[Lightscreen]
[Before the Jingkang Disaster, the civil officials of the Northern Song were already doing far more than suppressing military generals. Though theirs was merely a fractured regime, their judgments of past dynasties were merciless.
Take Wang Anshi, the great reformer. He once criticized Li Bai, calling him vulgar and narrow in vision. That, he claimed, was precisely why Tang readers adored him. His final verdict was blunt. Li Bai might be bold and ethereal, but that was as far as he went. He did not understand change.
Later, Su Zhe followed suit, though in a far more long-winded fashion, arguing like a professional nitpicker.
Flashy but empty. Obsessed with reputation. Ignorant of moral principle.
Those were the labels Su Zhe slapped onto Li Bai. He even criticized Li Bai for praising wandering knights, demanding to know where justice and law were in all of this.
Compared to that, Su Zhe was far more famous for his essay On Yan and Ji in Discourses on Past Dynasties.
He first praised the vision of the Chanyuan Treaty:
"Emperor Zhenzong defeated the northern enemy at Chanyuan. Knowing they were weary of war, he tempted them slightly with gold and silk. Thus the people of the northern frontier came to know no weapons of war. Such prosperity was unseen even in the height of Han and Tang."
Then he shyly applauded the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun:
"The Han dealt with the nomads through marriage alliances, yet the enemy grew ever more arrogant. The Wu Emperor fought them with conquest, yet the Central Plains suffered endlessly. Today the court treats them no better than Emperor Wen of Han, yet the enemy submits. Thus the Shi family's cession of Yan and Ji proves beneficial."
Finally, he revealed his blade:
"We bear no shame of ceding land, yet reap all its benefit. This is Heaven's will, not human design. In the Tang, when Tibet fell into chaos, tribes collapsed from within. Without shedding blood, the land returned. Today, if we spare the people from slaughter and bind foreign tribes with silk and gifts, might Heaven not grant us the same?"
In short, Su Zhe believed Song could sit back, watch the enemy tear itself apart, and collect the spoils without lifting a blade.
Winning while lying down.
History proved that Liao indeed fell to internal chaos.
As for Song, the Jingkang Disaster followed soon after.
One wonders what Su Zhe would have thought, had he known.
Su Shi, meanwhile, truly feared nothing. In Dongpo's Miscellany, there is an essay titled Emperor Wu Meeting Wei Qing at the Latrine, where he casually wrote:
"A servant like Qing ought rightly to lick filth. Meeting him at the latrine suits him well."
Given that Su Shi was famously sharp-tongued and wrote such pieces casually, scholars later found numerous errors in the text.
Even so, it revealed something undeniable.
By the late Northern Song, serving in the military was considered a base and despicable profession.
And yet, when the dynasty finally collapsed, it was precisely these despised men who tried to hold up the falling heavens.
In the first year of Jingkang, Jin forces besieged Kaifeng for the second time.
Sixty-six-year-old Zong Ze raised militia and marched to defend the emperor.
A flanking force crossed the frozen Yellow River.
He exhausted himself pleading for relief.
Zhao Gou's cowardice was known to all. Worse, Zong Ze's uncompromising resistance earned him unified exclusion from Zhao Gou and his faction.
The supreme commander fled south with his ministers, never once looking back.
Zong Ze advanced alone toward Kaifeng and won thirteen consecutive victories.
Stubborn beyond doubt, he insisted on restoring Bianliang even after the Northern Song had fallen, turning a doomed city into a fortress.
Under his leadership, the people of Kaifeng in the second year of Jingkang still had the heart to hang lanterns and welcome the new year, sending the Northern Song off on its final journey.
Yet he was also foolish.
Knowing Zhao Gou lacked a spine, Zong Ze still submitted twenty-four memorials within a single year, begging him to return to the capital and lead the northern expedition.
Zhao Gou grew increasingly displeased and sabotaged resistance at every turn.
After guarding Bianliang for two years with his final strength, Zong Ze died at sixty-eight, unwilling and unfulfilled.
His son Zong Ying and his subordinate Yue Fei escorted his coffin to Zhenjiang for burial at Jingxian Mountain.
At his grave, recalling his final words, there was no mention of family affairs.
Only three cries:
"Cross the river.
Cross the river.
Cross the river."]
[Server Chat Log]
[IronBloodReader: The tragedy of a great general! Six expeditions to Qishan without restoring the Han; three cries to cross the river with unfulfilled ambition. It makes heroes weep forever!
InkAndWine: Zong Ze truly earns the lament: 'Dying before victory, making heroes' sleeves wet with tears.' He is so similar to Chancellor Zhuge, but Zhao Gou is far inferior to Liu Shan (Adou)!
Zhang Fei: Say more. My big brother loves hearing this.
Li Shimin: Solitary loyalty and great integrity, shining bright enough to compete with the sun and moon; worrying for the country and the people, a sorrow so deep the rivers cannot pity it."
ScriptBreaker: LMAO, Li Shimin, you're breaking character! You shouldn't be sentimental, you should be shouting 'Black Tortoise Army, move out! Full attack!' Wait, is the time portal opening in 30 seconds? If we could play that way, I suggest going south immediately to kill that embarrassment Zhao Gou first."]
Within the General's Hall in Chang'an, silence reigned.
Zhang Fei glanced left and right, watching Liu Bei's shifting expression. After some thought, he cautiously said,
"Big Brother, don't be angry. Didn't the later generation say that Su Shi spoke carelessly, not deliberately insulting the Marquis of Changping?"
Liu Bei studied his sworn brother, then sighed.
"A mere illiterate. What is there to be angry about?"
"The Grand Historian recorded Emperor Wu meeting Wei Qing beside the couch, not at the latrine."
The misunderstanding was obvious. Emperor Wu and Wei Qing had been dead nearly three hundred years even then, and Su Shi was separated from them by another eight hundred. There was little reason for anger.
Casting aside the chaotic thoughts involving Yi De, Liu Bei turned to his strategists.
"This year, success is certain. I will not allow another hero to weep in regret."
Zhuge Liang clasped his hands. Pang Tong laughed and bowed.
"My lord, why such sorrow? We are not yet forty. If it cannot be done this year, two more will suffice."
That only made Liu Bei more wistful. He pinched his thigh. No extra flesh yet, but he was still over ten years older than Pang Tong.
Zhang Fei suddenly slapped his chest.
"How could we fail this year? Give me ten of those refined iron cannons. I don't need an army to make Cao see what tears are!"
The mood lightened instantly.
Liu Bei scolded him,
"The cannons are powerful, but slower than crossbow carts. If Zhang Liao strikes swiftly with cavalry, they'll be useless."
Zhang Fei begged mercy. Pang Tong laughed loudly. Liu Bei seized the chance to rap his brother on the head in revenge. Fa Zheng smiled helplessly before returning to his work.
Zhuge Liang smiled gently. Occasionally, when he recalled those blood-soaked final words, he inhaled softly and murmured,
"To punish traitors on the battlefield… begins today."