Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 736 Returning to the Capital
The fleet that followed Fan Ning to the north was a merchant fleet, consisting of [-] large ships. The owner of the merchant ship was Zhu Qiang, nicknamed Zhu Laoba, Zhu Qi's younger brother, who ranked eighth in Zhu's family, and followed Ming Li. Having been in trade for many years, he has been able to take care of himself alone, and there are also several chambers of commerce.

The ship contained [-] shi of grain and [-] catties of cupronickel ingots. The grain was sold to the Three Buddhas and Qi Kingdom, and then exchanged for spices and shipped to the Song Dynasty. Then shipped to Da Song.

The goods are handed over to Beidao’s commercial firm in Quanzhou, which distributes them, and the fleet then transports back to Beidao’s needed tea, porcelain, silk, and other goods, as well as recruited new immigrants. When they return, they will have to buy them in Luzon A batch of sugar, kapok and rubber finally returned to North Island.

Fan Ning just went north with them and parted ways in the old port. Fan Ning's [-] stone ship went to Luzon alone. He also had some goods on board, mainly [-] pieces of high-quality sandalwood from Nuame Island, but this batch of sandalwood It is a tribute to the emperor and the queen mother. Whether it can be exchanged for the title of Chu depends on the bridge function played by this batch of sandalwood.

Fan Ning met Yu Zhuowen, the envoy who was waiting for him in the Luzon Mansion. Yu Zhuowen was not an eunuch, but a censor. Another duty he took on was to explain the cause and effect of the defeat to Fan Ning.

The content of the imperial decree is not much different from the previous ones, but in the end, Fan Ning was appointed as the appeasement envoy of Hebei. This was Fan Ning's original position. I know, Zhao Xu wants him to fight Liao again.

The [-] stone ship immediately set sail to the north. In the spacious cabin, Fan Ning listened carefully to Yu Zhuowen's detailed account of the battle in Liaoyang Prefecture while drinking tea.

Only then did he understand why Zhao Xu hurriedly urged him to go to Beijing. Cao Shi and his remnant army were still trapped in Dading Mansion and could not return to Youzhou.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Is there any news about Yelu Yixin?"

Yu Zhuowen shook his head, "There is no more news."

"How many iron fire thunders are there in Jinzhou?" Fan Ning asked again.

Yu Zhuowen hurriedly said: "When Jinzhou fell, there was a big explosion. It is said that Li Song detonated all the iron fire mines when he retreated. He is now in Dading Mansion, with General Cao Shang. Fortunately, , The ships transporting firearms were in the back, and when the fire broke out in front, they turned around and retreated to the Bohai Sea. The burned ships were mainly responsible for transporting food, fodder and siege equipment, and did not carry firearms and armor.”

This news made Fan Ning slightly relieved. Although the Song army suffered more than [-] casualties, Tie Huolei was not lost. This is a blessing in misfortune.

"The imperial court should commend General Li Song for saving the entire situation in Song and Liao."

Yu Zhuowen asked cautiously again: "Excuse me, Grand Master, can the current crisis be salvaged?"

Fan Ning smiled slightly, "I don't think it's a crisis, it's just a psychological problem. It's like when a person is about to die, there will be a time when the light comes back. This is the situation in the Liao Kingdom. If they beat the Song Dynasty once, can they save their lives?" Is it the luck of the country?"

Fan Ning's strong self-confidence immediately made Yu Zhuowen extremely admired. Fan Taishi is Da Song's Zhenhai magic needle. With him, Da Song can overcome any difficulties. "

Ten days later, Fan Ning entered the capital in a carriage. It is now the middle of January of the second year of Xining, the Shangyuan Festival has just passed, and the festive atmosphere is still there. Businessmen with their heads bowed and walking quickly, all of them are strolling.

The weather is still cold, the snow on the streets has not melted, and almost half of the shops are closed, as if they have not woken up from the festival.

Of course there is no war now, the north is still a world of ice and snow, and the spring in the north will not really come until two months later.

The carriage stopped slowly outside the gate of the imperial city, and Fan Ning got off the carriage. It happened to be the time for the next court, and officials came out of the imperial city one after another. Suddenly, someone found Fan Ning and shouted excitedly, " Master Fan is back!"

The officials all saw Fan Ning and hurried forward to salute.

"When did Master Fan come back?"

"Grand Master Fan is back, Youzhou is saved!

"Grand Master Fan came back when he was in a critical situation, it's the great Song Dynasty's luck!"

Looking at the pair of expectant and excited eyes, Fan Ning was also quite moved in his heart. He clasped his fists and said to everyone: "Thank you for your trust, the official is still waiting, I have to hurry to see the official, and I will talk to you later when I have a chance. talk!"

He bowed to everyone, then followed Yu Zhuowen and hurried towards Ziwei Hall.

The officials in front of the gate of the imperial city gathered together to discuss, and more and more officials came to court. Soon, the news of Fan Ning's return spread among the officials.

In front of the imperial study, Fan Ning waited for a while, only to see the Emperor Zhao Xu come out in person, "Master Fan, I have been waiting for a month!"

Fan Ning hastily stepped forward to salute, "After receiving His Majesty's order, I set out immediately. I just entered the city, so Your Majesty has been waiting for a long time."

"Hey! Come in, let's talk in detail."

The two entered the Imperial Study Room. Zhao Xu asked Fan Ning to sit down and served tea. Fan Ning asked with concern, "How is the situation in Daning Mansion?"

When Zhao Xu saw Fan Ning opened his mouth and asked about the situation of Daning Mansion, he felt a little relieved. Zhao Xu was afraid that Fan Ning would put on airs and find excuses to shirk, so he had no choice.

"There is still a lot of food in Daning City, and there is no problem with the army's support for several months. The key is that there are tens of thousands of cavalry outside the city, making it impossible for them to withdraw to Youzhou."

Fan Ning smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, why did the Song Army withdraw to Youzhou?"

Zhao Xu was taken aback, "What does the grand master mean by this?"

"Your Majesty, it's a good thing that Cao Shi captured Dading Mansion and saved us from attacking Zhongjing in the future! Why worry?"

Zhao Xu's mind is a little messed up. The same thing, said by different people, has completely different meanings. Everyone is very anxious because the Song Army is alone and cannot withdraw, but Fan Ning thinks that the Song Army has captured Dading government.

"Grand Master, it is of course a good thing if the passage between Youzhou and Dading Mansion can be opened, but the problem now is that once Dading Mansion is captured by the Liao Army, the Song Army is likely to be completely wiped out, and we can't do it." support."

"Your Majesty is worrying too much. In fact, it is just a city of Jinzhou. As long as we regain Jinzhou, all problems will be solved, right?"

Zhao Xu nodded slowly, "The grand master is right, it is Jinzhou, and our army seems to be restrained by the enemy with kerosene."

Fan Ning shook his head, "Your Majesty, the problem with the water army is not that it was restrained by kerosene. Why was it not restrained before? Could it be that the Liao army did not have kerosene in the past? The problem lies in the tactical arrangement. I told Your Majesty that the water army cannot As the main force, it is only an auxiliary. The so-called auxiliary means that it must follow the main force on the shore and cannot act alone. Once the enemy is about to attack with fire, it should be the army on the shore to solve this problem. After the threat is eliminated, the navy can continue to move north. "

Zhao Xu was happy and ashamed at the same time. The joy was that Fan Ning had brought him great confidence, but the shame was that he did not follow Fan Ning's advice.

"Would the Grand Master lead the Northern Expedition to the Liao Kingdom again?" Zhao Xu finally put forward his idea. At this time, he could only rely on Fan Ning.

Fan Ning said with a slight smile: "Your Majesty has an order, and Chen An dares not to obey, but I also have some difficulties. I implore Your Majesty to support."

"What's the problem with the grand master?"

"Your Majesty, this time I went to the North Island. I deeply feel that the population of the North Island is too small and the development is slow and difficult. I implore Your Majesty to properly immigrate to the North Island. I will remember Your Majesty's kindness and protect the southern seas for the Song Dynasty forever."

Zhao Xu said happily: "I promised you to relocate [-] households to Beidao, and now I will order the Ministry of Households to arrange to relocate [-] households to Beidao within ten years."

Fan Ning stood up and saluted, "Thank you for your kindness, I am willing to do my best to share your worries!"

Zhao Xu immediately decreed that Fan Ning was once again appointed Marshal of Zhengbei University, commanding 50 troops, and fully responsible for the crusade against the Liao Kingdom.

Zhao Xu then issued a decree to the Ministry of Household Affairs to draw up a plan, and within ten years, [-] households from the Great Song Dynasty would be relocated to Beidao to settle down.

The next day, the headlines on the front pages of the major newspapers all published a heavy news: Fan Ning returned, and he was appointed Marshal of Peking University.

For a time, the entire capital city was boiling.

(End of this chapter)