You have truly caused me great suffering!

On the land of Hebei, the red land is thousands of miles away.

When Zhao Gou left the Jin camp, he felt as if he had been transported to another world.

He wanted to look back, but his body urged him to leave quickly.

Even from this distance, the neighing of horses, the roar of men, and the screams of the prisoners in the Jurchen camp could still be heard.

When Wanyan Zongwang demanded that the Song Dynasty send a prince as a hostage, he probably didn't understand the Song Dynasty very well.

In the Jin Dynasty, the emperor's son was very valuable.

But in the Song Dynasty...
Princes are nothing special.

When Zhao Gou arrived at the Jin army camp, Wanyan Zongwang was dissatisfied with him because he was young.

In their Jin Dynasty, the older the prince, the higher his status. For example, Wanyan Zongbi, who was the second prince, could only obey orders from him.

Now that the two sides have reached a pretty good private agreement, Zongwang is about to withdraw his troops and has proposed to replace Zhao Gou with an older prince.

Because Zhao Gou is only nineteen years old now.

So Zhao Huan sent his fifth brother, Prince Su, Zhao Shu, to him as well.

They really have everything they want.
They hastily fled the Jurchen camp, traveling dozens of miles in one breath. Liu Qi, the young general who came to escort the delegation, reminded them, "Ninth King, Pan Town is just ahead. Let's take a detour."

"Have the bandits already reached Pan Town?"

Before Zhao Gou went to the Jin camp, the area had not yet suffered ravages. But when he came out, he saw that the outskirts of Bianliang were also in ruins.

The common people had all fled, leaving only a few scouts and sentries running back and forth.

"A few days ago, the Jurchen Tartars captured Pan Town and killed many people, but they have now withdrawn."

"It's good that they've withdrawn," Zhao Gou said, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Then why did we have to take a detour?" He no longer cared about his princely demeanor.

"After Grand Commandant Wang took command of the front, he deployed a lot of troops in this area, just in case we encounter Guo Hao of the Dingnan Army." Liu Qi whispered, "The Dingnan Army is the most opposed to peace talks. The Emperor and the Retired Emperor have both ordered that the Dingnan Army not be allowed to know about it."

Upon hearing these three words, Zhao Gou felt a headache coming on again. Unlike the foolish Emperor Zhao Huan, Zhao Gou was quite intelligent.

In his view, if the Dingnan Army came, they would be no different from the Jurchen Tartars.

They will all take away their family's wealth.

Fortunately, Emperor Taizu was benevolent and did not exterminate the Chai family, which gave the Zhao family more opportunities.

Indeed, Zhao Gou was already envisioning what would happen after the fall of his kingdom.

Liu Qi looked at Zhao Gou, hoping to hear some voices against the peace talks from him.

However, Zhao Gou simply remained silent and then obediently took a detour.

This disappointed Liu Qi somewhat.

Before the Jurchen western army could even advance south, it was blocked by Chen Shao, while the eastern army had already penetrated deep into the territory. Why not take advantage of this moment to concentrate all forces and defeat the Jurchen eastern army first? Are we really going to wait for the Jurchen to launch two major offensives at the same time?
Within their newly formed army, the young military officers were eager to volunteer for battle, but all their requests were rejected by the Emperor Emeritus.

Liu Qi felt that if they made peace and let the Eastern Route Army go back, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

That's how it was in the Song Dynasty. Don't be fooled by how cowardly the royal family seemed; the common people and the lower classes were incredibly tough.

Historically, after the Song Dynasty ceded three towns, the people there refused to surrender.

The Jin soldiers took Prince Su, Zhao Shu, and Grand Chancellor Zhang Bangchang as hostages to persuade them to surrender. However, the righteous army and civilians above them cursed and shot arrows at them.

After being besieged for a long time, the city was breached, and inevitably, the city was massacred by the Jurchens.

Even so, the resistance of the rebels never ceased. Even after the Song Dynasty had been in a precarious state for decades, there were still many valiant rebels like Xin Qiji in the north.

Back in Bianliang, looking at the familiar streets and city walls, Zhao Gou breathed a sigh of relief.

If it weren't for the soldiers of the Capital New Army, he would have wiped away his tears.

Zhao Gou even considered escaping Bianliang and hiding far away, preferably to Jiangnan, a place the Jurchens could never reach.

Those Jurchen Tartars left a deep shadow on him, especially the scenes of their cruelty to prisoners of war.

This caused him to vomit as soon as he entered the Jurchen camp, and then he became listless and trembling with fear.

Zongwang probably released him because he didn't seem to pose any threat.

How could someone like that have the will to resist?

It must be said that Zongwang has a good eye for people.

Upon returning to his residence, as soon as the gate was closed, Zhao Gou immediately burst into tears.

Upon hearing the news, the princess and others rushed over, startled and hurriedly escorted him to the inner courtyard.

The maids prepared hot water and clean clothes, burned incense, and bathed Zhao Gou. They scrubbed him more than a dozen times until his skin was wrinkled from soaking, before Zhao Gou was willing to come out.

He looked down and sniffed, but still felt a strong fishy stench on himself. "Bring me the sachet."

Princess Consort Xing Bingyi personally served him food. His wet nurse Zhang, palace maids, and eunuchs all stood by and served him. Looking at the table full of fruits, vegetables, and delicacies, Zhao Gou only took one bite before suddenly vomiting.

At that moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside, and a servant led in a eunuch, who was to take Zhao Gou to the palace to meet the emperor.
-
Chen Shao received the news the day after Zhao Gou left the Jin army camp.

In the small courtyard of Taiyuan, a gentle breeze blows, and the weeping willows with their leaves already turning yellow sway gracefully in front of the door, creating an exceptionally elegant and tranquil atmosphere.

In spring, the willow leaves turn green first; in late summer, they turn yellow first.

In his previous life, Chen Shao had read a report that said men were saddened by autumn and women by spring, and that the changing seasons easily caused changes in people's emotions.

However, Chen Shao clearly had no time for sentimentality; autumn was the perfect time for battle as the horses were fat and ready for a fight.

Inside the bedroom, Li Yumei was dressed in a pink jacket and skirt, her slender waist tightly bound by a silk belt, so delicate it seemed as if it could be grasped with one hand.

She was using a silver hairpin to hold up her high-tied black hair, her face was covered in fragrant powder, her lips were adorned with vermilion, which accentuated her almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, making her look like a lotus emerging from the water, delicate and beautiful.

As Li Yumei carefully dressed herself in front of the mirror, her eyes kept glancing past the open window at Chen Shao, who was reading a letter outside.

She was initially somewhat resentful about being someone's concubine, but now she feels that she would rather be a hero's concubine than a mediocre man's wife.

This sentence still makes a lot of sense.

After becoming a concubine, her status actually rose, and all her elders and sisters became exceptionally polite and affectionate towards her.

The same applies to Caiwei.

Thinking of this, she turned around and slapped Caiwei, who was still lying in bed sleeping, on the arm.

"Get up quickly, Grand Tutor Cai's family is arriving soon. Let's think about what to wear to see them."

"The women in Bianliang have very high standards; we can't let them outdo us."

Cai Jing was, after all, the Grand Tutor who had held power over the country for more than a decade, and Bianliang was the capital of the Song Dynasty. Among the people who came this time was Princess Maode, who was known as the most beautiful woman since the Song Dynasty.

Li Yumei was very nervous and started preparing jewelry and clothes early on, afraid that she would be looked down upon.

Liu Caiwei turned away and continued to sleep soundly, unable to get up at all.

Li Yumei rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, "You're really naive. We're the two of us enjoying ourselves together, and I always feel refreshed afterward, while this girl always looks listless."

Chen Shao, oblivious to the concubine peeking at him, sneered as he read the military report. Zhao Huan, a leopard can't change its spots; he's secretly negotiating peace, thinking Chen Shao is unaware. Guo Hao, though leading only a thousand cavalrymen, had assembled a carefully selected elite force.

With these people, they might not be good at fighting, but intercepting some goods would be a piece of cake.

And Zhao Huan, you grandson, you dare to surrender? I'll make you fly!
In the past, when Chen Shao saw this group of people negotiating peace and surrendering in history, he was just angry, but now it's different.

Every penny you pay is like an arrow shot at me by the Jurchen Tartars.

The last time Tong Guan redeemed Yanjing, it greatly increased the Jurchens' material reserves, and he himself is still suffering from it.

Fearing that Guo Hao might be hesitant, Chen Shaosheng sent someone again to convey his intentions to Qu Duan.

Tell him to send more people to Guo Hao, and then give him more power.

If necessary, both Song Dynasty officials negotiating peace and Jurchen military officers accepting reparations can be killed.
-
Cizhou, Gushan.

Zong Ze's camp was filled with generals.

Many of these generals have not yet been officially appointed, but they all have a considerable number of troops under their command.

Because they were originally notorious bandits, thieves, rebels, and leaders of refugees in the area.
Fortunately, the Song Dynasty had a long tradition of granting amnesty, and military positions were not viewed as prestigious as civil positions, so they were easily granted.

However, with the current chaos and turmoil, no one has time to deal with these things first. They feel at ease working under Zong Ze and don't worry about being tricked by him.

After Yue Fei held off the Jin army in the valley outside Wu'an City, he was greatly promoted by Zong Ze and is now a commander with more than a thousand men under his command.

Of these, only two hundred or so of the main force remained; the rest perished in the earth-shattering ambush in the valley.

The unique advantage of a great general lies in the fact that the troops under his command, regardless of their past state, will gradually become stronger.

Yue Fei's abilities in this regard were unparalleled in his time. Even Han Shizhong, the top general of the Dingnan Army, could not compare to him in terms of leading and training troops.

“The Tartars are making frequent moves; judging from their appearance, it seems they are about to withdraw their troops,” Zong Ze said.

Although he was talking about the Jurchen Tartars withdrawing their troops, there was no joy on his face.

Zong Ze knew that the Jurchens had not suffered a single defeat and their sudden withdrawal of troops most likely meant that the imperial court had negotiated peace with them.

Offering land to Qin is like adding fuel to the fire.
They went back and dealt with the problem, and the following year they joined forces and marched south. How should we resist them then?

Many of the rebel leaders in the tent were oblivious to this, and simply clapped and cheered.

They had had enough of the arduous battles with the Jin army.

Once the Jurchen Tartars withdraw, we can all be granted official positions and no longer have to live on the edge of a knife, but can also enjoy the carefree life of an official.

Yue Fei said, "General Zong, we cannot let them retreat so easily!"

Zong Ze nodded in satisfaction and said, "With the loss of Yan, they can march south at any time, so whether we withdraw our troops or not is meaningless."

The others in the tent, who were about to argue with Yue Fei, stopped speaking after hearing Zong Ze's statement.

Zong Ze was indeed highly respected.

At this moment, a military officer lifted the curtain and entered, his face full of anger.

"General Zong!"

The man who came was named Zhang Hao. He was originally a general from Hebei who had been scattered. He had gathered more than a thousand people to resist the Jin dynasty and was taken under Zong Ze's command.

He gritted his teeth and cursed, "That Du Chong is a complete scoundrel! Not only did he intercept our grain supplies, but he also made sarcastic remarks!"

Zong Ze felt a pang of bitterness. His food supplies had been intercepted again this month, and things were about to get even tougher.

He had long been dissatisfied with Du Chong, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Although this man was a civil official who had passed the imperial examination, he was reckless and foolish, fond of fame and fortune, and cruel and murderous by nature.

Last year, he was appointed as the prefect of Cangzhou.

At that time, Zhang Jue's rebellion was taking place, and the Jurchens took the opportunity to massacre people in Yan. Many people from Yan came and settled in Cangzhou.

Du Chong was worried that they were spies for the Jurchens, so he ordered that all of them, regardless of age or gender, be killed.

After the current emperor ascended the throne, Du Chong was promoted to the position of Tianzhang Pavilion Attendant and Garrison Commander of Daming Prefecture in Beijing. Together with Yang Keshi, he repeatedly intercepted their own grain supplies in Daming Prefecture.

Moreover, it was common for him to speak rudely, saying that his men were all bandits and outlaws who did not deserve to eat the government's grain tribute.

In the Daming Prefecture area, there were many anti-Jin righteous armies, but he forced them to surrender to the Jin.

Although Zong Ze was usually calm and composed, he couldn't help but lose his composure at this moment.

I've painstakingly maintained this situation, and not only can they not help, they even sabotage it.

Sometimes, dealing with these people is more tiring than dealing with the Jin soldiers.

"That Du Gongmei! He rose to power by pandering to Cai Jing and Tong Guan. He has no ability whatsoever, yet he is jealous of the talented and virtuous. If we don't get rid of this traitor, how can we defeat the Jin army!"

Du Chong was indeed promoted by Cai Jing and Tong Guan, who genuinely valued his "talent".

In the Hebei region, due to the oppression by the Song Dynasty, public resentment was boiling and bandits rose up everywhere.

Du Chong had no other skills, but he was ruthless, cruel, and fond of killing.

Anyone he suspected of having ties with bandits was executed without interrogation; such people were rare among Song Dynasty civil officials.

As a result, he was valued by Cai Jing and promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of Personnel. Later, when Tong Guan was in charge of the northwest border defense, Du Chong was recommended by Tong Guan to be the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices because he was good at helping him exploit the laborers.

Tong Guan was notoriously cruel in his use of laborers. During his more than ten years of pacifying the border regions, he killed or exhausted hundreds of thousands of laborers.

Du Chong, known as "Du the Butcher" by the common people, quickly became a capable man in the eyes of Cai Jing and Tong Guan, and his official career flourished.

Yue Fei sighed inwardly. He knew Du Chong; they were both from Xiangzhou and were even from the same hometown.

However, Du Chong's reputation has always been bad.

Now it even threatens the very survival of the entire Cizhou resistance army.

Zong Ze longed to march on Daming Prefecture, drag these two out, and execute them to appease the world.

But the reality is that he was completely helpless.

"Send someone to Daming Prefecture again to explain the advantages and disadvantages."

Zong Ze said helplessly.

A sense of grief, indignation, and resentment filled the tent.

Only they themselves know how difficult the battle was for them in Cizhou.

Everywhere were soldiers who had surrendered to the Jin, as well as Jurchen Tartars and Liao auxiliary troops, all of them as fierce as wolves and tigers.

The rebels not only had to confront these people head-on, but also had to carefully conceal their identities. Once exposed, even if there was only one rebel, his hometown village or town would be slaughtered by the Jin soldiers.

The imperial court negotiated peace by ceding territory and paying reparations; Daming Prefecture intercepted military supplies; the Jin army was too powerful to withstand; the court was full of treacherous officials; and the pro-peace faction constantly slandered and defamed the government.
Each and every one of these incidents felt like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Zong Ze truly deserves to be called a hero of all time. Regardless of his military leadership skills, his resilience and willpower alone are enough to make him a legend. (End of Chapter)