I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 139 Five transmigrators were wiped out by a native.

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"I envy neither the mandarin ducks nor the immortals now, but only Zhao Yu every single day!"

Upon hearing Zhang Chun's words, Li Lin, Ye Shiyun, and Ma Xiaojiao found themselves in a rare and strong resonance with him.

Considering those five women, setting aside their identities as time travelers, in their previous lives, each of them was a major internet celebrity with millions of followers.

Yuan Qingcheng, for example, is a super internet celebrity with over ten million followers.

Furthermore, Li Lin is a Doctor of Military Science, a Visiting Professor at the First Army Academy, a Special Expert at the Center for Strategic and Security Studies, a Military Issues Expert, and a Special Military Commentator; Ye Shiyun is a Doctor of Economics from a top-ranked university in China, a top financial news anchor, proficient in monetary principles, and familiar with all economic policies, both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign.

Given their status, their looks, and their figures, in their previous lives, which one of them wouldn't have had priority in choosing a spouse?
They also obtained the time travel right that others could only dream of, and smoothly traveled to the Northern Song Dynasty.

The results of it?
The four women looked at each other, realizing that they had all been impregnated by the same native.

The key point is that they did it willingly. Some even resorted to any means necessary, without any moral boundaries, sacrificing everything to barely manage to conceive this indigenous child.

I'm too ashamed to even think about what they've done.

They were too ashamed to even think about the fact that they were time travelers.

Now, even the sole survivor among them is on the verge of collapse.

It seemed that the five transmigrators were about to be wiped out by a native.

What's most infuriating is that this native not only slept with all of them and got them all pregnant, but also had a whole bunch of other women, living a carefree and happy life every day!

Anyone who didn't know better would think that the native was the time traveler, and that they were playing the supporting female character.

No wonder Zhang Chun envied Zhao Yu.

In fact, Li Lin and the other women also envied and were jealous of Zhao Yu, wishing they could exchange lives with him.

Li Lin suppressed her envy and jealousy and said, "Stop looking. Qingcheng has finally taken this step. If she gets scared by us and backs down, not only will all our efforts be wasted, but Qingcheng might really leave our circle."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chun and the other two women looked away and continued their conversation, pretending not to have seen Zhao Yu put his hand into Yuan Qingcheng's arms...

Before long, Yuan Qingcheng was blushing and her breathing became rapid after being teased by Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu whispered in Yuan Qingcheng's ear, "My beloved concubine, would you be willing to serve me in bed?"

Yuan Qingcheng hesitated!

It's not that Yuan Qingcheng was unwilling to serve the emperor.

Yuan Qingcheng knew very well that she could never leave the harem in her life, and there was only Zhao Yu in the harem. The key point was that she did not dislike Zhao Yu. No, she should say that she liked Zhao Yu very much, and Zhao Yu also liked her quite a bit. As a result, she and Zhao Yu would take this step sooner or later.

That's right, Yuan Qingcheng was afraid that if she had served Zhao Yu in bed, her "relationship phase" with him would end so abruptly.

In her previous life, in order to be a good internet celebrity and maintain her complex persona that combined Eastern charm and pastoral atmosphere, Yuan Qingcheng always lived in a simple rural courtyard surrounded by mountains and rivers and beautiful fields. She lived a life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, immersed in the embrace of nature, and enjoying a simple and peaceful life. She created an ideal pastoral life model for modern urbanites and satisfied people's yearning for poetic living.

Yuan Qingcheng, with her personality, is incapable of dating and has no opportunity to date.

To put it bluntly, if Yuan Qingcheng were to have any scandals with anyone, her carefully cultivated persona would immediately vanish.

This is undoubtedly a huge regret for Yuan Qingcheng.

Now that she has the opportunity to make up for this regret, Yuan Qingcheng certainly hopes that this time can last a long time, because she has heard that women in love are the happiest.

Zhao Yu saw through Yuan Qingcheng's little scheme. He kissed her cheek again and said, "Since my beloved concubine wants to wait a little longer, then let's wait a few more days."

Zhao Yu was not in a hurry at all.

—Since the three hundred beauties selected by the Ministry of Rites last year entered the palace one after another, and after Empress Dowager Xiang died, Zhao Yu took all the women in Cide Palace as he had promised. Zhao Yu already has nearly a thousand women, and most of them are still virgins. Zhao Yu is not short of women to satisfy his physiological needs. How could he be short of Yuan Qingcheng?

Furthermore, Zhao Yu has been eating meat every day for over a year, so indulging in a little something light and refreshing now and then seems like a good idea.

Seeing how much Zhao Yu doted on her and indulged her, Yuan Qingcheng felt even sweeter inside, and she sincerely said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhao Yu and Yuan Qingcheng whispered intimately for a while before Zhao Yu went inside, while Yuan Qingcheng called for a palace maid to serve the dishes...

Taking advantage of this moment, Zhao Yu asked Zhang Chun, "My beloved consort, who do you think is suitable to serve as the envoy for the Empress Dowager's mausoleum?"

Zhang Chun knew that Zhao Yu was testing her, not asking her for advice.

'This is indeed a good test question.'

The selection of the imperial envoy is no small matter.

It should be noted that the Zhao Song Dynasty typically appointed former prime ministers as the imperial tomb inspectors.

For example, during the funeral of Emperor Taizong of Song, nominally, Taizong's fourth son served as the mausoleum envoy, but in reality, it was Prime Minister Lü Duan who led the funeral procession.

The so-called "Envoy of the Imperial Mausoleum" was actually the chief steward of funeral affairs: responsible for matters related to the funeral of the deceased emperor and empress, including the departure of the spirit carriage, that is, transporting the coffin of the emperor and empress, as well as a series of ceremonies in the entire funeral process, such as the opening of the coffin, the opening of the ancestral offering, the ancestral offering, and the sending of the offering. In addition, he was also responsible for the deliberation of the system of imperial mausoleums and the supervision of the construction of imperial mausoleums.

The Song Dynasty followed the ritual of "burial in seven months," and the imperial envoy was required to complete the funeral of the emperor and empress within this period and follow the relevant mourning regulations, holding corresponding ceremonies at different stages.

After completing the emperor and empress's funeral, the imperial envoy was customarily not allowed to return to court and had to resign from his position as prime minister. This became a means for the new emperor to eliminate the old and establish the new, as well as for power struggles among officials.

The most prominent example is:
After Gao Taotao's death, Zhao Xu appointed Lü Dafang, the prime minister during Gao Taotao's time, as the mausoleum commissioner, and removed him from the court. By the time Gao Taotao was buried, Zhao Xu and his minister Zhang Dun had already eliminated Lü Dafang's old faction.

Furthermore, historically, Zhao Ji used the opportunity of appointing Zhang Dun as the envoy to oversee Zhao Xu's mausoleum to remove Zhang Dun and appointed Han Zhongyan and Zeng Bu as the left and right prime ministers. Zhao Ji also appointed Zeng Bu as the envoy to oversee Empress Dowager Xiang's mausoleum and used this opportunity to remove Zeng Bu and appoint Cai Jing as prime minister.

When Zhao Yu ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Xiang and a group of old factions hoped that Zhang Dun would serve as the envoy for Zhao Xu's mausoleum, in order to get rid of Zhang Dun.

At that time, Zhao Yu protected the four prime ministers Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, Cai Bian, and Xu Jiang, so that they would not become pawns in the political struggle after Zhao Xu's departure. Instead, he appointed Lin Xi, the former prime minister who had betrayed Zhang Dun because of Zeng Bu's framing, as the mausoleum commissioner for Zhao Xu.

It was precisely for this reason that the New Party embraced Zhao Yu without hesitation, helping him to counter the Old Party, which had the support of the Empress Dowager.

Now that Empress Dowager Xiang has also passed away, Zhao Yu is faced with another choice.

This time, Zhao Yu's choice is definitely not whether or not to appoint Zhang Dun as the mausoleum commissioner.

Just a few days ago, Zhang Dun's granddaughter, Zhang Nan, gave birth to Zhao Yu's seventh son.

Crucially, Zhao Yu and his minister Zhang Dun had set a strategic goal of "recovering Western Xia within three to five years." How could Zhao Yu possibly abandon Zhang Dun?

How about appointing Zeng Bu as the imperial tomb envoy for Empress Dowager Xiang, as was done in history?
Zeng Bu was the Privy Councilor, in charge of military affairs.

But now, Zhang Dun's reach is too far, often bypassing Zeng Bu to directly command various military commanders and even frontline generals.

This has created a deep conflict between Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu, and their duties now overlap somewhat.

Under these circumstances, it seems quite reasonable for Zhao Yu to choose to remove Zeng Bu from the court.

Even if an emperor trusts a minister completely, he still has to be wary of him.

In Zhao Yu's case, even if he trusted Zhang Dun and Cai Jing, he still had to be wary of them.

Zeng Bu was a staunch supporter and important assistant in the early stages of Wang Anshi's reforms, actively participating in their implementation.

However, in the later stages of the reform, Zeng Bu and Wang Anshi had disagreements on some specific policies and personnel arrangements.

For example, Zeng Bu's views differed from Wang Anshi's on issues such as the Market Regulation Law, which led to a gradual estrangement between the two.

In fact, looking at Zeng Bu's entire political career, his attitude towards reform changed at different times, and it cannot be simply attributed to a "betrayal" of Wang Anshi. His active support for the restoration of reform during Zhao Xu's personal rule indicates that he still had some agreement with and adherence to the reform itself; it was just that there were different views and considerations of interest in its specific implementation.

The true New Party, namely the factions of Zhang Dun and Cai Bian, especially the latter, viewed Zeng Bu as a traitor within the New Party, and the New Party would never trust Zeng Bu again.

On the other hand, Zeng Bu was a true member of the new party and could not be accepted by the old party.

Under these circumstances, Zeng Bu could only become a member of the emperor's faction and a lone minister.

Indeed, Zeng Bu was among the first to pledge allegiance to Zhao Yu. Initially, Zhao Yu relied on Zeng Bu's support to establish a balance between the new and old factions, ultimately stabilizing his imperial power.

It is worth mentioning that Zeng Bu was very capable in politics, economics, and military affairs. He was a first-class all-rounder, so whether Zhang Dun or Cai Jing was in trouble, he could step up immediately.

In addition, although Zeng Bu was a member of the New Party, he was a conservative and pragmatic member of the party. In many cases, he played a crucial role in stabilizing the situation. He could keep an eye on the radical Zhang Dun with one eye and on the even more radical Cai Jing with the other. With him around, Zhang Dun and Cai Jing should not dare to act too recklessly.

Therefore, Zhao Yu could not possibly abandon Zeng Bu.

The remaining New Party officials are the ones who actually get things done. They've all done a good job in their respective fields, so Zhao Yu shouldn't abandon them.

Therefore, the only option left was to select an envoy from among the old party to oversee the Empress Dowager's mausoleum.

Previously, Zhao Yu had sent Lü Huiqing, the prime minister of the new faction, to Xihe Road to govern the newly recovered Qing Tang region and prepare for war with Western Xia. At the same time, before Empress Dowager Xiang died, she had Zhao Yu promote Fan Chunli to prime minister.

This shift in power led to a reversal in the strength of the new and old parties at the central level.

In other words, the old party's power in the central government has recently become too strong.

This is not conducive to reform.

Furthermore, Ren Boyu, the Left Secretary of the Old Party, submitted 180 memorials impeaching ministers within six months, with his main target being Chancellor Zhang Dun, followed by Chancellors Zeng Bu, Cai Jing, and Cai Bian.

Ren Boyu stubbornly believed that talented people should not be divided into different factions, but since ancient times there has never been a situation where virtuous people and petty people were mixed together and employed at the same time, and the country was well-governed. This is because virtuous people are not greedy for power and are easy to retire, while petty people are difficult to dismiss and leave officialdom. If these two types of people are employed together, the final result will inevitably be that virtuous people leave on their own, while petty people remain.

Ren Boyu also cited an example, arguing that Emperor Dezong of Tang suffered the disaster of exile and migration because of this reason.

Coincidentally, "Jianzhong" was also the reign title of Emperor Dezong of Tang.

Ren Boyu hoped that Zhao Yu would take this as a warning.

There are many self-righteous old party members like Ren Boyu.

They tirelessly contradicted Zhao Yu, completely disregarding the actual situation of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

We need to give them a talking-to.

Therefore, Zhang Chun said, "How about appointing Han Zhongyan as the Imperial Tomb Envoy?"

Zhang Chun's idea was that since the old party was to be punished, then the biggest punishment should be given. After all, Han Zhongyan couldn't control these remonstrating officials, so he should be dealt with.

Zhao Yu tapped Zhang Chun on the forehead: "You think you're so smart."

Seeing that she had guessed correctly, Zhang Chun couldn't help but show a smug look.

However, what Zhang Chun didn't know was that she was only half right.

As for the other half, Zhao Yu only intended to scare Han Zhongyan and the old party, and did not intend to actually dismiss Han Zhongyan. Zhao Yu did not tell Zhang Chun about this.

Next, Zhao Yu said to Li Lin, "I plan to build another Shenji Vanguard Army, a Shenji Central Army, and a Shenji Rear Army. The officers will be drawn from the Shenji Left Army and the Shenji Right Army. I have already instructed the Ministry of Personnel to recruit military supervisors from the Imperial Academy. As for the soldiers, I plan to send the Ministry of War to recruit 5,000 from Guanzhong, 5,000 from Hebei, and another 5,000 from the south. What do you think, my beloved consort?"

What makes the Shenji Army different from other armies is that five men form a squad with a squad leader, ten men form a platoon with a platoon leader, and fifty men form a team. Each team has a captain and a junior supervisor, implementing a dual-command system.

This resulted in the Shenji Army having a large number of scholars from humble backgrounds who were morally upright and valued integrity. They served as instructors, political instructors, and political commissars in our army in later generations.

This is something Li Lin specifically emphasized when designing the Divine Machine Army for Zhao Yu.

Now that the Shenji Army was to be expanded, Zhao Yu immediately recruited a full team of supervisors for Li Lin.

It is not difficult to see from this that the mechanism designed by Li Lin is very effective.

However, unlike Li Lin who only wanted northern soldiers before, Zhao Yu this time also wanted to recruit 5,000 southern soldiers to form a separate army.

Li Lin understood that Zhao Yu was worried that if something happened in the south, the northern soldiers would be very unaccustomed to fighting there.

Moreover, northern soldiers are not good at naval warfare, while southern soldiers are generally good swimmers and are more effective in certain special battlefields.

Li Lin thought for a moment and said, "I have heard that the farmers and miners in Yiwu are physically strong, hardworking, brave, and resilient, and also have a strong sense of obedience..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu immediately understood that Li Lin intended to follow the path of Qi Jiguang's army.

Zhao Yu would certainly support this.

And so, the expansion of the Divine Machine Army was decided...

……

(End of this chapter)