Song Emperor Jiangshan

What Xiao Shan didn't expect was that he fought against Xinyang bloody and suffered eight wounds. What he waited for was not the commendation from the imperial court, but the reprimand from the imperial court.

Xiao Shan clearly knew that Zhao Gou's behavior was normal, but he couldn't help being a little disappointed.Zhang Xiaoxiang shook his head and sighed: "We waited so hard to defend the land for the emperor, the imperial court was biased."

Hearing this, Xiao Shan's heart trembled. He had been here for so long, and the surrounding environment was so tainted that he almost forgot why he was fighting.

For the ideal, for the belief, for the rejuvenation of the Song Dynasty, for the security of China, for the fulfillment of the original agreement between him and Zhao Yuan, for the people of the Great Song Dynasty in the occupied land... Among the many reasons, none of them is for Zhao Gou.So what does Zhao Gou do now, how does he look at it, and what does it matter?

Xiao Shan patted Zhang Xiaoxiang on the shoulder, and said seriously: "It is not for the emperor to guard the territory alone, but for the country. He alone cannot represent the country." Later generations often say that the government and the country are not the same thing, love the party It's not the same as being patriotic. Although the education received in Xiaoshan is the unity of the party and the country, he is no stranger to this kind of saying.Zhang Xiaoxiang who was thousands of years ago couldn't accept the saying that the Son of Heaven could not represent the country, but he didn't say anything more, just said: "Brother Xiao, this kind of thing is not what you and I should say."

Liu Kai comforted Xiao Shan, praised him for playing well this time, and explained for Zhao Gou: "Officials also have their difficulties. As ministers, we should not get angry with him."

Xiao Shan smiled and put this matter behind him.

More than ten days later, the imperial court sent another batch of weapons, which they said were to make up for the broken ones, along with some wound medicine, and two doctors came to treat Xiao Shan's wounds.Xiao Shan's injury was almost healed, although he didn't need additional treatment, but the above action made him feel a little better. After all, weapons and wound medicine are more exciting than written commendations.

The area around the upper reaches of the Yangtze River was safe and sound. Although Zhao Gou said that he was not allowed to pursue the cross-border, and that he should not violate the peace agreement between Song and Jin, Liu Qi still ordered Xiaoshan to send some more spies to cross the border to inquire about the situation.

The enemy came back quickly after inquiring about the situation. This was the first time since Wan Yanliang took the throne to use troops against the south. The number of troops dispatched was not many, only over [-]. public.

According to the mobilization of food and grass and the intention of marching, Wan Yanliang took these soldiers and horses and took a detour, heading east all the way, aiming at Huaixi.

The news this time was reported by someone sent by Xiao Shan. Xiao Shan immediately reported the incident to Liu Kai, and also sent an urgent letter to the court in Lin'an, telling Wan Yanliang that he was about to invade the south and that the Jin army would soon It will appear in the Huaixi area, and I hope to make early preparations.

Xinyang is far away from Lin'an, and the mobilization of troops and horses may take more than a month, but there is only one person who delivers the letter, and he walks quickly. Seven days later, the letter has been delivered to the Privy Council of Lin'an.

Tang Situi, who signed the Privy Council, reported the news to Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou couldn't believe that Wan Yanliang would really invade the south. Instead of making any preparations to mobilize military power, they sent a petition to Wan Yanliang to ask the two countries to repair it forever.

The news that Wan Yanliang was going south could not be concealed, basically all the important officials in Lin'an knew about it the next day.

Officials headed by Tang Situi, Ye Yiwen, Wan Qisi, etc. all said that this was just a border conflict, and it was not easy to mobilize troops in the country, so as not to attract questions from the Jin Kingdom and give it an excuse to invade wantonly.It can be regarded as echoing Zhao Gou's opinion.

The officials headed by Chen Junqing, Shi Hao, Zhao Yuan, Yu Yunwen, etc. advocated the immediate mobilization of troops and horses to defend against the enemy and gain the initiative.

Under the persuasion of the ministers, Zhao Gou just insisted on making peace, and did not believe that Wan Yanliang would go south at all.

Until the Huaixi front line, Shao Hongyuan, Wang De and others sent the battle report, Zhao Gou still couldn't believe what he saw—Wan Yanliang actually led his troops south!

Lin'an City fell into chaos, and many wealthy households were packing their bags and preparing to flee at any time, even Zhao Gou was no exception.

Zhao Gou, who has been emperor for more than 20 years, knows what kind of troops he has under his command.

When Jin Wushu led the army to march south, there were generals like Yue Fei and Han Shizhong who were able to resist. Even Zhang Jun, who was not well-known in later generations, was not defeated every time.

But now, Zhao Gou looks around the country, Yue Fei is dead, Han Shizhong died a year after Qin Hui's death, Zhang Jun is 65 years old, and has been at home for many years. .Wu Phosphorus is guarding Sichuan, and Liu Qi is in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Not to mention that these people cannot be moved, even if they are dispatched now, it may be too late.

The only one who can be counted on is Yang Cunzhong, the commander in front of the palace, but Zhao Gou is not going to move him - because if he wants to escape, he will have to lead troops to protect him.

The battle reports from the front came one by one, and Zhao Gou couldn't sleep well again. He often jumped out of bed to read the reports when he heard the news from the front in the middle of the night. However, the news he got made him even more worried. shock.

Wan Yanliang's [-] people drove southward, and the two Huaihe Rivers were retreating steadily. The north of the Yangtze River was lost. The Jin army was already preparing to cross the river. If the crossing was successful, the Qingqi raid would only take two or three days to reach Lin'an time.Once the golden soldiers arrived at the city, they couldn't run even if they wanted to.

At first, Zhao Gou just prepared privately, but when he got the news that Jin Bing was preparing to cross the river, he didn't care too much. The eunuchs in the palace came and went and started to pack up.He also mobilized sea ships east of Lin'an, ready to go to sea and escape at any time.

These actions of his can't be hidden from anyone. The ministers in the court who advocated staying began to persuade Zhao Gou not to run away, but to stay and sit in charge. thing.

Zhao Gou was unmoved, and publicly expressed his thoughts during a court meeting: "During the Jingkang period, Jin soldiers went south, and I once persuaded my elder brother to escape. At that time, he said that the emperor should guard the land, but he was besieged by Jin soldiers. The Second Emperor Beishou, and the world has been in chaos ever since. Later he wrote to me, saying that he regretted not listening to my advice back then."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, not knowing how to persuade Zhao Gou, the frightened bird, to stay. Zhao Yuan couldn't stand it any longer. He took the lead and saluted Zhao Gou, "Your Majesty, our Great Song Dynasty still has the strength to fight against it." , may not let the golden soldiers cross the river. I implore your majesty to stay, and the imperial conquest will surely boost morale and drive the golden thieves out of the country!"

Zhao Gou's face turned pale, and he shook his head again and again: "King Jian must not be arrogant, absolutely not!"

Chen Junqing, Shi Hao and others all knelt down together: "Your Majesty, don't go to sea!"

Zhao Gou was anxious and afraid, so he hurriedly retreated to the harem, went to see Queen Mother Wei, and explained his thoughts.

Empress Dowager Wei scolded angrily: "The old woman thought she could live a peaceful life for two days when she came back. Brother Ninth wants to run away, is it because he wants to leave us orphans and widows to be bullied by Jin Bing? It's not enough to be angry with Jin Bing in the north." , come to the south, and run away everywhere!"

Zhao Gou was severely scolded by his mother, he hesitated a little, and went to see Empress Wu again.When he fled all the way south, Empress Wu was there to protect him, but now Empress Wu is over 30 years old, and there is a trace of white hair on her hair.

Empress Wu knelt down and wept: "Officials, the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty negotiated peace for more than ten years, and the Jin soldiers invaded the south more than ten years ago, and they were able to fight. Are you going to run away in a hurry today?"

Zhao Gou sighed in his heart. Empress Wu has been pampered and grown up a lot these years, and it seems that she is no longer what she used to be.She also has a white hair on her head, and although there are no wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she is already showing signs of fatigue.

Zhao Gou shook his head. No one's persuasion could change his mind. He still ordered people to prepare the car to drive, and he turned to the previous court. Some officials of the previous court had left, but Zhao Yuan and others still knelt on the ground, I hope he will not run away and can take on the responsibilities of an emperor.

At this moment the weather is still hot, although the sun has set, but the heat has not yet gone, Zhao Gou saw that the place where Zhao Yuan was kneeling had not moved at all, so he beckoned him to come over, took Zhao Yuan's hand, and said: "Yuan Yuan, you You are young, so you don't know the pros and cons of it. The Yangtze River seems to be unable to hold on, so you should go back and prepare, and go with me!"

Zhao Yuan's eyes were red. He had heard that Zhao Gou fled around in a panic and cowardly way back then, but he didn't expect that Zhao Gou would run away without seeing the shadow of Jin Bing!

Zhao Yuan's heart was full of blood, he stood up, and said angrily: "Father wants to run, but my son dare not stop him, I implore my father to let my son stay and conquer for the Son of Heaven, and swear to defend the territory to the death!"

Zhao Gou's face turned livid. He stared at Zhao Yuan and asked, "What did you just say? You want to stay alone?"

Seeing Zhao Gou's expression, Zhao Yuan knew that he had said something wrong, but he didn't think too much, took out the scripture he had written from his bosom, handed it to Zhao Gou with both hands, bowed and said, "Your servant is not afraid of death! "

Zhao Gou snorted, flung his sleeves and left.

Zhao Yuan still stayed in the same place, Shi Hao saw from a distance that there seemed to be something wrong here, and after Zhao Gou left, he asked: "Your Highness, what did you write on the note you gave His Majesty just now?"

Zhao Yuan said: "I said, if he must run away, please allow me to stay and let me go to the front line!"

Shi Hao stomped his feet and shook his head: "You are confused! Have you forgotten about Tang Minghuang?"

Zhao Yuan suddenly realized that he thought Zhao Gou was unhappy just now, but he said he shouldn't run away. Now that Shi Hao reminded him, he realized why Zhao Gou's face turned livid all of a sudden, and even looked at him with disgust.

During the Anshi Rebellion, Anlu Mountain went south, Tang Minghuang took Yang Guifei all the way south and fled to Sichuan, leaving the prince to guard the capital.

Unexpectedly, the crown prince ascended the throne himself, and Tang Minghuang Li Longji was overthrown.

Zhao Gou obviously thought that he had evil intentions and wanted to usurp the throne, so his face suddenly became ugly.

Zhao Yuan immediately revised the paper and begged Zhao Gou to stay with him. After the paper was handed over, Zhao Gou's face softened a little. He summoned Zhao Yuan to the palace and asked, "Who told you to change the paper?"

Zhao Yuan knelt down and burst into tears: "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no intention of doing anything wrong. The Jin people invaded the south, and Your Majesty went to sea before crossing the river. How can I explain this to the world? I didn't think carefully before and acted on my temper. Professor Shi reminded me of this." As for the matter, my son-in-law now only begs Father to stay, and if he wants to transfer, it won't be too late until the golden soldiers cross the river!"

Zhao Gou nodded lightly: "Shi Hao is good, he is considerate, and he is very dedicated to being your teacher. You should treat him well in the future. But if it is true that the golden soldiers cross the river, it will be two or three days after you and I receive the news. Now, when the time comes, the Jingkang disaster will repeat itself! Yuan Yuan, hurry back and pack your things."

Zhao Yuan bit his lip and straightened his back: "I won't go! I'd rather die here than go! I implore Your Majesty, don't go!"

Zhao Gou flicked his sleeves and snorted heavily, Zhao Yuan fell deeply on the ground: "I can't dissuade my father, I am unfaithful as a minister, and unfilial as a son. If Your Majesty does not change his mind, I will not be able to kneel down forever!"

Zhao Gou was anxious and angry in his heart. He is a little confused now, with less than [-] soldiers in the Huaihe River, so he is not an opponent at all. When the Jin soldiers went south, Du Chong was ordered to garrison the Yangtze River. So impressed.He was so anxious that he didn't have the heart to scold Zhao Yuan, he just kept turning in circles and stomping his feet.

Zhao Yuan persuaded: "The Yangtze River is naturally dangerous. Although I have not had any wars in the past ten years, it is not vulnerable. If Your Majesty mobilizes troops now, there is still time! If the Jin soldiers cross the river smoothly, it can be regarded as God's will. When the time comes The minister escorts His Majesty to transfer!"

Under Zhao Yuan's persuasion, Zhao Gou also had some activity in his heart, and he took a step back.Zhao Yuan refused to leave, and he could not force him to leave.If he ran away alone, he might really be punished by the emperor.

Zhao Gouji said reluctantly: "Since that's the case, then wait another two days. If the golden soldiers cross the river, you will go with me!"

Zhao Yuan let out a sigh of relief in his heart, finally stood up and walked out of the hall.

The ministers who had been waiting outside the hall for a long time were relieved when they heard Zhao Yuan say that Zhao Gou was finally persuaded and that he was not going to run away for the time being.

On the first night, it was safe and sound, but Zhao Gou couldn't fall asleep at all. He tossed and turned, and had a nightmare in the haze. He dreamed that when he was young, he was chased by Jin Bing and fled everywhere. , there was only one boat on the river, Zhao Gou got on the boat, and the people on the riverside wanted to grab the boat one after another. Seeing that the only boat was about to sink, it was Empress Wu who shot out with an arrow and killed dozens of people. No one dared to come up to snatch the boat again, so they fled across the river like this.

That night, I saw the fire in Yangzhou opposite, the flames were soaring into the sky, and the Jin soldiers slaughtered the city for three days and three nights. If I ran a little late, I would not be buried in the flames, or I would be slaughtered by the Jin soldiers.

However, this time, Zhao Gou dreamed that he was back in the past. In the flames soaring into the sky, he wanted to run, but he was stopped by the city gate, and he couldn't get out of the city. The celestial spirit cover was broken, and the white brains were left all over the floor. Even in the dream, I could feel the smell of blood.

Zhao Gou woke up from the nightmare and touched his head subconsciously. His head was already sweating profusely, but luckily his head was still there.

He took a few breaths and continued to sleep, but he had nightmares. Until the next morning when he went to court, his eyes were bloodshot and his eyes were black. He didn't ask about the deployment and deployment of troops, but kept asking about the situation on the front line. battle report.

When he learned that Shao Hongyuan's department had collapsed except for the 1000 people led by a man named Li Huchen who were still insisting, Zhao Gou even felt his stomach hurt and wanted to have diarrhea.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Gou didn't dare to take off his clothes and go to bed. He lay on the bed with his clothes on, half asleep and half awake, when he suddenly heard the faint sounds of fighting and killing, mixed with roars and screams. He suddenly woke up from his dream and jumped. He got up and asked the eunuch beside him: "Have the Jin soldiers come? Have you arrived in Lin'an City?"

The eunuch at the side shook his head. Zhao Gou listened carefully, only to hear the sound of killing and attacking at all times, and even getting more and more fierce. This sound is too familiar. It was also the same sound when the Jin soldiers attacked Yangzhou.This is not my hallucination, it is real, there is a war outside the city!

Zhao Gouxiang didn't think about it either, he quickly put on his armor, took his saber in a hurry, and went to Empress Dowager Wei's palace.

Empress Dowager Wei obviously also heard this voice, her hands were shaking non-stop, and she kept scolding Zhao Gou for her incompetence.

Zhao Gou didn't want to explain too much to her, but just loudly ordered the surrounding maids and eunuchs to pack up quickly.

These days he has been preparing to escape, and his things have already been placed in the car. At this moment in the palace, he rides the horse himself, let Empress Dowager Wei ride in the car, ordered Empress Wu and Yang Cunzhong to lead the guards, and quietly opened the palace gate.

When going out, Empress Wu said: "Officials, don't you want to tell Baiguan and His Highness Jian Wang?"

Zhao Gou shook his head again and again: "If you say it, you will be stopped, and you will definitely not be able to leave!"

While he was speaking, he heard the faint sound of cannons at the north gate. He asked the soldiers and horses in the city to ask him, and he only said that there was an unknown team attacking the city.

Without further ado, Zhao Gou took the empress dowager, the empress, several concubines of his own, as well as some court ladies and eunuchs, packed all the money in the encapsulation warehouse, and galloped to the south gate, ordering the guards to open the gate. go.

Zhao Yuan was in his palace, sleeping until midnight, when he suddenly heard a loud rumbling noise, he woke up from the dream, and listened carefully, it was the Qiantang River's rising tide, the rumbling sound of the sea tide.

He was worried that Zhao Gou would run away because of the wind, and was about to enter the palace to dissuade him, but unexpectedly saw the general guarding the north gate galloping towards him: "Your Highness, an unknown team suddenly attacked Lin'an City!"

Zhao Yuan didn't even think about why the general didn't tell Zhao Gou the news, but ran to find himself. He said he knew, and asked the man to go to the palace to announce, and then he went to the palace in the city The Army Departments of the Sanya wanted to mobilize the troops of the Dianqian Division for emergency, but Yang Cunzhong refused to buy it, saying that Zhao Gou had to be notified before they could move.Zhao Yuan had no choice but to go to the guards in front of the palace, Ma Junsi and the guards in front of the palace, Infantry Division, and ordered someone to go and call up the envoys of the Privy Council. When he was in a hurry to respond, someone from the palace sent a message News—Emperor Zhao Gou has arrived at the south gate and is about to run away.

When Zhao Yuan heard the news, Zhao Yuan was extremely disappointed. It was just a tidal wave of the Qiantang River, plus the refugees outside the city. Afraid of being blocked by others, I didn't even tell myself!

The south gate guard who came over to ask for instructions also asked Zhao Yuan: "Your Highness, can you let the official go?" If this sentence was in normal times, it would be extremely ridiculous. Where is the emperor going, he would ask the prince if he could let him go? put.But at this moment, facing the faint killing cries from outside the city, when the emperor fled in a hurry, no one thought that this question was inappropriate.