Chapter 296: Attacking Japan
When the envoys from the Eastern Karakhanid Kingdom came to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty, a mathematics competition was also being held in the Song Dynasty.

One of the questions said that the Song Dynasty had many granaries, but the amount of grain stored in these granaries was difficult to determine.

For example, if you store too much grain in your granary but fail to use it all in one year, it will become stale grain in the next year and will not taste as good.

Or is it……

If other granaries need more grain, you will have to spend a lot more labor costs if you transport the grain from this granary to other granaries.

At last……

The question cites some data from previous years, and then asks you to use mathematical methods to solve how to store as much food as possible without wasting it.

Be reasonable!
When the envoy of the Eastern Karakhanid Kingdom followed the north of the Yellow River and the Yinshan Mountains from Juyongguan to Youzhou City, the scene of the Song Dynasty really scared him.

No!

What a weird question!
I totally don’t understand!
Using mathematical methods?

Don’t quite understand!
But let alone the envoys of the Eastern Karakhanid Kingdom, even many common people of the Song Dynasty could only watch the show from the sidelines.

But whoever can solve this problem will be treated as a guest of honor by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

Then, after returning to the embassy, ​​the envoy of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate wrote, “The people here are very fond of studying numbers.”

‘There was even… a competition held specifically for it’.

One of the purposes of the envoys from the Eastern Karakhanid Kingdom coming to the Song Dynasty was to see the Song Dynasty’s attitude towards them.

The other is to see if they can get help from the Song Dynasty and help them defeat the Karakhanid Kingdom in the west.

But to be honest, their beliefs are not very consistent.

Most people here like Buddhism, and they like Arabism even more.

Therefore, if they could get the Song Dynasty’s approval, it would be quite satisfactory for them.

Zhao Xin also asked the other party about the specialties of the Western Regions.

Zhao Xin knew that they had onions, of course, they might have to go to the Seljuk Empire further west to find them.

What Zhao Xin meant was that it would be great if the other party could bring him some onion seeds or something.

In addition…

Zhao Xin asked again, “Did you attack the Kingdom of Khotan?”

Although the other person looked to be at least 40 or 50 years old, it didn’t matter whether he was beaten or not. He was not even born at the time.

He said, “It was because Khotan saw that our country was rich that they attacked us first, and that’s why we attacked them.”

Zhao Xin said, “You should know that Khotan had a close relationship with our Song Dynasty. They even went to Bianliang to pay tribute to us. During the Tang Dynasty, Khotan was one of the four Anxi towns of our Tang Dynasty.”

“It seems a bit bad for you to invade and occupy the territories of our Tang and Song dynasties, right?”

The other party was also a little suppressed by Zhao Xin’s momentum.

He almost raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead and evaded the question: “I wasn’t born yet, so I don’t know much about this matter.”

Zhao Xin said, “I won’t make it difficult for you, but please tell your king that it is unreasonable for him to occupy other people’s land like this.”

The envoys from the Eastern Karakhanid Kingdom felt that it would be better for them not to come.

Because look at this posture…

I’m afraid there will be a big war next.

even……

If that’s really the case.

Part of their Eastern Karakhanid Kingdom also belonged to the Tang Dynasty.

After all, there are some places where monuments were erected during the Tang Dynasty.

Even today, you can still see the Chinese characters left behind by the Tang Dynasty when it occupied the area.

Of course!
The Tang Dynasty actually occupied other countries.

……

The twelfth year of Li Yuan.

The Western Regions, which had not been in contact for many years, reconnected with the Central Plains.

However, the relationship between this company and the others is not very good at the moment.

Fu Bi also said to Zhao Xin: “Sir, if you do this, aren’t you afraid that the other party will have a conflict with us?”

Zhao Xin also replied: “What are you afraid of? We still have the Western Region Uighurs to support us.”

“If that doesn’t work, we still have the Zubu tribe, the Ugundile tribe, the Khitans, the Jurchens, and the Bohai people.”

“actually……”

“Sometimes being too peaceful is not a good thing.”

“That will make people, a country, become lax.”

This year came.

Zhao Xin also basically completed the commercial contacts with the Zubu tribe, the Ugundilie tribe, the Khitans, the Jurchens, and the Bohai people.

Every year, there would be special caravans, with hundreds or even thousands of people, going to trade with them.

In addition…

In the Khitan area, the education of the sons of the chiefs of various tribes on the Four Books and Five Classics was strengthened. From now on, if they want to become officials in Youzhou City, they still have to take the imperial examinations seriously.

Otherwise, if you can’t read a single word and don’t understand the principles, how can you help govern the country?

It was the end of the year.

The entire railway line is connected.

Now, the wealth of the world can finally be transported to the capital in an endless stream.

And at the fastest rate, the goods can be transported from Kaifeng to Youzhou in three or four days.

This can be described as incredibly fast.

of course!

The railway was built, but one problem remained.

That is, what should be done with the original craftsman?
Zhao Xin also had to consider how to arrange these people next.

There are two options.

Alternatively, the railway can continue to be built, this time from Youzhou to Shanhaiguan.

Or, just focus on building more steam locomotives.

in fact……

It would be possible to get more steamrollers and bulldozers.

Next, we can use steam locomotives to repair some of the dirt roads and ditches in the Song Dynasty.

The main thing is to repair some main roads.

then……

In this year, a new group emerged in the Song Dynasty – migrant workers.

Someone from the merchant group suggested that a railway could be built from Youzhou City to Juyongguan.

Zhao Xin thought that this proposal was okay.

The main thing is that this section of the road is relatively short, and it should be completed in less than a year.

It can be said that the sooner you finish the work, the sooner you can enjoy it.

On the day the entire line was opened to traffic, the streets of Youzhou City were deserted.

although……

Steam locomotives are not new to the scene.

But it still attracted a lot of onlookers from the city.

Mainly because some ancient people had never left their villages. Therefore, when they saw the steam locomotive pulling boxes of grain arriving in Youzhou City, they were naturally very curious.

The officials of the Liao Dynasty in the Northern Dynasty were also shocked when they saw such a monster.

After all, they had never heard that the imperial court could create such a monster before.

They originally thought that the automatic seed drills and harvesters pulled by horses were already excessive.

It was not until today that I realized that there are even more extreme things.

This year……

Zhao Xin also married his daughters to the sons of Han officials of the Northern Dynasties as much as possible.

at the same time……

The attack on Japan’s Kyushu Island next year was also put on the agenda.

For example, some members of the royal family of the Song Dynasty also joined the army.

Such as Zhao Xu.

in fact……

Sima Guang and others did not advise Zhao Xin to do so.

Because once the royal family gains control of the military power, it will be easy for them to rebel.

This is the way to create chaos.

however……

What Zhao Xin was considering was that Japan was so big and there was still a lot of land to be developed, so even if they were given the title of city lord, it would not be a big deal.

What’s more, Zhao Xin might not necessarily appoint the other party as the city lord.

The main reason was that the royal family members of the Song Dynasty were all very fertile. Many of them had seven or eight children, or even more than ten.

If we don’t find a new place to resettle them, we may not be able to afford to support them when the time comes.

By sea, the food next began to gather in southern Goryeo.

As for the composition of the troops going on the expedition.

Five thousand navy troops from the southeast, plus some Goryeo soldiers to help transport food, and another five thousand soldiers from the Bohai Kingdom.

In fact, Japan’s combat effectiveness cannot be said to be very strong.

The more people there are, the more likely they are to be affected by insufficient military rations.

and……

It is certainly impossible to conquer all of Japan in one go.

That’s absolutely unrealistic.

After all, although Japan is small, the distance from north to south is actually more than 1,400 kilometers.

This is roughly equivalent to the distance from Baoji in Shaanxi Province to Linhai in Shandong Province.

This first landing operation only requires eliminating the Japanese forces on Kyushu Island.

The key is to establish your own military base locally.

In fact, the more difficult question is whether or not to massacre all the people on the island.

You say massacre, but that seems likely to undermine the moral resolve of Li Yuan’s army.

If I don’t kill it, it seems a bit unsatisfactory.

Zhao Xin could only let Zhao Xi do whatever he wanted.

The next year, autumn.

The massive army began to attack Japan from the southern port of Goryeo.

If Japan had not experienced the Toi invasion fifty years ago, it would probably still be engaging in one-on-one duels between military generals.

But now…

They have also mastered some of the Central Plains people’s combat tactics.

When fighting, you must form a formation.

only……

What they definitely couldn’t have imagined was…

What they are facing this time is definitely not comparable to the Jurchen pirates of fifty years ago.

With almost no effort, the Song army defeated the enemy and left them fleeing in disarray.

When they fought the Jurchen pirates, they at least could fight back.

But it is impossible to defeat the Song Dynasty now.

and……

Their armor is far inferior to that of the Song Dynasty.

Even if they were upgraded to the level of the Warring States Period, they would not necessarily be a match for the Song Dynasty.

nowadays……

With the advancement of technology, the Song army has been equipped with the cold-forged armor of the Western Xia Iron Harriers.

Not to mention whether the Japanese soldiers could break through their musket formation, even if they did, with their swords, they would definitely not cause much damage to the Song army.

But winning the war is easy.

It is very difficult to make the locals surrender.

Add to that the language barrier, and you’ll have to work hard to persuade the people to surrender.

of course!

Fortunately, some Goryeo officials still understood how to speak Japanese.

After all, they are neighbors, and they must have visited each other’s place and mastered each other’s language.

When the Goryeo officials explained to the Japanese people, we are here to teach your king a lesson because your king was rude to the officials of our Song Dynasty.

But don’t worry, we won’t do anything to you.

then……

You can see that people are looking at Zhao Xi and others as if they were fools.

Because in the eyes of others, they have been living here for an unknown period of time. Even if we count from the Tang Dynasty, it has been nearly four hundred years.

You, a group of strangers, suddenly landed on this island. Aren’t you definitely invaders?

therefore……

It can be seen that the locals do not seem to welcome their arrival very much.

But in fact, whatever you say to the people is all nonsense. The key is to persuade the local officials to surrender.

But the local officials are also very tough.

Just won’t drop!

Zhao Xi has followed his second and third brothers in battle for so many years, but to be honest, this is the first time he has encountered such a situation.

He looked at the others, and they also suggested, “Kill him.”

Zhao Xi also said: “Isn’t this bad?”

The officials from Goryeo also said: “Japan is isolated overseas, and their people are very arrogant. They often speak rudely to us Goryeo, and in their own minds, they all regard themselves as a great power.”

“It’s not easy to make such a person surrender immediately.”

“Even if we take down their capital, the Japanese in other places may not surrender.”

Zhao Xi then asked Zhao Xu, “What do you think, brother?”

Zhao Xu replied: “I remember before I came out, the government said not to think about taking down Japan in one go.”

Zhao Xi was also thinking about why his father would say that.

Because for other countries like Jiaozhi and Goryeo, Daddy always took the approach of attacking directly.

Zhao Xu also continued: “The terrain of the Japanese islands is fragmented. Even if we capture one island, the enemy can attack from other islands. And if we want to control all the islands at once, it is as difficult as climbing to the sky.”

“I think… the most important thing we should do at this moment is to establish a stable base first.”

Zhao Xi asked, “Then how can we be considered stable?”

The Goryeo official said: “Kill all those who disobey.”

Zhao Xu also said: “Didn’t the emperor give Your Highness a blueprint for building a city? That bastion design drawing.”

Zhao Xi said, “Sure enough! Everything is as Dad expected.”

Then Zhao Xi said, “It would be a shame to just kill them. Let the men come to help build the bastion. If they don’t obey, kill them again.”

Then…

Everyone took action.

But… let me be frank.

Zhao Xin didn’t know what the bastion looked like exactly.

Anyway…

It is angular, which allows the artillery to play its maximum role.

There are no blind spots for shooting.

As long as we build it according to this idea, there will be no problem at all.

As for things like trenches, they are actually not that different from those classical cities.

then……

Dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Japanese adult men from these households were gathered together.

Joined in the work of building the bastion.

period……

Japanese reinforcements also continued to come here.

Their way of fighting can only be described as a bit backward.

and……

It seemed like they didn’t even wait for the people behind them to arrive, and just attacked them directly, wave after wave, hundreds of people at a time, as annoying as a fly.

Kyoto, Japan.

When they learned that the Song army had actually attacked their Japanese islands, everyone suddenly looked stern.

can only say……

This is probably the first time that Japan has encountered such a major crisis since its establishment.

“What weapons do they have? What kind of warfare methods do they use?”

The people on the other side also replied: “They used a weapon that made a thunderous sound, and their fighting method was to form dense horizontal rows and advance forward. In just one encounter, all our people were knocked down by them.”

“Don’t you have a thousand men? All a thousand of you were defeated?”

The person on the other side also replied: “If I hadn’t run fast, I probably wouldn’t have been able to see His Majesty now.”

The person being questioned was a soldier who had escaped from the battlefield.

As for his superior you mentioned, he was too eager to show off his bravery and so stood in the front row, so he was the first one to be killed by the musket.

(End of this chapter)