I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 169 Killing Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao, Pacifying Zhao Gou's Rebellion
Zhao Ji's final request would certainly be agreed to by Zhao Huan and Yue Fei. Even Zhao Zicheng, far away in Jiangnan, would agree.

Yue Fei added: "Your Majesty need not be surprised. Goryeo was originally the homeland of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Geon established his kingdom during the chaos of the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. Our Song Dynasty has only just recovered it now. It is merely to complete the work that Emperor Taizu could not accomplish due to his short lifespan."

Besides Goryeo, Jiaozhi was also territory separated after the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty. His Highness the Regent has always taught us that the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" theory is pure fabrication; there were never ten kingdoms, at least twelve, including Goryeo and Jiaozhi. It's just that the previous emperors of the Song Dynasty failed China, unable to fully recover the lost territories of the Han and Tang dynasties. Now that he is regent, he naturally intends to thoroughly revive China—

It's not just about reviving the Song Dynasty, but about reviving the entire Chinese nation. During the Han and Tang dynasties, how could the Liao, Jin, Xia, Goryeo, Jiaozhi, and Dali dynasties have wreaked havoc on our borders?

The aspirations of Zhao Zicheng, relayed by Yue Fei, completely shocked Zhao Ji and his son Zhao Huan.

They realized that there was absolutely no chance for the descendants of Emperor Taizong to turn the tide. The only way to survive was to cooperate obediently.

Therefore, Zhao Ji was left in the old palace of Goryeo to recuperate.

Zhao Zicheng had previously secretly arranged for his father-in-law and mother-in-law to monitor Wang Kai. Now that Wang Kai has been dealt with, they have been replaced with monitors for Zhao Ji, so there will definitely be no problem.

What threat could an emperor emeritus, who is already old, paralyzed, and has no trusted confidants, pose? All he needs to do each day is arrange for palace maids to feed him, give him water, turn him over, and wash him.

Zhao Ji was left in Goryeo under house arrest to live out his days and die, while Yue Fei took Zhao Huan and continued across the sea.

Instead of choosing the shortest route to the Shandong Peninsula, Yue Fei took advantage of the winter crosswinds and sailed southwest (winter winds are northwesterly, so southwest winds are considered crosswinds), heading straight for Suzhou at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

After a sea voyage of over a thousand miles, taking more than ten days, they finally returned to the Central Plains at the end of the twelfth lunar month.

Zhao Huan thought that Zhao Zicheng would come to greet him as soon as he landed, but he learned after landing that the regent Xiu Wang was personally leading troops on a western expedition and fighting against the rebels in Huguang.

However, the Regent still left a memorial, earnestly requesting that the Emperor change the era name as soon as possible after being rescued to dispel bad luck.

The reign title Jingkang was already too shameful. Two emperors were captured, and now that they have been rescued, how can it be used again?
This suggestion made perfect sense, and Zhao Huan readily accepted it, changing the era name to a transitional one.

Then, an imperial edict was immediately issued, retroactively recognizing the actions of the people of the land in supporting Zhao Zicheng as regent and grand marshal of the army, and formally acknowledging these two positions held by Zhao Zicheng.

In addition, he also announced that Zhao Zicheng would be granted the title of Imperial Brother.

At the same time, an imperial edict was issued announcing that Prince Kang, Zhao Gou, had committed three major crimes: treason, collusion with the enemy, and betrayal of the country, and that these crimes were unforgivable.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

The news that Yue Fei had successfully raided Shangjing and brought Zhao Huan back actually reached Zhao Zicheng more than a month earlier than Yue Fei himself sent Zhao Huan back to the Central Plains.

This is quite normal; no matter how fast an army marches, it can't compare to the speed at which a messenger can deliver a message by changing horses every 600 li.

While the sea voyages couldn't be sped up, the journeys across the Korean Peninsula by fast horses, and the subsequent journeys back to the Central Plains by fast horses straight to the front lines in Ezhou, were both possible with relays of fast horses.

Ultimately, Zhao Zicheng, who was on the front lines in Yuezhou, received news of Yue Fei's success about twenty days before Zhao Huan actually landed.

At this point, Zhao Zicheng had nothing more to hold back. He could unleash his full power without any more reservations, letting the world see his true and complete strength as the Regent Prince Xiu and the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces.

Throughout November, Zhao Zicheng in Huguang was using Yuezhou as bait to lure Zhao Gou and the Jin army to come to the rescue, or to attract Zhong Xiang to continue to commit troops into the encirclement, so that the Song army could lure the enemy into an ambush and annihilate them.

Therefore, although not much land was occupied, the depletion of the enemy's deadly forces was enormous.

The Jin generals who were sent to the Huguang battlefield initially thought that with the help of the Han traitors and the puppet regime's army, as well as the navy of Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao, they would not suffer losses on the water when facing the Song people again.

However, they soon learned a bloody lesson. With the revolutionary new weapon of "sea mines," Zhao Zicheng's navy was already able to achieve a generational advantage.

On the Yangtze River, the Han River, and Dongting Lake, the Song Dynasty's navy was invincible.

At first, the Jin people were unaware of the situation and even tried to organize a three-way coalition to fight a major battle with the Song army between the Yangtze and Han rivers.

The final result, of course, was that Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong replicated a great victory similar to the Battle of Huangtiandang.

The Jin forces suffered heavy losses in the naval battle. A significant portion of their troops, which had reached south of the Yangtze River with the cooperation of Zhong Xiang, were encircled and annihilated by Han Shizhong. The Jin army suffered a total loss of nearly 10,000 men. Zhong Xiang, Yang Yao, and Kong Yanzhou's forces, who were directly under Zhao Gou's command, also suffered heavy losses.

If Yue Fei hadn't already achieved the merit of raiding the Jin army's rear stronghold, Han Shizhong would probably have jumped directly into the first tier of military merits based solely on his achievements in this battle.

There's not much to elaborate on regarding the specifics of the battle, because the side with the mines had an absolute crushing advantage in combat on the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake. It was similar to the previous Battle of Parrot Island.

Naval warfare is a form of warfare that is far more dependent on technological superiority than land warfare. The side with inferior technology can still hope to turn the tide in land warfare by relying on willpower, but in naval and sea warfare, they can only be slaughtered.

Having learned from this defeat, the Jin people managed to cut their losses and avoid repeating the same mistake. After Yuezhou, the Jin people completely abandoned any thought of winning against the Song army in the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world), and even abandoned their plans to conquer Jiangnan in the future.

The Jin people, from top to bottom, realized that the Jin dynasty could not completely annihilate the Song rule in the south. Their civilization, which originated from fishing, hunting, and nomadic life, could only manage to occupy the area north of the Yangtze River at best.

Even though the Jin people lowered their expectations, a new round of blows soon followed.

Shortly after the Battle of Yuezhou, news arrived from the Jin rear: the Song army had actually sent a mysterious general to launch a surprise attack on Shangjing! Even with their rear stronghold attacked, the Jin people still couldn't figure out which route the enemy had taken!

That was in the dead of winter! In the snow-covered forest! How did they manage that!
"His Majesty has been frightened and injured. Please request Marshal Zonghan to temporarily return to the capital, and please invite all the princes to Yanjing to discuss important matters!"

The Jin Dynasty's top leadership immediately realized that this was a matter of great importance, a struggle for the throne. They could not afford to be ambiguous at this time. If one side did not return and the other faction hastily took power, they might carry out an internal purge out of fear!

Wanyan Zonggan and Wanyan Zongbi, the two illegitimate sons of Aguda, one an elder brother and the other a younger brother, immediately banded together for mutual support and decided to return to seize the throne. Even if they didn't seize the throne, they at least needed to establish their status first before they could wait for His Majesty to recover from his injuries.

As Wanyan Wuqimai's eldest son, Wanyan Zongpan (Pu Luhu) was naturally even more reluctant to let go and immediately followed him back.

All three parties rushed to Yanjing, having heard that His Majesty had moved south to Yanjing in order to stabilize the situation.

The capital city has been damaged and is isolated in the rear, making it difficult to manage both. There is no time to rebuild it now, so it would be better to move the capital directly.

The territory is too vast, and the old capital is too far from the location where the main army of the Central Plains is stationed, making it easy to be unable to take care of both ends.

The Jurchens kept Shangjing (Upper Capital) because they felt it was in an "unselectable" state, invincible, and no one could touch it, so they kept it.

Once it's confirmed that the Song army can select Shangjing and has a health bar, there's no point in continuing to defend that harsh and cold land; it's at most just symbolic.

Of course, in order to avoid this "symbolic significance" being disturbed by the Song people again in the future, the Jin emperor even planned to move the Jurchen ancestral temple and the ancestral tablets of all generations to Yanjing City, so that it would be easier to manage them nearby.

Historically, the Jin dynasty was not supposed to move its capital to Yanjing until Wanyan Liang usurped the throne, but Zhao Zicheng forced them to do so more than 20 years earlier.

In conclusion, Wanyan Wugumai's injuries and illnesses were so severe that they could delay the Jurchens for at least another year or two, making it difficult for them to turn their attention south.

This is absolutely not an exaggeration, because nomadic and hunter-gatherer civilizations are most afraid of the succession of their supreme rulers. They lack the succession order of the Central Plains civilization, and often the strong rule. Each time, there is a possibility of huge internal strife.

Look at the process of the Mongols destroying the Southern Song Dynasty in later generations. Möngke Khan was killed by Song soldiers' cannons and stones at Diaoyu City. As a result, Kublai Khan and Ariq Böke wasted a full thirteen years in internal strife and civil war over the succession!
To say that Wanyan Wuqimai's early death might delay the Jurchens by one or two years is definitely an understatement.

……

Although the Jin army did not completely withdraw, at least most of them withdrew and hid at least north of the Han River, gradually retreating and shrinking northward.

The withdrawal of the Jurchens not only reduced the enemy's troop strength, but also instilled great fear in Zhao Gou and Zhong Xiang Yang Yao, severely damaging the morale of the remaining soldiers in Zhao Gou's and Zhong Xiang's armies.

Zhao Zicheng's side, on the other hand, was in high spirits and quickly captured Yuezhou, a key city, completely severing the connection between Zhong Xiang and Zhao Gou.

A few days later, Zhao Zicheng's troops began to spread the word extensively:
"General Yue, under the orders of the Grand Marshal, led his troops to raid the Jin people's stronghold, Shangjing! The two emperors were welcomed back! The Jin emperor escaped Shangjing by crawling through a hole in the wall and was not captured! The entire city of Shangjing was slaughtered by General Yue's heavenly troops!"

"The Jurchens withdrew because they knew their emperor had been defeated and was fleeing in terror, his fate unknown! Those princes were all going back to fight for power!"

At first, neither Zhao Gou nor Zhong Xiang believed the news, but the fact that the Jin army had indeed withdrawn was undeniable.

Therefore, Zhong Xiang's troops could only block the news for an extra ten days or so before they could no longer keep it out, and a great fear of the Song army's fighting power arose throughout the ranks.

Zhao Zicheng seized the opportunity and made a great advance, taking advantage of the enemy's weakness to finish him off, and continued to launch a fierce attack in the Dongting Lake basin.

Within a month or two, Zhong Xiang's own elite troops were completely defeated by Zhao Zicheng in the Battle of Dongting. Han Shizhong captured Zhong Xiang and presented him as a prisoner to Zhao Zicheng.

After Zhong Xiang was captured, Yang Yao retreated to Changsha and resisted stubbornly.

Within a month, Changsha's city gates were breached by bronze cannons, the first such attack Song army had ever used in a siege. Yang Yao, in his desperate resistance, was hacked to death by Liu Guangshi's troops.

In the final stage of completely annihilating Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao, Zhao Zicheng also submitted a memorial to the throne, hoping to temporarily move the Grand Marshal's headquarters and the Emperor's temporary residence to Ezhou, so that the next step would be to continue northward and recover Bianjing.

Upon receiving the request, Zhao Huan readily agreed, having only recently arrived in Zhenjiang and settled down to recuperate. Yue Fei then led his elite troops upstream along the Yangtze River to escort the emperor and his officials from Zhenjiang to Ezhou.

On the day Zhao Huan arrived, Zhao Zicheng personally greeted him at the dock, and the two distant cousins ​​were finally reunited. However, their statuses had changed drastically.

Zhao Huan had completely given up hope, because after returning to Zhenjiang, he discovered that not only did Yue Fei obey Zhao Zicheng, but even the officials in Zhenjiang, such as Zhang Shuye, Zhu Shengfei, and Hu Zhiru, were also completely subservient to Zhao Zicheng.

If Zhao Huan were to issue any decrees that went against Zhao Zicheng's wishes, he would be courting death.

Zhang Shuye, Zhu Shengfei, and Hu Zhiru were not stupid either. The Grand Marshal was capable of even commanding Yue Fei to launch a 4,000-mile raid and a two-pronged attack on the capital by sea and land.

This achievement is something even the founding emperor could not accomplish!

Who in the world would dare to disobey!
Sweeping across the six directions and conquering the eight wastelands, with divine wisdom and martial prowess, he rebuilt China. This was not achieved through power and force, but was truly the mandate of heaven!

Zhang Shuye and the others had already figured it out in their hearts: the Grand Marshal of the Regent was willing to welcome back the two emperors, which was already the epitome of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness and trustworthiness, without the slightest moral flaw.

The Emperor should simply wait for the Grand Marshal to exert his utmost efforts, eliminate the treacherous villains, restore the Song Dynasty, and return to the old capital before abdicating the throne to his younger brother.

……

“Your Majesty, I am incompetent. I failed to rescue Tokyo in time, which led to Your Majesty’s death by a thousand cuts and your own disgrace. The whole country is in turmoil. This is my fault.”

Since the collapse of the state last year, officials have pressured me, forcing me to act out of a sense of duty. My younger brother, Tui, believes that as long as the Jin invaders are not eliminated, the national crisis will not end, the ancestral temples have crumbled, and the state has fallen. If we can adapt to circumstances and restore China, rebuilding the land, I would not hesitate to face fire and water.

Therefore, I reluctantly accepted the position of regent and the title of Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces. Since assuming the post, I have been constantly worried, fearing that my title is unworthy of my position and my virtue is insufficient to match my rank.

Fortunately, Heaven has blessed China, and since my younger brother assumed his post, within a year:

First, defeat Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Zongpan at Xuhuai;

He then personally led his troops in a counterattack against Yan and Yun;

He also dispatched a detachment to raid four thousand miles to defeat the Jin army and bring them to the capital, to welcome back the retired emperor and His Majesty.

He personally led his troops to attack and destroy the notorious bandit Zhong Xiang Yang Yao, and pacified Huguang.

These four achievements are a small consolation, and I feel no fear in holding the position of Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces!

On the dock outside Ezhou City, Zhao Zicheng was dressed in a blood-red armor with carved feathers and tendons. The feathers on the armor had been soaked in Xiongnu blood countless times. Even after repeated washing, they had been polished to a blood-red patina, reflecting a bright, bloody sheen.

He wore a sword at his waist and a phoenix-winged gold crown, the kind only emperors wore on campaigns. A pigeon-egg-sized blood-red ruby ​​was inlaid in the front of his pure gold helmet. He bowed calmly to his elder brother, Zhao Huan, his posture as steadfast as a deep pool and a majestic mountain, exuding the aura of an emperor.

He spoke eloquently and succinctly to his elder brother, his words leaving no room for error. Although, on the surface, he was asking his brother for forgiveness for all his improvisations and opportunistic actions during the emperor's captivity.

But in reality, any normal person could see that Zhao Zicheng's self-proclaimed achievements, made to defend himself, were all incredibly convincing.

To put it bluntly, even if he weren't surnamed Zhao, with such merit in saving the world, he would be worthy of vying for the throne. Besides, he was originally a legitimate prince.

Zhao Huan actually wanted to admit "you're right" from the beginning, but he didn't dare to interrupt. He could only patiently listen to Zhao Zicheng finish speaking before quickly expressing his opinion:
"My worthy brother has restored the Song Dynasty and the Han people's culture from obscurity to light. He has reshaped China and rebuilt the land. Such a monumental achievement is unparalleled throughout history. Only the virtuous should rule the world. Is the remaining virtue of our Song Dynasty not a fitting tribute to my worthy brother...?"

Fortunately, Zhao Zicheng was very accommodating. Before Zhao Huan could finish speaking, he immediately became humble and said, "The old capital has not yet been restored, so how can we talk about responding to the times?" This gave Zhao Huan a way out.

Zhao Huan said nothing more, but all the officials and ministers accompanying him saw and heard this, knowing that the Emperor and the Regent had reached a consensus:
If Bianjing has not yet been recovered, then it cannot be considered "following the will of Heaven".

The day we recapture Bianjing will be "in accordance with the will of Heaven".

Zhao Huan glanced at the civil and military officials on both sides. No one questioned the statement, and no one even stepped forward. He knew his fate was sealed.

What else can someone who was once a prisoner for stealing sheep do? He can just find a Taoist temple to live a quiet and peaceful old age.

In fact, the potential risk of a future coup d'état due to the "welcoming back of the two emperors" is not as great as most people imagine.

The primary reason why Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou) was so terrified of "welcoming back the two emperors" was that he himself had no heir and was infertile. If Zhao Huan were to return, and Zhao Huan was still fertile and had another son, then even if Emperor Gaozong's position was secure during his lifetime, if Zhao Huan's descendants succeeded him after his death, Emperor Gaozong's historical reputation would inevitably be further tarnished, and he would likely meet a terrible end.

Even if we disregard the Song Dynasty's Zhao Huan and Zhao Gou brothers, and draw parallels with the later Ming Dynasty's Emperor Baozong and Emperor Daizong, despite Baozong's eventual "Tumu Crisis" to reclaim the throne and pass it on to his own lineage, it doesn't mean that the title of "Retired Emperor" carried much appeal, or that the Ming Dynasty's ministers particularly missed the incompetent Baozong.

The main reason was that Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu's only son died and he did not have any other sons. Therefore, the ministers at the time felt that after Daizong's death, the throne was destined to return to the Baozong lineage. So it was better to burn the Baozong lineage as soon as possible to avoid being purged in the future.

If Zhu Qiyu had a son who was alive and well, he wouldn't have been overthrown in a coup. At least he had defended Beijing and made a great contribution to the country.

Zhao Gou and Zhu Qiyu faced the same risks; their only fear was that their only biological son had died and they could not have another child.

If Zhao Gou had had a son, he wouldn't have needed to kill Yue Fei to prevent the welcoming of the two emperors, and Zhu Qiyu wouldn't have had to be forced to relocate.

Modern people might think that not having a son is a trivial matter, but for emperors in ancient times who inherited the throne from their brothers, not having a son was like the sky falling down.

Zhao Zicheng had no need to worry about this issue at all; he could keep Zhao Huan by his side without any worries. This was partly due to Zhao Huan's immense contributions, and partly because he had already had a healthy son in the early years of the sixth year of the Xuanhe era. His eldest son was now five years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning).

Because of the mourning period, he was unable to have any more children until the seventh year of the Xuanhe era. Even if he had affairs with his wives and concubines in private, he had to avoid dangerous days to avoid giving others a handle to use against him. Later, his wife was even held hostage in Bianjing for a period of time until she broke through the siege before the Jingkang Incident and reunited with Zhao Zicheng.

Furthermore, considering the war and the fact that the couple could not be together, it was not until the beginning of the second year of the Jingkang era that Zhao Zicheng was able to get his wives and concubines pregnant again. We also need to take away the days he spent on military campaigns.

Therefore, to date, Zhao Zicheng has only one son and two daughters who have survived. However, this small number is not without reason; the entire court is not worried about the Regent's health. Recently, another of Zhao Zicheng's concubines has become pregnant, likely conceived before his personal military campaign, which further reassures the officials.

As long as Zhao Zicheng continues to take many concubines, and even imperial consorts, the hearts of the people will not be scattered. Although Zhao Zicheng himself knows that his only son in history was very healthy and had a strong destiny, others do not know this, so adding another layer of insurance will better stabilize people's hearts.

Zhao Zicheng was not acting out of lust for his own sake, but rather to prevent the tragedy of persecuting loyal officials from happening again in China in the future. He feared that the civil and military groups would have to weigh the "current interests" against the "future reckoning."

An emperor who inherits the throne from his brother must have many sons to assure the world that his lineage will never be wiped out, thus unifying the present and future interests of all the civil and military officials.

……

Zhao Zicheng solemnly led Zhao Huan to his temporary residence in Ezhou City and settled him in, ensuring that all the proper courtesies were observed. Afterward, the two brothers began to discuss important matters.

Zhao Zicheng petitioned Zhao Huan to issue several decrees.

The first order was to authorize Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong, Lin Chong, and Lu Da to press their advantage and use the Song army that had just quelled Zhong Xiang's rebellion to continue south and attack Cao Cheng, the notorious bandit leader in the Five Ridges and northern Guangdong.

The second decree was to announce a pardon for Cao Cheng's generals who were willing to repent and abandon their evil ways.

The third decree further reiterated that Zhao Gou was a traitor and authorized Zhao Zicheng to launch a northern expedition within the year, at an opportune time, to first recover Hanbei, Xiangyang, Nanyang and other places, in order to eventually recover Bianjing.

At the same time, it was announced that Han civil and military officials in Xiangyang, Nanyang, and other parts of Henan who had previously been mistaken in their choices and chosen the wrong side would be pardoned, provided they reaffirmed their loyalty to the court and rendered meritorious service in restoring the court.

After the decree was issued, Zhao Huan was initially worried that it might be too hasty, that the military plan might be too aggressive and rushed, and that it might be seen as an attempt to exhaust the people's resources for war.

However, Zhao Zicheng comforted the emperor, saying that with the emperor's divine authority and the court's military strength far surpassing what it used to be, those opportunists would inevitably experience a series of collapses and defections.

Ultimately, war is about understanding, especially in civil wars among the Han Chinese. If everyone in the world believes that one side will win, the other side will quickly lose morale and surrender. There won't be many who are determined to fight to the death.

Zhao Zicheng's judgment was indeed correct. After Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong and others led a detachment south, although Cao Cheng in Guangdong and Guangxi still had a force of 200,000 men, they were actually a motley crew.

When the generals heard that the emperor had been welcomed back, that Zhao Zicheng had destroyed the Jurchen stronghold, and that Zhong Xiang had been completely wiped out within a few months, they had no intention of following Cao Cheng anymore.
The rebel forces under Cao Cheng in Hengzhou and Shaozhou collapsed almost immediately upon contact. The garrison commanders of the two places surrendered to Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong respectively, and immediately turned around to help lead the imperial army to fight Cao Cheng.

(End of this chapter)