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

Chapter 286 An Unexpected Incident, the Emperor!
"The feud between the Central Plains and the grasslands has a long history!"

"This is because every autumn and winter, the nomadic people of the grasslands, unable to endure the harsh cold, would raid southwards to plunder the border people, their grain, and their property, causing them great suffering... This was the case with the Xianyun of the Zhou dynasty, the Xiongnu of the Han dynasty, and the Xianbei and Rouran of later generations."

You sit among a group of Jin soldiers, earnestly recounting the long history of conflict between the Central Plains and the grasslands. These soldiers, born into poverty, gather around you with great curiosity, listening to your story. After all, being a soldier is a tough job, and being able to listen to stories is a rare form of entertainment...

"During the Western Han Dynasty, taking advantage of the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu's inability to attend to the north, they successively annexed the Donghu and Yuezhi tribes, and also seized the Henan region to the south and plundered the Western Regions to the west. Their territory spanned thousands of miles from east to west, and they commanded more than 400,000 archers, reaching the height of their power! This was also the first unification of the various tribes of the grasslands. Their military strength was so great that even Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was besieged by them on Baideng Mountain, and the Han Dynasty was forced to make peace with them through marriage."

"During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu gradually declined and were replaced by the Xianbei... The Xianbei were even stronger than the Xiongnu, because they not only established a steppe empire, but also successfully Sinicized and ruled the Central Plains, leaving a profound influence on the Central Plains... It should be said that even the Sui and Tang dynasties had intricate relationships with them."

"Later, there were the Turks, the Khitans... especially the Khitan Liao Dynasty. Although the Liao Dynasty did not manage to rule the Central Plains like the Xianbei, it confronted the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty from the north and south for nearly two hundred years. Its longevity was truly rare..."

"Now the Mongols have unified the grasslands again. Based on ancient history, if our Great Jin does not eliminate them, they will surely become a great scourge to us!"

Hearing your historical tales, the surrounding Jin soldiers couldn't help but feel a chill, their hostility towards the Mongols rising to its peak!

Seeing this, you couldn't help but nod to yourself: Training troops naturally can't just focus on tactics. Compared to tactical operations, ideological education is even more important. Otherwise, this is an army that can't fight tough battles, and it will easily collapse once the battle situation turns unfavorable... Therefore, ideological education is indispensable for a qualified and strong army.

[For example, this is how Yue Fei trained his Yue Family Army: he trained them in combat while simultaneously instilling in them the ideology of "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism." It was through this dual training that they gained the reputation of being able to hold their own against the early Jin army!]

Of course, if you want to cultivate a strong army in the Jin Kingdom in the same way as Yue Fei's army, this kind of temporary education is definitely not enough. You will have to continue to subtly influence them in the future...

However, just as everyone was still savoring your story, someone cautiously asked you, "Instructor Zhou, what about our Great Jin? Our Great Jin isn't the legitimate dynasty of the Central Plains either..."

【cough! 】

You coughed forcefully, then glared at him irritably: "What nonsense are you spouting? If our Great Jin isn't the legitimate dynasty of the Central Plains, then who is?"

"Loyalty is all that matters!"

Everyone nodded in agreement: Yes, yes, yes! Loyalty!

Of course, that's what they say, but what they really think is another story...

Their thoughts naturally came to your attention, but instead of being annoyed, you smiled inwardly: that's exactly the effect I wanted!

[Every word and action of yours is purposeful. Although you ostensibly educate everyone about the history of the grasslands, your true intention is something else entirely... Inciting everyone to unite against the Mongols is merely your surface goal; your core objective is to use historical allegory to strengthen the centrifugal force among ordinary Jin soldiers towards those associated with the Jin!]

[After all, you're not a member of the Wanyan royal family. You'd only truly make the Great Jin Dynasty great again if you were just being greedy!]

[You know, even the mighty Mongol Khan was just a mortal, but the Jin emperor was a true divine emperor. Therefore, compared to the Mongols, who could never destroy the Jin and Song dynasties as in the original history, the Jin dynasty was actually your real enemy...]

[Yes! You've already concluded that the Mongols in the current timeline can't be as ferocious as they were in the original history. They can't destroy the Jin or the Song; at best, they'll just be a replica of the Xiongnu. Although they still pose a significant threat, the possibility of them conquering the Central Plains is practically zero.]

【Why? 】

The answer is simple: the Jin Dynasty possessed divine power!

Although the Jin dynasty's divine power could neither run rampant like the power of tyranny nor cast illusions like the power of lust, as long as it allowed Wanyan Wuzhu to continue living, the Mongol-Jin War would inevitably end in a Jin victory.

Even disregarding his military capabilities, a veteran like Jin Wuzhu undoubtedly represented the backbone of the Jin ruling class. As long as he lived, even the most incompetent nobles would support him, thus preventing the Jin dynasty from falling into disarray as it did in the original timeline.

A feudal dynasty in the Central Plains that doesn't lose its composure is unlikely to be completely annihilated by a steppe regime. If the two sides engage in a war of attrition, the Mongols, unable to obtain manpower and resources from the Central Plains for replenishment, would at most be like the Tatars and Oirats during the Ming Dynasty...

[Indeed, this was the case. After you followed Brother Wanyan to the northern Mongol-Jin battlefield, the situation you witnessed was a stalemate: due to the continued resistance of the "Bojilie Conference" led by Wanyan Wuzhu, almost all the elite troops available nationwide had been drawn to the northern front!]

When Mongol cavalry attacked the passes, the elite Jin troops plundered Mongol tribes. The Mongols wanted to lure the enemy deeper into their territory, but the Jin troops decided to withdraw while they were ahead. When the Mongol army challenged them to battle, the elite Jin troops charged head-on...

In short, Marshal Wuzhu had ample funds and provisions, and as long as there were enough, even if the Jin military was in disarray, they could still muster a considerable number of elite troops to confront the Mongols!

[It was precisely because you understood this that you didn't rush into war with the Mongols, but instead turned your attention to building your own power base within the Jin army, thus preparing for future major events...]

Everything depends on the right timing.

【…】

In the 211th year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty, you were transferred from the southern front to the northern front along with your sworn brother, Wanyan Laoge. After witnessing the stalemate in the Mongol-Jin war, you asserted: Jin will not be destroyed by the Mongols!

Since the Mongols will not pose the same threat of annihilation to the Jin Dynasty as they did in history, you can now safely cultivate your power within the Jin army...

However, even a broken ship has three thousand nails. Considering that Jin Wuzhu's "Bojilie Conference" is still in full force, once your undermining behavior is noticed by the higher-ups, you will certainly not have a good ending... Therefore, you have chosen an extremely peaceful way to cultivate your power, trying your best not to cross the bottom line of the Jin Kingdom...

In the 211th year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty, you applied for the position of "Instructor of the 800,000-strong Jin Army," and then used this position to replicate your past life's exploits in the Song army in Xiangyang!

【While teaching the Jin soldiers martial arts, you often took the opportunity to teach them to read and write. In addition to teaching them to read, you told them various stories: the Battle of Qinglong City, Huo Qubing's sealing of the wolf's lair... Zhang Liao's great victory over Tadun, Zhuge Liang's conquest of the south... Murong Chui vomiting blood at Canhe Slope, Erzhu Rong's Heyin Incident...】

【All you've told are historical stories about killing ancient barbarians, whether it was done by Han Chinese or non-Han Chinese, it's all about stirring up trouble!】

[And as a result, these ordinary Han Chinese soldiers from the Central Plains inevitably began to waver in their resolve...]

However, your inspiring educational guidance won't attract the attention of the Jin dynasty's upper echelons, because you happen to be on the Mongol-Jin battlefield, and all the historical stories you tell can be applied to the Mongols. Even if some people think your teachings are malicious political allegories, you won't be worried at all!

【What? Are you trying to instigate a literary inquisition? If even normal historical stories like this aren't allowed to be told, then the Jin Dynasty might as well have just burned books and buried scholars alive, since history books are full of these kinds of stories…】

[This is how you get stuck on a bug!]

On the surface, you're a "top-tier pro-Mongol lecturer" who strengthens everyone's resolve to resist the Mongols! But behind the scenes, you're a leader inciting anti-Mongol sentiments among lower-ranking soldiers! The key is, even if others suspect you of having ulterior motives, they can't openly do anything to you…

Of course, your brother Wanyan's support was indispensable in this process!

This isn't him playing with fire and getting burned; it's because you're inherently in the same boat as him. You're not only a former subordinate he promoted, but also a crucial force in his upward climb. So, in a sense, he actually hopes you'll become as successful as possible... Everything you have is a gift from him, and your goals are aligned!

[Can we make Daikin great again?]

No, no, no! Anyone with eyes can see that the Jin dynasty is completely rotten. If we want to restore the Jin dynasty, we can only do so in the same way that Liu Xiu did for the Western Han dynasty...

[Forget about whose Jin dynasty you're restoring, just ask if this is the Jin dynasty!]

[We all share the surname Wanyan, we are all descendants of the founding emperor, so why am I not a member of the Great Jin?]

That same year, you and he secretly recruited dozens of the best-performing Jin soldiers to form a small group called the "One Heart Society," vowing to be "of one heart for the Great Jin and for Wanyan," to make the Great Jin great again!

Afterwards, the members dispersed throughout the army, recounting the history of wars between the Central Plains and the grasslands throughout the dynasties. However, in addition to these historical accounts, they inevitably included some thoughts that could not be stated directly...

In short, under the guise of "supporting the Great Jin," an organization that was nominally operating under the banner of "supporting the Great Jin" took root and flourished among the Jin soldiers on the northern front...

【…】

Of course, now that you've come to the front lines between the Mongols and the Jin Dynasty, you'll inevitably have to fight against the Mongol cavalry!

After you had initially trained a force of several hundred men, Wanyan Laoge, a member of the royal family and a general, received a combat mission from his superiors: to confront a provocative Mongol cavalry force outside the Great Wall!

Upon receiving this first combat mission, Wanyan, who had never fought a tough battle before, couldn't help but feel both excited and apprehensive...

Seeing that his elder brother was somewhat flustered, you, as his top lieutenant, naturally stepped forward without hesitation, and then said: "I'll handle everything. Brother, you just need to stay on the sidelines and keep the morale up!"

[So the two of you led over eight hundred light cavalry across the Great Wall pass and, without a word, charged towards the distant Mongol cavalry...]

In the 211th year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty, you led 800 light cavalry to confront several hundred Mongol cavalry. Relying on your rich combat experience, you ultimately defeated the Mongol cavalry with fewer than 100 casualties, and even launched a counterattack into the grasslands, seizing several small tribes!

However, you also realized that the other side was feigning weakness, so you knew when to stop and quickly returned to the Great Wall, much to their anger...

This brilliant mission has become the starting point for your future shining moments!

In the 212th year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty, you once again led a thousand cavalrymen on an attack alongside your brother Wanyan, and together with the superior army, charged deep into the grasslands... In the end, your troops beheaded over five hundred and captured over a thousand people from various tribes!

In the 213th year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty, you once again led your army to attack the Mongols, clashing head-on with the heavily armored cavalry that the Mongols had brought back from Central Asia, and achieving fame in one battle!

In the 214th year of the Shaoxing reign of the Song Dynasty, you defended the Great Wall pass, withstanding the Mongol trebuchets for three days until your main army outflanked the Mongols from behind, and you won the battle...

Every year, you are actively involved in the Mongol-Jin battlefield, whether launching offensive attacks or passively defending, you always complete your tasks flawlessly!

As a result, your fame and rank in the army naturally rose steadily. Hundreds of thousands of Jin soldiers along the Great Wall had all heard of your name, "Zhou Jinu," especially your inhuman battle record, which made everyone call you "Captain of the Jin Kingdom"...

[As your reputation soared, your "One Heart Society" naturally flourished as well. Many people, upon hearing that you were the one who founded the organization, didn't hesitate to ask to join!]

In just five or six years, your "One Heart Society" has expanded into a large organization with thousands of members, and these are only the official members. There are many more who have only received your ideological education but have not been able to join...

The main reason you didn't let them all join is naturally because you're afraid of being punished by your superiors: if a thousand or so people join, Brother Wanyan can use his royal status to help you suppress it, but if tens of thousands join, even if he's royalty, he won't be able to suppress it...

Therefore, although your development speed is very fast, it is still suppressed by objective realities.

However, this won't significantly hinder your business progress. Even if you only have a thousand or so official members, you can indirectly influence tens of thousands of people!

[Although this force is still far greater than that of Jin Wuzhu, who commands from the distant capital, it can unleash unimaginable power in crucial moments!]

Of course, there's no rush now... The time for your planned uprising is still far off. Before that time comes, you should all try to accumulate as much strength as possible for future use...

However, unforeseen events can happen at any time, and misfortune can strike at any moment!

Just as you were diligently preparing for something important, a sudden downpour interrupted your plans...

[In the rainy night, Brother Wanyan found you with a complex expression. His face showed excitement, hesitation, and even an undisguised blush of excitement!]

All signs indicate that he must have encountered some great joy, but this joy has also left him hesitant, unsure whether there are any unknown harms hidden behind this good fortune...

Seeing Wanyan's unusual behavior, you couldn't help but ask him why, and after hesitating for a moment, he didn't choose to hide it.

"Brother, I..."

"News has arrived from the Zhongdu Bojilie Assembly... I... I'm going to be the emperor!"

【you:……】

【You: Huh?】

……

(End of this chapter)