Chapter 004: Do Not Let Song Huizong Escape

After all, this is the strict and disciplined Song Dynasty, not the chaotic Tang Dynasty

Although Zhao Kai's mind was still somewhat foggy, there was one thing he knew for certain—he absolutely could not let Emperor Huizong of Song escape

"Has the official already abdicated, Da Lang?"

Why did He Guan furrow his brow? Has Da Lang already invited the Crown Prince? Isn't that too fast? Could it be that the Crown Prince has been waiting at the intersection ahead?

What is going on? Who are they?

The grassroots officials and soldiers are all in a state of unease, and the veteran commander He Guan is equally anxious. He is not worried about becoming a traitor, as he is aware of the inside story. ... There is absolutely no palace coup; what is happening now is merely the high-ranking officials of the two courts persuading the emperor to step down ... . ... This is not a forced abdication by the two courts, but rather the emperor himself is hesitating between abdicating and fleeing or not abdicating and fleeing.

In order to avoid being a cuckold and not to go to the Five Nations City to drink the northeastern wind, Zhao Kai must fight with all his might. He does not care whether it is the Tang Dynasty or the Song Dynasty, nor does he ask whether he is heading to Donghua Gate or Xuanwu Gate; in short, he will bring all the troops he can gather, and they must be fully armed

The problem is that the officials are truly cowardly, intent on fleeing, and cannot be stopped at all. At first, they were afraid of the imperial guards and the citizens of the capital interfering, so they considered abdicating to the Crown Prince to take the blame. The two courts' officials had no way to deal with him, so they had to agree. However, when it came time to issue the edict yesterday, he was reluctant to part with the throne and was only willing to grant the Crown Prince a title in Kaifeng. It seems he wants the Crown Prince to stay in the capital to oversee the state. Anyone with a brain knows that this is not how things should be handled. However, when it came time to issue the edict yesterday, he was reluctant to part with the throne and was only willing to grant the Crown Prince a title in Kaifeng. It seems he wants the Crown Prince to stay in the capital to oversee the state. Anyone with a brain knows that this is not how things should be handled.

Moreover, this matter seems somewhat reminiscent of a palace coup... I wonder whether these individuals should be regarded as loyal ministers and capable generals, or as treacherous officials and rebels

Once Emperor Huizong of Song escapes, Emperor Qinzong of Song will ascend the throne...! ... And once Emperor Qinzong takes the throne, Zhao Kai will most likely be kept under strict surveillance, and he will have to wait to become the cuckolded king

It is precisely because both the officials and the ministers are aware that the emperor cannot abscond with the throne that they have chosen the newly appointed Minister Wu Min to take the lead in persuading the emperor to abdicate. A large group of people has been trying to persuade him since early this morning, yet there has been no definitive news coming out of the Chongzheng Hall until now, which is truly exasperating

The person who has arrived is undoubtedly Zhao Kai, who has not yet passed the "adaptation period after crossing over" and is still a bit dazed

This is not mere speculation or idle conjecture; it is based on solid evidence! Just yesterday, on December 21, the authorities issued a grand edict through the Eastern Court, appointing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince as the Governor of Kaifeng. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence understands that this is intended to have the Crown Prince take on the responsibilities of the state while the authorities themselves slip away.

If he is willing to coexist with Tokyo, how dare the officials of both courts advise him to abdicate? Who would dare to utter a word? Without even needing to invoke the imperial wrath, the censors in the court would immediately rise to impeach him

It is truly disheartening to think that such a cowardly official emerged during the Song Dynasty

Only in this way can Zhao Kai take Zhu Fengying, who is like a "little fairy," away from Tokyo to Kaifeng, not as a means of escape, but to head north to resist the Jin dynasty

... ...

"Resigned, resigned... The Minister of the Interior is currently drafting an edict, and the Grand Chancellor of both courts has also asked my son to invite His Highness the Crown Prince to come down and receive the decree." He Jì, who is in his thirties this year, is also a battle-hardened soldier from the northwestern battlefield. Because his father has taken command of the army, he has come down from the front lines to serve in the Imperial Secretariat (which implies being a hostage). He is not yet accustomed to speaking softly, so as soon as he opens his mouth, everyone knows.

However, even if the officials need to flee, it should not be allowed for the guards of the infantry to block the gates of the imperial palace! The duty of guarding the palace has always been the responsibility of the Imperial City Division. How could it be that the guards of the infantry are personally led by the commander to stand guard outside the palace? This situation has probably never occurred since the establishment of the Song Dynasty.

At this moment, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street outside Donghua Gate, so He Ji and the others galloped away on horseback. After a clatter of hooves, they vanished without a trace

Is the official about to flee ... ? ... Or is it a case of internal strife ?

He Guanye felt completely at ease; as long as the Crown Prince followed his son into the Donghua Gate later, then the major matter would be settled. The Prince of Yun, who had been in charge of the Imperial City for many years and had always coveted the position of heir, would have no way to turn the situation around, no matter how great his abilities were, even if Li Shimin were to be reincarnated.

This is indeed a critical period! The Great Song, which has stood for over 160 years and was just a few months ago immersed in the joy of restoring Yan and Yun and the splendor of a flourishing era, now finds itself on the brink of life and death. Two months ago, in October of the seventh year of the Xuanhe era, the Jin Dynasty, which had previously allied with the Great Song to jointly destroy the Khitan people of the Liao Dynasty, suddenly broke the alliance and turned against us, sending troops southward. Following this, Guo Yaoshi, a traitorous minister of the Liao Dynasty whom the Great Song's rulers relied upon as a bulwark, defected to the Jin, leading their forces southward. The Jin army advanced with unstoppable momentum, and it seemed they were about to besiege the capital of the Great Song, Kaifeng.

Outside the East Huamen of the Great Song Imperial City in Kaifeng, the tall figure of the white-haired general He Guan stands on the stone bridge over the moat, allowing his loose-fitting official robes with wide sleeves to flutter and rustle in the howling north wind

But if the officials do not abdicate and just run away... then does that mean the emperor no longer wants the throne and is fleeing? The emperor of the Zhao family in the Central Plains no longer values the beautiful land and wealth, how can we expect the subordinates to risk their lives to defend it?

Because after the abdication of the emperor, the one still in control of the capital, Dongjing, is the emperor of the Song Dynasty, the supreme ruler. Although people's hearts are inevitably shaken due to the abdication and the escape of the retired emperor, everyone still holds a glimmer of hope for the new emperor.

What is going on

During the time of national crisis, the cultured and eloquent official Zhao Ji of the Song Dynasty neither personally led the troops to engage in battle against the Jin forces, nor did he mobilize soldiers, allocate resources, or prepare to defend the city, but instead was preparing to flee and escape

As he was thinking about this, a sudden sound of hooves approached from the street outside the Donghua Gate

Feeling that something was amiss, He Guan quickly stood up and stretched his neck to look towards the end of Donghua Gate Street. At that moment, at the intersection at the end of the street, a small squad of cavalry suddenly appeared, clad in chain mail and carrying carbines on their backs. Moreover, it seemed that an indeterminate number of infantry were following behind these cavalrymen

Before He Guan's son could approach, he had already opened his mouth to ask a question. This question was too sensitive; as a military officer accustomed to shouting, he immediately attracted many bewildered and astonished gazes—among officials in this line of work, it seemed that very few were willing to abdicate normally

I fear that as soon as the officials flee, the territory of the Song Dynasty will inevitably fall into the hands of the barbaric Jin state!

This scene, outside the Donghua Gate of the Great Song Imperial City, is truly rare to the extreme. So much so that the guards leading the troops, including the commander He Guan, were all in a state of unease.

Of course, he does not intend to usurp the throne of Emperor Huizong of Song; his purpose in entering the palace is to "fulfill his filial duty" and to allow Emperor Huizong to continue ruling as emperor in Kaifeng.

At this thought, He Guan turned his head to look towards the Donghua Gate behind him, just in time to see his son, He Ji, the attendant of the Ren Guan He Men, hurriedly coming out from the slightly opened Donghua Gate.

Because they all knew that they should not be outside the Donghua Gate. They were the troops of the Imperial Guard Infantry, not the personal officials of the Imperial City Division. Guarding the Imperial City and protecting the Emperor was not their duty. Yet now, they had been summoned outside the Donghua Gate by an order from the Privy Council! What on earth had happened?

Several officers of the Song Dynasty's imperial guards, dressed in the regular uniforms of military officials, stood on either side of He Guan, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords and sabers. As they exchanged glances, they could see a deep sense of worry reflected in each other's eyes

The soldiers of the 300-step military division, all donned in military uniforms and battle coats, with waist knives at their sides, formed a line and blocked the Donghua Gate of the Song Dynasty imperial city

Heaving a sigh, He Guan instructed his personal guards to bring a horse for his son, and also sent several seasoned fighters who had followed him for many years to accompany his son. Everyone wanted to make an appearance in front of the new official, hoping that the new official would take a liking to them and grant them an official position.