Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Interpretation of Zhao Gou: The Emperor Riding a Mud Horse Across the River

The year 1127 was in Dingwei, which was the second year of Jingkang in the Northern Song Dynasty and the first year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty.According to the zodiac year, this year belongs to the sheep. Chinese people should always remember this year. At the beginning of the new year, as soon as the first month entered, the Great Song Empire suffered a catastrophe: after the capital of the empire fell to the enemy, its two emperors—Song Huizong Zhao Ji and his eldest son Song Qinzong Zhao Huan became prisoners of the Great Golden Cavalry one after another.Emperor Huizong's ninth son Kang Wang Zhaogou escaped by chance and fled to Nanjing immediately.On May 1 of that year, Zhao Gou proclaimed himself emperor in Yingtianfu, Nanjing, established the Southern Song Dynasty regime, and changed the year name from the second year of Jingkang to the first year of Jianyan.I was twenty-one years old.He was the tenth emperor of the Song Dynasty and the first emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, known as Song Gaozong in history.

Song Gaozong Zhao Gou is perhaps the most difficult emperor to comment on among Chinese emperors.For those who don't study history, it is very likely that they don't even know who this emperor is.However, if you mention the two ministers of the emperor, as long as they are Chinese, probably no one will not know.Of these two well-known figures, one is Yue Fei and the other is Qin Hui.If any Chinese said that he did not know these two people, then people would definitely think that there was something wrong with him, and the problem was not serious.Many people only know in a daze when they talk about these two: Heh, it turns out that Song Gaozong Zhao Gou was the emperor of these two times.

Two well-known ministers and a lesser-known emperor did not mean that the emperor was fatuous or incompetent.We must admit that the emperor was extremely complicated, often hidden in a thick fog; moreover, he was surrounded by political, moral, national, racial and other passions from time to time.This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to see through him.Therefore, in many cases, we can only rely on speculation to understand this emperor.Fortunately, the data on which this speculation must rely are quite abundant. If it weren't for his father Song Huizong's excessive frivolity and absurdity, which led to the ruin of his family and the country, King Kang Zhao Gou would have no chance to ascend to the throne.

According to Chinese royal tradition, Song Huizong made his eldest son, Zhao Huan, the crown prince, and his favorite was his third son, Zhao Kai, king of Yun.As the ninth son, Zhao Gou seems to have nothing particularly outstanding or eye-catching except for his natural supernatural power. According to historical records, Zhao Gou could lift a weight of 110 jin with both arms, walk hundreds of steps, and all the people watching were amazed and amazed;According to the military system of the Song Dynasty, this was regarded as outstanding in martial arts, and had reached the standard for selecting the emperor's guards.According to today's terms, it is almost equivalent to the level of an athlete.However, these alone are obviously not enough to qualify to inherit the throne.He also needs the help of a more awesome force.This kind of power has appeared, and this is the destiny in the dark.

After Song Zhenzong signed the "Chanyuan Alliance", the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom have lived in peace for 119 years.According to the usual hypocrisy in international relations, the relationship between the two countries has been described as a "state of brothers".More than ten years ago, in 1113 AD to be precise, a Jurchen tribe rose up between the Baishan and Heishui in the upper reaches of the Songhua River in the backyard of the Liao Kingdom. They rebelled against their suzerain Liao and became independent. "s country.Therefore, Song Huizong and a group of later recognized villains, such as Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Wang Fu, etc., thought there was an opportunity to take advantage of it, and wishful thinking wanted to take advantage of the fire.Therefore, they bypassed the Liao Kingdom and took the initiative to contact the Jin Kingdom from the sea, hoping to unite and attack the Liao Kingdom.Song Fang wishfully hoped that he would take back the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures ceded by Shi Jingtang back then, fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the dynasty.Thus, the famous Song and Jin "Sea Alliance" was formed.

There is nothing wrong with taking revenge and regaining lost ground.The problem is that the Great Song Empire at this time is the time when Liangshanbo heroes and Fang La raised their banners to rebel. The whole country is rampant with corrupt officials, the people are in turmoil, the society is in dire straits, and the army is corrupt. They have no ability to realize their promises and dreams. .Moreover, we know that at any time and in any place, relying on treachery and opportunism to obtain benefits is a kind of behavior of playing with fire; what's more, the new partner of the Song Dynasty, Jin Guo, itself is a country that only speaks based on its strength, and everything else Regardless of the robber.The behavior of the Song Dynasty is basically like a liar without strength, inviting a robber who is powerful and smarter than himself to do bad things together.The liar thought he was smart and tried to take advantage of the robber everywhere. As a result, he not only let the robber see his bluff, but also gave the robber a reason to attack his house and eat him, causing him to burn himself.

It took about ten years for the Kingdom of Jin to destroy the Daliao Empire, which had been established for more than two hundred years, basically without the help of the Song Dynasty. In fact, the Great Song Empire at this time is not only not helping others, but it is helping more and more, making things messy.In the confrontation with the Liao Kingdom, the Song Dynasty's army rarely failed to collapse at the touch of a button.This made Jin Guo completely see through: the Great Song Empire turned out to be nothing more than a bunch of high-sounding punks and impassioned liars. What did they rely on and what qualifications did they have to dare to play with fire so boldly? Understand.At this time, the people of the Kingdom of Jin also obtained enough evidence that the Great Song Empire was treacherous and vulnerable, so they completely lost the respect they once had for this behemoth.So he sent his troops to the south and took Kaifeng directly.

In this way, by 1127 A.D., the Song Empire, through the "Sea Alliance", caused itself a catastrophe rarely seen in Chinese history-the capital fell, the father and son heads of state became captives, and nearly half of the country's land Devastated.This is the "Shame of Jingkang" that made many Song people feel miserable. The Northern Song Empire was destroyed. In fact, as we have seen, five years ago, in 1122 A.D., that is, on April 10th in the fourth year of Xuanhe, when Tong Guan led an army of 150,000 to the border in high spirits, the emperors and ministers of the Song Empire Feel great about yourself.

Emperor Huizong gave Tong Guan face-to-face advice on the three strategies: If the people of the Liao Kingdom eat pots of pulp and rice to welcome the king's division, it is the best policy to regain the old land without fighting; Tong Guan and the emperor wanted to go together, and they often thought of being together.Tong Guan also hopes to establish the incomparable feat of taking down the enemy's country without fighting.Therefore, he organized a series of recruiting and rebel work.Unexpectedly, the Liao people who were deeply angered by the treachery of the Song Dynasty did not buy it at all, and even organized an army of less than 20,000 people to fight.

What happened after that surprised everyone: This army of the Liao Kingdom, which was beaten by the army of the Kingdom of Jin, had no power to fight back, and it went into the Song Empire army like a tiger like a flock of sheep. The two Song armies were defeated.According to historical records: "From the south of Xiongxian County, north of Renqiu, and west of Xiongxian County, to Baoding and Zhengding, there are countless dead bodies. Withdrawing troops, the Song army avoided the fate of the entire army being wiped out. This argument is likely to be true.Because, after the victory of the Liao army, an envoy was sent to see Tong Guan, and said to Tong Guan quite euphemistically: "The Jurchen is rebellious in nature, and the Song Dynasty should also hate this kind of behavior. If you are greedy for petty gains, abandon It is really not advisable to make a century-old friendship oath and become a neighbor with wolves, leaving hidden dangers for the future. Relief for disasters and compassion for neighbors is a common principle throughout the ages, and I hope you can think about it again." It should be said that these words are pertinent and appropriate , quite reasonable.It's a pity that no one can listen to it at this time.

According to historical records, Emperor Huizong "was terrified when he heard that the army was defeated, so he issued an order to the squadron." Soon, because Emperor Tianzuo fled without a trace, the newly established Liao Emperor died suddenly at this time, and a national mourning occurred in Liao.The emperors and ministers of the Song Dynasty thought this was a good opportunity, so they sent Tong Guanti soldiers to the Northern Expedition for the second time.This time, the Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Kingdom, who presided over the state affairs, couldn't stand it any longer. She sent an envoy to see Tong Guan, and presented a form of surrender, requesting to remember the 119 years of good-neighborly relations and stop fighting; It belongs to Ping Fan forever.Tong Guan refused and ordered the future emissary to be driven out.The envoy wept bitterly and shouted: "The two countries, the Liao and Song Dynasties, have been reconciled for a hundred years; the oath of the covenant is written in every word; you can deceive the country, but you cannot deceive the sky." As a result, things once again exceeded everyone's expectations: It is said that the total number of Liao troops facing the battle this time is about 10,000, while the Song army has at least 100,000 or more.Under this situation of power balance, the Song army was defeated again, and almost the whole army was wiped out.According to historical records, the Song army "trampled and trampled on each other, and the number of those who fell off the cliff is unknown", and "the corpses lay for more than a hundred miles".Moreover, after this battle, the military supplies, food, grass and money accumulated since the Shenzong era thirty years ago were completely lost. This time, Tong Guan was also frightened by the beating.Fearing that the imperial court would blame him, he secretly dispatched his subordinates to the Kingdom of Jin to request troops to attack Yanjing.In December of that year, the Jin soldiers passed through Juyongguan and went straight to Yanjing, and quickly took Yanjing. So far, except for the two cities that voluntarily surrendered, the dignified heavenly soldiers have suffered repeated defeats and achieved almost nothing.After the first defeat, Jin Bing was geographically isolated and did not know the news.In the letter of credence to the emperor of the Kingdom of Jin, Huizong's monarchs and ministers also told each other openly: The army of the Great Song Empire was dispatched as promised, defeated the Khitan repeatedly, captured many people, and the army was so powerful.When the second big defeat happened, the envoys of the Song Empire had just arrived at the camp of the Kingdom of Jin. Soon, the news of the Song Army's defeat came; moreover, since the start of the war, the Song Empire's army was defeated twice, and there were countless small defeats. , The news that there was no victory spread to Jin Fang's ears one after another.After this surprised them, they began to despise their partners extremely: it turned out that this great country, which was awe-inspiring before, had all its efforts in a mouth that was high-sounding, bluffing, and making it impossible to tell the truth from the fake.Since then, Jin Guo's attitude has changed drastically. To be honest, so far, although the Song Empire has been turned upside down three times and four times, but the Jin Kingdom did not break the agreement.The quarrel between the two parties is basically within the bargaining range of the negotiation.But this time, Jin Guo told the envoy of Song Dynasty unceremoniously: there is no need to fantasize about the three prefectures of Ping, Ying, and Luan. If you want it, even Yanjing will not give it; It is limited to Yanjing and its six prefectures and twenty-four counties; and because the Song Dynasty repeatedly breached the contract, even Yanjing was brought down by the Kingdom of Jin, so the taxation of Yanjing along the way should belong to the Kingdom of Jin. If you do not agree, please ask the envoy to withdraw from Yanjing Go, because now this is the land of the Kingdom of Jin.As for the matter of the seven states in the cloud, all of them are now in the hands of Jin Guo, and we will talk about it later. In this negotiation, there was a passage of language similar to the above, which made the envoys of the Song Dynasty most difficult to swallow, but they finally swallowed it.This passage is: "To teach you this envoy to know, don't say that my court only gave Yanjing of the Southern Dynasty six prefectures and 24 counties, even if I didn't give an inch of land, I'm afraid that you won't pay my court silver according to the Khitan rule. Is it silk?” The ins and outs of the words already revealed that the robber was relying on his physical strength and was openly thinking about other people’s property. In 1123 A.D., that is, in the third month of Yangchun in the fifth year of Xuanhe, the two parties finally agreed: Six prefectures and twenty-four counties under the administration of Yanjing were handed over to the Song Dynasty. Among them, two prefectures had already surrendered, and it was Yanjing and the four prefectures under the administration that were actually handed over by the Kingdom of Jin; The Song Dynasty paid Jin Guo 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk every year, plus one million Yanjing tax payments, which were offset by materials designated by Jin Guo; The two parties shall not recruit and surrender to each other; The Song Dynasty paid the Jin State 200,000 shi of military rations in one lump sum. Such a condition may be the best result that the Song Dynasty could achieve under the circumstances at that time, and it also made Jin Taizu Aguda extremely happy.Therefore, the scene when the agreement was reached was very interesting. The representative of the Kingdom of Jin said: "The emperor of the Zhao family is very generous, and my emperor is embarrassed not to return your Xijing, which is today's Shanxi Datong; The common people there moved away." The land was returned, but the people had to be moved away.Song Fang’s representative asked, “If it’s an empty city, what am I supposed to do?” Jin Guo’s representative replied baldly, “It’s nothing else, it’s just that my emperor wants the Southern Dynasty to reward the three armies.” This is already the tone of a robber and a hooligan.People can't help but think of those extremely vivid scenes in the past.Later, the Song Dynasty really gave the Jin Army 200,000 taels of silver to reward the three armies. After the Jin Kingdom received the silver, it did not hand over Xijing.This may be one reason why the Song Dynasty refused to pay another 200,000 shi for military rations. In any case, at this point, the Song Dynasty can finally claim to have achieved a great and historic victory: the land lost for more than 180 years has returned to the embrace of the motherland; half of the dynasty's long-cherished wish has been achieved, and the other half is just around the corner.Such a remarkable achievement, even the great ancestor Taizong did not achieve it, but it was accomplished in the hands of our artistic genius Emperor Huizong.So, the whole country rejoiced and celebrated the victory. For this reason, Wang Fu bestowed a jade belt, entered the Taifu, and was made the Duke of Chu; The first and only eunuch in history to be crowned king; Cai Youjin was a young teacher and finally had the title of prime minister; Zhao Liangsi was a bachelor of Yankang Palace, roughly equivalent to a deputy ministerial cadre. Later, the emperor ordered the erection of "Fuyanyun Monument" to commemorate it. At this happy moment, there are two people worth mentioning: one is Zheng Juzhong.At the beginning, he resolutely opposed the alliance with the Jin Dynasty against the Liao Dynasty, but now, he refused to accept Jin as his official title of Taibao.The other person is Zhao Liangsi.He participated in almost all the negotiations with Jin, and he was perhaps the person who knew the Jin country best in the entire Great Song Empire.At this moment, he issued a warning with great concern: "The Jin people are not trustworthy, and peace is not reliable. It may last for two or three years at most. China must prepare early." However, among the people immersed in the joy of the whole country, no one is willing to listen Listen to this calm voice. Immediately afterwards, the frivolous and sloppy emperor of the Song Dynasty casually did something even more irritating.In April 1123, the fifth year of Xuanhe, after the Song Dynasty took over Yanjing, in May, Zhang Jue, the local governor of the former Pingzhou of Liao Kingdom, which is today Lulong, Hebei Province, led the whole country after accepting the appointment of the Kingdom of Jin. The state surrendered to the Song Empire.Zhao Liangsi once again reminded the emperor: the covenant has just been signed, and the ink is still wet. Zhang Jue's surrender must never be accepted, which will anger the Kingdom of Jin.Otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous.Unexpectedly, Emperor Huizong was very upset. He not only ordered Zhang Jue to be accepted, but also demoted Zhao Liangsi to five ranks in one go, and moved to live in Chenzhou, Hunan.At this time, it was less than two and a half years before the Kingdom of Jin officially declared war on Song. In the second half of that year, the Kingdom of Jin indeed dispatched heavy troops to attack Pingzhou.Zhang Jue fled to the Song army.All the correspondence between the Song court and Zhang Jue, edicts, appointment documents, and even the emperor's imperial edict on gold flower paper, all fell into the hands of the Jinren.After taking Pingzhou, the Jin army immediately moved to the border and demanded Zhang Jue sternly.He also named Zhang Jue's hiding place by name, claiming that if he did not hand it over, the Jin army would search and arrest him by himself.In desperation, Emperor Huizong secretly ordered Zhang Jue to be killed, and handed over his head and his two sons to the Jin army.This move is heartbreaking.For a time, the various forces that originally belonged to the Liao Kingdom and later supported the Song Dynasty all resented the Song Dynasty's infidelity and lack of responsibility, and thus disintegrated one after another.Even the highest military and political chief of the North China region appointed by the Song Empire felt chilled and left without saying hello.Guo Yaoshi, the famous general of the Liao Kingdom who first surrendered to the Song Dynasty, led tens of thousands of soldiers to guard Yanjing at this time.After hearing the news, he said angrily: "What's the matter? If the Jin people want my head, should I give it to them too?" From this came the idea of ​​rebelling against the Song Dynasty. At this time, it was less than two years before Jin declared war on Song. In 1124 AD, that is, in March of the sixth year of Xuanhe, the relationship between Song and Jin was turbulent again.The reason is that when Yanjing was handed over the previous year, after Zhao Liangsi asked the court for instructions, he agreed to pay 200,000 shi of military rations to the Kingdom of Jin in one go.Now, Jin Jun came to ask for it.The new top military and political chief in North China who took over in a huff would not be recognized.In his opinion, how can Zhao Liangsi's verbal promise be a reason for asking for 200,000 shi of military rations?The envoy of the Jin Army left angrily.At this time, there was still a year and a half before Jin declared war on Song. In July of that year, the Jin army sent troops to return the Yunzhong area to the Song Dynasty, which is the area where Datong, Shanxi belongs today, and the relationship between the two countries suddenly became tense.Emperor Huizong panicked and ordered that Tong Guan, who had retired, be formally conferred the title of Prince of Guangyang County, and he was reinstated to lead the entire northern frontier military.At this time, the Kingdom of Jin had basically determined its overall strategy for the war against the Song Dynasty, and there was still one year and two months before the official declaration of war. In 1125 AD, that is, in February of the seventh year of Xuanhe, Emperor Tianzuo of Liao Kingdom was captured by Jin Kingdom.During this period, because the Song court killed Zhang Jue, some local armed forces in Hebei and Shanxi abandoned the Song Dynasty and took refuge in the Kingdom of Jin.For example, under the rule of the 2,000-strong Longde Mansion Yisheng Army in Changzhi, Shanxi today, Han Minyi, the leader of the Changsheng Army in Yizhou, Hebei, and so on.After Zhang Jue was killed, they told Jin Guo all about the scattered people in the border area, the alienation, and the unpreparedness for the war.As a result, Jin Guo made up his mind and began to prepare for the war against Song Dynasty. At this time, it was less than eight months before the war between the Kingdom of Jin and the Song Dynasty. It is said that another factor also took effect: at that time, the two most important commanders of the Jin army were Zong Han and Zong Wang.Zong Han's wife was Xiao Shi, the favorite concubine of the original Liao Emperor; Zong Wang's wife, Princess Jinnian, was the original daughter of the Liao Emperor.They gnashed their teeth and hated the Song Dynasty's treachery to Liao, and eagerly hoped that this treacherous country would be punished.Therefore, I especially hope that their husbands will use soldiers against Song Dynasty.How big a role can this factor play?Is this the case?Let's be suspicious. On the other hand, at this moment, the Song Empire is still intoxicated in the joy of the peaceful and prosperous age, and there is no need to doubt that it has not made serious war preparations. Looking through the historical materials of that day today, I believe many people will feel strange: Why is the ominous shadow already rolling over the head like a dark cloud, but the monarchs and ministers of the Song Empire are still happy and don't care at all?What is it that allows them to play and govern this huge country so pervertedly and playfully? So far, we have attributed too much unexplained to the frivolous romantic personalities and undue greed of the imperial monarchs and subjects.To a certain extent, this may be true.But in all fairness, that argument is tiresome now.In fact, a straightforward explanation may be more in line with the actual situation at this time: with normal thinking, we simply cannot understand how a person, an organization, or a country can become so unreasonable.Or the reverse is also true: when a person, an organization, or a country becomes so unreasonable—something that is clearly wrong cannot be corrected; , this person, this organization, and this country must have seriously malfunctioned.The future of continuing to walk must be destruction. We know that Guo Yaoshi, who was in charge of the defense of the Yanjing area, was once an important general in the late Liao Dynasty. After surrendering to the Song Dynasty, he was appointed as the highest military officer of Yanjing and the areas under its jurisdiction.In the army of the Song Dynasty at that time, his troops and the Shaanxi troops trained by Tong Guan were the two troops with the best equipment, the best training, the strongest soldiers and horses, and thus the strongest combat effectiveness.Whether this person decided to betray Da Song before the Song Dynasty killed Zhang Jue or after that is actually not important at all; the important thing is that he decided to betray, and in fact betrayed.Therefore, in a year or so, the chief executive of the Yanjing area wrote letters to the emperor and the prime minister more than 170 times in a row, warning them: Guo Yaoshi has a problem, please take precautions early; at least please don't overdo it trust him. More than 170 warning letters, even including the secret correspondence between him and Jin Guo intercepted by the border guards.The emperor and the prime minister still disagree.The most serious step they took was to send Tong Guan to investigate.If Tong Guan felt that this person was really unreliable, he would authorize Tong Guan to find a way to take him back to the capital for disposal. When Tong Guan arrived in Yanjing, this Guo pharmacist greeted him all the way to Yi County, Hebei.After entering the account, the pharmacist immediately bowed down to Tong Guan, Tong Guan was taken aback, jumped up to avoid it and said: "This is amazing. Your brother is a Taiwei, and his rank is the same as mine in the army. How dare you accept this gift?" Guo Yaoshi said solemnly and sincerely: "Teacher, you are the father, and I am just bowing down to my father, Yaoshi. I don't care about other messes." Afterwards, Yaoshi asked "father" to inspect the troops.The two went hand in hand to a hillside, and there was no one around.Tong Guan was wondering, he saw the pharmacist waving the command flag, the banner instantly covered the sun, soldiers and horses were like a tide, drums and horns shook the sky, the sound of killing moved the ground, there seemed to be millions of troops around, the scene was very spectacular.Tong Guan was very satisfied. After returning to the court, he said that Guo Yaoshi would be able to resist the Jin army and become the Great Wall of Northern Xinjiang.Cai You, who is in the aspect but knows neither soldiers nor people, is also inexplicably firm in advocating trust in the pharmacist.He said: "As long as you rely on the pharmacist, you will be able to fight against the Jin people. You don't have to worry about it." . At this point, we know that there is no other way.No one can save the fate of the empire.To use the example we are familiar with today, it is like the big shareholder and big boss of a big company. When he makes a decision, he only believes in the information that he likes and trusts provided by the people he likes and trusts. The parts he likes to listen to, the parts he doesn't want to hear and the parts he doesn't like to hear provided by people he doesn't like so much, are ignored.In this case, it is obvious that no one can prevent the company from losing money or even going bankrupt. At this time, the imperial edict of the Great Jin Empire declaring war on the Song Dynasty may have already been drafted. War is at hand. In 1125 A.D., that is, in October of the seventh year of Xuanhe, when autumn was high and horses were fat, the emperor of the Dajin Empire officially issued an edict, announcing war against the Song Dynasty. When the army of the Kingdom of Jin had reached the Yunzhong area, the commander of the Jin army ordered the envoys to take a book to see Tongguan. In fact, he delivered a letter of war and a call to action against the Song Dynasty. Allies' crimes.It is said that Tong Guan widened his innocent eyes and asked naively: "Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?" The envoy of the Kingdom of Jin said: "The soldiers have already arrived. What are you doing? If the land in Hebei is ceded, with the Yellow River as the boundary, you may be able to preserve your Song Dynasty ancestral temple and community." Tong Guan was dumbfounded. The development of the situation was exactly as those people who defected to the Kingdom of Jin said: After the Kingdom of Jin launched a unilateral war, the local troops of the Song Empire in Shanxi and Hebei immediately defected and mutinied by tens of thousands, while the large troops of the regular national army became The establishment retreated and dispersed. The army of the Kingdom of Jin is divided into two groups: the West Route Army focuses on the Shaanxi troops transferred by Tong Guan to the northern front, and its strategic target is Luoyang, Xijing in the Song Dynasty; the East Route Army focuses on the frontier defense in the Yanjing area led by Guo Yaoshi The strategic goal of the army is to go straight to Kaifeng and capture Emperor Huizong of the Song Empire. At this time, something unexpected happened to all the generals of the Kingdom of Jin again: After the Golden Army from the East Road arrived in Yanjing, Guo Yaoshi only took over the battle symbolically, and then threatened all the army generals and government officials in the area, bringing a total of 70,000 elite soldiers, 10,000 horses, and 50,000 armored soldiers. The deputy and countless supplies of food and grass surrendered to the Jin army collectively.The chief official who even wrote more than 170 warning letters attempted suicide and was handed over to the Jinren.The entire prefectures and counties of Yanjing were watching the wind, and the Central Plains area was wide open, completely exposed to the front of the Jin army.Under the guidance of the pharmacist, the army of the Kingdom of Jin went straight to the heart of the Central Plains. In various literature and articles written by people at that time and later generations, when it comes to the invasion of the Jin army, the most common adjectives are: overwhelming, invincible, destructive, like entering the land of no one, etc.In fact, looking through the history of ancient and modern China and foreign countries, when any country is faced with foreign invasion, as long as this situation occurs, there is no need to investigate further. It must be that the country has become unworthy of sympathy.Now, as we have seen over and over again, the same can be said about the Song Empire at this moment. At this time, a small episode happened: after the news of Guo Yaoshi's surrender to the Kingdom of Jin spread to the capital, Emperor Huizong kept it secret and ordered his ministers to write a letter, suggesting that Guo Yaoshi be made King of Yan and order him to guard the land of Yanjing from generation to generation.This is very similar to giving Tong Guan the title of king at the beginning.Originally, Emperor Huizong was dissatisfied with Tong Guan's withdrawal of the empty city of Yanjing, so he ordered Tong Guan to retire.As soon as there was a change in Jin Bing, he quickly canonized Tong Guan as king, and ordered him to go up to the front again.The head of state of a huge country acts like a snobby man with a pair of cross-cock snobbish eyes, which makes people really have nothing to say. At this time, Jin Guo's west army did not encounter the Tongguan troops it wanted to focus on.The reason was that after Tong Guan received the declaration of war sent by the envoy of the Kingdom of Jin, he thought that the matter was too serious, and he had to return to the capital in person to discuss with the emperor face to face what to do.Therefore, he put down his authorization and status as the highest military and political chief in the northern frontier, and despite the firm dissuasion of the Taiyuan governor, he insisted on returning to the capital.The local governor of Taiyuan was forced to sigh in front of the eunuch and lord: "Tong Taishi has such prestige all his life, and now he is running away with his head in his arms. What face does he have to meet the emperor?" Tong Guan didn't care, and left.Moreover, he walked halfway, thought it was wrong, and secretly ordered to transfer the most elite 20,000-victorious Jiejun in the Northwest Army, who was dispatched by him alone, to his side, as his own guards, and returned to the capital together. From then on, all the dragons on the West Road had no leader. Except for one Taiyuan that had not been breached and held back the Jin Army, the rest of the area was basically the same as the East Road: the direction of the Jin Army was like entering a land without people. It wasn't until this time that our head of state, Emperor Huizong, realized that the Jin people were playing for real this time, and they really wanted to destroy their own country!So, he yelled: "I never imagined that the Jin people would dare to do this!" Then, he took the hand of his beloved minister, Cai You, and passed out. By this time, he and his officials had seen that Emperor Huizong was no longer fit to sit as head of state. At this moment, his eldest son, Crown Prince Zhao Huan shouted, jumped, cried, and even fainted, expressing his unwillingness to succeed as emperor at this time. The ministers insisted on helping him to the throne.In Chinese history, this may be the first, or even the only, case of an adult inheriting the throne so unwillingly. Everything that happened after that was like an exaggerated and absurd political fairy tale, full of black humor, and the whole empire fell into a complete chaos and mistakes, people turned upside down, the right voice was lonely and weak, and soon the Overwhelmed by the absurd.All signs are showing that this country has lost its reason to continue to exist.Even if the emperor is changed, it is still the same. And our new emperor, with his own later deeds, accurately confirmed this guess: this country really has no reason to continue to exist. Zhao Gou, the protagonist of this chapter, behaved quite well when the enemy came to the city for the first time. In 1126 A.D., at the beginning of the first year of Jingkang, Jin soldiers surrounded Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty for the first time, which is today's Kaifeng.Jin Bing’s conditions for withdrawing troops were: cession of land—in addition to returning the seven prefectures of Yanjing to the Kingdom of Jin, the land of Taiyuan, Hejian, and Zhongshan should also be cede. Zhongshan at that time was Zhengding, Hebei today; compensation—500 gold Ten thousand taels, fifty million taels of silver, one million silks and satins, and ten thousand cattle and horses; then, with the prince and the prime minister as hostages, the troops can be withdrawn. The new emperor fully accepted such conditions of withdrawal.Although no one knows where to find it, even in today's eyes, it is definitely an astronomical amount of compensation.If converted into purchasing power, this compensation is roughly equivalent to at least tens of billions of yuan today. So, Song Qinzong, the eldest brother who had just become emperor, called his younger brothers and asked who would be willing to be the hostage?The old nine, Zhao Gou, volunteered and was willing to go through fire and water to be a hostage.Moreover, before leaving, he also quietly told the emperor's brother: If there is any good way to deal with Jin Bing, just do it, don't worry about yourself.It should be said that this courage and heart are quite touching.He had just turned nineteen at the time. Then, an inexplicable thing happened: During the negotiation between the two parties, Jin Bing suddenly proposed that the Song Dynasty should be replaced by another person as a hostage.As a result, Zhao Gou's fifth brother was sent to replace Zhao Gou, and was plundered to a foreign country since then, never to return to his hometown.Zhao Gouze returned to the capital like a hero and received a warm welcome. Why did Jin Bing do this?No one can explain it clearly.The historical records are very simple, to the effect that one day in the middle of the night, a Song army soldier who came from other places to serve the king came to rob the camp in order to fight for the first place, but was repelled by the Jin soldiers.Minister Song Fang, who was negotiating with the Jinbing camp, was so frightened that he cried, but Zhao Gou remained calm and calm.The commander-in-chief of Jin Bing was amazed, thinking that he could still behave like this when a catastrophe was imminent, not like a royal child.Therefore, a request for a replacement was made.This incident has become an inexplicable historical mystery.Another possibility is that future generations do not understand the mentality of people at that time, so they feel incomprehensible.In fact, according to our thinking today, maybe it is precisely because of his performance that this person can be identified as the prince.Because only such sons and grandsons who were born and raised in the deep palace would be so ignorant of the cruelty and danger of the world and not afraid of it. Since then, because the Jin soldiers went deep alone, they withdrew before the Song court paid the indemnity.As a result, under the leadership of the new emperor, our empire did not carry out any political and military review, innovation and construction in national defense.The reason is said to be that they were afraid of angering the people of the Jin Kingdom; then, Li Gang, the only person who could help the empire survive the crisis, was excluded from the decision-making hierarchy; The little trick that completely ruined the future of the empire: Emperor Qinzong wrote a secret letter to a general of the Jin Kingdom, instigating the former general of the Liao Kingdom to surrender to the Jin Kingdom to launch a mutiny. , and can make contributions.He hinted that the general would become the emperor of Liao after the restoration of the country.Then, the emperor wrote a secret letter to the new emperor of Liao who had fled to the remote Central and Western Asia, apologizing for the past treachery and hoping to restore the friendship of more than a hundred years. Golden State.As a result, both secret letters fell into the hands of Jin Guoren.The latter letter was intercepted by the border patrol of the Kingdom of Jin; while the former letter was handed over by the emperor to an envoy sent by the Kingdom of Jin to demand compensation.This envoy was also from the Liao Kingdom. During the conversation, he made a few complaints from the people of the Jin Kingdom, and our emperor thought that he could entrust the lives of tens of thousands of people to him.So, I gave him a heavy gift and entrusted him to pass on that special secret letter.As a result, the two secret letters were placed on the desk of the commander-in-chief of Jin Guo almost at the same time. In August of that year, the Jin soldiers used this as an excuse to divide their troops into two groups again and invaded southward on a large scale.Following Zhao Gou's hostage last time, he was once again ordered to act as a "peace envoy" and went to the Jin Army's camp to seek peace.There is a saying that this was arranged at the request of Jin Guo.That is to say, the people of the Kingdom of Jin may already know that this fearless young man is the real prince, and hope to keep him in their own hands.However, this time, Zhao Gou was not so fearless.His actions were quite surreptitious, and he escaped bad luck like a god.So it became another historical mystery of the emperor. He left the capital, Kaifeng, on November 16.At that time, the minister who served as his deputy had witnessed the situation when Jin Bing captured Zhending City, so he sighed and told him: "Zhending City is almost twice as high as Kaifeng City, but Jin Bing captured Zhending City in a blink of an eye. I entered; the towers of the capital city are magnificent and picturesque, unparalleled in the world, but it is useless." These words probably left a very deep impression on Zhao Gou. 到达相州，就是今天的河南安阳以后，赵构知道金兵已经渡河进逼开封，他没有前去寻找金兵主帅，执行自己谈和的使命，而是径直北上，来到抗金气氛浓烈的磁州，就是今天的河北磁县。在那里，他的这位副手因为携带着金国人的服饰标志，而被当地军民当成汉奸杀死。赵构没有回开封，而是悄悄返回相州，并以金兵南渡，副手被杀的理由，停留在相州，等待皇帝的指示。 十天后，公元1126年，即北宋靖康元年十一月二十五日，金兵又一次包围大宋首都开封，皇帝派人给赵构送来封在蜡丸中的密令，任命他为河北兵马大元帅，要求他火速召集兵马救援首都。赵构接到这封藏在头发里方才带出的密信后，痛哭流涕。随后，十二月一日，在相州开大元帅府。 然而，就在赵构接到密信时，帝国首都开封已经落入敌人的掌控之中。军大营讲和，也被扣留，直到递上降表，才被放还。 帝国首都陷落时的情景——这样说会显得没有心肝，但却真的是事实——极其具有喜剧效果，酷似八百年后的义和神拳。当时，大敌兵临城下，钦宗皇帝本来已经绝望，准备无条件接受金军的任何条件。突然，坚决主战的宰相将一位精通神术、类似今天气功大师的人物带到皇帝面前。这位大师镇定地告诉皇帝，他可以采用六丁六甲法消灭金军，生擒金国元帅。据他说，其方法是：挑选七千七百七十七个男子，经过咒语训练后，就可以神灵附体、刀枪不入，灭金军擒金将易如反掌。半信半疑的皇帝，在坚信不疑的宰相臣僚鼓动下，终于决心一战。结果，到了大师指定的时间后，这些被寄托了莫大希望的六丁六甲神将们，非死即逃。大师也就手脱出危城，一溜烟跑得无影无踪。壮丽如画铜墙铁壁般的大宋帝国京城就此陷落。 此后四个月，大元帅赵构基本没有进行有效的军事与政治救援行动。他所做的，似乎就是带领一支数目不详的队伍，不停地虚张声势，游走在外围地带。然后，就是拒绝金国方面的诱捕。 公元1127年，即北宋靖康二年四月，金兵最后撤离开封。他们分七个批次，将退居二线的太上皇宋徽宗、当上皇帝不到两年的宋钦宗，连同后妃、宫女、皇亲贵戚、官员、艺伎工匠包括赵构的一妻二妾等一万四千余人驱虏北上，京城、皇宫、官库、民间的金银财宝、图书文物被洗劫一空，倾全国之力建设起来的皇家宫殿园林——延福宫和建成不到五年的艮岳，全部毁于战乱。 在这场浩劫中，偌大一个中国，唯一得分的人大概就是赵构：此时，他是大宋帝国唯一一个幸免于难的正宗皇子，在中兴大宋的旗帜下众望所归，理所当然地成为号令全国的领袖人选。 就这样，公元1127年，即北宋靖康二年五月一日，赵构相当顺利地在南京应天府，也就是今天的河南商丘即帝位，成为南宋的开国皇帝。这一年，赵构二十一岁，改年号为建炎元年。于是，公元1127年就有了两个年号，既是北宋靖康二年，又是南宋建炎元年。 为此，赵构遭到当时金国人士和后代史家、特别是当代史家极为尖刻的批评。 其中，最有代表性的评论来自金国人士，认为赵构：“衔命出和，已作潜身之计；提兵入卫，反为护己之资。”意思是说他受命出使时，已经作好潜逃保命的打算；成为号令兵马的大元帅，没有率兵救援京城，反将这些兵马变成保护自己的资本。 作为敌对方如此批评，意在破坏敌人领袖形象，具有浓厚的宣传战色彩，可以理解。但是，后代史家，特别是当代史家以此为定论，却过于苛刻，似乎有失公正。 这里，构成了围绕赵构的又一个历史谜团： 事实上，当时的赵构不可能预见到开封必然沦陷、父兄两代皇帝必然成为俘虏的结果，他为什么敢于不去执行自己的使命？ 我们的推测是：作为两次议和的高级人质和使者，赵构很有可能是宋朝朝廷中对双方态势观察得比较清楚的一个人。他肯定不是一个舍生取义的忠臣义士，却是一个脑筋清楚、较有才能、懂得审时度势保存实力的政治人物。他很清楚，双方在战和条件与实力上的差异过于巨大，即便前往金兵大营，也未见得能达成使命；而他自己则几乎肯定难以全身而返。因此，他才冒着宁愿受到皇帝责备的风险，寻找借口，躲开了这个未知数太大，危险却明摆在那儿的任务。 当时，谁都知道，金兵的锋芒是直指开封的，赵构的行动则表明，他的副手离开首都时的那一番话，肯定对他发生了作用，使他不愿返回这座危城。于是，便停留在相州观察事态的发展。这些举动，对于一个政治人物来说，并不是完全不能容忍的。中国政治文化传统中，有一种鼓励人们杀身成仁、舍生取义的道德倾向，而保护这种仁人志士的社会机制却相对欠缺。因此，评判历史事件和历史人物时，仅仅停留在这种层面，显然是不够的。对此，我们只能推测，赵构的潜意识里十分可能感觉到了自己远离台风眼的意义。 对于赵构没有组织起有效军事救援行动的指责，则稍显粗暴，似乎有些蛮不讲理。因为，诚如我们在上面的叙述中所多次看到的那样，当时的大环境，几乎，或者说根本就没有这种可能。 冷眼看去，在我们到目前为止所能够看到的情形里，完全可以得出一个绝对不算过分的结论：到公元1127年，北宋帝国不灭亡已经是没有天理的事情了。 事实上，经过宋徽宗二十多年的腐败朝政，北宋帝国已经病入膏肓。 徽宗一朝，批量涌现出来的那些中国历史上赫赫有名的、公认的坏蛋，如蔡京、童贯、高俅、杨戬、朱勔、王黼、蔡攸、梁师成、李彦、李邦彦等等，相互提携，又团结又斗争，先后，或者几乎同时出现在历史舞台上，以极重的权位，极多的人数，极长的当政时间，一口气折腾了二十多年，直到一年前一点，才跟随他们的徽宗皇帝，陆陆续续地离开了各自的领导岗位。这种情形，在中国历史上应属绝无仅有。而且，此时的举国文武，几乎全部是这帮家伙培养起来的，他们的离去，丝毫不能意味着国家与朝政的真实转变。何况，即便发生这种转变，也还需要相应的时间与条件。 从种种历史资料判断，中的描写，包括花石纲、生辰纲之类，并不是小说家的虚构。公元1127年之前的帝国实况，可能比小说中描写的，还要黑暗得多。 在军事部门，情况似乎更严重。 中国历史上唯一一位被封为王的宦官，就是我们耳熟能详的这位童贯。就像我们所看到的，此人执掌军政大权二十年，最后，成为相当于今天仅次于国家元首的、主管全国军事工作的一把手。人们倾向于把他看成是帝国覆灭的罪魁祸首。从我们在上面所看到的各种情形判断，这种看法不能说完全没有道理。 而靠踢得一脚好球当上太尉的，则是我们更加熟悉的高俅。高太尉执掌的工作，大约相当于国防部长，时间同样将近二十年。 有资料显示，童贯家中的厨师和马夫被提拔到相当于县团级领导岗位的人数不少；而由他的门房、仆役、小厮、贱役、跟班、账房、管家之类，一跃而为相当于今天地专级上下的干部人数，据说在全国各地可以达到数百人。时人记载中使用的说法是：公开向他行贿而直上青云者比比皆是。资料显示，他每次出师的时候，都是直接将朝廷划拨的经费送回到自己的家里，然后责令各地方州县补齐。于是，到后来，他的富贵达到了这种程度：有一次，一个工头奉诏为童贯建造府第。建成后，工头请童贯验收。童贯很客气，请他吃早点。先由军卒捧上类似宝盖璎珞的东西，仔细看去，乃皆为珍珠。早点共上酒饭三道，每次均更换所有用具：第一次为银质，第二次为金质，第三次则为玉质，制作全部巧夺天工。吃完饭告辞出来时，等在门口的仆人告诉他：主人吩咐，所有用过的金、银、玉器皿、珍珠和两位侍候的美姬均请笑纳。于是，笑纳后的此人立即富甲一方，闻名于他的老家湖南地区。宋人笔记中认为，童贯“私家所藏，多于府库”，就是说，他家的财富比国库还多。在他家里，常年役使的军士经常在千人以上，这些军士所从事的日常工作五花八门，包括为童贯从打扫厕所到无偿耕种庄园的土地。 高俅的路数也差相仿佛。他本来是苏东坡的小厮，后来被东坡转送给了大画家、驸马王晋卿。徽宗皇帝没登基之前与晋卿的关系很好。有一次，徽宗外出时，需要修饰鬓发，却发现没带篦刀，借了晋卿的用，觉得式样和做工都挺不错。晋卿告诉他，自己还有一把新的，可以相赠。于是，派高俅去送。这高俅眉清目秀乖巧伶俐，其妩媚俊俏大约不亚于今日电视屏幕上经常可以看到的那些男身女态的美貌小生，这使天才画家徽宗皇帝相当喜爱。当时，徽宗正在园子里蹴鞠，就是一种类似踢毽子踢球的脚技。高俅站在一旁专注地观看。徽宗见他看得用心，就问他：“你也会这玩意吗？”谁知，这厮不仅会，而且精于此道。于是，着意露了几手。徽宗一见，更是大为中意，派人告诉晋卿：“多谢篦刀，连送篦刀的人我一起留下了。”从此，这厮一步登天。 徽宗登基后，几年之间，高俅便官至节度使，这已经是大军区司令一级的地位与待遇了；随后，官拜太尉；最后，“开府仪同三司”，身份尊贵得与宰相平起平坐。这使边上一起玩过的人们不可能不妒忌得要死。对此，我们的徽宗皇帝是这样答复的：“你们谁长了他那么灵巧的一双脚？” 此后，高太尉在长达二十年时间里，“遍历三衙者”，主管全国的军队管理工作。 大宋帝国在军事上实行的是典型的军事三权分立制度：枢密院是全国最高军事领导机关，有调兵之权，但没有管兵之权；管兵之权则归三衙所有；而统兵之权则由皇帝临时任命将官执掌，实际上是掌握在皇帝手中。在管理全国军队的岁月里，高俅用实际行动证明，自己绝不仅仅是只长了一双灵巧的好脚，他还有一个智商绝对高出常人的头脑。这个头脑中，经常孕育出不同凡响的聪明才智。比如，他对帝国军队的管理大体如下： 招募士兵时，特别注重选拔那些具有一技之长或者绝活儿的工匠； 允许军中士兵免予训练，前提条件是愿意出钱贴补这些军中工匠； 进一步放开手脚，允许军队官兵经营其他行业，专职兼职均可； 最后，实在没有本事的，扛大包卖力气维持生活也行。 核心管理理念是：总而言之，统而言之，不管怎样，反正不要因为不能按时、足额发放军饷而影响了大家的生计。 于是，在帝国军队中，形成了一条奇妙而完整的生态价值链，或者用现代语言表述，就是构成了价值增值的完整闭环。价值链终端和闭环的核心，则是雍容而智慧的高太尉。用通俗的语言表达就是：帝国百万大军，从中央禁军到地方部队，再到预备役和民兵组织，实际上成了由国家发放薪水的高氏大作坊中的打工仔。 既然如此，高太尉以军队所有的土地、劳力、工匠为自己修建宅第苑圃，也就肯定不值得大惊小怪了。 知道了这些，我们自然可以明白，何以宋朝军队在辽、金军队面前，动不动就全军覆没了。 在这二位的长期领导下，帝国军队中想靠本事晋升的军官，被认为是迂腐和可笑的。据说，每一个军官职位都有相应的价格，只有战功和资历远远不够，还必须能够拿出钱来，才能得到这些职位。得到这些职位的军官，通常利用下列三种方式收回自己的投资并获取利润：其一是吃空饷，意思是按一万人报名请饷，按两千人实际发放；其二是喝兵血，方法是该发给士兵的钱粮不足额发放，想出各种名目克扣之；其三是无偿使用士兵的劳役，这比较容易理解。再加上下级军官为了晋升所做的逐级贡献。这些，已经成为不成文的制度，为大家所默契。 上述种种情形，遍布全国所有军队的各个等级。就连种师道领导的部队也不例外。这位种师道在中曾经多次被提到，时人称呼他为“老种经略”或“老种”，大概是当时公认最有威望的将军。就这样，到公元1127年前后，宋代的官方史书上，已经有大量关于士兵逃亡，部队在大街上到处拉夫抓壮丁的记载，酷似我们在电影《抓壮丁》中看到的场景。当时，帝国军队已经到了这种地步：为了防止兵士逃亡，不得不像在战马屁股上烙字一样，在所有士兵的右臂上或烙或刺而留下永久记号。这很容易使我们联想到那些被刺配流放的罪犯额角脸颊上的黑字。 查阅当时的记载，我们发现：在以往相当长岁月里，这支军队面对辽国时，很少有光荣的记录—— 在宋、辽、金三边军事关系中，辽军在与金军交锋时，金军如狼似虎，辽军经常一败涂地；而一旦宋军与辽军开打，则辽军立刻变得如狼似虎，宋军很少有不被打得一塌糊涂的时候；只有在镇压国内百姓时，帝国武士们才变得如狼似虎，显得特别能干，特别英勇，特别能战斗，所到之处，常常能够留下一路哭声地满载而归。比如，史书记载了就在前不久发生的事情：童贯领兵平方腊时，“东南之民死于天兵者，十之五六。”这种情形很悲惨，却是宋军当时的实际情况。到1126年种师道病死后，宋朝就连威望稍微高一些的将军都已经找不出来了。 因此，公元1125年年底到1126年年初，宋钦宗登基之后，曾经派遣中央禁军，也就是直属中央的精锐正规军二万人，前去保卫黄河渡口。结果，欢送保家卫国健儿出征的首都市民们开心地看到：这些好不容易爬到马背上的健儿们，双手紧抱着马鞍子或者马脖子，不敢松手。当时，人们很有可能在快乐地拿这件事情当作笑话传讲，大概类似今天人们快乐地阅读手机短信和段子一样。很少有人意识到其背后隐含着的凶险信息：自己的身家性命原来是由这样一些人在掌控和保卫！ 果然，史料记载说，金国骑兵的旌旗刚刚露头，数万黄河守军便一哄而散。金国人是用临时找到的小船，一船一船平平安安地把自己的兵马送过天险黄河的。在敌人的国土上，他们不受打扰地花了五天时间，从容不迫地完成了运送骑兵的工作，然后，不慌不忙地开始运送步兵。面对此情此景，金国军队的统帅们全都大惑不解，他们怎么也想不明白大宋帝国君臣们到底想干什么。按照一位金国将领的说法：只要有一千兵马守在这儿，想过河都会变得极其困难。 公元1126年下半年，金军第二次大举进攻时，历史资料显示：大宋帝国曾经派出将近三十万正规国防军，前往阻击拦截。结果，无一建树。最典型的一次战例仍然发生在黄河渡口。当时，共有十三万帝国军队守护在黄河岸边，与金国军队隔水相持。当天夜里，金军并未进攻，只是猛擂战鼓，通宵达旦。结果，第二天早晨，宋军主将发现自己手下的士兵已经全部逃亡，眼前只剩下了一座空荡荡的军营。 如果有人要求时年二十一岁的赵构，带领这样一支军队，去战胜刚刚灭掉辽国的金国骑兵，这种要求本身就是脑子进水的表现，相当弱智。一个乳臭未干的毛头小子，仅仅因为是皇帝的儿子，就挂上了兵马大元帅的头衔，其象征意义远远大于现实意义。就是皇帝，不是也都成了俘虏吗？而且，我们知道，按照中国人的计算方法，赵构的二十一岁年龄，指的是虚岁，当时，他的实足年龄可能还不满二十岁。 事实上，就当时的情形而言，宋徽宗君臣一口气行了二十多年恶政，积累起来的那些当量巨大的破坏性能量还远没有释放完毕，其恶果才刚刚开始显示；另一方面，金国崛起，在它崭新肌体中，蕴藏着同样当量巨大的进攻性能量也同样没有释放完毕。因此，宋高宗赵构的噩梦也就远远没到结束的时候，离“谷底反弹”着实还有一段很远的距离。要和金兵抗衡，二十一岁的他还实在太年轻。他需要在未来的岁月里培养自己的才能、经验、阅历和威望，他需要不少的时间来积累力量。 总之，像美国人喜欢说的那样：Long way to go——他有很长的路要走。 金国铁骑来去如风，狂飙般所到之处一片血雨腥风。这还不算，赵构面临的内忧也挺吓人。建炎二年，实际当了刚刚一年皇帝的赵构，东躲西藏地逃到了扬州。一口气还没有喘匀，就在金兵的追击下，溃逃到杭州。随后，建炎三年年初，他当时的一支主力部队——护卫亲军统制苗傅和刘正彦等人——按理说应该是他比较信任的部队和将领——就发动兵变，逼迫这位当了一年半皇帝的赵构退位。实际情况是，很有可能，他还根本没有时间没有机会建立自己真正能够信任的部队。 这次兵变给赵构的打击极大，以至于韩世忠等人平息了叛乱后，这位已经二十三岁的青年皇帝当众拉着韩世忠的手大哭不已。他泣不成声地问韩世忠：“中军吴湛最坏，现在还留在我的肘腋之间，你能帮我先干掉他吗？”韩世忠二话不说，立即去见吴湛，这位中军吴湛大约相当于皇家部队的一个分部司令。韩世忠见到他后，握手致意间，突然发力，当场将吴湛的手骨头捏断，随后将其斩首。就此，韩世忠深得赵构信任，并在未来的岁月里，逐步锤炼出一支令金兵闻风丧胆的韩家军。 当年六月，金国铁骑再次南侵，直下江南。宋军的长江防线全线崩溃。赵构及其朝廷被敌人追得一路奔逃，从杭州逃到越州，就是今天的绍兴，再逃到明州，即今天的宁波，再跳上海船逃到定海，就是今天的浙江镇海，从镇海逃到昌国县，即舟山群岛，从舟山群岛又逃到台州的章安镇，即今天的浙江临海，最后逃到温州，并准备南逃福州。 这次逃难充满艰险。在明州，也就是今天的宁波，准备下海船之前，又一次发生兵变。起因是皇帝的卫队亲兵因为无法把自己的亲属全部带上船，而喧闹不止。宋高宗此次行事很果断。他亲自布置，指挥部队将这些卫士们解除武装，并披带铠甲，弯弓搭箭，将两个爬到房上的卫兵射落下来。结果众卫士“骇惧，悉就擒”。这种情形再一次表明，这位青年皇帝身边，连一支忠心耿耿的卫队都还没有建立起来。 建炎四年大年初一，赵构君臣就是飘荡在大海的波涛上度过的除夕与春节。第二天，正月初二，他们才靠岸停泊下来。 这一次，赵构在茫茫大海上东躲西藏了四个多月。个中滋味，大约苦不堪言。最惨的一次，众多臣僚将士只找到五块炊饼可以充饥，赵构一个人就狼吞虎咽地干掉了三块半，还意犹未尽。这一年的正月十五元宵节，赵构君臣苦中作乐，过得相当别致，起因于他们收购了两船的橘子。史料记载说：当时，君臣将士“常郁郁不乐”，十分郁闷烦躁。突然，发现两艘海船鼓着风帆，乘风破浪，直冲皇家逃难船队航来。大家吓坏了，很紧张。因为当时的确切消息是，金兵打到宁波，已经组织船队下海追来。经拦截盘问，知道是贩运橘子的商船，装了满满两船橘子。于是，赵构下令全数收买，分给皇家卫队将士们吃。正月十五这天入夜，赵构让大家把油灌进橘子皮里，点灯放到海上。当夜，“风息浪静，水波不兴，有数万点火珠，荧荧出没沧溟间”，景致很有看头。当地民众奔走相告，大开眼界。至今，民间传说中仍然津津乐道。可惜，逃难之中，这种快乐不会很多；到后来，连宰相这个级别的官员都穿起了草鞋。君臣境况之狼狈不难想见。 从常理推断，没有人会喜欢这种境况。任何人但凡有一点能力，恐怕都不会愿意如此狼狈，何况是在臣民面前至高无上的中国皇帝。因此，把我们皇帝遭遇到的一切，理解成是实力对抗与对比的结果，可能是比较起来最贴近实际情况的。当时，民间产生康王赵构“泥马渡江”的神话，显然带有相当深切的同情、理解与祝愿的成分在。实际情况很有可能是当时他连像样一点的马匹都没有。这里面包含的天命因素，恰恰是中国人表达自己爱憎的惯用手法。比如，面对为非作歹的大坏蛋，在现实中无法惩治他时，中国人就会加上天命的成分，在想象中认为这个坏蛋将会或者已经受到了神灵的惩罚。多亏有这样的联想或想象机制，不然，漫长的两千多年里，在如此悠久的帝制传统下，面对历朝历代数