Xianxia version of Water Margin

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When the Yuan army was likely to march south to attack the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji, under the persuasion and coercion of his ministers, changed his original plan to let Zhao Huan stay in Tokyo, pretended to be sick and abdicated. Zhao Huan ascended the throne in the Funing Palace while crying, and became Emperor Qinzong of Song.

Zhao Huan was Zhao Ji's eldest son. He was born in the third year of Yuanfu and was not yet 24 years old this year. His mother was Empress Wang, Xiangong. Wang was Zhao Ji's first wife and had a son and a daughter, namely Zhao Huan and Princess Rongde Zhao Jinnu. When Zhao Huan was nine years old, Empress Wang, who was only 25 years old, died of illness and was raised by Empress Zheng. When Zhao Huan was only twelve years old, he was established as the crown prince. Up to now, Zhao Huan has been the crown prince for twelve years. In politics, he is not a novice.

But at this time, in the eyes of the Zhao Song subjects, there will be a strong enemy invasion from outside and the emperor abdicated from inside, and the Zhao Song Dynasty is in turmoil.

At this time, the Zhao Song Dynasty needs a capable, courageous and responsible monarch.

When Zhao Huan was the crown prince, he was frugal and did not like extravagance. He also bravely fought against Lin Lingsu, a Taoist priest favored by Zhao Ji, and Wang Fu, the former prime minister. Therefore, he was expected by many subjects of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Now, Zhao Huan ascended the throne and became the new emperor of the Zhao Song Dynasty under the expectation of many subjects of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

The court and the society were paying close attention to Zhao Huan's performance.

Soon, the crown princess Zhu Lian was made queen by Zhao Huan, and Geng Nanzhong, a favorite of Zhao Huan, was appointed by Zhao Huan as the Grand Secretary of the Zizheng Palace and the Secretary of the Privy Council.

Then, Zhao Huan issued an edict to appoint Wu Min as Zhong Dafu and Menxia Shilang, and Zhong Shidao as Jianxiu Shaobao, Jingnan Army Jiedushi, Shaanxi Six Road Zhizhishi and Dutongzhi...

In other words, with Zhao Huan's coming to power, the management of the Zhao Song Dynasty began to adjust, and everything in the past would begin to be overturned...

In fact-

In the eyes of many ministers of the Zhao Song Dynasty, as long as Zhao Ji abdicated and let the wise Zhao Huan become emperor, the Yuan army should not go south, but would sit down to negotiate with the Zhao Song Dynasty to resolve the contradictions and differences between the two sides through politics and diplomacy.

Moreover, the peace talks representatives sent by the Zhao Song court have already set off to the north, and it is estimated that the results will be reported soon.

In such an atmosphere of expectation, Zhao Huan issued a handwritten edict to Gao Qiu and the Song army on the south bank of the Yellow River, strictly ordering them not to act rashly.

Who would have thought that the next day, the court received a report that Gao Qiu had led 3,000 imperial troops to the south in the name of protecting Zhao Ji.

Perhaps relying on Zhao Ji's favor, Gao Qiu was really bold. He dared to refuse Zhao Huan's order.

Of course, this may also be because Gao Qiu, who was on the front line, knew that he could not resist the attack of the Yuan army at all, and he had hatred with Liangshan heroes Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi and Xu Ning. Once he was caught by the Yuan army, he would definitely not have a good end. That's why he wanted to take this opportunity to escape to the south and survive.

During this period, there were many officials like Gao Qiu who went south to the Jianghuai area without authorization.

Since Zhao Ji fled to Haozhou, a large number of ministers and dignitaries of the Zhao Song Dynasty, regardless of national interests, fled to the south with their families and followers in the name of escorting the emperor.

Because there were so many officials who fled, even 30% to 40% of the officials of the Zhao Song court ran away, and the court seemed deserted.

In fact, these people fled not only because the Yuan army was coming, but also because they wanted to follow Zhao Ji to save their lives.

A new emperor has new ministers.

Many of these officials who fled were Zhao Ji's favorites, and many of them stood on the wrong side during the battle between Zhao Huan and Zhao Kai.

Zhao Ji's favorites were worried that they would lose their protection if they left Zhao Ji, and those officials who had stood on the wrong side were worried that when the country was in crisis, they would be used as cannon fodder by Zhao Huan because of their previous team problems. If they stayed in Tokyo Bianliang City, they might be in danger.

Hearing that Gao Qiu, the front-line commander, had run away, Zhao Huan and his ministers were furious. On the one hand, they sent people to capture Gao Qiu, and on the other hand, they hurried to find a new commander.

Finally, Zhao Huan and his ministers asked the eunuch Liang Fangping, the governor of the Weiwu Army, and He Guan, the commander of the infantry, to go and receive the Song army left by Gao Qiu on the south bank of the Yellow River.

Liang Fangping was the third eunuch to serve as a commander in the Zhao Song Dynasty after Tong Guan and Tan Zhen.

Last year, due to natural disasters and man-made disasters, the people in the capital area and the Huai River area also began to have a hard time, so bandits rose up. Zhao Ji ordered Liang Fangping to lead the army to suppress them, and Liang Fangping succeeded in suppressing them, stabilizing the situation in the capital area and the Huai River area.

Therefore, the court officials thought that Liang Fangping had certain military command abilities.

Little did they know that suppressing bandits was not fighting against regular troops after all. Liang Fangping was not facing a group of bandits this time, but the battle-hardened Yuan army.

He Guan was an old general with rich experience in commanding troops.

However, at this time, there were neither generals nor strong soldiers in the city of Tokyo Bianliang, only 20,000 "strong and brave".

- These strong and brave men often grabbed the saddle with both hands after getting on the horse and dared not move, obviously they could not ride a horse. There was no way, because the capital had been peaceful for a long time, so that even the elite imperial guards of the capital did not know how to fight.

Soon, Liang Fangping selected 7,000 of them and rushed to guard the Yellow River Bridge in Junzhou...

When it was He Guan's turn, the 20,000 troops had not gathered enough people before departure, so the Ministry of War had to capture some refugees to make up the number. He Guan led these 20,000 troops to the north to defend the Yellow River...

After sending Liang Fangping and He Guan away, Zhao Huan and his ministers began to discuss how to prevent the Yuan army from invading the south. Suddenly, they received a report that a group of imperial students had submitted a letter to Fu Que outside Xuande Gate. The leading imperial student was named Chen Dong. In his memorial, he strongly demanded the execution of the "six thieves", namely, the six important ministers Cai Jing, Wang Fu, Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng, Li Yan, and Gao Qiu.

Chen Dong, who is over 40 years old, is from Danyang, Zhenjiang. He has long been famous among the scholars in the capital. He has a free and easy character and a heroic spirit. He refuses to be inferior to others and never worries about his poor and low status. When Cai Jing and Wang Fu were assisting the government, people were afraid of their dictatorship and did not dare to publicly comment on the gains and losses of the government. However, Chen Dong did not hold back and dared to speak out. Therefore, when Chen Dong appeared at some banquets, some guests often stayed away because they were worried that Chen Dong's fierce remarks would harm them.

Chen Dong believed that now that Zhao Ji was enthroned and Zhao Huan was enthroned, this was a great opportunity for the Zhao and Song dynasties to reverse the corrupt political situation. Therefore, he and other imperial students Fu Que wrote a letter:

"...Today's events, Cai Jing and Wang Fu caused chaos in the front, Liang Shicheng Yin was defeated at home, Li Yan succeeded Yang Jian in the west city, Tong Guan repeatedly caused war, and Gao Qiu became grudged against the Yuan Dynasty, slandering the dictatorial power, it is extremely unfair If you don't use your relatives, you won't take anything other than wealth. You will create a gap and put the world in danger. These six thieves have the same name and the same crime. I would like your majesty to capture these six thieves and spread them throughout the city to express gratitude to the world. …”

This student movement that suddenly broke out quickly gained support from some senior officials and generals in the court, and was also praised by the people in the capital.

As a result, it has exerted a huge political influence both in the government and the public, and in society.

For Zhao Huan, this is also a very beneficial thing.

Among the six thieves, Wang Fu and others had personal grudges against Zhao Huan, and he could just take the opportunity to resolve them together.

Moreover, Zhao Huan could also establish his authority by punishing the six thieves to further consolidate his dominance.

Therefore, this student movement was affirmed by the Zhao Huan court and was characterized as a just patriotic action.

After sending Chen Dong and other imperial students away, Zhao Huan issued King Qin's edict to various places.

——The main force of the Imperial Guards in the capital has been taken away by Liang Fangping and He Guan, and now there are no guards in Bianliang City, Tokyo. Although Zhao Ji had issued King Qin's edict to the whole country before he ascended the throne, there is still no news from King Qin's troops. Zhao Huan felt that it was necessary to strengthen the capital's guard force as soon as possible, so he urged again.

At the same time, Zhao Huan ordered a large number of new troops to be recruited in the Gyeonggi area and began to strengthen the walls of Bianliang City...

According to convention, when a new emperor ascends the throne, he must change the chronological year, which is called "changing the Yuan Dynasty".

"Changing the Yuan Dynasty" is a sign that the emperor officially begins to rule the world. Naming the year is also a very serious event.

Zhao Huan handed the matter over to Prime Minister Bai Shizhong.

Bai Shizhong handed the matter over to Minister You Chengyu Wen Cuizhong and Zhongshu Shengren Zhu Shengfei.

Soon, Yu Wencuizhong extracted the word "Jingkang" from the two sentences "Ri Jing Sifang" and "Yong Kang Zhao Min", and suggested that this be used as the reign name, which contained the meaning of Jing Nan, Ankang, and peace in the world. It was approved by the court.

——"Ri Jing Sifang" comes from "The Book of Songs", and "Yongkang Zhaomin" comes from "Shang Shu".

On the first day of the first month of the first year of Jingkang, Zhao Huan came to Mingtang early in the morning to accept the congratulations of hundreds of officials, and formally issued an edict to change the Yuan Dynasty: "On the first day of the first month of the sixth year of Zixuanhe, it can be changed to the first year of Jingkang. Many announcements were made, and Xian Ti I wish.”

A few days later, the commander Ma Zhong led troops recruited from the west of Beijing to the city.

On the same day, about 10,000 cavalrymen, led by Fan Qiong, came from Jingdong.

Next, the troops of King Qin continued to arrive.

Seeing this, the mood of the soldiers and civilians in the city began to improve.

Seeing this, Zhao Huan's spirit was also boosted. He personally went to the city to express condolences to the soldiers who were guarding the city in the cold wind. He also asked people to place tens of thousands of King Qin's troops around the capital, and established effective organizations respectively. The organization provides food, money, soldiers and armor, and sends people to train them.

A few days later, Zhong Shidao led an army of 20,000 from Jingyuan Road to arrive at Bianliang City.

Zhong Shidao is now seventy-four years old. He has always been very prestigious in the Western Army of Zhao and Song Dynasties.

Recently, Zhongshidao has been on the front line against the Yuan army. According to his observation, the Dayuan Army did not seem to have any intention of going south, and was probably just changing defenses. Therefore, he did not want to come to the capital because he was worried that after he left with the main force of the Jingyuan Army, Hexi would be empty, and the Yuan Army or Wang Qing would take this opportunity to seize the Yanyan Road and Guanzhong Plain.

However, Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan successively issued King Qin's orders to Zhong Shidao, and Zhong Shidao had to personally lead the Jingyuan Army to King Qin in Bianliang City, Tokyo to rescue him.

When the citizens of Tokyo learned that the Western Army had come to Qinwang's rescue, they all jumped for joy and enthusiasm. The morale of the officers and soldiers in the city was also high.

Zhao Huan was overjoyed when he heard that Zhongshi Dao had arrived. He ordered the door to be opened immediately, invited Zhongshi Dao to enter the city, and sent Geng Nanzhong, the minister Zuocheng, to greet him and express his condolences.

As soon as he saw Zhao Huan, Zhong Shidao reported: "I speculate that the elected emperor has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops along the Yellow River this time to change defenses. He may not dare to cross the river. Even if he crosses the river, your majesty will not do it now that I am here." Need to worry!"

Zhong Shidao's words made Zhao Huan feel warm in his heart.

Moreover, the Zhao and Song dynasties had been struggling for so long, and the Yuan army had not yet prepared to go south. Zhao Huan and his ministers also vaguely guessed that Jiang Hongfei might not attack the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Huan repeatedly expressed his condolences to Zhong Shidao and asked, "What's the plan?"

Zhong Shidao already knew that Zhao Huan had sent people to Yanjing to negotiate peace with Jiang Hongfei. He replied: "I think that negotiation is not a good idea. How can the capital be surrounded by 80 miles? The city is more than ten feet high and has grain for several years. It cannot be attacked. Even if the Yuan army is at the gates of the city, if we set up camp on the city and defend the city tightly and wait for the army to come to defend the king, the enemy will be trapped in less than ten months."

Then, Zhong Shidao expressed his political attitude: "Hebei, Hedong and Shandong are all the barriers of the capital. They cannot be ceded. Moreover, there is Baozhou in Hebei, which is the tomb of Emperor Xuanzu. It should not be ceded."

Zhong Shidao was not the first person to oppose the cession of Shandong, Hebei and Hedong, nor was he the last one.

In fact, there have always been voices of opposition within the Zhao Song Dynasty to the cession of land to Jiang Hongfei. They firmly believed that the ancestral land should not be ceded to others.

Before Zhao Huan ascended the throne, he also advocated that land should not be ceded for compensation and marriage. He also said things like "How can a dragon girl marry a dog son" to insult Jiang Hongfei, which caused a sensation.

What the superior likes, the subordinates will like even more.

With Zhao Huan ascending the throne, as more and more troops were sent to the city of Dongjing Bianliang, many subjects of the Zhao Song Dynasty felt that the Zhao Song Dynasty was doing well again. Some people simply wanted to please Zhao Huan, so they opposed the cession of Shandong, Hebei, and Hedong to the Yuan Empire.

Zhong Shidao was actually different from these people. His proposal still made sense.

You know, the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty was Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan. As long as the Yuan army opened the Yellow River defense line of the Zhao Song Dynasty, they could reach the city of Dongjing Bianliang within two days and threaten the rule of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Moreover, the ancestral tomb of the Zhao family was indeed in Hebei. Ceding Hebei was equivalent to giving up the ancestors.

This was a major etiquette and law event that could affect Zhao Huan's rule.

Zhao Huan thought it made sense after hearing it.

So, Zhao Huan asked Zhong Shidao and Li Bangyan and other ministers to go to the Political Affairs Hall to discuss the matter together.

Arriving at the government hall, Zhong Shidao said to Li Bangyan: "I was in the west and didn't know that the capital was so strong and well-prepared for defense. If so, why do you advocate peace?"

Li Bangyan replied: "Because the country has no soldiers, we have no choice but to negotiate peace."

Zhong Shidao said: "Defense and war are two different things. If the capital is not strong enough for war, it will be strong enough for defense. Although the people in the capital cannot fight, they can be made to defend. But the problem is that there is no food. If there is enough food, millions of people in the capital can all be soldiers. How can you say there are no soldiers?"

Li Bangyan argued: "I don't practice martial arts, so I didn't know there is such a method."

Zhong Shidao smiled and said: "You don't practice martial arts, but haven't you heard about the ancient attacks and defenses?"

Li Bangyan was speechless.

Zhong Shidao said again: "Since we knew the enemy was coming, why didn't we order all the people outside the city to evacuate their houses, move livestock into the city, and then close the city gates? Why did we leave the livestock as enemy supplies?"

Li Bangyan explained: "In a hurry, there was no time to take care of this matter."

Zhong Shidao smiled: "So panic, so panic."

The people around Zhong Shidao all laughed at Li Bangyan and other court officials for not knowing military affairs.

Li Bangyan and others were ashamed, and many people secretly hated these soldiers because of this!

That night, Zhao Huan appointed Zhong Shidao as the Junior Guardian and the Co-director of the Privy Council, and soon appointed him as the Envoy of the Imperial Edict.

It is worth mentioning that with the arrival of Zhong Shidao, with hundreds of thousands of troops gathered under the city of Tokyo Bianliang, with many people remembering that the Zhao Song Dynasty still had hundreds of thousands of troops on the south bank of the Yellow River, and with the people of the Zhao Song Dynasty discovering that the Yuan Empire did not dare to go south to attack the Song Dynasty, the fear of the Yuan Empire began to change.

To put it in a more popular way, some people are starting to get carried away...

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I had a day-long meeting at the Writers Association yesterday, and I came back too late, so I couldn't update. Sorry, I'll make up for it now.