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

The Longxing Northern Expedition took place in the first year of the Longxing era.

In the first two years after ascending the throne, Zhao Shen did only two things.

They were exonerating Yue Fei and planning the Northern Expedition!

To avoid interference from the peace faction, Zhao Shen never gave them a chance to object.

The imperial decree to launch the Northern Expedition bypassed the three ministries and the Privy Council, and was directly issued to Zhang Jun and his generals.

In April of the first year of the Longxing era, at a time no one could have predicted, the Song Dynasty launched a war without declaring war, officially beginning its Northern Expedition.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Zhang Jun mobilized 80,000 troops, bringing the total to 200,000 including logistical support.

One force, led by Li Xianzong, attacked Lingbi, while the other force, led by Shao Hongyuan, attacked Hongxian.

In just one month, Li Xianzong captured Lingbi with unstoppable momentum.

Although Shao Hongyuan failed to capture Hong County, Li Xianzong directly sent surrendered soldiers to persuade the garrison commander of Hong County to surrender. The garrison commander of Hong County then gave up resistance and surrendered.

For the Song Dynasty, capturing two cities in a single month was an excellent start.

The next step is simply to take advantage of the victory and capture Suzhou, and then the Northern Expedition will be complete.

However, Shao Hongyuan was jealous because Li Xianzong had stolen his merits in Hong County, so when the troops were sent to Suzhou, he remained inactive.

Left with no other choice, Li Xianzong refused to miss this golden opportunity and had no choice but to lead his troops to attack the city alone.

Only after suffering heavy losses and capturing Suzhou did Shao Hongyuan lead his army to the scene.

Judging solely from the battle situation, the frontline army had won consecutive victories and captured several cities, which naturally delighted Zhao Shen upon receiving the battle reports.

But he was unaware that the deepest hidden danger had already been sown.

When he promoted Li Xianzong to the position of Pacification Commissioner and Shao Hongyuan to the position of Deputy Commissioner, the conflict between the two generals intensified completely.

Shao Hongyuan went so far as to tell Zhang Jun directly that he refused to be controlled by Li Xianzong, and Zhang Jun actually yielded to him.

Later, when it came time to divide the spoils from the Suzhou treasury, the two generals completely broke off relations.

"Incompetent bungler!"

Li Er couldn't help but rant.

Although such a thing did not happen in the Tang Dynasty, anyone with a conscience would find it unbearable to watch.

They were winning battle after battle, and the dream of generations to launch a northern expedition was within reach!

In the end, it was destroyed by the power struggles of petty people!

It's lamentable, and even more tragic!

During the Southern Song Dynasty.

Zhao Shen gritted his teeth so hard they almost bled.

He never imagined that the wish he had made since childhood, and the one he had worked so hard for until now, would be ruined by such a ridiculous reason.

"Shao Hongyuan, you really have a lot of nerve!"

During the Northern Song Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin was no longer as composed as before.

If there was no hope from beginning to end, he would naturally only want to see the backbone of the Song Dynasty.

Judging from the beginning of the Longxing Northern Expedition, it was clearly promising!

This process of giving people hope only to have that hope shattered in the end is far too cruel!

"Could it be that destiny truly does not lie with our Great Song Dynasty?"

After a long while, all he could do was sigh like this.

Did the Song Dynasty lack wise rulers?

some.

A person like Zhao Shen would rank among the top in any dynasty.

Throughout his life, from a young age, he aspired to launch a northern expedition.

Even before he became a prince, he was not afraid of powerful figures. Qin Hui tried his best to prevent him from becoming a prince, and he also seized every opportunity to undermine Qin Hui's power as prime minister.

Even after outliving Qin Hui, he did not relax in the slightest.

He was gentle and kind, humble, frugal, and abstained from sensual pleasures. He was praised by everyone in the court and among the common people.

Even though Zhao Gou did not make him the crown prince because of this, he was still able to remain calm and do his best whenever he faced a test.

He thought that after ascending the throne, he would be able to realize his grand ambitions and achieve great things.

In fact, that's exactly what he did.

Despite immense pressure, he exonerated Yue Fei and, under the prolonged rule of the pro-surrender Emperor Zhao Gou, he prepared for war.

His original aspirations from his youth have never changed.

Are there no fierce generals?

Isn't Li Xianzong a formidable general?

He captured Lingbi in one month, and then led his troops alone to capture Suzhou.

He was the one who started the Northern Expedition with great success. If other famous generals had been in his place, could they have done even better?

"The problem is that it's rotten to the core. The Northern Expedition had barely begun when the generals were already eager to claim credit."

"It seems that for them, what matters is not the Northern Expedition, nor the return to the old capital, but their own interests."

"These people all deserve to die!"

"From Emperor Xiaozong's perspective, he should have prioritized internal stability before addressing external threats!"

Liu Bang was well aware that subjects needed to have their own interests.

Even when he was conquering the country, he never made empty promises to his generals; he only gave them real benefits.

The strategist suggested that money was needed for the transaction; if it was 10,000, he would give 40,000, with the remainder as a reward.

Han Xin wanted a fake King of Qi, so he simply made him a real King of Qi.

He had long understood the principle that an emperor would not starve his soldiers.

However, the situation in the Song Dynasty cannot be solved by offering benefits.

A general who is devoted to serving his country will not care about petty gains.

Those who only care about immediate gains will never feel it's enough no matter how much benefit you give them.

Without reforming the court, all talk of strengthening the military is just empty rhetoric!

"It's just a pity that this should be the only chance for the Southern Song Dynasty to return to the old capital and restore the Central Plains."

Old Zhu has already cursed enough.

Seeing the list of Zhao Shen displayed on the screen, he felt nothing but regret.

With the enemy at hand and the commanders at odds, this is a major taboo in military strategy.

In Suzhou, Shao Hongyuan, who had not accomplished anything, completely severed ties with Li Xianzong.

At the same time, Wanyan Zongbi's son-in-law, the Jin general Heshilie Zhining, marched south and led an advance force of more than 10,000 men to seize Suzhou City.

The first offensive was defeated by Li Xianzong.

However, the problem of discord among the generals became apparent at this moment.

Although the Jin army was defeated, Li Xianzong had no one to support him from the rear and dared not lead his troops to pursue them, thus missing another excellent opportunity.

Then, a Jin army of 100,000 arrived.

Li Xianzong led his troops in a desperate battle, refusing to retreat. Instead of sending reinforcements, Shao Hongyuan, out of jealousy, ordered rumors to be spread within the army.

With a formidable enemy ahead and internal instigators sowing discord, the morale of the Song army collapsed in an instant.

As the Jin army attacked the city at night, Li Xianzong led his troops to kill more than 2,000 enemy soldiers, but ultimately could not stop the rout.

The defeat at Fuli stemmed from this.

"Does Heaven not intend to pacify the Central Plains? Why then does it obstruct us like this!"

In the video, Li Xianzong looks up at the sky and sighs, a sight that evokes deep sorrow in countless hearts.

A ruler with lofty ambitions, and a general who wins battle after battle when victorious, and fights to the death when defeated.

Even with all this, they still couldn't recover the Central Plains.

Anyone in this situation would only sigh helplessly.

Could this be the will of Heaven?

“If someone like Shao Hongyuan were in our Han Dynasty, his entire family would be wiped out before we even returned to the capital.”

"His entire family? In our hands, before he even returns to the capital, his entire clan is already on their way to exile."

“Exile? In my Great Qin, the first thing he saw upon returning to the capital was a mound of heads made from the skulls of his three clans!”

"If you ask me, we should just exterminate their entire clan of ten. That would be clean and efficient!"