Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 283 Ji Nu
[Zhou Jinu, this is your new name in the Jin Kingdom. It is both ordinary and extraordinary.]

[It's considered ordinary because it's a name only a very lowly commoner would have. The term "Ji Nu" means "dependent on others," which perfectly matches your ten years of life in a border village—a lost child living with strangers is naturally quite lowly.]

What makes it extraordinary is that a legendary, powerful man in history also used this name...

Although born into humble circumstances, that "Ji Nu" (a legendary figure) relied on his martial prowess to overcome numerous obstacles and carve out a bloody path through the political order of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, dominated by powerful aristocratic families, ultimately ascending to the throne and leaving behind a legendary tale of "a tiger with a spirit that could swallow ten thousand miles!"

Therefore, the reason you specifically chose this name for yourself is naturally imbued with many hidden meanings...

[However, on the other hand, although you embarked on this path for many hidden reasons, in your previous life you were once the Grand Tutor of the Song Dynasty, truly second only to the emperor. But now in the Jin Kingdom, you've become a common soldier. This is a world of difference...]

[Giving up a perfectly good position as Grand Tutor of the Song Dynasty to become a lowly soldier in the Jin Dynasty—under normal circumstances, no one would choose that path!]

But since you've made this choice, there's no turning back. The name of Ji Nu is the path you've chosen for yourself.

"The Grand Tutor, though admirable, ultimately remains second only to one person."

"Though Ji Nu is of lowly status, he still has the potential to ascend to the highest position!"

【…】

In the 201st year of the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty, at the age of sixteen, you enlisted in the army under the name "Zhou Jinu." Due to your proficiency in martial arts and your upright posture, you successfully joined the ranks of the Jin army and became an ordinary Jin soldier stationed in Xinye County, Jin State.

As you enlist, news about border military affairs naturally reaches your ears...

For example, regarding border garrisons, although the Jin dynasty also stationed some troops on the border, perhaps out of confidence, or perhaps because they unilaterally believed that the Southern Song dynasty would not overestimate its capabilities and launch a northern expedition, the Jin dynasty's border garrisons were not numerous.

Besides the several thousand Jin troops stationed in Xinye targeting Xiangyang, there were also troops stationed near the Huai River and the north bank of the Wei River in Hanzhong, making the total number of Jin troops stationed along the entire Song-Jin border only tens of thousands… In contrast, the Southern Song had 300,000 troops stationed in Xiangyang alone, plus the garrisons in important towns like Huai River and Hanzhong, bringing the total number of Song troops stationed along the border to at least one million. This significantly exacerbated the burden of "redundant troops" and "redundant expenses"!

The number of troops stationed on either side can also reveal which side is more insecure...

Of course, although the Jin dynasty had few troops stationed on its borders, this did not mean it was weak. If the Song army were to launch a northern expedition, then Wanyan Zongbi and other generals from the Central Plains would quickly lead large armies to its aid, ensuring the border's safety!

Therefore, your main task is not to defend against the Song army, but rather...

"Suppress the troublemakers!"

During the training, a Jurchen officer passionately explained to you the main mission of the Jin army: "With our meager resources, if the Song army were to launch a northern expedition, we would be utterly useless!"

So, their real job is actually to suppress the rebellious peasants!

[Damn those unruly people of the Central Plains! They're just heavy taxpayers, corrupt officials, and incompetent bureaucrats! They can't even endure this little bit of hardship, yet they dare call themselves hardworking people of the Central Plains?!]

[The Yangtze River isn't covered up, so why don't you swim all the way to the Southern Song Dynasty!]

In short, the Jurchen officers instructed you thus: "Since you have become soldiers of our Northern Jin Dynasty, you must always remember that our job is not to fight against the Song army, but to suppress rebellious peasants!"

"However, as the saying goes, Heaven cherishes life. Although we must suppress the unruly people, we should try our best not to commit too much killing. Those who can surrender should be spared..."

【Um? ! 】

The Jurchen officer's kind words surprised you in the crowd: What? Are the Jin soldiers still so humane?

Just as you were surprised by this, the officer said again, "Don't they yearn for the Song Dynasty? Then let them go to the Song Dynasty with their own eyes and see if the legitimate Song Dynasty they've been dreaming of is really as good as they think..."

"From now on, any troublemakers caught who are dissatisfied with the rule of my Great Jin Dynasty will be kicked into the Han River and made to swim there themselves!"

【you:……】

Okay, I misjudged him just now. Where's the humanity in this? He's clearly a living devil!

With the divine protection Zhao Gou created within the Southern Song territory, all Jurchens who crossed the border into Song would reveal their true, monstrous, and inhuman nature! Let alone ordinary Jurchens, even the elite Jurchen troops under Wanyan Wuzhu's command would likely be unable to escape, otherwise Wanyan Wuzhu would have already marched south…

Therefore, if, as the Jurchen officer claimed, the captured Jurchen civilians were indeed driven to the Southern Song Dynasty, these "defectors" would have been certain to die; they would have been riddled with bullets by the Song army as soon as they arrived due to mutation...

[Hmm? Wait! ]

[You suddenly seem to have remembered something: In your past life, you often heard about Jurchens crossing the border and committing atrocities in the Southern Song Dynasty, and you even died once because of it yourself... So, if that's the case, those Jurchens who crossed the border should actually be "defectors" driven over by the Jurchen soldiers...]

They started the uprising because they admired the Song Dynasty, but in the end, they died at the hands of the Song army. It's truly...

You can't help but sigh at their tragic fate, and at the same time, your desire to unify the North and South grows stronger.

Only by unifying the North and South could Zhao Gou remove this powerful "iron curtain" that had divided the country, thus ending the long-standing confrontation and division between the Song and Jin dynasties!

You are trying your best.

However, before accomplishing such a great undertaking, you can only first join your comrades in suppressing the rebellious fellow countrymen from the Central Plains...

【…】

[In the 201st year of the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty, you successfully enlisted in the Jin army in Xinye and began your daily training.] [Because of your extensive military experience in your previous life, your outstanding performance quickly caught the attention of your superiors, and you were just one military merit away from promotion... and soon, the opportunity to earn that merit arrived!]

That year, just over two months after you enlisted, a disturbance suddenly broke out in a village in Xinye! The reason was that the government had sided with the local gentry in a land dispute, which angered the peasants. Furthermore, the corrupt officials were notoriously inhumane, so in their fury, the peasants killed the entire gentry family involved and then began attacking the residences of various landlords!

They grabbed farm tools like hoes and pitchforks and stormed into the homes of local gentry and landlords, robbing, killing, and raping... Later, they weren't limited to landlords and gentry; they even robbed and killed ordinary farmers, causing widespread panic in the neighborhood...

Seeing this, the government officials dared not take it lightly and immediately notified the garrison, hoping they could send men to quell the rioters!

[Upon hearing this, the garrison, with the mentality of "why not take the credit?", quickly dispatched a "suppression squad" of several dozen men... And when selecting a leader, your excellent performance came into play: the officer thought you were a promising talent, so he selected you from among the ordinary soldiers to lead the team to suppress the uprising!]

[With your spirits lifted, you immediately accepted the order and then led dozens of new recruits straight to the scene of the trouble...]

[In less than a day, you successfully defeated this group of rioting peasants, personally leading the charge and killing their leader with a single spear thrust. You then returned to camp with the body and prisoners to report your success!]

Your outstanding performance has greatly pleased your superior, and you have been promoted to platoon leader...

As for those captured peasant rebels... although you sympathize with them, you are ultimately here to rise to power, and even if you didn't take action, they wouldn't have survived anyway. So you had no choice but to drive them into the Han River and watch them swim away to the Southern Song Dynasty with a sigh...

【…】

[And this was only your first time suppressing a peasant uprising. After that, you were repeatedly noticed by your superiors, and from time to time you were fortunate enough to lead teams on missions, thus earning a small amount of military merit.]

Although these uprisings were small and offered little in terms of military merit, by simply accumulating a large number of them, you still made rapid progress on your path to promotion!

By the time of the 210th year of the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty, after nine years of service, you had already risen to the rank of junior officer in charge of five hundred men…

Of course, while your leading the charge and slaying of enemy leaders are factors, the main reason is that your superior has high hopes for you and is willing to give you opportunities to earn merit!

To repay his kindness, you often treated him to meals and entertainment. You spent almost all of your military pay, except for a small amount to support yourself, on this officer...

[This situation never happened in your previous life. Firstly, you lacked experience then and didn't know how to cultivate relationships with superiors. Secondly, Yue Fei was always strict in his military discipline; soldiers were absolutely forbidden from indulging in eating, drinking, entertainment, or bribing their superiors... But this world is different. The Jin Dynasty's military discipline is nowhere near as strict as Yue Fei's; it would be strange if soldiers didn't bribe their superiors!]

Therefore, you're thriving here, doing incredibly well...

Of course, the main reason you bribed this official in this way, besides wanting to gain his attention, is because his status is extraordinary!

This official's surname is Wanyan! Yes, that's the royal surname of the Jin Dynasty!

Although the relationship is somewhat distant, he is indeed of royal blood, and it is precisely because of this that he was able to assume the position of border officer at a young age of less than thirty...

Now that he thinks highly of you, you should seize this opportunity!

To get closer to him as much as possible, besides lavishly treating him to food, drinks, and entertainment, you also enjoy exchanging martial arts and spear techniques with him... Of course, it's mostly you teaching and him learning. If he doesn't understand, you have to patiently teach him a few more times, showing your dedication and effort...

As time went on, your relationship grew stronger, and you even started calling each other brothers!

【…】

One day, while you were drinking and having fun, this old man Wanyan suddenly asked you a probing question: "Brother Ji Nu, what do you think of the Song Dynasty?"

"I've heard that you Han people still yearn for the Song Dynasty, always regarding the Song state in Jiangnan as the legitimate dynasty, while viewing our Great Jin as barbarians who usurped the throne, and wishing you could slaughter all the Jurchens and submit to the Song court..."

You immediately frowned and said irritably, "Brother, stop testing me! What kind of lousy Southern Song Dynasty is this? Does it even deserve to call itself the legitimate dynasty?"

"Back when the Jin dynasty hadn't arrived, Zhao Gou's father had already caused immense suffering in the Central Plains, and the 'Flower Stone Tribute' had plunged the entire country into poverty... His brother was even more of a figure of great importance! The so-called Jingkang Incident was Zhao Gou's personal shame; we Han Chinese of the Central Plains have long wanted to kill his entire family!"

[“Besides, the Song Dynasty moved south more than two hundred years ago. Where are the people of the Central Plains still servile and willing to be their slaves? That would be despicable!”]

You said indignantly, "On the other hand, while our Great Jin Dynasty did indeed commit some excessive killings at its founding, hasn't it changed now? The Central Plains are currently enjoying a peaceful and prosperous era, which is truly a blessing for us!"

"We can never repay General Jin's (Wuzhu's) kindness!"

【"loyalty!"】

[Wanyan Brother: ...]

Clearly, you overdid it, making your declaration of loyalty in the latter half seem contrived, but... that's not important.

[The important thing is that your disdainful remarks about the Song Dynasty in the first half really didn't seem like acting...]

And that's enough!

After confirming that you truly had no affection for the Southern Song Dynasty, this Wanyan brother finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then mysteriously extended an invitation to you.

"Since you're so eager to make a name for yourself, brother, would you dare to come with me to Mongolia to achieve that?"

……

(End of this chapter)