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

The crowd looked at the description on the sky with very complex expressions.

These people, though Han Chinese, ultimately helped the Mongols destroy the Han Chinese dynasty.

Logically speaking, no amount of scolding them is too much.

Just look at their experiences.

They weren't without consideration for serving the Southern Song Dynasty, repeatedly trusting it and rising up against the Jin and Mongols.

However, the final actions of the Southern Song Dynasty dampened the spirits of these patriots.

"If a ruler treats his subjects as his hands and feet, then the subjects will treat their ruler as their heart and soul."

"If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat their ruler like an enemy."

"The Southern Song Dynasty ultimately met such an end; its demise was a fitting retribution."

"But why Mongolians?"

Mencius sighed deeply, and spoke with sorrow,

The Han people at that time were forced into this choice.

If the Southern Song Dynasty had been able to recover the north and truly regard them as its heart and soul, how could it have ended up like this?

At that time, Han Chinese born in the north lived in areas ruled by foreign tribes, and for hundreds of years, two or three generations, they experienced cultural isolation.

Even during the Mongol conquest of the Song Dynasty, there were still people who rose up against the Mongols, which was already a testament to the Southern Song's loyalty.

Mencius's sorrow was not for the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, but for the people of that time.

After the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty truly unified the country.

He also remembered that foreign tribes had invaded southwards in later generations, such as during the Five Barbarian Invasions and the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Ultimately, no matter what, there was no true unification of the world, and the Han people's culture continued to exist.

But the Yuan Dynasty was different, and then there was the Qing Dynasty that followed.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, within the territory of the Jin Dynasty, Han Chinese living in the north sneered.

Their plight is finally being told by future generations.

"Heh, I'd love to love the Song Dynasty, but the Song Dynasty doesn't love me back!!"

They had considered serving the Southern Song Dynasty.

However, the bloody lessons they had learned made them afraid to serve the Southern Song Dynasty again.

From the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty, when did they ever truly trust the Han people in the north?

The northern soldiers who had fled south to the Song Dynasty and made great contributions to the Song Dynasty were sent back to the Jin Dynasty by the Southern Song Dynasty after the Shaoxing Peace Treaty, and were brutally massacred by the Jin people.

For example, Yuwen Xuzhong, though serving in the Jin court, harbored ambitions towards the Southern Song. He secretly contacted righteous heroes in the north and sent a secret letter to the Southern Song to arrange an uprising, but it was sent back to the Jin by Zhao Gou and Qin Hui.

Even his family in the south was sent back to the Jin Dynasty, where over a hundred members were eventually burned to death.

And what about Li Quan, Peng Yibin, and others? In the end, none of them had a good ending.

Surrendering to the Mongols was not what they wanted. If there had been other Han Chinese forces besides the Mongols at that time...

They will certainly serve as their master and help them conquer the world.

They simply had no other choice!

These Han Chinese from the north, abandoned by the Southern Song Dynasty, personally drove the final nail into the coffin of the Southern Song.

The Battle of Yamen ended in a crushing defeat for the Song Dynasty. Due to the Yuan Dynasty's encirclement strategy, the battle initiated by Zhang Shijie ultimately became a massacre caused by a vast disparity in strength.

Later generations believed that Zhang Shijie's inflexibility ultimately led to the defeat in the Battle of Yamen.

Before the Yuan army surrounded them, the court officials had already devised a plan for their escape, intending to go to Champa, Jiaozhi and other places, and finally plot the restoration of the country.

[However, Zhang Shijie himself cut off his own escape route, determined to fight a decisive battle against the Yuan Dynasty.]

In the end, Zhang Shijie managed to break through the encirclement with several small boats, but the boats were capsized by the hurricane, and he drowned in Guangdong.

[And what about the emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Bing, who was only eight years old?]

[It seems that, like the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, he was captured and forced to live a life of ignominy, just like his ancestors Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, or surrendered to the Mongols at the age of six like the Song Gong Emperor. It seems that no one blamed this child.]

However, eight-year-old Zhao Bing chose a different way, giving the Song Dynasty a final moment of dignity.

Upon hearing this, everyone in front of the canopy straightened up and looked up solemnly at the canopy.

They seemed to have guessed what Zhao Bing's choice was.

But Zhao Bing was only eight years old. What did the state of the Southern Song Dynasty have to do with him?

Even if he were to surrender to the Mongols, no one would truly blame him.

The scene on the screen shifted.

Surrounded by Mongol warships, countless Song soldiers, their faces pale, still fought fiercely against the Yuan army, wielding their steel swords.

The Song Dynasty was already at its end; its three-hundred-year reign was about to be cut short.

Lu Xiufu's head was covered in blood as he watched the Song soldiers being continuously slaughtered by the Yuan soldiers, their blood flowing across the deck of the ship.

"With the nation in such dire straits, my entire family is ready to die for our country rather than suffer humiliation at the hands of barbarians!!!"

Lu Xiufu roared, his eyes bloodshot, then turned to his wife and children and said:

"Don't be afraid, I'll come to join you soon."

As Lu Xiufu spoke, tears streamed down his face as he tried to etch the faces of his wife and children into his memory.

Several figures flashed past Lu Xiufu's eyes and plunged into the sea, quickly being swallowed by the boundless waves.

Lu Xiufu subconsciously reached out his hand, as if trying to grab something, but his hand was empty.

"Prime Minister Lu, something terrible has happened! The enemy has boarded the ships!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiufu closed his eyes in anguish, gripped the wooden railing of the boat tightly with his right hand, and twisted to run towards the boat where Zhao Bing was.

Lu Xiufu twisted his body and grabbed the railing forcefully, sending wood chips flying and drops of blood splattering everywhere.

Lu Xiufu rushed to Zhao Bing's cabin, where Zhao Bing was huddled in a corner, sobbing incessantly.

The shouts of battle and screams outside had a profound impact on the eight-year-old child.

Lu Xiufu hurriedly adjusted his official hat and knelt down before Zhao Bing.

"The state of affairs is in such a state; it is all due to our incompetence!"

"If Your Majesty falls into the hands of the Yuan people, you will surely suffer humiliation."

"Emperor Deyou has already suffered enough humiliation; Your Majesty must not humiliate him further!"

"Your Majesty should die for your country!!!"

Upon hearing this word, Zhao Bing trembled, a sense of fear creeping over him. He turned and saw the Song soldiers fighting desperately, and the flames burning outside, which burned away any timidity or cowardice he felt.

This eight-year-old emperor, in his tender voice, said firmly:

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have joined the nation in its time of crisis. The country is on the verge of collapse. Although I am young, I am unwilling to live on in disgrace."

The cannonballs slammed heavily into the ship's hold, sending dust plumes down. Zhao Bing abruptly stood up, two lines of tears sliding down his young face.

Zhao Bing mustered all his strength from his small body and roared:

"I will not surrender!!"

"Never surrender!!!"

Lu Xiufu kowtowed heavily, biting his lip, and choked out, "

"Your Majesty, I will carry you on my back!!"

Lu Xiufu carried Zhao Bing on his back and walked step by step towards the deck, until they reached the edge of the ship.

Zhao Bing poked his head out and looked down at the sea.

The sea beneath the ship was pitch black, with occasional patches of crimson floating on the surface, quickly disappearing into the distance, as if a gaping maw had opened beneath, ready to devour anyone who might be caught.

"It's so high up here!"

"Is Your Majesty somewhat afraid?"

"Don't worry, I have Minister Lu with me."

Lu Xiufu carried Zhao Bing to the bow of the ship, where the sounds of soldiers fighting and roaring echoed from the distant sea.

"Lu Qing."

Lu Xiufu turned to look at his emperor, the emperor he had always taught and cared for.

"Minister Lu, I will never become the great ruler of the Song Dynasty that you speak of."

What came to Zhao Bing's mind were the examples of ancient wise rulers that Lu Xiufu had been telling him even during their escape, the figures of the great Song emperors such as Taizu, Zhezong, and Xiaozong.

"I wonder if I will be able to see the founding emperor, and whether he will blame me."

"No, Your Majesty, I'm here."

"Lu Qing."

Hold me tighter.

With a splash, a wave surged up, and the figures of the emperor and his minister instantly disappeared into the vast sea.