The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

Seeing Zhao Shen being made a prince, Liu Bang and the others did not feel any relief.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang and his son have already revealed that Zhao Shen was the most capable emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty.

But here’s the problem.

The immortal made it very clear that he felt deeply dissatisfied with this list.

What does it mean to feel uneasy?

Ultimately, regardless of ability, they still failed to achieve their goal.

It is regrettable, and that is why it is hard to let go.

Perhaps this is the biggest difference between this review and the list of wise rulers.

The list of wise rulers is full of outstanding qualities, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they swept all before them.

He must be capable, with countless elite soldiers and generals under his command.

Even Zhu De, who came from the most tragic background, rose rapidly after joining the Red Turban Army.

They have neither lack of ability nor bad luck.

Therefore, the ending of his story is the expulsion of the Tartars and the restoration of the Central Plains.

But Zhao Shen was different.

His lingering regret might stem from being born at the wrong time, a time when opportunities are fleeting.

Even if he succeeds in becoming the crown prince, the outcome will still not be good.

Sensing that most people were in a somber mood, Zhu Di smiled and tried to change the subject.

"There's nothing to regret. At least since Zhao Da's lineage reclaimed the throne, the Song Dynasty has never been so cowardly again."

"No matter the outcome, at least they showed some backbone, which is a good thing."

"Indeed, it seems that my lineage is much more suitable."

Compared to the regrets of others, Zhao Kuangyin didn't seem to care much.

He was at least satisfied with this outcome.

Regardless of victory or defeat, the most important thing is to dare to fight!

Even if we lose, we'd rather die standing than live on our knees!

This is the Song Dynasty he wanted to see!

"Besides, what are you regretting?"

"Feeling sorry for my Great Song? There's no need for that at all. I am very satisfied with such a successor."

"As for feeling sorry for the Central Plains, there's even less need to do so."

"I do not know how powerful the Mongol cavalry really is, nor do I know how the people of the Central Plains lived after the Mongols entered the pass, but I do know the final outcome."

"Expelling the Tartars and restoring the Central Plains—Old Zhu's work is reliable!"

Although the Song Dynasty could not last, knowing that the world would eventually return to the Central Plains was an acceptable outcome for Zhao Kuangyin.

At least it did not lose the vast land of the Central Plains because of the weakness of the Song Dynasty.

"So you can see from those fragmented images just now how difficult the situation was for Emperor Hyojong."

"When dealing with Zhao Gou, the officials dared to deceive their superiors and do such rebellious things, and the same was true for Emperor Xiaozong."

"Even Emperor Xiaozong's situation would be a bit more difficult. After all, Zhao Gou only abdicated, he didn't die. As a member of the war faction, he was also being pressured by the surrender faction's retired emperor. Just imagine how suffocating that must have been."

Old Zhu's words fully expressed Zhao Shen's bitterness.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Shen's eyes turned red.

He did indeed inherit the throne and ascend the throne, but the facts were just as Old Zhu had said.

Feeling restricted and constrained!

He had thought that after ascending the throne, everything would change as he wished.

But the more you want to change, the more problems arise.

Of all the civil and military officials in the imperial court, how many are truly clean?

More importantly, even knowing all this, he was powerless to change it. The pressure from the Jin Dynasty remained constant, and if the court were to escalate the conflict again, the ever-watchful Jin people would never let go of the opportunity to march south.

Although he harbored ambitions for a northern expedition, he lacked capable generals.

They had the will to launch a northern expedition, but lacked the generals to do so.

Zhao Shen faced this very situation.

Having just ascended the throne, he was unwilling to remain content with a corner of the country.

In the second month after his accession to the throne, he decided to exonerate Yue Fei, despite the pressure from the entire court and the retired Emperor Zhao Gou.

Yue Fei, who was killed on trumped-up charges, was exonerated and exonerated during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong!

Zhao Shen reburied him on the shore of West Lake. When posthumously awarding him a title, the official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices originally proposed that Yue Fei be given the posthumous title of Zhongmin.

But a problem arose again: the culprit behind Yue Fei's case was still alive.

Although Zhao Shen had the will to clear his name, he dared not bear the name of being unfilial and could only cover up for Zhao Gou.

Ultimately, Yue Fei was posthumously honored with the title of Wu Mu!

Even though the exoneration was not thorough enough, it still showed the entire court the determination of Zhao Shen to launch a northern expedition.

Former pro-war ministers such as Zhang Jun were all put to use, and at the same time, military preparations were made, with some even personally conducting drills in the palace.

Even Shi Hao, who had once helped him ascend the throne, was gradually distanced from him because of his opposition to the Northern Expedition.

For Zhao Shen, his sole purpose in ascending the throne was to restore the Central Plains and return the old capital!

And throughout his life, he tirelessly strived for this!

"This is the spirit that the emperor of my Great Song Dynasty should possess!"

Zhao Kuangyin was so excited that his hands trembled uncontrollably.

For so long, whenever the image of the Song emperor appeared in the sky, it was a profound humiliation for him.

They could have defended the city, yet they surrendered; they could have won, yet they cruelly killed their meritorious officials and groveled before the enemy to obtain a humiliating peace!

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if his Great Song Dynasty was really just a coward from beginning to end.

"However, he's not really an incompetent general, is he? There are just some people he's afraid to use."

Zhu Di thought for a moment and said.

The Northern Song Dynasty had no generals, and the Southern Song Dynasty had no prime ministers.

The civil officials of the Southern Song Dynasty were indeed a mixed bag, but the military generals were never lacking.

"You dare not use it? Are you talking about Xin Qiji?"

Having already spent the night studying history books, Zhu Di naturally knew who he was referring to.

He rebelled against the Jin and returned to the Song, leading fifty men to storm the Jin capital. He moved freely in and out of the Jin army camp, captured the traitor Zhang Anguo alive, and then broke out of the encirclement.

In terms of generals, he was indeed an unparalleled and fierce general.

The problem is that his background is too intimidating.

"Don't even mention Emperor Xiaozong of Song, even you, the fourth prince, can you confidently say that you dare to use him?"

Back then, Zhao Shen was focused on the Northern Expedition. If you suddenly had a fierce general from the Jurchen territory, who would dare to give him an important position?

Aren't you afraid that once you give them military power, they'll leave the Song Dynasty and then turn around and establish their own independent regime?

"If no one can use it, why not use it?"

"Who says no one can use it?"

"Have you forgotten Li Xianzong, who won almost every battle in the early stages of the Longxing Northern Expedition?"

"It's a pity that although Zhang Jun was a staunch advocate of war, he couldn't control his generals."

"In the end, what Emperor Xiaozong lacked was not generals, but commanders."

"The Longxing Northern Expedition should not have ended so anticlimactically."

Old Zhu sighed.

Zhang Jun was unable to enforce orders and discipline among his subordinates.

Even before the Northern Expedition had yielded any results, many people were driven to internal strife by jealousy, ultimately leading to the failure of this most promising battle to turn the tide.

Li Xianzong was dismissed from office for this reason and eventually died in depression.

Ultimately, Zhao Shen didn't lack Xin Qiji; what he lacked was Yue Fei.

"It was probably precisely because he knew this clearly that he couldn't wait to exonerate Yue Fei after ascending the throne."

"It's a pity that Yue Fei was born too early, while he was born too late."