Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 899 First, pacify the internal situation before resisting external aggression

Zhao Pu said many things detrimental to the Prince of Jin, but his final meaning was clear: the three judicial departments should jointly investigate Zhao Guangyi. If he was guilty, he should be demoted to commoner status, imprisoned, and stripped of any title. If he wasn't guilty, this interrogation would make Zhao Guangyi's faction realize his decline and impending collapse, inevitably causing them to scatter.

It must be said that Zhao Pu's move was extremely ruthless, capable of plunging Zhao Guangyi into despair. Once Zhao Guangyi was tried by the three judicial authorities, he would be in a very passive position, gradually falling from power. This was because while Prince Zhao Guangyi was being tried, Zhao Pu would unite various forces to suppress the Prince's faction and attack the Southern Court. Before the trial even ended, he would push Zhao Dezhao to the throne as crown prince.

"Your Majesty, this is a time of great turmoil, beset by internal and external troubles. The Great Song Dynasty is in grave danger. If the palace is in turmoil, it will further affect the stability of the court. I believe that we must first pacify the internal situation before we can repel external threats. The matter concerning the Prince of Jin has already shaken the very foundation of the nation. We must immediately send the Martial Virtue Division to surround the Prince of Jin's residence and place the Prince of Jin under house arrest and interrogation!"

Zhao Pu spoke with absolute certainty, intending to deliver a heavy blow to Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin.

Zhao Kuangyin remained silent, his face dark, clearly both disgusted and moved by Zhao Pu's words.

Originally, Zhao Kuangyin had a deep brotherly affection for Zhao Guangyi. They had led troops into battle together and risked their lives together. Moreover, Zhao Guangyi had always been very respectful to his elder brother, and Zhao Kuangyin had taken great care of him. He did not believe that Zhao Guangyi would be so ruthless as to turn against the eldest prince and try to seize the throne through a palace coup.

However, human nature is the most unpredictable thing. Even Zhao Kuangyin was not absolutely certain that Zhao Guangyi would not have such thoughts. After all, emotions are always fragile in the face of power. Throughout history, there are too many examples of fratricide for the sake of power.

To take a recent example, in the Tang Dynasty before the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, seized the throne by killing his brothers and forcing his father to abdicate. Later, his eldest son, Li Chengqian, also attempted to seize the throne through a palace coup, which left a deep impression on Zhao Kuangyin.

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat angry at this time. Part of it was anger over the assassination of the eldest prince, and part of it was because he felt that Zhao Pu's words were somewhat alarmist and divisive, but they were also a thorn in his side.

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin was conflicted and hesitated to express his opinion. The implications were too great. If he really took action against Prince Jin, the situation in the Song capital would become even more unpredictable. At present, he was seriously ill and bedridden, and he was unable to stabilize the situation. If it were a year ago, he would have had a great advantage in suppressing Prince Jin. Now that he was seriously ill and had recently delegated power to the eldest prince and Prince Jin, there would be many variables if he suddenly took action against Prince Jin.

However, Zhao Pu had never led troops before and was unaware of the uncertainty of military conflicts. He thought that as long as the emperor gave the word, the Prince of Jin would obediently surrender. He never considered that the Prince of Jin had already controlled the power of the entire capital, infiltrated the generals and high-ranking officers of the Palace Guard, and controlled many of the Three Ministries, Nine Ministers, and local powerful figures in the capital. These were forces that Zhao Pu did not possess, and this was the main reason why Zhao Pu ultimately lost in the struggle against the Prince of Jin. He did not have these hard powers.

"Your Majesty, hesitation will only lead to more trouble!" Zhao Pu urged.

There was another person eavesdropping outside the palace gate; it was Wang Ji'en, the Commander of the Martial Virtue Division and the Grand Eunuch.

He had heard Zhao Pu's entire explanation and felt a little nervous, because according to Zhao Pu's plan, the Prince of Jin was in some danger!

Wang Ji'en had been bribed by Prince Zhao Guangyi of Jin a few years ago, who gave him a lot of land, gold and silver jewelry, etc. Because Wang Ji'en had great power and was a castrated man, he had no desire for women and naturally coveted money and power. Zhao Guangyi took advantage of this and kept sending him gifts to get closer to him and bribe him.

Compared to his relationship with the eldest prince, Wang Ji'en was closer to Prince Jin. After all, with each new emperor came a new court, and once the eldest prince, Zhao Dezhao, ascended the throne, he would definitely start cultivating his own eunuchs and would no longer use Wang Ji'en. However, Prince Jin implied that if he were to inherit the throne one day, he would still heavily rely on Wang Ji'en, with his power remaining unchanged, his treatment improved, and his rewards much more generous than they were now. This caused a change in Wang Ji'en's heart, and he began to acknowledge Prince Jin, Zhao Guangyi, as his future master.

Especially now that Zhao Kuangyin is still recovering from his injuries and bedridden with a serious illness, and the succession to the throne remains unclear, Wang Ji'en felt that the Prince of Jin's opportunity had arrived. However, at this critical juncture, the assassination attempt on the eldest prince occurred, complicating the situation. At this crucial moment of power transition, Wang Ji'en felt he should play a role and not remain inactive. At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin finally spoke in the hall, but he did not agree with Zhao Pu's words. Instead, he said, "Prime Minister Zhao, you should go back first. I intend to summon the Prince of Jin to the palace and personally interrogate him to resolve this matter."

Seeing that Zhao Kuangyin had not heeded his advice, Zhao Pu was somewhat disappointed and anxious, but still unwilling to give up, he planted a seed of doubt in the Prince of Jin's mind: "Your Majesty, just in case, you can secretly arrange some executioners and guards, just in case. If the Prince of Jin truly has the intention to rebel, he can be arrested on the spot, to prevent the Prince of Jin from taking any risks!"

"That's enough, you may leave now." Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat displeased, feeling that Zhao Pu was clearly trying to sow discord between his brothers.

Seeing this, Zhao Pu had no choice but to withdraw. After leaving the palace, he did not return directly to his residence but went to the residence of the eldest prince to discuss matters and deal with the current situation. He knew very well that the Wu army was pressing in and had already occupied half of the southern territory, and would soon be able to reach Kaifeng. With the current emperor's health failing, a new crown prince needed to be determined as soon as possible in order to revitalize the court, bestow rewards, and boost morale.

Zhao Kuangyin then instructed Wang Ji'en to send a eunuch out of the palace to deliver an imperial edict that a banquet would be held in the palace that evening, and the emperor would have a simple meal with Prince Jin to deal with this matter.

Wang Ji'en felt this was no small matter, and he personally led the young eunuch out of the palace.

Bianjing is no longer as prosperous as before. The people look hurried, as if they are all affected by the pressure of war. Some people have chosen to leave the capital temporarily and go to cities in the northwest and northeast to take refuge, feeling that Bianjing may not be able to withstand the Wu army's attack.

"Have you heard? Wu's army has captured Xiayi and is approaching Yingtian Prefecture."

"Yingtian Prefecture is only a few hundred miles from the capital. Currently, the Imperial Guards are assembling and stationing themselves at the fortress between Yingtian Prefecture and Kaifeng Prefecture to resist the invasion of the Wu army."

Do you think our Song army can defeat the Wu army?

"It's tough. That Jiangzuo Su Lang is too powerful. He's a master strategist and invincible. Although we have many generals in the Song army, none of them are on the same level as Su Chen!"

"Now, the five generals Cao Bin, Wang Zhengzhong, Gao Huaide, Fu Yanqing, and Dang Jin are all in Yingtian Prefecture. I don't know if they can stop the Wu army. If they can't, our Great Song Dynasty will perish!"

"So what if it falls? In any case, over the years, the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou dynasties have constantly changed hands. One side has finished its reign and another has taken the stage. The throne has been rotated among us. We have been subjects of the Song Dynasty for more than ten years. It wouldn't be surprising if we were to become subjects of the Wu Kingdom again."

"That's true. I've heard that the Wu army treats prisoners of war well and favors the people. They not only refrain from looting the city, but also protect the people in the city. They even open granaries to distribute grain and provide living allowances. The Wu army is a benevolent and righteous army. In my opinion, they are much better than our Song army."

The public was abuzz with discussion, and the tide was turning. Some of the rumors were simply hearsay, while others were deliberately spread by Meng Yutong's people to guide public opinion in a direction favorable to Wu Jun.

Wang Ji'en, inside the carriage, paid no heed to the discussions. He had just arrived at the Prince of Jin's residence, ostensibly to deliver the Emperor's decree, but in reality to inform the Prince of Jin that he should be fully prepared for the banquet that evening.