in2ebook Chapter 408 Zhao Gou Seeks Peace
Chapter 408 Zhao Gou Seeks Peace
An official from the Han Dynasty: So the puppet Qi regime lasted for so long, starting with the Jurchens and ending with them!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: These Jurchens are quite good at providing service. They created this mess themselves and have to deal with it themselves! They don't even need the Song Dynasty to lift a finger!
Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty: Zhao Gou was truly blessed. He had Yue Fei and Zong Ze in front of him, the Jin people in the middle didn't require his intervention, and he even managed to deal with the puppet Qi regime. After that, he had Xin Qiji!
The optimist Su Dongpo said: "It's just a pity that this kid... if he had been used properly, then perhaps there would have been a revival."
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "It's all too painful to talk about. Once Qin Hui came to power, he probably advocated for a complete peace treaty."
……
During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song
At that time, Zhang Dun, Su Shi, Su Zhe and others were young. If they were not people of later generations, who would know that one of them would be remembered for a thousand years?
At this moment, Su Shi and his brothers are gathered together, watching the live broadcast.
Upon hearing Lin Ke's words, Su Shi's heart sank. The pseudo-Qi regime had disbanded, and the relationship between the Song and Jin dynasties had returned to what it was before.
What will the Song court do if war breaks out again?
Su Zhe, however, was thinking: if they were to remain in a corner of the country and sign a peace treaty, what would the Song court have to give up this time?
The two looked at each other in silence, then both sighed. The worst off were still the common people.
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke took a sip of water and continued, "Between the Song and Jin dynasties, things have returned to the way they were before, except that Wanyan Chang has no intention of launching an offensive against the Jin state."
"Times have changed. The Song court is much stronger than before. If it weren't for Zhao Gou holding us back, things wouldn't be like this!"
"The Jurchens' usual tactic—negotiating peace—was employed again by Wanyan Chang. He had discussed this with the Song envoy, Wang Lun."
"And they planned to return Emperor Huizong's coffin, Zhao Gou's birth mother, Lady Wei, and even promised to return the Henan region of the Song Dynasty to them."
"Afterwards, the Song envoy relayed the Jin people's demands to Zhao Gou. Upon hearing this, Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, was very pleased. He felt that it was worthwhile, as he could not only welcome back his birth mother but also return the land of Henan."
"However, if it were an ordinary person, they would think carefully about such a good thing that seems like a windfall. But Zhao Gou believed it all. In order to promote peace talks, he even had to put on an act in front of his ministers."
He told his ministers: "I am worried and afraid all night because the two emperors and the empress dowager have not returned. If the enemy can grant my request, then I will do anything!"
"It's unclear how the courtiers will feel upon hearing his words, but Zhao Gou is indeed shameless. Do we really not know whether he truly wants to save those people or not?"
"If you want to negotiate peace, just say so. Why use filial piety as a cover-up? What, do you think you're so great?!"
Wan Chaozhong's people: ...The words may be rough, but the principle is sound... If you really want peace talks, then stop talking nonsense...
"And this Song envoy is very busy. He hadn't been home long before Zhao Gou sent him to the Jin Kingdom again. He doesn't hide it at all; his whole body screams 'want to negotiate.' Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
"At this point, Zhao Gou wanted nothing more than to discuss other matters. Only Yue Fei truly believed in his earlier vow to launch a northern expedition!"
"At this time, due to the disbandment of the puppet Qi regime, many of its generals revolted, killed Jin generals, and joined the troops of Han Shizhong, Wu Jie, and Yue Fei."
"Yue Fei was wholeheartedly devoted to the Northern Expedition, and upon seeing this, he was overjoyed and still full of confidence in the cause."
"However, Zhao Gou at this time only thought about making peace, completely disregarding the hopes of his generals and the people."
"Therefore, he was nothing but annoyed by Yue Fei's petition to send reinforcements to recover the Central Plains."
"In order not to let Yue Fei ruin his plans, he would rather shorten the area under Yue Fei's jurisdiction than agree to his request. He even had the beginnings of a plan against Yue Fei in his mind."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: This guy will die if he doesn't negotiate peace!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: It's obvious that peace talks are necessary! What the Song Dynasty lacked most wasn't loyal ministers and generals, but emperors!
First Emperor: Wasn't he afraid that the Jurchens would deliberately negotiate peace? There's no such thing as a free lunch!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: He sent so many peace-seeking letters before, and now that he's finally received a signal, how can anyone stop him!?
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Indeed, if we hadn't not received a reply beforehand, we probably would have surrendered long ago!
……
The people during Emperor Huizong's reign looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, and some of them were even more furious. They thought, "Peace talks, peace talks! All they know is peace talks!"
They didn't understand why they liked peace talks so much!
Perhaps at that time, the people who were deeply embroiled in the war were still struggling to hold on, hoping for the arrival of the Song army!
But the result was just peace talks, which is frustrating. Was the Song court really that weak?
Actually, that's not necessarily true. People at this moment seem to be foreseeing people decades from now. It's truly heartbreaking to hear and tearful to see!
……
The live stream is still ongoing:
"Not long after, the newly appointed Deputy Privy Councilor Wang Shu went to Jianghuai to inspect the troops. He had often interacted with Yue Fei in the past, and both Han Shizhong and Yue Fei expressed their views on the pro-war stance."
"Most importantly, Wang Shu was a proponent of war. The three of them shared the same opinion, which led Wang Shu to express his suggestions to Zhao Gou after returning to the capital."
He advised Zhao Gou that the Jurchens had ulterior motives in returning Henan, a place ravaged by war and devastated by the people. If he were to return it, it would likely become a desolate place, which would not be worthwhile.
"If this still doesn't change his mind, Wang Shu has another point: What if the Jin people are just using peace talks to lull the Song court into a false sense of security, and it turns out they're preparing for war?!"
"Zhao Gou should have understood these two points very well, and these are not just empty words. Didn't Emperors Huizong and Qinzong fall for the Jurchens' old tricks back then?!"
In response, Wang Shu proposed three strategies: either detain the Jin envoy to force him to march south, and then the Song court could launch a northern expedition; or Zhao Gou could simply refuse to see the Jin envoy and give him a perfunctory response!
"Finally, treat the Jin envoy with courtesy and show temporary weakness. Once he crosses the border, send troops to follow him and launch a surprise attack on the Jin state."
"However, Zhao Gou's eyes were filled with two words—peace talks. At that time, the opinions of the several chief ministers in charge of peace talks were all in favor of peace talks, but the division of the region still needed to be discussed in detail."
"When the Jin envoy arrived, the Jin people were still extremely arrogant and haughty, refusing to yield an inch on their territory."
"Moreover, the envoys sent by the Jin state, Zhang Tonggu and Xiao Zhe, claimed to be imperial envoys from Jiangnan. They came to negotiate peace with the Southern Song state with an imperial edict."
"However, as you have also noticed, the Jin people do not refer to the Song court as the Song Dynasty at all, but rather as 'Jiangnan,' and they do not say 'peace talks' but rather 'imperial edict.'"
"It suddenly occurred to me that Emperor Huizong of Song's edict to the Jin people was also a top-down one, but now the Jin people's actions completely place the Southern Song Dynasty in the position of a vassal state."
"When this news spread, it caused a great deal of discussion throughout the court and among the people. Many ministers in the Song court were very dissatisfied, including the pro-war faction members Wang Shu and Han Shizhong."
"At the same time, Zhao Gou met with Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, and Zhang Jun. Only Zhang Jun listened to Zhao Gou's opinion, while the other two still firmly rejected the peace talks!"
Yue Fei further stated: "Barbarians cannot be trusted... If ministers fail to devise strategies for governing the country, they will likely be subject to criticism from future generations."
"In hindsight, this statement was remarkably prescient. In short, the peace advocates, such as Zhao Ding, were still arguing with the Jin people over the division of Song Dynasty territory, but Qin Hui and Zhao Gou didn't care and just wanted to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible."
"There is actually a difference between the surrender faction and the peace faction. The most unfortunate one is that the emperor himself is a surrender faction member!"