Chapter 435: Restoring the Northern Army

Li Shishi lay listlessly in her lover's arms, closing her eyes in satisfaction. Suddenly remembering what happened that night, she asked: "Do you know about the incident at the entrance of Yuxiang Pavilion earlier?"

"Yes, I was at the entrance at the time and heard those government troops shouting that they were Liang Shan bandits."

Wang Yan toyed with her treasure, unable to help but smile at the memory. He had watched Li Kui and the others break through the government troops and leave. Of course, not many soldiers were directly hacked to death; they just lost their combat effectiveness and might have died later if rescue was poor. The Liang Shan people still had a sense of proportion. Those who died directly were all hacked by Li Kui.

However, no matter how much sense of proportion the Liang Shan people had, causing such a scene in Bianjing City during the Lantern Festival was an unforgivable crime. Why did Song Jiang stare at the Yuxiang Pavilion sign and refuse to leave? It was because this time he had ruined Zhao Ji's good mood for enjoying the festival with the people. If he wanted to seek amnesty again, he didn't know when that would be. The kid was heartbroken.

Although he knew the whole story, he still played along with the beauty in his arms and continued to ask: "What were they doing at Yuxiang Pavilion? I heard one of the men with an axe shouting that Song Jiang was there seeking flowers and asking for willows?"

Li Shishi gave a coquettish laugh: "How could Song Jiang have the guts of a master like you? He heard about my relationship with the current Emperor and wanted me to convey his loyalty to the Emperor to seek amnesty. But after causing such a scene, seeking amnesty is likely difficult. Master, what should I say when the Emperor asks about it later?"

"Just tell the truth; it will be fine."

"Um, Master, that Shuibo Liang Shan is also in Shandong, and I hear it's not far from your Yanggu County. They occupy the mountain as kings; they haven't caused you much trouble on weekdays, have they?"

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"Caused me trouble? Where would they get the guts? For these years, we've kept to our own affairs. They just rob some wealthy households in the vicinity, passing merchants, and occasionally intercept some canal transport. Before I came to the capital, that Song Jiang had been to Yanggu to seek an audience, also for the sake of amnesty. I was being watched by so many people, so why would I look for trouble? I just had the steward send him away. I never thought he would seek you out."

"Forget it, let's not talk about those irrelevant people." Li Shishi raised her head, her apricot eyes filled with spring, while reaching down: "Come again, Master..."

If she wanted him to come again, he would. Following the guidance of her plain hand, he thrust his waist, and the little master returned to the nest. Li Shishi's eyes were blurred with intoxication, and she gave a satisfied moan...

The next afternoon, Master Wang, who had taken a nap all morning, entered the palace to see Zhao Ji. After all, such a big thing had happened yesterday, and as a son-in-law and a loyal official, he had to go and offer his condolences out of reason and emotion.

"Seeing that Your Majesty is unharmed, I can rest easy."

Zhao Ji shook his head, pointing his finger at the map on the wall marking the four great bandits of the country, where the piece belonging to "Liang Shan Song Jiang" had been torn off, and roared in rage: "Look at this! They actually ran all the way to my Ruisi Hall; it's truly arrogant to the extreme. The palace guards, the city's imperial guards—they are all trash! I spend so much silver every year to support them, and yet they let bandits sneak in."

Wang Yan looked at the empty spot. He knew it was originally torn off by Shiqian, but Shiqian had long been buried by him, and flowers were already blooming on his grave. He figured it must have been someone else. But who it was didn't matter; the purpose of tearing that piece off was simple—just to scare Zhao Ji. After all, if they could get into the palace, they could take his dog head. He just lowered his head and cupped his hands, listening to Zhao Ji's cursing without saying a word.

After a long while, Zhao Ji vented some more and waved his hand: "Get up. I'm not venting at you; why are you acting like this? It's them who disappointed me. Yanggu County is not far from Shuibo Liang Shan; have they ever harassed your business on weekdays?"

Wang Yan straightened up and shook his head with a smile: "Your Majesty, where would those people on Liang Shan get the guts? We've been at peace for these years. If they really robbed my goods, I would have submitted a memorial to Your Majesty to suppress the bandits long ago. In fact, before I came to the capital, Song Jiang and the others had been to Yanggu County. They knew I held imperial favor and wanted me to convey their desire for amnesty on their behalf. But to avoid giving people grounds for criticism and being attacked, I didn't see them and just sent them away. I never thought they would be so arrogant yesterday."

Yanggu County was almost becoming a branch of the Imperial City Department, causing him a lot of trouble in his work. This visit by Song Jiang and the others couldn't be hidden, and besides, it wasn't a big deal. Him taking the initiative to mention it wasn't a big deal either.

Sure enough, there was no surprise on Zhao Ji's face: "I have sent people to Yuxiang Pavilion to ask. That Song Jiang didn't know where he heard about my relationship with Li Shishi, and he also wanted her to convey his desire for amnesty. At this morning's audience, the court argued for a while. Some said to mobilize troops to suppress the bandits, others said to use amnesty to deal with the other three bandits. What is your view?"

"If we mobilize troops to attack, the waste of grain and supplies along the way will be significant. If we proceed with amnesty, the bandit nature of those Liang Shan people is hard to remove, and I fear it won't go smoothly. Your Majesty's holy heart is decisive; I imagine you already have a plan, so I won't say more."

"You, you are always so slippery." Zhao Ji shook his head and laughed, turning to say: "Regarding the matter of cavalry personnel, the decree has been sent to all regions to mobilize those skilled in archery and horsemanship from the imperial and regional armies to the capital. Additionally, local militia can also enlist, and they will arrive in the capital to assemble before the end of the third month. Regarding the barracks, you can contact the Ministry of Works yourself. The site selection, construction, and other matters are all handed over to you; hurry up and get it done."

No longer disturbing Zhao Ji, who was in a bad mood, Wang Yan took his order and left.

The cost of raising a cavalry force of fifty thousand men was enormous. Just a simple calculation: the monthly pay for a low-level cavalryman was one string of cash, with officers' pay higher. Just the pay alone would be seven hundred thousand strings of cash a year. Adding in horse maintenance, training food, and most importantly, the military equipment to arm fifty thousand men—these were not cheap. Together, it would be at least two million strings of cash. Not to mention, he was also planning to create five thousand heavy cavalry. For the light cavalry that dominated the north, heavy cavalry was absolutely a battlefield harvester, and the money spent on this was an astronomical figure.

Because of the spoils from the battle against Western Xia, looking at it now, the Great Song, with an annual income of over a hundred million strings of cash, could still afford it. But if the Great Song monarch and his officials kept messing around for another two years, it would be hard to say. After all, the Great Song's finances had been unhealthy in recent years, with annual deficits. If they kept messing around like this, there wouldn't be many good days left.

From a normal developmental perspective, the rebellions and uprisings of Song Jiang, Fang La, and others were just the beginning, just indicating that the current government had forced some people to the point where they couldn't hold on. Those who hadn't spoken out were the countless people gritting their teeth and trying to survive; they were the main force.

Even if they were suppressed, even without the Jingkang Incident, after a few more years, the honest people wouldn't be able to stay put either, and then the country would be filled with the smoke of war. After all, Zhao Ji lived quite a long time and could keep messing around for decades. When the contradictions reached an irreconcilable point, it would basically be no different from the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Zhao Ji, a guy who just wanted to survive, wouldn't have a good end; if things went wrong, he would be sliced to death.

Of course, none of that could happen, because he was here. It was just that his strength was still far too weak, and he couldn't overthrow the regime in one day; he still had to hide for a few more years to accumulate strength.

Mainly, he didn't want to destroy the current situation of the Great Song. After all, although the Great Song monarch and officials weren't great and the commoners were harmed quite a bit, in the end, more were still alive. If he directly raised an army to rebel, the destruction to the current situation would be immensely huge.

Because even if he could protect the lives of the people in his own territory, he couldn't protect those in other places. And if he raised an army to confront the Great Song, letting other ambitious people see an opportunity to also raise people to cause chaos everywhere, then too many people would die, which was absolutely not what he wished for. It was precisely because of this that he acted as a loyal official for Zhao Ji.

The construction of the barracks was funded by the Ministry of Revenue, with the Ministry of Works providing personnel and plans, and finally, the regional troops of the capital region doing the work. Money was naturally no problem. First, the court had already made it clear, and the motion to establish the cavalry force had been passed, and it was Zhao Ji's pet project—the hegemon's ambition of an emperor who would open up territory. Second, Master Wang wasn't a pushover. In previous collaborations, anyone who blocked his money and grain or wanted to profit from him had been taken down.

The Great Song shared the world with the scholar-officials, and punishments didn't apply to officials—that was correct. But demotion wasn't considered punishment. Just working in Hebei for half a year, then being sent to Qiongzhou, if that didn't work, then being transferred to Gansu, and if that still didn't work, then being transferred south to Guangxi. Given the medical and sanitary conditions of this era, the road transport conditions, and the physical fitness of the Confucian scholars, this was murder. Especially since the high-ranking officials in the capital were mostly in their forties or fifties; basically, being transferred north, south, east, and west two or three times, they were about ready to die.

So although Master Wang didn't mingle with the court officials, relying on being Zhao Ji's confidant, he had also sent some people to tour the length and breadth of the country, to experience different customs and enjoy the endless mountains and rivers.

After riding around for two days, the final location for the barracks was chosen in an open area fifty miles west of Bianjing. This distance was neither too near nor too far; orders could go back and forth several times a day, and the cavalry training wouldn't disturb the people, which was quite good.

He did a rough plan, and together with the people from the Ministry of Works who came to provide the plans, it took three days to design the barracks. Then they began preparing materials, waiting for the thaw next month to start construction.

The speed of building barracks was actually very fast. The building materials were fired red bricks and cement; he could directly mobilize his own brick-firing manors near the capital region to supply them. Trees for roof beams were also easy to find at this time; just go into the nearby mountains and cut them down. Although the houses for both men and horses, as well as other functional areas, added up to five or six thousand rooms, the labor force the Great Song could mobilize was also there. As long as there were enough materials, it wouldn't take two months to finish building—it was very fast.

After explaining these matters, he greeted Zhao Ji and left the capital directly to return to Yanggu. He had been out for a bit too long this time, and his family was missing him.

Returning home, he naturally couldn't avoid comforting Jinlian and Hu San Niang. After all, he was about to become a son-in-law, and he had brought a mistress of the house over the heads of these two women who were used to being free—and a princess at that. They would have to be careful in serving her, so how could they be happy?

It was only after repeated assurances that he barely managed to coax these two women. Of course, it was of no use; they would have to wait until Zhao Yupan entered the door and the three of them got along slowly. Saying more was also useless.

Returning home, he wasn't idle either. Now that he was marrying a princess, the house wasn't quite enough. Mainly, it wasn't good to put a princess in a side room. Another thing was, since the princess wouldn't be living in a side room, and he always balanced things, Jinlian and Hu San Niang naturally had to change places too.

So after some research, he decided to expand the backyard garden, clear out space to build another row of south-facing houses, and partition a courtyard, giving each of the three women a room. He would continue to live in the original house, and at night, whoever he went to, she would come over—that was it.

Once the research was clear, the rest wasn't his business. Naturally, there were people to prepare timber and organize manpower, just waiting for the thaw to start construction directly. It wouldn't take long to finish. It was about the same progress as the cavalry barracks; after all, his place still had to be more luxurious and exquisite. Although the quantity was small, the work was fine.

In the blink of an eye, it was April. The cavalry candidates had arrived in the capital and assembled, and the roll call was finished. Zhao Ji bestowed the army name "Fu Bei" (Restoring the North), entrusting his beautiful vision of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, destroying the Liao, annihilating the Jin, and swallowing Lu Zhishen, thereby ascending to the status of an emperor through the ages.

The military camp at this time was still a large construction site. Although most of it had been built, it was not yet finished. Such a construction site couldn't carry out training, so the fifty thousand people who had assembled were all working as laborers.

The fifty thousand people who came this time would naturally not all stay. They would undergo strict screening and constant elimination, which was both to ensure internal competition and to open an upward channel for soldiers of other armies. Those who were eliminated but still met a standard would be kept as reserves.

The enemy was in the north, not the south. In this era, the strongest troops were undoubtedly the highly mobile cavalry.

So this force could absolutely not be allowed to rot in the hands of those treacherous villains; it had to maintain peak combat effectiveness in the hands of a rebel like Master Wang. So from the beginning, a good mechanism had to be established.

"General, the files of these fifty thousand people are in this room. You... really want to look through them one by one?"

Outside a large room that had already been built, a minor official pointed to the documents piled inside, looking at the General beside him in disbelief.

Wang Yan stood with his hands behind his back, just casually glancing at the situation inside, then went in and sat down at a table: "Go, get them for me."

The minor official didn't speak; if he wanted to look, he would. He turned and hugged a stack of high-ranking martial officers' data and placed it on the table, even thoughtfully telling the General the order, not to mess it up.

The files of so many people naturally couldn't be piled up in a mess. Although they weren't easily used, if they were, how could one find them among so many documents? So they were all arranged according to the rank and assignment. As for the common soldiers, they were arranged according to their assigned units, making it convenient to query.

Ignoring the minor official who was trying his best to hide his "looking at a fool" expression, Master Wang silently flipped through the files before him. They recorded basic ancestral information, wars experienced since joining the army, military merits obtained, and promotion records—quite detailed.

This all-cavalry force was drawn from those skilled in archery and horsemanship from all the Great Song armies; there were bound to be many capable people among them. And among such people, there were bound to be some familiar names. He just had nothing to do and had a whim to take a look. After all, he read ten lines at a glance; looking at these fifty thousand files would only take a few days.

There weren't many high-ranking martial officers; after all, there were only fifty thousand people in total. According to the Great Song standard of twenty-five hundred per army, there were only twenty people. And among these twenty, there were familiar faces—Dong Ping and Lu Junyi were prominently listed.

Both of them had rendered meritorious service in the war against Western Xia, and with him backing them up, Tong Guan didn't dare to suppress their merits, so they got what they deserved. Also, in view of their previous performance, and because the two of them had sufficient combat power and were always brave in battle, they were naturally selected for this cavalry transfer without him even having to open his mouth. Compared to infantry, cavalry was obviously a promotion...

Over the next few days, he read through all the files. Just as he expected, there were capable people. Han Shizhong, a famous anti-Jin general, was under his command. He had previously participated in the war against Western Xia and was also a man who dared to fight and kill; he was a commander of a hundred-man unit. Additionally, there were Liu Qi and Wujie; these two were also famous anti-Jin generals who protected the Southern Song Dynasty. At this time, none of them had come to the fore; Liu Qi had a father who was a Jiedushi, and relying on this qualification, he was a commander like Han Shizhong, who had joined the army long ago.

As for Yue Fei, he should be fifteen this year, still learning his craft and not yet out in the world. In three or five years, he might be able to come. After all, having learned such good martial arts, how could there be no place to display them? As the "Fu Bei" Army, which was highly anticipated at the time, it was undoubtedly a good place to show off his skills. Like Yue Fei, he would definitely enlist directly.

The training plan had long been set. Once the camp was built, training began.

Cavalry was about charging; they couldn't stop. Otherwise, in a cavalry charge, if the front fought one-on-one, what would the back do? It was the same principle as the vanguard of the infantry—there was only advance and no retreat.

So they only trained four items. First, military posture and internal affairs—this was discipline. Second, mounted archery—for Mobile Corps Commander warfare. Third, charging with a long spear tucked under the arm to practice accuracy and horse power—this was for head-on cavalry charges. The final fourth item was indispensable: physical training. After all, the body was the foundation. In a cavalry charge, as long as the strength was strong, the long spear could be used like an arm, and the speed was fast. Being able to avoid the attack one step ahead and position the long spear correctly, relying on the powerful impact of the warhorse, meant the enemy died and he lived.

Martial arts had no chance to be displayed in large-scale cavalry charges because they wouldn't stop; life and death were decided in an instant. Even a player like Master Wang, who was invincible in one-on-one combat, could only do one thing in a cavalry formation: correct the position of the long spear, stab the enemy to death, and continue charging with the corpse—he didn't even have the chance to pull the spear out. After all, a long spear was over four meters long; how could there be time? Until the long spear couldn't be kept, he would draw the saber at his waist, charge directly into the enemy's formation, and hack and kill without stopping until there were no more enemies in front. Then turn around, the front army becomes the rear army, the rear army becomes the front army, and charge back again.

So as long as these four items were trained well and refined, they could both harass and strike head-on, and with strict military discipline and excellent style, they could be considered a reserve force of a strong army. And the reason they were a reserve force was that they hadn't experienced the battle formation of a cavalry charge and didn't have the fearless heart of a strong man who moved forward—that was the key to a truly strong army... ===== CHAPTER 436 =====