One Piece of Song Dynasty

At noon that day, King Jing Zhao Qi and the Xie Ke family left Jinying and returned to the city. They held high a yellow flag with the four characters "two countries making peace" written on it. Walking through the thick snow on the road, they walked into the city from Chaoyang Gate, the east gate, or Xinsong Gate. When we reached the Lijing Gate of the inner city, the city gate was still closed. After they informed the gatekeepers of the situation, they rested and waited in the nearby Chenghuang Temple. Soon, the city gate opened, and the gatekeepers brought horses to them and asked them to ride to the court. There were four golden envoys accompanying them.

Song Qinzong, He Li, Sun Fu and other ministers were all in the Xiangxi Hall, waiting to hear the situation report. There was silence in the main hall, and everyone was mentally guessing what news King Jing and the Xie Ke family might bring back. Everyone thought it was a terrible thing, but no one was willing to say it out loud.

Song Qinzong did not expect that they would come back so soon, and he did not expect that the Jin people would not detain King Jing in the army. The behavior of the Jin people was a bit abnormal and completely different from before. Not knowing what their purpose was, Song Qinzong felt uneasy.

After a while, King Jing and the Xie Ke family entered the palace. They reported to Qinzong of the Song Dynasty: "Last night, when I first saw Nianhan and Onli, they immediately issued a proclamation, saying that before the city was breached, an order had been issued: if the city was breached, no killing or looting was allowed. Nianhan also emphasized in particular , when they led the troops past the royal mausoleum, they often warned the officers and soldiers not to intrude in the slightest. Nianhan also said, if you attack the city, I wonder if you can do it without killing people."

After hearing these words, Song Qinzong felt confused. Did these words mean to continue to attack the city, or to withdraw the troops under what conditions and when? These core issues were not mentioned at all. This made Song Qinzong still unsure about the intentions of Zong Han and Zong Wang. .

At this time, Zong Han and Zong Wang were standing on the tower of Nanxun Gate observing the situation in the city. They have sent Xiao Qing to find Li Ruoshui, and plan to let Li Ruoshui return to the city to send a message to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

Li Ruoshui went to Zong Han with Feng Fu as an envoy, but was detained by Zong Han in the army. Feng Fu had been released by Zong Han before the city was broken.

Xiao Qing went to Li Ruoshui and said, "Your emperor sent King Jing to ask for orders. There is still an imperial treasure in the request letter. I guess there is no chaos in the city yet. The prime minister wants you to see him, and he is probably ordering you to enter the city."

Li Ruoshui hurriedly came to the Nanxunmen Gate Tower. Zong Han said to him: "The capital has been destroyed. You can report to the emperor immediately and tell him not to flee. We have soldiers within five hundred miles. Please deal with internal affairs. To prevent civil strife." Then Zong Han added: "Can Mr. He come to discuss matters."

Li Ruoshui came down from Nanxun Gate and entered the city directly. When he came to Xiangxi Hall, the Xie Ke family had already reported the situation, and Song Qinzong and the ministers were all frowning and thinking hard about countermeasures.

When Song Qinzong raised his head and saw Li Ruoshui approaching, he lost his voice and exclaimed: "Qing Yuan is here, what's going on?"

Li Ruoshui then reported what Zong Han said truthfully, and comforted Song Qinzong by saying: "The Jin people just want to get the land of the two rivers and have nothing else."

Song Qinzong then decided to appoint He Li and Ji Wang Zhao Xu as envoys and sent them to Zong Han's army again. When He Li heard this, he turned pale with fear and hurriedly declined, not daring to go. Song Qinzong insisted that he should go, but He Li refused to answer. This matter has been dragged on for a long time, unable to make a decision.

When Li Ruoshui saw this, he was furious and cursed at He Li: "The country is like this. You have made mistakes and the country is in danger. You will die, so why not take the blame?" He Li had no choice but to agree.

He Li was a little panicked about sending an envoy to the Jin army. When setting off, he couldn't get on the horse because his legs and feet kept shaking, so his entourage had to help him get on the horse. They went all the way north and left the city through Zhuque Gate. On the way, He Li couldn't hold the riding whip because his hands were shaking, and the riding whip fell to the ground three times.

In the evening, He Li and Ji Wang Zhao Xu came to Qingcheng in the southwest suburbs. After three body searches by the Jin army, they arrived at the main tent of the Chinese army, the Jin army headquarters on the West Road. There are many guards along the way, with swords and guns standing everywhere, and they are heavily guarded.

As soon as He Li entered the tent, he fell to the ground and begged to die. Zong Han looked stern, sitting behind a large wooden table, and asked sternly: "The Southern Dynasty refused to accept the main war, who planned it?"

He Li replied: "I am the main battler." He Li was already ready to fight. He felt that the worst possible outcome would be death. When he thought about it this way, he felt calm and his whole body no longer trembled. If a person can really put life and death aside, then there is nothing to fear.

Zong Han asked: "What scholarship do you have? Why don't you fight with me?"

He Li replied: "I have no academic knowledge. This is what I should do for the country and the people."

Zong Han asked: "I heard that Emperor Zhao wanted to fight and refused to fight. Is this relevant?"

He Li replied: "I am responsible for all the main battles. The emperor had no intention of doing so."

Zong Han asked again: "I sent envoys in the past to summon you out of the city. Why don't you come here now that the city is broken?"

He Li replied again: "In the past, it was the country that did not come, but now it is the living beings."

Zong Han threatened: "What if I want to wash the city?"

He Li replied calmly: "When a marshal leads his troops to sack the city, he is showing off his power for a moment; when he loves the people and performs good deeds, it is a marshal who will show his kindness for eternity."

After hearing this, Zong Han said in silence for a long time: "You are also a loyal minister. Since ancient times, where there is south, there is north. What we hope for today is just to cede territory. However, I must see Emperor Zhao to make a peace agreement, and then report to the Northern Dynasty Emperor. Your Majesty will report back to the Emperor tomorrow, saying that we would like to invite the Supreme Emperor to meet him out of the suburbs, and we cannot refuse."

Zong Han has always been calm and sober since he led his troops south. He has a thorough understanding of the relationship between war and peace and uses it skillfully.

Now, although the Jin army has occupied the outer city wall, it is still stepping up preparations for war. Because Zong Han knew that there were hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city, and once it became explosive, it would be terrifying. Therefore, on the one hand, Zong Han expressed his hope for peace talks with the Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers. On the other hand, he ordered a large number of trees to be cut down outside the city, transported logs and boards to the city wall, and built various defense facilities specifically for the city to prevent the military and civilians in the city from carrying out attacks. Counterattack. For the convenience of transportation, the Jin Army also built several ramps outside the city leading directly to the city wall.

On the th, the sky was gloomy, the cold wind was howling, and heavy snow began to fly all over the sky again. There was a silvery white world everywhere in Tokyo.

In order to appease the soldiers and civilians in the city, Song Qinzong drove to Xuandemen in the snow early in the morning. He issued an edict to pardon the officials who defended the city and the soldiers and civilians for the crime of losing the city, announced that the two countries had reached a peace agreement, and comforted and persuaded the soldiers and civilians to return to their respective duties.

After hearing the news, people came from all directions. Tens of thousands of people soon gathered in Xuandemen Square. They shouted long live and cried. The warm and sad scene moved Song Qinzong very much. He waved and cried.