The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 294 Do you know how to fight in water?
Li Bao shook his head: "Naval warfare? I'm not very good at it."

"Won't?"

Yue Wenxuan was stunned, thinking: You are a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty's navy, how come you don't know how to fight at sea?

According to historical records, in May of the 6st year of the Shaoxing reign (1161), Li Bao was ordered to lead his naval forces to Jiangyin Army (present-day Jiangyin). He first sent his son, Li Gongzuo, and his general, Bian Shining, deep into Jin territory to secretly observe the enemy's movements. He then led 120 warships and 3000 naval troops from Jiangyin northwards. In late October, taking advantage of the Jin army's unpreparedness, he launched a fire attack at Chenjia Island (or Tang Island, according to another account) in Jiaoxi (present-day Jiaozhou, Shandong), using the wind to his advantage, killing their commander, Wanyan Zhengjianu, and six others. Except for Su Baoheng and a few others who escaped, the majority of the Jin army was annihilated.

How could such a renowned naval commander claim that he is not very good at naval warfare?
Yue Wenxuan wondered if he had misheard: "How good is General Li Bao at swimming?"

Li Bao chuckled and shook his head: "I'm a terrible swimmer. Sometimes I get nervous sitting on the boat, afraid that I'll fall into the water and not be able to swim back to shore. After all, I'm a northerner. The saying 'southern boats and northern horses' is no joke. I'm okay at riding horses, but I'm a complete novice when it comes to water combat."

Yue Wenxuan: “…”

This is ridiculous!

Could Secretary Shi have made a mistake?
Yue Wenxuan said, "If, and I mean if, you were given a navy, could you outflank and ambush the Jin invaders?"

Li Bao considered it seriously for five seconds, then looked up and said, "I need a cavalry unit to infiltrate the Jin rebels' rear and make sure they're thrown into chaos. As for the navy... cough... it's better to find someone else capable."

Yue Wenxuan: “…”

Li Bao: "..."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Li Bao, probably afraid that the "high-ranking official whose identity and status were unknown" might be dissatisfied, quickly added, "If you really want me to go, I'll practice swimming as soon as possible, and I can go after I've improved."

Yue Wenxuan: “…”

This is very embarrassing!

Could the history book be wrong?
Li Bao quickly changed the subject: "Are we going to mine iron ore next?"

Yue Wenxuan nodded: "The foot of Yimeng Mountain is one of the four major iron mining towns of the Song Dynasty. Of course, it cannot fall into the hands of the enemy. Our purpose in going there this time is to seize it."

Li Bao turned his head and looked around; only about two thousand people from the Northern Song Dynasty had come.

Such a force is not many.

He was a little worried: "Are our troops enough? It's one of the four major iron mining towns, how important is it? Not only will the puppet Qi state send heavy troops to guard it, but the Jin invaders will also station their own troops there..."

Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "The military strength is indeed not much. After all, the Northern Song Dynasty was newly established and has been expanding its territory at a frenzy recently. It has seized five counties in Yizhou and three counties in Weiyang Army. The military strength has been divided up again and again, and we can't spare many troops. However... there shouldn't be many Qi Jin troops stationed at the iron mine. The rest are all soldiers from the pseudo-Qi Kingdom. It shouldn't be too difficult for us to take it down."

Li Bao thought to himself: What a baffling confidence!

Although the soldiers of the pseudo-Qi state were cowardly and lacked combat power, they were only weak when engaging in open field battles. When they were defending cities and fortresses and fighting protracted battles, they would inexplicably become very strong.

The difficulty of attacking cities and strongholds is no joke. Without several times the number of troops, how can you possibly succeed?

As a newcomer, he didn't feel comfortable complaining and could only keep his thoughts to himself. Turning his head, he saw that Sui Yi beside him had a calm expression, seemingly unconcerned. He couldn't help but wonder: Sui Yi was a skilled strategist, so why didn't he have any objections?
Never mind, we'll find out when the time comes.

The army left Gaohu and traveled northeast for a long time.

The guide pointed into the distance and said, "That's where the iron ore is."

In the distance, you can see a small mountain town with tall stone walls. You can see soldiers guarding the walls. Outside the town is a small town, which is obviously a small town that naturally formed by the iron mine. There are at least several hundred households in the town.

Even from a distance, you can see that these houses have stoves and anvils set up at their doorways.

Clearly, this is a small blacksmith town!

Yue Wenxuan checked the map and found that there were no iron ore companies here in later generations. This shows that the mines here were mostly on the surface and were exhausted in ancient times. Iron mines in later generations tend to be mined "deep underground", which is why there is no corresponding location on the map.

The guide explained, "This place is called Tiebao City. A few years ago, when the Jin Dynasty first came, they captured many of the artisans here. They originally intended to take them back to the Jin Dynasty, but after the establishment of the puppet Qi state, some of the artisans were released... I don't know why."

Yue Wenxuan laughed and said, "The reason is simple. The Jin Kingdom could capture too many craftsmen at once, but the Jin Kingdom's basic productivity is too weak. It doesn't produce enough iron ore domestically, so it can't use so many craftsmen. It's better to let the surplus craftsmen return to the iron ore producing areas and help them forge weapons and armor under the management of the pseudo-Qi Kingdom."

Gong Erniangzi and the others suddenly realized: "So that's how it is!"

Yue Wenxuan said, “Everyone must remember one thing: industry must be supported by supporting industries. You can’t have craftsmen without ore, and you can’t have ore without craftsmen. The same principle applies to other industries. The economy is a huge system, so don’t try to walk on one foot.”

Gong Erniangzi: "I will remember that."

The guide continued, “The miners in Tiebao City were once captured by the Jin bandits and taken to the north. Many of them died far from home. They are afraid of being captured again, so they are always thinking about escaping. In order to prevent them from escaping, there are quite a few troops stationed in this city. There are several hundred real Jin bandits and a thousand pseudo-Qi bandits. They are usually very strict and do not allow people to come and go at will.”

Yue Wenxuan: "That's just over a thousand people! Hmm! Gong Er Niangzi, I'll leave the rest to you."

Gong Erniangzi perked up: "Alright, let's prepare for the siege."

At her command, the soldiers roused themselves and began preparations for battle.

Sui Yi called out to Li Bao, "Call your soldiers and join my troops. Start as auxiliary soldiers."

Li Bao muttered something under his breath, but didn't protest and obediently followed.

Then, just like when Sui Yi first joined the Northern Song army, he carried cannonballs and gunpowder, doing odd jobs for the artillery battalion. He couldn't understand any of these strange operations, but he was smart and didn't complain. He just obediently followed along and tried his best to learn.

Soon, the artillery battalion was ready.

Gong Erniangzi, leading three hundred cursing hands, shouted at Tiebao City: "Listen up, you Jin traitors and pseudo-Qi bandits in the city! Open the gates and surrender, and you will be spared death. Those who resist will all be beheaded. Oh, and listen up, miners and blacksmiths in the city! We are the army of the Northern Song Dynasty. This battle has nothing to do with you. If you don't help the traitors, you will be fine. Afterwards, we guarantee you will live well and have enough to eat every day. Our Northern Song Dynasty has already exempted the farmers of Yizhou from taxes for a year, and we will treat you leniently as well."

(End of this chapter)