Chapter 146: The Flower and Stone Tributes Have Arrived

…

The reason he forced Western Xia to strike first was not because Zhao Yu valued courtesy before war.

Rather, thirty years ago, Emperor Shenzong had already launched five-pronged major armies to launch a full-scale invasion of Xia, attempting to annihilate Xia outright in a struggle for national destiny—and proved that such annihilation was unfeasible.

The roads between Song and Xia were treacherous, riddled with the Hengshan Mountains, the "Hanhai" Gobi Desert, and the Maowusu Desert; at the time, Song army logistics relied primarily on human porters, with abysmal efficiency. One laborer carrying grain could sustain only one soldier advancing nine days into Western Xia territory; twenty to twenty-five thousand laborers could support at most 350,000 Song troops advancing roughly three hundred li, after which the Song army lost all capacity to advance further, and their supply lines were repeatedly harassed by Xia forces, leading to chronic food shortages.

Meanwhile, Western Xia implemented a scorched-earth policy, making it nearly impossible for Song troops penetrating deep into enemy territory to obtain supplies. When besieging cities, the Song army lacked siege equipment; stationing troops before fortified cities, they failed to capture Lingzhou after eighteen days of siege, and were instead flooded by Xia forces diverting the Yellow River into their camps, suffering heavy losses.

Coupled with poor command coordination, strategic and tactical errors, mismanagement of personnel, and ill-timed decisions, the entire campaign wiped out nearly all the achievements of Wang Anshi's reforms.

——At the time, Shaanxi's annual expenditures surged to over thirty-three million strings of cash.

As a result, because they failed to win that decisive war, Emperor Shenzong later died in gloom; Gao Taotao and Sima Guang led the conservative old faction to utterly reject Wang Anshi's reforms, seeking to return all the territory conquered by Emperor Shenzong and Wang Anshi to Western Xia—a single battle nearly severed the Zhao Song dynasty's fate.

Some people harbor a misconception that the Zhao Song dynasty's army outnumbered Western Xia's.

In reality, although the Zhao Song dynasty's army was by no means small, on the Shaanxi battlefield alone, Song troop numbers never exceeded those of the Xia army.

The combined total of imperial, auxiliary, and local militias in the six northwestern circuits, along with their families, reached at most three to four hundred thousand at peak.

But because they had to defend an extensive frontier line, their forces were scattered across vast battlefields and isolated fortresses, leaving them stretched thin.

Meanwhile, although Western Xia's population and territory were far smaller than Zhao Song's, its national mobilization capacity was vastly superior.

It is well known that Western Xia was a state founded by the Tangut people.

And the Tangut people retained substantial characteristics of late primitive society even into the early years of their statehood.

Thus, after establishing their state, Western Xia's grassroots always maintained two organizational structures: the village-based system dominated by Han Chinese, and the tribal system dominated by barbarian groups.

Later, during its development, Western Xia upgraded the village-based system into a structure resembling Zhao Song's baojia system: ten households formed one jia, five jia formed one small supervisor, and two small supervisors formed one qianliu.

This baojia system was precisely Emperor Shenzong and Wang Anshi's attempt to compensate for Zhao Song's weak conscription capacity under its mercenary military system—a trial of universal conscription later adopted by Western Xia.

During wartime, this conscription system under the baojia structure often revealed the darkest face of ancient dynasties.

Meanwhile, Western Xia's tribal system was also preserved.

These tribes retained large remnants of primitive societal lifestyles.

And tribal soldiers were always the easiest to mobilize.

The tribal slaves beneath them had virtually no human rights.

Thus, primitive societal cognition, paired with medieval institutions, naturally forged Western Xia's terrifying capacity for universal conscription.

From the time the Young Empress Dowager Liang assumed power in Western Xia until she was poisoned by a Liao envoy, Western Xia almost annually attacked Zhao Song.

Each time Western Xia mobilized, it deployed tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of troops, each campaign a thunderous assault.

Western Xia's army, having prepared for years, possessed vast cavalry forces, high mobility, intimate familiarity with terrain, and expertise in ambushes and cavalry warfare, granting them home-field advantage.

Meanwhile, Zhao Song's army remained predominantly infantry, with poor mobility, often at a disadvantage against Western Xia cavalry.

As early as Fan Zhongyan's time, he upheld an active defense strategy. In warfare against Western Xia, he advocated avoiding large-scale direct confrontations, instead strengthening frontier fortifications, training soldiers, and using small units for flexible raids and harassment to disrupt Western Xia's military operations and logistical supplies, gradually wearing down their strength.

By the time of Zhang Jie, later hailed as "the most capable literary official of Northern Song," Zhang Jie further proposed the strategies of "shallow attack and harassment" and "fortress advancement."

What is "shallow attack and harassment"?

It means launching small-scale offensives from Song's six northwestern bases along the Song-Xia border, disrupting the production and daily lives of local Tangut people, keeping them in constant unrest.

"Fortress advancement" involves constructing numerous easily defensible fortresses along the edge of Song-occupied territory, gradually infiltrating deeper into Western Xia's heartland, using them as springboards to launch fresh offensives.

These two strategies struck Western Xia's fatal weakness.

Western Xia's remote location and weak economic foundation meant the Tangut people excelled at horsemanship and archery but were poor at siege warfare.

Song's construction of fortresses was like tightening a noose around Western Xia, forcing its army to launch offensive attacks and endlessly drain its war capacity in sieges.

Meanwhile, Song forces could leverage fortress advantages, rest and wait, concentrate troops, and annihilate Western Xia armies.

The "shallow attack and fortress construction" strategy was a military theory distilled by Zhao Song's capable ministers through frontline experience.

Ultimately, history validated it as the most effective means to conquer Western Xia.

But this strategy had one problem: it required forcing Western Xia to strike first, so Zhao Song could continuously drain Western Xia's national strength.

Moreover, Zhao Yu's Divine Mechanism Army and the Four Auxiliary New Armies were not yet trained; now was not the time for total war against Western Xia.

Thus, Zhao Song currently continued using "shallow attack and harassment" and "fortress advancement" to compress Western Xia's strategic space, exhaust its war capacity, and await the moment to annihilate Western Xia outright…

…

Yanfu Palace construction site.

On this day with no duties, Zhao Yu arrived with Yuan Qing Cheng and others to inspect progress.

To build Yanfu Palace, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works relocated the Inner Wine Workshop, the Tailoring Yard, and warehouses for oil, vinegar, and other goods outside Gongchen Gate, and also moved two Buddhist temples and two military camps to serve as the palace's site.

With this expansion, the Zhao Song dynasty's imperial palace would span nine li and thirteen steps in circumference; though still the smallest among all great dynasties, it was vastly improved over the original.

Upon learning Zhao Yu had arrived, Zhao Ji and Li Jie, responsible for Yanfu Palace's construction, hurried to greet him.

"Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!" Zhao Ji, Li Jie, and others bowed deeply.

"Rise and be seated," Zhao Yu said.

Then Zhao Yu asked the matter he cared most about: "You two submitted memorials claiming a major breakthrough in cement—take me to see it immediately."

Zhao Ji and Li Jie, leading the way, Li Jie spoke:

"This achievement owes gratitude to Imperial Consort Ma; in her notes on cement development, she clearly stated that cement firing requires extremely high temperatures. We realized ceramic kilns could reach such high temperatures—famous kilns like Ding and Ru fired porcelain at even higher temperatures. Moreover, our Great Song had advanced in metallurgy and accumulated some expertise in high-temperature techniques. Thus, our Ministry of Works built upon this foundation to develop the cement kiln…"

Li Jie spoke simply, but the hardships the Ministry of Works endured in cement research were beyond words.

For example, lacking precise analytical and proportional capabilities for materials, Ministry personnel tested cement formulations tens of thousands of times.

Fortunately, Seeing Ma Xiao Jiao, having encountered various materials in the modern era, understood their properties. After her transmigration to Northern Song, she recognized the key raw materials for cement production—limestone, clay, and others—and used her knowledge to propose directions for processing and treating these materials to meet cement production requirements.

With this foundation, the Ministry of Works achieved such a monumental breakthrough in cement research in less than a year.

Zhao Yu personally inspected the Ministry's developed cement, witnessed their experiments and concrete poured with it, and confirmed that although the Ministry's cement still fell far short of later-era cement, it was vastly superior to the version Seeing Ma Xiao Jiao had previously produced—and could now be勉强 used.

Zhao Yu immediately promoted Li Jie in rank and title, and granted promotions and rewards to all who contributed to this achievement.

Afterwards, Zhao Yu said: "This cement is truly a revolutionary tool for Great Song architecture—it will make palaces sturdy and enduring, and improve commoners' dwellings, shielding them from wind and rain. I observe it with deep satisfaction; truly a great fortune for the state and a blessing for the people."

Yuan Qing Cheng supplemented from the side: "As for the use of cement, if it were widely promoted, not only would palaces and halls benefit, but roads, bridges, and water conservancy works could all become sturdier and more durable as a result. For our Great Song's development, the benefit is truly inestimable."

Zhao Yu heard this and, pretending his eyes lit up, said: "My beloved consort speaks truly. Such an excellent material should be widely applied for the benefit of all the people. I wish to issue an edict, ordering the Ministry of Works to promote the art of cement-making throughout the realm as soon as possible. Wherever it is needed, it may be adopted as circumstances warrant."

Li Jie and the others, hearing this, were overjoyed beyond measure!

"We ministers have already begun preparations, compiling the art of cement-making into a book so that it may be passed down to later generations and benefit our descendants. We ministers will also intensify our research and development, striving to perfect the art of cement-making further to meet the needs of the nation," Li Jie said.

"Most excellent," Zhao Yu said.

After Zhao Yu finished looking at the cement, Zhao Ji very attentively invited Zhao Yu to a temporary structure nearby to look at the blueprints he had already drawn for the Yanfu Palace.

No sooner had he arrived inside the temporary structure than Zhao Yu was stunned by the thousands upon thousands of blueprints on the walls.

Zhao Yu's gaze moved slowly across the blueprints, and he discovered that every detail seemed to contain ingenious and unique craftsmanship.

Taken as a whole, the design of Yanfu Palace was elaborate yet elegant, possessing both the solemn majesty of the original Zhao Song dynasty palace and incorporating novel layouts and conceptions—it was truly a sight to behold.

To tell the truth, Zhao Ji's artistic level was not just bragging. Setting aside his magnificent designs, just these blueprints of his—any single one taken to later generations would be enough for Zhao Yu to never worry about food and clothing.

Clearly, this Yanfu Palace had poured a great deal of Zhao Ji's heart and effort into it.

"The Prince of Duan's design is indeed grand and magnificent, but it cannot be adopted," Zhao Yu said with no small measure of regret.

Zhao Ji heard this, his heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked: "Is there something amiss?"

"In my observation, though it is very fine, it is extremely extravagant. It will surely consume time and effort, and I fear it will burden the people and drain the treasury. It is not a plan for the long-term prosperity of the nation, and therefore cannot be adopted," Zhao Yu said.

"Your Majesty's concern for state affairs is truly a blessing for the realm. Yet the construction of Yanfu Palace is not for one's private indulgence, but truly to manifest the dignity of our Great Song and to uplift the morale of the people. This money cannot be spared."

"Moreover, the construction of Yanfu Palace can also drive the improvement of craftsmen's skills and promote the development of related industries—it is not entirely without benefit to the common people. I believe the key lies in keeping proper measure, ensuring that the trend of extravagance does not run rampant."

"Furthermore, if Your Majesty wishes to promote cement, there must surely be a concrete example to set the minds of the realm at ease. Under all of heaven, could there be anything more persuasive than an imperial palace?"

It could be seen that Zhao Ji did not wish to alter his brilliant design.

But unexpectedly, Zhao Yu gave Zhao Ji no face at all, bluntly denying Zhao Ji's arguments: "It is merely a place to live; there is no need for such exquisite craftsmanship. Building materials should simply be sourced from nearby. For instance, your plan to quarry four thousand six hundred pieces of Taihu stone from the two prefectures of Su and Hu is far too extravagant and wasteful."

These Taihu stones were precisely Zhao Ji's pride. He assumed that Zhao Yu, this country bumpkin, simply did not know how beautiful Taihu stones were, which was why he refused to use them.

So Zhao Ji hurriedly said to Zhao Yu: "Your Majesty may not know, but these Taihu stones are extremely beautiful. They are the unrivaled choice for constructing gardens, prized for being 'slender, wrinkled, hollow, and translucent'…"

At this moment, Zhao Ji was so infatuated with Taihu stones. In his view, if Taihu stones were not used to decorate Yanfu Palace, it would absolutely be Zhao Yu's tremendous loss.

Yuan Qing Cheng could listen no longer and remonstrated: "My lord, this evil source must absolutely not be opened…"

The moment Yuan Qing Cheng spoke these words, a flash of displeasure crossed Zhao Ji's face. He very much wanted to say: you, a woman from the depths of the palace, what do you know, that you dare to meddle with my vision? Besides, some broken stones—how much could they possibly be worth?

But Zhao Ji did not dare, because he could see that Yuan Qing Cheng was closer to Zhao Yu than he was.

Yuan Qing Cheng continued: "When those above show a preference, those below will surely exceed it. Once this precedent is set, everyone will emulate it. When that time comes, to obtain ornamental stones, officials may not hesitate to destroy the homes and graves of commoners, seizing them by force. What is more, many commoners will be ruined for the sake of ornamental stones. These mere stones will consume enormous fiscal funds, increasing the financial burden on the state, leading to an empty treasury, arousing popular resentment, and shaking the very foundations of our Great Song's rule."

What Yuan Qing Cheng said—so much so that not only Zhao Ji and some flattering officials felt it was too exaggerated, even some of the conservative party officials present felt Yuan Qing Cheng had gone too far.

'It's just some stones—is it really worth escalating to such heights?'

'Imperial Consort Yuan is harsher than the censors. Such a woman will likely not be favored by the sovereign for long; she will probably fall from grace soon.'

However, what those present did not expect was that Zhao Yu actually praised Yuan Qing Cheng's remonstrance without stint: "My beloved consort is truly a virtuous consort. What you say is most apt. This evil source must absolutely not be opened. Now our Great Song has a thousand things waiting to be done—how can we squander money on grand construction projects? Saving this money to exempt the common people from taxes is the true way to govern."

Yuan Qing Cheng was not Zhang Chun; otherwise, seizing upon Zhao Yu's slip of the tongue at this moment to kneel and give thanks, she could have immediately been elevated to the rank of one of the Four Consorts—the Virtuous Consort. Instead, she merely bowed with great relief: "My lord is most sagacious."

Afterwards, Zhao Yu issued an edict: the building materials needed for the construction of the imperial palace must only be sought from within the capital region, or purchased fairly from the people. No one is permitted to disturb the populace under the pretext of this matter, or they shall be punished severely and strictly. Additionally, Yanfu Palace does not need overly large gardens or water features planned—a little ornamentation will suffice. As for the remaining open land, either build more houses to improve the living quarters of palace attendants, or use it to build a non-money-burning plaza for palace attendants to exercise in…

……

(End of this chapter)