Chapter 341: The Crown Prince Goes to War

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Arriving at the front, Zhao Shou learned many things he had never known before from Zhao Yan and the frontline soldiers.

For instance, his father the Emperor was respected by all Song soldiers, even those originally from barbarian or Hu tribes, who spoke nothing but praise for him—not merely because his father was the Emperor of Song and held a noble status.

More importantly, whenever his father personally led campaigns, he always led them to great victories, allowing them to earn merit and rewards.

Moreover, his father changed the former Song system of valuing civil officials over military officers, which had been grossly unfair to soldiers defending the nation, and established an era of separate civil-military governance, greatly elevating the social status and benefits of soldiers defending the nation: soldiers and their families received priority medical care, soldiers' children were given priority in school selection, and the parents of fallen soldiers received a dou of rice, a dou of flour, and two jin of meat during every festival. Propaganda also shifted from "good men don't become soldiers" to "true heroes must take up arms to defend the nation," and "soldiers are the most beloved people of Song."

Furthermore, his father eliminated all worries for Song soldiers, allowing them to fight on the battlefield without fear—if they died in battle, it was not only an honor, but their parents, wives, and children were all cared for by the court.

Moreover, his father broke the military clans' monopoly, enforced clear rewards and punishments, and gave every Song soldier the chance to rise through merit—a possibility they had never dared dream of before.

In addition, his father vigorously promoted the military medical system, ordering that wounded soldiers, regardless of rank, be treated with all possible effort to ensure none who shouldn't die would perish.

Also, since his father ascended the throne, the court had never failed to supply the front with provisions; grain and supplies were always more than sufficient, never late, always early.

As for the military pay that the court had often delayed in the past, it had never been late under his father's reign. Even when the imperial treasury was empty, his father would pay the soldiers from his own pocket. As Imperial Consort Li said: "We cannot let soldiers shed blood and then tears."

All of this granted his father immense prestige among soldiers, earning him deep love and devotion from Song troops, who saw him as a towering, unshakable peak standing firm in every soldier's heart, becoming their most solid support and highest faith, willingly fighting for him.

In the camp, whether officer or soldier, all held heartfelt respect and admiration for his father—and the older they were, the more so.

Only at this moment did Zhao Shou realize that his father's status among soldiers was not only unmatched and unsurpassable, but even incomparable—no one, not even himself, could ever be mentioned in the same breath as him, even if he one day succeeded his father as Emperor.

Also, only at this moment did Zhao Shou understand why his father had sent these princes, who sought to build merit and glory, to the frontlines to experience war firsthand—because many things were far more complex than what books described.

—Zhao Shou had originally believed that as an emperor, one merely needed to remain in the palace and issue orders; he had never imagined so much more was required.

"Being Emperor is truly not easy!"

Realizing these things, Zhao Shou's emotions were complex.

Zhao Shou had always known clearly that no matter how hard he tried, he might never reach the height of his father, who had become the greatest Emperor of Song—but he never imagined the gap between them was so vast, so immense that he wasn't even worthy to be mentioned alongside him.

At this moment, Zhao Shou felt overwhelming pressure.

Then again, Zhao Shou had been meticulously trained by Zheng Xiansu for many years; since he came of age, he had known he would be the next Emperor of Song.

So although Zhao Shou had begun to realize the enormous gap between himself and his father, he did not lose heart, but instead pursued his father's footsteps with even greater determination.

Precisely because of this, Zhao Shou began actively training his military skills: by day, he deeply studied the army; by night, he thoroughly read military texts and strategies.

During this time, Zhong Shidao strictly followed the Song army's most familiar tactic—shallow advance and fortify—and organized over a dozen small-scale offensive actions, provoking the Jin into full-scale counterattacks. The Jin, enraged by the harassment, assembled a 150,000-strong army intending to crush all military forces on the Liaodongbandao.

Zhong Shidao personally directed all troop movements and coordinated the various armies.

This prevented the Jin army from breaching the Liaodongbandao within just a few days of encirclement.

Crucially, the Song army had Li Lin Cannons; the Jin dared not launch concentrated attacks.

Most crucially, the Jin soldiers feared the potential danger of Zhong Shidao cutting off their retreat route, and could not plunder anything, forcing them to retreat without achieving anything.

Seeing this, Zhong Shidao decisively dispatched Song cavalry to pursue and intercept.

But unfortunately, the more skilled in open-field warfare Jin forces repelled them.

In this battle, the Jin mobilized 150,000 troops but killed only a few hundred Song soldiers—these casualties occurred during the Jin's retreat. Meanwhile, during Song defensive counterattacks from fortresses, using Li Lin Cannons and Shenbi Bows, the Song killed thousands of Jin soldiers.

In terms of results, the Song clearly gained the advantage.

Most importantly, the Jin were few in number, while the Song were many; the Song feared nothing more than exchanging lives.

After hearing Zhang Jun's explanation, Zhao Shou grew even more convinced of Zhao Yu's brilliance, but he still had one question: "What if the Jurchens refuse to fight?"

Zhang Jun smiled: "They have no choice but to fight."

Soon, Zhao Shou understood what Zhang Jun meant.

The day after repelling the Jin, Qiu Yu began constructing defensive works toward Liaodong Jingcheng, protecting the route connecting the Liaodongbandao to Liaodong Jingcheng.

At the same time, Qiu Yu organized road construction toward former Liao and Jin garrison locations.

As roads were completed ahead, railway tracks were laid, directly pushing Song fortresses to the Jin's forward positions.

Then, the Song army continued launching raids against the Jin; within just over a month, they engaged in more than forty battles, driving the Jin to exhaustion.

What tormented the Jin most was that the Song's tactics blended deception and reality—forcing the Jin, whose forces were actually few, to shuttle back and forth.

Taking advantage of the Jin's constant troop movements, Zhong Shidao suddenly launched a major surprise attack on the Jin fortress guarding the route to Chenzhou, seizing the critical pass that connected the Liaoxi Corridor and the Liaodongbandao.

Before the battle, Zhong Shidao had already prepared construction materials and ordered other forces to launch feints, diverting Jin attention.

While the Jin were overwhelmed responding to Song harassment, the Song took only twenty-two days to seize the advantageous terrain before Chenzhou, then captured Chenzhou City in one decisive strike.

This city was named Pingjin City by Zhao Yu, implying the destruction of the Jin Chao.

After capturing Pingjin City, Qiu Yu personally led craftsmen and laborers to reinforce it.

The completion of Pingjin City marked the beginning of a series of Song offensives.

Due to Jin retreats, not only did Song forces on the Liaodongbandao advance, but Liu Fa's Song army in Liaozhongjing also pushed forward, building fortresses and roads, consuming Jin territory, and constructing a series of defensive works within Jin territory.

Song fortresses gradually formed a triangular defensive line, strictly limiting Jin movements; the idea of the Jin using their mobility to defeat the Song piecemeal had become a fantasy.

The standing of Pingjin City was like a steel spike driven deep into the Jin's Liaodong heartland—if the Jin did not remove this spike, the Liaodongbandao and the Song homeland would become fully connected.

Indeed!

After Pingjin City was built, the Song continued using the "shallow advance and fortify" strategy, organizing dozens of small construction teams of a thousand men each, advancing into the Jin's interior like silkworms consuming mulberry leaves.

Wherever the Song achieved gains, craftsmen and laborers behind them rapidly rammed earth and stacked stone, often completing a simple fortress within just a few days as a base for the next advance.

These fortresses dotted the landscape, connected by newly built roads and even railway tracks, enabling rapid transport of grain and ammunition while forming a mutually supportive defensive network—like a tightly woven net spread across Jin territory.