Zhao Pu raised his eyebrows slightly and, without making a sound, took a small step back.
Zhao Kuangyin froze for a moment. He looked left, then right, and casually grabbed the wooden stool his younger brother had been sitting on.
He began muttering under his breath,
"Hit the head, smash the crown.
If you meet a mad fool, punch him in the face."
Then he lifted the stool and said loudly,
"Good brother, bear with it. Big brother will beat you awake right now."
Zhao Guangyi glanced at the solid wooden stool, then rolled his eyes and looked at his brother's completely serious expression. His face immediately stiffened. He even wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and straightened up.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's boundless grace, I am well."
"Really well?"
"Truly well. I would never dare deceive Your Majesty."
Seeing his brother put the wooden stool down with a look of clear regret, Zhao Guangyi carefully said,
"Just now, when this minister was confused and muddleheaded, I seemed to hear Your Majesty speak some golden words of great meaning. I do not know…"
"That was just nonsense I made up on the spot. Do not take it seriously."
Zhao Kuangyin shot him a glance, then his face darkened again.
"You cannot even pretend to be crazy properly. Calling you incompetent is not wrong at all."
In this situation, Zhao Guangyi naturally did not dare say a single extra word. He forced himself to look as obedient and respectful as possible. Unfortunately, that only made Zhao Kuangyin even more irritated.
So Zhao Kuangyin simply turned and spoke to Zhao Pu behind him.
"This Genghis Khan… should be that Mongol… Khan Emperor?"
"It should be as Your Majesty believes," Zhao Pu said, cupping his hands.
This was the same man who had plotted the fate of the realm with Zhao Kuangyin on a snowy night ten years ago. At this moment, he clearly understood something as well.
No matter how Jin, Liao, and Song struggled against each other, in the end, they would all be ground to dust beneath the iron hooves of the Mongols and Yuan.
With that thought, Zhao Pu lost the mood to continue speaking and let out a long sigh.
Zhao Kuangyin shook his head slightly. Then he began pacing back and forth in the hall, trying to break the lines of the poem apart and recite them out loud. As he spoke, his emotions rose higher and higher.
"The rivers and mountains are so beautiful. The rivers and mountains are truly so beautiful."
"Even if I am slightly lacking in flair, I should still make up for one or two strokes of boldness, and leave my own mark in the pages of history."
"When my old wish is fulfilled, the two royal armies will march north. In winter, we will climb to Youzhou and take in the scenery of the northern lands."
He read it two more times.
The frustration brought by his younger brother's useless performance completely disappeared. What remained in his chest was only a burning yearning for the heroic spirit within the poem.
He strode forward and, using his finger as a pen, quickly wrote on the stone table.
[Server Chat Log]
[Zhao Kuangyin: Achievements cannot last for ten thousand generations, but remaining merit may shine for a thousand years. I should follow Taizong's methods and expand the borders, reclaiming mountains and rivers.
Li Shimin: First make it clear. Which dynasty's Taizong are you talking about? ]
In the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin threw his brush aside and burst into laughter. Then he turned his head and said,
"Tomorrow I will take Chengqian, Qingque, and Zhinü to the northern suburbs. Let them watch this Heavenly General of Tiance casually shoot down an eagle."
The thought came from the name Genghis Khan.
He still remembered that when Emperor Wu of Han fought the Xiongnu, he also revered eagle shooting. Unexpectedly, a thousand years later, the Mongols seemed to be the same.
Was there some connection?
No matter what, Li Shimin did not believe anyone's archery could surpass his own.
Empress Zhangsun smiled and nodded, already thinking that she should bring their daughter Changle along as well.
Zhangsun Wuji stood at Li Shimin's side. Seeing that His Majesty was in a good mood, he followed along with a smile.
"Now our Tang looks far into the Western Regions. Marquis Wu and the Song founder both labor for the unification of the realm. I wonder who will be first."
This topic immediately stirred the interest of the Zhenguan civil and military officials.
Before Li Shimin could even speak, the ministers began talking all at once.
"There is nothing to guess. Emperor Zhaolie now has Marquis Wu, Lu Su, and others to assist him. He also has agricultural methods and gunpowder techniques. He will surely be first."
Du Ruhui added with careful consideration,
"Song Zu took ten years to stabilize the south before daring to plan for the whole realm. It shows he values stability. To march north and recover Yanyun will likely take another ten years."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
[Lightscreen]
[It was precisely because Zhao Er had set this precedent that later Song emperors would, for the most part, live with a deep sense of insecurity. Civil officials learned to seize every opening, fighting endlessly for imperial favor.
For example, the three men previously mentioned, Cai, Xing, and Zhang, who had once tried to support Prince Yong and Prince Cao, quickly changed sides when they saw the situation was hopeless. They turned around and loudly praised Emperor Zhezong.
At the same time, Gao Taotao had long-standing grievances with Zhezong's biological mother, Lady Zhu. The three men seized this opportunity and raised the banner of "respecting Lady Zhu" in order to curry favor with Zhezong.
During Emperor Shenzong's reign, Zhao Hao and Zhao Jun, both sons of Gao Taotao and Shenzong, repeatedly requested to be sent away from court to avoid suspicion. But Empress Gao, growing old and unwilling to part with her sons, refused every request.
After Gao Taotao began ruling from behind the curtain, she granted her two sons mansions in Xianyifang, allowing them to enter the palace every day.
Cai, Xing, and Zhang used this as ammunition. They cited the Northern Qi precedent of Empress Dowager Lou deposing a grandson to enthrone her own son, framing Gao Taotao as intending to depose Zhezong and replace him with Zhao Hao.
After Zhezong personally took power, he abolished the Yuanyou administration and implemented reforms. Cai, Xing, and Zhang belonged to the New Party. Once Zhezong gained the upper hand, the New Party launched a massive purge of the Old Party. They even planned to posthumously condemn Gao Taotao, who had already died of illness.
One example was Xing Shu producing a letter from his friend Liu Zhi, written when Xing Shu had been demoted to Yongzhou during the Yuanyou reforms. Liu Zhi also happened to be a close minister of Empress Gao.
In the letter, Liu Zhi comforted him, saying, "Yongzhou has fine scenery. Go there and wait for recovery."
At first glance, it looked like simple encouragement. Rest for now, and you will be used again in the future.
But Xing Shu did not see it that way.
He interpreted it as, "The words 'rest and recovery' come from the Book of Changes. To wait for recovery means waiting for the Empress Dowager to restore her son and return him to power."
It could be said that he understood the dangers of written implication all too well.
In the first few years after Zhezong took personal control, incidents like this were endless. The court was filled with smoke and chaos. These could largely be seen as Zhezong's stress response in his attempt to stabilize his throne. It was only after his biological mother, Lady Zhu, stepped in to dissuade him that this unhealthy trend was finally halted.
Yet after Zhezong's death, similar events unfolded once again, almost without surprise.
After all, Zhezong had no sons. As long as one bet on the right candidate, one could rise to wealth and power once more.
However, because Cai Que died early, and because Xing Shu and Zhang Dun failed in their political struggle and were expelled from the capital, only Zhang Dun remained active after Zhezong's death, by then already serving as prime minister.
The famous line many people knew, "Prince Duan is frivolous and cannot rule the world," was spoken by Zhang Dun during the discussion of the crown prince.
As a prime minister, Zhang Dun's abilities were not small. Externally, he held a tough stance. Internally, he was committed to restoring the New Laws. He was Zhezong's capable right hand.
But at that time, the Privy Councilor Zeng Bu had deep personal grudges against Zhang Dun. Thus, when the crown prince was chosen, Zeng Bu joined forces with Empress Dowager Xiang to suppress Zhang Dun and enthroned Prince Duan.
Because of this, after Emperor Huizong ascended the throne, he showed Zhang Dun no mercy. He openly told those around him that it was a personal vendetta. Zhang Dun was demoted again and again, and eventually died in Shuzhou.
The Prince of Jian, Zhao Si, whom Zhang Dun had recommended during the succession, was also affected. If not for the desperate remonstrance of Left Remonstrator Jiang Gongwang, Zhao Si would have nearly become a second Zhao Tingmei.
Politically, Huizong and Zhezong both chose to push the policy of "inheriting the predecessors," known as the doctrine of Shaoshu. The focus was on continuing Shenzong's New Laws. Since Shenzong was already dead, this doctrine carried a strong veneer of filial piety, which in a feudal age was especially difficult to oppose.
The difference was that Huizong's methods were even harsher.
Cai Jing, appointed as prime minister, spared no effort in purging the Yuanyou faction. In addition to erecting the Yuanyou Party Monument that listed 309 people as traitors, he also launched the banned book lists mentioned earlier.
By this point, the dynastic legitimacy dilemma faced by the Song emperors had become painfully clear.
Cai Jing's younger brother, Cai Tao, recorded contemporary views on Huizong's succession in Iron Encirclement Mountain Talks:
"When the Retired Emperor Huizong ascended the throne and changed the era name to Jianzhong Jingguo, it was in truth a case of brothers succeeding brothers, following the old precedent of Taiping Xingguo."
From another angle, this also explained why Xiangshan Wild Records, though it did not oppose reform, was still placed on the banned list.
The Candle Shadow and Axe Sound recorded by Monk Wenying was, for Emperor Huizong, effectively a challenge to the legitimacy of brother-to-brother succession.
At the time, many people compared Huizong to Taizong. To question Zhao Er was to question Huizong himself. It involved the imperial clan's own ugly business. No wonder it was banned.
As for Huizong himself, there was not much more to say.
In the sixteenth year of his reign, Jin troops marched straight in, capturing countless people.
Huizong and his son, Emperor Qinzong, were both forced into "northern captivity." The Northern Song collapsed with a thunderous crash, after a reign of 167 years.]
[Server Chat Log]
[Zhang Fei: These Song ministers have flawless dragon strategy and leopard tactics in court. How is it that once they go to the battlefield, they do not even understand the principle of lips and teeth?
Pei Xingjian: When they win, the Song emperor claims the credit. When they lose, the generals take the blame. Who would dare to speak of war?
Ma Chao: Even so, there should still be righteous men who strike thieves for the country, or someone like Yue Fei who admires the military strategist.
Li Jing: Those who remember Marquis Wu and speak of northern expeditions must be loyal, upright, and sincere ministers. ]
Yue Fei.
Forcing himself to ignore Zhang Fei's clearly sarcastic tone, Zhao Kuangyin silently wrote this name into his heart.
When the nation is battered by wind and rain, will there truly be righteous men to save it?
Since the moment the viewing screen appeared, Zhao Kuangyin's heart had been sinking. Only now did it finally rise slightly, giving him a trace of expectation.
Yet after seeing what the Cavalry General Ma Chao and the God of War Li Jing said, an unrealistic hope also rose within him.
"If Marquis Wu could be here…"
But after speaking, and seeing the faintly resentful expression on Zhao Pu's face, Zhao Kuangyin could only laugh it off awkwardly. Then he turned back and said sharply,
"Do you remember what I just said?"
Zhao Guangyi raised his head blankly. His brother had said far too many things earlier. Calling him useless, calling him spineless. Which one was he referring to?
Seeing his younger brother's expression, Zhao Kuangyin shook his head with a complicated look.
"The initiator."
He no longer bothered with Zhao Guangyi's miserable face. Instead, he let out another sigh.
"I wonder whether Lady Xiang ever regretted not listening to Zhang Dun."
"What is there to regret?" Zhao Pu also shook his head, his expression just as complicated.
"The fate of Song at this point is by no means the result of one man's effort or one day's mistakes. There must be countless accumulated flaws and endless bureaucratic burdens that cannot be fully written down."
"To use the words 'rest and recovery' as a crime, to erect monuments against those who oppose reform, these are not things that can sustain a dynasty for long."
Zhao Kuangyin's reason told him that Zhao Pu was completely right.
But emotionally, this Northern Song that later generations would name had ultimately been founded by his own hands. He had strengthened civil governance to collect military power, trained the imperial army to pacify the realm, and poured more than ten years of blood and sweat into it.
To see it end like this, it was impossible not to feel regret.