I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 6: The Holy Body of Innate Self-Defense
"Finally we're ashore. We've been tossing and turning on the water for three days straight, eating nothing but cold food. I feel completely exhausted."

The moment he stepped onto the dock again, Zhao Zicheng let out a long sigh, stretched himself, and wanted to find a place to eat a bowl of hot noodle soup and then take a good hot bath.

The days of drifting on the water were really oppressive. Especially since it was difficult to light a fire in the wooden boat, and the food, drinks, and washing were all cold, I felt uncomfortable all over after a long time.

Zhao Zicheng, Murong Yan, and Yang Zhi drank a bowl of hot tea at the dock before going their separate ways. While drinking tea, Murong Yan took the initiative to ask, "I wonder what plans Brother Zhao has for the future?"

Zhao Zi said, "I know so much about Zhu Jie. It's hard to withdraw immediately. I can only take it step by step. For now, I have to contribute to the case of the Taihu pirates."

But the ice is not formed in a day, and this case will not be solved in a few days. I also asked Zhu Zhen for leave, saying that I was returning home to visit my family after taking the college entrance examination. My parents already knew I was coming back.

Zhu Jie knew my family was a royal family, so he didn't dare to stop me. He allowed me to take a few days off to return home. Xiuzhou is less than a hundred miles from Gusu, so it will be quick. We can discuss other matters later."

Murong Yan bit his lip and mustered up the courage to express his gratitude, "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. If it weren't for Brother Zhao's wit, my family would have been harassed by the Yingfeng Bureau. Why don't you stay at my humble abode for a while? I'll show my hospitality and then send a boat to take Brother Zhao back to Xiuzhou to visit his family. My boat is fast and won't be delayed."

Zhao Zicheng thought it wasn't far anyway, so he agreed to go and take a look.

So he drank the remaining hot tea in the bowl in one gulp, asked the stall owner to return the hot soup noodles that had not yet been put into the pot, paid the bill, and got up.

The servants of the Murong family brought a few good horses, and Murong Yan also made a gesture of invitation, asking Zhao Zicheng to get on the horse.

Zhao Zicheng looked at the horse and felt a little uneasy.

In his previous life, he was a poor teacher. Although he liked traditional culture, played musical instruments and martial arts in his spare time, and was a blogger online, he had very few opportunities to ride a horse.

He had only experienced horseback riding at an amusement park, and he was so afraid to run that he could only walk slowly.

The original owner of this body had rarely ridden a horse. After all, the Song Dynasty was weak and lacked horses. The pastoral areas of the northwest and Hebei were controlled by foreign tribes, and horses were expensive in the Central Plains. Before Zhao Zicheng came to power, he had an annual salary of 40 guan (approximately 20 strings of cash), which was enough to support his entire family. How could he possibly afford a horse? For long journeys, he would at most ride a donkey.

Now that he had the chance to try, Zhao Zicheng couldn't afford to show any fear. According to the original trajectory of history, Fang La would rebel the next year. If he didn't even have proficiency in horsemanship and relied entirely on others for protection, wouldn't it be a disgrace to the time traveler if he made a mistake in the chaos?

Zhao Zicheng grabbed the reins, put one foot on the stirrup, took a deep breath, and flipped up with all his might.

Unfortunately, he still overestimated the strength of this body. This kick did not allow him to immediately jump onto the horse's back, but instead made him a little shaky.

Fortunately, Murong Yan, who was standing by, lifted his lower back inconspicuously. The force was not strong, but gentle and even, and Zhao Zicheng sat firmly on the saddle in an instant.

Murong Yan also climbed onto another horse without saying a word.

"My dear brother, you are really good at fighting." Zhao Zicheng sighed in shame.

You still have to practice.

Murong Yan seemed a little proud, so he rode his horse in front without paying any attention to etiquette and called on the others to follow.

Zhao Zicheng tried riding a horse for the first time, and it was inevitable that he would be a little unsteady when running fast, and occasionally screamed out. Murong Yan heard his shouting and then slowed down the horse and walked with the reins, occasionally supporting him from the side.

The Murong family was nearby. After just two cups of tea, Zhao Zicheng saw a respectable manor at the end of the road, shaded by green willows, just as he left the dock town.

As they got closer, they saw a hundred or so soldiers suddenly charging out from both sides of the road, half of them armed with spears, the other half with swords and round shields.

The leading officer, dressed in the uniform of a captain, holding a long-handled broadsword, blocked the way and shouted sternly at the horsemen:
"Who are you? You're here on duty, stay away! If you dare come any closer, I'll treat you as an accomplice of this gang!"

Murong Yan was quite angry when he saw this, but after the twists and turns of the past few days, he was not so impulsive. He just subconsciously looked at Zhao Zicheng to see how he would deal with it.

After a little thought, Zhao Zicheng roughly guessed that these officers and soldiers might not have received Zhu Zhen's notice yet.

He then rode out from the crowd and, looking down from above, asked, "Whose men are you? Did Commander Dong send you to surround this house?"

At the time of the incident, there was only one military officer, Dong Chao, by Zhu Zhen's side, so it is not difficult to guess.

The captain was still slow to react and continued to show off his power: "It's good that you know we are Dong Tuanlian's men! If you dare to come forward again, we will arrest you!"

Zhao Zicheng didn't want to have any more conflicts with the other party, so he took out a badge from his waist and said: "There is another mastermind behind the Hua Shi Gang case. This family is innocent. You can withdraw - this is the order of Prime Minister Zhu."

The waist badge belongs to the Yingfeng Bureau.

Because of Zhao Zicheng's status as a royal family member, it was not convenient for him to openly accept the task assigned by Zhu Zhen. Therefore, before going ashore, Zhu Zhen privately gave him a waist badge to facilitate the mobilization of personnel from the Yingfeng Bureau to cooperate in handling cases.

When the captain heard that they were asked to retreat, he was immediately very annoyed.

He led his men to surround the farm for a day and a night. His original order was to prevent the rich man from absconding with his wealth.

In the past, such assignments were always very satisfying, because once the case was proven, they would be able to take on the lucrative task of confiscating the property without having to bother two people.

As a result, the commanders and captains of the local army had to pay tribute to the training commander in order to get such a lucrative position.

This captain spent a lot of money to grab the job yesterday. Now they are suddenly asked to withdraw. It is impossible for him to go to Dong Chao to return the money, which means he has suffered a pure loss.

He was blinded by greed, and seeing that Zhao Zicheng was dressed in shabby clothes, even though the other party took out a waist badge that was difficult to distinguish between real and fake, he still couldn't help but make a few more difficult remarks:

"You, scholar, are a stranger to me. I've never seen anyone like you in the Yingfeng Bureau. You said there's another mastermind behind this case. So, could you please tell me who that mastermind is?"

His words were filled with disbelief. How could someone working for Prime Minister Zhu wear coarse hemp cloth? Even a soldier could afford to wear silk!
Zhao Zicheng's face turned cold, and he patiently said, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't know. This is for your own good."

Seeing that he didn't answer, the captain became more excited, thinking that his badge was indeed stolen: "For my own good? Then you don't have to worry about it! I am a good friend of Duguan Duan. Duguan Duan also explained yesterday that the case will eventually be compensated by the Murong family!

You can't even reveal who the mastermind is, yet you want us to withdraw. Perhaps you stole the badge. Even if I capture you and then ask for instructions from Dong Tuanlian, what will happen then?"

Zhao Zi said he had originally intended to reason with this greedy man, but when he heard him mention "being on good terms with Duan Duguan", he couldn't help but feel angry:

"Are you close friends with Duan Duguan? It seems you're also an expert at raiding houses. Does Duan Ming often tip you off and take care of you?"

The captain thought that Zhao Zicheng was afraid of Duan Ming, so he immediately admitted it without hesitation.

"If that's the case, then you're not innocent either." Zhao Zicheng nodded, turned his horse, and ordered Yang Zhi, who was following behind, "Catch this thief! He's an accomplice of Duan Ming. I won't ask about the rest."

Yang Zhi hesitated for a moment, but quickly agreed and was about to go forward to capture the other party.

But he was a military officer after all, and now he still followed the laws of the court. Zhao Zi said that as long as he was allowed to capture him, Yang Zhi would not kill him, and would be very careful about the degree of his attack.

The captain hadn't expected Zhao Zicheng to actually attack him. He was stunned and his instinctive reaction was to resist. Without a second thought, he rushed forward, brandishing his broadsword, to threaten Zhao Zicheng.

At this moment, Murong Yan, who was beside Zhao Zicheng, raised his arm vigorously and blocked him. He wrapped his robe sleeve around the sword and swung it back with a powerful force.

Murong Yan's strength wasn't great, but his technique was impeccable. The captain lost his grip on the knife, and the handle spun half a circle in his hand, causing him to be dragged back and chopped off his own head.

Zhao Zicheng's pupils shrank rapidly, and a strange thought suddenly occurred to him:

This move is undoubtedly self-defense even in the absolute rule of law society of the 21st century!

There was no way he could have over-defended himself! The force and technique of the opponent's forward swing of the sword, and the force and technique that were finally repelled by the opponent's powerful counterattack, looked exactly the same.

Even if the captain's family traveled back to the future and asked Zhang San to be the "victim's advocate", they would not be able to find any fault.

This is simply the innate holy body of self-defense.

Is this the legendary "returning the favor in your own way"?
"But fortunately, Brother Murong's move seems to be just a very sophisticated method of using the opponent's force to counter the opponent's force. This world should still be scientific, and there shouldn't be such bizarre things.

The most skilled martial artist in the world today is probably only as skilled as Yang Ye or Yue Fei, capable of fighting hundreds of men. Martial arts are ultimately no match for muskets."

Zhao Zicheng thought to himself. When he saw Yang Zhi, Murong Yan and others take action before, their moves were just more sophisticated and their strength was stronger than that of normal people.

Anyway, as long as human physical combat power does not surpass Xiang Yu, this world can be considered scientifically rigorous.

……

Murong Yan used a slightly heavier blow and killed the captain, but he felt a little uneasy. He took a few deep breaths and said calmly to Zhao Zicheng:
"It was this thief who resisted arrest first... Even if I kill him, it's not a serious crime. I will take responsibility for it."

Zhao Zicheng immediately raised his hand to stop him from continuing. "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about! This thief is Duan Ming's accomplice, and he has already resisted with force. Killing him is completely in line with the 'capture the dead' law. What's wrong with that? I will handle the matter impartially and report it to Zhu Jie. He won't make things difficult for me."

Although neither the Tang Law Commentary nor the Song Criminal Code has the concept of "legitimate defense", their chapters such as the "Law on Litigation" and the "Law on Capturing and Killing" contain statements such as "acting in self-defense reduces the guilt" and "if the other party resists and kills him during the pursuit, the murderer is not guilty."

These criminal law concepts have not changed much from the Tang Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, so even if Zhao Zi said that he only studied history in his previous life and not law, he could still talk about them fluently.

As soon as Zhao Zicheng said this, Yang Zhi, who was an official standing next to him, became completely confident and immediately calmed down the other rebellious soldiers, preventing the situation from escalating.

These soldiers were indeed not good people, and they were the most corrupt part of the Xiang army. In the past few years, they had done nothing else but followed Zhu Zhen and Duan Ming to confiscate property. Killing one of their leaders could be considered as eliminating harm to the people.

Zhao Zicheng had no intention of killing anyone at first, but since Murong Yan had already killed him, there was nothing to regret. Zhao Zicheng firmly believed that as long as he reported the news that "the deceased was Duan Ming's accomplice and had resisted arrest", Zhu Jie would not mind.

After this news spread, it also helped Zhao Zicheng to openly draw a clear line between himself and Zhu Jie.

Today's incident will surely spread in the future, and by then, no one in Suzhou will believe that Zhu Zhen is still favoring Zhao Zicheng. They will only think that Master Zhao is truly a man who argues for his rights, is not afraid of power, and dares to kill those military leaders who are raiding the houses of the Xiang army.

Let everything take its course.

The chaos was suppressed just like that. Faced with Yang Zhi's blade and words, everyone understood the situation.

Nowadays, even the imperial guards of the central government are extremely corrupt, let alone the garrison troops of the wealthy regions. These soldiers are originally starving people who were absorbed into the army during the famine. They have no organization or discipline at all. A few desperate people can easily scare hundreds of garrison troops.

The Murong family was successfully rescued, and Murong Yan knocked on the door of his own house and led Zhao Zicheng in.

Murong Yan's heart raced, and it took him a long time to calm down. His palms were sweating. This was the first time he had ever killed someone. Although he had practiced martial arts for a few years at home, he had never had the opportunity to fight someone to the death before. So even at this moment, his arms and shoulders were still shaking slightly.

……

After entering the Murong family's manor, Murong Yan first asked Deng Yue to lead Yang Zhi and others to the side courtyard to entertain them with wine and food.

He took Zhao Zicheng with him as they walked, and whispered about his family situation, including the names and taboos of his elders.

Only then did Zhao Zicheng confirm that Murong Yan's father was named Murong Ping, who had been insane for over twenty years and refused to see outsiders. His ancestor was Murong Yanzhao, a founding general of the late Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty, but their lineage was also a side branch, so their status was not prominent.

Murong Yan's mother's name is Duan Yuyan. He also has a twin sister, but I'm not going to mention her maiden name.

As the two were talking, before they had even walked through the third courtyard, a beautiful middle-aged woman came out from behind a door with hanging flowers in front of them, supported by a veiled girl, and came towards them.

When Murong Yan saw the woman, he immediately went up to her and bowed deeply: "I am an unfilial child. I almost brought disaster upon our family. Please forgive me, mother."

Zhao Zicheng knew that the other party was the mistress here, Murong Duan, and he also stepped forward to greet her politely.

Needless to say, there was a lot of formalities, and then Murong Duan invited Zhao Zicheng to sit in the main hall, and asked the veiled girl to personally serve tea, fruits and pastries.

Murong Duan was in her forties. Although old, she still had a graceful demeanor and a divine air in her every move. She looked Zhao Zicheng up and down while politely thanking him:

"I'm a young dog with little experience in the world. Thanks to Mr. Zhao's care, my family was able to escape disaster. Mr. Zhao is truly a chivalrous man. I heard that his family is also a member of the royal family of the Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Zicheng politely bowed and said modestly, "It's just the Zhao family name. In fact, it's just a minor branch that has branched out three or five generations ago. Brother Murong is kind-hearted and selfless. I admire him very much."

Murong Duan sighed, "He's never suffered hardship since childhood, nor does he know the dangers of the world. But the Murong family has no other male heirs, so we can only hope that he can gain experience as soon as possible and establish a family, otherwise the family will collapse.

Fortunately, on his first trip abroad, he met a mentor and friend like Master Zhao. "My humble abode was besieged by soldiers from the Xiang army yesterday, and I couldn't sleep all night. Just now, the security officer reported that the captain of the guards outside the gate had just been executed by Master Zhao."

Zhao Zicheng knew that the other party was asking in such an indirect way, and he must be worried that killing the captain would bring disaster. He comforted him:

"That's all right. That captain is an accomplice of the thieves in the Yingfeng Bureau and he resisted arrest. He deserves his punishment. I will explain this to Zhu Jie. Aunt, don't worry. Although I have no choice but to work for Zhu Jie, I am not his equal."

Murong Duan was finally relieved.

After a few more words, Zhao Zicheng took the opportunity to ask a question in his mind:
"Forgive my frankness, aunt, you seem to be worrying too much. From what I've seen, everyone in the mansion seems to have some martial arts skills. If you really want to leave, who can stop you?"

Zhao Zicheng asked this because he was really curious. He wanted to know what level the so-called masters in this world could reach, so that he could be mentally prepared for his future actions and plans.

Murong Duanshi smiled a helpless smile. "Those garrison troops are certainly not worth mentioning. But if they flee without explanation, wouldn't all their land and property be handed over to Zhu Jie for nothing? If they resist, even if they are extremely skilled in martial arts and can kill hundreds or even thousands of people, what good will it do? Facing the imperial army, they will ultimately be annihilated."

After hearing this, Zhao Zicheng finally felt relieved. It seems that the martial arts in this world are still scientific.

He couldn't help but ask again, "Auntie is truly knowledgeable. I wonder what the strongest martial artist you've ever seen is, and how many opponents he can defeat?"

Murong Duan thought back for a moment, a trace of longing for the past in her eyes. "Young Master Zhao is not an outsider, so it's not a problem for me to share these old experiences with you. If it were thirty years ago, the number of peerless masters in the world who could defeat thousands of troops could still be counted on two hands.

However, over the years, both in Song and Liao, the martial spirit has become increasingly weak, and talented generals have dwindled. I only know of two men still alive who are capable of defeating thousands of troops: one in Dali and one in Xixia. As for the territory within the Song and Liao dynasties, please forgive my limited knowledge.

"How is it, Mr. Zhao, that you are also interested in martial arts? With all due respect, you seem to have no foundation in martial arts."

Zhao Zicheng quickly stated, "My nephew is merely curious. I have my duties and will become an official in the future, so I don't have the energy to practice martial arts. Besides, I'm already seventeen, so it's too late for me to learn martial arts. If I could just learn some basic techniques to strengthen my body, I'd be happy."

Murong Duan commented earnestly, "Seventeen is not too late. When I was seventeen, I was also weak as well. Later, my family fell into poverty and there was no one to take over the family. I still have to practice.

"Sir, you have taken good care of my little dog this time, and my Murong family does not want to owe you a favor. I have some basic knowledge on strengthening the body that I can give you. I dare not say that I am repaying you, but just want to express my gratitude."

-

PS: The first week is over. Let’s start breaking up the chapters tomorrow. We will change it to one update in the morning and one in the evening, with 2,000 words each.

Starting from the second week, the number of follow-up readings and comments will be assessed. If I only update once a day, I will not be able to meet the assessment data. There is no other way.

This chapter might be a bit long-winded, but I'm also concerned about raising expectations, so I've elaborated on some of the settings. This is, after all, a historical novel, not a martial arts novel. While there are some elements of martial arts and epic, it's still scientific. Ultimately, stability in the world depends on institutional development, technological advancement, and political diplomacy.

(End of this chapter)