Zhao Tong left Taiyuan and returned to Beijing under the escort of a battalion of soldiers sent by Fan Qiong. This time, he was able to take care of himself. A small team of internal guards was responsible for taking care of his daily life, and a hundred personal guards accompanied him to serve as guards.

Now the prince has many enemies, many of whom want to kill him. In order to ensure his safety, everyone persuades the prince to abandon his horse and ride in the carriage.

Firstly, the car is specially made. Not only can it protect against wind and rain, but it is also not afraid of being hacked by knives and axes. Even the most powerful long-range weapon today - the crossbow - is difficult to penetrate. Secondly, the car has the same appearance, and the prince's car is mixed in.

It is difficult for the assassins to determine the target of the attack; thirdly, it is convenient to camp in the wild and carry heavy weapons. Even if 1,800 people attack, twenty or so four-barreled machine guns will fire at the same time, which will ensure that they never come back."

Zhao Tong thought about it and agreed. Seeing his joy, he mobilized twelve four-wheeled carriages and spent a day modifying them. In addition to the prince's carriage, there were also special cooking carriages, baggage carriages and troop carriers equipped with machine guns.

They set up a locomotive to catch up with the modern presidential train. They didn't walk much every day. They stopped when they encountered a post station and left again at dawn. The Hebei army escorting them didn't dare to disobey the prince. They did whatever he said.

When he reached Zezhou, Zhao Tong suddenly noticed that there were more people on the road. They were hurriedly going south, some were riding cars, some were riding horses, and most of them were pedestrians carrying baggage and carrying loads. They didn't look like they were doing business.

The caravan was moving faster than them, as if someone was chasing them.

Zhao Tong then sent people to inquire. The question was not a big deal, but he was shocked! Everyone said that Li Gang had been defeated. It was rumored that he had passed the third pass and was attacking Taiyuan. On the other hand, Jin Junhan had already passed Zhending. His momentum was unstoppable.

The day was about to cross the Yellow River, so the people all ran south to avoid the disaster!

Zhao Tong was a little confused. He had just left for ten days. Taiyuan was besieged again, and his busy work was in vain. But he didn't quite believe it. Zong Han and Han Libu both made him clean up, and they lost their troops.

You won't be able to calm down so quickly, right?

It was true that the two Jin armies really went south, and his life was too miserable. Even if the eldest brother didn't lock himself up, he still had to let the Jurchens surround the city. He hurried into the city and found the contact point of the Intelligence Department to let them

Investigate the matter as soon as possible and report the details.

The boss directly ordered a small contact point, and no one dared to neglect. He quickly figured out the situation. Zhao Tao saw that it was just a false alarm. After Zong Han repelled Li Gang's troops who attacked Daizhou, he did not continue.

Attack, but Li Gang had ordered to guard Shiling Pass strictly, and the Jin army did not attack. It was even more outrageous that Han could not leave there. He just sent people again to demand the three towns and the remaining compensation. In order to scare the Song Dynasty, he just sent a small

Troops harassed the towns of Zhongshan and Zhending.

The situation was not so serious originally, but it still caused panic among the people of Taiyuan who had just experienced the Jurchen invasion. They fled one after another, and the government did not explain it, causing rumors to spread. The more they spread, the more evil they became, and the rumors soon swept through several states in Hedong.

A large number of soldiers and civilians were forced to flee...

The news he received next made Zhao Tao even more disappointed and depressed. After Li Gang's defeat, the peace faction headed by Geng Nanzhong put the blame on Li Gang, saying that Li Gang "specialized in war discussions and lost his troops and money."

This caused great disaster. Zhao Huan issued an edict to demote Li Gang to the position of magistrate of Yangzhou.

Liu Jue, a member of Zhongshu Sheng, wrote a letter about Li Gang's loyalty and bravery in serving the country. Feng Fu, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that Liu Jue was lobbying for Li Gang. Therefore, the imperial court wanted to demote Liu Jue. The order was sent to Zhongshu Sheng, and Zhongshu Sheren

Hu Guo "returned the title of Ci" and wrote a letter accusing Feng Chi of overstepping his duties. Geng Nanzhong was furious, and He Su, the minister of Zhongshu, used the opportunity to exclude Hu Guo. Liu Jue and Hu Guo were both demoted.

In Zhao Tong's previous life, he grew up listening to "Shuo Yue", in which Li Gang was described as a person who dared to act and take on responsibilities, a loyal minister who would go through all kinds of hardships for the sake of the country, and a figure with noble national integrity.

Rare talent

After coming to this world, he had no chance to meet him. He finally met him in Taiyuan, but he was on the 'opposite' side. He faithfully carried out the emperor's order and forced himself to return to Beijing. Although he was helpless, he still let him go.

Zhao Tong was unhappy.

But Zhao Tao also understood that although Li Gang was not as upright as the legend, he was still a loyal man in this era. However, he was not kind to others and was destined to be a tragic hero. People like him generally can only survive in difficulties.

They will be reused only after a period of time. It is easy for them to win the support of their subordinates, but it is difficult for them to please their superiors, and it is even more difficult for them to avoid the jealousy and rejection of their colleagues.

At first, Zhao Huan kept Li Gang, firstly to appease people's hearts, and secondly, to use these loyal men to eradicate the traitors favored by his father. When Zhao Huan completed the activities to consolidate his position, the Jin soldiers withdrew.

, he immediately thought that when the Jin soldiers came, he wanted to escape from the battle.

The ugly and cowardly appearance of being incompetent in commanding the Jin soldiers during the war and timid in negotiating with the Jin Kingdom was suddenly transformed into the image of someone who was ordered to do so in the autumn of crisis. When the prime minister was afraid of the enemy and was incompetent, he was able to overcome all difficulties and resist the enemy to the death.

The demeanor of a generation of British leaders who were kind-hearted and considerate of the people.

On the contrary, Zhao Huan said nothing about Li Gang who single-handedly took care of the country's security during the national crisis, risking his own life and commanding the army and the people to resist foreign enemies. He also became extremely disgusted with Li Gang's attitude of obeying his words, and the following

People also understood it, so Li Gang was impeached again and again.

, first they said that he "spoofed the merits of Zen to make a name for himself", "fake nobility records to sell personal favors", etc., and later connected him with Cai Jing, saying that he "protected the Cai family and devoted himself to his best friend". As a result,

In the end, this man who "dedicated his life to the safety of the country and the people" to serve the country was dismissed.

This series of appointments and dismissals made Zhao Yu very disappointed. This marked that the attitude of the Song Dynasty towards the Jurchens had changed again. No one in the imperial court dared to resolutely advocate war ministers, and the peace faction occupied the court again.

, his journey back to Beijing will be even more difficult. What disappoints him the most is his eldest brother, Emperor Zhao Huan. He is like a bad drummer, always beating the drums to the point of panic and confusion.

However, it was not easy for the Song court to embark on the right path. Years of bad habits were accumulated, making the court's reform difficult. In terms of party struggle, the Zhao Huan era still continued the internal strife of the previous generation, without eradicating the old and establishing new values.

Criteria.

At this time, the bureaucracy still inherited the lingering legacy of cliques and cliques since Zhezong, and the bad habits of party unity and opposition to dissent continued to intensify. This led to changeable personnel and slow response among the central and central officials, which seriously affected the decision-making of the highest ruling group on military and national plans. A typical example is

All the officials recommended by Cai Jing, Zheng Juzhong, and Wang Fu in the imperial court were rejected. In fact, not all of these officials were the same as Cai Jing and others, many of them were very upright and talented.

Within half a year of Zhao Huan's accession to the throne, "there were four prime ministers, nine governors, and more than ten attendants." Cheng Zhen, the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, lamented: "The officials and ministers are not in harmony, there are many refutations, and the edicts are lightly changed, which is a waste of time."

golden man

The war has been going on for half a year, and those who still don't understand it are saying that peace and war are not the same. They are obsessed with small things all day long, but are unwilling to take effective countermeasures to big things that affect the overall situation. It is extremely difficult to remain undefeated.

From February of the first year of Jingkang to August of Autumn when the Jin army came back again, during this nearly half a year, Zhao Huan summarized the situation, learned lessons, promoted talents, checked for leaks and filled vacancies, strengthened national defense, and

It was a great opportunity to prevent the Jin soldiers from attacking again. However, he thought that the peace agreement was reliable and did not think about war preparations. Therefore, he turned a deaf ear to Zhong Shidao's proposal to divide the troops and form camps and control key areas. He also ignored Li Gang's eight strategies to defend against the enemy.

.

Zhao Huan, who devoted all his efforts to consolidate the throne, and court ministers who pursued high-ranking officials and powerful officials, gradually squeezed out all the capable and loyal people in the endless disputes and internal strife. Zhao Huan did not realize that Li Gang was dismissed.

to oneself

There was no longer a capable minister around him who could protect the country and defend the enemy. When he heard that the Jurchens wanted to go south again, he panicked. The only way to go was to sue for peace. All the main war factions were demoted, and it was rare for the DPRK to have any more

Despite objections, the proposal passed smoothly.

So Zhao Huan sent Liu Cen and Li Ruoshui as envoys to Wanyan Nianhan and Wanyan Weli Bujun respectively, requesting "to postpone the departure of troops." Liu Cen and Li Ruoshui reported the negotiation situation, Wanyan Weli did not press for gold and silver, and Wanyan

Nian Han focused on the fact that the three towns had not been ceded. Zhao Huan, Geng Nanzhong and other ministers saw that the Jin Kingdom had not closed the door to peace talks, and they still hoped for the success of the peace talks!

But this group of people also knew that ceding land was unpopular and might arouse strong reactions in the country. After the discussion, they secretly changed the concept and the statement. Zhao Huan sent Wang Yun as an envoy to Jinying again, promising that Taiyuan, Zhongshan,

All the tax revenue of the three towns in Hejian was paid as tribute to the Kingdom of Jin, hoping to ask the Kingdom of Jin to "turn hostilities into friendship" at this price.

Hanli gave the answer quickly, and sent an envoy to deliver a message to the Song Dynasty, proposing a peace negotiation proposal of "using the annual coins from the three towns, the treasures collected in the ancestor's inner palace, and a reward of 100,000 pieces of silk for the master." After hearing this, Zong Wang

As long as such conditions were required, the emperor and ministers of the Song Dynasty immediately sent envoys to second the peace proposal without saying a word.

But before the envoys were sent, Hanli took the initiative to lower the price negotiated by Hanli, saying, "I will not reconsider the cutting of three towns, but I will ask for five chariots, a crown, and a title." At the same time, he also proposed that King Su was kidnapped and needed to be taken away.

Send the prince as hostage again

, can a peace agreement be reached. Regarding Zong Wang’s initiative to update the peace terms, Zhao Huan summoned the Taichang Li officials and asked them to collectively discuss what title to give him. At the same time, he also ordered Kang Wang Zhao Gou to prepare and be sent to Jinying as an envoy.

.

However, before things were ready, Han Libu's conditions suddenly increased sharply, "We must win the three towns, otherwise we will advance to Biandu!" Han Libu suddenly turned his back, shocking the entire Song Dynasty court, and was at a loss for what to do. Zhao Huan
Chapter completed!