Chapter 52: Life and Death (Part 2)

As it happened, after Zhao Jiu let out a wanton cry, countless people outside the tent—the low-ranking soldiers were naturally muddled, feeling that the Emperor and Zhang Qilang shared a bond of ruler and minister, just like in the operas, where a military ruffian traded his life for the Emperor to mourn him, which was considered worthwhile; while the high-ranking civil and military officials, though solemn, couldn't help but secretly sigh that the Emperor was skilled at winning people's hearts, crying like this, even more sincere than when he ascended the throne in Nanjing (Shangqiu) last time... truly a fine tactic!

Only Yang Yizhong had a somewhat strange suspicion in his heart, his emotions complex, unlike the others.

Regardless, Zhao Jiu cried for a full quarter-hour, only emerging from the tent when the sun had completely set in the west, and everyone quickly gathered around.

And though Zhao Jiu had composed himself, there were still tear stains on his face. Standing outside the tent, he wanted to speak personally, but found himself momentarily unable to, so he simply waved for Yang Yizhong to announce what had been discussed before the trip—nothing more than posthumous honors, promises, rewards, a lavish burial, and talk of enshrining him as a river god in the future.

However, given Zhang Yongzhen's status as a mere Preparatory General, combined with the Song Dynasty's system of valuing civil over military, no posthumous honor could be too high... Among the fifty-three ranks of military officials, the highest, Grand Commandant, could not be granted posthumously, but the next rank, the Horizontal Class Envoy—the rank to which Zhang Yongzhen was posthumously awarded as Xiezhong Grand Master—though a key position in life for transfer to border prefectures, was only a rank five official as a posthumous honor. The others on the same boat were similar; though their ranks seemed greatly elevated, they were merely posthumous honors of rank seven or eight.

As for the most important matters of ennobling his wife and children and rewards, since his wife was not by his side at the time, they were just empty words and promises; even for those on the same boat, only one man's brother was found in the army, promoted to Imperial Guard, with additional monetary rewards, considered a form of closure.

In the end, after all was said and done, only the funeral and the matter of establishing a temple and enshrining him as a god were actually carried out.

And so, after a whole night of fuss, since the talk turned to enshrinement, they had Junior Scholar Lin write the eulogy. Naturally, Lin Jingmo took the opportunity to ask about Zhang Qilang's last words, which everyone wanted to know.

Zhao Jiu's expression unchanged, he replied calmly: "Zhang Qilang only spoke of two things: one, that he could not return home to see the elders of Yan'an; the other, that he could not defeat the bandits to avenge past shame... At the very end, he cried out repeatedly for home and then breathed his last!"

Junior Scholar Lin was stunned for a moment, wanting to ask more, but seeing the Emperor's expressionless face and recalling the crying he had heard upon arriving after being informed, he swallowed his words and, in his capacity as a Hanlin Academician, began writing the eulogy before Zhang Qilang's spirit tablet.

Once the eulogy was written, Zhao Jiu personally participated, offering sacrifices to Zhang Yongzhen and the soldiers from that day's boat who had been the only ones to actively counterattack and die in battle. After watching them be hastily buried at the foot of Mount Bagong, he then gave further instructions to Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing before turning back gloomily and heading up the mountain in the dark.

Upon reaching the top, Zhao Jiu did not intend to rest. Instead, he first passed by the small camp without entering, returned to his imperial tent, and noted down all the promises he had made that day in his little notebook. Only then did he leave again to meet Lu Haowen at the small camp on the summit and receive a group of people... a group of refugees.

Now, Han Shizhong, having come with the wind from the east, had scared off Jin Wushu, but to be safe, he first gave up on landing and instead arranged for the fleet's defense, patrols, and resettlement... Let's set that aside for now... Let's just say that this General Han, while preparing for battle in the Chuzhou and Sizhou area, naturally encountered many refugees from the two Jingdong circuits on the Huai River.

Among them, let's not mention the common people who were allowed to pass; nor the brave ones who were picked up to fill the ranks, or the homeless women married off to soldiers... But there was one group that even Han Shizhong had to treat with great courtesy, and he even transported them by military boat, sending them ashore at the first opportunity.

"Which one is Liu Hongdao, the Prefect of Qingzhou?" Zhao Jiu entered the main hall of the small camp, sat down, and before these people could bow and pay their respects, he called out a name.

"Your servant is Liu Hongdao." Under the lamplight, a man quickly rose and bowed. "Your servant congratulates Your Majesty. Since the Jingkang Incident, our army has suffered repeated defeats, finding a victory hard to come by. I never expected such a triumph today..."

"I thought you would first complain about me, saying that I value warriors over civil officials, that I would rather go mourn a crude soldier than come see you!" Zhao Jiu clearly hadn't moved past the earlier events, but for some reason, his tone was still fairly calm.

But regardless of his tone, such words from an emperor's mouth made all the ministers in the hall, including Lu Haowen, momentarily uneasy.

Liu Hongdao, bearing the brunt of it, quickly bowed his head: "I am a man who lost territory and failed in battle, unable to die for honor. I should cover my face and resign, retreating far to my hometown. I am grateful that Your Majesty has not abandoned me and summoned me to the temporary palace. How dare I harbor any resentment?"

"Good that you know." Zhao Jiu remained calm. "This is why I placed Zhang Yongzhen's funeral arrangements before summoning you key officials, and why I called on you first... Times are different now. The old rules have gone north with the Two Emperors. Have you seen the documents I issued?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have seen them!" Liu Hongdao grew even more cautious.

"As things stand, the Jin people are still in relentless pursuit, their intent to destroy Song is clear for all to see, and there is no room for compromise between Song and Jin. So from now on, everything is judged by resistance against Jin." Zhao Jiu glanced at Lu Haowen, who seemed to want to speak, and continued calmly. "In today's battle on the Huai, only Zhang Yongzhen stepped forward, only that one boat's crew died facing north, and they nearly turned the tide of battle. So they are the most useful people in the great cause of resisting Jin, and I went to see them first! And you, Liu Hongdao, are the only one among these refugees who dared to fight the Jin. That's why I came here and called on you first! Understand?"

"I understand..." Liu Hongdao paused before replying softly.

"Vice Grand Councilor Xu sent a memorial from the south the day before yesterday, saying that news in the Guangnan region arrives late, and many still thought the Jingkang Incident wasn't over, so they donated their fortunes to come to the Emperor's aid. But by the time they led their troops to the Jiangnanxi circuit, they learned the state had already fallen. Plus, at that time, the traitor Huang Qianshan was in power, treating them as bandits and forbidding them from crossing the river, leaving them at a loss." Zhao Jiu continued slowly. "I will keep all your current official positions and then give you the assignment of Commissioner for the Jiangnanxi Circuit. Go there to gather troops. Once you have the troops, first pacify the local security issues in Jiangxi, then lead the army to the Huai region to support the temporary palace... Can you do it?"

"This is easy!" Liu Hongdao immediately looked relieved. "Your servant will never fail Your Majesty's grace and forgiveness today."

"That's good." Zhao Jiu also looked relieved, then suddenly sighed. "In truth, since ancient times, the hardest thing is to die. The Two Emperors couldn't die for honor, so why should you be forced to?"

The hall full of fleeing high officials, plus Lu Haowen, all changed color.

But Zhao Jiu remained unmoved and continued with emotion: "Even I fled from Nanjing (Shangqiu) all the way to the Huai, abandoning land. How could I punish you with similar charges?"

The ministers were slightly relieved.

But Zhao Jiu's voice didn't stop; instead, it grew louder: "Yet, when the state was lost, there were still civil officials like Li Ruoshui and Zhang Shuye who dared to die for honor, and military officers like Zhang Yongzhen who dared to fight alone facing north... So, while surviving by any means can be tolerated, it cannot be tolerated forever. And you and I, ruler and ministers, should know right from wrong, shouldn't we? Shouldn't we also know what shame is?"

The civil officials dared not be negligent and once again bowed, confessing their faults.

"No need to confess." Zhao Jiu ignored them and continued. "This is why I am unwilling to retreat any further! And it is also to remind you: since I will not retreat from the Huai River, now that you have crossed the Huai, whoever dares to retreat again, even civil officials, can be killed! So there will be no next time!"

The atmosphere in the hall was grim, but Zhao Jiu simply stood up:

"Before you disperse today, I gift you a famous poem, said to be written by the Hermit of Yi'an, Li Qingzhao, mocking you and me. Keep it in your hearts, as both a whip and encouragement... 'Be a man among men when alive, be a hero among ghosts when dead. To this day, we think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River!'"

With that, Zhao Jiu ignored the others, including Zhao Mingcheng, the Prefect of Zizhou, and simply swept out with his sleeves.

As soon as the Emperor left, the others all looked at Zhao Mingcheng. Zhao Mingcheng, his face bright red, could only throw up his hands and stamp his feet in response: "There is absolutely no such poem! This must be the Emperor, hating us to the bone for abandoning our lands, using this as a satire!"

PS: Sorry, my parents are coming for the New Year, so I've been working overtime to adjust my schedule. The update is still very rushed... Attached is the Shaosong reader group.