Live History Broadcast: Opening Ceremony Spoilers - Our Ancestor Was Enraged

Chapter 369 The Poor Song Dynasty

The live broadcast continues.

"The court officials all understood the Jurchens' intentions behind Zhang Bangchang's ascension to the throne."

"It's simply that Wanyan Zongwang and his group thought Zhang Bangchang was easy to control, and raising a pro-Jin lackey wouldn't be difficult!"

"Therefore, at this time, although the Jingkang Incident was too humiliating, there were quite a few people who supported the Northern Expedition, we also know the true nature of the Song court officials."

"So, these scholar-officials have been subservient since the reigns of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong. How could they not want to continue seeking peace if Zhao Gou were in power?!"

"Moreover, in their view, the Jurchens just wanted an obedient subordinate. Zhang Bangchang could be that, and so could the Song Dynasty!"

"That's right, these people are trying to humiliate themselves and make peace so they can continue to live!"

Upon hearing this, people in the Song Dynasty cursed and swore, "Don't you have any backbone?!"

To put it bluntly, the Jurchens wanted an obedient dog. Did they expect the Song Dynasty to shamelessly become one?

"And Li Gang, although he was already old, still analyzed the situation for Zhao Gou."

"Everyone knows about the Zhao family's embarrassing situation, and the calls for a northern expedition against the Jin are growing louder and louder."

"If you were to seek peace now, would these people agree?"

"No matter what Zhang Bangchang is like, it was still your brother Zhao Huan who personally wrote the edict of succession. The people's hearts have been lost. If you cause trouble again at this time, can you still keep your position?"

"Zhao Gou agreed with what Li Gang said. Regardless of their motives, the knife was aimed at Zhang Bangchang."

"So Zhao Gou finally issued an edict, demoting him to the position of Deputy Military Governor of Zhaohua Army and exiling him to Tanzhou."

"Not long after, he was put to death, the crime being related to Consort Li of Emperor Huizong."

At the same time, the Song court also executed Wang Shiyong, Xu Bingzhe, and others for their crimes.

"This proves that Zhao Gou, as a descendant of the Zhao family, was by no means a coward; he was determined to fight the Jurchens to the death!"

Zhao Gou, forced to speak passionately: The hatred for taking my father away is irreconcilable!!!

The live stream room was buzzing with excitement at that moment:

Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: He had no choice. This guy is a coward, and he probably wants to negotiate peace too!

First Emperor: Is it possible to fight instead of negotiating peace?

Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: You're giving them too much credit! There's absolutely no chance of a war!

Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Not only will they not fight, but they will also fawn over each other!

Everyone in the Song Dynasty: ...

The comments on the screen were a wake-up call: if you have no expectations of the people of the Song Dynasty, you will not be disappointed!

Nevertheless, people from other timelines were still shocked by the shamelessness of the Song people.

They never expected that the Song court, which had negotiated peace with the Jin people several times, would actually want to negotiate peace again!

Thinking of this, Lin Ke's voice came from the screen again.

"Li Gang's display of this skill was actually helping Zhao Gou establish his authority."

"If he starts by negotiating peace, then everyone knows in their hearts that he is probably no different from Emperors Huizong and Qinzong!"

"Subsequently, in military matters, Li Gang recommended Zhang Suo as the Hebei Pacification Commissioner, Fu Liang as the Deputy Commissioner of the Hedong Military Region, and Zong Ze as the Prefect of Kaifeng."

"Several people were each responsible for a part of the Southern Song Dynasty at that time."

"However, the Southern Song Dynasty, which controlled half of the country, was facing a fiscal deficit and an empty treasury at this time."

There's a saying: "Even a hero can be brought down by a penny." Even ordinary people can't do without money.

"Moreover, for the Southern Song Dynasty, beset by internal and external troubles, it couldn't function without money!!!"

The Song court is broke?! Everyone thought it was normal; with their old ways of doing things in their final years, they could fleece any fat sheep!

Lin Ke, on the other hand, found it extremely ironic that the once prosperous Northern Song Dynasty had probably been completely wiped out by the two raids by the Jin people.

Moreover, this prosperous capital city of Bianjing (Kaifeng) was perhaps built with the combined efforts and energy of the entire Song Dynasty, and then the resources of that city were used to support the Jurchens' ever-increasing demands.

At this point, she continued, "Although the central government began levying taxes on local areas shortly after the establishment of the Southern Song regime, it was only during the transition between the old and new regimes that the government could do very little."

“In particular, the local people are facing a life-or-death threat. They can’t even save their lives, so how could they possibly have the money to pay this so-called tax?”

"For example, after the Jurchens besieged the city, they turned the land within a hundred miles into scorched earth. People depend on food for survival, so a large number of people died and the population decreased sharply."

"What made things even worse for them was that the mutinous soldiers took advantage of the chaos, so in some places there were no chickens or dogs for miles around, only piles of corpses."

"So, since all the people are gone, even if taxes are to be levied, that's the business of the Great Emperor of Fengdu, and has nothing to do with your Song court!"

Everyone in the Song Dynasty era: ......

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou's lips twitched. He didn't have the ability to collect taxes from the underworld. Even if he did, he was afraid of being beaten to death by the ancestors of the Zhao family!

But with his dad and older brother by his side, he shouldn't get beaten up too badly, right?

The emperor before the Northern Song Dynasty (rubbing his hands together): We're waiting!!!

"That being said, the Southern Song court was still facing a very serious situation at this time, especially since Zhao Gou inherited the Northern Song Dynasty, which not only inherited the legacy but also a whole host of bad habits."

"In particular, the problems of redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and widespread poverty and weakness that existed in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty became a major problem when Zhao Gou took over."

"As mentioned earlier, the Song Dynasty's military system, in its later years, recruited a large number of people, but they were not capable of fighting. These people were still taken over by Zhao Gou after the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty."

"All things considered, the expenses alone would be considerable, so the Southern Song government's desire to make money was even stronger."

"And the pressure of this problem fell on Li Gang, the prime minister of the current dynasty."

Li Si of the Qin Dynasty: Being a prime minister these days isn't easy!

The prime minister during Emperor Wu's reign: Hehe, it's like playing a match-3 game by accident!

Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Recruiting more soldiers who can't fight is useless!

Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: But Li Gang, isn't he a civil official? How come he's so good at making money?

A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "I never imagined that the Song Dynasty, which was so wealthy back then, would become so poor now!"

A scholar-official from the Han Dynasty: No matter how rich you are, you can squander it all. It's really thanks to Emperors Huizong and Qinzong!

……

Meanwhile, in another Song Dynasty era, the people of Bianjing (Kaifeng) heard this and felt that things had changed drastically.

The streets and alleys are bustling with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life, a testament to the city's prosperity.

The elderly shook their heads and sighed, for they would not live to see that time, nor would they witness the collapse of the Song Dynasty and its forced retreat to a corner of the country.

My only worry is that these newborns will face these national crises, but what have they done wrong?

Clearly, it wasn't just the people of Bianjing who thought of this; the entire Song Dynasty was filled with sighs of regret.

……

Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Di narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling somewhat emotional. It was truly laughable that the Song Dynasty could actually be poor one day!

He then said to the three Zhu brothers beside him, "What did we say? Those scholar-officials are no good. Their downfall lies in their weak military."

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi raised his voice slightly and spoke up: Our Great Ming Dynasty has a civil service group!

Then, Zhu Gaochi, for some reason, continued: "And our Ming Dynasty is poor too!"

Meanwhile, Zhu Gaosui, who seemed out of place, exclaimed: "Ah, right, right, right!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's straight body suddenly stiffened, and then he strode towards the two brothers.

With a forced smile, he patted the two brothers on the shoulder and asked, "Do I have to beat you up when I'm in a good mood?"

The three Zhu brothers, forced to shut up: ?? ?? ???

……