Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 257 Previously: Zhao Shuo insulted our Great Song Dynasty too much! Now: Zhao Shuo insulted us too little!

After a pause, Zhao Shuo looked at Jia Sidao and said, "Well? Do you dare to take my message back to the Song court?"

Jia Sidao was a smart man; he knew that if he went back to report the results of the peace negotiations, he would definitely be killed by Zhao Yun.

It's a very simple logic: if Zhao Shuo pardons everyone else but spares Zhao Yun's life, how many soldiers, civilians, and people in the Song Dynasty would be willing to fight Zhao Shuo to the death?

Why didn't Zhao Yun kill Jia Sidao to silence him, instead of keeping him around for the New Year?
However, to be fair, Jia Sidao was just over twenty years old, the age when he was eager to make a name for himself.

Historical records show that they went to great lengths to seize power.

He understood that if he dared not return to the Song Dynasty with Zhao Shuo's decree, he would be destined to live the rest of his life as a wealthy man, living a life of idleness and waiting for death, which was far from what Jia Sidao desired.

After a moment's thought, he kowtowed again and said, "I dare! I not only dare to bring His Majesty's will back to Song, but I will also make sure that everyone in Song knows it."

"very good."

Zhao Shuo nodded and said, "After all, you are Jia's brother, so you're considered one of us. If you handle this matter well, you'll have a place in the court in the future."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhao Shuo understood what Jia Sidao had done in history; although his reputation was mixed, he was still quite capable.

Even Kublai Khan, the Yuan Dynasty emperor, praised him, saying, "How can I find someone like him to employ?" He also said, "The city was defended by only one scholar, Jia Zhizhi. You, with your 100,000 troops, could not defeat him. You killed people for months and still could not take the city. It is your fault, not the scholar's fault!"

If Jia Sidao performs meritorious service, Zhao Shuo will not hesitate to promote him.

But Jia Sidao misunderstood.

Zhao Shuo's palace was heavily guarded, and Jia Sidao was unaware of whether his sister, Consort Jia, was favored by Zhao Shuo.

But today Zhao Shuo said, "After all, you are Jia's brother, so you're considered one of us." Does that mean his sister has some influence over Zhao Shuo?
With my sister's influence, how could I possibly worry about my future success?
This is an opportunity for his "brother-in-law" to make a name for himself!
Although Jia Sidao dared not openly call Zhao Shuo his brother-in-law, he called him that a thousand times in his heart and worked even harder.

In fact, this matter was not difficult for Jia Sidao.

Firstly, his father, Jia She, had served as the Military Commissioner of Huaidong and concurrently controlled the troops of Jingdong and Hebei, making him one of the most influential figures in the imperial court. Although Jia She was deceased, he still had a considerable number of relatives, friends, and former subordinates.

Secondly, who doesn't know that Jia Sidao's sister, Consort Jia, has entered Zhao Shuo's harem? If Consort Jia were to gain favor one day, Jia Sidao might very well wield absolute power. Wasn't it for this reason that the Song Dynasty appointed Jia Sidao as an envoy?
Therefore, regardless of whether they had a relationship with Jia Sidao or not, they were willing to give Jia Sidao some face.

Therefore, Jia Sidao went to Jiangzhou openly as an envoy, but when he returned from Jiangzhou, he changed into the attire of a merchant.

After entering Song territory, Jia Sidao directly contacted his relatives and friends, asking them to spread the contents of the peace agreement.

"Everyone else can be pardoned, but Zhao Yun cannot!"

This was fantastic news for everyone except Zhao Yun.

With the help of certain individuals, the news spread like wildfire throughout Zhejiang Province.

Therefore, before Jia Sidao even arrived in Lin'an, the city of Lin'an had already received the news.

Lin'an Imperial Palace, Funing Hall, first watch of the night.

"Eunuch Dong, stop!"

Holding a scroll of documents, Dong Songchen hurried to the outside of Funing Palace, where he was stopped by another powerful eunuch, Lu Yunsheng.

"Hey, you surnamed Lu, get out of the way!"

As Zhao Yun's two most trusted eunuchs, they naturally had rivalries.

Dong Songchen frowned and said, "I have an urgent official document here. It's a serious matter that has offended the Emperor. Can you, surnamed Lu, take responsibility for it?"

Lu Yunsheng, however, retorted sharply, "No matter how important the matter, nothing is more important than the Emperor's current affairs. If you disrupt the Emperor's plans, can you bear the consequences?"

Faint sounds could be heard coming from inside the main hall, sounds that would make any normal man or woman blush. Dong Songchen, of course, understood what was going on.

Zhao Yun was having a wild time with Tang Saisai and Li An'an.

These two women were not from the palace, but rather famous courtesans in Lin'an.

Back then, Zhao Yun finally took a fancy to two beauties, Xie and Jia, but ended up giving them to Zhao Shuo instead.

He was insatiable and had his way with all the other women selected in the same batch, yet he was still not satisfied.

He issued an edict to gather the most beautiful women in the land.

After selecting another batch of beauties, Zhao Yun still felt they were not as good as Xie Meiren and Jia Meiren, so he asked Lu Yunsheng and Dong Songchen to find more.

But as the Song Dynasty's national situation became increasingly difficult, which daughter from a good family would be willing to enter the palace?

Having no other choice, Lu Yunsheng and Dong Songchen remembered the story of Li Shishi during the reign of Emperor Huizong and brought the famous courtesan from Lin'an into the palace.

Surprisingly, Zhao Yun actually falls for this, and lately he's been getting along really well with Tang Saisai and Li An'an.

Normally, Dong Songchen would never dare to disturb Zhao Yun's interest, but now this is a matter of life and death.

"What's the big deal? They're just two prostitutes. I even found Tang Saisai for His Majesty!"

Seeing that Lu Yunsheng refused to give way, Dong Songchen anxiously called out, "Has Your Majesty rested yet? There is urgent military news; Zhao Shuo is about to attack!"

"what!"

With a gasp from inside the hall, the blushing, excited voice abruptly stopped.

After a while, Zhao Yun said, "Is that Dong Songchen outside? Come in and talk to me."

"Yes."

Dong Songchen rushed into the hall, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! We have just received news that Zhao Shuo has divided his forces into two groups to attack our Great Song. One group, led by Shi Tianni, consists of three Han army commanders of ten thousand households, two Han army commanders of ten thousand households composed of surrendered troops from Lianghuai, and one naval commander of ten thousand households, and is attacking Jiankang. The other group, led by Zhao Shuo himself, consists of an army of three hundred thousand men and is attacking Anqing Prefecture! Please make a decision as soon as possible, Your Majesty!"

"Ah! This...how is this possible? Didn't I send an envoy to sue for peace? How come Zhao Shuo has attacked? And why hasn't Jia Sidao returned yet?"

"Although Jia Sidao hasn't returned, we just received news. Zhao Shuo rejected Your Majesty's request, saying that the Song Dynasty has wronged the military too many times, and Your Majesty has also caused the death of Meng Gong's mother. Everyone else can be pardoned, but you are not. Jia Sidao is probably afraid of being punished by you if he returns, so he is staying in Changzhou now."

"What? Everyone else can be pardoned, but I alone cannot? This...this...Zhao Shuo is truly going too far!"

Zhao Yun is extremely depressed right now.

He was originally an ordinary citizen, but suddenly Shi Miyuan valued him and promoted him to be the emperor of the Song Dynasty.

She had two sons, both of whom died young.

Zhao Shuo is so powerful; if it can guarantee his wealth and status, then he might as well surrender.

But Zhao Yun never dreamed that Zhao Shuo would hold onto the matter of him causing the death of Meng Gong's mother and would insist on killing him.

Zhao Shuo, are you even being reasonable?!
Do you understand the principle of "no imprisonment between ruler and subject"? Can a subject reason with a ruler? Don't even mention killing Meng Gong's mother, even if you killed his whole family, it can't be said that it's my fault!

When Emperor Gaozong unjustly killed Yue Fei, no one blamed Emperor Gaozong; it was all Qin Hui's fault!
You think I'm easy to bully, don't you?
Zhao Yun was filled with resentment and anger towards Zhao Shuo.

Of course, Zhao Yun's anger was only momentary.

The situation was beyond his control. Not only could his army not defeat Zhao Shuo's Eight Banners army, but they also surrendered one after another. What could he do?
Even Zhao Yun's desire to rekindle their relationship and vent his frustrations on Tang Saisai and Li An'an was no longer possible.

Whether it was the effect of Dong Songchen's shout or the shock of Zhao Shuo's declaration, Zhao Yun discovered that, like Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou, he was already failing at a young age.

Several more beauties were tried, but it still didn't work!

And so, Zhao Yun didn't sleep a wink all night and went to the morning court with bloodshot eyes.

He looked closely at the court and became even more dumbfounded.

Inside the vast Chongzheng Hall, only about 20% of the court officials were present.

Clearly, the court officials had already heard about Zhao Shuo's conditions and had no desire to stand in the court. It's likely that if the city gates opened today, many would simply leave and return to their hometowns.

What are you doing in the imperial court now?

You can't very well advise Zhao Yun to abandon his own ambitions of wealth and glory and instead cut off his own head to surrender to Zhao Shuo, can you?
But if we don't persuade Zhao Yun to surrender, are we supposed to risk our entire family's lives and fight Zhao Shuo to the end?
Sorry, but not everyone is that loyal to Zhao Yun or the Song Dynasty.

After a long silence, Zhao Yun sighed and said, "It seems everyone knows! Zhao Shuo has not only mobilized troops to attack the Song Dynasty on two fronts, but he has also refused the court's request for peace. Everyone else has been pardoned, but I am the only one not to be pardoned. What do you all think I should do now?" Fan Zhong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said, "Zhao Shuo's Eight Banners army is too powerful. The court must not fight them head-on. In my humble opinion, it would be better to move the capital to Fujian or Guangnan East Circuit. Lingnan is hot and humid, and Zhao Shuo's army may not be able to withstand it."

"No! The Emperor's departure from the capital involves such a massive mobilization. It would be good if he could travel thirty li a day. If Zhao Shuo's army were to pursue him relentlessly, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
"The ancestral tombs are here; how can Your Majesty abandon them so easily?"

"Absolutely not! I have never heard of anyone who has moved to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions and been able to restore the empire. This plan is nothing but a means to prolong the country's existence; it must not be done!"

……

Many people objected to Fan Zhong's statement.

It's a very simple principle: moving the capital not only involves moving the emperor himself, but also the ministers, the wealth, and the families of the emperor, his ministers, and even the emperor's personal guards.

Let alone now, even in times of peace, it's not an easy thing.

Historically, when the Mongol army attacked, some suggested moving the capital to Haining, which was not far from Hangzhou, for this very reason. It wasn't that they didn't want to move the capital far away, but rather that it was impossible, or rather, even if they could, it would come at an extremely heavy price, and the losses would probably outweigh the gains.

Moving the capital to Guangdong? Are you kidding me?

How many changes can occur along a journey of thousands of miles?

Even if the forced relocation of the capital succeeds, most of the wealth and family members will be left behind, and the country will only be able to prolong its existence.

Ding Daquan, the Chief Justice of Dali, said, "If moving the capital is not feasible, in my humble opinion, Your Majesty should take several hundred loyal ministers and countless riches and valuables and take refuge on a small island in the East China Sea. As long as we keep it secret, the world is vast, how could Zhao Shuo possibly find Your Majesty?"

"That makes sense!"

"It seems that this is the only way."

"This is the perfect plan!"

"No way! Hundreds of people are stationed on this remote island, requiring a lot of supplies. How can we keep it a secret? Zhao Shuo will definitely find out."

"How can we guarantee their loyalty over time?"

……

The courtiers debated the matter, some in favor and some against.

Those who supported it easily understood that they wanted Zhao Yun to leave quickly so as not to delay everyone's surrender to Zhao Shuo.

Those who opposed it did so out of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and genuinely cared about Zhao Yun's well-being.

However, Prime Minister Jeong Cheong-ji was furious after hearing these comments.

He shouted, "What? Some suggest moving the capital, others suggest retreating to a small island. Our Great Song Dynasty has nurtured scholars for nearly three hundred years; is there really no one willing to fight Zhao Shuo to the death?"

Du Fan said dismissively, "Of course everyone wants to fight Zhao Shuo to the death, but isn't it impossible to win? Are we just going to throw our lives away for nothing?"

"What's wrong with dying in vain? Confucius said to achieve benevolence, Mencius said to uphold righteousness. Where righteousness lies, though there be thousands or millions, I will go!"

Zheng Qingzhi took a deep breath and said, "I admit that Zhao Shuo can be called a wise ruler. If he were to lead China and establish a new dynasty, he would likely be better than my Great Song."

"However, Zhao Shuo has truly insulted our Great Song Dynasty to an extreme degree! In his 'Letter to the People and Soldiers of Jiangnan,' he was full of contempt for the scholar-officials of our Great Song Dynasty, practically pointing his finger at them and saying that all the scholar-officials of the Great Song Dynasty should die. He has shown absolutely no respect for our Great Song Emperor. Everyone else can be pardoned, but His Majesty cannot be pardoned!"

"For the glory of the Song Dynasty, shouldn't we fight Zhao Shuo to the bitter end?"

"Right now, we still have 100,000 troops within the city of Lin'an. The Imperial Guards have been favored by the emperor for generations and are loyal to the Song Dynasty. There is even the Balu Camp, formed by the Jurchens, who hate Zhao Shuo to the core and will certainly not compromise. There are also various troops coming to the aid of the emperor, which, although not many, are enough to show their loyalty to the Song Dynasty. It is not difficult for the people of Lin'an to mobilize 200,000 able-bodied men to defend the city."

"With the fortified city of Lin'an as our base, how can we not make Zhao Shuo pay a sufficient price?"

"We must make him understand that our Great Song Dynasty also has its unique strengths, and is not as insignificant as he imagines, so he cannot be so easily humiliated! Our Great Song Dynasty has officials who are willing to die for their country, and also monarchs who are willing to die for their nation!"

"If my Great Song Dynasty still has the Mandate of Heaven, the defense of Lin'an will surely succeed. Even if my Great Song Dynasty loses the Mandate of Heaven and Lin'an falls, we, the emperor and his ministers, will still be remembered for eternity!"

"Back then, even when the Jurchens faced the prospect of national collapse and the extinction of their people, they still held their ground at Bianliang, willing to fight to the death. Are we, the Great Song, inferior to these northern barbarians?"

He paused, then bowed slightly to Zhao Yun and said, "Your Majesty, please issue a decree: From this moment forward, anyone who dares to suggest moving the capital or Your Majesty relocating to an island shall be beheaded!"

These are Zheng Qingzhi's true feelings.

If there was even the slightest chance of the imperial court moving the capital to Guangdong when facing a foreign tribe, then there was absolutely no chance of doing so when facing Zhao Shuo, a member of the same clan and bearing the same surname.

Since Zhao Shuo showed no respect for the Song Dynasty and insisted on killing the Song emperor,

Then let's fight!

Even if I'm going to die, I'll die a glorious death!
Qiao Xingjian bowed slightly and said, "I second that proposal!"

"..."

Shi Songzhi was ill, Wei Liaoweng died in Xiangyang, and Zhen Dexiu surrendered to Zhao Shuo along with Yu Jie. Now, the only two remaining prime ministers in the Song Dynasty court had reached a consensus, and what they said was reasonable. Under their accumulated power, who dared to oppose them? The court was completely silent.

"Uh……"

Zhao Yun thought for a moment and said, "What the two ministers say is very true. Issue an imperial decree to promote Minister Zheng to the title of Prince of Wei and Minister Qiao to the title of Prince of E, and to give them full authority over the defense of Lin'an and to deal with Zhao Shuo to the end."

"According to the order!"

The ministers all agreed.

In the days that followed, Zheng Qingzhi and Qiao Xingjian worked diligently to strengthen the defenses of Lin'an, mobilizing laborers to reinforce the city's defenses and distributing countless amounts of gold, silver, armor, and weapons to enhance the soldiers' combat effectiveness and morale.

Although many ordinary people, grassroots officials, and soldiers spoke ill of them behind their backs, calling them "stubborn prime ministers" who brought disaster to the country and the people, just like Wang Anshi, the two of them paid no attention to it.

The Song Dynasty shared the world with the scholar-officials, not with the common people.

They wanted to fight for the scholar-officials of the Song Dynasty and for the Song court!

Zhao Yun seemed very satisfied with the performance of Zheng Qingzhi and Qiao Xingjian.

Seven days later, they were specially summoned to the palace and treated to a royal banquet.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, the two fell into a deep sleep and did not wake up until the morning of the third day.

Then, Zheng Qingzhi and Qiao Xingjian realized that the sky had fallen.

The emperor left, taking a few of his favorite concubines with him, leaving the vast majority of his other concubines behind in Lin'an.

The Balu Camp, composed of Jurchens, also followed the emperor.

The imperial guards, along with their families, followed the emperor.

Not to mention the elite troops and fierce generals who came to the aid of the emperor.

These two scholar-officials, who were utterly loyal to the Song Dynasty, were tricked and completely abandoned by Zhao Yun!

Furthermore, the vast majority of scholar-officials were also Zhao Yun's accomplices. Otherwise, Zhao Yun would never have possessed such a tremendous mobilization capacity without a prime minister as an ally!

Qiao Xingjian looked at Zheng Qingzhi with a bitter expression: "Minister Zheng, what do you think of the current situation?"

"What's going on now? This Song Dynasty... it's always been this rotten. If it doesn't collapse, it's simply outrageous... Wow!"

Zheng Qingzhi could no longer bear it and spat out a mouthful of blood!

What a shameless emperor!

Shameless scholar-officials!
Originally, Zheng Qingzhi felt that Zhao Shuo had gone too far in insulting the Song Dynasty.

Now he feels that the Song Dynasty deserves to be humiliated!

Zhao Shuo has insulted me!

The emperor lacked the courage for a decisive battle, possessing only the resolve to flee, utterly devoid of shame. The scholar-officials, having enjoyed high positions and generous salaries, were either willing to surrender or, even if unwilling, only dared to flee and dared not fight the enemy, equally shameless.

This is how they have ruined China for the past three hundred years!

Today, it's just a repeat of the same story.

If we don't thoroughly humiliate this dynasty, if we don't thoroughly humiliate the Song emperor, we will be letting down those unjustly killed generals and the glorious China!
(End of this chapter)