You have truly caused me great suffering!

The Song Dynasty court is in a state of chaos.

The new emperor heavily relied on his former allies and old faction, but he dared not easily touch Zhao Ji's inner circle.

The only option is to target Tong Guan, who has committed the most direct crimes and has relinquished his military power.

In fact, if Tong Guan hadn't escaped, although he would most likely have been defeated by now, no one would have dared to kill him.

Putting aside other matters, the Shengjie Army that Yang Keshi retreated to the Daming Prefecture area of ​​Hebei was Tong Guan's private army.

Today, everyone in the court was unusually relaxed because killing Tong Guan had resulted in the seizure of assets worth tens of millions.

This doesn't even include the mansions that are everywhere.

Although those mansions built during the chaos of war were difficult to sell, each one contained countless valuables.

It can also be used to reward those who have made contributions.

The millions of strings of cash obtained from this "child killing" were ordered by Zhao Huan to be deposited into the imperial treasury. Some of the rare and exotic items were sold on the market for cash, while a small amount was embezzled by officials.

Overall, this was one of the more transparent and ethical practices in officialdom in recent years.

There are very few people who embezzle.

Not everyone dares to eat children's blood buns at this time; those big corrupt officials (Liang Shicheng, Wang Fu, Cai You, Cai Jing, Li Yan, etc.) are all afraid that they will be next.

Just as the imperial court was confiscating Tong Guan's property, Guo Hao of the Dingnan Army entered Bianliang.

After a brief rest at Xiangguo Temple, he was summoned to the imperial city to meet the emperor.

To be honest, although Zhao Huan was weak and incompetent, he also had his merits.

At least he didn't put on an extravagant imperial show; his entourage consisted of the former guards of the Donghua Palace, plus the streamlined Imperial City Guard after its abolition.

The audience ceremony is now simplified as much as possible, and one can enter the temple without waiting.

After Guo Hao entered, he found that in addition to the Emperor, there were many court officials in the hall.

They all turned to look at him. In the past, Guo Hao's rank would never have attracted the attention of so many important officials.

But at this moment, he represented the Dingnan Army behind him, so Guo Hao was full of confidence.

After bowing, Zhao Huan asked, "I am very pleased to hear that the general has come to the aid of the king. I wonder when the follow-up army will arrive?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Hao realized that he was being treated as the vanguard of the Dingnan Army. Commandant Qu had not told him that a large army would be coming when he arrived.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute and continued, "This humble general has come under orders and is unaware of the subsequent arrangements."

Zhao Huan was somewhat disappointed. He had been dreaming about those Tartars lately. Once, after hearing Li Gang go out of the city to comfort the soldiers, he entered the barracks and smelled the blood, and immediately vomited.

After he returned, the extremely unpleasant smell lingered in his nostrils, making him unable to eat or sleep.

I've heard that the surrounding towns are even more bloody and cruel; it's unimaginably terrifying.

Now, his most pressing concern is to drive the Jurchen Tartars away as soon as possible.

Whether we defeat and drive them away, or pay reparations and send them off, anything that gets them far away is acceptable.

Zhao Huan was essentially an ordinary fool who was slightly better than an idiot but slightly worse than mediocre.

Making him emperor is really putting him in a difficult position. The fact that he is now heavily relying on the pro-war faction is not because he has the integrity to refuse to surrender, nor is it because he is playing power games or anything like that. In fact, he has no such intention.

The main reason was that Emperor Huizong of Tang suppressed him, and those members of the old party, who were opportunistic about the crown prince, surrounded him.

Now that he has ascended the throne, these old factions have naturally risen to power, and most of them happen to be pro-war.

He used whoever was around him, without any of his own ideas. Later, a rogue named Guo Jing came to his side, claiming to be able to use the Six Jia Method, saying that he could capture Jin generals alive and wipe out the Jin army.

He believed the shaman's words and opened the city gates to let him perform magic to repel the enemy, but the Jin soldiers took advantage of the situation and broke in.

He believes whatever others say; he's completely brainless and incapable of thinking.

A few days ago, he took a trip to Genyue and was persuaded by Emperor Huizong to be single-mindedly focused on negotiating peace.

The wealth confiscated from Tong Guan, plus some looted from the people, would be enough to cover the amount of the peace indemnity.

If all else fails, they will discuss with the Jin people and make up for it gradually in the future.

The Song Dynasty was very trustworthy in this regard; it gave what it said it would give and never played games.

Seeing the Dingnan Army enter the city today, he thought of everyone saying that the Dingnan Army could defeat the Jurchen Tartars, and instantly pinned his hopes on Chen Shao leading a large army to drive out the Tartars.

Not getting the answer he wanted, Emperor Zhao Huan instantly became somewhat disheartened and sat on the dragon throne in a daze.

Wu Min quickly stepped forward and asked, "Guo Hao, you defeated the Jurchens at Huangze Village, why don't you take advantage of the situation and advance eastward?"

Guo Hao replied, "From Hongzhou of Dingnan Army to Hedong, there are thousands of miles between them, and it is extremely difficult to supply food and supplies. Moreover, the supplies promised by the court have been delayed. General Qu, the commander of Yinzhou, is worried that prolonging the battle line will cause the army to run out of food."

“In front of Huangze Village are soldiers from Yinzhou. They were originally subjects of Western Xia. If they are on a long and arduous expedition and lack food, they may riot and revolt.”

Wu Min felt a little guilty, but still stubbornly said, "The imperial court is working hard to procure grain, but it's just that the Jin army is blocking the way and can't transport it. As long as you enter Hebei, will you still worry about not having enough food for your troops?"

Guo Hao, looking simple and honest, scratched his head and asked, "Since the roads in Hebei are impassable, why not send the grain from Huguang north to Hedong?"

Wu Min was about to lose her temper, but then she thought about the current situation, which was not like the time a few years ago when the literati suppressed the military generals.

Especially since this person was backed by the powerful Dingnan Army, he had no choice but to endure it.

As the two clashed inside the hall, people couldn't help but look towards the Emperor, only to see that he was lost in thought, muttering to himself and calculating with his fingers.
Inside the main hall, a sigh suddenly rang out.

Zhao Huan was actually doing the math; he was calculating how much money he had saved up and whether it was enough to pay the compensation.

After calculating, he was still short by more than three million taels of gold, which caused him great distress.

After much thought, it seems that in this world, only his father, Emperor Huizong, might be able to come up with this amount of money.

Because many things inside Genyue are made of gold.

Zhao Huan abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Do any of my ministers know where we can gather gold?"

Upon hearing this, everyone understood what he was doing; the emperor still wanted to negotiate peace.

Guo Hao had come to the capital to guard against them demanding reparations, and upon hearing this, he immediately replied, "Your Majesty, this humble general understands!"

"Oh? Tell me quickly."

Guo Hao coughed lightly and said, "After Wanyan Zongwang destroyed Liao, he plundered countless gold and silver from Liao territory. If we can defeat him and plunder the Jurchen camp, we can have as much gold as we want!"

Zhao Huan took a slight step back, his expression turning blank again.

Seeing that his behavior had lost the dignity of an emperor, Shao Chengzhang bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty is unwell; shall we adjourn the court session?"

Zhao Huan nodded, and was helped up like a wooden statue, walking absentmindedly to the back.

This was Guo Hao's first meeting with the emperor, and to be honest, he was extremely disappointed.

The assembled officials in the hall also greatly disappointed him.

On this occasion, the commander personally ordered that the compensation be prevented.

If the Song court insists on paying reparations, I must intercept them on the way and prevent them from handing over the spoils to the enemy.
-
Upon returning to the inner palace, Zhao Huan, unusually, did not daze or sigh, but instead took concrete action.

He immediately ordered his carriage to proceed to Genyue to meet the Emperor Emeritus.

Upon arriving at Genyue, the eunuch informed him that the Emperor Emeritus was playing Cuju (an ancient Chinese football game) with the Imperial Concubine and asked him to wait a moment.

It took half an hour before someone came to lead Zhao Huan inside.

Through the screen, Zhao Huan could vaguely see several women nestled beside the Emperor Emeritus, so he lowered his head and dared not look any further.

Upon hearing his trembling explanation of his purpose, Zhao Ji immediately flew into a rage. "You've come to ask me for money?"

That old scoundrel Cai Jing is no good anymore. I don't even know who to ask for money from these days!

Removing the gold ornaments inside Genyue would be an even bigger offense to him.

Zhao Ji coldly said, "Now you are the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, and I am merely here to enjoy blessings. I am a Taoist with little worldly attachment, and I will refrain from daily inquiries as long as they are made. After all, the affairs of the state are of utmost importance... When I abdicated to you, I was finally freed from the shackles of the world, and I felt truly at ease. Why do you still have to worry about me?"

Zhao Huan was stunned. "I asked you for money, what do you mean by all this?"

Upon closer reflection, I realized they probably wouldn't give it to me, but I really had no other choice.

He mustered his courage and, for the first time in his life, tried to defy his father: "If the Emperor doesn't agree, I really can't raise enough money, how can the Jin army retreat?"

Zhao Ji's face turned ashen with rage. He no longer cared about maintaining his air of otherworldly wisdom. He stood up, walked outside the screen, pointed at Zhao Huan, and cursed, "Fool! As the saying goes, 'If you ask for an exorbitant price, you should bargain on the spot.' Even the most uncouth villagers and petty scoundrels understand this principle. Wanyan Zongwang made an outrageous demand when negotiating peace with you. Couldn't you have offered less and tricked him into withdrawing his troops first?"

Although Zhao Huan was scolded, his eyes lit up. During this period, the amount of reparations had driven him crazy.

Upon hearing that such profound wisdom existed in the world, I immediately felt a sense of comfort throughout my body and a refreshing clarity in my mind.

He stood up, apologized, and left happily.

Emperor Huizong was dumbfounded. He had always known that his son was not very intelligent because he had suppressed him.

But isn't that just too stupid?
-
The torrential rain washed away the bloodstains on the battlefield within the clouds.

Both sides ceased hostilities, but both were somewhat resentful.

Looking at the rain curtain in the distance, Han Shizhong couldn't help but curse, "Damn you, heavens!"

Whether it rains or not, they will find it difficult to break through each other's defenses.

“We need a major change to alter the course of the war, otherwise this battle is going to turn into a mess!” Li Xiaozhong sighed and said helplessly.

Nobody wants this war to turn into a mess, and then end up like the Song-Xia conflict, a stalemate that lasts for a century.

However, the two sides are too evenly matched, making it difficult for either to make a breakthrough.

Dingnan Army feared being betrayed by the Song Dynasty, while Zonghan was waiting for Zongwang to return quickly so that they could eliminate the Jin Dynasty's biggest threat together.

As for the Song Dynasty, what's the rush?
If left unattended, it will only get worse.

The atmosphere inside the tent was somewhat heavy, and no one could think of a way to break the deadlock.

It is common for large armies to be locked in a stalemate for several years, but the Dingnan army is different. They are used to winning and do not want to drag things out.

Unfortunately, the Jurchens on the other side were in the same boat; before encountering the Dingnan Army, they rarely even had a draw.

They all won big.

"Acting rashly could jeopardize everything," Han Shizhong suddenly said.

Li Xiaozhong glanced at him. Everyone said Han Wu was a rascal, but he didn't expect him to be calmer than him.

Upon closer reflection, this is indeed the case. The current situation of the Dingnan Army is not necessarily much better than that of the Jin Kingdom.

Wanyan Wuqimai heavily relied on many Han and Bohai officials and began to promote agriculture and sericulture in the Yan and Liao regions.

It is said that this year's harvest is quite good.

Zongwang made a fortune when he went south, and he also plundered a large number of people.

If they unite, the Dingnan Army will have to adopt a defensive posture.

Zongwang has not returned, and the Dingnan Army is still attacking. However, Weizhou has not been captured for a long time, and both sides are tired of the cost of losing lives.

At this juncture, any action could have far-reaching consequences, and it is not advisable to take risks.

"To win, I think we can't rely on ourselves alone," Han Shizhong said. "We need major changes to bring about a shift in the situation, and only the commander-in-chief can do that."

The implication is that for Dingnan Army to win, it must take another step forward.

We need to obtain the necessary material support from the vast land of the Song Dynasty.

Otherwise, with the territory and population of Dingnan Army, it would be impossible to hold out against the Jurchen Tartars.

In fact, Li Xiaozhong also had this idea: war is too expensive.

“When an army of 100,000 is mobilized and marches a thousand miles, the expenses for the people and the government alone amount to a thousand gold pieces a day; there is unrest both inside and outside the country, and 700,000 households are unable to work due to the lack of travel and other duties.”

Only by being on the front lines can one truly understand this anxiety.

At this point in the battle, is it possible to retreat? Definitely not; the only option is to continue fighting to the death.

We must win, no matter what.

For them, the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people are on their shoulders.

They no longer had time to think about loyalty to the Song Dynasty; the consequences of losing would be catastrophic.

They didn't even care about their reputation for posterity; winning was the most important thing.
-
The western capital, Luoyang, is protected by eight passes and surrounded by mountains and rivers, forming a basin that stretches for five hundred li.

Led by Xiao Zhong, the Zhong family army marched overland and headed straight for Xijing.

After a brief rest in Xijing, the army turned east and headed straight for Bianliang, passing through Huanyuan Pass in the Shaoshi Mountains.

Old Zhong is thoughtful and has a long-term vision, but young Zhong doesn't care about these things.

He considered himself a subject of the Song Dynasty, and since the Song Dynasty was in peril, he should go to the capital to defend the emperor.

Although the world refers to the Zhong, Liu, Yao, and Zhe families together, in Xiao Zhong's eyes, the Zhong family is different from them.

This time, Yao Gu led the Western Army out of Guanzhong, violating the tacit understanding that the various general families of the Western Army should advance and retreat together when Lao Zhong was in power, and also colluded with many local Western Army garrisons along the way.

Yao Gu and Liu Guangshi went there for great wealth and power, much like Liu Yanqing and the Western Army had fallen out of favor and followed Tong Guan to attack Liao.

Yao Gu's original intention was still to compete for the Yao family's position as the number one military family in Guanzhong.

However, the Zhong family was deeply entrenched, and there was no way to compete in this area, especially when the old Zhong was still alive, there was no chance at all.

Therefore, he needed the support of the central government of the Song Dynasty, and this opportunity to serve the emperor was a good one.

Unfortunately, the battle was lost, and all of this was just wishful thinking.

The scouts kept sending back battle reports from around Tokyo, none of which were good news. Xiao Zhong knew in his heart that this trip would most likely end badly, but he remained determined.

People like Liu Guangshi and Yao Gu, even with the efforts of three generations of descendants over a hundred years, could only maintain a family of generals.

I am a member of the Zhong family, a descendant of the great Confucian scholar Zhong Fang. How can I be like them?

These days, he has been carefully considering what Lao Zhong has done, and he is very worried.

My elder brother was upright and loyal throughout his life. He must not ruin his reputation in his later years, lest he destroy his own brilliance and bury the glory of the Zhong family.

This time, I am marching eastward to defend the emperor; I am prepared to die for my cause. If I do die in battle, I hope it will serve as a warning to my brother.

Tell him not to forget what a distinguished family the Zhong family is.

As Xiao Zhong rode his horse, his thoughts growing increasingly heavy, his personal guards shouted loudly from the front.

He looked ahead and saw nothing but flat plains and open fields, with signs of human habitation in all directions, and villages and towns everywhere.

Thanks to Chen Shao's blocking of the Jurchen western army, the area west of the capital region of the Song Empire was still prosperous and had not yet been harassed by the Jurchens.

Xiao Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. Once they left Mount Song, it would only be a two- or three-day journey to Bianliang. (End of Chapter)