The Dragon Returns to Lin'an: Song Taizu's Return

During the Jingkang Incident, the Central Plains fell. On the imperial throne in Lin'an, Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, suddenly opened his eyes, but the soul within him belonged to Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of Song, who had seized power in the Chenqiao Mutiny and established the dynasty. This was his second transmigration. The first time, he had possessed a body during the Jingkang era and tried to turn the tide, only to fail because the new ruler's foundations were too weak, powerful ministers hampered him, and the Jin cavalry was unstoppable. He had watched helplessly as the two emperors were taken north and the imperial clan was disgraced, leaving behind the panicked, ghostly image of Prince Kang fleeing on a clay horse. In the third year of Jianyan, the aftermath of the Miao and Liu Mutiny had yet to settle, Jin Wuzhu's army was bearing down, and the southern half of the empire was on the verge of collapse. Carrying the searing memories of his previous failure and a founding emperor's iron resolve and far-reaching vision, Zhao Kuangyin took charge of this "broken mess" once more. He dismissed treacherous ministers such as Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan, and overruled opposition to appoint Li Gang and Yue Fei. He gathered military power under the Imperial Camp Command, improved weapons such as the Shenbi Bow and warships, and checked the Jin army's advance at Huangtiandang. He made Lin'an the capital but refused to settle for the south, using Jiangnan's wealth to rebuild the army and strengthen the realm, while stabilizing people's livelihoods through farmland programs and the issuance of huizi notes. From securing the Huai River region to launching a northern campaign into the Central Plains, he tore away the pretense of the Shaoxing peace treaty and personally led a great army to recapture Kaifeng, finally avenging the shame of Jingkang in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. He marched west through the Hexi Corridor and forced Western Xia to surrender, expanding Song territory to its greatest extent. At court, he balanced civil officials against military commanders, upheld the founding emperor's oath stele while cracking down on corruption. Among the people, he won hearts with the help of canal guilds and rebel armies. Two transmigrations, one lifetime as sovereign: watch as the founding emperor of Song, once a hidden dragon in Lin'an, uses an iron fist to restore the realm and bring the name "Great Song" back to the glory of Han and Tang.