeed earnest and intense, and that there was nothing wrong with them on the surface, Emperor Huizong did not want to make a big fuss and cause morale to decline further.

For now, the only option was to handle the situation calmly and spare Zhao Liangsi's life, but at least strip him of his official position and reduce him to a commoner.

Li Gang was also fined and warned, and ordered to reflect on his actions.

It is estimated that Li Gang will not be able to play much of a role until Zhao Ji abdicates.

But Li Gang's reputation as a pro-war advocate was established, and Zhao Liangsi's life was saved. Many students in the Imperial Academy in Tokyo began to spread the righteous deeds of these pro-war advocates.

In the foreseeable future, Li Gang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Zhao Liangsi, the former Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, will undoubtedly become staunch supporters of Zhao Zicheng. Zhao Zicheng, in a sense, saved Zhao Liangsi's life.

At this critical juncture, Li Gang and Zhao Liangsi are not about to reveal the source of their intelligence or say that all the corroborating evidence they had gathered about the Jurchens' "long-standing ambitions" came from Zhao Zicheng.

Once the time is right, Li Gang and Zhao Liangsi will definitely become witnesses to prove Zhao Zicheng's foresight.

(End of this chapter)