Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 880 Emperor Zhao Returns to the Capital

Zhao Kuangyin was wounded and sat in the carriage, his face pale and his eyes tired. He had just returned from the brutal front line and his heart was heavy.

Outside the carriage, the prosperous streets of the capital were still bustling with people and the cries of vendors.

"Tanghulu! Tanghulu--" The voice of a hawker was clear and loud, attracting the attention of passers-by.

"Chaobing! Crispy and soft haobing!" Another vendor was not to be outdone, shouting loudly, holding a steaming hot haobing in his hand, the aroma filling the air.

"Freshly steamed buns are here! Anyone who wants to buy buns, come over here!" An old lady's voice was a little friendly. The buns in her hand were steaming, attracting passers-by to stop and look.

The sounds of the city life drifted into Zhao Kuangyin's car, and he was in a trance after listening to them. He had just returned from the bloody front line, where too many generals of the imperial army were killed, and many generals died on the battlefield and did not return to the capital. And now this prosperity, who knows how long it can last, the Wu army will attack at any time.

Zhao Kuangyin closed his eyes slightly, his heart full of worries. This time, there was no big publicity for his entry into the city. After all, he returned in defeat. He did not notify the officials to greet him outside the city gate, because he felt that would be even more embarrassing.

At this time, he only brought a few thousand guards into the city and returned directly to the outside of the palace in Bianjing City, Kaifeng Prefecture.

Outside the palace, a group of royal relatives and important officials had gathered. They looked anxious, with a hint of worry in their eyes. Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's carriage slowly approaching, everyone came forward with a complicated expression on their faces.

The eldest prince Zhao Dezhao, the second prince Zhao Defang, the prefect of Kaifeng and Prince of Jin Zhao Guangyi, the prefect of Jingzhao Zhao Guangmei, the prime ministers Zhao Pu, Xue Juzheng, and Lu Mengzheng, the Three-Division Envoy Zhao Xinlian, the Deputy Privy Envoy Zhao Changyan, the Vice Minister of War and Shangshu Zuo Cheng Lu Yuqing, as well as important figures from the six ministries such as Dou Yi, Zhang Zhao, and Lu Duosun had all come. Upon learning that the Emperor of Song had failed at the front and the Wu army was becoming more ferocious, these important figures looked a little anxious.

Zhao Kuangyin barely held on, his face slightly pale, but still maintaining his dignity. He did not get out of the car, but gently lifted the curtain, glanced at the crowd, and said with a hint of authority without anger: "Go back to the palace, and discuss matters in the Wende Hall." After that, he lowered the curtain, and the motorcade continued to slowly enter the palace.

Prince Zhao Guangyi and others looked at each other with a trace of worry in their eyes. They knew that His Majesty might be in a bad mood because of the defeat, and they thought it was understandable and did not think much about it. In fact, the real reason was that Zhao Kuangyin was injured in several places, and he was drowning and unconscious. He was worried about the country and the people, and worried about the safety of Bianjing. These anxious thoughts and external injuries knocked him down, and he had a fever, so he had no energy to get off the car.

The convoy soon entered the palace. With the help of the guards, Zhao Kuangyin walked into the Wende Hall with heavy steps and summoned these key figures of the Song Dynasty court.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Everyone knelt and saluted, their voices in unison and loud.

"Gentlemen, please stand up." Zhao Kuangyin had just said this when he coughed a few times, his voice a little hoarse.

After the ministers stood up, they saw Zhao Kuangyin coughing violently. They were all surprised and had a bad feeling in their hearts, as if the emperor was sick or injured.

"Father, how is your health?" Zhao Dezhao asked nervously, his eyes full of worry. At this moment, he was not thinking about the crown prince, the heir apparent, or the throne. He just wanted to care about his father's health.

However, Zhao Kuangyin was too cunning to reveal his true condition in front of everyone and cause unrest in the court. Moreover, Zhao Kuangyin knew that his two sons had grown up but had not yet been crowned as crown princes, and there would be many changes in the succession to the throne. He could not reveal his injury too early, lest it give the court officials some wrong signals and mislead them.

Zhao Kuangyin forced a smile, his tone carrying a hint of fatigue: "I have been traveling a lot these days, leading troops to fight on the front lines, I haven't eaten or slept well all day, I have been exhausted and a little tired, and I was repelled twice by Su Chen's army. Maybe I was a little depressed, and I caught a cold when I came back. It doesn't matter, just rest for a few days and take the imperial physician's medicine, and you will recover." He tried his best to stay calm, with a firmness in his eyes. He knew that for the time being he could stabilize the situation in the capital and not let Bianjing fall into chaos.

Zhao Dezhao frowned slightly, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, and asked: "Father, is the Wu army led by Su Chen really that powerful?" There was a trace of uneasiness in his voice, and he was obviously worried about Su Chen's threat. Zhao Kuangyin glanced at the prince, and a trace of complexity flashed in his eyes, and replied: "Yes, Huainan has been lost, and half of Huaibei has been lost. The Wu army has now joined forces in Pengcheng and is gathering 400,000 troops to attack Yingtian Prefecture. Yingtian Prefecture is currently the key point of our Song Dynasty's national destiny. If Yingtian Prefecture is lost again, then Bianjing City will also become dangerous!" There was a trace of heaviness in his voice, and it was obvious that he did not want to conceal this fact anymore. Because the opponent is strong, it is necessary to let these important officials of the court and the royal relatives know the current true situation. The situation is unfavorable and can no longer be ignored.

"If we continue to underestimate the enemy, our country will be destroyed in no time." There was a hint of warning in Zhao Kuangyin's voice and a hint of seriousness in his eyes, obviously wanting everyone to understand the severity of the situation.

Zhao Dezhao, Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Guangmei, Zhao Pu, Xue Juzheng, Lü Mengzheng, Zhao Xinlian, Zhao Changyan, Lü Yuqing, Dou Yi, Zhang Zhao, Lu Duoxun and others were all shocked after hearing this. They were all at the back and didn't know much about the specific situation on the front line. They didn't expect that the Wu army would be so fierce and beat the Song army back step by step, and would soon attack Yingtian Prefecture.

"This, I didn't expect Wu Jun to be so powerful..."

"It is unimaginable that the Wu Kingdom, which has only been established for a few years and whose troops are from the south, can suppress our internal defense warriors of the Song Dynasty."

"That's right. Since ancient times, the six kingdoms have always been unified from the south to the north. Wei destroyed the Three Kingdoms, Sui and Tang annexed the world, etc. The northern army was stronger and the southern vassal states could only respond. This time, the Wu army is so fierce that the southern soldiers can still march north."

Many civil officials of the Song Dynasty were well-read in history books and were very familiar with the history of the Warring States Period, the Han Dynasty, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Many wars were mainly about the north going south to destroy the south, and there were very few cases of the southern court rising up and successfully conquering the north.

At that time, Sun Quan claimed to have an army of 100,000 crossing the river, but they were dispersed and defeated by Zhang Liao's 800 cavalrymen.

Now that the Wu army was able to defeat the Song army, Zhao Pu, Xue Juzheng, Lu Duosun, Lu Mengzheng, Lu Yuqing and others were all somewhat unbelievable.

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes were as sharp as torches. He swept over the crowd and saw that they were a little confused. He said, "This is true. There is no need to doubt it. You just need to know that the Wu army is very powerful and its morale is very strong. Our Song Dynasty has already resisted the difficulties. If the Wu army captures Yingtian Prefecture, I plan to move the capital to Luoyang, or even Chang'an, to protect the lifeline of the Song Dynasty." There was a firmness in his voice, and it was obvious that he was ready.

This was what Zhao Kuangyin considered on his way back. Although Kaifeng Prefecture was surrounded and traversed by eight rivers, and had developed water transportation, in the heyday, materials could be transported to Kaifeng Bianjing through the waters. However, the disadvantage was that Kaifeng was a flat land, belonging to the Central Plains, and there were no strong passes or obstacles for defense. Whether it was the cavalry in the north or the Wu army in the south, they could drive straight into Kaifeng Prefecture. At that time, the Wu army had firearms to attack, while the Song army relied on the city and trench defense line to block it, which seemed a bit stretched.

"Move the capital?" When Jin Wang Zhao Guangyi heard this, he was immediately moved. After he became the prefect of Kaifeng, he was in charge of the defense of the capital. Moreover, he had a clear understanding of many gangs, powerful forces, etc. in the capital, which was full of mixed people. He had formed a huge network of relationships. It can be said that he would have a chance to seize power in the future.

If he went to Luoyang or Chang'an, his power would be impacted, his network of relationships would be broken, and it would be inconvenient for him to do things in all aspects.

Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly, his eyes flashed with a complicated expression, but he quickly regained his composure, with a hint of concern in his tone: "Your Majesty, the matter of moving the capital still needs to be considered carefully. Although Kaifeng Prefecture has a flat terrain, it also has its advantages. Moreover, moving the capital involves many matters in the court, and will also shake the people's hearts and the foundation of the country. We need to act with caution."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly, with a thoughtful look in his eyes: "What the Prince of Jin said makes sense. The matter of moving the capital is of great importance and indeed requires long-term consideration. But the current situation is grim. The safety of Yingtian Prefecture is related to the life and death of the Song Dynasty. We must go all out to defend Yingtian Prefecture in order to preserve Bianliang." There was a hint of determination in his voice, and it was obvious that he was prepared.

The ministers nodded one after another, with a hint of determination in their eyes. They knew that at this moment, the safety of the Song Dynasty depended on one line, and they had to go all out.

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Zhao Pu and the prince Zhao Dezhao and asked, "Did anything major happen in the capital during my absence?"

Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Pu looked at each other and said, "Father, the price of rice in the capital has risen rapidly recently, and we are still checking the inventory."

"Rice price?" When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, for some reason, he felt a strong sense of crisis in his heart.