Chapter 1: The Awakening of Shin Wang...

  "When it comes to Zong Ze's physical condition, Zhao Xun looked at everyone with a serious expression and continued: "If General Zong Ze has any accident, my imperial brother Zhao Gou will clash with various heroes from all sides. At that time, those who are close will be in pain, and those who are enemies will be happy. The Jin army hasn't been defeated yet, but we'll defeat ourselves first."

  "Ma Kuo Ai Qing, this time I entrust you with this matter, it is for this reason." Zhao Zheng looked at Ma Kuo solemnly and said: "I will write a letter to summon General Zong Ze to launch a pincer attack on the Jin dog from both north and south. After you go, if General Zong has no mishaps before July, then when the time comes, you can join forces with General Zong to march north and meet up with me."

  Zhao Kuang finished speaking, his face slightly darkened, and then said: "If it's not my calculation, if General Zong Ze is not in good health or if there are any changes in the situation. My brother Zhao Gou is a person who is afraid of the Jin country at heart, and the pro-peace faction around him has a great advantage. At that time, Brother Zhao Gou will send a pro-peace faction to take charge of the overall situation and disband the attacking troops. The army will be consumed by internal strife, and the Jin army will invade again without any substantial obstacles, easily invading and occupying the vast Central Plains. At that time, my northern Han people will fall under the iron hooves of the Jin army. And my brother Zhao Gou will probably continue to cede land and pay indemnities to seek peace, barely surviving in the southern half of the country. The great cause of the Northern Expedition will become a dream."

  Here is the translation:

  "Up to this point, Zhao Kuang glanced at Ma Kuo and Zhao Bangjie who were shocked by his words, and continued: "If my calculations are not wrong, General Zong Ze will meet with an accident before July. Ma Kuo, I need your loyalty, not to the current Zhao family that has abandoned me after suffering hardships, but to the one who betrayed our ancestors' territory and sought personal gain - Zhao Gou's loyalty. But rather, I need your loyalty to me and my Zhao family. Can I trust you?"

  Ma Kuo was stunned by Zhao Chen's words and stared at him, unable to speak. "Lord Ma Kuo, if something happens to General Zong Ze after July, can you help me with some things?" Zhao Chen asked loudly.

  It seemed as if he was startled awake by Zhao Song's words, and he immediately kowtowed and said: "Please instruct me, Your Highness. If something really happens to General Zhongze in July, I will carry out your orders. Even if it means going against Emperor Gaozong himself, I won't hesitate."

  Ma Kuo's words were not yet finished, and it must be that something unexpected happened to General Zhou Zong in July, so he went to execute Zhao Chen's orders. From the beginning of meeting with Zhao Chen, through his conversation with him, he knew that Zhao Chen was also very ambitious, and was extremely dissatisfied with Zhao Gou's attitude towards seeking peace and surrender during the war against Jin, which did not save Huizong, Qinzong and the entire Zhao clan. He was afraid that the two would eventually compete for the throne in the future. If it were a competition between the two, Ma Kuo did not want to get involved from the bottom of his heart.

  However, if Zhao Chen really could calculate something out, after going to Kaifeng himself, if General Zong Ze really had a physical condition before July and appeared in a situation, then it would prove that Zhao Chen was indeed very capable of measuring or having many spies under his command. However, no matter what, at that time he would not allow the Jin army led by Zhao Chen to occupy the land of the Northern State, even if it meant breaking with Zhao Gou for the sake of the northern expedition.

  "Good! Ma Kuo, you are indeed a good son of our Great Song Dynasty! If General Zong Ze really encounters misfortune before July, you will unite all the righteous armies and anti-Jin Song armies as well as patriotic generals. Tell them that I am willing to accept them and continue to fight against the Jin in the north. Let them march north to join me. Tell them that I believe in Wang! The anti-Jin banner will never fall! Nor will it ever retreat!" Zhao Kuang said with great passion and fervor.

  Ma Kuo and Zhao Bangjie were both secretly delighted, but they also began to have some wild ideas about Zhao Chen. If Zhao Chen could really calculate something, then he would be a living god. Then it's possible that Zhao Chen might be the true destined emperor, and if I follow him, I'm afraid that after we achieve great things in the future, I will have the merit of riding on the dragon's back, and I will be enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as a prime minister. "Your humble servant obeys your orders!" Ma Kuo bowed down.

  "You went to Kaifeng, remember to go to Yangzhou first to find Zhao Gou, tell him I'm still on Wuma Mountain, and show my letter to Zhao Gou. Also, inform them about the defense of Wuma Mountain. After Zhao Gou knows that I escaped, he will definitely try his best to sabotage my northern expedition plan and secretly harm me. At that time, they will secretly contact the Golden Dog and tell him everything about Wuma Mountain. On one hand, this can be used as a condition for seeking peace, on the other hand, it can also kill me, this brother who has the same qualifications to compete for the throne. It's killing two birds with one stone. However, the Golden Dog will definitely make a futile trip, and we can also sow discord among their relationships, making the Jin army attack Zhao Gou more fiercely and reduce our pressure. At that time, you immediately leave Yangzhou secretly and return to Kaifeng, mobilize the righteous army and patriotic generals to surrender to me." Zhao Zhen stared at Ma Kuo and reminded him again.

  "I understand, Your Highness. Please be at ease." Ma Kuo listened with a mixture of surprise and recollection of Zhao Kun's instructions. Ma Kuo was also an intelligent person, and since he knew that Zhao Kun had great ambitions, if Zong Ze really appeared in July as he had predicted, then Zhao Kun would truly possess extraordinary abilities like Zhuge Liang, with strategies that could reach a thousand miles away. Whatever the case, all of Zhao Kun's plans were for the sake of the northern expedition and recovering the rivers and mountains to drive out the Jin army. Therefore, for the sake of the northern expedition and driving out the Jin army, Ma Kuo thought to himself that he must carry out all of Zhao Kun's instructions.

  "The most important thing is that you must bring Yue Fei to me!" Zhao Kui said to Ma Kuo. "This is a letter I wrote overnight, when something unexpected happens, you show it to Yue Fei and he will come." Zhao Kui said.

  Yue Fei was not yet famous at that time, and Ma Kuo naturally did not know why Zhao Kuang insisted on Yue Fei, and even wrote a letter himself. However, for Zhao Kuang's order, he still had to faithfully execute it, so he took the letter.

  Yue Fei was a man who would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox, and he was also a person who considered things from a macro perspective. Although he was a political moron, he was a genius strategist and tactician.

  At first, the reason for the dispute between Wang Yan and Yue Fei was that Yue Fei knew that Wang Yan had no great future in the Taihang Mountains. For many reasons, he went south to join Zong Ze's anti-Jin campaign. Yue Fei knew that only under the banner of a person with extremely high prestige could he gather a large number of Song Dynasty children to fight against the Jin, and concentrate his forces to thoroughly defeat the Jin army.

  It turned out that Yue Fei was right, and Wang Yan's prestige was limited, unable to gather much strength. In the end, although Wang Yan defeated the Jin army several times, he still went south to join forces with Zong Ze. The reason is that his prestige was too weak.

  If it were the original Xue Wang Zhao Song, he would not have had the ability to make Yue Fei come to his side. However, the deeply knowledgeable about Yue Fei's character after crossing over, Zhao Song knew this person's temperament.

  Yue Fei knew that Zhao Gou was a softie, but he remained extremely loyal. The reason for this was his loyalty to the orthodox Chinese imperial court and his loyalty to the Han people of the Central Plains. Later on, Yue Fei's eagerness to propose the establishment of a crown prince was precisely because Emperor Xiaozong was an active resister against the Jin dynasty. For Yue Fei, as long as there was an active anti-Jin Zhao family mastermind, he would be willing to take the lead for him, which was also one of the reasons why he was killed by Zhao Gou.

  Zhao Yun wrote a letter to Yue Fei, enlightening him with reason and moving him with emotion. Moreover, he asked Yue Fei to be the commander-in-chief of his own army and planned out the direction for future development.

  Apart from this, Zhao Xun also explicitly wrote that Zhao Gou's hidden harm could not be tolerated, and as the son of Huizong, he or his descendants would be the next heir to the throne. He was also representing the future Song Dynasty, which was also a matter of great righteousness.

  No matter what, Yue Fei at this time was not the Yue Fei who would later be famous for his military exploits, so he would definitely come to surrender to him, Zhao Kuang had this confidence.

  As for the large number of troops, mostly militia under Zhang Yue and Wang Shan's command, Zhao Xun absolutely could not let Zhao Gong destroy the Great Wall. Zhao Xun also had Ma Kuo bring two letters.

  After handing over the letter he personally wrote to Zhang Yong and Wang Shan, Zhao Kuang solemnly said: "The matter of this letter is extremely important. You absolutely cannot let anyone see it, including yourself. Nor can you let these two see it before General Zong Ze's incident occurs. Remember! Remember!"

  Under Zhao Chen's entrustment, Ma Kuo took several secret letters from Zhao Chen down the mountain, while his father Ma Zheng and Zhao Bangyan led a crowd of soldiers and civilians from various camps in Wuma Mountain to start retreating.

  To avoid the Jin army, the Wu Ma Mountain Righteous Army chose to advance on rugged mountain paths, abandoning all cumbersome objects. All horses were pulling grain forward. Even King Xining Zhao Chen set an example by walking on foot, and even Princess Shuang'er's special treatment was only riding a small donkey.

  In the retreat, unlike Zhao Song's cognition, the speed of the Wu Ma Mountain Righteous Army's retreat or escape was extremely fast. The Wu Ma Mountain Righteous Army was composed of civilians and defeated soldiers who fled after the invasion of the Jin army, and those with two legs could run, which may be a characteristic of the righteous army. After all, under the iron hoof of the Jin army, everyone's living environment was harsh, and escape was a common occurrence, and over time, it became a means of survival. As soon as the leaders of each stronghold gave an order, they picked up their pots and pans and ran. They traversed mountains and rivers, wore stars on their heads, and on the rugged mountain roads, even four-legged horses couldn't catch up.

  After a period of training, Zhao's kung fu skills have somewhat recovered. Now he also considers himself to be as light as a swallow, feeling that even tigers can't catch up with him when he runs. However, he no longer thinks this way now. Because he saw the family members and civilians in the righteous army, as soon as they heard that the Jin soldiers were coming, men and women, old and young, each carrying tens of kilograms or even dozens of kilograms of things, on the rugged mountain roads, their legs flew like wings. Although they also stopped to catch their breath along the way, they immediately continued running, their strong willpower left Zhao stunned.

  "My goodness, what kind of people are these? They all look so frail, but they're as tough as nails! It seems that the brain is really important. When it's in danger, regardless of whether you're male or female, young or old, everyone uses their physical strength and willpower to the limit." Zhao Xing sat by the side of the road, sticking out his tongue to catch his breath, and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion.

  Zhao Qing'er led a red war horse loaded with bundles, carrying a large basket on her back and holding a large flag in her hand, walking over with sweat dripping down.

  "Trust me, you said you wanted to take the lead, now it's your turn." "Can't you see I'm panting?" Zhao Xiang weakly glared at her, then stuck out his tongue and started panting heavily.

  Zhao Qing'er didn't even glance at him, handed the large flag back to him, then wiped the sweat from her face and said indignantly: "General Xin, you said it yourself, you would lead by example. But among our Five Horse Mountain Righteous Army, old and young, who doesn't have a burden on their back? Only you are carefree, isn't that just because of holding this large flag? Doesn't the General's words count for anything?"

  When he heard her words, Zhao Xun felt guilty and short of breath, and didn't dare to retort. He was putting on a show of being a king who leads by example in front of the righteous army, but if he really had to carry the big flag, he couldn't bear to lose face.

  "Hurry up, Master Wang, the Golden Army has arrived, everyone is running for their lives, what are you still dawdling about?" Zhao Qing'er said breathlessly.

  Zhao Zhuo secretly resented this little girl for daring to scold him while his father and Ma Zheng were not around. This little girl had never seen the world, didn't know the ferocity of the Wang family's nobility, and actually dared to shout at him. He would definitely make sure that this little girl would be unable to climb out of the pit she was in someday.

  In his heart, Zhao Xun swayed and stood up, raised the big flag and shook it at the surrounding righteous army and civilians, then took a big step forward. The surrounding civilians and righteous army saw that the King of Xin really kept his word, saying that he would take the lead in carrying the big flag, and he did it. In the future, following such a trustworthy king, they will definitely be able to drive away the Jin army. Thinking of this, the surrounding righteous army and civilians ran even more happily, making Zhao Xun, who was holding the big flag, almost unable to keep up.

  Not two steps had been taken when Zhao Jun began to grumble and complain in his heart. What was the point of making such a big flag for nothing? This big flag is too heavy to hold in hand, why did he promise this to boost morale? This is really intentionally tormenting himself.

  He looked up at the flag. This was a big flag personally sewn by Zhao Qing'er, which was much more majestic than the broken flag he had pieced together before. The flag was large, with good fabric and exquisite workmanship, and the pattern was beautiful. On the yellow flag surface, there was an embroidered four-clawed dragon, with the words "Xin Wang" (信王) in the middle, surrounded by a flying dragon and a dancing phoenix.

  Thanks to the reports from various loyal and righteous societies, as well as the cleverness of Zhao Chen and the decisive actions of Ma Zheng and Zhao Bangjie, leaders of Wuma Mountain, the Wuma Mountain Righteous Army finally managed to escape the encirclement by the Jin army before they could close in. Just when the Righteous Army had let out a sigh of relief, scouts on horseback came flying back with reports that the Jin army's iron cavalry was closing in behind them.

  "How many miles are the Golden Soldiers from us?" asked General Ma, who although was old and grey, still looked very spirited.

  "The main force of the Golden Army is less than fifty miles away from us." The scout replied. "How many cavalry?" "Not clear, but judging from the flying dust, at least two thousand riders."

  Upon hearing his words, Ma Zheng took a deep breath. Two thousand elite Golden Soldiers must be the cream of the crop. They claimed to have an army of one hundred thousand, but in reality, it was already impressive if they could gather several thousand soldiers who were actually capable of fighting, and their combat effectiveness was far inferior.

  Ma Zheng received the scout's report and immediately consulted with Zhao Bangjie to discuss countermeasures. After a brief moment of thought, Zhao ordered Zhao Songyong to lead 200 cavalry and 2,000 infantry along the mountain path to set up roadblocks. Whenever they saw a strategic location, they would ambush or block the enemy, sparing no expense to slow down the enemy's pursuit.

  "Order each camp, no need to hide their appearance anymore, immediately hurry up and march." Zhao Bangjie shouted: "Throw away anything that can be thrown away, advance at the fastest speed."

  With Zhao Bangjie's order, a loud and clear bugle call rose into the sky, and for a time, the mountains responded in kind, the sound lingering on.

  Upon hearing the sound of the horn, Zhao Qing'er suddenly raised her head and exclaimed in a low voice, "It's not good, the Jin army is chasing after us." Upon hearing that the Jin army was chasing after them, Zhao Chen's expression changed instantly. He asked, "Where are the Jin soldiers? How many li away from us?"

  "The horn has sounded, didn't you hear it?" Zhao Qing'er said hastily as she quickly untied her backpack and shouted to Zhao Chen: "Quickly, take down all the things on the horse's back, we don't need them anymore, none of them!"

  Zhao Qing's heart was in a flurry, thinking of how tens of thousands of people could escape the pursuit of the Jin army, so he didn't move. The double son who was riding a donkey behind him hurriedly got off the small donkey and ran to Zhao Qing's side, helping her untie the rope with busy hands and feet.

  At this time, Zhao Xun saw that people all over the mountain were throwing things away. These people, who had been reluctant to give up anything when they left Wuma Mountain, were now discarding everything without hesitation and running at high speed, gradually merging into a rolling torrent, rushing down in one direction.

  Hearing the scout's words, Zhao Bangjie suspected that he had misheard, a strong sense of suffocation made him dizzy for a moment, and his tall body swayed slightly.

  "You... say it again."

  "Jin army defeated the vanguard of Zhao Song's troops, their cavalry is less than thirty miles away from us. Zhao Song is gathering the remnants, barely holding off the Jin army." The scout's eyes showed fear, and the sweat on his face rolled down like rain.

  "How is this possible?" Zhao Bangjie slapped his chest and exclaimed excitedly: "Yesterday, Song Yong said that he had already repelled the Jin army, how could they be defeated in just one night?" The scout, of course, couldn't answer this question, he could only hang his head and pant heavily.

  Zhao Bangjie paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, feeling anxious and uneasy. The worst thing that could have happened had indeed occurred - the volunteer army at Wuma Mountain was being pursued by the Jin army.

  The more than 2,000 people led by Zhao Songyong were unexpectedly defeated by the Jin army. The only explanation is that the Jurchen people knew in advance the movement of the main force of the Righteous Army and the location of Zhao Songyong's blocking troops, so they launched a surprise attack on Zhao Songyong's Righteous Army.

  What to do now? The Golden Army is closing in, and once the Iron Cavalry catches up, the 100,000 righteous army civilians will have nowhere to escape.

  "I told you to stay put, it's the safest option, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on heading south..." Liu Xi, the leader, was furious and began to scold Zhao Bangjie.

  Zhao Bangjie's head was about to explode, initially still enduring it, after all this news couldn't be leaked for the time being, otherwise the army might collapse without a fight. But Liu Xiyue got more and more agitated as he spoke, pushing all the blame onto Zhao Bangjie and Ma Kuo's heads.