I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 171 The Great Victory at Yancheng, the Recovery of Tokyo, and the Northern Escape of Emperor Zhao Gou of the Jin Dynasty.

"The one with the white beard is Zonghan! Soldiers, don't leave, Wanyan Zonghan!"

"The other princes of the Jurchens are all fighting for power and waging civil war in the rear. No one will know that you are risking your lives here!"

With the collapse of the Jin army's left and central armies on the Yancheng battlefield, the Song army launched a full-scale pursuit with overwhelming momentum.

To be honest, given the strength of top Jurchen generals like Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Loushi, even with superior equipment and morale, the Song army wouldn't have been so easily crushed. Even with Yue Fei, the Song army would have struggled to overwhelm these enemies.

But this time, the situation was truly a stroke of luck for the Song Dynasty—the Jin army was in turmoil because Wanyan Wugumai was about to die, and a group of princes were fighting each other for power, a life-or-death struggle. This not only reduced the size of Wanyan Zonghan's army left in the Central Plains by half, but also caused unrest among the Jin army.

It was precisely this once-in-a-decade window of opportunity for the transfer of supreme power in the Jurchen people that Zhao Zicheng astutely seized and fully utilized, which led to such a great victory.

If the Jurchens can quickly rein themselves in after this battle and end the period of chaos caused by the power transition, then it will be even more difficult to win a decisive battle against them in the future.

Given this rare opportunity, Zhao Zicheng, who had rarely led the charge in the past year or so due to his increasingly prestigious status, once again took to the front lines, leading the pursuit of the cavalry.

The Song cavalrymen were all like chickens, following the Grand Marshal of the Regent in a frenzied pursuit. Everyone gripped their steel spears tightly, almost to the point of having fingerprints on the barrels. When they encountered any Jurchens blocking their way, they fought desperately and stabbed them, and those who stood in their way fell instantly.

The Jin army scattered and fled like waves breaking apart.

"Retreat quickly! Forget about the Han and Khitan troops! Let our Jurchen soldiers retreat first!"

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Wanyan Zonghan realized that the key was to preserve as many troops as possible, so he shamelessly chose to retreat with his entire army.

However, this further accelerated the complete collapse of the Jin army. After Li Cheng on the left was completely cut off by Yue Fei, large numbers of Han troops surrendered directly, kneeling in front of Yue Fei without daring to look up.

On Zhao Zicheng's side, Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong also protected Zhao Zicheng on the left and right, charging forward together, cutting through and annihilating large groups of Jin soldiers.

Yelü Yudu's Khitan troops, after being divided and surrounded by the Song Dynasty, did not hold out for long.

Seeing no hope, Yelü Yudu broke down and finally chose to betray the Jin and surrender to the Song, kneeling down and becoming a traitor.

Perhaps not expecting Yelü Yudu to surrender so quickly, Wanyan Zonghan's main force was soon caught up by Zhao Zicheng.

Han Shizhong beheaded Wanyan Xiyin, the strategist of Wanyan Zonghan, with a single stroke.

Zhao Zicheng personally pursued Wanyan Zonghan to his banner. Wanyan Zonghan's elite personal guards were still fighting to the death against the besieging Song cavalry, but because of Zhao Zicheng's flanking maneuvers, they had no way to retreat.

Zhao Zicheng ordered his men to surround them, then waited a while before letting the reserve team carrying the divine crossbows catch up. They then surrounded them and fired arrows from all sides.

Rows of Jin warriors fell dead or wounded under a hail of crossbow bolts.

Once the enemy had been decimated and could no longer mount any resistance, Zhao Zicheng personally led Han Shizhong and Liu Guangshi on horseback to clean up the battlefield.

This time, everyone was quite cooperative, and no one tried to steal Zhao Zicheng's kills.

Zhao Zicheng wielded his double-hooked iron spear with incredible speed, killing more than a dozen elite Jin guards, most of whom were wounded. With his last spear thrust, he knocked off Wanyan Zonghan's helmet, then drew his sword and swiftly severed Wanyan Zonghan's tendons in his hands and feet. Only then did he wave his hand and order his men to tie Wanyan Zonghan up.

"Tie him up and take him to Bianjing. Once inside the city, skin him alive as a sacrifice to the soldiers and civilians of Bianjing who died tragically in the Jingkang Incident!"

"I will obey the Grand Marshal's orders!" Han Shizhong personally bound Wanyan Zonghan tightly.

Wanyan Zonghan, his face covered in blood, refused to kneel and instead cursed Zhao Zi, saying, "You scoundrels! If you were to fight my Great Jin in a fair and square battle, you Song people would still be no match for my Great Jin! You always take advantage of my Great Jin emperor's critical illness to plunder, what kind of heroes are you!"
You barbarian dogs, you just calculated that the steppe overlords subjugate others by force and that civil war is likely to break out during succession. You despicable villains!

Zhao Zicheng didn't hold back and slapped Wanyan Zonghan across the face with the end of the gun barrel, deafening him in one ear and knocking out eight of his back teeth on one side, four on the top and four on the bottom.

"Even if I took advantage of Wu Qimai's impending death and those ambitious brothers vying for the throne, it was still what I deserved—Wu Qimai was about to die, wasn't he scared to death by my virtuous brother Pengju? Why can't I take advantage of that? Killing the enemy's ruler on the battlefield and then eliminating evil completely, can that be considered taking advantage of someone's misfortune to attack them?"

After saying that, he ordered Wanyan Zonghan to be taken away.

The various armies then continued their pursuit, expanding their gains and cleaning up the battlefield. The entire Battle of Yancheng dragged on for another two days before gradually subsiding.

The final battle results showed that of the Jin army's hundreds of thousands of allied troops, fifty to sixty thousand were Han Chinese puppet troops, mainly under Li Cheng's command, who were completely annihilated. Fewer than twenty thousand Han Chinese puppet troops managed to break through and escape.

Of the 50,000 to 60,000 enemy casualties, 20,000 to 30,000 were killed or seriously wounded without medical value; the rest were wounded, captured, or surrendered.

The Jurchen's elite forces also suffered heavy losses, with over 30,000 killed, including more than 10,000 Jurchen soldiers, several thousand Xi soldiers, several thousand former Liao Yan-Yun Han soldiers, and several thousand Khitan soldiers.

The combined number of Han soldiers and Khitan soldiers in Yanyun was over ten thousand. The losses were mainly due to battlefield casualties, as well as the fact that Yelü Yudu surrendered out of fear after the collapse of the regime.

In total, the Jin state and its puppet troops suffered losses of nearly 100,000 men.

Nearly two-thirds of the participating troops were annihilated, scattered, captured, or forced to surrender, a truly tragic situation.

The Song army's achievements were also remarkable. After so long in the war against the Jin, the number of Song army's victories had finally jumped from a few thousand or tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

This is the crucial battle of life and death that will determine the fate of the Central Plains!

……

"The main force of the Jin army was defeated at Yancheng! Wanyan Zonghan was captured alive by the Grand Marshal Regent!"

"Li Cheng's entire army has collapsed! Tens of thousands have surrendered!"

"The Han soldiers and the remnants of the Khitan soldiers in Yan and Yun were also led by Yelü Yudu to surrender to the Grand Marshal Regent!"

"The Prince Xiu's bravery is truly unparalleled throughout history!"

After the great victory at Yancheng, the Song army's momentum of advancing triumphantly was unstoppable.

From Yancheng northward all the way to Bianjing, there were no Jin troops stationed along the way, only Zhao Gou's puppet troops.

Faced with the legitimate Northern Expeditionary Army, with the divine might and bravery of Zhao Zicheng, and the edict of Zhao Huan declaring Zhao Gou a traitor and colluding with the enemy, which puppet army general would still be willing to risk his life for Zhao Gou?
So they surrendered without resistance all the way, even more smoothly than Napoleon's return to Paris after landing at Juilliard.

Yingchang Prefecture and Chenzhou surrendered directly. In just three days, Zhao Zicheng's army passed through these two prefectures, and the vanguard cavalry entered the territory of Kaifeng Prefecture.

The people along the way wept with joy, bringing food and drink to welcome the king's army.

Zhao Zicheng rode on a magnificent steed that was nine feet tall from hoof to shoulder. The horse's coat was jet black and shiny, and its four hooves were also white and shiny. Judging from its coat color, it was a black horse called "Treading Snow Black Steed".

He was dressed in a blood-red, gleaming armor with carved feathers and a golden helmet inlaid with pigeon-blood rubies. His entire body, from head to toe, from man to horse, was predominantly black and red, except for his pure white face.

But the colors—the reds were a brilliant, glossy red, and the blacks were a brilliant, glossy black—emanated an aura of killing intent and imposing power that seemed almost tangible.
Wherever he went, even without the privileges brought by the titles of Prince Regent and Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, his mere aura was enough to make all who saw him crawl on their knees and dare not look up at him.

Only after he had walked past did anyone dare to look at his back and cheer him on with thunderous applause.

"Long live His Highness Prince Xiu!"

"Long live the Regent!"

"Long live the Grand Marshal!" Zhao Zicheng did not wave to the crowd, but simply kept one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on the reins, nodding slightly.

After leaving Yancheng and heading north, the route started from Yingchang, then went to Yanling, then to Weishi, then to Tongxu Town, and finally to Zhuxian Town.

Finally, the procession stretched all the way to the outskirts of Bianjing (Kaifeng), a distance of two hundred li. Zhao Zicheng could not speed up and could only proceed at a slow, deliberate pace.
For a full two hundred miles, the people and soldiers lined the road, cheering and offering food and drink, without stopping for a moment.

Most ordinary people were unaware of the specific route Zhao Zicheng's army took. There were actually several routes that could be taken from Yingchang northeastward all the way to Kaifeng.

Therefore, wherever Zhao Zicheng went, at least thirty or forty li ahead, people would spontaneously wait along all the alternative routes.

Once Zhao Zicheng has chosen a road, most of the people waiting on the other alternative roads who were not chosen will leave disappointed after hearing that they have waited in vain. However, a small number of zealots will go through the trouble to travel to the road chosen by Zhao Zicheng and wait at a more prominent position.

It was virtually impossible to find a spot within thirty miles of Zhao Zicheng to squeeze in and watch, as other onlookers who had arrived earlier had already formed a human wall dozens of layers thick.

You have to go at least thirty miles away and queue up in advance to have a chance to catch a glimpse of Zhao Zicheng's imposing presence.

Therefore, when Zhao Zicheng arrived at Zhuxian Town and there were no more forks in the road to the north, the last fifty li (approximately 25 kilometers) between Zhuxian Town and the south gate of Bianjing City had been completely surrounded by onlookers. There were at least ten layers of human walls on both sides.

The autumn harvest season is over, and although the wheat hasn't been completely dried and stored yet, there's not much farming left. With nothing else to do, people are happy to spend some time watching the excitement.

The soldiers following Zhao Zicheng were also filled with pride and dared not slacken their military bearing. Those on horseback all straightened their backs, trying to appear as tall and imposing as possible.

The soldiers following behind also straightened their legs as they walked, unconsciously trying to make their movements as clean and efficient as possible.

No one had taught them any of this, and there was no rigorous drill and ceremonial training in this era. Zhao Zicheng said that previous military training was all for actual combat and emphasized practicality, so this kind of marching, which is relatively close to a military parade, was formed spontaneously and involuntarily by the soldiers.

At the back of the procession, as the prison carts carrying Wanyan Zonghan and his entourage were pulled over, the onlookers spontaneously threw various filthy objects at the group of prison carts.

They didn't throw away rotten vegetable leaves or rotten eggs, mainly because the times were too impoverished. Vegetable leaves simply wouldn't rot, and eggs wouldn't expire. The people of Henan had suffered severe disasters for several years in a row, and the population had been reduced by more than half. All food was consumed as quickly as it was produced, so there was no way there would be any left over to expire.

If there are no rotten vegetable leaves or rotten eggs, then all you can do is throw in mud. Fortunately, there's never a shortage of thin mud.

For a full two hundred li, he was supported, watched, and loved by the people, and Zhao Zicheng's prestige among the Han people reached its peak.

The people respected him not because of his authority or lineage, but because he turned the tide and saved the nation.

……

"What to do? What to do? In their mouths, I've become a traitor and rebel! Minister Li, Minister Qin, General Li, you two should come up with a plan!"

In the dilapidated Bianjing Imperial Palace, Zhao Gou was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan when his cousin had just arrived in Yingchang.

At first, Zhao Gou considered resisting by force, and he even fantasized that "although Wanyan Zonghan was captured by his cousin, I might be able to hold out."

But the news that Yingchang and Yanling surrendered without a fight and without firing a single arrow completely shattered Zhao Gou's hope.

What's the point of resisting?!
After a final, hasty discussion, Zhao Gou, along with Li Bangyan, Qin Hui, a few staunch traitors who had offended Zhao Zicheng too badly and were beyond redemption, and a few personal guards, secretly opened the north gate of Bianjing and crossed the Yellow River to flee north to join the Jurchens.

The sorry state of his state was even more miserable than when Louis XVIII fled Paris.

Upon arriving in Hebei, the Jurchen generals and officials who remained there were greatly surprised to hear that Zhao Gou had come to surrender.

Since Zhao Gou had already signed a formal treaty of treason, ceding all of Hebei to the Jin Dynasty on behalf of the Song Dynasty, the moment he fled across the Yellow River, it meant that he no longer had any directly controlled territory.

The Jurchens knew he was no longer of any use, so they naturally wouldn't keep his imperial title to annoy them.

Since ancient times, has there ever been a ruler who was made emperor of another country?
After several months of maneuvering, Zhao Gou was forced by Qin Hui to relinquish his imperial title and become the "King of Song under the Jin Dynasty," living as a recluse under the name of the Song state under the Jin Dynasty.

Of course, these are all stories for later, things that only gradually happened after Zhao Gou had been under the rule of the Jin Dynasty for a long time.

At this moment, Zhao Gou had just crossed the Yellow River and fled north in a panic. Less than two days later, Zhao Zicheng had already appeared outside the gates of Bianjing.

The final restoration of the capital was accomplished without bloodshed, which impressed Zhao Zicheng, giving him the illusion of being transported into the body of Napoleon/Mochtsch.

Among the traitors who had previously defected to Zhao Gou, Zhang Bangchang was too lazy to flee again, so he stayed in Bianjing.

Before Zhao Zicheng arrived, he led a group of disgraced officials to the city gate to kneel and greet him.

Although Zhang Bangchang in this life also joined the rebellion, he did not ultimately declare himself emperor.

Historically, Zhao Gou ordered Zhang Bangchang to commit suicide in prison because of Zhang Bangchang's two-month reign as emperor.

Therefore, Zhao Zicheng can be slightly more lenient now, but the wealth and honor of these civil officials who have sided with the rebels must be completely stripped away. The problem of redundant officials in the Song Dynasty was already serious enough, and there was an absolute surplus of literary talents. It was not easy for a large-scale group of people to side with the rebels to emerge, so of course they had to be completely wiped out.

Zhao Zicheng drew his sword and, with Zhang Bangchang trembling, cleanly and swiftly severed the hemp rope binding Zhang Bangchang's hands without injuring his hand; he only felt a cool sensation on his arm.

Zhang Bangchang was so frightened that goosebumps rose all over his body, but he couldn't help but secretly admire the Grand Marshal's swordsmanship. He was indeed a commander who could defeat ten thousand men.

"Based on your crimes of treason and collusion with the enemy, as long as your misdeeds are found to be true, you will all be severely punished! As for those who have no other misdeeds, when the court destroys the Jin people and marches straight to the capital, you will all be exiled to the northeast to cultivate the land and defend the border!"

"We, your guilty subjects, thank the Regent for his leniency!" All the convicted civil officials, led by Zhang Bangchang, knelt down in repentance, none daring to look up.

With a single sentence, Zhao Zicheng decided that these people would be exiled to the harsh, cold lands beyond the Great Wall for the rest of their lives.

After entering Bianjing, Zhao Zicheng first inspected the city's situation.

Bianjing was lost only two years ago, yet its population plummeted by more than 80%, suffering a devastating massacre. At its peak, the city had 1.5 to 1.6 million inhabitants, but now only a little over 200,000 remained.

The reduction of over one million people wasn't all due to killing; at least half died because the collapse of the canal transport and commercial systems meant the economy couldn't support a city of that size. Coupled with repeated food shortages during the sieges, many starved to death.

Zhao Zicheng roughly estimated that of the 1.3 million people lost, at least 700,000 to 800,000 died from starvation and plague. Another 500,000 to 600,000 were killed or fled. The proportion of those who fled was actually not large, because the entire Henan province was severely affected by the disaster, and escaping meant certain death. Unless one fled thousands of miles away on a long journey.

The palace and various government offices were also severely damaged. Although the palace buildings were not completely demolished and burned, all valuables had been looted. Zhao Gou, who had been emperor for about half a year, did not return to the palace. Instead, he lived in Genyue, a residence left by his father in the northwest corner of the city.

Most of the exotic flowers and trees in Genyue are gone, and all the valuable movable property has been moved away. Some of the houses were burned down. However, because Genyue is a garden and the buildings are relatively scattered, the fire did not easily spread, and a small number of buildings were preserved.

When Zhao Gou first became emperor, in order to show his approachability and frugality, he didn't undertake any major construction projects. He simply cleared away the ruins and repaired and repainted the obviously damaged parts of the houses before moving in.

Since that was the case, Zhao Zicheng didn't need to undertake any major construction projects. He simply moved a few houses to Genyue as his temporary headquarters.

After settling in, Zhao Zicheng did three things. First, he sent a memorial to Ezhou, respectfully inviting the emperor to travel north and return to the old capital.

The second matter was to send an order to the small court in Luoyang, the western capital, to have Li Gang, Zong Ze, and others come to Bianjing to pay homage to the emperor and report on their duties.

Finally, while Emperor Zhao Huan was still on the throne, he planned to push forward several domestic reforms. Of course, Zhao Zicheng could have chosen to wait until he ascended the throne early next year before doing all this, but since many reforms would offend people, they would provoke backlash and incur hatred.

Therefore, Zhao Zicheng did not mind making the most of Zhao Huan's legacy and pushing forward some particularly ruthless reforms in Zhao Huan's name.

(End of this chapter)