vrcanaries Chapter 320 Li Gang: I've Wasted My Time
Chapter 320 Li Gang: I've Wasted My Time
Lin Ke was speechless. She felt that this record from the late Northern Song Dynasty was utterly worthless. How could it be so bad!
Why is it that when other dynasties faced similar crises, they could turn defeat into victory, but the Song Dynasty couldn't?
"Alas... If Emperor Qinzong of Song had listened to Li Gang and stopped causing all those troubles, the Song Dynasty might have had a chance to turn the tide. But he didn't cherish it! Instead, he believed those civil officials and handed a great opportunity to the Jurchens!"
"We all suspect that these people are so close to the Jurchens! Is there something fishy going on? It's said that when Li Gang received the notice of his dismissal, he was still patrolling and training troops outside to prevent a Jurchen attack!"
"He believed that even without a reward, he shouldn't have been dismissed from office. The soldiers and the people were all indignant on his behalf. Anyone with eyes could see that Li Bangyan and his group in the Northern Song court were a cancer on the country!"
"Zhao Huan, however, simply doesn't believe it! He's truly puzzled by their actions. Do they really think they'll achieve their goal by overthrowing the Northern Song dynasty?!"
Emperor Qinzong of Song, Zhao Huan: There was once a Li Gang placed before me, but I did not cherish him...
Lin Ke calmed himself down and continued, "The fact that the surrender faction once again dominated the court, coupled with the demotion of figures like Zhong Shidao and Li Gang, has sparked discontent among the people and soldiers in the city."
"Among them were many passionate students from the Imperial Academy. They gathered a hundred men to petition the emperor, sparking a protest. Even soldiers and civilians from the city came to the city gates to plead for justice for Li Gang, knowing that he should not have been punished for this crime!"
"The situation escalated, with angry people trampling on the railings, and some even throwing stones at the surrender officials because they couldn't contain their anger."
"This caused the pro-surrender officials to flee in terror, with some even accusing them of trying to coerce the emperor into rebellion!!!"
"However, there are many sensible people in this matter. The group of imperial students directly confronted them, shouting loudly: 'It is better to coerce the emperor in the name of loyalty and righteousness than to coerce him in the name of treacherous officials!'"
"Therefore, Emperor Qinzong of Song could not withstand the pressure from these people and immediately reinstated Li Gang to his post, and stood with him on the city wall to meet the group of protesting people."
"Although these students of the Imperial Academy achieved their goal, they also indirectly sowed the seeds for Li Gang's later lack of favor. The reason is simple: Zhao Huan may not be good at much else, but he certainly has the emperor's bad temper."
"Because so many people participated in this movement, he became uneasy. How could Li Gang's popularity surpass that of the emperor? Besides, he was coerced into making the decision, and he began to fear Li Gang!"
"Therefore, the next day, Zhao Huan issued an edict stating that the protests by the imperial students were the root cause of the unrest, and that if there were any further protests, the protesters would be dealt with according to military law!"
"I'm truly impressed. Zhao Huan doesn't lose his temper like that with those Jurchens, but he's so tough on these people. Besides, when the country is in danger, is this the time to be thinking about this???"
The first few emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty: ...
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: In a word, he's rotten to the core!
Zhu Houzhao, the number one mischievous child of the Ming Dynasty: Grandfather Taizu, these are four words!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: Get lost!
A bystander in the Tang Dynasty commented: "Why does this feel so pathetic!"
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...Speechless...
Liu Zhuzhu of the Great Han Dynasty: Although Zhao Ji fled, no one could be as bad at governing the country as Zhao Huan!
In another timeline, Li Gang felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow. He only wanted to help the Song Dynasty escape its predicament, but he never imagined it would be so difficult!
However, Li Gang was able to continue serving the Song Dynasty and resisting the Jin people. But if the emperor really had that attitude, even with the guidance on the small screen, the Northern Song Dynasty would still have its city gates breached by the Jin people, just as recorded in the records.
……
Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. Was this damned Song Dynasty trying to kill him?
Unable to distinguish between good and bad, this coward's courage shrank back after just one failed raid!
I don't think he's got guts, he's just plain spineless! He's infuriating!
Zhu Di, on the other side, caught a glimpse of his father's face and knew he was angry. Fearing that the anger would spread to him, he immediately ran away when his father wasn't paying attention.
Zhu Biao, who was writing furiously to the side: ...Didn't we agree that I was here to share some of the administrative duties?!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
"After Li Gang was reinstated, he reorganized the army and ordered that those who fought bravely would be rewarded, which boosted morale to some extent."
"However, this did not stop Zhao Huan's fear of the Jurchens. He was still terrified. The anger he felt when they dug up his ancestral graves back then is nowhere to be seen now!"
"So when Zhao Huan and Wanyan Zongwang talked again, they didn't change anything. They still compromised and backed down, just like last time, demanding that the Prince of Kang be taken hostage and that the three towns be ceded, as well as the millions of coins they had plundered."
"The Jurchens came to Kaifeng and did nothing but besiege the city, negotiate, and wander around aimlessly... waiting for the Song army to raid the camp, then they negotiated a settlement and left."
"On the other hand, the Song Dynasty was not only embroiled in external conflicts, but also in internal strife, with one memorable scene after another! They were certainly never idle!!!"
"However, Wanyan Zongwang also understood that Li Gang was actually capable, so he didn't want to get involved with the Song people anymore and quickly took the money and agreements he had swindled and ran away."
"When the Jin retreated, Zhao Huan was very happy, as his biggest worry had disappeared. But he didn't consider that sometimes this was only a temporary solution. The Jin's threat to the Song still existed. Would they continue to seek peace through humiliation?"
Liu Zhuzhu of the Great Han Dynasty: ...You never expected that we would be attacking the Song Dynasty again in less than a year!
First Emperor: Foolish!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: She's really suffering from aversion to stupidity!
Li Qingzhao of the Song Dynasty: ...
Shangguan Wan'er of the Tang Dynasty: Whether it's something they didn't expect or something they're just deceiving themselves... they know the answer in their hearts...
Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: Rebellious grandson!!!
……
"And the group of civil officials led by Li Bangyan were also restless. The court had seemingly returned to order, and the people had temporarily enjoyed a peaceful life. But what about those students who had rioted in the past? What about Li Gang, who had gone against them?!"
"Therefore, after the imperial court lifted the siege, these people did not rest on their laurels, but instead sought to settle scores, especially against Li Gang, whom they deeply disliked."
"Therefore, the pro-peace officials petitioned to remove Chen Dong, the initiator of the Imperial Academy movement, while Wang Shiyong, the Prefect of Jingzhao, wanted to arrest all the Imperial Academy students who participated in the petition."
"For a time, everyone was in danger, but fortunately, Yang Shi, the then Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, affirmed the students' loyalty and righteousness, and the matter gradually calmed down."
"But Emperor Qinzong Zhao Huan must have some reservations. However, he has more important things to worry about now. The predicament in the capital has been resolved, so what should he, Zhao Huan, do about the retired Emperor Huizong?"
"As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain, let alone the imperial family. Although the Northern Song Dynasty is only enjoying a brief period of peace before its demise, it cannot stop these two from fighting openly and secretly."
"By the way, it's said that the relationship between Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong of Song was not very good."
"There are even rumors that Emperor Huizong considered changing the crown prince, but it's really unclear whether this is true or not."
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: What's the point of fighting for this lousy position? It's just half a year longer!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: They worked for half a year, and then went north to study together. How could they suffer?!