Chapter 192

In the seventh year of Xian De, the first month.

The northern expedition army led by Zhao Kuangyin, having left the Capital only one day, arrived at Chenqiao Station.

The night was as dark as ink; the cold wind whipped the station's banners, making a fluttering sound. Inside and outside the station, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards soldiers lay on their arms awaiting dawn, black tents stretching for miles, campfires like stars.

Inside the commander's large tent, Zhao Kuangyin wore casual clothes, facing an oil lamp, wiping his sword. His expression was calm, his movements meticulous, as if he knew nothing of the undercurrents surging outside.

His younger brother Zhao Guangyi hurried in from outside, bringing a blast of cold air.

"Elder brother!" Zhao Guangyi lowered his voice, his face filled with uncontainable excitement, "Everything is arranged. Now the whole camp is spreading that matter."

Zhao Kuangyin's wiping motion paused for a moment; he did not lift his head, merely asking lightly, 'What matter?'

"What else could it be!" Zhao Guangyi leaned close to his ear, his voice even lower, "Have the Commander become emperor!"

He added, 'I had a few people spread the word among the soldiers, saying the new emperor is only seven or eight years old, what does he know? We have lived and died for the Great Zhou, campaigning south and north; what could he remember of our merits? When the time comes, orphans and widows will hold power, treacherous ministers will dominate, and we warriors may not even have a good ending.'

These words precisely struck the deepest utilitarian anxieties in the hearts of every proud and fierce general.

Zhao Kuangyin raised his head, glanced at him, his eyes deep: 'Well done. But it's not enough.'

"Not enough?" Zhao Guangyi blinked in surprise.

"Just having this won't stop the murmurs of the world." Zhao Kuangyin sheathed his sword, slowly rose, and said, "To have a legitimate claim, we still need a person."

Zhao Guangyi instantly realized: 'Wang Hao?'

Zhao Kuangyin nodded.

Wang Hao, formerly the Minister of Revenue, enjoyed extremely high prestige in the army, especially among the troops handling logistics during southern campaigns. His 'military merit ledger' allowed every soldier's efforts to be exchanged for tangible benefits. The Wang Family behind him was even richer than a state, an object everyone wanted to win over.

More importantly, he had great merit in assisting the late emperor, was modest in character, and enjoyed an excellent reputation.

If we could push him onto the throne, it would both pacify the army's hearts and gain the Wang Family's support, while showing the world that we are not rebelling but choosing virtue for the state.

"I understand!" Zhao Guangyi's eyes flashed with brilliance, "I'll have people spread the word that we are supporting Wang Hao as our lord! He is a senior minister of the late emperor and a disciple of sages; having him as emperor would be legitimate!"

"Go." Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand, "Remember, the bigger the commotion, the better. Let everyone know that the soldiers' hearts are toward Lord Wang."

"Yes!"

Zhao Guangyi excitedly received the order and departed.

Soon, a new rumor spread rapidly through the entire Chenqiao Station camp.

"Have you heard? The soldiers have agreed: better to serve Lord Wang as emperor than to risk their lives for a baby emperor!"

"Which Lord Wang? The one from the Temple of Heaven?"

"That's him! Lord Wang is benevolent and righteous, with the talent to govern the world. If he became emperor, our lives would surely be better than now!"

"Right! Please Lord Wang ascend the throne!"

"Please Lord Wang ascend the throne!"

The calls began as scattered whispers in twos and threes, gradually gathering into a surging undercurrent.

At dawn, the sky was still dark.

Outside the station, several thousand soldiers suddenly gathered, weapons in hand, emotions heightened, surrounding Zhao Kuangyin's tent impenetrably.

"Please Commander, be our master!"

"We refuse to serve the young emperor; we wish to support Lord Wang Hao as emperor!"

Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi stepped out of the tent, feigning reproach, but were drowned out by the crowd's roar.

Zhao Kuangyin, wearing a sleeping robe, was 'surrounded' by the crowd and pulled out of his tent with a look of 'panic'.

"Lords! Lords! What is this? This is a great crime of rebellion, punishable by extermination of nine clans!" He shouted hoarsely.

"Our resolve is firm! Please Commander, lead us back to the Capital to support Lord Wang!"

"Right! Support Lord Wang!"

Zhao Kuangyin looked at the incited soldiers before him, sneered inwardly, yet put on a look of great difficulty: 'Very well! Since your hearts are set, I will accompany you as a gentleman! However, Lord Wang is still in the Capital; we must first send someone back to fetch him.'

"Good!"

Several horsemen immediately took the order, whipping their steeds to gallop toward Kaifeng.

However, just as everyone thought the play would proceed according to script, an unforeseen accident occurred.

At this moment, Wang Hao was no longer in the Capital.

At the very moment Guo Rong died and the new monarch ascended, he keenly sensed the approaching storm. He clearly understood that his position, no matter which faction of the new dynasty viewed it, was a huge variable.

Rather than linger in the vortex of the Capital, it was better to withdraw early.

The approval letter from Head of Family Wang Zhen had already arrived. In it, Wang Zhen expressed full support for his decision and told him that his mission in Zhongyuan had been completed very well, and the family missed him dearly.

Wang Hao hesitated not at all; he directly submitted a memorial to Empress Dowager Chai and the new monarch, requesting to resign.

In the memorial, he spoke earnestly, saying only that his learning was shallow, his virtue insufficient, unable to bear heavy responsibility, wishing to return to his hometown to serve his parents and live as a wealthy recluse.

Before Empress Dowager Chai and Fan Zhi could recover from their shock, before the vermilion imperial approval had even dried, Wang Hao had already changed into plain clothes, sealed away his seal and official robes, left a note, and alone on a fast horse, quietly departed Kaifeng.

He left decisively, without telling anyone.

He did not know that, just as he had left, a mutiny tailor-made for him was already unfolding forty li outside at Chenqiao Station.

When those messengers rushed in panic to the Temple of Heaven, preparing to 'welcome the new emperor,' they found only an empty office and a few clueless clerks standing around, at a loss.

"Where is Lord Wang? Where did Lord Wang go?!"

"Lord Wang… he… he resigned and returned to his hometown yesterday…"

The news was transmitted back to Chenqiao Station.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"The protagonist has run away—how can this play go on?!"

In the camp, after a brief silence, an even greater commotion erupted.

Just then, Zhao Pu's eyes flashed; he suddenly pointed at Zhao Kuangyin and shouted loudly to the soldiers:

"Since Lord Wang is absent, heaven's mandate cannot be defied! Looking across the world, who else compares to the Commander, whose labors are great and who has won the soldiers' hearts, as more worthy to sit this throne?"

"Three armies cannot go a day without a commander; the state cannot go a day without a lord! We wish to support the Chief Inspector as the Son of Heaven!"

As soon as the words fell, Zhao Guangyi immediately understood; he took out from his entourage's bundle a prepared ochre-yellow robe.

Amid the thunderous cheers of tens of thousands of soldiers, the yellow robe was placed upon Zhao Kuangyin, who was astonished beyond measure and repeatedly declined, without any discussion.

At this moment, the wheel of history turned onto a path both familiar and strange.

Zhao Kuangyin, donning the yellow robe, founded the Northern Song.

And Wang Hao had already vanished into the morning mist, the sound of hooves urgent as he raced toward Yangzhou a thousand li away.