Seeing Zhao Ji weeping with gratitude, not only did he never mention that he had betrayed the imperial court, it was as if he, the Supreme Emperor, had been desperately looking forward to meeting his former close minister Ai Qing. Xiao Tang couldn't help but be startled by such pretense, and he soon came to his senses.
When he came, he couldn't help but sneered and said secretly: Zhao Ji really worked hard to return to Bianjing safely as soon as possible...
Now it seems that Jin Jun has completely "trained" Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan and his son. They were originally the Nine-Fifth Emperor, but after being pulled down from the throne, even their own wives, concubines, and children had to crawl outside to fight against the invaders.
Being maids and slaves at their feet, suffering all kinds of humiliation, and in extremely desperate situations, they would willingly accept anyone who could save them from the clutches of the golden man, even if it was Xiao Tang who betrayed the imperial court.
It's just that even if the current situation is more acceptable than letting the Jin army escort him to the north, Zhao Ji doesn't know how Xiao Tang will deal with himself and the Zhao family's children, so he never mentions Xiao Tang's status as a traitor and traitor.
Not only did he promise a generous reward on the spot, he even did not hesitate to bring out all the ancestors of the Zhao royal family to swear an oath...
In other words, in addition to begging to keep his old Zhao family on the throne, Zhao Ji's general meaning is that as long as he can let me and the Song Dynasty clan return to Bianjing, no matter what other conditions, you Xiao Tang can do whatever you want.
Zhao Huan, who was standing next to Zhao Ji with trembling hands, seemed to have remembered his identity as a Song Dynasty official at this time, and immediately stood up and said more urgently and sincerely: "It is exactly what the father said! Xiao Aiqing and Wu Yi
He is majestic, loyal and righteous. When the country is in trouble, he protects the country from danger, defeats the enemy and makes a great contribution to support the country. This is truly an unparalleled achievement! Such a great achievement is not an exaggeration to be awarded the throne.
!”
Zhao Huan was eager to get out of danger, so he offered conditions that were beyond the reach of the Song court officials. Xiao Tang sat on the horse and looked coldly at Zhao Huan, who was looking forward to it, and secretly said
Fudu said that you are not joking, but what you said is just like farts. How much of the promises you made are credible?
The decline and eventual demise of the Northern Song Dynasty regime was indeed caused by the coward Zhao Ji and even a group of powerful traitors he favored and trusted. However, the disgrace of Jingkang was also caused by the incompetence of Zhao Huan. This is what the official history says
Si was in office for just over a year and replaced twenty-six ministers. What's more, it was at a critical time when the Jin army marched southward and went to Bianliang, Tokyo twice... I'm afraid to say
He is stupid, incompetent and weak.
What's more, according to the original trajectory of Zhao Huan's reaction when facing the Jin army's invasion, he first intended to escape Bianjing after being forced to succeed; then, after Zhong Shidao led his army into Bianjing, he suddenly felt like having a convulsion.
He no longer mentioned making peace, but kept urging Zhongshi Dao, who had been urging King Qin to gather his troops before counterattacking the Jin army, to rush into battle. When the Jin army invaded the south and retreated on the first route, Zhao Huan changed his mind again and did not allow Zhongshi Dao to send troops;
Mr. Zhong once again proposed building a defense line to prevent the Jin soldiers from coming again, but Zhao Huan still agreed first and then vetoed it... The Song Dynasty court, which was already in turmoil and facing national disaster, was greedy for such a big deal.
How can a psychotic emperor be saved if his decisions don't seem to change and he becomes uncomfortable even after a few hexagrams?
Xiao Tang knew very well that no matter how sincere Zhao Huan was, he would probably still change his mind after this guy was finally able to keep things safe, and the generous terms of the fiefdom they had agreed to now seemed tempting, but they were still subject to the restraints of the Song court.
, naturally Xiao Tang didn’t notice it.
It is of no use to be awarded a first-class official title and enjoy the title of king. Xiao Tang now wants Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan. The two foolish emperors must admit that what they agreed to is that the court promised to be able to govern themselves when they led the rebel forces under their command to attack the Jin Kingdom.
In the name of self-reliance.
Nowadays, the biggest role of these two foolish kings is not only to stay in Bianjing as their decorations and maintain the situation of the Central Plains being roughly unified with the outside world, but also to give the rebel soldiers and horses under their command a title and identity.
Being able to retain an independent organization of his own forces and gain approval from the Song Dynasty to expand northward when regaining lost territory, at least at this stage, he can order the Imperial Guards in the Song Dynasty who are still loyal to the imperial court not to interfere with the rebel armies under his command.
When he fought against the invading Jin army again, he even had the status of cooperating with the Song court's imperial army.
Even if Zhao Huan did not intend to let Xiao Tang, a rebellious minister and traitor who had betrayed the Song Dynasty, establish a separate family and eventually betray his promise, he and the Zhao family had been ravaged by the Jin army for a long time and had just been rescued. This time it was extremely painful.
The lessons he learned were enough to make this faint king unforgettable. When comparing the two evils, he should choose the lesser. At least when there are rebels from all walks of life to resist the Jin army's invasion of the country again, Xiao Tang knows that he can make big use of it in the name of resisting foreign lands.
Those who are good at military power do not need to be held hostage by the imperial court. They can gradually expand their territorial power in a reasonable and legal manner, forming a local separatist vassal force similar to the Tang Dynasty that was in charge of civil affairs, finance, and controlled all military and political power. By then, when the Jin Dynasty controls the Song Dynasty
It is no longer the biggest threat, and when Zhao Huan will eventually change his mind, Xiao Tang can roughly predict that his own forces have the strength to compete with the big powers since they are already in a situation that is enough to overthrow the Jin Kingdom's regime.
After all, the world is still dominated by kings. Although you two foolish kings deserved their death, we can only teach you guys to still sit on the dragon throne for the time being. Only then can the rebel army led by my brothers be equal to Lao Xiaozhong's strategy.
, Wu Jie, Liu Qi...and of course Yue Fei and many other good generals who are still loyal to the Song Dynasty have the opportunity to share the same hatred with the enemy.
Xiao Tang secretly thought in his heart that although he had discussed it carefully with Xiao Jiasui, Xu Guanzhong and other brothers before meeting Zhao Ji again, now that he saw the cowardly and fawning appearance of these two faint kings with his own eyes, he still felt angry in his heart.
Teng couldn't help but jump up. At that moment, he didn't care at all about the identity of Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan. He said angrily in a deep voice: "I and my close brothers who have gathered together for righteousness have sacrificed their lives to resist foreign humiliation and save the country in this time of national calamity.
You are in danger, and you are worthy of standing in the world. But you two are unworthy of being kings. You are arrogant and extravagant, and you are close to the traitor. You allow the powerful and the sycophants to take over, endow the people with wealth, and guard and rob the army.
As a result, thieves have sprung up all over the world and foreign invaders have been allowed to run rampant. However, not only the children of your Zhao family have been brutally harmed, but also the people of Li have been brutally raped and harmed by the Tartars. Do you ever feel the slightest bit of guilt in your heart!?"
When Xiao Tang scolded him in person like this, Zhao Ji's expression changed, and then he looked like he was blaming himself, and he beat his chest and said, "What Xiao Aiqing said is true! I am unworthy of being a ruler, and I feel really ashamed! It's all because of my looseness and frivolity.
, I am lucky enough to hold power and make greedy people achieve their goals. The way of speech in the court is blocked, and flattery is heard every day. I teach those who eat too much to sit back and enjoy wealth and honor. Disasters happen unexpectedly but I don’t understand them. The common people are resentful but I don’t know...
..Now we have made a big mistake, but it has harmed the Zhao family and caused all the people to suffer. How can we regret it if we only pursue our own mistakes!"
Not only Zhao Ji cried out in sorrow and blamed himself, but Zhao Huan who was beside him was also filled with sorrow and guilt. He squatted on the ground and called me mediocre and cowardly. I was a burden to my ancestors and a failure to all the people...except in front of Xiao Tang. Almost agreeing with the attitude of submission, and for the reason of getting the other party's consent to release them and returning to Bianliang, Tokyo, they had the painful experience of being captured and humiliated by the Jin army, and they only regretted it when they were in a desperate situation. Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan at least He could realize that it was indeed his fault that caused such a catastrophic disaster. He had suffered humiliation at the hands of the Jin Army, and now he could not care about the majesty of the emperor. The father and son were howling and blaming themselves, but it was not their fault. Acting to stay safe...
It's just that although Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan no longer care about the emperor's face, behind them there are many court officials who were captured by the Jin army and are now gathered together. Among them, one of them has already stood up. He came and said angrily and passionately: "As a minister, the king worries about his ministers' labor, and the king humiliates his ministers to death! Leader Xiao, although he is now willing to lead the green forest soldiers and horses as King Qin's righteous army, here he will fight against the golden thieves and rescue the two emperors. He has accomplished so many things by pacifying the foreign invaders and causing trouble, but he cannot insult the Holy One like this!"?
The idea of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country is still deeply rooted in the bones of many scholars today... Although Xiao Tang just sighed inwardly when he saw the civil servant first jumping out to accuse him, he was not annoyed at all, but felt sorry for that scholar. The minister still had some respect and asked: "But you don't know the name of this gentleman?"
Seeing that Xiao Tang was not angry, the civil servant spoke politely and bowed calmly. Unexpectedly, after the man announced his name, Xiao Tang's face suddenly dropped: "I don't dare to take it seriously. I am Qin Hui and Qin Hui." Therefore, in the fifth year of Zhenghe's reign, he passed the imperial examination and received the emperor's favor. Now he is serving as the censor Zhongcheng."
