Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 743 Emperor Gaozong of Song: He's my brother-in-law, blood is thicker than water! [1st update]

"What a moron!"

Wang Fu cursed angrily: "We are currently at war with the Western Xia!"
"He's gone, so who's to blame for the defeat?"

Su Yuanjing: "We can surrender to the King of Qi..."

"Still surrender to the King of Qi?"

Wang Fu said irritably, "Didn't you hear Zhong Shidao say that the King of Qi went to Jiangzhou?"

"In order to appear upright and honest, he didn't bring a single soldier with him!"
"It's obvious that the real culprit is Prince Kang. Isn't he just courting death?"

Su Yuanjing sighed: "If the Prince of Qi leads a large army south, even if it is confirmed that the real culprit is the Prince of Kang, the news that will spread throughout the world will be that the Prince of Qi bullied his brother-in-law and seized the Song Dynasty!"

"To have seized power illegitimately will bring a bad reputation!"

"You're right, but if Prince Kang can kill His Majesty, he can kill Prince Qi!"

Wang Fu shook his head in exasperation:

"It's one thing for King Qi to be reckless, but he also has to take Zhong Shidao with him!"
"What will we do when King Qi and Zhong Shidao are both dead?"
Will Prince Kang let us go?

Su Yuanjing said with a bitter expression, "If it comes to that, who can we turn to?"

Wang Fu was very frustrated: "If King Qi and Zhong Shidao die, King Kang will be able to unify the world!"
"The only country in the world that can protect us is perhaps the Jin Dynasty..."

Su Yuanjing's expression changed: "Prime Minister, do you intend to surrender gold?"

"I don't want to, but do I have a choice?"

Wang Fu shook his head with a wry smile: "The situation is pressing, what can we do?"

Su Yuanjing's gaze was complicated: "Prime Minister, let's take another look."

"King Kang might not dare to do anything to King Qi..."

……

Jiangzhou.

"Wang Huan, military governor of Henan and Hebei; Xu Jing, military governor of Shangdang and Taiyuan; Yang Wen, military governor of Jiangxia and Lingling; Han Cunbao, military governor of Yunzhong and Yanmen; Cao Rong, military governor of Lianghuai; Lu Deng, military governor of Lu'an Prefecture..."

"Zhang Suo, Inspector of Jiangnan; Wang Yuan, Inspector of Ningzhou; Murong Yanming, Prefect of Gaotang Prefecture; Lu Zhang, Prefect of Pingjiang Prefecture; Zhang Guxing, Prefect of Fangzhou; Hou Meng, Prefect of Bozhou; Wan Qixie, Vice Prefect of Xiangzhou..."

"General Du Chong of the Yangtze River, General Du Song of Nanjing, and Commander-in-Chief Liu Menglong of the Jiankang Naval Forces..."

"They're here! They're all here!"

Emperor Gaozong of Song was so excited that he slapped his thigh repeatedly:

"With Zhao Huan dead, all the opportunists have indeed sided with me!"

Qin Hui said with a fawning expression, "Once the funeral of the false emperor is over, Your Majesty will be the true ruler of the world!"
Even the Prince of Qi has to be mindful of His Majesty's feelings!

Emperor Gaozong of Song became arrogant: "Hahaha—"

Cai Jing reminded Emperor Gaozong of Song: "Your Majesty, we still need to see whether Prince Qi comes to attend the funeral, and how he does so."

"Yes, Your Majesty, if the Prince of Qi were to bring a large army..."

Chen Zongshan, who was promoted to Privy Councilor of the Eastern Hall for his meritorious service in saving the emperor, was having a bit of a headache:
"Jiangzhou currently has only 50,000 troops, and its generals are only Qiu Yue, Liu Yanqing, Liu Guangshi, and a few others..."

Emperor Gaozong's expression changed: "It shouldn't be like that, right?"

"My brother-in-law and I had an agreement..."

Cai Jing sighed: "Your Majesty, you can know a person's face but not their heart; one must always be wary of others!"

"Right now, Jiangzhou is a gathering place for all the officials of the realm. Brother-in-law, aren't you afraid of provoking public anger by doing this?"

Emperor Gaozong's face was contorted: "He has already occupied half of the country, why does he still want to compete with me for the world?"
"He is my brother-in-law, blood is thicker than water!"

eh?

Chen Zongshan was stunned for a moment: When you killed your elder brother, you didn't say that blood is thicker than water...

Qin Hui quickly advised, "Your Majesty, Prince Zhong is right. We still need to make preparations as soon as possible!"

"Why don't we summon Qiu Yue and Liu Yanqing first..."

The fact that officials from all over the country came to Jiangzhou to attend the funeral was actually because the battle between Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Qinzong of Song had already been decided.

Previously, the world was fought between the Southern and Northern Song dynasties. Now that the two Song dynasties have been unified, when else should we act if not now?

They certainly couldn't have come alone; even if they came to surrender, they would have brought three to five hundred soldiers with them.

The main problem was that the Song Dynasty was not peaceful, with small groups of Liao soldiers causing havoc everywhere, so it was essential to ensure one's own safety.

However, bringing too much was also not advisable, lest it cause a misunderstanding with Emperor Gaozong of Song. Therefore, the extra amount brought would not exceed a thousand.

But if I bring three or five hundred, you bring five or seven hundred, and he brings eight or nine hundred, it adds up to a lot.

The city of Jiangzhou was full of civil officials, while the military officers could only camp outside the city. It was a huge market.

As a result, many itinerant vendors appeared outside the city, and some even set up temporary sheds to sell wine.

In one of the largest tents, Wang Huan, the military governor of Henan and Hebei, was drinking with Yang Wen, the military governor of Jiangxia and Lingling, Zhang Kai, the military governor of Zhongshan and Anping, and Han Cunbao, the military governor of Yunzhong and Yanmen.

They had once followed Gao Qiu in attacking Erlong Mountain, and had become friends. Naturally, they wanted to catch up after their long separation.

Unlike other military generals, the "Ten Military Governors" were all from outlaw backgrounds who were recruited by the imperial court, and they spoke with a more outspokenness.

Zhang Kai, nicknamed "Lone Tiger," lives up to his name, speaking without restraint.

"The civil officials can enter Jiangzhou City, but we can't!"
"The Southern Emperor is on guard against us!"

Yang Wen, the "roadblock," sneered: "Now that the Northern Emperor has passed away, who exactly is the Southern Emperor guarding against?"

Because Emperor Qinzong's side was the "Northern Song" and Emperor Gaozong's side was the "Southern Song," people at the time called Emperor Qinzong the "Northern Emperor" and Emperor Gaozong the "Southern Emperor."

Han Cunbao frowned: "Could it be that we're guarding against... the Prince of Qi?"

As soon as the words "King Qi" were uttered, the busy shopkeepers nearby glanced at them, intentionally or unintentionally.

The shopkeeper has a pointed head and long, thin legs; to put it simply, "his head is like a grasshopper's, and his legs are like a heron's."

"Keep your voice down!"

The oldest among them, Wang Huan, cautiously offered this reminder:
"This is Jiangzhou, be careful, the walls may be listening!"

Zhang Kai, Yang Wen, and Han Cunbao all sneered, just then Xu Jing, the military governor of Shangdang and Taiyuan, walked by:

"So you guys are something else, coming to drink without inviting me?"

He was also one of the "Ten Commanders" who followed Gao Qiu in attacking Erlong Mountain. Without any hesitation, he plopped down and called to the pointy-headed shopkeeper:
"Please add another set of bowls and chopsticks!"

The shopkeeper agreed and brought him a bowl and chopsticks, the bowl filled with wine. Xu Jing asked mysteriously:
"The funeral of the Northern Emperor has been delayed again and again. Do you brothers know why?"

"you still need to ask?"

Yang Wen pointed to the northwest and then to the northeast:
"If the important figures from both sides don't come, the funeral will have to be postponed!"

Han Cunbao shook his head: "I'm afraid they won't come..."

Zhang Kai sneered, "I'm afraid they won't dare to come!"

"Even the Northern Emperor died when he came, let alone them?"

Brother, watch your words!

Wang Huan's face turned pale, but it was clear that everyone present was very interested in the taboo topic that had been brought up.

Xu Jing looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, lowered his voice and said:

"You also believe it's the Southern Emperor..."

"Hard to say."

Han Cunbao pouted and shook his head again:

"The Northern Emperor had just met the Southern Emperor when he was killed by Liao soldiers!"
"Would you believe that this matter has nothing to do with the Southern Emperor?"

Zhang Kai glanced at Xu Jing and then at Han Cunbao: "You all think this way, and you're still willing to support the Southern Emperor?"

(End of this chapter)