Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Time flies by, and August is fast approaching.

The scorching sun relentlessly baked Bianjing City, and the entire city seemed to be shrouded in an invisible pressure, making it hard to breathe.

The once bustling streets are now deserted, with hardly any people walking around. Instead, there is a chilling silence and desolation.

Looking back a few months ago, even when Bianjing was besieged by the Jurchens, it still maintained the prosperity and liveliness of the Song Dynasty capital!

However, at this moment, all of this is like a fleeting moment, leaving behind only desolation and bleakness, making one sigh at the impermanence of life and the vicissitudes of fate.

Suddenly, a palace eunuch appeared on the street with a troop of imperial guards.

"Proclaim this decree: From this day forward, every household in Bianjing shall donate three dou of grain to the Jin camp to forge an alliance between our two nations!"

Boom~

As the gongs rang out loudly, the Imperial Guards immediately burst through the doors of every household like wolves and tigers.

Soon, desperate cries echoed once again in this once prosperous capital of the Song Dynasty.

Since late June, this scene has been playing out almost every day.

The people of Bianjing could no longer see a glimmer of hope; all they felt was resentment and despair towards the Song soldiers before them.

Aside from the apathy of the common people, even the garrison troops guarding the capital had lost their fighting spirit.

Starting in July, an epidemic also broke out in the garrison camp.

However, at this moment, the vast majority of doctors in the city had been detained in the Jin camp by Wanyan Zongbi for various reasons.

There were no doctors available in the city, causing many soldiers to fall ill, and many more lost their young lives because they missed the opportunity for treatment.

In addition, the Jin people demanded military rations three more times, leading to a shortage of food supplies in the city and the army running out of food.

The Jin camp outside the city ate Song food, indulged in Song women, ate fish and meat at every meal, and reveled every night.

The garrison guarding the city suffered from illness and hunger, while the people inside were exploited and oppressed by the Song Dynasty court—how ironic!

When Guo Huang was alive, the military and civilians still had faith to sustain them.

But now that Guo Huang has been dismissed from his post and Lai Junchen, who strongly advocated for peace talks, has become the military supervisor, he beats and scolds these soldiers, which further demoralizes the already dispirited army. No one is willing to defend this city full of blood and tears anymore.

Zhao Huan remained silent on the matter.

He knew the current situation in the city and had already sensed that something seemed amiss.

However, he still placed all his bets on the Jurchens withdrawing their troops, so he always complied with their requests.

Even if it means emptying all the resources in Bianjing.

Because Zhao Huan had no way out; like a gambler blinded by greed, he had staked everything...

Meanwhile, on the Jin side, Wanyan Zongbi also wore a worried expression.

After sending his memorial to the capital, which proposed a strategy of undermining the will of the Song people and advocating for peace talks, he finally received a reply from Wanyan Lie.

Contrary to his expectations, when Wanyan Lie received the strategy he proposed, he directly and severely reprimanded Wanyan Zongbi in writing, accusing him of only making excuses for his poor performance in battle and urging him to send troops to launch a strong attack.

Furthermore, Wanyan Lie also said that if he did not receive news of the capture of Bianjing by September, he would personally lead a large army to the Bianhe camp.

This was a dangerous sign. Wanyan Zongbi knew that he didn't have much time left, so he immediately summoned Zhang Yu to discuss the matter.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

After reading Wanyan Lie's reply, Zhang Yu closed his eyes and sighed softly: "I advised Your Highness to explain to the King before the plan even started. Now, Your Highness is in a passive position."

Wanyan Zongbi frowned: "I am loyal to the Great Jin. How can my father doubt me and deny my achievements!"

Zhang Yu shook his head: "The royal decree has been issued, and Your Highness does not have much time left. You must capture Bianjing City within a month, otherwise, Your Highness's situation will be in grave danger."

Wanyan Zongbi: "What is the current situation inside the city?"

Zhang Yu: "It's much better than expected. The morale of the army in Bianjing is low, the soldiers have no fighting spirit, and the people have no strength left. All the resentment has been directed at the Zhao royal family."

Wanyan Zongbi stood up and said, "In that case, I will order the entire army to launch a full-scale attack on Bianjing City first thing tomorrow morning!"

Zhang Yu shook his head: "We're still missing a strong medicine. If we launch a full-scale attack now, we might risk a desperate act. Although Guo Huang is gone, who can guarantee what backup plan he might have left behind?"

Wanyan Zongbi grew anxious: "Sir, just say it directly. At this point, I really don't have the mind to guess what you mean."

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and took out a pre-prepared parchment scroll from his sleeve.

Upon unfolding it, they found a state letter that commanded the submission of the Song ruler and his ministers.

"Your Highness, this is the most fatal blow to the entire Song Kingdom, forcing the Song Emperor to bow down and submit."

All the beliefs that Bianjing clings to will crumble in an instant, and our Great Jin can seize this opportunity to conquer Bianjing in one fell swoop!

Wanyan Zongbi: "I'm afraid the Song emperor won't agree to this. If I had to do such a humiliating thing, I would rather commit suicide."

Zhang Yu laughed: "However, the Zhao family emperors are so ridiculous. For them, integrity and reputation are far less important than survival. Besides, do they even have a choice now?"

Wanyan Zongbi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sir, after Bianjing falls, I will recommend you to my father to be in charge of Bianjing."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

Zhang Yu's face showed neither joy nor sorrow; power, fame, and fortune held no interest for him.

What he wanted was to drag the Song state into the abyss of despair, so as to avenge the humiliation of being turned away by Emperor Huizong years ago.

……

"What? You want me to submit to the Jurchens?"

When the edict of submission from the Jin Dynasty was delivered to Zhao Huan, he truly could not believe that the situation had turned out this way.

"I have treated the Jurchens well, so why are they still so ungrateful!"

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have compromised with them! Alas!"

The hall was completely silent; no one dared to respond, leaving Zhao Huan to vent his anger alone.

After a long while, once he had vented his anger, he asked, "My dear ministers, what do you think?"

His response was still a stagnant silence.

No one would offer Zhao Huan any advice on this matter, not even Ye Fan.

After all, once you get involved, whether you agree or disagree, you'll definitely be the scapegoat if something goes wrong.

Seeing that none of the officials reacted, Zhao Huan looked at Ye Fan, hoping he could give him some advice.

Actually, he wanted Ye Fan to persuade him to agree, so that he could have a way out.

Isn't it just about submitting to the emperor?

This was not unacceptable to Zhao Huan, but he absolutely could not show it.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Just then, Gao Mingli rushed to Zhao Huan's side in a hurry, disregarding etiquette.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The military supervisor reports that the Jurchen troops are gathering outside the north gate and are about to attack the city!"

"what!"

Instantly, the entire hall erupted in commotion.

"What should we do? What should we do!"

Zhao Huan was in a panic, and the officials were just as confused as headless flies.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Ye Fan immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, whether to fight or make peace is entirely up to Your Majesty. Please make a decision quickly."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan slapped his thigh, stood up, and proudly declared, "The Great Song Dynasty is in such dire straits. I have been appointed by Heaven to inherit the throne. How can I abandon the nation and its people?"

I have decided…

Everyone in the hall held their breath, staring intently at Zhao Huan.

"We are willing to submit to the Great Jin Dynasty in order to ensure the safety of our nation!"