Zhao Kuangyin dragged a chair to the doorway and sat down. A cool breeze drifted in, easing the stuffy heat inside the hall.
Yet at this moment, fine cold sweat suddenly broke out across his back.
Even the anger caused by his younger brother was temporarily pushed aside.
When it comes to governance, systems and laws are the foundation of a state. And yet, according to later generations, a group of desperate commoners would rise up and challenge the very instruments of imperial authority.
Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, like a mayfly shaking a great tree. To Zhao Kuangyin, such news should have been something to laugh off.
After all, the emperors who clawed their way out of the late Tang chaos had a shared understanding that ran completely opposite to that. Better to offend the people than to lose the support of officials.
But judging from Tang Taizong's argument about ruler and people being like boat and water, and the way later generations evaluated it, whether that chaotic-era consensus could truly be used to govern the realm was still questionable.
And thinking further, the Song dynasty's repeated defeats in foreign wars, to the point where in the end only a single young emperor managed to achieve any frontier expansion, might very well be related to this policy of strengthening the center and weakening the branches.
After all, he had noticed the reforms brought by the succession from Zhezong to Huizong.
Reform meant changing the old laws. But whose old laws were being changed?
He could not help but wonder. Who exactly was this Zhezong descended from?
Zhao Kuangyin glanced at his younger brother lying on the floor with a faint smile on his face and snorted.
If not for this brother stirring up trouble, perhaps there would not have been so many later upheavals.
After all, if the realm truly could be unified, he would certainly let the people recover and rest. At least, he believed he would.
But all of that was far off. The urgent matter now was to summon the imperial physicians to examine his health. He absolutely could not allow another sudden death two years later.
Zhao Guangyi, on the other hand, was indeed smiling.
Whether it was "opening a book brings benefit" or "sending charcoal in the snow," both sounded like good phrases. From that angle, even if he lacked martial achievement, being able to open up civil governance was not too bad.
And that tea monopoly, later known as the tea voucher system, was even used by later generations. That meant it must have been a clever policy.
Thus Zhao Guangyi naturally arrived at a conclusion.
Although later generations criticized him a lot, it seemed this emperor job of his was not done too badly.
He just did not know whether, in the end, he had arranged a proper and controversy-free outcome for Guangmei. Or rather, for Tingmei.
…
Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei could not help but exchange a glance.
Pang Tong licked his lips and still felt a bit parched. He picked up the tea in front of him and drained it in one gulp.
Seeing Zhuge Liang still deep in thought, Pang Tong spoke first.
"Could it be that we…"
Before he could finish, Zhuge Liang had already shaken his head.
"Later generations rely on technology that allows ten mu of land to support a whole family. Not to mention all kinds of miraculous conveniences. If we try to imitate that, it would be no different from cutting off our own road."
Liu Bei gave the final word in a calm voice.
"For now, we should not rush for quick results. First, we must set things in order."
Do not rush for quick success. Pang Tong understood that. But thinking that even exhausting his entire life, he might still not see Han catch up to even a fraction of later generations, he could not help but feel regret.
Since that was the case, all he could do was focus well on what lay before him.
He said softly, "Since my lord has spoken, then we shall first set things in order."
"This year, we must properly set things in order with that Cao bandit."
Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, and he could not wait to volunteer.
"I will capture that Cao Aman and let big brother and the strategist properly teach him how to behave as a human."
Zhuge Liang hesitated, then nodded.
Alright. That could count as a kind of setting things in order too.
[Lightscreen]
[However, Wang Xiaobo's uprising occurred near the end of Zhao Guangyi's career. In a sense, it served as a final score for Zhao Er's life.
Before that, it is worth first looking at what kind of heavy strokes Zhao Er left behind during his reign after ascending the throne through nonstandard means.
Lavishly ordaining monks and nuns and building temples was only one way Zhao Er strengthened his legitimacy.
Since ancient times, what most enhanced an emperor's prestige was territorial expansion and dominance on horseback.
How capable Zhao Da was in battle can be seen in the history books. Zhao Er, in order to prove that he was no worse than his deceased elder brother, frequently led campaigns personally to display his military ability.
To be fair, Zhao Guangyi could indeed be called a military man.
But in front of that title, one word must be added.
Fake.]
Lying on the floor, Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly. He felt that later generations were being quite rude.
Earlier parts aside, now they were talking about his own reign. What was wrong with calling him Zhao Jiong?
As for displaying military talent, that was both expected and something he looked forward to.
After all, he had glimpsed the Northern Song territorial map and compared it to the present. The biggest difference was, of course, the inclusion of Northern Han territory.
But thinking carefully, this year his elder brother was still busy capturing Li Yu, and it looked like the war would not end until next year.
And earlier, later generations had said his brother fell ill and died just a few months before that, without including warfare.
So could it be that the conquest of Northern Han and expansion of territory was…
Before he could finish imagining it, he heard the later evaluation and froze.
"Fake… military man?"
At this moment, he instead heard his brother behind him sigh faintly.
"If one cannot restore the Han and Tang frontiers, how dare one speak of merit in expansion."
[Lightscreen]
[For Zhao Er at the time, if he wanted to use troops, there was almost only one choice: Northern Han.
Among the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Northern Han had long held Taiyuan and formed a mutual defense alliance with Liao.
Starting from Chai Rong, if one marched north, one had to face Northern Han's long-fortified strongholds. And if they could not be taken quickly, Liao reinforcements would arrive to attack from both sides.
Even Chai Rong, praised as a military genius, failed to solve this problem. Zhao Da attacked Northern Han in 968 and returned without success. In the year of his sudden death, he actually planned to attack Northern Han again. But before the imperial guards even reached Taiyuan, he himself died, and the army had to withdraw again.
Thus, after Zhao Er took the throne and initially sorted out internal matters, he began sharpening his knives toward Northern Han, planning to build prestige in one decisive battle. For this, he truly put in painstaking planning.
To dissolve the alliance between Northern Han and Liao, Zhao Er changed Zhao Da's previous approach. He proactively sent envoys to Liao, showing goodwill and frequently sending gifts.
This behavior quickly gained the trust of Emperor Jingzong of Liao. This Liao emperor had a mild temperament and was a genuine advocate of easing relations with Song.
Under these mutually agreeable conditions, Liao and Song changed the tense situation that existed while Zhao Da was alive and began opening trade markets.
With this setup, Zhao Er launched a diplomatic offensive. Before formally leading the northern campaign, he sent envoys to Liao six times to present gifts and promote friendship. At the same time, he sent small detachments to attack Northern Han, forcing Northern Han to repeatedly ask Liao for help.
This strategy is not unfamiliar to modern people. It is a classic "wolf is coming" story.
Facing Northern Han's repeated pleas, Liao rushed to help each time, only to find that it was nothing serious. Relations grew increasingly strained, and Liao became more and more convinced of Song's weakness.
By the time of the formal northern expedition in 979, Zhao Guangyi even openly sent word to Liao saying, I am going to attack Northern Han now.
After being played like this again and again, even a nice guy like Emperor Jingzong of Liao lost his patience and decided to teach this restless little brother a lesson.
Although Liao again decided to send troops to assist, the entire Liao court firmly believed in Song's weakness. Prince of Ji, Yelü Dilie, even broke away from the main force and brazenly crossed the river in front of the Song army, practically writing contempt on his face.
The defending Song army, under the famous general Guo Jin, did not hesitate to strike while the enemy was mid-crossing and achieved a great victory.
History records that five Liao generals were killed in battle and more than ten thousand soldiers were slain.
According to the Song History, Guo Jin led only a detached force. It was a victory of the few over the many, and he was one of the rare famous generals of the Song dynasty.
Other records show that Guo Jin had served as a general under Later Zhou and once served as prefect of Zizhou, with outstanding local governance. The local people even erected a stele to praise his virtue. He was a general who was both capable in civil and military affairs.
Unfortunately, in the Song dynasty, such generals often met unhappy endings. Before the war even ended, Guo Jin was already dead. Song records could not even give a consistent account of his cause of death.
Some said he was jealous of his merit and was falsely accused of rebellion by Tian Qinzhuo, leading to his unjust suicide. Others said Tian Qinzhuo acted under Zhao Er's secret orders and bribed Guo Jin's personal guards to assassinate him while he slept.
In any case, Guo Jin's great victory completely drove off the Liao reinforcements. Zhao Guangyi personally led the main force in a fierce assault on Taiyuan and finally succeeded. Northern Han was thus destroyed.
If things had ended there, the script would have been nearly perfect for Zhao Er.
But unfortunately, Zhao Er's repeated displays of weakness had caused Liao to misjudge Song and grow careless, leading to their defeat. At the same time, Guo Jin's detached force victory also made Zhao Er overly confident.
He neither rested nor rewarded the troops and directly ordered that they also take on Liao.
For Zhao Guangyi, if he could in a single campaign both destroy Northern Han and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, his prestige in Song would reach its peak. Those who gossiped behind his back would sing his praises on their own. The dark cloud hanging over his brother's death would finally dissipate.
At the moment he rode north, he probably also thought of that Tang emperor who, though his conduct was criticized, still reversed his reputation through civil and military achievements.
In June 979, the Song army surrounded Youzhou, appearing determined to take it. But the defenders inside and Liao forces outside coordinated, defending stubbornly, and both sides entered a tug-of-war.
Facing this situation, Emperor Jingzong of Liao trusted his man and ordered Yelü Xiugge to lead one hundred thousand troops. The elite Five Circuits Army was placed entirely under his command to rush to the front and fight Song decisively.
In the end, the Song army was attacked from three sides, and inside there was also the strange incident of "plotting to enthrone Dezhao." As expected, Song suffered a crushing defeat.
Song history records simply say, "Defeated. On the day jia-shen, the army returned." Zhao Da's hard-earned reserves were completely wiped out in this single battle.
After this, Liao cavalry frequently raided south, and Song's hope of unifying the realm completely turned into an unrealistic fantasy.
Liao's records of this battle are much clearer. For example, Emperor Jingzong's annals record, "The Song ruler barely escaped with his life. Reaching Zhuozhou, he secretly rode in a donkey cart to flee."
Yelü Xiugge's biography also echoes this, saying, "The Song ruler fled. Xiugge, wounded and unable to ride, pursued in a light cart to Zhuozhou but failed to catch him and returned."
A poem of this era even praises it:
Defeated at Youyun, an arrow in the thigh,
One donkey cart carried the lord back home.]
In the hall, Zhao Guangyi was already so ashamed he wished he could burrow into the ground.
Zhao Kuangyin could only say that he was not surprised at all. After all, it was his younger brother. How could he not know him?
But thinking that these soldiers had all been personally trained by himself and his former sworn brothers, only to end up buried beneath the walls of Youzhou, his heart ached unbearably.
In anger, Zhao Kuangyin slammed the jade axe against the ground twice, then stood up and kicked Zhao Guangyi, who was lying on the floor, rolling him over.
"You filthy, useless wretch. You neither starve nor freeze, yet you dare waste soldiers' lives. Aren't you afraid the wronged spirits beneath Youzhou's walls will curse you until your flesh falls off in pieces?"
Zhao Guangyi groaned in pain and finally could not help crying out.
"If you keep hitting me, I will die."
"And how can Northern Han not count as merit?"
That only made Zhao Kuangyin more irritated. He slapped the armrest, producing a loud bang.
"In the second year of Kaibao, I personally campaigned against Taiyuan and then sent generals to fight the Khitan."
"He Jiyun defeated the Khitan at Shiling Pass. Han Chongbin fought them head-on at Dingzhou and won a great victory."
"Only because the Khitan were determined to support Northern Han and our supplies were short did we withdraw."
"There was no trickery and no deception, and we still won. And you dare brag about it, you turtle."
Part of his agitation also came from the screen saying that before his death he had already deployed troops at Taiyuan.
If this mess could have happened later, after destroying Southern Tang, with strong troops and full supplies, how could Northern Han not be taken?
At that time, he would have destroyed a state even the Later Zhou ruler could not deal with.
But he never expected that being just one step late, he would instead become part of his brother's bragging capital.
And in such a way at that.
"One donkey cart carried the lord back. Later generations call you a fake general. They are not wrong."
Zhao Guangyi immediately lost the strength to argue.
Deep down, he even felt this was probably fabricated. In the chaos of battle, where would he even find a donkey cart? He would obviously grab a horse and flee. A donkey cart was far worse than a carriage.
But seeing that his brother was still furious, Zhao Guangyi did not dare say more. He only hoped that in the end, that Golden Casket Alliance might recover a bit of brotherly affection.
Now that his life was not in danger, at least some of his treatment as Prince of Jin should be preserved. And what about the position of Kaifeng Prefect. Could he keep some of that?
…
At the Han Chang'an General's Residence.
When it came to military matters, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao said nothing. They stared tightly at the screen, afraid to miss a single word.
After seeing this battle clearly, Zhang Fei could not help but sigh.
"I think this Zhao Er really lucked out with a good big brother, having so many elite troops and fine generals for him to waste."
Seeing Liu Bei's suspicious gaze, Zhang Fei hurriedly waved his hands.
"I am not complaining about big brother. There was no choice back then, right…"
Liu Bei felt as if a mouthful of old blood was stuck in his throat. He was so uncomfortable he could hardly breathe.
If he had known, he would not have spared his third brother even a glance. He should have just finished watching the screen and assigned him labor. Why get himself blocked to the point he could not even say a word?
After his expression changed several times, Liu Bei could only mutter gloomily.
"I know."
Seeing that big brother did not overthink it, Zhang Fei continued shaking his head.
"Not even talking about Guo Jin's death. Just after taking a strong city, there were no big rewards and no rest. Instead, the soldiers were driven north again to attack another strong city."
"These soldiers are not Zhao Er's slaves. Why should they fight like this? The defeat at Youzhou was not unjust."
"But that donkey cart being faster than a carriage. Tomorrow I will try it out."