I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 148 After Dawn
...

Beautiful women are allowed to display their figures, but talented men are forbidden from composing flowery verses. If it weren't for the platform's ban on literature, I would pick up my pen and unleash a torrent of wild and savage words.

One night of indulgence, I can't say more.

They simply said that the sun rose as usual the next day.

The first rays of sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Yuan Qingcheng's room in their warmth.

The bedroom, which was originally clean and tidy, now looked somewhat messy.

Zhao Yu's dragon robe and Yuan Qingcheng's palace dress were thrown all over the bed and under the bed, with Yuan Qingcheng's skirt conspicuously draped over the edge of the bed.

Zhao Yu was still fast asleep; he was content.

—After nearly a year of dating Yuan Qingcheng, the time for reaping the rewards has finally arrived. For Zhao Yu, this feeling is truly unique.

Many times, Emperor Zhao Yu would sleep with a woman the moment he met her, without any emotional foundation whatsoever.

Even more remarkably, sometimes Zhao Yu didn't even remember what a woman looked like or what her name was before she became pregnant with his child.

This is not an exaggeration.

For example, Lady Zhou in Cai Xuan's palace.

During those days, more than thirty women came to keep Zhao Yu company every day. They all wore very frugal clothes, and the candlelight was always dim and ambiguous, so the visibility was not good.

After this incident, apart from Cai Xuan and a few others who were either unusual in appearance or had special abilities, Zhao Yu could not remember clearly the others, especially after they were dressed.

The Zhou family, however, was not particularly outstanding in any aspect.

Of course, since Zhou was chosen to enter the palace, she must have been quite good. At the very least, she was virtuous, gentle, and obedient.

However, such women were commonplace in Zhao Yu's harem, and they left no trace in his memory.

That's why Zhao Yu didn't remember sleeping with her, let alone knowing her name.

It wasn't until more than twenty days later, when Cai Xuan came to tell Zhao Yu the good news, that Zhao Yu learned that Zhou Shi was also pregnant.

At that time, no matter how Zhao Yu thought about it, he couldn't remember who this Zhou woman was.

Because he had doubts, Zhao Yu specifically summoned the female official who had served him that night and the Imperial Secretary to inquire about what had happened that night, and also reviewed the records from that night.

As a result, the lady-in-waiting and the imperial historian recorded the details of Zhou's night with the emperor in great detail, even including the bloodstains from her first night. Zhao Yu couldn't deny it even if he wanted to.

Later, when Zhao Yu saw Zhou Shi again, he remembered that Zhou Shi had been eager to try something in the crowd that night, but was too shy to go forward. Zhao Yu was anxious about this, so he pulled her out of the crowd...

Such things often happened to Zhao Yu. If he drank some alcohol, he was even more likely to forget who he had slept with.

Of course, the ladies-in-waiting and eunuchs who served the emperor would remember such things perfectly, so nothing would go wrong. If something did happen, they and their families would be finished.

In short, Zhao Yu had no shortage of women and one-night stands.

However, having a proper romance after transmigrating is truly the only one he's had with Yuan Qingcheng.

Now that it's time to reap the rewards, Zhao Yu, like many young men experiencing the pleasures of a woman for the first time, is filled with tenderness, unprecedented satisfaction, and a lack of restraint in his actions.

This was tough on Yuan Qingcheng. Later on, Zhao Yu even picked her up and stood her on the bed, turning her into a little electric motor.

Yuan Qingcheng was terrified. She was afraid that Zhao Yu would lose his grip on her and throw her off.

Ok!

Yuan Qingcheng quickly and instinctively wrapped her two long, slender legs around Zhao Yu's waist...

The two of them played until 9 PM last night before Zhao Yu finally fell into a deep sleep, holding Yuan Qingcheng in his arms.

As Yuan Qingcheng lay beside Zhao Yu, looking at his sharply defined face, she wondered if what she was doing was right. After all, Zhao Yu had so many women, and her four best friends were also his women, and they had all given birth to his children. If she were to give in to Zhao Yu as well, wouldn't all five of them have been transported to this world for Zhao Yu's sake?

But then Yuan Qingcheng thought again that from the moment they transmigrated into palace maids, it was already destined that they would become the women of the same man, and that man, even if it wasn't Zhao Yu, would be Zhao Ji.

In comparison, Zhao Yu, whom they themselves chose, was naturally more to their liking.

In fact, at least up to now, Zhao Yu's actions, well... apart from being too philandering, have been very much in line with their wishes, and they have indeed realized their respective values ​​through Zhao Yu.

What's even more remarkable is that Zhao Yu, despite being the emperor and having the power to directly possess her, willingly spent almost a year in a relationship with her capricious nature.

Putting aside everything else, just for this reason alone, she had no reason to hesitate any longer.

So be it.

Lying beside Zhao Yu like this, I feel exceptionally at ease.

Thinking this, Yuan Qingcheng couldn't help but move closer to Zhao Yu.

But Yuan Qingcheng wasn't satisfied. She took the initiative to hug Zhao Yu's waist and wrap her legs around his thighs.

Yuan Qingcheng had a wonderful sleep, seemingly the best sleep she had ever had in both her lives.

At dawn, Zhao Yu and Yuan Qingcheng opened their eyes at the same time.

Yuan Qingcheng never expected that her and Zhao Yu's biological clocks would be so compatible.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, and Zhao Yu flipped over, pinning Yuan Qingcheng down once more...

……

Two days later, Li Lin gave birth to Zhao Yu's thirteenth son, whom Zhao Yu named "Zhao Qing".

Five days later, Zhang Chun gave birth to Zhao Yu's fourteenth son. At Zhang Chun's suggestion, Zhao Yu named the son "Zhao Tang".

The birth of these two sons seemed to have brought good fortune to Zhao Yu.

—At the same time, news of a great victory came from the front lines.

Prior to this, Zhao Yu, citing the Western Xia's abandonment of the proper relations with its subjects, ordered the establishment of the Shaanxi and Western Xia Pacification Commission, appointing Zhang Jie as Pacification Commissioner and Lü Huiqing as Military Governor, in order to seize the opportunity to recover Western Xia.

The Western Xia quickly learned of this.

Li Qianshun and his ministers were unwilling to surrender, so the Western Xia decided to strike first and capture the Longyou Protectorate, which could provide the Zhao Song Dynasty with a steady stream of money, grain and soldiers.

Soon, while Song general Zhang Jie's army was returning from Gaizhu City to Zhuolongkou, they were suddenly ambushed by 30,000 Xia troops. In the ensuing melee, two generals of the Zhao Song Dynasty, Ma Yongzong and Zou Sheng, were killed in action. Fortunately, Zhang Jie fought bravely and, with the help of his central army, launched a desperate counterattack, managing to repel the enemy.

This incident sparked fierce clashes between the Song and Xia armies on the western front.

Under the command of Lü Huiqing, Wang Hou, and others, the Song army did its best to negotiate with the Xia army. As a result, even though the Western Xia mobilized more than 100,000 troops, it still could not gain any advantage in the Longyou Protectorate.

Meanwhile, the Song and Xia armies were fiercely fighting on the western front, but unexpectedly, someone on the eastern front gained an advantage.

This man was none other than Tao Jiefu, the prefect of Yan'an who was stationed along the Fuyan Road.

While the Xia army was defending Jingyuan Road, which was personally guarded by Zhang Jie, and was also sending a large army to fight against the Longyou Protectorate, Tao Jiefu launched a surprise attack and successively occupied three strongholds in the Hengshan area: Shibao Village, Yumou Mountain City, and Luowu City. At the same time, he built well-fortified fortresses in all three locations.

This stone fortress was originally Longzhou City, an important border town of the Western Xia, which stored a large amount of grain and fodder. Its location was also closer to Youzhou, the place where the Tangut Li clan originated. It was extremely important in terms of both strategic value and political significance. Now that it has suddenly been occupied by the Song army, the Western Xia people exclaimed: "The Han army is taking our golden nest!"

The Western Xia immediately dispatched a large army from Tiandu Mountain to seize Shibao Village.

However, Tao Jiefu had made thorough preparations beforehand, not only building extremely strong fortifications but also sending generals Liu An and Du Dazhong to counterattack, successfully repelling the Xia army.

Zhang Jie seized the opportunity presented by the Western Xia's troop deployment along the Fuyan Road, sending his general Zhe Keshi deep into the Lingzhouchuan area of ​​Western Xia to inflict a major defeat on the Xia army, beheading more than 500 enemy leaders and seizing more than 70,000 cattle and sheep, reaping a great harvest.

In this battle, the Song army once advanced to the city of Lingzhou.

According to Zhang Jie's plan, he wanted to take advantage of the fact that the main force of Western Xia was dispersed to Longyou Protectorate and Fuyan Road, and join forces with the troops of Huanqing Road to take advantage of the situation and capture Lingzhou City, an important town of Western Xia.

Unexpectedly, Zhe Keshi's Jingyuan Army defeated the Western Xia garrison, but the troops on Huanqing Road betrayed Zhe Keshi, leaving the Jingyuan Army isolated and deep in enemy territory.

Left with no other option, Zhe Keshi had to withdraw his troops and return.

During the retreat, Zhe Keshi personally stayed behind to cover the rear, and as expected, they encountered pursuit from the Xia army.

After a fierce battle, the Song army won another great victory. Although they only got five hundred heads, they captured and killed thousands of people, a third of whom were minor leaders of the Xia army.

The thousand-mile-long fortified battle line, built from the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song to the reign of Zhao Yu, played a crucial role. As a result, even though the Xia army could mobilize the entire population to fight and invade year after year, it was still overwhelmed by the Song army's alternating attacks from the east and west.

After this battle, Zhao Yu summoned Zhe Keshi to the capital to attend the imperial court.

Zhao Yu asked Zhe Keshi, "Now that you have arrived at the walls of Lingzhou, why do you not seize Lingzhou in one fell swoop?"

Zhe Keshi replied: "It is easy to gain but difficult to maintain. We should first weaken the others, and only after our defenses are secure can we proceed."

Zhe Keshi meant that with the troops he commanded at the time, even if he captured Lingzhou, he certainly couldn't hold it. Only by first eliminating the defensive strongholds around Lingzhou and then strengthening our own forces could we safely capture Lingzhou.

After listening, Zhao Yu felt that Zhe Keshi had performed exceptionally well and remained remarkably composed. He truly deserved to be one of the top generals of the Song Dynasty. If, in history, Zhao Ji had appointed Zhe Keshi as the commander-in-chief instead of Liu Yanqing when he recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the outcome would certainly have been different.

Zhao Yu promoted Zhe Keshi to the position of military governor and bestowed upon him his own prized horse, encouraging him to continue his efforts. He also said that if Zhe Keshi made another great contribution, he would promote him to the position of military governor.

Zhe Keshi was deeply moved and vowed to repay the Emperor's kindness!
Back then, in the Battle of Pingxia City, considering the contributions made by Guo Cheng and Zhe Keshi, it was really hard to say who had made greater contributions.

Later, when Zhang Jie was about to report the merits of the two men, he asked them who should be credited with the greatest merit.
The fact that both recommended each other demonstrates their gentlemanly conduct.

Afterwards, Zhao Yu ascended the throne and became emperor. Because of Guo Ting, Guo Cheng rose to prominence and became Grand Commandant Guo. He left the front line and helped Zhao Yu take charge of the imperial guards.

Zhao Yu asked Guo Cheng, "Which of the frontline generals can be given important positions?"

Guo Cheng recommended many capable generals to Zhao Yu, such as Wang Hou, Wang Shan, Gao Yongnian, Zhong Pu, and Liu Fa.

However, Guo Cheng changed his tone and said that the one with the best commanding presence was Zhe Keshi. If the Zhao Song Dynasty were to destroy the Western Xia, Zhe Keshi could be appointed as the frontline commander.

Zhang Chun also gave Zhe Keshi a very high evaluation, believing that the two most suitable military commanders in the world at that time were Zhe Keshi and Wang Hou.

Zhang Chun gave Zhao Yu a thorough analysis of the generals at the front, explaining their experiences, abilities, and potential.

Zhao Yu then had a sudden realization.

During this period, the Zhao Song Dynasty was brimming with brilliant generals, with military officials willing to die for their cause, and civil officials on the front lines also harboring great ambitions. It was the perfect time to realize its grand ambitions.

Historically, Emperor Huizong of Song, for various reasons, outlived all the capable generals of his time. He also fostered a large number of corrupt officials who ruined the foundation of the Song Dynasty. After the depletion and further decay caused by the Fang La Rebellion, the dynasty became so unreliable during the recovery of Yan and Yun and the early stages of the resistance against the Jin Dynasty.

Zhao Yu must learn from history and not allow the Western Xia to prolong this war.

Zhao Yu decided to eliminate the Western Xia as soon as possible, then allow the dynasty to recuperate and thoroughly resolve its internal problems, making ample preparations for the conquest of the Liao and Jin dynasties.

Based on this, Zhao Yu issued an edict to Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu, instructing them to accelerate the construction of the Four Auxiliary Army.

At the same time, Zhao Yu also instructed Li Lin to accelerate the construction of the Shenji Vanguard Army, Shenji Central Army, and Shenji Rear Army, as well as to restore the combat strength of the Shenji Left Army and Shenji Right Army as soon as possible.

Therefore, Emperor Zhao Yu issued a special decree to expand and improve the arsenal and gunpowder production.

—Following the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket, Zhao Yu gave instructions to Zeng Bu to divide the two workshops into four groups: one for ignition and one for gunpowder. These groups were to be moved to four safe and secluded corners of Bianliang City, where fortifications were built, protective measures were implemented, and the workshops were to be managed under military discipline, with outsiders not allowed to approach.

In addition, the four gunpowder and pyrotechnic workshops will conduct monthly evaluations of the quantity and quality of weapons and equipment produced. The first place will receive an extra 30% of the wages for that month, the middle two will receive no reward or penalty, and the last place will only receive 70% of the wages for that month.

Under this management, gunpowder weapons were being equipped to the Divine Machine Army at a relatively rapid pace.

By the way, in addition to the Tiger Crouching Cannon and the Thunderclap Bomb, the Divine Machine Army is also equipping itself with a third type of firearm—the explosive charge.

The main reason Li Lin created the explosive pack was to prepare for a possible siege battle in the upcoming campaign to destroy Xia.

While city walls of this era were typically constructed of brick and stone, possessing a certain degree of sturdiness, the detonation of explosive charges could still generate powerful impacts, high temperatures, and high pressures. If the explosive charge contained sufficient explosives and was placed appropriately, such as in critical areas of the wall like corners or near gates, the energy released could severely damage the wall's structure, causing cracks and collapse. Ancient city walls, especially those in poor condition, were particularly vulnerable to the effects of explosive charges.

However, completely destroying a long and high section of ancient city wall would likely require multiple explosive charges or a large-scale demolition operation.

That depends on the general's performance on the spot.

In short, the Shenji Army, equipped with explosive charges, will definitely be a nightmare for the Western Xia defenders.

At the same time, Zhao Yu issued an edict to strip Zeng Xiaoxu, the Pacification Commissioner of Huanqing Road, of all his responsibilities for not reinforcing Zhe Keshi, and exile him to Fengzhou, never to be employed again.

Zhao Yu then transferred Zhong Chuan, who was very radical and capable, to Huanqing Road to serve as the Pacification Commissioner.

Zhao Yu demonstrated through his actions that he was determined to recover Western Xia and that anyone who made a mistake would be held accountable and punished severely.

The war between Song and Xia was raging...

……

(End of this chapter)