The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 469 A Timid Personal Expedition
Even after the Northern Song Dynasty's centipede-shaped boats had sailed far away, Zhao Gou was still unable to regain his composure for a long time.

The battle that had just taken place was merely a ship-to-ship engagement at a great distance, but with the aid of a telescope, Zhao Gou seemed to be watching from a very close distance, witnessing firsthand how cannons blasted a ship into wood chips.

The shock was so great that he could barely breathe.

He couldn't help but wonder: what if that centipede ship charged straight at his own imperial vessel?
Alright, there's only one way. Let Zhu Shuaimin's navy act as a human shield in front, and I'll immediately order the imperial ship to dock on the south bank of the Yangtze River and abandon ship to escape.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Admiral Zhu Shuaimin's cry pulled him back to reality from his reverie: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Zhao Gou quickly coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some family matters."

As long as the word "family matter" is mentioned, it is not appropriate for foreign officials to interfere.

Just as Zhao Gou was deep in thought, the navy's flagship had already docked beside the dragon boat. Zhu Shuaimin boarded the imperial boat, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty! Last time, when I was pursuing Xu Wen, I was attacked by a very strange large ship. That ship also used cannons, which caused my pursuit to fail, and Xu Wen disappeared without a trace. At that time, the people on the ship were chanting the Holy Fire Sutra, which made me think that the ship was full of Manichaeans. But just now, after seeing the firearms on that strange centipede ship, I realized that those who came to pick up Xu Wen were not Manichaeans at all, but people from the pseudo-Song dynasty."

Zhao Gou's face darkened: "So, Xu Wen really did defect to the puppet Song dynasty?"

Zhu Shuaimin: "It should be!"

Zhao Gou: "Hmph! It seems I made the right decision by issuing the order to arrest him."

Zhu Shuaimin immediately chimed in, "That's right, Your Majesty is wise and mighty, of course you wouldn't arrest the wrong person. It's fortunate that Your Majesty arrested Xu Wen. If it were Xu Wen protecting Your Majesty at this moment, and the pseudo-Song ships arrived, Xu Wen would immediately betray Your Majesty, and the navy that was originally protecting Your Majesty would become the pseudo-Song navy on the spot. Then Your Majesty would be in great danger."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou's face darkened.

Don't tell me, you really shouldn't tell me! It's so dangerous.

Zhao Gou suddenly remembered that Qin Hui had also spoken out about Xu Wen's matter. At that time, he said, "Your Majesty, I believe that flies will not land on eggs without cracks, and flowers without honey will not attract butterflies. Since General Yan has heard the news, then Xu Wen must have some problems."

Zhao Gou's goodwill towards Qin Hui increased dramatically: "This Qin Hui is truly a capable minister. He was the one who helped me avert such great danger."

Soon, the chaos caused by the Northern Song Dynasty's centipede ships to the Southern Song Dynasty's navy was brought under control.

Zhao Gou regained his composure and continued his "personal campaign".

The fleet sailed upstream along the Yangtze River and arrived in Wuhan in just a few days. At that time, it was still called Wuchang and also had a nickname, Jiangcheng (River City). As soon as Zhao Gou arrived, he was inspired to write a poem: "Playing the jade flute in the Yellow Crane Tower, plum blossoms fall in Jiangcheng in May."

Qin Hui knew perfectly well that this was a poem by Li Bai, but he pretended not to know and stepped forward to slap it hard, saying, "Your Majesty, what a fine poem!"

Zhao Gou said irritably, "This is Li Bai's poem."

Qin Hui: "Your Majesty's poems are usually so good that they are comparable to those of Li Bai. So when I heard such a good poem, I thought it was written by Your Majesty."

Zhao Gou was overjoyed.

At this time, two large armies were already waiting for Zhao Gou in Wuchang to escort him. The two generals in charge were Liu Guangshi and Zhang Jun. These two generals were not good at fighting, but they were first-rate at pleasing the emperor. When they heard that the emperor was personally leading the expedition, they both came to Wuchang to wait to receive him. As for the front line, who cares? They left it to Yue Fei and Han Shizhong.

Therefore, Zhao Gou's escort team grew even larger, not only including the naval force led by Zhu Shuaimin, but also Liu Guangshi and Zhang Jun on the shore, traveling with the fleet along the riverbank. The army entered the Han River from the Yangtze River, and then sailed upstream along the Han River towards Xiangyang.

Zhao Gou had tens of thousands of men around him, but he was still extremely timid, insisting that scouts thoroughly investigate the area before he could move forward.

They walked slowly like this, until they reached Xiangyang, then turned into the Tang River and headed towards Tangzhou.

Compared to the Yangtze and Han Rivers, the Tang River is really just a small ditch.

Thirty imperial ships alone were already insufficient for maneuvering on the water, let alone the naval fleet. At this point, Zhu Shuaimin couldn't keep up and had to stay in Xiangyang. Zhao Gou, with significantly fewer troops around him, began to panic and became reluctant to continue advancing.

Qin Hui immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, if you retreat now, all the previous efforts of your personal expedition will be in vain, you will become a laughing stock, and public opinion will be very unfavorable."

Zhao Gou frowned and remained silent.

Qin Hui said, “You have a telescope, which allows you to see the battlefield from a great distance. Why not go to the front lines, find a hilltop, and observe the battle through the telescope? Since it’s far away, you can retreat in time if anything goes wrong. Once you’re on the battlefield, Your Majesty can go back and say that you personally led the troops into battle, remained calm in the face of danger, commanded with composure, and wiped out the Jin invaders. You’ll definitely outshine the Seventeenth Prince, and all the civil and military officials in the court will say that Your Majesty is wise and mighty.”

Zhao Gou was extremely uneasy, but Qin Hui's words were indeed reasonable, and upon reflection, they seemed highly feasible.

After weighing the telescope in his hand, Zhao Gou decided that the plan was feasible.

"Alright! Let's move on."

Soon, the imperial boat passed Tangzhou and continued north. Under the "protection" of Liu Guangshi and Zhang Jun, Zhao Gou mustered his courage, left the imperial boat, went ashore, and arrived at Fangcheng.

Han Shizhong immediately came out to greet him.

Upon seeing Han Shizhong, Zhao Gou felt much more at ease.

He had deep feelings for Han Shizhong, and could be said to have relied on him as a bulwark. The Miao-Liu Rebellion was entirely saved by Han Shizhong, and the Fifth Song-Jin War was also won by Han Shizhong at Huangtiandang. The moment Zhao Gou saw Han Shizhong, he felt that his life was much more secure.

"My dear Han, I have personally led the army here." Zhao Gou said, "You'd better fight well."

Han Shizhong, with a greasy grin, said, "Oh, it's good that Your Majesty has come! Hehehe, Your Majesty! Last time, I won a great victory, defeating the Jin bandit commander Nie Erbojin, and made a great contribution. I haven't even received my reward yet, Your Majesty's arrival is just in time. Um... I've taken a fancy to a piece of land by West Lake. I'd like to build a lakeside house there, so that when I'm old, I can sit by the lake, drink, admire the flowers, and fish..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou felt much more at ease: Han Shizhong was indeed trustworthy! This man had no ambition whatsoever; his mind was only filled with desire for wealth, and he wanted to be a foolish landlord. Unlike those other scoundrels who pretended to be without desires, putting on a virtuous and noble facade, but actually wanted to seize the throne from the emperor.

Zhao Gou immediately laughed and said, "You have made such a great contribution, but I only reward you with a piece of land. I feel that this is a bit unfair to you. Let me give you a title as well."

Han Shizhong shook his head: "What's the use of promotions and titles compared to land? I still prefer building houses by West Lake."

Zhao Gou was overjoyed, but outwardly he was disappointed in him: "Alright, alright, I'll reward you."

(End of this chapter)