I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 95 Zhao Ya: My beloved minister has given birth to a wonderful daughter

...

Zhao Ya guessed correctly, older women are indeed different from ordinary women. That feeling cannot be explained to outsiders, and can only be known through personal experience.

Let’s put it this way, Zhao Ya was a little reluctant to go back to Zheng Xiansu to rest.

Fortunately, Zhao Ya did not forget his promise to Zheng Xiansu.

So, despite being reluctant, Zhao Ya finally let go of Guo Ting, returned to Kunning Palace, hugged Zheng Xiansu and fell into a deep sleep, ending his wedding night.

The next day, Zhao Ya took Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu and Guo Ting to Cide Palace to pay a visit to Empress Dowager Xiang, completing the last step of his wedding.

After returning from Cide Palace, Zhao Ya said to Zheng Xiansu: "I have handed over all matters concerning the harem to the Queen."

Zheng Xiansu listened and nodded gently: "Yes."

Although Zheng Xiansu simply nodded and replied with a "yes", it was enough to reassure Zhao Ya.

Zhao Ya firmly believed that no one in the world was more suitable to be his queen than Zheng Xiansu.

Well, Zhao Ya can’t find a second one anyway.

Zhao Ya didn't take his wedding leave. The current situation didn't allow him to rest...

……

During the Battle of Pingxia City, facing the fierce attack of 400,000 troops (some say 300,000) led by Queen Mother Xiaoliang of Western Xia, Guo Cheng, as the defender of Pingxia City, remained fearless, commanded with confidence, organized the soldiers defending the city to put up a tenacious resistance, and repelled round after round of attacks by the Xia army, making it impossible for the Xia army to break through the city after thirteen days of continuous siege.

Guo Cheng did not simply passively defend himself. He also sent troops out of the city at night to harass Xia's army from time to time, disrupting the Xia army's deployment and rhythm, making the Xia army exhausted and further consuming the Xia army's manpower and fighting will.

When the Xia army retreated due to reasons such as its failed siege, its towers destroyed by strong winds, and lack of food and grass, Guo Cheng, Zhe Keshi and other generals led 10,000 elite cavalry on a long-distance raid and launched a surprise attack on the Xia army's headquarters. They captured the Western Xia commander Amai, Meile and others, captured more than 3,000 soldiers and civilians, and seized no less than 100,000 cattle and sheep, dealing a heavy blow to the Xia army.

Judging from his performance in the battle of Pingxia City, Guo Cheng was not only good at defense, but also good at fighting, and he grasped the opportunities very accurately.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that Guo Cheng, no, it should be said that the Guo family, are all relatively well-balanced generals. They not only have certain military capabilities, but are also good at handling domestic affairs.

Take Guo Hao, the most famous person in the history of the Guo family, as an example:
During the early Southern Song Dynasty, Jinzhou was devastated by repeated battles between the Song, Jin, the pseudo-Qi, and bandits. Upon his arrival, Guo Hao actively managed internal affairs, achieving remarkable results. So much so that when other armies later requested funds from the court, Guo Hao offered 100,000 strings of cash to aid the Ministry of Revenue. The court, naturally pleased, assigned Yangzhou and Fangzhou to his command.

By the way, Guo Cheng had three sons (namely: Guo Zhen, Guo Hao, and Guo Mian). The eldest son Guo Zhen died early, and the second son Guo Hao and the youngest son Guo Mian had always followed Guo Cheng in the army. This time they also came to the court with Guo Cheng to report on their work.

The current military situation of the Zhao Song Dynasty in the capital and Hebei regions is that it does not lack generals who are good at fighting, but it lacks people who can unite these two groups of scattered sand. At least they have to be gathered together first and pretend to be able to fight.

From this point of view, Guo Cheng and the Guo family may be more suitable to rectify the military affairs in the capital and Hebei regions than Wang Hou, Liu Fa, and Zhong Shidao of the same period.

You must know that as long as the Liao army dares to advance straight ahead, it will most likely be an isolated force advancing deep into the enemy's territory. As long as there is a general who is good at defense and sets up a defense line, guards a few key cities, and then fortifies the city and imposes martial law, collects the people and clears the fields, the Liao army will be unable to attack and will have nothing to plunder when it retreats. When the Liao army's division becomes old and discouraged, and the Song army keeps sending troops out of the city to harass and consume the Liao army's vitality and fighting will, then the Liao army may be defeated.

This is exactly the tactic that Guo Cheng is good at.

Moreover, the Western Army is now in urgent need of stabilizing the important defense line of Hengshan and blocking the Xia Army that is eager to recapture the Hengshan area. Zhao Ya cannot withdraw the Western Army's main artery.

In addition, Guo Cheng is Zhao Ya's adoptive father-in-law, and his position as "Minister of National Defense" will help Zhao Ya stabilize his throne.

After comprehensive consideration, Zhao Ya finally chose Guo Cheng to serve as the Taiwei, and planned to let Guo Cheng command the troops in the Jingji and Hebei regions to fight against the Liao army when the war with the Liao Kingdom really broke out.

The Guo family father and son knew something about Zhao Ya's thoughts, but they didn't know how much of a role Zhao Ya and Guo Ting's marriage played in it.

In other words, the Guo family father and son did not know that Zhao Ya valued Guo Cheng so much because Zhao Ya valued their abilities or because they were relatives?
If it is the former, then there is nothing to say. Even if Zhao Ya doesn't like Guo Ting, he will definitely treat Guo Ting well and win over the father and son of the Guo family to work for him.

If it is the latter, the Guo family father and son will lose the power they gained. Once Zhao Ya does not like Guo Ting, or even thinks that Guo Cheng is deceiving the emperor, the Guo family father and son will soon lose the power they have not even warmed up to, and will be reduced to their original state.

It was precisely because of this uncertainty that an eunuch came to the Guo family early this morning and informed Guo Cheng to go to the Chuigong Hall to make a report in the afternoon. The hearts of the Guo family father and son were suddenly lifted.

Guo Mian, the youngest, was the most impatient. He asked anxiously, "Is Your Majesty going to hold my father and I accountable for deceiving the emperor?"

Guo Cheng's face turned serious. "My father and I are loyal to the Song Dynasty. How can we be accused of deceiving the emperor?"

Guo Mian thought to himself, "My sister is so tall, even taller than me. If you send her to be the imperial concubine, isn't that deceiving the emperor?"

Guo Hao said from the side, "Your Majesty must ask my father about the military affairs of the capital and Hebei. You must not panic and must remain calm."

Guo Cheng felt that what Guo Hao said made sense, so he packed up and went to the palace to meet the emperor.

When Guo Cheng arrived at the Chuigong Hall, the prime ministers Zhang Dun, Cai Bian, Han Zhongyan, Zeng Bu, Su Zhe, Cai Jing, Zhang Shangying, Li Qingchen, Su Shi and others were all there.

Lu Huiqing, a capable reformist minister recently transferred to the central government by Zhao Ya, and Liang Zimei, the transport commissioner of Daming Prefecture, were also present.

After the prime ministers finished their reports, Zhao Ya let them go about their own business.

Then, Lu Huiqing and Liang Zimei came forward to report.

Among them, Lu Huiqing spent the most time. He told Zhao Ya in detail about his experiences in the local area over the years and his latest understanding of reform.

Zhao Ya simply promoted Lu Huiqing to the position of Secretary of the Central Secretariat, making him the new prime minister.

When it was Liang Zimei's turn, Zhao Ya mainly asked about the military equipment and food reserves in Hebei Province.

By the time these people finished their performance, it was almost dark.

At this time, Guo Cheng was the only one left in the hall.

Guo Cheng's heart tightened, but he still took the initiative to step forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, I, Guo Cheng, pay my respects."

Zhao Ya smiled: "You and I are not outsiders, no need to be polite."

When Zhao Ya said this, Guo Cheng felt relieved. "It seems that Your Majesty has no intention of blaming me?"

Zhao Ya directly stated the reason why he asked Guo Cheng to come over: "I want to ask you, how are the armies in Jingji and Hebei? Are they usable?" When Guo Cheng heard that Guo Hao had guessed it right, he hurriedly reported to Zhao Ya in detail the military deployment situation in Jingji and Hebei, which he and his son had already investigated.

After Guo Cheng's explanation, combined with what Zhao Ya knew from other channels (mainly asking people to check relevant reports and memorials and having the Imperial City Office conduct secret visits), Zhao Ya already had a general understanding of the military situation in the capital and Hebei regions.

The Zhao Song Dynasty now faces the same problem as other feudal dynasties at the end of their reign, that is, the issue of changing the role of the army.

Once a feudal dynasty has firmly established its rule, its army will inevitably change its role and function, that is, from a field force to a national defense force and local security force.

The Zhao Song Dynasty was no exception, especially after the Song and Liao countries signed the "Chanyuan Alliance", and there were almost no major battles in the capital and Hebei areas. The capital's imperial guards, which had helped Zhao Kuangyin sweep the world, and the Hebei imperial guards, which had always fought on equal terms with the Liao army, were gradually divided into local armies, which were actually not much different from the wing armies and township armies.

In normal times, these armies each take charge of their own territory, fight security battles, and suppress bandits, which they are barely able to do.

But once a decisive war between countries comes, these armies must be assembled temporarily.

These armies usually lack cooperation and large-scale combined exercises, so their combat effectiveness is not high.

The key point is that many Song army units now have 10,000 registered men, but only a few thousand can gather, and only a few hundred can understand what people say and form an orderly formation, while only about a hundred can actually pick up swords and guns and go to the front line to fight.

Ridiculous, right?
But this is the real situation of the current Jingji Imperial Guards and Hebei Imperial Guards. In fact, the Jingji Imperial Guards and Hebei Imperial Guards are not much stronger than the Xiang Army and the Xiang Army. Even if a real war breaks out, the former is not as good as the latter.

This is no longer a problem that can be solved by Zhao Ya simply paying them enough military pay.

Furthermore, the Jingji Imperial Army and the Hebei Imperial Army, which were the main forces, were dispersed. Bazhou had 10,000 troops, Xiongzhou had 10,000, Guangxin Army had 10,000 troops, and Xin'an Army had 5,000 troops...

This made the Zhao Song Dynasty seem to have troops everywhere, but none of them were worthy of being used.

Guo Cheng asserted that given the current military situation in the capital and Hebei regions, it was absolutely impossible to stop the Liao army from moving south. Once the Liao army moved south, they might cross the Yellow River and arrive at the city within a few days.

When Guo Cheng said this to Zhao Ya, Zhao Ya was certain that he had made the right choice in choosing Guo Cheng as the commander-in-chief. He at least knew where the problem lay, what serious consequences there would be, and had provided a reasonable response plan.

——Guo Cheng meant that if Song and Liao really went to war, in order to defend against the Liao army, they had to mobilize the army now, quickly select 20,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers who could fight, and start training. Otherwise, this battle would definitely be a loss. At the same time, they had to make a plan to decisively withdraw to Jiangnan or Guanzhong if they could not defend Zhao Ya.

Zhao Ya didn't think Guo Cheng was exaggerating.

After Li Yan sent spies to investigate these days, Zhao Ya learned that in the Hebei region, only a few important military towns could have three to five thousand fully-staffed Hebei Imperial Guards. Other cities, including some relatively important military cities, had as many as seven to eight hundred people, and as few as two to three hundred people. The situation in the capital area was even worse. In a short period of time, it was impossible to mobilize five armies of more than a thousand troops.

Some people may be puzzled. The total strength of the imperial guards in the capital and Hebei provinces is more than 300,000 on paper. If the garrison troops and local troops are included, the total strength is nearly 700,000. Where did all these troops go?

This is mainly because the Zhao Song Dynasty had a lot of corvee labor and needed people everywhere.

The Jingji and Hebei regions had been peaceful for too long, and the armies in these two regions, including the main imperial guards, had stopped training. They were broken up into smaller units and assigned to various tasks, such as maintaining local order, growing crops and vegetables, raising livestock and poultry, fishing, tending forests and cemeteries, repairing bridges and roads, regulating the Yellow River, and undertaking large-scale construction projects.

for example:

Just this morning, Zhao Ya received a memorial from Cao Biao, the prefect of Hejian, who advised Zhao Ya not to go to war with the Liao Kingdom.

Cao Biao said in his memorial that there were only 3,200 people in Hejian Prefecture. Excluding those guarding warehouses, prisons, etc., as well as the necessary garrison troops, if the court mobilized the Hejian Prefecture's troops to participate in the war, he could only withdraw 1,900 people to participate.

As for the missing troops, where did they go?
Cao Biao listed everything clearly in the memorial.

To put it simply, apart from performing various corvee labor, the rest of the people were all responsible for maintaining public order.

——In this era, there is no police system, so local security is entirely maintained by the army. Therefore, the army must be disbanded and assigned to various villages, towns, streets and cities to maintain public security.

You know, the total number of troops on the books of Hejian Prefecture is 30,000.

But when the time came to use them, they could only mobilize 1,900 people to fight, which was less than one-fifteenth of the total number.

Of course, this is also because it is impossible for all the defenders to participate in the battle.

But even so, there are too few people who can participate in the war.

The key point is that Hejian Prefecture is not an isolated case.

These days, Zhao Ya received too many such memorials. Local governors were advising Zhao Ya not to start a war rashly. Some even said unlucky words such as "the Song Dynasty will surely perish if the war breaks out."

This is actually the fate of feudal dynasties. After a long period of peace, the army will become useless.

Fortunately, the Zhao Song Dynasty had been at war with the Western Xia in recent years, which made the Northwest Imperial Army (also known as the Western Army) relatively capable of fighting.

Otherwise, there would be no hope for the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Now, except for the Western Army, whether it is the Capital Forbidden Army, the Hebei Forbidden Army, or the Jiangnan Forbidden Army, they have only fought against small groups of bandits or small groups of peasant uprisings in recent years. You can imagine their combat effectiveness.

The Privy Council had already calculated for Zhao Ya that if the Song and Liao dynasties really went to war, the two regions of Jingji and Hebei would only be able to muster a maximum of 70,000 troops in a short period of time, which was only one-tenth of the troops on paper.

The key point is that among the 70,000 troops gathered, only about 7,000 can immediately pick up swords and guns to fight, and most of the rest can only serve as cheerleaders.

Based on the existing situation, Guo Cheng's advice to Zhao Ya was to continue to mobilize troops from various regions to Hebei, and at the same time issue an order that no matter where the troops came from, they must deploy in a sparse formation and exaggerate the number of troops to the outside world by at least ten times, that is, to bluff.

Zhao Ya adopted Guo Cheng's suggestion.

Before Guo Cheng left, Zhao Ya promoted Guo Hao to the position of Gatekeeper and praised Guo Ting for her virtue and gentleness. He said to Guo Cheng, "My dear, you have given birth to a good daughter."

Guo Cheng praised Zhao Ya in his heart as a sage king. In order to appease them father and son, he even said such words against his will. And judging from his expression, Zhao Ya should favor Guo Ting.

Guo Cheng swore in his heart that even if it was not for the rise of the Guo family, but just for his daughter to have a better life in the harem, he would serve Zhao Ya with all his heart and soul.

After Guo Cheng left, Zhao Ya fell into deep thought: "There's a big problem with the military. When it comes to military pay, there's not enough people. Now it's time to go to war, but there are no troops. If there's no one to do something fishy, ​​then there's really something fishy going on. Hmm... Otherwise, we can slowly transfer the elite imperial guards from the capital, Hebei, and even Jiangnan to form a new imperial guard. For the rest, we can directly set up a police system, turn the useful ones into police officers, and hand them over to the local governments. That will solve the problem of redundant troops."

……

(End of this chapter)