The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 296 Such a quick reaction!
The craftsmen in Tiebao City were cheering in unison.

Just a minute ago, Yue Wenxuan announced to them that they were now free to go wherever they wanted, and that no one would ever again lock them up here and force them to mine and forge iron.

However, those who voluntarily stay to mine can receive 200 catties of grain each month.

Those who voluntarily stay to work as blacksmiths will receive more than three strings of cash per month, depending on their skill level, with no upper limit.

As soon as this was announced, blacksmiths began rushing out of Iron Treasure City.

They were truly terrified, extremely terrified, afraid of being captured again and taken to the north, where they would live a life worse than dogs in the Jin Dynasty's territory.

They escaped from Tiebao City without being stopped by the soldiers, and only then did they realize that the Northern Song Dynasty had truly given them their freedom. Once they confirmed this, their minds immediately calmed down: What will I eat after I escape?
Will they starve to death?
No no no!

Why not go back to blacksmithing? The wages are so high, why not take the money? Besides, I'm free now, I can leave whenever I want, so why rush to run away now?

So the craftsmen who had just run out of Iron Treasure City returned and cheered with the miners and blacksmiths in the city.

The small mining town, along with the surrounding towns, was in a state of euphoria.

In contrast to them, Gong Erniangzi was much calmer. She knew that appeasing the miners and blacksmiths here was no easy task. The promises made to them had to be kept. If the promised wages were not paid in a month, they would definitely run away.

Gong Erniangzi immediately dispatched a messenger to Jiaoshui County, urging the Right Chancellor Qian Zhuoqun, who was staying at home, to transport grain over as soon as possible.

In just a few months, the Northern Song Dynasty occupied three major prefectures: Weizhou, Mizhou, and Yizhou, putting considerable pressure on its logistics.

This can be considered the first major test for the new country. If it is already stretched thin in terms of troops and logistics after only occupying such a small territory, then it should learn from the Jin Dynasty, abandon the conquered territory, and retreat back to its original territory to rest and recuperate.

"Report!" A messenger ran in: "Reporting to the Privy Councilor, the Right Guard General has sent word that he has taken over the Huaiyang Army, and the people of Xiapi City are extremely supportive of our Northern Song capital."

Gong Erniangzi was completely confused: "Right Guard General, who is that?"

The messenger, the Great Khan, said: "Zhang Yong, Zhang Dalang."

Madam Gong Er: “…”

That's fucking outrageous!
After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, everyone was promoted, so much so that it became impossible to tell who was who.

However, she had no right to laugh at others, as she herself was quite unaccustomed to her position as Privy Councilor.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, what official position does Wu Jialiang hold now? I've forgotten."

The messenger's mind went blank for a moment: "It seems to be... the Left Guard General."

Gong Er Niangzi: "Isn't there something wrong with this official title? Isn't he a civil official?"

messenger:"……"

Upon hearing this, Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh right, I almost forgot about that. Wu Jialiang wanted to be a civil official, but he was always used as a military general. When the Northern Song Dynasty was in the midst of a major promotion, he was promoted to Left Guard General."

This location seems a bit off!
I suspect that this official position is not what he wants.

It seems things are stable in Yizhou for the time being. Yue Wenxuan smiled at Gong Erniangzi and said, "You manage things well here. I'm going to take a mental trip and see how Wu Jialiang is doing." After saying that, he switched his consciousness and focused on Master Ye.
-
As soon as Yue Wenxuan possessed Master Ye's body, he heard a sigh; it was Wu Jialiang's voice.

He found himself standing inside the prefectural government office in Weizhou, with Wu Jialiang not far in front of him, flipping through a pile of documents on the table.

These documents were delivered to him by Ji's men.

While the Northern Song Dynasty was sending troops to conquer the south, Wu Jialiang was left to guard Weizhou, responsible for resisting the attacks of the puppet Qi state and the Jin state, and guarding the "northern frontier" for the Northern Song Dynasty. The Ji family were local gentry in Weizhou, so they were sent to assist him in handling internal affairs and winning over the hearts of the people.

Ji Menghan is now the Minister of Personnel and is required to be stationed in the "capital". Therefore, the person who came to Weizhou to assist Wu Jialiang was another young member of the Ji family.

After handing a stack of documents to Wu Liang, he sat down beside him and whispered, "Why did you sigh, General?"

Wu Jialiang said with a bitter face, "I was originally a scholar, but I don't know why, I've been involved in war all my life. There are endless wars, one after another. I was favored by the emperor and he gave me a high-ranking official position, but it turned out to be a military officer. Sigh... I'm clearly a scholar."

Ji family members: "..."

Just then, a loud laugh came from outside the door, and Guan Sheng burst in: "Brother Jialiang, you're talking about this again, haha, what's wrong with being a military officer? I'm perfectly happy with it."

Wu Jialiang rolled his eyes: "How can we be the same? You've been practicing martial arts since you were a child, but I've been studying since I was a child."

Guan Sheng laughed: "Brother, don't think about these things. I just caught a spy outside the city. After questioning him carefully, I didn't expect that this spy had such a powerful background."

Wu Jialiang: “???”

Guan Sheng said, "This spy is a servant of Zhang Xiaochun, the self-proclaimed prime minister of the Qi state."

Wu Jialiang: "Huh? The prime minister of a country actually sent his own servants as spies? Is that necessary? The Ministry of War can handle spies."

Just as he finished speaking, Wu Jialiang suddenly realized something: "Quickly invite this spy in. Also, dismiss everyone around this room and have the guards move away."

Yue Wenxuan hadn't even reacted yet when he heard Wu Jialiang's words, and then he suddenly realized, "That's right, if the prime minister of a country sends out his servants, they're definitely not spies, but have something important to discuss with us. It's necessary to dismiss all irrelevant people."

In this respect, my sense of smell is far inferior to Wu Jialiang's.

The area around the room was quickly cleared.

The "spy" was also brought in by Guan Sheng himself. There were no guards or servants in the room, only Wu Jialiang, Guan Sheng, Master Ye, Li Xiaolong, and a young clerk from the Ji family.

Wu Jialiang put on a gentle smile and said to the "spy," "Everyone here is one of us. Not a single word will get out. If you have anything to say, oh no, if Prefect Zhang has anything to say, then say it now."

Zhang Xiaochun is now the prime minister of the puppet Qi state, but Wu Jialiang deliberately refers to him as "Prefect Zhang," which means he does not recognize the puppet Qi state's official position, but only recognizes Zhang Xiaochun as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong Road and Prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture of the Great Song Dynasty.

Such diplomatic dialogues are very detailed and subtle; a single wrong word can easily give someone a handle to use against you, but Wu Jialiang was truly watertight.

Yue Wenxuan thought to himself: I, someone with low political sensitivity, easily overlook this kind of speaking art, but Wu Jialiang pays close attention to it. Not bad, not bad, he really is a reliable person.

(End of this chapter)