Chapter 239 Still Busy

I just returned to Tokyo, although the war has basically ended.

however……

Zhao Xin still can’t be too idle.

This is not!

Less than two days after returning, he started to get busy again.

But in order to better accompany Yuanyuan and his concubine, he chose to work half a day and then rest for half a day.

I don’t know what the situation is in the Liao Kingdom either.

It is said that the Liao Kingdom had a standing army of at least 200,000 to 300,000.

Although Xixia also claimed to have hundreds of thousands of people.

But having hundreds of thousands of people on standby and recruiting people to make up the numbers during a war are two completely different concepts.

If we follow the standards of Western Xia, the Liao Kingdom would probably have an army of one million.

Otherwise, Western Xia would have defeated the Liao Kingdom long ago.

Why did they still recognize the Liao Kingdom as their overlord?

The Liao Dynasty’s Nanjing was said to have a population of 300,000 households, based on the standard of five people per household.

The Liao Kingdom alone had at least 1.5 million people in Youzhou.

Therefore, the prosperity of Nanjing in the Liao Dynasty was no less than that of places like Dongjing City and Yangzhou City in the Song Dynasty.

and……

It is said that at least half of the people in the Liao Kingdom were Han people.

All Zhao Xin can do now is to ask Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi to pay close attention to the developments in the north.

As for his Li Yuan Army, it was time for them to take a rest. They would be ready to march north at any time whenever necessary.

In the following days, he continued to meet various people.

Taoist priest here…

Zhao Xin asked the other party to study concentrated sulfuric acid.

However, the failure to produce glass did impose great limitations on the research.

Because bottles and jars are opaque, it is difficult to see the reactions and changes intuitively.

Zhao Xin could only say that he wanted the other party to also study the firing of glass.

It seems to be quartz, sodium carbonate or something.

Sodium carbonate is actually not easy to obtain.

The best thing would be to find a merchant from the Western Regions, beat him up, and then get the formula for making glass from him.

Unfortunately……

It would be fine if you said it was the Tang Dynasty now, but now it is the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Xin knew that there seemed to be an alkali mine in the territory of Liao Kingdom. Alkali can be used to process animal fur and other things.

Maybe we can start with this.

However, there are many kinds of alkalis, such as sodium sulfate, which is also an alkali.

But it cannot be used to make glass.

As for Shen Kuo, ever since Zhao Xin mentioned the term “escapement” to him, he also roughly explained what the escapement was used for.

soon……

Shen Kuo also made this thing.

At the same time, a gravity device capable of timing was also made.

Due to the existence of the escapement, the time of each mechanical movement can be fixed, which basically forms the prototype of a clock.

Zhao Xin asked him to continue improving.

We strive to make a complete clock that can at least measure time for a whole day, several days, or even longer.

and……

It would be best to make it look nicer, after all, we can see if we can sell it when the time comes.

Now that Jiaozhi in the south is eyeing the Song Dynasty covetously and the sea trade routes are blocked, Zhao Xin must find another profitable project.

of course!

In fact, what Zhao Xin didn’t know was that it was on his way back from Hengshan that the emperor of the Li Dynasty, Li Dezheng, died of illness.

Therefore, at least in the next year, Jiaozhi in the south should not take any major actions against the Song Dynasty immediately.

But once the new emperor has secured his throne and dealt with the relationship between the monarch and his subjects in the court, it will be hard to say.

Zhao Xin now urgently needs to improve his technological level.

Therefore, I pay special attention to these things.

even……

He even specially invited everyone to come.

They said that their next focus will be to vigorously develop the chemical industry, as well as the mechanical design and machining industries.

Like the city of Tokyo today.

The processing of Huanghuali wood using steam engines has become quite sophisticated.

In the past, it took half a day to saw a piece of wood, but now it can be done in the blink of an eye.

This may be a bit of an exaggeration.

but……

indeed!

It is so much more convenient than before.

News also came from the craftsmen.

The first four-wheeled steam locomotive has been built.

At the moment, the horsepower is still a bit small.

There is no problem bringing one or two plows, but if you ask about bringing ten or twenty plows, that would probably be a bit difficult.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Xin immediately took people to check it out.

It is slightly larger than the original steam locomotive.

But many parts are currently made by hand.

It is both labor-intensive and time-consuming.

therefore……

After watching it, Zhao Xin became more interested in the research and development of steam forging hammers and other things.

After the inspection, the next step is to reward all the craftsmen.

In some cases, the amount of silk can reach thousands, and in others, there can be dozens or even hundreds.

It seems that silk is not that valuable anymore.

However, the ancient agricultural society itself was a society that was in short supply of various materials. Therefore, rewarding such a small amount of things would not cause much fluctuation in market prices.

After all, how many people are still wearing coarse linen clothes at this moment.

it’s over…

I listened to Wang Anshi’s report again.

Currently, their Qingmiao money lending is mainly concentrated in Hebei, Hubei and Hunan.

It is said that infant drowning is very common in Hubei and Hunan areas.

Zhao Xin also thought, if you don’t want it, just give it to me.

Then he asked his Jinyiwei to see if he could recruit some younger brothers.

Although it takes at least ten or twenty years to cultivate it before it can be effective.

However, these people may be used as trusted ones in the future.

It was already a month later when I finished all the above.

The good news is…

There is no further news from the Liao Kingdom at the moment.

I guess they are communicating with Xixia.

The Western Xia was certainly unwilling to see the Song Dynasty invade and occupy the Hengshan area.

It’s just that I can’t beat him now, so I’m silent.

However, if the Liao Kingdom said that it was willing to mobilize the entire country to help the other side retake Hengshan, then the Western Xia would probably be a little tempted.

At this time, Yelu Zongzhen also summoned all the ministers to discuss the attack on the Southern Dynasty.

Maybe the pressure Zhao Xin put on him was too great.

If a powerful ruler really emerges in the Southern Dynasty, it will be a very bad thing for their Liao Kingdom.

of course!

Domestic ministers naturally felt that it was a bit too impulsive to start such a big war for a possible future leader.

Immediately afterwards…

Yelu Zongzhen then thought of another dirty trick and sent someone to send a gift to Zhao Xin.

Not given to the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty.

See whether the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty will have any grudges with the other side.

After all, in the face of imperial power, there is no room for mercy between father and son.

By the way… ask someone to get the other person’s portrait.

Originally, he wanted to paint Zhao Zhen’s portrait.

However, the officials of the Song Dynasty felt that the Liao Kingdom must have ill intentions in asking for their official portraits.

Maybe he was trying to use some kind of aversion to me, which was why he kept refusing.

If they asked Prince Yu for a portrait now, what would be the result?
of course!

The main reason was that Yelu Zongzhen wanted to see what Zhao Xin looked like and whether he would really pose any threat to the Liao Kingdom in the future.

The two wars against Western Xia probably made Yelu Zongzhen feel guilty.

otherwise……

If it were when he was young, if the Song Dynasty took such an action, he might have immediately raised an army and not said any more nonsense to you.

The second year of Zhihe.

Spring, March.

The Liao envoys came to Dongjing City again.

When Zhao Xin heard that he wanted a portrait of himself, he was a little speechless.

I’m a grown man, what do you want my portrait for?

You are not…

Zhao Xin directly rejected the other party’s request.

And even if the other party is not gay, you are probably thinking about going to the battlefield in the future to identify who is His Royal Highness the Prince of Yu, right?
Although I will naturally show up on my own initiative when the time comes.

But it is a bit scary that these two grown men want their portraits.

Zhao Xin also asked someone to reply to the other envoy: “Why do you want my portrait? You don’t have that kind of Longyang fetish, do you?”

The other envoy probably didn’t expect that Zhao Xin would think in that direction, so he could only reply to Zhao Xin. How could he explain that he wanted Zhao Xin’s portrait? In fact, it was a symbol of the generations-long friendship between the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

The main reason was that the emperor of the Northern Dynasty liked painting, so a long time ago, he sent paintings to the emperor of the Southern Dynasty.

This is not!

The two countries have been living in peace for so many years, but I still don’t know what my brother and his son look like. That’s why I want to ask for a painting to ease the longing in my heart.

Zhao Xin just wanted to say, think about it, bullshit, I even want to attack you.

It’s just that I’m not ready yet.

Next, Zhao Xin had to train a large number of cavalry.

If we want to defeat the Liao Kingdom, no matter what, we should have no less than 50,000 cavalry.

If we could have 100,000, that would be even better.

At the same time, the Liao Kingdom also sent envoys to Tubo.

The news that the Song Dynasty had captured Hengshan in Western Xia was told to Tubo.

The purpose of doing so is actually self-evident.

After the Song Dynasty has defeated Western Xia, it will come to deal with you.

However, the Tibetan king Zuosiluo naturally knew about this.

After all, when Zhao Xin withdrew his troops, he must have sent someone to inform the other party of the news.

But knowing is one thing, and how to interpret this military action of the Song Dynasty is another.

After sending away the Liao envoys, Zuo Siluo couldn’t help but sigh that it really felt like the Song Dynasty had become stronger.

They were able to capture the Hengshan area of ​​Western Xia.

I can only say…the emperor of the Song Dynasty gave birth to a good son.

The Liao Kingdom requested their Tubo not to sell war horses to the Song Dynasty.

Zuo Siluo was also considering whether to reduce the export of war horses.

after all……

Defenses can not do without.

If the Song government still keeps its word, then that would be fine.

Because it is well known that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is a kind person.

but……

Now the one in power is Prince Yu, so that’s another story.

It was the end of March of this year.

Zhao Xin was also thinking about making some adjustments to the Song Dynasty’s imperial guards.

The imperial guards of the Song Dynasty usually consisted of four to five hundred men, with one commander for every five hundred men.

Appoint a commander.

Only when the war breaks out will these commanders be temporarily summoned.

Then he immediately threw himself into the battle.

So in fact, many commanders are not familiar with each other at all. Naturally, when fighting, there is certainly no question of how much trust they have in their friendly forces.

even……

Phenomena such as stealing credit are not uncommon.

For example, when the rebellion in Beizhou City was suppressed, some people wanted to take all the credit for themselves, so they cut the ropes used by other friendly forces to enter the city.

This is all because of the Song Dynasty’s military system, which made the soldiers not subordinate to each other, and ultimately led to such a tragedy.

Zhao Xin’s next target was the Liao Kingdom.

If something like this happens again during the next war.

Then Zhao Xin might have to learn from his ancestors and drift on a donkey cart.

to this end……

Zhao Xin next plans to select some available commanders.

Then these commanders will be re-educated.

even……

Zhao Xin had thought about whether he should directly arrange his own Li Yuan Army to take over the original army.

of course!

Before that…

Zhao Xin must have asked everyone first, including Ouyang Xiu and some people from his own Li Yuan Army.

In fact, if he let the commander of his Li Yuan army take over, the effect might be better.

but……

You directly arrange one person to replace someone else’s position. No matter how you look at it, it seems like you are leaving no way for that person to survive.

Even if you say that you will continue to receive salary but you don’t have to do anything, if you are paid without doing anything, it will not be a good thing for other people who still have work to do.

Then Zhao Xin could only compromise and pick some people who were able to be educated and give it a try.

To this end, a registration channel for military commanders has been opened.

Recruiting commanders who obey orders and dare to fight.

Next, Zhao Xin planned to form a cavalry team of about 50,000 people.

Later, the word “cavalry” was omitted.

Otherwise, if the Liao Kingdom found out, they would think that the Song Dynasty was going to attack them.

although……

These 50,000 cavalry were actually prepared for the war with the Liao Kingdom.

For a while…

Many people came to sign up.

But how can we tell whether this person obeys orders?

This is something Zhao Xin needs to solve.

The first thing is of course the written test.

What do you think of the Battle of Haoshuichuan and the Battle of Dingchuanzhai?
At the same time, the character and personality of each person must be examined.

From this, we can screen out some people.

Immediately afterwards…

After the written test, you will have to participate in the military training of the Li Yuan Army.

If you want them to obey orders and change their bad habits, military training is necessary.

Only by training them one by one can they do what they are told to do.

And no complaints.

This is considered preliminary training.

This step is mainly to train their obedience.

Because Zhao Xin had won battles before, and these were victories that the Song Dynasty had never won in decades, he was able to subdue these arrogant soldiers and generals.

If it were someone else who trained them like this, they would probably have quit long ago.

of course!

Smart people can see that too.

This may be the reason why His Royal Highness Prince Yu was able to win the battle.

If the army is trained in this way, its orders will be unified from top to bottom.

How is it possible that we can’t win the battle?
(End of this chapter)