Chapter Fifty: Chen Bridge Inn

  A night without words.

  Early in the morning, Jiang Zhen led Yue Fei and several brothers out of Kaifeng on horseback, heading northeast.

  The yellow mud surface on the official road was covered with a layer of grayish white, like a thick layer of cowhide. Jiang Zhenzi introduced that this is the scene left after the Yellow River overflowed. On both sides of the official road, two rows of red willows were planted neatly, densely filled with branches, some curved, some scattered, and the branches were dripping with deep red blood, like a fairy wind and bone.

  A gust of wind blew by, bringing with it the smell of water. In the distance, the Yellow River, slightly elevated above the horizon, rumbled with a low, muffled sound. The early autumn Yellow River was turbulent and surging, rising and falling violently, already becoming unstoppable, ready to burst out of its riverbanks at any moment.

  This place is already quite far from Bianjing City, and the towering city wall has also become much shorter. Jiang Zhenzi stopped his horse, and the rest of the people also stopped. Jiang Zhenzi asked: "Who among you knows why the Great Song Dynasty set its capital in Kaifeng Prefecture?" Tang Huai responded: "To contend for the world, one must seize the Central Plains, and Kaifeng is a key to the Central Plains: it is connected to Mount Song in the west, blocks Xu and Huai in the east, screens the Yellow River in the north, and borders Wu and Chu in the south. It has always been a place that military strategists must contend for."

  "Hmm" Jiang Zhenzi nodded, and praised: "The book is recited quite well." Then he whipped the horse and continued on. The several brothers of Yue Fei also quickly followed up.

  Less than an hour later, a temple, several ordinary courtyards and a tall pagoda tree came into view in the distance.

  Everyone came to the front of the pagoda tree and got off their horses. The pagoda tree is as thick as three people hugging together. It is said that Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, once tied his horse here, so it was named "Tied Horse Pagoda". In front of the tree, there is a stone tablet with the words "Tied Horse Tablet" written on it. On the right side of the tree, there is another tablet, and the clerical script on it clearly reads: "The place where Emperor Taizu of Song wore the yellow robe."

  At this time a small official from the post station ran over and asked: "Gentlemen, is it public or private business?"

  "It's personal." Jiang Zhenzi said, tossing a few silver coins over.

  The little official took the silver, weighed it, and was very satisfied. He said: "The horse troughs and fodder are on the east side, there is a tavern behind the Taizu Temple where you can drink and eat, gentlemen please help yourselves." After finishing speaking, he turned around and left.

  The horse had just come out and didn't need to drink water or eat grass yet, so the crowd tied it to the hitching post. They all entered the temple together.

  This temple was originally the Dongyue Temple of the Five Dynasties period. During the reign of Taizu in the Qian De era, the hall was renamed "Song Taizu Huang Pao Ji Shen Hall". Although the name changed, the deity remained unchanged, and the main deity worshipped is still the Tai Shan god Dong Yue Da Di. The only difference is that the Daoist robe of Dong Yue Da Di has been dyed golden yellow. Inside the temple, the red walls and green tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, coiled dragons and glittering gold and jade, are even more prosperous than during the Five Dynasties period.

  The famous Chen Bridge Inn was just a small place, and it didn't take long to see everything. After leaving the temple, everyone found a small inn to sit down and eat. Yue Fei thought to himself: "Why did this fat guy bring us here?"

  Jiang Zhenzi snickered twice, seeing everyone's gaze on him, the fat on his face twitching a few times, and said in a serious tone: "Actually, the Yellow Robe Incident and the Chen Bridge Mutiny were both overnight events. First came the Yellow Robe Incident, which led to the Chen Bridge Mutiny. Do you all know this historical fact?"

  Yang Zai said, "That year was the anniversary of the founding of the dynasty. The Khitan invaded the border, and Emperor Taizu led the imperial army to meet the enemy. After leaving Bianjing, they didn't go far and camped at Chen Bridge Inn that night. After the soldiers fell asleep, some generals came to discuss with Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Sheng, saying that the current emperor was young and the country was unstable. It would be better to take advantage of the situation where the army was outside and the troops were in hand to make Zhao Kuangyin the emperor. Soon, the news spread throughout the camp, and the soldiers got up and rushed to Zhao Kuangyin's residence, waiting until dawn before entering his room together, shouting for him to be the emperor. As soon as he stood up, several generals hastily put a yellow robe on him, then knelt down and shouted 'Long live!' They pushed and pulled him onto a horse, and he led the imperial army back to the capital along the original route. The young emperor of Later Zhou had never seen such a thing and could only abdicate. Thus, Zhao Kuangyin became emperor without shedding a single drop of blood, and the country was named Song, with its capital still in Bianjing."

  Yang Zai Xing's eloquence was already good, and in this setting, he spoke fluently, making people feel as if time had flowed backwards, putting them in the scene of those years. The brothers listened and applauded loudly, Luo Yanqing said: "I didn't expect Old Yang to know this, it's really vividly told."

  Jiang Zhenzi's face wore a knowing expression, and he smiled: "This saying comes from the 'Song Shi. Song Taizu Ji'. But whether the truth is really like this, or if there are any unmentionable secrets inside, have you ever thought about it?"

  All brothers listen, and their spirits were shocked at once.

  "Please, Jiang Pangzi, tell us some secrets quickly." Wang Gui and Niu Gao started clamoring together.

  Jiang Zhenzi put his finger on his lips, "Shh, these words can't be spoken loudly."

  The brothers all quieted down.

  "Brothers, have you ever thought about these questions: the dragon robe worn by the emperor is a symbol of dignity, and the fabric and color used are specially made, ordinary shops cannot and dare not make dragon robes. If it was not pre-ordered, where would they get the yellow robe from when the army set out? Firstly; Secondly, this place is far from Kaifeng, and the army doesn't need to march for two hours, why did they stop here shortly after leaving Kaifeng? Thirdly: Taizu Emperor's military discipline was very strict, and his prestige was high, if he didn't want to, would his soldiers dare to force him? A generation of founding emperors, a strong Han who had dominated the battlefield, was actually dragged by his soldiers to take the throne, is there such a thing in the world?"

  Yue Fei and his brothers were speechless, their mouths agape, these three questions were asked too absolutely.

  Jiang Zhenzi looked at the expressions of his brothers and was very satisfied. He took a sip of water and continued to say: "The truth is, this yellow robe was made up as a play, and Chen Qiao's military coup was also premeditated. Zhao Kuangyin had long been harboring ulterior motives. The Khitan invasion of the border was a great opportunity for him. He led the imperial army out of Bianjing City and stopped at Chenqiao Station. At this time, the yellow dragon robe for ascending to the throne had already been made, but he couldn't put it on himself and return to the Golden Hall, or he would be accused of usurping the throne. So, in the middle of the night, his brother Guangyi led a group of soldiers to gather outside the military camp, claiming that they wanted to make him emperor. Zhao Kuangyin pretended not to know and made a show of being afraid to disobey the emperor. Guangyi and others 'urged' him again, until Zhao Shan and others rushed into the tent and forced his brother to put on the yellow dragon robe. This Zhao Kuangyin then went along with it and wore it smoothly. In the later "Song Shi", when writing about this period, it was originally written that Zhao Kuangyin launched the Chenqiao military coup and used his powerful army to force the small emperor to step down. However, due to the play of putting on the yellow robe, it was rewritten as Song Taizu following the will of heaven and being forced to ascend to the throne to restore the world."

  As soon as Jiang Zhen's voice fell, the brothers felt like they had just woken up from a dream and suddenly understood. It turned out that history could be read in this way too.

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