vrcanaries Chapter 389 Zhao Gou: Another Day on the Run
Chapter 389 Zhao Gou: Another Day on the Run
During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song
Upon hearing this, everyone stared in disbelief, exchanging bewildered glances. It seemed that, in the style of Emperor Taizong, this was not entirely incomprehensible.
However, they all felt sympathy for Wanyan Zongbi, who was chasing after Emperor Gaozong, for this kind of running!
If they hadn't known beforehand that Zhao Gou lacked the ability, they would have thought he was just playing around with the Jurchens!
At this moment, Zhao Zhen, who was sitting above, was very troubled. Zhao Gou's way of running away was unprecedented and would never be repeated!
But simply fleeing south doesn't seem like a good solution. Besides, it will become known throughout the world that the Zhao family only knows how to run away and beg for peace!
It is truly a disgrace to the founding father's great cause!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke took a sip of water and continued, "Zhang Jun and Yang Yizhong voluntarily stayed behind to resist the Jin people in order to ensure that Emperor Gaozong of Song could escape smoothly."
"The Battle of Mingzhou broke out under these circumstances. It's just unclear whether, at some point, Zhang Jun, watching Zhao Gou's figure recede into the distance, also considered fleeing."
"As for the Jurchens, from Jiankang to Hangzhou, and even after they captured Hangzhou, they learned that their target, Zhao Gou, had already fled to the sea."
"As pure northerners, Wanyan Zongbi and his men are completely unfamiliar with the south. They can cope with the harsh winter, but when it comes to naval battles, these northerners may not be so good at it!"
"However, Wanyan Zongbi only thought about how he had exhausted his energy, manpower, and food resources in the pursuit."
"In the end, he didn't even get a single hair from Zhao Gou, and he was so angry that his eyes were blazing with fury. There was no way he would give up!"
"So even though Wanyan Zongbi wasn't good at naval warfare, he still went ahead despite the odds! He replaced his warhorses with warships, and on the other hand, he sent the Jin general Ali to lead four thousand soldiers in pursuit."
"In short, whether it's on the sea or on land, Wanyan Zongbi will not let that grandson Zhao Gou get away with it!"
"So at the end of the third year of Jianyan, which was also New Year's Eve of that year, the Jin army pursued them all the way to the city of Mingzhou."
"If it weren't for this external threat, the people of the Song Dynasty would probably already be welcoming the New Year."
"Unfortunately, there are no 'what ifs.' Even without Zhao Ji's alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao, the Jin would still have moved south, perhaps even worse. The most important thing to change wasn't avoiding the wrong choice."
"But if those in power give Zhao Gou and Zhao Huan a chance, will they trust people like Li Gang and Zong Ze as much as Zhu Qiyu trusted Yu Qian?"
"You all know the answer to this; it's just human nature, there's nothing we can do about it."
Upon hearing this, there were very few comments in the live stream, as if Song's pleas for peace had become the norm, and no one had anything to say about it.
What kind of hatred can inspire people to rise up in resistance? Nothing more than national and personal vendettas.
However, this approach clearly did not apply to Zhao Gou. He did not remember the Zhao clan members who had been captured by the Jurchens, nor did he remember the loss of half of the country!
If they truly cared, they wouldn't be so complacent about enjoying themselves in Yangzhou!
Forget about trust, we can't even let them work as our subjects without interfering!
The live stream is still ongoing:
"That said, the first phase of the Battle of Mingzhou officially began on New Year's Eve when the Jin troops appeared. Prior to this, Zhang Jun had also made some preparations."
"As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' Therefore, according to historical records, Zhang Jun initially sent scouts to investigate the strength and weaknesses of the Jin army, but to no avail, as no one dared to respond." (Compiled by the Three Dynasties' Northern Alliance)
"This might indirectly suggest that Zhao Gou's decision to leave Zhang Jun in charge of Mingzhou was a last-minute one, and that the soldiers under his command were not in very good condition."
"But it is precisely at times like these that one's will is truly revealed. At that time, only one soldier named Ren Cun spoke up, expressing his willingness to go. He also returned with intelligence to inform Zhang Jun."
"Subsequently, the Jin army besieged the city, and this group followed Zhao Gou all the way, encountering no major enemies along the way. Upon reaching Mingzhou, they immediately engaged in battle."
"The Jin troops attacked the west gate from Gaoqiao, advancing in unison. Zhang Jun's general Liu Bao launched an offensive, while other brave generals such as Yang Yizhong and Tian Shizhong fought a desperate battle!"
"In the end, the Jin army was defeated, and the Song army achieved the first stage of victory."
"Not two days later, the Jin army launched a second offensive against Mingzhou. Yang Yizhong took the lead and charged into the enemy's encirclement with a long spear, making the enemy cry out in pain."
"The Jin army's repeated defeats made them realize that the Song army on the other side was not as easy to defeat as before, so when they could not defeat them, they called for help from their allies and sent a request for reinforcements to Wanyan Zongbi."
"But the Jin army commander was afraid that the Song army would launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night and that he would be killed before the reinforcements arrived, so he led his troops to flee first and then retreated to Yuyao to wait for the reinforcements to arrive."
"Zhang Jun withdrew from Mingzhou after completing his rearguard mission, and Mingzhou was subsequently occupied by the Jurchens."
"And Zhao Gou, thanks to Zhang Jun and others for hindering the Jurchen advance, had time to escape by sea."
"However, before the Battle of Mingzhou, he had already traveled by boat to Wenzhou. If given two more days, he would probably have gone even further!"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Good heavens! It seems so easy for this guy to go out to sea by boat!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Wow... this guy can really run! I'm a little curious, does he get seasick?
Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty: If we're talking about seasickness, perhaps the Jurchens were more likely to get seasick than he was, after all, their lifestyles are different!
A Han Dynasty official: People are just different. I've never been on a boat before!
Others who had also traveled by boat: ? ????……
……
Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty people who heard this couldn't help but laugh; Miss Lin's description sounded rather amusing.
An image instantly flashed into their minds: Zhao Gou was rowing the boat forward with all his might, while the Jurchens were chasing after him.
No wonder Zhao Gou had so much experience in evading the Jurchens. I wonder what it was like to go out to sea by boat?!
Upon hearing this, Zhu Di on the other side burst into laughter, realizing that Zhao Gou was not entirely without merit!
Look at this golden man, he's made it seem like he went around in circles, all for nothing!
But then, thinking of the ship, he suddenly said to the Zhu brothers, "Zheng He, it seems he's been gone for quite some time now. I wonder what he'll bring back!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi laughed and said, "It would be great if you could bring back some high-yield seeds!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu pursed his lips. If he brought back his nephew, his father would be even happier!
However, he dared not say these words aloud. Everyone knew that this was his father's Achilles' heel; no wonder later generations laughed at them, saying, "What a fine uncle and nephew!"
……