vrcanaries Chapter 367 Zhao Gou: The Only Son Outside the Zhao Family
Chapter 367 Zhao Gou: The Only Son Outside the Zhao Family
Lin Ke: So you're thinking you'll still be sick at eighty?
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke paused, then continued, "However, after saying so much, Zhao Gou himself is quite conflicted right now."
"If he goes, that would mean disobeying his brother; if he goes, he worries that once the siege is over, his brother will get rid of him."
"To go or not to go, that is the question!!!"
Zhao Gou: I choose not to go! I don't have to fight the Jurchens, and I can outlive my brother!
"Zhao Gou, after all, now holds military power and is a prince; isn't he practically a regional king? The last time a regional king successfully rebelled was Judy."
"However, comparatively speaking, Zhao Gou weighed the pros and cons at this point, and the chances of winning by not going were clearly greater!"
"There are many advantages. We won't have to face the brutal Jurchens, and we can even become emperor after Emperor Qinzong is captured. He said: We can't let the Zhao family line end!!!"
"Thus, Emperor Qinzong never saw his beloved younger brother again until he was arrested."
"But Zhao Gou did not remain silent. For example, he first sent Zong Ze to check on things, telling Zong Ze that he would wait until he received the imperial decree to advance before setting off!"
"Actually, given the Song court's situation at the time, the chances of success were slim. After all, the entire city was not united; they couldn't even be considered to be on the same page against a common enemy."
"But that's what they say. Zhao Gou was also very cunning. He first fooled Zong Ze, and as soon as Zong Ze left, Zhao Gou immediately slipped away and ran to Dongping."
Everyone in Wanchao: Oh my god... this is outrageous!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: I told you this kid was no good! Why is he cowering and running away when he has troops?!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...I'm really puzzled. Where does this cowardly attitude of the Zhao family come from? How come they've been so timid and hesitant for generations since Emperor Huizong?!
Changsun Wuji of the Tang Dynasty: It's hereditary. You can tell from the time Emperor Taizong ran away on a donkey cart. This guy has a cowardly gene in his blood.
Liu Zhuzhu (Big Han): It's a pity that Zong Ze was wholeheartedly devoted to the Song Dynasty and actually listened to Zhao Gou's words to lift the siege of Kaifeng! Zhao Gou ran fast enough!
........
Lin Ke agreed with these comments; even if he wanted to run away, wasn't this a bit too fast?
Immediately afterwards, the live stream began to describe Zong Ze's situation.
"Zong Ze encountered Jin soldiers left behind near Mingzhou by Wanyan Zongwang on his way from Xiangzhou to Kaide Prefecture."
"Several victories since the start of the battle have greatly dampened the morale of the Jin troops on this side."
"However, Zong Ze's speed was still not as fast as Zong Wang's speed in taking Emperors Huizong and Qinzong back to their hometown. In the end, he stayed in Weizhou to observe in secret."
"Before leaving, Wanyan Zongwang specifically asked Zhang Bangchang if he wanted to leave some men behind to keep order."
"However, how could the Song court officials possibly give him this opportunity? They had only agreed to it in order to get rid of these plagues as soon as possible, so they refused, saying: There are differences between the North and the South, please return!"
"On the other hand, after the Jurchens left, this so-called Northern Chu soon ran into problems, and the first person to oppose it was Emperor Zhang Bangchang."
"He knew his own limitations. Since ascending the throne, he's been unable to sleep or eat properly. You could say he was forced to become emperor, which is evident from his behavior."
"Aside from putting on a show in front of the Jurchens, he didn't enjoy the rights of an emperor at other times, and he didn't touch any of the objects or rituals."
"But Zhang Bangchang had no such intention. However, some people wanted to gain credit for his role in the rise of the new emperor, such as Wang Shiyong and Fan Qiong, who had contributed to this incident."
Zhang Bangchang: So annoying! Being an emperor is so hard! There are two flies buzzing around me, never stopping!
Wang Shiyong and Fan Qiong: Your Majesty! Your Majesty! ........
"Of course, Zhang Bangchang ignored the two men's sycophantic behavior. In his opinion, as long as he was sensible, he could always get away unscathed. After all, he didn't want to be this damned emperor!"
"Moreover, he was forced into it. Did you see? He was coerced by two large swords, one to subdue people with virtue and the other with force."
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: How naive... I bet this guy's ending won't be good!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: But he was indeed forced, but there was really no other way!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "If he wants to live, he can strongly demand that the Jin people leave their troops."
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: He was indeed quite timid, but he was unlucky enough to be chosen as a puppet emperor.
……
Jingkang Year 1
Upon hearing this, Zhang Bangchang gradually felt a bad premonition and began to overthink.
He went to such lengths, and still didn't get a good ending?!
But he didn't become emperor, and he didn't destroy the Northern Song Dynasty, so why blame him?
Why am I so unlucky to have been chosen by Emperor Qinzong to go to the Jin camp with Prince Kang?!
……
In another timeline, Zhu Qiyu was filled with emotion. Both the capital and the emperor were besieged, and both were appointed to important positions in times of crisis. Their fates were indeed similar.
The difference is that he still trusts Yu Qian. See? As the old saying goes, "He who listens to advice will have a full stomach!"
Although Zhu Qiyu never ascended the throne in history, he preserved the ancestral land!
Zhu Qiyu (proud face): ????????＜)?…
……
In the live broadcast room at this time.
Lin Ke continued, "Things in this world are always changing, and there's no time to plan ahead."
"Zhang Bangchang was a cowardly and timid man. After the Jurchens left, he kept a low profile and that was exactly what he planned. So his final outcome couldn't be too bad!"
"But fate wouldn't let him have it so easily; an accident happened."
"At that time, Emperor Huizong's concubines were arrested, but one of them, Lady Li, was released."
"The Jurchens did this to select a concubine for Zhang Bangchang, after all, what emperor doesn't have concubines!"
"One day, Zhang Bangchang got drunk, and the two of them slept together. Later, Li even introduced her goddaughter to Zhang Bangchang. What a messy relationship!"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: A subject who slept with the emperor's concubine—that's truly the first time!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: This is absolutely outrageous!
"After the Great Plague God, the Golden Man, left, Zhang Bangchang also wanted to return it to the Zhao family so that he wouldn't have to live in fear anymore!"
"This suggestion was agreed upon by all the court officials except for Fan Qiong and Wang Shiyong. They were forced into it, and they were all loyal to the Zhao family."
"Therefore, people like Lü Haowen suggested to Zhang Bangchang that Prince Kang, Zhao Gou, be made emperor."
"Let's look at Grand Marshal Zhao Gou's side. He's been lucky; he hasn't encountered any Jurchens along the way, which has allowed his troops to grow in number."
"At that time, almost everyone was optimistic about him and hoped that he would succeed to the throne. After all, Zhao Gou was the only prince of the Zhao family who was not living outside the capital. If he didn't inherit the throne, who would?!"
Lin Ke's words stirred a subtle excitement in Zhao Gou of the other timeline. Look, his main event is about to begin!
This part of his life can be considered a turning point for the Song Dynasty!
Clearly, Zhao Gou's plan failed; who would have any expectations of him?
"If the people of the Song Dynasty hadn't been unaware of what Zhao Gou would do in the future, they might have regretted choosing this guy as their emperor!"
Song Dynasty official: Oh...we had no choice!
"As for the throne of the Zhao family, although people in other periods would see it as nothing more than taking over a mess."
"But Grand Marshal Zhao Gou was still very envious. When he was young, he was not a favored prince, and it seemed that few people could remember him."
"But fate is sometimes very strange. This prince, who was not favored by Emperor Huizong, actually became the emperor of the Song Dynasty one day."
"Anyone would be quite agitated in this situation! We can understand!"
"However, Zhang Bangchang and Zhao Gou are quite destined to meet. They entered the Jin camp together, and now their identities are somewhat similar, both having some connection with the emperor!"
"One is a reserve emperor, the other is an emperor's certificate issued by the Jurchens—they're quite a good match!"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: We know, who would have thought that we could become emperor with a broken bowl!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: However, the Southern Song Dynasty did have a terrible start, but it had good cards in its hand!
The First Emperor: The Song Dynasty always missed its opportunities, which is quite a strange dynasty!
Emperor Zhao Zhen, considered the most benevolent ruler of all time: Even as a person from the Song Dynasty, I find this utterly outrageous!
Sang Hongyang of the Great Han Dynasty: ...Indeed, I never imagined that an emperor would act in this way...
Before Wan Chaozhong could finish commenting, Lin Ke continued, "So, for the sake of his succession, on the one hand, he ordered Zong Ze to continue advancing towards Kaifeng, the purpose of which was to make Zhang Bangchang realize the situation and not be so naive!"
"On the other hand, he also promoted his reputation and improved his status among the people. In short, he wanted people to know: I, Zhao Gou, am the only one in the Zhao family who hasn't been arrested, understand?!"
Everyone in the Song Dynasty (with disgusted expressions): ...