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

Chapter 306 Major Construction!
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, it has always been extremely passive in foreign relations. For example, when Emperor Taizong was conquering the Liao Dynasty, he ended up with an arrow in his buttocks and his donkey cart flying away...

For example, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, despite winning the Battle of Chanzhou, the "Treaty of Chanyuan" was still signed with the Liao Dynasty, meaning that the Liao Dynasty had to pay tribute to them every year from then on...

For example, during the reign of Emperor Renzong, Li Yuanhao of Hexi declared himself emperor. As a result, the Song army failed to subdue him effectively. From then on, the legitimacy of the Song Dynasty, which was not a unified state to begin with, became increasingly hollow...

[Until the Jingkang Incident, the Jin army marched south and destroyed the Song Dynasty, thus permanently sealing the Northern Song's fate...]

[We've lost all face and territory we could possibly lose. The capture of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong has utterly trampled the dignity of the Song Dynasty into the mud... Therefore, it's fair to say that the Song Dynasty desperately needs a victory that will allow it to hold its head high!]

[It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Gou raised the banner of the Northern Expedition as soon as he ascended the throne, intending to revitalize the declining morale of the Song Dynasty... However, this coincided with a "celestial upheaval," so much so that even after the Southern Song Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years, the victory of the Northern Expedition remained a distant prospect...]

Another year has passed, and we look southwards to see the royal army. How many companies of the royal army are left?

Therefore, the fact that the Song Dynasty could not regain its dignity in the face of foreign powers was always a source of anxiety for Zhao Gou...

[And now, this heartache has suddenly been cured by a single injection of a miracle drug!]

[Under your "traitorous pursuit of personal gain," the Jin Dynasty, which had always suppressed the Southern Song Dynasty, actually succumbed to its power and even willingly signed various unequal treaties with the Song!]

[Cession of territory and payment of indemnities, opening of treaty ports, becoming the ruler of Jiangbei, the Shaoxing era name, the return of the two emperors... and most excitingly for Zhao Gou, the titles of "Son Emperor" and "Father Emperor"!]

[Zhao Gou: My family, I'm moved to tears!]

What does it mean to avenge a humiliating defeat? This is what it means to avenge a humiliating defeat!

What defines a great emperor of all time? This is what it means!

[Shi Jingtang, do you see this? My Great Song Dynasty far surpasses the Later Jin Dynasty!]

[Shi Jingtang: I have no objection...]

In short, the Song Dynasty has regained all the face it had lost to foreign countries in the past! It has even regained the face lost by the previous five dynasties! This epic achievement made Zhao Gou so happy that he rolled his eyes, thinking that this is what a true man should be like...

"Zhou Chi is indeed a pure-blooded Song person who was infiltrated into the Jin Kingdom by our Great Song Dynasty!"

"Loyalty cannot be spoken of!"

Overjoyed, Zhao Gou immediately showered you with praise before his ministers, calling you an unparalleled and loyal worthy man, unmatched in heaven and earth...

However, the officials exchanged bewildered glances… especially veteran generals like Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, who exchanged strange looks: This is a beaver? This is very unlike a beaver!

[Leaving aside whether such an unparalleled loyal minister, capable of making even Su Wu feel inferior, truly exists, how did you dare to sign these unequal treaties?]

[Is this abstract treaty, which is undoubtedly the most humiliating and detrimental treaty to the Jin Dynasty, really something a powerful minister under the emperor's control is qualified to sign?]

[It's just that people don't know Li Hongzhang, otherwise they'd definitely say: "Even Li Hongzhang wouldn't dare sign this treaty..."]

Thinking about it this way, Yue Fei couldn't help but have serious doubts about your political position in the Jin Dynasty: Are you really not a treacherous warlord who holds the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords in times of chaos? Otherwise, how could you dare to sign such a document?

[But theoretically speaking, the Jin Emperor's position cannot be shaken by his subjects, so you can only be the Jin Emperor's front man; your will is the Jin Emperor's will...]

[But that doesn't make sense. Why would the Golden Emperor surrender when he was winning so easily?]

Have the Jin people lost their self-confidence...?

In short, Yue Fei became increasingly confused. Although he wanted to offer advice to the emperor, he simply didn't know what to say, so in the end he could only sigh and let the matter drop...

[And so, an excited Zhao Gou readily agreed to this unequal treaty...]

When the news reached the Jin Dynasty, the entire court was stunned: Was the Grand Tutor really going to surrender so readily?

This...this can't be...

[So the crowd carefully considered their words and then cautiously advised you: The division between the Song and Jin dynasties is not merely a political one, but a division at the species level... This kind of division is probably not something that can be resolved by Grand Tutor's mere surrender...]

Furthermore, as the ancients wisely said: "To appease Qin with land is like adding fuel to the fire!" The Southern Song Dynasty today is just like the Qin Dynasty; its blind surrender will likely only bring utter destruction to the people of the Central Plains...

But you simply smiled, indicating that everything was under control!

【…】

"Ceding territory and paying reparations are merely stopgap measures. When we truly have the power to suppress the Southern Song, we'll make them swallow as much as they want and vomit it all back!"

"It wouldn't actually do any harm to refer to oneself as a 'son emperor' in official documents between the two countries, since an emperor is incapable of governing or issuing documents..."

"Opening up ports for trade is actually not harmful, because the Southern Song Dynasty was just an agricultural country and had no way to dump goods on the Central Plains... In fact, when we become an industrial country, the Southern Song Dynasty will be the target of our reverse dumping..."

[“There’s also the abandonment of the Jin emperor’s reign title in favor of the Southern Song dynasty’s Shaoxing reign title… Did the Jin emperor really have his own reign title? What’s the difference between changing it and not changing it…”]

"As for returning the remains of the two emperors, Huizong and Qinzong, that's even more useless. I wouldn't even want to put the remains of those two good-for-nothings in Five Kingdoms City..."

In short, these unequal treaties, which seemed to be extremely humiliating and detrimental to the nation, actually had little practical significance. Perhaps their only purpose was to make Zhao Gou hum with satisfaction...

[And as long as Zhao Gou's demands are met, then the Jin dynasty regime that you finally seized will have the opportunity and time to develop in a low-key manner...]

Anyway, you've already won enough!

Sitting alone in the Grand Tutor's mansion, you couldn't help but chuckle: this method actually succeeded; it just shows how much Zhao Gou loved empty fame... However, compared to your ease, the Chancellor beside you seemed thoughtful: "Perhaps you've misunderstood..."

[“Zhao Gou may not have been fond of empty fame, but rather he used it to obtain the practical benefits he desired!”]

【Um? 】

Upon hearing this, you were taken aback, somewhat confused by your father's meaning.

But the Prime Minister retorted, "Have you forgotten how Zhao Gou acquired his insatiable lust?"

You frowned: Insubordination? Could it be...?

"Your act of humbly submitting to Zhao Gou on behalf of the Jin state may not have resulted in any substantial loss, but for Zhao Gou, this is exactly what he wants! Because this is a classic case of insubordination."

"Even compared to the Song army's northern expedition against the Jin dynasty, this clearly gave Zhao Gou a greater sense of excitement and pleasure, thus granting him more divine power..."

【what? 】

[After the Prime Minister's reminder, your eyes widened... Upon reflection, it was indeed true!]

Zhao Gou was not an emperor like Yang Guang who was ambitious and eager for quick success. Instead, he was the kind of emperor who valued practical interests, even to an excessive degree. For example, during Yue Fei's Northern Expedition, there was a clear opportunity to reclaim the Central Plains from the Jin Dynasty, but Zhao Gou believed that the success rate of the Northern Expedition was too low. He took the initiative to negotiate peace with the Jin and abandoned the Northern Expedition, which he considered to have a low chance of success. Instead, he chose to settle in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River.

[He truly doesn't want to take any risks whatsoever. Forget about empty fame; even a Northern Expedition with an extremely high success rate is something he wouldn't dare risk continuing... How could an emperor like that possibly let you and the Jin Dynasty go for mere empty fame, without considering practical benefits?]

Therefore, the only explanation is that this seemingly empty peace negotiation actually brought Him a different kind of practical benefit! This practical benefit might even be greater than directly conquering the Jin Dynasty!

[And the only possible benefit is that a large amount of lustful divine power will be gained as a result...]

Thinking of this, you suddenly recall: based on your two previous experiences after death, you know that even if Zhao Gou conquered the Jin Dynasty, he could not rule it forever, because the Jin emperor's divine power was inexhaustible, while his divine power was finite.

Therefore, even if the Southern Song Dynasty unified the Jin Dynasty, it would eventually choose to abandon the land due to its dwindling divine power, and even the people of the Southern Song Dynasty would be deliberately discarded by it to conserve its divine power...

Did Zhao Gou himself anticipate such an outcome?

Theoretically speaking, He should have considered it, since it was a real potential future threat; how could He not have foreseen it beforehand?

Therefore, Zhao Gou actually knew that destroying the Jin dynasty was not the best way out. If he had a choice, he would have preferred to coexist with the Jin dynasty... because only the Jin dynasty was stronger than the Southern Song dynasty, so if he wanted to "rebel against the superior," he could only preserve the Jin dynasty.

Therefore, for Zhao Gou, the best Jin state was one that allowed him to endlessly exploit his lustful power... However, under normal circumstances, the actual rulers of the Jin state, such as Wanyan Wuzhu, would not cooperate with him in such actions that would only aid the enemy.

[It was precisely because the Jin Dynasty refused to cooperate that Zhao Gou, in the previous side story, decisively launched a military campaign to destroy the Jin Dynasty upon realizing its dramatic changes, transforming the cold, hard Jin into a warm, divine force... ultimately leading to the unification under the Song Dynasty!]

[And now, since your sliding kneeling action happens to provide Him with the divine power gains He desires, He will naturally cooperate with you!]

What you need is a stable period of development, and what He needs is a continuous stream of divine power. Unwittingly, both interests align, and thus this bizarre drama unfolded as if by perfect agreement…

"So, it's highly likely that He actually knew I wasn't a truly loyal subject, and it's highly likely that He knew my position in the Jin Kingdom wasn't as simple as the letter described... but in the end, He still pretended to believe my words."

【Why? 】

Because the Lord doesn't care...

【…】

By chance, you uncovered the deeper logic behind Zhao Gou's actions, and couldn't help but sigh: "Old foxes are indeed shrewd; Zhao Gou, that old bastard, is full of tricks. Compared to the reckless Chongzhen Emperor that the Prime Minister encountered, the two are completely different kinds of beings..."

Perhaps in Zhao Gou's mind, he wasn't actually afraid of any shady schemes you might have, because he believed his own schemes were far more insidious than yours!

[Once you allow Him to gain divine power, He is confident that you will never be able to rise again. No matter what schemes you have, under the absolute advantage of the Lustful God Emperor, they are nothing but a chicken and a dog...]

[And since that's the case, you naturally felt a chill, and the smugness you felt earlier for having deceived Zhao Gou dissipated... Who might have been deceiving whom in this whole affair!]

However, no matter what, you've already come this far, and since you've come this far, whatever the outcome, you can only firmly continue down this path...

Let Zhao Gou see whose scheme is stronger!

[Thus, in the 223rd year of the Shaoxing era, after the Jin Dynasty signed the humiliating "Shaoxing Peace Treaty" with the Southern Song Dynasty, you, having successfully eliminated the threat of the Song army, could finally continue to boldly transform the Jin Dynasty into the shape you desired...]

That year, you ordered 300,000 troops of the "Jingnan Army" to be dispatched to various parts of the Central Plains, commanding them to oversee the redistribution of land... As a result, within a few months, lands throughout the country that had been severely annexed by Jurchen nobles and large landowners were redistributed. Under the swords and spears of the army, even though they were unwilling, they could only obediently surrender their land.

Of course, some were unwilling to cooperate and even launched an armed rebellion in an attempt to resist the government troops... However, since the Jingnan Army was originally an elite border force capable of confronting the Mongols, its deployment to suppress domestic rebellions was like shoving fish into a frying pan, leaving nothing but annihilation in its wake!

If we really encounter a ruthless enemy that even the border troops can't defeat, then we can only send in the Imperial Guards with their own mutation buffs. Once the Imperial Guards arrive, the enemy troops will all mutate and lose their minds, and then collapse on the spot...

[And so, wherever the Embroidered Uniform Guard's reach extended, the resulting mental and mutated diseases proliferated... Of course, in the end, the Embroidered Uniform Guard always won...]

[And so, you gradually built a brand new Jin Kingdom, a new Jin Kingdom as blank as a sheet of paper!]

And now, you'll begin drawing on this blank sheet of paper...

……

(End of this chapter)