Chapter 95

…

Zhao Yu guessed correctly—the woman was indeed different from ordinary women; the sensation was beyond words, knowable only through personal experience.

To put it plainly, Zhao Yu was so enchanted he didn't want to return to Zheng Xiansu's side for rest.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu had not forgotten his promise to Zheng Xiansu.

So despite his reluctance, he finally released Guo Ting, returned to Kunning Palace, embraced Zheng Xiansu, and fell into a deep sleep, ending his wedding night.

The next day, Zhao Yu took Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, and Guo Ting to Cide Palace to pay respects to Empress Dowager Xiang, completing the final step of his marriage.

Upon returning from Cide Palace, Zhao Yu said to Zheng Xiansu: "I entrust all palace affairs to the Empress."

Zheng Xiansu nodded lightly: "Yes."

Though Zheng Xiansu merely nodded and replied with a single "Yes," it was enough to put Zhao Yu at ease.

Zhao Yu firmly believed that no one in the world was more suited to be his Empress than Zheng Xiansu.

Well, he simply couldn't find a second candidate.

Zhao Yu took no honeymoon leave. The current situation did not permit him to rest…

…

During the Battle of Pingxiacheng, facing a fierce assault by the Western Xia army of 400,000 (some say 300,000) personally led by the Little Empress Dowager Liang, Guo Cheng, as the defending general of Pingxiacheng, remained calm under pressure, directed defenses with composure, organized soldiers to resist fiercely, repelling wave after wave of Xia attacks, preventing the enemy from breaching the city for thirteen straight days.

Guo Cheng did not merely defend passively—he periodically sent troops out at night to harass the Xia army, disrupting their deployment and rhythm, forcing them into constant reaction and further depleting their manpower and combat morale.

When the Xia army withdrew due to prolonged failure to take the city, destruction of siege towers by violent winds, and supply shortages, Guo Cheng, alongside generals Zhe Keshi and others, led ten thousand elite cavalry on a long-range raid, launching a surprise attack on the Xia command center, capturing their commanders Amai and Meile, taking over three thousand prisoners of soldiers and civilians, seizing no fewer than one hundred thousand cattle and sheep, delivering a crushing blow to the Xia army.

From his performance at Pingxiacheng, Guo Cheng proved not only skilled in defense but also adept in offense, seizing opportunities with remarkable precision.

Moreover, it is worth noting that Guo Cheng—and indeed the entire Guo family—were well-rounded generals. They possessed not only military ability but also exceptional talent in civil administration.

Take Guo Hao, the most renowned figure in the Guo family's history, as an example:

In the early Southern Song, Jinzhou had been ravaged by repeated struggles between the Song, Jin, the puppet Qi state, and bandit armies. When Guo Hao arrived, he vigorously reformed civil governance with remarkable results; so much so that while other units petitioned the court for funds, Guo Hao voluntarily donated one hundred thousand strings of cash to the Ministry of Revenue. The court was delighted and promptly assigned Yang and Fang prefectures under his command as well.

By the way, Guo Cheng had three sons (Guo Qin, Guo Hao, and Guo Mian). His eldest, Guo Qin, died young; his second son Guo Hao and third son Guo Mian had always followed Guo Cheng in military service and accompanied him to the capital for his official report.

The current military situation in the Jingji and Hebei regions under the Zhao Song dynasty is not a shortage of capable battlefield generals, but a lack of leaders capable of uniting these scattered forces—at the very least, they must first be gathered together and made to look as though they can fight.

From this perspective, Guo Cheng and the Guo family may be more suitable than contemporaries Wang Hou, Liu Fa, and Zhong Shidao to reorganize the military of Jingji and Hebei.

Recall that if the Liao army dared to advance deep into Song territory, it would almost certainly be a lone thrust into enemy lands; if a capable defensive general established a line, held key cities, fortified defenses, cleared the countryside, and denied the Liao army both advance and plunder, then as the Liao army grew weary and demoralized, Song forces could continuously launch raids to erode their strength and will—eventually leading to a decisive Liao defeat.

This was precisely the warfare Guo Cheng excelled in.

Moreover, the Western Army now urgently needed to stabilize the Hengshan frontline to block the Xia army's desperate attempts to reclaim Hengshan; Zhao Yu could not divert its vital arteries.

Furthermore, Guo Cheng was Zhao Yu's convenient father-in-law; appointing him as "Minister of Defense" would help Zhao Yu consolidate his imperial throne.

After comprehensive consideration, Zhao Yu ultimately selected Guo Cheng for the post of Taiwei, planning to have him command the Jingji and Hebei armies in a decisive battle against the Liao when war broke out.

The Guo father and sons understood some of Zhao Yu's intentions, but did not know how much weight his marriage to Guo Ting carried in his decision.

In other words, they did not know whether Zhao Yu's heavy reliance on Guo Cheng stemmed from recognizing their abilities—or merely from familial ties.

If it were the former, there was nothing to worry about: even if Zhao Yu disliked Guo Ting, he would still treat her well to secure the loyalty of the Guo father and sons.

But if it were the latter, the power they held would vanish as swiftly as it came—if Zhao Yu lost interest in Guo Ting, or even suspected Guo Cheng of deceiving the throne, the Guo family would swiftly lose their newly acquired authority and be cast back into obscurity.

Precisely because of this uncertainty, early this morning, an eunuch arrived at the Guo residence to notify Guo Cheng to report to the Chuigong Hall that afternoon; the Guo father and sons' hearts immediately tightened.

The youngest, Guo Mian, could not hold his nerves: "Could the Emperor be planning to punish us for deceiving him?"

Guo Cheng's face hardened: "My son and I have remained utterly loyal to the Great Song—how can you speak of deceiving the throne?"

Guo Mian thought to himself: 'My sister is so tall—even taller than me—and you sent her to become an imperial concubine; isn't that deception?'

Guo Hao added: "The Emperor will surely inquire about the military situation in Jingji and Hebei. Do not panic. Remain calm and composed."

Guo Cheng agreed with Guo Hao's reasoning, prepared himself, and entered the palace to meet the Emperor.

When Guo Cheng arrived at Chuigong Hall, the chancellors Zhang Dun, Cai Bian, Han Zhongyan, Ceng Bu, Su Zhe, Cai Jing, Zhang Shangying, Li Qingchen, and Su Shi were all present.

The reformist ministers recently transferred to the central court, Lu Huiqing and Liang Zimei, were also there.

After the chancellors completed their reports, Zhao Yu dismissed them to attend to their duties.

Then Lu Huiqing and Liang Zimei stepped forward to present their matters.

Among them, Lu Huiqing took the longest—he detailed to Zhao Yu every observation from his years in the provinces and his latest insights on reform, down to the smallest particulars.

Zhao Yu promptly promoted Lu Huiqing to Vice Minister of the Central Secretariat, making him a new chancellor.

When it came to Liang Zimei, Zhao Yu primarily inquired about military equipment and grain reserves in Hebei.

By the time all these ministers had finished their reports, night was nearly upon them.

At this point, only Guo Cheng remained in the hall.

Guo Cheng's heart tightened, yet he stepped forward and bowed: "Your subject Guo Cheng pays homage to Your Majesty."

Zhao Yu smiled: "We are not strangers; no need for formalities."

Upon hearing this, Guo Cheng relaxed inwardly: 'It seems the Emperor bears me no ill will?'

Zhao Yu cut straight to the point: "I ask you—how are the armies of Jingji and Hebei? Are they fit for use?"

Guo Cheng realized Guo Hao had guessed correctly and immediately reported in exhaustive detail the military deployments in Jingji and Hebei that he and his sons had thoroughly investigated.

Through Guo Cheng's explanation, combined with Zhao Yu's own intelligence gathered from other channels (mainly reviewing official reports and memorials and dispatching the Imperial Security Bureau for covert investigations), Zhao Yu now had a general understanding of the military situation in Jingji and Hebei.

The Zhao Song dynasty now faced the same challenge as other feudal dynasties at their end: the problem of military role transformation.

Once a feudal dynasty secures its realm, its army must inevitably shift roles—from a field force into a defensive and local peacekeeping force.

The Zhao Song dynasty was no exception, especially after signing the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Liao, when nearly no major wars occurred in Jingji and Hebei; the once-legendary Jingji Imperial Guards that had helped Zhao Kuangyin conquer the realm, and the Hebei Imperial Guards that had matched the Liao army evenly, gradually fragmented into scattered local units, becoming practically indistinguishable from the Garrison and Village Militias.

In peacetime, these troops each managed their own territories, handling minor security operations and bandit suppression—tasks they could barely handle.

But when a grand interstate war erupted, these forces had to be hastily assembled.

Since they had long lacked cooperation and large-scale combined drills, their combat effectiveness was already low.

Worse, many Song units now had ten thousand names on the rolls, but only a few thousand showed up for muster; of those, only a few hundred could form orderly ranks; and truly capable of taking up weapons and fighting on the frontlines? Just a hundred or so.

Ridiculous, isn't it?

But this is the actual state of the Capital Garrison and Hebei Garrison today—in truth, neither is any stronger than the Garrison Armies or the Village Militias, and if war truly broke out, the former would be worse than the latter.

This is no longer a problem that can be solved by Zhao Yu simply paying them full military wages.

Moreover, the Capital Garrison and Hebei Garrison, as the main forces, have been scattered: ten thousand in Bazhou, ten thousand in Xiongzhou, ten thousand in Guangxin Army, five thousand in Xian'an Army…

This makes the Zhao Song dynasty appear to have troops everywhere, yet nowhere can those troops be relied upon.

Guo Cheng declared that, given the current military situation in the Capital and Hebei regions, they absolutely could not hold back the Liao army's southern advance; once the Liao army moved south, they might cross the Yellow River within days and arrive at the city gates.

The fact that Guo Cheng could speak these words to Zhao Yu confirmed to Zhao Yu that he had not chosen wrongly in appointing Guo Cheng as commander—he at least understood where the problems lay, what serious consequences they carried, and had proposed a reasonable response.

—Guo Cheng's meaning was that if Song and Liao truly went to war, to defend against the Liao army, they must now immediately mobilize troops, swiftly select two or three ten thousand battle-worthy elite soldiers, and train them urgently; otherwise, this war would be certain defeat, and they must also prepare contingency plans to retreat decisively to Jiangnan or Guanzhong if defense failed.

Zhao Yu did not think Guo Cheng was exaggerating.

Through the scouts Li Yan had sent out these past days, Zhao Yu learned that in Hebei, only a few military strongholds still had three to five thousand fully organized Hebei Garrison troops; other cities, including some important military towns, had at most seven or eight hundred, and as few as two or three hundred. The situation in the Capital region was even worse—within a short time, they could not even muster five separate units exceeding one thousand men.

Some might wonder: the Capital Garrison and Hebei Garrison together total over three hundred thousand on paper; adding the Garrison Armies and Village Militias, nearly seven hundred thousand. Where have all these troops gone?

This is mainly because the Zhao Song dynasty imposes heavy corvée labor, requiring manpower everywhere.

That is, the Capital and Hebei regions have enjoyed peace for too long—these regions' armies, including the elite Garrison troops, have ceased all training; they have been broken up and assigned to menial tasks: maintaining local order, growing grain and vegetables, raising livestock and poultry, fishing, guarding forests, tending graveyards, repairing bridges and roads, managing the Yellow River, and large-scale construction projects, among others.

For example:

This morning, Zhao Yu received a memorial from Cao Biao, Prefect of Hejian, urging him not to go to war with Liao.

In his memorial, Cao Biao stated that Hejian City currently had only three thousand two hundred men; after excluding those guarding warehouses, prisons, and other necessary garrison troops, if the court demanded Hejian's forces for battle, he could only spare one thousand nine hundred.

As for the missing troops?

Cao Biao listed them clearly in his memorial.

In short, aside from those performing various corvée duties, the rest were all assigned to maintaining order.

—In this era, there was no police system; therefore, local order was maintained entirely by the army, requiring troops to be dispersed and distributed among villages, towns, streets, and cities for patrol duties.

Keep in mind that Hejian Prefecture's official roster listed thirty thousand troops.

Yet when actually needed, only one thousand nine hundred could be mustered for battle—less than one-fifteenth.

Of course, this is because the defending side cannot deploy all its forces.

But even so, the number of troops available for battle is far too small.

Crucially, Hejian Prefecture is not an isolated case.

These past days, Zhao Yu has received too many such memorials—local governors all urged him not to rashly start a war; some even uttered unpropitious words like "If we fight, the Great Song will perish."

This is the fate of any feudal dynasty: after prolonged peace, the army becomes useless.

Fortunately, the Zhao Song dynasty has been at war with Xi Xia for years, so the Northwestern Garrison (the Western Army) remains relatively combat-capable.

Otherwise, the Zhao Song dynasty would have no hope at all.

Now, aside from the Western Army, whether the Capital Garrison, Hebei Garrison, or Jiangnan Garrison, these past years have only fought minor bands of bandits or small-scale peasant uprisings—their combat effectiveness is imaginable.

The Bureau of Military Affairs has already calculated for Zhao Yu: if Song and Liao truly go to war, within a short time, the Capital and Hebei regions can muster at most seventy thousand troops—that is, only one-tenth of their paper strength.

Crucially, of these seventy thousand, perhaps only seven thousand can immediately pick up weapons and fight; the rest are mostly just cheerleaders.

Based on current conditions, Guo Cheng advised Zhao Yu to continue gathering troops from all regions toward Hebei, and issue orders that all arriving troops, regardless of origin, must deploy in loose formations and publicly exaggerate their numbers by at least tenfold—that is, create an illusion of overwhelming force.

Zhao Yu adopted Guo Cheng's advice.

Before Guo Cheng took his leave, Zhao Yu promoted Guo Hao to Gate Attendant and praised Guo Ting for her virtue and gentleness, saying to Guo Cheng: "Your Excellency has raised an excellent daughter."

Guo Cheng inwardly praised Zhao Yu as a sage ruler—for the sake of pacifying him and his family, Zhao Yu could utter such insincere words, and from this tone, Zhao Yu would surely favor Guo Ting.

Guo Cheng swore in his heart: even if not for the rise of the Guo clan, merely to ensure his daughter's comfort in the inner palace, he would devote himself wholeheartedly to serving Zhao Yu.

After Guo Cheng left, Zhao Yu fell into deep thought: "The military has serious problems. When demanding pay, not a single soldier is missing; when war comes, there are no troops. If no one is scheming, that would be truly miraculous… Hmm… What if I gradually withdraw the elite troops from the Capital, Hebei, and Jiangnan Garrisons to form a new Garrison, and reassign the rest to a police system—turning the capable among them into police and handing them over to local authorities, thereby solving the problem of excessive military forces?"

…

(End of Chapter)