vrcanaries Chapter 312 Kaifeng Besieged
Chapter 312 Kaifeng Besieged
Sun Yi: Of course I know it's a good plan! But without official orders, how dare he?!
"However, as mentioned before, Song army generals only have the ability to command troops, not the authority to deploy them."
"Therefore, if one wanted to change the strategy, one would have to send a message to the Privy Council in advance, which would waste a lot of time. So Sun Yi did not use this strategy." (History of Song)
"But! We're saying the Northern Song Dynasty is facing a life-or-death crisis. Can't you at least put up a fight and try to save it?"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: The generals of the Song Dynasty were extremely loyal to their emperor, I don't know why!
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Alas... a choice can lead to vastly different outcomes. Sun Yi probably died in battle too!
A Han Dynasty official: This is tricky! The Zhao family is known for their good temper, can't they just act first and ask for permission later?
The expressions of people from other timelines: (?﹏?), they probably understood what kind of personality this general had.
He preferred to face the Jin soldiers head-on rather than act first and report later, which suggests he was a loyal and courageous person.
It's a pity that they didn't choose another path, but instead chose to obey orders from above!
……
Lin Ke's voice continued to ring out, and people from different time periods continued to listen.
"After Sun Yi died while leading the rescue of Taiyuan, only Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi remained of the three armies, with a total strength of about 40,000 men. However, there was a problem."
"Because Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi were rushing to Taiyuan, the soldiers were very tired from the journey, while the Jin people had eaten and drunk their fill and were ready to fight."
"Under the combined attack of the Jin army, which involved a series of flanking maneuvers, the Song army's first attempt to relieve Taiyuan ended in failure."
"This rescue operation has highlighted the shortcomings of the Song army that we have previously discussed, and it is indeed a major problem."
"Commanders cannot have the authority to deploy troops. It is important to understand that the situation in war is constantly changing. If they cannot respond flexibly and only know how to obey, then the military will run into problems in the long run!"
"Look at the Song Dynasty now, isn't it suffering the bitter fruit of what it set up a hundred years ago?!"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ?????……
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: Thinking of the eight-legged essay in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it also restricted my thinking!
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary Army: ...Well thought out, but don't try anything funny next time!!!
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty: ...Thanks for the invitation! Don't bring up the Qing Dynasty if you're talking about the Ming Dynasty!!!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: ...
"After Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi were defeated, only Taiyuan City remained. According to the above, Taiyuan City became an isolated city and could not wait for the Song Dynasty's rescue for the time being."
"Therefore, Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing acted decisively and brought a large amount of food and water from outside the city before the Jurchens approached. Although reinforcements from the surrounding areas could not reach them, the Jurchens would not be able to easily break in in the short term!"
"Taiyuan City, as mentioned before, is very difficult to attack, so Wanyan Zonghan used various siege tactics such as lasso carts, siege ladders, siege engines, and catapults."
"However, Wang Bing always managed to find a way to deal with it, which made Wanyan Zonghan very angry. He had been busy for most of the day but to no avail!"
"Later, Wang Bing seized the opportunity when the Jin army was weak, brandished his sword and went out of the city to launch a counterattack, which greatly boosted the morale of the Song army and reversed the situation!"
"If Emperor Huizong of Song, or rather, Emperor Qinzong of Song, hadn't held back under these circumstances, perhaps the Jingkang Incident wouldn't have been so tragic!"
"To be honest, the capture of Emperor Huizong of Song and his son Emperor Qinzong of Song by the Jurchens was largely due to their questionable actions. Later, the Jurchens bestowed upon them the titles of Duke of Hunde and Marquis of Chonghun, which are quite fitting names!"
"I ask you this: the battle situation is still unclear and at a stalemate, yet the emperor is ceding territory, including Taiyuan, which was being defended to the death!"
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty: ??? Is he out of his mind?! How can they cede this?!
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: ...Can't he have some backbone?! Stand up straight! Don't cut it yet! Wouldn't that be a waste of time?!
An official from the Han Dynasty: Did Emperor Huizong live up to the wealth his father and brothers had worked so hard to accumulate?!
Emperor Zhezong of Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: ?凸(艹皿艹 )……
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty (cursing): Zhao Ji gave birth to these two sons, no! These three good-for-nothings... They're driving me crazy!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: This is the kind of situation that would make even Emperor Taizu of Song furious! It seems we all have an unfilial descendant!
The emperors who were defeated: ...
Qin Dynasty
The First Emperor's eyes were deep and his brows were furrowed. He simply couldn't understand how Emperor Qinzong of Song had come up with the idea of ceding territory!
Even if we assume that their military capabilities are really poor, there's no need to just agree to cede territory like that!
Could it be that he was frightened by the Jurchens? He recalled the reason for Emperor Huizong's abdication and understood.
The common people of the Qin Dynasty, upon hearing that Emperor Qinzong of Song intended to cede territory and disregard the generals who were defending the front lines, frankly, even they, as bystanders, couldn't understand it.
……
"Wanyan Zonghan tried every possible method, but Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing led the residents of Taiyuan in fierce battles for days, vowing to defend the city to the death."
"In the end, the Jin army could only surround Taiyuan City. After a prolonged siege, Wanyan Zonghan had no choice but to suspend the attack."
"Let's turn our attention to another group of Jin troops led by Wanyan Zongwang. This group is not like Wanyan Zonghan's, and they quickly reached the city gates. However, before the Jin people crossed the Yellow River, the Song Dynasty received the news."
"Next, let's introduce Emperor Huizong of Song's [micro-management personal show]."
Upon hearing Lin Ke's words, the Northern Song emperor had a very bad feeling. He hadn't abdicated! What other trouble could he possibly be causing!?
"We all know that Emperor Huizong of Song feigned fainting before the Jurchens approached, leaving the mess of being emperor to his eldest son, Zhao Heng."
"But I didn't mention that Zhao Heng was actually well aware of the current situation and, disregarding the [deep father-son bond], resolutely refused!"
"Just like many years ago when Emperor Huizong of Song and Empress Dowager Xiang were pulling and shoving each other, and he was forced to ascend to the throne, Zhao Heng also had to cry and be forced to ascend to the throne!"
"But times have changed. I believe Zhao Heng's actions of being forced are absolutely genuine!"
"After Emperor Huizong abdicated, he did not rest. He immediately packed his things and, along with his confidants and cronies, including Tong Guan, headed south. It is said that he fled to the seat of Cai Xiao, the son of Cai Jing and the newly appointed prefect of Zhenjiang."
"If Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty had had the audacity to simply run away, perhaps he wouldn't have died so quickly. Even Emperor Li Longji, who was considered one of the greatest emperors in history, wasn't as carefree as him!"
After all, Emperor Huizong of Song had established his own small court there. One puzzling aspect of this retired emperor's actions was that, having chosen to flee, he then returned to seize power from his son once the situation stabilized.
"So, I ask you, was it absolutely necessary for the emperor in the late Northern Song Dynasty to become emperor?! Was it necessary to fight for this power at this time (1126)?"
"It should be noted that the Jingkang Incident occurred in 1127 AD, which was only about half a year ago."
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: This makes it sound like our Zhu family doesn't even know how to run away!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: ...So Zhao Guangyi's escape on a donkey is hereditary!?
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: ...
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: He ran away, then came back. What's the point of that?!
A farming expert from the Ming Dynasty: If he hadn't returned, he might not have been arrested, since the Southern Song Dynasty was later based in Jiangnan anyway.
……
"Let's go back to Emperor Qinzong of Song, Zhao Huan, who was abandoned. He ascended the throne in a hurry, and before he could enjoy it, he had to face the predicament of the Jin army besieging the city. This was also known as the Battle of Tokyo."
"Although both cases involve a predicament in the capital and the same appointment to a critical mission, there is a fundamental difference between this and the defense of the capital caused by the Tumu Crisis in the Ming Dynasty."
"The main reason is that Zhu Qiyu is much more reliable than Zhao Heng. At least he has a very tough attitude towards outsiders, and he values and trusts Yu Qian's abilities."
"As for Emperor Qinzong of Song, putting aside everything else, at this critical juncture, the emperor and his ministers were in complete chaos, and even the infighting among the political elites in the court had not yet ended. There were those who advocated peace talks, those who advocated moving south, and of course, there were also those who advocated war."
Everyone in the Northern Song Dynasty: (╬??皿??)！！