Since the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian were agreed to be ceded to the Jin Kingdom, the imperial court had urged them to do so several times and sent people to accompany the Jin people to receive it. However, the officials responsible for guarding the city did not comply and drove the officials sent by the imperial court out of the city. . As a Holy Emperor, why did Qinzong Zhao Heng refuse to clearly and firmly cede the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian to the Kingdom of Jin? Firstly, Qinzong was reluctant to part with it; secondly, many ministers opposed it.
From Qin Zong's personal point of view, it was the country and country inherited from his ancestors. It was hard-won, how could it be easily ceded to others? From the perspective of the ministers in charge of the battle, Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian are border towns in the north. They have a very important position in border defense and must not be ceded to the enemy. Cessioning the three towns of Taiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian to the Jin State was equivalent to automatically opening the door to the northern border defense, allowing the enemy troops to enter, and the enemy troops could drive directly to Bianjing without any hindrance, with disastrous consequences.
However, some high-ranking peace ministers in the imperial court strongly advocated the cession of Zhongshan and Hejian towns. In the view of these lords and ministers, ceding the towns of Zhongshan and Hejian can maintain the relationship with the Jin Kingdom. If the Jin people were offended by the court's refusal to cede the towns of Zhongshan and Hejian, causing the Jin people to go south again, it is estimated that If we can't even protect Bianjing, how can we protect the towns of Zhongshan and Hejian? ! Since the second town cannot be preserved by then, it is better to cede it to the Jin people now to avoid causing war.
In order to stabilize the situation as soon as possible, Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and other leading peace factions petitioned Qin Zong many times, requesting that Zhongshan and Hejian towns be ceded to the Jin people as soon as possible. Regarding the petitions from Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others, from the current situation, Qinzong felt that he should agree and cede the towns of Zhongshan and Hejian as soon as possible to avoid war with the Jin Kingdom; from a personal emotional point of view, Qinzong , it is absolutely unacceptable to cede Zhongshan and Hejian to the Jin people. Taiyuan was taken away by the Jin people, so there was nothing they could do about it; Zhongshan and Hejian were in the hands of the imperial court, so why should they be ceded to the Jin people?
Qinzong hesitated and did not give a clear reply to the petitions from Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others.
Geng Nanzhong and others saw that Qinzong neither said that he would cede Zhongshan and Hejian to the Jin people, nor said that he would not cede Zhongshan and Hejian to the Jin people. They felt very anxious, fearing that long nights and dreams would lead to trouble, so they suffered huge losses in the early war. , the imperial court was unable to afford the expenses of a large number of idle troops and horses, so it reduced the forbidden troops in Hebei and ordered them to return to their hometowns.
This approach of Geng Nanzhong and others was firstly to please the Jin people, and secondly to put pressure on Qinzong, prompting Qinzong to agree to cede Zhongshan and Hejian as soon as possible.
The measures taken by Geng Nanzhong and others to reduce the number of troops in the northern border towns caused great uneasiness among the main combatants. Zhan Du, the prefect of Zhongshan, and Chen Yu, the prefect of Hejian, were particularly dissatisfied. When the Jin army invaded, the imperial court ordered Zhan Du and Chen Yu to cede Zhongshan and Hejian. Zhan Du and Chen Yu refused to carry out the order and held on to the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian, so that the two towns were still in the hands of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, the Jin Kingdom was very dissatisfied and urged the Song Dynasty court to deliver the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian.
Now, Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others have reduced the number of troops in the Hebei Forbidden Army on the grounds that the war has caused heavy losses and the court has insufficient financial resources, which makes Zhan Du, Chen Yu and others very uneasy. Zhan Du and Chen Tuo naturally refused to carry out the orders given by Geng Nazhong and others. Geng Nazhong, Zhang Bangchang, and Tang Ke were very angry, so they stopped the supply of troops and horses in Zhongshan and Hejian, hoping to force Zhan Du and Chen Reduce troops and horses.
Zhan Du and Chen Yu had no choice but to seek help from the chief war ministers in the imperial court. The people they asked for help were Li Gang, the transfer envoy from Hebei Province who returned to Beijing, Zhang Shuye, the governor of Kaifeng, Qin Hui, the censor Zhongcheng, and others.
Zhan Du and Chen Yu wrote books under Li Gang, Zhang Shuye and Qin Hui respectively. He sent someone eight hundred miles to rush to Bianjing. When the people sent by Zhan Du and Chen Yu arrived in Bianjing, they learned that Li Gang and Zhang Shuye had been demoted from the capital by the court, and the most influential among the main war faction was Qin Hui, the censor Zhongcheng.
When the messengers from Zhongshan and Hejian saw that Li Gang and Zhang Shuye had left the capital to take up posts, they hurried to Qin Hui's residence and handed over the autographed letters from Zhan Du and Chen Yu to Qin Hui.
Qin Hui received letters from Zhan Du and Chen Yu and learned from them that Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others had reduced the number of troops in the Hebei Forbidden Army, and he was very angry.
Hebei was the front line of the dispute between the Song and Jin Dynasties, and Hebei's troops were reduced. How to deal with the invasion of the Jin people in the future? How can we fight this battle? Who should I rely on to fight? Isn’t this self-destruction of the Great Wall and self-expense for martial arts? It is simply a disaster for the country and the people!
Qin Hui was so angry that he trembled all over and couldn't sleep all night. He simply got up, unfolded the paper, and wrote a memorial to Qin Zong:
Long live my emperor, long live my emperor, long live the imperial censor, Zhongcheng Qinhui: I took charge of my own government and passed the Jinshi examination in five years. I entered the court as an official and was highly valued by the emperor and the emperor. I served successively as the Imperial Academy Xuezheng, the imperial censor, and the imperial censor. Shi Zhongcheng and other positions. When I became an official, it was the time when the secretary-general Zhao Liangsi and the privy envoy Tong Guan joined the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty and signed the Song-Jin covenant. Abandoning the friendly relationship with the Khitan for more than a hundred years and forming an alliance with the wolf-like Jurchens was not a good strategy in the first place. The result was a loss of lips and teeth and a loss of external barriers. This is a story, and it is useless to repeat it, but it is a lesson that should be learned. Nowadays, the Song and Jin Dynasties are at odds with each other, and the Golden Dog invades the Song Dynasty. The army and the people are suffering misery, and the country and the country are shaken. Although I am not a warrior, when foreign enemies invade, I am willing to sacrifice my seven-foot body, even if I die on the battlefield, to repay the kindness of the court and the Holy One.
I think that if I eat the emperor's salary, I will worry about the emperor; when the country is facing a crisis, I should be loyal to protect the country, and I must not be the leader of both sides and plot other plots. Recently, I have heard that Taishi Geng Nanzhong, Taizai Zhang Bangchang, Tongping Zhangshi Tang Ke and others have arbitrarily reduced the number of soldiers in the northern border towns, weakened the strength of the border guards, flattered the golden dogs, knelt and betrayed the country in pursuit of glory. This is really abominable. Those who have lost the national integrity of the Song Dynasty and damaged the image of the imperial court should be removed from office, investigated and dealt with, and severely punished.
The emperor said: Three passes and two towns are the guardians of the country. If we talk about the importance of the geographical location of the three passes and two towns, Zhongshan and Hejian are especially important. Since Taiyuan was lost, its strength was inferior to others; Zhongshan and Hejian were still under the control of the imperial court, and the fourteenth border officers guarded the city with commendable spirit. If Zhongshan and Hejian were ceded to the Jin people, it would remove the barrier; just imagine, if the Jin people break the contract, why should the imperial court resist the Jin people? In my opinion, the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian must not be ceded; the troops at the northern border must not be reduced. The current plan is to order all the powerful forces from all over the world to gather around the capital, strengthen the defense force at the northern border, and make full use of the Yellow River natural moat to stop the enemy; even if there is another war in the Song and Jin Dynasties, the city must be fortified to contain the enemy's attack and block the enemy's attack. Cut off the Yellow River to cut off its return route, and gather powerful troops to encircle and annihilate them. Thinking about the Song Dynasty, we have the Youyan barrier in the north, the Yellow River natural moat in the middle, the Huguang granary in the south, and especially the canal water transportation. If something happens, elite divisions will come from all directions, surround the enemy in a narrow area, and annihilate them. What's wrong? ? ! With tears streaming down my face, I implore the Holy One not to believe the fallacies of Geng Nazhong, Zhang Bangchang, and Tang Ke, who will harm the country and the country.
Kowtow to the Holy Judge!
Censor Zhongcheng Qin Hui July 21, the first year of Jingkang
Qin Hui's memorial was not sincere. It deeply moved Qinzong Zhao Heng and strengthened Zhao Heng's determination never to cede Zhongshan and Hejian towns to the Kingdom of Jin. What made Zhao Heng embarrassed was how to deal with Geng Memorials from Nan Zhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others. Qinzong Zhao Heng also weighed the petitions of Geng Nazhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others many times, and felt that Geng Nazhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others' claims for compensation and land cession were not treason for the country and seeking glory as Qin Hui said. In fact, he was unwilling to have a war with the Kingdom of Jin. Obviously, once the war begins, the outcome is unpredictable, and one has to proceed with caution.
Qinzong hesitated again, not knowing how to make a decision, so he wanted to seek the opinion of Emperor Zhao Ji.
Qinzong changed his clothes, left the main hall, and went to the harem to see the Emperor Zhao Ji.
Qinzong Zhao Heng met Emperor Zhao Ji and asked for his advice. He talked about the northern border defense and the cession of Zhongshan and Hejian towns, and asked for Zhao Ji's opinion. After Zhao Ji heard this, he hurriedly said: "You are the Holy One, everything is decided by you. My father will not be involved in any political affairs now."
Before Zhao Ji returned to Beijing, there were rumors that Emperor Zhao Ji wanted to be restored and ascend to the throne again. Therefore, when Qinzong asked for advice, Emperor Zhao Ji hurriedly said something to clarify the suspicion that he wanted to be restored.
After Emperor Zhao Ji returned to Beijing, he lived deep in the harem and stayed with Empress Zheng all day long. He did not even see his favorite concubine Li Shishi again. It's not that Emperor Zhao Ji no longer misses Master Li, or that Emperor Zhao Ji has curbed his romantic tendencies, but that the hidden passage leading to Xinghua Tower was blocked by people sent by Qinzong Zhao Heng. The reason why Qinzong blocked the hidden passage from the palace to Xinghua Tower was not because he opposed Emperor Zhao Ji's private meeting with Master Li again, but for safety reasons and did not want to leave any passage into the palace. After all, in extraordinary times, we have to be careful.
Qinzong, as his son, knew about the situation of Emperor Zhao Ji. At that time, when the Taihuang abdicated the throne, Qinzong did not want to succeed, but the Taihuang begged him, and as his son, Qinzong had to agree; now he asks the Taihuang to restore the throne, but the Taihuang will not agree. How could the Taihuang be restored? matter? ! It is nothing more than rumors created by Geng Nanzhong, Zhang Bangchang, Tang Ke and others.
Therefore, Qinzong did not believe in the restoration of Emperor Zhao Ji; the reason why he believed it on the surface was to exclude and demote Li Gang, Zhang Shuye and others. The emperor's ministers were deposed. Who could the emperor rely on to restore his power?
Qinzong knew what he said, so after listening to the words of Emperor Zhao Ji, he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, only the Emperor's will is right. Your Majesty, the Jin people are asking for gold and silk, and the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian are in a hurry. . Jin and silk are a small matter, and they can exhaust all that Bianjing has and satisfy the Jin people; however, the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian are the northern barriers. If Zhongshan and Hejian towns are ceded to the Jin people, the northern border gate will be wide open. Once something happens between the Song and Jin Dynasties If the war breaks out, we may be defenseless; however, the imperial court has promised to cede the two towns of Zhongshan and Hejian to the Jin people. Now it has broken the contract and abandoned the alliance and refused to give Zhongshan and Hejian towns to the Jin people. It is afraid that trouble will arise. Emperor Er I beg the Emperor to give you instructions."
When the emperor saw this, he remained silent.
