I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 196 The Newly Married Empress

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Xiao Puxian was very talented at reviewing memorials.

To be precise, it should be said that Xiao Puxian is very courageous.

Many decisions that women like Zhang Chun dared not make, Xiao Puxian dared to make.

Moreover, Xiao Puxian's suggestions and decisions are usually bold, direct, and effective, and are very good at solving problems.

Crucially, Xiao Puxian was incredibly energetic. Not only could she quickly review the memorials assigned to her, but she could also read through the memorials reviewed by others, fill in any gaps, and provide Zhao Yu with systematic advice.

It is no exaggeration to say that after taking Xiao Puxian as his wife, Zhao Yu essentially gained a capable and extremely efficient female secretary.

Since Zhang Chun was quite far along in her pregnancy, Zhao Yu simply had Xiao Puxian, a female official, take charge of reviewing memorials.

Hsiao Pu-hsien readily accepted the offer, working with great enthusiasm and tirelessly.

Zhang Chun, however, was very worried. She feared that once she gave birth, this job would no longer be hers.

But we can't let Xiao Puxian do it, Zhang Chun really can't do it now.

Therefore, Zhang Chun was conflicted and worried. She was afraid that Xiao Puxian would completely replace her.

Zhao Yu comforted Zhang Chun: "At that time, please review the memorials she has reviewed for me again, so as to avoid any impropriety."

Zhang Chun was overjoyed!

She never expected that despite Xiao Puxian's beauty and competence, Zhao Yu would not abandon her for something new. Instead, he allowed her to continue supervising and investigating, to maintain control of the core power, to check and restrain Xiao Puxian, and even to keep her above Xiao Puxian.

Zhang Chun's eyes were filled with deep affection as she looked at Zhao Yu.

In Zhang Chun's view, apart from being a bit too fond of women and too fickle, Zhao Yu was extremely satisfactory to her in every other way.

As someone familiar with history, Zhang Chun knew very well that whether an emperor was lustful or not had nothing to do with whether he was a good emperor.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, amassed a vast harem of beauties throughout his life, boasting nearly 20,000 at its peak. Yet, politically, he strengthened centralized power, implementing measures such as the "Decree of Grace"; economically, he reformed the currency system and established a salt and iron monopoly; militarily, he dispatched generals like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to the north to attack the Xiongnu, expanding the Han territory; and culturally, he suppressed other schools of thought, exclusively promoting Confucianism and unifying thought. These measures brought the Han Dynasty to its zenith, demonstrating his exceptional political, military, and leadership abilities.

Zhao Huan, at the beginning of his reign, was given twelve concubines by Zhu Lian. When he was captured and sent to study in the Jin Dynasty, ten of them were still virgins, making him a representative of emperors who were not lustful. However, he was weak-willed, indecisive, and lacked political acumen. Faced with the Jin invasion, he consistently wavered between war and peace, adapting to circumstances. In his short reign of just over a year, he appointed and dismissed twenty-six high-ranking officials in rapid succession. Among them were key figures who significantly influenced the crisis, such as Li Gang, Zhong Shidao, and Geng Nanzhong. He rejected many of their important strategies for saving the country, while adopting many of their disastrous policies, ultimately leading to the Jingkang Incident and the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, demonstrating his severe inadequacy in governing the country.

The primary criterion for a good emperor is exceptional governance. He should prioritize economic development, understanding how to rationally allocate resources, promote production, and reduce taxes. He must possess strategic vision and military decision-making ability to safeguard national territorial integrity and the safety of the people. He must be concerned for the well-being of the people and their livelihoods. He needs to implement reforms and innovations based on actual circumstances to drive social development.

Looking at it this way, the flaws don't detract from the merits. Zhao Yu could do almost all of these things, and he did them all very well. He was a thoroughly good emperor, just the kind of emperor Zhang Chun wanted.

Looking at Zhao Yu, Zhang Chun thought to himself, 'As expected of the emperor I, Zhang Chun, chose—he's perfect!'

Zhang Chun couldn't help but adore Zhao Yu, and couldn't resist giving him a big kiss on the cheek. It's fair to say that if she weren't so far along in her pregnancy, she would have been willing to learn from Xiao Sese and take better care of Zhao Yu…

……

In this battle, Zhao Yu truly terrified Yelü Yanxi, and the pro-peace faction within the Liao Dynasty gained a complete advantage. As a result, when it came time to settle interest payments, although the Liao Dynasty mostly used cattle, sheep, camels, mules, donkeys, old horses, and packhorses to make up the difference, the payment was made much more readily this time.

—In less than five days, the Liao Kingdom had paid all the interest.

Furthermore, the Liao Kingdom even obtained 120,000 taels of gold and 1.5 million taels of silver from Liaoxi Capital, and also paid back a portion of the annual tribute.

Yelü Yanxi and his ministers also stated that the remaining tribute was already being transported from Liaozhongjing, Liaodongjing, and Liaoshangjing to Yanjing, and expressed their hope to begin peace negotiations now.

However, Zhao Yu's attitude remained firm: he would only negotiate after all the tribute had been returned, and he would never compromise.

After receiving the tribute and interest, Zhao Yu issued an edict to transfer all the spoils of war, especially those that were definitely not going to be used, back to the Zhao Song Dynasty.

To save on transportation capacity, some less desirable items, such as silk of slightly lower quality, were disposed of in the three towns of Hebei and Daming Prefecture at a price 30% lower than the market price, and the gold and silver that were more likely to be transported back to Bianliang City in Tokyo to be included in the national treasury.

The fine silks were transported back to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Eastern Capital, and disposed of at below-market prices, with the proceeds going into the national treasury.

As for the gold and silver that were to be returned, they were directly transported back to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Eastern Capital, and deposited into the national treasury.

In addition, Hebei has a cool climate and abundant water and grass. It is close to Tokyo in the south and borders the frontier in the north, making it the largest official horse-breeding area of ​​the Zhao Song Dynasty. There are as many as ten horse-breeding bureaus under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Horse Breeding in Hebei, distributed between Luoyang, Wei, Xiang, Chan, Ying, Dingzhou and Daming Prefecture, with a large amount of grassland suitable for horse breeding.

Zhao Yu instructed Zhang Dun to disperse the horses, cattle, sheep, camels, mules, and donkeys that were not needed to these pastures for temporary care, or to sell them to the people separately at a price lower than the market price.

It is worth mentioning that as these spoils of war were continuously transported back to the Song Dynasty, and as they were sold to the people at prices below market value, almost everyone knew that Zhao Yu had won a great victory on the front lines and had taken back the annual tribute that the Liao Dynasty had extorted from the Song Dynasty, with interest.

These news spread like a spring breeze, quickly reaching every corner of the Zhao Song Dynasty. The people were overjoyed, and in the streets and alleys, and during their leisure time, they talked about how Zhao Yu was brave and resourceful in battle, and how he had avenged the Liao people's years of oppression in one fell swoop.

Literati and artists also wielded their brushes, filling poems and songs with praise and admiration for Zhao Yu.

Li Qingzhao, Zhao Yu's concubine, composed over a dozen beautiful poems to express her deep admiration and love for him. Her poems range from the grand imagery of "iron horses and icy rivers entering my dreams," depicting Zhao Yu's valiant and fearless figure charging into battle, to the delicate sentiment of "tender feelings like water, a beautiful time like a dream," expressing her deep longing and concern for her husband as a wife. Each line is imbued with deep emotion, every word a gem, weaving together Zhao Yu's heroic spirit with the profound affection between husband and wife. These poems quickly spread, becoming a popular topic of conversation.

At court, Zhao Yu's prestige was at its zenith. Many ministers submitted memorials to Zhao Yu, urging him to seize this great victory and completely recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, thus completing the unfinished work of previous emperors of the Song Dynasty.

Of course, this is also because the propaganda department has been vigorously promoting Zhao Yu's great achievements and building momentum for him.

This brought Zhao Yu's prestige to new heights, surpassing that of all the emperors of the Zhao Song Dynasty except for Zhao Kuangyin.

On the one hand, Zhang Dun admired Zhao Yu's brilliant military campaign, but on the other hand, he was extremely anxious.

The major strategic policy formulated by the Zhao Song Dynasty long ago was to first recover the Western Xia, rather than to first recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the Three Prefectures of Pingluanying.

But now it seems like the priorities have been reversed.

Zhao Yu was making great strides in Yan, giving the impression that with a little more effort, he could reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and the three prefectures of Pingluan and Ying. While there was some progress in the northwest, Zhang Jie was adopting a cautious, methodical approach, strictly adhering to a strategy of gradual, shallow advances into the fortified villages to nibble away at Western Xia. He showed no intention of rapid advancement, essentially fighting a war of attrition, taking absolutely no risks.

This made Zhang Dun very much want to replace his cousin with a decisive and efficient supreme military commander.

However, Zhao Yu consistently disagreed, stating, "If there is anyone in our Great Song Dynasty who can recover Western Xia, it is none other than Zhang Jie."

Zhao Yu's support for Zhang Jie was not just verbal, but also demonstrated through action. He gave Zhang Jie power, money, and gifts—whatever Zhang Jie asked for, he gave him, and even things he didn't ask for.

First, regarding power, Zhang Jie has now truly gained military and political power over the six routes in the Northwest. You could even call Zhang Jie the King of the Northwest.

As for money, half of the money Zhao Yu earned from his personal campaign was given to Zhang Jie.

This doesn't even include the horses, camels, mules, donkeys, armor, and strategic materials that Zhao Yu gave to Zhang Jie.

Zhao Yu's strong support even prompted Zhang Jie to submit a memorial to him, stating: "Your Majesty's use of me is utmost, and your entrustment of me with absolute authority is unwavering. Now, Your Majesty has entrusted me with the weighty responsibility of managing Western Xia, bestowed upon me the power to lead the expedition, and granted me elite troops and capable generals, along with the authority to act as I see fit. This is truly the time for me to dedicate myself to the country. How could I not emulate Geng Gong's loyalty in defending Shule and admire Ban Chao's ambition to pacify the Western Regions? I will certainly prepare my horses and strengthen my troops, discipline my soldiers, take Your Majesty's divine strategies as my guide, and the hopes of the entire court as my impetus, and I will surely recover Western Xia for Your Majesty..."

Zhang Jie's words sounded nice, but he was slow and inefficient in his actions, just like an old man in his twilight years.

Now, Zhang Jie, who is seventy-six years old this year, is indeed an old man.

This has caused many people to worry that Zhao Yu is really handing over such a major task as the reconquest of Western Xia to such an old man. Is it really okay?
It's fair to say that the doubts surrounding this issue have never ceased.

However, Zhao Yu remained unmoved by public opinion and steadfastly supported Zhang Jie, to the point that even the prime minister Zhang Dun could not shake Zhang Jie's position as the commander-in-chief on the front lines. No matter how Zhang Jie fought, Zhang Dun could only grit his teeth and cooperate with him.

Now that it is late autumn, it is clearly not a good time to wage war against the Western Xia.

Moreover, after Emperor Shenzong of Song's failed five-pronged attack on Western Xia, everyone knew that the best time to recover Western Xia was in the spring.

Given Zhang Jie's steady and methodical approach, who couldn't see that he was planning to postpone the war to reclaim Western Xia until next spring?

This year?

At most, they'll just build a few more forts and strongholds further ahead.

However, just when everyone thought so, after more than a year of preparation, Zhang Jie had made all the necessary preparations to recover Western Xia. In particular, after receiving the 50,000 warhorses sent to him by Zhao Yu, Zhang Jie found an opportunity to recover Western Xia.

October 15th, the day of the Lower Yuan Festival.

Despite the approaching winter, Zhang Jie suddenly launched a simultaneous attack on Western Xia by various armies along the border in an attempt to distract them.

The Huanqing Army was the first to strike, and taking advantage of the Western Xia army's unpreparedness, it captured Yanzhou City in one fell swoop and directly fortified the city there, clearly indicating that it had no intention of withdrawing.

Meanwhile, the Fuyan army seized the opportunity to attack Hongzhou City and occupy it. Subsequently, with the support of the Hedong army, they captured Youzhou City, obtaining 100,000 shi of grain and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.

These several armies launched a surprise attack from different directions, catching the Xia army off guard and effectively diverting their attention, leaving them completely unaware of which route was the main attack direction of the Song army.

But Zhang Jie still felt it wasn't enough, so he released the news early on that he was old and frail and afraid of going to war with the Western Xia again.

This not only fooled the Western Xia people, but even the ministers of the Zhao Song Dynasty believed that Zhang Jie had backed down in the face of battle, and they all submitted memorials to impeach him.

This is the effect Zhang Jie wanted.

On October 20th, Zhang Jie seized the opportunity of the Xia army's dispersed forces and suddenly assembled a force of over 100,000 troops from various routes in Shaanxi, which entered enemy territory along the Hulu River. Among them was the now-famous Shenji Army, which quickly rushed towards Tiandu Mountain.

Upon hearing this news, Emperor Li Qianshun and his ministers were not flustered at all; on the contrary, they were overjoyed.

Many ministers in the Zhao Song Dynasty did not believe in Zhang Jie's abilities.

However, the Western Xia people, who had suffered greatly at the hands of Zhang Jie, would never forget that four or five years ago, Zhang Jie used the same method to advance into Tiandu Mountain, successfully capturing the strategic pass, beheading tens of thousands of Western Xia soldiers, and forcing them to retreat to Xingqing Prefecture.

After that battle, Zhang Jie's name became as cold as a star in the night sky within the territory of Western Xia, inspiring fear in all who heard it.

This time, Zhang Jie used the same trick again, leading the Western Xia rulers and ministers to mistakenly believe that the Song army intended to use Tiandu Mountain as a base for their advance.

Therefore, although Li Qianshun and his ministers dispatched troops to rescue various places, they still deliberately left 300,000 heavy troops at Tiandu Mountain, determined to block the Song army's attack and, in the best possible way, avenge their previous defeat.

Therefore, Li Qianshun even parted ways with Yelü Nanxian, the newly crowned Empress of Western Xia, shortly after marrying her, and personally went to Tiandu Mountain to oversee the battle, determined to defeat Zhang Jie, survive the winter, and wait for the Liao Kingdom to recover before continuing to unite with the Liao Kingdom to resist the Zhao Song Dynasty.

……

At the same time, on Jingyuan Road, Shaanxi and Xixia Pacification Commission.

Zhang Jie was counting on his fingers, adding numbers to a huge sand table.

"Seventy to eighty thousand men are under the walls of Yanzhou City."

"There are fifty to sixty thousand men under the walls of Youzhou City."

"There are 20,000 to 30,000 men under the walls of Hongzhou City."

"Xia Prefecture has 150,000 inhabitants."

"Forty to fifty thousand in Xiliang Prefecture."

"Tiandu Mountain has 310,000."

"That's enough, it's time to settle the score..."

……

(End of this chapter)