Chapter 56

Thank you to the following for your support: Hei Jinshu.qd, Mo Se Ru Ye? Qin Ran Jiang Shan, and Xin Ren Zi You 588. Also, thank you to Ba Jiu Dang Ge Zui Jin Zhao, Xiao Bu Dong, Duo Tian · Lu Xifa, Du Ke Le, Iker Casillas, Luo Ye Sui Feng Jue, ☆Xiao Yao Wang Hou☆, Wu Di Xiao Zuo Shou, {Tong Tian Jiao Zhu Shi Hao Ren}, Qi Hui, Jin Mu Feng, and Jun Shi Shenhua. ▲∴ New book period, seeking collections, recommendations, and clicks of all kinds.

………………………………I am a pure dividing line……………………………………

Zhao Hao raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "It's actually him."

Although the distance was quite far, with Zhao Hao's keen eyesight, he had already recognized who this person was.

Zhao Ling'er's beautiful eyes also lit up, and she said, "He actually really came."

Hearing Zhao Ling'er's words, Zhao Hao frowned slightly and asked, "Ling'er, what did you do?"

"Brother, don't worry. I didn't do anything to him. Recently, Father urgently summoned him back to Lin'an. I happened to meet him in the palace and informed him that we would be passing through here soon," Zhao Ling'er explained.

She knew how much Zhao Hao valued this person, so she explained herself.

Zhao Hao pondered for a moment and then said loudly, "Dismount and walk."

He didn't know what this person intended to do, but to show respect, it was better to walk.

This person also deserved their respect.

At Zhao Hao's command, the others naturally complied.

Although they were also very curious about the person ahead who was carrying a thorny branch to apologize, everyone present knew Zhao Hao's status. A person who had the right to apologize to Zhao Hao was certainly not an ordinary person.

Approaching, Zhao Hao handed his horse to Zhao Ling'er, took two steps forward, and slightly bent down to support the person's arm, asking in a deep voice, "General Meng, what are you doing?"

"I have sinned and have come to apologize to Your Highness. I regret not heeding Your Highness's advice at the time," the person, who usually had a voice like a bell, now sounded choked and weak.

Zhao Hao's expression became complicated, and he said, "General Meng, please get up. Don't make me feel unworthy."

"I have come for two reasons: to apologize to Your Highness and to inform you that I have volunteered to defend Xiangyang. I am about to take up my post. As long as I live, Xiangyang will not fall," General Meng said resolutely.

Finally, a smile appeared on Zhao Hao's face.

"On behalf of the people of Xiangyang, I thank General Meng for your righteousness," Zhao Hao said.

At this moment, volunteering to defend Xiangyang was a true commitment to die for the country.

Throughout history, in times of crisis, there have never been a lack of people who sang heroic songs and faced death calmly.

Even if they could not turn the tide, no one could deny the touching and heroic chapters they wrote in times of crisis.

"Compared to Your Highness, who has been preparing for ten years, I am truly ashamed," General Meng said.

"I am just standing on the shoulders of giants. The brothers of the Power Gang can only resist the Mongols for a while. To truly defeat the Mongols, we need people like General Meng," Zhao Hao sighed.

"Your subordinate is willing to die," General Meng said.

"General Meng, please stand up and speak. If you continue like this, the court officials will surely impeach me again," Zhao Hao said.

General Meng finally stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, as I am about to go to Xiangyang, do you have any instructions?"

"Why did you decide to go to Xiangyang?" Zhao Hao asked.

"Back then, Your Highness strongly opposed the alliance with the Mongols to destroy the Jin. I did not take it seriously and acted on my own, although we destroyed the Jin, we released a more ferocious wolf, the Mongols, and lost the only buffer between us and the Mongols. The sins I committed must be atoned for by me," General Meng said.

Yang Guo, standing behind, drew a sharp breath, his expression becoming solemn, and a hint of madness flashed in his eyes.

He finally knew who this person was.

General Meng, named Meng Gong, with the courtesy name Pu Yu.

Nearly a hundred years of Song-Liao wars had shaken the foundation of the Song Dynasty. After the alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao, the Northern Song, whose fate was already sealed, fell under the hooves of the Jin.

Of course, at this time, the people of the Song still called themselves "Great Song," and there were no terms like "Southern Song" or "Northern Song." However, Zhao Hao, who had come from the future, had already formed a habit of thinking this way (which also makes it easier for readers to understand).

The subsequent Southern Song regime spent over a hundred years in a state of war and peace with the Jin. During this period, Yue Fei emerged, and famous generals like Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun also defeated the Jin, but the one who truly struck at the heart of the Jin and caused its ultimate downfall was the person in front of him—Meng Gong.

Meng Gong came from a family of generals. His great-grandfather, Meng An, was a subordinate of Yue Fei, and his grandfather, Meng Lin, was also a subordinate of Yue Fei.

Meng Gong, a contemporary of Temujin, did not have enough vigilance against Temujin's rise. In his mind, the mortal enemy was always the Jin, which was irreconcilably opposed to the Song.

The early rise of the Mongols was a history of war with the Jin. When the Mongols and the Jin went to war, the Song seized the opportunity and stopped paying tribute to the Jin.

In the tenth year of the Jiading era, the Jin, in order to expand its territory and make up for the losses caused by the war with the Mongols, used the pretext of the Song not paying tribute and sent a large army to invade south of the Huai River.

At that time, Meng Gong began to enter the military and join the battlefield.

He grew rapidly in the war against the Jin, gaining fame and accumulating enough merit and hatred.

Therefore, when the Mongols intended to ally with the Song to destroy the Jin, Meng Gong agreed to the alliance.

At that time, Zhao Hao had strongly opposed the alliance in front of two people: Zhao Yun and Meng Gong.

But it all ended in failure.

The alliance with the Mongols to destroy the Jin was a glorious victory.

And the greatest victory came from Meng Gong.

Meng Gong's achievements in this battle were remarkable. He eliminated hundreds of thousands of Jin troops, severely weakening the Jin and directly causing its downfall.

One could say that Meng Gong's role in this campaign was even greater than that of the Mongol army.

The Jin did not fall to the Mongols but to the Song, to Meng Gong.

Unfortunately, this war opened the curtain on the fall of the Song and cleared the way for the Mongols to unify China.

Whether it was a great achievement or a great mistake, only future generations could judge.

But Meng Gong's military talent was undeniable.

This was why Zhao Hao had specially favored Meng Gong at the time.

At that time, Zhao Hao had earnestly explained the pros and cons to Meng Gong, saying that the Jin should not be destroyed, at least not now.

Unfortunately, Meng Gong's vision was not broad enough at the time.

So now he regretted it more and more.

"General Meng, the past is like a passing cloud. Regret is the most useless emotion. Buck up, Xiangyang still needs you to defend it," Zhao Hao patted Meng Gong's shoulder and said.

Meng Gong smiled bitterly and said, "Speaking of this, I have one more request."

"General Meng, please speak your mind," Zhao Hao said.

"The brothers of the Power Gang are all elite soldiers, one against ten. However, cooperation benefits both sides. I hope that if the Power Gang has any plans in the future, they can inform me in a timely manner," Meng Gong said.

Zhao Hao frowned slightly. From Meng Gong's words, he sensed an underlying meaning.

"Is there no reinforcement from the court?" Zhao Hao asked.

Meng Gong sighed and said, "When the emperor summoned me back to Lin'an, his first question was whether I could negotiate with Mongke, how much land to cede, and how much compensation to pay."

Zhao Hao's gaze turned cold.

PS: In the V group, the general group, and the book review area, many people were guessing who this person was. Only the book review area's Tian Xiao Ni Lang guessed correctly. Applause for Ni Lang. For those who are interested, you can search for Meng Gong on Baidu. If you don't search, it's fine; I will introduce him in detail in the next chapter. I can only say that often, fame and ability are not proportional. History is always written by the victors. A great emperor might be a useless leper, and a very unknown person might have extraordinary talent.