The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 357 I Did Not Deceive the Public

Yue Wenxuan pretended to do some calculations with his fingers, and only after a while did he put his hands down.

A strange smile appeared on his face: "In two or three years, a Song general named Yue Fei will lead a large army to wipe you out."

The envoy forced a smile: "Whether it's Yue Fei or Zhang Fei, my Chu Kingdom is not afraid!"

Yue Wenxuan: "As I just said, the enemy isn't external, it's internal. When Yue Fei arrived, the Great Sage Heavenly King was feasting and drinking lavishly, even his bedding was made of gold. But the soldiers and civilians were very poor... People have brains, they can think... They thought about it carefully, and then they realized, 'Hey? What happened to the promise of equal distribution of wealth? What happened to the promise of equal social status? Why is the Great Sage Heavenly King eating so well, while I'm eating wild vegetables?'"

The envoy's facial muscles began to twitch... twitching so much that his handsome features were distorted. Clearly, this envoy was also somewhat dissatisfied with the progress of "equalizing wealth" in the country, and Yue Wenxuan's words had hit the bullseye, making him very uncomfortable.

Yue Wenxuan continued, "If the opponent were an ordinary Song general, the soldiers and civilians wouldn't betray the Chu Kingdom. But the Song general coming next time is no ordinary one. This Song general named Yue Fei is a very good person. He has strict military discipline, never harms the people in the slightest, helps those in distress, and has an upright character..."

Yue Wenxuan grinned, a sinister smile spreading across his face: "The soldiers and civilians of Chu, if you put the Great Sage Heavenly King and Yue Fei side by side, make a comparison... oh my... guess what will happen?"

The envoy was beginning to feel uneasy: "Impossible! You are spreading heresy and misleading the public."

"I'm not trying to mislead anyone. I'm only telling you this." Yue Wenxuan deliberately lowered his voice. "Don't tell anyone else, okay? This is a secret. I'm only revealing it to you. You must keep it a secret."

messenger:"……"

The messenger covered his ears with both hands and made his way out.

The guards tried to stop him, but Yue Wenxuan waved his hand and said, "Let him go."

Soon, the messenger stumbled out, feeling like he had suffered a devastating blow, and left in agony.

Only then did Gong Er Niangzi say, "True Lord, what you just said, is it true?"

Yue Wenxuan nodded: "It's true! As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The State of Chu was established by relying on the slogan of 'equalizing wealth and status' to gain the support of the people. But when the people realized that they had been deceived, the mass base of the State of Chu would be shaken. Once Yue Fei arrived, soldiers and civilians defected to Yue Fei's side, and the State of Chu would naturally perish. No one could save them."

Gong Erniangzi was speechless.

Yue Wenxuan: "This is why I have been working hard to improve the lives of the people in the Northern Song Dynasty. All slogans are empty words. Only when the people's lives are good will they know who the best ruler is."

Gong Erniangzi: "Then you just revealed this heavenly secret to the Chu envoy. Perhaps if the envoy goes back and advises Yang Yao to correct his mistake, the Chu Kingdom can survive?"

Yue Wenxuan shook his head and laughed, "Impossible! With just a few words, the envoy can't change Yang Yao or the Chu Kingdom. If he could really change things and make the people of Chu live a better life, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. It's just that we definitely won't live to see that happen."

Yue Wenxuan was right. A few days later, the envoy returned to the State of Chu and advised Yang Yao to stop his extravagant and wasteful lifestyle and to share his wealth with the soldiers and civilians. But Yang Yao ignored him and refused on the spot, even ordering his soldiers to throw the envoy away.

The envoy sighed, pondered deeply, and concluded that he was doomed. He had to find another way out, so he secretly sneaked into Yang Yao's water fortress, drew the carts and boats on blueprints, and took the blueprints with him to the Northern Song Dynasty that very night...

Half a month later, the blueprints for the vehicles and ships were placed in front of Yue Wenxuan.

Yue Wenxuan took a closer look and couldn't help but chuckle.

The claim of a 110-meter-long super ship is a lie. It's just a bunch of 30-meter-long riverboats tied together with iron chains, covered with wooden planks, and then made into a 110-meter-long giant ship.

How is this different from Cao Cao's actions when he fought at the Battle of Red Cliffs?
No wonder the wagons and boats were equipped with throwing weapons and long weapons such as wooden crows, harpoons, and crossbows, making it difficult for enemy ships to get close.

The main reason for this was to prevent the enemy's fire ships from getting close, thus avoiding repeating Cao Cao's mistake. Otherwise, why would such a large ship be afraid of enemy ships approaching?
Shouldn't we take advantage of our size to actively approach the enemy and kill them?

Let's just laugh it off and continue building Ming Dynasty warships.
-
In 1131 AD, at the turn of summer and autumn.

Having caught their breath during the war, the Jin Dynasty is itching for another fight...

However, they were hesitant to attack southwards. The Jin dynasty did not dare to move south until they could break through the Northern Song dynasty's firearms.

Therefore, Jin Zuo Deputy Marshal Zong Han ordered Right Vice Commander Yelü Yi to lead 20,000 cavalry from Yan, Yun, and Jurchen to attack the Western Liao at Hele City.

For this expedition, the Jin state mobilized laborers from Shanxi and Hebei to transport military provisions and serve as logistical support for the Jin army.

However, the journey from Shanxi and Hebei to Hele City involved crossing more than 3,000 li of desert, and most of the conscripted laborers died on the way, with only 10% or 20% able to return home.

This series of questionable actions by the Jin Dynasty further fueled the resentment among the Han people in Shanxi and Hebei.

Seeing that the country was about to be destroyed again, Emperor Taizong of Jin also sensed that something was wrong. He quickly followed the example of the Northern Song Dynasty and sent agricultural officials to various parts of Hebei to supervise and encourage farming.

And at the same time...

A middle-aged beggar was walking on the land of Jiangxi, holding a bright green bamboo cane.

This beggar is none other than Su Qier!
In recent years, Su Qier has been unable to make a living in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Because there were fewer and fewer beggars in the Northern Song Dynasty.

In the movie "King of Beggars", Beggar So said to the emperor: "The number of disciples in the Beggars' Clan is not decided by me, but by you. If you are truly wise and powerful, bringing peace and prosperity to the country, who would want to be a beggar?"

This statement did not come true in the Qing Dynasty, but it was rapidly becoming a reality in the Northern Song Dynasty.

There are still beggars, but fewer and fewer, and they can no longer form a gang.

Under Yue Wenxuan's orders, Su Qier left the Northern Song Dynasty and headed southwest to Jiangxi Province.

At this time, the Jiangxi region was known as "Jiangnan West Circuit." It was nominally still under the control of the Southern Song Dynasty, but in reality, it was in chaos. The forces of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Chu Kingdom, and the bandits were all spreading in Jiangnan West Circuit, making it a chaotic and unmanageable place.

Although Su Qier was highly skilled in martial arts, he was no match for the many hands that were at his disposal, and it was not safe for him to be alone here.

Fortunately, he was dressed as a beggar and looked very poor, so no thieves would come to rob a beggar. As long as he was careful when walking, nothing unexpected happened.

Yue Wenxuan would occasionally possess him and learn about the situation in Jiangxi through his eyes.

Just then, Yue Wenxuan's consciousness switched over...

He glanced around and found himself standing in a rural village. There were dozens of houses in the village, but the farmland around the houses was mostly abandoned, with only a few plots of land planted with crops.

(End of this chapter)