There was another person who suffered from insomnia with Zhang Han tonight, that is, the current emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Mao, who was later known as Lizong of the Song Dynasty.
They both toss and turn, but the reasons why Zhao Mao and Zhang Han suffer from insomnia are completely different!
At this time, Zhao Ma was leaning in the Lin'an Palace, panting slightly on the several-foot-wide dragon bed in the emperor's palace.
After a fierce battle, a faint blush appeared all over the beautiful concubine beside her. Her graceful and plump figure was looming between the thin gauze quilt, and her gentle voice could not be heard in the room.
If ordinary people saw it, their blood would probably boil. But Zhao Ma was not in the mood to even take a look at the beauty next to him. Following his gaze, you can see that he is staring blankly at the intricately carved patterns on the top of the dragon bed.
~~
A long while. Zhao Ming sighed quietly, lifted up the gauze curtain of the dragon bed and shouted outside, "Come here! Change clothes."
I want to go for a walk in the garden. "
As soon as he finished speaking, several lanterns lit up in the huge room. Several eunuchs and maids on night duty all took action. Apart from the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other, the eunuchs and maids did not even make the slightest sound of footsteps.
Maybe it was because he was sleeping lightly, or maybe it was because Zhao Ma made a louder sound just now.
The concubine beside her had already opened her sleepy eyes, and was stretching out her bare hands to gently wipe her eyes to adapt to the sudden increase in light.
Then he turned to look at the man under the bed, his red lips parted slightly, and Nunuo asked, "Where are the officials going in the middle of the night?"
At this time, Zhao Mao was being served by the eunuch and began to put on clothes. When he heard his beloved concubine's question, he smiled and comforted her;
"My dear, please go to bed. I have something to worry about and can't sleep at night. I'm going to go out and get some fresh air!"
"Do you need me to accompany you?" After saying this, the concubine was about to stand up, but was gently held down by Zhao Ma's outstretched hand, "No need! Please rest, my dear concubine, and I will go on your own."
"Well..." The concubine yawned knowingly, turned over, and fell asleep again.
Until she heard a slight knock on the door, the concubine who pretended to be asleep quickly opened her eyes.
Turning around again, staring blankly at the looming door behind the gauze curtain, a tear fell gently and wetted the bright yellow pillow towel, and murmured;
"The official family... alas!"
The night is like water and the moon is like jade.
Although it is located in the south, the night wind in March is still a bit cool.
The night wind blew and Zhao Ming couldn't help but sneeze while sitting on the stone steps in the garden.
"Ah Qing...!"
Hear the sound. The eunuch waiting on the side quickly handed over the handkerchief. Zhao Ma took it and touched his face randomly twice before handing it to the person just now.
After Zhao Ma finished wiping, someone immediately put a mink cloak on him. Under the down wrap, Zhao Ma's body quickly warmed up.
At this time, the eunuch beside him said bravely: "Guan family, it's windy at night, so be careful..." But before he could finish his words, Zhao Ma stretched out his hand to stop him;
"It doesn't matter! The moonlight tonight is beautiful. How can we live up to the beautiful scenery on this good day?"
"This..." The great eunuch could only sigh, stopped talking, and waited quietly aside again.
I saw him gently pushing the little eunuch next to him and whispering to him;
'It's cold in the evening, so go get a pot of warm wine from the official's house to warm yourself up. '
The little eunuch nodded quickly, turned around quickly and went to get the wine.
After the little eunuch ran away, the surroundings returned to the quietness just now.
Not long after, the young eunuch trotted back with a complete set of drinking utensils. After the big eunuch stepped forward to tie the knot, he nodded to the little eunuch and headed towards the official's house.
The little eunuch's fatigue seemed to disappear in an instant, and the big eunuch's affirmation made him narrow his eyes in joy.
"Officials, have a drink of wine to warm yourself up!" The eunuch filled the wine glass and handed it to Zhao Ma, and said.
Zhao Ming withdrew his eyes admiring the moon, and took the wine glass from the eunuch's hand with a hum. "Gudong!" He raised his head and drank it.
Suddenly a line of fire rushed down from his throat. Under the influence of alcohol, not only did the body become warmer, but even the neck became slightly red.
The eunuch was shocked when he saw this; "You can't do it! The officials can't do it! The officials drink slowly... drink slowly! The dragon's body is important..."
"Ahem...hey~"
Zhao Ming didn't answer the eunuch's words. He coughed twice and threw the finished wine glass forward. Then he stood up, raised his arms high, raised his head and shouted to the bright moon in the sky;
"My long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled, but you are obstructing it in every possible way. You know my heart! You know my heart!"
The loud shouts penetrated into the clouds, causing the sparrows perched on the trees to fly away in all directions.
"Official...!"
The eunuchs and maids around heard this and exclaimed! He quickly fell to his knees on the ground.
After the voice died down, Zhao Ming vented his anger, turned his eyes back, looked at the people kneeling on the ground, and said calmly: "Everyone, get up! What's wrong with you?"
"Thank you, Guanjia..."
After hearing this, all the eunuchs and maids stood up cautiously and stepped aside.
The great eunuch came to Zhao Ma and said cautiously, "Why should the officials be so worried? This matter is the general trend and the will of the people. Some obstacles in the road are just mantis' arms blocking the car!"
Zhao Ming smiled bitterly and said, "I know Zhang Ban is comforting me, but now the court is getting more and more difficult. Recovering the lost land in the north will not only inspire the people, but also scare some treacherous people in the court. This can be said to be a good thing that kills two birds with one stone. It's a pity." The resistance from these people is too great, otherwise this time..."
The eunuch waited quietly for Zhao Ma to finish, then nodded in agreement, "What the officials said is true. But the traitor tree has deep roots, and we need to work on it slowly~ Don't you hear that Gou Jian worked hard for ten years before..."
"That's enough! Are you going to let me just watch them and manipulate the Song Dynasty for ten years?" Before the eunuch could finish his words, he was interrupted sharply by Zhao Ma.
"thump…!"
The great eunuch was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and shouted;
"This old slave deserves to die. This old slave made a mistake. Please punish me!"
Although Zhao Ming was in a good mood, he couldn't bear to punish the other party in his heart. After calming down, he directly stretched out his hand to ask the other person to get up;
"Get up! What's wrong with you? Those damned ones are still alive and well now!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." As soon as the eunuch got up, Zhao Mao's instructions came to his ears again;
"Go back, I'm tired at night..."
Zhao Mao slowly walked towards the original palace under the leadership of everyone. Before leaving, he specifically looked back at the bright moon hanging high in the sky. He clenched his fists in the dragon robe tightly and swore secretly in his heart;
"I will never compromise this time. This opportunity is once in a lifetime. This important matter must be completed in my hands, Zhao Ma!"
What is the big deal?
It actually made Zhao Ma, the king of a country, sleepless at night.
This begins after Song and Meng united to destroy the Jin...
Since the fall of Caizhou and the demise of the Jin Kingdom. Who is the happiest? One is the Great Khan of Mongolia, Wokuotai, and the other is the Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Ming.
Wokuotai was happy because the Kingdom of Jin had been Mongolia's feud for many years, and it was also Genghis Khan's long-cherished wish that had not yet been fulfilled in his life.
Ogedai eliminated the Jin Kingdom a few years after he came to power. Not only did he eliminate Mongolia's decades-old enemy, but he also fulfilled his father Temujin's long-cherished wish.
Therefore, after Zhang Hanjin presented the body of the Jin Emperor, a grand sacrificial ceremony was held in Wokuotai. Because as the successor of Genghis Khan, he needed to complete his father's unfinished business.
At that sacrificial ceremony, like his father, he took off his hat and prayed in the direction of Mount Burhan to comfort his father's heroic spirit. But he didn't have much pride, because the huge empire still had many enemies.
Destroying gold is just the beginning. He will conquer many enemies in the other direction, and his natural conqueror will not let him be easily satisfied.
As for Zhao Ma of the Southern Song Dynasty, after receiving the news that he had succeeded in exterminating the gold, his heart could be described in two words;
"ecstasy!"
Yes, those are the two words.
After Meng Gong returned home, Zhao Mao personally led hundreds of civil and military officials out of the city to greet him and held a grand triumphal ceremony.
Then the burnt corpse of Jin Aizong brought back by Meng Gong was enshrined in the Ancestral Temple to comfort the souls of Emperor Huiqin.
The monarchs and ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty were quite skilled in the following procedures: they rewarded the heroes and appeased the soldiers;
Meng Gong took the credit for this battle. He was promoted to the commander-in-chief of Jiankang Prefecture and the commander-in-chief of the Zhenbei Army, and was given swords and shoes to go to the palace. For a time, he was considered a great favor. All of his generals also received generous rewards.
Of course, Zhang Han's name was also included in the list of rewards this time, but what he received was not a reward but a pension for those who died in battle. And if no one can be found to claim it, the villagers can only ask the villagers to transfer it back to their relatives in their hometown.
I wonder how Zhang Han, who was working as a consort in Mongolia, would feel when he found out?
This also explains why when he returned to his hometown after becoming famous in the future, he was told that he had died long ago. Until I saw my family's tablet enshrined in the ancestral hall, my face was full of laughter and tears, laying the foundation for this.
Closer to home, since the news of the Northern Expeditionary Army's victory quickly spread in Lin'an City, it quickly spread among the residents. This rare good news immediately filled the entire city of Lin'an with an atmosphere of joy, and the people praised Emperor Zhao Ming one after another!
It’s no wonder that the Southern Song Dynasty moved from north to south and was burdened with a heavy historical mission when it was established.
From the emperor to the ministers, from the literati to the common people, they all harbored the plot of settling the Central Plains in the north and avenging their previous humiliation. More than a hundred years have passed, and this wish is finally coming true.
This is like a prisoner who was sentenced to life imprisonment and was suddenly pardoned and could breathe the air of freedom again. So in his eyes, this free air that can be seen everywhere is no less than a table full of "delicious food".
Subsequently, news of the demise of the Jin Kingdom quickly spread in the areas ruled by the Southern Song Dynasty.
The ministers in the court were all smiles, the diners in the wine shop were changing glasses, and the old men in the fields were rejoicing. The whole country was filled with joy.
At this time, the four most mentioned words in people’s mouths are;
"Restore the old capital".
"Restore the old capital" is a slightly elegant word with a specific meaning. It also has a popular explanation, that is, "go back to your hometown with all your strength."
These words are of great significance to the people of the Song Dynasty. For more than a hundred years, the people of the Song Dynasty were forced to bear this heavy dream and humiliation.
The Song people tried countless times, and famous generals such as Yue Fei and Han Shizhong made repeated northern expeditions.
No way! Either bad luck or God's will. Every time I either suffered a huge defeat or returned without success. It made these heroes burst into tears and made the people heartbroken.
The Kingdom of Jin seemed to be a natural chasm in front of the Southern Song Dynasty, making the Song people's dream of rejuvenation seem so far away. .
Therefore, for hundreds of years, the scholars and common people living by the West Lake would always look to the north inadvertently and ask themselves;
Will I never be able to return to the Central Plains in this life? Why is the old thief, the Emperor of Jin, not dead yet?
But now, everything is so beautiful. The Kingdom of Jin was destroyed, and the God-given opportunity to realize their dreams was clearly placed in front of the Song people.
...
"Chasing the Central Plains"
This word has been the epitome of the rise and fall of the Central Plains dynasties for thousands of years. The land of the Central Plains seems to have been given a special symbol.
But whether it is the beginning of a prosperous age or the beginning of troubled times, it is this fertile land that is often the most severely ravaged.
At this time, the long-term war had completely destroyed the food crops and people's hope for life in the Central Plains.
In the Central Plains, a land of four wars, every time dynasties change, the doomsday scenario of "white bones exposed in the wild and no roosters crowing for thousands of miles" will always happen again or several times. No surprise this time either.
But the people here always seem to have an incredible willfulness, and every time they rebuild prosperity on this ancient land at a jaw-dropping speed. This time is no exception.
After the war between all parties against the Kingdom of Jin, the surviving people began to rebuild their homes with difficulty. But at this moment, people suddenly discovered that the owner seemed to be nowhere to be found on this land.
The entire Central Plains was in a state of anarchy. The Jin soldiers are gone, the Mongolian army is gone, and the Song army, who are Han people, is also gone.
"Power vacuum", "recovering the old capital".
After Zhao Ma learned of this situation, he optimistically believed that this was an excellent opportunity to realize his dreams and ambitions, and the ZTE seemed to be just around the corner.
Therefore, not long after the Battle of Caizhou, he sent three groups of envoys to the Central Plains in the name of paying homage to the ancestral mausoleum. Observe the reaction of the Mongols and the situation in the Central Plains. A bold plan formulated for him and the prime minister; "Duanping into Luo" to restore the Central Plains.
This is a grand plan, and there is indeed time for this grand plan to be possible.
Therefore, for this important matter, Zhao Mao quickly convened a court meeting to let the ministers express their opinions.
As soon as the court meeting was held, ministers began to support Zhao Mao's plan.
The reason is simple;
The Central Plains is empty, and opportunities are rare. If God does not take them, you will suffer the consequences.
The first person to put forward this point of view was Zhao Fan, the minister of the Southern Song Dynasty. He not only provided Zhao Ma with the reasons for this plan, but also proposed the strategic concept of the action.
That is; quickly recover the area south of the Yellow River and occupy Tongguan to hold on. Immigrants settled in the fields and built cities, de facto resuming their occupation of the Central Plains.
Although Zhao Fan's reasons were very pertinent, Zhao Ma nodded frequently. But the tide of opposition is also high. One of the minor officials who worked as an editor in the National History Museum was the first to raise objections;
The general idea is: with the current national strength of the Southern Song Dynasty, it does not have the capital to compete with Mongolia. At that time, the Song and Mongolia demarcated Caizhou as the boundary. If they send troops now, it will be equivalent to a breach of contract by the Mongolian side and they will suffer retaliation from the Mongolian side;
Moreover, the current Central Plains region is already full of people dying of hunger, the population is desolate, and the land is barren. Unable to provide on-site supplies to the troops on the march. Therefore, if troops are sent out, the Song army will be passive in terms of strength and morality. He also said something emphatically:
"National power can never be taken, and even if it is taken, it can never be defended."
The general idea is;
The Song army cannot defeat it at all, and even if it is lucky enough to defeat it, it will never be able to defend it. In the end, it can only be a waste of time and effort.
