diskusbooks Chapter 336 Master Zhong is Seriously Ill
Chapter 336 Master Zhong is Seriously Ill
"The current situation of Emperor Huan and his ministers can be summed up in one sentence:"
A golden opportunity was once presented to them, but they didn't cherish it. Only after it was lost did they regret it, but it was too late!
"As for the four people mentioned earlier, the probability of a repeat of the situation during the Tang Dynasty is actually very small, because the Song court would really be giving away hundreds of thousands of troops for nothing."
"Even if they wanted to become kings and conquerors, they wouldn't have the time to grow stronger, and besides, they might not even be able to recruit many soldiers at this point."
"Therefore, for the Song court, it's either being captured or fleeing. As for other things like fighting to the death, the situation is not optimistic."
"As for the Jin army, with the fall of important cities such as Taiyuan and Zhengding, they advanced with unstoppable momentum. The Song Dynasty's defense lines in Hedong and Hexi have reached their limit, and even Liu Ge's troops who were holding out here have been exhausted!"
"In other words, the Jin army has already opened up the passage between Shanxi and Hebei in two routes. Faced with the Jin's overwhelming advance, how long can the Song court hold out?!"
Lin Ke sighed. The prosperous Bianjing depicted in the Qingming Scroll was so splendid, but unfortunately, it was plagued by the father and son, Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong!
The Southern Ming Dynasty was established more than two hundred years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, but the Southern Song Dynasty was only a little over a hundred years after the founding of the Song Dynasty!
You can search through all the dynasties in Chinese history and still not find any examples of the terrible deeds of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong!
"On the other hand, after Zhong Shidao's crushing defeat at Jingxing, he was not reprimanded by Zhao Huan. However, he was already very old, over seventy years old, and fighting on the battlefield at that age was physically demanding, even if his spirit allowed it."
"Even so, Zhong Shidao was still appointed by Zhao Huan as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong, after Li Gang was ousted and sent to Yangzhou."
"The front lines need a respected veteran general to govern them! Clearly, the court understands that they have very few capable military commanders, which is why they sent General Zhong to the front lines to command."
"To be honest, even someone like General Zhong, who is over seventy years old and just came back from the battlefield, had his younger brother Zhong Shizhong betrayed by you. Don't you feel guilty at all?!"
"So, due to the constant travel and the messy actions of Emperor Qinzong and others, Zhong Shidao soon fell ill and became very sick. When Zhao Huan found out, he told him to return to the capital to see a doctor first."
"I reckon it's because Zhao Huan felt insecure about the Jin army's advance that he sent a seasoned general like Zhong Shidao back to the capital to take command."
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "It's obvious that the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty is only a matter of time."
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: It seems that the only one I can use is Zhong Shidao. No wonder Zhao Huan asked him to go back!
An official of the Sui Dynasty said: "At this age, General Zhong must be at his last gasp!"
An official from the Han Dynasty said: "A bunch of idiots, cowards in their forties, they just love to bring up people like Zhong Shidao, but they don't even think about what these people were doing when they were suppressing him!"
The comments on the small screen disappeared in an instant, but everyone in Wanchaoli understood the meaning.
It was too late for the Song court; even if someone with exceptional military talent appeared, it would be difficult to salvage the situation.
Moreover, the Song court currently lacks such a person, so it has no choice but to face the Jurchens head-on.
Alas! If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!
Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, felt the same way, but he was more angry at the moment!
Heaven knows that the first thought that came to his mind when he heard this was that these two idiot descendants had made him lose face in front of the whole world!
She didn't inherit his temperament at all; she's so cowardly!
Especially after seeing his brother Zhao Kuangyin's comments, I felt really bad!
Back then, he was probably doing alright, right?
……
The live broadcast continues.
"And Zhong Shidao, or perhaps anyone who fought against the Jurchens, should clearly realize that at that time, the Jurchens were stronger than the Song Dynasty."
"Furthermore, compared to the previous time, even if the Song Dynasty were to compromise and offer money again, it probably wouldn't satisfy the Jin people's appetite. Their ambitions this time are far greater!"
"The enemy's overwhelming numbers caused the ailing Master Zhong great anxiety, which worsened his condition."
"Even so, Zhong Shidao still forced himself to stay healthy and do his best to defend himself. He also immediately ordered Zhang Shuye, the chief steward of the Eastern Route, and others to rush back to the capital to protect the emperor, just in case."
"On the other hand, he also wrote to Zhao Huan, reminding him to be wary of the Jin people, who might have the intention to destroy the Song Dynasty this time. He advised him to travel to Chang'an instead of confronting the Jin army head-on!"
"In fact, Zhong Shidao had advised Zhao Huan to establish border defenses in Weizhou, Cangzhou, Qingzhou and other places before, but that good-for-nothing Zhao Huan just wouldn't listen. Now the Song Dynasty has no way to stop the Jin people!"
"Even at the very end, Zhong Shidao sincerely wrote a sentence: In fact, the best strategy for battles in the Central Plains is to leave them to the generals and commanders!!!"
"If Zhao Huan had understood this earlier, the situation in the Song Dynasty wouldn't be as bad as it is now. Or perhaps not, he himself knew very well, but he was just unwilling to share power!"
"That's why there are so many civil officials in the imperial court, and the phenomenon of laymen directing experts."
Liu Bei of the Three Kingdoms: ...What a pity, it's too late!
Liu Xiu, the Chosen One of the Great Han Dynasty: Looks like he didn't listen to Master Zhong again!
Emperor Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty: Actually, it's normal. Given these people's behavior, it's suspicious that they'd even listen. They'll only realize their mistake when they're caught!
A Tang Dynasty official said: To a large extent, the late Northern Song Dynasty was truly their own doing, which makes it difficult to assess…
……