Among the many princes, Zhao Kuangyin was definitely not a harsh person. Compared with Qin Shihuang in the north and Zhu Yuanzhang in the south, he was far behind.
In Zhao Ji's view, his relatives were also Zhao Kuangyin's relatives. Even if he rebelled against the Jin Dynasty, he would not directly end up dead. If Pengcheng was breached later, his family members would naturally be rescued.
But he never expected that this time, Zhao Kuangyin would be so cruel and decisively kill all his family members without leaving any trace of kindness, which was very different from Zhao Kuangyin's previous behavior and habits.
Although Zhao Ji has some minor problems, such as liking to visit brothels, they are indeed minor problems. Although his level of martial arts is not that high, at least he has some. For the capable members of the clan, even if there are some
For minor problems, most princes would choose to promote him.
However, Zhao Ji is also a weakling. He was better before. At least he tried his best. Facing the Jin army's pressure, he still fully cooperated with Changshe guard Chen Baxian to defend the barrier of Xuchang in the rear.
If Yingyin is the barrier on the flanks of Xuchang, then Changshe is the barrier directly in front of Xuchang. Once this place is lost, the Jin army's front will then approach the important area of Xuchang.
He was not a hard nut to begin with. After receiving the news of the crisis in Xuzhou, Zhao Ji thought that Zhao Kuangyin had little chance of winning. If the fight continued, the entire Zhao family would not have any good results. Therefore, this was actually a direct three-party conflict.
Subdivided.
Although Zhao Ji's little moves were very secretive, they were not completely hidden from Chen Baxian's eyes. It is impossible to say that Chen Baxian was not aware of them at all in advance.
However, Chen Baxian deliberately turned a blind eye.
Zhao Ji didn't want to live or die with Zhao Kuangyin, let alone Chen Baxian as an outsider.
However, Chen Baxian's implanted identity was that of the Chen family in Xiapi. Not to mention such a large family, his own wife, children, and children were all in the rear area, so he naturally had some concerns.
After all, Su Qin and Chen Gui had just settled the matter at this time, and it was impossible for Chen Baxian to know about it so quickly. Not to mention such a life-threatening matter, even if he was one of his own, he would not talk about it casually unless it was critical.
when.
It is precisely because of this that Chen Baxian turned a blind eye to Zhao Ji. In the end, he fought desperately, but at the right time, he was knocked off his horse and fell into a coma and was forced to be captured alive.
Of course, Chen Baxian fought tooth and nail in the end, which does not conflict with his being unconscious and being captured alive. In this way, Chen Baxian can be said to have the best of both worlds.
From this, we can also see how strong the impact of the crisis in Xuzhou was on the hearts and minds of Zhao Kuangyin's forces. The news has not spread yet, but among high-level generals, figures like Zhao Ji and Chen Baxian have already jumped out.
If this news spreads completely, you can imagine how frightened the ordinary soldiers will be.
And once the base camp Pengcheng is also lost, it will probably be a huge blow to Zhao Kuangyin's power!
Although Chen Baxian fulfilled his duty and held the rear, his troops were mainly infantry. After the Jin army broke the city and was pursued by cavalry, these infantry were still unable to escape. This is why
, even if Chen Ba cuts off the enemy first, but out of a total of 20,000 troops, only Zhao Bifang and Xia Luqi lead a few hundred cavalry to retreat all the way to Xuchang.
Changshe.
Today, Li Xiang's visit here can be regarded as a revisit to his old place!
The last time I came here, I still remember it was many years ago. At that time, it was still during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and it was also at that time that his troops briefly stationed here for a period of time.
Now, when he revisits his old place, Li Xiang really doesn't feel that much emotion.
"The criminal Zhao Gou is here to see your Majesty!" Zhao Ji, as the hero of this battle, fearfully brought his son Zhao Gou to make a grand ceremony.
Zhao Ji is a standard literati, and he is a literati who has no ability to restrain a chicken. He is also dressed in ordinary official uniform.
Zhao Gou, on the other hand, was wearing iron armor. There were vague blood stains on the armor, and there was a faint evil aura on his body. Obviously, he might have experienced a killing in person just now.
As the founding emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, he killed Yue Fei because of his favor with Qin Hui, and later generations criticized him for being cowardly, cowardly, and despicable.
He stayed in a corner and not only did not regain the lost territory, but also paid tribute to the Jin Kingdom.
These criticized deeds of Zhao Gou are true, but it is also true that his early martial arts were brave.
"History of the Song Dynasty: The Benji of Emperor Gaozong" records: He was gifted with a clear understanding, erudition and strong memorization. He read and recited more than a thousand words every day, and he could kill five fights with one stone. In the fourth year of Xuanhe, he became the first crown prince and went to the outside world.
One stone, five buckets, what is this concept? It is equivalent to 184 kilograms today.
At that time, the standard for selecting ordinary soldiers in the Song Dynasty was to draw a hard bow with a force of one stone and two fights. The highest standard for selecting Forbidden Army officers by the imperial court was to draw a hard bow with a force of one stone and five fights. Zhao Gou's military force reached the highest standard for the officers of the Forbidden Army.
Before the Jingkang Incident, the Jin Kingdom proposed peace negotiations with the Song Dynasty on the condition that the prince of the Song Dynasty be taken as a hostage.
Emperor Qinzong of the Song Dynasty asked his 31 princes and brothers, who of them was willing to share the country's worries? All the princes looked at each other. Zhao Gou, who was only 19 years old, stepped forward and volunteered to go to the Jin camp as a hostage.
As soon as he arrived at the Jin camp, Zhao Gou's performance impressed all Jin people.
"Nandu Lu" of the Ming Dynasty records that in order to humiliate the hostages, Wanyan Zongwang, the prince of the Jin Kingdom and the chief general of the Song Dynasty, proposed to compete with Zhao Gou in archery. Wanyan Zongwang shot three arrows, one of which hit the target, and two arrows were close to the target.
Zhao Gou shot three arrows in a row, and they all hit the target.
This greatly surprised Wanyan Zongwang and the Jin people present. They simply did not believe that the Song Dynasty, which always valued civility over military affairs, could have such a sharpshooter prince.
At least the current Zhao Gou should not be the cowardly and incompetent Zhao Gou of Emperor Gaozong, but the brave prince Zhao Gou from the earlier period.
"Ai Qing is not a sinner, but a hero!" Wang Yu laughed and personally helped the father and son up.
"Ai Qing has made meritorious service in this battle. He should be rewarded. He should be rewarded heavily. He should be granted the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness. He will be given the title of Pavilion Marquis and will be granted the title of a Thousand Households."
Li Xiang generously rewarded him without hesitation, and he became a marquis from the very beginning.
Now Zhao Ji is a big treasure, and he is just used to set an example for the generals in the Central Plains and the generals in the south. How can he play the role of this role model well without a heavy reward?
Especially the birth of Zhao Ji, the Zhao clan, should be rewarded even more!
