I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

...

The Second Crusade saw the Holy Roman Empire's crusaders, led by Emperor Conrad III, number approximately 20,000, including 2,000 heavy cavalry. The French crusaders, commanded by Emperor Louis VII, numbered 15,000, with 700 royal cavalrymen. A detachment of crusaders in the Iberian region comprised 13,000 men.

Total: Less than 50,000 troops were deployed to the European direction this time.

How could such a small force possibly be a match for the hundreds of thousands of Song Dynasty expeditionary troops?

After several probing maneuvers, the two sides finally clashed in the Fertile Crescent of the Levant region in the Near East.

This flat and open terrain was not only suitable for the crusader heavy cavalry's charge tactics, but also provided the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force with an excellent space to deploy firearms and Eastern cavalry, making it an absolute natural battlefield.

The battle has begun.

The allied forces of Conrad III and Louis VII were arrayed according to European tradition, with two thousand core heavy cavalry at the front, followed by infantry squares, and the Iberian flanking force providing flank cover.

The Great Song Expeditionary Force was structured with infantrymen forming a tight square formation at the front, musketeers equipped with Li Lin guns and archers with divine crossbows arranged in layers, with tiger-squatting cannons distributed among them, and more than a hundred Li Lin cannons in the middle. The large infantry was behind the Li Lin cannons, while light and heavy cavalry and armored cavalry patrolled on both flanks.

The battle soon broke out.

Conrad III preemptively ordered his heavy cavalry to charge.

Two thousand heavily armored knights spurred their warhorses, their iron hooves shattering the morning mist of the Levant, and charged straight at the Song army's lines like a moving steel torrent. The infantry phalanx followed closely behind, while the Iberian flanking force spread out to both sides, attempting to encircle the enemy.

The Crusaders firmly believed that the impact of heavy cavalry was enough to tear through any defense, but they did not realize that their opponents had already surpassed the boundaries of their understanding of warfare.

When the Crusader heavy cavalry entered the range of the Song army's tiger-squat cannons, a thunderous roar suddenly resounded from the front lines. Hundreds of tiger-squat cannons fired simultaneously, their muzzles flashing and tens of thousands of lead bullets, accompanied by strong winds, rained down on the charging Crusader heavy cavalry.

The lead bullet, unable to penetrate the knight's heavy armor directly, slammed into the iron armor with its powerful kinetic energy at close range.

The Crusader knight who was hit felt a violent jolt in his chest, his blood surging. Even though his armor was not broken, his bones felt as if they were cracked. He groaned and fell off his horse.

More lead bullets struck the unarmored warhorses.

The warhorse neighed in pain and crashed to the ground, throwing the knight on its back violently to the ground, the heavy armor hitting the ground with a series of dull thuds.

The charging iron torrent was instantly torn apart, men and horses trampled each other, and the formation was thrown into chaos.

The subsequent Crusader heavy cavalry, unable to stop their momentum, crashed into the chaotic formation.

The originally well-organized charge turned into chaos.

The Tiger Crouching Cannon fired without stopping, and the second salvo followed immediately. Lead bullets swept across, hitting the gaps in the armor, the throat and armpits, or knocking down the warhorses again, with blood splattering between the armor and the dust.

Those heavy cavalrymen who fell from their horses were clad in thick armor and moved slowly, making them easy targets. They didn't even have a chance to struggle to their feet.

The remaining Crusader heavy cavalry barely broke through to the effective range of the Divine Arm Bow and the Li Lin Gun, and the archers, arranged in layers, took turns firing.

The arrows from the Divine Arm Bow have incredible penetrating power, capable of piercing through a knight's breastplate.

Li Linqiang's lead bullets, with their kinetic energy advantage, caused chain reactions of casualties in densely packed charging formations.

Therefore, each volley of fire from the Song army was accompanied by the fall of large numbers of Crusader soldiers, and the charging formation completely collapsed.

Upon seeing this, Conrad and Louis VII hastily ordered the infantry phalanx to advance at full speed, attempting to cover the remaining cavalry as they regrouped, only to be met with a barrage of fire from hundreds of Song army cannons.

These heavy cannons were powerful and had a long range. The shells whistled as they fell into the dense infantry formations, and the shrapnel and shockwaves swept everything away, tearing the dense phalanxes of medieval Europe to shreds.

The Crusaders had never seen such a terrifying weapon; fear spread instantly, and their formation began to falter.

Meanwhile, the Song Dynasty's light and heavy cavalry and armored cavalry, roaming on both flanks, charged like tigers descending a mountain, taking advantage of the exposed weaknesses on the Crusaders' flanks.

Armored cavalry crushed the routed infantry head-on, while light cavalry outflanked and encircled the fleeing remnants, annihilating them.

Before the Iberian flanking maneuver could be implemented, it was routed by the Song cavalry and was unable to mount any effective resistance.

The entire battle was a one-sided and overwhelming affair.

It can be said that the traditional tactics of the Crusaders were powerless against the Song army's firepower advantage. The impact of the heavy cavalry was neutralized by long-range firepower, and the dense formation of the infantry squares became excellent targets for Li Lin's cannons.

With the advantage of firearms' range and firepower, the Song army maintained control of the battlefield. The continuous output of the Divine Arm Bow and Li Lin Gun constantly depleted the Crusaders' manpower, while the cavalry precisely attacked the Crusaders' weak points.

Conrad III's Holy Roman Empire legions collapsed first, and although Louis VII's French Crusaders fought desperately, they were defeated one after another under continuous artillery fire and cavalry charges, and eventually fell into a complete rout along with the Iberian detachment.

As dusk fell, the dust of the battle settled.

The Crusaders suffered over 30,000 casualties, and the survivors scattered and fled, completely routed. Conrad III and Louis VII managed to break out with only a small number of their personal guards.

The main force of the Second Crusade was thus annihilated.

The Song Dynasty's expeditionary force, suffering only a few hundred casualties, won this epic battle across civilizations with its absolute technological and tactical superiority.

……

It is worth mentioning that at this time, Zhao Yu had already moved westward from Samarkand, the capital of the Western Karakhanid Khanate, to Isfahan, the capital of the Seljuk Turks.

The reason why Zhao Yu moved to a different place was, of course, because the railway and highway had been built to Isfahan, and the Song expeditionary force and the private armies of Zhao Yu's sons had swept away the resistance forces around Isfahan, thus providing Zhao Yu with a stable living environment.

In fact, Zhao Yu did not encounter any danger during this imperial expedition to the west.

The biggest risk he took was to go to Jerusalem himself.

There was no other way; Jerusalem was a cesspool, and whoever jumped in would be doomed. That's why Zhang Chun advised Zhao Yu to deal with the situation personally.

After finishing his business in Jerusalem, Zhao Yu returned to Isfahan without saying a word.

This was not only Zhao Yu's idea, but also the idea of ​​the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force and Zhao Yu's sons.

It's important to understand that after three or four years of western expeditions, the strength displayed by the Song Dynasty had made it clear to everyone that they had the potential to unify the world. However, there was one variable involved—Zhao Yu.

Given the current situation, as long as Zhao Yu does not suffer any mishaps, the entire world may very well be incorporated into the Song Dynasty and become entirely under the surname "Zhao".

Conversely, if Zhao Yu were to meet with an accident, the Song Dynasty would not only be unable to continue expanding its territory, but its internal structure might also disintegrate.

This is not an exaggeration of Zhao Yu's role in the western expedition, but rather an indication that he truly possessed such great charisma.

It should be understood that the reason why the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force was able to win battle after battle was mainly due to the continuous supply of weapons, supplies and materials transported from the Song Dynasty itself.

Only Zhao Yu could obtain these things from the Song Dynasty itself.

—Others might be able to do it too, after all, there are huge interests involved, but with such a long distance and so many people involved, without the absolute power of Zhao Yu to firmly control things, corruption, disputes, or delays are inevitable.

Furthermore, the reason why the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force was able to continue fighting was because Zhao Yu wanted to earn enough fiefdoms for his sons so that they could have their own vassal states.

If Zhao Yu were gone, who could continuously secure so much support from the Song Dynasty itself, and who would be willing to spare no effort in paving the way for Zhao Yu's many sons?
Zhao Shou?
To put it bluntly, if Zhao Yu had died suddenly, even if Zhao Shou had not reduced the power of the princes, he would certainly have been wary of his powerful younger brothers seizing his throne.

Even if Zhao Shou were willing to take over everything Zhao Yu is doing now, he doesn't have the strength, ability, or prestige to intimidate Zhao Yu's sons and make them obey him.

Just as Zhao Shou defined himself, he could only be a ruler who guarded the city, without the ability to expand his territory.

Of course, more importantly, the Song Dynasty was already large enough that there was no need to expand its territory further.

Many people could even imagine that once Zhao Yu was gone, Zhao Shou's first priority would be to negotiate peace with the western countries, tribes, and powers, as long as they were willing to restore trade routes and buy goods from the Song Dynasty.

Those Western countries, tribes, and forces, fearing the powerful military might of the Song Dynasty, would mostly obediently negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty first.

Furthermore, do not assume that the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force and Zhao Yu's sons, who are currently invincible, will retain such fighting power after Zhao Yu's passing.

How is that possible?

Don't assume that Zhao Yu was unimportant just because he never personally went to the battlefield.

wrong.

Big mistakes.

In reality, Zhao Yu was the most crucial asset of the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force.

With Zhao Yu as their banner, small states, tribes, and forces from all over the country flocked to submit to them. The Song Dynasty's expeditionary force not only did not suffer losses in battle, but actually grew stronger with each battle.

—As long as Zhao Yu's banner is raised, many places will surrender on their own initiative without the need for the Song Dynasty to send troops to conquer them.

Crucially, Zhao Yu dared to appoint talents without being bound by convention. He adhered to the principle of appointing people based on their abilities, and whenever a place was pacified, he would send people to select capable and righteous individuals to join the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force.

Therefore, the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force brought together talented individuals from various ethnic groups, including Han Chinese, Khitans, Koreans, Jin people, Western Xia people, Dali people, people from various countries in the Indochina Peninsula, people from a number of small countries in Southeast Asia, natives of this continent, Uyghurs, Arabs, Persians, and even people from various Crusader states in the West.

Zhao Yu's principle in employing people was that anyone who served him and made meritorious contributions would be given important positions.

The addition of talents from all walks of life brought many unexpected benefits to the Song army. The most significant of these was that wherever the Song expeditionary force fought, it had local guides and professional translators to lead the way and communicate with, without any barriers of region or language.

The crucial point is that Zhao Yu was never stingy with his rewards.

After conquering a new territory, Zhao Yu would immediately distribute the spoils of war, and those who fought alongside him would promptly receive their due benefits.

Moreover, there will only be more, not less.

Furthermore, only someone with the foresight to see the future would value the construction of railways and highways, as well as the development of trains and automobiles. Others might not have been blind to the importance of these developments, but it's uncertain whether they would have pursued such a large-scale railway project with the same dedication as Zhao Yu.

To put it simply, as long as Zhao Yu was alive, he could provide the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force with unlimited combat endurance, and also give this army a marching speed and mobility that no other army in the world could match.

If Zhao Yu hadn't been there, all of this might have come to an abrupt end.

In addition, Zhao Yu established a system for expanding the army by using locally sourced materials.

After defeating an enemy country, the Song army would recruit its soldiers to surrender. Those who were willing to surrender and accept the political education and military training of the Song expeditionary force could be spared their lives, or even join the Song army. They could also be promoted if they made meritorious contributions in the future.

—If they refused to surrender or refused to accept the relevant education and training, they would become prisoners, have their two fingers and two toes cut off, and be sent to build railways.

This system led countless enemies to join the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force, causing the force to grow exponentially like a snowball.

It should also be clarified that even though the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force was constantly recruiting foreign soldiers, Zhao Yu always adhered to the principle of a one-to-one ratio of Han soldiers to foreign soldiers.

That is, for every foreign soldier recruited, one Han soldier must be recruited.

Zhao Yu knew that only in this way could he ensure that the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force remained under his and his sons' control.

In short, through Zhao Yu's years of planning and management, the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force and his sons had completely built a sophisticated machine for the western expedition around him. As long as Zhao Yu was safe and sound, the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force would continue to exist, and the world would eventually belong to the Song Dynasty. Zhao Yu's sons who wanted to become princes would then have the opportunity to become princes.

Conversely, if Zhao Yu, the core leader, were to disappear, not only would the western expedition be unable to continue, but the Song expeditionary force and Zhao Yu's sons would likely become rootless and adrift, their future uncertain, and they could easily face annihilation if they were not careful.

Therefore, protecting Zhao Yu's safety became the most important task for Zhao Yu's sons and the entire Song expeditionary force.

Moreover, Zhao Yu no longer needed to risk his life. His sons had grown up and become capable, many of whom were able to stand on their own. The generals, troops, and officials at all levels that he had personally trained were also highly experienced and mature enough to assist him and his sons in their western expedition.

Aside from grasping the general direction and some ironclad rules he established—namely, focusing on the big picture and letting go of the small details—Zhao Yu spent the rest of his time indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun.

Especially given the great success of the Song Dynasty's western expedition.

Therefore, when Zhao Yu returned to Isfahan and learned that the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force had easily defeated the Second Crusade, he ordered that the army rest and regroup before continuing the westward expedition.

Then, Zhao Yu, who had spent half his life on the battlefield, continued to live a life of peace and pleasure, surrounded by beauties from various countries...

...(End of this chapter)