I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 409 The Road Zhao Yu Came From
...

Zhao Yu personally led the expedition this time, bringing only the Central Army, Right Army, and Rear Army of the Divine Machine (the Front Army of the Divine Machine was already on the battlefield, while the Left Army of the Divine Machine was left by Zhao Yu to besiege the city of Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo).

Zhao Yu and his entourage traveled on six special trains directly to Rajin Port in Giji.

Rajin Port, located in what is now Rason City, North Korea, is an ice-free port situated in Rajin Bay near the mouth of the Tumen River, at the tri-border area of ​​China, Russia, and North Korea. The port has a total area of ​​380,000 square meters and comprises three wharves and ten berths.

Before setting off, the Song Dynasty court announced that Zhao Yu and his entourage would go to Dengzhou Port, then transfer to a sea ship to Yongming City, and then go to participate in the war.

In reality, this was just a smokescreen released by the Song Dynasty court.

Yes.

If you go through Dengzhou Port and then transfer to a sea vessel, you can save a lot of time.

Even though the Song Dynasty's navigation technology was already very advanced, and its steam-powered treasure ships were already very sophisticated, going to sea in that era was still a rather dangerous thing.

Therefore, for Zhao Yu's safety, the ministers who planned Zhao Yu's personal expedition route, after consulting with Zhao Yu, decided to extend the relatively safer railway journey and shorten the relatively dangerous sea journey.

The railway journey from Bianliang City in Tokyo to Luojin Port took a little over nine days, including the time spent refueling with water and coal along the way and the time for soldiers to disembark and move around.

Along the way, even when passing through Beijing, the new capital of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Yu did not stop to take a look. He only listened to reports from Zhan Du, the garrison commander of Beijing, Zhao Kai, the transport commissioner of Beijing, and Li Jie, who was in charge of supervising the construction of Beijing and the Forbidden City, on the train.

After briefly listening to the reports from officials in Beijing and dealing with some urgent matters in Beijing that required Zhao Yu's personal decision, Zhao Yu and his entourage continued their rapid march.

Ten days later, Zhao Yu and his party arrived at Rajin Port.

After only one day of rest, Zhao Yu and his entourage boarded a large Song Dynasty steamship and headed to Yongming City.

After more than a month of construction, Yongming City has taken shape.

According to the planning of the Ministry of Works of the Song Dynasty, Yongming City has a total of 133 berths and dozens of wharves. Currently, six wharves are already in use. The official road has been built for nearly 100 miles, and the railway has been laid for dozens of miles. The outer city of Yongming City has been completed, and all buildings and living facilities inside the city are under construction.

While the soldiers were resting, Zhao Yu inspected Yongming City and gave some forward-looking instructions.

The following day, Zhao Yu led a group of entourage and three Shenji Army units, along with the provisions, supplies, weapons, and equipment needed by the Shenji Army, to Jin Shangjing.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is the shortest distance; it's actually the most difficult to traverse.

The Shenji Army was strong in combat, but at the same time, it also faced the greatest logistical pressure. Coupled with the poor road conditions, it was really not easy to transport the Shenji Army's weapons and ammunition to the battlefield as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu was willing to spend money. He paid all the auxiliary soldiers and laborers 30% more for transportation than the market rate. Anyone who received this money would work very hard.

Secondly, Li Lin and Ma Xiaojiao installed wheels and stabilizers on the new Li Lin cannon, which was only equipped by the Shenji Army, which made it much luckier.

Thirdly, the Shenji Army had a large number of non-motorized vehicles such as bicycles, wooden bicycles, and rickshaws.

Fourthly, the Shenji Army already possessed many advanced vehicles such as early automobiles and tractors.

In this way, although Zhao Yu's party was not fast, they still managed to reach the battlefield smoothly before the decisive battle between Song and Jin.

It must be said that the main reason why the decisive battle between the Song and Jin dynasties has dragged on for so long without actually taking place is that both sides were gathering troops, and Wanyan Aguda actually did not want to fight this decisive battle.

While the Song Dynasty was gathering troops, the Jin Dynasty was also actively seeking aid from the nomadic peoples on the grasslands.

Wanyan Aguda sent a group of people from various nomadic tribes on the grasslands to persuade them, saying:

The current situation is that the Song Dynasty is emulating the Han and Tang Dynasties, and Zhao Yu is emulating Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang. His goal is certainly not only to eliminate the Jin Dynasty and recover the Northeast. After achieving this goal, the next step for Zhao Yu and the Song Dynasty will definitely be to deal with the grasslands. For your own sake, you must also fight against the Song Dynasty together with our Jin Dynasty. Otherwise, after the Song Dynasty eliminates our Jin Dynasty, you will be next.

This was an inevitable trend. The Jin Dynasty and the various tribes of the grasslands had become interdependent. Those grassland tribes that did not want to submit to the Song Dynasty and be separated from their homeland by the Song Dynasty were bound to stand with the Jin Dynasty.

What pleased Wanyan Aguda the most was that Genghis Khan's great-grandfather, the Mongol king Borjigin Khabul, decided to side with the Jin Dynasty, and he personally led 200,000 Mongol cavalry to join the war.

Hebule was indeed a remarkable person; even before he arrived, he had already made two important arrangements with Wanyan Aguda.

The first thing was that Khabul married his daughter, the sixteen-year-old pearl of the grasslands, Borjigin Saren, to Wanyan Aguda to become the empress of the Jin Dynasty, and agreed that the new emperor of the Jin Dynasty must also marry his descendant as empress.

Although Wanyan Aguda swore he would never marry, his health is not good and he does not support marriage.

However, Wanyan Aguda knew that this was an extremely important political marriage between the Jurchens and Mongols; otherwise, the two sides would not be able to work together to deal with the Song Dynasty.

Therefore, Wanyan Aguda agreed without even considering it, and took the initiative to send a large amount of precious betrothal gifts to Khabul, thus completing the marriage alliance with Khabul.

The second major thing that Khabul and Wanyan Aguda agreed on was to have Wanyan Aguda delay as much as possible, preferably until winter.

This coincided with Wanyan Aguda's idea.

The Song Dynasty's firearms were too powerful. In a fair and square open battle, even if the Jin army and the various tribes of the grasslands joined forces, they would most likely not be able to defeat the Song army.

Furthermore, the daughters of the Jin royal family, the imperial clan, and the nobles had already been captured by the Song Dynasty and even sent to Bianliang (Kaifeng). In the eyes of the Jin people, these women had certainly lost their virginity. Even if they acted immediately, they could not change the established fact that Zhao Yu had cuckolded them, and they could not even rescue these Jin women. Therefore, their anxiety was useless.

As for the Jin royal family, clan members, and nobles who were imprisoned, in the eyes of the Jin people, they would at most suffer some physical pain, and whether they were rescued sooner or later, it didn't make much difference.

In this way, the Jurchens stopped worrying about the hostages, or at least stopped rushing to the capital to rescue the Jurchens. But these weren't the most crucial factors.

Most importantly, for the Song Dynasty, the arrival of winter was tantamount to putting an invisible shackle on its Shenji Army, which relied heavily on firearms.

The equipment that the Shenji Army relied on for victory, such as the Li Lin gun and Li Lin cannon, was already extremely sensitive to the environment. Low temperatures and snowstorms further amplified its weaknesses.

Extreme cold can also cause the saltpeter component in gunpowder to absorb moisture and clump together, which can lead to ignition failure or even barrel explosion, damaging the gun itself. The metal of the cannon and gun barrel becomes brittle and hard in the cold, making them prone to cracking during continuous firing and significantly reducing accuracy.

Even more troublesome is the paralysis of logistical supplies.

Military supplies that were originally transported by cars and tractors may be unable to move an inch on snow-covered roads. The wheels may frequently get stuck, the locomotive pipes may freeze and crack, or the engine may not even start. If this happens, even if the civilian laborers and auxiliary troops are willing to work twice as hard, they will still be unable to overcome the obstacles of the cold weather and dangerous roads.

Furthermore, many of the soldiers of the Song Dynasty were from the south. Even the Western Army, the Hebei Imperial Guard, and the Song army from Jidi were all from the south compared to the Jin people and the various tribes of the grasslands.

Although Zhao Yu had arranged for people to prepare warm clothing and supplies, even if their equipment was good, it was still far inferior to that of their opponents who were used to the cold in the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River region. At that time, in the biting cold wind, the soldiers' fingers would freeze and they would be unable to pull the trigger, and the number of cases where their hands and feet would be frostbitten and they would lose their fighting ability would increase day by day. Their morale would definitely drop along with the temperature.

In contrast, for the Jurchens and the various tribes of the grasslands, the harsh winter was a natural weapon in their battles, and the icy and snowy landscape was like a battlefield tailor-made for them.

As a fishing and hunting people, the Jurchens possessed an inherent resilience honed by the harsh environment of the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River; the severe cold was not a challenge for them at all.

The nomadic peoples living on the Mongolian Plateau have also developed survival instincts in the harsh winters of the grasslands, and the sub-zero temperatures are nothing new to them.

By then, whether they were Jurchens or steppe cavalry, they wore thick armor made of animal hides and non-slip leather boots, and could march through the snow as if on flat ground. Their horsemanship and archery skills were almost unaffected by the wind and snow.

Furthermore, while the snow-covered wilderness obscured the paths, it provided excellent conditions for cavalry to launch covert raids. They could take advantage of the snow and wind to quickly penetrate the enemy lines and launch an attack when the Song army's firearms became damp and malfunctioned.

More importantly, the logistics models of nomadic and hunting peoples were adapted to the cold winter. They did not need to rely on complicated food and fodder transportation. They could maintain their fighting strength by simply carrying dried meat and mare's milk with their troops. This allowed them to maintain their peak strength even when the Song army's supply lines were on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, the tide had begun to turn in favor of the Jin-Mongol alliance. The longer they delayed, the more advantageous it would be for them. The delaying tactic employed by Wanyan Aguda and Khabul was essentially an attempt to use time to create a natural barrier that could offset the Song army's firepower advantage. When the heavy snow froze the battlefield, the Song's advanced equipment became useless, while the Jin and steppe cavalry thrived.

All of these factors prevented Wanyan Aguda from engaging in a decisive battle with the Song army, and he even avoided such a battle.

It is worth mentioning that Wanyan Aguda, who possessed great strategic vision and political wisdom, knew that the Song army was strong in combat. If they were to fight a decisive battle with the Song Dynasty, they would be more likely to lose than win. Moreover, if the Song and Jin armies were to suffer heavy losses from the Song army in the process, even if they won the battle, they would be severely weakened and unable to rule the Northeast. In the future, they might be annexed or eliminated by a rising grassland tribe or fishing and hunting tribe. It was precisely because Wanyan Aguda was very clear about all this that he did not want to fight the Song Dynasty anymore. Instead, he wanted to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty and then lead the Jin people to recuperate.

Based on this, Wanyan Aguda kept sending envoys to the Jin capital, actively negotiating peace with the Song Dynasty.

When Zhao Yu arrived in the Jin capital, Song Jiang, Yue Fei, Wu Yong, and others greeted him from ten miles away, making it a very grand welcome.

All the soldiers of the three armies were mobilized to escort Zhao Yu's imperial carriage all the way to the Jin capital.

Zhao Yu's honor guard was all specially selected.

how to say?

That's right, Zhao Yu's honor guard members were all strong and robust, and none of them were less than 1.8 meters tall.

Regardless of whether they can fight or not, the mere sight of them is enough to intimidate others and inspire awe in Zhao Yu.

This is actually the reason for their existence.

When they entered the capital city of Jin, Zhao Yu's entourage led the way, intimidating the soldiers and civilians in the city and preventing them from having any thoughts of resistance.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yu, also dressed in extremely stylish military attire, rode a very tall and imposing Akhal-Teke horse, looking majestic and full of power.

Behind Zhao Yu were the Central Army, Right Army, and Rear Army of the Divine Machine Army. Each of them carried a new type of Li Lin gun, the bayonet gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The dark red blood grooves indicated that they were all battle-hardened elites, not just for show. They marched into the city in a grand and orderly manner.

As soon as Zhao Yu entered the city gate, he saw a large group of Jin royal family members, clan members, nobles, and ministers kneeling, including Wanyan Wuqimai, Wanyan Sagai, Wanyan Zonggan, Wanyan Zongpan, and Wanyan Zongjun.

When Zhao Yu appeared, led by Wanyan Wugumai, the Jurchens shouted in broken Chinese, "We have committed a grave crime, we beg Your Majesty to forgive us and spare our lives!"

Zhao Yu did not linger for even a second on these Jin prisoners before continuing into the city.

Whether to kill them or not, we'll talk about that later. They're insignificant now; Zhao Yu doesn't need to waste time on them, who are like fish on a chopping block.

Arriving at the Jin Dynasty's palace in the inner city, Zhao Yu slowly ascended the Wansui Hall, the place where Wanyan Aguda and Wanyan Wugumai once issued their orders.

The palace and its surroundings have been occupied by the Divine Machine Army and Zhao Yu's personal guards, with sentries every three steps and patrols every five steps, making it heavily guarded.

Zhao Yu sat solemnly on the throne in the main hall. All the officials, monks, Taoists, and elders in the capital of Jin came to the outside of the hall to confess their sins and pay their respects.

Zhao Yu, through a translator, loudly proclaimed: "People of the city, as long as you sincerely submit to my Great Song and cease aiding and abetting the tyrant, I will pardon all your crimes and make you all good citizens of my Great Song. Those who weave will have their cloth, and those who till the land will have their fields..."

After the entire process of entering the city was completed, Song Jiang and the others came to report: "We have already tidied up the inner palace and found three hundred palace maids to serve Your Majesty and the ladies. Your Majesty is tired from the journey, so why don't you rest for a day and deal with state affairs tomorrow?"

Zhao Yu shook his head: "I am not tired. Report the most important matters first."

Upon hearing this, Song Jiang was the first to report: "Your Majesty, the Jin Emperor has already sent seven groups of envoys, all of whom have been detained by us. Yesterday, upon learning of Your Majesty's arrival, the Jin Emperor sent his high-ranking officials, Wanyan Yinshuke and Nalan'ang, to sue for peace. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to meet with these two..."

……

(End of this chapter)