Died of old age, and you tell me this is a life simulation?

Could it really be that the heavenly soldiers and generals have descended to earth?!

In Bianjing, many court officials felt that a change of dynasty was imminent. If the central government of Bianjing was attacked, the Song Dynasty would be destroyed! If this wasn't a change of dynasty, what was it?!

Under such circumstances, they had to start thinking about how to survive the subsequent upheaval and turmoil!

There was silence in the court at this time!

All the ministers and court officials were in a trance and remained silent.

One hundred thousand troops marched south. No matter how bad the situation was before, no matter how it had deteriorated, they all had some expectations for it. They hoped that the army marching south to quell the rebellion could win one or two victories, or even go a step further and curb the power of the rebels.

However, they never expected that things would turn out like this.

The army of 100,000 was defeated and fled in the face of 5,000 soldiers. The situation was completely ruined. The Song Dynasty was now in a shaky state and was in danger of collapse at any time!

"Everyone, what should we do now?"

Someone spoke, but no one answered.

The atmosphere in the court was extremely depressing.

However, bad things happened one after another. Military intelligence from the northern border troops showed that the Liao, Jin, and Western Xia seemed to have large-scale military mobilizations and troop gatherings, and they were about to launch a large-scale invasion to the south!

This kind of military and national affairs, which had always required extreme caution, now made the officials of the Song Dynasty feel chilled and panicked, and they didn't know what to say.

The situation has become so corrupt and deteriorating that it is like adding insult to injury with internal and external troubles!

The imperial court was now unable to mobilize enough troops to the north to resist the impending invasion from the south. Rather, they had been planning to mobilize border troops to the south to quell the rebellion, but now the two events had collided directly, and the Song Dynasty was on the verge of destruction...

However, misfortunes never come singly, and bad things come in pairs. At this time, the Song Dynasty official, Emperor Daojun Zhao Ji, heard from his sickbed about the great defeat of the imperial army. He was completely frightened and terrified, and lost all his ambition. He hurriedly summoned all the ministers and Crown Prince Zhao Huan, intending to pass the throne to the crown prince.

All of a sudden, not only was Crown Prince Zhao Huan confused, but all the ministers were also confused by the actions of Emperor Zhao.

Crown Prince Zhao Heng was naturally unwilling to take over the throne. The country was on the verge of destruction. If the throne was passed to him now, would he become a king who destroyed the country?

The ministers' thoughts were even simpler. It was already a certain time, and you, Emperor Zhao, were still doing this. Did you think it wasn't chaotic enough and wanted to make it even more chaotic?

Besides, what does a prince who is less than 20 years old know about political affairs?

Repeated persuasion was futile. Zhao Ji was very determined about this and said that he would leave Bian Jing after passing the throne. This move made all the ministers very angry. Some people directly criticized him for abandoning the country and fleeing. In such a critical moment, instead of maintaining the stability of the court, rallying the people's hearts, and working together to overcome the difficulties, he wanted to put everything aside and leave.

How can this make sense?

Zhao Ji was eventually forced to stay put.

One reason was that the national situation had deteriorated and become so corrupt that his authority as an official was seriously shaken. The ministers were no longer respectful to him and forced him to preside over the government. The other reason was that Zhao Ji gave up on his own. It was not that he did not want to leave, but the ministers in the court said that the northern barbarians were about to invade the south, and the southern rebel army was going to attack the north. Even if he wanted to leave, he really had nowhere to go!

I don’t know where to go.

Moreover, other places may not be as strong as the city of Bianjing.

After much thought, I finally had no choice but to give up.

But although they failed to leave, the unrest caused by the incident was inevitable.

Everyone knew that Emperor Zhao wanted to abandon the country at the critical moment. This would have extremely bad consequences.

Not only were the court officials discussing the matter, even the people inside and outside the city of Bianjing were in an uproar and couldn't believe it!

no......

The Song Dynasty belongs to you, Emperor Zhao. Isn't the current situation caused by your extravagant indulgence and the implementation of the Flower and Stone Gang?

But now Jiangnan is in turmoil, the rebels are sweeping across the country and are about to attack us, and you just sit here and walk away!?

It can be said that Zhao Ji, with his own strength, directly shook the determination of the people in Bianliang to resist.

The people's hearts and prestige are also lost!

The rebellion of the rebel army, the invasion of the northern countries to the south, and the Emperor Zhao's attempt to escape in the face of danger all happened at the same time. The entire city of Bianjing was shrouded in an extremely uneasy atmosphere. Public security began to become chaotic and people's hearts began to disperse.

However, although the court officials were in chaos, they managed to maintain the situation. At this time, due to the development of things, although Zhao Ji was still the de facto emperor of the Song Dynasty, his authority had inevitably declined significantly. The imperial power and the power of the prime minister were originally a cycle of increase and decrease. The emperor's majesty declined, but the authority of the prime ministers and ministers increased. At least some things that were difficult to do before could now be forced through by Emperor Zhao.

Therefore, in the new round of court discussions, the first decision made by the ministers was to get rid of the Imperial City Administration.

It's not that they are still engaging in political struggles in times of crisis. It's just that during this period, the Imperial City Bureau, with the constant connivance of Zhao Ji, launched a large-scale search and arrest campaign, which was stepped up layer by layer, seriously affecting the public security in the capital area and causing great chaos. As a result, public resentment arose and chaos occurred frequently. If they didn't stop, the rebels would probably explode before they could attack.

Of course, it is undeniable that the ministers were also disgusted by the wanton behavior and plundering of the Imperial City Bureau during this period. The key point is that such a secret agency has become so powerful that all the ministers feel like thorns in their backs. Driven by both public and private interests, they naturally collectively persuaded Zhao Ji to shut down the Imperial City Bureau.

It was said to be persuasion, but now it seemed like an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate. Zhao Ji now knew that he was in the wrong, and he was also very angry that the Imperial City Division had failed to get things done. Those barefoot, vulture, and cloud pattern groups were not wiped out at all, but were hiding and dormant. This was an act of deceiving the superiors. In this way, this matter was passed without any surprises, and the second thing that the ministers reported was the various strategies for dealing with the rebels discussed by the ministers at that time.

However, the current situation has changed and some changes have to be made.

It is completely impossible to mobilize border troops to the south, unless the north is completely ignored. However, the Song Dynasty now only has this half of the country. If it gives up, there is no need to continue, and the country will be destroyed.

Therefore, troop deployment is not possible, at least not now.

The same is true for forming an alliance with the northern countries. The other side has already mobilized a large-scale military force. This is definitely not something that can be overcome by just forming an alliance. We can only negotiate peace first. Annual tribute and cession of territory can be discussed. As long as we can avoid fighting, everything will be fine.

As for the rebels, they should increase the weight of the imperial edict and the appeasement. Don't make any probing moves, just push them to the top, and offer them all kinds of titles, official positions, and rewards. As long as they surrender, even if it's just a nominal surrender, it will be fine. If things really can't be done, they should directly enfeoff the various kings to try to cause internal chaos among the rebels...

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Chapter 490: Disharmony between the North and the South! Order to Defend the King! Enfeoff the Kings!

Logically speaking, the Song Dynasty court's decision to go offline at all costs should be useful.

Without mentioning the temporarily rejected strategy of transferring border troops to the south, let’s first talk about the other two: peace talks with the northern countries.

If the situation had been like in the past, Liao, Jin, and Western Xia would most likely have accepted the generous terms of ceding land and negotiating peace. Being able to seize a large amount of land and wealth without resorting to violence would naturally be a great thing. However, what is the current situation?

The Song Dynasty is in turmoil, and the uprising army is sweeping across the south!

Although the leaders of various countries are not clear about the specific details for the time being, they can glimpse and speculate some situations from many side information, that is, the Song Dynasty is now somewhat unable to suppress the rebellion and is extremely empty internally. At this time, ceding territory and negotiating peace seem to be insufficient to satisfy the leaders of various countries.

How much territory could they really cede? No matter how much the Song Dynasty declined, it couldn't sever its own lifeline. Instead of negotiating peace, it would be better to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invade the south and personally bite off a piece of the "fat meat"!

Of course, that didn't mean Liao, Jin, and Xixia would ignore the Song Dynasty's request for peace talks. They still had to negotiate. What if the other party agreed to the lion's request? Seizing a large tract of territory without bloodshed was a good deal!

Even if it fails, we should negotiate first. Firstly, it can paralyze the other party, secondly, it can also give them a sense of their strength, and thirdly, it can allow us to mobilize troops at ease. They say they want to mobilize on a large scale, but there is only a month left, and the preparations are complicated. It will take at least another one or two months to fully launch the invasion to the south. There is no need to rush this matter, so why not talk to them first?

As a result, the envoys sent by the Song Dynasty court to communicate with various countries were exhausted. Faced with a series of exorbitant demands and various temptations, they were inevitably exhausted both physically and mentally.

The situation regarding the measures to appease and pacify the rebel army is also not optimistic.

On the one hand, the envoys sent south to make contact rarely met with the commanders of the various armies. The rebel army was already sweeping across the land, and people across the country were terrified. Many fled or surrendered their cities. The various armies were busy attacking cities and seizing territories, in an effort to sweep through the land as quickly as possible and complete their military mission! Who had the time or energy to pay attention to the envoys of the Song Dynasty?

On the other hand, those who can serve as commanders of an army are all elites among the elites within the sect. How could they not see the plans of the Song Dynasty court?

Naturally impossible.

Everyone could guess that the Song Dynasty court's move was nothing more than an attempt to negotiate peace, issue an amnesty, or recruit people. Combined with the various news and intelligence sent back by the rebel spies, the two were confirmed to be correct. Naturally, no one would pay attention to the court envoys.

Peace talks are impossible. The rebel army's plan to seize the world is a consensus between the upper and lower levels. Now is the climax of their campaign to sweep the world. Who has the time to negotiate peace with your court?

As for the imperial edicts and recruitment, the commanders would never touch upon them, for fear that even a single encounter would tarnish their own innocence.

Taking all these into consideration, the commanders of various armies all chose to turn a blind eye and ignore the imperial envoys' requests for a meeting.

The Song Dynasty court was in a complete panic in the face of unfavorable situations in both the north and the south, as well as the increasingly worse situation. Every day, intelligence from the front line came in, reporting on where the rebels had captured and so on. The territory of the Song Dynasty was being eroded and swallowed up at an incredible speed. In such a precarious situation, the court had to use its last resort. On the one hand, it called on and ordered all places to rise up and defend the king, and on the other hand, it conferred the title of king on the six commanders of the southern army and the two commanders of the northern army!

This move shocked the world!

During the hundred years of the Song Dynasty's rule, many loyal and patriotic people were cultivated. The south was swept and oppressed by the rebel army, and they knew how powerful it was. In addition, the situation was already determined and the people had surrendered. No matter how much they wanted to do something, they dared not move. However, large areas in the north had not directly faced the rebel army. Although its reputation shocked the world, many heroes still gathered thousands of local militiamen and rushed to the central government to rescue the king.

Together with the local troops dispatched from all over the north, a relatively large force is gathering in the capital area.

Of course, this move was not entirely beneficial. It was a last resort and had a huge negative impact. One was that so many troops were withdrawn, leaving various places empty and showing signs of unrest. Another was that the call for the king's support made all knowledgeable people in the world see the weakness and predicament of the court. In addition, the news that the 100,000-strong army was defeated and fled, and that the Zhao Song officials wanted to flee in danger, not only greatly reduced the cohesion of various places, and then made them alienated from the central government and secretly disobeyed it, but also allowed all forces to grow their ambitions. There were many commanders of the wing troops and local officials who had their own troops and ignored the central government's order to support the king. Green forests, bandits, and rebel armies rose up in various places and began to make trouble. The emptiness in the local areas also gave them opportunities to take advantage.

There are even many forces that respond to the uprising under the name of the rebel army!

.......0 .......

Small groups of rebellions are emerging in various parts of the northern Song Dynasty like sparks.

However... none of this mattered to the imperial court now. Compared to the immense threat posed by the southern rebels, the other disturbances seemed insignificant. If they couldn't effectively deal with the southern rebels, the Song Dynasty would be doomed. Why worry about small-scale rebellions? Even if they might develop into a major chaos, that was a matter for the future. If they couldn't overcome the current difficulties, the Song Dynasty would have no future at all. What else could they do? They could only turn a blind eye and focus their efforts on dealing with the southern rebels.

If the issuance of the order to support the king made all places see the weakness and predicament of the central government, then the move to enfeoff the kings completely tore off all the fig leaves, letting everyone in the world know the powerlessness of the court and the strength of the rebels.

Wantonly enfeoff the rebels as kings!

Would the court have made such a decision if it had not been forced to do so?

As a result, countless people were shocked, horrified, and terrified!

At the same time, all forces are closely watching the movements of the rebel army.

How will the rebel army respond to such actions by the imperial court?

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Chapter 491: The King's Sequel! Stop the Offensive!?

The imperial court had many cunning plans when it came to enthroning the commanders of various armies as kings.

For example, the titles of kings conferred did not correspond to the territories they were in, but were staggered, and some were high, some were low, and the titles were mutually exclusive. It was obvious that the idea was to create chaos within the rebel army.

But no matter what, this is indeed the first case of the court conferring a kingship since the founding of the Song Dynasty. In the past, at most, the titles were posthumous titles given to meritorious officials. How could there be such a situation?

Any discerning person could see that the imperial court had no other choice but to try its best to save the situation.

But it has to be said that such a strategy is indeed feasible in fact.

The various commanders of the rebel army basically have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under their command. After being given such a title of king, how can the leader of the rebel army still sit still?

No matter how much trust there is, we still have to be on guard, right?

Once the defense begins, do we need to recall the commanders of all the armies?

The commanders of various armies were in charge of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and they conquered almost all the land along the way. They had territory, prestige, and the throne bestowed by the court. They had political status, military power, and financial power. With such a foundation, how could they really be completely without ambition?

Can you really willingly be inferior to others?

Once the commanders of various factions have the ambition to establish their own power, this will naturally trigger internal struggles among the rebels.

Even if all the commanders were loyal, how could the leaders of the rebel army be confirmed and trusted? Once they were transferred back, the offensive of the rebel army would inevitably be delayed, which would also be beneficial to the court.

Moreover, in the eyes of the people of the world, such a possibility is actually very small, because even if there are truly loyal commanders among the various military commanders, it is impossible that all commanders are like this, right?

But as long as one of them appears, the situation will be completely different!

If you think about it carefully, although the court's move was shocking and forced, it might be a surprise victory, turn the situation around, and revive the dead chess game!

All forces in the Song Dynasty were watching and holding their breath!

I don’t know how the rebels will react to such a situation.

In the eyes of many arrogant people, the rebel army will definitely be in chaos for a while, and may even collapse in an instant, ruining all the favorable situations.

after all......

This is a title of king!

Who can resist such temptation?

However......

One day passed, and the rebel army was conquering the city. Two days passed, and the rebel army was still conquering the city. Three days, four days, five days...

The rebels are still conquering cities!

Everyone was stunned!

They had imagined many possibilities, but they didn't expect that the rebels would completely ignore them!

The commanders in chief seemed to turn a blind eye to the imperial court's enfeoffment, and acted as if they had no other thoughts except conquering cities and territories.

In such a situation, not only were the local forces confused, but even the Song Dynasty court was caught off guard.

They had all unleashed their most powerful trump cards, hoping to at least throw the rebels into chaos and buy the imperial court some breathing space. But the result was this!? It was just this!?

In Bianjing City, Zhao Ji sat slumped, his face pale. "My lords, you previously forced me to enfeoff the various rebel commanders as kings, confidently claiming this would incite internal unrest and buy time for the court. I was skeptical, but I had no choice but to agree. What's happening now? It's completely useless!"

Zhao Ji was angry and disheartened as he spoke, as if he had thought of something, and was even more frightened and terrified:

"Could it be that Fang Han truly possesses the ability to bewitch people? Otherwise, how could he command such loyalty from his subordinates?"

The ministers were silent for a while, each with their own thoughts.

One of the ministers sighed and said, "Since this cannot be done, then we can only fight to the death with honor!"