I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 168 The imperial commander’s personal expedition
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Although the earthquake caused considerable casualties and economic losses in many counties in Hedong, the Zhao Song Dynasty as a whole had a relatively smooth year.

In addition, Yuan Qingcheng's "Qingcheng Nongshu" summarized and promoted many advanced agricultural technologies and a series of agricultural tools invented by Ma Xiaojiao to promote agricultural production, which significantly increased grain output.

This year, the Zhao Song Dynasty once again enjoyed a bumper harvest.

Moreover, just a few days ago, Zhao Yu used the pretext of establishing a crown prince to reduce a portion of the poll tax nationwide.

This tax is levied per capita, regardless of wealth; all adult males must pay it.

This is a heavy burden for impoverished families. In an attempt to evade the poll tax, many families have even resorted to not raising their children, which has seriously affected population growth and social stability.

Zhao Yu's reduction of the poll tax benefited impoverished families and the lower classes.

It can be said that Zhao Yu's series of measures allowed the vast majority of people in the Zhao Song Dynasty to breathe a sigh of relief, or at least to prolong their lives.

Unlike the Song Dynasty, which had a bumper harvest this year, the Liao Dynasty experienced a severe famine.

Originally, agriculture gradually flourished during the development of the Liao Dynasty. On the one hand, when the Khitans invaded the interior, they plundered a large number of Han Chinese border residents, who continued the traditional Han Chinese production habits and engaged in agricultural production. On the other hand, the Liao rulers formulated policies to reward farming, encouraged ordinary people to cultivate the land, and ordered soldiers stationed on the border to cultivate the land during breaks between battles and training.

This led to relatively developed agriculture in areas such as Nanjing Road and Xijing Road of the Liao Dynasty (which is the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun that the Zhao Song Dynasty never forgot), where dryland crops such as millet, sorghum, wheat, sorghum, buckwheat, sorghum, and millet were grown, and rice was also grown in the Nanjing area of ​​Liao.

Furthermore, despite the wars between the Song and Liao dynasties, their trade relations remained very close. The Liao dynasty traded horses, cattle, sheep, jade, felt, carpets, licorice, honey, wax, antelope horns, bupleurum, safflower, and other items with the Song dynasty in exchange for grain, silk, gauze, fragrant tea, porcelain, lacquerware, ginger, cinnamon, and other goods, thus acquiring a certain amount of grain resources through trade.

During the reign of Emperor Daozong of Liao, granaries and cellars throughout the Liao Kingdom once held as much as 150,000 hu of millet.

It is evident that the Liao Dynasty had a certain grain reserve system, which could, to some extent, ensure the food supply when famine occurred in the Liao Dynasty.

But after Yelü Yanxi came to power, he didn't care about anything and only cared about his own enjoyment and hunting every day, while the ministers below him were just wasting their time.

Moreover, misfortune never comes singly; a broken boat is met with a headwind. This year's major earthquake in Hedong also affected the Liao Kingdom's Yundi region. This resulted in a significant reduction in Liao's grain production.

Most importantly, because of the Liao Dynasty's actions in threatening the Song Dynasty by aiding the Western Xia, Emperor Zhao Yu issued a strict order to prohibit trade with the Liao Dynasty and dispatched patrol troops to the Liao-Song border to severely crack down on smuggling caravans.

All of this led to a severe famine in the Liao Dynasty.

Seeing that the Song Dynasty clearly had grain but refused to sell it to them, intending to starve them to death, the Liao people couldn't help but recall their ancestors' tradition of harvesting grain from straw.

Now that autumn is here and the horses are fat, it is the perfect opportunity for the Hu people to march south and raid for supplies.

As a result, the Liao people overwhelmingly supported Yelü Yanxi in waging war against Zhao Yu.

Soon, the spies sent by the border officials, the Imperial City Guard, and the Eastern Depot to the Liao Kingdom submitted their reports, stating that the Liao Kingdom's royal generals, including the Nanjing Garrison Commander Yelü Heluwo and General Yelü Dabenu, had led their troops to Liudian in Weizhou to hold a grand military review.

Soon after, spies sent by the border officials, the Imperial City Guard, and the Eastern Depot to the Liao Kingdom reported that the Liao Kingdom had deployed troops and selected generals to garrison in Pingzhou and Yunzhong Prefecture respectively.

Three days later, the spies sent by the border officials, the Imperial City Guard, and the Eastern Depot to the Liao Kingdom reported again that they had discovered that the Liao army was stationed in places such as Weizhou and Feihu County. They were gathering troops and collecting provisions, and the locals all said that the Liao people wanted to invade the border.

At the same time, spies from the border officials, the Imperial City Guard, and the Eastern Depot sent to the Liao Kingdom urgently reported that the Liao army was gathering in large numbers in Yan territory, and Yelü Yanxi claimed that he would personally lead the expedition.

News of the Liao army's intention to invade the border spread quickly.

There was a lot of discussion in Tokyo.

Some audacious or malicious individuals even claimed that the Liao and Song dynasties had not fought a war for a century. They argued that if Zhao Yu had not insisted on recovering Western Xia and cut off trade with the Liao, the Liao would not have broken the Treaty of Chanyuan and invaded the Song dynasty.
In response, Zhao Yu directly used the Imperial City Guard and the Eastern Depot to arrest people, while also having the Propaganda Department guide public opinion correctly.

However, this still could not prevent many wealthy families from making arrangements to leave the capital for refuge, while ordinary people were filled with fear, anxiety, and helplessness.

Faced with this situation, Zhao Yu felt he could not wait any longer, otherwise, the Zhao Song Dynasty might face turmoil.

Therefore, Zhao Yu said to his ministers, "The best course of action today is to prepare our troops, launch a preemptive strike, and take the initiative. Otherwise, we will surely be on the defensive."

Zhang Dun agreed, saying, “Your Majesty’s words are absolutely right. Although the Liao people are eager to make trouble, their country is plagued by famine and their morale is low. This is the perfect opportunity for our Great Song to press our advantage and wipe away our past humiliation. If our dynasty can strike first, we can not only curb the Liao people’s ambitions, but also take this opportunity to restore our national prestige and attract congratulations from all directions.”

Then, Zhang Dun reiterated, "Your subject requests to be the commander."

Zhao Yu shook his head:
"Now is a critical moment in the reconquest of Western Xia. I am not as good as the prime minister in terms of overall planning and coordination. How can I let myself lose my composure at this crucial moment and prevent the soldiers on the front lines from concentrating on the reconquest of Western Xia?"

"Furthermore, if the Liao emperor himself comes and I do not go, how will the soldiers of our Great Song Dynasty maintain their morale to resist the Liao?"

"In the past, the Khitan, with an army of a million, marched straight to Chanyuan. Relying on the divine power of our ancestors and the blessings of our nation, Emperor Zhenzong personally led the expedition. After the imperial carriage crossed the river, our army's morale soared, and the enemy general Talan was shot dead. The Liao army's morale plummeted, and they sent envoys to sue for peace. Hebei was thus recovered, and we enjoyed a century of peace. Today's situation is similar. I should emulate Emperor Zhenzong and personally lead the expedition. This matter should be handled swiftly and cannot be delayed."

"As for the Liao army's desire to fight, if I am not mistaken, their intentions are fivefold: first, to aid Western Xia; second, to reopen the border markets; third, to increase the annual tribute; fourth, to seek rewards for the army; and fifth, to cede territory."

"It is absolutely impossible to persuade our Great Song to stop its efforts to recover Western Xia. Western Xia is on the verge of collapse. How can our Great Song be so merciful as to nurture a tiger that will become a threat? If you wish to reopen the border markets, we can adopt a temporary measure and wait until our Great Song has recovered Western Xia before making further plans. If you wish to increase the annual tribute, we should inform you of the old treaty. If that is not possible, we can increase it appropriately, as long as Liao does not interfere with our Great Song's efforts to recover Western Xia. As for the gifts for the troops, we should provide them according to our means. As for the territory, it is the land of our ancestors, which our descendants should defend to the death. We must not give away even an inch of it."

"My purpose in this northward journey is primarily to delay the enemy, with defeating them as a secondary objective, in order to buy time for the soldiers in the northwest to recover Western Xia."

Seeing that Zhao Yu understood the significance of the imperial expedition and was mentally prepared to compromise, and more importantly, that Zhao Yu understood what the Song Dynasty lacked, Zhang Dun said, "Your Majesty's foresight is admirable. In that case, please appoint officials to accompany Your Majesty in the army to share your burdens and difficulties."

Zhao Yu directly named them: "Minister Zeng, Minister Han, Minister Su, and Minister Cai, accompany me on this journey."

Everyone present was shrewd enough to understand at a glance that Zhao Yu had taken away Zeng Bu, Han Zhongyan, Su Zhe, and Cai Bian—all of whom could threaten Zhang Dun's ability to issue orders—to prevent them from hindering Zhang Dun's efforts to recover Western Xia.

Zhang Dun was deeply grateful for this.

Zeng Bu and others confirmed once again that Zhao Yu was determined to recover Western Xia.

Soon, Zhao Yu appointed Zeng Bu as the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei and Han Zhongyan as the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Hebei. The two went ahead of the main army to Xiongzhou to prepare the advance. At the same time, Zhao Yu ordered the Hebei Imperial Guards to assemble, and the prefects, governors, and commanders of various regions to prepare provisions for the soldiers along the route, while also gathering provisions and supplies for the front lines.

Next, Zhao Yu appointed Guo Cheng as the commander-in-chief and Zhong Pu as the deputy commander-in-chief, ordering them to lead the Northern Auxiliary Army, Eastern Auxiliary Army, and Western Auxiliary Army to the Song-Liao border in Hebei as soon as possible...

After handing over the affairs of the court to the ministers left behind, including Zhang Dun, Cai Jing, Xu Jiang, Li Qingchen, Su Shi, Zhang Shangying, and Zhao Tingzhi, Zhao Yu returned to the inner palace and then went to Kunning Palace.

Upon learning of Zhao Yu's arrival, even those who were about to give birth, such as Lady Qiao and Lady Wei, came out to greet him.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yu comforted them, saying that he was leading hundreds of thousands of troops and that the Zhao Song Dynasty was stronger than ever before, so he would definitely be fine. He would return in a few months at most, and he also said that Zheng Xiansu would take good care of them for him. Then he had someone send them back to rest.

At this time, Zheng Xiansu was already pregnant with her third child, but the pregnancy was still in its early stages.

Back in the inner chamber, Zhao Yu said to Zheng Xiansu, "I am personally leading this campaign, leaving you and the Crown Prince to oversee the country. Externally, you must support the Prime Minister in governing the country, stabilizing the court, and preventing any opportunity for treacherous officials to take advantage. Internally, you must be vigilant in the palace, taking good care of my concubines and children. The Crown Prince is young, and you will need to put in extra effort in many matters. I am leaving Huang Jingchen, Liang Shicheng, and Yang Jian to you. Furthermore, I am leaving the Right Army of the Divine Machine Army to you. Zhang Shuye and He Guan are both loyal ministers, and you can trust them completely. Now, at this time of difficulty for our Great Song Dynasty, you and I, husband and wife, are one and must overcome these difficulties together."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiansu's eyes flashed with a mixture of determination and worry. She said softly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly live up to your expectations. I will take care of the affairs of the palace and will not allow anyone to disturb Your Majesty's concubines and children. As for the affairs of the court, I will keep a close eye on them and instruct Yang Jian to communicate with Your Majesty to ensure that the court is not in chaos."

This is what Zhao Yu liked about Zheng Xiansu: he was intelligent, quick to understand, and knew what he was doing with the people he left for her.

That night, Zhao Yu stayed overnight at Kunning Palace.

Zheng Xiansu wanted to find someone to serve Zhao Yu in bed.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yu rejected him.

Zhao Yu said, "Before setting off on the expedition, I just wanted to hold you and have a good sleep."

To be honest, that's what Zhao Yu really thought before he lay down.

But after lying down, Zhao Yu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Zhao Yu had previously stated that he would not allow anyone else to serve him in bed, for a ruler's word is law.

Seeing this, Zheng Xiansu had no choice but to help Zhao Yu personally without affecting his own health.

It was actually quite troublesome for the emperor to personally lead an expedition.

In addition to military preparations, logistical preparations, and preparations for those remaining behind, there are also ceremonial preparations.

This also involves preparing the emperor's ceremonial guard, including various flags, canopies, and imperial carriages, to display the emperor's majesty and status; sacrificial ceremonies must be held before the expedition to worship heaven and earth, ancestors, and the god of war; and various edicts and proclamations must be prepared to announce the purpose and significance of the expedition, as well as the emperor's will, to the army and the people.

In short, there were a lot of troubles.

Just as Zhao Yu was giving his final instructions, Li Lin approached him and volunteered, saying, "Would it be alright if I accompanied Your Majesty on your personal campaign?"

To be honest, if Li Lin hadn't been six months pregnant, Zhao Yu really wanted to bring her along. After all, her insights into military affairs were quite different from those of soldiers in this era. Moreover, Zhao Yu brought three Shenji armies that Li Lin had personally built. Perhaps, at a critical moment, Li Lin would be able to turn the tide?

Li Lin knew where her problem lay. She said to Zhao Yu, "I have heard that Your Majesty's dragon boat is 93 feet long and 19 feet wide. Your imperial carriage has a double-eaved front and a sleeping chamber in the back for resting. It is flanked by two wings and is carried by 32 soldiers. The large chariot is drawn by eight horses, 27.5 feet high and 15 feet wide. I only ask for a foot of kneel."

Li Lin's words can be translated as follows: Zhao Yu's journey, whether by boat, sedan chair, or carriage, was larger and more luxurious than any modern motorhome; all she needed was a place to kneel.

Zhao Yu tapped Li Lin on the forehead: "Trying to use a self-inflicted injury ruse on me?"

Li Lin looked at Zhao Yu pitifully, her face full of pleading.

Li Lin loves war and dreams of becoming a professional soldier. Now that she finally has a chance to experience war, how could she be willing to give it up just because she is pregnant?
Zhao Yu knew about Li Lin's wish.

Moreover, to be honest, Zhao Yu will definitely not suffer on his journey, and Li Lin should be fine on the way.

The only concern is that if the Song Dynasty is defeated and retreats, Li Lin's physical condition may not be suitable for him to escape with them.

It should be noted that when Zhao Guangyi was defeated, he couldn't care about anything else and ended up returning alone in a donkey cart.

Although Zhao Yu had the Divine Machine Army and his opponent was Yelü Yanxi, one of the most incompetent rulers in history, Zhao Yu was unlikely to suffer a crushing defeat like Zhao Guangyi. However, as Sun Tzu's Art of War says: "Consider defeat before victory, and loss before gain."

Following this logic, Zhao Yu really shouldn't have brought Li Lin along.

But looking into Li Lin's eyes, which shone with determination and longing, Zhao Yu's heart softened involuntarily: "If..."

Li Lin immediately replied, "If I were to fall into the hands of the enemy, I would never live on, lest my family suffer such humiliation!!!"

That's not what Zhao Yu really meant.

But it's pointless to talk about this now, because Zhao Yu has already seen the determination in Li Lin's words, so he relented and said, "You are only allowed to bring one maid and one midwife, and I will provide the rest locally."

Li Lin was overjoyed. She immediately hugged Zhao Yu's face, kissed him hard, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Immediately, Li Lin went to prepare for the expedition.

To Zhao Yu's surprise, Zhang Chun arrived right after Li Lin left.

Zhang Chun said to Zhao Yu, "Your Majesty, on this trip, you will certainly need to deal with those who submit memorials and official documents. The best strategy is to subdue the enemy by their plans, the next best is to win their alliances, and the worst is to attack their cities. In this campaign, Your Majesty should use politics and diplomacy to deter the enemy and prevent the Liao Kingdom from interfering with our Great Song's recovery of Western Xia. I am not very capable, but I know the Liao Kingdom's affairs very well, and I am willing to go on this expedition with Your Majesty..."

……

(End of this chapter)