The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 354 Carrying the Spy to the End
While Zhang Yongjun was cleaning up the battlefield, Yue Wenxuan had already taken Qin Hui and set off for Chuzhou in the south.

On the carriage back to Chuzhou, Qin Hui was in a state of complete detachment from his body.

In fact, he wasn't the only one like this. Wang, Weng Shun, Gao Yigong, and others were all in a daze, unaware of where they were.

The firearms battle they had just witnessed made them feel like primitive people. After spending several years in the barbaric land of the Jin Kingdom, they could no longer understand warfare in the Central Plains.

Huh? Wait, why did I call the Jin Kingdom a barbarian land again? Just a few days ago I was calling the Jin Kingdom "father."

"Lord Qin! Lord Qin! Why are you spacing out?" Yue Wenxuan asked knowingly.

Qin Hui quickly shook his head, shaking off his dazed state, and after 0.32 seconds put on a fawning smile: "Young Master Yue, I was just thinking about my hometown and lost my composure a bit. Please forgive me."

Yue Wenxuan: "Since Lord Qin is homesick, we should send him back. When we get to Chuzhou, I will find a merchant ship and have him take Lord Qin back to the south via the Grand Canal."

Qin Hui: "Thank you, Young Master Yue."

Yue Wenxuan: "Lord Qin, what are your impressions of the Northern Song Dynasty after this trip?"

Qin Hui's spirits lifted: "Strong, truly strong! Both domestic affairs and military strategy are top-notch. No wonder the Northern Song Dynasty was able to rise in just a few years and repeatedly defeat the Jin Dynasty clowns on the Jiaodong Peninsula. It is truly the mandate of heaven."

Yue Wenxuan: "Lord Qin speaks so well, I love to hear it, please say more."

At this point, Qin Hui had begun to shift his consciousness and his identity.

Talan's biggest mistake in sending him back to the Southern Song Dynasty was not leaving a hostage to remotely control Qin Hui. He could only rely on Qin Hui's fear of the Jin Dynasty to control him, but he did not expect that he would be intercepted halfway...

Qin Hui's fear had completely shifted to the Northern Song Dynasty. He changed the subject and said, "Young Master Yue! In my opinion, the rightful heir to the Song Dynasty should not be Zhao Gou! Zhao Gou is weak and easily bullied, and is not a good choice for our Great Song Dynasty."

Yue Wenxuan: "But Zhao Gou's ascension to the throne was perfectly legitimate."

Qin Hui: "Hey, what's so righteous about that? After the Jingkang Incident, all the princes were captured by the Jin Dynasty. At that time, the country couldn't be without a ruler for a day, so the ministers had no choice but to put Zhao Gou on the throne. What kind of righteousness is that? If we're talking about righteousness, only the crown prince's ascension to the throne can be considered righteous. But with the crown prince also captured by the Jin Dynasty, any of the other princes was qualified to inherit the throne."

Yue Wenxuan chuckled inwardly, but said aloud, "I like hearing that too."

Qin Hui: "The Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty is the seventeenth prince, while Zhao Gou is the ninth prince. Both are of the late Emperor's blood, only one was born a few days earlier and the other a few days later. Since neither of them is the Crown Prince and neither of them is a normal successor to the throne, then the one with virtue and talent should be in charge. In my opinion, the seventeenth prince is clearly more talented and virtuous, and should be the ruler of the Song Dynasty."

Yue Wenxuan nodded: "That makes sense."

Qin Hui continued, "The division of the country into the Northern and Southern Song dynasties is truly a misfortune for our Great Song. After I return, I will certainly advocate for the reunification of the two Song dynasties."

Yue Wenxuan: "I don't think Zhao Gou will agree easily."

Qin Hui said, "Whether he agrees or not is not up to him; he has already abdicated once."

Two years ago, there was a mutiny between Miao and Liu!
At that time, Zhao Gou was forced to abdicate by a mutiny and went to live in Xianzhong Temple. He was given the title of "Emperor Ruisheng Renxiao". His three-year-old son Zhao Fu was put on the throne. Empress Dowager Longyou ruled from behind the curtain and changed the era name to Mingshou.

Later, Han Shizhong returned to the capital, the mutiny was suppressed, and Zhao Gou was able to regain his throne. If something like this can happen once, it can certainly happen twice!
Qin Hui's identity shifted rapidly, and he had already begun to advise the Northern Song Dynasty: "After I return to the Southern Song Dynasty, I will do my best to persuade the civil and military officials in the court, telling them the necessity of unifying the two Song Dynasties, and also telling them that the seventeenth prince should inherit the throne! Many civil and military officials in the court have old ties with me, so I will definitely be able to gain a lot of support."

Yue Wenxuan laughed until his legs went numb. This guy... really is a thorough spy! It's just that in history he was a spy for the Jin Dynasty, but now he's become a spy for my Northern Song Dynasty.

I want to see whose statue your statue will eventually kneel before in this time and space.

No, I have to tease him!

I really want to see him terrified and sweating profusely.

Yue Wenxuan suddenly changed the subject: "Lord Qin, I feel you are lying to me. You see how strong my Northern Song is, once you return to the Southern Song, you will definitely immediately lobby the ministers in the court to join forces with the Jin Kingdom to attack my Northern Song."

Upon hearing this, Qin Hui's face indeed changed, turning pale and breaking out in a cold sweat.

This was the task that Talan had given him!

His original intention in returning to the Southern Song Dynasty was to advance this matter, but now that Yue Wenxuan had said it, it all came true, and he couldn't control his cold sweat.

His lips trembled uncontrollably.

If you give the wrong answer at this point, you'll be dragged out and beheaded.

Qin Hui wiped the sweat from his forehead, his mind racing, trying to think of a way to save his life.

After much deliberation, he suddenly decided to take the plunge!
Lying is too easy to be exposed, so it's better to just lay your cards on the table. In front of someone like Young Master Yue, it seems that laying your cards on the table is more likely to save your life.

Qin Hui instantly decided to betray Ta Lan, and knelt down with a thud: "Young Master Yue! I am guilty."

Yue Wenxuan: "Oh? What crime have I committed?"

Qin Hui: "I... I was released by Talai. Talai actually didn't want to fight with the Song Dynasty anymore, but he was afraid of the Northern Song's firearms, so he sent me back to the Southern Song to act as a go-between and reach an agreement with Zhao Gou. The Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song joined forces to attack the Northern Song... removing a threat to Zhao Gou's throne and clearing obstacles for the Jin Dynasty... Afterwards, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song ceased hostilities and divided the country along the Yangtze River. Northerners went north and southerners went south, and from then on, they lived in peace."

Yue Wenxuan thought to himself: Oh, this is solid proof! He revealed this to gain my trust and then turn to me?

Yue Wenxuan raised his voice eight octaves and said sternly, "So, you really intend to risk your life for the Jin Kingdom?"

"No, no, no!" Qin Hui quickly kowtowed, "After seeing the Northern Song's firearms, I understand that the Jin Dynasty is nothing but a clown who will inevitably bring about its own destruction sooner or later. Zhao Gou is also a weak and easily bullied person, unsuitable to be the emperor of my Great Song. I have come to my senses and have decided to repay the Northern Song with my life. After I return to the Southern Song, I will definitely contact the court officials, remove Zhao Gou from power, support the seventeenth prince as the legitimate emperor, help the two Songs unite, and restore the prestige of my Great Song."

Yue Wenxuan: "I think you're lying to me. You're only saying this to save your life. Once you return to the Southern Song Dynasty, you'll immediately enjoy wealth and glory. You won't do a single thing you said today."

Qin Hui quickly replied, "I swear in the name of my ancestors for eighteen generations that everything I just said is true."

(End of this chapter)