Is it difficult for anyone to pity the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, isn't it? We admire those generals who served the Northern Song Dynasty and thank those courtiers who sincerely thought about the Northern Song Dynasty. However, if we want to name a few famous anti-Gold generals, how much are we familiar with besides Yue Fei? Another Optimus Prime of the Southern Song Dynasty, Han Shizhong, who "lived and died with Yue Fei", how much do we know?
When the youngest emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu, succeeded to the throne for four years, in the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1090), Han Shizhong, the future protector of the Song Dynasty, was also born in the snow and wind.
As a peasant boy, Han Shizhong did not carry a hoe and pick up a flat burden like his ancestors, but was obsessed with fist and foot kung fu and diligent in practicing martial arts.
This young man with a straight personality and a righteous eye has been recognized by his neighbors. When he was sixteen or seventeen years old, he already had a burly body, so the villagers said that people like him should go to the army to contribute to the defense of their families and the country. Therefore, after turning eighteen, Han Shizhong left his hometown to join the army.
Han Shizhong grew up in northern Shaanxi, first joined the Xiangzhou army, "subordinate to the Red Nationality", stationed in the northwest. At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Western Xia were in constant conflict, and Han Shizhong quickly rushed to the front. His skills of "being able to ride a raw foal" and "pulling a strong shot" came into play.
In the fourth year of Chongning (1105), the Western Xia once again invaded the Northern Song Dynasty, and Han Shizhong's troops were ordered to defend against the attackers. When the army reached Yinzhou (in present-day Yulin, Shaanxi Province), it encountered the Western Xia who were defending the city. The Song army was unable to capture the city for a while, and Han Shizhong single-handedly "cut off the enemy generals and throw their heads out of the way."
It was such a brave warrior who, since joining the army, has made meritorious contributions all the way, stood on the front line of resisting the invaders in the north, and gradually became a famous anti-Jin general like Yue Fei. In those years on the front line, although Han Shizhong did not have a high-ranking official position and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, he had a record and reputation of "invincible". It's just that for the Northern Song Dynasty building that will fall, these are still not enough. Therefore, when the Southern Song Dynasty was established, Han Shizhong also had to change a master to follow.
In fact, for Song Gaozong, Han Shizhong was indeed loyal. In the third year of Jianyan (1129), a mutiny occurred in the Southern Song Dynasty, and Emperor Gaozong of Song was taken hostage. At that time, Han Shizhong had almost no soldiers under him, and his wife Liang Hongyu was also captured by the rebels, but he temporarily gathered dozens of soldiers, first blackmailed the rebels to save his wife, and then led people to meet the rebels, and finally fought with their lives, winning more with less and saving Gaozong.
After the rebellion was put down, Han Shizhong once again stood on the front line of the anti-Jin resistance. In November of the third year of Jianyan (1129), the famous Jin Dynasty general Yan Zongbi led a large army to attack, and the two armies fought in the Jiangsu area until March of the following year, and the situation developed in favor of the Southern Song Dynasty. At this time, Han Shizhong had about 8,000 soldiers in his hands, but he forced the Jin army into Huang Tiandang (in present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu Province) where there was no way to retreat, and besieged it for forty-eight days.
Coincidentally, at that time, Yue Fei's army was also near Huang Tiandang, and he also took a hand for Han Shizhong's army to besiege the Jin army. In the fourth year of Shaoxing (1134), Han Shizhong went out to meet the Jin army and the puppet Qi army, also because Yue Fei had recaptured the six counties of Xiangyang occupied by the puppet Qi, and the puppet Qi turned to the Jin army for help. And Han Shizhong and Yue Fei not only cooperated with each other on the battlefield, but also in the Southern Song Dynasty, they also had similar encounters that could make them "share the same bitterness".
Although in those years Han Shizhong had started from scratch all the way from a peasant boy and from scratch by virtue of his military achievements, and had achieved shaobao, and was also an envoy of moderation and a messenger of xuanfu disposal, he was still defeated in the struggle between the main side of the DPRK and China.
In April of the eleventh year of Shaoxing (1141), Han Shizhong was still trying to develop his army, intending to teach a good lesson to the Jin army that had broken the covenant and recover the lost land, but Emperor Gaozong of Song gave an order to promote him to a privy councillor, take away Han Shizhong's military power, and ascend and descend.
At this time, Han Shizhong also thought clearly, no matter how much he wanted to resist the Jin Weiguo, he could not overthrow the powerful Qin Juniper, let alone let Song Gaozong let go of his heart of defending the throne, so he debauchedly offered the "military reserve money millions, rice nine hundred thousand stones, and fifteen wine warehouses" accumulated in the army in order to protect himself.
Compared to Yue Fei's indomitable death, Han Shizhong did look a little bloodless. However, he had no power in his hands, he had more than enough in his heart and insufficient strength, and he could only watch Yue Fei die and watch the Southern Song Dynasty take a quiet corner. But he really couldn't let go of his determination to resist jin all along, and resolutely resigned and returned to his hometown. He could no longer return to the front line, and at least he could not join forces with Qin Juniper.
After returning to his hometown, Emperor Gaozong of Song also remembered that Han Shizhong had rescued him from the rebels in his early years, so he also gave Han Shizhong a lot of honors and rewards. But none of this makes any sense to a military general who can no longer go to the battlefield. Han Shizhong began to call himself a cool resident, closed the door to thank guests, did not say a word, and quietly went to walk the last journey of his life.
In August of the twenty-first year of Shaoxing (1151), Han Shizhong, who was seriously ill, died. Perhaps in another world, he and Yue Fei, who had gone nine years earlier, could line up together and continue to exert their own blood.
Only this year, in the human world, the "Four Generals of ZTE" only had Zhang Jun left.