Chapter 1: The Awakening of Shin Wang...

  Emperor Gaozong of Song was actually a clever person and also an ambitious one. Because initially, Emperor Huizong was not satisfied with his elder brother, he always wanted to replace the crown prince, so the court was unstable all along. The court disputes did not stop, coupled with the invasion of powerful foreign enemies, causing the Song Dynasty to be in chaos.

  Three years ago, the Jin Dynasty ruler used the excuse that the Song Dynasty destroyed the maritime alliance between the two sides and invaded the Song Dynasty in the south. In October of this year, the Golden Army divided into two routes, with the Western Route Army led by Zhan Han as the main general, attacking Taiyuan from Datong; The Eastern Route Army was led by Woli Bu as the commander-in-chief, attacking Yanshan from Pingzhou. The two Jin armies planned to converge in Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty.

  Emperor Huizong hastily abdicated the throne to Zhao Gou and Zhao Xun's older brother, Zhao Dun. He himself fled southward. The Western Route Army of the Jin encountered strong resistance from soldiers and civilians in Taiyuan and was unable to advance. However, the Eastern Route Army of the Jin marched southward and besieged Kaifeng.

  The Song court was divided on the issue of peace and war. Emperor Gaozong, Prime Minister Li Bangyan, Zhang Bangchang and others advocated for a humiliating peace treaty, agreeing to pay indemnities and cede territory. However, Li Gang believed that they should adopt an offensive strategy, with the emperor "personally governing". Gaozong successively appointed Li Gang as Vice Minister of War, Right Assistant Minister, Defender of Dongjing, and Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, putting him in charge of the defense of the capital city Kaifeng. Li Gang actively organized military and civilian preparations for war, repairing fortifications, hanging straw mats, setting up cannon platforms, installing crossbow beds, transporting bricks and stones, deploying fire beacons, hanging wooden shields, preparing fire oil, and stockpiling defensive equipment. At the same time, he deployed more than 12,000 regular soldiers on each side of the city, assisted by auxiliary troops, militia, and civilian volunteers. He organized an army of 40,000 cavalry and infantrymen, divided into five armies - front, rear, left, right, and center - which drilled every day.

  On the eighth day of the first month of Jingkang, the Jin army arrived at the foot of Kaifeng City. At that time, the loyalist troops from all over the country rushed to rescue the capital, and Li Gang personally directed the battle, defeating the Jin army several times. The righteous armies of Hebei and Shandong also rose up against the Jin, and the situation was extremely unfavorable for the isolated Jin army, which suffered heavy casualties and was forced to retreat. The military and civilians jointly defended Kaifeng City victoriously.

  After the retreat of the Golden Army, the surrender faction gained power again. Li Gang was forced to leave Kaifeng, and various royalist armies and militia organizations were scattered, leaving the defenses empty. Half a year later, in the autumn of 1126, the Jin army invaded southward again in two routes, east and west. The western route army captured Taiyuan and crossed the river; the eastern route army captured Zhending. The two armies besieged Kaifeng, and on November 25, 1126, the city was breached.

  Kaifeng was breached by the Jin army, but the Kaifeng military and civilians had high morale in resisting the enemy. They immediately killed the Jin envoy who came to negotiate peace the day before. The next day, 300,000 people took up arms to resist the Jin army. When the Jin army wanted to set fire and slaughter the city, the residents and civilians who wanted to fight in the alleys were "as numerous as clouds". The Jin army hastily built defensive fortifications on the city wall to prevent the Kaifeng residents from driving them out of the city. The Jin army occupied Kaifeng for four months, looted extensively, and withdrew northward in April 1127, taking away all captives and property, including Emperors Huizong and Qinzong. This is the origin and process of the Jingkang Incident.

  It was all thanks to Zhao Kang's efforts, because when he was sent by Huizong to the Jin army camp at that time, he had already hated his father thoroughly.

  At first, Huizong was afraid of death and sent himself to the Jin army camp to seek peace. On the surface, he successfully sought peace and returned safely. In fact, he had been secretly humiliated by those barbaric and terrifying Jurchen people, and the miserable inhuman treatment made him still fearful and trembling when he thought about it later. It was then that Zhao Gou buried the seed of fear of the barbarian Jurchens in his heart. Until this seed of fear took root and sprouted in his own heart.

  At first, in the Golden Army camp, he could be said to have suffered greatly. Not only was his own chrysanthemum not preserved, but he was also brutally harmed by the Jin people and unable to reproduce, leaving him without an heir. He hated it! He hated Huizong for pushing himself into the fire pit! Hated everything about the Zhao family! At first, it seemed like he had successfully negotiated with the Golden Army, temporarily stopping them from attacking the Eastern Capital. In fact, that was just a delaying tactic by the Jin army. Who could have known his bitter and painful past?

  At the beginning, when leaving Jin camp, Jin Guo's second prince Wanyan Zongwang conspired with him. He asked him to secretly provide intelligence for Jin Guo, and after the Jin army captured all the Zhao family members, he would become emperor. Later, the land north of the Yellow River would belong to Jin Guo, and the land south of the Yellow River would belong to Zhao Gou's Song Dynasty. The two countries would use the Yellow River as a boundary and be at peace forever.

  At first, he was bewitched and agreed, but it harmed the Zhao family's clan being captured. Huizong and Qinzong themselves were too lazy to care, but their own biological mothers were also captured by the Jin army and taken north, this is a secret that cannot be known to anyone.

  Wax bullets sealed themselves as the Grand Marshal of the Army, but they did not send troops to rescue their own tribe. Instead, they secretly informed and betrayed their entire tribe. However, unexpectedly, after registering as emperor, the Jin army still wanted to attack them. The Jin army was unfaithful.

  Thinking of those brutal and terrifying Jin army generals, Zhao Gou was afraid. Although Zhao Gou himself was vicious, he was naturally timid as a mouse. It was also because of his cowardly nature that he was able to survive safely in the Jin camp.

  Several eunuchs stood at the gate, each with no expression and no sound. Afraid of disturbing the emperor's thoughts, urgent and heavy footsteps came from the courtyard. The eunuchs and guards were all on high alert, and one of the eunuchs immediately walked down the steps quietly. Four soldiers carried the Butterfly Department Envoy hastily and placed him in front of the eunuch.

  The messenger of the Butterfly Department held up the token in his hand with difficulty, and the inner attendant immediately shouted loudly: "The messenger of the Butterfly Department requests an audience!"

  The Zhao Gou in the study had actually been waiting for this messenger from the Butterfly Department, otherwise the messenger would not have been able to or qualified to see him.

  Having received Zhao Gou's order, several guards carried the paralyzed Butterfly Department personnel into the study. The Butterfly Department envoy was laid flat on the ground, his face covered in dust, drenched in sweat, and his chest heaving rapidly.

  He saw Gaozong's attire and hastily struggled to get up, saying: "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live! Your Majesty, something big is not good."

  Gaozong just listened, without any expression. The butterfly department envoy took a deep breath and said in a heavy and urgent tone: "Your Majesty, something bad has happened, General Zongze has passed away." Gaozong was instantly frightened into paralysis. Although Zongze had repeatedly disobeyed orders, he himself had never removed him from his position. The reason was that he was the mainstay of the resistance against the Jin in Dongjing, and if he died, Dongjing would probably be lost.

  "Long live, and there's another good news. I also received a scout report from the Northern Butterfly, that the King of Xin in the North was not defeated by the Jin army after all. The King of Xin's army retreated from Wuma Mountain to near Taihang Mountain to recruit soldiers and buy horses, and then fought from Le Ping to Ping Ding, and later occupied Wei Zhou, Zhen Ding Fu, and Wo Zhou. The King of Xin won every battle, defeating the Jin army until they were completely routed!"

  "What?" Emperor Gaozong, who was sitting, immediately stood up upon hearing the news. As he listened to the scout's report, his face grew increasingly somber. After the messenger finished speaking, he remained silent for a long time, unmoving, his eyes fixed on the dark night outside the window.

  "Your Majesty?" The eunuch was slightly startled and called out softly. Zhao Xian paced silently, turned to the bookshelf and suddenly asked: "Has Ma Guang led his troops to the banks of the Yellow River?"

  "Huai Wansui, Ma Kuo pretended to be ill and escaped from the military camp, fleeing under the cover of night, his whereabouts unknown." The spy department's messenger spoke with deep remorse.

  They were all extremely loyal to Emperor Gaozong of Song, and the generals' unauthorized departure from the military camp was a major blunder that had a lot to do with their untimely intelligence. Although the Butterfly Department suffered heavy losses due to the Jin army's 40,000-strong invasion, personnel adjustments and losses were severe. However, their unfavorable intelligence was an iron-clad reason.

  "All right, you can go now. I hope you'll continue to gather more information in the future." Emperor Gaozong Zhao's tone was surprisingly calm, without any blame or comfort. The butterfly department envoy bowed his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, I bid farewell!"

  Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou closed his eyes, feeling a slight suffocation in his heart. Old Eighteen! I didn't expect it! He's really good at hiding his true intentions and manipulating others to applaud him. It seems that this old eighteen has grasped the essence of the imperial power struggle. I truly underestimated my eighteenth brother, he's actually quite formidable, able to defeat the barbaric Jin army repeatedly. This guy is the biggest contender for my throne, I must think of a way to eliminate him.

  "Your Majesty! I have good news!" At this time, Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan quickly ran over and said: "The Jin army envoy has loosened his mouth. They say that as long as Your Majesty recalls the fake king of the North and executes him, they will agree to peacefully coexist with our Great Song and become brotherly nations."

  "Oh! Is that so? Haha! That's great! In that case, my throne will be secure. Once Zhao Chen is killed, I'll just say he was a fake. And it will also allow me to destroy the reputation of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Good! After killing that King Xining, I'll just declare him a fake too. From now on, we can maintain peace with the Jin State as well. One arrow, three birds! Good! Tell the Jin envoy that I agree to their terms." Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou's tightly furrowed brow relaxed.

  "Quickly draft an imperial edict, ordering the Grand Marshal of the Hebei Route Army, General Wang, to lead his troops south immediately, without any mistake. Send a fast horse to the north to deliver the imperial order."

  In this small court of Zhao Gou, those officials who were willing to surrender and negotiate with the enemy were full of joy and satisfaction. They could do whatever they wanted and say whatever they pleased, without anyone being able to stop them. On the other hand, officials who were dedicated to resisting the invasion were hindered at every turn. On the surface, Li Gang was reinstated and supported in his efforts to resist the enemy, but before long he was dismissed from office again.

  On the surface, Zhang supported the military and civilians in Hebei to resist the Jin Dynasty, but soon Zhang was demoted to Lingnan. Wang Yan formed the Eight Character Army with Zhang's support, winning several battles, which shocked the Jin people. As a result, Zhao Gou ordered Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan to intervene, transferring the Eight Character Army southward, allowing Wang Yan to move south.

  It is clear that after Zong Ze's death and Li Gang's dismissal, the pro-war faction had already withered away. Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan had gained the upper hand in their dispute with the anti-Jin salvation faction. The surrender faction wanted to take advantage of this battle to strike at the pro-war faction, and the two men recommended the ruthless Du Chong to Zhao Gou.

  After Zong Ze's death, the people of Tokyo were in a state of panic, worried about the future of the anti-Jin campaign. The commander-in-chief, Wang Yan, was anxious and hastily brought several bodyguards to Yangzhou overnight to see Zhao Gou, hoping to report on the front-line situation in Tokyo and ask the court to appoint a prestigious general to take over Zong Ze's position, so as not to let the two rivers' militia forces that Zong Ze had already recruited become unstable.

  Zhao Gou let Huang Qianshan and Wang Boryan take turns to meet him. When they met, Wang Yanzhi burst into tears and detailed the two rivers' loyal and righteous civilian army of one million people, all of whom were willing to make efforts for the country and requested support from the imperial court in order to launch a northern expedition.

  Before Wang Yan finished speaking, Huang Qianshan poured a basin of cold water on his head. He told Wang Yan not to say any more: "What loyal and righteous militia, all are bandits. Although there are many people, what's the use? From now on, they will be dispersed uniformly."

  Wang Yan's temper flared up, and he had a fierce clash with Huang and Wang. Wang Yan knew that Zhao Gou's small court would soon take action against the two rivers' millions of militia, so it was useless to say anything, and he was very disheartened, firmly requesting to resign and return home.

  Tokyo military and civilians repeatedly petitioned, asking Zhao Gou to appoint Zong Ze's son, Zong Ying, as the defender of Tokyo. However, Zhao Gou ignored them. Huang and Wang suggested that Zhao Gou appoint Du Chong, a cruel and murderous former prefect of Cangzhou, to take over as the defender of Tokyo, ordering him to kill and expel all the "bandits" recruited by Zong Ze in the past.

  At this time, Emperor Gaozong of Song was eager to make peace with the Jin dynasty and was also worried that his regime would be overthrown by the righteous army. Therefore, after consulting with the Jin envoys, he decided to follow their demands.

  Jin Jun demanded that Zhao Gou must eliminate the various righteous armies, most importantly recalling Xīn Wáng Zhāo Chēn to the south and then executing him, after which Zhao Gou would be able to negotiate with the Jin State on the agreed-upon terms.

  Now, with a heart full of fantasies, Zhao Gou, who was eager to make peace with the Jin army, thought that if he could pacify all the rebel forces and kill his eighteenth brother Zhao Chen, he would be able to safely become the emperor of half of China.

  At this time, Zhao Kuang was in the True Martial Arts Temple, setting up a memorial tablet to mourn General Zong Ze. Zong Ze was someone he greatly admired, the pillar of the Great Song Dynasty. In the temple, apart from the generals and officials under Xiang Wang's command, there were also envoys from Shandong Liangshan Zhang Rong, Jingzhao Road's Di Xing, the leader of the Righteous Army Liu Xi Liang, Meng Di, Zhong Qian, Zhang Mian, Zhang Jian, Bai Bao, Li Jin, Li Yan Xian, Zhang Zong and others who had been in contact with Zhao Kuang, as well as envoys from King Wang Shu's resistance against the Jin Dynasty.

  All the righteous armies achieved outstanding military achievements. The Jin Donglu Army led by Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Zongbao (Wuzhu) captured Qingzhou and Weizhou in Shandong Province in January of the second year of Jianyan, but was defeated by the people's armed forces in Qiancheng County, and the Jin army abandoned Qing and Wei states. The Zhang Rong water righteous army active in the Liangshan area launched a fleet of 10,000 ships to fight, heavily hitting the Jin army.

  The central route army led by Wanyan Zonghan captured the Western Capital Luoyang in December of the first year of Jianyan. In January of the second year of Jianyan, the Western Capital's governor, Di Jin, and his brother, Di Xing, defeated the Jurchen troops at Yiquan and Lüdui Dam. In March, they defeated the Jurchen army again at Fuchang and Longmen, driving them back to Hebei Province and recovering the Western Capital Luoyang. After Di Jin's death, Di Xing maintained close contact with the righteous armies of Hedong and Hebei, especially with the troops of Prince Xin, Zhao Chen. The two sides cooperated in battle, tying down a large number of Jurchen troops.

  The Jinxi Road Army led by Lü Bao captured Chang'an in the first month of Jianyan 2, and then successively captured Hua, Qi, Long, and Qin states in February. Wang Shu, the commander-in-chief of the Fu Yan campaign, recruited righteous soldiers from both sides of the Yellow River to resist the Jin army. Within ten days, he received troops from Meng Di, Zhong Qian, Zhang Mian, Zhang Jian, Bai Bao, Li Jin, and Li Yanshan, each with an army of 10,000 men. The righteous soldiers led by Li Yanshan, a native of Rongzhou, fought against the Jin army several times, breaking more than 50 enemy camps in one month, recovering Shaanxi in March, and then crossing the Yellow River to recover Junzhou and Xizhou. Shao Xing led his troops to surrender to Li Yanshan, who ordered him to lead his troops across the river to recover the four towns under Pinglu County. Another righteous army leader, Liu Xiliang, recovered Fengxiang, and Zhang Zongbi recovered Chang'an. When the Jin army arrived at Xianyang, they saw that the righteous soldiers on both sides of the Wei River were all holding anti-Jin flags, and did not dare to fight again, so they retreated.

  The people of the Song Dynasty and the righteous army fought bravely against the Jin Dynasty, winning repeatedly and creating a great opportunity to recover lost territory. However, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou and his cohorts ignored and refused to support them, instead issuing an edict in the first month of the second year of Jianyan, slandering the righteous army as "using the name of diligence to become a bandit", and ordering their disbandment. General Zong Ze received this edict and immediately petitioned Emperor Gaozong to rescind the order, saying "dismiss the ministers who spoke out of turn, admit fault in the imperial edict, and set a date for the recovery of the capital". He also expressed his deep concern and sincerity. However, Emperor Gaozong ignored General Zong Ze's correct proposal.

  Zong Ze learned that the two rivers and various local anti-Jin righteous armies did not receive support from the Song Dynasty. Once the righteous army was suppressed by the Jin army, it would be even more difficult for the Song Dynasty to recover the lost land. Zong Ze submitted a memorial to Emperor Gaozong, requesting him to return to Kaifeng and began preparations for crossing the Yellow River to recover the lost land. In May of the second year of Jianyan, he also submitted a memorial to Emperor Gaozong, proposing a plan to set out in February to cross the river, requiring Emperor Gaozong to make a decisive decision and return to Kaifeng to command this grand northern expedition.

  At this time, Emperor Gaozong of Song was in Yangzhou with a group of surrenderists, living a decadent life. They set up obstacles to hinder Zong Ze's anti-Jin deployment in Kaifeng from the start. They were even more uneasy about Zong Ze's growing prestige in Kaifeng. Not only did they ignore Zong Ze's plan to lead an expedition against the Jin, but also prepared to send the Palace Guard Commander-in-Chief Guo Zhongxun to serve as Vice Military Governor of Dongjing (Kaifeng) to monitor Zong Ze's actions.

  Zong Ze saw that his years of hard work and preparation to recover the lost land had come to nothing, and he was overcome with grief and anger. He eventually fell ill and developed a carbuncle on his back, and in June of the second year of Jianyan (1128), he took to his bed. As he lay there, he spoke to the generals who came to visit him, saying: "I have been unable to rescue the 'Two Saints' (referring to Huizong and Qinzong) from their difficulties, and my anger has turned to illness. If you can avenge me and destroy our common enemy, I will die without regret." The generals wept as they replied: "We will do our utmost!" Zong Ze's eyes filled with hot tears as he recited the lines of Du Fu's poem: "The general dies before the campaign is won, and for generations to come, heroes will be filled with sorrow." On July 1st of the second year of Jianyan (1128), this seventy-year-old veteran general, who had spent his life fighting against the Jin, finally passed away, calling out three times: "Cross the river!" as he left behind an unfinished legacy.

  Zong Ze's protection of the various righteous armies is well understood by everyone, so their admiration for Zong Ze is naturally sincere. When Xinfeng Wang Zhao Chen summoned everyone to gather and pay respects to the old general and discuss countermeasures against the Jin, everyone sent representatives.

  After worshiping the English spirit, Zhao Ke let many real inside stories be known to the envoys of various forces, which was to belittle Zhao Gong's image in the hearts of the righteous army and raise his own image. Zhao Ke knew that if he wanted to resist the Jin Dynasty in the north, relying solely on the strength of his own troops was still too weak. He had to rely on everyone's power to bloom everywhere and fight against the Jin Dynasty, establish an enemy base, rely on mountains, cities and other terrain to resist the Jin Dynasty, and support each other.

  So Zhao Kuangzhong invited the envoys of various forces to come over, using the name of offering sacrifices to Zongze to discuss the great cause of resisting Jin. The purpose was to unite against Jin and enhance his own prestige.

  This time, Zhao Kun gathered the envoys of various heroes and began to discuss the matter of uniting against Jin. He also vowed that he would definitely incorporate the various righteous armies into the regular army of the Great Song Dynasty, and in the future, high officials, wealth and fame would not be lacking. The envoys were overjoyed when they heard this.

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