Unlimited priesthood

Chapter 21 Jing Kang
Three months later, it was the first year of the Jing Kang period.

On the tenth day of the intercalary month, the capital of Song was Tokyo.

This is the heart of the Central Plains, located south of the Yellow River. Since the time of Emperor Yu of Xia, six kingdoms have established their capitals here. It is known as the "Ancient Capital of Six Dynasties" and is a place where tigers crouch and dragons coil. It is the residence of today's emperors.

However, now, the city gates are closed, and it looks dull and depressing in the continuous rain.

This was because outside the city, on both the north and south sides, there were military camps stretching for nearly a hundred miles, and it was the Jurchen cavalry threatening the capital of the Song Dynasty.

This was the second time that the Jin army laid siege to the Song Dynasty's capital, Bianliang.

As early as last year, that is, the seventh year of Xuanhe in the Song Dynasty and the third year of Tianhui in the Jin Dynasty, the Jin Kingdom sent two large armies from the east and west to attack the Song Dynasty in the south.

Wanyan Zongmou, the second prince of the Jin Dynasty, led the eastern army to conquer Yanjing, cross the Yellow River, and advance into the Central Plains with unstoppable force, besieging the city of Bianliang for the first time.

Seeing the critical situation, Song Emperor Zhao Ji abdicated the throne to Crown Prince Zhao Heng. After Zhao Heng succeeded to the throne, he appointed Li Gang as a general to guard the capital and tried his best to keep the Jin army out of the city.

Although the capital was defended, the two Song rulers could not resist the threats of the Jin people and repeatedly asked Wanyan Zongmou for peace.

Wanyan Zongmou took advantage of the situation and threatened the Song Dynasty to pay 5 million taels of gold and 50 million taels of silver as annual tribute, and to cede the three towns of Zhongshan, Hejian and Taiyuan to the Jin Dynasty.

The two rulers negotiated peace, and the Jin troops began to retreat, and the Song capital was relieved. However, only a few months later, the Jin Kingdom tore up the alliance and sent troops to attack the Song again. Finally, in the first year of the Jing Kang period of the Song Dynasty and the fourth year of the Tian Hui period of the Jin Dynasty, they met in Bian Jing.

To this day, Tokyo has been under siege for a month. During this period, the Jin people attacked several times. Although the Song army had the advantage of the city, they still suffered heavy casualties.

In this way, the Song army closed the four gates, intending to hold their ground with the advantage of terrain, waiting for the various reinforcements to arrive to protect them.

The Jin army, which was besieging the city from both sides, no longer launched a fierce attack. Instead, they challenged the Song army every day to intimidate the Song army and frighten the two lords. At the same time, they built siege equipment and prepared for the final offensive.

So, within Tokyo, within the Forbidden Palace.

"Hasn't the army from all over the country arrived yet?"

The new ruler Zhao Heng convened a court meeting and looked at the prince and his ministers with a look of worry on his face.

In the seventh year of Xuanhe, the Jin people marched south for the first time and besieged Bian Jing. Seeing the critical situation, his father, the Emperor Daojun, abdicated to him to avoid becoming a king who destroyed his country and left a bad reputation for eternity.

He was forced to do something he didn't want to do, and although he tried his best to keep the Jin army out of the city, he was unable to turn the tide and restore his country. In the end, he had to cede land and pay tribute, and paid a huge price, before the Jin army retreated.

The imperial court was severely damaged and thought it could recuperate, but it did not expect that after only a few months, the Jin people tore up the alliance, marched south again, and besieged Tokyo.

After the second siege and a month-long fierce battle, the Song army suffered heavy casualties. The new ruler of Song completely lost the courage to fight the enemy. He could only pray for help from all places while asking for peace with the Jin people again.

Faced with Zhao Heng's anxious inquiries, all the officials in the hall were silent and no one spoke.

"Speak up!"

This made Zhao Heng somewhat furious, and he even ignored the Emperor's demeanor: "You are all the pillars of the Song Dynasty. Now that the country is in danger, why are you all silent?"

"This……"

His Highness and the ministers looked at each other, their eyes full of helplessness.

The army to support the king?

Where is the army coming to support the king?
Ever since the old ruler Zhao Ji came to the throne, he appointed treacherous ministers to corrupt the government, and carried out large-scale construction projects to practice Taoism. The Song Dynasty's national strength has been deteriorating day by day. The people can't bear the heavy burden and have risen up in rebellion, creating four major anti-kings and bandits.

Now the Jin army has broken through the pass, and the armies from the east and west have invaded the Central Plains. The imperial army has suffered heavy casualties, and is almost wiped out. The troops in various places are also being tied down by local rebel kings and various bandits, and there is no one left to defend the emperor.

and so……

"What should I do? What should I do?"

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhao Heng looked even more frightened and paced back and forth in the hall.

"His Majesty!"

At this moment, a man stepped forward and said, "At this point, only peace talks can preserve the prosperity of the Song Dynasty."

"Peace?"

"Yes, peace talks!"

Zhao Heng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly looked at everyone and said, "How are the peace talks going? As long as the Jin people are willing to withdraw their troops, I will give them gold, silver, silk, and satin."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the ministers fell silent again. Only one civil official stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Jin people have not made any clear statements, but are only demanding money and food every day, and they also want women to serve in the camp. If you don't agree, they will attack the city."

"..."

After hearing these words, Zhao Heng's face turned pale and he fell down on the dragon throne, not knowing how to respond.

The ministers were all visibly nervous upon seeing this. An old minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, our army has suffered heavy casualties, and the city's defenses have been severely damaged. We are afraid we can no longer hold out. Although the Jin people are extremely greedy, as a delaying tactic, I suggest we grant their request."

"That's ridiculous!"

Before he could finish his words, a veteran general stepped forward to refute him. "Throughout history, there has never been a case of the besieged paying tribute to the besiegers. The Jin people are threatening us with this, clearly aiming to cut off our support and capture our capital without a single blow. Your Majesty, you must not agree to this!"

"General Li, your words are wrong. Giving the Jin people money and food is just a delaying tactic to protect the country. Once the troops from various regions arrive to support the emperor, we can force the Jin people to retreat."

"What delaying tactic? We are sitting alone in this isolated city, and we are already short of money and food. If we give more tribute to the Jin people, I'm afraid that before the reinforcements arrive, we will be completely exhausted. By then, the Jin people will be able to break into the city and slaughter us without bloodshed."

"But in the current situation, if we don't make the Jin people temporarily stop fighting, I'm afraid we will be at our wit's end."

"It would be fine if it was just money and food, but they're even asking for women. Where did these women come from? They are the wives and daughters of the city's civilians and our soldiers. If we hand them over to the Jin camp, how can our soldiers have the morale to fight the enemy and defend our country?"

"This is also a helpless move, for the sake of the country..."

The ministers divided into two groups and started arguing.

"enough!"

Suddenly, a loud shout was heard in the court, and it was the emperor's voice.

Everyone looked over in shock, only to see Zhao Heng slumped over on the dragon throne. It seemed as if the shouting had exhausted his remaining strength. His face was pale and he spoke with difficulty: "Promise them for now."

"His Majesty!!"

The veteran stepped forward and wanted to make further persuasion.

However, Zhao Heng waved his hand, directly suppressing his words: "No need to say more, everything is more important than the overall situation. The suffering of the people, the blame will be borne by me."

……

In this way, the court meeting ended in panic.

On the other side, in the Xuanhe Hall, Zhao Ji, the former ruler of the Song Dynasty, also held a court meeting. However, he met not only civil and military officials, but also a group of Taoists. Among them, a man in a white Taoist robe was the most eye-catching.

Exactly...

"Tianshi!"

Zhao Ji held the man's hand, his eyes full of hope: "Can the Six Jia Divine Soldiers really repel the enemy?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry!"

The man smiled faintly: "Although the Jurchen demon army has millions of people, they are all evil and demonic. They are definitely no match for my Six Jia Divine Soldiers. As long as I practice this ritual for another seven days, the Six Jia Divine Power will be condensed, and then we can leave the city and defeat the enemy."

"Good good!"

Zhao Ji was overjoyed upon hearing this and held the man's hand tightly. "All the items in the palace are selected by the Heavenly Master. No matter what, we must ensure that the Six Jia Divine Weapons are forged to protect our Song Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, the man's smile widened, and he said in a deep and confident voice, "I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"

"..."

"..." "..."

Seeing the two of them getting along so well with each other, His Highness and the other ministers were silent for a while, not knowing what to say.

This person's name is Guo Jing. It is said that he is a direct disciple of Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain. He has received the true teachings of Zhengyi Taoism and possesses great magical powers. He is almost a land immortal. He has always been valued by Zhao Ji, who is obsessed with Taoism and mysterious cultivation.

Now that the Jin army is at the gates of the city, Zhao Ji still regards him as a life-saving straw, and sets up a ritual to refine the six magic weapons he mentioned, saying that these magic weapons are the Taoist weapons of the Heavenly Master, and after being refined, they will have supernatural powers that can reach the sky and can be used to defeat the million-strong Jin army.

Zhao Ji believed this statement and ordered him to set up a sacrificial ceremony in the palace and allow him to use the items in the treasury at will. He treated it as a lifeline and did not hesitate to throw several old ministers who tried to persuade and stop him into death row.

Don’t ask about the common people, ask about ghosts and gods!
Looking at Zhao Ji who was entrusted with the task wholeheartedly, and Guo Jing who was full of confidence, all the civil and military officials could only remain silent.

At this moment, a man walked into the hall, disturbing the atmosphere.

"Um!?"

Zhao Ji turned his eyes and looked at the person who came, also in surprise: "Grand Tutor?"

The man who came had white hair and beard, a high hat and a wide belt. Although he was old, he was more dignified and extraordinary, with a profound and majestic demeanor.

It was Zhao Ji’s teacher, the current Taifu, and the Six-Five Divine Marquis—Zhuge Zhengwo!
"What are you doing here, Master?"

Looking at Zhuge Zhengwo, Zhao Ji frowned slightly and said directly, "If we are still discussing the matter of the Six Jia Divine Soldiers, then please go back, Grand Tutor. I have made up my mind, no need to say more!"

Everyone was a little surprised to see this, especially Guo Jing, who stared at Zhuge Zhengwo and secretly circulated the energy in his dantian.

This Six-Five Divine Marquis was an important official in four dynasties. As early as the Shenzong period, he was rewarded and promoted by Wang Anshi, and he and Wang Shao proposed three strategies to pacify the enemy. He was also valued by Sima Guang in the Zhezong period.

After King Rui Zhao Ji ascended the throne, although he favored Cai Jing and other six thieves, he also relied heavily on him because Cai Jing was King Rui's military teacher and had the merit of following the emperor. Moreover, after King Rui ascended the throne, he protected the king three times and had made great contributions to the king. Therefore, he was promoted to the title of Taifu of the current dynasty, in charge of the six ministries and 180,000 imperial guards. He was the number one person under the emperor. Even when Cai Jing was in power, he was wary of him.

Although Cai Jing and the other six thieves were demoted by the new master Zhao Heng, he was not trusted by Zhao Heng as the emperor changed his ministers. The old master Zhao Ji also had a rift with him because of Tianshi Guo Jing. Now he was not only alienated from him, but also deprived him of his posts in the six ministries and the power of the imperial guards.

Things have come to this point, and he still comes to pay homage to his old master. What is his intention?
Zhao Ji looked on coldly, and everyone watched.

Zhuge Zhengwo looked at Zhao Ji and Guo Jing with an indifferent expression: "I came here for only one thing."

"Um!?"

Zhao Ji frowned: "What's the matter?"

"All the people, all the people of the world!"

Zhuge Zhengwo was looking at Zhao Ji and no longer looking at Guo Jing.

"..."

Zhao Ji's eyes narrowed, his anger rising. He suppressed his anger and said, "Grandmaster, I have already told you that the Heavenly Master is a true Taoist practitioner..."

"boom!!!"

Before he could finish his words, a silver light appeared, like a pear blossom in full bloom, stunning and eye-catching.

"boom!!!"

Zhao Ji's body trembled and he froze on the dragon throne. His face felt a little warm, and one eye was stained with scarlet. He turned around in disbelief and saw that Guo Jing, who was sitting next to him just now, was now hanging on the dragon wall carved beam behind him. A pear blossom pistol pierced his heart and nailed him to death.

"This……"

"Zhuge Zhengwo!"

"you!!!"

Seeing this, everyone was shocked and looked at Zhuge Zhengwo in disbelief. Several attendants came to Zhao Ji and shouted, "Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"

"Crash!"

As soon as the sound arose, a surge of movement was heard outside the hall, with the sound of armor clashing. A group of imperial guards rushed into the hall and surrounded everyone.

"Zhuge Zhengwo!"

Zhao Ji also woke up at this moment, stood up in anger, and looked at Zhuge Zhengwo who had killed Guo Jing: "Are you going to rebel?"

Zhuge Zhengwo looked indifferent and paid no attention to him. He just gave the order: "Capture him."

"Yes!!!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the imperial guards immediately moved and surrounded Zhao Ji and his ministers.

"you!?"

Zhao Ji's expression changed. Looking at these imperial guards, he realized that they were all unfamiliar faces.

"Iron Merciless?"

"The Divine Constable Sect?"

“Zhuge Zhengwo, you…!”

Only a few attendants screamed, recognizing the identities of these imperial guards and were terrified.

On the other side, outside the city of Tokyo, in the Jin army camp, there was a great deal of rejoicing over wine and meat.

"Come on, come on!"

"Drink, drink, drink!"

"The women of Song are really good!"

"They're just a little weak, just like the men of Song. They die after just a few fucks."

"My Jin army is too brave. Tell them to send more tomorrow."

"Hahaha!"

In the tent, the generals drank heartily and enjoyed meat and wine, and there were many women beside them for them to ravage.

There was only one man who was not interested in women, but sat calmly at the top, still wearing armor. He was a general of the Jin Dynasty, the Bodhisattva Prince - Wanyan Zongmou!
During this second attack on Song, he was still the commander of the Eastern Army. Together with Wanyan Zonghan and other troops of the Western Army, the two armies of 200,000 people met in Tokyo. They killed and routed the Song Army along the way, causing countless casualties.

Now, after a month of siege, there is hope that the city can be broken, the two rulers of the Song Dynasty can be captured, and great achievements can be made, allowing the Jin Dynasty to rule the Central Plains and seize the world.

With such glory before him, even Wanyan Zongmou felt a little excited.

But he was a famous general after all, and he did not get carried away by this. Instead, he moved forward more calmly and cautiously. While threatening the weak and incompetent second ruler of the Song State, he ordered the craftsmen to build equipment and prepare for the final offensive.

"Prince!"

The generals drank and reveled freely. Seeing that Wanyan Zongwang remained unmoved, several of them immediately offered him a toast: "The Crown Prince has made great contributions in this attack on Song. His fame will surely spread throughout the world."

"If we can destroy Song this time, we can all petition His Majesty to confer the title of king upon the Crown Prince, and the land of Song will become his fiefdom!"

"The Song people are weak. How could they possibly possess such a great territory? Your Majesty, it is destiny that we should take their place!"

The generals' words were somewhat presumptuous.

Wanyan Zongbing smiled without saying anything and drank the wine in the cup.

At this moment...

"Report!"

A messenger rushed into the tent: "A large army is coming from the north, less than ten miles away from us!"

"what!"

When these words came out, the generals all turned pale, and Wanyan Zongwang stood up in shock and anger: "How is it possible?"

(End of this chapter)