The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 312 Giving You an Online Army
After Yue Wenxuan finished the palace examination and laid the groundwork for the new education system, he quickly withdrew from the situation, realized everything, and returned to Siyang City in the south.

In just a few days, Siyang City has regained its vitality.

The Northern Song army's act of "distributing grain" quickly won the favor of the people, winning their hearts and minds. The people were no longer afraid of the Northern Song and naturally took to the streets, resuming their normal lives.

When the rebel army controlled the city, merchants didn't even dare to open their shops to do business. Now they all dare to open their shops, and the shops on both sides of the street have started to open for business. The city has suddenly recovered 70% of its pre-Song-Jin War atmosphere.

The remaining 30% haven't recovered because... those 30% of residents have already left this world forever.

Gong Erniangzi sat in the government office of Siyang City, laying out a map of the surrounding area and studying which direction to advance her troops next.

Just then, she felt Yue Wenxuan move in the chair behind her, and immediately turned around with a smile on her face: "True Lord, you've returned from your spiritual journey?"

Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "I went to Jiaoshui County to take a look. The spring examination there went very smoothly, and a new batch of officials has been selected. The Ministry of Personnel will soon send people over to get closer to the administration of Yizhou and Huaiyang Army."

Gong Er Niangzi nodded: "That would be wonderful."

Yizhou, Huaiyangjun, and Siyang, the three places we just conquered, are currently under military control, which is definitely unhealthy. They need to be handed over to civilian officials as soon as possible so that things can get back on track more quickly.

Gong Erniangzi: "Recently, a bandit army has appeared south of Siyang. It is said to be the men of the notorious bandit Li Cheng. They have been frequently challenging us to battle. I am just waiting for the civil officials to arrive so that I can hand Siyang over to them. Then I will go and deal with Li Cheng."

Yue Wenxuan nodded: "Li Cheng has been wreaking havoc in Huainan for a long time. We must get rid of this guy as soon as possible so that the people can live a good life."

As the two were talking, Li Bao ran in from outside, looking excited: "Secretary General, when I was practicing boat maneuvering on the Si River outside the city, the local fishermen gave me some information."

Madam Gong Er: "Oh?"

Li Bao: "Let him say it himself."

He dragged a man in from outside. The man had dark skin, clearly the kind who was often exposed to the sun and rain, and was wearing tattered clothes. He seemed a bit timid and said, "This humble one greets the Great General."

Gong Erniangzi: "What military intelligence do you have to share?"

The man lowered his voice and said, "I have heard that the general of the Northern Song Dynasty is benevolent and loves the people like his own children. I have come here to request that the general send troops to eliminate the water bandits in Hongze Lake in the south and save the people in the hundreds of miles around the lake."

Gong Erniangzi immediately perked up: "Tell me in detail."

The fisherman then began to speak. He said that he was originally a fisherman in Hongze Lake, making a living by fishing. When the Jin soldiers passed through, he was not killed. After all, the Jin soldiers did not like lakes and did not bother to harm Hongze Lake.

However, after the Jin army withdrew, Huainan East Road became a no-man's-land, and his life was ruined in an instant.

Many bandits gradually settled in Hongze Lake, making it impossible for the fishermen to make a living.

Gong Erniangzi frowned: "How many bandits are there? Who is their leader?"

The fisherman said, "There are about one or two thousand bandits. The leader calls himself 'Dragon King of the Lake' Zhao Qi. He is an extremely good swimmer. It is said that he can swim dozens of feet underwater in one breath. No one who goes into the water can beat him."

Gong Erniangzi thought to herself: This is troublesome. The notorious bandit Li Cheng is challenging us to a duel. He has many soldiers, so our main force will definitely have to deal with him first, and won't have time to spare for Hongze Lake. Besides, most of our troops are from Shandong, and their swimming skills aren't very good. Their overall naval combat capabilities are probably not much different from Cao Cao's army during the Three Kingdoms period. If we enter Hongze Lake, won't we be beaten to a pulp by the bandits? And I don't even have Cai Mao or Zhang Yun under my command. As she was considering how to handle this matter, she heard Li Bao excitedly say: "Prime Minister Gong, this humble general requests to lead the charge! This humble general has been practicing swimming for several months and has also learned how to handle a boat. This humble general is confident that he can defeat the bandits."

Gong Er Niangzi: "Hey, this is no child's play."

Li Bao: "This is no child's play, this humble general requests to fight!"

Gong Erniangzi hesitated. She had personally witnessed Li Bao's weighted swimming method. Although she had seen him swim reasonably well outside Siyang City a few days ago, with his current strength, he would definitely die if he encountered the "Dragon King of the Lake".

Just as she was about to refuse, Yue Wenxuan suddenly spoke up, "We can let Li Bao give it a try."

"Huh?" Upon hearing Zhenjun speak, Gong Erniangzi immediately disregarded her own opinion, casting aside her previous thoughts, and changed her words, saying, "Li Bao, since you volunteered, I have no reason to refuse, so you can go."

Li Bao was overjoyed.

Yue Wenxuan said, "There are one or two thousand bandits. Li Bao, you only have two hundred men under your direct command, right? I need to give you some more men."

Li Bao clasped his hands in a fist and pleaded, “I beg the Privy Council to allocate me five hundred men, plus my own two hundred, and I will bring back Zhao Qi’s head.”

Gong Er Niangzi really didn't know where he got such strong confidence from, so she could only look at Yue Wenxuan.

Yue Wenxuan smiled: "Five hundred men, right? That's fine! Go and prepare the boats first. It will probably take you several days to prepare boats for several hundred men. In the meantime, I will select some soldiers who are good swimmers from the army and give them to you."

Li Bao was overjoyed: "Thank you, Young Master Yue, and thank you, Privy Councilor."

He happily ran off to prepare boats. There were quite a few civilian boats in Siyang City, and he wanted to find merchants and fishermen to ask who was willing to lend him a boat. If he couldn't lend one, he would have to "requisition" it. Yue Wenxuan strictly stipulated that "requisitioning" civilian resources must cost money, and he had set very detailed standards. This was overseen by the military's money manager.

After Li Bao left, Gong Er Niangzi turned to Yue Wenxuan and asked, "True Lord, this fellow Li Bao is not someone I trust."

Yue Wenxuan: "Actually, I'm not at ease with him either."

Gong Er Niangzi: "Ah? Then you still..."

Yue Wenxuan: "Excellent generals need to grow through actual combat. At present, our Northern Song Dynasty does not even have a single naval general. It is very necessary to let Li Bao grow in this direction. Otherwise, when the enemy's navy defeats us, it will be too late for us to train generals."

Gong Erniangzi: "I'm afraid that before I've even mastered it, I'll be sunk to the bottom of Hongze Lake by the 'Dragon King of the Lake'."

Yue Wenxuan: "So, I will give him a tiny bit of help."

When Gong Er Niangzi saw Yue Wenxuan wink mischievously as he spoke, she suddenly realized that back when the True Lord was nurturing her...

"Are they going to deploy the heavenly soldiers?"

(End of this chapter)