Traveling through Tianlong: Starting from the Zhenlong chess game

Chapter 630: Do I need a reason to beat him?

After a brief discussion between Zhao Mu and Zhezong, Zhezong led Zhao Mu into the imperial garden.

At this time, the imperial chariot that Emperor Taizong used for battle was parked in the imperial garden.

Zhao Mu saw the carriage that had not yet been harnessed to the saddle horses, and then asked: "Your Majesty, this is..."

Zhezong pointed at the carriage and said with a smile: "Uncle, this is a real gift for you. This carriage is the imperial chariot that Taizong rode when he was defeated at Gaoliang River. After Taizong returned, he kept this chariot as a treasure, hoping to lead the army to conquer Liao one day in the future to avenge the previous humiliation. It's a pity that we fought so badly during Yongxi's Northern Expedition. This also made Emperor Taizong a little discouraged. Therefore, it was never opened again."

"After that, the Liao army invaded the south, but Emperor Zhenzong was a coward and mediocre person. If it weren't for Prime Minister Kou Zhun's strong dissuasion, I'm afraid he wouldn't even have signed the Treaty of Chanyuan. After the Liao army withdrew, His Majesty Zhenzong was complacent about his humiliating treaty and even went to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods. So I thought that we, uncle and nephew, should wash away the shame of this chariot and Mount Tai."

Zhao Mu looked at Zhezong and said, "Your Majesty, do you intend to let me drive this chariot to go to war?"

Zhezong nodded and said, "Yes, I have thought about this before. But at that time, my uncle was only the heir to the throne. Although he could wear the armor left by His Majesty Taizong, he could not use the carriage with the imperial flag and canopy. Therefore, I only gave my uncle a Ferghana horse as a mount. Today, my uncle and I are both emperors of the Song Dynasty, and now this carriage can finally be used."

Zhao Mu walked forward and stroked the chariot, looking at the empty foothold in front of him. Then he remembered a classic joke and asked, "By the way, Your Majesty, this chariot looks like it weighs at least a hundred pounds. The donkey that served as the foothold was really powerful and brave. It could pull such a heavy chariot and help Your Majesty escape from the pursuit of the Liao cavalry."

Upon hearing this, Zhezong asked back, "What donkey?"

Zhao Mu then said, "I have heard rumors that when Emperor Taizong was defeated at Gaoliang River and fled in a hurry, he stole a donkey cart to escape. But the donkey was very brave and ran very fast. Even the Liao cavalry could not catch up with His Majesty Taizong. Yelu Xiu'ge had no choice but to draw his bow and arrow and shot His Majesty Taizong in the thigh."

Hearing Zhao Mu's words, Zhezong couldn't help laughing. Zhezong laughed and said, "Haha, where did you hear such nonsense from, uncle? We did lose the battle of Gaoliang River. But this donkey cart thing is totally untrue."

"His Majesty Taizong was caught up by the Liao army's vanguard cavalry while he was retreating, and was shot in the thigh. He was not fleeing in panic, but the imperial flag was too conspicuous, so the Liao army only chased Taizong. Your uncle is a veteran of the battlefield, and I don't need to explain the difference in speed between a warhorse and a donkey. Your uncle must know it well."

"If His Majesty Taizong really retreated in a donkey cart, then His Majesty Taizong would not have been shot in the thigh, but should have been captured alive by the Liao. And this chariot is pulled by three horses, so the Liao man alone would not be able to catch up."

After hearing this, Zhao Mu said, "Haha, your majesty is right. It seems that this absurd thing is just a lie made up by the Hu people to deliberately discredit our Song Dynasty."

Zhao Mu was referring to "Hu people" rather than Liao people.

This is because the record of Song Taizong's "drifting donkey cart" comes from the "History of Liao" compiled in the late Yuan Dynasty. As a modern person, Zhao Mu also learned about it from these historical materials left over from previous generations.

Now that I think about it, a donkey pulling a chariot can outrun the Liao people's war horses. This is only possible if it is the "divine donkey" under Zhang Guolao. Under normal circumstances, this is completely illogical. Now looking at this chariot pulled by three horses, maybe it is possible to outrun the pursuing light cavalry.

Zhao Mu then climbed directly onto the chariot. Although there was no saddle horse, Zhao Mu felt pretty good riding on the emperor's carriage.

Zhao Mu stood on the chariot and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will definitely fulfill my mission this time. I will clear the name of Your Majesty Taizong, and Your Majesty will clear the name of Your Majesty Zhenzong."

Upon hearing this, Cheoljong smiled and nodded.

Then Zhezong asked, "Uncle, we still have a problem in pacifying Liao. That is the terms of the Chanyuan Alliance we signed with the Liao people. Although we can not recognize the one signed by Prince Duan during his lifetime, we still have to recognize the one we signed before to pacify Xia and stabilize Liao. If we take the initiative to attack Liao now, I am worried that we will be branded as untrustworthy in the future."

After that, Zhezong sighed, and the uncle and nephew came to the pavilion in the imperial garden. After the two emperors sat down, they said, "Alas! Sima Yi swore an oath by the Luo River, which made Luo River lose its credibility. The letter from the country is written in black and white, what should we do now?"

Zhao Mu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is fine. Although I have already eaten the fresh meat of Yelu Yanxiu, I have no intention of negotiating peace with the Liao Kingdom. The Liao Kingdom's envoys have been to Lingzhou several times, and each time they have offered good conditions. They even planned to pay tribute to me every year. However, I have rejected them one by one. Therefore, from my side, Qi Song and Liao Kingdom have only temporarily stopped the war, and have not ceased fighting. It is reasonable for me to lead troops to attack Liao Kingdom at this time."

Zhezong asked: "It is natural and reasonable for my uncle's army to attack the Liao Kingdom. But what should I do?"

Zhao Mu said: "Your Majesty has given me the military power of the whole country. Doesn't that mean that the army of Song Dynasty is also the army of Qi Song Dynasty?"

After hearing Zhao Mu's idea, Zhezong said, "Uncle, isn't this reason a little far-fetched? I'm afraid it will be hard to convince the public."

Zhao Mu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. If we want to fight him, then whatever he does is wrong. If we don't want to fight him, then even if he does something terrible, don't we have to endure it? Just like when Yelu Yanping came to our Song Dynasty, I humiliated the Liao envoy in the palace, and then took the opportunity to go to war with the Liao Kingdom. This reason is even more far-fetched than this time. But the Liao Kingdom collapsed at the touch of our hand, so didn't they have to endure it and renegotiate terms with us?"

Zhezong laughed and said, "Haha, that's true."

Zhao Mu continued, "So your majesty does not need to worry about this problem. First, I am borrowing troops from the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty only lent me the troops. As for what I do with these troops, it is not the business of the Song Dynasty. Second, I want to attack the Liao Kingdom and plan to borrow the passage from the Song Dynasty. This is also reasonable. If the Liao people send an envoy to ask, your majesty can use this reason to prevaricate. Since ancient times, the victors have been kings and the losers have been bandits. After we destroy the Liao Kingdom, we can write the history at will. Why bother about this little reputation after death?"

Zhao Mu's shamelessness once again refreshed Zhezong's impression of him.

However, Zhezong liked Zhao Mu's rogue appearance. If Zhao Mu didn't have this rogue spirit, and he relied solely on the group of "gentlemen of etiquette" in the court, his Song Dynasty would have been destroyed.

(End of this chapter)