In the first year of Xingqing's reign in the Song Dynasty, on the sixth day of the first lunar month, it was early morning. The air was cool and cold, the best time of the day.
Zhao Hong was lying on the table, frowning and writing at the desk.
"To study the history of a country, one must know its original ethnic group. When a country is first established, one ethnic group is always the main body, and then gradually absorbs other ethnic groups. This is an eternal truth. And the earliest ethnic group in China was established. It’s the “Han”…”
This is the "Geography" textbook compiled by Zhao Hong, and the content of it is indispensable to the academicians of the imperial court. As for high-level slogan articles, Zhao Hong needs to write them himself.
For an ancient country with thousands of years of civilization, geography is history and history is geography. Every time we talk about a place, it must be closely related to history.
"The four counties in Hexi are Wuwei County, Zhangye County, Jiuquan County, and Dunhuang County. In the second year of the Han Yuan Dynasty, King Kunxie of the Xiongnu killed King Xiutu and surrendered to the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty established the four counties of Jiuquan, Wuwei, Zhangye, and Dunhuang in their hometown. Because it is located to the west of the upper reaches of the Yellow River and is geographically self-contained, it is called the Four Counties of Hexi. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in addition to the four counties of Hexi, Yangguan and Yumenguan to the west of Dunhuang were added. say……"
The four counties of Hexi, the Hexi Corridor, the west gate of the Central Plains Dynasty, are famous as the holy land for raising horses. It is a pity that the Song Dynasty River Huangdi came to an abrupt end.
If we can occupy the land west of Hexi, we may be able to solve the natural shortage of cavalry in the Song Dynasty and become tactically invincible.
With horses, there are cavalry. The Song Dynasty had a population of 60 to 70 million. The people were martial and there was no shortage of soldiers. Compared with the nomadic people in the north, the population advantage is huge.
He never believed that the Mongolian cavalry dominated the world and was invincible. The fundamental reason was that the Song Dynasty continued to seek death.
Man can conquer heaven! The Song Dynasty, with a population of 60 to 70 million, could not compete with the northern nomads with a population of one million. How sad was it?
For the demise of the Song Dynasty, the kings of the two Song dynasties, as well as the scholar-bureaucrats with wide robes and sleeves, all played an important role.
"The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are strategically located, a battleground for military strategists of all ages, and a natural barrier for the Central Plains dynasty to resist the invasion of northern nomads. One man is in charge of the pass, and ten thousand men cannot move forward..."
Combining the drafts of the bachelors, Zhao Hong continued writing.
It does not seem difficult for him to gather the wisdom of all the scholars and make it "high, great and superior".
"In the first year of Tianfu in the Later Jin Dynasty, Emperor Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and became independent, asking for help from the Khitan. The Khitan sent troops to support him in establishing the Later Jin Dynasty. Taizong of the Liao Dynasty and Shi Jingtang became father and son. In the third year of Tianfu, Shi Jingtang ceded the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun in accordance with the requirements of the Khitan Giving it to the Khitan expanded the territory of the Liao Kingdom along the Great Wall, and several dynasties in the Central Plains failed to fully recover it. The loss of the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures made the Song Dynasty feel threatened by the Khitan and the Jin Kingdom, which lasted for more than 160 years..."
The sixteen states of Yanyun were not restored in the last two Song Dynasties in history. In his time, could it be taken back?
This set of maps, including Jiangnan, Sichuan, the Central Plains, Lianghe, and the deserts of the Western Regions, should be drawn one by one.
Geography is history, and those overseas unowned lands or owned lands seem to be included in the overseas section.
Maybe some people will doubt it, but as time goes by and the warships of the Song Dynasty travel across the world, they will understand how big the world is and how knowledgeable they are.
learned!
Zhao Hong couldn't help but smile.
"Your Majesty, General Tian and General Li are here."
Dong Songchen reported softly, bringing Zhao Hong back to reality.
Tian Yi and Li Tang came in and greeted Zhao Hong.
"Those instructors, how are you training?"
The Jinling Martial Arts Hall is scheduled to open in March, and it is impossible to count on just Tian Yi and Li Tang.
"Back to Your Majesty, sword skills, stabbing skills, and grenade skills are all easy to say. It's just formation training, and artillery should be slower."
Tian Yi quickly stepped forward to report.
The queue is too boring, the artillery needs to be climbed over and over again, and it takes time.
"Can it be completed by the end of February? Should we postpone the artillery course?"
Zhao Hong asked hesitantly.
If the Martial Arts School and Naval Academy cannot start school in March, I am afraid it will be postponed.
"Your Majesty, that's not necessary. I have chosen some smart ones to train only artillery and formations, and ignore other training. There should be no problem by the end of February."
Tian Yi's words made Zhao Hong nod with satisfaction.
There is a dictatorship in the art industry, so training in batches can save a lot of time.
Although the martial arts hall seemed to be in a hurry, there was no other way and he didn't want to wait any longer. He was not worried about teaching in the martial arts hall. The good foundation laid by the martial arts of the Song Dynasty allowed him to concentrate on the teaching of firearms.
Although the upper class in the Song Dynasty was mediocre, the civil servants loved money, and the military generals were afraid of death, the soldiers at the lower class were brave and brave, and the martial arts among the people was not bad. The only problem was that the army was united.
To work together as one, we must rely on the batches of officers trained by Jiangwutang Naval Academy.
The quality of the army lies in its officers, who determine the lower limit of the army. This was also his original intention in establishing the Martial Arts School and the Naval Academy.
"Is the training of officers based on the prepared teaching materials?"
Zhao Hong was a little uneasy.
The compilation of teaching materials is actually not complicated. It mainly covers queue walking, stabbing skills and firearms training.
The formation training is not complicated. There are only a few moves in the stabbing technique, and there are only a few moves in the grenade technique such as running and throwing.
The most important thing is the artillery drill, which involves loading ammunition, measuring distance, aiming, etc. It seems simple, but it is not easy.
"Your Majesty, there are rulers on the artillery. You can know the amount of charge of the artillery to prevent the gun from exploding due to excessive charge. There are front sights and rear sights on the artillery, as well as lead weights, scale plates, scales, etc. Come on. Estimating the distance. We also improved the drill procedures as we practiced. I just felt that it was a bit too wasteful of gunpowder."
Tian Yi said, still a little embarrassed.
"This is the attitude towards doing things! For military and national affairs, we must grasp the word "serious" and never be careless! Let alone worry about ammunition!"
Zhao Hong warned seriously.
Only through continuous improvement can artillery be more powerful.
Zhao Hong stood up and walked down.
"Lead the way, I want to visit Yujin Garden!"
At the beginning of the new year, it’s time to take a look at the training results of the officers.
On the training field, the officers leveled their guns, stabbed and shouted angrily. More than ten people were in unison, their rifle heads shaking. Although there were only a few of them, they were so murderous that Zhao Hong was dazzled.
After only one month of training, these officers were already so elite, which was completely different from what he had seen for the first time in Yujin Garden.
If more than a thousand people were trained in a martial arts hall, and then distributed among the army, and copied batch after batch, wouldn't it be invincible?
The sight of the bayonet gives courage to the soldiers in training and sharpens their will. This is also the reason why Zhao Hong listed "stabbing spear skills" as a major skill that soldiers must master in the future, and asked officers to train it and teach it in the martial arts hall in the future.
The sword and shield bearers held shields and slashed with their swords, dragons and tigers leaped, shouts of killing and thunder, Zhao Hong nodded repeatedly.
Martial arts training became popular among the people in the Southern Song Dynasty. There were many masters in the army who knew swordsmanship and spear skills, and there was no shortage of masters in the Golden Spear Class and Silver Spear Class in the Forbidden Army. Using sword and shield, hand, sword and shield together, you can compete with spearmen. It's just that the two armies faced each other in the center of ten thousand troops, and the spearmen followed one after another, which can better reflect the courage of the soldiers and have greater lethality.
The tall and strong grenadiers ran, turned sideways, and threw their arms, and threw them like thunderstorms, landing around the target one after another.
Zhao Hong's heart couldn't help but tighten, and he quickly stabilized his body.
If hundreds of thunderbolts were thrown out and bombarded indiscriminately, even the invincible Mongolian cavalry would be blown into pieces.
"Your Majesty, this is a training bomb."
Li Tang hurriedly explained.
"Grenadier drill, no live ammunition training?"
Zhao Hong breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously, and his expression softened a lot.
The thunderbolt did not explode. It turned out that they were just practice bombs filled with sand.
If this was an indiscriminate bombing, the lethality would be unimaginable.
"Back to Your Majesty, out of ten drills, there was only one live ammunition. Mainly because I was afraid of wasting gunpowder and projectiles."
Tian Yi said with an awkward smile.
"Nonsense! These officers will be instructors in the martial arts hall in the future. How can they teach others if they haven't trained well themselves? Let them train with live ammunition. I don't believe it. Dozens of grenadiers can train the Song Dynasty. You’re exhausted from practice! Remember, be careful, and follow the manual... Firearms can kill people if you don’t do it right!”
Zhao Hong was serious while giving lectures.
"There is no rule without rules. Don't attach the manual to yourself. All officers have a copy of all drill manuals. Whether it is stabbing or firearms training, everything must be according to the manual."
This guy is saving ammunition for himself and can live a better life than a woman.
"Yes, yes, your Majesty taught you a lesson."
While Tian Yi nodded and bowed, Zhao Hong looked at the fiery training scene and murmured to himself.
"A soldier carries five thunderbolts, and ten thousand people are equivalent to fifty thousand thunderbolts. Can they withstand those Mongolian cavalry that dominate the world? Martial Arts Hall, Naval Academy, Jinling Academy, compulsory education, iron factories, weapons Manufacturing Department, Economic Law..."
Zhao Hong's eyes seemed to be full of expectation.
The sound of "Pengpeng" artillery was heard, and Zhao Hong could not help but feel refreshed.
"Let's go see the gunners' drill!"
Truth lies only within the range of artillery fire. Artillery is the most important asset in the army, and it is also the treasure in his heart.
Even more than his love for long legs.
"Is this a short-barreled artillery piece?"
Several stubby cannons were placed on the gun mounts. They were so huge that it was amazing.
"Your Majesty, this is the short-barreled artillery that has just been built. The gun weighs 1,500 kilograms, the gun is 4 feet long, the barrel is 6 and a half inches, and the shells are 25 kilograms. But..."
Zheng Tu on the side hesitated for a moment, and then continued under Zhao Hong's gaze:
"Your Majesty, the short-barreled artillery has a short body and less charge, but its range is short, only about 150 steps, and its shooting accuracy is also poor."
"150 steps is not bad! This kind of artillery is used on warships, not infantry!"
Zhao Hong said firmly and continued to ask:
"How long will it take for artillery to be equipped on warships?"
The range is short and the shooting accuracy is poor. Maritime operations are all at close range, so the flaws are not obvious. The large-caliber artillery shells it fires are full of lethality, and this is the most important thing.
"Your Majesty, we may have to wait until February or March at the earliest for the cannons to be cast and installed."
Zheng Tu's words made Zhao Hong feel a little relieved.
Whether it is the Jinling Martial Arts School or the Naval Academy, there must be naval warships equipped with artillery as training equipment for the students. Especially the students in the Navy Department must become familiar with it early.
First is the physical training of the team. If you do the math, you can actually be ready in May and June.
"Your Majesty, I see that the real Duke Hu seems to be a little depressed."
Tian Yi followed closely and spoke softly.
Zhao Hong couldn't help being stunned. He stopped, turned around, and looked at Tian Yi.
"Every time I go to the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for salary, although Mr. Zhencheng approves it, he seems to be reluctant. Although Mr. Hu is enthusiastic, he seems to be too tactful and vain."
Tian Yi's words made Zhao Hong laugh softly.
Tian Yi was kindly reminding him that he was worried about the path he would take in the future.
There are smart people everywhere in this world, and they see some things more clearly than themselves.
"Today is a time of chaos and great strife, and Neo-Confucianism is so out of date. If the Song Dynasty was to survive, it needed a martial spirit, but what it lacked was an iron-blooded spirit. If we continued to talk eloquently, the Song Dynasty would really be destroyed! "
Zhao Hong looked at the bustling training ground in front of him with cold eyes.
He never maliciously speculates on people's hearts, but some ministers cannot keep up with the situation, cannot follow the pace of the times, are stubborn, do not know how to advance with the times, and even hinder the advancement of the times. He can only idle them or kick them away ruthlessly. .
