vrcanaries Chapter 426 Two Gold Medals
Chapter 426 Two Gold Medals
In another timeline, Zhao Gou's anger intensified, and the comments in the live stream were determined to utterly denigrate him!
What did he do wrong? Why not try to reduce casualties by offering some conditions? Why insist on fighting?! You should pay for all that military spending!
Now that things have developed to this point, what can he do? If the Southern Song Dynasty had no external threats and no internal troubles, he could have been a ruler who could defend the city with peace of mind.
His father was much better; at least he enjoyed good fortune during the reign of Emperor Zhezong. He, on the other hand, spent his days either hiding from the Jurchens or causing internal troubles!
It seems Qin Hui cannot be allowed to live. If things continue along the original historical trajectory, he probably won't even be able to hold onto his position!
……
In the live broadcast room at this time.
Lin Ke lamented that the Southern Song Dynasty was not easy, Yue Fei was miserable, and more than ten years of hard work had been wasted!
How many decades does one have in a lifetime?!
"After Yue Fei returned to Ezhou, he led two thousand cavalrymen across the river from Shunchang Prefecture to the temporary residence of Zhao Gou, so as to report to him."
"On the other hand, Wanyan Zongbi was really happy. He originally thought that the Song court would occupy Kaifeng because of this, but I don't know what crazy thing they did to send Yue Fei back!"
"Wouldn't that just benefit Wanyan Zongbi? So after Yue Fei returned to base, Wanyan Zongbi dispatched his generals, with Kong Yanzhou as the vanguard, to retake Kaifeng Prefecture and other prefectures!"
"At that time, it was a really good situation for the Song court, but this order to withdraw the troops caused morale to plummet. When Yue Fei retreated, he left only a small number of troops, and most areas could not resist the Jin army's attack."
"For example, when Kong Yanzhou attacked Zhengzhou, he had previously launched a night raid on the Jin camp in Zhongmu County, and with considerable success. He was preparing to capture Liu Zheng, who was unfortunately captured in this Song-Jin conflict."
"Other armies, such as Meng Bangjie stationed in Dengfeng County, Henan Prefecture, Xijing, and Guo Qing and Guo Yuan guarding Ruzhou, also retreated. It can be said that the retreat of these people was closely related to the orders given by that scoundrel Zhao Gou!"
"In early August, General Zhai of the Jin army returned and led his troops to besiege Huaining Prefecture. At this time, Zhao Bingyuan took over as the prefect of the area."
"This man originally did not want to serve as Yue Fei's subordinate, and he was not the type to resist. For example, in the winter of the fourth year of Shaoxing, when the Jin army invaded the south, Zhao Bingyuan was afraid of the enemy and abandoned the city and fled."
"Later, for some reason, he was demoted and transferred to Yue Fei's command. There's a saying that birds of a feather flock together, and that's not without reason."
"Zhao Bingyuan was merely afraid of battle, not a coward. He was influenced by others in Yue Fei's camp, which caused him to change as well."
"When faced with General Zhai's attack, Zhao Bingyuan did not abandon the city and flee. Instead, he actively organized a counterattack, joining forces with the reinforcements sent by Yue Fei, Li Shan and Shi Gui, as well as the reinforcements sent by Liu Qi, Han Zhi, to launch a pincer attack!"
"In the end, the Song army fought bravely and defeated the Jin army, thus ending the last battle of Yue Fei's Northern Expedition."
The optimist Su Dongpo: What we've captured has been taken back again. The sacrifices of our soldiers weren't in vain; they were all brave young men of the Song Dynasty fighting for their country!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: The key point is that even those commoners who returned from the south are still called "reformed people" by the court, and such officials are even ostracized!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: But these occupied areas were not all due to the weakness and incompetence of the Song court; it was only the folk uprisings that continuously resisted!
An official from the Han Dynasty commented: "The consequences of Yue Fei's retreat have appeared so quickly! It's clear that withdrawing troops was not a good strategy!"
……
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly gazed into the distance. They didn't know where that place was, but their hearts still ached, and their expressions were sorrowful.
The Jingkang Incident may be hundreds of years away from this moment, or it may be happening right now.
The lessons of a nation shattered and unrecognizable in the past were not enough for Zhao Gou or Qin Hui to remember.
During the Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou established the Southern Song Dynasty to continue the Song Dynasty. He should have been the founding monarch who saved the dynasty from collapse, so why was he unable to firmly believe in resisting the Jin Dynasty?
If Zhao Gou had too few capable civil and military officials, there would be regret, but not too much heartache.
If this fellow had possessed the ambition to not give up until he destroyed the Jin dynasty's stronghold, then the Southern Song dynasty would not have remained confined to a corner of the country for so long.
Those sitting here listening to the aftermath would not be so heartbroken, grieving that a man who had been loyal to the emperor and loved his country his whole life had no good end!
.........
Meanwhile, in the live stream room.
Lin Ke sighed again: "The various Henan prefectures that had been gained during the Northern Expedition have fallen one after another. When Yue Fei heard this terrible news, he was filled with grief and indignation, and even said:"
"If all the captured prefectures are lost, the state and its territory will be difficult to revive..."
"It's normal for Yue Fei to have such feelings. Even if it were me, after fighting hard for half a day, only to find the next day that we've gone back to square one, I would want to kill the culprit!"
"Besides, he wasn't wrong. Zhao Gou lived too long. By the time Emperor Xiaozong of Song came to power and ascended the throne, even if he had the desire to launch a northern expedition, he wouldn't have as many civil and military officials as he had during Zhao Gou's time. Moreover, Emperor Shizong of Jin on the other side of the Jin Dynasty should not be underestimated."
"In other words, the best period for the Southern Song Dynasty's Northern Expeditions was during Yue Fei's time."
"Especially in the tenth year of Shaoxing (1140 AD), when military generals such as Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and Liu Qi were at their peak, even the civilian anti-Jin groups were not afraid of the Jin people at all. It's just a pity that Zhao Gou's personal will couldn't keep up."
"Only after Yue Fei withdrew his troops did Zhao Gou learn of the victories at Yancheng and Yingchang, and especially in late July he received Yue Fei's memorial dated the 18th opposing the withdrawal."
"His mind changed again; in short, his hesitation returned, and it seemed like continuing to fight wasn't out of the question!"
"However, Zhao Gou immediately issued an edict: 'Stay in the west of the capital and observe the enemy's intentions...'"
"By the time Yue Fei received the letter, he had already returned to the capital. After all, transportation was limited at the time, so Zhao Gou should not have hesitated and should have been more decisive."
"He should understand that if he misses this opportunity, there will never be another chance like it, and it will be too late for regrets!"