Under the respectful welcome of the soldiers and civilians of Qi State, Zhao Tai arrived in Kaifeng, Tokyo.
Here, the civil and military forces of Qi State and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians persuaded him to move in, and Zhao Tai finally agreed to proclaim himself emperor.
This news made the whole country of Qi extremely excited, and the whole of Kaifeng was filled with joy.
In the city of Kaifeng, the king of Qi stayed in his palace.
Zhao Tai sat upright and listened to the discussion of his subordinates.
Since you have decided to proclaim yourself emperor, you must determine the name of the country and the year.
"I just listened to the discussion of several gentlemen, and I feel that what you all said makes sense."
Zhao Tai saw that no one among the cabinet ministers could convince anyone, so he had no choice but to intervene.
Wang Wentong couldn't help but ask: "Then I don't know whose opinion the king likes."
Zhao Tai did not answer directly, but made it clear, "First of all, Gu will not continue to use Song as the country's name. Although Gu is the clan of Zhao and Song, the Song Dynasty has not truly unified from beginning to end. If Song is used as the country's name, Gu will inherit it. The land is only the old land of the Song Dynasty. So the land of Liao, Jin, and Xixia cannot be inherited legally."
Zhao Tai was ambitious and naturally did not intend to stay in Han.
Yuan Haowen frowned, "Your Majesty, the least controversial thing is to inherit the Song Dynasty as the country's name. If we don't use the Song Dynasty as the country's name, and take the Liao, Jin, and Xixia into consideration, then we have to talk about whether the Liao, Jin, and Xixia are China. Who is the north and the south? Orthodoxy in the Central Plains. This will definitely spark controversy between the government and the opposition."
Zhao Tai inherited the Song Dynasty as the country's name, so he directly regarded the Song Dynasty as the orthodox one.
If Zhao Tai creates a new national title, where does Zhao Tai's legitimacy come from?
Did Zhao Tai gain orthodox status by unifying the north, or did he gain orthodox status after destroying the Song Dynasty?
These must be discussed clearly, and many debates will break out over how to compile history in the future.
Wang Wentong understood what Zhao Tai meant. He wanted to obtain legitimate claims to the lands of Liao, Jin, and Xixia.
If Zhao Tai only represented the Song Dynasty, then the lands of Liao, Jin, and Xixia were not nominally the inherent territories of Zhao Tai, and it would be difficult for the survivors of these countries to integrate into the Song Dynasty.
Wang Wentong said: "During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was also controversy over whether orthodoxy was in the south or in the north. The orthodoxy of the Sui and Tang Dynasties came from the Northern Dynasties. Taking the Song Dynasty as its name is indeed the least troublesome, but the impression of the Song Dynasty's weakness has penetrated deeply into the barbarians and is difficult to change. If our dynasty only The dynasty that defends the throne can use the name Song. If we want to establish a great cause, I think we should change the name of the country to let the barbarians know that our dynasty is not a weak Song Dynasty."
Zhao Tai nodded and was about to continue talking when a man hurriedly entered the lobby.
"What's the matter?" Zhao Tai asked out loud when he saw the person coming.
"Your Majesty, the military situation is extremely urgent!" The visitor submitted a military report, "The Commander of Xu Capital is surrounded by Brother Meng."
Zhao Tai's heart trembled, and he quickly took out the military newspaper and read it.
Soon, Zhao Tai understood what was going on.
Brother Meng took advantage of Zhao Tai's presence in the south of the Yangtze River to invade Hedong and besieged Yunzhong for more than two months.
Yunzhong City was in danger and asked Yanmen Pass for help. Xu Degong was worried about Yunzhong's safety and had to send troops to rescue.
Xu Degong led 30,000 cavalry troops. Soon after leaving Yanmen Pass, the retreat was cut off by the Mongolian army.
Before sending troops, Xu Degong expected that Meng Ge might surround the site for reinforcements.
Xu Degong immediately feinted with a shot, pretending to kill back to Yanmen, and lured the Mongolian ambush troops in and out. However, he suddenly changed the direction of his troops and broke through to Shuozhou.
Xu Degong led 30,000 cavalry and fought a fierce battle with the Mongolian army. He was chased by the Mongolian army and fled into Shuozhou City.
Now Meng Ge led a large army to surround Shuozhou, intending to destroy the 30,000 Qi troops led by Xu Degong.
Zhao Tai read the military report and said to the waiting ministers: "We will discuss the national title later. Please read the Hedong emergency report first!"
Wang Wentong and others took it and looked at it quickly, and their expressions changed immediately.
The 30,000 cavalry led by Xu Degong are the most elite horse army in Qi State, and they are also the capital of Qi State against Mongolia.
The Central Plains dynasty did not have cavalry, so it was painful to fight against the foreign tribes in the north. The Song Dynasty is a good example.
"Your Majesty, we must rescue Xu Degong!" Wang Wentong said urgently.
This time Zhao Tai came back in a hurry just to deal with Brother Meng.
However, it will take time for the army to withdraw from Jiangnan.
After all, the State of Qi had just destroyed the State of Song, and Jiangnan had not yet completely returned to its homeland.
At this time, if Qi State withdraws its troops from Jiangnan, there is no guarantee that nothing will happen to Jiangnan.
In fact, after Zhao Tai left Jiangnan, two rebellions occurred in the Southern Song Dynasty under the banner of restoring the Song Dynasty and welcoming Zhao Yun back.
Although these rebellions are in vain, if the Qi army withdraws from Jiangnan, it will definitely cause chaos in Jiangnan.
Zhao Tai stood up and asked, "How many available troops are there around Bianjing?"
Wang Bin said: "Report to the king, there are three thousand cavalry and twenty thousand infantry that can be mobilized."
Zhao Tai was pacing in the hall with his hands behind his back, and suddenly stopped, with sharp eyes, "Since I started my army, I have been invincible in all battles and attacked in every attack. In more than ten years, I have established a great reputation. Let's take a look at Gu now." Does his name have any effect and can he defeat thousands of armies?"
Wang Wentong was surprised and said: "Your Majesty, you want to conquer it yourself?"
Zhao Tai nodded, "That's right! Gu decided to lead his troops to the expedition!"
"Xu Degong hid in Shuozhou City. There are sufficient supplies in the city. If the king wants to rescue him, he can wait for the army to return from Jiangnan. Don't be in a hurry, let alone put yourself in danger!" Yuan Haowen directly opposed Zhao Tai's expedition.
Zhao Tai was determined, "Compared to Yunzhong, Shuozhou City is much more dilapidated. Xu Degong's cavalry are not good at defending the city. After Meng Ge surrounded the city, he would attack at all costs. If Gu's cavalry is lost, So, how to contain Meng Ge in the future?"
"Does your Majesty have a strategy?" Wang Wentong knew Zhao Tai well and knew that sometimes he was very obedient to advice, but sometimes he was very stubborn.
Zhao Tai glanced at everyone and understood their worries, "Don't worry, sir. Gu's army has not yet arrived. In the land of Yunzhong and Shuozhou, Meng Ge has a military advantage, and Gu will not confront him head-on."
After hearing these words, everyone felt more relieved.
Zhao Tai's decision to go on an expedition and personally lead his troops to rescue was not without careful consideration.
He has led the army for many years, and now he has destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty. The Mongols will definitely be afraid when they know that he has returned to the north.
If he could make good use of the fear of the Mongols, he might be able to defeat the entire army.
Zhao Tai thought for a while and made a decision in his mind, "Send the order and order the soldiers from all the battalions around Bianjing to quickly assemble and prepare to go out with Gu. In addition, let the Jin Yiwei spread rumors outside the pass, saying that Gu Wang's squadron has returned north and is determined to fight against all odds." To counter Meng Ge's attack, the Qi army will move out of the fortress and attack the pastures of various Mongolian tribes."
Wang Bin cupped his fists and saluted, "I will make arrangements right now."
Zhao Tai nodded slightly and asked Wang Bin to step back. Seeing the serious expressions of the remaining people, he smiled and said: "During the Gu family's expedition, all of you, dear friends, cannot be idle. I hope that when I defeat Brother Meng, I will become my beloved Qing." We have already come up with plans for the country name and the year name.”
