Chapter 1: The Awakening of Shin Wang...

  This surrender had a chain reaction, "Hulla...hulla..." had already frightened tens of thousands of barbarian soldiers to death, and all the barbarian soldiers who had no morale immediately threw away their weapons, hugged their heads, and knelt on the ground.

  Throughout the war, the Righteous Army suffered almost no losses except for over a thousand casualties at the beginning. Moreover, they gained more than 20,000 Han Chinese young men.

  The 30,000 Han young men who followed the Jin army were all slaves of the Jin army. Their country was destroyed and their families were ruined, their lives were threatened by the Jin army at any time, as soon as they saw the righteous army coming, they immediately fled or surrendered. Among them, most people surrendered to the righteous army, greatly increasing the reserve force of the righteous army.

  After finishing this battle, Zhao Yun smiled and nodded to everyone, then told them about his plan to attack the city and plunder the land around Mount Taihang.

  Due to distrust of King Xiang Zhao Cong, and having received Emperor Gaozong's edict allowing him to head south, Wang Yan led the elite troops of the Eight Armies in heading south to surrender to Zong Ze. Perhaps still holding some hope for King Xiang, Wang Yan did not completely cut ties. Before he left, he had the leaders of the Righteous Army who were willing to stay behind, Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong, lead 100,000 civilians in surrendering to Zhao Cong.

  Since the Eight Trigrams Army is no longer a living force, the situation of the Rebel Army is now very unfavorable. The Rebel Army has only taken Le Ping, and to make any progress, they must attack and defend against the Jin army's siege.

  "We will attack the city and plunder the land, with the great mountain as our rear support, and fight against the Jin army. This time we defeated 10,000 elite soldiers of the Jin army, and the Jin country will definitely not give up. Now they have a large number of troops stationed near Bianliang, and are at a stalemate with the army led by General Zong Ze. Later on, the Jin army will definitely send a large force to besiege us. Therefore, we must now establish a secret camp deep in the mountains, open up wasteland and plant grain. We will attack the city below the mountain and establish our own territory." After Zhao Ke finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement with his words. In fact, everyone had already developed a blind following feeling towards Zhao Ke, whatever he said was right.

  Now that the overall situation has been settled, what remains is the military system. The military system of the righteous army was very chaotic, with titles such as leader, general, and commander being used indiscriminately. Some commanders had only a few hundred men under them, while some leaders had several thousand men under their command, making it impossible for anyone to know how many soldiers were in each unit, which gave the commanders a big headache.

  Zhao Yun thought for a moment, then said: "The military system implemented by our Great Song is also very chaotic. Our righteous army is simple, so we set up a simpler military organization. We will change the organization to a five-level organization of army, battalion, company, squad, and team. The number of troops must be strictly organized according to regulations, which will not lead to the disadvantages of generals not knowing their soldiers, soldiers not recognizing their generals, and commanders not knowing the size of their forces."

  The Northern Song Dynasty's original forbidden army was divided into three levels: the military, the camp, and the capital. Generally, each camp had 500 people, with a maximum of 1,000 people. The military governed five camps, so the number of people in one military was generally between 2,500 to 5,000.

  Zhaoren's idea was improved from the original forbidden army's organization. One squad consisted of five people, one unit consisted of ten people, a small team consisted of fifty people, a medium-sized team consisted of one hundred people, and a large team consisted of five hundred people. As for the organization of a battalion, it consisted of two large teams totaling one thousand people. An army commanded five battalions, which was equivalent to five thousand people.

  Apart from this, Zhao Kui also wanted to disrupt the formation and reorganize the troops. By using this method to recruit prisoners of war, it also disrupted the original formation of the Jin army, which could effectively prevent soldiers from escaping.

  After discussing the arrangement of the troops, Zhao Xun said to Ma Zheng and Zhao Bangjie: "Ma Zheng, my dear, Zhao Bangjie, my dear, you two are deputy commanders on both sides. You are the left commander, and you two also command a division each. When I am not around, you two will be in charge."

  Ma Zheng had spent his whole life in the northwest army of the Song Dynasty and was best at commanding troops and fighting among all the righteous armies. Zhao Bangjie was also a military officer and the initial leader of the Wuma Mountain Righteous Army, with the highest prestige. The two men complemented each other, one excelled at fighting and the other could stabilize the army's morale.

  On the fifth day of occupying Le Ping, the surrender and reorganization of Xinfeng's Righteous Army were basically completed, and a brand new Xinfeng's Righteous Army emerged. The entire Xinfeng's Righteous Army was arranged with one general camp, seven armies, totaling 36,000 cavalry and infantry. Among them, 23,000 infantry, 13,000 cavalry, all the cavalry had two horses per person.

  Originally, the war horses in the Righteous Army, plus the fine horses captured and the surrendered war horses, the Righteous Army of King Xiang had nearly 30,000 war horses.

  Zhao Yun finally had a powerful cavalry, with a cavalry that could match the Golden Army.

  Gao Yunfei, although afraid of death, is a soft-hearted person, but also a clever and resourceful one. Due to his planning, countless cattle and horses of the Jin State were lost to the Righteous Army. Now the high-ranking nobles of the Jin State have come to loathe him to the bone, and Gao Yunfei now has no way out except relying on the King of Xin.

  This man is relatively reliable, and since he is familiar with the situation of Jin Bing, Zhao Zhuo arranged for him to be in his own commander's account, temporarily serving as a military advisor and concurrently serving as a military supervisor.

  Zhao Qing'er was appointed by Zhao Xun as the commander of the Imperial Guard, commanding 500 cavalry and 500 infantry. Zhao Xun specially established a Dragon Wolf Army consisting entirely of cavalry for his own elite personal army, with Wang Jin as its leader.

  Zhao Bangjie and his son Zhao Songyong founded the Golden Tiger Army; Ma Zheng and his fierce general Zhang Ying founded the Ma Family Army; Liu Xitou led his troops to form the Divine Mountain Army; Wu Feng led his troops to form the Wind and Thunder Army; Liu Sange led his nephew Liu Shan'er to form the Fierce Leopard Army. These five armies were all composed of one battalion of cavalry and four battalions of infantry.

  Gaobao Mountain led the Khitan general Xiao Deli and the Xi general Gan Guduo to form the Heilong Army, which was composed of surrendered barbarian soldiers. They had 2,500 cavalrymen and 2,500 infantrymen, and their strength was also very strong.

  Xin Wang Yijun formally appointed Xin Wang Qiansui Zhao Chen as the commander-in-chief of the Righteous Army. The Righteous Army has two deputy commanders, Left Commander Ma Zheng and Right Commander Zhao Bangjie. Another Xin Wang's personal army was established, with Zhao Qing'er as its leader.

  More than 30,000 righteous troops were fully assembled, and everyone in Le Ping City drank wine and ate meat to celebrate.

  The next day, at the crack of dawn, war drums beat and bugles sounded! The 36,000-strong volunteer army formed up in front of Le Ping City. They raised a large flag and proclaimed Xin Wang as their commander-in-chief. With this flag raised, they became the official Xin Wang Volunteer Army.

  Raising the flag must first worship the flag. Generally, worshipping the flag involves killing cows and sheep, but King Zhao Xun of Xin killed people, and what's more, he wanted to kill over a thousand people in one breath.

  Over a thousand were genuine Jurchens, all captured by the righteous army in battle. The soldiers took all the Jurchen captives to the riverbank and beheaded them from the commander-in-chief down to the lowest soldier, not one was spared.

  Zhao Kun gave the order, and more than 2,000 heads fell to the ground. The corpses and heads were arranged in a spectacle by the righteous army. The Jin soldiers who came to investigate from nearby towns saw this and turned pale with fear, trembling with terror. The reputation of the King Xiang's righteous army was established, and the Jin soldiers in the surrounding towns were extremely afraid of them.

  "Long live the king... for a thousand years! Great general... for a thousand years!" The crowd's shouting shook the heavens, like rolling thunder that rose and fell in waves. The soldiers strained their voices, shouting with all their might, fearing that they were not loud enough, that their loyalty was not sufficiently demonstrated.

  Since the Jin army invaded, until the Zhao family was destroyed by the Jin army. Everyone has never seen a royal family that can create miracles, even Gaozong Zhao Gou, who proclaimed himself emperor, is an escapism! Surrenderism!

  But now, everyone finally saw a royal prince who could create miracles. For Zhao Chen, everyone really respected him from the bottom of their hearts. In the deafening cheers, Zhao Chen was a little dizzy. Since possessing this body, he had never tasted the true flavor of being a king. The feeling of having great power in one's grasp, the feeling of being able to kill or spare, the feeling of dominating the world and having everything under one's control, was truly irresistible, making him indulge in it.

  However, Zhao Kuangyi was not a person who indulged in the current situation. He deeply knew that now is the time to seize the moment. In July, Zongze will die, and the main force of the Jin army will change its direction of attack. At that time, the Jin army will be able to spare enough troops to besiege the righteous army. What Zhao Kuangyi needs to do now is to settle tens of millions of civilians and expand his own strength by fighting for territory.

  The Eight Trigrams Army has finally arrived, and it's a messenger. The letter was written by Fu Xuan to Zhao Chen, congratulating him on the great victory of King Qian's occupation of Le Ping, and waiting for his triumphant return.

  Due to inconvenient transportation, Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong still do not know that Zhao Jun annihilated 10,000 elite Jin troops, but only congratulated Zhao Jun on capturing Le Ping.

  Zhao Chen had actually expected this outcome. Wang Yan obviously did not take Zhao Chen seriously, and even looked down on him. For Wang Yan, the emperor who had already ascended to the throne was his master, a king he believed in, and one whose authenticity he didn't even bother to verify.

  Unlike Yue Fei, Wang Yan is a true hero who defends his country and family, but he has a small heart. From the time when Yue Fei disagreed with him and parted ways, until later when Yue Fei's official rank rose high, Wang Yan always held prejudices against Yue Fei and refused to reconcile. On the other hand, Yue Fei consistently praised Wang Yan's achievements whenever he met people, and openly admitted that his previous judgment was wrong due to his youth and impulsiveness. From these facts, it can be seen that Wang Yan has a much smaller heart than Yue Fei.

  Inheriting Wang Yan's idea, Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong, who were guarding Taihang Mountain, led 100,000 civilians and a small number of soldiers, and they also didn't take the sudden arrival of Xin Wang seriously.

  However, it is clear that King Zhao Xun is not an ordinary king. After leading the righteous army to leave Wuma Mountain, he defeated the Jin army and took down Leiping City. As more and more civilians and righteous soldiers joined Zhao Xun, his troops also grew in number. Apparently, Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong also began to take seriously this self-proclaimed righteous army under King Xiang of Xin.

  However, if Zhao Jun didn't lead the Wuma Mountain Righteous Army to Taihang Mountain, Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong wouldn't have stayed either. Wang Yannan went south to find Zong Ze, actually still wanting to go north with the main force of the Great Song Dynasty, killing his way back. Letting Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong stay behind to merge with the Wuma Mountain Righteous Army was also a consideration for everyone's anti-Jin righteous army sentiments. As for when the time comes, if King Zhao Jun wants to annex the remaining troops in Taihang Mountain, Fu Xuan and Jiao Wentong won't give in either.

  Under the leadership of Ma Zheng and Zhao Kun, the righteous army began to train systematically. In addition to giving each department a training strategy, Zhao Kun also settled tens of thousands of civilians in the depths of Taihang Mountain and near Le Ping to farm and cultivate the land.

  Due to the time and food shortages, Zhao Xun ordered the people to plant a large number of radishes, potatoes, and pumpkins. He also sent someone to the southern coastal areas to buy sweet potato seeds from merchants. As for high-yielding corn, Zhao Xun did not dare to expect it, as it was a product of the New World and could not be obtained at present.

  Under the arrangement of King Xīn's queen, Zhao Qing'er is finally going to marry King Xīn. The reason why Zhao Chen is so eager to marry Zhao Qing'er is actually to appease the original members of Wǔ Mǎ Shān. All the women in King Xīn's palace are from Wǔ Mǎ Shān, so naturally everyone else will also benefit. Zhao Bāng Jié is even more closely tied to Zhao Chen's fate and will definitely make great efforts for him in the future.

  The Han people's wedding customs are very troublesome. First, they need to borrow a matchmaker's hand to exchange letters and see if the eight characters of the boy and girl are compatible. If both parties are auspicious, they will then exchange engagement letters, writing down the family situation of both parties. Once both families are satisfied, they can meet in person. The meeting is between the parents of both sides, and if they like each other, the man's side needs to give a betrothal gift, while the woman's side returns a gift. Then comes the sending of gifts, where the matchmaker sets a date for the giving of gifts, and the man's side sends the gifts. After that, the man chooses an auspicious day to prepare for the wedding procession.

  This is an ordinary citizen, let alone the royal family's wedding, which is even more troublesome. However, this is an extraordinary period, Zhao Zhuan doesn't want to make a big deal out of it and wants to handle it as simply as possible.

  The king took a concubine, and it was as simple as that. After two or three days of fussing about, Zhao Xun got drunk with the other officers and was sent to Zhao Qing'er's bridal chamber in a daze.

  Xin Wang married Zhao Qing'er, the leader of the Imperial Guard, but it was just a small episode. Soon, the righteous army would face even greater challenges.

  At this time, Zhao Kuang sent several mourning messengers and a group of Jin Guo's envoys disguised as messengers to Yangzhou to spread false information.

  At this time, Gaozong Zhao Gou in Yangzhou saw the "Xin Wang Shu Shu" presented by Ma Kuo and was shocked.

  The Jin army invaded the south, and the Jingkang disaster occurred. All the close relatives of the Zhao family, except for Zhao Gou, were captured by the Jin army and taken north. As for the authenticity of this letter from the King of Xin, he was initially unwilling to believe it. However, after reading Zhao Xian's letter, Zhao Gou recognized that it was indeed his imperial brother's handwriting, and he could no longer disbelieve it.

  At this time, Zhao Gou was anxious. Zhao Chen was the son of Emperor Huizong and the younger brother of Emperor Qinzong, as well as his own younger brother. Since he had been proclaimed leader by the rebels at Mount Wutai, his influence among the northern military and civilians must have been considerable.

  Because the people of Tokyo have been dissatisfied with themselves for a long time, if this person enters Tokyo and gets the support of the military and civilians, there is a possibility that he will compete with him for the throne.

  Zhao Gou now regards the Zhao clan members who are engaged in anti-Jin activities and threaten his own emperor position as the number one enemy, and the loyal and righteous civilian militia who are also engaged in anti-Jin activities as the second enemy.

  Because he knew the prosperity of the Golden Army and was afraid, Zhao Gou never thought of resisting the Jin Dynasty. He was determined to seek peace with the Jin people, even if it meant becoming a puppet emperor. When the Jin army came, his first thought was to escape. As for the slogan of resisting the Jin Dynasty, it was just something he shouted insincerely in order to win over the hearts of the people and deceive them as well as the loyal ministers.

  In the Northern Resistance against the Jin, Zhao Xun must have advocated for a northern expedition, while Zhao Gou secretly advocated for fleeing south. In comparison, the masses of soldiers and civilians would support Zhao Xun but not himself. Upon reading Zhao Xun's letter, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou deeply felt that his brother posed a latent threat to his throne, so he had to eliminate him.

  Therefore, we must take the initiative and not fall into a passive situation. Zhao Gou immediately issued an edict, appointing Zhao Chen as "Grand Marshal of the River North Military" and Ma Kuo as "General Manager of the General's Office". First, determine the identity of Zhao Chen's son.

  Apart from this, Zhao Gou, who did not know that the Wuma Mountain Righteous Army had moved to Taihang, let Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan obtain sufficient and accurate intelligence about the Wuma Mountain army from Ma Kuang's mouth. And sent a secret scout to hurry to the north, report to the Golden Army, on the one hand, flattering the Golden Army, on the other hand, eliminating Xinfeng King, killing two birds with one stone.

  Gaozong sent several thousand weak and elderly refugees to Ma Xiang, and after Ma Xiang went north, he immediately issued a decree of return in response to Zongze's 21st memorial requesting his return.

  This time, Gaozong's response made Zong Ze and a group of patriotic generals happy. This edict "to return to the capital" was a major event that attracted attention from the military and civilians in Tokyo. Zhao Cong's edict had been announced, and since it was clearly stated, there would be no joking about it. Many soldiers and civilians looked forward to it, and they were sure that the emperor would come at the appointed time.

  Soon, a group of shabbily dressed people claiming to be the remnants of the Wumashan Righteous Army were sent to Yangzhou by the Song army. Huang Qianshan personally met with this batch of escaped "Wumashan Righteous Army". Upon inquiring about the details, he learned from these "Wumashan Righteous Army" people that the Jurchen-led Jin army had already captured Wumashan and annihilated the entire Wumashan Righteous Army. The King of Xin, Zhao Xun, was once again taken captive by the Jin army.

  The next day, a special envoy from the Jin State came to deliver a secret letter to Emperor Gaozong of Song. The letter told Gaozong that Zhao Kuangyin had been captured at Wusong Mountain and demanded that he surrender unconditionally.

  As for the Jin State's arrogance, Zhao Gou didn't care at all. Surrendering was equivalent to being finished, and he would never surrender. However, he also didn't want to resist the Jin army; he feared the Jin army more and preferred to guard half of the empire as a puppet emperor under the Jin State.

  What delighted Zhao Gou the most was that Zhao Chen had been captured by the Jin State again, so he no longer had a potential threat. Therefore, he didn't need to risk going to Dongjing Bianliang anymore, and let Zong Ze handle it instead. Protecting his own safety in the rear was the most important thing.

  In the summer of Jianyan 2nd year, Zong Ze, who was bedridden with illness, felt as cold as ice. Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou spoke without credibility, deceiving the people of Dongjing and the millions of militiamen from the two rivers. Everyone's heart was filled with anxiety, some feeling disappointed, others feeling chilled to the bone, some feeling sorrowful, and others feeling indignant. Zong Ze, who had suffered a severe blow mentally, had completely lost hope in Zhao Gou.

  At Zong Ze's bedside, Yue Fei, Wang Gui and other generals anxiously looked at this pillar of the Song Dynasty. If Zong Ze, this pillar, were to fall, the Song Dynasty's resistance against the Jin would likely become even more difficult.

  At this time, a young general with tiger-like eyes and heroic bearing was staring at Zong Ze's old commander with bloodshot eyes. This young general was none other than the future great hero Yue Fei.