Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Emperor Xiaozong of Song, Zhao Shen, was the adopted son of Zhao Gou.

Are they descendants of Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin?

"Haha, this is my descendant, a wise and virtuous ruler of the Southern Song Dynasty!!"

Zhao Kuangyin, on his deathbed, was startled awake. He hadn't heard stories of enlightened rulers of the Song Dynasty in a very long time.

He's determined to appreciate it properly this time!

"He is the only enlightened ruler!"

Zhao Guangyi suddenly added,

Zhao Kuangyin's smile froze instantly. The only wise ruler? Doesn't that mean all the emperors after him were useless?

Why did you say that? Can't you just let me have a good time?

"Second brother, you'd better shut up, or I'll slap you when I'm at my happiest!"

In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, Zhuxian Town

Looking at the twelve gold medals in front of him, Yue felt a pang of sorrow.

The twelve gold medals finally arrived.

Ten years of hard work, about to be ruined in an instant.

"General Yue, let's just rebel!!"

"That's right, if Zhao can sit on the throne, so can you, Marshal Yue!"

"That's right! As soon as Commander Yue gives the order, we will immediately honor Commander Yue as Emperor and General Yue Yun as Crown Prince!"

The generals inside the tent were filled with righteous indignation, uttering treasonous words.

Zhao Gou was about to kill them, so how could they still show him great respect?

"Shut up, all of you!!"

"Are you trying to force me to go deaf by uttering such blasphemous words?"

Yue Fei slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked:

"I, Yue Fei, would rather die than be a traitorous minister!!!"

The general inside the tent lowered his flags and stopped playing drums, but he was still muttering to himself.

Yue Fei looked at the sky with a glimmer of hope.

He had met Zhao Shen once a few years ago.

Is he truly the sage ruler I've been waiting for?

Zhao Shen was a seventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, and was regarded by later generations as "the foremost among the emperors who crossed the Yangtze River to the south."

He was selected by Zhao Gou to enter the palace in the second year of Shaoxing and became Zhao Gou's adopted son.

In the seventh year of the Shaoxing era, eleven-year-old Zhao Shen had a brief encounter with Yue Fei.

After observing this teenager, his future emperor, Yue Fei greatly admired Zhao Shen and left behind a famous comment.

[He is a true sage ruler! The nation has found a worthy successor; the foundation for its revival lies in him.]

Zhao Shen is currently only Zhao Gou's adopted son, not yet the crown prince of the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, Yue Fei wrote to Zhao Gou, requesting that Zhao Shen be made crown prince.

This was the only time Zhao Shen met Yue Fei. Until Yue Fei was killed in the eleventh year of the Shaoxing era, Yue Fei never met his revered emperor again.

Even Yue Fei believed that Zhao Shen was a sage ruler?

I wonder if she has any of Zhao Jiu's charm?

What the ancients didn't expect was that the evaluation of Zhao Shen, the holy ruler, was given by Yue Fei himself.

Many people watched as Yue Fei and Zhao Shen became acquainted.

Regardless of age, or the inherent bond between them that existed from the very first meeting,

A blurry figure seemed to appear before my eyes, standing forlornly in the autumn wind.

"Zhao Shen and Yue Fei, I feel like they're more like Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang."

"They do have some similarities."

"Oh dear, if Zhao Gou had died at this time, his entrustment of the young emperor to Yue Fei would have been six or seven parts similar!!"

Many people kept expressing regret, even though they had already seen the Holy Lord they envisioned.

Once he ascends the throne, the Northern Expedition against the Jin dynasty and the reconquest of the Central Plains might actually be possible.

In the thirty-first year of the Shaoxing era, the Jin ruler Wanyan Liang broke the treaty and invaded the south again, but was defeated by Yu Yunwen at Caishiji.

Although this invasion of the south was unsuccessful, it successfully demonstrated to the Southern Song Dynasty that relying on a peace treaty to maintain peace with the Jin Dynasty was unrealistic.

Voices advocating for war are rising across the political spectrum, with even some criticism of previous peace agreements.

It must be said that Zhao Gou was too shrewd. He said he had been emperor for over thirty years and had had enough.

In the thirty-second year of the Shaoxing era, Zhao Gou abdicated the throne to Zhao Shen, becoming the Retired Emperor. Thereafter, he indulged in pleasures in the inner palace, attempting to emulate Li Yuan and create more descendants.

After Zhao Shen became emperor, his first act was to exonerate Yue Fei, restore his official position, and find his remains for burial.

[Then the pro-war faction was put in power, determined to avenge the humiliation of Jingkang, carry on Yue Fei's legacy, and recover the Central Plains.]

How come this involves my affairs?

During the Zhenguan era, Li Yuan, who was already the retired emperor, stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

What does it mean to "learn from the emperor"?

I can't do anything right now, and Erlang handles everything. What else can I do but enjoy myself?

Li Yuan, somewhat angry, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Give birth! Give birth!!

They were all born and raised by Erlang.

Who could blame Erlang for being so capable, a great emperor throughout history, for nothing could stump him?

Raising a few children for me shouldn't be a big deal, right?

"Good, these are my descendants! They should have this much spirit!!"

Zhao Kuangyin slapped his thigh and praised Zhao Shen without any attempt to hide his admiration, completely ignoring Zhao Guangyi, who was grimacing in pain beside him.

Zhao Shen, you are truly my precious treasure!

Zhao Kuangyin was finally seeing an emperor among his descendants, and a wise and benevolent one at that.

It was like looking at a gold nugget.

Zhao Guangyi rubbed his thigh vigorously to relieve the pain.

What's with the arrogance? Zhao Xu is one of my descendants.

Do you even realize how valuable Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty was?

"Pharmacist, in your opinion, will Zhao Shen's Northern Expedition succeed?"

Li Shimin stroked his chin and turned to ask Li Jing for his opinion.

He always felt that this Northern Expedition would be difficult to succeed.

The appeasement faction had existed in the Southern Song court for more than 20 years. How could Zhao Shen possibly change the minds of his ministers with a single order?

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, it's probably very difficult."

"They're in a rush, too hasty."

"More than twenty years have passed, how many capable generals does the Southern Song Dynasty still have?"

"Even though the Jin army has just suffered a defeat, the Southern Song army is not the same as the Yue Family Army of the past."

"More importantly, how could the Northern Expedition succeed without an outstanding commander who could lead the overall situation, subdue the generals, and unite the people?"

"Moreover, the largest pro-peace faction in the Southern Song Dynasty is still around."

Yes, even though Zhao Gou, that scoundrel, became the retired emperor, can he really hand over power?

He doesn't seem like our retired emperor.

This northern expedition, known as the Longxing Northern Expedition, initially recovered some prefectures and counties, and the situation looked very promising.

[However, later on, the generals fell out, and there were even situations where our side remained unmoved when our allies were in trouble.]

Taking advantage of the situation, the Jurchens launched a counterattack. Within the court, the pro-peace faction gained momentum, and the retired Emperor Zhao Gou continued to pressure Zhao Shen to negotiate peace.

In the end, Zhao Shen had no choice but to negotiate with the Jin again, and the Northern Expedition failed once more.

The terms of this peace treaty are significantly better than those of the Shaoxing Peace Treaty.

The Song Dynasty ceased to be a vassal state of the Jin Dynasty, instead agreeing to a relationship of uncle and nephew, with the annual tribute reduced by 50,000 taels.

"Wow, the Song Dynasty has really made something of itself! The Jin Dynasty can even call him 'uncle'?"

"What are you thinking? Isn't this clearly Zhao Shen wanting to call the Jin Dynasty's emperor 'uncle'?"

"Oh, so what's so good about it?"

Some people felt extremely aggrieved. The fact that the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty had a brotherly relationship was somewhat acceptable.

How did it become a kingdom of uncles and nephews?

So, if we wait until later, will we agree to establish a kingdom for grandfather and grandson?

How come the more they fight, the lower their seniority becomes?