Chapter 168

Volume Two Summary, Apology Letter, and a Brief Record of Four Months Since This Book Began

First, as usual, let me report the results to everyone.

I just checked the backend. Before posting the new chapter, the average subscription wasn't ten thousand at launch; it only caught up after a week or two. In other words, it grew by about two thousand in two months? Rounding up is a bit exaggerated, because there was a dull period in between, but I'm quite encouraged by this result.

The 24-hour follow-up subscription is very impressive. Although I took leave for the last chapter and don't have the latest exact data, from what I observed, even during the dull period it was over seven thousand. Then in the latter half of this volume, with the climax chapters, it grew very fast. By the previous chapter, the 24-hour follow-up had reached over eight thousand five hundred, approaching nine thousand—an exaggerated figure. However, the follow-up within a week still hasn't reached ten thousand.

What does this show?

It shows that this book, like the previous one, might not have explosive overall results, but once people start reading, they can get into it—so-called reader stickiness is quite high.

After discussing the results, it's natural to use this opportunity to apologize.

With these results and this follow-up, ordinarily any trash writer should be writing ten thousand words a day, dying at the computer to repay the readers' favor... But in reality, I'm still the same as during the previous book—unreliable now and then, rushing to write at night, and occasionally when my routine collapses, things go wrong.

Now during the pandemic, the capital is still at Level One response. Companies like iQiyi, which want to work 996, have been fined, and Didi has everyone rotating to work from home, so there's no need to mention others. My crappy job lets me continue staying home to work all day. But working from home, I don't know about others, but my routine collapses daily because I often stay up late with a compulsive compensatory mentality.

For example, this recent leave... There's nothing to say about responsibility—it's just that I'm too undisciplined and can't control myself.

My routine was reversed. I wanted to adjust it, so I posted a chapter early. Then, ordinarily, everything should have been fine—rest early, relax for a day, get in good shape to end this volume. But in reality, that night I browsed Zhihu, caught up on new anime, and worst of all, at the recommendation of some big shot in the group, I bought "Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord" in the early morning, then played until dawn.

When I woke up from my nap, it was the evening of the day I took leave. I was completely dazed. Sitting for a while, the back of my head ached... Clearly, both body and mind were off. Nothing could go smoothly. I wrote over a thousand words and stopped. When I opened my eyes, it was 2 AM, and I posted a leave notice.

Honestly, it's really bad. It's bad for my health—I might actually drop dead—and it seriously hurts the feelings of readers following the updates.

But I just can't control this undisciplined nature of mine.

Before the big-shot contract came down, I had already started taking advantage of the pandemic to get laid off by the company. But honestly, regardless of the final outcome, if I went full-time, I'd probably be even more undisciplined.

In short, let me first admit my mistake to everyone. This update schedule, these leaves, and my lack of discipline are a disservice to your following of the updates and the results you've given me.

Now, back to the content.

What is this volume about?

Very simple. If the first volume was about the protagonist establishing himself as a person, this volume is about the protagonist establishing himself as the "His Majesty"... There's a difference between the two.

The former is a person; the latter is an identity.

So, the first volume, setting aside the unappealing nature of the time-travel identity, had a lot of immersion and excitement. The second volume, however, leans more toward the immediate situation, which made the first half of this volume somewhat dull when describing the protagonist's interactions with the Nanyang bureaucratic system.

But this was necessary and natural, because as His Majesty, the bureaucratic system naturally revolves around the protagonist and best highlights the identity of the Son of Heaven... Especially when the individuals within it are singled out—each talented, each pleasant to talk to... It brings the protagonist an extreme sense of security and achievement.

So, at the start, Zhao Jiu naturally chose to rely on this bureaucratic system that was close to him and seemed quite powerful, hoping for its reform and smooth operation.

Even now, we can't deny the rationality and presence of the bureaucratic system... Compared to Han Shizhong's widespread embezzlement of soldiers' pay and his lechery, Zhang Jun's boundless greed, or even Fan Qiong's flaying of people, the personal moral standards of civil officials are relatively high... In reality, the Great Song's decline to that point couldn't be simply due to one civil official ruining the country. If we talk about average quality, under the great collapse, the military officers, who used force without restraint, performed worse—and more thoroughly so. Civil officials, when singled out, still look decent.

It's just that someone like Han Shizhong, who is somewhat morally flawed but still capable and willing to serve the country, is a rare breed. Even Zhang Jun, who is greedy but willing to obey, is considered a remarkable general.

As for the anti-Jin heroes of the Dongjing Rear Service, they are also a very complex group.

In conventional historical views, because of Zong Ze's protection of them and Du Chong's suppression of them, plus the halo of being Yue Fei's comrades, they enter a positive narrative state... Of course, the facts are indeed so. At a time when war with the Jin was the primary contradiction, those who could resist the Jin were naturally heroes.

And then?

With a little understanding, you see how excessive these people were when unconstrained... Zhang Yu driving commoners to be soldiers and forcing them to fight each other—that's a typical figure from the Dongjing Rear Service.

Look at one side, they're heroes; look at the other side, they deserve a thousand cuts.

There's also another, more typical example of a righteous army not under the Dongjing Rear Service—Shao Qing.

If you look at just one historical record of this man, you'd be moved to tears... Historically, when the Jin army crossed the river, Shao Qing, as a surrendered naval commander, had only one boat—a small one with just eighteen boatmen. Facing the Jin army's thousands of troops and horses, he went out alone on his single boat to meet the enemy, returning only when his arrows were exhausted... Compared to the spineless civil and military officials of the same period like Du Chong and Wang Xie, he was a great hero!

Based on this, who dares say he's not an anti-Jin hero?

And then? If you dig through the details, you'll find a historical record in some obscure corner, recording that when he was a bandit and attacked a city, he rounded up all the villagers around the city, forced them with knives to fill the moat and pave the road, and even found pregnant women among them, cutting open their bellies in front of everyone to take the fetuses... What for?

Not for eating—for divination.

Based on this record, who dares say he qualifies as a hero? Could the Jin army be more brutal and savage than this? Fan Qiong's flaying of people, representing the lowest level of degenerate military officers, is more refined than this!

But in the end, this man was still recruited, became a commander, and then charged forward without hesitation...

Of course, Shao Qing is an extreme case—so extreme that I dare not write about him, only about Fan Qiong.

But most righteous armies and military bandits are complex, a mix of good and bad, with all kinds of people... I only started delving into Song Dynasty historical materials when I began this book, cramming at the last minute. But based on my historical perspective, I've concluded that, overall, these unconstrained righteous armies and military bandits were indeed more degenerate than the regular army.

Why? Not because the regular army was great, but because on one side, there was unrestrained use of force, with the evil of human nature running rampant in chaotic times; on the other side, there was some restraint, with the court and the system keeping them in check.

So at that time, the thoroughly corrupt Han Shizhong looked down on these people and had good reason to trick and kill them. Li Yanxian, from the start, longed to be recognized by the court as a regular army—also for good reason... Who would want to be seen as that kind of person?

The civil officials' disgust for these people was entirely reasonable.

Of course, roughly similar to these people, Yue Fei, a refugee soldier from Hebei, was a special case. He can't be compared to others. This man becoming a model for Chinese soldiers for over a thousand years has his unique qualities... I often argue in the group that Yue Fei has two points: one is a simple and great patriotism—"The shame of Jingkang is still unavenged; when will the subject's hatred end?"—and the other is a simple, bottom-up perspective that transcends his era—he truly treated the common people as human beings—"Rather starve than plunder; rather freeze than tear down houses."

Either of these two points can make a person transcend the constraints of their era, let alone both? With these two points, what are things like having uneven eyes or getting drunk and hitting people? They're just elements that bring him down from godhood to humanity.

In fact, the name Yue Fei itself already carries a specific context in Chinese culture. Similarly, Gandhi and Saladin having to share the title "Mahatma" actually makes it seem insufficient.

When a person is great enough, just saying their name evokes a lyrical feeling.

However, we can't, because of his halo, think too highly of those around him with similar backgrounds... When returning to the historical context, we must avoid this.

In any case, back to the present. After all these reflections, I have to say again: no matter how complex or degenerate these people are, you have to admit that the situation at that time had already become like this. To clean up the military mess, all remaining troops and righteous armies—everyone who could be united militarily—had to be united, then restrained, then used. Only then could victory be achieved as early as possible.

And as Zhao Jiu said when interrogating Du Chong, only by ending the war will these things that destroy humanity disappear, and only then will people be qualified to be human.

In fact, this is precisely Zong Ze's greatness. He saw more clearly, understood the deeper contradictions or the root of the contradictions, and knew the necessity of this force.

Relatively speaking, the people in the bureaucratic system, when singled out, are all decent good people. But once they form a system, they can't become an efficient machine in the short term. Moreover, the Jin army wouldn't give the protagonist the chance to integrate this bureaucratic system... Or perhaps, fortunately, the Jin army came quickly, preventing him from being assimilated by the comfortable nest of the bureaucratic system.

So, in the latter half of this volume, facing the real military difficulties, the awakened protagonist either dies in silence or, in silence, goes to Mount Liang on a snowy night.

Hence the sudden surge in the latter part of the plot.

But here I must say two things... One is that, plot-wise, the protagonist is taking credit for Heaven's work. He's actually using Zong Ze's legacy and remaining authority to complete his redemption. Without Zong Ze cleaning up this bunch for the country, the protagonist wouldn't even have the capital. That's why he had his complete awakening when facing Zong Ze and wrote that poem—because he found his missing leg and a true path in Zong Ze.

On the other hand, from the author's perspective, I have to say that this part wasn't written well... Because it could have been better. Everyone knows that during that period, I updated continuously and on time, doing a great job—so great that I was a bit proud. But in reality, many times, late at night, I had only written half or two-thirds of a chapter. Then I'd often rush to write the last third or even half of the chapter in just half an hour or an hour, dry and unpolished. This made the already climax-worthy plot feel like it didn't quite hit the peak at the end of the chapter.

So I still need to apologize.

But regardless, His Majesty Zhao has found his place in the dimming lights and has planted so many life-and-death talismans. Let's not get into sentimental analysis.

As usual, let me mention a few minor plot points.

Historically, Zhao Gou indeed used the elevation of Su Shi, using Su Shi as a lead, to promote his political stance. This was roughly inheriting Song Qinzong's old faction posture but in a more ambiguous and gentle way.

Besides the political gesture of posthumously granting Su Shi the title of Grand Preceptor, there is indeed a historical anecdote of him inscribing his feelings on Su Shi's authentic calligraphy.

In history, after Zhang Jun was dismissed as Chancellor, there was also an anecdote about recommending someone. At that time, Song Gaozong wanted him to recommend Qin Gui, but Zhang Jun, who had previously had an excellent relationship with Qin Gui, had already discovered that the man was a scoundrel. So when Song Gaozong asked, he immediately stated bluntly that this man lacked virtue and could not be Chancellor.

Then Zhao Gou asked again, actually wanting him to recommend Zhao Ding instead. As a result, Zhang Jun, knowing full well what the other party intended, remained silent... He knew Zhao Ding was better than Qin Gui, but constrained by the adversarial situation between the two of them, he didn't utter a word.

So Zhao Gou appointed Zhao Ding, but Zhao Ding could no longer be in tacit agreement with Zhang Jun. The group of people who had fled together from the Imperial Academy during the Jingkang Incident thus went their separate ways.

Next came the struggle between Zhao and Zhang, and Qin Gui seized the opportunity to rise... One can only say that civil officials, with their thinking within this system, were truly excessive...

But conversely, in the book, Zhang Jun's final recommendation before leaving of Hu Yin, with whom he had already had intense conflicts, is actually a reversal of the anecdote... At the very least, the protagonist had been sincere and trusting with him, causing him to still unthinkingly choose to follow the Emperor's wishes.

The Ten Commanders Sworn Brotherhood has no historical precedent, but in history, after the collapse of the Eastern Capital Field Headquarters, there were indeed instances of forming factions and then swearing brotherhood, and not just in one place.

Even after forming factions, several groups would fight and purge each other.

Among them, historically, Ma Gao, as a representative figure loyal to the Great Song, was killed by rebellious Commanders. After that, Yi Zhangqing probably sought refuge with Lü Qing, because Lü Qing accepted her as a goddaughter and married her off to Zhang Yong through a marriage alliance. Later, Lü Qing was also defeated or died in battle, and Zhang Yong and she became wandering army bandits. Yue Fei then persuaded the couple to surrender, which could be considered a good outcome. From the historical narrative, it can also be seen that people like Ma Gao, Yi Zhangqing, and Zhang Yong had some bottom line. Forcibly conscripting commoners into the army was certainly unavoidable, but compared to others, they still had a simple sense of morality.

Interestingly, after Yi Zhangqing remarried, she still called herself Lady Ma, and when going into battle, she used the banner of Lady Ma, claiming to be loyal and martyred... Anyway, Zhang Yong probably had no objection.

Wang Shan was also a very interesting person. In that chaotic period, he initially had the most troops and at one point the greatest power. Zhang Yong also submitted to him, and many so-called sworn brothers followed him. When attacking cities defended by Great Song government troops, he even uttered the words, "Redistribute wealth and poverty, nobility and lowliness."

Moreover, this person, throughout his early active period, never surrendered to the Jin Army or the puppet Qi regime. He was someone who insisted on his bottom line while striving to climb up.

However, later, during his wanderings, his mother accidentally fell into water and died on the spot. This immediately caused Wang Shan, who had been very ambitious and capable, to lose all motivation to struggle. He eventually became utterly disheartened, surrendered to the Jin Army or the puppet Qi, and from then on disappeared from history.

And these people—Wang Shan, Li Kui, the Sick Guan Suo Li Bao, the remarried Yi Zhangqing, oh, and Hu Cheng, and even Shao Qing, who killed pregnant women to take their fetuses for divination yet bravely resisted the Jin—should be the inspiration for the later novel *Water Margin*.

They were an extremely complex group, generally quite degenerate, yet degenerate for a reason (forced by the times to choose the abuse of force).

Therefore, the key point here is that the reason they degenerated universally and as a whole was simply the lack of a person to take over from Zong Ze to restrain and organize them.

In the book, the protagonist appeared and also used the Life-Death Talisman.

Then, because of the protagonist's presence, those who originally had regrets could depart in peace, those pure people who would have degenerated were spared from degenerating, and those whose innocence would have been made manifest under the bright sun... needless to say.

This is the fundamental satisfying point of historical time-travel novels. It should be the result of a certain simple, positive moral sense deep in everyone's heart resonating with history and fiction.

Finally, finally, I want to run an advertisement.

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The other is "Chi Ji's Book Famine Relief Station." This seems to be quite well-known among book friends, because bigshot Chi Ji focuses on recommending books and scanning new ones. He and bigshot Andis Chenfeng are one for depth and one for breadth. The former focuses on web novel commentary, while the latter specializes in finding good books for everyone to read.

Everyone might as well go take a look...

Unconsciously written so many words, why don't I have this kind of drive when updating?

Good night.