Chapter 255 Rapid Development

In front of Shanhaiguan.

A battle just ended.

A few days later, Zhao Xin who was in Youzhou received a report from here saying that 500 enemy troops from the Liao Kingdom appeared in front of Shanhaiguan, as if testing the strength of the Shanhaiguan army. It is not ruled out that once they find that the defense here is weak, other armies will march here.

Ever since Zhao Xin came to Youzhou City, this small fight has almost never stopped.

The key point is that it is not just Shanhaiguan.

From January this year to now July.

There must be at least dozens of battle reports of various sizes.

How can people feel at ease with such frequent wars?

Zhao Xin had no choice but to write to Yelu Hongji: “If you bother me again, I will tear your house down!”

Yelu Hongji also wrote back, “I’m always here for you.”

Zhao Xin has such a bad temper!

I immediately wanted to lead my troops to burn down the enemy’s lair!
but……

In the end, Zhao Xin held back. First, it was July, and the weather would get cold very quickly, especially in winter, when the temperature would drop too much and would not be suitable for fighting.

Another is that his soldiers are not yet fully trained.

Then, Zhao Xin went to inspect the military training.

Let the Li Yuan Army train together with the ordinary Song Dynasty imperial guards.

It’s like having a top student sit next to an average student.

Then, the military’s living area was separated from the civilian residential area.

There is only one object that the ordinary Song Dynasty imperial guards can learn from.

That is the Li Yuan Army.

Zhao Xin also sent people down to do some ideological work for these ordinary Song Dynasty imperial guards.

First of all!

We need to clarify a few issues.

That is……

who are you?
What are you doing here?

Why are you here?
What are you going to do next?
If you can figure out the answers to these questions, then you will no longer be the former Song Dynasty Imperial Army, but at least an army with goals and ideals.

What Zhao Xin had to do now was to carry out ideological transformation of other Song Dynasty imperial guards.

of course!

Reality is also very cruel.

For example, the scholars and nobles who lived in Tokyo City and Kaifeng Prefecture drank wine, ate meat and visited prostitutes every day, but they had to fight the Khitans in this wild land.

Why is the gap between people so big?
Why can’t they be like those scholars and nobles, drinking, eating meat and visiting prostitutes every day?
Then why did Zhao Xin not behave like a good prince but come and join them in the fight?
Next, Zhao Xin must work with them to figure out all these issues.

At last……

He asked them to maintain their noble ideals and fight for the people of the world, and left the treatment and material issues to him to solve.

For a while…

The morale of the entire army was high.

even……

Everyone can sing “If the Motherland is Invaded” along with Li Yuanjun.

Zhao Xin also asked people to try to train them to use the hollow square formation.

But in fact, the hollow square formation is mainly used to defend against artillery fire.

Of course! It is also very useful in dealing with cavalry attacks.

And because the phalanx can directly defend four directions, it also reduces the risk of being attacked from the side.

When they all have goals and ideals…

Next, Zhao Xin could consider equipping them with flintlock rifles and bayonets in large quantities.

This year……

Zhao Xin once again drew up to 30,000 soldiers from the inland areas of Hebei and the Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo.

The old Song Dynasty imperial guards were remodeled and reforged step by step.

Speaking of refining, recently…

The Academy of Sciences has also conducted in-depth research on iron smelting.

The main focus is on how to produce high-quality steel on a large scale.

Zhao Xin gave them the answer early on.

The difference between steel, pig iron and wrought iron is actually the carbon content.

If you want to remove carbon, or in other words, control the carbon within a reasonable range, the best way is to blow in oxygen directly.

Of course!
At present, the Song Dynasty does not have the ability to directly produce oxygen.

For example, the traditional steel-making method and the steel-frying method are actually steel produced by repeatedly heating and hammering the iron to make it come into contact with oxygen, which consumes the carbon in the iron, or by making the molten iron come into direct contact with oxygen to reduce the carbon content.

these years……

In this direction, craftsmen have made many attempts.

only……

Now that I can write a paper, all these attempts have slowly turned into something in writing.

This one said he had devised a method that would give him excellent control over the quality of steel.

That one said he had devised a construction for a stove that was better than any other before.

Whenever Zhao Xin picked up these research results, he couldn’t help but sigh, this is what doing science looks like.

But let me be frank!

Their inventions are so fancy that for some of them, you can’t even tell whether they are right or not.

of course!

After knowing that there was more carbon in it, the quality and quantity of the steel produced in Cizhou and Xingzhou were indeed greatly improved.

There are some things that craftsmen may not be able to express intuitively through data.

However, during the production process, some other things can still be used to judge how the molten iron is being refined and when it can be stopped.

It seems to be entirely based on feel and sensation.

even……

Now they have begun preparations for rolling the rails.

What can I say about cast iron rails that are directly cast? The thing is that they are relatively easy to break.

There are still many problems with today’s railways.

But it can be used, it just needs to be repaired frequently.

In order to prevent the rails from breaking so easily, the only option is to reduce the overall weight of transportation to maximize the service life of the rails.

Of course, Zhao Xin thought that being able to repair it was better than having no repair at all.

Rolling can make the rails denser and eliminate the bubbles, cracks and looseness in the original rails.

This is still a significant improvement in the quality of the rails.

Even with this technology, it shouldn’t be a problem to replicate Xixia’s cold-forged armor.

This year……

Cizhou and Xingzhou tried to improve the quality of Song Dynasty’s armor.

Zhao Xin also mentioned that in addition to carbon, there are also sulfur and phosphorus. As for how sulfur and phosphorus can solve this problem, you asked.

Zhao Xin definitely doesn’t know.

but……

The craftsmen could figure it out through experiments, for example, by using limestone or another kind of stone that Zhao Xin didn’t know what it was.

Although I don’t understand the principle, after using it, the quality can indeed be significantly improved.

That’s OK!
As long as it is useful, you can use it even if you don’t understand its principles!

Physics and chemistry have made considerable progress in recent years.

On the contrary, I feel a little behind in mathematics.

However, Zhao Xin had already explained equations, coordinate systems, and calculus.

Then they really have nothing to study anymore. Starting this year, Zhao Xin also increased the amount of iron and steel smelting.

As Wang Anshi built the granaries.

If they transfer the grain transport from Jiangnan to the granary here, they will have enough food to develop railways.

in fact……

The Song Dynasty was not too short of food.

only……

You have to see who has all the food and whether there is anyone to transport it out.

If the problem of uneven resource distribution can be solved, even if the grain output remains the same, it can feed more people than you think.

And as the years went by, he continued to operate.

The grain transportation and lending from Jiangnan to Hebei has become a very complete industrial chain.

The people did not need to travel thousands of miles to perform labor service.

even……

People can also earn income to supplement their household expenses by helping Zhao Xin transport grain.

It can be said that it does not affect the normal life of the people at all.

As for whether it is profitable for Zhao Xin.

There is no need to think about such things.

after all……

Compared to making money, the most important thing is to provide sufficient food and fodder for the industrial development of Cizhou and Xingzhou, as well as Zhao Xin’s Northern Expedition.

Zhao Xin even considered sea shipping.

The main reason is that Youzhou City is too far away from Shanhaiguan.

Of course, you can also farm in Shanhaiguan.

Next…

We can get some steam locomotives over there and start farming ourselves.

By the end of the year, due to the rational allocation of resources, the scenes of people dying of hunger and cold and traffic jams on the roads were gone forever.

In the past, once a disaster occurred, the people could only stay where they were and wait for the government to provide relief, or if the government did not provide relief in time, they could only stay where they were and wait to die.

But now, as the habit continues for so many years, people will find that they can no longer live happily.

I knew immediately that the next step would be to dig coal, mine, and build roads to supplement the family income.

Places like Cizhou and Xingzhou also welcome everyone who comes.

As long as you are willing to work, I will give you rice and salt.

The food may not be that good and the work may be tiring, but it can definitely save your life.

The harvest was poor this year, so I’ll go find a job first.

Wait until next year to plant.

This has become a habit gradually developed by the people of Hebei.

And this year…

People like Fan Zhongyan, Pang Ji, Han Qi and others also submitted memorials, taking into account that their territory had expanded and there were more places to defend.

However, if the number of troops is increased, military expenditure will further increase.

It would be better to follow the example of Li Baozhen, the governor of Zelu in the Tang Dynasty, and select able-bodied men from the household registration, one out of every three households. During the slack season, they would be divided into groups for archery competitions, and a general assessment would be conducted at the end of each year to determine rewards and punishments.

Three years later, everyone became good at archery, and the entire region was able to select 20,000 elite soldiers.

As long as they are given a general to lead them, they will be able to fight and defend the territory well.

This method can be tried in border areas such as Datong Prefecture and Youzhou Prefecture.

It saves money and increases the country’s military strength.

After listening to the suggestions of the three people, Zhao Xin thought it was okay, so he decided to give it a try.

As a reserve force for today’s army, it feels pretty good.

To put it bluntly, this is actually a militia.

If we need to go on an expedition, we can just mobilize them to transport food, which should be a good idea.

Before this…

Basically, the battles Zhao Xin fought were those that did not consume much food.

Because he often took over the cities at a very fast speed.

But if we leave the Yanshan Mountains, it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

Moreover, the Yanshan Mountains are not easy to cross.

therefore……

Zhao Xin also considered building a city further north in the direction of Shanhaiguan.

The Liaoxi Corridor ends at a length of about three hundred to four hundred miles.

If only food could be transported from the sea and stored in cities on the front lines in advance.

It would be relatively convenient for Zhao Xin to take this route to attack the Liao Kingdom.

Of course!
The disadvantages of taking this path are also very obvious.

That is, the distance is still a bit too long.

and……

When transporting food, you may be disturbed by others.

The Liao Kingdom is actually a bit difficult to defeat.

Zhao Xin wanted to send someone to contact North Korea, and then abolish Liaoyang Prefecture, the capital of Liao Kingdom.

Compared with North Korea, Zhao Xin felt that the threat posed by the Liao Kingdom to them was obviously greater.

Because he couldn’t defeat the enemy in the direction of North Korea, he couldn’t run away and could only defend the city. And siege was Zhao Xin’s strong point.

On the contrary, if the Liao Kingdom fails, they will just run away and it will be difficult for you to catch up with them. This is very frustrating!
Zhao Xin is not afraid of those who fight with him, but he is afraid of those who are timid, dare not fight, and only dare to harass him.

To achieve this goal…the second year.

Zhao Xin sent people to Korea by boat. At this time, the country’s name should be Goryeo.

As for Goryeo, it had also long been thinking of paying tribute to the Song Dynasty.

However, his domestic ministers said that if the Khitan had any objections, they would be attacked by the Khitan. Therefore, King Wang Hui of Goryeo gave up his plan to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty.

at this time……

The envoy of the Song Dynasty came in person disguised as a merchant, and Wang Hui was naturally overjoyed.

Zhao Xin also asked someone to convey his meaning.

First of all!

The two families can trade as much as possible.

Secondly, the two families can jointly send troops to destroy the Liao Kingdom.

As for what will happen to the land at that time.

Zhao Xin has no interest in Liaodong at the moment.

So Liaodong can be given to the other party.

Zhao Xin just wanted to create a buffer zone north of the Yanshan Mountains.

It doesn’t really mean that he has to guard the country’s gate.

On the Goryeo side…

A face full of as expected!

The Song Dynasty definitely had no good intentions. It wanted them to help them attack the Liao Kingdom.

A minister suggested that maintaining this three-way balance of power would be the best option.

If they really destroyed the Liao Kingdom, wouldn’t the other party attack them next?

This story from the Tang Dynasty is still vivid in my mind.

Wang Hui felt that the minister’s words made sense, but the problem was, “During the Tang Dynasty, the Liao Kingdom’s Eastern Liaoyang Prefecture was originally ours. We have to take this homeland back, right?”

You have to know that at that time, Goryeo was at the peak of its national strength.

King Wang Hui was also a man who was good at governing the country and an outstanding leader.

Who wouldn’t feel uncomfortable seeing the granaries filled with food but not used for war?
Who doesn’t want to be a pioneer?
(End of this chapter)