HLnovel Chapter 334 Zhao Gou Goes to the Jin Camp
Chapter 334 Zhao Gou Goes to the Jin Camp
"Thus, the Jin army's eastern route quickly captured important towns such as Xiongzhou, Zhongshan, and Zhengding."
"The remaining Song army forces were truly weak. For example, Zhong Shidao led a small group of soldiers to fight at Jingjing, where they suffered a crushing defeat and fled."
"Overall, Wanyan Zongwang's offensive has been very successful. The Song court's key cities are powerless to resist. To put it bluntly, even if Emperor Qinzong wanted to fight now, the pro-war officials wouldn't agree."
"The Song court had also heard about this news, and Tang Ke and others, who were key ministers of Emperor Qinzong, supported negotiating peace with the Jin."
"Among the people sent was a man named Zong Ze, whom I mentioned before when talking about Yue Fei. He was a national hero and his attitude towards the Jurchens was always very clear."
"Therefore, Tang Ke and the others were afraid that this man would be too assertive when facing the Jurchens and wouldn't be willing to kneel and flatter them, thus offending the Jurchens and failing to achieve their goals. So they sent Zong Ze away."
"Meanwhile, in the imperial court, the pro-surrender faction began to stir up trouble again, believing that someone must be held responsible for the failed rescue of Taiyuan."
"Then this person could not be the 'high and mighty' Emperor Qinzong of Song, nor could he be a 'high-ranking official' who had surrendered; he could only be Li Gang, the person in charge of the rescue of Taiyuan."
"Not long after, Emperor Qinzong of Song demoted Li Gang to Yangzhou on the grounds of 'advocating war at all costs, resulting in the loss of troops and the waste of resources.' Zhao Huan truly embodied the phrase 'use and discard' to the fullest extent."
"There was a time when Li Gang was needed to defend the city, so they called him their beloved minister. Someone had to take the blame, just like Yao Pingzhong's night raid. They even thought of tying Li Gang up to appease the Jin people's anger!"
Wan Chaozhong's people: Ugh, ugh, ugh!
"But that's the truth. Even after a thousand years, we still think Zhao Huan and his ilk were shameless, cowardly, and weak. How can we blame the other ministers?!"
"However, staying away from the central court at this time is also the right thing to do. After all, the Jurchen tour group heading north is about to begin, and his two leaders won't be as lucky as him. They should avoid this Jingkang Incident if they can!!!"
Upon hearing Lin Ke's words, Emperor Qinzong of Song was enraged and ashamed. He declared that if Li Gang was wrong, then it was his fault!
A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. So what if future generations think it was my fault?!
At this moment, all the civil and military officials in the hall stole glances at Emperor Qinzong of Song above. They did not expect that Zhao Huan would be so angry, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire!
Although this group of people talked about peace, they were actually well aware of their own capabilities.
If the Emperor himself did not share their thoughts, why would the court retain only such ministers?
Perhaps it is precisely because they understand too much that they want to oppose it.
The officials during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song were filled with indignation upon hearing this outcome.
At this time, the imperial court had not yet collapsed to the point of resorting to any means necessary.
Although the conflict between the old and new factions had begun to emerge, no one wanted the Northern Song Dynasty to perish because of it.
However, seeing the once-prosperous city eventually disappear leaves me feeling incredibly stifled!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
"After Li Gang was banished to Yangzhou, the high-ranking officials and civil servants, led by Tang Ke, had only two things to do all day: internal strife and negotiating peace with the Jurchens."
"As for other voices in the court, I'm sorry, they have completely lost their voice. These people either suppress others or grovel before the Jurchens, sending money and jewels in hopes of making peace."
"However, what they didn't expect was that the Jurchens accepted all the flattery from these civil officials, but in reality, the Jurchens were determined to capture Kaifeng!"
"In short, the Song court is going further and further down the path of giving away its wealth!"
"This time, the peace negotiations were still between the Song court and Wanyan Zongwang. He had previously ceded three towns because he had tricked the Song court into signing an agreement that favored the Jin state out of fear."
"Now, it's negotiations between these two sides again. We know that the Song court's diplomatic ability is absolutely terrible, and they are once again on the losing side. We don't know how much money they will have to pay this time!"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: The situation wasn't this bad back then, so why did he have to be so reckless? Now look what's happened, the two Jin armies will eventually join forces and besiege the city!
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: This is normal procedure for the Song court. No one else would do this!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: Otherwise, why would anyone say that the Song emperors were not like Emperor Wu of Han?!
Liu Zhuzhu (Big Han): ...To be honest, the emperors of the Song Dynasty were too weak, and they were simply beyond help in their later years!
A bystander from the Song Dynasty: If it weren't for the fact that it's treasonous, I'd also say it's absolutely terrible!!!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...How shameful!
Famous Song Dynasty officials such as Zhang Dun, Su Shi, and Wang Anshi, who lived during the Jiayou era, expressed their contempt for the ministers of the late Northern Song Dynasty!
They never imagined that the person with that obsequious attitude towards the enemy was actually a civil official from the late Song Dynasty!
Don't you have even the slightest bit of backbone?!
……
At this moment, Lin Ke's voice came through the live stream again.
"Wanyan Zongwang is very familiar with negotiations between the Song and Jin dynasties; after all, whoever has the bigger fist gets to decide!"
"So, he first used a lot of deception, saying that if the Song Dynasty was willing to hand over the five imperial carriages (five types of carriages used to indicate high status in ancient times) and incidentally address the Jin Dynasty as an honorific title, then they would withdraw their troops."
"Wanyan Zongwang's demands sounded a bit lower than before, so when they reached the Song envoy's ears, they seemed very appealing."
"If the Song Dynasty could withdraw its troops with just something like the emperor's chariot, then they wouldn't necessarily object."
"But they all seem to have forgotten that the last time the Song and Jin armies negotiated, it was because Taiyuan hadn't been captured, preventing the two Jin armies from joining forces to besiege Kaifeng."
"Moreover, at that time, several Song Dynasty armies had already returned to defend the capital, and Wanyan Zongwang was unable to breach the last city. It was under these circumstances that he was willing to negotiate."
"If he is only superficially willing to negotiate, but is actually waiting for the western army to join him, then wouldn't your Song Dynasty have worked in vain and fallen into crisis again?!"
A Qin official said: "If the Jin army withdraws, these people will probably agree to anything!"
A Han Dynasty scholar-official: These Song Dynasty officials are quite anomalies; why are they so afraid of the Jurchens?!
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: "I reckon the worst-case scenario is that he'll be arrested!"
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: Even a foolish emperor is better than these two!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: It's too late to reverse the tide; the Northern Song Dynasty is doomed!
……
Lin Kezhen wondered if Emperor Qinzong and his ministers had lost their minds at that time, not considering the potential consequences!
She sighed again, "And the Jin people made another demand: if they wanted peace talks to come to fruition, then Prince Kang, Zhao Gou, had to go to the military camp to negotiate. Because of Yao Pingzhong's surprise attack, Zhao Gou was released, and another prince was substituted."
"When the Song Dynasty envoys went to convey the Jin people's demands, they returned and informed Emperor Qinzong of Song and his entourage."
"At this moment, Zhao Huan was completely at a loss. As long as the Jin army retreated, he would give them anything, let alone the chariots!"
Zhao Xiaodi Huan: Dad, if you want our little brother, we'll send him over. Just give the order!
"Therefore, Zhao Gou was entrusted with an important task by Emperor Qinzong of Song again. However, before Zhao Gou had even left the capital city of Kaifeng, Wanyan Zongwang changed his demands."
"Perhaps, the Jurchens have already learned that the Song Dynasty is now even weaker than when he arrived."
"Therefore, adhering to the principle of striking while the iron is hot, Wanyan Zongwang demanded the re-cession of three towns, followed by a fine, before any peace talks could be held!"
"At this time, the court held many discussions, as this matter had gone too far. However, the only voices Zhao Huan could hear were those of the surrender faction seeking peace, so the matter was settled."
"Therefore, Zhao Gou, carrying the earnest expectations of these people, went to the Jin camp to negotiate peace."
Everyone in the Song Dynasty: ...