Chapter 58 My Military Technical Talents Have Arrived

In history, Wanyan Jiumei failed Yue Fei, and he failed Zong Ze just as much.

Following the Humiliation of靖康 (Jingkang), Zhao Gou ascended the throne in Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture (Shangqiu) and began his long journey of fleeing southward.

In the first year of Jianyan, Zhao Gou fled to Jinling, while Zong Ze remained to guard Bianjing.

After enduring the catastrophe of Jingkang, Bianjing was plunged into total chaos and decay; there were even people selling human meat in the city, bandits ran rampant, and the common people could barely survive.

Upon his arrival in Bianjing, Zong Ze first established strict military law for the bandits, hanging a row of outlaws' heads atop the city walls, and then vigorously restored order to the city.

By the second year of Jianyan, people were already holding lantern festivals within Bianjing, and order had been restored almost to its original state.

Furthermore, he rehabilitated transportation, stabilized the markets, dredged the waterways, and established twenty-four military camps along both banks of the Yellow River, stationing tens of thousands of troops.

At that time, a bandit leader named Wang Shan from Hedong Dadao, claiming to command seven hundred thousand men and ten thousand chariots, intended to attack Bianjing and carve out an independent separatist regime.

Zong Ze went entirely alone to meet Wang Shan, unarmed and single-handedly, and persuaded him. Moved by Zong Ze's charismatic personality, Wang Shan ultimately surrendered and pledged his allegiance to him.

Just then, the Jin army marched southward once more, and Wanyan Wushu's elite cavalry aimed directly at the heart of Bianjing.

Yet Zong Ze remained calm and composed, coordinating various forces to resist the enemy.

With Zong Ze holding the fort, the morale of the various troops remained steady.

The Jin army launched repeated assaults only to be beaten back time and again. Zong Ze wrote to Zhao Gou, urging him to return to Bianjing to stabilize the hearts of the people.

Well, our dear Wanyan Jiumei acted as if he saw nothing at all.

The dynamic probably went something like this:

Zong Ze: When are you coming back to Bianjing?
Zhao Gou: What did you say?
Zong Ze: Do you plan to cross the Yangtze River?
Zhao Gou: Sorry, I didn't catch that.
Zhao Gou: Do you plan to cross the Yangtze River in this lifetime?
Zhao Gou: I really can't hear what you're saying.
Zong Ze: Let's talk about selecting imperial concubines instead.
Zhao Gou: Ah, I can hear you loud and clear now.
(This dialogue did not actually happen in history; it is merely used to illustrate the mood of the era.)

Since Zhao Gou refused to return, Zong Ze guarded Bianjing alone.

Finally, advanced in age, Zong Ze overworked himself and fell gravely ill.

On his deathbed, in his final moments, he cried out three times: "Cross the river! Cross the river! Cross the river!" before ultimately passing away in deep sorrow and frustration.

The crossing he referred to was crossing the Yellow River to launch the Northern Expedition.

Regrettably, the ruler he served was Zhao Gou.

Following Zong Ze's death, Zhao Gou dispatched a supreme piece of absolute garbage named Du Chong.

The Jin army struck again, and our supreme piece of garbage Du Chong did only one thing instead of anything useful: he breached the Yellow River dikes, flooding the Huai River regions.

Consequently, the lower reaches of the Yellow River became a flooded disaster zone for centuries to come!

As for Zhao Gou, one could say he was frightened out of his wits by the Jin army, and indeed he was.

Yet his own utter foolishness and incompetence are completely indefensible.

You could argue that he was wary of the hastily recruited volunteer militias under Zong Ze, which has some merit, seeing as once Zong Ze died, those men either deserted or betrayed him.

Still, how on earth could you send someone like Du Chong over there...

"Grand Marshal, I have received the latest intelligence. The Jin army is currently dispatching a massive force in Weizhou, Huazhou, and Kaide Prefecture to encircle and suppress Zong Ze." Wang Boyan always wore a smile, his eyes narrowed, resembling a kindly neighborly uncle.

Zhao Gou asked with some surprise: "Should we then provide reinforcements to Zong Ze?"

Zhang Jun, standing nearby, chimed in: "Grand Marshal, Deputy Marshal Zong commands strong and sturdy troops; he may not necessarily require our reinforcements."

"However, we already possess hundreds of thousands of troops at this moment; we ought to go and lift the siege of the capital."

Zhao Gou felt somewhat bewildered.

This twenty-year-old young man had not yet grown accustomed to his role as a person in power.

Faced with such a complex situation, he had no idea how to handle it, let alone the resolute determination to immediately lead a massive army westward.

It turned out that sitting in a lofty position was not as simple as he had once imagined.

In his heart, fear still lingered, and he harbored deep resentment toward Zong Ze for refusing to obey him.

Zhao Ye, the Administrator of the Northern Route, remarked: "Zong Ze is arrogant; the current situation is entirely brought upon himself!"

Earlier, when Zong Ze had written to them asking to rendezvous at Bianjing, they had simply ignored him.

Now, hearing that Zong Ze was surrounded by the Jin cavalry, they felt a certain degree of schadenfreude in their hearts.

"If Zong Ze had been willing to come to Daming Prefecture and reorganize the troops and horses together with the Grand Marshal, and then wait for an opportune moment to march south, we would not be in this predicament today."

Fan Ne, the Pacification Commissioner of the Eastern Route of Hedong, also spoke up.

These men had previously been quite envious upon hearing that hundreds of thousands of volunteer soldiers had gathered under Zong Ze in Huazhou.

Now, at last, they felt their pent-up grievances had been somewhat vented.

Wang Boyan said: "Everyone, we shouldn't put it quite like that. After all, we are fellow ministers serving the same court, and His Majesty is still in the capital."

"Then what does Deputy Marshal Wang mean?"

"We still do not fully know the movements of the Jin army. Let Zong Ze test the waters first, and our army can dispatch scouts in the meantime to provide reinforcements at any moment."

Wang Boyan's words were exceedingly veiled and ambiguous.

At first hearing, it sounded like he intended to reinforce Zong Ze.

In reality, however, it meant letting Zong Ze serve as cannon fodder first; once Zong Ze had exhausted the Jin forces, Zhao Gou would then march south to claim the glory of rescuing the sovereign.

Zhao Ye stated: "I agree with Deputy Marshal Wang's proposal."

"I agree as well," Zhang Jun declared, expressing his stance.

Fan Ne also chimed in: "I agree too."

The others successively voiced their agreement.

Zhao Gou said: "Since that is the case, let us wait a little longer."

Just as the words left Zhao Gou's mouth, an urgent report suddenly came from outside: "Report! Marshal! Disaster has struck! A detachment of the Jin army is advancing toward Daming!"

Everyone in the room froze at first. After a brief silence lasting just a few blinks of an eye, panic instantly erupted.

Since entering the territory of Daming Prefecture on the twelfth day of the fourth month, Wanyan Wushu's military锋芒 (edge) had been razor-sharp, cutting through defenses like bamboo, winning five consecutive battles!

The Song army suffered a string of crushing defeats.

On the thirteenth day of the fourth month, Zhao Gou prepared to evacuate Daming, but it was already too late. After Wanyan Wushu arrived at Daming from the west, Wanyan Yinshuke immediately arrived from the south, cutting off Zhao Gou's escape routes.

Vast numbers of Jin cavalry converged around Daming.

Simultaneously, the Jin forces stationed at Kaeping Prefecture had withdrawn overnight.

The speed of the Jin army's retreat was breathtakingly fast, giving the Song army virtually no opportunity to react.

On the fourteenth day of the fourth month, torrential rains battered the capital region.

A troop of men emerged from Bianjing city, led by Zhang Shuye's second son, Zhang Zhongxiong.

At the former Jin military camp, Zhang Zhongxiong observed numerous tents, but they were essentially empty.

Whether the Jin army had truly retreated remained uncertain.

To guard against any deception, Zhang Zhongxiong scouted the surrounding area further.

It was not until noon that Chen Gui's loyalist relief army arrived beneath the walls of Bianjing.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Zhang Shuye strode into the palace in great excitement. "Outside the city, there is a contingent of troops claiming to be a loyalist relief army from the south, led by someone named Chen Gui!"

Zhao Ning was partway through his midday meal when he heard the name Chen Gui; he sprang abruptly to his feet.

Good gracious, my military technology talent has finally arrived!

He tossed aside his chopsticks, spat out the food in his mouth, and sprinted excitedly toward the entrance of the Wende Hall.

Wang Huaiji chased after him in a panic: "Your Majesty! Your shoes—you haven't put on your shoes!"

Zhao Ning had already reached the doorway; he turned around, snatched the shoes from Wang Huaiji's hands, and slipped his feet into them in a flurry of fumbling motions.

Zhang Shuye asked in bewilderment: "Your Majesty, where are you heading?"

"To find Chen Gui! I am going to personally welcome the relief army!"

"Your Majesty, it is pouring rain outside!"

Running at full speed, Zhao Ning shouted back: "If they can brave the storm to come here, why can't I brave the storm to go out and meet them!"

I have hungered for talented individuals for far too long!