The Imperial City of Jinling was filled with fortresses, layer upon layer, and there was a chilling atmosphere.
Kong Fan led two little Goryeo girls, followed by his brother Kong Jie, and a very majestic-looking general envoy as they walked through the heavily guarded imperial city. There were fully armed imperial city ministers everywhere.
The second son of Duke Yansheng had also traveled to Kaifeng to study, and had been summoned by Emperor Zhuangzong. He had entered the imperial city of Kaifeng, and had seen the dignity and people-friendly style of the Zhao and Song royal families. But he didn't expect that the official who came to Jinling City would actually build such an impenetrable imperial city.
Although the world is currently in chaos, there is nothing wrong with strengthening the defense of the imperial city. But building the imperial city layer upon layer, and even building a mountain city (built on the Lion Mountain), is indeed a bit too much.
In addition, there are a lot of personal subordinates in the imperial city...and they are all wearing full armor and standing guard in the imperial city!
This place doesn't look like a palace at all, but more like a military camp.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, even the young and strong Kong Fan felt a little sore in his back and legs, before he arrived in front of a building on Lion Mountain. The two little girls following Kong Fan almost didn't stop and were about to hit his back.
Kong Fan looked up and saw a palace in front of him. There was a sign hanging at the door with three big words: Chongzheng Hall!
Kong Jie turned back to his brother and said, "Mr. Wen, let's wait here for a while!"
When he was speaking, the gatekeeper had already strode into the Chongzheng Hall, and then he heard the gatekeeper's resonant voice: "There is an official decree, and Xuan Guozi's supervising student Kong Fan is going to the palace!"
Only Kong Fan is announced!
An internal official standing guard outside the Chongzheng Hall made a respectful gesture to Kong Fan: "Kong Xiucai, please."
Kong Fan bowed his hands towards the eunuch, and then stepped into the Chongzheng Hall.
The lighting in the Chongzheng Palace was not very good, and there were not many people there. Apart from Cao Xun, the Dongshanghemen envoy who had just brought the Kong brothers into the palace, there were only four eunuchs from the Royal Medicine Academy and a man who looked about forty. A middle-aged man who is 20 years old and wearing a red emperor's uniform and a long-legged turban on his head.
He should be Zhao Huan, an official from Jinling during the Song Dynasty... He looks older than his actual age!
Kong Fan was the nephew of Duke Yan Sheng and the second heir after his brother Kong Jie. Moreover, he had stayed in the Imperial Academy of Kaifeng Prefecture, so he was naturally familiar with the etiquette. He immediately followed the etiquette of a monarch and minister and paid his respects to Zhao Huanyi. .
On the table in front of Zhao Huan, there were a memorial from Zhao Liangcheng, the secret envoy of the Zuo Privy Council, and a personal letter from Zhao Gou.
Zhao Liangcheng's memorial reported an incredible news...Zhao Huan has passed away! He is now the uncle of Emperor Yelu Yanxi of Liao Dynasty!
Zhao Liangcheng assured Zhao Huan in the memorial that this incredible news was absolutely true!
The seven states and eighteen tribes of the Daliao Kingdom in Mobei held a meeting and jointly supported Zhao Kai, the Emperor of Luoyang in the Song Dynasty, as the Supreme Emperor of the Liao Kingdom... that is, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty Yelu Yanxi was captured by the Jurchens. father.
This thing seems a bit funny at first, but if you look closely... the Khitans in Mobei should have established an alliance with Zhao Kai by recognizing Yelu Yanxi's father.
This of course also shows that Zhao Kai's position in this alliance is at an absolute advantage!
And it also shows that the remaining forces of the Liao Kingdom in Mobei have received strong support from Zhao Kai... The situation is becoming more and more favorable to Zhao Kai.
The letter from Zhao Gou was brought to Jinling by Kong Fan.
Zhao Gouxian introduced the situation of the Battle of Montenegro in detail in the letter, especially highlighting the terrifying power of Zhao Kai's new weapon "Zongzi"!
With the explosive pot, "hot pot" and "tube", as well as the powerful but unknown composition of gunpowder, Zhao Kai's army already had the strength to defeat the Jin army in plain field battles.
Although the Jin Kingdom is also very powerful, their nation has a large population, and they can also get military reinforcements from close relatives barbarians in Mobei and beyond the Great Wall. The annual loss of 20,000 to 30,000 (national warriors) is completely bearable.
However, in the Battle of Black Mountain, Zhao Kai's Song Army achieved an exchange ratio that was unacceptable to the Kingdom of Jin - in the previous Battle of Niangziguan and the Battle of the Great Wall in Henan, Zhao Kai's Song Army achieved victory in both , but the number of personnel lost by both sides was actually about the same.
But don't think that the one-to-one exchange rate is just how much advantage Zhao Kai took. There is no such thing at all.
Because Zhao Kai simply did not have the ability to mobilize all the Han men in the territory to join the army to fight...otherwise the Jurchens would have been defeated long ago!
Of course, if the Song Dynasty court did not take the initiative to give away people, the Jurchens would not be able to achieve an exchange ratio of one to ten or more against the more regular Song army... During the Xuanhe period of the Song Dynasty, the total How many soldiers are there who can fight? If the Jurchens could really exchange one to ten or one to twenty, the Song Dynasty would have perished long ago.
The real situation is that the Song army is not that large (a large population does not mean a large army), and the Jin soldiers are not that strong.
The upper limit of the army that Zhao Kai can mobilize is slightly more than the total number of Fu soldiers (and some utility can be raised)... He now has more than 400,000 Fu soldiers, which means that he is fighting for his life. Mobilize, Zhao Kai's Luoyang court can also mobilize an army of 500,000.
Of course, this is a limit number and cannot be maintained for a long time!
Therefore, before the emergence of black technological means such as granular black powder, explosive pots, hot pot cannons, and casserole cannons, it would be very difficult for Zhao Kai to rely on the government army system to regain the lost land in Hedong and Yanyun... because in defensive battles Being able to achieve a one-to-one exchange ratio and repel the enemy does not mean that you can achieve the same exchange ratio and victory in offensive operations.
But the Battle of Montenegro was a landmark battle!
The strength and weakness between the Song (Luoyang Court) and Jin has been overturned. Now the Northern Song Dynasty is in a strategic offensive posture, while the Jin Kingdom is in a strategic defensive posture.
So after Zhao Gou finished talking about the situation of the Battle of Montenegro, he immediately put forward the suggestion that "Song (Southern Song) and Jin will not fight"... There is no need to sign any covenant, as long as both parties can have a tacit understanding.
In fact, Wanyan Zonggou's feudal state was a buffer state that separated the Jin Dynasty from the Southern Song Dynasty.
As long as Zhao Huan's Southern Song Dynasty did not take the initiative to cross the Huaihe River and massively attack the fiefdom of Zhao Gou (Wanyan Zonggou), Zhao Huan also promised to restrain his feudal army and never invade south.
At the same time, Zhao Gou also hoped that Zhao Huan would not attack his territory in Koryo, nor attack Kaijing and Xijing in Koryo... That area was Zhao Gou's refuge!
If Dajin could not withstand Zhao Kai's offensive, Zhao Gou would have to escape his feudal country in the Central Plains and spend the rest of his life in Goryeo Haizhou.
The world is so big, and Zhao Huan, the eldest brother, has many places to rob, so he would be embarrassed to rob his brother's place of refuge, right?
"So, Zhao Gou only wants to keep Kaijing, Xijing, and Haizhou? He doesn't care about other parts of Goryeo?" Zhao Huan looked at Kong Fan and asked slowly.
When Kong Fan heard Zhao Huan's question, he felt a burst of joy in his heart. Because this is not only a question, but also the answer given by Zhao Huan... He has agreed to divide the sphere of influence between Goryeo and Zhao Gou, and naturally he will not attack the Song Kingdom in Huaibei.
Because to the west of the Song Kingdom was the Yellow Flood Area, which was difficult for large armies to pass, to the north was Wanyan Zonghan's territory, and to the east was the sea. As long as Zhao Huan in the south does not attack, the Song Kingdom can live a peaceful life.
"Of course I don't care...and the king also hopes that the heavenly soldiers of the imperial court can occupy some territory in the southern part of Koryo," Kong Fan said, "In this way, the monarchs and ministers of Koryo will have to rely on the king to protect themselves."
"Haha," Zhao Huan said with a smile, "King Su has already set off with his fleet, not to Haizhou. Because Haizhou has been looted, and last year he asked Wang Kai of Goryeo for Haizhou... ..He still understands the principle that a soldier never tires of deceit."
It is now March of the fifth year of Jingkang (the fourth year of Hongwu) in the Song Dynasty. Zhao Shu and Zhao Buqiu have led dozens of chariots and ships (warships equipped with water wheels) and more than a hundred merchant ships, carrying 10,000 people. The infantrymen headed towards the southern coast of Koryo.
Their goal this time was to seize a port convenient for trade with Japan and obtain trade privileges. Then establish a transit port for trade between Song, Japan and Gao. Then use this as a base to march into Japan... and try to get a port on the coast of Japan.
Zhao Huan paused and then said to Kong Fan: "You go back and tell my ninth brother that I am not in good health and may not be able to live long... so I appointed the crown prince early. Matters in the north will be dealt with since then. The emperor's younger brother is the one to take charge.
I don't care, I can't control it. I am thinking the same thing as him now, I just want to find a place for Chen'er to avoid disaster! "
What he said was half-truth and half-lie, and he had ulterior motives.
He was not willing to pass the throne to Zhao Kai, and his body was not in serious condition. Zhao Kai wanted to wait for him to die and take the throne, but he was afraid that he would die waiting for him!
But now he really wants to find a way out for Zhao Chen... As for where the way out can be, it depends on how capable Zhao Shu and Zhao Buqiu's naval "tube fleet" is.
As for the ulterior motives...of course I just want to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and tigers!
He wanted to tell the senior officials of the Kingdom of Jin through Zhao Gou that he wanted to watch the war in the Central Plains, so that they should not think about the Southern Song Dynasty and concentrate on dealing with Zhao Kai.
Zhao Kai is so fierce now, Zhao Huan is afraid, so he can only rely on the Kingdom of Jin to deal with it.
However, Zhao Huan's intention did not spread to the Kingdom of Jin quickly, because when Kong Fan returned to Goryeo Haizhou with Zhao Huan's intention, Zhao Gou had already left there for the Nanjing Road of the Jin Kingdom.
Because his "wild uncle" Wan Yanxie also died of illness in his residence in Yanjing City in April of the eighth year of Dajin Tianhui because he was "concerned about the country and the people" and could not adapt to the climate of Nanjing Road.
As soon as he died, the seat of Dajin and Banbo Jilie became vacant!
Therefore, as long as the important members of the Dajin clan can make it out, they must go to Nanjing Road to participate in the election of the new Banbo Jilie.
Wanyan Zonggou was the consort of Jin Dao, and he was also included in the Wu Qimai line of genealogy. He was the "prince" of the clan, so of course he had to attend the meeting.
Theoretically, he might also choose someone who is familiar with Bamboo!
