Midsummer, Shandong, Mizhou, Banqiao Town.
Banqiao Town was founded in 623 AD (the sixth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty) and is under the jurisdiction of Mizhou, Shandong. Due to its unique port location, Banqiao Town's shipping and overseas trade had begun to take shape during the Tang Dynasty. Among them, trade and state exchanges with Korea and Japan were quite frequent, but its status among northern seaports was not as high as that of Dengzhou and Laizhou. .
In the Song Dynasty, due to its convenient water and land transportation, Banqiao Town became one of the five major trading ports in the Northern Song Dynasty and the only customs town in the north. The Northern Song Dynasty perished, the Song Dynasty moved south, and Banqiao Town fell under the rule of the Jin Dynasty, and its situation was not as good as before. With the rise of Genghis Khan, Shandong was in chaos, and Banqiao Town was in ruins and almost abandoned.
At the beginning of the second year of Jianwu, the Song Dynasty wiped out Li Quan, and its power reached the coast of Shandong. Banqiao Town, like Haizhou, also became the sphere of influence of the Song army. After two years of repairs, Banqiao Town took on a new look and was named Qingdao by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. The land and water armies of the Song Dynasty were stationed here.
As a natural port, Qingdao Port has superior natural conditions. The harbor is deep and the water is wide. It is neither silted nor frozen all year round. It does not require much acquired construction. It has natural shelters that can protect it from wind and waves. Therefore, it was selected by the Navy of the Song Dynasty as the naval garrison. base.
In Qingdao Port, two long trestles go deep into the harbor. The northwest trestle is 300 meters long and 15 meters wide for loading and unloading materials and personnel. It was here that many immigrants set out for colonies in the Southeast Asian and Indian Oceans. Another trestle is located in the southwest, and on the shore is the Qingdao Navy Station of the Song Dynasty. Mainly used for warship traffic.
The trestle bridges are all made of cement and are paved with cement. There are pulleys and chain hangers on the docks to facilitate the loading and unloading of goods. There is also a natural pier in the front port, about 100 meters long and 10 meters wide, also made of cement.
Wharfs and trestles effectively solve the problem of cargo loading and unloading and personnel getting on and off. It can be said that among the many ports stationed by the Navy of the Song Dynasty, Qingdao Port ranks among the best.
On the forts around the port, the muzzles of artillery guns are faint, guarding the harbor. Tight defenses were built on the shore, and barracks were located at strategic locations around the port. In addition to the barracks, there are huge grain depots standing one after another, which seem to indicate that this is an important transit point.
Outside Qingdao Port, on the coast, small boats and sampans were lowered from huge ships. Countless soldiers of the Song Dynasty, neatly dressed, climbed down. They rowed small boats and sampans and fought towards the shore. go.
At the same time, dozens of ships fired thousands of cannons, filling the air with gunpowder smoke. Although only a few of the cannons fired live ammunition, the explosions still caused the earth and rocks to fly within a few miles of the shore, and the momentum was terrifying.
With the cover of artillery, the boats and sampans quickly reached the shore. The officers and soldiers of the Song Navy abandoned the boats and landed on the shore. Thunderstorms hit the shore like thunderstorms. Small cannons also began to be set up and roared. Countless Song troops held up shields and sharp blades and rushed up the high slope.
Rows of firecrackers followed up the high slope. They held firecrackers, lined up in several rows, and fired at the targets on the shore. They continued to shoot at the targets on the shore, and the smoke was filled. It was really spectacular.
On a tall warship, Meng Gong, the commander of the Jinghu border army, held a telescope and carefully watched the soldiers of the Song Dynasty landing on the beach. He still couldn't take his eyes away until the flags of the Song army were planted on each high ground.
"General, go ashore from outside Zhigu Village. It's bare and there's nothing there. Going back and forth like this for training...exercises, the weather is so hot, is this necessary?"
Wei Jinyu, the artillery commander of the Jinghu border army, put down his telescope and felt a little disapproving.
Navy warships have passed by the coast of Northland more than once. Zhigu Village is still twenty or thirty miles away from the seaside. The Mongolian army has only a few sea-going ships and only a hundred or so dilapidated warships. With this back-and-forth exercise, the general is making too much of a fuss.
"Train more in peacetime, and bleed less in wartime. Besides, this is a drill, don't be careless!"
Meng Gong put down his telescope, glanced at Wei Jinyu, and said coldly:
"It's the beginning of May, how hot can it be? If it's the dog days of summer, you kid will run away."
"How is that possible? Doesn't the general feel sorry for the brothers below?"
Wei Jinyu smiled and changed the topic.
"General, in the past few months, the grain ships from the south have not stopped. The grain warehouses in Haizhou Port and Qingdao Port are full! It seems that Your Majesty is determined to win the Northern Expedition!"
Since the spring, military exercises at sea have become a routine. Grain ships and warships are constantly coming and going from the south. Several ports in Huainan, Shandong are full of grain and grass, and large armies gather.
Come to think of it, there are only a few days left before the Northern Expedition.
"The troops and horses have not moved, but the food and grass have gone first. Your Majesty is strategizing and looking far ahead. We are beyond our reach!"
Meng Gong nodded, feeling heavy in his heart.
This national war is a dual response of courage and national strength. The Song army was not afraid of the Tatars, and its national strength was sufficient to support them.
Since the Song Dynasty established the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall in the first year of Xingqing and reorganized its military equipment, today's Song Dynasty has strong soldiers and horses, with three to four hundred thousand elite border troops, which does not include the official army of the Song Dynasty south of the Yangtze River.
Food from Nanyang and Liuqiu, sulfur and sucrose from Ryukyu, wood from Korea and Bali, gold, copper and iron from Australia, saltpeter from the Indian Ocean, gold mines from Africa, etc...
Not to mention anything else, the food from overseas alone was enough for hundreds of thousands of troops, enough for the Song Dynasty to launch this national war.
"General, are the newly formed Fire Gun Soldiers really useful?"
Wei Jinyu pointed to the shooting scene on the shore and asked suspiciously.
Fire gun soldiers are a new type of army. In the entire Song Dynasty official army, there are only five to six thousand fire gun soldiers. The specific combat power has not been tested on the battlefield, and all the generals are slandering it.
"Whether it's useful or not, you won't know until you go to the battlefield. Artillery, cavalry, and sky-shaking thunder are enough. The icing on the cake, what's not to like?"
Which one is better between fire musketeers and archers will be determined during the Northern Expedition. However, according to the emperor's consistent style, it is not a good thing and should not be taken to the battlefield.
"I'm afraid it's just grandstanding. In fact, it is enough for the army to have artillery and thunderbolts, and there is no need for fire rifle soldiers. I think your majesty's formation of fire rifle soldiers is purely unnecessary."
Wei Jinyu muttered, and Meng Gong's brows immediately wrinkled.
"Wei Jinyu, you can see further than His Majesty? Why are you so powerful? Since you are so powerful, why haven't you made gunpowder firearms? You are so capable, why don't you try to go to the battlefield without firearms?"
Meng Gong showed no mercy, and Wei Jinyu turned half red.
Unintentionally, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the emperor, but he made the military generals not criticize him.
"General, the gunpowder firearms were not made by your Majesty. They were made by so many craftsmen. Your Majesty may have some ideas, but mainly there are still people helping him."
Wei Jinyu was a little unconvinced and subconsciously said something.
In his opinion, if it weren't for the help of people like Tian Yi, Xu Liang and Zhou Ping, Zhao Hong wouldn't be able to make waves.
"Wei Jinyu, you have to understand that without Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty is still a mess. Without Your Majesty, a rich country and a strong military is just a mirage. Similarly, without Your Majesty, you Wei Jinyu are still a dandy in Lin'an City. You don't know where to drink and have fun. Ridiculous?"
Meng Gong was almost ten years older than Wei Jinyu, and he was also his immediate boss. He criticized Wei Jinyu to the point, without sparing any face.
These dandy boys in Lin'an City, including the brothers Wei Jinyu, Wei Sisi, and the Wu and Yang families, including the original Wu Feng and the emperor's original concubine Yang Yi, are all domineering and uneducated. Find fault.
I really don’t know where these people get their superiority and self-righteousness from?
"General, the emperor also makes mistakes sometimes. Not everyone is perfect. Even His Majesty is not impeccable in some things."
Wei Jinyu said something unconvinced.
Wasn't Zhao Hong like this when he started to be confused and eventually gave up on Yang Yi?
"Wei Jinyu, from firearms to steamships to trains, who can take charge of everything except Your Majesty? Your Majesty is the savior of our Song Dynasty. Even if he has any faults, it is not your turn as a student in the martial arts hall to point fingers. I think you should stop going to the Northern Expedition and just withdraw from the army?"
Meng Gong's face was gloomy, and he couldn't help but burst out.
Although Wei Jinyu was the son of Wei Liaoweng, Minister of War, Privy Envoy, and Vice President of Jinling Lecture Hall, he dared to be dissatisfied with the emperor. Based on this, he dared to expel Wei Jinyu from the army.
"General, please don't!"
Wei Jinyu was shocked and changed his tone to a pleading tone.
"General, I have no offense to your Majesty. Everything your Majesty has done is shocking. I don't mean any disrespect. I just said that no one is perfect and everyone has their own shortcomings. Please You, take me with you! The Northern Expedition is a national event and I don’t want to miss it.”
If he was kicked out of the army, he would become the laughing stock of the world just like his sister Wei Sisi, and his father Wei Liaowen would not be angry to death.
"Wei Jinyu, remember, I will only give you one chance. If you dare to be disrespectful to His Majesty again and spread rumors that are detrimental to His Majesty in the army, don't blame me for being rude!"
Meng Gong suppressed his anger and warned Wei Jinyu solemnly.
"General, don't worry! I will definitely keep it in my heart! I will definitely!"
Wei Jinyu vowed and was secretly surprised. It turns out that any complaints I made unintentionally would be used against others.
Wei Jinyu showed weakness, and Meng Gong's expression softened a little, but he was still angry in his heart.
In his opinion, the emperor's recruitment of dandies from Lin'an City such as Wei Jinyu and Wu Feng into the martial arts hall was simply unnecessary.
There are so many outstanding young people in the civilian army, numbering in the tens of millions. The emperor is very public-minded in recruiting these powerful children, but he may not be able to do well.
The Wei brothers and sisters have no sense of gratitude and are self-righteous. They are a good example.
Meng Gong raised his head and looked towards the shore. The continuous shooting of the gun soldiers had just ended.
Although the two made peace, Meng Gong did not drive Wei Jinyu out of the army, but Wei Jinyu could feel that the relationship between the two of them had become alienated by just these few words.
It can even be said that he has become a person that Meng Gong hates.
While Wei Jinyu was embarrassed, he secretly regretted why he had to fight with Meng Gong over these boring things?
After a moment of silence, Wei Jinyu broke the deadlock.
"General, when will the Northern Expedition begin? Where should we attack?"
It's such a hot day, you can't start now, right?
"It should be after the hot weather has passed. However, recovering the entire Shandong Province is a top priority. Firstly, to ensure the safety of all Shandong coastal areas, and secondly, to attack the Jin territory with troops so that the Jin people do not dare to act rashly."
Meng Gong didn't comment and strode away, obviously not wanting to show his heart to Wei Jinyu anymore.
By the time the army moves north, won't it all be clear?
"General, it won't be our Jinghu border troops who will take back Shandong, right?"
Xue Tan, the accompanying infantry commander, couldn't help but ask.
"The Jinghu Border Army is responsible for the Northern Expedition. When the time comes, your Majesty will send an additional 40,000 cavalry from Shaanxi to Hebei across the Yellow River. To attack Shandong, I am afraid it will be a matter of setting up a division in Huaidong!"
Meng Gong felt slightly regretful. If we practice here every day, it would be better to capture Shandong directly. I'm afraid it will be more effective than this practice.
"Moving troops from the west?"
Wei Jinyu couldn't help but be stunned, looking a little depressed.
"The Jin Kingdom is just surviving, and our Jinghu border army is enough. It seems that His Majesty still doesn't trust our Jinghu border army!"
The Jinghu border army also has nearly 100,000 troops, and it is not a problem to recapture Hebei. Now it feels a little awkward to mobilize troops from the west.
"The Jinghu Border Army wants to prevent the Jin people from going south. We alone do not have enough military strength for the Northern Expedition."
Meng Gong shook his head and defended the emperor's caution.
The reason for sending 40,000 additional cavalry is because Hebei is a plain. If you control Yanmen Pass in Hedong, you can besiege Taiyuan City and Yunzhong to the north, and attack and defend with ease.
"You all remember, when the time comes to attack Tokyo and seize Hebei, you must not be embarrassed and make the northwest frontier laugh."
Meng Gong looked around and gave serious instructions.
"Don't worry, General. It's useless to talk more. Let's see the real skills on the battlefield."
Xue Tan's words made the surrounding generals nod their heads. These words expressed their feelings.
"Northern Expedition! What a scene that will be!"
Meng Gong murmured to himself, and his heart suddenly became hot.
Now, we are just waiting for the emperor to come back from the northwest and preside over the oath of the Northern Expedition.
