Chapter 254: The Fourth Year of Jiayou
After all, it was a major event like moving the capital. Even Ouyang Xiu had to withstand the pressure of being scolded and submit a memorial to Zhao Xin, asking Zhao Xin to think twice before acting.

In fact, it is normal for them to have such a reaction. After all, you don’t want the capital of your country to be surrounded every other day.

Why did Zhu Di launch five expeditions to Mobei?
Before this, Zhao Xin was still a little unclear, but after seeing the situation in Youzhou City.

He suddenly understood a little.

Because Youzhou City is really located at the border of the country. If you don’t take advantage of your ability to fight and build a large buffer zone, the Mongols will attack you every now and then, and you will not be able to bear it.

Youzhou City is a good place in every way except that it’s leaky everywhere.

There are Jinpo Pass and Juyong Pass in the west, Gubeikou and Xifengkou in the north, and a long corridor in the east.

There are five leaks in the main passes and corridors alone.

Don’t even mention the smaller ones that don’t count.

Therefore, if you want to truly and completely defend the entire Youzhou area, it is absolutely impossible to do so without deploying an army of hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.

All I can say is… the capture of Youzhou City is a good thing for the Song Dynasty, but Youzhou City is also a burden.

If you put the Hu people here, they will become An Lushan in the future.

If you put a Han official here, he will become Dong Zhuo in the future.

If you put the royal family here, he will be Zhu Di in the future.

Therefore, sometimes, Zhao Xin is also very conflicted. Don’t you think Zhao Xin wants to find a safe place, and then eat, drink, have fun, and live a stable life?
The issue is……

It just doesn’t work!
Chang’an has long been deserted.

Luoyang is not as good as Kaifeng.

As for Kaifeng, there is no strategic location to defend.

and……

Zhao Xin thought that the imperial palace in Kaifeng was definitely poisonous.

It is not suitable for raising offspring.

What about moving further south?

The south is only suitable for separatist regimes that are isolated and safe in a corner.

and……

If you move to the South, you have to delegate power to others and let them take care of things.

Then Zhao Xin can just guard it by himself.

Although the Ming Dynasty had a Tumu Fort, it lasted for more than two hundred years, almost three hundred years. This has actually proved that this method is still feasible.

and……

You were in Chang’an, haven’t you ever been attacked by Tubo?
The advantages of moving the capital to Youzhou are obvious. The emperor can guard the national border without having to worry about the border generals becoming too powerful, and it can also save some military forces.

After all, the Song Dynasty has always followed the principle of internal and external control.

If there are 800,000 imperial guards, there must be 400,000 in the capital.

The total number of soldiers outside should be equal to that in the capital.

If Zhao Xin did not move the capital, it would be estimated that the area around Youzhou City would have to add another 100,000 to 200,000 troops.

Then the capital must also increase its military strength by another 100,000 to 200,000 troops.

This is a real waste of time and money.

in fact……

After the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, there was no longer any choice for the capital.

There is no need to consider the areas west of Kaifeng.

If you go there, you will be the emperor chasing after food.

You can only consider it from the north and south of Kaifeng.

Faced with the excited crowd, Zhao Xin did not try to reason with them, because reason is something that can be said to be white instead of black, depending on whether you need it to be black or white.

Zhao Xin only said one sentence: “Everyone has to listen to me!”

That’s it!

In fact…

Shanhaiguan is already under construction.

Zhao Xin also assigned some Li Yuan troops to guard the front.

Because the previous year, a surrendered Han official proposed to build some fortresses, cities and other things in the eastern sea area.

Zhao Xin told the other party that there were too many things to do and that they did not have enough financial resources. The other party also said that the people there were willing to voluntarily contribute money and effort to the construction.

Zhao Xin didn’t believe that everyone was willing to build it.

There will definitely be people who complain about why they are forced to perform corvee labor again.

But what is certain is that if it is repaired, it is also for their own good.

Because if it is not repaired, the Liao Kingdom can lead a large army south from here, and if it is repaired, at least the first to die will be the soldiers defending the city and the fortress on the front line.

Originally, they just wanted to build some military fortresses to slow down the Liao Kingdom’s southward advance.

But after everyone discussed it, they decided to just build Shanhaiguan in advance.

It is estimated that it will take about a year to repair it.

Zhao Xin also exempted them from taxes for this.

It can only be said that those Han officials who surrendered were very active in giving advice to Zhao Xin.

no way!
One, my home is right here.

Second, be more proactive so that you can get a chance to serve in the imperial court in the future.

Third, there is actually some identification among the Han people.

of course!

There must have been some Han people who were loyal to the Liao Kingdom.

For example, when Emperor Taizong of Song’s donkey cart drifted, the person guarding Youzhou City was actually a Han Chinese.

On the city wall of Youzhou City.

Zhao Xin looked to the north.

Although he really wanted to lead his troops to fight, he estimated that he would not have many opportunities to lead his troops to fight in person in the future.

Besides, there are so many things going on in the country. If he goes to fight, he will have no time to do other things.

The Li Yuan Republic also needs more outstanding generals.

And these generals also need more stages to show themselves.

In the fourth year of Jiayou, spring.

Towards Shanhaiguan.

Report that a thousand enemies are coming to hinder the construction of the city.

But it has been repelled.

On the Liao side…

In fact, seeing Zhao Xin building the city and walls over there, I was actually a little anxious.

But the good thing is that the corridor is not a necessary passage for the Liao Kingdom.

The current Liao Kingdom is actually a strengthened version of the Tatars.

The Tatars had to rely on the Mongols to make way for them, so that they could invade from the direction of Juyongguan.

The Liao Kingdom, on the other hand, had no need for this at all, because at that time the entire area north of Yanshan Mountain was almost under the control of the other side.

“We must fight back!”

“After all, the emperor guarding the national border is just talk. The emperor is supposed to conquer the world. Why guard the national border? Just attack!”

“Punch away with one punch, lest hundreds of punches come your way!”

In the spring of this year, Zhao Xin discussed the Northern Expedition again.

You can go north from the Liaoxi Corridor, but the journey is a bit far.

The distance is estimated to have to be at least doubled.

If you go north from Gubeikou or Xifengkou.

This road is not easy to walk on.

But we have to fight!

It’s just a large-scale attack by the army, that’s all.

At this time, they still have to save food.

Let’s attack with a cavalry squad of 500 or 1,000 men.

The Liao people were not the only ones who used cavalry harassment.

Zhao Xin then picked out one who looked reliable from among his seventeen generals, and asked him to go out with five hundred Li Yuan troops and five hundred ordinary Song Dynasty imperial guards.

Five hundred ordinary Song Dynasty imperial guards served as bait, and five hundred Li Yuan troops lay in ambush in the mountains.

At the same time, bring the hot air balloon team along.

Wait till March.

At last……

These one thousand people brought back more than two hundred heads and dozens of sheep for Zhao Xin.

Zhao Xin asked someone to write down all the achievements.

Because after the other person dies, this will be recorded in history books.

of course!

Words like “don’t be arrogant when you win, and don’t be discouraged when you lose” must be emphasized again and again.

The construction of the army’s spiritual civilization is always indispensable.

By the beginning of summer, Shanhaiguan had already had the most basic defensive functions. Now all that was left was to send troops there to station.

Shanhaiguan, to be honest, is so wide that it would require at least 10,000 people.

Where did these ten thousand people come from?

But it still has to come from Kaifeng.

Be reasonable!
After conquering Youzhou City, Zhao Xin began to miss the small and exquisite beauty of the Song Dynasty.

This territory is large, but it also brings big troubles.

This year…

A steam roller was also developed.

In fact, it is based on the original steam locomotive, with a roller added at the back.

of course!

This roller is also very particular.

Fortunately, Zhao Xin often sees that the person who invented XXX is really a genius.

Although the effect may not be very good at the moment.

However, it can indeed be of great help in road construction and leveling.

There are also stone crushers, but at present they can only crush small stones weighing hundreds of pounds, and cannot break large stones weighing tons.

Then the steam shovel is also being studied.

But this is even more complicated.

I guess I’ll be stuck there for a long time.

In terms of looms, in addition to being able to weave silk, technologies such as brocade are also being developed.

According to the Kaifeng price, a piece of silk is worth at most a few dozen coins more than one guan.

But if it is brocade, then one piece would be worth at least four or five strings of cash.

For example, why are the clothes of the Ming Dynasty so fancy? It is because the weaving technology is more advanced than that of previous dynasties.

Of course, it can also be seen as the Ming Dynasty becoming more and more arrogant.

I don’t think you can sell this kind of clothes at a good price.

Zhao Xin will naturally have to slowly move towards the high-end route next.

If there is too much silk, the market will easily be saturated.

This year……

The city of Kaifeng can also be clearly seen.

It is true that many people can wear clothes made of silk.

Zhao Xin plans to develop further into areas such as shoes and socks.

correct!

Zhao Xin also asked Shen Kuo to study this sewing machine.

although……

When Shen Kuo saw that he was asked to study the sewing machine, he would probably be stunned for a moment.

Zhao Xin gave all the sketches he had drawn to Shen Kuo.

Next…

It was up to Shen Kuo to complete the parts that he had not drawn in detail.

can only say……

This looks simple, but it is actually not easy at all.

As for the clock…

I also feel like it can be sold.

Ask your father-in-law to recruit a team of craftsmen and open a watch factory.

To be honest, it would seem a bit unfair if we don’t give Shen Kuo these future profits.

But if we give it, do you think we should also give it to other research?
But for some research, he might not be able to do so.

Zhao Xin also wrote a letter to Shen Kuo.

Ask for the other party’s opinion.

What I mean is, I want to use the clock you invented to increase national expenditure, that is, to sell it. What do you think? How much commission do you think you can accept?

Shen Kuo was also an honest man. He told Zhao Xin directly that for the sake of the country, there was no point in talking about commission.

Moreover, this clock was made by me under the guidance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Zhao Xin finally wrote a letter to the other party, saying that he had to give the money, but the country really needed money now, so he couldn’t give too much.

therefore……

Just give me half of it.

For a science and engineering man like Shen Kuo, who believed that as long as he did a good job, others would also be nice to him, this half success was a great encouragement to the others.

So, when I started studying the sewing machine next time, I worked even harder.

in fact……

It’s also good to share the profits with them.

After all, only in this way can their enthusiasm be fully mobilized.

This June.

A large number of watches appeared on the market.

Of course it cannot be named Clock, because it is not very polite to use it to send off someone after their death.

and so……

Zhao Xin simply called the clock “Twelve Hours”.

look!

Now it sounds good.

And because his sister Zhao Huirou got married the previous year, many people had seen this thing. Now that it was taken out again, even more people were flocking to it.

The selling price was two hundred and fifty strings of cash each. Even Zhao Xin felt that he was selling it too expensively.

But rich people may want this vanity.

If you tell them that they can buy it for ten or twenty strings of cash, they won’t treasure it.

Moreover, there were many families in Kaifeng with wealth of more than 100,000 strings of cash. Some people would spend hundreds of strings of cash just to hire a cook to help cook a meal.

They don’t need the money at all!
But to be honest, even if one hundred of them were sold, the maximum they would fetch would be only 25,000 strings of cash.

Compared with the 100,000 strings of cash Zhao Xin used to buy military rice, this was still too little.

after……

We need to design some better styles and charge more money.

Shen Kuo was also surprised!

Because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince actually dared to sell it for 250 strings of cash, and the key is… in the end someone actually bought it!

But to be honest, it is definitely worth buying because it can tell you the subtle changes of the twelve hours.

Even if you buy it and give it as a gift to someone, you will feel proud.

Buy it and take it back to show it to my poor relatives in the countryside.

Don’t tell me yet!

Some people actually do this.

After all, showing off wealth exists everywhere.

Not to mention that the business in the Song Dynasty has already developed to its extreme.

Some people buy the goods and then sell them in other states, acting as scalpers and taking advantage of the information gap to even sell them at twice the price.

The person who was cheated and paid twice the price must have been furious when he heard the news.

Others bought the watch, disassembled it, and then studied how it was made.

Some are out of curiosity.

Some people just want to imitate.

but……

This thing was sold by Zhao Xin’s father-in-law, so it was almost as if Zhao Xin was selling it.

If you want to imitate this, you must first consider your own strength.

This year……

Zhao Xin handled a large amount of backlogged matters in Kaifeng Prefecture.

As for the Liao Kingdom…

Not idle either.

It has been active in Datong Prefecture, Gubeikou, Xifengkou, and in front of Shanhaiguan.

One is to collect intelligence, and the other is to plunder as much as possible.

Without the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the Liao Kingdom’s material supply became extremely scarce.

The supply of things like silk and food would be cut off.

It’s not that life is completely unbearable, it’s just…

There is absolutely no way to compare with before.

(End of this chapter)