I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 89: Children Should Not Ask About Adult Matters

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The next morning, when Ye Shiyun woke up, she heard that Zhang Chun had not returned all night, and it was possible that he had succeeded in sleeping with her.

Ye Shiyun looked suspicious, "Can I sleep with him even if I'm having my period? Or did Zhao Ya run a red light? Zhao Ya has no shortage of women, how could he do such a thing? Why can't I believe it?"

Driven by curiosity, Ye Shiyun did not stay in bed. Instead, driven by the raging fire of gossip, she quickly washed up and took Zhao Yuannu to Zhang Chun's house.

What surprised Ye Shiyun was that Li Lin was also here.

"Don't you have to accompany Zhao Ya to practice Prisoner Conditioning and Yoga today?" Ye Shiyun asked.

"He is going to practice Taoist health-preserving techniques with those Taoists today." Li Lin replied.

"He really likes to keep fit. If he continues to train like this, I'm afraid he can live to be a hundred years old," said Ye Shiyun.

"If he weren't so attracted to women, this would really be possible," Li Lin said. "I was really worried before that he'd be afraid of the pain and would just give up practicing. But he agreed casually at first, but once he started practicing, he was incredibly serious and hardworking, never complaining about the pain and constantly challenging himself."

At this point, Li Lin added with admiration, "I wasn't as hardworking as him when I was training. If he can keep going, and I can teach him some military skills, with his undoubtedly strong physique, he might become a good special forces soldier."

Ye Shiyun rolled her eyes. "He's the emperor, and you want to train him into a special forces soldier? What's your train of thought?"

Li Lin thought about it and shrugged angrily.

"Are you here to watch the fun too?" Ye Shiyun asked.

Li Lin didn't deny it. "We've made the Tiger Crouching Cannon and the Sky Bomb. All we need is the gunpowder to meet the standards before we can put them into use. Now that I'm not teaching Zhao Ya "Prisoner Conditioning" and "Yoga," I have nothing else to do. I can only come here to kill time."

"I really envy Jiaojiao and Qingcheng for being able to fight for their dreams wholeheartedly." Li Lin looked at Ye Shiyun and said, "You and Zhang Chun are not bad either. Although you may be a bit naughty, you are always doing what you want to do. Only I am always wasting my time."

"Who's messing around?" Ye Shiyun was a little dissatisfied. Then she lectured Li Lin: "You, you just don't know how to enjoy your blessings. You have nothing to do, so you just eat, drink and have fun. Why torture yourself?"

"I can't sit idle." said Li Lin.

Ye Shiyun shook her head. "I'm not saying anything bad about you, but in this era, it's already extremely difficult for a woman to command an army. And you don't even want to sleep with Zhao Ya. How could he possibly trust you and give you such an opportunity? That's military power, it's no small matter."

Li Lin remained unmoved: "Mind your own business. I have my own ideas."

"A dog bites Lu Dongbin, who doesn't know a good heart." Ye Shiyun thought.

At this moment, Zhang Chun was carried back in a sedan chair by four eunuchs.

As soon as Zhang Chun got out of the sedan chair, Li Lin and Ye Shiyun noticed that Zhang Chun's legs and feet were a little unsteady and he walked unsteadily.

Li Shishi and other maids of Zhang Chun hurried over and helped Zhang Chun back.

Li Lin and Ye Shiyun also went over to greet them.

Li Lin asked without meaning to, "Did you succeed in sleeping with me?"

With so many people present, how could Zhang Chun tell the truth? She said noncommittally, "Children shouldn't pry into adult matters."

Li Lin was startled. She thought to herself, "Oh, this is really not the last life. Now even Zhang Chun dares to talk to me like this."

After returning to Zhang Chun's residence, Ye Shiyun waited for a long time before finally catching a chance when Zhang Chun was alone. She whispered in Zhang Chun's ear, "Could it be that Zhao Ya took you away..."

Before Ye Shiyun could finish her words, Zhang Chun covered her mouth with his hand.

……

Three days later, reports came from the Northwest Front and the Hebei Front at the same time that both the Xia Army and the Liao Army had made major moves.

Ma Zheng, the envoy who went to the Liao Kingdom, also brought back some rumors he had heard, saying that the Liao army was gathering and preparing to march south in a large scale, and the situation was imminent.

Yan was originally a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. There was Zijing Pass in the northwest of Yizhou, Juyong Pass in the west of Changping, Gubeikou in the north of Shunzhou, Songting Pass in the northeast of Jingzhou, and Yu Pass in the east of Pingzhou.

All these passes are the natural dividing line between the Han and the barbarians. One man can guard the pass against ten thousand men.

If the Zhao Song Dynasty occupied the three states of Yan, Pingying and Luan, as well as these passes, and combined them with the Hedong area that was already under the control of the Zhao Song Dynasty, the entire area within the pass would be safe.

But the problem is that the three prefectures of Ping, Ying and Luan within Yumen Pass have been occupied by Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji since the Later Tang Dynasty. Pingzhou was changed to Liaoxing Prefecture, which governed Ying and Luan prefectures and was called Pingzhou Road.

By the time of Shi Jingtang, Emperor Taizong of Liao had acquired You, Tan, Shun, Jing, Ji, Zhuo and Yi prefectures in Yan area and built Yanshan Road, which became two parallel roads with Pingzhou Road.

As long as these two roads were in the hands of the Liao Kingdom, the Liao army could go south at will, just like strolling in their own back garden.

Moreover, if the offensive went smoothly, the Liao cavalry would be able to reach the Zhao Song Dynasty's capital, Tokyo Bianliang, within a few days.

In fact, the Zhao Song Dynasty also established four important military towns in Hebei, namely the four pacification roads: 1. Gaoyangguan Road, with its capital in Hejian Prefecture; 2. Dingzhoufu Road, with its capital in Zhongshan Prefecture; 3. Zhendingfu Road, with its capital in Zhending Prefecture; 4. Damingfu Road, with its capital in Damingfu, Beijing.

The garrisons at Gaoyang Pass, Dingzhou, and Zhending, together with the garrisons at Taiyuan Prefecture and Daizhou in Hedong Road, formed a north-south vertical deep defense system, while the garrisons at Daming Prefecture Road were distributed along the east-west of the Yellow River, providing horizontal defense and forming the second line of defense in the north of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

This defense system was designed to prevent the Liao army from advancing southward.

However, since the Treaty of Chanyuan, there has been no war between Liao and Song for nearly a hundred years, and now this defense system is in name only.

The key point was that it had already been proven during the Treaty of Chanyuan that even if this defense system existed, it could not prevent the Liao cavalry from moving quickly south and threatening the safety of the capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Therefore, many Song officials panicked when they heard that the Liao army was going to march south in large numbers.

What's more troublesome is that the Xia army is also gathering, and seems to be intending to attack Song together with the Liao army.

In this era, transportation and communication were extremely inconvenient, and it was difficult to mobilize troops between different battlefields. If war broke out with two countries at the same time, the army would need to be divided into two places, making the already limited troops even more dispersed, and it was possible to fall into a disadvantage on each battlefield due to insufficient troops.

Moreover, if the Zhao Song Dynasty went to war with the Liao and Xia countries at the same time, the border defense line would have many loopholes and would be difficult to defend.

In addition, when fighting on two battlefields, the consumption of materials such as weapons, food, and horses will be doubled.

This again involves the issue of logistics support. In addition, because transportation technology was backward in that era and long-distance transportation was costly, fighting on two fronts would place a heavy burden on the national economy.

Fighting on two fronts would also make the supply lines longer and more vulnerable. Once they were cut off, the front-line troops would be in a desperate situation.

What's more troublesome is that fighting two countries at the same time will put oneself in a dangerous situation of being attacked from both sides, making it difficult to concentrate on dealing with one side, and one may also be attacked by a joint attack by the enemy.

In short, going to war with Liao and Xia at the same time is definitely not a wise choice, especially for the Zhao Song Dynasty, which is now facing many problems.

However, Zhao Ya chose to listen to Zhang Dun's advice and posthumously conferred titles on Wang Shao, Li Xian and other heroes who had made great contributions to the expansion of the territory. He also further rewarded Zhang Yu, Guo Cheng and others who had made great contributions to the Battle of Pingxia City.

Then, Zhao Ya issued an imperial decree, appointing Zhang Yu as the commander, to continue strengthening the northwest border defense, build fortresses, consolidate control over the Hengshan area, weaken the military threat of Western Xia, and at the same time train troops and horses, ready to go to war with Western Xia at any time.

Zhao Ya appointed Guo as the chief general, claiming that he would personally serve as the commander-in-chief, and began to gather troops in the direction of Hebei, preparing to lead the army in person to respond to the Liao Kingdom's display of military power.

Seeing that Zhao Ya adopted the advice of Zhang Dun and other hardliners of the New Party and was willing to go to war with Liao and Xia at the same time, the conservatives of the New Party headed by Zeng Bu and the Old Party all firmly opposed it.

Han Zhongyan said, "The morale of the Hebei army is already unstable. If the Liao army marches south, a battle is inevitable. The Liao army is known for its arrogance and unstoppable momentum. If our army marches out, the enemy will surely be defeated, a fact that military strategists fear. Your Majesty, please consider this carefully before acting."

Zeng Bu said, "The capital is the foundation of the empire. If the foundation is shaken, how can the empire be supported? If the Liao army attacks the city again, the 200-year foundation of the Great Song will be in jeopardy."

Zhang Dun retorted, "In the past, the Liao Empire, with an army of a million, reached Chanyuan. Thanks to the mighty spirit of our ancestors and the blessing of our country, Lord Kou Lai insisted on requesting Your Majesty to lead the army in person. The emperor's carriage crossed the river, and our army's morale was greatly boosted. The enemy general, Ta Lan, was instantly shot and killed. The Liao army's morale was so low that they sent envoys to sue for peace, and Hebei was recovered. If the Liao army dares to advance south, Your Majesty, please emulate Emperor Zhenzong and lead the army in person. This will surely bring another century of peace to the world."

Cai Bian joined in the rebuttal, "To seek peace through peace is to fail; to seek peace through war is to achieve it. Peace is not achieved by yielding to the enemy, but by relying on the strength of military preparations to stop war with war, so that the enemy fears our power and dares not attack, and then peace will naturally come."

Zhao Ya sat on the throne, watching the ministers quarreling, indifferent.

It was not their idea, Zhao Ya didn't like any of them.

In Zhao Ya's opinion, among the ministers, Cai Bian's words made the most sense. If they asked for peace right away, not to mention that they would not be able to get it, even if they could, they would probably have to increase the annual tribute to Liao and Xia. Not only would it be a loss of power and humiliation for the country, it would also increase the burden on the Zhao Song Dynasty. Therefore, they had to show their sword first.

Of course, it’s just a show of force. If we can avoid fighting, we will definitely not fight.

There is no way. Although Liao and Xia are also weak, the actual situation of the Zhao Song Dynasty is there. If a war breaks out, the outcome is really unpredictable.

Moreover, Zhao Ya felt that if he were given ten or twenty years, he would be able to destroy the Liao Kingdom, the Western Xia, the Jurchens who were ready to attack in the northeast, and even the Mongolian Empire which had not yet been unified.

But then again, although Zhao Ya had already made up his mind to develop slowly for a few years, he had to be tough on the surface and must not let himself be intimidated by Yelu Hongji and Li Qianshun, two paper tigers.

In order to demonstrate his toughness, Zhao Ya asked Zhang Dun to scrape together two million strings of cash, of which one million strings were allocated to the Western Army, 300,000 strings were allocated to the Hebei Imperial Guards, and 700,000 strings were allocated to the Capital Imperial Guards.

In addition, Zhao Ya sent Zhang Shuye and Wang Bing to Xiangzhou and other places in Hebei, which have produced strong soldiers since ancient times, to recruit brave men. He also sent Zong Ze and He Guan to Shaanxi to recruit heroes from Guanzhong. He recruited 10,000 elite soldiers to supplement his own army and fully staged the drama of preparing to lead the army in person.

In the court, Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan were unable to win the argument over Zhang Dun and Cai Bian.

After the court session, Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan ran to Chuigong Hall together to see Zhao Ya.

Zeng Bu was short and thin, while Han Zhongyan was tall and strong. The two were now Shangshu Youcheng and Shangshu Zuocheng respectively. They often stood side by side in the court to argue about issues. Due to their very different appearances, people at that time jokingly called them "Turtle and Crane Prime Ministers."

In the Chuigong Hall, the two men once again explained to Zhao Ya in harsh words the dangers of fighting on two fronts, and advised Zhao Ya not to go to war with the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia at the same time.

Without anyone else present, Zhao Ya spoke frankly to Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan: "I have just ascended the throne. If I am weak towards foreign countries, how can I face my subjects and rule the world? I will not hide it from you, my two beloved ministers. If Liao and Xia do not show sincerity this time, I will be unable to explain myself to my subjects and the world. Why should I hesitate to fight?"

Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan understood that Zhao Ya was not wholeheartedly supporting the hardliners of the New Party, nor was he determined to go to war, but he had to show his tough side. If they could negotiate a peace treaty with the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia that would give Zhao Ya both face and substance, Zhao Ya would definitely support them.

With the information Zhao Ya gave them, Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan put aside their previous worries and sent their capable men to negotiate with the Liao and Xia envoys respectively.

After handing over the peace talks to Zeng Bu and Han Zhongyan, Zhao Ya returned to the harem.

As soon as he entered the harem gate, Zhao Ya saw Li Lin wandering at the door.

Seeing Zhao Ya coming back, Li Lin hurried over and desperately winked at Zhao Ya, begging Zhao Ya to talk to her.

Seeing this, Zhao Ya stretched out his hand and the people behind him stopped following him.

After walking with Zhao Ya for only a dozen feet, Li Lin felt that others should not be able to hear her conversation with Zhao Ya. She whispered to Zhao Ya, "May I ask your Majesty, can those ten thousand brave men be trained into a new army according to my method?"

Zhao Ya asked noncommittally, "How's the development of the Sky Bomb and the Tiger Crouching Cannon going?"

Li Lin replied, "The part that Jiaojiao and I are responsible for has been completed. We just need to get the gunpowder and improve it according to my method, and then we can try it."

The manufacture of firearms in this era had begun to take shape. In the city of Bianliang, there was a Guangbei siege workshop with more than 5,000 craftsmen, which was under the jurisdiction of ten workshops, including a gunpowder workshop and a fire workshop specializing in the manufacture of firearms.

The booming population and the low fire resistance of building materials led to frequent fires in Bianliang City during this period. There were even countless small fires and at least one or two major fires every year.

There are many causes of fire, such as accidental fire, arson, lightning, etc.

Among them, the fire that is the most harmful and the most difficult to extinguish is the fire caused by gunpowder.

It can be said that as soon as the gunpowder ignites, it will be a huge disaster.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, a technician in a pyrotechnics loaded gunpowder with too much force, causing sparks to fly. In an instant, the sound of cannons was deafening, the earth was shaking, and all the workers in the pyrotechnics were killed. Houses within a radius of three miles were either collapsed or burned down. According to rough statistics, the total number of people who died in the fire was as high as 1,300.

The development of gunpowder requires the storage of large quantities of saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal, and even gunpowder, all of which are flammable and explosive items that can easily cause fires.

At first, Li Lin wanted to develop gunpowder by herself, but the problem was, who would dare to let her develop gunpowder in the palace?

Later, it was Zhao Ya who asked Tong Guan to find the best craftsmen from the gunpowder factory and let Li Lin teach them in person, and only then was the problem solved.

Now, Li Lin and Ma Xiaojiao have already produced the tiger squat cannon and the sky bomb. As long as they are equipped with the gunpowder developed by Li Lin, Zhao Ya's Shenji Camp may have its main weapon.

Anyway, there was nothing to do this afternoon, so Zhao Ya said, "You and Jiaojiao should get ready. I'll ask Tong Guan to get some gunpowder to test the power of the two magical weapons you mentioned..."

……

(End of this chapter)