Shi Hao's series of questions made Zhao Min confused.
Before, he had never imagined that the chain reaction after defeat would be so large and serious.
But after thinking about it carefully, he felt that what Shi Hao said made sense.
Once defeated, the anger and resentment caused by the loss of interests need a channel to vent, and someone needs to be responsible for the failure and bear the consequences.
The Song State could not transfer this anger to the Ming State. If it could, the Jin State would have been gone long ago.
Zhao Min thought hard for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, and he suddenly thought of the root of the problem.
"Sir, do you want to tell me that once the Song Dynasty is defeated, the most serious consequence will be that a high-ranking figure will have to bear the consequences?"
Shi Hao smiled.
"Your Highness is wise. Yes, I want to tell Your Highness that this matter cannot be solved simply by defeating and defeating. Someone needs to take responsibility for this. Someone needs to bear the dissatisfaction and anger of everyone and pay the price for it. .”
"Who can afford such a huge price? Who else can..."
Zhao Min was stunned for a moment, his face was startled, and his expression became strange and scary bit by bit.
"Sir...I...I..."
"Your Highness, what you say next will be known to heaven and earth. You know it and I know it."
Shi Hao lowered his throat and said softly: "There is only one person who can take responsibility for this failure and calm the public's anger, and that is your Majesty."
Shi Hao made it clear, and Zhao Hao also completely understood.
Zhao Xin's face was pale and he seemed to be greatly frightened.
"Sir! Don't say this nonsense!"
"This is not nonsense, Your Highness, this is the truth. If no one dares to tell the truth to His Highness, then I will be the first person to tell the truth to Your Highness. Your Highness, as soon as these words are spoken, the veteran will be I entrust my life and property to Your Highness."
Shi Hao frowned, his face was solemn, and he stared at Zhao Min.
Zhao Min was thinking a thousand times in his mind, breathing rapidly, and wanted to leave here several times to find a quiet place to sort out his thoughts, but in the end he did not back down, but forced himself to calm down.
He was silent for a while, constantly weighing the pros and cons, and finally spoke slowly.
"Heaven knows this and earth knows it. You know it and I know it."
Shi Hao was overjoyed when he heard this.
"Today I see His Highness's bravery, I hope the Song Dynasty will be rejuvenated!"
"Don't talk about ZTE. The Ming army went south. It's still unclear whether half of the Song Dynasty can be preserved. How can we talk about ZTE? Also, the gentleman said that there is only one person responsible for the defeat. These words... are extremely heart-breaking! Never say it again! "
"I know this is disrespectful."
Shi Hao said: "But the facts are like this. I dare not lie or deceive His Highness. The Ming army is going south and it will be difficult for the Song Dynasty to win. Once defeated, it will inevitably lose power and humiliate the country. By then, except for your Majesty, who else can calm the public anger and What about bearing the consequences of defeat? It’s impossible for anyone.”
"But father..."
"Perhaps Your Highness doesn't know that years ago, when the benefactor's army marched south with great momentum, His Majesty once had a heart for inner Zen."
"Inner Zen?!"
Zhao Yan was really surprised now and asked hurriedly: "Sir, can you elaborate?"
"At that time, the financial lord went south, and the world was in turmoil. His Majesty was exhausted physically and mentally. He felt that the political affairs were unsustainable and he could not continue to support him. Therefore, at the suggestion of the ministers, he appointed the crown prince. At that time, His Majesty established the crown prince just to provide support to the internal affairs. Zen preparation.
However, something unexpected happened. Emperor Su Yonglin of the Ming Dynasty suddenly emerged, defeated the main force of the Jin army, killed the gold master Wan Yanliang, reversed the situation in one fell swoop, and then pacified the Central Plains, established the Ming Dynasty, and relieved the Song Dynasty's border troubles for a time. His Majesty was extremely happy for this, and his momentum was restored. Zhen, then he did not continue to advance the inner meditation. "
Shi Hao's remarks made Zhao Hao know that he might have become the emperor long ago, but because of Su Yonglin's unfavorable behavior, his time to become the emperor was postponed.
but now……
"Nowadays, the Ming Kingdom has replaced the Jin Kingdom as the powerful enemy in the north of the Song Dynasty. Once the Ming army goes south and causes a huge crisis in the Song Dynasty, then... wouldn't it be the same as when the gold master went south?"
Zhao Min said softly as if he was asking himself.
Shi Hao nodded immediately.
"Yes, that's it. What Emperor Ming did is no different from the previous financial sponsor. His Majesty once again encountered the same situation before, and it is more dangerous now than before. So, Your Highness, do you understand what I mean? "
Zhao Xun understood it, understood it like never before.
In all likelihood, this battle will begin, and in all likelihood, they will lose, and then lose power and humiliate the country. Officials and people have nowhere to vent their anger, and the Zhao Dynasty is on the verge of collapse.
At this moment, no one can take responsibility for this matter. Only one person can take responsibility for this-Zhao Gou.
He may make the decision he was about to make in order to quell public anger and maintain the rule of the Zhao family dynasty.
He would abdicate the throne to Zhao Hao and retire behind the scenes to become the Supreme Emperor. He would bear this heavy blame and create a good opportunity for Zhao Hao to ascend to the throne, allowing the Zhao and Song dynasties to survive this major political, military and trust crisis.
Maybe this is something Zhao Gou has been thinking about for a long time, maybe this is Zhao Gou's helpless choice, but no matter what, Zhao Gou is standing on the cusp of the storm, and maybe he has no choice.
This was his retreat, the only retreat he could choose out of desperation.
And once Zhao Gou made his choice, Zhao Min's opportunity came.
Because he is the crown prince.
"Will something like this really happen? When my father crossed south, wasn't the situation he faced even more severe? When the Jin Kingdom proclaimed itself as a vassal, wasn't it even more dangerous? My father got through it safely back then, let alone now?"
Zhao Min suppressed his uneasiness and asked in a low voice.
Shi Hao knew this clearly.
"It's simple, Your Highness, because there was no Crown Prince at that time."
Zhao Xin was stunned.
By the way, there was no crown prince at that time. Whether it was at the beginning of Jianyan's southern crossing or when he declared himself a vassal and paid tribute, Zhao Gou was the only one in the civil and military affairs of the entire dynasty. Without Zhao Gou, the banner of the Song Dynasty could not be raised.
By then there will be the Kingdom of Jin outside, internal strife within, and the collapse of the Song Dynasty. Who can survive alone?
Everyone may die, or even accept the rule of the Jin Kingdom and endure greater humiliation.
At that time, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty needed Zhao Gou to support the appearance of the Song Dynasty. They needed Zhao Gou's existence to maintain the existence of the Song Dynasty, protect their interests, and maintain half of the country.
Therefore, no matter what Zhao Gou did at that time, no matter how disappointing he was, there was a powerful political force that supported him, protected him, cleaned up the aftermath for him, and helped him secure the throne.
But it's different now.
Zhao Gou is old and seems to have only a few days to live. He is also a walking black history. Once defeated this time, his existence will be the most serious scar on the Song Dynasty and everyone's heart. He will completely become everyone's negative asset. Still eager to The kind that takes off.
And what about Zhao Min?
A pure political amateur with no performance before, just like a blank piece of paper, with unlimited possibilities, and he is not even a bloodline of Zhao Gou, nor a descendant of Taizong, but has never had political baggage Descendants of the Taizu line.
That's right, the royal children of Taizu's line do not have any political baggage.
Because except for Taizu himself, all the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were Taizong and his children. Taizu's children had never been in power and had no political problems.
There is still no clear answer to the political events of Zhu Ying's Ax and the Golden Chamber Alliance. There are many doubts about Taizong's ascendancy, and the death of Taizong's son Defang is even more confusing. Doubts have always existed in people's hearts.
So at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, there were even rumors that Wanyan Aguda looked exactly like Zhao Kuangyin. The reason why the Jin Dynasty was able to defeat the Northern Song army so quickly, and later to kill all Taizong's royal relatives, was because Zhao Kuangyin was reincarnated to take revenge.
What revenge?
Zhao Guangyi seized the throne from his elder brother and turned his descendants into the enemies of the main line of the Zhao family.
At that time, the reputation of the emperors of Taizong's line was infamous and their situation was in danger.
At the beginning of Jianyan's journey to the south, Zhao Gou's rule was unstable and the situation was full of crises. Zhao Gou faced life and death tests several times, and his only parent and son died in the turmoil.
In order to appease people's hearts and stabilize half of the Zhao and Song dynasties, Zhao Gou had no choice but to select princes from Taizu's descendants scattered around the country to raise them in the palace to make a political statement——
A hundred years later, he will return the throne to the descendants of Taizu. He will allow the descendants of Taizu to successfully ascend the throne, take charge of the government, and take back the throne that belongs to them from the Taizong family.
In this way, Zhao Gou successfully quelled the political crisis and trust crisis that caused serious dissatisfaction with the Zhao and Song royal families at the beginning of the southern crossing, giving people a glimmer of hope and a little more fantasy about the Zhao and Song Dynasties.
The same thing happened after Zhao Gou surrendered to the Kingdom of Jin.
Anyway, he has no heirs and cannot inherit the throne. The Taizong line ends with him, and the throne will return to the hands of Taizu's descendants. This is the only spiritual blessing for the Song people who paid tribute to foreign tribes. comfort.
As long as Zhao Gou abdicates, everything will get better.
The descendants of Taizong succeeded in bringing the Song Dynasty into the abyss, and those who can save the Song Dynasty may be the descendants of Taizu.
In such a trend of thought, Zhao Min successfully stood out and became the successor chosen by Zhao Gou. With public expectations, people no longer cared about Zhao Gou's some tricks.
As long as he can return the throne to the descendants of Taizu.
At this moment, Zhao Gou is on the cusp of the storm, and the Song Dynasty is about to face a new round of political crisis. This political crisis will almost affect the life and death of the Song Dynasty.
Zhao Gou had no choice.
Inner Zen can still enjoy the honor as the Supreme Emperor, otherwise, whether the Zhao family dynasty can be maintained is a problem.
Therefore, Zhao Min is also standing at the crossroads of history and is about to face a major challenge.
Zhao Yan figured everything out. He took deep breaths constantly, trying to stabilize his mood in this way, but the huge information impacted his cognition and he could never calm down.
Shi Hao watched from the sidelines as Zhao Xin took a deep breath and watched Zhao Xin try to calm down his emotions.
After a while, Zhao Yan's breathing gradually calmed down.
"Sir, I...I thought it would be a shame for me to become the emperor in this way."
Zhao Yan clenched his fists and slowly raised his head, with an unyielding light shining in his eyes: "The army was defeated, the Song Dynasty was humiliated, and the people suffered, but I ascended the throne as emperor openly. This is a big deal for me. Such a shame! A huge shame! I won’t accept it!”
Shi Hao looked at the brilliance in Zhao Min's eyes and couldn't help but admire him - he is indeed the heroic successor of Taizu's bloodline! This is the real king of the Song Dynasty!
If there had been such a heroic emperor in the Song Dynasty decades earlier, how could it have fallen into such a state today?
Shi Hao's heart was full of regret.
And he even believed that Taizong's line should have returned the throne to the descendants of Taizu long ago. Otherwise, how could the Song Dynasty have fallen into such a state?
But at this moment, it may not be too late.
Because this unyielding prince is about to become the emperor, even if it is in a precarious situation, as long as the Song Dynasty has a heroic emperor, it can turn things around and regain its vitality!
"The old minister understands the unwillingness in the heart of His Royal Highness, and the old minister is also full of unwillingness. The old minister was born in the Song Dynasty before the southern crossing, and when the southern crossing came, the old minister was already past the age of a weak man. He knew everything, and his heart was full of anger and anger. Unwilling to do so.
But what the veteran knows is that if you don't have enough power in your hands, it will be useless no matter how unwilling you are. If His Royal Highness is just His Royal Highness, there will never be a way to wash away the shame and resolve this unwillingness. "
Shi Hao stretched out his hand and held Zhao Hao's hand: "Your Highness, no matter what, you must be patient now. You must be patient. Even if the Song Dynasty is defeated, even if the Song Dynasty is humiliated, even if the Song Dynasty needs to cede territory and pay compensation, please, Your Highness the Prince." Be patient! Be patient for a while, but be patient for a lifetime!”
Zhao Min held Shi Hao's hand instead and gritted his teeth in hatred.
"Sir, how can I endure it? How can I endure this kind of thing? It is Da Song who is being humiliated! It is Da Song!"
"But no matter what, you must be patient. You must be patient no matter what! Only patience can bring a glimmer of hope to the Song Dynasty!"
Shi Hao did not relent, and whispered: "Your Highness must first become the emperor, and then you can reform the bad government of the court according to His Highness's wishes, integrate the court, rectify the military, eliminate the villains and mediocre people, and reuse those who are enterprising. In this way, Only then can the Song Dynasty be revived again!"
"Revival again?"
"In other words, it is the real ZTE. After the southern crossing, the real ZTE will be carried out under the leadership of His Highness. Only then will the Song Dynasty truly return to the Central Plains and rise again!"
Shi Hao pointed to the outside of the house: "At this moment, the court is full of treacherous villains, the army is full of people who are greedy for life and afraid of death, Wen Tian is violent and playful, and the government of the Song Dynasty is corrupt. At this moment, if His Highness rushes forward, it will only lead to disaster. and itself.
And if His Highness cannot become emperor, who will bring order to the chaos and straighten the court? Who will revive the Song Dynasty? Your Highness, your temporary patience is for the sake of reviving the Song Dynasty. But if you don't have the patience for a moment, what great things can you accomplish? Your Highness, please don’t forget Gou Jian’s story of lying on a firewood and tasting his courage! "
Shi Hao's eyes were full of sincerity and hope.
