In the night sky, the bright moon hung high, and the entire martial arts hall melted into the hazy moonlight, making it mysterious and quiet.
The playground is flat but without green grass, and teenagers can run and play and laugh freely on it. The classroom was empty, and the golden sunlight shone on the desks, chairs and floor near the window, making people feel sad and warm.
The classrooms disappeared, and as far as the eye could see, there were overgrown weeds, and several dilapidated houses were built alone on the mountainside, among the mountains and forests. It seemed like a hometown he couldn't go back to.
Suddenly, I stood on the podium, and the children below read aloud in unison, "I face the Jieshi in the east to see the vast sea. The water is sluggish, but the mountains and islands stand tall. There are thick trees and luxuriant grass. The autumn wind is bleak and the waves..."
In a blink of an eye, the scene returned to the palace hall of Lin'an City. Holding a sharp blade, he chased Shi Miyuan, Zhao Guicheng and others throughout the palace. The sharp blade was stained with blood.
A fortified city next to the water, the city was covered with Song soldiers, artillery was rumbling, people were surging outside the city wall, arrows were flying in the sky, and countless ferocious-looking Mongolian troops were waving their swords and guns and swarming to attack the city. Tall trebuchets stood outside the city, and boulders the size of millstones roared towards the city. The "Song" flagpole at the city's head was constantly broken.
On the north city gate, it seems that there are three words "Xiangyang City".
Isn’t this Jinling City? How did it become Xiangyang City?
Thick smoke billowed on the sea, and huge warships were either burning or tilting and sinking. There were countless corpses floating in the water, mixed with soldiers and civilians, including men, women, old and children. They were endless and numbered more than 100,000. On a boulder by the sea, a 40-year-old Song Jiang wearing a helmet and armor carried a seven or eight-year-old child on his back and jumped from the cliff...
"don't want!"
Zhao Hong screamed and wanted to stop him, but woke up.
Zhao Hong wiped the sweat from his head and sat up, still feeling frightened.
I think about it every day and dream about it at night. It turned out to be just a dream.
Battle of Yashan!
The ending in the dream should be after Yashan.
"Your Majesty, are you okay?"
The guard asked softly from outside. It seemed that the emperor's cry in his dream had alarmed them.
"Nothing, just a dream. What time is it now?"
It seemed a little bright outside the window, and before I knew it, it seemed to be early morning.
"Your Majesty, it's just dawn."
Sure enough, the guard's answer confirmed Zhao Hong's guess.
He went to bed early and got up early, but it seemed he couldn't sleep, so Zhao Hong simply got up and left the room.
"Ask Yang Du, the bodyguard of Ma Junsi, to meet me on the north city wall. If Cui Yu comes to see me, tell him to go to the city wall."
Zhao Hong thought for a moment and stepped forward.
After passing the teaching field, many teachers and students were already busy cleaning, moving tables and chairs, and setting up the venue. Today is the graduation ceremony, but it's around nine o'clock at Tatsuki. It's only about six o'clock now, and the school is already busy.
"Hello principal!"
"Hello principal!"
Cao You heard that Yu Jie and others were on the teaching field, and when they saw Zhao Hong, they all saluted.
"Hello!"
Zhao Hong nodded, hesitated for a moment, then waved and left.
Later, Cui Yu, the Sichuan envoy, might come to find him. If Cao Youwen and Yu Jie, generals of the northwest frontier army, were present, it would not be so convenient to speak.
Standing on the north wall of Jinling, the first thing that catches the eye is the rolling river. In the morning light, the violent nature seems to have restrained. The huge willow branches on the riverside are swaying in the wind, and the boats of various sizes passing by in the waves are exciting.
You can see narrow or wide concrete avenues going in all directions, extending to various state capitals and counties on Jiangnan East Road in the distance. Since the boundary law was successfully implemented on Jiangnan East Road, the number of roads has increased day by day, especially the improvement of the traffic artery of Jiangnan East Road.
With the help of the dividends brought by the Meridian Boundary Law and the people's support for the officials, the official roads from Jiankang Prefecture to Jiangnan East Road in various prefectures and counties were, without exception, changed to cement roads. The most obvious change came from Jinling City.
As the seat of the Jiankang Prefectural Government, the Jiangnan East Road Construction Department and the General Consul Office, not only the large and small roads in Jinling City have been turned into cement roads, but also the docks have been renovated. Moreover, due to the establishment of various factories such as iron factories, soap factories, and cement factories, merchant ships of all sizes come from all directions every day and dock at Jinling Ferry to transport goods in and out.
Judging from the new five-year development plan for Jiangnan East Road advertised in newspapers, the development speed of Jinling City will exceed that of Lin'an City within two or three years.
Sewers, public toilets, trash cans, smooth and clean roads, and the ubiquitous street officials...
It can be said that in less than a year, Jinling City has undergone earth-shaking changes, and it seems that it has just begun.
"It's still too slow!"
On the north wall of Jinling City, Zhao Hong looked at the changes inside and outside the city, and he still seemed not satisfied.
The construction of an official road on Jiangnan East Road would probably take several years. If the entire Song Dynasty and even the Yellow River were to change its course in the future, it would not take more than a few decades.
Life is short, how many decades are there? Will he survive until then?
Although he was not satisfied, he still had to accept the reality. The people cannot be oppressed too much, lest the world be uneasy.
His eyes focused on the pedestrians on the official road. Apart from the hikers, sedans and wheelbarrows were eye-catching. Horse-drawn carriages were rare and donkey-carts moved slowly.
Zhao Hong couldn't help but shook his head secretly.
What about that horse-drawn carriage and rickshaw? It shouldn't be difficult.
In any case, the manual method of carrying sedan chairs that was prevalent in the Southern Song Dynasty had to change early.
Looking towards the distant northwest again, Zhao Hong was lost in thought for a moment.
Shukou Frontier Fortress, the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, what kind of scenery is there? And before long, fierce battles will probably start there.
"I have met His Majesty!"
Yang Du, the panting commander of the bodyguard Ma Junsi, and Cui Yu, the re-appointed envoy of Sichuan Province, paid homage to Zhao Hong.
The emperor called him to the city wall early in the morning. What's the important matter?
"Shuai Yang, the imperial court's military order to mobilize troops has been passed on to the officers and soldiers of the Guard Ma Junsi, right?"
Zhao Hong nodded and went straight to the topic.
The country's most elite cavalry was placed in the backyard, but it could not kill the enemy. For the Southern Song Dynasty, which lacked cavalry, it was very frustrating that some swords were not used on good blades.
"Your Majesty, the military order has been issued. The five thousand elite guards, Ma Junsi, can leave at any time and are at your Majesty's disposal."
Yang Du wiped his sweat, nodded and bowed, and reported with a smile on his face.
"Yang Shuai, after you return, mobilize 3,000 elite soldiers and 3,000 war horses to go to the northwest with the graduates of the Martial Arts Hall."
There are tens of thousands of guards and horsemen, but only five thousand good war horses. Considering the three fronts of the Song Dynasty, only three thousand could be allocated to the northwest frontier. Even so, three thousand cavalry were divided into two roads in Lizhou and more than a dozen important border towns, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
Yang Du quickly accepted the order.
Cui Yu was surprised. The bodyguard Ma Junsi has 5,000 elite soldiers, and directly allocates 3,000 to the Shukou defense line. The emperor loved the northwest frontier fortress very much.
"Yang Shuai, time is tight, go and do it quickly."
Zhao Hong looked at Yang Du. He was in his early fifties and not as good as Cui Yu, who was over seventy years old. How can this man with wide robes and sleeves lead the soldiers in battle?
"Yes, yes! I resign!"
Yang Du quickly resigned.
For such a trivial matter, it's not enough to send someone to convey the order, and let me climb the city wall early in the morning. Isn't this annoying?
"The country's wars in the next ten years will all be at the northwest frontier. It is better to defend the enemy outside the country than to defend it. Cui Qing, don't you think so?"
Zhao Hong looked at Yang Du's leaving figure, withdrew his gaze, and said playfully to Cui Yu.
"What your Majesty said is true. The defenses at Shukou are in ruins, and I'm afraid it will take several years to repair them. I hope that your Majesty will follow your lead and do your best."
Offense is the best defense;
The purpose of war is to maximize the destruction of the opponent;
War is about logistics.
After coming to Jinling Martial Arts Hall for two days, he had already memorized these famous sayings of the emperor.
"Cui Qing, there are 230,000 officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty in Sichuan. In addition to Lizhou and Lizhou, you will train a 100,000-strong army within two years. The training method is like the teaching at Jinling Lecture Hall, and the instructors are also assigned by Jinling Lecture Hall. This is one of them.”
Zhao Hong did not comment and directly issued the order.
Cui Yu nodded repeatedly, and Zhao Hong continued to give advice.
"Secondly, Sichuan Road is about to implement a new policy. Economic boundary laws and anti-corruption laws are top priorities and must be implemented. The retired officers and soldiers must be properly resettled. The second one."
"The defense of the northwest frontier, that is, the two Lizhou Routes, is decided militarily by Cao Youwen and Yu Jie. The pacification envoys of the Lizhou Routes cannot intervene. You, the Sichuan envoy, cannot limit your efforts. Just check for leaks and fill them. Do you understand what I mean?"
Cui Yu nodded in agreement, hesitated for a moment, and then said:
"Your Majesty, Cao Youwen, Yu Jie and others are young and have no military qualifications. Is it too risky to suddenly be promoted to the position of commander of the first army?"
"The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish. Wealth can be found in danger. Cui Qing knows these principles better than I do."
Zhao Hong laughed, his confidence making Cui Yu feel arrogant and headstrong.
"Your Majesty, military matters are extraordinary. Your Majesty must not be hasty!"
"Cui Qing, I have made up my mind. With those veteran generals in the army helping him, I believe that within a few years, they will be the best generals in our Song Dynasty. Cui Qing will wait and see."
Again. There is no need for him to worry about famous generals who have proven themselves in history.
Cui Yu wanted to persuade him again, but when Zhao Hong insisted, he stopped insisting.
There are many good generals in the northwest frontier army, and they all hold important positions. It seems that there is no need to worry too much. The emperor boldly appointed Cao Youwen, Yu Jie and others. These people should be outstanding.
"Your Majesty, if you want to rectify your military preparedness, you must first implement the New Deal and clarify the officialdom. Chengdu has a large population but little land, and most of the land is concentrated in the hands of powerful officials. Sichuan officials have always been xenophobic. If they want to implement the New Deal, I am afraid there will be a lot of obstacles. However, the officialdom situation in Sichuan It’s not as complicated as Jiangnan East Road. Your Majesty, think twice.”
Cui Yu's words are exactly the same as Wang Gang's. Zhao Hong snorted coldly.
"Old Prime Minister Cui, you are overthinking. Just take office and don't worry about some things. I will not let you fight alone. And no one can stop the implementation of the New Deal!"
Now that he has decided to implement the New Deal on Sichuan Road, he will clear all obstacles and let Cui Yu go into battle lightly.
Sichuan must be the Sichuan of the Song Dynasty, not the Sichuan of Sichuan scholar-bureaucrats. Otherwise, it would be impossible to talk about the defense of Shukou, and military training would be nonsense.
Cui Yu quickly accepted the order and was secretly frightened.
Judging from the emperor's calm look, he must have a plan in mind. I hope Sichuan will not be like Jiangnan East Road, where the number of scholar-bureaucrats and subordinate officials is overwhelming and the place is uneasy.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, it's time to go back to the martial arts hall."
Dong Songchen stood aside and reminded him softly.
"Cui Qing, why not come with me to attend the graduation ceremony of the students!"
After Zhao Hong finished speaking, he looked back thoughtfully.
"Xiangong Cui, I want to build a branch of the martial arts school in Sichuan. What do you think?"
Most of the wars in the next ten years will be in the northwest. The border between Sichuan and the Kingdom of Jin was too far from Jinling and the southeast. It seemed necessary to build another military school to train more officers for the country to prepare for future war needs.
After Yashan...
Thinking of the nightmare in the early morning, Zhao Hong felt nervous again.
Dreams are all reverses. I hope that nightmares will turn into sweet dreams and there will never be a "behind the cliff mountain" again.
