After paying their respects, all the soldiers came out of Zhaoxun Pavilion, each with their own thoughts.
The cynical Xiang Shibi looked ahead and couldn't help but sneered softly.
"Brothers, there are so many generals hanging in Zhaoxun Pavilion. If the scholar-bureaucrats in the court see it, will they feel uncomfortable, and will they hear about it and make trouble?"
The portraits of seven generals, Yue Fei, Liu Qi, Di Qing, Cao Wei, Li Jilong, Han Shizhong and Zhong Shidao, hang in Zhaoxun Pavilion. Except for Zongze and Han Qianzhou, the number of military generals already outnumbered the civil servants.
With so many generals among them, the scholar-bureaucrats must have been extremely uncomfortable.
"In today's Song Dynasty, who dares to hear about rumors? Now all cases are handled with truth and evidence. When the Yushitai hears rumors, they must first report them to Dali Temple and the Anti-Corruption Department, and they will verify them. Like Ouyang Xiu, they rely on a piece of paper. If you dare to frame Di Qing with your mouth, I'm afraid you will only bring humiliation to yourself!"
Another Huainan East Road general, Liu Keyong, shook his head and answered.
There are so many generals on the frontier, including Yu Jie, brothers Cao Youwen, Lu Wende, Wang Jian, Meng Gong, including Du Shu, Xiang Sibi and others, all disciples of the emperor, and all of them hold heavy troops. Who dares to seriously injure them in the absence of wind or waves?
"I'm a little surprised. Why are there so many blank spaces in Zhaojun Pavilion? Has the emperor not yet decided which ministers' portraits to put in it?"
Jia Sidao said in surprise. He glanced around and lowered his voice in a mysterious manner.
"Do you think all those generals are lucky enough to enter Zhaojun Pavilion?"
"There will be no more old ministers like before. In a few years, the king of the Song Dynasty will conquer the north and south, expand the territory, and the world will be almost peaceful. The portrait of Zhaoxun Pavilion will be complete. By then, I’m afraid there are more military officers than civil servants in this pavilion.”
Du Shu muttered secretly in his heart. He may not be qualified, but his father, Huaidong Rong Commander Du Gao, has always been valued by the emperor, so he should be able to get a share of the pie.
Xiang Shibi was stunned for a moment and then reacted.
The emperor of this dynasty is an emperor on horseback. He has a strong sword and an iron horse. The expansion of territory requires warriors to complete it. Generals such as Cao Youwen, Yu Jie, Lu Wende, Cao Youwan, Wang Jian, and Meng Gong have a high chance of entering Zhaoxun Pavilion.
As for the civil servants, Cui Yu, the envoy of Sichuan, Wang Gang, the envoy of Jiangnan East Road, and Fan Zhong, the envoy of Hexi Road, these three people should have high voices. Even the imperial master Zhen Dexiu and the Huainan East Road envoy Du Gao probably have little chance.
"To be honest, since the end of the Battle of Hanzhong, it has been so long since there has been no war, and there has been no war in the Song Dynasty. I am really not used to it."
Liu Keyong smacked his lips, seeming very regretful.
In fact, not only was he not used to it, but Du Shu and Xin Su, the generals on Huainan East Road, were not used to it either. Seeing that all the students from the Jiangwu Hall who graduated from the same batch in the northwest border are doing well, while they can only suppress bandits and practice, they are extremely idle and extremely jealous.
After finally wiping out Li Quan, the campaign ceased again for more than a year. No wonder these Huainan generals were full of complaints.
"Don't worry, it won't be long before there's war again."
Jia Sidao smiled slightly, as if he was confident.
"Jia Sidao, is it true? How do you know?"
Xiang Shibi was surprised and asked about this uncle of the dynasty.
Several other generals also looked at Jia Sidao.
"Have you not noticed that recently, officers and soldiers from all armies of the Song Dynasty, from the commander-in-chief of the first army to ordinary soldiers, have been visiting the Zhongmartyr Shrine and Zhaoxun Pavilion to pay their respects?"
Jia Sidao said softly and glanced ahead. The main campus of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Department was already in sight.
"During the Chinese New Year, all the civil and military ministers from the frontier fortress went to Lin'an for a court meeting. Do you think the emperor summoned so many border ministers back to Lin'an City just to drink tea and entertain the ministers?"
Jia Sidao's words made all the soldiers stunned, and their eyes couldn't help but heat up.
It's still spring and there's no movement yet. If this is really the case, the emperor may have to send troops in autumn.
"There is no war in the northwest. If the emperor launches the Northern Expedition, will he destroy the Jin Kingdom, go straight to the two rivers, or recover all the lost lands together?"
It would take more than half a year before the Northern Expedition could take place. Xiang Shibi couldn't help but asked urgently.
As a soldier, your duty is to fight and make achievements. With so much of his homeland yet to be recovered, the emperor was simply too cautious.
"The two east and west roads, plus the Huaidong Road, an army of 300,000 to 400,000 people should be going straight to the two rivers to recover the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. With so many armies going north, how much food, grass and baggage will be needed. Think about it. My head feels big."
Du Shu's words made all the generals nod.
An army of 300,000 to 400,000 people. Such a large battle was obviously not just for the broken Kingdom of Jin.
For such a large army to go to the Northern Expedition, the logistics support alone would take at least half a year to prepare.
Xiang Sibi had no choice but to be patient and anxious.
The Northern Expedition of the army cannot be just a matter of rumors. Come as soon as possible!
Passing by the large campus of the Jiangnan East Road Construction and Construction Department, there was an endless stream of sergeant vehicles coming in and out of the campus, making it a busy scene.
The sound of "cracking" shooting came from the school grounds, and all the generals were stunned.
"What is this sound?"
"This doesn't seem to be the sound of artillery."
All the generals were suspicious, Jia Sidao smiled proudly.
"This is a self-propelled gun. Like the rifled cannon and the tube-shaking thunder, it is a new firearm in the army and is being distributed to all armies. It is extremely powerful!"
He is a first-come-first-served moon near the water tower, and got the news from the emperor during the Spring Festival.
"No wonder Xin Su went to the Arms Manufacturing Department, probably to buy new artillery and shells."
"I heard that flower bombs can explode when they hit the ground, and rifled cannons can shoot for more than five miles. The emperor is really a god in the sky, so powerful!"
All the generals were very excited. With these new firearms, the Song army was even more powerful. What else were they afraid of the Mongolian cavalry?
"Let's go! Go over and take a look!"
Du Shu took the lead, and all the generals couldn't wait to move forward quickly.
On the Jiangnan East Road campus, a large formation of firecrackers was practicing. The firecrackers were arranged in five rows, with thousands of people in each line, forming a long and flat rectangular formation. Each of the firecrackers held a self-propelled firecracker. Aiming at a series of wooden targets ahead.
"Firegun shooting is complicated, so it needs to be lined up in five or six rows to form continuous shooting. You must remember that practice makes perfect! Only through countless exercises can you kill the enemy better on the battlefield!"
The instructor walked around in front of the fire gun soldiers' formation and shouted loudly. When he walked to the side of the formation, he shouted loudly:
"Five hits! Shoot!"
The military order was passed, and the fire gun soldiers, like the gunmen, faced the wooden board in front and pulled the trigger.
The battle field was filled with smoke. Before the smoke cleared, one row of gunmen finished shooting, and the other row followed suit. Those who finished shooting began to reload ammunition, and the shooting continued one after another.
"Good guy! This must take a hundred steps. A hundred steps can break armor. This can replace the crossbow!"
"Nearly ten thousand people are shooting at it, which is denser than shotguns. Even thousands of troops can't stand it!"
The destructive power of the fire blunderbuss is quite impressive, which is an eye-opener for all the generals.
"You don't know that the self-fire gun also has a gun sword, which can be mounted in front of the fire gun. It can be used like a spear in hand-to-hand combat, but it is powerful!"
Jia Sidao started showing off proudly again.
The Imperial Palace's imperial guards and the guards at the Jinling Martial Arts Hall were all equipped with self-propelled muskets. He had seen them before, so he knew.
"In this way, there will be no need for these spearmen in the future! This fire blunderbuss is very powerful!"
Xiang Sibi shook his head. It is really not easy for the craftsmen of Jiangnan Arms Manufacturing Department to make such a multi-purpose fire gun.
"Isn't that Instructor Tian? Why did he personally train the fire gun soldiers?"
Liu Keyong had sharp eyes and saw clearly, and he screamed in surprise.
The generals looked carefully and found that, sure enough, the person directing the drill of the gun soldiers was Tian Yi, the head of the Jiangnan Arms Manufacturing Department and the former chief firearms instructor of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall.
"Instructor Tian used to be the chief firearms instructor of Jiangwu Hall. He directed the fire gun soldiers to practice. It shows that His Majesty attaches great importance to the new firearm of fire gun!"
"That's right! These nearly ten thousand people were beaten down in waves, which is really heart-breaking!"
While the generals were talking, the sound of firecrackers on the main campus had stopped, and the firecrackers began to rest. Tian Yi walked away, and it seemed that other instructors came over and took over the firecrackers drill on the campus.
Tian Yi led the horse out and was startled when he saw Du Shu and others outside the school grounds.
"Du Shu, Xiang Sibi, Jia Sidao, you are all here!"
"Instructor Tian, where are you going? How about we treat you to dinner?"
Du Shu stepped forward and said with a smile.
"That's it! Instructor Tian, we haven't seen each other for a long time. The students invite the teacher to dinner, you won't refuse us, right?"
Jia Sidao was also smiling and very attentive.
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you."
Tian Yi smiled slightly, feeling a little embarrassed about the enthusiasm of his disciples.
"I have to go back to the Arms Manufacturing Department, which is very busy there. I also need to supervise the production of firearms and quickly replenish the army. Let's make an appointment next time."
"Instructor Tian, you are so busy, are you about to go on the Northern Expedition?"
Tian Yi got on his horse and was about to leave, but Xiang Sibi couldn't help but say something.
"Northern Expedition? I really don't know!"
Tian Yi hesitated for a moment before continuing:
"Lin'an City and Jinling City are collecting donations, and His Majesty will come to Jinling City soon. How about you go to the Martial Arts Hall to have a look. Maybe you can find out some news."
Tian Yi left, all the generals looked at each other, and Du Shu waved his hand.
"Let's go! Go to the martial arts hall!"
Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall was only two miles away. Everyone was approaching the gate of the Martial Arts Lecture Hall. Suddenly, thunderous shouts came from the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall. Du Shu and others were startled.
"What's wrong?"
"Could it be that someone is causing trouble in the Jinling Martial Arts Hall?"
Everyone was stunned, and after taking a few steps forward, they were already at the gate of the Jinling Lecture Hall. The guard at the door stood at attention, carrying a self-fire gun with a gun sword on his shoulder.
Before the generals had time to take a closer look, the door of the Jinling Lecture Hall opened, and a group of students holding banners and wearing the uniforms of the Jinling Lecture Hall filed out. There were men and women. They shouted "Northern Expedition" and held leaflets. Carrying the donation box, we headed towards the Tianjin Bridge due south.
"Command the Northern Expedition! Recover the Central Plains!"
“Everyone comes to raise funds for the great cause of the Northern Expedition!”
The students were excited and shouted loudly. They passed by Du Shu and others, stuffed flyers into the crowd, and enthusiastically asked everyone to collect donations.
Naturally, the generals donated generously to their fellow students. After Du Shu finished donating, he felt distressed, picked up the flyer and looked at it, his heart couldn't help but beat suddenly.
"... crusade... proclamation!"
"Since ancient times, emperors have ruled the world, and they have always stayed in China to control the barbarians, and the barbarians have lived outside to serve China. It has never been heard of the barbarians living in China..."
Jia Sidao on the side could not wait to read it.
"...The people are at peace a little, they have enough food, and the soldiers are a little better. What a great tone! Fang wants to send troops to the north to drive away the barbarians, save the people from ruin, and restore the dignity of Han officials..."
"Is this... is this the Northern Expedition?"
Xiang Sibi couldn't help but said something, and sweat broke out on his forehead.
Jinling Martial Arts Hall, the imperial court's major military orders were generally issued from here and spread throughout the Song Dynasty.
The students at the Jinling Martial Arts Hall chanted the slogan "Northern Expedition". The Northern Expedition that the military is eagerly anticipating is about to begin.
