I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 156 Zhao Zicheng Single-handedly Conquers Jingdong - Part 1

"Your Majesty, Prince Xiu requests an audience, saying he has a report concerning the defection of several generals from the Eastern Route of Jingdong to the enemy."

One day at the end of July, just as Zhao Huan was racking his brains over the successive surrenders of Jinan Prefecture and Qingzhou to the enemy, and the further deterioration and expansion of the defeats in Cangzhou and Dezhou, a eunuch suddenly came to report that Zhao Zicheng was requesting an audience.

Zhao Huan was at his wit's end and quickly instructed, "Quickly, invite them in!"

Zhao Zicheng quickly came before his elder brother, the emperor, and then sincerely begged for forgiveness: "Please forgive your brother for his mistake in employing the wrong person!"

Zhao Huan was still somewhat bewildered and hadn't grasped the logic: "It is true that the country is in decline and there is turmoil on all sides recently, but what does that have to do with you? What exactly is the matter you are talking about today?"

Zhao Zicheng kowtowed again to plead guilty: "Your Majesty, I am here to apologize for the crimes committed by the garrisons of Jinan and Qingzhou who lost their courage and surrendered without a fight. When I was in charge of Dengzhou and Laizhou, I quelled the rebellion of Song Jiang and led troops deep into Qingzhou and Jinan."

Guan Sheng, the military commander of Jinan, and Qin Ming, the military commander of Qingzhou, both fought alongside my brother. My brother also truthfully reported their past achievements, which is why they were able to sit in their current high positions.

I never imagined these people would be so disloyal and unjust, with not a shred of loyalty to the emperor or patriotism in their hearts! Seeing the Jurchens' overwhelming power and the massacre of Cangzhou and Dezhou, they became cowardly and surrendered to the enemy, daring not to fight.

Your humble brother, Ming, is incompetent in judging people, often misunderstands matters, has made inappropriate recommendations, and has failed in his proper appointments. I beg Your Majesty to entrust me with the task of repelling the enemy and making amends for my past mistakes; if I fail, then punish me to atone for my faults.”

Zhao Huan felt the name sounded familiar no matter how he listened to it.

These words sound just like Zhuge Liang's "Memorial on Dispatching the Troops" and his self-deprecating remarks after returning from a defeat to apologize for Ma Su's situation.

Is Zhao Zicheng also demanding military power? Is that even possible?

Zhao Huan couldn't help but furrow his brow, and said coldly, "Do you want to ask me for military power to quell the rebellion?"

Members of the imperial family are forbidden from leading troops! This is an ironclad rule of the Song Dynasty! If Zhao Zicheng dares to utter this word, then everything he did before was just an act! Zhao Huan will absolutely not tolerate it!
Even if the country has already fallen to such a state, it's still not acceptable!
However, Zhao Zicheng's next words immediately made Zhao Huan lower his guard:
"It is only natural that members of the imperial family should not command troops. Although the country is in turmoil, how dare I presume to ask for military power? I just feel that those traitorous generals may not be so despicable as to be beyond redemption, or they may just be confused for a moment."

Your Majesty, I wish to request permission to go and persuade them to abandon their darkness and return to the Song Dynasty, just as Guo Ziyi single-handedly retreated from the Uyghurs. I do not need troops; I only ask that Your Majesty grant me a chance to go and atone for my sins. I will persuade as many as I can. If I fail, even if I die in the enemy camp, it will be my own fault.

Because this journey is too perilous, my brother's wife and children have remained in the capital. If I were to perish for my country, I beg Your Majesty to look after my widowed and orphaned children day and night!

Another round? Don't want military power? Or go alone to persuade them?

Zhao Huan almost immediately thought of a few months ago when this distant cousin led only a handful of people into the Jin camp to negotiate, and then fought his way out.

Could it be that he still has such confidence in his martial arts skills that he wants to behead those traitorous generals to intimidate and subdue them?
But having done this once, everyone in the world knows he is a peerless martial artist. How could they possibly give him another chance? If they really refuse to see him, what can Zhao Zicheng do when surrounded by layers upon layers of troops?
However, since Zhao Zicheng had already put it this way, Zhao Huan had nothing to say. A prince of the imperial clan had already entrusted his wife and children to prepare for death for his country; how much harsher could the emperor be? If he were any harsher, word would spread throughout the land that the emperor was inhuman.

A prince who doesn't want military power will try to do something for the country and make up for some losses. This cannot be stopped, and it would be unjust to stop him.

Zhao Huan didn't think Zhao Zicheng could persuade many people to change their minds based on his personal prestige, but it wouldn't hurt to try. If it worked, it would be a pure gain; if not, with Zhao Zicheng's martial arts skills, he could probably break through and come back. If he really proved that his martial arts were invincible, then Zhao Huan would definitely not dare to let him out again next time.

Zhao Huan thought for a moment, then added a final confirmation: "Whether things succeed or not, my brother, you must return to the capital as soon as possible. Your bravery is well-known. Since the Jin army has already raided and massacred Cangzhou and Dezhou, they may invade other places at any time."

"I'm counting on my brother's return to help defend the capital. Your main purpose in going is to stop the damage, use your prestige to stabilize the rest, and prevent the rebels from spreading unchecked. That would be a great achievement. Go quickly and return soon."

Zhao Zicheng said, "That is natural. If I can be blessed by Your Majesty and atone for my past sins, I will travel day and night to return to Tokyo."

After much deliberation, Zhao Huan finally believed in the value of Zhao Zicheng's decision to leave his wife and children in Bianjing.

The main reason was that Zhao Zicheng had previously appeared too upright, incorruptible, and loyal. Stopping someone with such an impressive resume would make the emperor seem petty.

Zhao Huan did not feel that the situation was so dire that it required him to be so wary that he would disregard his reputation.

If we trust my cousin one more time, and he leaves any evidence that he's not carrying out orders properly, we'll have a good reason to refuse his request to serve again in the future.

Zhao Huan: "In that case, I will issue an edict: if you can truly persuade those civil and military officials who are temporarily confused to change their minds, I will grant you the authority to act as you see fit and decide on how to deal with them."

However, at most, this is merely an atonement for past transgressions; a promotion cannot be rashly promised, otherwise the people will think that there's nothing wrong with betraying and surrendering again, and how will the court maintain its authority? Furthermore, I hereby grant you the temporary appointment as the Pacification Commissioner of the Jingdong Circuit to quickly stabilize the local population.”

This last assignment was only temporary, because if it wasn't given, Zhao Zicheng wouldn't have a legitimate reason to persuade the emperor to surrender, and others wouldn't believe in the emperor's sincerity.

This title, like the previous one of the Liangzhe Circuit Pacification Commissioner, was something that Zhao Zicheng could easily remove and replace with a prestigious but sinecure position once he returned to the capital.

Zhao Zicheng: "Your subject obeys the decree!"

……

After receiving the imperial decree, Zhao Zicheng finally got his wish. He returned to his residence that day and, without even spending the night there, hurriedly arranged his luggage. He then prepared to take Yue Fei and a few guards and head straight out of the city to Shandong.

His wife, Murong Yan, saw that he was packing hastily and knew that they were about to part ways, so she did not stop him.

"After my husband leaves, would you like me to visit other princesses and other royal consorts? This would put your mind at ease and let you know that your husband did not take his wife with him when he left the capital."

Murong Yan was well aware of her role; she was playing the part of a hostage. However, she harbored no resentment. She knew that her husband was deeply devoted to her and had indeed provided their family with a life of luxury and wealth over the years.

My elder sister is well-read and knowledgeable, and her wisdom and decisiveness enable her to help her husband in civil administration. I, on the other hand, am just a straightforward girl who practices martial arts and can't do anything else.

After her husband left, if the Jin army really attacked, she would break out of the city and put her skills to good use. She believed in her abilities, so she had no complaints.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Zhao Zicheng and Murong Yan had been married for a long time; Zhao Zicheng was twenty-four or twenty-five, and Murong Yan was twenty-two or twenty-three, so there was no need for formalities. The couple didn't need to say anything; they both knew roughly what the other was thinking.

Zhao Zicheng finally told her to take care: "I left all the guards behind. They are all old friends of your Murong family. You can command them as easily as if they were your own arms. Don't wait until the Jin army completely besieges the city. Bianjing is a large city. The Jin army can't completely surround it when they come up. You can leave in advance if you find the right opportunity."

Murong Yan wasn't very politically savvy, nor did she understand the intrigues and power struggles within the royal family. She was also a little worried that leaving too early might tarnish her husband's reputation.

"What if His Majesty intends to restrict the imperial clan from breaking out? The Song Dynasty keeps a very strict watch on the imperial clan; each prince's residence is under the unified protection of the Imperial City Guard. If someone tries to stop me, am I supposed to attack my own people from the Imperial City Guard?"

This is indeed a problem. Even in a desperate situation, fighting against the Song Dynasty's own troops would still damage our reputation. Although we might not care about such trivial matters when the time comes, it's best to avoid it if possible.

After thinking it over, Zhao Zicheng reassured his wife: "If we really have no other choice, what if we have to take action against the guards of the Imperial City Guard? We will openly tell them that the imperial relatives are not willing to sit idly by and wait to die. These people are bullies who are afraid of the strong and dare not stop us in times of war and chaos. If they do stop us, we will take action."

Moreover, I've recently come to know my elder brother quite well; he's the type to try anything when he's desperate. If things really come to a head, he might blindly trust charlatans or allow uninformed outsiders to give orders. Then, it'll be a situation where generals in the field can disobey the emperor's commands—the emperor trusts treacherous officials, yet forbids his subordinates from even trying to save themselves?

Moreover, since my lady wants to make connections with the princesses and royal consorts beforehand, she can also build relationships with them. I don't believe that when chaos reigns, these people won't want to escape together. Well, it's best to avoid associating with those princesses, because if you drag a princess into the escape, you'll implicate the prince, which would be a serious offense and could easily lead to being hunted down by the emperor.

"But if you're just befriending some unmarried princesses, you can act as their sister-in-law and persuade them to band together for mutual support and survival. If a few are willing to take the lead, you, as their wife, only need to take action; the Emperor won't blame our family."

Murong Yan thought about it again and realized that this method was indeed good. If it involved the royal women visiting each other and discussing escaping with their sisters-in-law, it would definitely involve other princes, and there was no reason for a woman to abandon her husband and escape on her own. But if it was just about befriending a few of her sisters-in-law, then when the sisters-in-law took action, they could use the excuse of the sisters-in-law wanting to escape to escape along with them, and let those sisters-in-law bear the hatred and the infamy of "abandoning their emperor, father, and brothers."

Murong Yan could easily disguise herself as a hitchhiker.

The couple finally reached an agreement on a last-minute escape plan from the Jin army. Only then did Zhao Zicheng set off with Yue Fei and a few guards, heading straight for Shandong.

This time, he really won't be coming back.

……

After leaving Bianjing, Zhao Zicheng led Yue Fei and twenty other riders on a wild ride.

He took all the Yan Yun swordsmen he had captured and recruited with him, while leaving the Murong family servants to his wife.

Along the way, they traveled two to three hundred li a day, changing horses at post stations along the way.

Fearing that he might be exhausted, Yue Fei advised him, "Your Highness, although the military situation in the Jingdong Road is urgent, you must also take care of your health. Military strategy says that those who rush to the enemy's aid within a hundred li can become generals. If we arrive exhausted, we may not be able to persuade Guan Sheng and the others to turn back from their misguided ways."

Clearly, Yue Fei was unaware that Zhao Zicheng and Guan Sheng had reached a tacit understanding. It was Zhao Zicheng who advised Guan Sheng in advance to feign compliance and prioritize protecting his own life, the soldiers, and the people.

Therefore, in Yue Fei's heart at this moment, he held Guan Sheng and his ilk in utter contempt. Back when Yue Fei was just a lowly soldier, he was recruited by Guan Sheng, who was then merely a battalion commander. If it weren't for following Zhao Zicheng in meritorious service and Zhao Zicheng's fair and just system of rewards and punishments, how could he and Guan Sheng have risen through the ranks so quickly?

Now Guan Sheng has actually betrayed the imperial court. How can he face His Highness Prince Xiu?

At this moment, Yue Fei's state of mind was probably similar to Zhang Fei's before their reunion at Gucheng—extremely resentful of Guan Yu for surrendering to Cao Cao. "You actually betrayed your elder brother!" If he were to actually see Guan Sheng, he would practically want to stab him with his iron double-hooked spear first! He'd deal with Guan Sheng calmly after he'd pinned him down!

Zhao Zicheng slowed his horse slightly, and Yue Fei immediately handed him a leather pouch of clean water. Zhao Zicheng gulped down several mouthfuls before letting out a long sigh:
"The Emperor is too suspicious. I have risked my life for the country so many times, but as a member of the imperial family, it is ultimately impossible for me to personally command the army and defend the country. Those who eat meat are responsible for the downfall of a country, but every citizen is responsible for the downfall of the world. If I want to contribute to the preservation of the world, I can only do so by obeying the Emperor's orders when I am in the field."

"Having left Bianjing this time is like a bird soaring into the blue sky, a fish entering the vast ocean, no longer bound by cages and nets. From now on, I will only seek to be true to my conscience and to the world, and act in any way that benefits the preservation of the realm and the restoration of the Song dynasty."

Yue Fei was also slightly taken aback when he heard this. Why did these words sound like what Liu Bei said when he escaped from Xuchang?

Isn't that comparing the treacherous officials around the emperor to Cao Cao? Although there are treacherous officials in power in the present world, they don't seem to be on the level of Cao Cao... Never mind, anyway, now that things have come to this, only Prince Xiu can save the world and the Song Dynasty! Loyalty to Prince Xiu and support for the Song Dynasty are never contradictory.

Zhao Zicheng then reassured Yue Fei, telling him that Guan Sheng was merely feigning cooperation with the enemy and there was no need to worry too much or harbor hatred towards Guan Sheng. He added that the journey didn't necessarily involve fighting, so they could travel quickly and didn't need to conserve their energy and adjust their condition as they had done on their previous mission to the Jin camp.

Hearing that there was a high probability that a bloody battle would not be necessary and that the matter could be resolved peacefully, Yue Fei's worries were greatly reduced, and he no longer tried to dissuade Zhao Zicheng from traveling two or three hundred li a day.

……

Zhao Zicheng and Yue Fei traveled swiftly, and in just two days, they arrived near Jinan Prefecture from Bianjing. The distance from Bianjing to Jinan is only about 700 li, and two days would be enough to reach the border of Jinan Prefecture.

Of course, the city of Jinan had already been surrendered to the Jin Dynasty by the newly appointed notorious traitor Liu Yu. And during the time it took for the news to travel back and forth and for Zhao Zicheng to arrive,

As another five or six days passed, the Jin army's advance was further than Zhao Zicheng had initially anticipated.

Having nominally occupied all of Jinan Prefecture and Qingzhou, the Jurchens further seized territory from several counties in the neighboring southern prefectures of Yunzhou and Yanzhou, and even captured Yuncheng, the capital of Yunzhou.

Ironically, perhaps due to the butterfly effect of Zhao Zicheng's swift suppression of Song Jiang, the magistrate of Yuncheng County is still Shi Wenbin, Song Jiang's former superior when he was a clerk. Because Zhao Zicheng quickly suppressed Song Jiang, Shi Wenbin was not implicated and his official career progressed smoothly. Unfortunately, he lacked integrity and surrendered as soon as the Jin army arrived.

As a result, by the time Zhao Zicheng and Yue Fei arrived, the situation was already extremely critical.

If he wanted to reach the outskirts of Jinan and rally Guan Sheng, he would have to cross nearly a hundred miles of enemy-occupied territory.

However, Zhao Zicheng was not afraid. He insisted on taking only Yue Fei and Dugu Jian, along with the remaining nineteen riders, and would travel by night and hide during the day. Before entering enemy-occupied territory, he planned to take a nap during the day to recover his strength and eat some meat and wine to nourish himself.

Then, under cover of night, they covered the last hundred miles and rushed to the outskirts of Jinan to make contact with Guan Sheng.

During his daytime naps, he also took the time to gather the latest information. Yue Fei did not fail in his mission; he killed a small patrol of Jurchen scouts with almost no warning to the enemy, and extracted the information he wanted from them, without letting any of them escape to report back.

Yue Fei said, “Your Highness, I have learned that the Jin people have sent two Xi tribesmen, about two thousand strong, to control the newly surrendered prefectures and counties, and are waiting for an opportunity to continue their southward advance and intimidate and force the counties to surrender.”

The main Jurchen force of the Jin dynasty did not continue its southward incursions, likely indicating a withdrawal of troops with other plans. The Jin army's garrisons were primarily located at various crossing points on the Yellow River and the Ji River, as well as in key cities such as Jinan, Linzi, and Yuncheng. In other locations, the Jin army either had no troops stationed there or only a few hundred auxiliary soldiers.

Because the three prefectures of Jingdong Road had only recently fallen, the Jin people were unable to spare more troops to control the situation. Even if they did send troops, they would only assign such tasks to the Xi people.

While listening to the report, Zhao Zicheng was still munching on a dry meat pie, and at the same time, he was using a leather bag to gulp down some lightly sweet wine to quench his thirst and eat the pie. After a few sips to soothe his throat, he began to inquire more carefully:

"Has anyone found out who the Jin general in charge of monitoring Liu Yu and the others is? Is he easy to deal with?"

Yue Fei: "All I know is that the commander of these two Xi people's Meng'an is named Wanyan Gulan, the ninth son of the current Jin emperor. The one in charge of reorganizing and deploying all the Xi troops in the Jin state is Wanyan Talan, the Jin emperor's cousin. Wanyan Talan has assigned his nephew Wanyan Gulan to command two of the Meng'an to stabilize the gains made in the Jingdong Road."

In the past two days, I've heard that Wanyan Gulan has begun urging surrendered prefectures to plunder and loot the people's wealth, and to concentrate grain supplies to be transported upstream along the Ji River, seemingly to support another war the Jin army is about to wage upstream. Logically speaking, the Jin army may be preparing to attack Tokyo again!

Furthermore, I have learned that when Jinan Prefecture and Qingzhou fell, the Emperor urgently ordered officials of the Jingdong Circuit to defend them on their own. However, Yunzhou also fell the day before yesterday. Hu Zhiru, the Grand Commander of the Jingdong Circuit, who had just arrived at the front lines to oversee preparations, and his trusted general, Sui Shiyuan, were both captured by the Jurchens.

Zhao Zicheng touched his short, thick, and neatly trimmed triangular beard, secretly making plans in his mind.

In the midst of the chaos and emergency, the Jurchens dispatched a total of two thousand Xi soldiers to maintain control of the occupied area along the entire eastern route of Jingdong.

The commander-in-chief was Wanyan Gulan, the ninth son of the Jin emperor and a young general. Although he was young and lacked military achievements and experience, his bloodline was indeed noble enough, after all, he was a prince.

To put it bluntly, the title of "Ninth Prince" in the Song Dynasty was equivalent to that of "Wanyan Gou," making him a truly significant figure.

Two thousand men were spread across three prefectures, and they also had to control key ferry crossings, with each stronghold requiring at least several hundred men. Therefore, Zhao Zicheng was not facing too many enemies in a single engagement. As long as Guan Sheng acted as an inside agent in time, he should have a good chance of success.

Of course, a sneak attack can only be carried out once at most. Once the first target is obtained, the enemy will be on guard if you try to take it back from other places.

When the time comes, we still need to find a way to transfer Zhao Zicheng's trusted troops from Dengzhou and Laizhou, who have been cultivating their forces for many years, to help us fight and take down the last few tough nuts to crack.

Moreover, Zhao Zicheng did not necessarily intend to completely recover the land occupied by the Jin people—for example, places like Yunzhou and Yanzhou, which are further west of Jinan and Qingzhou, and happen to be located on the main road connecting Jingdong East Road and Jingdong West Road.

If these areas cannot be recovered in the short term, it is very likely that when the emperor issues an edict asking Zhao Zicheng to quickly return to defend the capital after he has taken control of the eastern part of the capital, Zhao Zicheng will be powerless to do so.

It's not that we don't want to save our brother, but the Jin army has cut off our rescue route. Zhao Zicheng must retake Yunzhou and Yanzhou before we can reach Bianjing.

If anyone is to blame, it's the Jurchens for cutting off his way in.

(End of this chapter)