The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 472 Announcement to the World
Zhao Gou was completely bewildered, muttering to himself, "Is this how wars are fought now?"

Qin Hui stood to the side, watching Zhao Gou's dazed expression, and chuckled inwardly: When I was invited to take a tour of the Northern Song Dynasty, I didn't look as embarrassed as you when I saw those things. I still have at least the ability to manage my expression.

"Your Majesty, the battle is over. The Jin cavalry have all fled, and the puppet Qi army in the city has surrendered. Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Zhang Jun's voice brought Zhao Gou back to reality.

Zhao Gou looked up blankly and saw that Zhang Jun's expression was still calm and he didn't seem frightened at all. He couldn't help but think to himself: Zhang Jun is not bad. He is indeed a general who will restore the Song Dynasty. He is not afraid of such powerful firearms. He is reliable.

Little did he know that Zhang Jun had been invited to witness the battle many years ago when the Northern Song army attacked Shouchun. Zhang Jun had personally seen the Shouchun city walls crumble to dust under the relentless bombardment of firearms. From that moment on, Zhang Jun and Qin Hui were already in cahoots.

If Liu Guangshi hadn't been standing by, Zhang Jun might have captured Zhao Gou on the spot and sent him to the Northern Song Dynasty.

But with Liu Guangshi around, Zhang Jun didn't dare to make a move, because he never fought tough battles.

Zhang Jun: "Your Majesty, the pseudo-Song regime has made an agreement with us that Ye County will belong to us after this battle. I wonder if they will keep their word."

Zhao Gou's spirits lifted: "Hmm, let's see first."

With trembling hands, he picked up the binoculars again and looked towards Ye County.

After the Northern Song army breached the city wall, the puppet Qi army inside the city surrendered. The two battlefields in the east and south of the city were quiet. The Northern Song army suffered very few casualties, with almost no soldiers killed in close combat and only a few wounded by arrows.

Auxiliary troops are moving about, carrying the wounded soldiers to the back, where a group of people in white coats are bandaging them.

Meanwhile, on the Southern Song side, Han Shizhong's army suffered heavy casualties.

Because Han Shizhong did not have the kind of palanquin-shaped carts like the Northern Song army, the front-line soldiers could only use shields to block arrows. Shields were no match for palanquins, and many soldiers were wounded by arrows.

Han Shizhong did not have a large square formation of smoothbore musketeers to line up and shoot the enemy. When engaging the enemy in close combat, he could only use spearmen to thrust at each other, so a large number of soldiers were wounded by spears.

And then there's the crucial Beiwei Army. Although they fought bravely and fiercely, the Beiwei Army mainly fought against the Iron Pagodas. Basically, it took several lives to exchange for one Iron Pagoda, and the casualties after a tough battle were also considerable.

Zhao Gou could tell with a glance through his binoculars that Han Shizhong's side couldn't be said to have won the battle; they could only say they held on. It was only because the Northern Song army's victory affected the morale of the Jin army, scaring away the real Jin cavalry and causing the morale of the puppet Qi army to collapse that Han Shizhong was able to reverse the situation and achieve victory.

This can only be considered a minor victory, not a major one.

Zhao Gou's lips trembled slightly...

There's no comparison, it's incomparable!

If the puppet Song regime were to renege on its promises made before the battle and insist on forcibly occupying Ye County, Han Shizhong would be unable to organize another battle to take Ye County by force.

Just as Zhao Gou was feeling worried, he saw the Northern Song army retreating.

They had clearly stormed into Ye County, but then retreated from the city. They seemed to be shouting something towards the south of the city. Then, Han Shizhong's command flag began to move, and they entered Ye County...

Zhao Gou couldn't help but exclaim, "Eh!" He continued, "The people of the pseudo-Song dynasty didn't renege on their promise; they really handed over Ye County to us."

Qin Hui immediately said, "Heaven blesses the Great Song! Your Majesty is mighty! With Ye County secured, we can announce to the world that Your Majesty personally led the expedition, commanded with composure, and reclaimed the lost lands of the Great Song, establishing an unparalleled military achievement."

Zhao Gou was overjoyed: "That's right! Quickly, quickly, quickly announce this to the world."

He quickly sent people to spread the word... But before his men could even set off from the mountaintop, in a small alley in Lin'an City, the Beggar Clan elder Ma Dayuan was chatting with a pancake vendor: "I have firsthand information from the front lines. Do you want to know?"

The vendor was astonished: "The military messenger hasn't even returned yet, how do you have news? Is your information reliable?"

Ma Dayuan chuckled: "Our Beggars' Sect has members all over the world, and our information network is even better than that of the imperial court. Just tell me if you want to hear it or not."

The vendor quickly replied, "Of course I want to hear it."

Ma Dayuan said in a low voice, "The Northern and Southern Song dynasties joined forces to defeat the Jin army and recapture Ye County. The Northern Song army put in a lot of effort, and the battle was basically won by the Northern Song army. However, the seventeenth prince of the Northern Song Dynasty was of noble character and ceded Ye County to the Southern Song Dynasty."

Vendor: "Huh? Really?"

Ma Dayuan: "Look at the way you don't believe me. Just wait, the official announcement will come in less than three days, and then you'll know that what I said is true."

After finishing his speech, Ma Dayuan recounted some details of the battle, speaking with great clarity and detail, as if he himself had been on the battlefield at the time.

The vendor was hesitant to believe it, but whether he believed it or not didn't stop him from spreading the word.

The vendor turned to the street, selling steamed buns while telling customers about the military situation at the front, boasting with a smug look that his information was faster than official announcements and that he had special channels...

For some reason, more and more people started spreading this news on the streets of Lin'an.

Moreover, when these messages reached the ears of scholars, they would analyze them according to their own understanding.

In a small brothel by West Lake, a group of scholars, with their left arms around courtesans and their right hands holding wine cups, drank and chatted about this matter.

One of the scholars said, "Everyone knows about the news about Ye County that started circulating yesterday, right?"

"I know!" Another scholar, drunk, slurred, "I heard that the Northern Song Dynasty took Ye County and then gave it to our Southern Song Dynasty."

"Hey, watch your mouth. We are the Great Song Dynasty, and the one to the north is the pseudo-Song Dynasty. If you speak so carelessly, you will commit a serious taboo."

"We're all on the same side, why are you being so careful with your words?"

"That's right, that's right, punish him with three cups."

The person who made a big deal out of it was punished with three drinks and dared not say another word...

Others continued to boast, and a scholar said, "Tell me, the Northern Song Dynasty clearly put in a lot of effort to take Ye County, so why did they give it to our Southern Song Dynasty? Could it be that the Northern Song Dynasty is afraid of us?"

"Bullshit, what are you afraid of? Haven't you heard the details of this battle? The Northern Song Dynasty's firearms were so powerful that they even blew up the city walls of Ye County. Why would they be afraid of us?"

"There's no definitive information on why they want to let the city go."

"Can't you analyze things if there's no news? We've read so many books and developed our brains; we should have a deep understanding of news that's just superficial. According to my analysis, it's because our Southern Song emperor Zhao Gou is shameless. He used the name of legitimacy to force the seventeenth prince to return Ye County to the Southern Song."

"Hmm, brother, your guess seems pretty plausible."

(End of this chapter)