Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 925 Smooth Transition
On March 21st, Zhao Dun offered sacrifices to his ancestors.

On March 22, Zhao Dun abdicated.

Therefore, all these things were prepared in advance; otherwise, no matter how simple the ceremony was, it would not have been able to be completed in time.

Don't think that abdication is a simple matter; it involves many aspects.

However, these matters do not need to be discussed directly by Yang Yuan and Zhao Dun; they can be handled by Qiao Zhen and the Second King Zhao Kai.

Once they understand the other party's needs, they can then consult with the people behind them.

"The Emperor hopes that, like the Qian family of Qiantang, they can..."

Before Qiao Zhen could finish speaking, Yang Yuan interrupted him.

"No, the King of Wuyue surrendered his kingdom to the Song Dynasty, while I succeeded to the Song Dynasty's legal system. The two are not comparable."

Qiao Zhen's expression changed. He had thought that, given Yang Yuan's relationship with Prince Zhao Qu of Jin, the Zhao family would receive some preferential treatment, but he hadn't expected...

But then Yang Yuan said, "The Lin'an Imperial Palace is no longer the imperial palace, but it is still the Zhao family's residence. After all, they are used to living there."

"Of course, if they wish to return to Bianliang, there is no need to prohibit them."

But there are no old palaces left to live in in Bianliang, so it wouldn't hurt to build one's own residence.

Yang Yuan said, "Furthermore, the Emperor conferred the title of King, and the Second King and the King of Jin also retained their titles of King."

The title would not be revoked for three generations; after three generations, the family could take the imperial examinations, join the army, and engage in any profession.

Yang Yuan thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty can confer the title of Prince of Hang, and make Lin'an the fief of the three princes."

"His Majesty!"

Qiao Zhen was truly moved when she heard this.

He never expected Yang Yuan to go to such lengths.

In that case, the Zhao family can truly enjoy wealth and prosperity forever.

Not to mention the wealth and glory of these three generations.

After three generations, the Zhao family, with the accumulation of those three generations, will be no less powerful than the Qian family.

Unless, of course, the Zhao family's descendants are unworthy and produce a few spendthrift sons, then they are not to blame.

Qiao Zhen was, after all, a veteran official of the Song Dynasty, and he still had feelings for the Song Dynasty.

Yang Yuan's magnanimity towards the former imperial family moved Qiao Zhen to tears.

Therefore, Qiao Zhen also offered some heartfelt words:
"Your Majesty, I believe it is very good that the deposed emperor was enfeoffed as the Prince of Hang and his family resides in Lin'an. We can ask the Qian family to take care of him nearby."

Qiao Zhen always addressed Yang Yuan as "Your Majesty".

This is Yang Yuan's request.

What official?!
A strange title that has never been seen before or since.

Yang Yuan always felt that this was a form of psychological manipulation by the scholar-officials against the emperors of the Zhao family, which had completely fooled them.

That doesn't sound impressive. An emperor should be addressed as "Your Majesty," so stop spouting nonsense.

Therefore, he has completely rejected the inexplicable title of "the Emperor".

The meaning of "taking care" that Qiao Zhen mentioned was understood by both of them, and there was no need to spell it out.

Yang Yuan thought for a moment, nodded, and agreed.

He didn't believe the Song dynasty still had a chance to turn things around, but he still had to be wary of people using their name to cause trouble.

Qiao Zhen added, "Furthermore, the title of Grand Princess of the Great Song Dynasty should be revoked, and the kinship between the Madam and the Zhao Song Dynasty should be severed."

Yang Yuan was taken aback: "Why is that?"

Qiao Zhen solemnly replied, "There has never been a precedent in history for a princess of a previous dynasty to become empress."

The "Madam" that Qiao Zhen mentioned is Song Luxi.

He and Yang Yuan had served in the same government office, so he naturally knew that Yang Yuan's feelings for his first wife were exceptionally different.

Moreover, he is a powerful emperor who wouldn't consider such trivial matters.

Even... he would deliberately suppress someone like Qian Xingruo, who already had a powerful family background, and would never let her become empress.

Therefore, there is a very high probability that he would make his first wife his empress.

That's why he said that.

At the same time, before Song Luxi was made empress, he was already referred to as "Madam" and no longer used the title of "Grand Princess" from the previous dynasty.

After a moment's thought, Yang Yuan understood Qiao Zhen's meaning and nodded in agreement.

It has to be Old Joe; his thinking is indeed profound.

If Song Luxi remains Zhao Yuan's sworn sister and the Grand Princess of the Song Dynasty, and is later made Empress of the new dynasty, it will be very troublesome.

First, if the new dynasty's empress is a princess from the previous dynasty, it will be difficult for the new dynasty to demonstrate its independence.

Another point is that the former dynasty's princess becoming empress is a very sensitive issue.

Although Song Luxi's status as a former dynasty princess was quite unique, it wouldn't actually lead to anyone using her name to attempt a restoration.

However, the empress of the founding emperor was a princess of the previous dynasty. Doesn't this constantly remind the subjects of the relationship between the new dynasty and the previous dynasty?
Yang Yuan nodded and patted Qiao Zhen on the shoulder with pleasure: "Old Qiao, do you know why I always rely on you to get things done?"

Yang Yuan referred to himself as "I," which is quite reminiscent of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di.

That's how they usually talk; they always use "I" and "I" in their speech, and that's how they issue imperial decrees.

Yang Yuan thought, "I'm already the emperor, why should I impose so many restrictions on myself?"
You must address him as Your Majesty; even the title "Your Majesty" sounds beneath me. This is the rule set for you.

But I can be unrestrained and do whatever I want.

Qiao Zhen asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, I do not know. Please enlighten me."

"Your meticulous thinking is truly impressive..."

Yang Yuan finished praising Qiao Zhen with three "tsk tsk tsk" sounds and then went back to studying the western, northern, and eastern battlefields.

A group of generals and staff officers were waiting for him.

Qiao Zhen then eagerly went to find the Second King Zhao Kai again.

Zhao Dun hid anxiously behind the screen. He didn't know how Yang Yuan would treat him or whether she would agree to his conditions.

If he were imprisoned like his elder brother Zhao Qi, it would truly be a cause for despair.

When he heard that Yang Yuan would retain the title of Prince for him, his second brother Zhao Kai, and his uncle Zhao Qu, and that Lin'an would be their fief, Zhao Dun was truly thrilled.

Then, he heard Qiao Zhen suggest that Song Luxi should be removed from the "Imperial Genealogy" of the Zhao Song imperial family, thus eliminating her status as a princess of the Zhao Song imperial family.

Thus, under the stimulation of extreme fear and joy, Zhao Dun, whose mind was once again somewhat scattered, immediately had a different idea.

After the Second King Zhao Kai happily saw Qiao Zhen off, Zhao Dun nervously emerged from behind the screen.

Seeing his neurotic appearance, Zhao Kai asked worriedly, "Officer... Third Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhao Dun said in a trembling voice, "Second brother, didn't you realize that Qiao Tianguan was giving us a warning just now?"

Zhao Kai asked blankly, "What did Qiao Tianguan say to us? I didn't understand what he meant."

After saying that, he suddenly shuddered.

Why does this conversation sound so familiar?
It was as if, on some day long ago, he had experienced the exact same situation as this moment...

Oh, I remembered it!

When Yang Yuan talked about the outcome of Li Renxiao's case, wasn't the third brother just acting all crazy like that, ultimately getting his eldest brother...

A sense of foreboding began to rise in Zhao Kai's heart, and he stammered, "Third brother, what do you mean?"

Zhao Dun said to Zhao Kai, "Why would Yang Yuan sever ties with my Zhao family for the sake of his first wife?"

"Why?"

Zhao Dun, with a wise look that seemed to say, "I've seen through everything," said calmly, "For my younger sister... my little sister Ning'er."

Zhao Kai's eyes widened in surprise: "What? You mean..."

Zhao Dun nodded in deep agreement: "I noticed something was off about them a long time ago."

"so……?"

"If Yang Yuan's wife is the Emperor's sister, then Yang Yuan and Ning'er would be a generation apart."

In the north, or in Tibet and Dali, this is nothing.

This is a big problem here.

Zhao Kai asked in surprise, "Then... what should we do?"

Zhao Dun said dismissively, "What can we do? Didn't I already tell that something was off between them?"

Every time Yang Yuan entered the palace, his younger sister would look at him strangely when she was present.

It wasn't just his feelings for his younger sister; his younger sister's feelings for him were different too.

"Have it?"

Zhao Kai looked blank and tried hard to remember, but still couldn't recall it.

Zhao Dun waved his hand and said, "This is a good thing. With this relationship, he won't be able to have any more ideas that are detrimental to us."

"Let's wait until we're sent back to Lin'an, then we'll ask Mother... Mother can handle it."

While Zhao Dun, a man of great intelligence, was discussing this matter with his second brother Zhao Kai, Yang Yuan was studying the enemy's situation in front of the sand table.

On the battlefield in Shaanxi, the Song army had already gained an absolute advantage.

To the west, the Song army controlled the routes from Western Xia to Shaanxi, such as Xiaoguan and Longshan Road.

To the south, the supply line along the Hanzhong-Dasanguan-Chencang road is fully operational.

To the east, Tongguan Pass was locked down, potentially blocking the Jin army's advance out of the Wei River Plain.

The Jin army was besieged in several major cities such as Chang'an and Yan'an, the grain-producing areas of the Guanzhong Plain were cut off, and the northwestern border defense forces such as Fuyan were isolated from the main force.

The Jin army in Hedong initially attempted to come to their aid, but Tuoba Heiyi sank their ships at several ferry crossings, including Pujindu and Fenglingdu, blocking the river and docks and preventing their reinforcements from arriving.

Then, the Central Plains battlefield became critical, and the Song army entered the Hedong and Hebei battlefields. The Jin army in Hedong was too busy to deal with its own problems and no longer paid attention to the Jin army in Shaanxi.

Yang Yuan did not give much command or arrangement to the battle situation in Shaanxi. The battlefield situation was changing rapidly, and giving arrangements would only have hindered the Song army in Shaanxi.

Yang Yuan simply reminded them to write down the current state of affairs in leaflets and shoot them into the city to wear down the morale of the Jin army and undermine their fighting spirit.

Henan and Luoyang fell one after another, the Imperial Seal of the State came to light, and war raged in Hedong and Hebei...

These messages did indeed have a significant effect; many fortified cities in Shaanxi were captured without a fight under this psychological offensive.

Considering that only a few Jin army strongholds remain on the Shaanxi battlefield, such as Chang'an and Yan'an, it is only a matter of time before they are captured.

Therefore, Yang Yuan's instructions to Shaanxi were no longer strategic decisions about the war, but rather about post-war reconstruction.

Examples include employing Guanzhong gentry to manage state and county affairs, rebuilding military horse farms in Liupanshan, and renovating the Zheng Guo Canal.

At this time, Wu Gong, Chen Zhuoguang, and Xia Hekuimu had already surrounded Chang'an City.

Wu Gong's main force was stationed on Xianyang Plain, Chen Zhuoguang built a mobile arrow tower at Baqiao, and Xia Hekuimu controlled Sanyuan, cutting off the connection between the canal and Chang'an.

In terms of siege warfare, the three generals cooperated seamlessly, with three armies taking turns attacking the city, keeping the defending troops busy and unable to rest for even a moment.

Cannons, catapults, crossbows,

Battering rams, siege ladders, arrow towers, and heavy oil tanks.

The chariots and wooden donkey carts used to cover the excavation of tunnels were especially feared by the Jin soldiers.

Because now we have gunpowder.

Previously, under the cover of these excavators, if the Song army wanted to dig a tunnel into the city, they would have to actually dig a tunnel under the city walls.

But now, it's no longer necessary.

All they need to do is stuff in enough explosives.

Surrender has become the only option and the only way out for the defenders of Chang'an!
Soon, the Song army in Shaanxi will also fully recover Jingzhao Prefecture and move north into Hebei North Road and Hebei Southeast Road.

The Jin Dynasty is already in its twilight years!

(End of this chapter)