42. Chapter 42, Bai Yujing in the Sky (Part 1)


The night is like water, the stars are bright, and the new moon is like a hook... This is really a good night scene suitable for pouring wine, admiring the moon, and writing poems and lyrics.

However, Song Huizong, who had always been astonishingly talented and skilled in all kinds of calligraphy, chess, calligraphy and painting, and created the "thin gold body" in calligraphy, was leaning on the couch at this time, feebly looking at the pure watery night sky, feeling extremely depressed. , there is no mood for poetry at all.

At this moment, he is called the Supreme Emperor, but in fact he has become a prisoner of his son Zhao Huan. He is imprisoned in Longde Palace. He can no longer see the colorful world outside and can only helplessly look up at the four corners of the sky within the high wall. , from the words leaked from the mouths of the palace guards, we can know the changes in the world.

The officials he trusted and relied on, such as Cai Jing, Wang Fu, Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng, Zhu Meng, and Li Yan, were scolded as the "six thieves" by the angry gentry and common people. Each of them was either sentenced to death or exiled to "far away". "Evil Army State", and many of them "died" of illness on the way.

He spent a huge amount of money to build Genyue, and all kinds of flowers, birds, and beasts on it were slaughtered wantonly to serve as food for the soldiers who defended the city. All kinds of flowers, plants, trees and stones transported thousands of miles from the south of the Yangtze River were thrown out as trebuchets... making the so-called "Hua Shi Gang" seem like a joke.

But in the final analysis, was all this tragic ending not his own fault?

——Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the "Taojun Emperor" who believed in Taoism, had been in power for more than 20 years, but had made little contribution to the national economy and people's livelihood. However, he far surpassed all previous emperors in terms of extravagance, lust and extravagance.

If that was all, it was nothing. With the prosperity of the Song Dynasty, this luxury could barely be afforded. However, this Taojun emperor was not satisfied with the pavilions and pavilions around him. He spent his days drinking and drinking, and occasionally visited prostitutes incognito. Like Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he was overjoyed in his achievements. When he saw that the Liao Kingdom was weak, he sent the eunuch Tong Guan to mobilize all the elite soldiers in the country in an attempt to join forces with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty and take advantage of the situation. He completely ignored the Fangla rebellion in the southeast and the rise of thieves in Jingdong (Liangshan). Hero) - The country is already so unstable. How will the Northern Expedition be any different from Sui Yang's conquest of Korea?

The Northern Expedition is the Northern Expedition. If we win this victory, no one will think it is a bad thing if we can take back the Han family's homeland in the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. However, due to the imperial court's blind and remote command, the well-equipped Northern Expeditionary Army of the Song Dynasty, with more than 100,000 soldiers, was easily defeated by more than 10,000 Khitan remnants twice in a row, making the whole world laugh. In the end, he had to hold his nose and spend all his money to buy back Yanjing City from the Jurchens.

It is already embarrassing enough that things have come to this point. The Taojun Emperor, who is full of artist's romantic feelings, still wants to celebrate. Just the southern suburbs of Yanjing set up to "recover" Yanjing has spent a lot of money. Thousands of dollars! Not to mention that there are a group of treacherous ministers who are good at flattery, deceiving the Dao Lord and Emperor to go to Mount Tai to enshrine Zen... And these extravagant expenses, as well as the annual coins given to the Jurchens, have to be scraped out of the pockets of the people of the Song Dynasty!

As a result, people watched the Shoushan Mountain Genyue rising higher and higher behind the Yanfu Palace, but in their hearts they speculated when this mountain and stone garden built with people's sacrifices and sacrifices would collapse... Emperor Daojun was tired of looking at the splendid palace. , but fell in love with the pastoral style of Jiangnan, and ordered countless animals to be released in Genyue Mountain. Every morning and evening. Residents nearby can hear the night cries of birds and beasts in Genyue, and the voices of foxes and night owls are floating over the capital. Both officials and civilians feel that this is an ominous sign - it is almost a prophecy, and Genyue is built. Within two years, the greedy and savage Jin finally broke the ink-stained covenant and invaded. Although the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty, who had repeatedly reversed the situation and took in the refugees from the old Liao Dynasty, gave them the best excuse, but everyone knew that even if there was no reason, how could those northern wolves leave the weak but fat Southern Dynasty alone? What about salivating?

The Hebei defense line, which had been in disrepair for a long time, failed to prevent the Jinlu, and the counties in Hedong where traitors gathered also fell in an instant. The raging river was the best natural moat, but Liang Fangping, the chamberlain sent to defend the Yellow River, fled when he saw the enemy. He didn't even burn the pontoon bridge on the Yellow River, allowing the Jinlu to successfully reach the gates of Tokyo.

Seeing the Jin army approaching, Song Huizong was so frightened that he actually gave up the throne to his eldest son and ran south with his trusted ministers - it was really incomprehensible that this emperor who had been in power for more than 20 years, actually He would make such a stupid and unreasonable move at this critical moment: the majestic king of a country, before Bianjing was in danger of being overthrown, actually escaped from the battlefield, abandoned the country and his subjects, and fled to the south of the Yangtze River!

Song Huizong escaped and could feel relaxed from now on, but it left an almost impossible mess for Song Qinzong, who succeeded him in a hurry.

What's even more terrible is that when Song Huizong abdicated, he abdicated and fled. After escaping to the southeast, he fell in love with the throne in Bianliang City, Tokyo, and began to plan to build a small court in the southeast... So he actually put The finance and taxes that Southeast China paid to the central government were withheld locally!

You must know that most of the taxes of the Song Dynasty depended on Jiangnan. During the fierce war with the Jin army, the Song Dynasty's military expenditures were unprecedentedly large. Bianliang was in extremely financial distress and urgently needed blood transfusions from the southeast. But at this most critical moment, Southeast's finances and taxes were intercepted by the Supreme Emperor... Looking at this father who cheated his son, he actually pushed himself to the edge of the cliff. At that time, Song Qinzong even had the intention of killing people. Got it!

At this time, it was during the first Bianliang Defense War. No matter how mediocre Song Qinzong was, he still understood the principle of providing food and grass first before the troops were moved. As long as there is enough food and grass, even if the Song army cannot defeat it, it can still hold on, form a confrontation situation with the enemy, constantly harass the enemy, and relieve the pressure on the frontal battlefield. However, Song Huizong cut off Bianliang's logistics supply line in the southeast. He seemed to have the intention of re-enthroning and competing with his son for the throne... So Song Qinzong suddenly panicked and had to sign a humiliating alliance with the Jin army and spend money to bribe them. retreat. The Song army that then crossed the river to counterattack had to march to the battlefield in Hebei despite a lack of food and pay. Their morale plummeted to the bottom before they had gone far, and they naturally collapsed when they faced the battle.

By the time water transport to the southeast finally recovered, the battles in Hebei and Hedong had long been over.

Next, if Song Huizong had stayed in the south, he might have been able to avoid the humiliation of Jingkang and the crisis of the destruction of Bianliang City.

However, after the siege of Bianliang was rescued, Song Huizong shamelessly returned to Bianliang.

Why did Song Huizong return to Bianliang again after avoiding Jiangnan?

——As the saying goes, strive for fame in the court and benefit the market! Anyone who wants to compete for fame and fortune cannot leave the Central Plains. The land of the Central Plains is like the Tian Yuan on a chessboard, with a key position. If Song Huizong had been hiding in the south, he might lose all influence soon. Who would still remember him as the Supreme Emperor?

In order to fight for the lost fame, wealth and power, Song Huizong returned to Bianliang again, wanting to arm-wrestle with his son. But after returning to Bianliang, he suddenly realized that the world was really in turmoil, and no one remembered him as the former emperor!

And the notoriety of his escape chilled the people of Bianliang even more - no one likes a runaway emperor who abandoned the city and ran away!

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Song Huizong proposed to go to Jingzhao Mansion to train the Western Army and defend Bianliang. However, he was immediately rejected by Song Qinzong: a fleeing emperor who was as afraid of enemies as a tiger could talk about recruiting elites to defend Bianliang. Who believes it! Most likely he thought of Jingzhao Mansion seizing military power! Make a coup!

So, Song Qinzong simply tore off the last layer of the painting of fatherly kindness and filial piety, replaced the palace servants, and kept his father in peace. Unfortunately, before Song Huizong returned to Bianliang, he was still the Supreme Emperor, and all the officials wherever he went were... He was very respectful; but after returning to Bianliang, his close friends were isolated one after another, and all the palace maids and eunuchs around him were also replaced. They were imprisoned in Longde Palace. They could no longer see familiar people or do things they liked. thing.

——It was only at this moment that Song Huizong Zhao Ji finally realized how the Tang Ming Emperor Li Longji felt when he was forced to abdicate during the Anshi Rebellion.

However, what was even more unfortunate than Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty was that not long after he was imprisoned in Longde Palace, Song Huizong ushered in the second siege of the Jin army.

However, this time he was already in prison and could no longer run to Jiangnan to avoid the war.

The palace servants and servants were worried all day long. When he was afraid that the Jin soldiers would break the city, Song Huizong seemed unusually calm, or indifferent.

——From the moment he was taken into Longde Palace, the survival and safety of the Song Dynasty had nothing to do with him.

Even if the imperial court repelled the Jin soldiers and saved the capital, he would just continue to be imprisoned in this cold palace as a prisoner; on the contrary, if the Jin soldiers defeated Bianliang, there would be a glimmer of hope for him to be released and support him. A puppet who ruled the Central Plains for the Jin people... Of course, with the shallow political wisdom of the Jurchen barbarians, I am afraid that they would not have thought of this level; and, as far as Song Huizong's true intention was concerned, he would rather such a thing not happen.

In any case, the current emperor is also his biological son, and this Song Dynasty is also the ancestral inheritance of his Zhao family.

Even though he was resentful of Song Qinzong's ruthlessness and "unfilial piety", he still did not want to see the fall of the Song Dynasty.

In the days that followed, the officers and soldiers of the imperial court were still defeated in battles, and various strongholds outside the city fell one after another. The Jin army's trebuchets bombarded the city day and night, causing the Bianliang market to be shocked three times a day. Several Qinwang armies organized by officials from other prefectures and counties were either dismissed by forged official documents by the treacherous traitors sent by the central government, or were beaten to a pulp by the fierce Jin soldiers... The war situation became worse day by day, but the court ministers still remained. They are all busy trying to fight each other.

During the period when the war was at its most intense, Song Huizong, who was in the cold palace, was under even tighter supervision and was almost cut off from the outside world. It's just that the sudden and seasonal high temperatures in those few days made him feel uncomfortable and surprised. He even fell ill from heat stroke and didn't know who he was... After he finally recovered, a series of explosive news suddenly came to him. Let him be so crispy on the outside and tender on the inside:

——More than 100,000 gold soldiers were wiped out in one fell swoop, the capital city of Bianliang was saved from danger, and... a true immortal came to the world, and Taoism can communicate with gods?

And...the emperor himself also had the help of the real protector of the country. Suddenly he achieved great success in cultivating immortals and was able to lift mountains and lift cauldrons and fly into the clouds and mist? ! !

——Song Huizong, who was still calm and composed amidst the din of Jin soldiers attacking the city, couldn't help but get angry gorgeously at this moment:

"...How unreasonable! How unreasonable! I have been cultivating Taoism and worshiping gods all my life, and I have been extremely pious, but I have never been able to understand my thoughts and get the attention of gods. But my unfilial son has found an opportunity and has actually attained Taoism and become an immortal? Really? Heaven has no eyes! Come here! I want to see my emperor who has become an immortal! How could I not think of telling his old father when I have such an opportunity? …”

So, after the dispersion of the court the next day, Guo Jing, the real protector of the country, brought a construction order with a strange look on his face.

"...Build an immortal residence for the emperor?" Wang Qiu couldn't help but widen his eyes after hearing the news, "...In this time of war and chaos?!" "...Yes, since he has become an immortal, well, to be precise, he has become an immortal. After seeing Superman, our Song Dynasty official felt that the human palace was too oppressive. I want to build a legendary fairy house." Guo Jing shrugged his shoulders and said with a bitter smile, "...and the order this time is not for one, but for two - and there is a Supreme Emperor who calls himself Daojun Emperor. , I also look forward to living a fairy life in my lifetime..."

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