Chapter 1 The Filature of the Song

Emperor Shizu Guangwu, whose given name was Jiu and courtesy name Deji, was the ninth son of Emperor Huizong, born to Empress Xianren, née Wei. In the fifth month of the first year of the Daguan era, on the day of Yisi, he was born in the Great Inner Palace of Tokyo, and a red light illuminated the room. On the day of Dingchou in the eighth month, he was given his name, appointed Commissioner of the Dingwu Army and Grand Commandant, and ennobled as Duke of Shu. On the day of Gengshen in the first month of the second year, he was ennobled as Prince of Guangping. In the twelfth month of the third year of the Xuanhe era, on the day of Renzi, he was further ennobled as Prince of Kang. He was intelligent and quick-witted, learned and had a strong memory, reciting more than a thousand words a day, and could draw a bow with a pull of one dan and five dou. In the fourth year of the Xuanhe era, he was crowned and moved to a residence outside the palace. … On the day of Gengyin in the fifth month, the Emperor ascended the altar to receive the mandate, weeping bitterly after the ceremony, paying his respects to the two captive emperors from afar, and ascended the throne in the government office. The era name was changed to Jianyan. (All from the original text of the Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozong of the Song) In the seventh month, he was at the Mingdao Palace, where he fell into a well and woke up three days later, again seeing a red light soaring into the sky. An imperial decree was issued to recall Li Gang to power, and Liu Yan and others were ordered to form the Red Heart Squad to guard the palace after traveling thousands of miles from Liaodong to offer their services. At that time, Kang Li relied on his merits to isolate the inside and outside, and was executed.

In the tenth month, he was stationed at Jiegou, and Han Shizhong's troops mutinied, killing the censor Niu Gao. Those around him advised him to cross the river to avoid them. The Emperor said sternly, "The world is in turmoil like the end of the Han Dynasty. I can be Emperor Xiaoxian, but you should think of Marquis Wu and not learn from Dong Cheng." Li Gang, who was at his side, said anxiously, "Even so, the world cannot be without a sovereign, just as it cannot be without ministers. Emperor Zhaolie also faced danger at Changban." The Emperor laughed loudly, "How can there be a story of Emperor Zhaolie avoiding Marquis Huan?" Then, leading a few riders, he entered the camp at night and shouted, "Good minister, Han Shizhong is in revolt, and I have nowhere to run, so I have come to you." At that time, Shizhong was sleeping soundly and had not yet risen. He came out naked to pay his respects, terrified and not daring to respond. The Emperor laughed and stopped him. He ordered him to quell the rebellion and had a meal with Yang Yizhong and others in the camp. Soon, the rebellious general was beheaded and returned, and he bowed to report his mission. The Emperor saw that he was extremely brave and ordered him to stand solemnly in front of the army. He personally untied his jade belt and tied it around him, encouraging him, "A valiant warrior who cannot be bent over, the world is collapsing, and only General can rely on you to support your waist and be our courage."

In the eleventh month, Ding Jin rebelled, blocking the roads, and the mobile palace moved to Shunchang. He heard that Shandong Donglu was in turmoil, that Liu Yu in Jinan had killed the defending general Guan Sheng in rebellion, that Zhao Mingcheng in Zizhou had broken through the siege and fled, and that Liu Hongdao in Qingzhou had been defeated and fled. At that time, Shizhong was stationed at Yingshui, and the Emperor visited him at night. He took his hand and asked, "Tell me frankly, can we fight the Jurchens?" Shizhong was silent for a long time, then replied, "The Central Plains is a vast plain, suitable for cavalry warfare; after a long period of peace, it is difficult to fight in a hurry. We cannot compete with them now." The Emperor sighed, "I know this too, but what is the fault of the people?" Returning to the mobile palace, he ordered Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Liu Guangshi, and others to station troops in Huai and Si, and moved the mobile palace to Shouzhou for defense.

When the army arrived in Shouzhou, Zhang Jun came to greet him at Dongting, and advised, "Your Majesty bears the hope of the world. How can you live under a collapsing wall? Please take refuge in Yangzhou for the time being, and I will guard this place. If it is a force of three thousand, please allow me to defeat them for Your Majesty; if the entire country's army comes south, I will fight to the death to resist them." The Emperor said, "You are a loyal minister, but Laozi said, 'He who receives the filth of the country is the master of the state; he who receives the misfortunes of the country is the king of the world.' I will not shirk my responsibility!" He added, "You followed me among the defeated armies in Hebei, and now you are about to be entrusted with a heavy responsibility in a time of crisis. I will make an agreement with you: you will not betray me, and I will not betray you."

In the twelfth month, the fourth prince of the Jurchens, Wuzhu, entered Jizhou, and Liu Guangshi was greatly frightened. He falsely claimed that the Jurchen army was approaching, incited the mutinous soldiers to abandon six prefectures, burned the ferry crossings to isolate Xiacai, falsely claiming to protect the Emperor, and wanted to force the mobile palace to seek a partial peace in Jiangzuo. At that time, the Emperor was stationed where Xie Xuan defeated the Hu, and first received the military report from Shizhong, and then heard that Guangshi had arrived. Those around him were afraid of the mutinous soldiers, or were old subordinates, and all advised him to appease them. The Emperor said nothing, and waited for Guangshi to arrive. Suddenly, he drew his sword and went out, beheading him in the midst of the mutinous soldiers, as easily as killing a chicken. After Guangshi was executed, the remaining troops were terrified. He summoned the leaders of the troops and above to question them. Some missed their homes, some sought rewards, and some were indignant. All were rewarded or punished according to their words, and the hearts of the people were slightly calmed. He then put on his armor outside the tent and led the guards to behead those who were afraid of fighting and wanted to flee south. He sent word: "Fame and fortune, missing home and worrying about one's hometown, are human nature. Now I make an agreement with you: rewards and punishments will be decided by the Emperor, and those who are afraid of fighting will not be spared." The three armies were awed. Zhang Yongzhen and others said one after another, "The Emperor is not afraid of war, why should we cherish our lives?"

Before long, the Jurchen army approached Huai, and hundreds of fierce soldiers crossed the river first. The Emperor saw them from afar and patted Wang De's back, saying, "The Jurchen army is arrogant. I wonder if they are afraid of 'Yakshas'?" De stared and said, "Your Majesty, please watch." He led more than ten riders of his troops straight into the enemy, beheading the fierce general Dou Bi, and the Jurchen army dared not cross the river for several days.

On the twenty-eighth day, the Emperor held a banquet with the ministers on Mount Bagong. The prime minister Lü Haowen was slightly drunk, and the Emperor took his arm and led him back to his tent. At that time, as the war was approaching, they were mostly dressed in military attire. Haowen pretended to be drunk and advised, "Why is Your Majesty's sleeve narrow and unadorned, and the clothes do not fit?" The Emperor laughed, "The prime minister is drunk. This is exactly what is appropriate for military affairs." Haowen also laughed, "In that case, I am like the great scholar Su, full of untimely ideas." After the banquet, thinking that Xiacai was isolated, the Emperor wanted to go there in person to reassure them. Jun asked to replace him with his own body. The Emperor replied, "Your intentions are clear. However, if the world is overturned and we seek perfection, then King Ba broke the cauldrons and sank the boats, Guangwu broke through the siege at Kunyang, Zhaolie led the people across the river, Marquis Wu launched six expeditions to Qishan, and Zhang Xun defended Suiyang alone. When it came to the Jingkang Incident, Ruo Bing died in the enemy camp. Were they not all acting unilaterally? A great man has things he will do and things he will not do! If I do not go in person now, there is no way to reassure the people. You should stabilize the camp."

Then, braving the wind and snow with Yang Yizhong, he crossed the river into Xiacai in a lone boat at night, and gave Jun the duck from the banquet, Guangshi's head, and the Liuli Zi. He shook hands and said goodbye, "Whether to fight, defend, surrender, or flee, you decide for yourself, but remember the agreement at Dongting and send me a letter first." Jun bowed his hands and said nothing, and returned to tell his son-in-law Tian Shizhong and others, "Emperor Guangwu treats me as a national hero, face to face, heart to heart, and I will repay him with my death. What else is there to say?"

On the twenty-ninth day, Wuzhu sent the former general of the Western Army, Zhao Qiu, to persuade him to surrender. Jun pretended to be cooperative and falsely said, "I am willing to ask for a thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver before I can offer the city." Jun's greed for money was known to all, and the Jurchens did not suspect him. When the gold and silver arrived, Jun summoned the generals, beheaded Zhao Qiu, hung Guangshi's head, and distributed all his family wealth to the soldiers, and the entire army was shocked. Jun said with emotion, "People say that those who are greedy for money must be fond of gambling, and I am also a vulgar person. Now, I would like to take the people as the foundation, and risk my life to gamble with you for eternal wealth and honor, and defend this isolated city." The crowd was moved by his heroism and all responded to his order. Jun returned to the inner chamber alone, facing the Liuli Zi and weeping. On the thirtieth day, Wuzhu heard about the Emperor's nocturnal visit to Xiacai. He then ordered someone to write a letter, stating the affairs of the two captive emperors and the imperial family, and humiliating them greatly. The Emperor looked at it and said nothing for a long time. At dusk, he showed it to the ministers and said, "What is the difference between writing to beasts?" Then, he ordered the creation of a white imperial edict, personally wrote Zhao Jiu of Cangzhou, Hebei, stamped it with the Son of Heaven's seal, spat on it, and threw it back to the Jurchen envoy.

On the first day of the second year, an imperial edict was issued to the world on Mount Bagong: First, the Song and the Jin cannot coexist. If you consider yourself a Song person, regardless of north or south, old or young, you have the responsibility to defend the territory and resist the war. Second, those who negotiate peace without recovering the old land of the two rivers and welcoming back the two emperors will not be pardoned. Third, resisting the Jurchens is the priority for the world. Those who dare to fight in the two rivers are allowed to temporarily occupy the military prefectures and manage their own military and political affairs. Fourth, Li Gang is appointed as prime minister, in charge of all matters in Jiangnan. The mobile palace will be located in Jiangbei, either succeed or die! Fifth, if there is an accident, we should ask heroes to rise up, recover the mountains and rivers, save the people, and become the master of the world. After speaking, he drew his sword and swore by slashing the table, "The Song may perish, but the world cannot perish!" After the edict was issued, he pardoned the world again, saying, "The Jurchen bandits are powerful. Those who fought bravely and surrendered, those who have no weapons in their hands, and those who were coerced into following the bandits, if they can return to the right path, their previous crimes will not be investigated, and their merits will be rewarded according to the rules. Only those who frame friendly troops and flee in fear of battle, such as Liu Guangshi; those who act as accomplices and kill military and civilians, such as Liu Yu; and those who devise strategies and collude with each other, such as Shi Wenbin, will not be pardoned even if they die ten thousand times." Wuzhu was greatly frightened when he received the proclamation, and killed all the surrendered officials in the camp, but Wenbin was spared.

On the sixth day, the Jurchen army began to build pontoon bridges on a large scale. The Emperor ordered Wang De and others to resist them, and personally led the officials to watch the battle on Mount Bagong. At that time, the military plan had been decided early, but the crowd saw that the Jurchen army was powerful, and there was much discussion before the Emperor. Some said to order the vanguard to defend along the coast, and some asked the Emperor to beat the drums to cheer them on. The Emperor was initially indifferent, but then became furious, and pointed his halberd, "I sit here motionless, which will be the second opportunity for victory in this battle. First, it can boost the morale of the three armies, and second, it can imprison a group of Zhao Kuos!" The ministers retreated in silence.

From dawn to noon, the battle was fierce and unceasing. Zhang Yongzhen and others fought to the death (as recorded in the Biography of Famous Generals of the Zhongxing Era), and Shizhong's troops arrived and defeated them greatly. Zhang Yongzhen was seriously injured and could not speak, and shouted "Return Home" three times to the Emperor before he died. The Emperor was as if he had lost his liver and gallbladder, and the three armies wept. At that time, Liu Hongdao and others arrived, and the Emperor immediately ordered them to command the affairs of the Jiangnan West Road in serving the Emperor. Those around him did not understand, and the Emperor said, "It is difficult to die throughout the ages. The two emperors were taken north, and now they are also heading south. Hongdao and others have been defeated repeatedly, but how can we demand perfection and blame them? Only Li Ruoshui and Zhang Shuye of the past were loyal and disregarded their lives, and Zhang Yongzhen today was righteous and did not avoid death. The lay Buddhist Yi'an satirized people like you and me with 'When alive, be a hero; when dead, be a spirit. To this day, I think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the river to the east.' Are we not ashamed? I am willing to encourage you all!" Estimating that the Jurchens would cross the river at night, he secretly ordered Shizhong to build a false camp to respond, and defeated them greatly, overturning three Meng'ans.

On the seventh day, Ma Shen of Hubei paid his respects, and after hearing about the ambush, he impeached Shizhong, saying that he was a military man who planned military strategies without going through the two Fu, which violated the system. Zhang Jun and Lin Jingmo defended him, saying that resisting the Jurchens should focus on those who know the military, and protected Shizhong. They argued endlessly, but the Emperor laughed loudly, "Good! The country has long heard of factionalism, and today I see the debate of gentlemen again."

In the second month, Yang Weizhong, Yue Fei, Fu Xuan, Zhang Rong, and others recovered Jizhou, beheading the Jurchen royalty Seli and others. The mobile palace discussed their merits, and everyone received generous rewards, but the chief merit was undecided. Everyone despised Rong's origins as a bandit, but Jingmo said, "Weizhong planned, Fei and Xuan dared to fight, but if it were not for Zhang Rong's strategy of setting up ambushes and the righteous soldiers fighting to the death, how could there have been this victory? Therefore, Rong should be the chief merit." The Emperor accepted his words, promoted Rong to pacify Yunzhou, praised him, "Heroes of Liangshan, serve the country loyally." And personally recorded the "Song of the Heroes" and bestowed it upon him.

After Jizhou was recovered, everyone thought that the Jurchens would retreat. Shizhong and Zhang Jun thought that Wuzhu's rear route had not been cut off, and there might be a battle, and the Emperor thought it was right. The censor Zhang Jun said, "Although Wuzhu is noble, there is no deputy who can achieve merit alone." The next day, they indeed retreated, and Hu Yin and Lin Jingmo impeached Shizhong and Jun for being jealous of the great victory in Jizhou. The Emperor had difficulty sleeping, and said to Yizhong, "I have little experience in battle, but how can I trap a general based on guesswork? " He took Jun, Yin, and Jingmo to see Shizhong at night, and held his hand, "Release your doubts." Shizhong said, "Since I am your support, why should I care about honor and disgrace?" He straightened his waist and replied, his face unchanged, and Jun, Yin, Jingmo and others were all convinced. Shizhong thought that the Jurchen army would attack Guangzhou, fearing that it would be lost, but he hesitated to speak. The Emperor understood his meaning and said, "If you want to save Guangzhou, you need to besiege Wei to save Zhao. Tomorrow, block the Huai River and secretly cross the daring warriors. I will watch you defeat the enemy at Xiacai." The next day, facing the battle, he clearly ordered the three armies, "Skills have their specialties, and the Emperor's order is not accepted. In this battle, Han, the good minister, is in front of the battle, and Zhang Boying is behind the battle. Those who violate this will be beheaded." When the battle came, Jun sent the troops out in an orderly manner, and Shizhong's troops broke through the Jurchen fence in one fell swoop.

At noon, Shizhong wanted to disrupt the Jurchen formation, so he asked for reinforcements from the rear three times. Jun was worried about the safety of the mobile palace and hesitated to decide. The Emperor took his hand and encouraged him, "Today's victory or defeat, safety or danger, all depend on you. Go ahead and do it." Jun responded with emotion, "As long as I am here, this place will be as stable as Mount Tai." He sent Yang Yizhong and Liu Bao's two troops in front of the Emperor to Shizhong. The Emperor feared that the generals would be restrained because of the small number of troops and the urgency of the situation, and ordered those around him, "Military intelligence is like fire, and military orders are like mountains. Those who make rash comments on military affairs in the city, even if they are censors or academicians, will not be pardoned." He ordered Jun and Yuan to defend the city and not to ask for help again. Yang Yizhong led the guards to arrive first, and Shizhong said, "The enemy has abandoned the village and does not defend it, so they must be prepared. I will lure them. You should observe the formation. If the enemy comes out, raise a blue flag; if they leave the village, raise a yellow flag; and if they reach the embankment, raise a red flag." Yizhong agreed, and Shizhong led his elite troops to ambush them, and Liu Bao led his troops to feign retreat.

The Jurchen army moved as expected, and Wang Sheng fled north. Wuzhu's deputy general Pu Luhun led all the cavalry. When they reached the embankment, Yizhong raised the flags as agreed, and Xie Yuan led troops to weaken their momentum. Shizhong took advantage of the chaos to break out, and stabbed Pu Luhun under his horse in the midst of ten thousand troops. He then led his troops to attack the village, and the cheers were thunderous, and their momentum was like a bamboo splitting. Wuzhu was defeated and fled, injuring his buttocks in the chaos, barely escaping with his life, and Shi Wenbin died in the chaos. The Emperor was on the city wall, watching the great victory from afar, threw his crown on the seat, and shouted "Long live" repeatedly. The Emperor made an agreement with the armies in the morning: after breaking the Jurchen camp, he would drink to his heart's content with the generals. That night, he personally drank to his heart's content until dawn with more than a hundred soldiers who had first climbed the city and charged into the enemy, and those who had not beheaded three enemies were ashamed. He then erected a cemetery for the loyal and martyrs on Mount Bagong, and sacrificed to the loyal souls of Zhang Yongzhen and others, and from then on, the hearts of the people were thinking of war.

The Emperor thought that the strength of the Western Army was still there, and Nanyang was in the center of the world, so he left Li Gang to support the Empress Dowager and the imperial heir to guard Yangzhou, appointed Han Shizhong as the commissioner of the Huaixi region and protected the mobile palace, ennobled the Prince of Xin as the deputy marshal of the world's armies, and added Ma Kuo as the chief commander of the Northern Route, commanding the Hebei righteous army. Zhang Suo was in charge of the two routes of Jingdong, and Zhang Jun was the commissioner of Huaidong.

On the twenty-fifth day of the second month, he was stationed at Nanfeikou, and some scholars and people presented oranges, which the Emperor gave to everyone. Suddenly, he had a feeling, so he twisted the remaining candle into the orange to make a lamp, and put it in the Huai River, saying, "A small stream of light, to offer to the heroic souls." Those above and below imitated him solemnly, and the Huai River was filled with colorful lights for a time, like the prosperous days of Bianjing, and many were moved to tears.

In the third month, he was stationed in Ruyang, sent envoys to comfort the counties, and ordered Lin Yutang to collect Wuguan. Suddenly, he heard that Yin Shuke had arrived and Wuguan had been lost. The Liao surrendered general Yelu Mabu led his troops to attack. Yin Shuke was the one who captured Emperor Tianzuo and the King of Xi, and broke Taiyuan. At that time, the Emperor was playing chess with Liu Ziyu, and everyone in the hall was shocked, but the Emperor sat still as before. He scolded, "Strong cities can be relied on, and strong armies are outside. I am not a barbarian king, and you should not learn from the ministers of the Jingkang era and interfere in military affairs. What is there to fear?" So he calmed down.

Cui Chong and Yan Xiaozhong of Xiping led their troops to serve the Emperor, but they were hesitant. Those around him wanted to punish them, but the Emperor said, "The country is in turmoil, how can we demand perfection from righteous men?" So he went straight into the camp, as easy as manipulating his own arm, broke Mab's army, and returned. Yin Shuke was afraid and retreated, and Nanyang was pacified. Regardless of other matters, he first ordered the court officials to discuss five matters: the registration of households, Fan Qiong, Sun Mo, the Guanzhong region, and military marriages, each with its own disposition, and the hearts of the people were slightly calmed. Fan Qiong defended the four walls of Bianjing, and during the Jingkang era, he forced the Emperor to offer the city, and then fled to Xiangyang and established a separatist regime, and those around him were worried. The Emperor said, "A skeleton in a grave."

On the eighteenth day of the fourth month, there was a military rebellion in Xiangyang, and Qiong was so frightened that he killed all his wives and daughters. His subordinates Han Li, Wang Jun, and others were afraid and tied him up and surrendered. The Emperor ordered Qiong and his wives and daughters to be buried together, and summoned the generals to watch. He said, "A heavy code in a chaotic world, his crime deserves this. You should also do it for yourselves." The military discipline was purified as a result. The Emperor thought that the south was already settled, so he washed away the evils of the Jingkang era, prohibited empty talk and emphasized practical affairs, and the ministers all received half salaries. The prime ministers each led the petitions, cooperated and divided the work, and handled the general strategy. In a few months, those above and below were well-ordered, and he ruled by doing nothing.

The Emperor felt that since the Xining era, the factional struggles had been fierce, and the old faction, Sima Guang and others, had misled the country with their emotions. Although the new faction, Cai Jing and Wang Fu, used their public office for private gain, Wang Jinggong's strategies really hit the current malpractices and could not be changed. So he held a banquet on the Baihe embankment, and determined the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties." He thought that the scholar of the Eastern Slope of this dynasty had outstanding literary fame and was superior to the others, and ordered his grandson Dan to respond to the questions. Dan presented Su Shi's handwritten "First Ode to the Red Cliff," and the Emperor was overjoyed. He showed it to the ministers, gave Shi a beautiful posthumous title, ordered Ma Xingzu to make "Baihe Outing Picture," and personally wrote the "Second Ode to the Red Cliff" on it and bestowed it on Dan. He then discussed the merits and demerits of the new and old factions with the crowd, and inscribed "Record of the Journey to Baochan Mountain" after the "First Ode to the Red Cliff," saying, "Su in front and Wang in back each lead the way, and although they are all gone, they are still better than the generation that 'returned the land of Xixia, and treated Wei Qing as a slave.' From now on, we should discuss actions, not parties." He then abolished the prohibitions on the Yuan祐 party members and used the new party's politics.

In the fifth month, he reorganized the imperial army and ordered Henan to be fortified, and sent military supplies from Nanyang to support Li Yanxian. The Jurchen Emperor Wumaqi mobilized troops on a large scale, or feared that there would be a rebellion in Henan, and discussed sending a military supervisor. The Emperor denied this, saying, "The great waves wash away the sand, and the raging fire tests the gold. In times of crisis and survival, there are indeed those who are greedy for life and afraid of death, but there must also be those who can plan and use their talents, such as Li Boji, and those who can pacify the army with white hair, such as Zong Rulin. You can sit in the rear and wait for the victory, why show suspicion?"

In the eighth month, Kong Yanzhou rebelled, and the river defenses were wide open. The Jurchens falsely pretended to be refugees and secretly crossed the river, broke Zhang Rong, and captured Nanjing. Zhang Suo, the commissioner of Jingdong, burned the palace and died. Huaidian was shocked. When he heard that Suo had died for his country, he was silent for a long time, and those around him were worried. When asked why, the Emperor said, "I had a short friendship with Suo, and I can hardly remember his voice and appearance, so I am ashamed and unable to speak." He then heard that Wuzhu had led his troops to attack Tokyo. At that time, the defender Zong Ze was seriously ill and could not rise, and Shizhong rushed to support him and was ambushed, trapped in Changshe. The court discussed replacing Zong Ze with Du Chong to command the military affairs of Henan. On the ninth day, he ascended to a high place with Madam Wu on the Double Ninth Festival, and ordered everyone to choose poems to respond to the poems. Hu Hongxi satirized him with "Fortunately, there is nothing on the border, drunk and dancing, carrying my lord", and Wan Qixie satirized him with "A piece of dogwood inserted, one person less". The Emperor knew the intentions of the two, and replied with "Remotely pity the chrysanthemums in the old garden, should be open beside the battlefield", saying, "I am unworthy, but I have the intention of 'looking at the sword by lamplight when drunk', you can watch it."

In the tenth month, Du Chong secretly communicated with the Jurchens, and Wuzhu left Talan to besiege Changshe, and led his army of 50,000 to besiege Nanyang. He sent a letter saying, "Since our farewell at Xiacai, I have long missed your face. Now I am leading 100,000 iron cavalry to meet you, do not make your father and brothers wait too long in Five Kingdoms City." The Emperor replied, "Three li of land, come!" He appointed Chen Gui to command the city defenses, and all officials from the deputy prime minister and below went to the city. The Jurchen army attacked several times but could not advance, and suffered heavy casualties, killing the Jurchen commander Chi Zhanhui, the eldest son of Yin Shuke, and dozens of other Meng'an and Mouke. Wuzhu lamented, "Three li away, how different is it from the ends of the earth?"

On the eighth day, Chongzi Song reported the affairs of Yanling, and Yi Hao offered a plan, "Has Your Majesty not heard of the old story of Guangwu's Kunyang?" The Emperor estimated that Wuzhu was incompetent, so he took advantage of the Jurchen army's unpreparedness, personally led 300 members of the Red Heart Squad out of the city and went straight to Yanling. He first sought out Yue Fei, and then summoned Li Qiong. The two generals responded to his order and went straight into the city, summoned the generals, captured Du Chong, held the jade axe and counted his crimes, and executed him.

In the first month of the third year, with Yue Fei as the vanguard, he personally led the three armies to attack Talan. The battle was unfavorable, and the commander Xu Qing and others died in battle. The Emperor then crossed the river first, ordered Wan Qixie to raise the Dragon Banner to follow him, and the three armies advanced bravely. Shizhong also saw the Dragon Banner and Han and Yue combined their banners, and broke through in one battle, killing his son-in-law Hubalu. On the eleventh day, Jingmo advised, "At this time, returning to the old capital can pacify the world." The Emperor thought it was right, and ordered Han and Yue to attack Wuzhu, and led his army of 3,000 to return to the old capital.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, he returned to Tokyo, saw Zong Ze, asked about state affairs, and swore to the heavens in public, "If I do not revive the two rivers, destroy the Jin Kingdom, and unite the world into one, then I should have no love for life and die without a complete corpse." He then comforted him with Qingyu'an, "I have searched for him a thousand times in the crowd. Suddenly looking back, that person is there, in the dim light." On the verge of death, Zong Ze left a poem entitled Shier, and shouted "Cross the river" three times before he died. The Emperor wept: "Reversing the heavens and stopping the tide, giving your all, you do not allow Marquis Wu to monopolize the beauty." He posthumously conferred the title of Zhongwu.

In the second month, Han and Yue attacked Wuzhu, and Li Yanxian and Zhang Jun also led their troops, and defeated him greatly, and the siege of Nanyang was lifted. On the twenty-fifth day, the Emperor gathered the generals at Heyin. Since brotherhood in the army was prevalent, but their hearts were to report to the country and protect the people, why be secretive? So he imitated the ancient customs of the Qin and Han Dynasties, eliminated factionalism, promoted the oath of Taoyuan, ordered the 36 commanders to swear brotherhood in front of the palace, and the seven marshals supervised them. He also established a system of secret reports by the commanders, so that military intelligence could be directly conveyed to the Emperor, and thus communication between those above and below was unblocked, and the evils of the Five Dynasties were reformed. Han Shizhong was promoted to Junior Protector, added to the two towns as commissioner, and Li Yanxian was rewarded with a flag for his high merits and hard work since the Jingkang era, and was truly a "pillar in midstream". Zhang Jun was transferred to transport Sichuan and Shu, Chen Gui was made Minister of War, and Nanyang was abolished as the accompanying capital and returned to Bianjing.

In the third month, there was a military rebellion in Jiangnan, and Yue Fei was ordered to quell it. In the fourth month, the imperial heir died prematurely. Li Gang was dismissed, and Lü Yizhao was promoted to remain in the southeast. Jin appointed Liu Yu of the puppet Qi as Emperor, and sent envoys to negotiate peace by ceding the two rivers and returning the two emperors. The Emperor refused, issued an edict to blame himself, and restored the custom of not kneeling when purple-robed officials saw the Emperor, so as not to discourage the spirit of the scholar. Empress Xing died, and the Jurchens returned the two princesses, Shenyou and Foyou.

In the fifth month, the fixed quota for the Imperial Army was established. Hu Yin was made commissioner of Guanzhong, and Qu Duan was made deputy commander of the Imperial Army for saying "Instead of building a career in Guanzhong, I came to the lake to fish," and was demoted from his position. He visited the Shaolin Temple, and was given a plaque with "Fist Comes from Shaolin" for his meritorious assistance to the army. He met Lü Haowen and promoted Yuanxue learning. The Emperor was simple and frugal, raising fish and planting mulberry trees in the back palace.

In the sixth month, the puppet Qi general Li Cheng invaded Yanggu, and Yang Yizhong broke him in the Jishui and recovered Yanggu. Yue Fei captured and beheaded the puppet Qi general Kong Yanzhou and recovered Yanzhou. Zhang Rong captured the puppet Qi crown prince Liu Lin and sent him to Bianjing. The Emperor visited the Xiangguo Temple, discussed the affairs of Shuibo, praised his loyalty, bravery, and love for the people, and promoted him to commissioner. In the seventh month, he held an imperial examination, and specially allowed Yue Fei and Qu Duan to take the palace examination. Duan passed the examination, and Fei was given the same rank as Jinshi. In the eleventh month, everyone asked to establish an Empress, but the Emperor refused because he missed Empress Xing. The censor Li Guang asked to execute Yang Yizhong for interfering in imperial family affairs. On the twentieth day of the eleventh month, he inspected the Yellow River.

On the first day of the twelfth month, Yu Yunwen was ordered to spy on the Jurchen water army on the north bank. Zhang Rong was ordered to lead the Liangshan navy into the river through Bian. Rong and his men arrived day and night, singing and fighting, saying, "Grandpa was born in Liangshanbo, and his nature is to kill. I have killed lawless men and birds, and I have killed Jurchen generals. Heroes do not read poetry, they only live in Liangshanbo. Once they enter the Yellow River, they will dominate the world." They burned the Jurchen navy, and the Emperor sighed, "Emperor Daojun was frivolous, and made heroes into bandits." He bestowed the flag of "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" to Rong. On the twenty-sixth day, he questioned politics in the Imperial Academy and expounded on the great cause of resisting the Jurchens and the principle of mutual tolerance for the sake of the country. He appointed Hu Quan as the editor of the Di Bao and issued national debt to raise military funds.

On the first day of the fourth year, the Jurchen Western Route army Loushi broke Tongguan, and Li Yanxian broke his subordinate Wanyan Saba at Pinglu. On the fifth day, Lü Haowen was left to guard, and the Emperor led the guards out of the capital, and met the central army of the Imperial Army on the seventh day. On the tenth day, he entered Luoyang and ordered Li Qiong to lead 20,000 troops to support Shanzhou. On the twenty-second day, Shizhong was stationed in Chang'an. In the second month, Loushi retreated.

In the third month, he returned to the capital. The Jurchens returned the Empress Dowager Xuanhe and the princesses. On the twenty-first day, Zhong Xiang rebelled in Taihu. On the twenty-fifth day, Loushi arrived again and broke Danzhou, and Wu Jie retreated to Fuzhou. The Emperor then went to Luoyang, ordered the Jinshi to accompany the army to preach the Di Bao, and used Gaozong to entrust Lu Haowen with the orphan.

In the fourth month, Shizhong was ordered to guard Tongzhou,