Chapter 158

“Your Excellency Wang, you just said that the Western Xia, Mongolia, and Great Jin have now been merged into one nation, and there must be deep ethnic tensions between them. Have you observed any large-scale uprisings in the north?” Shi Miyuan asked quickly, recovering from his shock and anger.

“There have indeed been large-scale military operations in the north this year, deploying seventy thousand regular troops and countless local guerrilla units and police forces,” Wang Dan said thoughtfully.

Shi Miyuan heard this and confirmed his suspicions, but then Wang Dan changed the subject.

“Actually, the common people across the regions strongly support the People’s Government—there’s not a single sign of opposition. The military campaigns were entirely for cracking down on crime and eliminating bandits: clearing out the black gloves of past gentry, hunting down wandering heroes who extorted protection money, loan sharks, gamblers, and brothel owners—all of them executed.”

“Bandits are the same. During this period, the Revolutionary Army has been busy eradicating local bandits. Those driven by desperation who never harmed the poor are allowed to surrender, receive land according to their numbers, and are not punished. But anyone who has harmed the common people must die.”

“As for the martial sects, all their land and assets are confiscated, weapons and controlled blades seized. Most martial sects have been wiped out; only a few small remnants have abandoned violence and now pursue legitimate livelihoods.”

After hearing Wang Dan’s account, they realized this group was even more terrifying than they’d imagined. Banditry had existed since ancient times—but had anyone ever truly eradicated it? No.

As long as there was a deep mountain, bandits could hide inside; villagers within miles had their informants, and even wealthy landowners maintained ties with them.

When the government sent troops to suppress them, the bandits always knew in advance and fled into the mountains before the troops arrived. Moreover, bandits existed everywhere across the land—too widespread to ever fully eliminate.

Whenever someone could no longer survive, they would harden their heart, kill, and vanish into the mountains. The Song’s primary response to rebels and bandits had always been amnesty—recruiting them into the imperial army.

To uproot all bandits across the entire north, the People’s Government in the north must have poured immense effort into it—this level of organization was undeniably terrifying.

At the same time as eliminating bandits, they had also brought the entire martial world under complete control. Those who understood understood how difficult that was.

“Your Excellency Wang, I just heard you say the Revolutionary Army distributes land to bandits—isn’t land an extremely valuable resource? Do they really give it away so freely?” Shi Miyuan asked.

“Oh, they don’t just give it to bandits—they give it to all landless poor peasants across the nation. Families enlisting in the army are prioritized. This is because they’ve launched a policy in the north called ‘Smash the Rich, Distribute the Land’—in simple terms, seizing land from landlords and distributing it to landless farmers.” When Wang Dan finished speaking, the entire court fell silent.

To give landlords’ land to the poor—weren’t they all landlords themselves? What, were they going to take their land and hand it to those beggars?

“If they do this, will the landlords in the north agree?” Emperor Ningzong asked in disbelief.

Since the Qin Dynasty, this land had seen many classes that co-ruled with the emperor: military aristocracies like the Guanlong Group, Han-era aristocratic clans, and our own scholar-officials.

But they all shared one common name: landlords. Landowners who possessed land were the true ruling class; the entire realm was governed by landlords—even this emperor was merely the largest landlord of all.

To offend the landlords was to offend the gentry and military generals. Even this emperor, if he offended the landlords, could be overthrown.

“The landlords in the north naturally disagree—but what of it? A single Revolutionary Army soldier can easily kill a Tie Futu. A single battalion can annihilate three or four thousand Tie Futu. I assume everyone here here knows something about Tie Futu.”

Tie Futu is a Sanskrit term meaning “iron tower.” The Jin army’s heavy cavalry wore full armor on both man and horse, leaving only their eyes exposed. When advancing, they resembled moving iron towers.

Once infantry formations were shattered by Tie Futu, soldiers became lambs awaiting slaughter.

A few hundred Revolutionary Army soldiers could annihilate three or four thousand Tie Futu—so their elite troops must rival the famed Bei Zai Corps of Yue’s army.

“Don’t assume this force is their elite. These are their regular infantry. They have one million such troops—no, they have cavalry too. They control Western Xia and Mongolia, two vital horse-producing regions, so they must have at least two hundred thousand cavalry. And they have artillery—I saw them use it during bandit suppression. These cannons can fire beyond eight thousand five hundred paces, and fire sixteen rounds in rapid succession. Remember, these cannons are nothing like our Thunder Bombs.”

“One shot from this shell shatters an entire pavilion. It can deliver twelve rounds in moments. I’m told each regiment has twelve of these cannons. Let me clarify—a regiment is roughly one or two thousand men. They have seven or eight hundred regiments, meaning over a thousand of these cannons.” When Wang Dan finished, the entire palace fell utterly silent; no one spoke.

This was too absurdly powerful. They had over a million infantry capable of killing Tie Futu, over twenty thousand elite cavalry far superior to infantry, and over a thousand cannons capable of shattering mountains and splitting earth—how could anyone fight this? Even if you dug up Yue Wumu and the founding emperor from their graves, they couldn’t win.

Yue Wumu could at best defeat five thousand Tie Futu. But if a million troops capable of killing Tie Futu arrived, Yue Wumu had no choice but to return to his grave.

At this moment, Emperor Ningzong understood why the Revolutionary Army’s leader was so arrogant.

“Your Majesty, please summon all generals for consultation, and Your Excellency Wang, please describe this force capable of killing Tie Futu,” Shi Miyuan said, jolting the court awake. Yes—they hadn’t even explained what this force was like! Just saying it could kill Tie Futu alone—how could anyone know if you weren’t boasting?

Seeing the skeptical expressions around him, Wang Dan snorted. “Very well. When I traveled north, after seeing their weapons, I bribed their personnel heavily to bring back three of them. Their control is too strict—I could only get these three.”

Soon, the entire Song court understood why this force could kill Tie Futu single-handedly.

“This device can pierce iron armor at four hundred paces without effort. After firing ten rounds, you simply swap the magazine and keep firing. To Tie Futu heavy cavalry, it’s like shooting at targets. But against light cavalry, it’s not so easy.” As the Song generals studied the device, their planned countermeasures died on their lips.

If this was correct, the Revolutionary Army’s cavalry must vastly outnumber theirs.

“I observe this device is made of iron, crafted by artisans. Could our own craftsmen replicate it? Even if they cannot fully duplicate it, they could greatly enhance our army’s strength.”

At these words, the court officials turned to the speaker—a young officer behind General Meng Zongzheng of the Jingxi Road, seemingly under twenty.

“Good, good, good! The entire court remains silent, yet you alone speak up with strategy. What is your name?” Emperor Ningzong regarded the young officer with approval.

The young officer bowed respectfully. “Your servant, Meng Gong.”