Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

As soon as Zhao Yu said this, the atmosphere on the rooftop immediately became heavy.

The three men's expressions turned serious. After a long silence, Wang Chongyang finally let out a long sigh, his tone filled with resentment and sorrow.

"On the day of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, His Highness mentioned this matter to us. I originally thought that His Highness was exaggerating in order to win us over. But after seeing it with my own eyes in Lin'an City these past few days, I realized that what His Highness said was true. I can only feel sad and lamentable."

He stroked his long beard, his eyes filled with indignation at their inaction: "The Great Song Dynasty knelt and bowed to the Jin Dynasty, demoting uncles and nephews to elder brothers, ceding territory and paying indemnities, losing sovereignty and national humiliation. Yet, among the officials, hardly anyone dared to stand up and argue for justice. Were those Jin people really so terrifying that they could frighten the entire court like this?"

At this point, the tone of this Quanzhen patriarch already carried a hint of suppressed anger.

Back then, he raised the banner of rebellion within the territory of the Jin Dynasty, leading his righteous army in a bloody battle against the Jin soldiers. Even though he was ultimately outnumbered and defeated, he never bowed his head to the Jin people.

But now the Southern Song Dynasty, which possesses half of the country and commands hundreds of thousands of troops, is afraid of the enemy like a tiger and has even abandoned the face of its ancestors. How can this not chill his heart?

"For a dignified and superior nation like our own to acknowledge a thief as our master is a disgrace," Huang Yaoshi said coldly, his eyes filled with disdain and disgust.

What he hated most in his life were people who surrendered without any backbone. If he hadn't been too lazy to take action, he would have killed those pro-peace civil officials with a single sword stroke.

"That's right." Hong Qi also looked annoyed. He picked up the gourd at his waist, took a big gulp of wine, wiped his mouth and cursed, "Just thinking about our Song emperor having to call that dog emperor of the Jin Kingdom 'uncle' makes me feel nauseous."

"What kind of mess is this? The aura of your ancestors, the emperors who swept across the land, has completely vanished."

"A Celestial Empire?" Zhao Yu suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh upon hearing this, his gaze sweeping over the three men. "Do you three think that after the Jingkang Incident—no, even before the Jingkang Incident—this Song Dynasty, which emphasized civil affairs over military matters and sought peace through annual tributes, could still be called a Celestial Empire?"

The three of them were speechless for a moment.

Compared to the mighty Han and Tang dynasties, which boasted the grandeur of conquering the Xiongnu and receiving tribute from all nations, the Song dynasty ultimately lacked that unyielding spirit and the confidence of a superior celestial empire.

"Therefore," Zhao Yu's tone suddenly became firm, "my killing of the Jin delegation tonight is to completely extinguish the hopes of those pro-peace faction in the court, to burn our bridges and destroy their desire for peace!"

"If we want to launch a northern expedition to recover the Central Plains and reclaim our lost territories, we must first unite the hearts and minds of the people in the court and among the people. But as long as there is still a possibility of peace talks, those pro-peace civil officials will always harbor wishful thinking, will always hinder the northern expedition, and will always be willing to sell out the national interests for the sake of temporary peace."

"Only by killing the Jin delegation, completely breaking off relations between the two countries, and letting them know that peace talks are no longer possible and the Jin army's southward advance is inevitable, will they give up their hopes and have no choice but to follow me, prepare their troops, and resist the Jin army."

He paused, then looked at the three of them and continued, "You three probably don't know this, but the real leader of the Jin delegation to Lin'an this time is not Wanyan Kan, but the sixth prince of Jin, Prince Zhao, Wanyan Honglie. This man is extremely ambitious. His mission is ostensibly to negotiate peace, but in reality, he is here to spy on the military and political strength of our Great Song Dynasty, and also to search for the Military Manual of Yue Fei."

"Once Wanyan Honglie is killed and the Jin delegation is beheaded, there will be no room for negotiation between the two countries. The peace treaty will be completely nullified, and the Jin army will inevitably launch a large-scale southward invasion. At that time, the country will be in imminent danger, and with a new emperor in power, those civil officials will probably be less resistant."

Zhao Yu's tone was calm, but his words were extremely cruel.

Zhao Kuo lacked martial virtue and only knew how to kneel and beg for peace when facing the Jin army, which had already disappointed many people in the court and among the people.

When the peace talks between Song and Jin break down, the resistance he, the emperor who seized power by force, will face will not be so strong.

It's all about compromise. Those scholars could compromise with the Jurchens, so why couldn't they compromise with Zhao Yu?

Throughout history, scholars have had the softest knees, yet also the hardest.

Fortunately, in the Southern Song Dynasty, after experiencing the humiliation of Jingkang and several invasions of the Jin army, some people's knees had long been worn down.

"I see." Wang Chongyang suddenly understood, and his eyes showed more respect as he looked at Zhao Yu. "Your Highness is insightful and far-sighted. I admire you."

He paused, then added, "Speaking of Wanyan Honglie and the Jin delegation, I do know a little about them."

"He secretly won over Wang Daoqian, a censor in the court, and offered him a large sum of money to spy on the military and political secrets of the Song Dynasty. He even sent out a steady stream of information about the palace's defenses and the mobilization of the imperial guards. It was this scoundrel Qiu Chuji who discovered this in Lin'an and was just preparing to deal with it when, unfortunately, His Highness took action tonight."

"Oh? Changchunzi is indeed known for his hatred of evil, his reputation is well-deserved." Zhao Yu smiled, but his tone gradually turned cold. "However, this is a matter of the Song Dynasty's internal affairs, so there's no need for your esteemed disciple to concern himself with it."

"Wang Daoqian's crimes of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country are irrefutable. He should be executed by slow slicing in accordance with the law, as a warning to others. Private punishments in the martial arts world are ultimately not respectable."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang was slightly taken aback, but then he understood Zhao Yu's implied meaning.

A knight-errant uses his martial arts to break the law.

When Zhao Yu was still an audience member in his previous life, he admired Qiu Chuji's chivalrous deeds and his passionate pursuit of Wang Daoqian across thousands of miles.

But when he stands on the throne of the future emperor, he will never tolerate such chivalrous figures who bypass the laws of the court and privately kill court officials.

This is the bottom line of imperial power, and it cannot be crossed.

Even if Wang Daoqian was a traitor who colluded with the enemy and deserved to die, he should be punished by the imperial court, not killed by a swordsman from the martial arts world.

Wang Chongyang had lived half his life; what did he not understand about human relationships and social customs?

He immediately bowed to Zhao Yu and said, "Your Highness is right. I will instruct Chuji to hand this matter over to the court and he will not interfere again."

Zhao Yu nodded and said no more about it.

However, Wang Chongyang still looked at Zhao Yu with a serious expression: "Killing the Jurchens might unite the officials in the court to fight the enemy, but if the Jurchens really march south, has Your Highness thought about how to deal with it? The Song Dynasty suffered a crushing defeat two years ago, and the morale of the army has not yet recovered. If this battle breaks out, it will be difficult to handle."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Wang Chongyang: "That depends on you, Master Wang. You are the expert at dealing with the Jin cavalry. Back then, you raised the banner of righteousness and fought against the Jin army for several years. Your experience is unparalleled in the entire Song Dynasty. I wonder if you, Master Wang, would be willing to condescend to lead the three armies and go on the expedition for our Song Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang was startled: "Your Highness, are you serious? You truly wish to appoint me as general and command the Northern Expeditionary Army?"

His voice trembled slightly, and his eyes were full of surprise.