[Lightscreen]
[The only figure who managed to salvage even a shred of dignity for the Southern Song during the Kaixi Northern Expedition was Bi Zaiyu.
At the Battle of Sizhou, he led a suicide assault and was the first to scale the walls.
At Lingbi, he charged alone into enemy formations and shook the entire Phoenix Mountain front.
He retook Xuyi, lifted the siege of Chuzhou, and fought the Jin army to a standstill at Liuhe. For a time, he truly deserved to be called a famous general.
But when the Kaixi campaign first began, Bi Zaiyu was only the deputy of Chen Xiaoqing, who himself served under Guo Ni.
During the Sizhou assault, Bi Zaiyu volunteered to lead the vanguard of the death troops. Guo Ni handed him eighty-seven men.
Eighty-seven.
If Old Bi had not been absurdly brave, that decision alone might have gotten him killed on the spot.
A man at that level could hardly change the rotten overall situation of the northern expedition.
What truly drove Han Tuozhou into despair, however, was something even worse.
Wu Xi, descendant of the famous generals Wu Jie and Wu Lin and serving as Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan, secretly courted the Jin court. He planned to hand over the four prefectures beyond the passes in exchange for the title "Prince of Shu" under the Jin.
Three fronts collapsing.
The rear already on fire.
Under those circumstances, the Kaixi Northern Expedition had no chance of continuing.
With no other options left, Han Tuozhou thought once again of Xin Qiji.
After all, everyone knew Xin You'an's loyalty to the Song had never wavered for forty years.
Even before the expedition, though he had been pushed out of court politics by Han's faction, Xin Qiji still wrote immortal works proclaiming his patriotism.
Now that the state stood in danger, surely he would not refuse again.
But Xin's body could no longer hold on.
Some say those who carry the world in their hearts rarely live long.
A man like Zhao Gou, whose life revolved only around himself, could exploit the whole realm for personal safety and leave disasters for centuries.
But men like Zhuge Liang or Xin Qiji carried the people in their hearts. They wished to steady the common folk, cleanse the world, and restore the mountains and rivers.
Xin's chest still held the heat of forty uncooled years.
He remembered the ambition left unfinished at Wuzhang Plains.
He remembered his grandfather's dying charge to destroy the Jin invaders.
He remembered the legacy entrusted at Baidi City to continue the Han cause.
There was simply too much inside him.
Men like that are not open-hearted, and they do not let go.
Their lives are never easy.
In the third year of Kaixi, eighth month, the northern expedition ended in defeat and Song and Jin began peace talks.
In the ninth month, Xin Qiji died at sixty-eight.
It is said that with his final breath, he shouted,
"Kill the invaders! Kill the invaders!"]
[Server Chat Log]
WarOnWifi: "The heroes of old are always lonely. Xin remained that hot-blooded youth until his death!"
IronAFK: "Xin Qiji waited out the dog Zhao Gou, only to see the next Emperor burn out, the one after that have a mental breakdown, and the next one be a literal fool. He wanted a 'Sun Quan' type leader, but that was asking too much of the Song."
MarchPaused: "Honestly, he would've been better off born in the Tang."
"In early Tang he could've ridden beyond the frontier with Li Jing crushing raiders."
"In high Tang he might've wandered with Li Bai, writing poetry and playing knight-errant."
"In late Tang he could've drawn his sword to suppress rebels and maybe become a restoration general."
"Here, I'll hand you the pen. You write it."
Liu Bei: "If only he were born in the Shu Han era! I would surely fulfill his lifelong ambition and let him guard the peace of the people!"
"PatchNoteKnight: "Bro, your Liu Bei cosplay is off. The real Emperor Zhaolie would say: 'Quick, make the bed! I must sleep under the same covers as the General!'"
CommandLag: "When Xin Qiji wrote 'The east wind releases a thousand flowering trees at night, and blows down stars like rain,' was he predicting Dongfeng missiles exploding in the sky like blooming trees and molten sparks falling like rain? Was he foreseeing the charm of the Dongfeng?"
TooOldForPvP: "So now we're doing meme prophecy? Drag him out and execute him!"
AlmostLegend: "I remember Guo Ni, that fake Zhuge, crying nonstop after his defeat. They even called him 'Juicy Zhuge Liang.' Han Tuozhou eventually executed him as a warning. Honestly, that guy died way too late."
"He wasn't the only one in Southern Song who died too late."
LagSlayer: "Sigh. Lian Po old and still able to eat… endless sorrow. The tragedy isn't that Xin couldn't serve the state. It's that he clearly had the ability to manage the world, yet had to watch a clown like Han Tuozhou sit in the chancellor's seat and jump around."
"How are you supposed to run politics with insects like that.jpg"
"How the hell did the country end up like this.jpg"
Li Shimin: "This man had the dominance of a great general and the celestial talent of a poet. A world-class talent left unused, a grand strategy ignored. What a pity."
Zhang Fei: "Emperor Li Erfeng, what kind of talent am I then?"
Yingtian Prefecture — Kun-ning Palace
Seeing the words "Your Majesty Two-Phoenix," Empress Ma's brush hand trembled, and a blot of ink spread across the page.
She did not hesitate. She immediately began another line, quickly copying everything she saw from the screen.
But her mind suddenly cleared.
So that "Two-Phoenix" really referred to Tang Taizong Li Shimin.
The "two" must refer to his place among brothers. As for "phoenix," that was obvious. She had read the Ode to the Majestic Phoenix many times.
The image of the Heavenly Khan crushing enemies in battle was worlds apart from the delicate poetic lines describing the phoenix's soft emotions and morning brilliance.
Using "Two-Phoenix" as a joking nickname suddenly made perfect sense.
And if that was true…
Then the nickname "Zhu Eight-Eight" must also be real.
She let out a small laugh, flipping back to look at the three characters she had written earlier.
"Zhu Eight-Eight."
She could not help smiling for a while.
But once one question was answered, many more followed.
Who was writing these drifting words on the light screen?
Who wrote the lines attributed to Tang Taizong, Emperor Zhaolie, and Marquis Huan?
As for those lines about "if only he had been born in another era," she was not unfamiliar with that sentiment.
While copying the strange symbols that looked almost like foreign script, she murmured softly,
"I wish to be one of the carefree youths of Wuling, born in the Zhenguan or Kaiyuan era… to spend life racing dogs and fighting cocks, never worrying about the world's fate…"
She paused, then smiled faintly.
"Still… for Chongba to be born in this time is the fortune of our Ming."
But then her brows tightened again.
It was true what later generations said. Loyal and conscientious men rarely lived long.
They worried for the world, forgot food and sleep, and wore their bodies down with hidden illness.
Chongba had shown signs of exactly that lately. She really must persuade him to rest.
After all, even if he could shoulder the thirteen provinces of Ming, that burden would never be light.
Tang Palace — Ganlu Hall
Zhang Fei's question unexpectedly left Li Shimin silent.
What talent did Zhang Fei possess?
Bravery needed no discussion. That much was obvious.
But beyond that?
His speech was rough yet strangely sincere.
His grasp of affairs could be surprisingly sharp, almost like he found new paths others missed.
Still… how should he phrase it?
For once, the Tang emperor who prided himself on literary skill found himself unsure how to write the answer.
But while Li Shimin hesitated, the ministers of Zhenguan were far less polite.
"You can tell just from the voice," someone muttered.
It was Yuchi Jingde.
Li Shimin knew this loyal general always respected fierce warriors. A warrior who also possessed literary brilliance clearly appealed to him even more.
So it was no surprise that he launched into a rare long speech on Xin Qiji's behalf.
"The Song had fierce generals and strong soldiers, yet their commanders understood neither leadership nor warfare. They let brave men die for nothing and ruined themselves!"
"An army of righteousness rises to defend the state, eliminate traitors, and protect the people. Never have I heard of such a force being stabbed in the back by its own champions!"
"That man compared himself to Zhuge Liang, yet acted like Lü Meng. And what he did was far worse than Lü Meng ever did!"
"With conduct like that, why even speak of northern expeditions? Even the Marquis Wu would refuse to discuss strategy with such people!"
Even Qin Qiong, usually mild-tempered, could not stay silent.
His voice carried unmistakable displeasure.