"How could Han Shizhong rebel?!"

The one who rebuked Zhao Ding wasn't Zhao Jiu, but Li Gang, the Grand Councilor of the Right and concurrently Deputy Minister of the Department of State Affairs, essentially the Prime Minister of the Great Song Dynasty. He had caught a cold from the cold night wind, then presided over meetings, relocations, and troop deployments. Afterward, he braved the winter's harsh cold to trek here, leaving him utterly exhausted. Upon hearing those words, he still forced himself to be the first to speak out.

"Indeed," Zhao Jiu echoed, now realizing the absurdity. "How could Han Shizhong rebel?"

"This minister also believes he wouldn't!" Zhao Ding, covered in mud and with an indignant expression, only addressed the Emperor. "But he truly has rebelled. This minister witnessed it firsthand."

"Impossible," Zhao Jiu repeatedly denied, even lowering his head to take a bite of rice to feign composure. "There must be a misunderstanding. Imperial Censor Zhao might rest and then analyze the situation carefully!"

"No need to analyze!" Zhao Ding prostrated himself directly beside the bonfire within the tent. "Your Majesty, please leave quickly! There's no time to lose! Imperial Censor Niu, who accompanied me, has already been killed by the rebel army. They are no more than twenty *li* away!"

Zhao Jiu was once again stunned on the spot.

Li Gang, who was about to rise to speak further, also collapsed back down.

"Explain in detail!" Zhao Jiu, regaining his senses, still didn't believe it, but couldn't avoid further investigation.

"Your Majesty, this minister and Imperial Censor Niu were ordered to welcome Han Shizhong. As a result, we encountered his troops head-on at Baichi Town in Wanshou County, east of here. Initially, the scouts in the front were fine and could communicate normally with us, reporting military intelligence. However, when we met a commander in the town, he spoke impolitely and eventually brandished his blade!" A group of important officials who had originally been in the Emperor's tent had already gathered around, and Zhao Ding became increasingly grieved as he spoke. "Seeing the situation was bad, this minister and Imperial Censor Niu tried to escape back. As a result, they drove horses and drew bows behind us, deliberately forcing us into the winter river. Then, they used arrows to threaten us, watching and enjoying themselves. This minister desperately clung to his horse and escaped, but Imperial Censor Niu was overweight and couldn't struggle free. He actually drowned alive in the river. They were still laughing loudly on the shore..."

Zhao Ding was already in tears at this point, but he forced himself to continue. "This minister escaped in a disheveled state, and they were still shouting across the river ditch behind us, saying that this minister might escape today but wouldn't escape tomorrow, because they were about to come before Your Majesty to perform this archery game! Killing all the civil officials! Your Majesty! Please leave quickly! Baichi Town is no more than twenty *li* away. This minister encountered the rebels in the afternoon. If the rebels intend to chase after us, I fear something unspeakable will happen at any moment!"

The faces of the surrounding people changed drastically, and Zhao Jiu was dazed, but seemed to grasp something. "So, it's just that Han Shizhong's troops in Baichi Town have the intention of mutiny due to the treatment of civil and military officials, but Han Shizhong himself hasn't been seen to personally rebel?"

"Your Majesty!" Before Zhao Ding could speak again, Yang Yizhong had already turned pale and knelt down to advise. "This is not about whether Han Shizhong himself intends to rebel. Even if Han Shizhong himself has no intention to rebel, his vanguard has surrounded the imperial camp and done unspeakable things. What's to stop him from pulling a Chenqiao coup? Even if Han Shizhong is utterly loyal, what remedy is there after the fact if he kills the vanguard? Han Shizhong has seven or eight thousand troops, and the vanguard has at least two thousand, but we only have several hundred imperial guards here!"

Zhao Jiu suddenly understood, but still didn't stand up. Instead, he held the bowl and leaned to the side, trying to argue, "Even the vanguard doesn't seem to have completely rebelled. Perhaps they can be pacified..."

"It's useless!" Yang Yizhong became even more anxious. "Your Majesty doesn't understand these military ruffians. Even if the vanguard doesn't actually intend to rebel at this moment, they have already started killing with the assassination of the Imperial Censor. Once the killing starts, the mutinous soldiers will be reckless and unrestrained, and even gods can't control them! Your Majesty has read many history books, doesn't he know what the fate of a displaced Emperor encountering mutinous soldiers is? So, please leave quickly!"

Not only that, but Li Gang, the Prime Minister who hadn't spoken for a long time, also forced himself to stand up with the support of his son. Tears flowed uncontrollably for a moment, but he bowed his head and pleaded guilty, "Your Majesty, today's disaster is all caused by this minister's negligence. Please, Your Majesty, leave quickly. This minister will take responsibility here."

Zhao Jiu recognized the situation, and his hands and feet turned cold. He had nothing more to say.

Furthermore, this pitiful Emperor Zhao, since transmigrating, had faced such a chaotic situation in the world. As a modern young man with an overwhelming sense of superiority, how could he not have fantasized about being a Han Wudi or a Tang Taizong? However, now it seemed that he was even worse than the original Zhao Lao Jiu. At least that Zhao Lao Jiu ran away decisively!

And what about himself? His hesitation in Mingdao Palace seemed to be the root of today's disaster. Otherwise, how could he have been blocked by mere Huai Xi soldiers, and then encountered the news of the Jin invasion here? And then lead to today's disaster?

In a sense, if he really died today, even the conservative outcome of going to Hangzhou to enjoy the song and dance was personally buried by him.

However, on the other hand, what did it matter if he died? Did he have the slightest integration into this era? Could he go back after death? Daozu had to take responsibility, right?

And even if he really died, or someone like Han Shizhong or Yue Fei rose to compete for the world, or let Li Gang protect that infant to Jiangnan to live in peace, wouldn't it necessarily be worse than the original situation?

With these absurd thoughts, for some reason, Zhao Jiu's hands and feet actually warmed up again, but he shook his head repeatedly. "It's not Prime Minister Li's fault. It's my own fault for not treating the situation here as a chaotic world. And now is not the time to assign blame... You all say let me leave, but where can I go in the current situation?"

"Cross the river! Go find Liu Zhengyan and Miao Fu!" Zhang Jun, the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, suddenly interjected.

"This minister is willing to go to Baichi Town to appease the mutinous soldiers," Yuwen Xuzhong also interjected.

"You can let Yang Yizhong lead the imperial guards to escort Your Majesty across the river!" Li Gang said, forcing himself to speak. "But don't alarm the mutinous soldiers. At this time, trying to appease them will only let the mutinous soldiers know the reality of the imperial camp, which will easily cause disaster! And after crossing the river, Your Majesty shouldn't go to find Liu and Miao. It's best to rush along the river to Shunchang Prefecture (originally Yingzhou, later Fuyang) while sending people to recall Liu Yan's Red Heart Team! After entering the prefectural city, then discuss matters with Han Shizhong and Liu Zhengyan."

This seemed like a feasible plan. Zhao Jiu suddenly got up, threw down the rice bowl, and was about to untie the reins of the mount behind him.

However, the moment he touched the reins, he woke up again, and then turned around to question, "Whether I cross the river to the prefectural city or find Liu and Miao, how many soldiers should I bring? And if the mutinous soldiers come, the civil and military officials and their families here will have no defense. What will be their fate? And what about Consort Pan and the imperial heir? They can't possibly gallop along with the army... What will be the result? Besides, as soon as I leave, this place will immediately be in chaos, right!"

"Your Majesty!" The others were all speechless for a moment, only Zhang Jun lowered his head and replied in a low voice. "Your Majesty just said personally that the situation here is already a chaotic world, and throughout history, how rare is it for a ruler to encounter such a thing in a chaotic world?"

Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly, but put down the reins and turned to face them. "I haven't read many books, but I know a lot about the Three Kingdoms... Zhang Qing, I can be Emperor Xian of Han, but you can't be Dong Cheng! In the current situation, those who are Han officials should only be thinking about being Zhuge Liang."

Beside the bonfire, not only did Zhang Jun look up in astonishment, but everyone else was also completely speechless.

ps: The mutiny of Han Shizhong's subordinates, killing the Imperial Censor near the imperial camp, is something recorded in history books and should be very famous. Han Shizhong also suffered a great deal for this. Why do the big shots think I made up such a common thing in this chaotic world?