I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 168 Sweeping the Capital, Welcoming Back the Two Saints

"What kind of weapon is this? Isn't it for launching iron balls?"

With Yue Fei's sudden barrage of shotgun shells, Wanyan Zhamu was completely stunned, never expecting that the Song people's cannons could also fire like this in cavalry battle.

Taking advantage of the opportunity created by the world's first cavalry cannon shot bombardment of densely packed iron cavalry, Yue Fei immediately ordered his iron cavalry to accelerate and charge towards the bewildered and scattered Jurchens.

In the darkness, Yue Fei could not see the enemy's identity, but he desperately fought his way towards the direction of the Jin banner.

A double-hooked iron spear whirled up and down, taking advantage of the still-dazed state of the Jin soldiers from the bombardment, reaping them one by one. Countless Ironclad Pagoda soldiers were stabbed to death by him without any fancy moves, while his troops also charged forward bravely, hacking and slashing wildly at the Ironclad Pagoda soldiers.

The bewildered and chaotic Jin soldiers were hacked, chopped, and stabbed off their horses by the Song army's iron cavalry. Yue Fei, like a god of war, charged forward like a mad tiger, his momentum soaring high.

As he killed, he lost count of how many old thieves with gray hair and beards he had stabbed to death. Among the crowd, a general with particularly striking armor was none other than Wanyan Zhamu, who was killed by Yue Fei in the darkness, mistaken for an ordinary officer.

With the collapse of the 1,000 Iron Pagoda Cavalry, the remaining cavalry were rendered ineffective and were completely scattered by Yue Fei.

After defeating the enemy in front, Yue Fei left a few soldiers to guard the artillery positions, while he led the main force directly into the breached city walls and gates.

With Wanyan Zhamu killed and his cavalry severely damaged, the remaining soldiers defending the capital city were no longer a threat.

Yue Fei leaped through a gap on his horse, landing mid-air and killing two Jin soldiers who tried to block the gap. He then charged into the main street, followed closely by his comrades.

"Where is your dog emperor? Where are the Song prisoners you captured? Tell me and I'll spare your life!"

When Yue Fei was charging into battle, if he encountered someone who looked like a Jurchen official dressed in respectable clothes, he would knock them to the ground with his spear and temporarily stop defending them, only wanting to interrogate the prisoners and find out the whereabouts of the Jurchen leader.

"Song pigs! Our Jurchen warriors are not afraid of death!" Some Jurchen officials were captured in the chaos, but they still pretended to be tough and refused to confess.

Yue Fei had no time to waste with them. He would simply stab anyone who didn't say anything to death with his spear. When he pulled the spear out, he would turn it ninety degrees so that the double hooks at the back of the spear would pull out some of the opponent's internal organs as they pulled back.

After such a brutal massacre of more than a dozen Jurchen officials, the remaining prisoners were finally paralyzed with fear, wetting their pants and crying out in confession: "His Majesty has already broken out of the city! The Song prisoners are in the cellars outside the West Palace! They were originally used to store vegetables for winter!"

Yue Fei knew it was impossible to capture or kill the Jurchen emperor. He had too few men and neither the time nor the ability to surround all the city gates. It would be good enough if the enemy could escape.

Now that the location of the prisoners has been found, the most important thing right now is to rescue them.

However, the Jurchens were not stupid. Knowing that the Song people wanted to rescue the prisoners, and having witnessed the Song people's betrayal and their indiscriminate killing of nobles in the city after breaking into the capital, the Jurchen guards could not help but feel a desire for revenge.

In their view, when the Jin Dynasty broke into Bianjing, they did not massacre the entire city or kill all the captured Song imperial family members! But Yue Fei's sneak attack this time was shameless; he killed any Jurchen nobles he saw without even asking any questions!
This is actually quite normal. Yue Fei was launching a surprise attack from a distance of thousands of miles; he wouldn't have had time to capture a large number of prisoners alive and take them away. He would have killed everyone he saw. Unless it was a high-ranking official like a Jurchen prince, it would have been impossible to capture them alive.

But his resolute desire for revenge ignited the extreme hatred of the Jin guards. In their eyes, it was because these Song prisoners had attracted Yue Fei that he wanted to rescue them; therefore, they had to kill them and make Yue Fei repent for his crimes!

Even if killing the hostages would waste their escape time and prevent the Jurchen guards from escaping, they would still kill as many prisoners as possible!
In the end, because Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were of such high status, the Jurchen guards dared not kill them without orders and could only hastily escort them away in an attempt to move them.

The vast majority of other Song princes, even empresses, princesses who were already married, and their husbands, died under the Jurchens' retaliatory swords.

Only a few with good sense managed to hide or slip into the pile of corpses and play dead in the chaos, thus escaping the calamity.

Zhao Huan was being escorted by the Jurchens. He had only staggered two streets when he was suddenly confronted by Yue Fei leading his iron cavalry straight towards him.

Perhaps Zhao Huan was tired of living like this, and from who knows where the courage came from, he actually shouted at the top of his lungs, "General, save me! I am the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty!"

"You're asking for death!" The Jurchen officer escorting Zhao Huan was furious and was about to draw his sword and hold it to Zhao Huan's neck to force him to shut up.

But Zhao Huan seemed to have had enough of the daily humiliation and cursed, "Golden dogs! Even if I die today, my corpse will be returned to my hometown! Don't even think about humiliating me again!"

A conflict arose among the guards. The one with the worst temper raised his knife to kill Zhao Huan, but another stopped him, intending only to knock Zhao Huan unconscious and take him away.

But in the midst of this tug-of-war, Yue Fei had already rushed forward, drew his precious bow from his horse, and shot an arrow that struck the throat of the Jin man holding a knife, Mouke. The man coughed up blood and collapsed.

Upon seeing this, Mou Ke, who was wielding a spiked club, no longer cared about hitting Zhao Huan. He turned around and swung his club to fight Yue Fei, but Yue Fei put down his bow, took out a pistol, and shot him dead in the face.

The first time Zhao Huan heard a gunshot in person was at close range, which really startled him, and his gaze towards Yue Fei became blank.

The gunshot still caused Zhao Huan to experience a slight ringing in his ears. Although he clearly saw Yue Fei rapidly approaching and rushing in front of him, shouting something, it took Zhao Huan a long time to react.

"Are you an official? Do you have any proof?"

"I...I am Zhao Huan! General, save me!" Zhao Huan had completely lost his former imperial dignity and was pleading with Yue Fei, who was riding on horseback.

Yue Fei was also very meticulous and cautious. He leveled his double-hooked spear and asked in a cold voice, "How can you prove that you are the Emperor? The military situation is urgent, so please forgive my rudeness and answer a few questions—if you are really the Emperor, do you remember what His Highness Prince Xiu said when he asked you to resign and go to Jingdong Road to quell the rebellion?"

Zhao Huan was taken aback, never expecting his identity to be questioned. Although several of his relatives had survived with him, their accusations and conflicting statements made it difficult for Yue Fei to believe him.

Zhao Huan's mind raced, as if recalling something. He clung to it like a lifeline, boasting, "So, General, you were sent by Brother Zicheng? Could you be the brave warrior who protected him as he fought his way out of the Jin camp? You truly deserve to be the number one warrior of our Great Song!"

When I sent my esteemed brother Zicheng out of the capital, he said he wanted to emulate Guo Ziyi's solo retreat against the Uyghurs and persuade the generals who had followed Liu Yu in his rebellion to switch sides! Only my esteemed brother Zicheng and I were present at the time; no outsiders heard these words—he must have told the general this when he sent him, right?

Yue Fei nodded, cupped his hands towards Zhao Huan with his spear in hand, and said, "This humble general is Yue Fei, the Defense Commissioner of Xuzhou. Please forgive me, Your Majesty, for not being able to perform the full ceremony due to my armor. Please mount your horse, Your Majesty, and I will personally protect you and fight our way out!"

Zhao Huan dared not resist at all, and did whatever Yue Fei said. He found a relatively docile warhorse to ride, while the Song cavalrymen who had their horses replaced temporarily chose the warhorse of the slain Jin officer. The group continued on their way.

……

Yue Fei burned, killed, and rescued soldiers in Shangjing City for half the night. He only allowed his soldiers to rest for a watch before dawn, and then left the city to return east.

He had to break through the encirclement before other troops and hastily recruited Jurchen hunters and fishermen from the surrounding area of ​​Shangjing Road could surround him. The Jurchens were a nation of soldiers, and although there were not many regular troops in Shangjing, their war potential was terrifying once they were fully mobilized in the face of a life-or-death crisis.

Even the women and boys there can ride horses; they are not to be underestimated.

Before leaving the city, Yue Fei had already rescued Zhao Huan, and even managed to rescue Zhao Ji as well. In addition, he hastily looted some particularly valuable valuables, replenished his food and meat supplies, had a big meal, and then set off. Before leaving, he also set fires all over the city.

Zhao Ji's physical condition was much worse than Zhao Huan's, and he suffered great fright during the process. He was also beaten and forced to leave by the Jurchen escorts, and he suffered some injuries—compared to being killed, these minor injuries were completely insignificant.

"Can the Emperor Emeritus's health withstand the jolting of the carriage? Should we retreat with him? Or should we stay here? I believe that when the Jurchens return, they won't kill the Emperor Emeritus." Yue Fei asked, concerned for his health.

Zhao Ji, however, reacted as if he had heard a ghost story, grabbing Yue Fei tightly with his withered, claw-like hands: "General Yue, save me! I must go back! Even if I die on the way, my bones will return to the country, which is better than staying here with the Jurchens and suffering humiliation!"

"In that case, I have no choice but to offend you!" Yue Fei didn't waste any words. He had someone find a vehicle that could barely be considered a carriage, put some cushioning inside, and then dragged Zhao Ji along with the group at breakneck speed.

The journey back was very long, and Yue Fei encountered two more pursuits and ambushes along the way.

During his retreat, he would pre-load the cannons with shrapnel. If he couldn't escape, he would set up the cannons and unleash a volley of shrapnel at the enemy before charging with his cavalry.

Finally, when the cannons ran out and the troops were exhausted, they broke out of the plains of Shangjing Road and were about to cross Anchuhu Ridge. Considering the logistical difficulties of the march, Yue Fei ordered all the cannons to be destroyed and the wreckage to be sunk to the bottom of the Suifen River, where the Jin people would certainly not be able to find them.

After freeing up the cannons, the total weight was reduced by 10,000 to 20,000 kilograms (including the weight of cannonballs and gunpowder), which finally allowed for the transport of more wounded soldiers and rescued prisoners.

Lightly equipped, the Jurchen patrols never caught up with Yue Fei again. Perhaps they were completely baffled by Yue Fei's route of rapid retreat, never imagining that he would head east towards the sea.

In fact, even at this point, the Jin people still didn't understand which direction Yue Fei came from at the beginning, and some people still think that he appeared as if he were a divine soldier descending from the sky.

After Yue Fei fled far away, Emperor Wanyan Wugumai of the Jin Dynasty, dragging his frightened and ailing body, slowly returned to Shangjing under the cover of several thousand hastily assembled troops.

Before entering the city, he specifically ordered his men to repeatedly cast nets to search, ensuring that the Song army had not left any small groups of assassins lying in ambush. His actions were downright terrified. Back in Shangjing, Wanyan Wuqimai saw tens of thousands of Jin soldiers who hadn't had time to escape and had been killed, their heads hastily gathered and piled up.

Amidst the pile of human heads, a wooden plaque inscribed with blood reads, "The grudge against Bianjing is only a fraction of what it was today."

Everywhere were ruins and charred remains left by the fire. The earliest palace of the Jin dynasty was also burned down by Yue Fei.

Wanyan Wuqimai was already covered in dust and had suffered minor injuries from fleeing overnight, and was also extremely frightened.

Being so humiliated at this moment, the psychological gap was too great, and his spirit could not withstand it. He spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately fainted.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

"Quickly, someone wake His Majesty up!"

A group of disheveled Jin nobles frantically tried to revive Wu Qimai, some spraying water, others pinching his philtrum.

Wu Qimai was stunned for a moment, as if he remembered something: "Let...let Zonghan lead the troops in the south, and summon the rest of the imperial clan and close relatives to Yanjing as soon as possible. I...I should also go to Yanjing in person to hand over important matters..."

As Wu Qimai spoke, he coughed violently for a long time and vomited some black blood.

Historically, he had another six or seven years to live, but this great calamity clearly damaged his physical health and vitality. He also felt that his life was nearing its end and had to make arrangements for his affairs with the younger generation.

If history had followed its original course, he would have lived another six years before dying, and the throne might have passed to his elder brother Aguda's eldest grandson, Wanyan Dan. But now it has happened at least six years earlier, and Wanyan Dan is at most a ten-year-old child, not sixteen.

In a time of national crisis, how could a ten-year-old child be made emperor? In such circumstances, it is essential to emphasize that "a country with a wise and capable ruler is a blessing for the nation."

Moreover, because it was done at least six years earlier, Wanyan Dan currently does not hold any official position. Historically, Wanyan Dan would have received his first honorary official title three years later.

Therefore, Wu Qimai's desire to pass the throne to his own son, Wanyan Zongpan (Pu Luhu), is still very strong.

However, other princes and nobles might also hope that the throne would be returned to the descendants of Emperor Taizu Aguda. If the eldest grandson, Wanyan Dan, was still too young, and Wanyan Dan's biological father, Aguda's eldest son, had died young, then Aguda's other sons from concubines might also join the competition.

Fortunately, Wanyan Zonghan, the current commander-in-chief of the Jin Dynasty's southern expeditionary force, is not a descendant of Emperor Taizu, so Zonghan cannot join the competition.

Of Aguda's four eldest sons, the eldest legitimate son, the third, had already died. The second son, Wanyan Zongwang, who was born out of wedlock, should have died of illness at this time in history, but in this life, due to the butterfly effect of Zhao Zicheng, he died two years earlier. He was killed by Zhao Zicheng in self-defense after being stabbed and seriously injured.

Therefore, of Aguda's older sons, only his eldest son Wanyan Zonggan (who was the biological father of Wanyan Liang, who later killed Wanyan Dan and took the throne) and his fourth son Wanyan Zongbi (Jin Wuzhu) were still alive.

If Wu Qimai is injured, ill, and indignant, and fails to make proper arrangements, the Jin Dynasty is very likely to experience internal strife between the descendants of the Taizu lineage and the Taizong lineage.

It's a classic case of karma coming full circle. Back when the Song Dynasty was founded, there was a power struggle between the descendants of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong. The infamous Gao Lianghe beast was even suspected of murdering his nephew and eliminating all of his elder brother's sons. Now, more than a hundred years later, the descendants of Emperor Taizu are seemingly poised to turn the tables on the Song Dynasty.

On the Jin side, a similar scenario is about to unfold.

……

On the other hand, after successfully breaking through the encirclement and escaping this calamity, Yue Fei fought for many days and finally returned to Vladivostok.

Along the way, Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were also very cautious, asking this god-like general about the whole plan of his surprise attack on the capital and rescue of the two emperors.

After hearing Yue Fei relay Zhao Zicheng's action plan, Zhao Ji and his son Zhao Huan were completely stunned and never expected that this distant nephew/cousin would have such ambition and courage.

Emperor Huizong of Song had completely given up and was becoming increasingly ill. After hearing about his nephew's actions, he no longer showed any curiosity and simply lay in his carriage every day pretending to be dead to preserve his health.

Zhao Huan was still somewhat unwilling and asked about Zhao Zicheng's current status.

Yue Fei truthfully replied: "His Highness Prince Xiu is now supported by all the Han people in the world, and is called the Regent and Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the World, leading all the Han people to drive out the Tartars and protect our China. In order to save the world, Prince Xiu has acted expediently in an emergency and has no way to ask His Majesty for permission. I hope His Majesty will forgive him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan remained silent for a long time before trembling and saying, "My virtuous brother Zicheng is admired by all under heaven for his talent and virtue! It is I who do not know the worth of a sage, and I should have long ago yielded the throne to him. I am without virtue or ability, and I have caused suffering to the people of the world. I am truly ashamed!"

Yue Fei quickly comforted him, saying, "It is easy to stir up trouble in the world, but difficult to bring peace to it. For such a momentous matter, Your Majesty, why rush things? Please take it easy and focus on your well-being first."

Zhao Huan's earlier words had been somewhat probing, but after hearing Yue Fei's reaction, he felt utterly disheartened.

General Yue said, "There's no need to rush!" instead of directly kowtowing and begging Zhao Huan to retract his idea!
Fortunately, Zhao Huan was already mentally prepared. He had already endured the humiliation of being led the sheep, so how could he still have the face to remain emperor?

Zhao Zicheng's empire was rebuilt single-handedly from a collapsing state by him. What face does Zhao Huan have to compete for it?

Looking at the three thousand elite cavalrymen who had survived countless battles, their disciplined equipment and imposing military bearing, Zhao Huan wondered: when he was emperor, did his army, the one that supported the Japanese army, possess this level of skill and fighting strength? What reason did he have to complain?
After completely dissuading Zhao Huan from his plan, Yue Fei led the two emperors on their continued journey south. Because the harbors were frozen over, he had to travel overland for another two hundred li along the coastline to reach Goryeo (Korea).

When Yue Fei returned, the Jin people seemed to have already launched a full-scale war against Goryeo. They had previously noticed that the Song people seemed to have controlled Goryeo, but because the battle in the Central Plains was in full swing and they could not attend to the barren lands of Goryeo, the Jin people turned a blind eye and focused on the main battlefield.

However, now that they have discovered the possibility of a surprise attack on their northeastern base, the Jurchens have suddenly increased their focus on Goryeo. They have begun sending troops to probe and launch attacks in that direction.

However, with Yue Fei's personal return to Goryeo, the Jurchens' attack was destined to be futile.

The Changbai Mountain on the border of Goryeo was already a strategically important location, and the waterways such as the Cheongcheon River also provided excellent protection. The Song people were well-prepared for the battle, and the hastily assembled offensive by the Jin people could not shake Yue Fei in the slightest.

At this point, the Song Dynasty could finally officially announce that, in order to launch a northern expedition to welcome back the two emperors and to launch a surprise attack on the Jin capital, the Song Dynasty adopted the strategy of "borrowing a route to attack Guo" and destroyed Goryeo along the way. Then, using Goryeo's land as cover, the Song Dynasty broke through Goryeo and then through Outer Northeast, using both sea and cavalry to directly attack the Jin Dynasty's undefended rear!

In the dead of winter, they braved the snow and crossed the sea twice, and twice carried out cavalry raids through the snow, covering a total distance of four thousand li (starting from the eastern coast of the Song Dynasty to Goryeo). Finally, they destroyed one country, captured several cities, and welcomed back the two emperors!
The Goryeo puppet king, who had been kept in captivity for several years, could finally complete his historical mission and no longer need to exist.

After dealing with Wang Kai, Yue Fei, following Zhao Zicheng's instructions, first took Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan to the old palace in the former Goryeo capital, now the city of Lelang Prefecture in the Song Dynasty, for temporary accommodation.

The main problem was that Zhao Ji's health had deteriorated drastically. Having just suffered extreme humiliation and abuse, Zhao Ji was then subjected to a grueling journey of nearly three thousand miles through the freezing cold and snowy forests of Northeast China in the dead of winter. Even with a padded coat and a horse-drawn carriage, an old man like him could not withstand such hardship.

The reason Yue Fei's soldiers were able to hold out was because he led the youngest, strongest, and most vigorous elite troops. Even so, Yue Fei's army suffered at least a third of its casualties, including those lost in combat. The fact that Zhao Ji was able to survive being dragged to Goryeo by a carriage was already a great favor.

Without Zhao Zicheng's butterfly effect, Zhao Ji could have lived another six or seven years, just like Wanyan Wugumai. Coincidentally, both Zhao Ji and Wanyan Wugumai died in 1135, the same year.

Zhao Zicheng's actions ultimately resulted in a fair outcome, causing Wu Qimai to lose at least five years of his life due to injury, illness, and resentment, and also causing Zhao Ji to lose at least five years of his life due to the torment and exhaustion.

Inside the old palace in Kaesong, Yue Fei laid his cards on the table with Zhao Huan: "The Emperor Emeritus's health is so poor that he is not fit for further travel. If we force him to cross the sea again, I'm afraid his body won't be able to hold out until he reaches the Central Plains... It would be better to let him stay here in the old palace in Kaesong for the time being. I will arrange for trusted guards to stay with him. We'll discuss the follow-up arrangements after the Emperor Emeritus has recovered."

The main problem is that Bianjing is still in the hands of the Jurchens, and even if the retired emperor returns to the Central Plains, he cannot return to the capital for the time being. In other places, there are no palaces available, and rebuilding them would require a great deal of manpower. Such a time of national crisis is certainly not a blessing for the country.

Before I arrived, His Highness the Regent instructed that if I could truly rescue the Emperor Emeritus, and his health failed, I could temporarily settle him in Goryeo. What does Your Majesty think? After all, Goryeo has now been conquered by our Great Song Dynasty, and this place is also part of our Great Song territory. Since we cannot return to Bianjing, anywhere else is essentially the same.”

Zhao Huan dared not question it. Upon hearing that Zhao Zicheng had given such instructions, he immediately expressed that it was indeed very thoughtful.

He then anxiously asked, "Then, shall I also remain in Goryeo for the time being?"

Yue Fei cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty is in the prime of life and should be able to withstand the rough seas. If Your Majesty does not feel any discomfort, I am ready to escort Your Majesty back to the Central Plains at any time. However, once we arrive in the Central Plains, we will not be able to return to Bianjing. We will have to find a temporary place to stay.”

Zhao Huan quickly replied that this was already very good.

The emperor and his ministers then consulted Zhao Ji in person. Zhao Ji listened for a while while lying on his sickbed, then waved his hand to indicate that it didn't matter: "Zicheng was actually able to expand the territory, and Goguryeo is now actually part of our Great Song territory... It's unbelievable that in just over a year, he was able to turn the tide, save the collapsing edifice, and rebuild China!"
"Since this is also part of the Song Dynasty, what's wrong with me retiring here? It's no different from retiring in Zhenjiang after my abdication. However, there's one more thing, Huan'er, you must ask Zicheng for his permission."

Zhao Huan also felt a sense of shared sorrow, and lost the will to fight with his father. He could only sigh and ask his father for guidance.

Zhao Ji: "I am well aware of my own health condition. If I stay with the Jurchens, I will not live much longer. It is my own fault for not being able to live, and I cannot blame anyone else. I am content to be able to recuperate in Kaicheng. I only ask to be buried in Bianjing after my death. I just don't know if I will be able to live to see my nephew Zicheng recover Bianjing. Cough cough cough."

(End of this chapter)