Chapter 007: Father, do not run away!

Father! Zhao Kai said, "Do not be confused any longer. You are the ruler of the world, the supreme sovereign. In this time of crisis, there is no way to avoid it, no way to escape. The only option is to have the determination of a king to die for the state, to guard the national gate as the Son of Heaven, and to hold out in Tokyo for three to four months... By then, I will certainly be able to deal with the armies of Hebei, cut off the retreat of the Jin invaders, and force them to negotiate with us. With your robust health, Father, do you still fear not having another twenty or thirty years of supreme authority?"

It seems to make some sense

At the moment when the situation was quite awkward, someone suddenly cleared his throat and said: "In the past, when Emperor Taizong of Tang was the Prince of Qin, he pacified the four corners of the country and achieved unification, with unparalleled merit, rarely seen throughout history! I wonder how Your Majesty intends to emulate Emperor Taizong of Tang?"

Just as I wish to emulate Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ... ! ... Does this imply an acknowledgment of rebellion? ! What should be done about this?

Zhao Ji, seeing Zhao Kai's resolute attitude, was truly anxious and hurriedly pointed to Wu Min, saying: "Sanlang, the edict for the succession has already been issued, and it is in Wu Min's possession. I am now the retired emperor, and apart from matters concerning the teaching of the Dao, I should not inquire about anything else."

His meaning is that the territory of Yanshan Prefecture (part of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan Yun) should be temporarily relinquished... However, the small portion of land that belongs to the Song Dynasty can still be preserved

Zhao Ji exclaimed, "Is it really necessary to go this far?"

Indeed! Zhao Kai's gaze was cold as he swept across the great hall and said in a loud voice, "At the moment when the barbarian invaders are approaching the capital, how can there be any reason to persuade the Son of Heaven to abdicate and flee?"

Unexpectedly, Prince Yun, Zhao Kai, has once again gone inexplicably mad, even causing a commotion by leading troops to storm the palace, claiming he wants to emulate Li Shimin

Now, Li Gang throws this difficult problem to Zhao Kai, who aspires to be like Emperor Taizong of Tang, to see what solution he can come up with

"Wonderful!" Zhao Ji exclaimed with great joy, smiling as he beckoned to Wu Min, "Wu Qing, quickly bring the imperial edict for the succession; I need to make some amendments to it."

If the Eastern Route bandits cannot break through Tokyo, and the rear route is cut off by the various armies of Hebei, there will be a risk of total annihilation of the entire army... By that time... is there still a fear of not having a new Treaty of Chanyuan

"Sanlang, can you defend Tokyo?" Zhao Ji interjected with a question at that moment, his face filled with anticipation.

Upon thinking of this, Zhao Kai laughed heartily and said: "Although the Jin bandits are fierce, they have not broken through Tokyo, nor have they seized half of the strength of our Northern Song. Therefore, it is not difficult for us to repel the Jin bandits and preserve the territory we held before the Xuanhe Northern Expedition."

Zhao Kai finally shifted his fierce gaze away from Qin Hui and directed it towards that person. The individual appeared to be in his forties, slightly plump, with spirited eyes. He held a tablet in both hands, exuding great dignity, and when he spoke, his voice was resonant and commanding.

At this time, the Yellow River flows into the Haihe River, dividing Hebei into eastern and western parts. The eastern bank of the Yellow River is home to numerous rivers, and once these rivers thaw, it becomes very difficult for the cavalry-dominated Jin army to pass through. Therefore, this time the Jin army is advancing along the western bank of the Yellow River. As long as the masses along this route are fully mobilized, the Jin army will have no choice but to retreat from the Central Plains

Zhao Kai smiled confidently, asking what difficulty there was in defeating the Jin bandits. During his one and a half years in high school, Zhao Kai did not waste his time; instead, he skillfully mastered the legendary four military strategies in his spare time— the Glory of the Three Kingdoms series, the Nobunaga's Ambition series, the Total War series, and Mount & Blade.

Because I, your son, must head north to resist the Jurchens!" Zhao Kai said with a serious expression, "It is easy to defend the Eastern Capital, but difficult to fight in Hebei. I wish to emulate Li Shimin, and I shall not fear difficulties, but rather confront the enemy head-on, personally travel to Hebei, recruit brave men, and engage in battle with the bandits!

Wu Min simply shook her head and immediately hid the imperial edict in her bosom, refusing to show it to anyone

Qin Hui was glared at by Zhao Kai, and he suddenly felt both regret and fear...! ... I shouldn't have spoken out, right?! I don't want to be Wei Zheng, and I can't be Wei Zheng either. He was a bandit from the Wagang stronghold, while I am a respectable scholar. Why would I provoke this madman, Prince Zhao Kai?

The crowd in the hall turned to look in the direction of the voice and discovered that the one asking the question was a handsome man in his thirties with three strands of long beard under his chin, who was none other than Qin Hui, the Left Minister of Censorship

Father!" Zhao Kai shouted angrily, interrupting Zhao Ji, "How can you be so foolish! You have passed the throne to elder brother, and in the city of Tokyo, elder brother is the one in charge... If he is determined to defend the city, he will definitely not let you escape, because if you leave, not only will the hearts of the people in Tokyo be unsettled, but the most capable troops, the Shengjie Army, will also be taken away by you. What will he use to defend the city then? If he allows you to escape, it must be to set a precedent for his own escape... If he is determined to defend the city, he will definitely not let you escape, because if you leave, not only will the hearts of the people in Tokyo be unsettled, but the most capable troops, the Shengjie Army, will also be taken away by you. What will he use to defend the city then? If he allows you to escape, it must be to set a precedent for his own escape... If you all escape, what will happen to the Song Dynasty?

The atmosphere in the Chongzheng Hall suddenly became suffocatingly tense, with all the court officials staring at Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji, in turn, was fixated on Wu Min, who was holding the imperial edict for the succession, as if to say: hurry up and bring me the edict, let’s make some alterations, strike out 'the Crown Prince' in 'to bequeath the throne to the Crown Prince' and replace it with 'Prince of Yun', and then we can just copy it again. After all, it’s all about abdicating and fleeing; whether the throne is passed to Zhao Huan or Zhao Kai makes no difference. Moreover, Zhao Kai, who aspired to be like Li Shimin, appeared to be quite bold and should not fear the Jin soldiers.

Upon seeing him, the name "Li Gang" immediately surfaced in Zhao Kai's mind

However, Wu Min tightly clutched the imperial edict, refusing to hand it over no matter what

Why is this? Zhao Ji asked anxiously

"What is so difficult about this?" Zhao Kai had already contemplated this on his way here, and he had indeed come up with a solution. "The Jin army, with its 100,000 troops, is advancing over a thousand miles without a rear supply line for food. Their supplies rely entirely on plundering along the way. All we need to do is to fortify the area west of the Yellow River in Hebei, arm the righteous civilians, and make it difficult for the Jin army to easily obtain food supplies. They will also be unable to divide their forces to seize cities, effectively cutting off their route of retreat."

It turns out that this person, Li Gang, was summoned back to Tokyo in July to serve as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Rites. In the wave of urging Zhao Ji to step down, he and Wu Min were at the forefront as the first to speak out. Wu Min was the first to propose the idea of internal abdication, while Li Gang, after Zhao Ji reneged on his promise, submitted a blood-written memorial, stating, "Now the great enemy is attacking, and our safety and survival are at stake in a breath's time; only by passing the title to the Crown Prince can we attract the heroes of the world." It was under his strong persuasion that Zhao Ji reluctantly agreed to issue the edict of abdication.

Zhao Kai spoke eloquently: "Once all the states and prefectures on the west bank of the Yellow River have fortified their defenses and cleared the area, it will be very difficult for the Jin army to reach Caogu. Without Caogu, how can an army of one hundred thousand return home with empty stomachs? If we can also arm the common people and righteous citizens to contend with the Jin bandits, then victory will be assured"

Without the assistance of the heroes of the world, relying solely on the exhausted soldiers and defeated troops at the court's disposal, how can one possibly defeat the hundred thousand troops of the Jin invaders

Li Gang furrowed his brow slightly. At this point, he had to admit that Zhao Kai, who considered himself to be Li Shimin of the Song Dynasty, indeed possessed some abilities.

This is accusing Zhao Kai of lacking the achievements of Li Shimin, while intending to carry out the events of the Xuanwu Gate

This is truly absurd to the extreme, and it is also utterly nonsensical to the utmost degree

With the Four Great Military Strategies, the Seven Military Classics, and the Eight Great Formation Diagrams, is there still a fear of not being able to defeat the Jurchens

Zhao Ji observed him in this manner, contemplating whether to have the Secretary of the Central Secretariat draft another document, when Zhao Kai spoke again: "However, I cannot remain in the capital to oversee the defense of the city!"

Zhao Kai also recognized the treacherous minister Qin Hui, and an overwhelming anger surged within him. Ah, so you are the traitor who sold the country for personal gain, who murdered General Yue Fei, and caused our Great Song to be unable to launch a northern expedition to reclaim the Central Plains, the treacherous minister Qin Hui!

How will the military officials and common people in Kaifeng view this? ... The esteemed Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler, has actually been so frightened by the Jin thieves from hundreds of miles away that he is willing to abandon his throne ...? ... Is this not enhancing the Jin thieves' prestige and undermining the morale of our Song military and civilians? Moreover, if my father fears the Jin thieves, does that mean my elder brother does not fear them? His courage is hardly commendable! Since my father can abdicate and leave, can my elder brother not follow suit and pass the throne to my nephew before fleeing? What will be left of the people's will to fight? Do you ministers wish for everyone in the world to wear their hair disheveled and don the attire of the enemy?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji became anxious and quickly said: "Sanlang, you are right. Your elder brother's character is weak and he is not fit for great responsibilities. How about this: I will pass the throne to you, and you shall be the ruler. I only wish to spend a few peaceful years between Huai and Zhejiang. Will this be acceptable?"

At this moment, Zhao Kai's mind was filled with the complete contents of the "Seven Military Classics," as well as the eight formations created by the great strategists of the Song Dynasty, including Emperor Taizong, Emperor Zhenzong, and Emperor Renzong.

If that is still not enough, then he has indeed taken history classes and knows about works such as "On Protracted War"

The ministers in the court were rendered speechless upon hearing these words, and at the same time, they all felt wronged—if it were not for the ruler's firm resolve to escape, they would not have dared to propose the method of internal abdication

Cutting off the return of the Jin bandits? Li Gang snorted, "I fear it won't be easy. Hebei is a flat expanse, with no defenses to guard; how can we cut off the cavalry of the Jin bandits?"

Therefore, in the City of the Heavenly Son in Tokyo, I implore Your Majesty to resolutely defend it with the utmost determination

Your Majesty, the Golden Thief army has now passed through Zhen Ding Prefecture and is advancing towards the Eastern Capital at a pace of one hundred miles a day. If Your Majesty wishes to emulate Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, do you have any effective strategies to defeat the enemy

Qin Hui was indeed fearful, while Zhao Kai was contemplating whether to eliminate this scourge with a single stroke, when someone else suddenly emerged.

Zhao Kai organized his thoughts and spoke eloquently: "The Jin bandits are coming in two directions this time. The western route has halted at the foot of Taiyuan City and has not advanced further, nor have they been able to breach Taiyuan, so there is no need to consider them for the time being. However, the eastern route of the Jin bandits has avoided attacking the strong cities in Hebei and is advancing southward, heading straight for Dongjing. Although their momentum is great, they lack a solid foundation and are merely a lone force advancing deep into enemy territory.

We shall steadfastly defend our position in Tokyo while simultaneously organizing the troops from various regions of Hebei, and then use them to cut off the retreat of the Jin thieves

Oh," Li Gang gazed intently at Zhao Kai, "I wonder how the king plans to repel the Jin bandits

Zhao Ji was anxious, looking at his increasingly fierce son Zhao Kai, "What? You, you want to stay in the capital to guard for your father?"

Indeed! Zhao Kai nodded, "The high walls of Tokyo City are solid, with no fewer than 300,000 able-bodied men within the city. Moreover, the armory is well-stocked with weapons, armor, arrows, and gunpowder, and the provisions are sufficient to last for more than six months. Defending it is not difficult."

If such a madman is not punished, but instead ascends to the throne, how will the heroes of the world view the court? How will they regard the illustrious Song Dynasty? Will anyone still respond to the call and raise troops to defend the king?