The rise of the late Song Dynasty reigns supreme

Chapter 138 Prince Zhao Huan
Zhao Gou led the mighty army back to Beijing, escorted Fang La, the leader of the bandit, and walked all the way to Bianjing.Time has passed for a year, and he doesn't know what's going on in the court. He is so focused on destroying Fang La that even Zhao Si hasn't given him any news, let alone know.

At this time, it was the third year of Xuanhe, that is, 1121 AD.

"Your Majesty, Lao Jiu really captured Fang La alive?"

When Cai Wang Zhaosi heard that Zhao Gou had returned from a great victory, he couldn't help being a little stunned.Although he knew Zhao Gou's ability, he didn't want it to be so powerful, which was beyond his expectation.It wasn't until the spies from the Amber Villa reported that Zhao Gou led the army back to the capital that he believed it was true, and immediately entered the palace.

Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty, smiled gratifiedly and said, "Lao Jiu is worthy of being the prince I rely on, and I never thought that he would actually do it. Counting the time, he should be back in the next few days. I have already received the old According to the battle report from Jiu Chuan, more than a dozen generals were killed, and even the generals who survived were wounded."

Zhao Si asked: "Your Majesty, how should we deal with it in your opinion?"

Song Huizong replied: "Since they have done it according to the will, they should be officially rewarded. They have been awarded rewards before, but they are all in name only. Now, they have proved with their own strength that they absolutely have the right to hold important positions in the court. .”

"Your Majesty, what about Lao Jiu?" The person Zhao Xi really wanted to ask was none other than Zhao Gou.

Song Huizong was silent for a moment, and said: "The time has not come yet, so don't be in a hurry! I have to observe carefully. If there is no accident, it should be determined at the crowning ceremony of the old nine. In the next three years, only It's his real test."

Zhao Si was also silent, nodded and said: "Your Majesty, are you really sure to do this?"

Song Huizong replied: "I think you should know what happened in the court this year. I thought he was just imitating me all the time, but he didn't want to show such means. Now, most of the power in the court has stood by him. Behind him, even if I wish to pass on to Lao Jiu, I still have to consider the reaction of the court ministers."

Zhao Si said again: "Your Majesty, you have never established the position of crown prince. Isn't it the one who gives you the most hope? Why did you announce Huan'er as the crown prince a few days ago? You must know that if you do this, you may cause disputes within the court. .”

Song Huizong smiled wryly: "In my mind, the crown prince is only the ninth son, but he has been away from the court for a year, and the forces that originally followed him in the court have also begun to change their positions. You should also know that during the court meeting , the attitude of many ministers!"

Zhao Si nodded, he also knew what happened that morning.Zhao Gou led an army to attack Fang La, following Song Huizong's will.It's a pity that he didn't know that great changes had taken place in the court at that time, and Zhao Huan, who was originally unpopular, suddenly became His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

At the beginning, Song Huizong and Zhao Si both ignored Zhao Huan's ambition and even underestimated his means.Unexpectedly, in just one year, Zhao Huan used his own means and his mother's strength to stir up the situation in the court. Even Gao Qiu stood with him, as if controlling most of the power in the court, only a few... The forces do not agree.

It's just that these people's strength is very small, and they are not enough to threaten the combined forces of Gao Qiu and Zhao Huan. They are sandwiched between Song Huizong and them, and they dare not even express their opinions in some important meetings and decisions, lest Get into trouble.

The original Privy Council was in the hands of Zhao Gou, but it was a pity that the owner changed again, but this time the owner was Prince Zhao Huan. He arranged for his cronies to enter the Privy Council through his own means, and slowly won people's hearts through that person. Those people also became his people.

Before that, Song Huizong had been monitoring Gao Qiu and others, but ignored his eldest son Zhao Huan.Zhao Huan, who used to be submissive and had no opinions, changed in just one year. Not only did he grow mentally, but he was also proficient in strategy.

Until that moment, Song Huizong and Cai Wang knew that Zhao Huan had been hiding all along, hiding his true self, and did not want others to find out.At the beginning, because of the incident of King Xiaoliang, Song Huizong severely reprimanded Zhao Huan and asked him to think behind closed doors.

Since then, Zhao Huan has changed, becoming more decisive, no longer indecisive; more shrewd and capable, no longer externally strong, able to take on heavy responsibilities.Song Huizong has always loved Zhao Gou, but ignored the growth of his eldest son Zhao Huan. In comparison, Zhao Gou's experience in officialdom is far inferior to that of Zhao Huan.

Every time Zhao Gou wins or captures a city, he will convey the battle report. He has never received any orders, nor has he seen any envoys. It is Zhao Gou who leads alone to discuss with everyone before deciding to attack, let alone He had the slightest intention of rewarding, and he was a little strange, but he didn't care about it.

All the battle reports passed by Zhao Gou were intercepted by the Privy Council controlled by Prince Zhao Huan, and they were not reported at all. Sometimes Song Huizong would only take them out when asked, and he was unwilling to submit them to Song Huizong Yulan without asking.The spies sent by King Cai collected all of Song Huizong's battles with Zhao Gou and passed them directly to Song Huizong, but he could not convey his intentions directly to avoid the dissatisfaction of some ministers in the court.

"Your majesty, the crown prince Zhao Heng has some talents and real talents. However, as far as his younger brother is concerned, he is far inferior to Lao Jiu. If the emperor allows him to act recklessly, I am afraid that it will be difficult to deal with it in the future. You must know the current situation. , if it really causes disputes within the imperial court, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to Song Dynasty."

Cai Wang Zhaosi tried to persuade him that what he was worried about was that Zhao Gou would come back victorious. With Zhao Heng's character, he must think that Zhao Gou endangered his crown prince, and he returned triumphantly with outstanding achievements. Putting down the Fangla Rebellion, this feat even a well-known general in the court would have to admire.

Moreover, Zhao Gou only had an army of one hundred thousand, while Fang La had an army of one million. There was a huge difference in strength. Even Prince Zhao Huan knew that he was not as good as Zhao Gou in leading troops in battle.

Even though he is the prince, he knows that some generals are also convinced by him.What Zhao seemed worried about was that Prince Zhao Huan would trip up Zhao Gou in the court and completely remove Zhao Gou's thorn in his flesh.If that's the case, it's brothers killing each other, or fighting for the throne, just like him and Song Huizong, exactly the same.

Song Huizong said: "I know in my heart that some things can only be left to him. If he still can't make real achievements after three years, I'm afraid he won't have a foothold in the court. Even if I Helping the two of you secretly is not an opponent of a group of them."

If Zhao Gou enters the court, he will be the only one in the court as a military general. Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and others will be transferred from the capital to go to various places, which means that the forces in the court really rely on him. Only Zhao Gou himself, Song Huizong and Cai Wang wanted to help each other, but they couldn't make it clear, they could only secretly, which was even more ominous for Zhao Gou.

At the beginning, Song Huizong wanted to keep Zhao Gou away from the disputes in the court, and it was also Zhao Gou's wish to lead the army to fight, so he agreed.Unexpectedly, so many things happened in just one year, and Song Huizong couldn't help but regret his decision. If he didn't agree with Zhao Gou to go at that time, things would not be as complicated as they are now.

Song Huizong sighed: "I really didn't expect the prince to have such abilities. If so, let the two of them fight! In this way, we can see who wins and who loses, and the survival of the fittest, unless there is an accident. Unexpected circumstances will influence, otherwise whoever wins will be the emperor of Song Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)