Inside the Bianliang palace hall, the three men all let out long sighs at the same time.
Although they had been mentally prepared, actually watching Zhao Gou and Yue Fei head in opposite directions, south and north, and clearly hearing the glowing curtain declare that from Zhao Gou's ascension onward this was now Southern Song, still left Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Pu unable to avoid a heavy sense of sorrow.
After all, when it came down to it, this realm had been personally opened up by Zhao Kuangyin himself.
Although later generations had many criticisms of the methods he used, just thinking of that line, "Tang's ancestor and Song's founder were slightly inferior in charm," was enough to make him no longer bother with many of those disputes.
And so, seeing with his own eyes the continuation of this realm through its destruction, Zhao Kuangyin felt a surge of mixed emotions. He could not help but ask,
"If this…"
But immediately, Zhao Kuangyin shook his own head.
He had wanted to ask, if Zhao Gou had truly listened to Yue Fei and carried out a northern expedition together, then would there have been no division between the two Songs.
But thinking of the Jingkang humiliation, looking at the scene of nobles and commoners all being turned into slaves, he felt it was laughable for him to be entangled in such thoughts.
If ruler and ministers truly had the will to fight to the death, how could things have fallen to such a state?
And even if the Northern Song's mandate had been continued, so what?
Only if they could carry out a northern expedition, pacify the Jin barbarians, welcome back the Han people, destroy their state and sever their sacrifices, and wash away this shame, would that be something worth speaking of.
As for Huizong and Qinzong, it would be more satisfying if they were simply dead.
Zhao Kuangyin even regretted that he could not personally ask, when Huizong and Qinzong were being led north by the Jin like livestock.
When they passed Taiyuan, where soldiers and civilians fought to the death.
When they passed Youzhou, where the people were forced into rebellion.
Loyal bones lay in the wilds. Ten thousand miles of sorrowful Han songs.
Did what they saw along the way bring even the slightest sense of shame to the two of them?
Or were they only more regretful that they had not fled south earlier?
"I now understand why later generations only remember Yue Fei."
Zhao Pu, whose ancestral home was in Ji County of Youzhou, sighed softly.
"Three times he enlisted. Though defeated and though demoted, he never changed his will. Such a man of benevolence and righteousness. If he exists, Song exists."
And the opposite meaning was also obvious.
Liu Han immediately felt injustice on Yue Fei's behalf.
"The Jin are all barbarians. Our Song has strong and able soldiers, advantages in weapons and armor, solid cities to defend against enemies, and the people of Hebei will surely not follow the Jin. How could General Yue possibly be defeated by the Jin?"
Zhao Pu felt both amused and helpless, but thinking of the vague fate he had guessed for Yue Fei, he could no longer laugh. He only nodded slightly.
"Why wasn't this Zhao Gou captured by the Jin as well?"
Zhang Fei's words were full of undisguised regret.
"Yue Wumu is saving the foundation of his Zhao Song, and yet this Zhao Gou is actually unwilling."
"Could it be that he truly has the surname Wanyan?"
This was obviously a joke. The others did not take it seriously. But Ma Chao was still a little puzzled.
"This Zhao Gou is the Son of Heaven, yet he is cowardly to this extent. Is he truly not afraid of being laughed at for ten thousand generations?"
It sounded less like a question and more like a lament.
After all, to people like Ma Chao, a great man in the world should carry a seven foot sword, ascend the steps of the Son of Heaven, establish unparalleled merit, and spread his name for ten thousand generations. All of this was only natural.
To live in mediocrity and cling to life, even if one lived to a hundred, what use would that be to family or state?
The Zhao Song promoted civil governance and produced many scholars, yet why were there so few men of benevolence and righteousness?
Liu Bei slapped his thigh and shook his head.
"Northern expedition, northern expedition. No wonder Yue Fei alone loved Chancellor Zhuge."
After speaking, Liu Bei and Kongming exchanged a knowing glance, and a trace of a smile rippled in both their eyes.
The smile disappeared in an instant, quickly turning into concern and pain for the Han people of centuries later. Liu Bei did not hold back at all as he cursed,
"When the Son of Heaven becomes a bandit, once he decides to cling to the south, then the situation of Southern Song is nothing more than a slow death."
On the glowing curtain:
[Lightscreen]
[Yue Fei, as a commoner, went north and headed straight for Daming Prefecture. This was where Li Gang had established the Hebei Pacification Office, and it was also the front line of resistance against the Jin at the time.
Relying on his previous reputation for bravery and the learning he had accumulated from studying when he was young, Yue Fei and the pacification commissioner Zhang Su immediately hit it off.
With manpower insufficient, Zhang Su relied heavily on Yue Fei and openly promoted him along the way. If you gained merit, I would give you promotion and rewards. In just a few short months, Yue Fei rose from a commoner to Xiuwu Lang, then was appointed commander of the central army of the Pacification Office, and soon after promoted to Central Army Controller, basically becoming Zhang Su's deputy. He was favored and trusted to an exceptional degree.
It looked very smooth on the surface, but when Yue Fei later looked back on this period, the term he used to describe it was "a miserable wandering journey." Why?
Of course, it was because Zhao Gou started causing trouble again.
At the end of Northern Song, Li Gang and Zong Ze could be called the two main pillars, one civil and one military. Zong Ze defended Kaifeng to the death, while Li Gang, relying on his own strength, helped Zhao Gou "form strategies that made the court barely look like a court."
Then Zhao Gou did not hesitate to dismiss Li Gang on the charge that "Li Gang treats me like a child."
This could not really be blamed on Li Gang. Given Zhao Gou's weak and foolish appearance, anyone who saw him would inevitably feel like he deserved to be treated like a child.
But in any case, Li Gang's dismissal caused great shock in Southern Song. Soon, some imperial academy students and a Jiangxi jinshi submitted memorials to plead Li Gang's case and said that Zhao Gou's close ministers were all traitors to the state.
Unfortunately, the Jiangxi jinshi Ouyang Che used particularly fierce language. In his memorial, he also bluntly pointed out Zhao Gou's "palace indulgences," hoping Zhao Gou would cultivate himself and become a wise ruler.
What Ouyang Che criticized was that when Zhao Gou was still Prince Kang, he was "lecherous like his father, with many maidservants dying."
But unfortunately, during Zhao Gou's southward flight, he also did not forget to take advantage of the chaos by "purchasing young girls." This caused considerable criticism among officials in Yingtian Prefecture. And so, after kicking out Li Gang, Zhao Gou began to openly enjoy the privileges of being emperor.
The imperial academy student and Ouyang Che were both dragged directly to the streets of Yingtian Prefecture and beheaded on the spot.
This act was extremely foolish and was directly interpreted as suppressing the pro war faction led by Li Gang. It immediately ignited the already fragile situation, and the pro peace faction began to openly raise their heads.
When a man dies, his policies end. This was the most ordinary thing, especially when it involved the split between pro war and pro peace. Zhang Su, who had promoted Yue Fei, had been promoted by Li Gang, so as expected, he was implicated as well. He was dismissed, demoted, and exiled in one complete chain.
However, Zhang Su could be called a heroic figure.
Knowing that disaster was about to fall upon him, he still sent Wang Yan to lead troops according to the original plan to recover Weizhou, to relieve pressure on Kaifeng and preserve the spark of resistance against the Jin. Then he calmly accepted his own fate.
In October, Wang Yan took command and, together with deputy general Yue Fei, recovered Weizhou, achieving Southern Song's first great victory against the Jin.
In the same month, Zhang Su was murdered by roaming bandits while being exiled to Lingnan.
In the same month, the Hebei Pacification Office was abolished. Wang Yan and Yue Fei became isolated forces. After fighting for a period of time, the two of them successively went to join Zong Ze to jointly defend Kaifeng.
The first half of the year 1128 was perhaps the period when the old general Zong Ze felt most comforted.
The fierce general Yue Fei won consecutive victories near Zuo City County of Huazhou, Heilongtan, Guanqiao, and other places, greatly relieving the pressure on Kaifeng Prefecture.
The militia leader Wang Yan arrived at Kaifeng Prefecture with over ten thousand elite troops to garrison Huaxian, greatly strengthening Kaifeng's defensive power.
Ma Kuo, who had organized militia in the Changshan area of Hebei, also personally rushed to Kaifeng and, together with Zong Ze, Wang Yan, and Yue Fei, jointly formulated a northern expedition plan.
But unfortunately, the most important part of this plan was to obtain Zhao Gou's support, and what kind of person Zhao Gou was, everyone knew.
The northern expedition plan was already completed in April, but Zong Ze urged again and again until July, and Zhao Gou still did not express any position.
In the end, this elderly man who, at over sixty years of age, stood up to resist the Jin, could only leave behind three cries of "Cross the river," and died with hatred in his heart.]