Chapter 148: After Dawn

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Only beauties may display their grace; no scholar may utter flowery words. Had the platform not banned written words, I'd pen a torrent of tiger-and-wolf phrases.

One night of indulgence—no need to elaborate.

All that can be said is, the next day, the sun rose as usual.

The first ray of sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Yuan Qingcheng's chamber in golden light.

The once clean and tidy bedroom now looked disheveled.

Zhao Yu's dragon robe and Yuan Qingcheng's palace gown were scattered everywhere—on and off the bed; Yuan Qingcheng's skirt lay conspicuously draped over the edge of the large bed.

Zhao Yu still slept soundly; he was thoroughly satisfied.

—After courting Yuan Qingcheng for nearly a year, the harvest season had finally arrived; for Zhao Yu, this feeling was truly unlike any other.

Often, as Emperor, Zhao Yu would sleep with a woman the moment he first saw her, with no emotional foundation whatsoever.

Worse still, sometimes he couldn't even recall what the woman looked like or what her name was before she became pregnant with his child.

This is no exaggeration.

For instance, the Zhou woman in Cai Xuan's palace.

For several days, thirty or more women came each night to indulge with Zhao Yu; they all wore modest clothing, and the candlelight was always dim and hazy—essentially, visibility was poor.

Afterward, aside from Cai Xuan and a few others with distinctive looks or special talents, Zhao Yu couldn't remember any of the rest—especially once they put their clothes back on.

And the Zhou woman, in every respect, was not particularly outstanding.

Of course, since she was selected for the palace, she was certainly not inferior. At least she was virtuous, demure, gentle, and obedient.

Yet such women were countless in Zhao Yu's harem; to him, they left not the faintest impression.

That's why he didn't even remember sleeping with her, let alone her name.

It wasn't until more than twenty days later that Cai Xuan came to report the good news—Zhou had become pregnant.

Even then, Zhao Yu racked his brain but couldn't recall who this Zhou woman was.

Due to his doubts, Zhao Yu specifically summoned the night attendant and the imperial secretary, questioned them about the night's events, and reviewed the official records.

The results showed the night attendant and secretary had meticulously documented every detail of Zhou's service that night—even the blood from her first time; Zhao Yu couldn't possibly deny it.

Later, when Zhao Yu saw Zhou again, he remembered: that night, Zhou had been eager to step forward among the crowd but too shy to move; Zhao Yu, growing impatient, had simply grabbed her from the crowd…

Such incidents happened frequently with Zhao Yu; if he drank even a little more, he'd be even less likely to remember who he'd bedded.

Of course, the night attendants and imperial secretaries would remember every detail clearly—no mistakes allowed. If anything went wrong, they and their families would be finished.

In short, women, one-night stands—Zhao Yu had no shortage of them.

But a proper, serious romance? Since his reincarnation, this was the only time—with Yuan Qingcheng.

Now, at the moment of harvest, Zhao Yu, like many young men savoring a woman's touch for the first time, was filled with tenderness, unpreceded satisfaction, and a lack of restraint.

It was hard on Yuan Qingcheng; by the end, Zhao Yu even lifted her up, stood on the bed, and became a motorized little pony.

Yuan Qingcheng was terrified—afraid Zhao Yu might drop her and fling her across the room.

Fortunately!

Yuan Qingcheng, without instruction, instinctively wrapped her long, slender legs around Zhao Yu's waist…

The two had been at it until the hour of Hai, when Zhao Yu finally fell asleep, holding Yuan Qingcheng tightly.

Yuan Qingcheng lay beside Zhao Yu, gazing at his sharply defined face, wondering if she had done the right thing—after all, Zhao Yu had so many women; her four close friends were all his concubines, and all had borne him children. If she too gave herself to him, wouldn't the five of them be like women who had reincarnated solely for him?

But then Yuan Qingcheng reconsidered: ever since they had reincarnated as palace maids, their fates had already been sealed—to become the same man's women. That man might not have been Zhao Yu, but it would have been Zhao Ji.

Compared to that, Zhao Yu was clearly the one they had chosen for themselves.

In fact, up to this point, Zhao Yu's actions—well, aside from being overly amorous—had fully aligned with their desires; they had indeed realized their own worth through him.

More remarkably, Zhao Yu, though Emperor, could have taken her instantly—but he willingly spent nearly a year courting her, despite her capriciousness.

For that alone, she had no more reason to hesitate.

Let it be this way.

'Lying beside Zhao Yu, I feel unusually at peace.'

Thinking this, Yuan Qingcheng instinctively snuggled closer to Zhao Yu.

But Yuan Qingcheng still wasn't satisfied; she took the initiative and wrapped her arms around Zhao Yu's waist, entwining her legs around his thighs.

Yuan Qingcheng slept soundly—perhaps the best sleep she'd had in both lifetimes.

At the Mao hour, Zhao Yu and Yuan Qingcheng opened their eyes simultaneously.

Yuan Qingcheng hadn't expected their biological clocks to be so perfectly aligned.

The two exchanged a knowing smile; Zhao Yu rolled over and pressed himself atop Yuan Qingcheng again…

…

Two days later, Li Lin gave birth to Zhao Yu's thirteenth son, whom Zhao Yu named Zhao Qing.

Five days after that, Zhang Chun gave birth to Zhao Yu's fourteenth son; at Zhang Chun's suggestion, Zhao Yu named him Zhao Tang.

The births of these two sons seemed to bring Zhao Yu good fortune.

—At the same time, news arrived from the front: a great victory.

Previously, Zhao Yu, citing Western Xia's violation of vassal rites, ordered the establishment of the Shaanxi and Western Xia Pacification Commission, appointing Zhang Jie as Pacification Commissioner and Lu Huiqing as Director of Organization, awaiting the chance to reclaim Western Xia.

This move was quickly discovered by Western Xia.

Emperor Li Qianshun and his ministers refused to surrender passively; thus, Western Xia prepared to strike first, targeting the Longyou Protectorate, which continuously supplied the Song Dynasty with grain, funds, and troops.

Soon, while General Zhang Jie's troops were returning from Gaizhu City to Zhuolongkou, they were suddenly ambushed by thirty thousand Western Xia soldiers.

In the chaos, the Song generals Mayong Sect and Zou Sheng fell in battle; only thanks to Zhang Jie's fierce valor and a desperate counterattack by his central forces did the enemy finally retreat.

This incident ignited fierce clashes between Song and Xia forces along the western front.

Under the command of Lu Huiqing, Wang Hou, and others, the Song army fought desperately against the Xia forces; despite Western Xia deploying over a hundred thousand troops, they gained not an inch of ground in the Longyou Protectorate.

Meanwhile, on the western front, the fighting between Song and Xia was fierce, yet someone on the eastern front seized the advantage.

That man was Tao Jiefu, the governor of Yan'an Prefecture overseeing the Fuyan Road.

Taking advantage of the Xia army's defenses being concentrated under Zhang Jie's personal command on the Jingyuan Road, while its main forces clashed with the Longyou Protectorate, Tao Jiefu launched a surprise attack and swiftly captured three strategic outposts—Shibaozhai, Yumou Mountain City, and Luoyuan City—all within the Hengshan region, and immediately fortified each with complete defensive works.

Shibaozhai had originally been the Xia frontier stronghold of Longzhou City, storing vast quantities of grain and lying closer to the party Xian Li Shi's ancestral homeland of Youzhou; its strategic and political value was immense. Now, suddenly seized by Song forces, the Xia cried out: "The Han people have struck straight for our golden nest!"

Western Xia immediately dispatched a large army from Mount Tiandou to retake Shibaozhai.

Yet Tao Jiefu had prepared thoroughly: not only had he built the fortresses with exceptional strength, but he also sent generals Liu An, Du Dazhong, and others to counterattack, successfully repelling the Xia forces.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jie seized the moment when Xia troops were being diverted to Fuyan Road, sending his general Zhe Keshi deep into the Lingzhou River region to inflict a crushing defeat on the Xia army, slaying over five hundred heads, seizing more than seventy thousand cattle and sheep, and reaping great gains.

At one point, Song forces advanced all the way to the walls of Lingzhou City.

According to Zhang Jie's plan, he intended to exploit the moment when Xia's main forces were scattered between the Longyou Protectorate and Fuyan Road, coordinating with the Huanqing Road troops to strike from the weak point and capture the Xia stronghold of Lingzhou City.

Yet, although Zhe Keshi's Jingyuan army shattered the Xia defenders, the Huanqing Road troops abandoned Zhe Keshi, leaving his forces isolated and deep in enemy territory.

With no choice, Zhe Keshi was forced to withdraw.

During the retreat, Zhe Keshi personally remained to cover the rear—and indeed, Xia forces pursued.

After a fierce battle, the Song army won another decisive victory: though only five hundred heads were taken, thousands were captured or slain, and one-third of them were Xia junior commanders.

The thousand-li line of fortress outposts, built over nearly a century since Emperor Renzong's reign to Zhao Yu's, proved fully effective: even when Xia could mobilize its entire population and launch annual invasions, it was constantly thrown off-balance by the Song's alternating offensives on the eastern and western fronts.

After this battle, Zhao Yu summoned Zhe Keshi to the capital.

Zhao Yu asked Zhe Keshi: "Your Excellency, you reached the walls of Lingzhou City—why not seize it outright?"

Zhe Keshi replied: "To take it is easy; to hold it is hard. First weaken the others; only when our defenses are solid can we hope to succeed."

Zhe Keshi meant that with his current forces, even if he captured Lingzhou, he could not hold it—he must first eliminate its surrounding defensive outposts and strengthen his own strength before securing Lingzhou with certainty.

Zhao Yu listened and felt Zhe Keshi had performed too well, too steadily—he was unquestionably one of the Zhao Song dynasty's top generals. Had Zhe Keshi commanded the campaign to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun during Emperor Huizong's reign instead of Liu Yanqing, the outcome would have been different.

Zhao Yu promoted Zhe Keshi to Jiedu Guancha Liuhou and bestowed upon him a prized warhorse from his own stable, urging him to press on, saying that when he won his next great victory, he would be promoted to Jiedu.

Zhe Keshi, overwhelmed with gratitude, swore to repay the imperial grace!!!

Originally, during the Pingxiacheng campaign, it was truly hard to say whether Guo Cheng or Zhe Keshi had rendered the greater merit.

Later, when Zhang Jie sought to report their achievements, he asked them: Who deserves first place?

Both recommended the other—evidence of gentlemanly conduct.

After Zhao Yu ascended the throne, due to Guo Ting's influence, Guo Cheng rose rapidly to become Grand Marshal Guo, left the frontlines, and took charge of the empire's imperial guards for Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu asked Guo Cheng: Who among the frontline generals is worthy of weight?

Guo Cheng recommended many capable and battle-hardened generals: Wang Hou, Wang Shan, Gao Yongnian, Zhong Pu, Liu Fa, and others.

But Guo Cheng changed tone, declaring that the most gifted commander among them was Zhe Keshi—if the Zhao Song dynasty were to destroy Western Xia, Zhe Keshi must be appointed as frontline commander.

Zhang Chun also gave Zhe Keshi high praise, stating that among all generals alive today, only Zhe Keshi and Wang Hou were fit to command.

Zhang Chun gave Zhao Yu a thorough analysis of the frontline generals, detailing their experiences, abilities, and potential.

Thus, Zhao Yu began to understand.

This era of the Zhao Song dynasty was ablaze with brilliant generals; its military officers were fearless of death, and its frontline civil officials were filled with ambition—this was the perfect time to expand its grand design.

But historically, Emperor Huizong, for various reasons, allowed all these capable generals to die of old age, and then cultivated a generation of corrupt officials through his own example, utterly corrupting the Zhao Song dynasty's foundations; after the Fang La rebellion further drained and degraded its strength, the dynasty became utterly unfit for the campaigns to recover Yan and Yun and the early resistance against the Jin.

Zhao Yu must fully learn from history's lessons—he must not allow Western Xia to drag out this war.

Zhao Yu decided to eliminate Western Xia swiftly, then rest and recuperate, thoroughly resolving the Zhao Song dynasty's internal problems, and preparing fully to destroy the Liao and the Jin.

To this end, Zhao Yu issued an edict to Zhang Dun and Ceng Bu, ordering them to accelerate the construction of the Four Auxiliary New Armies.

Simultaneously, Zhao Yu ordered Li Lin to accelerate the construction of the Divine Mechanism Vanguard Army, Divine Mechanism Central Army, and Divine Mechanism Rear Army, and to restore the combat strength of the Divine Mechanism Left Army and Divine Mechanism Right Army as soon as possible.

For this purpose, Zhao Yu specifically issued an edict to expand and improve the Fireworks Division and the Gunpowder Division.

—And adhering to the principle that one must not put all eggs in one basket, Zhao Yu instructed Ceng Bu to split each division into four: one Fireworks Division and one Gunpowder Division paired together, relocated to four secure and hidden corners of Dongjing Bianliang, fortified with defensive works, protected with care, managed under military discipline, and off-limits to outsiders.

Additionally, each month, the four groups would be ranked by the quantity and quality of their weapon production: the top group would receive a thirty percent bonus on monthly pay, the middle two groups would receive no reward or penalty, and the bottom group would receive only seventy percent of their pay.

Under this management, gunpowder weapons were being rapidly equipped to the Divine Mechanism Army.

By the way, besides the Tiger Squat Cannon and the Thunder Bomb, the Divine Mechanism Army was now fielding a third gunpowder weapon—the explosive packet.

Li Lin developed the explosive packet primarily to prepare for possible siege warfare in the coming campaign to destroy Western Xia.

Although city walls of this era were typically built of brick and stone and possessed considerable strength, an explosive packet's detonation generated immense shockwaves, extreme heat, and high pressure. If the charge was sufficient and placed correctly—at critical points such as corners or near gates—the energy released could severely damage the wall's structure, causing cracks or collapse. Especially older or poorly maintained walls were far more vulnerable to such explosions.

Yet, to completely destroy a long or tall ancient wall, multiple explosive packets or large-scale detonations would be required.

That would depend on the commander's battlefield judgment.

In short, the Divine Mechanism Army equipped with explosive packets would become the nightmare of Western Xia defenders.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu stripped Zeng Xiaoxu, the governor of Huanqing Road who had failed to reinforce Zhe Keshi, of all ranks and exiled him to Fengzhou, never to be employed again.

Zhao Yu also appointed the aggressive and highly capable Zhong Chuan as the new governor of Huanqing Road.

Zhao Yu demonstrated through action that his resolve to reclaim Western Xia was absolute: anyone who failed would be held accountable without mercy.

The Song's war against Xia raged on…

…

(End of Chapter)