I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 152 The Cowardly Emperor Only Wants to Take Advantage of the Victory and Seek Peace
While Li Gang received Zhao Zicheng and offered him words of flattery upon his entry into the city, news of Zhao Zicheng's return was immediately relayed to the palace by galloping horse, reaching the ears of Emperor Zhao Huan.

"What? Prince Xiu fought his way out of the Jin camp? How is that possible! The Jin people are known for their ferocity, how could they have fought their way out? If they really did fight their way out, wouldn't that have completely enraged the Jin people? How can we then negotiate peace and force them to retreat!"

Upon hearing all this, Zhao Huan was so shocked that he couldn't think of anything else and remained completely stunned for several minutes.

Zhao Huan was so shocked that he forgot to breathe. He only gasped for air when he realized he was about to suffocate. Then he began to greedily inhale large gulps of fresh air.

"Never mind that! Quickly summon Prince Xiu to the palace for an audience! Explain the whole story!"

The eunuch who delivered the decree immediately took the order and left, but Zhao Huan hurriedly called him back, as if he had remembered something: "Tell Prince Xiu not to bring weapons into the palace!"

Now it was the eunuch's turn to be completely bewildered: What is Your Majesty saying? Since ancient times, ministers and imperial relatives have never been allowed to carry weapons when they come to court, unless they are exceptionally granted the special privilege of wearing swords and shoes in the palace. Prince Xiu has only been in office for a few days and has never received the privilege of wearing swords and shoes in the palace. Why would he need special treatment?

But since the emperor had emphasized it, those below had no choice but to emphasize it again.

Before long, Zhao Zicheng, who had not even had time to take a bath, only had time to wipe the outside of his armor, drink some water and eat some meat porridge to fill his stomach and relieve his fatigue, entered the palace to pay his respects.

In the rush, only the surface bloodstains on his feathered armor were roughly wiped off, but the inside of each feather tube was still filled with Hun blood. The feather tubes were translucent, and even though the walls of the primary feather tubes of the gyrfalcon were relatively thick, they still looked strangely dark and blood red. It was probably impossible to completely wash off the color in the future.

Before entering the palace, Zhao Zicheng took off his sword and handed it to the palace guards. Then he quickly walked up to Zhao Huan and stopped to salute when they were thirty paces apart.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! I have failed in my duty to the Song Dynasty and have not been able to reach a peace agreement with the Jin. The Jin are arrogant and domineering, and they want to use their power to bully our Great Song. When Wanyan Zongwang was enraged, he even tried to bind, torture and humiliate us. As the envoy of the Great Song, I could not tolerate such humiliation, so I fought my way out of the Jin camp! I can only ask Your Majesty to prepare for a decisive battle with the Jin!"

Zhao Huan was overwhelmed by his straightforward remarks and was momentarily unable to process them.

Moreover, Zhao Zicheng's appearance—with bloodstains wiped off the surface and every feather tube inside soaked in Xiongnu blood—was visually striking and incredibly shocking. Zhao Huan, who had grown up in the deep palace, had never seen such a terrifying aura emanating from someone covered in blood, almost tangible.

If Zhao Huan were a time traveler from the future who had played various games like Three Kingdoms Kill or Zhao Yun Chronicles, he would definitely agree that even the bloodthirsty appearances of those "Ghost Lu Bu/Boundary Lu Bu" characters in the game couldn't possibly be more real or imposing than Zhao Zicheng's appearance at this moment.

Zhao Huan remained silent for a while, then asked a bunch of questions that Li Gang had already asked, still about the spoils and how to break out of the Jin camp.

Zhao Zicheng had no choice but to repeat himself again: "...My brother personally killed a hundred men, and together with his troops, killed two Jin soldiers' fierce generals and plotted to kill several others. Only then did we break through the encirclement."

Your humble servant believes that although these negotiations have broken down, as long as the people of our Great Song are united and of one mind, we can still force the Jin army to retreat. Even if the Jin people are enraged, they will surely seek to withdraw their troops within a month!

Zhao Huan's mind went blank for a moment. He gasped and remained silent for quite some time before asking, trembling:
"How can you be so confident? Do you think the Jin people would retreat in such a state of rage?"

To be honest, although Zhao Huan was a little scared of Zhao Zicheng's appearance, he had considered the idea that "if Zhao Zicheng offended the Jin people too much and ruined the possibility of the Jin people retreating, he should push him out to appease the Jin people's anger."

However, after hearing Zhao Zicheng say that he was still so confident the Jin army would retreat after breaking out of the Jin camp, Zhao Huan felt embarrassed to go too far. Destroying one's own defenses was ultimately too shameful; when there were other options available, how could one be so cowardly from the start?
Meanwhile, Zhao Zicheng on the other side took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and then spoke in a tone that used the past to reflect on the present:

"Your Majesty, do you still remember three years ago when I was just the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, I argued my case with reason during the negotiations to redeem Yanjing, and finally forced the Jurchens to give up their annual tribute and only ask for a one-time military aid payment before backing down?"

Three years ago, when this matter was brought up, the court's narrative had to be somewhat veiled, because at that time, they also had to cover up Tong Guan's military incompetence. The phrase "redemption of Yanjing" could not appear in official court documents or reports, and even when speaking to the emperor, they had to use a different phrasing.

But now Tong Guan has semi-retired, and with the retired emperor going south, Tong Guan has been further marginalized. There's nothing wrong with him speaking frankly to Zhao Huan anymore.

Zhao Huan nodded, indicating that he understood the matter: "I heard my brother mention this old matter again just a few days ago. Back then, the Jin people hastily agreed only because Wanyan Aguda was already seriously ill and could die at any time. The Jin people were afraid of complications... Could it be that things are different now..."

Zhao Huan suddenly thought of a possibility, but he was not too willing to look forward to it.

This person is so timid that even in his dreams he doesn't dare to act decisively and go all the way to do something big.

Zhao Zicheng could only sigh inwardly before bringing up the topic: "That's right, the situation is the same today. When my brother broke off relations with Wanyan Zongwang and broke through the encirclement, he severely injured him with a hidden weapon he had picked up at random. Given the medical skills of the Jurchens, it's impossible for Wanyan Zongwang to fully recover—but rest assured, Your Majesty, it was the Jurchens who attacked first, and they have only themselves to blame!"
Now that the Jin commander-in-chief on the eastern route is critically wounded and on the verge of death, and the western army is bogged down beneath the fortified city of Taiyuan, internal strife is inevitable within the Jin forces, potentially leading to a power struggle. Under these circumstances, how could the Jin dare to continue their assault on Bianjing?

Therefore, in the coming days, the Jurchens may bluff and even use clever words to try and accuse our Great Song of sabotaging negotiations. But their ultimate goal is definitely to make one last profit and then withdraw, planning for the future! At that time, Your Majesty must not fall into the Jurchens' trap and lose the opportunity due to momentary cowardice..."

"Be bold!"

"Insolence! This is utterly disrespectful!"

Before Zhao Huan could react, two eunuchs who held considerable power in the court immediately shouted to stop him—this wasn't considered interference in politics, but merely maintaining the etiquette and order of a court audience. Moreover, the Song Dynasty already had quite a few eunuchs holding military power and supervising the army; even if someone did offer some commentary on government affairs, it wouldn't be considered a big deal in this particular context.

Clearly, the eunuch seized upon Zhao Zicheng's statement that "Your Majesty must not act out of cowardice." As a subject, even merely assuming the emperor might be cowardly is impolite, despite Zhao Zicheng speaking the truth.

Fortunately, Zhao Huan knew his own family was in the family, so he didn't care about his distant cousin's momentary offensive words.

Although this cousin was exceptionally skilled in martial arts and incredibly tough in diplomacy, he ultimately lacked strategic thinking and was too stubborn and headstrong, posing no real threat to the imperial power.

The world cannot be seized by the courage of a mere brute.

If we're talking about sheer brute force, has anyone throughout history surpassed Xiang Yu? Yet, Xiang Yu didn't succeed either. This shows that gaining power still requires cunning and shrewdness; being too headstrong will inevitably lead to a bad end.

Thinking about it this way, Zhao Huan suddenly felt that his tact and yielding were indeed the virtues of a wise and benevolent ruler, which showed that he had the talent of Liu Bang and was as wise and flexible as Liu Bang in protecting himself.

“Alright, these are extraordinary times, let’s not stand on ceremony,” Zhao Huan said, adopting the air of Liu Bang, first forgiving his cousin’s offensive words, then getting straight to the point and pressing for answers.

"I have another concern. Even if Wanyan Zongwang is truly injured and unable to hold on, forcing him to retreat, wouldn't they distort the truth and accuse our Great Song of sending assassins? After all, only a few people witnessed what happened in the Jin army's tent, and our Great Song has no other witnesses. If the Jin people frame our Great Song for injustice and demand compensation, how can we prove our innocence?"

Zhao Zicheng was quite surprised to hear that the emperor was still worried about such a matter at this time. Zhao Zicheng had indeed not thought about this issue before, because he felt that there was no need to worry about it at all.

But even though the emperor asked, he could only think for a moment before replying firmly, "Brother! At this time, such questions are no longer important! If I were a Jurchen, I would have no face to cause trouble with such a reason!"
Even if we take a step back and assume that it wasn't Wanyan Zongwang who broke the agreement and tried to humiliate the envoy of our Great Song Dynasty, but rather that my brother actually launched an assassination attempt, so what? The Jurchens are barbarians; they don't care about 'losing virtue' at all, they only care about 'losing prestige'.

If Wanyan Zongwang were so easily assassinated by my brother, and then so easily driven out of the Jin camp, the Jin people would only feel ashamed! They would rather this matter remain unknown; how could they possibly have the face to bring it up again!

This is like in the 21st century, even if the US's aircraft carrier is bombed by a slipper missile, and it was a slipper that ambushed it, would it have the face to accuse the slipper of the ambush? Absolutely not.

At that moment, what the Ugly country needs most is to quickly cover its face and shout to the world: It didn't hit! It didn't hit!

An entity that establishes its nation through threats, originally considered an unchosen entity, can change the situation once it reveals its vulnerabilities.

If Wanyan Zongwang dared to argue about the details of his motives, such as "whether he first tried to humiliate the Song envoy, or whether the Song envoy suddenly launched an assassination attempt and then attacked", then regardless of the final determination of his motives, the fact itself would become known to the whole world.

How dare the Jurchens do that?

Zhao Huan was taken aback by his cousin's blunt reasoning.

Although I have never heard of this before, it seems to make some sense.

This also shows that this cousin's thinking is really like that of a barbarian... He has no sense of righteousness or morality in his mind, only interests and power.

Allowing such people to conduct diplomacy seems to leave nothing but empty rhetoric and shame, with only both sides resorting to bluster and intimidation.

Diplomacy based entirely on intimidation is truly ugly. I heard he was a proper student of the Imperial Academy, and an official who excelled in both the Imperial Examinations and the Imperial Academy. How could he have become like this?
But it doesn't matter. The more stubborn and easily broken a person is, the easier it is for them to be controlled and exploited by imperial power.

"Since that's the case, I now know all the details. The decisions regarding the subsequent war and peace will be handled by the ministers in the court. My brother, you fought your way out of the encirclement. Go and rest now." Zhao Huan finally made his final decision and allowed Zhao Zicheng to leave.

Even as Zhao Zicheng left, Zhao Huan remained deeply shocked and curious, wanting to know just how skilled his distant cousin was in martial arts to have broken through the Jin camp. Unfortunately, Zhao Huan himself knew nothing about martial arts, so asking was pointless, and even if he were told, Zhao Huan wouldn't understand. He had no choice but to give up.

As long as Zhao Zicheng did not completely destroy the peace talks and there was still hope of getting the Jin troops to withdraw, Zhao Huan was not in a hurry to play the villain and decided to wait and see.

……

After Zhao Zicheng finished his audience and left the palace, Zhao Huan immediately summoned the other ministers who advocated peace to discuss the details of subsequent negotiations with the Jin and persuading the Jin troops to withdraw.

Zhao Huan would not discuss such matters with Li Gang, because he knew that Li Gang was a staunch advocate of war, and contacting him would only make things worse.

So they approached Li Bangyan and Bai Shizhong.

When Zhao Huan recounted the situation that Zhao Zicheng had just reported, the two prime ministers were greatly alarmed. Zhao Huan then asked them how to ensure that the Jin army would retreat because Wanyan Zongwang might be injured.

As expected, these two treacherous ministers were completely convinced and began to draft conditions for "seeking peace while the victory was in sight".

Because the Jin soldiers may have suffered a hidden loss, their willingness to betray their country was slightly reduced.

Historically, if the Song Dynasty wanted to negotiate peace, it would have had to cede land in the three circuits of Hebei and Hedong to the Jin Dynasty, essentially selling off all the territory north of the Yellow River.

The reason the Jin state later launched its second invasion of the south was that "although the Song state signed a treaty to sell the land north of the Yellow River in three regions, it did not actually implement it. Wang Bing of the Hedong region was still stubbornly defending Taiyuan and refused to surrender, so we had to launch another southern expedition to punish the country that violated the treaty."

But in this life, since they had argued with the Jin people to this extent (physics is also a matter of reason), Li Bangyan and Bai Shizhong, although still not quite believing that Zhao Zicheng would assassinate Wanyan Zongwang and seriously injure him, were willing to give him a chance to observe, just in case it was true.

In the eyes of Li Bangyan and others, Zhao Zicheng was probably just bragging; perhaps he hadn't even ventured deep into the Jin camp before fleeing back ahead of time.

If it weren't for the two heads of the Jin people being brought back as a reward, Li Bangyan wouldn't even have believed the fact that Zhao Zicheng had fought against the Jin people.

Therefore, their agreement was to force the Jin people to reach a settlement and withdraw their troops within one or two months. During this period, they could promise to provide the Jin people with money and provisions, but they could not agree to cede territory. They wanted to delay and observe the Jin people's reaction to confirm whether Wanyan Zongwang's injuries were worsening.

After much deliberation, Zhao Huan realized there was no better solution, so he reinstated Zhao Liangsi, who had previously been dismissed from office and punished, and put him in charge of receiving any potential Jin envoys. Zhao Huan dared not send any more envoys to the Jin camp; things had already escalated to such a degree that it was too dangerous. He decided to leave them in Bianjing and wait for the Jin to come to him with their terms.

……

While Zhao Huan and the other Jin people were offering their terms, Zhao Zicheng returned to the temporary residence arranged for him in Bianjing. After the bloody battle and breakout, he also needed to recuperate, so he moved in with his trusted confidants, including Yue Fei, and was well-fed and cared for every day.

As for the feat of breaking out of the Jin camp, Zhao Zicheng did not deliberately publicize it, because Emperor Zhao Huan later sent someone to instruct him not to make a fuss for the time being, so as not to completely embarrass the Jin people and make them unable to negotiate peace and withdraw their troops.

Clearly, this request was what Li Bangyan and Bai Shizhong had envisioned for Zhao Huan. They also feared that if the Jin people lost too much prestige, they would be eager to prove themselves again and try to re-establish their authority, resulting in a fight to the death. Therefore, it was better not to humiliate the Jin people too much in public.

Since the emperor had made this request, Zhao Zicheng could not openly defy the imperial decree. Therefore, he did not publicize his thrilling exploits in public, nor did he associate with or show off to the civil officials in Bianjing.

Even so, news of Zhao Zicheng's bravery, his unwavering loyalty, and his insistence on arguing for justice gradually spread among the garrison of Bianjing and even among the Western Army reinforcements outside the city. Zhao Zicheng's prestige and reputation within the army thus grew slowly and steadily, imperceptibly.

It was impossible to completely conceal all of this. On that day, many soldiers on the walls of Bianjing saw Zhao Zicheng and his two riders, covered in blood and exuding a murderous aura, rushing back to the city. That aura alone was enough to shock people.

For the next ten days to two weeks, the following legend circulated widely among the garrison of Bianjing and the Western Army outside the city:
"Have you heard? Don't let Prince Xiu's position as a civil official, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial in charge of the mission fool you. He's a true warrior, capable of taking on ten thousand men! He fought his way out of the Jin camp!"

"I saw it with my own eyes that day. They brought back the heads of two golden generals, both commanders of a thousand! They were both killed by Prince Xiu himself!"

Ordinary soldiers wouldn't know so many intricacies. Even if Zhao Zicheng publicly stated that Yue Fei and his men killed the two Meng'an commanders, the soldiers would only take it as mere modesty.

The point was to portray Zhao Zicheng as having personally killed the enemy, displaying the bravery of a tyrant, to make the rumor more widely circulated and give the legend more staying power. Over time, the rumor, through the natural selection of its spread, became increasingly distorted. Eventually, it quickly became the story that throughout history, no one except Xiang Yu was more valiant than Zhao Zicheng.

The Western Army generals under Zhong Shidao outside the city, who had fought alongside Zhao Zicheng, were all filled with pride. Although none of them had witnessed the event firsthand, it didn't stop them from boasting about Zhao Zicheng's exploits.

So, from Liu Yanqing and his son Liu Guangshi to Han Shizhong, they all spread the word among their colleagues in the army:
“I saw it long ago that Prince Xiu has the strength to fight ten thousand men! What’s so special about that! Back when we were fighting Fang La, he charged into the midst of ten thousand troops and took the heads of enemy generals more than once or twice. I saw it at least three or five times! No, at least eight or ten times! As long as Prince Xiu is around, there is no battle he can’t win! He himself has killed hundreds of men countless times!”

In short, everything became increasingly bizarre and strange. More and more soldiers of the Western Army who had never had the chance to work with Zhao Zicheng began to sigh: Why weren't we so lucky to have the opportunity to fight the rebels with Prince Xiu? If there had been such a wise king who led everyone to kill enemies and make contributions, who was fair in rewarding and punishing, and who gave everyone hope, the Song Dynasty wouldn't have ended up in this mess!

As the praise for Zhao Zicheng's bravery intensified, Zhao Zicheng dared to keep a low profile and, in recent days, he has been quietly eating, drinking, and recuperating in his newly assigned residence.

This mansion belonged to Wang Fu, the former prime minister who had already been convicted and executed. After Zhao Huan killed his father's close confidants and confiscated their property, he distributed the houses he obtained to his own people. Giving Zhao Zicheng a mansion was also a way of showing his loyalty.

After moving in, Zhao Zicheng recently instructed people to renovate the garden and spend lavishly on luxury items and furnishings, especially rare flowers and stones, to decorate the garden.

When he came to Bianliang this time, he didn't bring many civil officials or attendants with him, only his trusted military generals and guards like Yue Fei. Yue Fei was a frugal man, and seeing Zhao Zicheng's behavior, he didn't quite understand it. He tried to persuade him a few times, but to no avail, so he went back to participate in the city defense, hoping that Li Gang would give him another job.

Even though the Jin army's offensive has ended and he can only patrol the city walls every day, Yue Fei is still willing to find something to do.

During their casual conversation, Yue Fei, with good intentions, suggested that Prime Minister Li visit Prince Xiu to prevent him from suddenly indulging in pleasure and decadence. Of course, Yue Fei didn't say anything inappropriate; he knew the gravity of the situation and couldn't reveal Prince Xiu's condition. He could only advise Prime Minister Li to find out for himself. If it was something Prince Xiu didn't want Prime Minister Li to know, then it was best not to say anything.

Li Gang was far more politically astute than Yue Fei, so upon hearing Yue Fei's words, he guessed that Zhao Zicheng was probably biding his time and seeking land and property.

He chose a day off and visited Zhao Zicheng discreetly when there were fewer people around, not afraid of being disliked.

Upon meeting Zhao Zicheng, Li Gang took the initiative to speak frankly: "Is Your Majesty worried that the news of Your Majesty's escape from the Jin camp is spreading far and wide, and that you are therefore biding your time? While this is not entirely wrong, the country is in such dire straits that everyone should be roused. Your Majesty has become a role model for the soldiers, and if such behavior were to become known, it would likely damage morale."

"Of course, I understand Your Majesty's difficulties. Our Great Song Dynasty has ancestral rules that govern both the imperial family and military officials... Alas."

Zhao Zicheng shook his head, indicating to Li Gang not to worry, and instead had someone bring wine to drink with Li Gang. Then he casually said, "Right Chancellor Li, there's no need to worry. I know what I'm doing. Besides, how can my actions be compared to seeking land and houses?"
It must be understood that times have changed. The Jin army has not yet retreated, and the Emperor, misled by the slander of many treacherous officials, has considered moving the capital. As long as the battle for Bianjing drags on, the military and civilians will inevitably worry that the idea of ​​moving the capital will be revived. At this time, it is even more necessary for us, the imperial family and high-ranking officials, to appease the people through our daily actions.

If the capital were truly to be moved, valuables and precious objects might be transported, but the rare flowers, exotic stones, and other garden decorations would be impossible to move. Otherwise, would they want to repeat the wasteful and burdensome practice of the "Flower and Stone Tribute" during the reign of the retired emperor?

The Emperor bestowed many rewards upon me for my previous mission to the Jin camp. In recent years, I have been in mourning at home, free from the burdens of official duties. My clansmen are devoted to maritime trade, and I have accumulated quite a fortune. Since we are destined to live and die with Bianjing, what's wrong with settling here and buying some rare flowers and stones?"

Upon hearing this, Li Gang felt even more respectful, and at the same time, a little ashamed. He hadn't expected that even his level of knowledge was inferior to that of Prince Xiu; as the chief minister, he truly shouldn't have done so!

Why didn't I think that at this critical juncture, asking for land and houses in Bianjing, especially for those heavy and immovable luxury furnishings, could stabilize people's hearts!

Moreover, specifically regarding Zhao Zicheng as an individual, there was another advantage to his actions: as a prince, he had now demonstrated extremely formidable martial skills and earned the admiration of his soldiers. After the Jin army retreated, the emperor would certainly not dare to send such a person to serve in a remote and distant region; he might even have to keep him under strict surveillance in the capital area.

Zhao Zicheng's decision to spend a large sum of money to purchase trees and rare stones in Bianjing at this time was also a way of implying to the emperor that he would definitely not leave, demonstrating his confidence in defending Bianjing and his absolute obedience to the arrangements made after the war.

It is believed that the emperor will soon relax his wariness of Zhao Zicheng because of this, and may even take the opportunity to ask Zhao Zicheng to bring his wives, concubines and family members over, so that he can more confidently make good use of Zhao Zicheng.

(End of this chapter)