I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 137 I will take care of your wife and daughters; you need not worry.

...

When Zhao Yu changed the era name to "Hongwu," he actually faced opposition and advice from many old-fashioned ministers. They were genuinely worried that Zhao Yu would engage in excessive military campaigns.

However, Zhao Yu ignored all advice and insisted on using the reign title that symbolized his intention to launch a war against foreign powers.

Zhao Yu insisted on this because he knew very well that throughout history, there have only been five ways to solve financial problems:

First, a breakthrough in productivity, such as the Industrial Revolution;

Second, there was a large-scale influx of external fiscal revenue, such as the various loans that the Qing government borrowed from foreign powers during the late Qing period.

Third, waging war and plundering foreign countries, such as in World War I and World War II;
Fourth, reforms that drain the blood of vested interest groups in China, such as the various reforms in Chinese history, like the Shang Yang Reforms, the Wang Anshi Reforms, the Single Whip Law, and the Equalization of Land Tax and Labor Service, as well as Roosevelt's New Deal abroad.

Fifth, further exploitation of the people, such as by increasing taxes, inflation, and converting rice paddies to mulberry fields.

Of these five points, which one describes a wise ruler and virtuous ministers who wished they could sell the palace and have everyone from top to bottom live frugally?
Even if Zhao Yu were willing to live such a life, not everyone who followed him would be willing to live such a life, since not everyone is a morally upright person.

Therefore, the old party's ignorant and foolish ideas are simply not going to work.

Zhao Yu's choice was to take all five paths.

However, the pace and extent of progress differ.

Zhao Yu had already begun taking the first path.

In fact, Ma Xiaojiao and her team had already begun research and development on steam engines, electromagnetic systems, and coke ironmaking methods.

However, progress in these areas is still very limited and far from being enough to trigger the Industrial Revolution.

The second path is the only one Zhao Yu hasn't tried yet. But Zhang Chun has already devised a plan for Zhao Yu: attack Japan, a country weak in military strategy but rich in gold, silver, and copper, and plunder vast amounts of wealth from there to save the Song Dynasty.

The problem now is that while Japan is easy to conquer, the development of ships and navigation technology in the Song Dynasty is still somewhat lacking. If they were to encounter a so-called "divine wind," they might end up like the Mongols in their historical invasion of Japan, failing in the process. If they had steamships and more advanced navigation technology, they would be much safer.

Furthermore, Zhao Yu currently lacks the prestige to launch a cross-sea attack on Japan.

If Zhao Yu rashly launches a war against Japan, it would be fine if he wins, but if he loses, it would be a real problem.

Therefore, there is no rush. It is not too late to take action against Japan after Zhao Yu has destroyed the Western Xia and accumulated enough prestige.

As for the third, fourth, and fifth paths, whether they were taken voluntarily or involuntarily, Zhao Yu has already embarked on them.

Moreover, all three paths are progressing relatively smoothly so far...

……

Li Lin's residence.

Zhang Chun, Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, and Ma Xiaojiao, four pregnant women, sat around the table, waiting for Yuan Qingcheng to prepare a feast for them.

Upon arriving, Ye Shiyun asked Yuan Qingcheng, "What cuisine are we having today?"

Yuan Qingcheng replied, "Northeastern cuisine."

Ye Shiyun was taken aback: "No, what's so good about Northeastern cuisine? There's no Northeastern cuisine among the eight major cuisines of China."

Before Yuan Qingcheng could answer, Zhang Chun rolled her eyes:
"Please! If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

"The reason why Northeastern cuisine is not among the eight major cuisines is because in the previous life, the more famous Northeastern dishes were made from ingredients that were either skilled in martial arts or magic, or were protected by law. So we didn't have the opportunity to eat authentic Northeastern cuisine."

"Now that we have the opportunity, of course we have to try these dishes and see why they deserve to be included in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast."

After listening, Ye Shiyun said, "No need to say anything, you must have asked Zhao Yu to get these ingredients for you and asked Qingcheng to cook this authentic Northeastern dish for you?"

“Why would I do something so foolish as to ruin my reputation? These ingredients were presented to Zhao Yu by the Liao envoy, who claimed that they were all killed by their new emperor, Yelü Yanxi. On the surface, it was Yelü Yanxi inviting Zhao Yu to eat some authentic wild game, but in reality, it was Yelü Yanxi demonstrating his military power to Zhao Yu,” Zhang Chun said.

Ma Xiaojiao was a little confused: "Can this be considered a demonstration of force?"

“The Khitan people are a nomadic people who are skilled in horseback archery. Yelü Yanxi’s ability to shoot down these Siberian tigers, black bears and other ferocious beasts certainly demonstrates his personal martial prowess. However, the problem is that the emperor does not personally go to the battlefield to shoot the enemy. Even if he has high personal martial prowess, it is only icing on the cake and has little practical significance,” Zhang Chun said.

"Don't the Liao people understand this principle?" Ma Xiaojiao asked, puzzled.

“Perhaps they really don’t understand. Historically, Song Dynasty envoys sent to the Liao Dynasty who were skilled in archery were indeed highly regarded by the Liao people and treated as honored guests. The same was true for the Jin people. This may be a common trait among nomadic peoples. Therefore, Yelü Yanxi used this method to demonstrate his military strength, which also fits Yelü Yanxi’s persona,” Zhang Chun said.

"What was this last emperor of the Liao Dynasty really like?" Li Lin asked.

"In terms of debauchery, he completely inherited his grandfather Yelü Hongji, and even surpassed him. He was also addicted to a particular hobby that he is now proud of: hunting. The most frequent word about Yelü Yanxi in the 'Annals of Emperor Tianzuo of Liao' is 'hunting.' He hunted in Jinshan, hunted in Jiashan, hunted in this prefecture, hunted in that prefecture. He did nothing but hunt all year round. He was a super wild animal killer," Zhang Chun said.

“This is comparable to Emperor Huizong of Tang in history; one was a civil official, the other a military leader—both were great tyrants,” Ma Xiaojiao said.

Zhang Chun wanted to say, "The historical Emperor Huizong of Song was not so simple; he was far more than a complete tyrant like Yelü Yanxi." But the original historical outcome was that Emperor Huizong was the one who single-handedly brought about the Jingkang Incident.

On this point, neither Cai Jing, nor Tong Guan, nor anyone else, including Zhao Huan, who was a hundred times more foolish than Zhao Ji and personally destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty, could help Zhao Ji take the blame.

Furthermore, the possibility of Zhao Ji becoming emperor is now an impossible hypothetical scenario. The stage already belongs to Zhao Yu and his people, so there's no point in discussing this further.

Therefore, Zhang Chun did not speak up for Zhao Ji, letting people like Ma Xiaojiao who did not understand history look down on Zhao Ji.

"Yelü Yanxi was not only incompetent and immoral, but also heavily relied on treacherous officials."

"For example, a man named Xiao Hudu would tell Yelü Yanxi about the benefits of hunting, such as strengthening the body, training the army, and cultivating willpower. He was very enthusiastic. His main point was that he would tell Yelü Yanxi whatever he wanted to hear. Yelü Yanxi was very pleased and took Xiao Hudu with him everywhere. He considered Xiao Hudu to be a loyal minister, and he liked to use such loyal ministers. This led to treacherous ministers in power within the Liao state, creating a chaotic and corrupt atmosphere and weakening the country."

"Internal troubles are only one of the problems facing the Liao Kingdom; the Liao Kingdom also faces more deadly external threats."

"This external threat is not only our Great Song Dynasty, but also the Jurchens who have risen up in the Northeast, between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River."

"Actually, this matter is also related to Yelü Yanxi's fondness for hunting."

“The Jurchens lived in a place where a kind of raptor called the gyrfalcon was produced. The gyrfalcon was the favorite pet of hunters, so it was a very good tribute to the Liao Dynasty. The Jurchens had to give gyrfalcons to the Liao nobles.”

"Just think about it, Yelü Yanxi loves hunting so much, how obsessed must he be with gyrfalcons?"

"In fact, after Yelü Yanxi ascended the throne, he repeatedly sent envoys to the Jurchens' homeland to demand gyrfalcons."

"These envoys, wearing silver badges at their waists, were known as silver badge angels. They went to the places where the Jurchens lived to buy low and sell high, even resorting to forced buying and selling and outright robbery. Not only that, wherever they went, they would also demand that the Jurchens provide women to accompany them for the night."

"At first, the Jurchens sent girls from lower-class families to sleep with them, but these girls might not be attractive or have the manners to please the silver-ranked angels, so they asked girls from noble families or even married women to sleep with them."

"This was considered a great disgrace by the Jurchens."

"Historical records state that the Jurchens were brave and skilled in battle, able to ride horses up and down cliffs as if flying, and cross rivers without boats, but floating on their horses; during the Jingkang Incident, Li Ye, a court official, described the Jurchens as people like dragons, horses like tigers, climbing city walls like monkeys, and entering the water like otters."

"Such a brave and fierce nation cannot be insulted forever."

"Therefore, over the years, the Jurchens have been secretly accumulating strength, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the Liao Kingdom."

At this point, Zhang Chun concluded, "The Liao Dynasty was basically over by the time of Yelü Yanxi. The only difference was who would destroy it."

After listening, Li Lin clicked her tongue in amazement: "Faced with such a Liao Kingdom, Zhao Ji not only failed to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun from Liao, but also managed to cause the Jingkang Incident. There's really no one else like him!"

Zhang Chun also sighed with emotion: "In history, Emperor Huizong of Tang actually had a winning hand, but he squandered it. If he had been like Zhao Yu is now, reforming while destroying the Western Xia, determined to recover the Western Xia in three to five years, instead of indulging in extravagance and squandering the money earned from Cai Jing's reforms, he would not have suffered such a complete defeat."

After a pause, Zhang Chun continued, "After recovering the Western Xia, we will recuperate for a few years. When the Jurchens rise to power, we will then attack them from the north and south. We will surely be able to achieve unification. Then we will blockade the Great Wall, wage an economic war on one hand, and drive away the wolves and tigers on the other. Finally, we will send a strong army out of the grasslands. We will definitely be able to unify the two plains and become an emperor for all time."

"Looking at it this way, as long as Zhao Yu doesn't go down the wrong path, he can at the very least become the emperor of a unified empire," Ye Shiyun said.

Unexpectedly, Li Lin still felt it wasn't enough. She said, "Since we have such good conditions, why not learn from Genghis Khan and conquer Asia, Africa, and Europe, or even the whole world? By the way, we can have Zhao Yu vigorously develop shipbuilding and navigation technologies, send people to the Western Ocean, and then send people to find the New World. There's no reason to hand over these great achievements that can change the course of human history to the West."

Even Ma Xiaojiao chimed in, "The shipbuilding level of the Northern Song Dynasty was not much worse than that of the Ming Dynasty. They should also be able to build treasure ships. With treasure ships, it would be enough to sail to the Western Ocean. Moreover, I am also developing a steam engine. If I succeed in developing it, I can convert the treasure ships into steamships and discover new continents without any problem."

Li Lin said, "I can draw a world map for those adventurers. Although it won't be perfectly accurate, it should help them avoid many detours when searching for new continents..."

Over there, Yuan Qingcheng, who was preparing the authentic "Three Treasures of the Earth" (a local dish), shook her head inwardly. "You haven't even learned to walk yet, and you're already thinking of running away? How could Western Xia be so easily defeated? Historically, the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed over a hundred years ago, yet Western Xia still existed—that's the best proof. Besides, didn't you yourselves say that Li Qianshun was second only to Wanyan Aguda? How could Zhao Yu defeat him so easily? And if Zhao Yu can't defeat him and recover Western Xia, which of your fantasies will ever come true?"

The four women chatted about the future for a while, and Ma Xiaojiao said, "I heard that Zhao Yu cheated on Princess Guici and Princess Xixia last night? Doesn't Zhao Yu care that they were second-hand? Besides, Princess Guici is over thirty years old, how could Zhao Yu do that?"

"What do you mean secondhand? These are spoils of war, a living record of a politician's achievements! The greatest pleasure in life is to defeat the enemy, drive them out, seize all their possessions, and take their wives and daughters. Didn't Qin Shi Huang, Liu Che, and Li Shimin all do this? Even Zhao Kuangyin took Lady Huarui as a concubine. Even Zhao Guangyi, the legendary sorghum cart driver, forced himself on Xiao Zhouhou."

"This is one of the driving forces behind a man's ambition. If an emperor does not have such a desire, he will most likely not have the ambition to expand outwards, but will instead live a life of mere survival, just getting by."

"Would you be willing to settle down with such a weak man?"

"As for Princess Guici being old?"

"Have you ever thought that if we hadn't time-traveled, we wouldn't be that much younger than Princess Guici, would we?"

"By the way, Sister Lin, before you transmigrated, you were about the same age as Princess Guici, right?"

Upon hearing Zhang Chun's question, Li Lin replied, "Yes, we are the same age."

“Look, aren’t we also an old cow eating young grass? Besides, I’ve seen Princess Guici. She’s very well-maintained, almost like a woman in her early twenties. She’s a bit like Monica Bellucci. Not to mention Zhao Yu, I’m quite attracted to this woman myself,” Zhang Chun said.

Upon hearing this, Ye Shiyun said, "Chunchun, have you noticed that you're increasingly considering things from Zhao Yu's perspective, and you're becoming more and more perverted?"

Zhang Chun said, "It's alright... However, I really hope to switch bodies with Zhao Yu. If I can really get my wish, I will make you all, including Qingcheng, each give me at least ten children. I will definitely conquer the world and say to my enemies, 'I will take care of your wives and daughters, so don't worry.' I will also collect all the best women in the world and have them bear my offspring. I want to create the largest and greatest family in history, surpassing the Golden Family, so that my excellent genes can spread infinitely and live forever..."

……

(End of this chapter)